InfiniTime Administration

Software Administration Introduction

 InfiniTime 7.08 includes several tools and utilities for use by Software Administrators for typical tasks such as:

 

 

InfiniTime Deployment

Upon completion of the Installshield Wizard, the 'InfiniTime 7.0' and 'Client Shortcuts' folders will be created on the desktop of the InfiniTime Server. The InfiniTime 7.0 Folder includes shortcuts to the InfiniTime Modules for use from the InfiniTime Server while the 'Client Shortcuts' folder includes shortcuts to the InfiniTime Modules for use from client machines on the Local Area Network.

 

As a web application accessed through a Web Browser, no installation is required for workstations to access the InfiniTime Software from the Local Area Network. To provide users with access to InfiniTime, simply copy the 'Client Shortcuts' folder from the InfiniTime Server's desktop to all workstations which require access to the InfiniTime Software.

 

Related Links
InfiniTime Deployment Options
InfiniTime Modules
Providing Client Machine Access to InfiniTime

Backup & Restore

Backup & Restore Introduction

InfiniTime 7.0 includes a complete backup and restore system designed to minimize downtime should hardware or software failures occur. Inception Technologies recommends use of the automatic backup feature in order to keep your InfiniTime Database backed up on a routine basis. Third Party System Backup utilities are not recommended as a substitute for the InfiniTime Backup as Oracle Database files cannot be backed up in a reliable fashion unless specific Oracle Utilities are utilized. It should also be noted that InfiniTime backup files can only be created and restored on the InfiniTime Server.

For this reason, simply copying the main program file location (C:\Inception\ by default) is not a substitute for the internal InfiniTime backup system. An Oracle Database cannot be restored from the program files alone.

The directory where the backup (*.ITB) file is created is “C:\Inception\InfiniTime\InfiniTime7\Backup” assuming the default directories were used during installation. This directory should be routinely copied to removable storage in order to safeguard your data.

Creating a Backup in InfiniTime

 

 

 

 

When you click on “Backup” the process begins and you’re screen will look like the picture below.

 

 

After the DOS window is terminated, the “Creating Backup” window will remain until the backup is complete.  

 

After the backup finishes the “Backup / Restore Table” will come back on top.  You will now see a folder titled “Backup Folder” in the window. There will also be a file under the folder, this file is the backup file.  In the picture below, the number 1 arrow shows you’re companies name and the number 2 will show you the date and time the backup was created. Should you ever need to restore your database, you will know which one to choose by date and time.  Now you can click the close button and continue with program usage.  

 

Configuring Backup Options

InfiniTime Backup includes four options that can be used to configure the automatic backup procedure. Details are provided below.

 

 

Backup Files Every – Specify the amount of days between backups. InfiniTime will perform the first automatic backup on the start date. Subsequent backups will be performed after a certain period of time specified by this quantity. The drop down box allows the user to specify between days or weeks.

 

Start Time – If enabled, Automatic backup will execute at time set in this box.

 

Start Date –Automatic backups will begin on this date, at the time specified in the Start Time field.

 

Delete Oldest Files After – InfiniTime will continue creating backup files according to the defined schedule until the number of backups reach the amount specified in this field. The oldest backup will then be deleted as a new file is created.

Restoring a Backup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deleting Backup Files from within InfiniTime

InfiniTime Backup files can be removed from the InfiniTime Backup folder by selecting them from the backup list and clicking the delete button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E-mailing a Backup File from within InfiniTime

InfiniTime Backup files can be e-mailed from the backup window itself by clicking on the Email button while a backup is highlighted. Follow the instructions below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related Links
InfiniTime Server SMTP Email Configuration and Troubleshooting

 

How to Create a Backup from a Client Machine

InfiniTime provides for initiating a backup of the InfiniTime database from a client machine which eliminates the need to access the InfiniTime Server.

 

To Create a Backup from a Client Machine:

 

  1. Open the Manager module on the server and click on File.

  2. Click on Backup / Restore.

 

 

  1.  The Backup / Restore Table will be displayed. When viewed from a client machine a Backup Status Indicator is displayed on the top of the window as shown. Click on Backup to start a backup.

 

 

  1. The Last Backup Date and Time will be cleared which instructs the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service to begin taking a backup.

 

 

  1. Clicking Refresh at the bottom of the Backup / Restore Table will display the current backup status. The Backup Status will return to Idle and the Last Backup Date and Time fields will be filled when the backup is complete.

 

Client Initiated Backup In Progress:

 

Client Initiated Backup Complete:

Reader Configuration

Reader Configuration Table

The reader configuration table lists all devices that are connected to the InfiniTime software. The reader configuration table provides a convenient location for testing device connectivity, updating reader programming, and updating employee data contained in a reader’s database. Before a clock can be used to poll timecard activity, the clock must be configured. Detailed configuration and installation instructions are available for each InfiniTime compatible time collection device.

 

Accessing the Reader Configuration Table

 

 

 

 

 

The Reader Configuration Table will open. The reader configuration table is organized in a tree structure similar to that used by Windows Explorer. A separate folder, or reader type entry,  is displayed for each hardware model according to its connection type. In this way readers of the same model and connection type are grouped together. There are two steps to configuring a reader within the InfiniTime Application. First the Reader Type entry must be defined. By default, clicking insert will open the reader configuration update form, making it possible for the user to specify the type and connection method for their readers. When this information is saved the reader type entry is created. Two examples of reader entry types are shown below.

 

 

After a reader entry type has been created a reader address entry must be defined. To insert a reader address entry follow the steps below.

 

1.) Expand the Reader Type Entry by clicking on the plus sign.

 

 

2.) Click on None and Click Insert to open the Reader Configuration Update Form.

 

Reader Configuration Update Form

 

Port Name: Enter a name for your clock. This name should be recognizable and descriptive, as it will be displayed in the Reader Configuration Table representing the record for your clock.

 

 

Type: Select your Clock Model from the models in the list. NOTE: A scout 1000 requires a different configuration than other Scout Models. Select the Scout 1000 type if you have a Scout 1000.

 

 

Port: Select the port that corresponds to your reader. Select TCP/IP if you are using an Ethernet connection to communicate with your clock.

 

 

 

Poll From File: Some readers such as the Luna and Zephyr support the Poll From File Feature. Using the menu at the clock punches can be downloaded to a USB Thumb drive and transferred to a PC. This is especially useful for sites without a network or internet access. Refer to Hardware Documentation Zephyr or  Hardware Documentation Luna for additional information on configuring and using poll from file.

 

Baud Rate: Select the communication baud rate that corresponds to your reader. The same Baud Rate must be set on the reader and the software in order for the device to communicate successfully. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific timeclock model for more information.

 

Default Baud Rate

Older Synel Readers

9600

New Synel Readers

19200

Direct Connect Scout* Hand Readers

9600

Scout* Hand Readers (Modem)

9600

*Refers to All Scout Models (1000 - 4000)

 

Data Processing Every: Here you can decide how often you want the data to be processed. The automatic setting will process and post employee activity as soon as it is retrieved from the reader.  If you want to process the data according to a specific time interval you can select an increment of time in which to process the data.  If you select an increment of time the data that is polled will not be processed until the time selected.  The data is stored in the polled information and then once the time comes to process the data is then when it will show in the activity of the employee.

 

Note: Automatic is generally the preferred setting for Data Processing. In this way employee timecard activity is automatically processed when it is polled from the reader.

 

Last Data Process Date: Displays the date on which data was last processed.

 

Last Data Process Time: Displays the time at which data was last processed.

 

Reader Addresses Tab

 

The Reader Address Update form, as shown when inserting a new reader configuration or changing an existing reader configuration, is connection method and clock specific. The information available for configuration on the Reader Address Update form changes according to the clock type and connection method selected. This setup eliminates unnecessary information within the Reader Address Update form and assists users with configuring options specific to their chosen clock model and connection type. The following tables show which configuration settings are available according to connection and clock type.

 

Reader Type

Apollo

Atlas

Odyssey    

Omega

Orion

Plus

Scout

Scout 1000

SY-400

Connection Method

Direct

Direct

Direct

Direct

Direct

Direct

Direct

Direct

Direct

Access Control Settings

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

X

Bell Schedules

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

 

X

Communication Errors

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

X

X

General - TCP/IP Tab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synel Options

X

X

X

X

X

 

 

 

X

Scout Options

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

 

 Scout 2000 is not compatible with access control or bells.

Reader Type

Apollo

Atlas

Odyssey    

Omega

Orion

Scout

Scout 1000

SY-400

Connection Method

Modem

Modem

Modem

Modem

Modem

Modem

Modem

Modem

Access Control Settings

X

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

Bell Schedules

X

X

X

X

X

X

 

X

Communication Errors

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

General - TCP/IP Tab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synel Options

X

X

X

X

X

 

 

X

Scout Options

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

 

 Scout 2000 is not compatible with access control or bells.

Reader Type

Apollo

Atlas

Odyssey    

Omega

Orion

Scout

Scout 1000

SY-400

Connection Method

TCP/IP

TCP/IP

TCP/IP

TCP/IP

TCP/IP

TCP/IP

TCP/IP

TCP/IP

Access Control Settings

 

X

X

 

X

X

 

X

Bell Schedules

 

X

X

 

X

X

 

X

Communication Errors

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

General - TCP/IP Tab

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Synel Options

X

X

X

X

X

 

 

X

Scout Options

 

 

 

 

 

X

X

 

 Scout 2000 is not compatible with access control or bells.

Configuring Reader Addresses

 

 

General Reader setup differs depending on the clock model and connection type. For this reason, two explanations of General Reader setup are provided. One for the TCP/IP Communication Method and one for the Direct and Modem Connection Communication Methods.

TCP/IP Communication Method Settings

TCP/IP General Tab

 

Address: Enter the Reader Address assigned to the clock during setup. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific timeclock model for setup instructions.

 

Description: Enter a name for your clock. This name should be recognizable and descriptive in nature. It will be displayed in the Reader Address Configuration Table representing the Reader Address Configuration Record for your clock. It is important to note that each clock will generally have only one Reader Address entry unless they are arranged in a daisy chain configuration with multiple readers on one communications port.

 

Connection Type: TCP/IP is the only option available in this drop down as TCP/IP was previously specified as the connection type.

Ignore Duplicate Scans Received: InfiniTime can ignore multiple scans for a single employee within a specific time window. Enter the time window, in minutes, for duplicate scans should be ignored.

 

Department: Many companies purchase multiple readers and locate them throughout their facility for use with a single department. Selecting a specific department from this drop-down menu will cause InfiniTime to associate all punches from this reader to the selected department. All Departments are selected by default. Timecard Activity is automatically associated to an employees default department when All Departments is selected.

 

Total Hours Type: Specify the Total hours type that will be displayed for viewing on the reader.

 

NOTE: Selecting Weekly or Pay Period can quickly fill the memory on most timeclock models. It is important to poll employee timecard activity often if either of these settings is selected.: Enter the Reader Address assigned to the clock during setup. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific timeclock model for setup instructions.

 

** Synel Badge Readers Only **

 

The following items will only be displayed if the clock type you have selected is a Synel Badge Reader. (Apollo/Atlas/Odyssey/Omega/Orion/Plus/SY 400)

 

 

Reader Type: Select the appropriate badge reader type that corresponds to the type of badge reader installed in your Synel clock. Choices are Barcode, Magstripe, or Proximity depending on reader model.

 

 

Badge Start Position:  Defaults to 1. Choose the appropriate starting position for use with your badges. This setting generally does not need to be altered for Magstripe or Barcode Badges.

 

Badge End Position: Defaults to 8. Choose the appropriate end position for use with your badges. This setting generally does not need to be altered for Magstripe or Barcode Badges.

 

Barcode Symbology: Choose the appropriate barcode symbology for use with your badges. All badges sold by Inception Technologies use the default barcode symbology Code 3 of 9. Some customers have distributed badges to their employees using a different barcode symbology. In many cases, depending on badge size and make, this setting allows these badges to be utilized with the InfiniTime system.

TCP/IP Polling Tab

 

Polling Interval: Choose how often you would like to poll timecard activity from your reader. Minimum polling times are displayed below according to clock model.

 

Reader Type

Apollo

Atlas

Odyssey

Omega

Orion

Plus

Scout

Scout 1000

SY-400

Minimum Polling Interval

30 Seconds

30 Seconds

30 Seconds

30 Seconds

30 Seconds

N/A

5 Seconds

5 Seconds

30 Seconds

 

Reader Type

Athena

Juno

Luna

Thor

Zephyr

Minimum Polling Interval

5 Seconds

5 Seconds

5 Seconds

5 Seconds

5 Seconds

 

Last Poll Date: Displays the date on which the clock was last polled.

 

Last Poll Time: Displays the time at which the clock was last polled.

 

Data Update Interval: Choose how often you would like to update employee data to the clock. Employee data includes new employees, employee ids, and changes in employee badges as well as hour totals. This process can take as much as ten minutes, during which employees will not be able to punch. Generally this is only required once at the beginning or end of the work day according to user preference. During software setup users may wish to manually update their clocks in order to test employee information rather than waiting for the clock to automatically update.

 

Last Data Update Date: Displays the date on which the clock was last updated.

 

Last Data Update Time: Displays the time at which the clock was last updated.

 

Set Time At Device: Causes the InfiniTime software to update the time on the reader according to the system clock. Selecting no disables this feature.

 

Time Zone: This setting is used to set the time at the reader. Ensure time zone chosen corresponds to the time zone where the clock is located. This is often used for TCP/IP or modem clocks in a remote location relative to the InfiniTime server.

 

Polling From Time: This field is used in conjunction with the ‘Polling To Time’ field in order to specify a time range for polling. The reader will start polling at the Polling from time, and continue to poll according to the specified polling interval until the Polling To Time is reached. Enter the time at which the reader should start polling in this field.

 

Polling To Time: See Polling From Time for a detailed explanation. Enter the time at which the reader should stop polling in this field.

TCP/IP Tab

 

TCP/IP Address: Enter the IP address assigned to your reader. This must be a static address. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific timeclock model for more information on configuring this address within the reader.

 

Port Number: Enter the network communications port used to communicate with your clock. Generally, this only needs to be altered if you are positive the default port is in use by another application on your network. The same port must be set in the InfiniTimesoftware and on the reader in order for communication to be successful. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific timeclock model for more information.

 

TCP/IP Timeout: Specify the amount of seconds to wait before the TCP/IP connection with the reader times out. Ninety seconds is the recommended value.

Direct Connect and Modem Communication Type Settings

Direct Connect and Modem Communication Type Settings - General Tab

 

Address: Enter the Reader Address assigned to the clock during setup. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific timeclock model for setup instructions.

 

Description: Enter a name for your clock. This name should be recognizable and descriptive in nature. It will be displayed in the Reader Address Configuration Table representing the Reader Address Configuration Record for your clock. It is important to note that each clock will generally have only one Reader Address entry unless they are arranged in a daisy chain configuration with multiple readers on one communication port.

 

Connection Type: When a COM port is selected on the Port Information Screen in the Reader Configuration Update form two options are available in this field. Specify whether the communications port connects directly to the clock (Direct), or if the communications port is connected to a modem, which will be used to connect to a remote clock (Modem).  If Modem is selected the modem tab, as outlined below, will become available.

 

Note: More than one Modem clock can be polled using the same communications port and modem. A complete reader entry is required for each clock. Do not attempt to add additional Reader Address Entries to a single reader entry for each remote clock.

 

Department: Many companies purchase multiple readers and locate them throughout their facility for use with a single department. Selecting a specific department from this drop-down menu will cause InfiniTime to associate all punches from this reader to the selected department. All Departments are selected by default. Timecard Activity is automatically associated to an employees default department when All Departments is selected.

 

Total Hours Type: Specify the Total hours type that will be displayed for viewing on the reader.

 

NOTE: Selecting Weekly or Pay Period can quickly fill the memory on most timeclock models. It is important to poll employee timecard activity often if either of these settings is selected.: Enter the Reader Address assigned to the clock during setup. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific timeclock model for setup instructions.

 

** Synel Badge Readers Only **

 

The following items will only be displayed if the clock type you have selected is a Synel Badge Reader. (Apollo/Atlas/Odyssey/Omega/Orion/Plus/SY 400)

 

 

Reader Type: Select the appropriate badge reader type that corresponds to the type of badge reader installed in your Synel clock. Choices are Barcode, Magstripe, or Proximity depending on reader model.

 

 

Badge Start Position:  Defaults to 1. Choose the appropriate starting position for use with your badges. This setting generally does not need to be altered for Magstripe or Barcode Badges.

 

Badge End Position: Defaults to 8. Choose the appropriate end position for use with your badges. This setting generally does not need to be altered for Magstripe or Barcode Badges.

 

Barcode Symbology: Choose the appropriate barcode symbology for use with your badges. All badges sold by Inception Technologies use the default barcode symbology Code 3 of 9. Some customers have distributed badges to their employees using a different barcode symbology. In many cases, depending on badge size and make, this setting allows these badges to be utilized with the InfiniTime system.

 

Direct Connect and Modem Communication Type Settings - Polling Tab

 

Polling Interval: Choose how often you would like to poll timecard activity from your reader. Minimum polling times are displayed below according to clock model.

 

Reader Type

Apollo

Atlas

Odyssey

Omega

Orion

Plus

Scout

Scout 1000

SY-400

Minimum Polling Interval

30 Seconds

30 Seconds

30 Seconds

30 Seconds

30 Seconds

N/A

5 Seconds

5 Seconds

30 Seconds

Readers using the modem connection method should not be polled more often than 4 hours.

 

Last Poll Date: Displays the date on which the clock was last polled.

 

Last Poll Time: Displays the time at which the clock was last polled.

 

Data Update Interval: Choose how often you would like to update employee data to the clock. Employee data includes new employees, employee ids, and changes in employee badges as well as hour totals. This process can take as much as ten minutes, during which employees will not be able to punch. Generally this is only required once at the beginning or end of the work day according to user preference. During software setup users may wish to manually update their clocks in order to test employee information rather than waiting for the clock to automatically update.

 

Last Data Update Date: Displays the date on which the clock was last updated.

 

Last Data Update Time: Displays the time at which the clock was last updated.

 

Set Time At Device: Causes the InfiniTime software to update the time on the reader according to the system clock. Selecting no disables this feature.

 

Time Zone: This setting is used to set the time at the reader. Ensure time zone chosen corresponds to the time zone where the clock is located. This is often used for TCP/IP or modem clocks in a remote location relative to the InfiniTime server.

 

Polling From Time: This field is used in conjunction with the ‘Polling To Time’ field in order to specify a time range for polling. The reader will start polling at the Polling from time, and continue to poll according to the specified polling interval until the Polling To Time is reached. Enter the time at which the reader should start polling in this field.

 

Polling To Time: See Polling From Time for a detailed explanation. Enter the time at which the reader should stop polling in this field.

Direct Connect and Modem Communication Type Settings - Modem Tab

 

Phone Numbers: Enter the phone number, just as it would be dialed from a regular phone. Include country and area code when appropriate.

 

Modem Init String: A string of characters used to initialize the modem and begin a call. The default string, &FE0V1, should be sufficient in most cases.

Available Departments

InfiniTime™ allows you to switch departments at the reader itself, in this screen you can select which departments are allowed.

 

 

By default, all of the departments are in the left hand side and all departments are allowed to be used for transfer at the reader.  If you want to assign only a few departments then you need to move those departments to the right hand side by using the arrow buttons.

 

If you have any departments on the right hand side assigned to the reader and you enter new ones on the software by default they will not be assigned to the reader you will have to manually assign them by moving them to the right.

Available Activity Types

InfiniTime™ allows you to enter other activity at the reader itself, in this screen you can select which activity is allowed to be entered.

 

 

By default, if all of the activities are in the left hand side then all activities are allowed to be entered at the reader.  If you want to assign only a few activities then you need to move those activities to the right hand side by using the arrow buttons.

 

If you have any activities on the right hand side assigned to the reader and you enter new ones on the software by default they will not be assigned to the reader you will have to manually assign them by moving them to the right.

Access Control Settings - General Tab

Many InfiniTime compatible timeclocks can be used for access control purposes in order to unlock a door when authorized employees punch. Access control settings are configured in the Reader Address Table for each specific clock and are outlined below. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific timeclock model for more information about access control wiring and setup.

 

 

Access Denied Message: Type the message to be displayed on the clock should an employee be denied access. Access would be denied under the following conditions:

 

 

Access Granted Message: Type the message to be displayed on the clock should an employee be granted access. Access will only be granted if both of the following conditions are met:

 

 

Lock Relay Open Duration: Set the duration an attached lock relay will remain unlocked after access is granted.

 

Door Switch Relay Open Duration: Set the duration an attached lock relay will remain unlocked if an attached door switch is pressed.

Access Control Groups Tab

The Groups Tab is used to control what employees will be able to utilize the reader to gain access to connected entry ways.

 

All access control groups that have been configured will be displayed in the left side grid on the Groups Tab. No additional configuration is necessary if all groups are to be assigned to a reader. Groups should be assigned to a reader if only specific groups are authorized to access the door controlled by the reader.

 

 

To Assign Specific Groups to a Reader:

 

 

– Assigns the selected group to the reader. You will notice that the group will be removed from the left grid and displayed in the right grid.

 

– Assigns all available groups to the reader. You will notice that all groups will be removed from the left grid and displayed in the right grid.

 

– Removes the selected group from the reader. You will notice that the group will be removed from the right grid and displayed in the left grid.

 

– Removes all selected groups from the reader. You will notice that all groups will be removed from the right grid and displayed in the left grid.

Access Control Schedule Tab

The Schedule tab can be used to specify an access control schedule specific to the reader. Schedules configured within the Reader Configuration Update form take precedence over default Access Control Group Schedules. If this schedule is configured employees will only be able to access the entryway connected to the reader during the scheduled times specified in the Reader Configuration Update form. The schedule configured in the Access Control Group Update form will be ignored.

 

Click Insert to configure the schedule. The employees specified, as explained later in this section, will be able to pass through the access control doorway by using the access control hardware while access is considered Open. When access is closed the specified employees will be locked out.

 

 

Open: Enter a time to consider access to the associated doorway Open.

 

Close: Enter a time to consider access to the associated doorway Closed.

 

Valid From: Optional. Specifies the date that the schedule takes effect. Leave this field blank if you wish the schedule to take effect immediately.

 

Valid To: Optional. Specifies the date that the schedule expires. Leave this field blank if you do not wish the schedule to expire.

 

Copy: Use this button to copy schedule information entered on one day to another.

 

 

The example above shows schedule information being copied from Monday to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Clicking OK would copy the information.

Access Control Overrides Tab

The schedule override tab permits additional schedule entries for a specific date. Keep in mind override entries will take precedence over the default schedule for that date. Refer to the section above for instructions on inserting an access control schedule.

 

 

Override Example:

An access control schedule is configured to grant access for authorized employees from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on 2-5-07. Employees will be working in the evening from 7:00 to 10:00 pm in order to perform emergency repairs. The InfiniTime software administrator must add a schedule override with the schedule shown below in order for employees to be granted access to the warehouse entryway. Remember, the default schedule for the day will be overridden. Be sure to include the times for the default schedule and any necessary changes in the override entry.

 

 

Access Control Always Open Tab

 

The Always Open Tab is used to configure time windows for which the connected entryway is always open. During these hours the entryway will be unlocked and authentication will not be required in order to gain entry. Depending on security requirements it may be a good idea to unlock the entryway during peak hours using this feature. Refer to the Schedule tab section of this document for information on configuring access control schedules.

 

Technical Note: This feature is only supported by Scout Terminals.

Access Control Access Log

 

The Access Log Tab keeps a record of each attempt to access the attached entryway and whether access was granted or denied. Only employees assigned to the administrator security role can purge the access control log.

Bell Schedules Setup

Bell schedules are used to control a buzzer or system of bells attached to a reader. The bells will ring at each time configured in the schedule for the specified duration.

 

 

Configuring Bell Schedules

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: Only one activation time can be configured per entry. Additional entries must be inserted to add successive bell activation times.

 

Valid From: Optional. Specifies the date that the bell schedule takes effect. Leave this field blank if you want the bell schedule to take effect immediately.

 

Valid To: Optional. Specifies the date that the bell schedule expires. Leave this field blank if you do not wish the bell schedule to expire.

 

Copy: Use this button to copy schedule information entered on one day to another.

 

 

The example above shows schedule information being copied from Monday to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Clicking OK would copy the information.

Communication Errors Table

The Communication errors table keeps a record of any errors encountered when communicating with the clock.

 

 

Communication Error Table Related Options

 

No. of Errors to Store: Enter the maximum amount of errors to store in the Communication Error Table. When the maximum number is reached the oldest errors will be removed from the list as new errors occur. Leave this blank to keep record of all errors that occur. Errors will not be removed from this table unless they are deleted manually if this field is left blank.

 

No. of Errors Until Comm. Is Stopped: Specify the amount of errors that can occur before the software will stop communicating with the reader. Leaving this blank will ensure communication is not automatically stopped.

Synel Software Settings

 

Idle Message: Enter the message that will be displayed on the reader while the reader is in the idle state.

 

Idle Message Timeout: Specify a duration, in seconds, for the clock to wait after an action before returning to the idle state.

 

Public Message: The public message is displayed after an employee successfully swipes or punches in. Specify the message, if any, that you would like to display.

 

Date Format: Choose a format for the date displayed on the reader.

 

Time Format: Choose a format for the time displayed on the reader.

 

Port Retry Setting: Specify the amount of times InfiniTime should attempt to connect to the clock using the specified COM or TCP/IP port before aborting.

 

Port Timeout Setting: Specify the duration, in seconds, InfiniTime should wait for an acknowledgement from the clock before the connection attempt is considered a failure.

 

Note: The Port Retry and Port Timeout settings may need to be increased to 5 tries and 25-90 seconds respectively for use with modem clocks due to increased response times.

 

Modem Answer Timeout: Specify the duration, in seconds, InfiniTime should wait for the modem to answer.

 

Modem Connect Timeout: Specify the duration, in seconds, InfiniTime should wait for data transfer to begin before considering the connection attempt a failure.

 

Note: The Modem Answer Timeout and Modem Connect Timeout settings may need to be increased to 25 and 45-90 seconds respectively for use with modem clocks due to increased response times

 

Validate Employee: If this option is checked employee badge numbers will be compared to employees within the InfiniTime database. If no match is found the punch will not be accepted. If a match is found the employee’s name will be displayed on the clock. Should this option be unchecked the badge number read from the card will simply be displayed. Disabling this option is useful for troubleshooting badges.

 

Note: Access Control Requires Employee Validation. Validate Employee must be checked for use with access control systems

 

User ID Only: If this option is checked the reader will permit clocking in using only the employee’s user ID. The password is not required.

 

Badge Size Fixed: Check this option to enable a fixed badge length according to the integer entered in the Badge Size Field. Synel readers always return eight digits when a badge is swiped. If a badge size of 32 is used the last eight digits will be returned to the software. (12345678) If a badge size of 4 is used, the last four digits will be read and four leading zeroes will be returned to the software. (0001234)

 

Badge Size: Specify the fixed badge length you wish to use. Only integer values may be used. (IE 1,2,3…)

 

Do Not Allow Department Switching: Disables department switching at the clock.

 

Do Not Allow Other Activity Entry: Disables other activity entry at the clock.

 

Do Not Display Punch Type At Clock: Disables the display of Clock In or Clock out when a punch is successfully validated.

Synel Hardware Settings

 

Terminal Mode: Select the mode for use with your reader. The corresponding program will be updated to the reader when the next program update occurs. It is important to understand how these settings alter the behavior of the clock. The function of the default punch method, as outlined below, changes according to the selected terminal mode.

 

Synel Readers

 

Users may wish to manually update the reader after altering these settings in order for them to take effect immediately. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific timeclock model for more information.

 

Time & Attendance Only

Configures the Reader for Time & Attendance usage only. In this mode the reader cannot control entry ways or bells and can only be used for time and attendance purposes.

 

Time & Attendance and Access Control

Configures the Reader for Time & Attendance and Access Control. This mode is used to configure Time & Attendance as the primary purpose of the reader while still allowing access control functionality. Employees will be able to clock in & out using the default punch method, while function keys must be used for access control purposes.

 

Access Control Only

Configures the reader for Access Control Only. Employees punching in or swiping at this clock will be validated against the InfiniTime database, though timecard activity will not be recorded for the punches. Employees are able to access attached entry ways according to Access Control Group Schedule Configuration. Bells can also be used under this mode.

 

Access Control and Time & Attendance

Configures the Reader for Time & Attendance and Access Control. This mode is used to configure Access Control as the primary purpose of the reader while still allowing Time & Attendance functionality. Employees will be able to access entry ways with the default punch method, while function keys must be used for Time & Attendance purposes.

 

Dual Time & Attendance and Access Control

Configures the Reader to run Time & Attendance and Access Control in dual-purpose mode. This enables employees to clock in to work and unlock an entryway with a single punch.

 

Tech. Mode Badge Number: Enter a technician mode badge number. When a badge with this number is swiped the reader will automatically enter technician mode. Technician Mode is used to configure reader communication settings as well as other options depending on clock model.

 

Door Relay Number: If a door is attached to this reader, specify which relay it is connected to.

 

Bell Relay Number: If a bell or bell system is attached to this reader specify which relay it is connected to.

 

Note: Only the Odyssey (SY-780) has interchangeable relays where each relay can be used for bells or access control. All other Synel Readers can support a maximum of one relay, which can be used for bells or access control. If you do not have an Odyssey, be sure to set Door Relay Number to 1 if you are using access control. If you are using bells, be sure to set the Bell Relay Number to 1. Only the Odyssey can be used for both bells and access control.

 

Memory Alarm Threshold: Specify the percentage of total memory that can be filled before the Memory Alarm triggers.

 

Power Saving Mode Interval: Specify the number of minutes the reader will stay in normal operation before returning to power saving mode while backup battery power is in use.

 

PIN Entry Allowed: Sets the reader to allow ID entry only. This disables the use of badges.

 

Deactivate Speaker: Check this option to deactivate the reader’s internal speaker. The reader will no longer beep when keys are pressed.

 

Use Daylight Savings Time: Check this box to automatically alter the time at the reader according to Daylight Savings Time.

 

Synel Fingerprint Attached: Check this box if the reader is equipped with a fingerprint unit.  This option is only available on the Odyssey .

 

Using Pinless Finger Print: Check this box if you want to use the pinless option of the terminal,  This option will only work if your Odyssey terminal is equipped with a suprema reader.  Once you have selected this option and the employees have been enrolled the templates will not be useful if you decide not to use the pinless functionality all employees must be re-enrolled.

 

Finger Print Sensitivity:  You can set how sensitive you want the fingerprint unit to be.  The lower the number the higher the sensitivity it is.

 

Fingerprint Reader Type:  There are two types of fingerprint readers the Suprema and Bioscript readers.  Only the Suprema reader can be used as pinless.

Scout Options

 

Reject Level: Controls clock sensitivity when comparing electronic hand templates to actual hand measurements taken when an employee attempts to punch. The lower the number the more sensitive the reader is to changes in employee hand geometry.  Increase this setting if your employees are having issues with hand verification

 

Hour Display: Choose a format for the time displayed on the reader.

 

ID Length: Used to force a specific ID length. This option will pad the ID received from the clock with zeros until the specified number of digits is reached. For example, if an employee’s ID is 54 and the ID length is set to 4, the software will search for an employee with 0054 assigned as their employee ID. If there is no employee with 0054 as his or her employee ID the punch will be considered unassigned. Generally this option can be left blank.

 

Idle Message: Enter the message that will be displayed on the reader while the reader is in the idle state.

 

Keys Beep When Hit: Checking this box will cause the reader to beep when a key is pressed.

 

Use Daylight Savings Time: Check this box to automatically alter the time at the reader according to Daylight Savings Time.

 

Maximum Template Security: Checking this box greatly reduces the length of time required to update the Scout Reader. Hand templates for employees assigned to the clock will be updated to the  Scout Clock. Any other templates stored in the scout clock will be removed.

 

Note: Any employees with hand templates on the clock that are not setup within the InfiniTime software will not be able to punch in if this option is enabled. It is important to ensure all employees have a record in the InfiniTime Application before enabling this option. Otherwise the employee will have to be enrolled again.

 

Auxiliary Output Configuration

 

Certain Scout models have auxiliary outputs available for various purposes. Auxiliary outputs can be used to activate a buzzer, sign or any other low voltage item.

 

Note: The options below only apply to the Scout 3000 and 4000 Models.

 

On Tamper: An internal mercury sensor detects excessive vibration or tampering with the clock housing. Checking this option enables the auxiliary output and turns on an external device, in this case most likely an alarm, when tampering is detected.

 

On Time Zone Violation:  Checking this option enables the auxiliary output when internal RSI Time zone schedules are violated. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific reader type for more information about RSI Time Zone configuration.

 

On ID Refused: Checking this option enables the corresponding auxiliary output when an employee enters an ID that is not recognized by the system.

 

On Duress: Checking this option enables the corresponding auxiliary output when an employee presses the attached Duress Button. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific reader type for more information about wiring a Duress Button.

 

On Door: Checking this option enables the corresponding auxiliary output when the attached Door Button is pressed. Refer to the section of this document that corresponds to your specific reader type for more information about wiring a Door Button.

 

On Try Again: Checking this option enables the corresponding auxiliary output when the reader fails to properly compare a hand to an electronic template.

 

On F1 Key: Checking this option enables the corresponding auxiliary output when the F1 Key is pressed.

 

On F2 Key: Checking this option enables the corresponding auxiliary output when the F2 Key is pressed.

 

On Power Failure: Checking this option enables the corresponding auxiliary output in the event of power failure. The clock must have a backup battery installed in order to use this option. Without a backup battery the clock would simply lose power.

 

On Unlock: Checking this option enables the corresponding auxiliary output when the attached door is unlocked.

 

Lock Relay Open Duration: Specify the duration for the auxiliary output to remain enabled if she specified conditions should be met.

Function Key Configuration

Scout 2000, 3000, and 4000 models have programmable function keys on the keypad the can be used for a broad range of purposes. Each function key can be configured with multiple functions according to user preference.

 

Note: All function keys are not available on each Scout Model. See the table below for available function keys according to Scout Model.

 

Reader Model

Scout 1000

Scout 2000

Scout 3000

Scout 4000

Available Function Keys

None

F1 - F2

F1 - F2

F1 - F10

 

Unlike Synel Terminals, Scout Readers do not have preset configuration settings such as Time & Attendance Only or Access Control Only. Instead the Default action and function keys are configured to perform specific actions. The Default action, as shown below, is originally set to Time and Attendance and must be changed in order to specify Access Control as the primary purpose of the reader.

 

Note: Scout Readers cannot operate in Dual Time & Attendance and Access Control mode.

 

 

Available Function Key Functions

 

Time & Attendance Punch: Used to punch in or out of work. When this action is performed the current time and date are recorded in the Scout’s Memory. This information is sent to the InfiniTime software when the Scout is polled, where the information is entered into the Timecard Activity Table.

 

Department Transfer: Used to switch departments. When this action is performed employees can choose which department they would like to transfer to. Employees will automatically be clocked out of their current department and clocked into the selected department at the current time and date. These activity entries will be entered into the Timecard Activity Table when the Scout is next polled.

 

Other Activity Entry: Provides the ability to enter other activity entries for a specific employee at the clock.

 

Supervisor Override w/o Verification: Only a supervisor can perform this action. If an employee attempts to clock in to work outside of their defined schedule with lockout configured they will be unable to clock in. This feature allows a supervisor to override the last punch where a schedule lockout occurred. The employee’s hand is not required. The employee’s punch will automatically be entered into the Timecard Activity Table when the reader is next polled.

 

One Button Enrollment: Only a supervisor can perform this action. Provides single button enrollment, avoiding the need to use Technical Mode to access the Enrollment menu. Supervisors must place their hand, enter the new employee’s id and then have the employee place their hand in order to create an electronic hand template.

 

View Accrual Totals: Shows accrual totals for the employee specified. Employees must enter their ID and hand after selecting this option.

 

View Last Punch: Shows the last punch for the employee specified.

 

View In/Out Board: Displays the In and Out Board one employee at a time. Used to view employee status at the clock.

 

Cancel View/Review: When viewing the In and Out board or Reviewing an Employee’s Timecard the only options available are next or previous until the last line of the In and Out Board or Timecard Report is reached. This function can be used to exit the In and Out Board or Timecard Review immediately and return to the main screen.

 

Supervisor Override w/ Verification: Only a supervisor can perform this action. If an employee attempts to clock in to work outside of their defined schedule with lockout configured they will be unable to clock in. This feature allows a supervisor to override the last punch where a schedule lockout occurred. The employee’s hand is required. The employee’s punch will automatically be entered into the

Timecard Activity Table when the reader is next polled.

 

View Hour Totals: Displays hourly totals for the employee specified. An Hourly Totals type must be selected on the General Tab of the Reader Address Configuration Form in order to use this option.

 

Review Timecard: Shows the timecard report line by line. The Cancel View/Review function can be used to exit review mode. In order to use this option the Total Hours Type must be configured in the General Tab of the Reader Address Configuration Tab.

 

Print Timecard: Prints the timecard report for the specified employee on the attached printer. Only the Scout 3000 and Scout 4000 are compatible with this option.

 

Access Control: Used to access an attached entryway. When this action is performed the current time and date are recorded in the Scout’s Memory. This information is sent to the InfiniTime software when the Scout is polled, where the information is entered into the Timecard Activity Table.

 

Function Key Setup

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can place an unlimited amount of options in one function key.   When you have more than two functions assigned to a key they will appear in sub directories of the key.  Take a look at the example below.

 

 

When you Hit the 2 button

 

 

This chain will continue depending on how many options you have chosen for this function key.

Zephyr / Luna Reader Settings

 

Terminal Mode: Specifies the default operation on the terminal. The Zephyr, Juno, and Luna Terminals supports only Time and Attendance.

 

Hour Display: Select the desired time format for display at the clock. The terminal can display time in a 12 or 24 hour format.

 

Date Format: Select the desired date format for display at the clock.

 

Volume Percentage: Specify the desired volume level for the terminal. Valid Values are 0 to 100.

 

Disable Keypad Beep: If this box is checked the keys on the terminal will no longer beep when pressed.

 

Lock Power Button: Disables the power button. Users will not be able to turn the Zephyr Terminal off using the power button.

 

Use Daylight Savings Time: Enables daylight savings time on the clock.

 

Disable Voice Prompt: Turns off all voice messages at the clock.

 

Disable PIN Entry - If this option is checked the password will be randomized when employee information is sent to the clock. If an employee attempts to punch in or out using the PIN Entry feature they will not be able to punch in or out as the password is a randomly generated value. This essentially locks employees out from using the PIN Entry feature. Employees will be required to punch in and out using their fingerprint.

 

Do Not Require Password With PIN - If this option is checked the terminal will not prompt employees for their password when using the PIN Entry feature. Employees will still be able to punch in and out using their fingerprint if desired.

 

Do Not Allow Other Activity Entry: Disables other activity entry at the clock.

 

Do Not Allow Department Switching: Disables department switching at the clock.

 

Do Not Allow Job Switching - If this option is checked Job information will not be sent to the Zephyr Terminal. Employees will not be able to switch between jobs.

Valid Telephone Numbers

 

In the Valid Telephone Numbers section of the Telephone Punch Update form you can input telephone numbers that the employee can call from to clock in or out using the InfiniTime Telephone Punch. The Telephone punch system will use caller Id to see if the employee is calling from a valid telephone number, if that number is not in the list then the system will not allow the employee to clock in or out.

 

To insert a valid telephone number click on insert and type in the telephone number the employee can use to call in, you can input several telephone numbers here.

 

 

Also you can set a schedule of when an employee can call in to punch, if the employee tries to call outside of schedule the software will not accept the transaction.  To set a default schedule for a particular telephone number click on the default schedule tab.

 

 

In the Default Schedule Tab you can insert a schedule of when this valid phone number is available to be used.  Click on the Quick Schedule Button to create the schedule.

 

 

Start Time - In this field you can enter the start time of when this valid phone number is available to be used.

 

End Time - In this field you can enter the end time of when this valid phone number is available to be used.

 

Valid From - Is the date in which the schedule will start to be valid.

 

Valid To - Is the date in which the schedule will end being valid.

 

NOTE: The Valid From and Valid To fields are not required, if the fields are blank then the schedule will always be valid.

 

Copy Button - The copy button will copy the schedule from a particular weekday to other weekdays.

Telephone Punch Settings

 

The Telephone Punch Settings allow you to set the telephone punch options:

 

History & Undo Tools

History & Undo Tools Introduction

InfiniTime includes several utilities, as summarized below, which can be used to add or alter Time and Attendance Data for multiple employees at a time. Since the possibility for accidental or improper use of these utilities exists, InfiniTime retains a log of all Purge, Quick Punch, Quick Schedule, and Supervisor Review actions. In this way, InfiniTime Administrators can undo unintended alterations.

 

Utility

 Purpose
Purge Deletes all Timecard Activity for a specific Date Range for selected Employee(s).
Quick Punch Inserts Punches for Selected Employees for all dates in the Specified Date range.
Quick Schedule

Creates Gannt Chart Schedules for Selected Employees for all dates in the specified Date Range.

Supervisor Review Marks Employee Timecard Records in the specified Date Range as reviewed for Selected Employees.

 

Details on how to access and utilize the History & Undo Tools for each of the utilities above are provided below.

Purge History Introduction

The InfiniTime Purge History Tool maintains a running list of all purge actions that have been performed since database creation. Using the Undo feature any action can be undone. Should users make a mistake or remove information not intended for removal data can easily be restored using the Purge History Tool.

 

Accessing Purge History

 

 

 

 

 

View – Displays information related to the purge action. The date range timecard activity was purged from, employees the purge action was performed on, and the employee that performed the purge action are all listed.

 

 

Insert – Click on Insert to purge employee activity. The action will be saved in the Purge History Table.

 

 

Description – Enter a descriptive name for the action you are performing. This description will be entered into the Purge History table. Using detailed descriptions will help users identify the record in the Purge History Table should the action need to be undone in the future.

 

Date Range – All Timecard Activity for specified employees that falls within this date range will be purged from the software.

 

Filter – Use the Employee Filter to select which employee(s) activity will be purged for.

 

Undo – InfiniTime keeps a record of all Timecard Activity that was removed by a specific purge action. Should the user decide that they want to restore that data for any reason the Undo Feature can be utilized. All activity that was originally removed by the purge action will be restored

 

Technical Note: The Undo Feature takes a snapshot of current settings. Using the Undo Button simply instructs the software to restore the settings that were saved in this snapshot. The snapshot is taken before the changes specified by the purge action are applied. For example, lets say all of the Timecard Activity before 1/1/2005 is considered archivable and no longer required within the InfiniTime Application. A purge could be executed from 1/1/2000 when the company in this example started using the software to 1/1/2005. The Purge History Window saves a snapshot of all activity within this date range. Should the undo feature be used all activity within this date range will be restored. If any punches were manually added to the system between the date range of 1/1/2000 to 1/1/2005 after the purge action they would remain unaltered.

 

Delete – Removes the highlighted purge history record from the Purge History Table. Once a record is removed from the Purge History Table its actions cannot be undone. Default security role configuration permits purge record removal by the software administrator or payroll clerks in order to prevent actions from being undone in the future.

Undoing a Previous Purge Action

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Punch History Introduction

The InfiniTime Quick Punch History Tool maintains a running list of all quick punch actions that have been performed since database creation. Using the Undo feature any action can be undone. Should users make a mistake or add information for the wrong employees the Quick Punch History Tool makes it easy to remove incorrect Timecard Activity entries.

 

Accessing the Quick Punch History Tool:

 

 

 

 

 

View – Displays information related to the quick punch action. The date range timecard activity was inserted, employees the activity was inserted for, and the related punch pair times are all listed.

 

 

Insert – Click on Insert to insert a Quick Punch. The action will be saved in the Quick Punch History Table.

 

Undo – InfiniTime keeps a record of all Timecard Activity that was inserted by a specific quick punch action. Should the user decide that they want to remove that data for any reason the Undo Feature can be utilized. All activity that was originally inserted by the quick punch action will be removed.

 

Technical Note: The Undo Feature takes a snapshot of current settings. Using the Undo Button simply instructs the software to restore the settings that were saved in this snapshot. The snapshot is taken before the changes specified by the quick punch action are applied. For example, lets say Quick Punch was used to add activity from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM for all employees by accident. Should the undo feature be used all activity added by the Quick Punch will be removed. If any punches  added by the quick punch were manually edited after the quick punch these changes will be lost. All activity records added by the quick punch will be removed from the system.

 

Delete – Removes the highlighted Quick Punch history record from the Quick Punch History Table. Once a record is removed from the Quick Punch History Table its actions cannot be undone. Default security role configuration permits purge record removal by the software administrator or payroll clerks in order to prevent actions from being undone in the future.

Inserting a Quick Punch

 

Description – Enter a descriptive name for the action you are performing. This description will be entered into the Quick Punch History table. Using detailed descriptions will help users identify the record in the Quick Punch History Table should the action need to be undone in the future.

 

Date Range – All Timecard Activity for specified employees that falls within this date range will be purged from the software.

 

Punch Type - Use the drop down menu to select the type of punch, choose from regular punch, schedule punch, single punch, or other activity.

 

Regular Punch - Inserts a set of punches. The first time specified is the clock in time, while the second time specified is the clock out time.

 

Scheduled Punch - Inserts punches according to the employees schedule. For example if the employee is scheduled to work from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM InfiniTime will automatically clock the employee in at 8:00 AM and out at 5:00 PM.

 

Single Punch - Inserts a single punch. InfiniTime automatically determines the punch type based upon the timecard activity already present on the date where the single punch is inserted.

 

Other Activity - Inserts other activity such as holiday time, vacation time, sick time, and personal time.

 

Use Default Department - if this is checked the punches will be posted using the default department of the employee, if not checked you can choose a department using the magnify glass or typing in the department name to post those punches.

 

Use Default Job - if this is checked the punches will be posted using the default Job of the employee, if not checked you can choose a Job using the magnify glass or typing in the Job name to post those punches.

 

Use Default Task - if this is checked the punches will be posted using the default Task of the employee, if not checked you can choose a Task using the magnify glass or typing in the Task name to post those punches.

 

Start Time – Enter the time that employees specified by the employee filter started working.

 

End Time – Displays the time that employees specified by the employee filter stopped working. This field is automatically updated by the Duration and cannot be edited directly.

 

Duration – Enter the number of hours worked by employees specified by the employee filter. The End Time will automatically be updated by this value. For example, if the Start Time was set to 8:00 AM and 8 were entered into the Duration, the End Time would automatically update to 4:00 PM.

 

Add Duplicate Punches - Unless this box is checked InfiniTime will compare the punches being inserted to those already in the database when performing a Quick Punch. Any duplicate punches will be ignored. For example the image below shows an employee working from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM on 1/17/2008. If a supervisor were to attempt to insert a punch on 1/17/2008 from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM using quick punch then the punches would not be inserted unless Add Duplicate Punches was checked.

 

 

Weekday Only – If this is checked it will only insert punches for weekdays only and not the weekend, Saturday and Sunday.

 

Description – Used for Auditing Purposes, any information typed into this box will be saved to the Audit Trail for all inserted punches. This information can then be viewed using the Audit feature at a later date.

 

Filter – Use the Employee Filter to select which employee(s) activity will be inserted for.

Undoing a Previous Quick Punch Action

Determine which record in the Quick Punch History table corresponds to the action that you wish to undo. Viewing the record to see information about the Quick Punch can assist with this decision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Schedule History Introduction

The InfiniTime Quick Schedule History Tool maintains a running list of all schedules that have been performed using the quick schedule function. Using the Undo feature any action can be undone.

 

Accessing Quick Schedule History

 

 

 

 

 

View – Displays information related to the quick schedule action. The date range of the schedule added, and the description of the schedule.

 

 

Insert – Click on Insert to create a schedule. The action will be saved in the Quick Schedule History Table.

 

 

Undo – InfiniTime keeps a record of all schedule records inserted by a specific quick punch action. Should the user decide they want to remove that data for any reason the Undo Feature can be utilized. All schedule records originally inserted by the quick punch action will be removed.

 

Technical Note: The Undo Feature takes a snapshot of current settings. Using the Undo Button simply instructs the software to restore the settings that were saved in this snapshot. The snapshot is taken before the changes specified by the Quick Schedule action are applied. For example, lets say Quick Schedule was used to add a schedule from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM for all employees by accident. Should the undo feature be used all schedule records added by the Quick Punch will be removed. If any schedules added by the quick punch were manually edited after the quick schedule these changes will be lost. All activity records added by the quick punch will be removed from the system.

 

Delete – Removes the highlighted Quick Punch history record from the Quick Punch History Table. Once a record is removed from the Quick Punch History Table its actions cannot be undone. Default security role configuration permits purge record removal by the software administrator or payroll clerks in order to prevent actions from being undone in the future.

Supervisor Review History Introduction

The InfiniTime Supervisor Review History Tool maintains a running list of all review actions that have been performed since database creation. Using the Undo feature any action can be undone. Should users make a mistake or accidentally review activity for the wrong employees the Supervisor Review History Tool makes it easy to revert Timecard Activity entries to their original un-reviewed status.

 

Accessing the Supervisor Review History Tool:

 

 

 

 

 

View – Displays information related to the Timecard Activity Review action. The date range timecard activity was reviewed, employees activity was reviewed for, and the record description are all listed.

 

 

Insert – Click on Insert to review timecard activity. The action will be saved in the Supervisor Review History Table.

 

Undo – InfiniTime keeps a record of all Timecard Activity that was marked as reviewed by a specific review action. Should the user decide that they want to return that data to its original un-reviewed state for any reason the Undo Feature can be utilized.

 

Insert – Click on Insert to insert a Quick Punch. The action will be saved in the Quick Punch History Table.

 

Undo –InfiniTime keeps a record of all Timecard Activity that was inserted by a specific quick punch action. Should the user decide that they want to remove that data for any reason the Undo Feature can be utilized. All activity that was originally inserted by the quick punch action will be removed.

 

Technical Note: The Undo Feature takes a snapshot of current settings. Using the Undo Button simply instructs the software to restore the settings that were saved in this snapshot. The snapshot is taken before the changes specified by the review action are applied. For example, lets say a supervisor accidentally reviewed activity for all employees by neglecting to configure the employee filter. Should the undo feature be used all review records added by the review action will be removed.

 

Delete – Removes the highlighted Supervisor Review history record from the Supervisor Review History Table. Once a record is removed from the Supervisor Review Table its actions cannot be undone. Default security role configuration permits purge record removal by the software administrator or payroll clerks in order to prevent actions from being undone in the future.

Inserting a Supervisor Review

 

Description – Enter a descriptive name for the action you are performing. This description will be entered into the Supervisor Review History table. Using detailed descriptions will help users identify the record in the Supervisor Review History Table should the action need to be undone in the future.

 

Date Range – All Timecard Activity for specified employees that falls within this date range will be marked as reviewed.

 

Filter – Use the Employee Filter to select which employee(s) activity will be reviewed for.

Undoing a previous Review Action

Determine which record in the Supervisor Review History table corresponds to the action that you wish to undo. Viewing the record to see information about the Review action can assist with this decision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clock Tools Introduction

Polled Information

Polled Information keeps track of all employee activity that has been received from external hardware readers and the InfiniTime Employee Module. Polled Information cannot be emptied, as it provides a data archive for the Employee Timecards. Should employees accidentally remove all employee activity by incorrectly deleting records, employee data can be reposted from Polled Information.

 

Accessing Polled Information:

 

 

 

 

 

Repost

 

Employee Timecard activity can be reposted to the Timecard Table in the event of accidental activity deletion or if activity needs to be restored to its original form for any reason.

 

Reposting Employee Timecard Activity:

 

 

     

      

 

     

 

 

System Monitor Window

System Monitor is designed to give InfiniTime Administrators an overview of automated processes performed by the InfiniTime Application. The last automated backup, Import, Export, Payroll Export, and Report process dates are shown. In order to understand the information presented in the system monitor window it is important to understand the nature of the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service. The InfiniTime Housekeeping Service is responsible for all automated tasks performed by the InfiniTime Application. In addition the list of automated processes above this also includes polling.

 

The InfiniTime Housekeeping service is a multi-threaded process that operates in a round robin manner beginning with polling and related processes. InfiniTime checks the last poll date and time of each clock sequentially according to a unique system identification number. It compares the last poll date and time to the current time and date to determine if it is time to update or poll the clock again. This same procedure is also performed for the Last Data Update Date and Time for each clock. Regular housekeeping routines such as checking the database for exceptions or automated exports and reports are performed separately from polling functions which allows the InfiniTime Housekeeping service to simultaneously poll time and attendance information while processing automated tasks. As the cycle is completed for each automated task the date and time to the right of each automated process will be updated as it is completed.

 

Should the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service encounter errors when attempting to communicate with a clock the Last Poll time will be updated with the current time and the service will move on to the next clock in the sequence. Additional attempts at communication will occur every polling cycle. If a maximum number of communication errors is specified the service will stop communication with the clock if the specified number of errors occur.

 

It should be noted that the system monitor does not refresh automatically to show updates for the status of clocks or automatic processes. In order to view the latest details the refresh button must be used. The System Monitor window has two refresh buttons, one within the grid where hardware terminals are listed and the other at the bottom left of the form. The refresh button within the hardware terminal grid only updates the information within the grid, while the refresh button at the bottom left of the form updates the entire system monitor window.

 

Accessing the System Monitor:

 

 

 

 

 

  Force Poll: Checks for punches on the selected clock. If any punches are found the punch will be stored in the InfiniTime database and removed from the clock.

 

 Update Reader: Forces the software to clear the Last Data Update Date and Last Data Update Time fields. The InfiniTime Housekeeping Service will update the clock on its next pass through the reader processing loop.

The InfiniTime Housekeeping Service

InfiniTime includes multiple automatic tasks such as sending reports to a printer or via email, creating backup files, importing employee related information, exporting employee related information, exporting payroll related information, and polling clocks. These automated tasks are performed by the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service in addition to other tasks such as tracking exceptions. The InfiniTime Housekeeping service must be running in order for these automatic processes to occur as expected.

 

Starting and Stopping the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service

 

The InfiniTime Housekeeping Service can be started and stopped using the computer management console.

 

To Start the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service:

 

Right Click on My Computer and Click on Manage

 

 

Click on the + to the left of Services and Applications in order to expand the list.

 

 

Click on Services to view the list of services installed on your machine.

 

 

Locate InfiniTime Housekeeping Service in the list.

 

 

Right click on the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service and click start.

 

 

 

To Stop the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service:

 

Right Click on My Computer and Click on Manage

 

 

Click on the + to the left of Services and Applications in order to expand the list.

 

 

Click on Services to view the list of services installed on your machine.

 

 

Locate InfiniTime Housekeeping Service in the list.

 

 

Right click on the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service and click stop.

 

 

 

Housekeeping Procedures and Logic

 

The InfiniTime Housekeeping service operates in a round robin manner beginning with polling and related processes. InfiniTime checks the last poll date and time of each clock sequentially according to a unique system identification number. It compares the last poll date and time to the current time and date to determine if it is time to update or poll the clock again. This same procedure is also performed for the Last Data Update Date and Time for each clock. After checking the poll and update timestamps of each clock and attempting to communicate with each clock when necessary the InfiniTime Housekeeping Services will perform regular housekeeping routines such as checking the database for exceptions or automated exports and processes. The date and time to the right of each automated process will be updated as it is completed.

 

Should the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service encounter errors when attempting to communicate with a clock the Last Poll time will be updated with the current time and the service will move on to the next clock in the sequence. Additional attempts at communication will occur every polling cycle. If a maximum number of communication errors is specified the service will stop communication with the clock if the specified number of errors occur.

 

Poll and Update Procedure

 

The most prominent and logically complicated procedure performed by the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service is related to polling punches and activity from external devices such as badge readers, fingerprint readers, and hand geometry readers. This procedure is outlined below.

 

1.) Beginning with the first clock inserted into the system the Housekeeping service compares the last poll time with the current time in order to determine if the clock should be polled. If the polling interval specified for the clock has elapsed the clock will be polled. Any time and attendance punches, access control punches, or other activity entries stored on the clock will be polled to the database and removed from the clock. Recommended polling times can be found in the TCP/IP Clock Settings section of this document.

 

2.) Beginning with the first clock inserted into the system the Housekeeping service compares the last update time with the current time in order to determine if the clock should be updated. If the update interval specified for the clock has elapsed the clock will be updated with all employee information currently in the system. The employees sent to the clock are subject to multiple conditions. Employees with alphanumeric characters in the Login ID or Login Password fields will not be uploaded to a clock. Additionally the employees sent to a clock are subject to the employee filters as configured on the Reader Address Update form. It is important to note that hand templates or fingerprint templates will be removed from the clock for any employees that are not present in the InfiniTime Software Application as appropriate during the update procedure.

 

Note: Hand templates are only removed from Scout Terminals if the 'Maximum Template Security' Option is enabled. Fingerprint templates will always be removed from fingerprint readers such as the Thor for employees that have not been inserted in the InfiniTime Application.

 

3.) If an error should occur during a poll the last poll time will be updated with the current time and the housekeeping service will proceed to the next clock in the sequence.

 

4.) If an error should occur during an update the last poll time will be updated with the current time and the housekeeping service will proceed to the next clock in the sequence.

 

5.) If the poll and update processes complete without errors the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service continues on to the next reader in the sequence and repeats the above processes. When the last reader in the sequence has been processed the polling procedures are complete and the InfiniTime Housekeeping service will begin the polling procedures anew.

 

6.) If a clock is polled manually using the Force Poll Button on the system monitor the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service will automatically break from its normal sequence to poll these clocks. This reduces the wait time for force polling clocks on installations with multiple clocks.

 

Troubleshooting the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service

 

The InfiniTime Housekeeping Service is responsible for communicating with all readers and time keeping devices connected to the InfiniTime Software Application. If you should notice your employees are able to punch in and out on your time clock but the punches do not appear in the InfiniTime Application there could be several reasons why communication between the InfiniTime Application and your time clock(s) is failing. A list of typical issues and resolutions are listed below.

 

 

Unassigned Punches

Unassigned punches occur when an employee punches in on a timeclock, such as the Schlage Scout 2000 or Thor, using an id or badge that is not recognized by the software. Rather than ignoring the punch altogether because it cannot immediately be assigned to an employee, InfiniTime records these punches in the Unassigned Punches Table. Managers can then manually assign the punches as needed.

 

Accessing Unassigned Punches

 

 

 

 

 

The upper grid shows the Badge Id or ID and password that has unassigned punches. Clicking on this entry will populate the lower grid, showing all unassigned punches for the selected ID.

 

Situational Examples that would result in Unassigned Punches:

 

RSI Clocks:

 

Situation: Company A runs a 24/7 manufacturing operation. Payroll and office workers work until 5:00 PM while factory shifts work around the clock. Payroll employees install InfiniTime and setup the clocks during their work day, they are unable to complete employee setup for all employees before they leave for the day. A factory shift begins at 6:00 PM, the shift supervisor enrolls his employees in the Hand Punch and instructs them on its use. Employees begin punching and the Timecard Activity is stored in the Hand Reader. The next morning payroll polls Timecard Activity from the reader and all of the punches come across as unassigned because the employees have yet to be setup in the software.

 

Resolution: The employee responsible for managing the InfiniTime software will insert all of the employees into the software, making sure that the ID used by each employee the night before is assigned to them. It may be necessary to check with the Shift Supervisor or even the employees themselves regarding what ID they were enrolled with. The unassigned punches table may then be used to assign the punches accordingly.

 

Synel Clocks:

 

Situation: Should validate employee be disabled, see Synel Clock Configuration for more information, any badge of the appropriate coding and length will read when swiped through the Synel Card Reader. Should the badge number encoded into the card not be associated with an employee then the punch will be considered unassigned. This will occur if employees forget their badge and simply use a spare for the day.

 

Resolution: The punches can simply be assigned to the employee using the unassigned punches table to rectify the issue.

 

Zephyr Clocks:

 

Situation: If an employee is enrolled at the Zephyr Terminal using the User Manage - Add User option and is not present within the InfiniTime software any punches made with the badge assigned to this employee will come into the InfiniTime Software as unassigned. It is important to ensure employee information is configured within the InfiniTime Software and sent to the Zepyhr Terminal rather than entering employees at the clock itself.

 

Resolution: Ensure all employees have been added to the InfiniTime Database in the employee table. Assign a badge to the employee and enter the badge number on the Login Tab of the Employee's Record. Update the Zepyhr Clock. This will prevent unassigned punches from occurring in the future. Be sure to assign the punches that have already been polled into the InfiniTime database to the employee(s) after they have been added to the system.

 

Situation: If an employee's badge is changed within the InfiniTime Software the employee will be able to punch in and out with the old badge until the Zepyhr Clock has been updated. If they punch using their old badge, which is no longer in the InfiniTime Software, the punches will be considered unassigned.

 

Resolution: After changing important information such as employee Badge Numbers, Login IDs, Passwords, or Employee IDs be sure to update your clocks. This will send the information to the clock preventing employees from swiping with their old badge or punching using their old employee id. Ensure any punches that have already been polled into the database as unassigned punches are assigned to the correct employee(s).

 

Luna Clocks:

 

Situation: If an employee's Login ID is changed within the InfiniTime Software the employee will be able to punch in and out with the old badge until the Luna Clock has been updated. If they punch using their old badge, which is no longer in the InfiniTime Software, the punches will be considered unassigned.

 

Resolution: After changing important information such as employee Badge Numbers, Login IDs, Passwords, or Employee IDs be sure to update your clocks. This will send the information to the clock preventing employees from swiping with their old badge or punching using their old employee id. Ensure any punches that have already been polled into the database as unassigned punches are assigned to the correct employee(s).

Import Introduction

The Import and Export Data selections greatly extend the functionality of InfiniTime. These functions allow you to import and export data collected with InfiniTime or compatible third-party applications such as Microsoft Excel.  InfiniTime imports and exports ASCII comma separated and quotation delimited text. Additionally, data can be exported as a dBASE file (DBF) readable by dBASE spreadsheet software. For instructions on how to prepare and import data from a comma delimited file refer to the section of this document entitled Performing an Import.

 

Warning! Be sure to backup InfiniTime prior to importing data so that you will have a copy of original data, in case there is a problem with the imported data.

 

Accessing the InfiniTime Import Table:

 

 

The Import Definition Table will be displayed as shown below.

 

 

Import Button   -  The import button allows you to highlight an already saved import structure and import it.  

 

Insert Button -  The insert button will allow you to create a new import structure.  When selecting this button, the Import File Selection Table will appear.

 

Delete Button    -  This button will delete a highlighted import structure.

Target Fields Available to be imported

All fields within the InfiniTime Database that can be imported are listed within the following tables. It is important to keep in mind the nature of software and databases when attempting to perform an import. The tables in this section are comprised of six columns, Field Name, Description, Field Format,  Field type,  Required, and Valid Values. Each of these columns contain pertinent information for individuals preparing a CSV file for import into InfiniTime. An outline of each column, its contents, and how this information relates to the expected format of the CSV file for import is provided below.

 

Field Name - The name of the field as displayed within the Target Field grid of the Import Update form.

 

Description  - A general description of the contents of the field.

 

Field Format  - Provides a 'picture' of the data format. This column will contain one of three value types, a whole number, a decimal number, and an example detailing the format of the data. Examples of each value type that may be found in this field is provided below.

 

 

Example Dates using an MM/DD/YYYY Format are provided below. Note how a single digit month is preceded by a 0 in order to fill both month characters in the MM/DD/YYYY format.

 

1.) 10/31/1986   

2.)  08/01/1987

 

Field Type - Indicates the type of information the field can hold. Common field types are below. Only the characters indicated are supported by the InfiniTime Application. Use of special characters and punctuation should be avoided.

 

 

WARNING: While every attempt is made to remove characters incompatible with the chosen field type by the Import Processes care should be taken to ensure special characters and punctuation are not present in the import file. The database cannot store special characters or punctuation as employee information is sent to hardware terminals supported by InfiniTime. These hardware terminals have special database requirements which do not provide support for punctuation or special characters.

 

Required  - Indicates if a field is required. Required fields must have a column from the import file mapped to them in order for records to be successfully imported. A value of 'Y' in this column indicates a field is required. A value of 'N' in this column indicates a field is not required. A value of 'P' indicates the field is not required in order to successfully import records however you will be prompted to enter the information manually when editing the record for the first time. For example if employee supervisors are not imported when importing employees then the software will prompt the user to enter the employee's supervisor when attempting to edit the employee record.

 

Valid Values - Some fields such as spin boxes give users the ability to select a value from a predetermined list of items. Only the predetermined values may be imported into these fields. Valid values have been listed for fields that are restricted to a predetermined list of items. Be sure to verify the proper case of the information that is to be imported. For example the Type field within Timecard Files has two predetermined values, Clock In and Clock Out. 'clock out' is not the same as 'Clock Out' and will not be recognized by the import.

 

Link to Table - Many fields available for import link to a separate table within the InfiniTime Database. When mapping values to these fields remember the data must exist in the destination table. For example it is not possible to assign existing employees to the 'Florida Employees' group using the Employee Group File if the 'Florida Employees' group does not exist. This example applies to the 'Link to Group Description Table' field.

 

Employee File - Creates Employee Records

 

 

Department File - Creates Department Records

 

 

Employee Accrual Totals File - Updates Existing Employee Accrual Total Records

 

 

Importing Employee Accrual Base Amounts

 

In order to import employee Accrual Base Amounts, the following conditions must be met:

 

 

Other Activity Type File - Creates Other Activity types

 

 

 

Groups Level File - Creates Group Levels

 

 

Groups Description File - Creates Groups

 

 

Employee Groups File - Assigns Existing Groups to Existing Employees

 

 

Importing Employee Group Assignments

 

In order to import Employee Group Assignments, the following conditions must be met:

 

 

Employee Shifts File - Assigns Existing Shifts to an existing Employee

 

 

Note: Employees can only be assigned to a shift which is configured to be Used for Scheduling. If the shift specified for an import record does not have the Used For Scheduling option enabled, the record will be skipped.

Note: Shifts do not have to exist in the software in order to perform the import however schedules cannot be imported and must be configured manually for each shift created by the import process. For this reason, most customers choose to create shifts and define the schedule for each shift before importing employee shift assignments. Shifts created during the import process will have the Used for Scheduling option enabled automatically.

 

Employee Timecard file - Creates Employee Timecard Punches

 

 

Note: When Importing Employee Timecards it is important to ensure duplicate records present in the import file will be ignored. To ensure duplicate punches, or punches for a specific employee with the same Time and Date, are not imported Date and Time must be tagged on the Duplicate Checking Tab as outlined below.

 

1. Click on the Duplicate Checking tab after selecting a source file.

2. Type Date in the search box and click on the Search Button.

3. Click Tag.

4. Type Time in the search box and click on the Search Button.

5. Click Tag.

6. Ensure 'Ingore It' is selected for 'If Duplicates are found:'

6. Continue configuring the Import.

 

Activity Job Information File - Creates Activity Jobs

 

 

Activity Task Information File - Creates Activity Tasks

 

 

Employee Badges File - Creates Employee Alternate Badges

 

 

Employee Schedules File - Creates Employee Schedule Gannt Chart Entries

 

 

Importing Employee Schedules

 

The Employee Schedules File import type makes it possible to import GANNT Chart Schedules for employees. As indicated by the table above the Link to Employee Table, Link to Department Table, Schedule Date, Schedule Begin Time, and Schedule End Time Fields must be filled in order for a schedule record to be created by the import. The Employee Schedules File Import Type supports Working, Paid Break, and Unpaid Break schedules by setting the Schedule Type to the appropriate value. If the Schedule Type is left blank or is not mapped, then the Schedule Type defaults to working. Example records, with map by name headers, are provided below to illustrate the format for each schedule type.

 

Importing Schedule Records

 

The example records below will result in the following schedules:

 

Employee 1

            9:00 AM 1:00 PM Working                   Department 2, Job 1, Task 1

            1:00 PM 2:00 PM Paid Break               Department 2, Job 1, Task 1

            2:00 PM 6:00 PM Working                   Department 1, Job 2, Task 2

 

Employee 2

            12:00 PM 2:00 PM Working                 Department 1, Job 1, Task 1

            2:00 PM 3:00 PM Unpaid Break           Department 1, Job 1, Task 1

            3:00 PM 8:00 PM Working                   Department 1, Job 1, Task 1

 

Link to Employee Table

 

Link To Department Table

 

Schedule Date

 

Schedule Begin Time

 

Schedule End Time

 

Schedule Type

 

Link to Other Activity Type Table

 

Link To Activity Job Table

 

Link To Activity Task Table

 

1

2

04/1/2010

09:00 AM

01:00 PM

Working

 

Job 1

Task 1

1

2

04/1/2010

01:00 PM

02:00 PM

Paid Break

 

Job 1

Task 1

1

1

04/1/2010

02:00 PM

06:00 PM

Working

 

Job 2

Task 2

2

1

04/1/2010

12:00 PM

02:00 PM

Working

 

Job 1

Task 1

2

1

04/1/2010

02:00 PM

03:00 PM

Unpaid Break

 

 

 

2

1

04/1/2010

03:00 PM

08:00 PM

Working

 

Job 1

Task 1

 

Importing Other Activity Schedules (IE: Vacation Time)

 

The example record below will create a Vacation Schedule Record from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM on 4/2/10 in Department 1, Job 1, Task 1 for Employee 2. Note that the Schedule Type field is null. It is not necessary to fill the Schedule Type field when scheduling Other Activity.

 

 

Link to Employee Table

 

Link To Department Table

 

Schedule Date

 

Schedule Begin Time

 

Schedule End Time

 

Schedule Type

 

Link to Other Activity Type Table

 

Link To Activity Job Table

 

Link To Activity Task Table

 

2

1

04/2/2010

12:00 PM

08:00 PM

Vacation Time

 

Job 1

Task 1

 

Schedule Override For Imported Schedules

 

It should be noted that InfiniTime does not permit overlapping records on the Schedule Gannt Chart. Existing Gannt Chart Records including Working, Paid Break, Unpaid Break, Other Activity, and Scheduled Days Off on the Schedule Date for the specified employee will be deleted when schedule records are imported. Imported Schedules should be complete as they override any schedule currently defined for the given Schedule Date. Users should take care to ensure schedule records in the import file for a given schedule date do not overlap.

 

For example:

 

Proper Schedule Records Not Overlapping

 

Link to Employee Table

 

Link To Department Table

 

Schedule Date

 

Schedule Begin Time

 

Schedule End Time

 

Schedule Type

 

Link to Other Activity Type Table

 

Link To Activity Job Table

 

Link To Activity Task Table

 

1

2

04/1/2010

09:00 AM

01:00 PM

Working

 

Job 1

Task 1

1

2

04/1/2010

01:00 PM

02:00 PM

Paid Break

 

Job 1

Task 1

1

1

04/1/2010

02:00 PM

06:00 PM

Working

 

Job 2

Task 2

 

Each record is back to back with a Working Period, a Break Period, and a second working period. None of the schedule records overlap.

 

Improper Schedule Records - Overlapping

 

 

Link to Employee Table

 

Link To Department Table

 

Schedule Date

 

Schedule Begin Time

 

Schedule End Time

 

Schedule Type

 

Link to Other Activity Type Table

 

Link To Activity Job Table

 

Link To Activity Task Table

 

1

2

04/1/2010

09:00 AM

06:00 PM

Working

 

Job 1

Task 1

1

1

04/1/2010

08:00 AM

05:00 PM

Working

 

Job 2

Task 2

 

The schedule records above are for the same day for working periods that overlap. Users should ensure imported schedules do not overlap as shown above.

 

Importing Overnight Schedules using the Employee Schedules File Import Type

 

The Employee Schedules File Import Type provides support for importing schedules that cross midnight. It is not necessary to split schedules at midnight in order to import overnight schedules, the schedule must be split at midnight. An example record for an employee starting at 8:00 PM on 4/1 and working until 4:00 AM on 4/2 is displayed below.

 

For example:

 

Overnight Schedule Record that Crosses Midnight

 

Link to Employee Table

 

Link To Department Table

 

Schedule Date

 

Schedule Begin Time

 

Schedule End Time

 

Schedule Type

 

Link to Other Activity Type Table

 

Link To Activity Job Table

 

Link To Activity Task Table

 

1

2

04/1/2010

08:00 PM

04:00 AM

Working

 

Job 1

Task 1

Import File Creation and Editing

A Brief Warning: Editing Comma Delimited  (.CSV) Files

 

There are several applications available for editing comma delimited files such as those used for importing and exporting in InfiniTime. Microsoft Excel is available to most users and is commonly used to edit comma delimited files. Many users do not realize the ramifications of using Excel for editing comma delimited files. Excel does not display the exact contents of a field in a .CSV file for editing. Excel attempts to identify the format of the field though in some cases the data is altered during this process. When a .CSV file is opened in Excel leading zeroes are stripped from fields and Date - Time Stamps are automatically formatted to show only the Time Stamp. These automatic alterations can cause undesired changes to a file if the user does not take steps to return the data to its original format.

Due to these inherent issues with editing comma delimited files in Excel it is recommended to use other applications such as Notepad or Wordpad for editing .CSV files.  Should you decide to use Excel be sure to pay extra attention to the formatting of fields containing Numeric or Date information.

 

Creating your Import File: A Typical Procedure to Prepare Data for Import.

 

In today's electronic world most companies have their employee data available in an electronic format in one form or another. The information may be saved in an excel spreadsheet, stored in a SQL or Access Database, or kept in a payroll application. Employee data from other applications can often be exported in a comma delimited format which in turn can be imported into the InfiniTime Software. When importing information from a third party application there are a few key items, as listed below, which require attention.

 

 

Importing Employee Information: What information is required and what optional information should I import?

 

While it is important to know what information can and cannot be imported into the InfiniTime software it is also important to recognize what information should be imported based upon the features you are currently using within the InfiniTime software. For example if Security Filters and Groups have been implemented in order to allow supervisors to see only employees within their group it is important to ensure each employee has the appropriate group assigned the them. In this case you would want to make sure the information required to import groups is included in each employee record. A list of  commonly used optional features and the information used by each is listed below.

 

Filtering by Groups - Supervisor access is often restricted by providing access only to the individuals a supervisor is responsible for. This is accomplished by configuring the Supervisor's Security Filters and assigning specific groups to the supervisor. Employees must be assigned to the proper group in order for supervisor's to access their record.

Employee Messaging - By default Employee's only have the ability to send a message to their supervisor. If supervisor's are not configured properly the message will not reach the intended recipient.

 

Escort Windows - Escort Windows allow users to access custom designed portals to the InfiniTime software. An Escort must be assigned to an employee in order for them to access the Escort Module.

 

Access Control - Access Control Groups are used to designate which users have access to an entryway and at what times they are permitted to enter and exit. Access Control Groups must be assigned to an employee in order for them to use the Access Control Systems.

 

Holidays - Holiday Schedule Types are configured according to a company's policy for paid Holiday time. A holiday type must be assigned to employees in order for them to automatically receive paid holiday time.

 

Accruals - Accrual types are configured according to a company's policy for Vacation and Sick Time. An accrual type must be assigned to employees in order for them to accrue sick time or vacation time automatically.

 

Security Role - Security Roles govern access to the InfiniTime Application. If security roles are not specified in an import file all employees will default to the Employee Role.

 

Note: Some information such as Default Schedules and Security Filter Settings cannot be imported. It is important to ensure this information is configured appropriately after the import has been performed.

Note: Many of the above settings can be assigned to employees using Quick Assign. In some cases it may be easier to use quick assign to configure the settings appropriately after new employees have been imported into the software rather than configuring the import file. Some items such as Escort, Holiday Settings, and Accrual Types also have a default setting. The default setting will be automatically assigned to new employee records created with the Import Feature.

 

Preparing a Comma Delimited File for Import: Ensuring proper data format.

 

If employee data is not formatted correctly the record will not be imported. To ensure correct data format refer to the tables listed under the topic 'Target Fields Available For Import' A section of the Employee Information table is displayed below showing some of the fields that can be imported along with compatible format information. Each column of an import file and the data contained therein should be compared to this list in order to ensure proper data format before performing an import.

 

 

Data Type - The data type is described by the Field Type Column. This column indicates the type of information the field can hold. Common field types are below. Only the characters indicated are supported by the InfiniTime Application. Use of special characters and punctuation should be avoided.

 

 

As shown above the Employee ID is an alphanumeric value. A combination of letters and numbers can be stored in the Employee ID up to a maximum of 50 Characters.

 

A note on importing numeric values: When importing numeric values into an Alphanumeric field the numeric value should be enclosed in quotes within the Comma Delimited File. This ensures the value will not be treated as a date or a number upon import.

 

Data Length and Format - The length and format are described by the Field Format Column. This column will contain one of three value types, a whole number, a decimal number, and an example detailing the format of the data. Examples of each value type that may be found in this field are provided below.

 

 

As shown above the Employee Middle Initial is an alphanumeric field and can hold one character. If you decide to import the middle initial ensure only one character is present in the Middle Initial Column. The middle initial field is intended only for a single character and cannot store a middle name or punctuation.

 

Required -  Indicates if a field is required. Required fields must have a column from the import file mapped to them in order for records to be successfully imported, even if you are only updating employee information. A value of 'Y' in this column indicates a field is required. A value of 'N' in this column indicates a field is not required. A value of 'P' indicates the field is not required in order to successfully import records however you will be prompted to enter the information manually when editing the record for the first time. For example if an employee supervisors are not imported when importing employees then the software will prompt the user to enter the employee's supervisor when attempting to edit the employee record.

 

Required fields must be present in the import file and mapped to the appropriate field. Required fields for importing employees are listed below:

 

 

NOTE: As detailed above required fields must be present within the import file in order for the import to complete successfully. Even if you simply wish to update employee personal information such as Addresses and Emergency Contact information the required fields listed above must be present in the import file. These values are compared with multiple tables in the InfiniTime Application to ensure the appropriate record is being updated and no duplicates exist. If this information is not provided properly a blank employee record will generally be created. Blank records do not have a first or last name and should be deleted.

 

Valid Values - Some fields such as spin boxes give users the ability to select a value from a predetermined list of items. Only the predetermined values may be imported into these fields. Valid values have been listed for fields that are restricted to a predetermined list of items. Be sure to verify the proper case of the information that is to be imported. For example the Type field within Timecard Files has two predetermined values, Clock In and Clock Out. clock out is not the same as Clock Out and will not be recognized by the import.

 

As shown in the table above the Employee Pay Method has five valid values. These values are Hourly, Other, Pay On Hold, Per Diem, and Salary. Only these values can be imported into InfiniTime. Keep in mind these values are case sensitive.

 

Override - If desired the Override option can be used in leu if editing the import file. For example if your payroll system exports M or S for married and single these values can be imported directly using the override feature by configuring a conditional override. A conditional override searches for a specific term and imports another value when the term is matched. IE: IF Marriage Status = M then Import Married. Refer to Import Configuration: Override for more information on the override feature.

 

Import File Headers and Mapping Destination Fields - Map By Name

 

While some applications may not include a header record when exporting a comma delimited file it is often best to ensure a header record exists and includes the correct information. If column headers are set to the same name as the field within InfiniTime the Map By Name button can be used to simplify the mapping process. To identify the appropriate header to use for each column of your import file follow the procedure below:

 

1.) Identify which field the information you are importing corresponds to. For example employees are generally assigned a unique identifier. This identifier may include letters and numbers. By looking at the table of Employee Information Fields that can be imported you can quickly identify the item below as the correct field.

 

 

2.) The Field Name, or Employee ID in this case, should be used as the header for the import file.

Performing an Import

The Import File Selection Table allows you to select what type of information will be imported to the InfiniTime program.  In general the tasks below must be performed before a file can be imported. It is important to read the reference documents linked below prior to attempting to design an import file for use with InfiniTime. This will help you understand how to prepare a file for import into the InfiniTime Application.

 

1.) Prepare a comma delimited (.csv) file with the information you would like to Import into InfiniTime.  Remember, all required fields must be present in the import file - even if you are only updating employee records. IE: To update employee personal information for multiple employees at once the import file must contain the fields you wish to update (Address Line One, Address Line Two, Emergency Contact Name etc.) in addition to all required fields such as Employee ID, Employee First Name, Employee Last Name etc. Refer to Import File Creation and Editing for more information on designing an import file.

2.) Ensure all information in the import file is compatible with database constraints. In general Alphanumeric fields should only contain A to Z, spaces,  and 0 to 9 while numeric fields should only contain 0 to 9. A list of fields that can be imported into InfiniTime along with the type of data they can store is available for your reference.

3.) Create an Import Criteria to be used with the prepared import file. Be sure to specify the appropriate file type and check the option to skip the first record if your import file contains a header row.

4.) Map the fields within the file to fields within the InfiniTime Database. Be sure to perform any overrides as necessary.

5.) Save the import criteria and take a backup of the InfiniTime Database prior to performing the import. This ensures it will be possible to revert to the state of the database prior to the import if needed.

6.) Perform the import.

 

Selecting an Import File Type

 

 

Source File Options

 

The source file options tab is used to specify details about the file to be imported. Information about the format of the file and the location of the file are needed.

 

 

Import Structure Description - Enter a description for the import you are about to create.  This name will appear on the initial window for easy importing.

 

 

Comma-Separated File To Import - Click on the magnify glass and select the file you wish to import. It is important to note that changing the selected file after Mapped Fields have been defined will clear the field mappings.

 

TIP: If you need to update records in an import file for a previously created an Import with mapped fields, but do not wish to reconfigure the mapped fields, the Comma Delimited File can be copied directly to the Input Directory in the InfiniTime Program File Location on the InfiniTime Server. This should only be performed if the order of fields and field headings have not changed from the original comma delimited file selected in the Import and the new file. Additionally, the name of the original and new comma delimited files must match.

 

Maximum Records to Import - This field will allow you to specify how many records should be imported.  To import all records in the file leave this field at “0”

 

Field Separator - Enter the field separator used in your import file.  The most common used separator is the comma, however certain files may contain hyphens or other symbols.

 

 

Skip First Record - If this box is checked the first line of the import file will be ignored. This should be checked if the first line is used as a header description.

 

Double Quotation Marks - Check this box if your file has quotation marks around each field.  (ex “Jose Smith”,”111 InfiniTime™ St”,”Orange, AZ 85302”)

 

Proper Case All Imported Text – Imports all text into proper case form. (Ex. Jose Smith not jose smith)

 

Empty Source File After Import – This field should be checked if you want to empty the source file after you import.

Duplicate Checking

Duplicate checking gives you the option to look for duplicate entries in your import file compared to data that is already in the program.  Additional duplicate checking configuration is not required when importing.

 

 

If duplicate is found:

 

Add Duplicate To The File - To add the duplicate to the file without prompting or replacing the existing file, check this field. Duplicates can be stored in a text file if this option is checked. See below.

 

Store Duplicates in a text File - If this box is checked, enter a path to create a file.  This file will contain all  duplicates that the program found while importing.

 

Replace Existing Record Without Prompt - To replace the record without prompting check this field.  For example, this option should be selected if you are updating existing employee records will current contact or address information. Additionally, this option must be selected in order to import Employee Accrual Totals or Employee Group Assignments using the Employee Groups Import File Type.

 

Ignore It - If this field is checked, the program will simply ignore duplicate records completely.

 

 

This window allows you to select which fields to check for duplication.  To select a field, highlight the Field Name and click on the Button.

 

Note: When Importing Employee Timecards it is important to ensure duplicate records present in the import file will be ignored. To ensure duplicate punches, or punches for a specific employee with the same Time and Date, are not imported Date and Time must be tagged on the Duplicate Checking Tab as outlined below.

 

1. Click on the Duplicate Checking tab after selecting a source file.

2. Type Date in the search box and click on the Search Button.

3. Click Tag.

4. Type Time in the search box and click on the Search Button.

5. Click Tag.

6. Ensure 'Ingore It' is selected for 'If Duplicates are found:'

6. Continue configuring the Import.

Map Destination Fields

Mapping the destination fields is the final phase of the import process.  Here you will map the fields that reside in your import file to the fields that are in the InfiniTime program. It is important to verify all required fields are mapped when performing an import. Refer to Chapter 11 - Target Fields Available to be Imported for more information regarding required fields and import file format.

 

 

Import Fields - Import Fields appear in the grid on the left. These are from the file selection on the Source File Options tab.

 

 

Target Fields - Target Fields appear in the grid on the right. These are the fields that are in the InfiniTime Program.

 

 

How To Map The Fields

 

To map the fields, start by highlighting the Source File Field on the left side grid. Then highlight the desired target field on the right side grid. Use the grid controls to change between pages in order to see all available fields.

 

The controls in the center of the screen are used to associate the selected import field with the selected target field as detailed below.

 

– Associates the Selected Import field with the Selected Target Field. You will notice that the data in the Import grid will be displayed in the target grid after association is complete.

 

– Removes any association for the selected Target Grid Field. You will notice that the data in the Target grid will be removed.

 

– Removes all associations for the Target Grid. All data in the target grid will be removed.

 

 

 -  This button is used to remove a field that you have already dragged over onto the field mapping area. This will not permanently remove the field. It will simply put it back on the left side of the screen.

 

  - This button is used to remove a field that you have already mapped  This will not permanently remove the field.  It will simply put it back on the left side of the screen.  *THIS WILL REMOVE ALL OF THE FIELDS THAT YOU HAVE MAPPED!

 

- Select this button if the header labels  (First Line of your import file)  match the fields that you wish to import.  This will eliminate you from having to drag over the fields. This will only work if the header of your import file contains the same field names as those shown to the left of the Target Field.

 

- Select this button if all of the fields that are in your import file are in the same order as the fields in the Target Grid.  If you select this button and your file is not in the same import you can cause file corruption, be sure to take a backup before attempting to Import Employee information.

 

  - Select this button to set the date picture. It will bring up the Date Picture Form as shown below. The picture button is only available for Target Fields that have an entry in the Picture Column.

 

For example, you can specify the date format and separator used within the import file by changing the date picture and separator:

 

 

 

 

- The Override button brings up the Override option in the Import tool.  This allows the user more flexibility to customize the settings before the file is imported, i.e. the file being imported may have all the employees in separate departments, the user can select the Department link to be Department A only and all employees imported from the file will fall under Department A instead of their own individual departments.

 

 

 

Override Option Type – This drop down menu brings up a set of options to select from.  This determines the method by which the entry in the import file will be overwritten with. This drop down menu can only be viewed if a source field is assigned to the target field you are attempting to override.

 

 

The user can select from the options listed below to override the field's original value. Some options are only available for certain field types.

 

Single Value – A set value that will be a constant for each record imported into a specific field.  This will overwrite the original in the file with the phrase or word inserted by the user for all records.

 

Conditional Override – Fields that will be overwritten if a condition is met. For example if your old software listed gender as M or F you could use conditional override to replace M with Male and F with Female as InfiniTime uses the full word for gender instead of an abbreviation. This is shown in the example below. Conditional Override is supported for both Link To and regular field types.

 

 

Click insert to insert a new condition.

 

 

The IF and Then field displays will be determined by what Target Field is selected when the Override is selected.  In this example, Employee Gender is the Target Field.  To complete this form, determine what conditions must be met and fill them accordingly.

 

(i.e. If Employee Gender equals F, Then Import Employee Gender as Female.)

 

Lookup In Another Table – This option looks up information from a separate field, such as the Department or Security Role table. This is only displayed when Override is used for a “Link To” field such as Link to Department Table or Link to Security Role Table.  (i.e. Department names)

 

Parse Current Value – This option breaks down a field/record in an imported file to become a more accessible record.  For instance, if the import file has every record under one field in an Excel worksheet, it can be broken down as if it were all in separate fields.  (i.e. First and Last name are in the same field.  By parsing the field, the user can separate the First and Last name to be imported as two separate fields.)

 

The Parse position type can be either by Character, Position, or Both.  By Character it means to start or end the value by the designated character chosen by the user, (i.e. -, , “, or a space.)

 

To Parse by Position means to start or end the value by the numbered position of the characters in that record.  (i.e.  Daniel Kraus, is the record we wish to parse.  Start Position would be 1, pertaining to D.  End Position would be 6, as to L.)

 

Saving The import - To save the import structure that you have created click the OK button. Once the file is saved you will return to the Import Definition Table.  To import a saved structure,  highlight it and click on the Import button.

 

Auto Import Configuration

 

InfiniTime allows a schedule to be configured in order to perform an import automatically at a regular interval. This is often used to update employee information within the InfiniTime application from an external source on a regular basis. The following tasks must be performed prior to performing an automatic import:

 

1.) A comma delimited import file must be prepared and placed in the import directory. The import file must adhere to all database constraints.

2.) An Import Criteria must be configured for the import file. The name of the import file must always match the name specified in the Import Criteria or the import will fail.

3.) Atleast one Auto Import Schedule must be defined before an import will be performed automatically.

 

Note: The InfiniTimeHouseKeeping service must be running in order for an import to be performed automatically. The import file must be present in the Import directory with the same file name as that specified on the Import Criteria.

 

Insert – Click insert to open up the Auto Import Schedule Update Form and set a schedule.

 

Change – Click change to make any adjustments to a previously configured schedule.

 

Delete – Click delete to remove the highlighted Import Schedule.

 

 

Description – Describes the Import Schedule you are creating.

 

Frequency – This is how often the program will run the auto import.  The options are: Once, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly.

 

Date to Import– This is the date that you want the system to execute the auto import.

 

Time to Import – This is the time that you want the system to execute the auto import on the date selected above.

 

Date Last Printed – Tells you the last date the system automatically ran the import.

 

Time Last Printed – Tells you the last time on the date above the system automatically ran the import.

 

Date to Import Next – The date entered here will be the next future date that the system will automatically perform an import.

 

Time to Import Next - The time entered here will be the next future time that the system will automatically perform an import.

Export Introduction

The Export tool makes it possible to export nearly every field within the InfiniTime software into a comma delimited file in a format specified by the user. The exported information can then be imported into another application or distributed as required. It is important to understand the different tables which store information within the InfiniTime database as a single export can only contain fields from one table. An overview of each file type that can be exported from the tables within InfiniTime is provided below.

 

Selecting an Export File type:

 

Before an export can be configured the user must understand what information is desired within the export file. A brief description of the fields available for each file is provided below. Refer to Chapter 11: Target Fields Available for Export for a complete list of all fields by file type.

 

 

Export Configuration

Before data from InfiniTime can be exported export criteria must be configured to provide details regarding what information will be exported and what format and order the fields will be exported in. Configuration examples are provided below. The first step is to open the Export Definition Table.

 

Accessing the InfiniTime Export Table:

 

 

 

The Export Definition Table will be displayed as shown below.

 

 

-  The export button allows you to highlight an already saved export structure and export it.  

 

-  The insert button will allow you to create a new export structure.  

 

 -  This button will delete a highlighted export structure.

 

Performing an Export:

 

The Export Update Form is displayed below. There are two major sections of the Export Update Form, Source File Options and Map Destination Fields, which must be configured properly in order to achieve desired results. An example configuration is shown below with a description of each field following.

 

 

Export Structure Description - Enter a description for the export you are about to create.  Export descriptions are listed on the Export Description Table for ease of use. In this way the user can identify the information that will be exported without checking to see which fields are mapped on the Export Update form. The description should be complete and straight forward in describing the fields associated with the export.

 

Comma-Separated File To Export - Specify a name for the file you would like to create. The file will be exported to the InfiniTime Output FTP site for access from Client Machines. The file may also be accessed from C:\Inception\InfiniTime\InfiniTime7\Output on the InfiniTime Server.  This assumes the default installation location was used.

 

Technical Note: The file name should not contain spaces or special characters. Only A through Z and 0 through 9 are valid characters for use when naming the file. It should also be noted that a local path cannot be used. Files exported from InfiniTime are created on the server and must then be transferred to client machines.

 

Field Separator - Enter the field separator to be used in your export file.  The most common used separator is the comma, however certain files may contain hyphens or other symbols.

 

Insert Header Record - If this box is checked the first line of the export will be used as a header, describing the rest of the fields in the column. The default header used for each field is the same as the fields name which can be found in Chapter 11: Target Fields Available for Export

 

Double Quotation Marks - Check this box if you want double quotation marks to be placed around each field.  (IE: “Jose Smith”,”111 InfiniTime St”,”Orange, AZ 85302”)

 

Upper Case All Exported Text – If this box is checked  all text in will be exported in upper case form. (Ex. JOSE SMITH not Jose Smith)

 

Empty Destination File before Export – Check this field to delete all contents from the destination file before exporting. This action will only be performed if the comma-separated file specified exists.

 

Do Not Prompt to Save  - Check this field if you do not wish the software to prompt you to download the file to your local machine after it is created on the server.

 

Date Range Name - This field is only available for the 'Employee Timecard File' and 'Employee Accrual Hours' File Types. The Date Range Name settings is used to specify the date range for which Employee Timecards or Accrual Hours will be exported.

 

- The filter button allows you to specify which employees records will be exported for. Only certain export types, as listed below, support use of the Filter Button. For example, tagging a department, group, or individual employees when using the Employee Accrual Totals Export Type will export employee accrual totals for all employees in the selected department, group, as well as for the tagged employees.

 

Send File Via FTP -  Use this feature to automatically transfer the file via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to a destination of your choice. The following fields will become available and must be filled out. An example is shown below. Keep the items that follow in mind when entering this information.

 

 

Local Windows Accounts:

 

 

1. Enter the Host Address There are two valid formats for the host address field as detailed below. Do not include the ftp:// prefix in this field.

 

 

Valid Host Address Formats

Format Type

Example

IP Address

192.168.1.20

Domain Name

www.InfiniTime.com

 

 

2. Enter the Directory. Remember to include a preceding forward slash as shown.

3. Enter the Login Name in the following format: "HOSTNAME\USER"  For Example if your FTP Server's hostname is FTPSERVER and the user you wish to connect as is FTPUSER then you would enter the following:

 

FTPSERVER\FTPUSER

 

4. Enter the user's password.

5. Specify the port to use when connecting to the FTP Server. This does not generally need to be altered.

 

Domain Accounts:

 

 

1. Enter the Host Address. There are two valid formats for the host address field as detailed below. Do not include the ftp:// prefix in this field.

 

 

Valid Host Address Formats

Format Type

Example

IP Address

192.168.1.20

Domain Name

www.InfiniTime.com

 

 

2. Enter the Directory. Remember to include a preceding forward slash as shown.

3. Enter the Login Name in the following format: "DOMAIN\USER"  For Example if your FTP Server's domain is InfiniTime and the user you wish to connect as is FTPUSER then you would enter the following:

 

InfiniTime\FTPUSER

 

4. Enter the user's password.

5. Specify the port to use when connecting to the FTP Server. This does not generally need to be altered.

 

Anonymous User:

 

 

1. Enter the Host Address. There are two valid formats for the host address field as detailed below. Do not include the ftp:// prefix in this field.

 

Valid Host Address Formats

Format Type

Example

IP Address

192.168.1.20

Domain Name

www.InfiniTime.com

 

2. Enter the Directory. Remember to include a preceding forward slash as shown.

3. Enter Anonymous as the Login Name.

4. Leave the password field blank.

5. Specify the port to use when connecting to the FTP Server. This does not generally need to be altered.

 

Technical Note: Microsoft IIS includes an option to permit only anonymous connections to an FTP Site. If this option is checked as shown below only anonymous connections to the FTP Site will be allowed. This means ANYONE can access the payroll export file. This option should be unchecked and it should be confirmed that a login is required to gain read or write access to the directory where the Payroll Export File will be uploaded. Please contact your Information Technology Personnel for assistance with checking file permissions on your FTP Site.

 

 

Technical Note: InfiniTime attempts to connect to the FTP Site to validate the Login ID, Password, and Directory when the OK Button is clicked on the Payroll Export Update Form. If InfiniTime is unable to successfully connect to the FTP Site with the provided login information, or if the specified directory does not exist, an error will be displayed.

 

Mapping Fields to be Exported

 

Mapping the destination fields is one of the two crucial parts of Export Configuration.  Here you will specify which fields will be exported from the InfiniTime software, arrange them in the desired order, and specify and formatting details.

 

Export Fields - Export Fields appear in the grid on the left. All available fields for your selected export table are displayed.

 

 

Target Fields - Target Fields appear in the grid on the right. These are the fields that will be exported to your file. An example of an export listing Employee Addresses, Names, and Employee IDs is displayed below.

 

 

How To Map The Fields

 

To map the fields, start by highlighting an available field on the left side grid. Then use the controls in the center of the screen or the Add Field Buttons to move the field to the Target Grid. Use the grid controls to change between pages in order to see all available fields. It may help to use the search feature in the grid listing fields for export in order to find the desired field. This helps save time when compared with checking through several pages of fields by finding the desired field immediately. For example, if you wanted to map the Employee ID field you could search for 'ID', 'Employee', or 'ID'. All fields containing the search term in the name will be returned, narrowing the amount of fields displayed by a considerable amount.

 

The controls in the center of the screen are used to associate the selected export field with the selected target field as detailed below.

 

– Adds the selected field to the target grid.

– Adds all available fields to the Target Grid.

– Removes the selected Target Grid Field. You will notice the data in the Target grid will be removed.

– Removes all associations for the Target Grid. All data in the target grid will be removed.

 

Altering Export Format and Field Order

 

A variety of tools and buttons are provided on the lower right hand corner of the Map Desintation Fields tab. Most of these buttons are hidden until atleast one field has been added to the Target Field grid. Each serves a separate purpose in the configuration of an export and are especially useful when the user has a particular format in mind.  The use of each tool is outlined below.

 

 

 

- Adds information entered by the user to the export. The software prompts the user for information which is then entered for each employee in the column corresponding to the user defined field. An example is shown below where the date 2/2/2008 is inserted between the employee ID and the Employee Name for each employee exported.

 

1.) Click on to open the User Defined Field Update Form. Enter the information that will be placed in the User Field for each employee.

 

 

2.) Click OK. The User Field label will be displayed in the header column as shown.

 

 

3.) Click on the button to change the header if desired. The Export Override Header Update Form will be displayed as shown. Simply type the desired header and click OK to save. Changing the Header for the user field does not change the value that will be exported for all records. The original value entered when the user field was inserted will still be exported for each record. To change the value exported in the user field column for each record, use Single Value Override.

 

 

4.) The header will be updated as shown.

 

 

5.) Save the export settings by clicking OK on the Export Update form. Highlight the Export Definition and click export.

 

6.) You will be prompted to download the export file. An example of how the user entered information is formatted in the export file is shown below. Column B shows the user entered heading of "Export Date" and the user entered value 2/2/2008.

 

 

- Adds all Export Fields to the Target Grid.

 

- The order of the export file is defined by the fields in the target grid. The first field on Page 1 will be exported as the first column of the export file. The second field will be in the second column, while the third field will be in the third column, ect. This button will move the Selected Target Field up in the order. IE: If the third field is highlighted when this button is used it will be moved up to the second position while the field that was in the second position will move down.

 

- The order of the export file is defined by the fields in the target grid. The first field on Page 1 will be exported as the first column of the export file. The second field will be in the second column, while the third field will be in the third column, ect. This button will move the Selected Target Field down in the order. IE: If the third field is highlighted when this button is used it will be moved down to the fourth position while the field that was in the fourth position will move up.

 

- The Override button opens the Export Override Update Form.  This gives the user more flexibility to customize the data before a file is exported. For example if a company had multiple locations they may assign a unique identifier to each location when designating employee IDs. Lets say the unique identifier is the first three digits of every Employee ID in the InfiniTime Software and they want the export to have a column where only the unique identifier for each location is listed. In this way the final file could be opened with Microsoft Excel and sorted by the location identifier in order to easily distinguish employees in one location from the next. This could be accomplished through Override by using the Parse Current Value Override Option. More information on the types of override available and their use can be found below.

 

Select a field in the Target Export Grid and click on the Override button. The Export Override Update form will be displayed as shown.

 

 

Override Option Type – This drop down menu brings up a set of options to select from.  This determines the method by which the entry in the export file will be overwritten with. This drop down menu can only be viewed if a source field is assigned to the target field you are attempting to override.

 

 

The user can select from the options listed below to override the field's original value. Some options are only available for certain field types.

 

Single Value – Exports a constant value for a given field for each exported record, regardless of the fields original value.  This will overwrite the original in the file with the phrase or word inserted by the user for all records. It should be noted that the Single Value override can be used to add a blank column to an export by adding a user defined field and overriding it with a space using the single value option.

 

Concatenation Override - Permits user to concatenate, or string together, multiple fields. Extra text such as punctuation, spaces, or an alphanumeric value can be inserted after each concatenated field. This feature is useful for exporting multiple InfiniTime fields to a single column. For example: John C. Smith can be exported using the settings shown below.

 

 

Conditional Override – Exports a specified string if the field's original value matches a predefined value. For example, if the Employee's Marital Status is Married then export M. Or, if the Employee's Marital Status is Single then export S. This is often useful if you are attempting to export information from InfiniTime and import it into another software application, such as a payroll application. If your payroll software tracks gender with M and F rather than Male or Female conditional override can be used to export M and F rather than Male and Female for the Employee Gender field. This example is explained below.

 

 

Click insert to insert a new condition.

 

 

The IF and Then field labels will be determined by what Target Field is selected when the Override is selected.  In this example, Employee Gender is the Target Field.  To complete this form, determine what conditions must be met and fill them accordingly.

 

(i.e. If Employee Gender equals Male, Then Export Employee Gender as M.)

 

Lookup In Another Table – This option looks up information from a separate field, such as the Department or Security Role table. This is only displayed when Override is used for a “Link To” field such as Link to Department Table or Link to Security Role Table.  (i.e. Department names)

 

Parse Current Value – This option breaks down a field/record in an exported file to export only parts of the record.  For example if a company had multiple locations they may assign a unique identifier to each location when designating employee IDs. Lets say the unique identifier is the first three digits of every Employee ID in the InfiniTime Software and they want the export to have a column where only the unique identifier for each location is listed. In this way the final file could be opened with Microsoft Excel and sorted by the location identifier in order to easily distinguish employees in one location from the next.

 

The Parse position type can be either by Character or Position.  By Character it means to start or end the value by the designated character chosen by the user, (i.e. -, , “, or a space.)

 

To Parse by Position means to start or end the value by the numbered position of the characters in that record.  (i.e.  Daniel Kraus, is the record we wish to parse.  Start Position would be 1, pertaining to D.  End Position would be 6, as to L.)

 

Saving The import - To save the import structure that you have created click the OK button. Once the file is saved you will return to the Import Definition Table.  To import a saved structure,  highlight it and click on the Import button.

 

- The Header Button provides the user with the ability to alter the default header used by InfiniTime. Select a field in the target grid and click on the Header Button to display the Export Override Header Update Form. Refer to the example above where the header button is used to alter the header on a User Field.

 

- Select this button to set the date picture. It will bring up the Date Picture Form as shown below. The picture button is only available for Export Fields that have an entry in the Picture Column.

 

For example, you can specify the date format and separator used within the import file by changing the date picture and separator:

 

 

- Restores Override and Picture settings for the highlighted target field to the defaults.

 

Email

Export files can be emailed by setting the options on the Email Tab. Simply enter the appropriate information in each field below.

 

Note: All Fields on the Email Tab should be filled. Do not leave any fields blank.

Note: Are recipients having trouble with receiving Email from InfiniTime ? Refer to InfiniTime Server SMTP Setup and Troubleshooting for information on configuring and troubleshooting SMTP Service Settings on the InfiniTime Server.

 

 

From - Type in the email address of the sender, if a recipient wants to reply to the email they can do so, and it will get back to the original sender.

Subject – Type a subject for the email.

Body Text – Type your message in this field.

Sent To – The sent to grid displays all recipients that the payroll export will be sent to. Recipients are inserted by using the Insert button.

Insert – Used to insert a new recipient as shown below.

 

 

Email To Name - Enter the Name of the recipient.

Email To Address - Enter the Email Address of the recipient.

 

Auto Export Configuration

 

InfiniTime allows a schedule to be configured in order to perform an export automatically at a regular interval. This is often used to update employee information within an external application from data stored within InfiniTime on a regular basis. The following tasks must be performed prior to performing an automatic export:

 

1.) An Export Criteria must be configured.

3.) At least one Auto Export Schedule must be defined before an import will be performed automatically.

 

Note: The InfiniTimeHouseKeeping service must be running in order for an import to be performed automatically. The import file must be present in the Import directory with the same file name as that specified on the Import Criteria.

 

 

Insert – Click insert to open up the Auto Export Schedule Update Form and set a schedule.

Change – Click change to make any adjustments to a previously configured schedule.

Delete – Click delete to remove the highlighted Import Schedule.

 

 

Description – Describes the Import Schedule you are creating.

Frequency – This is how often the program will run the auto import.  The options are: Once, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly.

Date to Import– This is the date that you want the system to execute the auto import.

Time to Import – This is the time that you want the system to execute the auto import on the date selected above.

Date Last Printed – Tells you the last date the system automatically ran the import.

Time Last Printed – Tells you the last time on the date above the system automatically ran the import.

Date to Import Next – The date entered here will be the next future date that the system will automatically perform an import.

Time to Import Next - The time entered here will be the next future time that the system will automatically perform an import.

Target Fields Available to be exported

Employee File

 

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Employee Access Control Group

Employee Accrual Type

Employee Additional Withholding Amount for Federal Taxes

Employee Additional Withholding Amount for Local

Employee Additional Withholding Amount for State

Employee Address Line One

Employee Address Line Two

Employee Adjusted Hire Date

Employee City Name

Employee Date of Birth

Employee Date of Hire

Employee Date of Termination

Employee Default Department

Employee EEO Type

Employee Email Address

Employee Emergency Contact Person

Employee Emergency Contact Phone Number

Employee Emergency Contact Relationship

Employee Employee Badge ID

Employee Employee Login ID

Employee Employee Login Password

Employee Escort

Employee Ethnic Code

Employee Federal Exemptions

Employee First Dir. Dep. ABA Routing Number

Employee First Dir. Dep. Acct Type

Employee First Dir. Dep. Amount

Employee First Dir. Dep. Amt Type

Employee First Dir. Dep. Bank Account Number

Employee First Dir. Dep. End Date

Employee First Dir. Dep. Name on Account

Employee First Dir. Dep. Priority

Employee First Dir. Dep. Start Date

Employee First Name

Employee Force Password Change Next Login

Employee Fourth Dir. Dep. ABA Routing Number

Employee Fourth Dir. Dep. Acct Type

Employee Fourth Dir. Dep. Amount

Employee Fourth Dir. Dep. Amt Type

Employee Fourth Dir. Dep. Bank Account Number

Employee Fourth Dir. Dep. End Date

Employee Fourth Dir. Dep. Name on Account

Employee Fourth Dir. Dep. Priority

Employee Fourth Dir. Dep. Start Date

Employee Gender

Employee Holiday Schedule Type

Employee Hourly Wage

Employee Id

Employee Inactive Flag

Employee Job Title

Employee Last Name

Employee Last Performance Review Date

Employee Last Raise Date

Employee Last Wage Review Date

 Employee Local Exemptions

Employee Local Taxing Authority

Employee Marital Status

Employee maximum Authorized Amount

Employee Message

Employee Middle Initial

Employee Minimum Authorized Amount

Employee name

Employee Other Ethnic Code

Employee Pay Cycle

Employee Pay Method

Employee Pay Type

Employee Phone Number

Employee Picture Image Name

Employee Policy

Employee Schedule Cycle

Employee Schedule Cycle Days

Employee Schedule Reference Date

Employee Second Dir. Dep. ABA Routing Number

Employee Second Dir. Dep. Acct Type

Employee Second Dir. Dep. Amount

Employee Second Dir. Dep. Amt Type

Employee Second Dir. Dep. Bank Account Number

Employee Second Dir. Dep. End Date

Employee Second Dir. Dep. Name on Account

Employee Second Dir. Dep. Priority

Employee Second Dir. Dep. Start Date

Employee Security Role

Employee Social Security Number

Employee State

Employee State Exemptions

Employee State Marital Status

Employee State Taxing Authority

Employee Termination Reason

Employee Third Dir. Dep. ABA Routing Number

Employee Third Dir. Dep. Acct Type

Employee Third Dir. Dep. Amount

Employee Third Dir. Dep. Amt Type

Employee Third Dir. Dep. Bank Account Number

Employee Third Dir. Dep. End Date

Employee Third Dir. Dep. Name on Account

Employee Third Dir. Dep. Priority

Employee Third Dir. Dep. Start Date

Employee Workers Compensation Code

Employee Zip Code

 

Department File

 

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Department Cost Center

Department Default Flag

Department Inactive Flag

Department Name

Department Number

Department Schedule Cycle

Department Schedule Cycle Days

Department Schedule Reference Date

 

Employee Accrual Totals File

 

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Accrual Detail Name

Accrual Type Name

Employee Accrual Totals Date

Employee Accrual Totals Time Accrued

Employee Accrual Totals Time Base

Employee Accrual Totals Time Used

Employee First Name

Employee Id

Employee Last Name

Employee Middle Initial

 

Other Activity Type File

 

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Other Activity Type

Other Activity Type Code Number

Other Activity Type Count activity Hours as Regular Hours Flag

Other Activity Type Count As Day Worked Flag

Other Activity Type Description

Other Activity Type Exclude From Payroll Export Flag

Other Activity Type Payroll Mapping Code

Payroll Mapping Number

 

Employee Groups

 

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Employee First Name

Employee Id

Employee Last Name

Employee Middle Initial

Group Description

Group level Description

 

 

Employee Group Level File

 

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Group Level

Group Level Description

 

Employee Group Description File

 

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Group Description

Group Level Description

 

 

Employee Shifts File

 

(In Alphabetical Order)

 

Department Name

Employee First Name

Employee Id

Employee Last Name

Employee Middle Initial

Policy Name

Shift Name

 

Employee Timecard File

 

Approved overtime hours

Approved overtime hours four

Approved overtime hours three

Approved overtime hours two

Break Hours

Calculation Override

Clock Description

Date

Department Name

Department Number

Employee Employee Login ID

Employee First Name

Employee ID

Employee Last Name

Other Activity Type Description

Other Amount

Other Hours

Regular Hours

Telephone Number

Time

Type

Unapproved overtime Hours

Unapproved overtime hours Four

Unapproved overtime hours Three

Unapproved overtime hours two

Service Maintenance Introduction

InfiniTime provides a unique solution for server maintenance allowing system administrators to alert users of maintenance schedules and even force users out of the software. This solution prevents data loss and possible database issues by assuring users are unable to login or alter the database while the system is down for maintenance.

Setting a Maintenance Warning

The server maintenance warning can be used to notify users of scheduled maintenance. Server maintenance messages are read from a text file called servergoingdown.txt located in the original program installation directory,or C:\Inception\InfiniTime\InfiniTime7\, by default.  Instructions for configuring a Server Maintenance Warning are provided below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Server Shutdown

Taking InfiniTime Down for Maintenance

 

Before performing maintenance on the InfiniTime database or server InfiniTime should be brought down. This is accomplished by inserting a text file called serverdown.txt in the original software install location on the InfiniTime server. Remote clients will be denied access to the software if serverdown.txt is in place, though the InfiniTime Application can still be accessed from the InfiniTime Server using shortcuts directed to localhost or 127.0.0.1. For example, the shortcuts below can be used to access the InfiniTime Application from the InfiniTime Server.

 

http://localhost/InfiniTimeManagerModule/

http://127.0.0.1/InfiniTimeManagerModule/

 

Technical Note: Only Internet Explorer may be used to access the InfiniTime Software while Serverdown.txt is in place.

 

Steps to take InfiniTime 7.0 Down for Maintenance:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Users attempting to log into the software during the maintenance period will see the following message:

 

 

Users already logged into the software when serverdown.txt is placed in the InfiniTime7 directory will see the following warning when attempting to perform any action within the software

 

Version Release Notes

Inception Technologies periodically releases updates to the InfiniTime Application in order to provide new features and changes to the InfiniTime Application to our customer base. These updates are available at no charge for customers with a valid support contract. It should be noted that updates are available in this way only for products you already own. For example customers who own InfiniTime 6 are not eligible to upgrade to InfiniTime 7 for free, as InfiniTime 7 is considered a separate product rather than a software update. Changes made to the InfiniTime Application are listed in below by version number.

 

When applicable a link is provided to relevant documentation for each new feature or change made to the InfiniTime Application. This provides direct access to a detailed explanation regarding each alteration to the software. Inception Technologies recommends reading the release notes and any applicable documentation after applying a software update in order to understand the alterations made to the InfiniTime Application and how they may effect your day to day use of the software.  Updates to the help files are included with Updates to the InfiniTime Application, though the latest help files can always be viewed at our website.

 

The Latest Software Update and Help Files are available at the ftp site below. Installation files are password protected. Please contact Inception Technologies or your Authorized InfiniTime Dealer in order to retrieve a password for the setup files.

 

ftp://www.InfiniTime.com/public/InfiniTime/

InfiniTime 7.01

Added Software Key (HASP) Drivers to the InfiniTime Installation Wizard. HASP Drivers will automatically be installed for all supported Operating Systems during the Software Installation.

 

An issue related to Internet Explorer Security settings and the automatic Internet Explorer Security Configuration performed by the Installation Wizard would cause any website executing an Active X control to prompt the user. This has been resolved and users will no longer be prompted to allow web sites to allow Active X controls.

 

Installs Correct ODBC Drivers for use with Vista Business. It should be noted that Vista is not yet supported as of this release.

 

An issue that would cause unexpected breaks to occur in the Timecard Activity Table when transferring from one department to another has been resolved.

 

InfiniTime Reports are now loaded every time the Installation Wizard is executed rather than only during the initial installation.

 

New Users may no longer be created by the Installation Wizard for use with the InfiniTime Housekeeping Service. An existing user must be utilized.

 

An issue during the Installation of InfiniTime on Windows 2003 Server caused required file permissions to not be configured as intended. This issue has been resolved.

InfiniTime 7.02

Install Changes

 

 

Software Changes

 

InfiniTime 7.03

Install Changes

 

 

Software Changes

 

InfiniTime 7.04

Install Changes

 

 

Software Changes

 

InfiniTime 7.05

All changes to the InfiniTime Software from 7.04 to 7.05 are listed below. Where applicable links are provided to documentation for the new features.

 

Upgrade Notes and Considerations

 

InfiniTime 7.05 includes over two hundred and fifty new features, some of which require special attention during the upgrade process. Each feature requiring specific preparation when upgrading from previous versions of InfiniTime 7 has been listed below. Details are provided to assist the user with performing the required actions in order to make the transition to InfiniTime 7.05 as smooth as possible.

 

Security Roles: The Security Role Class System introduced in InfiniTime 7.05 requires classes to be configured for each security role.  Security Roles created by the user prior to Version 7.05 will not have a class associated with them, and will default to the employee class for security reasons. The user must configure the appropriate class for each user created security role. Please refer to  Chapter 2: Security - Security Roles for more information on the Class System.

 

Reader Time Zones: The Time Offset Feature previously used to offset remote clocks from the server time based upon their location relative to the InfiniTime 7 server has been replaced by Time Zones. The InfiniTime 7 Application now incorporates Time Zones into the Reader Address Record in order to properly identify the current time for both areas that do and do not follow daylight savings time. Please refer to Chapter 14: Reader Configuration - Polling Tab for information about setting the time zone feature.

 

Employee Groups: Due to changes in filtering logic InfiniTime now requires groups to be assigned to each employee if groups are present in the system. The first group description inserted for every group level will automatically be set as the default group and will be automatically assigned to any employee who does not have a group assigned. If this is undesirable Inception Technologies recommends creating a group entitled unassigned. Any employees who are not intended to be assigned to a group should then be assigned to the unassigned group. It should be noted that any group can be designated as the default. Keep in mind that new employees will automatically be assigned to the default group and will remain on the default group until their groups are manually assigned. Additional information regarding assigning groups can be found in Chapter 5 - Groups.

 

Note: Quick Assign provides an intuitive interface for assigning groups.

 

Termination Reasons: With the addition of InfiniTime 7.05, InfiniTime offers a broad selection of Human Resources features. Among these is the Termination Reasons feature which allows users to enter details concerning an employee's termination. Termination reasons should be setup within the InfiniTime 7 application and entered for any previously terminated employee. Additional information regarding Termination Reasons can be found within Chapter 3 - Termination Reasons.

 

Reader Configuration Table: The reader configuration table has been redesigned to provide a hierarchical view of all readers within the InfiniTime Software according to clock and connection type. The intention behind this alteration is to provide ease of use and organization. The hierarchical view provides quick access to reader address records when it is necessary to alter clock settings. The intended view is shown below:

 

 

As shown reader address records are arranged under a single folder according to Reader and Communication Type. When upgrading it is not uncommon for multiple folders to be present for a single reader and communication type. Reader address records on the Reader Configuration table can be dragged and dropped from one folder to another as long as the destination is the same reader and communication type as the original record. Simply move all of the reader address records to a single folder and delete any additional folders. Additional information regarding the Reader Configuration table can be found in Chapter 14 - Reader Configuration Table.

 

Note: Take care to ensure reader address records are not accidentally deleted during this process.

 

Grid Display: When upgrading from InfiniTime 7.04 to 7.05 in some cases the grid settings will need to be reset in order to resolve display issues. If records displayed in the grid are improperly aligned use the default sort and default column selection buttons on the grid to restore the default settings.

 

Note: This is a fairly common occurrence. Simply restoring the default grid settings resolves the issue.

 

 

Install Changes

 

 

 

Software Changes

 

InfiniTime 7.05a

Software Changes

 

InfiniTime 7.05b

Software Issues Resolved

 

InfiniTime 7.05c

Software Issues Resolved

 

InfiniTime 7.05d

 

InfiniTime 7.05e

 

InfiniTime 7.05f

Software Issues Resolved

 

InfiniTime 7.05g

Software Issues Resolved

 

Software Requirements & Supported Environments

 

InfiniTime 7.05h

Software Issues Resolved

 

InfiniTime 7.05i

Software Issues Resolved

 

InfiniTime 7.05j

All changes to the InfiniTime Software from 7.05i to 7.05j are listed below. Where applicable links are provided to documentation for the new features.

 

Upgrade Notes / Considerations

 

Customer concern was expressed over a few items which were found to be operating as intended. For clarity, these items and their requirements have been listed below.

 

Reported Item: The View Total Hours Function Key cannot be assigned to the Scout Clock After it is deleted.
Steps to Reproduce:

 

  1. Ensure a Scout Clock has been configured for use with InfiniTime via the Reader Configuration table. (Lookups - Reader Configuration)
  2. Open the System Monitor, Highlight the Scout Terminal, and Click on Change.
  3. Click on Reader Settings on the Left Side.
  4. Click on the Plus Sign next to F2 to expand functions assigned to the F2 Key.
  5. Click on View Hour Totals to highlight it and press the Delete Key.
  6. Click Insert. View Hour Totals will not be listed.

 

This only occurs when the Total Hours Type Drop down on the General Tab is set to 'None'

 

Reported Item:

Employees working overnight do not receive holiday hours from 12:00 AM to 12:00 PM on the date of the holiday.

Steps to Reproduce:
    1. Configure a Holiday as follows:
      1. Set All Worked Hours are Holiday Pay = Yes.
      2. Set Max Other Activity Hours = 12.
      3. Set a date for the holiday.
    2. Ensure the Holiday Schedule Type is assigned to an employee.
    3. Punch an employee in on the day before the holiday at 11:00 PM.
    4. Punch out for the employee on the date of the holiday at 7:00 AM.
    5. The hours between 12:00 AM and 7:00 AM will not count toward the holiday.

     

  1. This occurs because the Holiday Calculation is based on the day an employee punches in.. In order for overnight employees to receive holiday pay for any hours worked between 12:00 AM and 11:59 PM on the date of the holiday the holiday must be configured as follows:

    • Set All Worked Hours are Holiday Pay = Yes.
    • Set Max Other Activity Hours = 12.
    • Set a date for the holiday.
    • Set Holiday Starts on Day Before = Yes at 11:59 PM.
    • Set Holiday Ends on Holiday = Yes at 11:59 PM.

 

 

For this reason, Relay 2 is recommended ONLY FOR USE WITH BELLS OR A BUZZER. If an access control device should be wired to Relay 2 Security could be circumvented simply by removing the back plate from the Thor.

 

Outstanding / Known Issues

 

The following items are considered known issues. For various reasons these items did not make the scheduled release date for InfiniTime 7.05j. A subsequent release following InfiniTime 7.05j will include these items.

 

Thor Poll From File Functionality: At this time Thor Poll From File Functionality is not supported. Alterations must be made to the InfiniTime Polling System to support the file format used by the Thor Terminal.

 

Ability to Disable Juno Key Beep: At this time it is not possible to disable the Juno Key Beep due to an issue with the Juno Bios.

 

Thor Transfer - Issue with Department, Job, and Task Selection: When using the Transfer Function key on the Thor if a user should enter the number corresponding to a department, task, or job, the Thor appears to select the and record the transaction with the appropriate item. However, the final transaction records the first item in the list of Departments, Jobs, or Tasks respectively. The following steps can be performed to work around this issue:

 

1. Press the Function Key Corresponding to the Transfer Function on the Thor.

2. Enter the Number of the Department, Job, and / or Task you wish to select. The cursor will highlight the item.

3. Press the Up or Down arrow on the directional pad to highlight to a different item in the list. Use the directional pad to highlight the desired item.

4. Press OK to select the desired item. The transaction will be recorded properly.

 

Software Issues Resolved

 

Hardware Issues Resolved

Scout

Functionality Issues Resolved

Thor

Upgrade Notes / Considerations

An issue with the operation of Tamper has been resolved. Tamper is intended to activate Relay 2 under the following conditions:

For this reason, Relay 2 is recommended ONLY FOR USE WITH BELLS OR A BUZZER.

 If an access control device should be wired to Relay 2 Security could be circumvented simply by removing the back plate from the Thor.

An option to disable tamper will be available in InfiniTime 7.06 which will remove this known vulnerability.

 

New Functionality

 

 

Functionality Issues Resolved

 

Cosmetic Issues Resolved

InfiniTime 7.06

All changes to the InfiniTime Software from 7.05j to 7.06 are listed below. Where applicable links are provided to documentation for new functionality.

Upgrade Notes / Considerations

 

User Interface Changes

 

Date Format

Appearance

mm/dd/yyyy

dd/mm/yyyy

yyyy/mm/dd

yyyymmdd

 

 

Time Format

Appearance

hh:mm tt

HH:mm

hh:mm

 

 

Skin Name

Appearance

Vista

Black

Default

Forest

Hay

Office 2007

Outlook

Simple

Sunset

Telerik

Web20

WebBlue

 

New Functionality

To Access the Group Settings:

           

The images above illustrate the difference between a 3 Week Average and a 21 Day Average. Days shaded in yellow represent days which will be included in the average hours calculation. The boxed date indicates the date of the holiday. Notice how the 21 Day Average includes the days immediately before the date of the holiday that fall during the same week of the holiday.

 

Software Issues Resolved

 

Hardware Issues Resolved:

 

InfiniTime 7.06a

All changes to the InfiniTime Software from 7.06 to 7.06a are listed below.

 

Software Issues Resolved

 

Hardware Issues Resolved

InfiniTime 7.06c

All changes to the InfiniTime Software from 7.0a to 7.06c are listed below. Where applicable links are provided to documentation for new functionality.

Upgrade Notes / Considerations

Software Licensing Solution

InfiniTime now uses a software licensing solution. Existing customers with HASP License Keys must perform an Initial Activation to activate their software after upgrading to 7.06c. Instructions for performing the initial activation can be found here. For existing customers with Hardware License Keys, the HASP License Key must remain in the InfiniTime Server after the initial activation or the software will revert to Demo Mode.

The Software Licensing Solution replaces the HASP Key hardware licensing solution for new InfiniTime Orders. Elimination of the USB HASP Key removes the requirement of a USB Port from the InfiniTime Application's minimum requirements and makes the software more appealing for use on a virtual machine. Yet, this is not the intent of the Software Licensing System. To read more about InfiniTime's Software Licensing Solution and Virtual Machines, please refer to the following note on Software Licensing and Virtualization.

Software Performance

General Improvements

The InfiniTime Application has been reviewed with a focus on performance. In general, software performance has increased significantly throughout all areas of the application. Steps have been taken to reduce the loading time for all windows software wide.

Delayed Save on Timecard

Timecard Tables, including the Company Timecard, Employee Timecard, and the Employee module Timecard, now have a delayed save option which performs significantly faster than the traditional timecard where changes are saved as each change is made. Additional information about using the Delayed Save Timecard feature can be found here. The Delayed Save feature is highly recommended for all users who utilize In-Line edit.

Technical Note: When changing the Delayed Save Company Option, the option does not take affect until the Timecard Table is closed and reopened. Alternatively, simply close any open Timecard Tables before changing the option and then reopen them after the option has been enabled or disabled as needed.

Technical Note: When changing the Disable Audit Trail Option, the option does not take affect until the Timecard Table is closed and reopened. Alternatively, simply close any open Timecard Tables before changing the option and then reopen them after the option has been enabled or disabled as needed.

In Line Timecard Editing & Delayed Save

As of InfiniTime 7.06c, Tab is no longer a supported method for moving focus between records in the Timecard Table. When altering punches with In-Line edit the Down Arrow Key can be used to move to the next record and save changes to the current record. The Up and Down Arrow Keys may also be used to switch focus between records in the Company, Employee, and Employee Module Timecard Tables. Overall, when combined with Tab and the Up & Down Arrows, Delayed Save makes editing employee timecards comparable to working with a spreadsheet.

Saving Changes to a Single Timecard Record

Using the Up & Down Arrow Keys to Move Between Records in the Timecard Table

The Up & Down Arrow Keys can also be used to move focus between records in the Timecard Table. Combined with Tab and the Arrow Keys, delayed save makes moving from field to field and record to record in the Company, Employee, and Employee Module Timecard Tables comparable to editing a spreadsheet.

InfiniTime Minimum Hardware Requirements

Minimum Requirements for the InfiniTime Software have been raised as performance issues have been verified when using Windows XP Machines with less than 2GB of RAM. Minimum software requirements have been raised to require 2GB of RAM on the InfiniTime Server. For existing installations, customers who choose to run InfiniTime on systems with less than 2GB of RAM may experience decreased performance. For new installations and customers who wish to update to 7.06c, the InfiniTime Installer will stop the installation if the InfiniTime Server does not have 2GB of RAM.

 

Clock ID

Prior to InfiniTime 7.06c it was not possible for individual companies in a multi-company installation to use the same ID numbers with Hardware Terminals such as the Scout. Two fields, Clock ID and Clock Password, have been added to the Login Tab of the Employee Update form to make this possible. The Clock ID and Clock Password replace the Login ID and Password for the purpose of PIN Entry on hardware terminals. With this in mind, these values must be numeric. After upgrading to 7.06c, please check the Clock ID and Clock Password for all employees to ensure the values are numeric. A procedure for verifying the Clock ID and Clock Password fields are numeric for all employees is outlined below.

Exporting Employee Clock ID and Passwords

Client Installer

As of InfiniTime 7.06c, InfiniTime is bundled with a Client Installer which can be executed on Client Machines to configure all required Internet Explorer 8 Browser Security Settings and create shortcuts to the InfiniTime Software on the desktop of the client machine. The Client Installer is located in the Client Shortcuts directory on the Desktop of the InfiniTime Server. During installation, the Client Installer prompts the user for the best method of communicating with the InfiniTime Server. For on-site clients, the InfiniTime Server's hostname is recommended, while the Public IP Address or Domain Name of the InfiniTime Server is recommended for use with Off-Site Clients.

 

For More Information regarding the Client Installer:

 

The Client Installer Overview

Using the Client Installer: On-Site Clients

Using the Client Installer: Off-Site Clients

 

New Software Functionality

Schedule Start Time - Clock In On Time Grace Period - Clock In Early Grace Period = Start of Lock Out Window

IE:     8:00 AM                  -  10 Minutes                                -   0 Minutes                           = 7:50 AM

Schedule End Time + Clock Out Late Grace Period = End of Lock Out Window

IE:     5:00 PM                  +  10 Minutes                             = 5:10 PM

Employees may punch in and out at any time during the Lockout Window, which  is 7:50 AM - 5:10 PM in the example above where a 10 minute Clock In On Time Grace Period and 10 Minute Clock Out Late Grace Period are defined. InfiniTime 7.06d will include complete compatibility between Software Lockout and Hardware Lockout, at this time hardware lockout functions as detailed above.

Do you have an escort you have designed that you would like to share with other InfiniTime users? After upgrading to 7.06c, export your Escort and email the .ESB File to:

 EscortSubmission@InfiniTime.com

Submitted Escorts will be reviewed and compiled into a collection to be made available on the InfiniTime WebSite for InfiniTime 7.08.

 

Installation Changes

**Note: Pre-Install and Post Install instructions are identical for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008. Refer to the Windows 2008 Server installation instructions for both Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008.

 

Software Architecture Changes

 

For more details, read about the InfiniTime Software Licensing Solution.

 

 

Software Issues Resolved

Identified and resolved typographical errors in the Builddb Log File. The following items were identified:

InfiniTime 7.08

Upgrade Notes / Considerations

 

New Required Field for Importing Employees

The 'Link to Security Role Table' field is now a required field for the Employee File Import Type. Employee records will not be created if the Link to Security Role field is not mapped when performing an employee import.

 

Alterations to Accrual System Functionality

The InfiniTime Accruals System has been reviewed and modified to better meet the needs of InfiniTime Users. Prior to upgrading to InfiniTime 7.08, InfiniTime Software Administrators should familiarize themselves with the changes to the accrual system and decide to either permit InfiniTime to calculate accruals back to employee hire date or set effective dates for accrual types and then review employee accrual totals after the upgrade. A complete description of each alteration to the Accrual System can be found in the Software Issues Resolved: Accrual System Alterations section of this document.

As of InfiniTime 7.08, Employee Accrual Totals will be automatically calculated back to employee hire date or if it is configured, the effective date for the employee's Accrual Type. Employee Accrual Totals are calculated with respect to Employee Hire Date, Tenure, and the Accrual Class system. This allows InfiniTime to determine the correct accrual rate for prior accrual periods and also removes the need to recalculate for past date ranges in order to populate accrual records.

In order to prepare for upgrading to InfiniTime 7, customers who utilize the accrual system should understand the options below and take appropriate actions to prepare for the upgrade:

 

Allow InfiniTime to Calculate Employee Accrual Totals back to Hire Date

This option is most appropriate for companies who do not carry over accrued hours from accrual period to accrual period. InfiniTime 7.08 will automatically calculate employee accrual totals back to the employee's hire date. For this scenario, no actions must be taken prior to upgrading to InfiniTime 7.08 though after upgrading Remaining Accrual Hours should be checked for each employee using the Employee Accruals Report to confirm Employee Accrual Totals reflect expected values..

For example, Company ABC started using InfiniTime in 2009. Accrual records were created for employees for the 2009 and 2010 accrual periods as shown below. Company ABC awards 16 Hours of Sick and 40 Hours of Vacation per year, all unused hours are lost at the end of the year.

After upgrading to InfiniTime 7.08, Employee Accrual records will be automatically created for each accrual period back to the employee's hire date. In the example below, the employee was hired on January 8th, 2007. This has no effect on available accrual hours as accrued hours are not carried over from year to year.

 

Set an Effective Date for Each Accrual Class

This option is most appropriate for companies who carry over accrued hours from accrual period to accrual period. It should be noted the Accruals Plus module is required to enable the Effective Date Accrual Option. In order to prepare for the InfiniTime 7.08 upgrade, the following steps must be taken:

For example, Company XYZ started using InfiniTime on March 13, 2009. Company XYZ awards 16 Hours of Sick and 40 Hours of Vacation per year, all unused hours are carried forward to the next year. Accrual records were created for employees for the 2009 and 2010 accrual periods as shown below. When Company XYZ moved to InfiniTime, Base amounts were set for all employees on the 2009 Accrual record in order to show the number of accrued hours brought forward from the prior system used for accrual tracking. For example, the employee below had 8 hours of Sick Time and 24 Hours of Vacation time carried forward from the prior accrual tracking system.

Employee Accrual Totals on InfiniTime 7.06c

If the effective date is not set before upgrading to InfiniTime 7.08, Employee Accrual records will be automatically created for each accrual period back to the employee's hire date. In the example below, the employee was hired on January 8th, 2007. As shown below, this results in incorrect accrual totals. Hours accrued before Company XYZ went live with InfiniTime on March 13, 2009 were already accounted for by base amounts on the 2009 accrual records.

Employee Accruals on InfiniTime 7.08 - No Effective Date Set

In order to ensure accrual records are not created for accrual periods prior to March 13, 2009 an effective date of 03/13/2009 must be set on each accrual calculation used by Company XYZ. Steps to set the Effective Date are listed below.

Employee Accruals will be calculated back to the effective date after upgrading to InfiniTime 7.08 as shown below.

 

Employee Accruals on InfiniTime 7.08 - With Effective Date Set

 

Allow InfiniTime to Calculate Employee Accrual Totals back to Hire Date then Adjust Base Amounts

This option is most appropriate for companies who carry over accrued hours from accrual period to accrual period and do not own the Accruals Plus Module. The following steps must be taken:

For example, Company XYZ started using InfiniTime on March 13, 2009. Company XYZ awards 16 Hours of Sick and 40 Hours of Vacation per year, all unused hours are carried forward to the next year. Accrual records were created for employees for the 2009 and 2010 accrual periods as shown below. When Company XYZ moved to InfiniTime, Base amounts were set for all employees on the 2009 Accrual record in order to show the number of accrued hours brought forward from the prior system used for accrual tracking. For example, the employee below had 8 hours of Sick Time and 24 Hours of Vacation time carried forward from the prior accrual tracking system.

Employee Accrual Totals on InfiniTime 7.06c

If the effective date is not set before upgrading to InfiniTime 7.08, Employee Accrual records will be automatically created for each accrual period back to the employee's hire date. In the example below, the employee was hired on January 8th, 2007. This results in incorrect accrual totals as shown. Hours accrued before Company XYZ went live with InfiniTime on March 13, 2009 were already accounted for by base amounts on the 2009 accrual records.

Employee Accruals on InfiniTime 7.08 - No Effective Date Set

 

This can be accounted for by removing the previously entered base amounts and entering negative base amounts to reflect the actual hours used by employees in prior accrual periods. In the example below, the 8 Hour and 24 Hour base amounts were removed and base amounts were entered on the 2007 and 2008 Accrual Periods to show the actual number of hours used by the employee. Notice how after adjustment, the hours carried forward into the 2009 Accrual Period for Sick and Vacation reflect the number of hours brought from the previous accrual system.

 

Employee Accruals on InfiniTime 7.08 - After Base Amount Adjustment

 

Accrual System Documentation

Accrual Introduction (Accrual Periods, Carry Over, Reset Type, Effective Date, General Setup Instructions)

Accessing Accrual Types

Accrual Type Update Form

Basic Accruals

Accruals Plus

Using Maximum Negative Accrual Hours

Using Base Amounts

 

Recommended Update for Luna and Juno users

An issue with the Juno and Luna Biometric Terminals was identified which caused Employee Punches to be lost if an employee punched at the same time as the Juno or Luna terminal was being polled by the InfiniTime Software. This issue has been resolved. It is recommended that any customers using the Juno or Luna Terminals upgrade to InfiniTime 7.08 to prevent punch loss caused by this issue.

 

 Recommended Update for Published InfiniTime Servers with Remote Clients

InfiniTime 7.08 provides increased reliability and improved session handling for remote clients with intermittent Internet connectivity. It is recommended that any customers publishing InfiniTime to the web for remote access upgrade to InfiniTime 7.08.

 

Important: Certain Import Types must be deleted and recreated

Due to changes in the Import Tool, the following import types must be deleted, recreated, and re-mapped manually. It is recommended that customer's use Map by Name to facilitate this process. Map by Name maps all columns in one click, the only requirement is the first column in the import file must include the exact description of the target field. An Example files with required fields and appropriate headers is available for each import type and can be downloaded from the InfiniTime FTP Site.

 

InfiniTime 7.08 Known Issues

 

New Software Functionality

Upgrading from Timewolf 4 to InfiniTime 7:

1. Obtain a TimeWolf 4 Backup

2. Verify Backup Integrity

3. Uninstall TimeWolf 4

4. Install InfiniTime 7.0

5. Restore TimeWolf 4 Backup

6. Verify Imported Data

Timecard Notes Overview

Inserting Timecard Notes

Viewing Timecard Notes

Timecard Notes Report

 

Example Timecard Detail Report with Timecard Review History:

 

 

Installation Changes

 

Software Issues Resolved

 

Form

Field

Quick Assign Update Form

Activity Job Description

Quick Assign Update Form

Activity Task Description

Accrual Type Details Update Form

Start Accruing Hire Date Plus

Accrual Type Details Update Form

Start At Amount

Accrual Type Details Update Form

Stop At Amount

Accrual Type Details Update Form

Accrue for Every Amount

Accrual Type Update Form

Accrual Type Employee Tenure From Years

Accrual Type Update Form

Accrual Type Employee Tenure To Years

Accrual Type Update Form

Accrual Inactive Flag

Accrual Type Update Form

Accrual Type Default Flag

Accrual Type Rate Mapping Update Form

Min. Amount Worked

Accrual Type Rate Mapping Update Form

Max. Amount Worked

Employee Wage Update Form

Wage Amount

Employee Security Filter Update Form

Employee Filter Department Number From

Employee Security Filter Update Form

Employee Filter Employee ID From

Employee Security Filter Update Form

Employee Filter Department Number To

Employee Security Filter Update Form

Employee Filter Employee ID To

Employee Update Form

Emergency Contact Information

Employee Update Form

Employee Default Wage

Employee Update Form

Federal Exemptions

Employee Update Form

State Exemptions

Employee Update Form

Additional State Withholding

Employee Update Form

Local Exemptions

Employee Update Form

Direct Deposit Account 1 - From Date

Employee Update Form

Direct Deposit Account 2 - From Date

Employee Update Form

Direct Deposit Account 3 - From Date

Employee Update Form

Direct Deposit Account 4 - From Date

Employee Update Form

Direct Deposit Account 1 - To Date

Employee Update Form

Direct Deposit Account 2 - To Date

Employee Update Form

Direct Deposit Account 3 - To Date

Employee Update Form

Direct Deposit Account 4 - To Date

Employee Update Form

Employee Work Status

Report Selection Criteria Update Form

Report Setting Departments Selected Option

Report Selection Criteria Update Form

Report Setting To Date

Report Selection Criteria Update Form

Report Setting Groups Selected Option

Report Selection Criteria Update Form

Report Setting Employee ID From

Report Selection Criteria Update Form

Report Setting Employee ID To

Report Selection Criteria Update Form

Report Setting Department Number From

Company Update Form

Inactivity Time Out

Company Update Form

User Passwords Expire In

 

Resolved an Issue with the Picture Column on the Map Destination Fields tab of the Import Update Form where the Picture was not displayed properly for Time Fields with a Double Digit Hour and Single Digit Minute such as 11:04 AM.

 

Scheduled Days: Monday to Friday

8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Sales

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Marketing

 

 

New Software Functionality: Accrual Calculations System

 

Software Issues Resolved: Accrual Calculations System

 

Hardware Issues Resolved