Information Research Inquiry System (IRIS)

System Design

IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System is a menu-driven, inquiry-only system. It consists of a main menu with six submenus. Each submenu contains several individual programs pertaining to the subject matter of that particular submenu of IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System.

IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System allows the user to transfer to any screen within the system by typing the Program Number at the screen prompt. To return to the main menu or a submenu, the PF1 key is used.

IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System also allows multiple Social Security numbers (SSN) to be researched without exiting a screen. To reenter a SSN Social Security number on the same screen, position the cursor in the SSN Social Security number field, type the next SSN Social Security number, and press Enter.

Current Data

IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System contains current programs which include the latest information processed in the database. During the processing cycle, certain IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System programs are updated as transactions are processed. This includes 1 year of Time and Attendance (T&A) data which is adjustable. Other programs are updated when the Payroll/Personnel System (PPS Payroll/Personnel System) processes.

The current IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System programs display data for the processing pay period as applicable. After being processed, the data remains current until transactions are processed for the next pay period.

Payroll Data

Payroll actions are processed through NFC National Finance Center's entry systems, or transmitted through the Self-Service option on the Employee Personal Page (EPP), and then applied to the payroll/personnel database.

Personnel History Data

IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System is also used to query at least 5 years of historical personnel data stored in the PHIS Personnel History Information System database. The PHIS Personnel History Information System database is updated after the processing cycle each pay period to include payroll/personnel actions (official action, cash award, Thrift Savings Plan, health benefits, union deduction activity, etc.) processed for the pay period. These payroll/personnel actions are retained in the current fiscal year portion of the PHIS Personnel History Information System database and are displayed in IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System with payroll/personnel actions processed during the previous 5 years. PHIS Personnel History Information System is purged at the end of each fiscal year, and the data for the earliest fiscal year is moved to a separate file. This process is repeated each fiscal year. After the data is removed from PHIS Personnel History Information System, it is no longer accessible to the user.

An organization's historical data begins to accumulate in IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System as soon as it is implemented into PPS Payroll/Personnel System. Access to history data is based on ownership of the data. IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System allows inquiry paths depending on the user's identification (ID): (1) an owner path and (2) a previous owner path. The owner has access to employee data for all previous and current employment with organizations serviced by NFC National Finance Center. The previous owner has access to the employee's data only for the period of employment with that Agency. The data from the previous employer is transferred to the new employer when a personnel action is processed that changes employing offices or servicing Agencies. If more than two employers exist, only the current employing Agency has access to all data; all previous owners have access to their data only.

A personnel action processed by a gaining employer that (1) transfers an employee from one Agency to another within a Department or (2) changes an employee's employing office or servicing Agency is duplicated and moved to the former employer's IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System Personnel History record.

A record is the data element used to display a counter indicating the occurrence of that record within a particular personnel-history employee record on the database.

New and Separated Employees

A new employee must be established on the database (i.e., the accession action has cleared all edits and processed through the Personnel Input and Edit System (PINE)/Personnel Processing System (PEPL)) before query can be successful. After an employee separates, his/her record is retained in the IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System Current Data Menu programs until certain transactions, as appropriate, are processed. A separated employee's record is retained in the IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System program for 6 pay periods following the processing of the last transaction (e.g., final flag on final T&A Time and Attendance, separation action, annual/compensatory leave payments, etc.) and for 5 years in the history programs after separation or until a database change occurs.

T&A Data

T&A Time and Attendance data is prepared, certified, and electronically transmitted to NFC National Finance Center from Agency locations. The T&A Time and Attendance is then processed and edited through the Time and Attendance Validation System (TIME), and the data is applied to the payroll/personnel database.