Training available for upcoming M-Pathways upgrade

Updated 10:00 AM July 11, 2005

Training available for upcoming M-Pathways upgrade

Linda Hancock Green
Michigan Administrative Information Services

An upgrade to the M-Pathways Financials system planned for early August will change processes involving procurement, reconciling of P-Cards, requests for contracts and reporting functions.

To prepare staff to use the system efficiently after the upgrade, Michigan Administrative Information Services (MAIS) staff members are encouraging users to take advantage of an opportunity to review online training.

The training and support information will be available on the MAIS Learning and Information Center (MAIS LINC) Web site (https://maislinc.umich.edu) by the end of July. In addition, users will find several other resources in place to help them prepare for the changes. Specific information about the upgrade is posted on the Upgrade Central section of the M-Pathways Web site and has been provided to unit liaisons.

Interchanges are scheduled during July and August to help users understand the upgrade changes. The interchanges will cover the new ePro Requisition,
P-Card reconciliation procedures, and the contracts process. A list of interchange dates is available in the University Record online events calendar and on Upgrade Central. In addition, the MAIS Help Desk will continue to provide user support and assistance.

"The new software will deliver significant changes, and we believe improvements, in the procurement process," says Timothy Slottow, executive vice president and chief financial officer. "No mandatory training requirement is associated with this upgrade. Instead, MAIS is developing training for users that will be delivered on the Web. We strongly encourage all users to take advantage of this training."

Some changes that will result from the upgrade:

• Access to the Financials and Physical Resources Data (FINPROD) and the Financials Operational Data Store (FINODS) will be through the Wolverine Access Web site (https://wolverineaccess.umich.edu);

• The new eProcurement (ePro) Requisition will be used to order goods and services from external vendors, replacing the current purchase order and requisition processes;

• The P-Card worklist will be eliminated, and P-Card reconciliation will be performed directly on the electronic statement, not on the P-Card voucher. These changes will make P-Card transactions easier to access and reconcile, and the P-Card statement report easier to print.

• The current process for requesting a new contract will be replaced with an e-mail form in M-Pathways. After the contract is set up, individuals will use ePro Requisition to order goods and services against the contract.

Upgrade activities will begin at 5 p.m. Aug. 5, and the production database (FINPROD) will be unavailable until 7 a.m. Aug. 15.

During the upgrade, the financials and physical resources reporting environments will be available with data current as of Aug. 5. These include FINODS and FINPROD data sets in the U-M Data Warehouse.

Procurement users will be able to use their P-Cards, the M-Marketsite Web site, and Service Unit Billing services during the upgrade period.

Training available for upcoming M-Pathways upgrade

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