General Accounting

Workday Foundation Data Model

The university uses the following chart-of-account structure in Workday:

  • Foundation Data Model is the Workday chart of account structure that is used for accounting and financial reporting. The FDM combines the ledger accounts with other financial worktags to be able to report on various dimensions of the organization.

  • Worktags classify transactions for financial reporting. Fund, cost center, gift, discretionary, grant and projects are all examples of worktags that can be tagged to a transaction to add another reporting dimension.

  • Ledger Account details the type of transaction that is being posted to the general ledger. The ledger account will have four digits.

  • Fund is a worktag used to classify the restriction of the funding source. The fund worktag will begin with "FN," followed by two digits.

  • Cost Center (formally known as a Dept ID) is a worktag that owns the transaction. The cost center worktag will begin with "CC," followed by five digits.

  • Grant is a worktag used to track grant expenses. The grant worktag will begin with "GR," followed by five digits.

  • Gift is a worktag used to track spendable and endowment gift revenue and expenses. The gift worktag will begin with "GF," followed by five digits.

  • Discretionary is a worktag used to track university-funded expenses that have been internally designated for a specific purpose. The discretionary worktag will begin with "DC," followed by five digits.

  • Program represents the functional expense as designated by the National Association of College and University Business Officers. This field is a relational worktag to the cost center, which means that when a cost center is entered in a transaction the program will automatically populate, as there is a one-to-one relationship between those two worktags. This relationship is superseded in cases when an expense is charged to a grant. The program should never be changed once populated in Workday.
  • Project is a worktag used to track capital project spending. The project worktag will begin with "PJ," followed by nine digits.

Accounting Portfolio

Please see the chart below for the team member who will be best able to answer any questions related to the specified area.

Area Employee Phone Email
General Accounting, Tax Compliance Cherie Sadeli x64541 csadeli@brandeis.edu 
General Accounting, Treasury Michael DiPalma x64493 mdipalma@brandeis.edu 
General Accounting Leslie Sipla x67737 lsipla@brandeis.edu 
Fixed Assets, Capital Projects Jon Church x64485 jchurch@brandeis.edu 
Endowments Alyssa Dedic x64478 desantis@brandeis.edu 
Student Financial Services Joseph Tracy x68639 jptracy1@brandeis.edu 
Capital Budgets Rose Turner  x64822 roseturner@brandeis.edu 
Insurance, Risk Management Bill Thomas x64480 billthomas@brandeis.edu 
Cash Kim Carter x64260 kimberlycarter@brandeis.edu 
Gifts Jennifer Black x64434 jenniferb@brandeis.edu