1. What is a Customer Master Record or Master Data?

A Customer Master record controls how the business transactions for a particular customer are recorded and processed in SAP.  A Customer Master record must be created for each customer doing business with Johns Hopkins.  The record consists of a core source of information and default data for transactions such as payment terms for aging and bank information for automatic clearing.  Below are examples of master data:

  • General Data consist of address, control data, contact information and payment transactions.
  • Company Code Data consist of account management, payment transactions and correspondence.
  • Sales Data consist of sales, billing document and partner functions.

Note: A sponsor is identified by a six digit numerical sequence beginning with 3 (300000).  Sponsors are created by the Sponsored Shared Service center. A non-sponsored customer is identified by a six digit numerical sequence beginning with 6 (600001). Customers are created by the Accounts Receivable Shared Service Center.

2. How do I add a new customer to SAP?

A New Customer Request Form is submitted via email to the Customer Master Data Specialist in the Account Receivable Shared Services department.

The Customer Master Data Specialist will research the request to verify the customer does not already exist in SAP.

Once the new customer is established the sender of the request is notified via email of the new customer number.

  • Steps to adding a new customer:
  • Goto the ARSSC website, click on Forms then click Request a New Sponsor
  • Login with your JHED ID and click on Web Form
  • Complete the form and click submit

3. What are examples of sponsored billings that will be created in the Accounts Receivable Shared Service Center?

  • Letter of Credit awards
  • Billings previously prepared in JHU Research Accounting utilizing College University Financial System (CUFS). Examples include (Non- Letter of Credit and Non- Clinical Trials)
  • Fixed Fee Awards
  • Clinical Trials

4. What are examples of non-sponsored billings that will be created in the Accounts Receivable Shared Service Center?

  • Inter-Governmental Personnel Agreement (IPA’s)
  • Billings previously prepared in the JHHS Controller’s Office utilizing GEAC for telephone, postage, linen etc.

5. What types of billings will be created in SAP?

  • Letter of Credit – Resource Related
  • Non- Letter of Credit – Resource Related
  • Direct Pay – Fixed Amounts
  • Direct Pay – Various Amounts
  • Scheduled Billing
  • Manual Billing
  • Non- Sponsored Resource Related Billings (IPA’s)

6. What is Resource Related Billing?

Resource related billing is expense based invoicing to sponsors for work done according to an agreement. The costs are extracted from the grant or contract by expense category and recorded on an invoice form. There are two types of Resource Related Billings: letter of credit and non-letter of credit.

7. How do I submit an invoice in SAP if I work in a department that does their own billing?

  • The departmental billing specialist enters the relevant information into an invoice for parking. 
  • Documentation that supports the invoice can either be faxed or attached to an email and sent by the department to Accounts Receivable Shared Services.  (Fax – 443-997-5155)
  • Accounts Receivable Shared Services reviews the parked document within 48 hours.
  • If all information is accurate and complete, Accounts Receivable Shared Services posts the financial information and sends the invoice to the customer.
  • If the parked document is not complete and needs more information, Accounts Receivable Shared Services will not post the parked document but will send an email to the department that created the parked document requesting additional information.
  • All billings must go through SAP unless otherwise approved by the Accounts Receivable Shared Service Center director.

8. How do I create a credit memo in SAP if I work in a department that does their own billing?

  • The departmental billing specialist enters the relevant information into a credit memo for parking.
  • Accounts Receivable Shared Services reviews the parked credit memo within 48 hours.
  • If all information is accurate and complete, Accounts Receivable Shared Services approves the credit memo, which posts the financial information. Accounts Receivable Shared Services then sends the credit memo form to the customer.
  • If the parked credit memo is not complete and needs more information, Accounts Receivable Shared Services will contact the originating department for the correct information.

9. How do I request a duplicate invoice if the customer says they did not receive the original? 

The Accounts Receivable Accountant has the ability to perform transaction codes F.64 to request the invoice and FB12 to print the invoice.  This invoice will be a duplicate of the original invoice sent at the time of billing the customer.  The invoice is then sent to the customer again by Accounts Receivable Shared Services.

10. Why are invoices that are prepared by departments parked?

The department billing specialist enters pertinent information into SAP for the creation of the invoice.  No system checks are done on parked documents as this is a holding area.  The invoice is parked until Shared Services reviews the information for accuracy.  Once Accounts Receivable Shared Services approves the document it is then posted which creates all financial transactions. 

When a billing specialist parks a document the data is saved but no financial postings are made. Invoices are only sent by Shared Services after a parked document has been posted.   Parked documents are reviewed by Shared Services within 48 hours of its creation.  If a parked invoice is incorrect, an email will be sent to the originating party.

Pertinent information for creating a parked document is customer number, document date, posting date, amount, text (description), general ledger account, fund and cost center or internal order.

Documentation to support the invoice should be sent via fax or an email attachment by the department to Accounts Receivable Shared Services.

Parked documents are not subjected to the extensive entry checks by SAP and are therefore not posted until Accounts Receivable Shared Services posts the document.  It is only after the parked document is posted that SAP checks the information in the document and creates the accounting entries.

  • (Fax – 443-997-5155) for Accounts Receivable Shared Services

11. Invoice flow chart