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SUMMARY: How to import time into
Clients & Profits.
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Clients & Profits Pro can
import tab-delimited time entries exported from applications such
as Microsoft Excel, Timeslip’s LapTrack, FileMaker, and even
custom programs created just for tracking hours. Importing time saves
you many hours over keying in time sheets one-by-one into Clients
& Profits Pro.
Importing time can be a practical
for people who can’t (for some reason) use Clients & Profits
Pro. Their hours can be entered using any regular spreadsheet or database
program. Users don't need access to Clients & Profits, so network
traffic is reduced. Also, because the user isn't accessing the database,
their data-entry is much faster. However, there’s a big problem
with importing time: When users use another program to track their
time, they aren’t connected to the Clients & Profits Pro
database. So there’s nothing to prevent users from entering incorrect
job numbers, tasks - or the same hours twice. Also, the user’s
over-budget alerts aren’t shown for imported time.
How should time be exported
from my spreadsheet program in order to be properly imported into
Clients & Profits?
Clients & Profits Pro imports
a standard tab-delimited text file to capture time sheets. Whatever
program you choose, it needs to save the hours into a generic tab-delimited
text file. This text file, which contains only the raw data and no
column headings or calculations, is then imported into Clients &
Profits as unposted time entries. Each row of information is one time
sheet record.
Your spreadsheet shouldn't
contain cost or billing rates. The Import Time window calculates these
rates automatically based on the same formulas as regular time sheets.
How Clients & Profits
import time
Each time entry is validated
as it is imported. Billing rates are added automatically to imported
time using the same formulas as regular time sheets. If any kind of
error is found (such as an invalid job number, non-existent task,
wrong initials), the entry is marked as "bad" and won't be posted.
The “bad” time entries can be edited or deleted using the
Import Time window’s toolbar button. These imported time entries
become regular Clients & Profits Pro time sheets once they are
verified and posted.
Fields that should be included
the "time" text file
The time import file is a tab-delimited
text file that contains eight fields in this exact order:
1 DATE: The date of
the time entry.
2 JOB NUMBER: It must match the job number in your database,
letter-for-letter including any separators (e.g., hyphens).
3 TASK: It must also match the task on the job ticket in your
Clients & Profits database.
4 HOURS: This is the number of hours, entered with 2 decimal
places (e.g., 2.75).
5 INITIALS: This field must match the initials in your Staff
file.
6 DESCRIPTION: This optional note describes the time entry,
and appears on job cost reports.
7 BILLABLE: Leave this field empty. The task's billable setting
on the respective job ticket in Clients & Profits now controls
whether the time is imported as billable or unbillable. This works
the same way as Time Cards where a user can no longer mark time as
unbillable for a billable task. If you want to enter unbillable time
against a billable task, then edit the imported time accordingly before
posting it.
8 PERIOD: The period assigned when the time is imported. If
this field is left empty the current accounting period in the Clients
& Profits preferences is entered automatically when the time is
imported.
All time sheets should probably
be imported by one person; this will help prevent the same time from
being imported twice. Staff members will probably send their time
sheet text file on either a floppy disk or directly via the network.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO IMPORT THE SAME TEXT FILE TWICE. Each text file
isn't marked as being imported, so Clients & Profits can’t
prevent duplicate entries.
For more help...
You'll find step-by-step instructions
for importing time entries in the Time keeping section of your Clients
& Profits user guide.
