Guide to Banner Default Codes and Index Codes

Banner default codes and Index codes help you enter valid C-FOAPAL strings into Banner query and transaction forms. Using default codes and Index codes makes data entry easier and faster. Both tools can prevent errors by ensuring that correct Fund, Organization, and Program code combinations are used in transactions. This can greatly reduce instances of misclassified, or “rogue” C-FOAPALs.

Note that default codes and Index codes can only be used in Banner pages. They cannot be used in other applications such as FABweb and P-Card. Also, these codes cannot be used in My-UI-Financials, EDDIE or Mobius View reports.

Default Codes

A default code is an already-established six-digit Organization, Program, Activity, or Location code that is associated with a Fund code. The default code is automatically populated (or defaulted) into Banner pages when you type in the associated Fund code. A default Fund, Program, Activity, and Location code can also be associated with an Organization code.

Index Codes – Non-Grant Funds

An Index code is a six-digit code created by University Accounting and Financial Reporting at a user’s request. An Index code usually has a Fund, Organization, and Program code assigned to it. In addition, an Index code could have an Activity or Location code assigned to it, but this is optional.

For non-grant Funds, Index codes are unit-specific and start with the three-digit Organization code assigned to the unit. The Index code could have a description of up to 35 characters, which will be seen when the Index code is used in Banner pages that display field descriptions. Index codes for non-grant Funds also have effective and termination dates, which means you can’t use the Index code for transactions outside those dates. Here’s an example showing the Fund, Organization, and Program fields after entering an Index code (circled):

Index Codes – Grant Funds

Index codes for grant Funds are created by the Grants and Contracts Office when a grant is set up. Like all Index codes, they help prevent accounting errors and creation of misclassified FOAPALs. Index codes for grants only have a Fund, Organization, and Program code assigned to them. You cannot override the Fund code and the Program code for a grant Index code. You can only override the Organization code, if needed.

A grant Index code has six alphanumeric characters. These Index codes do not begin with a 3-digit Organization code (as non-grant Index codes do); instead, grant Index codes begin with the 5-digit grant code. They always start with the character shown in the table below.

The first five characters designate the grant code. The sixth character is defined by the Grants and Contracts Office and is in numerical sequence. The first assigned Index code for a specific grant code will end in 1, the next Index code will end in 2, and so on. An example is grant code A1000, which would have an Index code ofA10001. The next Index code for that grant would be A10002.

Requesting New Codes

You can request new default codes and non-grant Index codes through University Accounting and Financial Reporting. Fill out the Banner Fund, Program, Index Code Request Form on the Accounting& Financial Reporting Forms page.

When the Grants and Contracts Office creates a grant Fund code in Banner, they also set up default codes and an Index code for it. Therefore, you don’t need to request default codes or Index codes for grant Funds. For more information on Index codes for grant Funds, see Grants & Contracts for Professional and Administrative Personnel (GC 101) .

The following table shows how default codes compare to Index codes.

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Last Updated: November 2, 2018