CORUM Questions & Answers

This is a collection of useful information for CORUM facility directors, accountants, and business administrators. 

  • Is there a way to set up a maximum fee?
    For example, I have an instrument that is $25/hr. I want to cap the charges after 8 hours, or $200.
    CORUM does not support charge caps. 

  • Is there a option to charge users a monthly or yearly fee, rather than hourly?
    This might be possible using an Item rather than Instrument, and ordering on behalf of the user.

  • How to change the calendar schedule option (shared / unshared) after equipment has been created?
    Recreate the equipment listing with the correct calendar schedule, and mark the original item as inactive.

  • How to configure an instrument with a daily billing rate rather than hourly?
    Consider converting the instrument pricing rules to hourly rates as CORUM is built using an hourly payment mechanism.
    Here's an option that might accomplish a daily billing rate:

    • Create an instrument with a minimum reservation length of 8 hours
    • Set up the schedule rules to be 9-5 every day
    • It needs to be reservation only-pricing, using a relay or other timing isn't going to work out well
    • Set up the pricing to be 1/8 of the daily rate
    • Now, when the user goes to place a reservation, they'll be locked into a single day. any adjustments will result in being unable to place the reservation--either because the reservation is too short or it spans outside the schedule rules. 
       
  • How to configure tiered pricing based on usage requirements?
    Multiple pricing configurations can be created for a single instrument using a shared calendar, for example:
    • - Instrument A < 3 hour usage - higher rates, minimum charge, reservations limited to near future, day time only usage
    • - Instrument A > 3 hour usage - lower rates, no minimum charge, reservations available further in the future, allow night time usage
  • How to configure percentage-based cancelation charges (reservation fees)?
    This is not currently possible in CORUM, only flat-rate or full reservation cost is allowed.

  • How to add a Banner Notification to your Facility page?

    • Go to: Manage Facilities → [Your Facility] 
    • Select Admin → Overview
    • Scroll down, click on the Edit button
    • ~1/2 down the page you will find an expandable “Banner Notice” section
    • Complete your message, including the alternate point of contact or any other pertinent change to operations & Save
  • On the main equipment listing page, some calendar icons are green and some are red, what does this mean?
     Equipment with a green calendar icon are available for immediate reservation requests.
     Equipment with a red calendar icon are not available for immediate reservation requests. This could be the result of several factors, including reservation minimums which exceed the remaining time left on the scheduling block, equipment that is currently in use, or missing pricing rules.
     The equipment status can be disabled on the facility admin page, uncheck the "Show Instrument Availability Status?" checkbox.

  • How can I start or end a reservation on behalf of another user?

    1. Select the ‘Reservations’ tab
    2. From the ‘Daily View’ find the reservation you want to begin
    3. Hover the cursor over the reservation block on the instrument timeline
    4. Click the ‘Begin Reservation’ link to begin the timer for a reservation (this will turn on the relay if the instrument uses a relay as well)
    5. To end the reservation, go back to the ‘Daily View’ under the ‘Reservations’ tab and find the reservation block you want to end
    6. Hover the cursor over the reservation block, and select ‘End Reservation’
       
  • Who can add new speedtypes to the list of payment sources?
    Only Core Facility Directors and Global Account Managers. To request the addition of a new speedtype, the PI should complete this form:
    Core Facility - PI Authorization for Recharges (UMass NetID required)

  • How can I review the list of users requesting equipment access or training?
    The Training Requests page is located under Manage Facilities → Your Facility → Products → Training Requests
    Click on the individual users name to review and update their equipment access permissions.

  • Who is notified when an issue is reported with and instrument?
    Facility Directors, Facility Administrators, and Training Request Recipients receive an email notification.

  • Are users allowed to make reservations for instruments that are currently flagged as 'offline'?
    Yes, the reservations are allowed, but the user is alerted to the offline status and that their reservation may be canceled. To block reservations use the Admin Hold feature for the instrument.

  • Why does a speedtype have an expiration date in the next century?
    This is a result of the payment source not having an expiration date in Peoplesoft. The CORUM system defaults to +100 years. When the account expires in Peoplesoft, the expiration date in CORUM will be updated with the correct date.

  • Will the system be able to remove speedtypes as they expire?
    Yes, CORUM should mark speedtypes as inactive when they expire in Peoplesoft.

  • What happens after a speedtype is given an extension?
    CORUM should mark speedtypes as active when the expiration date is changed in Peoplesoft.

  • When will a new speedtype appear in CORUM?
    The speedtypes in CORUM are updated daily using a list from the President's Office. There may be a 1-week delay between when new speedtypes are added into Peoplesoft and become available for import into CORUM.

  • How does an external customer enter their own PO number, so it appears correctly on the invoice?
    PO numbers can be added on behalf of customers by the core director or CORUM account administrators.
    Note: The PO numbers are currently not appearing on invoices, this will be fixed in future updates of CORUM. 

  • Who is notified when a user is added to a payment source?
    The owner of the payment source is notified by email.

  • How do I fix problem orders flagged as "Missing Actuals"?
    These orders are usually for timer-based equipment, when the user has forgotten to begin or end their reservation in CORUM. Some configurations for equipment will automatically turn off the instrument at the end of the reservation time period without actually ending the reservation for usage calculations. These orders will need to be updated individually with actual usage information before it will be processed for billing. Use the Order Detail form to manually enter the actual start/end times or use the copy icon to copy the original reservation time period fields into the actual time used fields.

  • How do I fix problem orders flagged as "Missing Price Policy"?
    This order does not have a price policy assigned. Please ensure that there is a price policy for this instrument on the date this order was fulfilled. Viewing the order detail and then clicking the Save button will attempt to assign a price policy."

  • Why am I unable to change the speedtype used on an order, it's not available in the list of options?
    If the correct speedtype isn't available in the dropdown list, it's because the user who placed the order isn't authorized to use it. In this case, you should be able to add them to the Members list as a Purchaser and then proceed to correct the order.

  • How do I search for an order using the order number?
    You can search for an order number using the Search box located in the main menu.

  • What is the "Send Receipt" button on the Order detail page?
    The Send Receipt button will send an email with the order details to the user. The email may contain estimated pricing of future reservations and services.

  • What is meant by the message "Payment must be collected within 90 days"
    This is just a warning message.  The transactions are not impacted at the 90 day mark. 

  • How can we view usage reports for the facility?
    The Reports → General page has tables of aggregated usage information for your facility, which can be filtered based on order status and time period.

    • For orders that were fulfilled in February, which are now either outstanding or reconciled:
      "Fulfilled" between "02/01/2021" and "02/28/2021" with status "Complete, Reconciled"
      This will include orders fulfilled in February and reconciled in March. It won't include orders fulfilled in January and reconciled in February.
    • For a report on reconciled transactions that came in during February:
      "Reconciled" between "02/01/2021" and "02/28/2021" with status "Reconciled"
      This will include orders that were reconciled in February, whose current order status is reconciled. This could include orders that were placed or fulfilled in January (or earlier), but reconciled in February.
    • For all outstanding orders in February:
      "Fulfilled" between "02/01/2021" and "02/28/2021" with status "Complete"
      This will include orders fulfilled in February that have not been reconciled yet.
  • What is the meaning of billing events in the Global Event Log?

    • Billing → Send Notifications → Send Notifications (email) = Billing Notified event
    • Billing → Orders in Review → Mark as Reviewed = Order Reviewed event
    • Billing → Create Statements → Create (email) = Statement Created event
  • What is the "Release In Advance" checkbox for equipment Admin Holds?
    When this box is checked, another input field appears for entering a time in hours and minutes.  The admin hold will be automatically released at the set amount of time before the reservation begins.  For example with an admin hold reservation start time of 4:00pm, entering "1:00" would cause the admin hold to be released at 3:00pm. This temporarily blocks the calendar while waiting for a user to confirm an actual reservation.

  • What is Kiosk View?
    Kiosk View is a facility specific option, found on your facility overview form, enabling it adds a new page to the reservations Daily View. The Kiosk View is a simplified user interface for upcoming reservations, presenting users with Begin/End reservation functionality. The kiosk mode is designed to be displayed on a dedicated tablet or other system in your lab.

  • How are SciShield certifications used with CORUM?
    Instruments can be configured to only allow access to users who have specific SciShield certifications. SciShield certifications are checked through the SciShield training system based on the users email address. New SciShield certificates can be added to CORUM upon request.

  • How are OWL certifications used with CORUM?
    OWL certifications are no longer valid in CORUM, please use the SciShield training system.