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Managing Dimensions (Functions, Objects, etc.)

SchoolInsight’s Financials system uses fund accounting to keep track of how a school district’s money should be spent. Dimensions essentially act as an organization system, allocating money into different “buckets.” By default, dimensions are set up to mirror the state’s budget requirements.

See Dimension Configuration for details on how to set up the rules that govern dimensions at your district.

As your district grows and as new grants become available, you may need to create new dimensions or make prior ones inactive.

Hierarchy
Creating Dimensions
Removing Dimensions

Hierarchy

Before beginning any work with dimensions, you must understand how codes are organized in a nested hierarchy.

In this example of function codes from Illinois, function 100 is top-level code, into which all the other functions flow.

Function 100 has one children: 110. Function 110 is a level-two code.

Function 110 has three children: 111, 112, and 113. These are level-three codes. They can be considered subfunctions of 110, different subcategories within “CASH”, which is in turn a subcategory within “CURRENT ASSETS.”

Functions and Objects in particular are heavily organized into the nested hierarchy by state regulation. Other dimensions may also be placed into a hierarchy, but are not required.

Creating Dimensions

Each dimension type has its own page under the Financials Main > Setup menu. These pages contain the full list of all funds, all functions, all objects, etc.

To create a new top-level dimension:

  1. Go to Financials Main > Setup > [dimension name]
  2. Click Create [dimension name] at the bottom of the page
  3. Enter the Code, Local Code, and Description
  4. Save

Note: Due to state regulations, some dimensions may not allow you to create top-level dimensions. Please reach out to our support team if you need assistance.

To create a new dimension within the hierarchy:

  1. Go to Financials Main > Setup > [dimension name]
  2. Use the arrows on the left to expand the codes are far as needed
  3. Hover over the parent dimension and click the plus sign
  4. Enter the Code, Local Code, and Description
    • The fourth dimension code (typically called Responsibility Center or Location) also allows you to enter an address, which can be used in Purchase Orders.
  5. Save

Removing Dimensions

If a given code is no longer used, you may Edit the specific code to mark it inactive, which hides it from future use without affecting prior transactions.

A Delete button appears if the dimension has never been used in SchoolInsight Financials and can be safely removed.