JCSM Shareware Collection 1996 September/JCSM Shareware Collection (JCS Distribution) (September 1996).ISO/payroll_/payusa50.zip/PAYUS50E.ZIP/WHATSNEW.TXT

Text File | 1995-01-29 | 15KB | 296 lines

                     ANTHISTLE SYSTEMS & PROGRAMMING LTD.
                              563 Patricia Drive,
                              Oakville, Ontario,
                                CANADA L6K 1M4

                            Telephone [phone]


          PAYROLL USA - SHAREWARE TRIAL RELEASE V5.01 30TH. JAN. 1995
          ===========================================================

NEW IN THIS RELEASE
===================

New Employee Pick List
----------------------

Not all of the changes are visible to the user, but they should result in
faster running.  The most noticeable change is the employee pick list which is
now an alternative to the traditional find employee methods. I have also added
another group find method based on your choice of Status and Pay Method. That
new pick list was much more difficult to program than I expected when I said I
would do it, I had to rewrite all the internal index handling and employee
file I/O to do it properly so it responds to multiple pay frequencies, and
gets updated instantly when an employee is updated.  However, the pay off is
that it is re-usable in some of the reports.

To use the new pick list, from the Add or Update Employee Menu select
"F2 Update Individual Employee (List)".  To get out of it simply press Esc.
The traditional search methods are "F3 Update Groups of Employees (Search)"
(moved down one) which will lead you to another menu which has the new search
item "F8 Your CHOICE Status/Pay Method".


Adding New Employees
--------------------

When adding new employees you can now stop after only 2 screens instead of
having to go through every screen with annoying pop ups between them. You can
also get out easier if you get into the Add Employee choice by mistake, SSN =
000-00-0000 and nothing in the Employee Number and you are gone, no questions
asked. I have also put a list of existing employee numbers on screen to help
in choosing a new number for a new employee.


Vacation/Sick Accruals
----------------------

When adding or updating employees a new pop up window offers advice on
percentage to use for Vacation & Sick Accruals.  You will note that the more
weeks there are off the higher the percentage (as you would expect) but some
percentages have fractions for more accuracy as the more time taken off the
less time remains to accrue the cost of the time off. Example: the percentage
for 2 weeks is 200/50, but 3 weeks is 300/49, and 4 weeks is 400/48 (which are
not exactly 1.5 or 2 times the percentage for 2 weeks). However, if you wish
to stick to your regular percentages (or zero if not using the accruals
feature) that will be fine with the program.


** NEW ** Hours Entry Report
----------------------------

This new report will list the hours you entered for the next pay period so you
can check against time cards to ensure they are correctly entered and nobody
was missed.  It is produced in alphabetical order. With overtime and shift
differentials I had to allow for the possibility that there are 23 possible
columns of hours that could be entered, though not everybody will use them
all. If there are too many columns to fit on the width of one page it will
continue the extra columns on the next page.  There are totals on each page
and grand totals on the last page.  Note that if you have more than one pay
frequency (pays per year, such as 52, 26, 12, etc.) on one file only those pay
frequencies you have selected as being active for this session will be
included on the report.  Those included are listed at the bottom of the grand
totals (last page).  I have put this report on the Update Employees Menu as it
is most likely to be used at the conclusion of each hours entry session.  You
can run it as often as needed.  On large files it takes a moment or two to do
its work, so don't assume nothing is happening once you have selected the menu
choice.


Pay Cycle
---------

Lots of internal changes in the pay cycle.  The most apparent is the selection
of who gets paid.  Previously all active were paid even if they had no hours
(I had expected users to change the status from active to laid off if they had
no hours, but many of you apparently do not do so).  Active with no hours
previously resulted in zero or (if there were voluntary deductions) negative
pay.  Now I check every employee who is active to make sure there is something
to pay for before he/she is processed in the pay cycle.   This will cut down
on the size of the Status Report, the only people on it will now be the ones
who actually got paid.   Also, on the Status Report, it sometimes splits an
entry at the bottom of the page and continues the same entry on the next page
so I have adjusted the print routine to try not to start an entry unless there
is sufficient space left on the page to finish it (and skip to a new page
immediately if insufficient space).

Also, the screen which asks for current and next pay dates will now suggest a
next pay date based on current pay date and the highest active pay frequency
being processed.   You can change it if you wish.


Checks and Pay Slips
---------------------

Check and pay slip printing has been re-written.  You can now spool anything,
check, pay slip, or check register, to disk.  If printing you can skip the
line up routine. HOWEVER, FOR THE FIRST FEW TIMES YOU PRINT with the new
routine I suggest you do not skip the line up in case it is different to what
you have been used to.  For those who print laser checks I have added the
option of printing an extra stub on the throw away portion of the sheet.  I am
also printing Branch, & Department Codes above the employee's name as this
might help in distribution of checks and payslips. There is also an option to
print Phone Number with the Branch & Department Codes.


Check Reconciliation
---------------------

Check Reconciliation has been added at no extra cost.  Count it as a bonus, a
thank you for continuing to use PAYROLL USA.

In January and February of 1995 PAYROLL USA will check to see if you have
tried this new feature.  If it finds no *.BRC (bank) files on the program
directory it will assume you have never tried it so it will switch it on
automatically.  The only other action you need take is the first time you
print pay cheques it will ask for a file name for the bank file, name it
whatever is meaningful for you, presumably a short form of your bank's name
(8 characters or less), such as BANKAMER or FIRSTATE etc.

Further instructions, including how to turn it off if you do not wish to use
it are in the file CR_INSTR.TXT which can be read on screen or printed with
(from the main menu):

   F3 PRINT AND/OR RECONCILE CHECKS, PRINT PAY SLIPS, then
      F3 Bank Reconciliation of Pay Checks, then
         F6 PROGRAM INFORMATION / INSTRUCTIONS

There isn't much else you can do in Check Reconciliation on this first trip
there until you actually get some checks on file. So escape then come back
later after printing some checks, or maybe after they come back from the bank
and you want to reconcile them.

If you are using it and you print a batch of checks more than once (example:
checks printed, error found, fixed and pay cycle re-run, checks re-printed)
then you must use the Check Reconciliation to void the first batch of checks
(ideally before you reprint them) else it will show too much outstanding
against your bank and possibly result in error messages as the second check
register is produced.  Check Reconciliation allows for multiple Bank Accounts
by having a separate check file for each bank. Instructions can be viewed or
printed from the Check Reconciliation Menu.

If you are handwriting checks and issuing pay slips no entry will be
automatically made in the Check Reconciliation file.  If you want to use the
reconciliation you can enter them manually if you wish, or if you have a
continuous block of manual check numbers allocated in the same sequence to the
same people and for the same amounts as the pay slip check register then you
can easily fool the program by running the check print and spooling the output
to disk to be later deleted (saving paper). Those thrown away spooled checks
will still be added to the Check Reconciliation file and if you give your
first manual check number as the first computer check number for the run you
have in effect got your manual checks into the reconciliation file without
having to do it manually.


Employee Summary Report
-----------------------

The Employee Summary report (print out of 1st 3 basic information screens) has
been revised so it now optionally also prints the comments screen. It has also
been revised so that you can pick which employees, or groups of employees as
in the Add/Update employee function rather than having to print them all.


Employee Labels and Rotary Cards
--------------------------------

The Employee Label printing has been vastly expanded to include most popular
label sizes available for Laser printers (as well as the earlier laser and dot
matrix choices).  You can now also print dot matrix or laser rotary cards (for
Rolodex's) with some information about the employee on them.  In fact, even if
you do not have a Rolodex or a laser printer you might still want to print out
the laser 4" x 2 1/6" rotary card report on plain paper (it will print on a
dot matrix too) as an employee name, address and phone number list (plus some
extra information) printed 8 employees to a page in alphabetical order. You
can pick which employees, or groups of employees as in the Add/Update employee
function rather than having to print them all.


Birthdays, Start, End, Review Dates - New Reports
-------------------------------------------------

A **NEW** report (actually several new reports) has been added to print out
your choice of sorted lists of employee birthdays (useful for cards and
gifts), start dates (who has been here longest and gets the next gold watch),
end (termination) dates, last and next review dates. Some reports are sorted
by month, others by year and month.  Choice F9 from the reports menu will lead
to a more detailed menu.


Menu Changes
------------

All these improvements have required some changes to the familiar Menu
structure.  I have tried to keep these minimal and logical to avoid confusion.
Reports and Checks have been split and are each on menu's of their own, one
for Reports and File Export, another for Checks and Pay Slips. The new Check
Reconciliation is with the Checks. The Bank Transfer Deposit List has been
moved from the Reports menu to the Check menu.

Within reports I have grouped those that print dollars together, and those
that print basic information together, with file export between them. All
reports are now on one menu instead of a menu within a menu as existed
previously.


MICROSOFT WINDOWS VERS. 3.1
---------------------------

    The following is a repeat of information included in last
    year's WHATSNEW.TXT - I repeated it for the benefit of those
    who may have purchased Windows since last year and had
    forgotten that they could start PAYROLL USA from the Windows
    desktop (if you wish, not essential, no advantages other than
    convenience if you normally work from Windows).

PAYROLL USA is a DOS program, not a Windows program. However, Windows
3.1 can run DOS programs and you can have icons for them, include them
in a group on the desktop, and start them by double clicking on the
icon in the same way as a windows program.  For Windows users we have
included an icon file (PAYUSA.ICO ) and a PIF file (PAYUSA.PIF ).

These two files should be copied to your \WINDOWS directory (this copy
will be done for you by our install program if the C:\WINDOWS directory
exists when install runs) Then, to put PAYUSA on your Windows desktop,
start Windows and:

1. Double click on the Main program group so that group is active.
Double click on PIF Editor.  In the PIF Editor select file, open,
PAYUSA.PIF then verify the directories we have set up are correct for
your installation (they will be if our install program was used, but
not necessarily so if you installed manually).  Change if necessary.

      Command Line: C:\PAYPGMS\PAYUSA.EXE

      Working Directory: C:\PAYPGMS

   { instead of C: it could be D: or E: etc., whichever disk drive
        PAYROLL USA is installed on }

Click OK when done.

2. Double click on the program group you want PAYROLL USA to be
included in so that group is active (example, APPLICATIONS).

3. Click on the Windows Program Manager File (Menu Choice), then click
on New, select Program Item (unless you prefer to start a new group in
which case you can do that first here then repeat step 3 to add the
item).

4. Complete the required information,

      Description: PAYROLL USA
      Command Line: PAYUSA.PIF
      Working Directory:
         { leave blank as Windows will get it from the PIF }

5. Select Change Icon. You will be told there is none and to select one
from Program Manager, click OK then select Browse and towards the
bottom of the list select PAYUSA.ICO, click OK, then a final OK and you
are done.

6. If you accidentally get out before doing item 5 you will get the
default MS-DOS icon (a monitor screen with MSDOS in it) but you can go
back and fix it by re-selecting Program Manager, File, then Properties,
then repeat step 5.  (This also works if you selected the wrong icon by
mistake the first time).

See your Windows manual in the event you get mixed up here.  Earlier
versions of Windows may differ - it may be necessary to take the MS-DOS
Prompt choice from the Main group and run C:\PAYPGMS\PAYUSA from the
DOS prompt, typing EXIT to return to Windows when you are done, (in
those earlier Windows versions).

You will find your mouse or the keyboard both work with the PAYROLL USA
menu items (the mouse is trapped in a vertical bar along the choices),
and at those places where pressing any key is required to continue (a
mouse click will also do).  However, the mouse does not (at this point
anyway) work on the data entry screens or on the prompts requiring Yes
or No answers, for those you still need the keyboard.


                         Christopher Anthistle,
                               President,
                           30th. January, 1995