CAM PPMS FAQ

Have a question about using PPMS at the CAM? We're happy to answer your question by email or in-person, but here's a list of common questions and answers.

Are we still using the physical logbooks to record our times?

Yes! All CAM activity should be recorded in the physical logbooks as before. However, for equipment with bookable calendars you need to update your 'Time used' in PPMS also.

How can I adjust my booked session to indicate my actual used time?

See this document for examples: Adjusting Time used for PPMS imaging sessions

I have a pre-billed account from one of the CAM microscopy courses. How can I use this in PPMS?

We have a record for all of the pre-billed account balances and have entered them in the PPMS system to apply automatically when you use any CAM equipment or services. Currently, you still need to have an active account in the MSU financial system in order to make a booking; then it will apply the funds in the pre-paid account to the charges upon invoicing. As long as the pre-paid balance is greater than the charges, the active account will not be charged anything.

Why do I need to 'create an account' in PPMS for a MSU financial account that already exists?

MSU financial accounts live in a system called 'KFS'. Even if accounts exist in KFS, they have to be added into the PPMS account database. So the system calls it 'creating' an account to add it to PPMS.

The system says it can't find my financial account number, but I know I'm entering it in correctly. I can't submit my financial account creation request. What do I do?

Sometimes the system seems to stop searching after the first few terms of the account number, and gives an error, preventing users from submitting their financial account request. If that happens, try again later or on a different network connection / different device / browser. This seems to be a bug in the system. If possible, please take a screen shot of the error and send it to Andy (maddenan@msu.edu).