May 11, 2022
For users of the Appropriation Maintenance Application (AMA) and Budget Planning and Analysis System (BPAS).
Shannon Lodermeier has joined the MMB Budget Planning and Operations Team in the Budget Division as a Systems Communications and Training Analyst. Shannon comes to the state from a private technology company and is excited to bring her experience in systems training, project management, technical communication, and reporting to this role. As an analyst, Shannon will work to ensure agency users have the support and resources necessary to successfully use the budget systems.
A system update to the Appropriation Maintenance Application (AMA) will be released this month. The release features a new option to recall transactions back to the agency Edit screen (see below). AMA users will be e-mailed when the release date and time, tentatively scheduled from noon to 1:00 PM on Tuesday, May 17, is confirmed.
The update also removes the “C” – Close option from the Budget Status drop-down list. In rare situations, when agencies need to close an appropriation, they should email the SWIFT Module Support Team (agencyassistance.mmb@state.mn.us) with the appropriation detail, for guidance.
No in-person classroom training is currently being scheduled for the budget systems; however, there will be webinars held this summer before and after BPAS is opened for the 2024-25 biennial budget process. Instructional videos are available on the MMB website for each of the budget systems. Agency users may also schedule one-on-one virtual consultations on Teams. Email budget.finance.mmb@state.mn.us Subject: Training.
Agencies can save time and effort preparing their budget for the 2024-25 biennium by timely completing the required tasks in SWIFT to close this year’s budget and establishing next year’s budget (Budget and Accounting Instructions).
At hard close of the fiscal year in SWIFT, the weekend of August 19, BPAS will be loaded with FY 2022 actual data and FY 2023 budget data. The SWIFT budget data for FY 2023 is loaded into BPAS, which begins the setting of the 2024-25 biennium base budget.
Ensure FY 2022 actuals are accurate. Except in rare cases where an error is discovered after fiscal year close that materially affects financial reporting, agencies aren’t typically allowed to correct their actual data once it’s loaded into BPAS. In SWIFT prior to hard close, closely review FY 2022 appropriation type codes and close encumbrances, as appropriate.
Establish FY 2023 appropriations and revenue and expense budgets in SWIFT before hard close. FY 2023 data will be loaded from SWIFT into BPAS, then copied forward to estimated years FY 2024-25 and FY 2026-27 to begin the process of setting the agency base budget. The better an agency’s FY 2023 data in SWIFT at hard close, the less entry required in BPAS.
Contact budget.finance.mmb@state.mn.us with questions about the Budget Planning and Analysis System (BPAS) load for FY 2022 actual and 2023 budget data.
Currently if an agency or approver catches an error after submitting or approving a transaction, they must call or e-mail the next approver in the AMA workflow and ask them to deny the transaction so that it’s returned to the agency Edit screen for correction and re-submission.
From the new AMA Recall screen, users can view a list of transactions pending approval, select and then recall transactions they’ve submitted back to the Edit screen, up until SWIFT Support has completed approval for upload to SWIFT.
 The scrollable Recall list shows the role whose approval is pending, the AMA transaction number, Approp ID, Description, Budget Period and Entry Type. Users can sort or filter the list and click on any transaction number to open an Alternate View pop-up displaying the appropriation’s chart fields and approval history.
 After selecting a transaction from the Recall List, a pop-up will require users to enter a brief description of why they’re recalling it.
 Recalled transactions will display in red font (purple font, for BPAS-Only entries) with the status "Recalled," next to "Denied" transactions at the top of the agency Edit screen. From there, the agency can edit, validate, and re-submit the appropriation entry for approval.
 Approver, EBO, and Bud Coordinator role users will also have access to the Recall screen feature. These roles will be able to view lists of transactions they’ve approved and select one or more for recall before they’re approved for upload into SWIFT or BPAS.
MMB Budget Operations has a number of resources available to assist agencies with using AMA and BPAS.
- A library of training videos is available on MMB's website that provide instruction on all system functions and feature in-system demonstrations.
- The system User Guides and glossaries are excellent resources for new and experienced users. Linked in each system's help menu, the guides are also available on MMB's website
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One-on-one assistance with AMA or BPAS is available by appointment. Email budget.finance.mmb@state.mn.us to request a time.
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.
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