Automated & GUS

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Automated Email & GUS

General

GUS contains a number of customizable email interfaces, making it simple to send current data reports, notifications, and other electronic communications directly from a common interface.

Predefined messages can be selected from a pull-down list, or chosen automatically based on data pertaining to project, order, award or proposal status. Messages are fully editable prior to sending.

GUS sends relevant email messages within the context of the underlying data, however GUS does not receive email. It is not intended to replace email

management programs such as Outlook Express or Eudora.

Email functionality is limited to certain areas of GUS. Additional email functionality is currently planned for future versions.

Common Applications

Commonly used built-in email features include:

• Sending current balances, funding source information, and project issue data directly to PIs, while working with the Budget Module.

• Emailing the originator of a purchase order directly from the Purchasing Module, to announce that their goods have arrived.

• Notifying a PI or other staff upon receipt of an award, directly from the Contracts and Grants screen.

• Remind appropriate staff of actions required to receive matching funds related to a particular award.

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Email Setup

To activate and configure email functionality within GUS:

Make sure you have appropriate permissions for the affected area. For

example, to activate email and enter server information for the Budget-Financial email areas, you need to be in the

Budget_Mgr group or higher (Administrator, Full Access). See your department’s GUS administrator if required.

After the splash screen, use the menu and go to

Utilities > Preferences

On the Preferences screen (shown above), click the

Email tab. Email Tab Help Buttons Area Messages List Email Message Settings Email Server Settings Area Tabs Area Active Checkbox

Area Tabs - Unique defaults and preferences can be set for each

affected area. Choose the appropriate tab to configure relevant messages.

Activation - Click the Area Active checkbox to activate email for this area.

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Email Server Settings - These settings can reflect those of any existing email account, however, recognizable department addresses such as “gus-purchasing@...” or “chemistry-budget@... ” are generally preferred.

Email Message Settings – Optional default settings for pre-defined messages sent from the specified area. (NOTE: Default values can be easily modified before sending any email.)

From: - Who sent the email. Defaults to account address.

Reply To: - Where replies should be sent

CC: and BCC: - Addresses to be copied or blind copied in, respectively. (Blind copies are not indicated to other recipients.)

Auto Cc and Auto Bcc – Enable sending to the addresses listed in the CC: and BCC: fields, respectively.

Signature – Appended to all email messages from this area. Can also be added to a predefined message using the <Signature>

keyword (see Keywords, below).

Area Messages – Commonly used, predefined email templates which are customized in the context of the area where they’re available.

Double-click the Area Messages list to edit. You can create as many area

messages as you wish.

Area Message Preferences

Help Button

Relevant Keywords

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Double-click the Area Messages list to display this screen. You can also get

here via the “Prefs” button which appears on the lower left of the screen when editing an email.

Area Messages are templates that you create to simplify or automate responses to various data conditions and reporting criteria. Settings include:

• Email Area: - The area in GUS where this template will be available, such as Purchasing, Contracts & Grants, or Budget.

• Message ID: - The name by which you’ll refer to this email template. It shows up in drop-down lists on email screens throughout its area. • Status Key: - Optional. Reflects the data criteria used to determine

when this template should be used by default. For example, in Purchasing areas a Status Key of “Complete” would make this the default email template when the underlying order status was “Complete”.

Status Keys are unique for each area:

Budget Areas - Reflect project status (Active, Closed, Hold, etc.)

Purchasing – Reflect order status (Pending, Complete, etc.)

Contracts and Grants – Reflect proposal or award status • Email Client Sort Key: - Optional. Should be small and unique for

each template. Used to assist in filtering and organizing incoming messages in desktop email management programs such as Outlook Express or Eudora.

For example, you can set the “Project Ending” Area Message to BCC: you automatically and give it an Email Client Sort Key of “PE”. Then you set your email program to automatically send all incoming

messages with a sort key of “PE” to a certain folder for record keeping purposes. See your email managing program for information on their automated message organization features.

• Reply To:, CC:, BCC:, Subject Line:, and Message Body: - These fields set the defaults for the corresponding fields in the email.

Keywords – These placeholders are replaced by data from the currently selected record when the email is sent, and can be used as pointers to relevant data in message templates.

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For example, a keyword of <Projected_Start> will be replaced by the Projected Start Date from the currently selected GUS record, in any email sent using the affected Area Message template.

Keywords must be copied exactly as shown in the boxes on the right of this screen in order to work correctly. See the Keywords tables below for more information.

Address and Body Keywords Table

<PIs> Budget Email addresses for all of the PIs associated with a Project, Proposal or Award

<Ordered_By> Purchasing Primary email address of the person who placed a Purchase Order

<Ordered_By_All> C&G Primary email address plus up to 3 alternate email addresses

<Proj_Approver> Purchasing Email address for the person associated with a Project who gave approval to place a Purchase Order

Keywords by Area

Financial and Budget Project Keywords Table <Project_Code> Project Code

<Title> Project Title

<NickName> Project Nickname

<Projected_Start> Project projected start date

<Projected_End> Project projected end date

<Award_Start> Award begin date

<Award_End> Award end date

<Funding_Start> Date when first funds were received

<Funding_End> End date for latest funding increment received

<Contract_Start> Contract begin date

<Contract_End> Contract end date

<Fiscal_Year> Fiscal year (if any) for this Project

<Account> Account number for this Project

<Fund> Fund number for this Project

<Projected_Total> Total anticipated funding for this Project

<PIs> Summary list of Pis for this Project

<Total_Allocs> Total allocations received for this Project

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Purchasing Area Keywords Table <Project_Code> Project Code charged for this order

<Sub_Id> Sub charged for this order

<Cost_Type> Cost Type for this order

<PO_Number> Purchase Order number

<Dept/Dash> Department or Dash number for this P.O.

<Vendor> Name of vendor

<Description> Summary description of order

<Date_Ordered> Date order placed with vendor

<Date_Expected> Expected date of goods delivery

<Lien> Anticipated total expenses

<Ordered_By> Person who placed the order

<Order_Status> Status of the order

Contracts & Grants - Proposals Keywords Table <Agency> Name of Proposal Agency

<Agency_Number> Proposal number

<Start_Date> Projected start date

<End_Date> Projected end date

<Amount> Total funds requested

<Title> Proposal title

<Status> Proposal status

<Date_Submitted> Date proposal submitted

<IDC_Rate_Type> Indirect Cost Rate type – usu. On or Off- campus

<OR_Number> Office of Research record number

<Signature> Email area signature

Contracts & Grants - Awards Keywords Table <Agency> Funding agency

<Agency_Number> Funding agency award number

<Award_Start> Date award starts

<Award_End> Date award ends

<Contract_Start> Date contract starts

<Contract_End> Date contract ends

<Amount> Total amount funded

<Title> Award Title

<Agency> Funding agency

<Status> Award Status

<Date_Awarded> Date Awarded

<IDC_Rate_Type> Indirect Cost Rate type – usu. On or Off- campus

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Sending Messages with GUS

After an Email Area has been activated in the Preferences screen, “Send Mail” buttons will become visible in common forms related to that area.

These buttons are usually near the bottom of the form, but may also be elsewhere. To send a message, click the button. The N Message window will appear.

Drop-Down Lists

Prefs Button

White fields are editable. Drop-down buttons contain lists of email addresses, names, or Area Messages relevant to the currently selected record and Email Area. Drop-down categories beginning and ending with an asterisk “*” represent entire groups. Drop-down lists contain:

Budget Related Areas –Project PIs and other report recipients for the selected Project

Purchasing Areas – The person who placed the selected order, related funding source PIs, any fully-authorized funding source administrators

Contracts & Grants – PIs involved with selected Proposal or Award