Getting Started with iLab

Account Registration Instructions: If this is your first time logging into the system, iLab will prompt you to register by asking you to select the appropriate lab group.

1. Open your home institution's iLab URL. Use your institutional credentials to access the application.  
2. Click the login button. Enter your credentials.
3. A registration page will display with some fields pre-filled. Complete any remaining fields.
4. Select the appropriate lab group in the "PI/Group" drop-down menu.
5. Click Register.
6. The Office of Research will review & approve within 48 hours. A confirmation email will be sent.
7. Once approved, you will be able to access and request services from VUMC cores and review invoice reports.

Lab Group Selection:

If you work with multiple investigators, please select one Lab Group to initially set up your account. Then contact VUMCcores@vumc.org with a list of other PI names. The Office of Research will update your iLab account and grant you access to the other PI Lab Groups.

Final invoices are generated once per month. The VUMC Office of Research finalizes all invoices on the first business day of each new month. The PI or PI delegate should review all core invoices each month.

REVIEWING INVOICES: 

The PI, PI Delegate (i.e., lab manager role), and department administration can view the PI's invoices.

1. Click on Invoices in the left-hand iLab Menu. A list of invoices will display.
2. Use the filter panel to reduce and sort the invoices that display. Click 'Apply Filters' to run filters.
   1. Example: Use the 'payment number' filter to drill down to a specific billing number. 
   2. Example: Use the 'keyword search' and type in the  invoice number to find a specific invoice.
3. On the far right, click the magnifying glass to open the specific invoice.
   1. Pre-Invoice indicates the invoice is in a period where billing number changes are allowed. These invoices have not yet been submitted to Workday.
   2. Invoices will be updated to Final Invoice status once the invoicing procedures have been completed by the Office of Research and submitted to the Workday system.

CORRECTING BILLING NUMBERS:

If a charge is incorrect, you may request a refund by contacting the appropriate core manager. Note: A manual journal entry will be required to transfer the posted core invoice expense activity to a different center number. Consult with the Department of Finance or the Workday Training site for information on processing journal entries.

Pre-Invoice Review:  The PI or PI delegate has the opportunity to review pre-invoices on the last business day of each month (All changes must be made by midnight).

1. Click on Invoices in the left-hand iLab Menu. Click the magnifying glass to open the specific invoice.
   1. Pre-Invoice indicates the invoice is in a period where billing number changes are allowed.
   2. Invoices will be updated to Final Invoice status once the invoicing procedures have been completed by the Office of Research and submitted to the Workday system.
2. Click the $ Icon to view the current billing number that will be charged.
3. To update to a new billing number, select the check box for each charge line in the payment list.
4. Using the billing number drop-down menu, select a new billing number.
5. Click Save.

Splitting Charges on Pre-Invoices: Invoices can be split between VUMC billing numbers. Due to iLab functionality, VU Lab Groups cannot split a pre-invoice between multiple VU billing numbers.

1. Click on Invoices in the left-hand iLab Menu. Click the magnifying glass to open the specific invoice.
   1. Pre-Invoice indicates the invoice is in a period where billing number changes are allowed.
   2. Invoices will be updated to Final Invoice status once the invoicing procedures have been completed by the Office of Research and submitted to the Workday system.
2. Click the $ Icon to view the current billing number that will be charged.
3. To split the invoice between billing numbers, select the check box for each charge line in the payment list.
4. In the payment information section, click Add Split.
5. Change the percentage field to allocate a portion to each billing number.
6. Click Save.

What window do I have to update the billing number on the pre-invoice?

Pre-invoices are generally available starting around 10 am on the last business day of each month. The PI, PI Delegate, or Department Administration should review and make changes before the end of the last business day. The Office of Research will finalize all invoices on the morning of the first business day.

Users have ~24 hours to review the pre-invoice reports

Given the brief window of time, we recommend using the reporting module to view completed charges throughout the month. Any order in a "completed" status will be included on that month's invoice. Billing numbers can also be updated on "completed status" orders either by the user or by contacting the core.

• Open up the associated project request on the "View My Requests" tab of the applicable core iLab site, to edit billing numbers on completed charges.

The reporting functionality within iLab allows users to generate reports to view spending across billing numbers, PI Lab Groups, and core facilities.

Reporting Instructions:

1. Click on Reporting in the left-hand iLab Menu.
2. Select the Load Default option to load the iLab default report template.
3. Enter the Report Settings:
   1. Select the date range for the report.
   2. Select the date field to Completion Date.
   3. Optional: Click Charts & Tables to adjust and modify the reports that will populate.
4. Click Run Report.
5. A high-level report will be generated.

Use the filter panel to refine the report and specify the data down to a certain PI, billing number, and/or core facility.

1. Using the left-hand filter panel, adjust the filters as needed.
2. Click Apply Filters
3. The report will update with data specific to those filters.

Export the report and download the detailed expense data.

1. Click Export.
2. Select Source data as CSV/XLS.
3. An excel document will download.
4. Report Export Notes:
   1. Billing Status column:
      1. ready_to_bill:  Charge has been completed for billing.
      2. billing_initiated: Charge has been completed for billing. Charge is included in a pre-invoice or final invoice. 
      3. not_ready_to_bill:  Activity requested by PI Lab Group. The activity has not yet been marked ready to bill by the core; therefore, the work has not yet been completed.
   2. Date columns:
      1. Purchase Date:  Date the service was requested or date of reservation.
      2. Completion Date: Date the reservation occurred or date the core completed the work.
      3. Billing Date:  Date the core finalized the charge by including it in a billing event.

How can reports be saved so that the same report can be generated again?

To Save a Report Template:

1. Enter the report settings.
2. Enter the Charts & Tables settings (optional).
3. Run the Report.
4. Click the Save... icon.
5. Enter a name for the report. Click Save.

To Run a Saved Report Template:

1. Click Load Saved.
2. Select the saved report.
3. Click Load.
4. Update the dates for this report.
5. Click Run Report!

Reporting Tutorial:   For additional details on available reporting tools in iLab, view the iLab reporting tutorial