Chartstring

Resources

Definitions

Chartstring

A chartstring is a combination of data segments that provide necessary information for strategic financial management and budgeting.

Chart of Accounts

The Chart of Accounts is a set of fields (called chartfields) used to manage UC Berkeley money and financial activity. When those chartfields are defined, they become a chartstring, and the chartstring is what goes into BFS.

Which Chartstring to Use

If you do not know which chartstring to use, please contact your manager, Divisional Finance Leader (DFL), or Research Administrator.

Please refer to the Divisional Finance Leaders resource page if you do not know who your DFL is.

Example of a Full Chartstring

This is an example of a full chartstring:

1 50215 30684 14015 44 CPADVO OSKIB - 01 1009999 01

Chartstring Example
Business UnitAccountFundDept IDFunctionChartfield 1Chartfield 2PC BUProjectActivity
1 50215 30684 14015 44 CPADVO OSKIB 01 1009999 01

This chartstring example would read as follows:

  • UC Berkeley (Business Unit: 1) paid Academic Wages (Account: 50215) using a US Government Federal Grants Fund (Fund: 30684) in an Environmental Health Science Research Department (Dept ID: 14015) for the purpose of Research (Function: 44) for the Advocacy Video Series (CF1: CPADVO) for Principal Investigator Oski Bear (CF2: OSKIB) in the UC Berkeley Project Costing Business Unit (PC BU: 01) for Project 1009999 (Project: 1009999) for Project Year 1 (Activity: 01)
    • Oski Bear is not a real Principal Investigator, and OSKIB is not a real CF2

Segments of a Chartstring

Business Unit

  • The Business Unit is 'Which Campus'
    • 10000 for the UC Berkeley campus
    • J0000 for UCOP activity administered on the Berkeley campus financial records and general ledger
  • The Business Unit will generally be preselected for the appropriate campus
  • A full Business Unit is five digits, but sometimes you may see just the first digit, either 1 or J

Account

  • The Account code is 'What was Spent'
  • It describes the nature of the expenses
  • For example, Academic Wages (Account: 50215)

Fund

  • The Fund is the source of funding or type of money, such as a restricted or designated source of money
  • For example, US Government Federal Grants Fund (Fund: 30684)

Dept ID

  • The Department ID or Dept ID is 'Where on Campus'
  • It is the cost center where the expenses will be charged, and is the lowest level of the Entity Hierarchy
  • For example, Environmental Health Science Research Department (Dept ID: 14015)

Function

  • The Function code is the 'Category of Expense'
  • It is used to report the broad category of functional activity that incurred the expense
  • For example, Research (Function: 44)
  • For Contract and Grant funds, it is used to determine if overhead applies to the transaction
  • The Function code has been updated from the Program code
    • 'Function' and 'Program' are the same chartstring segments (chartfields)
  • The Function code may not always be applicable or necessary

Chartfield 1

  • Chartfield 1 or CF1 is the department defined field for reporting
  • It represents a project
  • For example, Advocacy Video Series (CF1: CPADVO)
  • It is also used for campus-wide reporting, such as recruitment, start-up, and chair costs
  • For Contract and Grant funds, it is used to track a task, deliverable, or fabrication
  • Chartfield 1 may not always be applicable or necessary

Chartfield 2

  • Chartfield 2 or CF2 is the department defined field for reporting, or 'Who'
  • It identifies a Principal Investigator (PI) or faculty lead
  • For example, Principal Investigator Oski Bear (CF2: OSKIB)
    • This is for example purposes only - Oski Bear is not a real Principal Investigator, and OSKIB is not a real CF2
    • Each faculty member has at least one unique CF2 value associated with them
  • Chartfield 2 tracks ongoing financial activity for the reporting, analysis, and management of resources related to a faculty member or Principal Investigator
  • For PI Portfolio, this is which Principal Investigator the funds are allocated to
  • Chartfield 2 may not always be applicable or necessary

There are three additional segments that are only used for Contract and Grant funds.

Please refer to the Spending Award Funds page for more information about the Contract and Grant award chartstrings.

PC BU

  • PC BU is the Project Costing Business Unit
    • If the general ledger business unit is 10000, the PC BU is GM100
    • If the general ledger business unit is J0000, the PC BU is GMJ00

Project

  • The Project is a defined body of work

Activity

  • The Activity is the funding period or periods mandated by the sponsor

Chart of Accounts

Please refer to the Chart of Accounts page and/or the Budget Process Chart of Accounts Guidelines page for more information about Chart of Accounts.