Configuring Your Master Data in the User Interface

There are only six tabs in the CIW that are bulk importable. The majority of the other tabs must be configured in the User Interface using the data collected in the CIW. Please see below for each of the tabs that must be configured manually in the Configuration Settings workspace in LeaseAccelerator.

Download a PDF version of the Configuration guide.

Fiscal Calendars

One of the first things that should be configured in any new LeaseAccelerator environment is the Fiscal Calendar. The Lessee Info tab in the CIW contains data that specifies the type of Fiscal Calendar that the client uses and their Fiscal Year End Date. Using this information, you can configure their Fiscal Calendar.

To configure your Fiscal Calendar, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Select the Fiscal Calendar tile.
3	Choose the last year available in the Fiscal Year drop-down.
4	Update the dates in Fiscal Year Start to your actual fiscal calendar. Then validate that the Fiscal Year End auto populates to the correct date.
5	Choose Auto-Populate Based On: either Gregorian or 4/4-5 (4 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks) then click the button.
6	Validate that the Fiscal Month starting dates have now been updated to reflect your fiscal calendar.

Tips:

It is best to have fiscal calendars set up for at least 10 years past your current longest running lease, including Reasonably Certain Holding Periods.
The “Power User” Role has access to update the fiscal calendar within LeaseAccelerator.
If you have a custom fiscal calendar (not standard Gregorian or 4-4-5), you will need to manually deselect the default selections and manually select the start date for each month in the graphic of your fiscal calendar. The dates will be reflected in the list and the graphic, but you can ignore the Based on 4-4-5 / Gregorian pulldown.
If your fiscal year has start dates that land in more than 12 Gregorian calendar months, please contact LeaseAccelerator for assistance with configuration.
To validate that you do not have any gaps or overlapping periods, you may Export your fiscal calendar into an excel format.
Changes to the first day of the fiscal year are not allowed if the first month is closed. The 'Fiscal Year Start' drop-down and the 'Auto-Populate Based On' buttons are disabled to prevent users from altering the calendar.

GL Configuration

One of the most critical configuration activities during the LeaseAccelerator implementation process is to create the General Ledger structure and the related codes used in your current ERP(s).

Note: Many companies have several ERPs due to merger/acquisition activity, system implementations, etc.

The key actions are:

Define the GL String Segments.
Define the General Ledger Coding Conventions.
For each General Ledger Coding Convention, map your account codes to the standardized LeaseAccelerator account names.
For each GL String Segment, associate the “code” for each potential attribute-value.

Note: Clients should perform the GL Configuration process before loading participant, schedule, and asset level information.

Ledger Number (Set of Books)

To configure your Ledgers, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Select the Ledger Number tile.
3	You will see a list of existing Ledgers which will include, at a minimum, one called Default Ledger. You should start with this ledger instead of creating a new one.
4	Click the edit icon next to the Ledger and this will bring up a pop-up where you can configure your ledger, naming it and identifying the appropriate accounting standard and reporting currency.
5	If you are enabling integration with your existing ERP, check the box and select the appropriate choice from the drop-down.
6	Indicate if this ledger is a Consolidating Ledger by checking the box.
7	Click the Edit button to configure your GL Segments.

Segments

General Ledger String segments are the pieces of your General Ledger Code where each component equates to a different attribute required by your General Ledger. Attributes can vary by company, but typical components include items such as: Company Code, Region Code, Business Unit, Cost Center, Project, Location, and Account Code.

In order to effectively use LeaseAccelerator’s Finance and Accounting capabilities, the GL String structure must be defined. LeaseAccelerator accommodates a maximum of 11 segments.

To configure your Segments, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	In the pop-up, verify the Ledger Name, Accounting Standard, and Posting Detail Level are correct.
2	Select the number of segments from the drop-down.
3	Define the delimiter to show between segments. Typically, this will match the ERP and be either a period (.) or a dash (-).
4	Define each string segment: Name – the field name used by your company. Typically, this may be Company Code, Region Code, Entity, Cost Center, Account Code, etc. Select the Type from the drop down: Cost Center, GL Code, Person, Company, Address, Product Category, Name, or Intercompany. Use Name to define a blank string segment. This is critical if your ERP requires a string of “X” segments but only “Y” segments are in use. Insert the default value in the Name field and Set type to Name. This will force the value of the field to equal the Name (e.g., 0000). If using NAME, the value may not be blank. The sequence in which the segments are ordered determines the default sequence of the Segments on reports. GL Code represents the GL Coding Convention or mapping to a series of accounts. Each individual account is set up in the next step below. Use Company if the segment represents one of your companies that acts as the Entity, Lessee, Business Unit, or other Company Participant Types as defined in the CIG. Use Address if the segment represents a specific location. Use Person if the segment represents a specific Person Participant type as defined in the CIG. Use Intercompany to designate which segment in the GL String will show the adjusting entries for intercompany accounting. Select the Role associated with the Type. The Attribute should automatically populate with the corresponding Ledger Code field name. Select the Scope to determine whether this value is a deal level or asset level value or if it is calculated based on the cost allocation: GL Code = Allocation Level Cost Center and Project = Allocation Level ShipTo and Product Category = Asset Level Intercompany = No option to select All others = Deal Check the Drives Intercompany box for the segment that will be associated with intercompany reallocation entries. Populate the Default Segment Value (Balance Sheet) if using a default value to specify a ledger segment value for allocation-level ledger segments on balance sheet reports. If you are finished creating the Segments and do not plan to add any GL Code (Coding Conventions), click Save on this pop-up and click Save again on the next screen.

GL Code (Coding Conventions)

Clients may have multiple GL Coding Conventions. GL Coding Convention is a map to define the set of accounts used based on various business rules for a client. For example, there may be different GL Coding Conventions for each Business Unit or Asset Type. The GL Coding Convention (GL Code) is assigned to the schedule or asset when entering the specific deal data.

To configure your GL Code (Coding Conventions), follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Click the plus sign to create a new GL Coding Convention. Select the edit icon to edit existing GL Coding Conventions.
2	Enter the Name. This is the name of the coding convention that you will use when entering deals, both through the UI and in a bulk import (PIW). This description will be populated in the GL Code field.
3	Enter the corresponding Account Codes to be used for each of the LA standard accounts, ensuring that the minimum required fields are populated. These are indicated in Red text and include: Purchased asset Operating Lease asset Finance Lease asset Accumulated depreciation – Operating Lease Accumulated depreciation – Finance Lease Accounts Payable Clearing Operating Lease Obligation – ST Finance Lease Obligation – ST Operating Lease Obligation – LT Finance Lease Obligation – LT Operating Expense Lease rental Expense Lease rental Expense – CapOp Depreciation Interest Expense ARO Interest Expense Depreciation Expense Note: It is best practice to populate each field with something such as TBD or N/A in order to have complete system function.
4	Click Save on this pop-up and the next two pop-ups to ensure all of your changes are being saved.

Note: Existing clients or clients who may have uploaded schedule and asset data before completing the General Ledger Configuration:

Work with your LeaseAccelerator Implementation Manager to adjust schedule and asset level data. Special re-mapping procedures are required.
Any “old” GL Codes will also need to be cleared from the database so that only your newly defined GL Coding Conventions are present.

Economic Life, Depreciation Methods, and Lease Treatment

The Economic Life is a critical attribute for each Product Category. For each Product Category (or for those that your company anticipates leasing) you will need to configure the corresponding factor. The primary factor is the economic life, which is the value assigned to a Product Category that signifies the useful life of the leased asset. This value is used in lease classification testing as well as other valuations regarding the leased asset portfolio.

Note: LeaseAccelerator may sometimes refer to Product Category by Asset Class or Asset Type in various documents.

The Depreciation configuration data defines the methodology and useful lives for each type of asset that you may lease. Depreciation drives critical calculations in your lease versus buy analysis. Also, it sets the method to be used in determining the depreciation expense of your leased assets for your book and tax accounting schedules.

Lease Treatment allows you to set the default Lease Treatment for each Product Category. The default lease treatment can be set to Lease Component or Non-Lease Component.

To configure your Economic Lives, Depreciation Methods and Lease Treatment in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Asset Types tile.
3	Check the appropriate boxes under Product Categories. Once the Product Categories are selected, Default Lease Component Treatment, Default EOT Treatment, and Ledger Code are enabled.
4	Select your treatment from each of the drop-downs and enter the applicable Ledger Code, then click Update.
5	The workspace will refresh and then you will select the same Product Category again and then select your Lessee. This will enable the Default Economic Life (months) and Amortization Term (months) fields. Best practice is to select only the Parent Lessee (all children Lessees will inherit the settings of the Parent Lessee).
6	Input Default Economic Life (months) and Amortization Term (months) and then click Update.
7	The workspace will refresh again and then you will select the same Product Category and Lessee and then select the appropriate Countries. Both depreciation fields will now become enabled. Best practice is to select only the Countries in which you have leasing activity.
8	Select the appropriate Depreciation Methods in each drop-down and then click Update.

Custom Product Sub-Categories

LeaseAccelerator has a workspace within Configuration Settings where our clients can configure their own Custom Product Sub-Categories, which can be used throughout the application to generate Lease versus Buy’s and enter new schedules.

By creating Custom Product Sub-Categories, clients can vary some critical configuration settings for those categories, such as economic life and depreciation methods, along with default end-of-term treatment and lease component treatment.

LeaseAccelerator has a standard set of Product Categories that are included for all clients. These represent the industry standard asset types and are critical for our PureLease Marketplace and cannot be altered in any way. You will not be able to delete or edit these standard product categories. In addition to the parent-level categories, some standard categories already have sub-categories that are also considered out of the box. These cannot be edited or deleted either, but they may have a Custom Sub-Category added to them.

Additional Requirements

You may only create a new sub-category and cannot add a parent-level product category.
If there is an out of the box sub-category, you can select that as the parent product category.
Each sub-category must have a unique name.
Special characters are not allowed in sub-category names.
Each unique sub-category name cannot exceed 64 characters.

To configure your Custom Product Sub-Categories in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to Configuration Settings from the Left NavBar and select the Custom Product Sub-Categories tile.
2	To add a new sub-category, scroll to the bottom of the workspace and click the plus sign.
3	In the pop-up, select an existing out of the box Parent Product Category.
4	Next, input the Custom Product Sub-Category Name. Remember, it must be unique with no special characters and cannot exceed 64 characters.
5	Now click Add.
6	You will see your new sub-category listed at the bottom of the workspace with dashes in front of the name, indicating it is a child or sub-category. When you are finished adding new sub-categories, click Save to save all your changes.
7	Your new sub-categories should now be listed in alphabetical order underneath the appropriate Parent Product Category.

Policy Thresholds

The Policy Thresholds are used in the Lease Classification Engine as parameters for specific tests as outlined in the accounting standards. These thresholds are important in that they allow clients to define quantitative metrics to use where the accounting standards allow for judgment, but also require consistency in the actual application of the thresholds throughout the organization.

The key judgments in the Lease Classification Process are:

What lease term constitutes the majority of the economic life? (ASC 840 prescribes 75%)
What % of the PV of Lease Payments versus FMV constitutes substantially all of the Fair Market Value? (ASC840 prescribes 90%)
How do you define what is a Bargain Purchase Option? (ASC840)
How do you define when you are reasonably certain (or likely) to exercise a Purchase Option? (ASC842)
What basis is used for setting the Materiality Threshold?

To configure your Policy Thresholds in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Policy Thresholds tile.
3	Select the appropriate Lessee and Product Category. Best Practice is to use the Parent Lessee.
4	Then populate each of the threshold fields, as necessary.
5	Finally, populate all Materiality Threshold fields.

Note: Materiality Threshold is schedule-level, not asset-level like the Low Value judgment for IFRS 16.

Cost Centers

You may add Cost Centers as often as you like, using either the bulk import feature or the user interface settings feature. It is recommended to use the bulk import feature to import multiple Cost Centers, but the user interface allows a user to view the existing Cost Centers, disable/retire old Cost Centers, and export an excel spreadsheet with all of the Cost Centers configured in the system.

To view your existing Cost Centers in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Cost Center tile.
3	You can click Export to get an excel spreadsheet of all existing Cost Centers or you can click the edit icon to update the description of an existing Cost Center. Clicking the trashcan icon will retire a Cost Center.
4	To add a new Cost Center, click the plus sign and populate the Cost Center name and Description.
5	Click Save on the pop-up and Save on the Cost Center workspace to save all changes/additions.

Lessee Rates

You may update Lessee Rates as often as you like using either the bulk import feature or the user interface settings feature. It is recommended to use the bulk import feature to import multiple rates, but the user interface allows a user to view the existing rates and export an excel spreadsheet with all of the rates configured in the system.

To view your existing rates in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Lessee Rates tile.
3	Select the desired Lessee and Country from the drop-down to view any rates configured. The Lessee is typically the Parent Lessee.
4	You may add a rate through the user-interface by also indicating the desired term from drop-down and then populating the appropriate rate fields, including the correct Change Effective Date.
5	Click Save to update and add new rate.

Tax Rates

The Lessee Tax Rate table provides detailed tax information for income tax rates at the federal and state level. These rates are important factors in accurately calculating your lease versus buy analyses. The system, however, is currently limited to using only one state rate per LvB request.

To configure your Tax Rates in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Tax Rates tile.
3	Select the appropriate Lessee and Country. Best Practice is to use the Parent Lessee.
4	Populate the appropriate Federal Tax Rate and State Tax Rate and then indicate the correct Change Effective Date.
5	Click Save.
6	You can view previously saved rates in the table below the Save and Export buttons.

Note: If you are configuring tax rates for a country that does not have state tax rates, populate that field with a “0”.

Lessee Financials

The Lessee Financial Summary provides information about your company that you may want to include in your Marketplace RFPs. You may choose to input as many or as few of these attributes as you like. However, since your potential Funders/Lessors will require some financial information to provide a strong response to your RFP, we suggest that you enter more rather than fewer attributes.

To configure your Lessee Financials in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Financials tile.
3	Select the appropriate Lessee. Best Practice is to use the Parent Lessee.
4	Click the plus sign to add a new line item.
5	In the pop-up, fill out all required fields.
6	Click the Add button when finished. When you see the added information in the table, click Save.

Lessee Info

The Lessee Info describes information about your company that will be included in your Marketplace RFPs and other key information required to calculate the lease versus buy (LvB) analysis. The Fiscal Year End and Fiscal Year Model data are critical for establishing your accounting functions and must be provided even if you are not using the Marketplace or LvB functionality.

To configure your Lessee Info in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Lessee Info tile.
3	Select the appropriate Lessee. Best Practice is to use the Parent Lessee.
4	Click the plus sign to add a new line item.
5	In the pop-up, fill out all required fields.
6	Click the Add button when finished. When you see the added information in the table, click Save.

Notifications

The Notifications tile in Configuration Settings identifies the criteria for each lease schedule and EOT Template to drive the automated email notifications for an entire portfolio.

Clients can:

Attach documents that exist within LeaseAccelerator to a notification
Specify whether the attachment is sent on ONLY the first notification or ALL subsequent notifications
Specify which User Roles will receive the attachment on the notification

Note: Any Notification configured will only apply to leases entered or imported AFTER the Notification has been configured. It will NOT apply to existing leases.

To configure your Notifications in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Notifications tile.
3	Click the plus sign to add a new Notification, or the edit icon to update/edit an existing Notification.
4	In the pop-up, fill in necessary data fields, then click Add or Update.
5	You will see the added information in the workspace. Then click Save to save all of your changes/additions.

Templates

The Templates tile, in the Configuration Settings workspace, identifies the types of Email Notifications to be received by asset owners and users based on criteria established by your company. The templates include the specific text of the email notification. These messages are standardized by template and will be automatically sent for all lease schedules as per your global notification policy that you set up within LeaseAccelerator.

To configure your Templates in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Templates tile.
3	Click the plus sign to add a new Template or the edit icon to update/edit an existing Template.
4	In the pop-up, fill in necessary data fields, then click Save Template.
5	Then click Save to save all of your changes/additions.

Exchange Rates

You may update currency translation factors as often as you like using either the bulk import feature or the user interface Configuration Settings feature. It is recommended to use the bulk import feature to import multiple rates, but the user interface allows a user to view the existing rates and export an excel spreadsheet with all of the rates configured in the system.

To view your existing rates in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Exchange Rates tile.
3	Select the desired From country/currency from the drop-down to view any rates configured.
4	You may click Export to view all rates in an excel spreadsheet.

Custom Participant Configuration

You may add a Custom Participant for use in either Deal or Asset Management workspaces, and this is done via the UI in Configuration Settings. Custom Participants cannot be edited or deleted once they are associated with a deal except through a Support request. For more information, please see the Product Advisory on Custom Participant Configuration.

There is a limited number of Custom Participants that are importable. When you reach the limit, you can still add the new Participant, but you will only be able to populate the field via the UI. A pop-up message will appear to let you know when this happens. The maximum allowed includes the pre-configured Participants listed below.

Scope	Location on Import	Total Number Allowed	Total Client Specific Allowed*
Deal	Schedule tab of PIW Bulk Participant Import	16	7
Asset	Details tab of PIW Asset Management Update	10	5
Allocation	Details tab of PIW Asset Management Update	10	9

*This number is reduced by any existing participants previously created for your portfolio.

To configure your Custom Participant in the UI, follow these steps:

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Custom Participant Configuration tile.
3	Click the plus sign to add a new line item.
4	In the pop-up, fill out all required fields.
5	Click the Add button when finished. When you see the added information in the table, click Save.

Step	Action
1	Navigate to the Configuration Settings workspace, by clicking Configuration Settings in the Left NavBar under Accounting Administration.
2	Click on the Tags tile.
3	Click the plus sign to add a new Deal Tag.
4	Give your Tag a name and description in the pop-up window and click Add Tag.
5	After adding the desired Tags, click Save.

Configuring Your Master Data in the User Interface

Fiscal Calendars

GL Configuration

Ledger Number (Set of Books)

Segments

GL Code (Coding Conventions)

Economic Life, Depreciation Methods, and Lease Treatment

Custom Product Sub-Categories

Additional Requirements

Policy Thresholds

Cost Centers

Lessee Rates

Tax Rates

Lessee Financials

Lessee Info

Tags

Notifications

Templates

Exchange Rates

Custom Participant Configuration

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