The new finance system
The new central finance system from Capita Education Services Ltd (formerly Dolphin Computer Services Ltd) went live at the start of August.
The system is called Aptos and is a client-server system running on a UNIX server with Oracle as the relational database management system. It is being implemented in two phases and it is the first phase which has just been completed. This has involved installing the entire system with the exception of the Purchase Order Management module (POM). Work began with the installation of the hardware and software in early March of this year. Since then, the bulk of the implementation has involved working with company consultants to set up the various parameters required to configure Aptos, loading and testing various data and completing a programme of training, both off- and on-site.
The second phase will involve the implementation of POM which will introduce a new way of raising purchase orders and allow for commitments to be accounted for automatically. This means that costs incurred will show against school/unit budgets immediately a purchase order is processed and not when the invoice is received and processed. POM will be phased in gradually, starting in 2000 and, in the interim, a method of data exchange with the Hyperdata departmental accounting system, which is in use in some schools/units, will be developed.
One of the advantages of the new system is that it allows authorised users to download financial information into Microsoft Excel using an application called EAS. It is the intention that eventually this method of disseminating financial data shall replace the production of the monthly reports from Finance although we are not yet able to give a firm timescale for this. It should be noted that EAS is available only from PCs.
And finally....
The introduction of a new finance system is no mean feat and the staff who are working on this project are doing it in addition to their normal tasks. The consequence of this is that they may not be able to respond to your daily queries as quickly as they would like. We ask you to bear with us at this extremely busy time.
Hania Allen
IT Services
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