format_list_bulleted Topic Overview

Authority to View or Access Financial Data

There are several financial reporting tools at Stanford. Each reporting tool has a unique purpose and access requirements as described in this topic overview. Anyone accessing confidential Stanford financial data must follow Administrative Guide Policies 3.1.1: Responsibility for University Financial Assets and 1.1.1: University Code of Conduct.

The majority of enterprise reporting tools require authority privileges that specify the data that an employee is authorized to view via reports and inquiry tools. Enterprise reporting privileges are granted using the Authority Manager system. 

The organizational scope of reporting authority can be defined at the parent or child organization level, with the ability to further limit to specific projects, awards, principal owners or fund types.

Data access to confidential information can also be limited. For example, OBI Financial Reporting can be limited to basic (i.e., non-salary), timecard or salary view. Salary view allows access to financial activity including detailed salary information. Non-Salary view allows access to financial activity excluding detailed salary information (shows only summarized salary information, not individual salary details). Timecard view allows access to hours paid and worked, and timecard approval.

Granting authority to access report data does not automatically allow the grantee to use the reporting system.

  • Prior to gaining access to confidential information, users must complete the online Financial Stewardship Expectations course in STARS (FIN-PROG-0020). This online certification course describes your obligations as a financial steward of university resources.
  • In some cases, prerequisite training must be satisfied before system access is enabled.

Utilize the information in the following table to learn about each reporting tool, financial tasks, how privileges are granted and specific requirements prior to receiving access.

Financial Reporting Tool Financial Task(s) How privilege is granted in Authority Manager How and when system access is enabled
Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) Financial Reporting

View reports based on PeopleSoft and Oracle Financials System data and drill down to transaction details.

Reporting subject areas include Payroll and Labor Management, Expense Requests and SU Card Activity, Procure to Pay, Consolidated Expenditure Reporting, Reference Data and Inquiry, and Revenue and Funds Management.

Privileges are granted by authorized school/department resources using Authority Manager. 

There are two types of privileges, Report Viewer and Intermediate Ad Hoc.

Access is dependent upon completion of required training.

For more information, refer to OBI Financial Reporting.

Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) Human Resource Reporting

View reports based on PeopleSoft Payroll and Axess Timecard application data. 

Note: OBI Financial Reporting > Payroll and Labor Management dashboards and ad hoc also include this data.

Privileges are granted by a department human resources manager/director or the director of finance and administration (DFA) using Authority Manager. For more information, refer to HR Oracle Business Intelligence Job Aid.
Oracle Commitment Management System (CMS) Forecast, manage and report on available funds by tracking actual expenditures, accounting for anticipated expenditures and running “what if” scenarios. Privileges are granted by authorized school/department resources using Authority Manager.

Access is dependent upon completion of required training.

For more information, refer to Commitment Management System.

Faculty Financial Inquiry Tool (FFIT), includes “what if” scenarios entered in CMS View current, projected and forecasted fund balances and drill-down to transaction details.

PTA Principal Owners
[e.g., Faculty, Researcher or Principal Investigator (PI)] are automatically granted access to FFIT.

Privileges can be granted to department administrators using Authority Manager by assigning Financial System > Shared Applications & Non-OBI Reporting > Salary View (Award) or Salary View (Project-Task) privilege.

Access is granted within 24 hours of authority grant. 

For more information, refer to Faculty Financial Inquiry Tool

Tidemark Budget Management Reporting View reports based on Tidemark budget data in support of the annual budget process. Privileges are granted by department budget officers using Authority Manager.

Access is dependent upon completion of required training.

For more information, refer to Tidemark.

Oracle Financials Inquiry Tools (SU Inquiry Tools and Forms)

Query specific Oracle Financials data.

Inquiry Tools include Expenditure Type Query, Fund Title Query, Requisition and Purchase Order Query, Pending Transactions, Financial Approval Authority Query and Vacation Query.

Authority is not required for Oracle Financials Inquiry tools, as they do not return confidential financial information.

Access is automatically granted to all employees with a valid SUNet ID.

Launch Oracle and open the SU Inquiry Tools and Forms folder.

For more information, refer to Oracle SU Inquiry Tools.

Microsoft Office Excel and/or Access Create custom financial analysis. Authority privileges are not required.


To get access, refer to University IT Essential Stanford Software.

For more information, refer to Technology Training Upcoming Classes.

To view who has grantable privileges in your organization, refer to the Authority Manager How Tos for more information.

Last Updated: Jul 25, 2023