Time Keeper 2.8 Note: For MSWord7 users there is a formatted manual.doc included in the files.
Note: If you want to set up your company immediately, please go to page 2, section **.
Time Keeper is business software used for attendance record keeping. By entering attendance information on a regular basis, Time Keeper will give you instant access to employees' regular time, overtime, vacation, personal, sick, comp, holiday, and any other type of benefit time your company uses.
Start the program, and select the 'sample.mdb' file to open the sample database to use along with this documentation. This will assist to familiarize yourself with the program. Later, you can create as many new databases as you wish, so feel free to practice as much as you want.
This is the Time Keeper Main Menu. All screens can be reached from here.
File Menu:
Open Database - Click to select a database to work within.
New Database - Click to create a new database. You may name it whatever you wish provided it has a .mdb extension. Then use 'Open Database' to open the file.
Exit Program - Exits the application.
Attendance Menu:
Enter / Update Attendance Records - Click to bring you to the main screen for entering attendance records.
Enter Quick Week - Click to bring you to a screen for entering a weeks worth of records quickly.
Review Attendance Records - Click to bring you to the screen for reviewing all your records.
Employees Menu:
Employee Records - Click to bring you to the employees screen.
System Menu:
Company / Individual Information - Click to bring you to the screen where you enter your company name, or your own personal name if you are a consultant.
DepartsOfficesProjectsTimeBenefit - Click to bring you to the screen where you enter your company specific departments ( i.e. secretary, administration); offices (i.e. California, New York, Florida); projects (i.e. two headed mutant project, or new widget design project); time - this is the section where you should enter the most common start and ending times for your employees ( i.e. 09:00 AM , 05:00 PM) this will allow you to use the time drop- downs for quicker entry; benefit (i.e. vacation, personal, sick, holiday, maternity, comp, etc.).
Registration - Click to bring you to the screen where you enter all your personal information, including your registration number that you will receive after you register the program.
Reports Menu:
Go To Report Generator - Click to bring you to the reports screen. From here you may generate all types of reports on the information contained within your database. This screen will be explained later in more detail.
Database Menu:
** Backup Database - Use this function to perform backups of databases at regular intervals. Databases can be backed up to a floppy or alternate subdirectory for safe keeping.
Compact Database - Use this function to condense and clean up your databases. Should be used every 6 months.
This screen is used to enter your records or information on a regular basis.
Query means to ask the program to give you specific information. When you query by name, you ask the program for records on a particular employee. For example, select a name from the 'query by name' combo box. The database will provide you with that particular employees' records. You may also query by dates. Enter a date in the top box adjacent to 'by date' such as 1/2/95 and click the square next to 'by date'. The database will provide you with those records for that date. You can also query a date range, by putting a second date in the box below the first, and clicking the 'date range' box. The database will now provide those records between the selected time frame.
Query on an particular id number or code by entering the 'id' in the box and pressing enter.
The format described above is used throughout the program.
Report Menu:
Attendance report - Click to give you a choice of an attendance report based on a name and or dates you have query section.
Reset - Click on this to reset your database and any query you have initiated.
**To set up a new database please follow these steps must be followed first!:
Under 'System' menu -
Enter your company (self if you are a consultant) on the company / individual screen.
Enter your departments, offices, projects, times, and benefit days specific to your company.
Under 'Employees' menu -
Enter your employees, their departments and other information you feel necessary.
This will provide the all the drop down boxes with information to make data entry smooth and consistent. You must always use the drop down box when present to ensure consistent data entry. Typing the information in will not guarantee consistent data entry. For example, if you are entering records for employee Joe Blow and accidentally misspell his name (Joe Blw) for one particular day, that day would not show up when you asked for a report on 'Joe Blow'.
Entering New Records:
To enter a new record click on 'New'.
Enter the record date (i.e. xx/xx/xx), skip the id and select an employees' name from the drop down. The department and id fields will fill in automatically. You may change the department if necessary. The combo boxes will respond to the arrow up / down keys to scroll through quickly. This may speed selection, or it could mess up a record if you hit an arrow by accident while you are editing a record.
If you have entered at least one record for an employee you may use the "ID" box to search for and go to the last record for the employee with that id. This may be helpful if your company has a large number of employees.
Example: Tab to id; enter id of employee that you want to enter records for; press enter; the database will show you the last record for that employee. This will allow you to carry over the information to the next record . Select 'date +1' to have one day added to the record after you click 'new', allowing you enter consecutive records for that employee. 'Hold all info' will carry over name, department, project. 'Hold time' will carry over starting and ending times, plus the total hours.
Selecting a 'project' or an 'office' is optional, but will provide additional detail in the database if used.
To select a start time and an end time use the time drop down boxes. The time can be modified by typing over the time that comes up i.e. change 09:00 AM to 09:15 AM.
The time must be entered in the format specified by the drop down box, so if you make a mistake entering or changing the time you may get on error.
The program will calculate total hours based upon the start to end time. It doesn't consider non-paid breaks. You may have to modify the total depending upon company policy.
There should always be a number greater that 0 in the hours box if the employee is being paid for any time on that day. If the employee is not being paid for any hours on a particular day, the number may be 0. If an employee works 4 hours, and uses 4 hours of sick time, 8 should appear in the hours box.
If an employee earns comp time, you credit it here on this screen. For example, if an employee works 9am to 6pm, you may put 8 hours in the hours box, and 1 hour in the 'comp time accrued' box.
If an employee uses a benefit day such as vacation or sick time, you must put the amount of hours to be paid in the 'hours' box (the box under end time), then select the 'benefit day used'. In the box - ' # hours taken', you must put the number of hours to be subtracted from their individual pool of benefit time.
Example 1: Assume an employee gets paid for an 8 hour day. If an employee takes a vacation day nothing should appear in the start time or end time. Enter 8 hours into the 'hours' box, select the type of benefit day, then enter the '#of
