Time posting

Use this function to post approved employee time entry records as a cost against projects.

You can post an individual time entry record or a range of time entry records for one company or all companies. You can post all time entry records on a single journal or on separate, individual journals and for one time category such as overtime, double time or travel time, or all time categories. Only time entry records that meet the entered criteria will generate a general or analytical ledger journal and be posted.

Entry, approval and posting of labor time against projects occurs in separate individual stages. An optional stage is available to your organization if they require it. This additional stage is called a "Control" phase. It is essentially the opportunity for one time entry record administrator to review a validated time entry record before a different time entry record administrator approves it. With a control phase in place the processing cycle of a time entry record is as follows:

  • Labor time is recorded against a project then validated.
    Entry and validation takes place in the Time entry function (PJMTE). Entry and validation that the time recorded is correct is usually made by the employee or user that entered the time entry record, or by a time entry administrator. A new time entry line is created at Validated status if the PJMTIMAUTO-Time entry auto. validation parameter (TC chapter, PJM group) is set to Yes.
  • If the PJMTIMENT-Time entry control phase parameter (TC chapter, PJM group) is set to Mandatory all validated time entry records must be "controlled" before they can be approved.
    The "control" phase takes place in the Time approval function (PTEVAL). Time entry record control is usually carried out by a project manager or a project administrator. Whatever the role of the manager or administrator, they must be authorized as such in their function profile, as defined in their user record.
  • Approval (or rejection) of a validated and controlled (optional phase) time entry record takes place in the Time approval function (PTEVAL), again usually by a project manager or a project administrator.
    • Only time entry lines that have been approved using the Time approval function can be posted.
    • A time entry line cannot be changed once it has been controlled.
    • Rejected time entry lines are redisplayed in the Time entry function for correction.
  • The posting of an approved time entry record takes place in this function (PTELABPOS). Only when a time entry record is posted is it included as a cost against a project in the accounting module.

 All time entry records must be validated first, then controlled (mandatory if the PJMTIMENT parameter is set), before they can be approved then posted.

Prerequisites

SEEREFERTTO Refer to documentation Implementation

Screen management

The Time posting function comprises a single screen into which you enter your filtering criteria and journal generation information.

Entry screen

Criteria

Use this block to filter or select employee time records:

  • Company / Legislation: The Company code is mandatory if the posting is for a single company or you run a multi-legislation system; the Legislation is mandatory if the posting is for all companies.
  • From / To employee: The default From / To employee is the current user. These values post an individual time entry record. Enter different From/To employees to post a range of time entry records.
  • Time entry start date: The default Time entry start date is the first date of the month two months before the current month but can be amended.
  • Time entry end date: The default Time entry end date is today's date but can be amended.

All other fields are optional.

Generation

Use this block to specify the journal generation requirements.

The generated journal amounts will be calculated using the following formulas:

  • Time spent (PTEQTY field) x Project labor rate (PJMCST field) x Rate multiplier (PTETYPRAT field).
  • Time spent (PTEQTY field) x Employee labor rate (CLBCST field) x Rate multiplier (PTETYPRAT field).

 A time category that equates to a zero rate multiplier will result in a journal value of zero.​

An Automatic journal entry code provides the default journal structure. Journal entry code PTE is supplied with your system and defined as the default journal in the GAUPTE-Time entry automatic journal parameter (TC chapter, PJM group).

The default journal contra account postings are to the "Labor expense account" (debit) and the "Payroll clearing account" (credit). These accounts are obtained from the Accounting code defined in the Cost type function (GESPJCC) for the cost type assigned to the Project cost type field (PJMPCC) on a time entry line.

Automatic journal variable AMTPJMTIME is supplied with your system. This variable forces posted values to use the currency rates defined on a time entry line instead of the default rates.

Block number 3

Criteria

All companies (field ALLCPY)

Select this checkbox to include all companies. To run this process for a single company, do not select this checkbox.
Company (field CPY)

The legal company for which the employee time records are to be selected.
Legislation (field LEG)

This field displays the legislation code for the country, for example FRA for French legislation.

This code is attached to a company and assigns predetermined rules and parameters necessary to fulfill country-specific legal requirements. It can include calculation rules, legal reports, legal declarations, tax management, and so on.

Legislations are defined in Miscellaneous table 909. General parameters can also be defined at the legislation level.
All sites (field ALLFCY)

Select this check box to include all sites. To run this process for a single site, leave clear.
Site (field FCY)

The site for which the employee time records are to be selected.
From project (field PJTDEB)

Filter for results within a range of project codes. For a single project, enter the same project code in the From project and To project fields. The content can be one of the following:

  • A project code.
  • A project code and a project budget code.
  • A project code and a project task code, that is a labor task code, or a combined (mixed) labor and material task code.

If the value of this field includes a character such as an exclamation mark "!" this field links to the structure of the project. The character is the separator between a project code and the structure, either the project budget structure or the project operational (task) structure. For example, if a material task code is "USA-P3" and a project code is "USA12345678", this field displays a link to the project operational structure as "USA12345678!USA-P3".

To provide a quick and easy visual reference the link to the project or project structure is distinguishable by the number of separator characters used. If there is no separator, the link is made to the project. A single separator character such as an exclamation mark after the project code (the first code) indicates the link type is a task (the link is to the project operational structure). Two separators placed after the project code mean that the link corresponds to a budget code (link to the project budget structure).
To project (field PJTFIN)
Whole project (field PJTDSPALL)

Select this check box to post all records linked to the selected projects. To only post records linked to the selected structure of the projects, leave this check box clear.

 If the content of the From/To project field includes a character such as an exclamation mark "!" the reference includes the structure of the project. The character is the separator between a project code and the structure, either the project budget structure or the project operational (task) structure. For example, if a material task code is "USA-P3" and a project code is "USA12345678", this field displays a link to the project operational structure as "USA12345678!USA-P3".
All employees (field ALLCLB)

Select this check box to include all employees. To run this process for a single or a range of employees, leave clear.
From employee (field CLBSTR)

Filter for results within a range of employees. For a single employee, enter the same employee code in the From employee and To employee fields. The From employee and To employee fields are both mandatory.
To employee (field CLBEND)
All currencies (field ALLCUR)

Select this check box to include all currencies. To run this process for a single currency or currency group, leave clear.
Currency group (field GRPCUR)

A currency group is a set, or a group, of currencies.

Currency groups are used in selection criteria for filtering currencies.
Currency (field CUR)

Use this field to filter results for a specific currency code.
Time entry start date (field DATSTR)

Filter for time entry records for a specific period of time. For a single day, enter the same date in the Time entry start date and Time entry end date fields. The Time entry start date and Time entry end date fields are both mandatory.

Generation

One time entry/journal (field TIMCLB)

Select this check box if all employee time entry records that meet the defined criteria are to be posted on a single journal. If all time entry records that meet the defined criteria are to be posted on separate, individual journals, leave clear.
Generate entries (field GENECR)

Select this check box to generate journal entries. If you leave this check box blank the process is run in simulation mode. All time entry records that meet the defined selection criteria are detailed in the Log file with the accounting entries that will be generated.
Generation type (field CAT)

The category is set up in the journal type.
The accounting journal category can take one of three values:

Actual:
The actual journal can also be viewed and printed (GL, Balance, etc.). The document is integrated into the balance when said document is saved.

Active simulation/inactive simulation:
Once activated, the simulation journal is also integrated to the inquiries and printouts. It can be converted into an actual journal or de-activated in order to become an inactive simulation journal (that is, it is not visible in inquiries and prints: for instance, the stock count postings).
SEEWARNING A period of a ledger type cannot be closed until the simulation postings have been either converted to actual postings or cancelled. The change of status of the simulation journals is made using the processes in the accounting functionality.
Entry status (field STA)

Use this field to select the journal status: Temporary or Final.

When set to Final, the only modifications you can make on a journal are for informational purposes only or if they concern the analytical postings. The date, amounts, accounts, VAT code, and other purely accounting information can no longer be modified.
Entry type (field TYPPCE)

Each accounting journal entered is linked to a given type. The journal type corresponds to the nature of the entered posting: customer invoice, miscellaneous operations, cash receipt, etc.

This information comes with management rules relating to VAT, reminders, etc. It is one of the key elements of the journal entry.

The setup of the selected journal type determines if you can open or close the propagation to the manual ledgers.

SEEWARNING The journal type prevails and interrupts the propagation to the other ledgers of the company of the entry site.
Journal (field JOU)

Enter the journal code (1 to 5 alphanumerical characters).

The journal can be initialized by default based on the selected journal type. It corresponds to the accounting journal in which the entry will be recorded.

 The entry of a non authorized journal code at the journal type level is not possible.

 Journal codes can apply to a specific company, a specific site, or a specific group. This information is defined when the journal code is created but the selection window for this field (using the selection tool) does not take this into account. These controls are applied when you select or confirm the journal code. You can amend the journal code if an error message warns that it is invalid.

 For Time entry record postings, the Automatic journal entry code defined in the GAUPTE-Time entry automatic journal parameter (TC chapter, PJM group) provides the default journal structure. Journal entry code PTE is supplied with your system and defined as the default journal.
Journal date (field ACCDAT)

This date corresponds to the date of the generated accounting postings. It must belong to a fiscal year or period that is open for all the ledger types.
It is the reference date by default.
Log file (field LOGFILE)

Select this checkbox to generate a detailed log file of these journal postings. If you do not require a log file, leave blank.

Specific actions

Select the Memo action to save the current settings in a Memo code to be reused later. The memo is linked to your user profile, not to the function or the screen.

 If the memo code STD is associated with this screen it is loaded automatically.

 For further information on the advanced use of the Memo action, refer to the documentation on the General ergonomics of SAFE X3 software.

Select the Recall action to load the criteria and generation information saved under a specific Memo code.

Select the Del memo action to delete a specific Memo code.

Error messages

The only error messages are the generic ones.

Tables used

SEEREFERTTO Refer to documentation Implementation