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Purchasing

The following frequently asked questions relate to the KFS Purchasing module. For more information about the Purchasing module, see the Purchasing section of the Kuali Financial System at Cornell Web site. Also, check out the Purchasing tutorials available in the KFS Training library.

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Table of Contents

Why can't I process a requisition on an expired account?

There is a business rule in KFS that prohibits users from creating Requisitions (REQS) on an expired account. If you receive this message, check first to ensure that the purchase is allocable to the correct account and that the expiration date is correct.

If you're using a Contracts & Grants account, has the project been extended? If the project is continuing, confirm that an extension has been requested of the sponsor and, if so, edit the account to remove the expiration date. If the account has truly expired, purchasing supplies is not expected to occur.

I was authorized to use e-SHOP before. Why am I no longer authorized?

When we loaded users and their access rights into KFS, we used a snapshot (around the end of April) of existing e-SHOP users. If you were granted access to e-SHOP in May or June 2011, it is possible that your access was not converted to KFS. You will need to contact your unit's authorizers to reestablish your e-SHOP access. See the list of approved authorizers by financial transaction center.

Also, please remember that your old e-SHOP login and password are no longer valid. You now must use your Cornell NetID and password.

What do I do if I receive the error message, "AuthorizationException: user 'xx##' is not authorized to take action 'inquire' on targets of type 'xxxx'?

The "permissions" are set up to enable e-SHOP users to use the look-up and return functions for various items like chart, account, building, vendor, commodity code, etc.). Usually, the information returned in the search is sufficient to allow the user to make the appropriate selection (by clicking on "return value"). Currently, however, e-SHOP users (and other individuals who are not KFS users) cannot perform a direct inquiry on the actual value (by clicking on the value itself). If you receive this error, just close the Incident Report page, and continue your transaction. Please do not submit the Incident Report - the application is working as it should (though perhaps not the way we would like it to work). If you are unsure that you have selected the right value, please contact your in-house expert for guidance. If you believe that you actually should have the KFS user role (which is required to create other types of transactions other than e-SHOP purchases), please follow the KFS access instructions.

I'm having trouble returning the buildiing code successfully in the Requisition. What can I do?

There is another option you can use, as indicated below:

  1. Under the Delivery tab, click on the "building not found" button, and then on the search (magnifying glass) button
  2. On the Building Lookup screen, enter the name of the building with an asterisk (e.g., East* to find East Hill Office Building)
  3. Click on the returned value (on the left side of the screen)

This should return the building information. Remember to add the room number, which can also be searched.

What do I do if I see an error screen when I log in to e-SHOP?

If when trying to log in to e-SHOP, you see a screen that reads, "The application was unable to route the session back to the login page," you are most likely using the old e-SHOP link. See a screen shot of the message.

Please update your bookmark to use the Shop Catalogs or access the Shop Catalogs link from the KFS Transactions section on the Admin tab on the myCornell portal. You can also access Shop Catalogs from the KFS Main Menu tab, under Purchasing/Accounts Payable in the Transaction e-docs.