The way we split station rate revenue between several index codes (because of limitations in PCR-360) makes it a bit complicated compared to revenue for more ordinary charges.
The ordinary way charge revenue flows
Most charges in PCR-360 move money in a simple way, with just a single charge:
Expense | → | Revenue | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
(customer GLA) | → | TEL101 | $50 | CABLE-RUN (for this one instance of service, TEL101 gets all the revenue from customer GLA) |
The old way to handle station rate revenue (until July 2022)
Station rate revenue was a bit more complicated, because we wanted to split it across two index codes. We started by giving all the revenue to TEL101, one of the recipients, and then moving some out to the other index that should share it by billing “customer” TEL101:
Expense | → | Revenue | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
(customer GLA) | → | TEL101 | $50 | PHONE (station rate revenue initially all goes to TEL101) |
(customer GLA) | → | TEL101 | $50 | DIALTN (station rate revenue initially all goes to TEL101) |
(“customer” GLA: TEL101) | → | TEL130 | $50 | CAMPUS-STATION (moves 50% of expected total station rate revenue from TEL101 to TEL130) |
This gets complicated to extend if you want to add more codes to the split (since you would need to add a charge for each receiver, and coordinate their amounts carefully), and it requires some work in spreadsheets outside PCR-360 & Banner to track and reconcile the year’s monthly transfers based on expected revenue with what we actually collected for the year (since TEL101 is receiving lots of other revenue that should not be split).
The new way to handle station rate revenue (starting August 2022)
Starting in FY23 we wanted to split station rate revenue three ways. To implement this, we switched station rate revenue to go into a “holding” index OIS102 instead of initially depositing revenue in one of the recipient accounts, and introduced a new revenue sharing charge that transfers revenue from this holding account to all recipients in the desired ratio:
Expense | → | Revenue | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
(customer GLA) | → | OIS102 | $50 | PHONE (station rate revenue initially deposited in holding index) |
(customer GLA) | → | OIS102 | $50 | DIALTN (station rate revenue initially deposited in holding index) |
(“customer” GLAs: TEL101 48% TEL130 48% OIS125 4%) | ← | OIS102 | -$100 | STATION-SPLIT (used “backwards”, with a negative amount, to move expected total station rate revenue to recipient indexes in the desired ratio, aiming to empty out the holding index) |
PCR-360 allows a charge to have multiple expense GLAs, but not multiple revenue GLAs, so the STATION-SPLIT charge is actually set up to bill the “customer” GLAs TEL101/TEL130/OIS125 in the proper ratio and send revenue to OIS102. We use this charge “backwards”, like a credit, by charging a negative amount that is then split across the three customer GLAs.
To operate this scheme, we simply need to:
Periodically adjust the STATION-SPLIT charge amount on the “Station Rate Revenue Split” service by estimating what we think OIS102 will receive every month; this estimating can happen in PCR-360 and Banner rather than custom spreadsheets, since OIS102 is only used for station rate revenue, so what it actually receives in any month is a perfect estimate for the next month. Our goal is to keep the OIS102 balance near zero. Make sure to always express this as a negative amount, so the split moves revenue from OIS102 to the recipient GLAs rather than the other way around.
At fiscal year end, manually empty the small "error" balance in OIS102 into the three index codes in the proper ratio with a Banner JV.
When we want to change indexes for the revenue split and/or adjust the split ratio, simply edit the expense GLAs on the single “Station Rate Revenue Split” service.
Periodic adjustments made by Michele
STATION-SPLIT charge (change the one attached to the “Station Rate Revenue Split” service) should match what OIS102 receives each month. Make sure the amount is negative.
CASH-SPLIT charge (change the definition in the charge catalog) should match what went to TEL101 but should go to OIS023 (in Michele’s judgment)
HOUSING-SPLIT charge amount (change the definition in the charge catalog) should match exactly half of all housing charges (HOU*)