Your Payments Processing Data Template

ACI Worldwide
Your Payments Processing Data Template

Your Payments Processing Data Template

This template provides a structured approach to prepare your payments processing data for analysis. It outlines the essential attributes to collect, the critical activities to track, and practical guidance for extracting this information from your system. By following these recommendations, you can ensure a robust foundation for identifying inefficiencies and optimizing your financial operations.
  • Recommended attributes to collect
  • Key activities to track
  • Extraction guidance for ACI Worldwide
New to event logs? Learn how to create a process mining event log.

Payments Processing Attributes

These are the recommended data fields to include in your event log for comprehensive payments processing analysis.
3 Required 10 Recommended 7 Optional
Name Description
Activity Name
ActivityName
The specific step or status change that occurred in the payment lifecycle.
Description

This attribute defines the event node in the process map, such as 'Payment Request Created' or 'Funds Transferred'. In ACI systems, this is often derived from status codes, audit log operation types, or workflow state changes. Accurate mapping of these technical states to readable business activities is crucial for meaningful visualization.

Why it matters

It defines the process flow and is necessary to visualize the sequence of operations.

Where to get

Derived from Status Codes (e.g., 100=Created, 200=Validated) or Audit Log Action columns.

Examples
Payment Request CreatedPayment AuthorizedPayment SettledPayment Failed
Event Timestamp
EventTimestamp
The specific date and time when the activity occurred.
Description

This attribute records the exact moment an event took place within the ACI environment. It is used to calculate all time-based metrics, including cycle times, approval durations, and throughput rates. High precision (milliseconds) is preferred to accurately sequence rapid automated steps.

Why it matters

Essential for ordering events and calculating performance durations.

Where to get

Consult the 'Created Date' or 'Update Date' columns in the transaction history or audit tables.

Examples
2023-10-25T08:30:15.000Z2023-10-25T08:30:22.500Z2023-10-26T14:10:00.000Z
Payment Transaction ID
PaymentTransactionId
The unique identifier for the specific payment instruction across the ACI system.
Description

This attribute serves as the central key for the process mining analysis, linking all events related to a single payment request. In ACI Worldwide systems (such as MTS or UPP), this corresponds to the unique reference number assigned to a transaction upon entry. It enables the reconstruction of the end-to-end payment journey from the initial request through validation, approval, and final settlement.

Why it matters

It is the fundamental Case ID required to group discrete events into process instances.

Where to get

Check transaction header tables, often labeled as TRN_REF, REFERENCE_NUM, or UUID in the main transaction log.

Examples
TRX-2023-899102ACI-99281-AAPAY-0019283420231025-9981
Department
Department
The internal department responsible for the current activity.
Description

Maps the EventUser or queue to a broader organizational unit (e.g., 'Payment Operations', 'Compliance', 'Treasury'). This helps in the 'Bottleneck Analysis by Activity' to see which teams are holding up the process.

Why it matters

Aggregates performance by business function.

Where to get

Derived from User tables or Organizational Hierarchy mapping.

Examples
OperationsComplianceTreasuryIT Support
End-to-End Cycle Time
EndToEndCycleTime
The total duration from request creation to settlement.
Description

Calculates the time difference between 'Payment Request Created' and 'Payment Settled'. This serves as the primary metric for the 'Average Payment Transaction Cycle Time' KPI and overall efficiency analysis.

Why it matters

The top-level metric for process speed.

Where to get

Computed: Timestamp(Payment Settled) - Timestamp(Payment Request Created).

Examples
2 days 4 hours45 minutes12 seconds
Error Code
ErrorCode
The code generated when a payment fails or requires repair.
Description

Captures the specific reason for a 'Payment Failed' or 'Payment Error Identified' event. Grouping by this attribute in the 'Payment Failure and Rework Analysis' dashboard allows the business to identify the most common root causes of failure (e.g., 'Insufficient Funds', 'Invalid Account').

Why it matters

Essential for Root Cause Analysis of process failures.

Where to get

Error logs or status reason columns, often REASON_CODE or RETURN_CODE.

Examples
R01AM04BE05TECH_ERR_001
Event User
EventUser
The user ID or system agent responsible for the activity.
Description

Captures who performed the action—whether it was a human user (e.g., for approvals) or a system account (e.g., for automated settlement). This attribute is vital for 'Bottleneck Analysis' to identify if specific users or queues are overloaded.

Why it matters

Enables resource analysis and segregation of duties auditing.

Where to get

Audit logs or 'UpdatedBy' columns in transaction tables.

Examples
SYSTEM_AGENT_01j.doeapprover_group_aBATCH_PROCESS
Is Rework
IsRework
Flag indicating if the payment underwent repetitive activities.
Description

A boolean flag calculated during data processing. It is set to true if activities like 'Payment Details Validated' occur more than once or if an error loop is detected. This drives the 'Payment Rework Rate' KPI.

Why it matters

Quickly identifies inefficient cases without complex process queries.

Where to get

Computed in the data pipeline by checking for duplicate activities per case.

Examples
truefalse
Payment Amount
PaymentAmount
The monetary value of the payment transaction.
Description

Indicates the financial value being transferred. This is a critical context field for analyzing 'Payments Throughput' and prioritizing bottlenecks. High-value payments often undergo more rigorous approval paths (variant analysis) compared to low-value automated flows.

Why it matters

Allows segmentation by value and calculation of total processed volume.

Where to get

Transaction detail tables, typically fields like AMT, TRANS_AMOUNT, or PRINCIPAL_AMOUNT.

Examples
1500.00250000.5050.001000000.00
Payment Currency
PaymentCurrency
The ISO currency code for the payment amount.
Description

Specifies the currency in which the PaymentAmount is denominated (e.g., USD, EUR, GBP). This is essential for normalizing data in dashboards that aggregate volume across different regions. It helps in understanding cross-border payment complexities.

Why it matters

Required to interpret the Payment Amount correctly.

Where to get

Transaction detail tables, typically fields like CCY, CURRENCY_CODE, or ISO_CODE.

Examples
USDEURGBPJPY
Payment Due Date
PaymentDueDate
The date by which the payment must be settled to be considered on time.
Description

Stores the contractual or requested execution date. This date is compared against the actual settlement date to calculate the 'On-Time Payment Rate' KPI and support the 'Payment Due Date Compliance' dashboard.

Why it matters

The benchmark for measuring SLA compliance and on-time performance.

Where to get

Transaction instructions, usually VALUE_DATE, EXECUTION_DATE, or DUE_DATE.

Examples
2023-11-012023-11-05
Payment Type
PaymentType
The classification of the payment instrument.
Description

Categorizes the payment (e.g., Wire, ACH, SEPA, RTGS). Different payment types often have vastly different SLAs and process flows. This attribute is a primary dimension for filtering the 'End-to-End Payment Cycle Time' dashboard.

Why it matters

Critical for distinguishing between high-speed and batched payment flows.

Where to get

Transaction header, fields like PMT_TYPE, INSTRUMENT_TYPE, or SERVICE_ID.

Examples
Domestic WireInternational WireACH CreditInstant Payment
Processing Channel
ProcessingChannel
The channel through which the payment was initiated.
Description

Indicates the entry point of the payment, such as Mobile, Web Portal, API, or File Upload. This helps in 'Payment Process Variant Analysis' to see if certain channels are more prone to errors or delays than others.

Why it matters

Segments performance by input method.

Where to get

Transaction header, often in columns named CHANNEL, SOURCE_TYPE, or INPUT_METHOD.

Examples
SWIFTInternet BankingMobile AppFile Upload
Approval Cycle Time
ApprovalCycleTime
Duration spent in the approval phase.
Description

Calculates the time between 'Payment Sent For Approval' and 'Payment Approved' (or Rejected). This specific metric feeds the 'Payment Approval Cycle Time Analysis' dashboard, highlighting delays in human decision-making steps.

Why it matters

Isolates the human-dependent portion of the process.

Where to get

Computed: Timestamp(Payment Approved) - Timestamp(Payment Sent For Approval).

Examples
4 hours15 minutes
Beneficiary Name
BeneficiaryName
The name of the entity receiving the payment.
Description

Identifies the counterparty in the transaction. Analyzing this field can help identify specific vendors or customers associated with high rework rates or delays, supporting the 'Payment Failure and Rework Analysis'.

Why it matters

Identifies the target of the payment, useful for customer-centric analysis.

Where to get

Payment detail lines, fields like CREDITOR_NAME, BENE_NAME, or PAYEE.

Examples
Acme CorpGlobal Supplies LtdJohn Smith
Is Payment Late
IsPaymentLate
Flag indicating if the payment was settled after the due date.
Description

A boolean flag that compares the actual settlement date against the PaymentDueDate. Used to calculate the 'Payment Due Date Compliance' dashboard metrics and identify SLA breaches.

Why it matters

Simplifies compliance reporting.

Where to get

Computed: SettlementDate > PaymentDueDate.

Examples
truefalse
Last Data Update
LastDataUpdate
The timestamp of when the record was last extracted or updated in the data model.
Description

Tracks the freshness of the data used in the analysis. This does not represent a process event time, but rather the technical time of data ingestion. It ensures analysts know if they are looking at real-time or historical snapshots.

Why it matters

Ensures data currency and helps identifying stale data in dashboards.

Where to get

System time at the moment of the ETL script execution.

Examples
2023-10-27T00:00:00.000Z2023-10-27T12:00:00.000Z
Originating Region
OriginatingRegion
The geographical region where the payment request originated.
Description

Indicates the physical or logical location of the requestor. This is useful for 'Payment Process Variant Analysis' to see if specific regions follow non-standard paths or experience higher rejection rates.

Why it matters

Provides geographical context to process performance.

Where to get

Transaction header, often derived from Branch Code or Country Code.

Examples
North AmericaEMEAAPAC
Reconciliation ID
ReconciliationId
Identifier linking the payment to the general ledger or reconciliation record.
Description

This ID is populated when the 'Payment Reconciled' activity occurs. It ensures that the payment in the processing engine matches the entry in the accounting system. Absence of this ID on settled payments indicates reconciliation failures.

Why it matters

Critical for the 'Payment Reconciliation Efficiency' dashboard.

Where to get

Reconciliation tables or specific fields like RECON_REF or GL_REF.

Examples
REC-9921GL-Entry-2023-11
Source System
SourceSystem
The name of the system where the event data originated.
Description

Identifies the specific application or module within the ACI Worldwide ecosystem (e.g., ACI MTS, ACI UPF) or external systems involved in the flow. This is particularly important when stitching data across multiple ledgers or when the payment touches external clearing houses.

Why it matters

Provides context on where data was extracted, useful for debugging data lineage.

Where to get

Hardcoded during extraction or derived from a SystemID column if multiple instances exist.

Examples
ACI MTSACI UPPSAP GLSwift Gateway
Required Recommended Optional

Payments Processing Activities

These are the key process steps and milestones to capture in your event log for accurate process discovery in payments processing.
6 Recommended 8 Optional
Activity Description
Funds Transferred
Indicates that confirmation has been received from the payment network that funds have been successfully debited from the payer account. This is usually captured from an inbound status message from the network.
Why it matters

Confirms the successful execution of the payment by the external network. It marks the start of the settlement period and is a key input for the 'Average Payment Settlement Time' KPI.

Where to get

This is an explicit event triggered by an incoming status update message (e.g., MT103 from SWIFT, or an ACH confirmation) that updates the payment record.

Capture

Logged upon receipt of an external confirmation message from the clearing network.

Event type explicit
Payment Approved
A key milestone where an authorized user approves the payment, allowing it to proceed to execution. This is usually captured as an explicit event when the approver takes action in the system's user interface.
Why it matters

This activity is a major checkpoint and often a significant bottleneck. Analyzing wait times before this step and the duration of the approval cycle helps identify opportunities to accelerate payments.

Where to get

Look for an explicit event in an approval log table or a status change to 'Approved' in the main transaction table that is tied to a specific user action and timestamp.

Capture

Logged when an authorized user completes the approval action in the system.

Event type explicit
Payment Authorized
Represents the system-level authorization of the payment after human approval, verifying funds or checking against fraud rules. This can be an explicit log entry or inferred from a status change indicating readiness for execution.
Why it matters

This is a critical control point before funds are instructed to move. Delays at this stage can indicate system performance issues or problems with compliance and fraud-check subsystems.

Where to get

Check for an explicit log in a system processing or security log. Alternatively, it can be inferred from a status update from 'Approved' to 'Authorized for Payment'.

Capture

Logged by the system's payment engine after passing final internal checks.

Event type explicit
Payment Error Identified
Indicates that the system has detected an issue with the payment at some stage, such as invalid data or a compliance alert. This event is typically logged explicitly with an associated error code.
Why it matters

This activity is the starting point for all rework and exception handling analysis. It is essential for the 'Payment Failure and Rework Analysis' and 'Error Resolution Cycle Time' dashboards.

Where to get

Look for explicit entries in an error log table or a status change to 'Error' or 'Requires Correction' in the transaction table. These events should be linked to the Payment Transaction ID.

Capture

An explicit event is logged when the system's validation or processing engine flags an error.

Event type explicit
Payment Request Created
This activity marks the initiation of a new payment transaction within the ACI Worldwide system. It is typically an explicit event recorded when a user or an upstream system submits a payment request, creating a new transaction record with a unique ID.
Why it matters

This is the primary start event for the payment process. Analyzing the time from this activity to completion provides the end-to-end cycle time, which is essential for measuring overall process efficiency.

Where to get

This is likely an explicit event logged in the core transaction table or a dedicated event log in ACI. Look for a creation timestamp associated with the Payment Transaction ID.

Capture

Identified by the creation record or an explicit 'Create' event in the transaction log.

Event type explicit
Payment Settled
The final confirmation that the payment process is complete and funds have been credited to the payee, concluding the transaction. This is a critical event, representing the successful end of the payment lifecycle.
Why it matters

This is the primary success end event for the process. It is used to calculate the overall cycle time and throughput, and is essential for nearly all end-to-end performance dashboards.

Where to get

Typically an explicit event logged when a final settlement confirmation message is received from the network or when the internal ledger is updated to reflect the transaction's completion.

Capture

Logged upon receipt of a final settlement file or message, updating the status to 'Settled'.

Event type explicit
Payment Confirmed
Represents the internal acknowledgement that the payment has been successfully processed and a confirmation has been received. This often acts as the trigger point for notifying the payee or other internal systems.
Why it matters

This milestone is crucial for measuring due date compliance and On-Time Payment Rate. It provides a clear timestamp for when the organization considers the payment successfully executed.

Where to get

This is typically inferred from a status change in the payment transaction table to a 'Confirmed' or 'Completed' state after external network confirmation is received.

Capture

Inferred from a status change to 'Confirmed' or 'Processed'.

Event type inferred
Payment Details Validated
Represents the completion of automated or manual checks to ensure payment details, such as payee information and bank codes, are correct. This activity is often inferred from a change in the transaction's status from 'New' to 'Validated' or 'Pending Approval'.
Why it matters

Tracks the efficiency of the initial data validation steps. Delays here can create upstream bottlenecks and increase the likelihood of payment errors later in the process.

Where to get

Inferred from status change fields in the main payment transaction table. Compare timestamps between the 'Created' status and a subsequent 'Validated' or similar status.

Capture

Inferred from a change in the payment status field, for example, from 'Entered' to 'Validated'.

Event type inferred
Payment Error Resolved
Marks the point where a previously identified error has been corrected by a user and the payment is resubmitted for processing. This is often inferred when a payment's status changes from an error state back to a normal processing state.
Why it matters

This activity closes the exception loop. The time between 'Payment Error Identified' and this event is the error resolution cycle time, a key measure of operational efficiency.

Where to get

Inferred from a status change away from an 'Error' state to a processing state like 'Pending Approval' or 'Validated'. It can also be an explicit user action log.

Capture

Inferred from a status change out of an error state, indicating a correction has been made.

Event type inferred
Payment Failed
A terminal status indicating the payment could not be completed due to an unrecoverable issue. This is distinct from a resolvable error and represents a definitive failure end state.
Why it matters

Tracking this end event is crucial for calculating the overall payment failure rate. Analyzing the reasons for failure can help improve data quality and process rules.

Where to get

Inferred from a final, terminal status like 'Failed', 'Cancelled', or 'Rejected by Bank' in the transaction data, which does not subsequently change.

Capture

Inferred from a terminal failure status in the payment record.

Event type inferred
Payment Instruction Sent
Marks the point where the payment instruction is compiled and transmitted to an external payment network like SWIFT, ACH, or SEPA. ACI systems explicitly log this handoff for audit and tracking purposes.
Why it matters

This is the 'point of no return' for many payment types. Tracking this helps measure the internal processing time before external dependencies take over.

Where to get

This is almost always an explicit event logged in ACI's transaction or messaging logs, often including a network-specific reference number.

Capture

An explicit log entry is created when the payment message is sent to the external network.

Event type explicit
Payment Reconciled
Represents the final accounting step where the payment transaction recorded in ACI is matched with bank statements or ledger entries. This can be an explicit event from a reconciliation module or inferred by a status change.
Why it matters

This activity measures the efficiency of the back-office reconciliation process. Delays here can impact the accuracy of financial reporting and hide unsettled payment issues.

Where to get

This information might come from a dedicated reconciliation module within ACI or an external ERP system. It would be captured via a status update to 'Reconciled' on the payment record.

Capture

Inferred from a final 'Reconciled' status update, or from reconciliation data joined by Payment ID.

Event type inferred
Payment Rejected
Occurs when an approver denies the payment request, often requiring correction and resubmission. This is an explicit event that halts the forward progress of the payment and initiates a rework loop.
Why it matters

Identifies rework and process inefficiencies. Tracking the frequency of rejections helps diagnose issues with initial data quality or submission policies, supporting rework analysis.

Where to get

Captured as an explicit event in the approval log or a status change to 'Rejected' in the transaction table. The event may include a reason code for the rejection.

Capture

Logged when an approver completes the rejection action in the system.

Event type explicit
Payment Sent For Approval
Indicates that the payment has passed initial validation and has been routed for necessary managerial or financial approval. This is typically captured by a status change within the payment workflow.
Why it matters

This marks the beginning of the approval sub-process. Measuring the time from this point to 'Payment Approved' is critical for the 'Payment Approval Cycle Time Analysis' dashboard.

Where to get

Derived from a change in the payment status field in the transaction data, such as moving to 'Pending Approval'.

Capture

Inferred from a status change to 'Pending Approval' or similar, along with a corresponding timestamp.

Event type inferred
Recommended Optional

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