System Overview

The Information/Research Inquiry System (IRIS) is an inquiry-only system of the National Finance Center (NFC) which allows Agencies to research payroll/personnel inquiries received from employees and other sources. For current data, it provides immediate access to at least 1 year of data. For historical personnel data and certain payroll document history, it provides access to at least 5 years of data.

This procedure provides instructions for querying current and historical, payroll/personnel data contained on three separate databases. They are the Payroll/Personnel database, Personnel History Information System (PHIS) database, and the Name Inquiry database.

The majority of the data displayed in IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System is the result of payroll/personnel transactions processed in the Payroll/Personnel System (PPS). The data processed was entered through a remote entry system or by magnetic tape (e.g., new users' conversion data). Other data is system generated from data entered by users (e.g., after the health benefits form is processed, 1 (Enrolled) is displayed in Program IR115, Health Benefits).

After data is processed in the various payroll/personnel subsystems, it is retrieved from the different areas of the database and displayed in the applicable IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System program(s). (For more information, see Payroll/Personnel Subsystems.)

IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System displays data for Agencies serviced by NFC National Finance Center; for Agencies that have been serviced by NFC for less than 5 years, IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System displays the data from the time of conversion to NFC's system to present. If a Department elects to load its history data into PPS, the data is displayed in the applicable IRIS Information/Research Inquiry System history programs.