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Frequently Used Terms

Common Financial System (CFS): The delivered Finance baseline that combines data from all 23 campuses and the Office of the Chancellor in a single production database instance. The project name for the work required to combine data from the 23 campuses and the CO into a single Finance database.

Common Human Resources System (CHRS): The delivered HR Baseline that combines data from all 23 campuses and the Office of the Chancellor in a single production database instance. The project name for the work required to combine data from the 23 campuses and the CO into a single HR database instance.

Common Management System (CMS): The CSU systemwide common information systems environment that enhances the collective operation of administrative functions in a sustainable and cost-effective environment.

CMS Central: The support team is comprised of members from CMS application and technical teams, based at the CO. CMS Central supports the functional and technical operations of the CHRS baseline.

Office of the Chancellor (CO): The Office of the Chancellor is the official name for the central office governing the 23 campuses of the California State University. Informally called the Chancellor's Office, and abbreviated CO.

Campus Solutions: Campus Solutions is the name of the Oracle student application. The application was previously called Student Administration (SA).

California State University (CSU): Refers to the system comprised of 23 campuses and the Office of the Chancellor.

Enterprise Reporting and Data Warehouse Services: Team responsible for the development and delivery of the CHRS HR data warehouse and analytic reports.

Faculty Administration: Refers to the group of requirements and/or delivered functionality unique to faculty. Includes administrative functions such as tenure and tenure promotion, WTU accumulation, stipends, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Communication tool used to collect campus questions and post answers to questions with common themes.

Higher Education Constituency Hub (HECH): Tool selected to manage integration between the HR and CS databases.

Human Resources:

A. Systemwide HR: Systemwide HR is a department based at the Chancellors Office that establishes and governs systemwide HR policies.

B. HR Application: Oracle Human Resources application (as delivered).

C. HR Baseline: The HR Baseline contains the final product delivered to campuses, which includes both Oracle-delivered functionality and custom modifications. It commonly refers to the product delivered prior to the CHRS project, which is implemented in 24 production databases (one for each campus and the CO). When the CHRS project is complete, the HR Baseline will simply be called CHRS.

Oracle/PeopleSoft (PS): PeopleSoft was the company who originally owned the PeopleSoft Human Resources, Student Administration and Finance products adopted by the CSU for the CMS project. Oracle bought out PeopleSoft, and the software is now commonly referred to as Oracle, although technically it still retains a “PeopleSoft” technical / development platform.

MyCalPays: Name given to the State of California’s payroll project.

Project Definition Document (PDD): Refers to this document, which delivers the core project information, vision, business justification, scope, budget, and project management and communications approach.

Project & Change Management Office (PCMO): Refers to the project & change management office located at the Chancellor’s Office.

Subject Matter Expert (SME): Campus and/or CMS Central staff who are experts in their respective module/technical areas.

Frequently Used Acronyms

  • ADD Insurance: Accidental Death & Dismemberment
  • ADO: Additional Days Off
  • APDB: Academic Planning Database
  • AM: Absence Management
  • BEN: Benefits
  • BSA: Business Systems Analyst
  • CKL: Checklist
  • COBRA: Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
  • DEV: Development
  • ESP: Employee Salary Projection
  • ESS: Employee Self Service
  • FAC: Faculty
  • FERP: Faculty Early Retirement Program
  • FMLA: Family Medical Leave Act
  • GC: Grants & Contracts
  • IB: Integration Broker
  • IPEDS: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
  • LCD: Labor Cost Distribution
  • LD: Learning & Development
  • MPP: Management Personnel Plan
  • MSS: Manager Self Service
  • PIMS/CIRCA: CSU Personnel/Payroll Information Management System / Campus Information Retrieval System
  • PM: Position Management
  • PRE: Pre-Production
  • PRD: Production
  • REC: Recruiting
  • RTP: Retention, Tenure and Promotion
  • SEC: Security
  • STG: Staging
  • TAE: Temporary Academic Employment (Previously Temporary Faculty)
  • TDA: Technical Development Analyst
  • TST: Testing
  • T&L: Time & Labor
  • VSP: Vision Service Plan
  • WTU: Weighted Teaching Units
  • WA: Workforce Administration

Updated: December 08, 2023