NFSMI FUNDamentals Frequently Asked Questions

Can anyone use the NFSMI FUNDamentals software package?

Any school foodservice administrator can use the software. NFSMI FUNDamentals is a tool that will assist school foodservice administrators in interpreting the financial outcomes to aid in financial management decision making. It is designed to be broad in scope so all sizes and types of school foodservice programs can use it across the nation. Just remember that the software is designed to be used by individuals with a working knowledge of accounting and bookkeeping.

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What is different about NFSMI FUNDamentals versus other financial software analysis packages?

NFSMI FUNDamentals is a financial management software package developed for school foodservice administrators. A Task Force of state and local school foodservice administrators and school business officials from across the nation, along with representatives from NFSMI and USDA, developed the model for the software. The software uses standardized formats, formulas, account classifications and is designed to analyze individual school sites as well as the school-wide district.

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Why should I use NFSMI FUNDamentals?

NFSMI FUNDamentals uses standardized terminology and item classification based the National Center for Education Statistics accounting handbook, Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems, 1990. The advantages to using a national uniform system are as follows:

• A uniform system establishes standardized formats and account classifications to guide in the preparation and presentation of financial standards.
• Standardization permits internal and external users to compare the financial position and operational performance of a program to others with similar characteristics.
• Acceptance by the profession of a uniform format for analyzing financial data will foster the use of common standards and practices by both self-operated and commercially-managed programs.
• Use over a period of time can generate local, regional, and national statistics that will assist in identifying trends and setting priorities for strategic planning by programs and the profession.

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What if I already complete financial records for my school foodservice program?

Many school foodservice programs compile and calculate financial data in differing formats and varying amounts of detail. The NFSMI FUNDamentals software is designed as either a stand alone analysis program or it can be used to supplement analysis procedures already being used.

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Is there a cost associated with using NFSMI FUNDamentals?

There is no cost for the NFSMI FUNDamentals software. You may download from the FUNDamentals website .

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How do I get started?

1. Request the school district's registration code number by contacting NFSMI, Applied Research Division. You can call (800) 321-3054.
2. Log on to NFSMI FUNDamentals by typing in the NFSMI code number and set a user password.
3. You are now ready to begin the setup process. If you are setting up a public School Food Authority site, the software will recognize the registration code number and load key demographic school information automatically into the data entry screens. Should you have a school that recently opened you may have to add that school's information directly. Private and parochial schools will receive registration codes from NFSMI, but will need to enter the demographic information into the appropriate data screen.
4. For more detailed information, refer to the User's Guide.

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Can I use the NFSMI FUNDamentals software on a network?

Multiple users can enter information in the NFSMI software. Each user must have the software installed locally on their computer. The software will automatically install a copy of the database on the installation computer and set the location of the database to the installed database. The database can be copied and housed on a network drive for all users to share. For more detailed information on changing the location of the database to a shared database, refer to the User's Guide.

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How can I transfer financial data from my SFA accounting system?

NFSMI FUNDamentals can accept imports from a SFA financial accounting system. The SFA financial accounting system software provider can provide a text document with summary data for revenues, expenditures, and fund balance information. The specific format for these data can be found in the User's Guide.

If you would like more information about a specific formula see the Financial Management Information System Preliminary Report.

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What if the NFSMI FUNDamentals formulas differ from the ones used by my state agency? Can I change the formulas?

You can set your own user-defined formulas to match your local district or state agency requirements in the SFA level of the software. Data submitted to NFSMI reflect the national performance measures and cannot be changed.

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Can I run reports that reflect both the NFSMI performance measures and the SFA user-defined performance measures (i.e., breakfast meal equivalents)?

You can run reports that reflect perfomance measures. For sample reports see the User's Guide.

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Can I transfer in point of sale data?

NFSMI FUNDamentals can accept imports from a SFA or school point of sale system. The SFA point of sale software provider will provide a text document with summary data for meal counts by program type. For details of the layout and rules required for meal count import, refer to the User's Guide.

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I have over 200 schools. Is there a limit to the number of schools that the software can handle?

The software does not have a limit in the number of schools that can be maintained.

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