Budget Systems Newsletter

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May 20, 2020

Budget Systems Newsletter

For users of the AMA, BPAS, and CBS budget systems.


AMA Training Videos Available

Training videos for the Appropriation Maintenance Application (AMA) are now available on the budget systems AMA webpage:  https://mn.gov/mmb/budget/statewide-budget-systems/ama/ama-training-videos.jsp. The video guides typically have run times of fifteen minutes or less and provide in-system demonstrations.

AMA Training Video List

AMA June Workshops

MMB will offer remote AMA workshops on three Wednesdays in June: June 3, 10 and 17. The 30-minute one-on-one workshop sessions will be scheduled between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM, on a first-come first serve basis. To request an appointment, email budget.finance.mmb@state.mn.us, subject AMA Workshop, and staff will respond.


Get Ready for BPAS Opening

After the SWIFT fiscal year 2020 hard close in August, BPAS will open for agencies to begin preparing base budgets for the 2022-23 biennium. In June agencies will receive an e-mail communication from MMB about certifying their current BPAS users and authorizing any new users.


BPAS User Training

User training for BPAS will be delivered remotely this summer. A series of short instructional videos will be published on the BPAS webpage in August and agencies will also be able to request appointments for one-on-one workshops. Live WebEx sessions for new BPAS users are also planned. Look for more information on registration in upcoming budget systems newsletters.


AMA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Fund Balance Classification Attribute in AMA

Fund Balance Classification is a required attribute for appropriations with a Fund code value from 1000 to 2999. Agencies select this attribute in AMA from a dropdown list. The dropdown list is now smart-coded to display only the valid Fund Balance Classification value or values for the appropriation Fund Code. When an agency modifies or copies an existing appropriation in AMA, the Fund Balance Class will be cleared if the value previously entered was invalid. For more information about this and other 2020 AMA system updates see the January 2020 budget systems newsletter.

Creating Non-Dedicated Appropriations

A non-dedication appropriation ID only needs to be created once in AMA, for the budget period initially authorized. Revenue budgets in SWIFT, however, must be established each fiscal year or budget period in SWIFT using the non-dedicated appropriation ID. The SWIFT revenue budget allows for collecting receipts to the non-dedicated appropriation.


Budget Systems User Group

The Budget Systems User Group is the primary voice for the statewide community of users that advises MMB in identifying, prioritizing, planning, developing, testing and deploying system modifications and enhancements for the Budget Planning and Analysis System (BPAS), Appropriation Maintenance Application (AMA) and Departmental Earnings (DE).

The User Group members for the 2020-21 biennium are:

Budget System User Group Members

Have a question about or a suggestion for improving the budget systems? Email it to Budget Operations at budget.finance.mmb@state.mn.us, Subject: Budget Systems Newsletter.