December, 2015
From the Editor
In a recent training session with a group of experienced BW users, I was surprised to hear that there were a range of understandings about which browsers they could use with BUworks. To alleviate any confusion you may have in this regard, I have included a table in the Tips and Tricks section below that outlines the browsers (and browser versions) available for use with BW reports or the WebGUI.
I enjoy writing the BW Newsletter each month and believe that it is providing interested users with useful information. The limitation of this communication device, however, is that it is one-sided. I’m wondering what you think about what information you need. I remain convinced that my efforts (and those of my training colleagues) with the newsletter, the help/training Web site, help guides, and instructor-led training sessions would benefit from more user input. I want to remind you that all of us welcome your ideas regarding newsletter topics or enhancements to any of the other training resources. I invite you to drop me a note via email or give me a call at 617-353-6382 so we can discuss your ideas.
As always, I hope you find this issue of the Newsletter informative. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Bill Stewart
This will affect only a subset of the grants administrators among you, but it merits mention. A new report, Grant Commitment Detail, was added to the Grant Management (Faculty) folder at the end of October (the editor seems to have overlooked this news in last month’s newsletter). Previously, the faculty grants reports did not contain commitment information. The addition of this report eliminates that gap.
If you are a financial administrator interested in monitoring Concur expense data for one or more Funds Centers, you may be interested in a new instructor-led workshop to help you find your data in an FM report. The session is listed in the intermediate training sessions below.
Some of these Tips may be new to you, while others may be familiar. Regardless, we hope you find value in these and future Tips, even if we do no more than remind you of the existence of tools you once knew about but had since forgotten.
Note: all of the Tips posted in BW newsletters are archived on this page.
What are the basic BW tools I should be familiar with to best do my job?
The BW Document Library contains a Web page that lists a minimal set of functions that every Business Warehouse report user should be familiar with and learn to use. These functions will save you time and allow you to more easily address the questions you seek to answer by running reports. The list includes documents that describe tips and tricks that include ways to filter data, save or use views, or efficiently search for specific names or account numbers.
Once you are comfortable with reporting tool basics, move on to this list of more advanced functionality. You may find that you don’t use these capabilities as frequently as you do the basic tools, but you will discover that they are enormously helpful when you are trying to perform specific tasks. Take a look and decide for yourself whether you can use any of these tools.
What browsers can/should I use with BUworks (BW reporting and WebGUI transactions)?
Browsers are not “one size fits all.” Choosing which browser you will use should be based on your platform (Windows PC or Mac) and your needs/preferences. Use the chart below to help you select a browser that is appropriate to your needs.
| Works with | |||
| Browser & Version | Windows PC | Mac | Note |
| Internet Explorer (IE) version 11 Compatibility Mode | Yes | No | Supports use of copy/paste from a BW report to another destination, e.g., another report or a spreadsheet. |
| Firefox ESR 38.4 | Yes | Yes | |
| Chrome | Yes | Yes | Works well with much of the SAP portal functionality, but not yet officially supported. Use it if it works for you, but if you need help desk support, it’s best to switch to one of our two supported choices. |
Note: most browsers are set up by default to suppress pop-up windows. When using any of the browsers above for the first time, you may need to configure your Pop-up Blocker Settings to allow BW reports to display (the reports require pop-ups). This TechWeb page contains configuration details.
December Training Opportunities
Introductory Workshops offered this month
As always, an assortment of introductory workshops will be offered this month. These sessions present to new employees – or employees assigned a new business role – the fundamentals of reporting for a particular subject area. The sessions are a great way to review material, too. Even if you previously attended an intro session, you are likely to learn new things about reporting – or to be reminded of concepts that you had forgotten.
Click on any of the following links for a course description and/or to register for an upcoming session:
Supplier Resource Management Reporting
Labor Distribution (Payroll) Reporting
Upcoming Intermediate-level Workshops
Using BW to View Concur Expense Data *New*
Custom Training Sessions
Have you ever thought that it would be really useful if you could get members of your department together with a trainer to focus on BUworks functionality that is specific to the work your department does? I’m happy to work with any department or group that would like to develop and conduct a custom basic- or intermediate-level reporting training session. There are only two requirements for such a session: (1) input from the group is necessary to develop a relevant agenda, and (2) the group should include four or more employees. If you’re interested in discussing the development of a custom session for your department or school/college, contact me via email or give me a call at 617-353-6382.
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