• Getting Started
• Applicant Types
• Budget Parameters
• Creating a New Budget Parameter
• Making Updates to a Budget Parameter
• Building a Budget Sheet

Budget sheets can support four types of applicants, meaning a different monetary amount can be configured to appear for each applicant type name. By default, these applicant types appear in TDS as the following:  

• Internal
• External
• Exchange (I)
• Exchange (E)

They are located under the "Applicant Types" section of Settings > Budget Params .





Important Note: In order for the applicant types "Exchange (I)" and "Exchange (E)" to appear on a budget sheet, you must have the the following setting enabled:

1) Navigate to Settings < System Features and click on the "Applicants" tab.
2) Check each box under the section "Applicant Types" for internal and external applicants as applicable.
3) Click "Update" to save your changes.

These settings must be enabled in order for these two applicant types to appear on your budget sheets, even if you change the name of the applicant type.






Editing Applicant Types
It is possible to change the name of the default applicant types to better align with the budget sheets you will be building. For example, "Resident" and "Non-Resident" are common applicant types for institutions that charge variable tuition based on residency status.

To edit an applicant type, follow these steps:
1) Navigate to Settings > Budget Params. Click the edit pencil located in the "Actions" column of the applicant type you wish to edit.




2) On the next "Budget Parameters: Edit" page, enter the new name for the applicant type in the field provided.





3) Click "Update" to save your changes or "Cancel" to undo them.

Once you have edited an applicant type, you always have the ability to change the name back to the default type. To do that, click the blue arrow located in the "Actions" column of the applicant type you wish to edit.The applicant type name will automatically revert to the default.

Budget Parameters

Budget Parameters are used to specify the option values that are displayed when building budget sheets for programs. Budget parameters can be dynamic (meaning the value is determined each time the action is performed) or static (meaning the value is always the same). Before creating a budget parameter, it is important for you to know if the value of an item changes due to circumstances (i.e. dynamic) or if it remains the same value regardless of its use (i.e. static). 

 

Budget parameters can be accessed by navigating to Settings > Budget Params. The "Budget Parameters: Manage All" page lists the available budget parameters.
 

 

To create a new budget parameter, click the "New Parameter" tab located at the top of the page. The "Budget Parameters: Add" page appears and displays the following four fields: parameter name, parameter type, parameter glossary, and "Is this billable?".





1) Parameter Name
Use this field to enter the name for the new parameter, such as "Personal Expenses".

2) Parameter Type
A drop-down menu gives you the option to select one of four types of budget parameters: selectable, applicant type, variable, and fixed.

Selectable
The "Selectable" budget parameter type allows you to create a drop-down menu of options for a specific budget item. If you choose "Selectable", then additional text fields appear at the bottom of the page. Type an appropriate value for this budget item in the text box for "Add Option". Click "Add". Repeat these steps for each possible value for the budget item. Once this budget item is added to a budget sheet, the person creating the budget sheet can select one of the values created from a drop-down menu.





Applicant Type
The "Applicant Type" budget parameter type allows you to set global values for each of the four applicant types. If you choose the "Applicant Type" budget parameter, then additional text fields appear at the bottom of the page. Fill in each field with the appropriate value for each of the different applicant types listed, and then click "Add". Whenever this budget item is added to a budget sheet, these values will automatically appear for each of the different applicant types.







Variable
The "Variable" budget parameter type is a manual entry value. After you select the "Variable" budget parameter type, a message appears at the bottom of the page notifying you that no further information is needed. Whenever this budget item is added to a budget sheet, the person creating the budget sheet must manually enter the desired value.





Fixed
The "Fixed" budget parameter type allows you to create a definitive value for a budget item. After you select "Fixed", a text field appears at the bottom of the page. Enter the desired fixed amount into this field. After this budget item is added to a budget sheet, it will automatically display the specified "fixed" value.





3) Parameter Glossary
After you select a parameter type, you may provide a description of this budget parameter in the "Parameter Glossary" field. This information will display in a pop-up window, giving more details about the budget item in case an applicant has questions while they are viewing the budget sheet.


4) Is This Billable?
There may be budget items on the budget sheet that will be billed by your office or another institution, thus making these items "billable". Other budget items will likely be out-of-pocket expenses, or "non-billable" items. With this in mind, select either "yes" or "no" to define this budget parameter accordingly.

After all four fields have been reviewed, click "Add" to place this new budget parameter into the list on the Budget Parameter page.

Making Updates to a Budget Parameter

It may be necessary to edit or delete a budget parameter.

To Edit an Existing Budget Parameter:
1) Navigate to Settings > Budget Params.
2) Click the edit pencil located in the "Actions" column of the applicable budget parameter. The "Budget Parameters: Edit" page will open.  
3) Make your edits and click "Update" to preserve your changes.

To Rearrange the Order of Budget Parameters:
1) Navigate to Settings > Budget Params.
2) Edit the numbers to the left of each parameter name accordingly.
3) Click "Re-order" to preserve your changes.





To Delete a Budget Parameter:
1) Navigate to Settings > Budget Params.
2) Click the red "X" in the "Actions" column of the respective parameter you wish to delete. A dialog box appears asking you to confirm this permanent action.
3) Click "OK" to proceed or "Cancel" to ignore the action.

 

Building a Budget Sheet

Once all of your budget parameters have been created, you are ready to build budget sheets for your programs with these steps:

1) Navigate to "Programs" and locate the program for which you wish to create a budget sheet.

2) Click on the "Budget Sheets" tab of the "Edit Program" page.

3) In the "Add Term Budget Sheet" section, use the drop-down menu to choose the term for which you'd like to build a budget sheet. After making your selection, a row will be created for this term in the "Program Term Budget Sheets" section of the page.





4) In the new term row that's been created (i.e. Spring in the example above), check the boxes for the applicant types to include in this budget sheet.

5) Click the edit pencil in the "Actions" column to further customize the budget sheet. This will bring you to the "Edit Program: Budget Sheets" page which consists of three main sections: Insert Budget Parameter, "Term" Budget Sheet for "Program Name", and Budget Sheet Notes.


Insert Budget Parameter
Select an available budget parameter from the drop-down menu. Click "Insert".




"Term" Budget Sheet for "Program Name"
After inserting a budget parameter, it will appear in this section. Depending on the budget parameter type you used, you may need to select the specific cost for your budget item. If the parameter type is fixed, then the specified value will display.





Budget Sheet Notes
Use this section's WYSIWYG editor to add additional notes related to your budget sheet for applicants to view.




6) Click "Update". Your budget sheet is ready for use on your program's brochure page.

Important Note: In the Program Wizard, a budget sheet content widget must first be added before the budget sheet will appear on a brochure page. More information can be found in the Using the Program Wizard article.