The Budgets functionality is an add-on feature within the Unimarket Purchasing space. It allows communities to define internal budgets against specific account code segments, providing real-time visibility into spending levels during the requisition process.
NOTE:
Activation: This is a premium feature. If it is not visible in your community, please contact your Customer Success Manager to explore enabling this function.
Core Functionality: Warning-Based Validation
The Unimarket Budget module is designed to be informative rather than restrictive.
- Visibility: It provides the Buyer with immediate visibility if a proposed purchase exceeds the allocated budget for a specific date range.
- Non-Blocking: Validation is entirely warning-based. It will alert the user to the over-budget status, but it will not prevent them from submitting the requisition or completing the purchase.
- Audit Trail: Budget warnings are captured, allowing approvers to see the budget status when reviewing the requisition.
Financial Hierarchy Setup
Once Budgets are enabled, a new option appears in your Account Code settings: "Create Financial Hierarchy." This allows you to select specific segments of your Account Code format to serve as the tiers for budget management. For example, you might organize your hierarchy as:
- Branch (Parent Tier)
- Team (Child Tier / Cost Center)
Budget amounts are then allocated to these specific Cost Centers for a defined date range (e.g., Fiscal Year 2024).
Validation Rules for Hierarchy Configuration
Because the budget module must map directly to your accounting strings. There are strict validation rules for which account code parts can be included, in a Financial Hierarchy:
| Rule | Description |
| No Pre-existing Hierarchies | If any part of your existing Account Code format is already configured as hierarchical, the entire Account Code format cannot be used for Budgets. |
| No Optional Parts | If an account code part is marked as Optional, it cannot be used as a segment in the Financial Hierarchy. |
| No Regex Parts | If an account code part uses Regex (Regular Expressions) for validation, it cannot be used in the Financial Hierarchy. |
| Partial Usage | If your account code has 5 parts, and only 2 are "Optional," you can still build a hierarchy using the remaining 3 valid parts. |
| Total Incompatibility | If every part of your account code is a combination of Optional or Regex, the option for Financial Hierarchy will be unavailable. |
Implementation Workflow
- Consultation: Contact your Unimarket Customer Success Manager, to enable the module.
- Define Cost Centers: Determine which account code segments (e.g., Dept, Fund, Orgn) will represent your budget "Cost Centers."
- Configure Hierarchy: Navigate to the Administration > Procurement > Account Codes and select Create Financial Hierarchy.
- Allocate Funds: Upload or manually enter budget amounts for each Cost Center for the relevant period.
- Testing: Create a mock requisition to verify that the budget warning triggers, when the allocated amount is exceeded.
Pro-Tip: Budgets are most effective when aligned with your ERP's fiscal periods. Ensure your Unimarket Budget date ranges match your Financial Year settings to maintain reporting consistency.