Understanding Accumulators
This chapter provides an overview of accumulators and discusses how to:
Define accumulators.
Adjust accumulator balances.
Understanding Accumulators
This section discusses:
Accumulator elements.
Balance accumulators in batch processing.
Retroactive processing and accumulators.
Accumulator Elements
Accumulators are elements that store the cumulative values of defined items as they're processed. For example, they can store accrued entitlement balances, gross earnings, and other cumulative values.
Accumulators can be defined:
Automatically
When you create an earning, deduction, or entitlement element, the system can automatically generate a set of accumulators to track the value of the element over time. Automatically generated accumulators typically accumulate values for a single element. You specify the periods of time that the accumulators are to track.
Manually
You can create accumulators to track several elements, such as all voluntary deductions or all accrued entitlement. You select the elements that the accumulator is to track and define the period of time that the accumulator is to cover. You can accumulate a single value or multiple values over time.
There are two types of accumulators, those that pertain to a single segment, and those that span several calculation periods:
Segment accumulators accumulate values during a single gross-to-net calculation.
Balance accumulators accumulate values over a period of time, such as a month or a year.
Note. You can accumulate values for segment accumulators using old values that are derived from formulas. You cannot, however, accumulate values for balance accumulators using old values from formulas.
See Also
Automatically Generated Accumulators
Balance Accumulators in Batch Processing
This section describes various aspects of how the batch process handles balance accumulators.
Updating Balances
The system loads the value for an accumulator from the end of the previous period. When the accumulator is processed, the value for the current period is added to the historic value to maintain an up-to-date balance. For each period, the batch process pulls forward the accumulator likewise.
Creating New Instances
When defining an accumulator, assign such attributes as level, based-on date, and period to cover—such as calendar year. Level determines whether to keep separate counts per job or across jobs by employee. You can add specifications by adding user keys, such as contract or department. The period and based-on date determine the applicable time period. These attributes determine how and when the batch process creates and keeps separate instances of the same accumulator. The system creates a new instance of balance and segment accumulators anytime that you change the value of a key field. Balance accumulators also spin off a new instance for each new period.
Writing to the Result Tables
How you set up the Accumulator page tells the system whether to write the accumulator to the results tables. The system determines when to drop balance accumulators, using the number of months to maintain after end date and comparing the accumulate through date of each instance with the current pay period begin date.
See Also
Retroactive Processing and Accumulators
With retroactive processing, you must be aware of several accumulator considerations.
Only segment accumulator deltas can be forwarded, because forwarding a balance accumulator delta can lead to double counting of contributing elements. The calculation period accumulator delta must be forwarded to an earning or a deduction, not an accumulator.
If the retroactive method is corrective, accumulators reflect new retroactive values in the retroactive period by default. If the retroactive method is forwarding, accumulator values in the retroactive period remain unchanged by default and reflect delta values when they're brought in as adjustments in the current period.
Use the Use Corrective check box on the Level page (for automatically generated accumulators, it's on the Earning Accumulators page) to override a general retroactive method of forwarding and make the accumulator behave in a corrective fashion. Define all absence balance accumulators as corrective. This makes it possible for the true balance of the accumulator to be reflected in each period.
Note. Once the accumulator has results stored, the Use Corrective check box is not available for selection. To make the check box available again, you must cancel the payroll calendar that generated results for the accumulator.
Example
An accumulator is used as a limit in a retirement account; its value determines the value of other elements. Assume a current period of December, with retroactivity going back to October. Further assume an original balance of 9,000 at the beginning of October, with no contribution to the retirement account. If the contribution is recalculated as 1,000, that should be reflected in the accumulator balance going into November to prevent further contributions. When the 1,000 delta is brought in as an adjustment in December, it isn't added to the accumulator, because that would cause double counting.
See Also
Defining Accumulators
To define accumulators, use the Accumulators (GP_ACCUMULATOR) component.
This section discusses how to:
Name an accumulator.
Define accumulator period and timing information.
Specify accumulator keys.
Define the list of elements that contribute to an accumulator.
Pages Used to Define Accumulators|
Page Name |
Definition Name |
Navigation |
Usage |
|
GP_PIN |
Set Up HRMS, Product Related, Global Payroll & Absence Mgmt, Elements, Supporting Elements, Accumulators, Accumulator Name |
Name an accumulator element and define its basic parameters. |
|
|
GP_ACCUMULATOR_2 |
Set Up HRMS, Product Related, Global Payroll & Absence Mgmt, Elements, Supporting Elements, Accumulators, Definition |
Define the period information and indicate the timing of the accumulator's resolution. |
|
|
GP_ACCUMULATOR_1 |
Set Up HRMS, Product Related, Global Payroll & Absence Mgmt, Elements, Supporting Elements, Accumulators, Level |
Specify keys for accumulators. |
|
|
GP_ACCUMULATOR_3 |
Set Up HRMS, Product Related, Global Payroll & Absence Mgmt, Elements, Supporting Elements, Accumulators, Members |
Define the list of elements that contribute to an accumulator. |
Naming an Accumulator
You must name every element that you create and define its basic parameters on an Element Name page. All element page groups share the same first Element Name page (GP_PIN).
Note. When creating an accumulator, you can select a decimal or monetary field format. Select monetary for elements that may be subject to currency conversions and decimal for elements that accumulate non monetary values, such as holiday hours or years of service.
See Also
Defining Accumulator Period and Timing Information
Access the Accumulators - Definition page (Set Up HRMS, Product Related, Global Payroll & Absence Mgmt, Elements, Supporting Elements, Accumulators, Definition).
Accumulator Period
An accumulator period is the period for which an accumulator collects and accumulates amounts.
|
Period |
Select from the following options: Segment: Represents one gross-to-net calculation, or segment. If there's no segmentation, a segment period and a payment period are identical. Calendar Period: The period begin and end dates come from the current calendar period. Month to Date: The system collects information monthly. Quarter to Date: The system collects information quarterly. Year to Date: The system collects information yearly. Custom Period: A custom period enables you to create an accumulator that's completely open-ended—an end date is not required, as might a custom period to track an employee's lifetime wages. When you select this option, the Date field appears for the begin date. Select the element type from the list in this new field. |
|
Begin Option |
Select the accumulator's starting point. This field appears if you select Month to Date, Quarter to Date, or Year to Date in the Period field. Values are: Specify Date: The Begin Month and the Begin Day fields appear. Enter the day and month or select variables to return these values. Use Paying Entity Calendar and Use Paying Entity Fiscal: The system uses the defaults set on the Pay Entity Processing Details page. |
Initialize Rule
|
Initialize Rule Element |
Enter a formula element to be invoked when a new instance of an accumulator is created for a new period. This formula must also be a member of the accumulator for its results to be added to the accumulator. For example, at the beginning of a calendar year, you might want to have a YTD accumulator that contains accrued vacation time carry over the previous year's value, with certain limits. The formula that you select here can serve this purpose. When the accumulator for the new year is created, the formula is invoked. If you leave this field blank, no special processing occurs. |
Maintain After End Date
|
Number of Months |
Specify how long an accumulator remains in the output results table after its stop date. You can use this to access a previous accumulator value for a current calculation. Note. If you select Segment in the Period field, this field becomes unavailable. |
Custom Period End Date Options
These fields are only available for custom period accumulators.
Note. The two fields in this group box work independently.
|
Set End Date If Zero |
Select this option to set the accumulator's end date to the segment end date in the period when the accumulator value equals zero. This lets the system display the accumulator's value when it reaches zero and then cease storing this value in the subsequent period. For example, when tracking an outstanding loan balance, you could use this field to display the balance until it is paid in full. If you select this check box, the system populates the Duration in Months field to 999 by default (equivalent to no end date). |
|
Duration in Months |
Enter the accumulator's length of duration. The custom period ends after this duration. For example, when tracking maternity leave, you could use this field to display the accumulator for a set entitlement number of months. You should not enter a value in this field if you select the Set End Date if Zero check box. If you select the Set End Date If Zero check box, the system will overwrite any value you enter in the Duration in Months field with a value of 999 (equivalent to no end date). |
Accumulate Based On
|
Based On |
Select the calendar period date to use when determining the correct period for recording accumulators. Select from Period Begin Date, Period End Date (default), Payment Date, or Specified Date. Specified Date is commonly used in absence situations. An absence is often linked back to its initial date, even if that was in another period. Example: A certain monthly accumulator has one member: E1. A weekly pay group has these period dates: Begin Date = January 26, 2000 End Date = February 3, 2000 Payment Date = February 4, 2000 E1 = 100.00 The Based On field value tells the system whether the 100.00 of E1 is added to the monthly value for January or February. If you select Period Begin Date, the 100.00 is added to the January balance. If you select Period End Date, (or Payment Date), the 100.00 is added to the February balance. Note. This field is available only if you select Month to Date, Quarter to Date, or Year to Date in the Period field. |
Retroactive Behavior
|
Use Corrective |
Select to override the behavior of an accumulator when the retroactive method is defined as forwarding. This enables you to change the accumulator's forwarding behavior to corrective. If Use Corrective is selected, the accumulator behaves in a corrective mode; adjustments are not added to the accumulator in the current period. This is the default value. You can designate certain balance accumulators as corrective to have balances updated at the end of a retroactive recalculation with the newly calculated values of the member elements, rather than waiting to update the balance of the accumulator with the current calculation. This is appropriate when the timing of the balance update is critical to further calculations. Note. PeopleSoft recommends that you always select the Use Corrective check box on the Accumulators - Level page when you define arrears accumulators. This is because the component that contributes to the accumulator does not itself generate a delta, making double-counts very likely if the accumulator behaves in a forwarding manner. Note. Once the accumulator has results stored, the Use Corrective check box is not available for selection. To make the check box available again, you must cancel the payroll calendar that generated results for the accumulator. |
Accumulator Timing
Select the method for resolving the accumulator. Every accumulator has a list of elements associated with it (defined on the Accumulator Elements page). If you reference the accumulator during processing, the value of the accumulator varies, depending on the time that you specify for the accumulation.
|
As Contributing |
As each contributing element is resolved, the accumulator is updated to reflect the new value. The system adds the value of an element—such as an earning or an entitlement—to the accumulator as the system calculates the element. The accumulator doesn't need to appear on the process list. |
|
As Accumulator is Encountered |
The accumulator is resolved whenever it is encountered, for example, within a formula. The accumulator does not need to appear on the process list to be resolved. When a contributing element to an accumulator is resolved, the accumulator itself is not automatically updated with the new value. |
|
At End of Calculation |
The accumulator is not updated during the main calculation process, but maintains the value loaded from the end of the last finalized segment. Only after all other elements are resolved does the system update the accumulator to reflect the new, current values of its contributing members. This is done automatically: the accumulator does not need to be on the process list. By default, auto-generated accumulators are defined as at end of calculation. |
Storage Option
|
Storage Option |
Select the run types during which you can change and store accumulators. Options are:
|
Note. The system displays an error message if an accumulator is updated during the inappropriate run type. The error message appears, for example, if you attempt to update an absence accumulator in a payroll run.
Warning! You should select the storage option before performing batch processing. This is to ensure that the method the batch system uses to load accumulator balances is consistent with the results already generated.
Specifying Accumulator Keys
Access the Accumulators - Level page (Set Up HRMS, Product Related, Global Payroll & Absence Mgmt, Elements, Supporting Elements, Accumulators, Level).
|
Payee (EMPLID) (payee employee ID) |
Select to have the accumulator store the results for all of a payee's jobs together. This is the default option. |
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Job (EMPLID/EMPL_RCD) (job employee ID/employee record) |
Select to have the system store the results for each job that a payee holds in a separate accumulator with EMPLID/Rcd as a key. |
|
User Key Type |
You can define up to six user keys for an accumulator. User keys enable you to track a given accumulator at levels below employee record. For example, you can track an employee's year-to-date earnings by contract number or company. Enter the type of element for the user key. Values are Variable and SystemElem. |
|
Key Element |
Use these fields to select the elements to use as the accumulator keys. For example, to track an accumulator by company, select the system element COMPANY as a user key, which directs the system to maintain different accumulated numbers for each location of the employee. The following guidelines apply:
|
See Also
Retroactive Processing and Accumulators
Understanding Absence Management
Defining the List of Elements That Contribute to an Accumulator
Access the Members page (Set Up HRMS, Product Related, Global Payroll & Absence Mgmt, Elements, Supporting Elements, Accumulators, Members).
Members
Select the Members tab.
Use the fields on this tab to specify which elements contribute to the accumulator's total.
|
Element Type |
Select from the list of element types. Values are Abs Entitl, Array, Auto Assgn, Bracket, Deduction, Duration, Earnings, Formula, Seg. Accum, System Elem, and Variable. |
|
Element Name |
Select elements that contribute to the accumulator's total. An element can accumulate to multiple accumulators; accumulators can contribute to other accumulators. |
|
Begin Date and End Date |
Tell the system when a member must start and stop calculating an accumulator. If this field is blank, the system continues updating the accumulator indefinitely while the elements remain valid. |
|
Accumulator Sign |
Select Add or Subtract to indicate if the element adds to or subtracts from the accumulator. |
Select the Contributions tab.
The system lists the elements that you selected on the Members tab.
|
Percent Type and Percent to Accumulate |
Specify the portion of the element's value that the system contributes to or subtracts from the accumulator. Values are: Numeric: Select to specify a percentage of up to 100 percent. Enter the percentage in the Percent to Accumulate field. Variable or Formula: Select to have a variable or formula element return the value to accumulate or subtract. Select the variable or formula name in the Element Name field. |
Adjusting Accumulator Balances
This section provides an overview of accumulator adjustments and discusses how to adjust accumulator amounts.
Understanding Accumulator AdjustmentsFor a given payee in a finalized calendar group, you can:
Adjust an accumulator's results or add a new instance to the results.
Insert a new accumulator into the results.
When adjusting accumulator results, adjust the accumulator that's loaded as the starting point for a calculation. For example, say that you finalize the March run, and then realize that an adjustment needs to be made to a March year-to-date accumulator. You make the adjustment. When you process the April run, the system reads the March year-to-date balance with the adjustment and uses it as the starting value for the accumulator. In contrast, if you ran April with a retroactive trigger that caused March to be recalculated, the starting balance would come from February and the adjustment would be ignored.
Page Used to Adjust Accumulators|
Page Name |
Definition Name |
Navigation |
Usage |
|
GP_ACM_USER_ADJ |
Global Payroll & Absence Mgmt, Payee Data, Adjust Balances, Accumulators, Adjust Accumulator Balance |
Adjust an accumulator balance for a given payee in a finalized calendar group. |
Adjusting Accumulator Balances
Access the Adjust Accumulator Balance page (Global Payroll & Absence Mgmt, Payee Data, Adjust Balances, Accumulators, Adjust Accumulator Balance).
Note. You cannot adjust accumulators that are in an unfinalized calendar group.
Accumulator
|
Accumulator |
Select the accumulator to adjust. Once selected, the system displays the accumulator's description to the right of this field and populates the Instances group box with information from the result tables. If no results are returned, the accumulator has no recorded balance for the identified employee record and calendar. |
Instances
This group box displays the recorded balance, if any, for the selected employee record and calendar. You can enter new instances to add to the result tables at the end of the calendar ID that appears.
|
From Date and Through Date |
The begin and end dates for the accumulator period. |
|
User Key |
The user keys that are associated with the accumulator. |
|
Value |
The value of the accumulator for the employee (and employee record) at the end of that calendar ID period. |
|
Accumulator Empl record (accumulator employee record) |
This field can be helpful when payees have more than one job. It identifies the employee record number to which the accumulator values pertain. All accumulator data for an employee ID is passed from one segment to another regardless of job. Therefore, when you access a particular Empl Rcd Nbr to view or adjust the accumulator values that resulted from processing that job, you can view and adjust the accumulator values for the payee's other jobs as well. As an example, assume that a payee has two jobs:
Assume also that Empl_rcd is a key for the year-to-date salary accumulator. Now, suppose that you process payroll for two segments: January/Job 1 and January/Job 2. If you were to access the Adjust Accumulator Balance page for Empl_rcd 0 for the January calendar, the system would display a value of 1000 for Accumulator Empl Rcd Nbr 0. (The system provides a snapshot of what it processed for the first segment.) If you were to access this page for Empl_Rcd 1 instead, the system would again display a value of 1000 for Accumulator Empl Rcd Nbr 0. In addition, it would display a value of 1100 for Accumulator Empl Rcd Nbr 1, when you click the link for the next job. Note. If you adjust the accumulator balance for Empl_rcd 0, Empl_rcd_acum 0, but the last segment processed for the payee was Empl_rcd 1, the system will ignore the adjustment. You should adjust the balance for Empl_rcd 1, Empl_rcd_acum 0 instead, because this balance becomes the source for the next calendar. |
|
Applied Adjustment |
The sum of adjustments that have been made to this accumulator instance. When you click Save, this number is updated to reflect all accumulator adjustments that are currently entered in the Adjustments group box. |
Adjustments
|
Amount |
Enter the adjustment amount, either positive or negative. |
|
Reason |
Enter the reason for the adjustment |
|
Updated At and Updated by |
The system populates these fields when you save the page and displays them when you query adjustments. |
Note. You can add new instances and adjust accumulators, but you cannot delete entered data. All adjustments remain in the system for an audit trail. To reverse a prior adjustment, enter a row with an offsetting or negative value.