Time Clock Import Setup & Use Document # Product Module Category CenterPoint Payroll Processes (How To) This document outlines how to setup and use of the Time Clock Import within CenterPoint Payroll. The Time Clock Import program is an add-on module that allows you to import time worked from any time clock or time entry program that can output an ASCII file. CenterPoint Payroll reads the ASCII input file and updates the timesheets. 1. Create a Time Import Definition File (E2 Shop Tech customers can skip this step) 2. Using a Standard E2 Shop Tech Time Clock Definition (this step is only for E2 Shop Tech customers) 3. Import Time from a Time Clock 4. How to delete imported time so it can be re-imported. Step 1 - Create a Time Import Definition File The first step in importing time entries is to tell CenterPoint what the import file looks like. This is done by creating a Time Import Definition File. Follow the steps below to setup a Time Import Definition File. Note: If you are using an E2 Shop Tech time clock, skip Step 1 and go directly to step 2. 1. Select Setup > Payroll Details > Time Import Definitions 2. To create a new definition, click New and the following screen is displayed: support@redwingsoftware.com Page 1 of 8
3. In the Name box, enter a required description for the time import definition file (i.e.: Standard Import ). 4. In the File Format box, select one of the following options: Fixed Width - Each record is a fixed length but the record is followed by a CR/LF pair of characters. Fixed Width Random Access - No CR/LF pairs at the end of each record and no field separators within each record. Delimited - All fields are separated with a user-defined character (normally a comma) and the records are followed with a CR/LF pair of characters. 5. In the Start Import At Row box, enter the record number to begin importing data into CenterPoint Payroll. Typically, imports start on either row 1 (when no header record exists) or row 2 (when a header record exists). 6. In the Import File box, enter the location of the file to be imported if it will be in the same location/same name each time you import time. If the file location and/or file name will differ each time a file is imported, then leave the field blank. 7. The File Layout Information portion of the screen will differ depending on what option was selected in the File Format field. If the File Format was set to Fixed Width Random Access: In the Record Length box, enter the defined record length. Since random access files are created as one long string of characters that have no identifiers between file records, you must define the length of each record. If the File Format was set to Delimited: Under Delimiters, select the delimiter character: Comma, Tab, Space, Semi-colon, or Other (if other is selected, specify the character). Note: If the delimiter character was set to a comma, and since text files may have commas within a character string, in the Text Qualifier box, select the character used so that the system will not mistake a comma for a new field. Options are support@redwingsoftware.com Page 2 of 8
quote, single quote, or none. 8. Click the Definition tab to set the mapping definitions. The mapping definition is used to specify how fields in your Import File relate to fields in CenterPoint. 9. On the left side of the screen, select the CenterPoint Payroll fields that will need to be imported from your Time Clock file. (If a date is not selected here, you will be prompted to enter a date that you want on the Time Sheet transactions when you import your file with the Time Import option). Once a field is selected on the left, then Field Information is displayed on the right side of the screen: In Payroll Map Field select the property you want to map to (this box is available only when the item available for import has more than one property to map to). The options vary depending on the field selected. The Source Format field will only be available on certain fields (Date for example, will allow one to specify what format the date will be in the import file). If it is available for the field selected, specify the applicable format. o If you selected Implied Decimal in the Source Format box, the Implied Decimal field will be available. Enter the number of places that are reserved in the source file for numbers to the right of the decimal point. The Source Field Number field will be displayed if you are importing a Delimited file format. This is how we tell CenterPoint where to find this field in the file you will be importing. Enter the field or column number position in the source file. For example, if the Date is the fourth field in the source file, enter 4. The Source Field Value field will be displayed if you will be importing a Fixed Length Sequential or a Fixed Length Random Access file format: o In the Start box, enter the starting position for the field. o In the Length box, enter the length of the field. support@redwingsoftware.com Page 3 of 8
10. If Custom Mapping was selected in the Payroll Map Field for any imported items, click the Mapping tab to assign your own designation of time clock codes to CenterPoint items when the time clock codes do not match CenterPoint Payroll items. For example if your Earnings codes in your Time Clock do not match the Earning codes in CenterPoint. Under Custom Mapping Fields, select the item you assigned the custom mapping property to. For example, Earning. On the lower-right side of the screen, in the Payroll Field Value box, select the CenterPoint Payroll field value you want to map to your source file. For example, when you select Earnings, a Payroll Value for Earnings is Salary Pay, Overtime Hourly Pay, or Payroll Advance. In the Source Field Value box, enter the exact code that is contained in the field in your source file. For example, if your Payroll Field Value is Salary Pay, enter the value in your source file for salary pay; an example source value may be SAL. Click Add. 11. If Fixed Value was selected in the Payroll Map Field for any imported items, click the Fixed Value tab. The Fixed Value tab allows you to assign a constant or fixed value where a time device does not provide the desired information or you want to provide the exact same information to every record imported. For example, if a time device does not supply an Earning which is a required import field. You can assign the same Earning (Fixed Value) that would be imported with each time sheet record. support@redwingsoftware.com Page 4 of 8
Under Fixed Value Fields on the left, select the item you assigned the fixed value property to. For example, Earning. On the right side of the screen, in Field Name, select the constant/fixed value that should be imported with every record. Click Save. Step 2 Using a Standard E2 Shop Tech Import Definition (for E2 Shop Tech Customers Only) We have predefined Time Import Definitions available for those customers using E2 Shop Tech. Instead of creating a Time Import Definition manually as described in step 1, the existing Definition only needs to be imported. 1. Select Setup > Payroll Details > Time Import Definitions support@redwingsoftware.com Page 5 of 8
2. Click on Import Definition. 3. Select the appropriate Time Import Definition from the list. If you are exporting your employee as a 3 character code from E2, select E2ShopTech.xml. If you are exporting your employee as a 4 character code from E2, select E2ShopTech71. The majority of users will select the E2ShopTech.xml. Click Open. 4. Click Finish on the Import Time Clock Definition screen that pops up automatically. No changes are needed on this screen. Step 3 Import Time from a Time Clock 1. Export time from your Time Clock. 2. Select Processes > Time Sheets. support@redwingsoftware.com Page 6 of 8
3. Click on the Time Import button at the box of the screen and the following is displayed: 4. Select the appropriate Company. 5. Specify the Time Import definition that was setup in Step 1 or imported in Step 2. 6. The Import File will default to the location in the specified Time Import Definition. If the location isn t specified, use the lookup button to point to the file to be imported. 7. If the Time Import Definition did not include date worked information, a Date field will also be displayed on this screen. Specify the Date that you want on the Time Sheet transactions when they are imported. 8. Click OK. 9. Click OK when the Time Import successful message displays. Note: if the time import was not successful, you will receive a message that lists the number of entries that were in error. If you click on OK, an error log will display. Column 1 Displays the record number in the file where the error was encountered. Column 2 Displays the field name where the error was encountered. For example, you may receive a message that states that the Earning field could not be imported. First, you must determine if the import file is in the same format that you ve defined in the import definition. Then, you must determine if the Earning exists in CenterPoint Payroll. Once the problems have been resolved, the Import process can be repeated. 10. You can now modify the time sheets created by the import (Processes > Time Sheets > Time Entry) or print a time sheet report to review the entries (Select Reports > Reports and go to the Reports tab. Click on the plus sign to expand Time Sheets and highlight the Time Sheets report. Enter the appropriate Report Selections and then click Preview.) support@redwingsoftware.com Page 7 of 8
How Can I Delete Imported Time So I Re-Import? 1. Select Processes > Time Import 2. To select all employees time to be deleted; a. single click on the first employee b. Hold the Shift key down (on the keyboard) and click on the last employee in the list 3. Click Delete at the bottom of the screen 4. Time can then be re-imported. support@redwingsoftware.com Page 8 of 8