What’s New in Formulas Online 2.2 (Industry Members)

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Release Date: September 27, 2016
The following system updates/enhancements and bug fixes are included in the Version 2.2 release of the Formulas Online system:

Updates and Enhancement s

  All Submission Types:

• Needs Correction Indicator – If there are any Needs Correction Reasons for a submission, an asterisk (*) appears on the Needs Correction tab to serve as a visual indicator.
  
  

Needs Correction Tab with Asterisk

Navigation Footer Buttons – To improve the workflow navigation process, Previous and Next buttons were added where applicable on each tab. In addition, a now more prominent Submit button was moved to the last tab only (Docs/Links tab or Needs Correction tab).

Footer Navigation – Submit Button

Beverage Submissions Only:

• Tab Navigation – To help you avoid missing key areas of your submission and to improve the general beverage submission workflow process, you will now start your submission on the first tab, i.e., the Main tab. You must select the Class/Type in the Main tab before you can navigate to the Formula tab.
  
  

Tab Navigation

• Checklist upon Submit – At the end of your submission process, after clicking the Submit button in the footer navigation, a Checklist will appear.  The Checklist is customized based on product type, and is designed to remind you about key items your submission needs to include in order for TTB to process it.  You have the option of returning to your submission to make any needed changes before you finally Submit.
• Perjury Statement upon Submit – To eliminate redundancy, the Perjury Statement was removed from all tabs and positioned at the end of the submission process. Now, the Perjury Statement will appear only once, at the bottom of the Checklist window.
  
  

Checklist and Perjury Statement

• Submitter Remarks (Needs Correction tab) – A new optional Submitter Remarks section is now available on the Needs Correction tab, which allows you make remarks to TTB regarding any Needs Correction reason(s). It is only editable when your submission is in Needs Correction status.
  
  

Submitter Remarks

• Formula Page Enhancements – The Formula tab has been redesigned to improve usability, streamline data entry, reduce/eliminate errors, and enhance the overall look and feel. Enhancements include the following:
• Product Information – The product class, type and name you selected on the Main tab now displays at the top of the Formula tab for easy reference. An expandable/ collapsable Definition section provides helpful definitions and resource links based on the selected product type. A “Change Product Information” link takes you back to the Main tab to change your selection.
  
  

Product Information

 

• Add Ingredient/Select Category – Entering ingredient information is now easier and more intuitive. Starting with the click of a new “+Add Ingredient…” button, you can then select an ingredient category (Fermentable, Finished Alcohol, Flavor, Color, Other).  A “Which category should I choose?” link displays definitions to help you select the appropriate category for each ingredient.
  
  

  Add Ingredient Button & “Which category should I choose?” Help

  
  
  
• Help  Icons – New “i” icons throughout the Formula tab provide helpful guidance about specific fields. Clicking the icon displays the related information in a small box. You can close the box by clicking the X in the upper right corner of the box or by clicking on any other “i” icon.
  
  

“i” icon Help

 

• Ingredient Form Layout – The ingredient entry forms have been reformatted to: eliminate the inefficient pop-up window format, remove non-essential fields, facilitate data entry, and make attaching/removing ingredient-specific documents easier. Contextual guidance and reminder prompts have also been added.
  
  

Ingredient Form Example – Finished Alcohol

 

• Color Ingredient Form – A new ingredient form just for colors is now available. You can select a color from a drop-down menu that lists over 30 certified and non-certifed colors that FDA has approved for use.
  
  

Color Ingredient Form

 

• Ingredient Quantity – The Quantity field –and similar fields– now present Range vs. Fixed Value options. The Range (default) option allows you to enter Low and High values; Fixed Value allows you to specify a single value.
  
  

Quantity – Range (Default)

Quantity – Fixed Value

 

• Ingredient Additional Information – An Additional Information field is now available for all ingredients. It features helpful “placeholder” text that provides guidance on the type of optional information you may want to note about the ingredient.
  
  

  Additional Information

 

• Add/Delete Attachment for Ingredient – You can attach ingredient-specific documents using the “Add Attachment” button and they will be displayed on the Ingredient Documents area. To delete an attachment, simply click on the trashcan icon. All ingredient documents you attach continue to appear in the Docs/Links tab as well.
  
  

  Add Attachment for Ingredient

 

• "What is a…?" Ingredient Help – Alongside every ingredient form is a yellow box that provides helpful definitions and examples. It also notes any required documentation.
  
  

  “What is a Color?” Help Example

 

• Ingredient Validation Errors – Upon completing an ingredient entry, the system will run various validation checks to catch common errors. A field with a validation error is clearly indicated with a bold red outline around it and error message beneath it. Errors must be corrected before completing the ingredient entry.
  
  

  Validation Errors Example (Finished Alcohol Ingredient Form)

 

• Ingredient Summary Bars – After entering and completing an ingredient entry, all key ingredient information is displayed in a collapsed horizontal bar.  Click on the bar to expand and view additional ingredient details, i.e., any attachments or Additional Information comments.
• Icons – Three icons are available on the right end of the bar. The paperclip icon indicates that attachments are included; the document  icon indicates that the Additional Information field has comments in it; and the trashcan  icon allows you to delete the ingredient.  You will be prompted with a “Are you sure you want to delete...?” warning after clicking the trashcan icon.
  
  

Ingredient Summary Bars with Icons

Fixes

  Beverage Submissions Only: 

• Changed data and/or ingredients list not shown on 5100.51 – When certain fields were changed on a Beverage submission, the updates were not reflected on the 5100.51 printable version until the submission was saved. Also, if certain actions were taken, the ingredient list would disappear from the 5100.51. These defects have been fixed.
• MOM updates lost when adding or updating ingredients – Updates to the MOM field are no longer lost when adding or updating ingredients.
• Rejection description not showing in Results tab – In the Results tab, the Reasons for Rejection description is no longer missing.
• Industry members can delete attachment to ingredients from submission in Process  – The Delete button for ingredient attachments that was previously available to industry members on the Docs/Links tab while submissions were in process has been removed. The Delete button is only available for submissions in Draft or Needs Correction.

Non-Beverage Submissions Only:

• Tolerance missing for Drawbacks – For Drawback submissions, tolerance values in the Formula tab are no longer missing.