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SUMMARY: How to
import time sheets from Excel, FileMaker, and
other programs.
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The Time Utilities plug-in application imports time
entries from other programs, such as Microsoft Excel,
FileMaker Pro, LapTrack, and Lotus 1-2-3, into Clients
& Profits Classic.
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NOTE: The Time Utilities is sold
separately from Clients & Profits Classic,
and is not supported unless it is purchased. To
purchase Time Utilities, call (800) 272-4488.
The plug-in will prompt for a password each time
it is used.
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The Time Utilities can save you many hours over keying in
individual time sheets. Time sheets can be entered by
anyone in the company using a regular spreadsheet or
database program. Users don't need access to Clients
& Profits Classic, so network traffic is reduced.
Also, because the user isn't accessing the database,
their data-entry is much faster. But there are major
disadvantages: (1) There is no interactive error-checking
for job numbers, tasks, and staffers, so imported time
will likely contain many errors. (2) There is no
interactive warnings about the job status or budgets that
keep users from working on the wrong jobs. And, (3)
someone must track and manage all of the imported time
files created by users, which will be a significant
amount of work.
Time Utilities works only with Clients & Profits
Classic 2.0 or later. Make sure you use the appropriate
version of Time Utilities for your version of Clients
& Profits Classic. Time Utilities 3.0 should be used
with Classic 2.x and 3.x, and Time Utilities 4.0 should
be used with Classic 4.x. All versions of Time Utilities
work identically. This feature is included in Clients
& Profits Pro, so the Time Utilities plug-in is not
necessary. See the importing time tech note for instructions on how to import time into
Clients & Profits Pro. There is a different version
for Clients & Profits Classic 1.0 (called Time
Utilities 1.0) that has the same functions.
How the Time Utilities works
The Time Utilities uses a standard "text" file to capture
time sheets. Every major spreadsheet program (like Excel
or 1-2-3) can save data into a generic "text" file. This
text file, which has a special format and contains only
the raw data and no column headings or calculations, is
then "imported" into Clients & Profits Classic as
unposted time entries.
Each time entry is validated by the Time Utilities as it
is imported. If an error is found, the entry is flagged
as "bad" and won't be posted. Later, it can be fixed by
editing, adding, or deleting information. These imported
time entries become regular Clients & Profits Classic
records - the only way to know they weren't typed in is
by the date/time stamp that appears automatically on each
entry.
The Time Sheets window
Use the Time menu to import time, delete all imported
time entries, print a proof list of the imported time
entries, edit the imported time entries, verify the
imported time entries (after editing the imported time to
verify the new values are valid), and post the imported
time entries. The Time Sheets window in Time Utilities
(under Time > Proof Imported Time) is similar to the
one found in Clients & Profits Classic. From this
window double click on any time entry to edit before
posting. If you make any changes to imported time entries
(normally to fix entries marked as "bad"), make sure you
verify the imported time again before posting. "Bad" time
will be marked with an asterisk on the proof list (under
Time > Print Proof List). This means that one or more
values for this time entry are invalid.
Billing and cost rates
Your spreadsheet does not need to contain billing or cost
rates. The Time Utilities looks up and calculates the
rates automatically based on your Clients & Profits
Classic database - just as if you'd typed in the time
sheets yourself. And just like Clients & Profits
Classic, you can edit the rates and amounts as you like
before posting.
The import "text" file
The import file contains the raw data for your time
sheets, such as resource, date, hours, job and task. The
text file must not contain any column or row headings,
mathematical calculations, or other unnecessary data.
Save it as a text tab-delimited file. Each row is one
time record. It must contain these columns only, in this
order:
DATE
The date of the time entry.
JOB NUMBER
This number must match the job number in your Clients
& Profits Classic database, letter-for-letter. If
not, the time entry is flagged as "bad" and can't be
posted until fixed.
TASK
The task code must match the task on the job ticket in
your Clients & Profits Classic database. If not, the
time entry is flagged as "bad." If the task is new to the
job ticket, it will be appended automatically using
information from the Task Table. If the new task isn't on
the Task Table, the time entry will be flagged as
"bad."
HOURS
The number of hours used on a time entry. Up to two
decimal places can be accepted.
STAFF INITIALS
The staff initials must match the initials in the Staff
Member file of your Clients & Profits Classic
database. If not, the time entry is flagged as "bad." If
the resource code is incorrect, chances are the time
entry's cost and billing rates will be wrong, too.
DESCRIPTION
This description appears on job cost reports. It is
limited to 40 characters. Any text beyond 40 letters will
be ignored.
Exporting Time
The time sheet information you enter into Excel,
FileMaker, or some other program must be exported into a
tab-delimited text file. For help exporting data into
text files, refer to your Excel, FileMaker, or other
program's user guides. Clients & Profits, Inc. does
not provide technical support for export data.
Importing time
Your resources will probably give you their time sheet
text file on either a floppy disk or send it to you
across the network. Before importing the period's time,
gather up these files into a single folder. This will
make it easier to track which files have been
imported.
- Time will import with your current accounting
period in Setup > Preferences > Accounting
Periods.
- Time will import as Unbillable if your job task is
marked "Always Unbillable". No gross cost will import
in this case.
- Other people can be using Clients & Profits
Classic while time is being imported.
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BE CAREFUL NOT TO IMPORT THE SAME TEXT
FILE TWICE. Each text file isn't marked as
being imported, so Time Utilities won't know to
prevent duplicate entries. As a precaution, keep
a checklist of the files to import then check
off each file as it's completed.
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To import a time sheet text file:
1 Choose Import Time from the Time menu.
2 Select and open a text file, then click OK.
The text file will be imported immediately. You'll see a
working message showing the file's progress, including
the path to the text file. A record count shows the
number of imported time entries.
You'll see a message telling you when the text file
has been completely imported, which includes the total
number of entries processed. Each row in a spreadsheet is
considered one record. Use this count as a double-check
against the text file to catch errors.
Once the file is imported, you can import the next text
file or choose the Print Proof List or Proof Imported
Time commands to review your work.
3 When the time entries have been proofed, choose
Post Imported Time.
Once imported time is posted, it will appear in the Time
Sheets window in Clients & Profits Classic, on cost
and productivity reports, and on the job ticket.
Importing "Bad" Time Sheets
There's nothing horribly wrong about importing bad, or
inaccurate, time sheets. The Time Utilities knows when a
time entry is bad and will ignore it. The entry stays in
the database (will continue to show up on Proof List
report and in the Proof Imported Time window), but can't
be posted until it is accurate. You can easily see any
bad entries by printing a proof list from Time
Utilities.
Quitting Time Utilities
1 Choose Close Plug-in from the Time menu.
