External Funds Codes Table
The External Fund Code table must contain at least one entry. If your library does not use external funds, add a dummy entry in Line Number 0.
The External Fund Code table allows you to maintain a list of names for parent agency funds which are library funding sources. These names are linked to a corresponding numerical code. When you create a fund for your library, you can link the fund with the external fund name by entering the code in the EXTERNAL FUND field in the fund record. For further information on external funds, see How Sierra Uses External Funds below.
You can access the External Fund Code table via the following menu path:
Admin | Parameters | Acquisitions | External Funds Codes
For information on modifying this table, see Maintaining System Parameter Tables.
Functionality Information
- Maximum Entries
- This table can contain up to 500 external funds. Several library funds can have the same external fund.
- Default External Fund Code
- The default external fund code in each fund record is '0'. When entering external fund names in the table, assign '0' to the most commonly used external fund to minimize data entry.
Data Elements
Entries in the External Fund Codes table contain the following data elements:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| (Line Number) | The column with the line numbers is the numerical code that you enter in the fund record. |
| External Fund Name | The external fund name. External fund names can be a maximum of 23 characters; however, only the first 20 characters of the external fund name are included when outputting vouchers. |
How Sierra Uses External Funds
Sierra uses external funds when you post invoices and output vouchers. When you post an invoice session, the system prints at the bottom of each Invoice Register up to twenty of the affected external funds and the amount from the invoice to be charged to those external funds. You can provide a copy of the appropriate Invoice Registers to the parent agencies' accounting departments. Additionally, the output vouchers functionality produces a voucher for each vendor which contains up to nine external fund names and the amounts to be paid out of those external funds for a specified invoice. This information can go directly to the parent agency's accounting office.
If a fund record contains an external fund code which has no meaning (no name is entered in the External Fund Codes table for the code), the system does not total up the amounts at the bottom of the invoice as described above. Therefore, if your library does not use external funds, enter an unused external fund code in the EXTERNAL FUND field in each fund record. Avoid entering a name for that code in the External Fund Code table as long as you are using it in the funds.