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Payroll Extra - Payroll Check Spreadsheet

Article Number: 2127 | Rating: Unrated | Last Updated: Fri, Jun 16, 2023 at 4:26 PM

Datafile Software Solutions

Payroll Extra - Payroll Check Spreadsheet

In payroll various items, such as Current Gross Pay, are only calculated as part of the payroll run procedure which restricts the amount of reporting that can be performed prior to the payroll run. The existing Payroll Check Sheet option processes the payroll as a trial run and allows for a printed report of up to 12 items from the employee file. This Payroll Extra feature allows an additional Payroll Check process that is output to spreadsheet, and optionally also to a CSV file, but increases the amount of data items that can be included up to 64.

On selection of the Payroll Check Spreadsheet option the system runs the standard employee/department audit and then displays the pre-run parameters.

If the default report options are OK then you can select Print otherwise can amend as required.If select PRINT then if ‘Output to CSV File’ is configured then on selection of Print a pop-up form will display the CSV output filename to amend as required.

Selecting OK then proceeds to output the CSV file and create the Payroll Check Spreadsheet.

Note – if output to CSV, then the displayed spreadsheet at the end of the process is not the CSV file itself. This file is created in the set location but is not opened for review.

Installation

Application User Facilities

A new option to configure the Payroll Check Spreadsheet is available within the Payroll Application User Facilities if the ‘Payroll Extra’ application is enabled. To update the Check Spreadsheet select Installation from the main menu followed by Application Manager and then Application User Facilities. Select the Payroll application before selecting the Pre-Payroll Check Spreadsheet.

Up to 64 items can be configured for output – for each item you select the payroll database to output from and then select the required item database. Payroll Database Values available are:

1 Employee File

2 Employee-2 File

3 Payroll Switch File (only applicable if Payroll Plus in use)

4 Payroll Overtime File (only applicable if Payroll Plus in use)

5 Employee-3 File

When select the data item in addition to the standard data items special ‘161’ items are available to include payroll profile values. 161 items available are:

161 Employee No

162 Company ID

163 Payroll Run Date

After setting the required output items a final pop-up asks for the optional CSV parameters. These settings apply only to the CSV file and not the standard spreadsheet created.

Pathname of CSV File – enter the pathname of the CSV file to be created.Special characters are available that are replaced at run-time with payroll run values that you may wish to use.These include:

!CCC Replaced with Company ID

!PP Replaced with Payroll Period Number

!DD Replaced with Day No of the Payroll Run Date (01-31)

!MM Replaced with Month No of the Payroll Run Date (01-12)

!YYYY Replaced with Year No of the Payroll Run Date (20xx)

!YY Replaced with Year No of the Payroll Run Date (2013 is output as 13)

Insert Double-Quote Characters Around Each Data Item – setting this option outputs " " characters around each item on the created CSV file.

Output Column Headings as First Line on the CSV File – setting this option outputs the data items as the first row of the created CSV file.

Use Item Notes for Column Headings (Otherwise Item Names) – the Database Restructure options allow recording of a brief note against each item (28 characters). Where the CSV file is to be matched to another system data item names may not be explanatory (or long enough) – this option substitutes the item note for the item name on the CSV output file. If item note is blank then the data item name is used instead.

Database Changes

To set the Item Notes for the Database (if required) you need to restructure the required employee files. To add this new items select Installation from the main menu followed by Application Manager and then Restructure A Database. Select the Payroll application. Elect to update the Live Files and then select the Employee File. The existing data items are displayed on screen but to update the notes you need to press <F4-Select> and chose the Database INI Settings.

Over several pages each data item is listed with various parameter settings available. For the Notes item you’re looking at recording the required text against the data item. You can move through the pages using the NEXT / PREVIOUS buttons. Once the required notes are completed press SAVE to return to the data item structure list.

Once the additional item has been recorded press the <ESC> key and select the UPDATE button to save the database changes. If only notes are updated then update is complete, if other changes have been made then you may be prompted a series of additional parameters - when prompted respond ‘Y’ to the prompts to ‘Extract Existing Data to New Database Structure’ and, if appropriate, ‘Copy Table Entries from Old Database to New Database’. Final prompts ask to ‘Remove (.OLD) Database’ and to ‘Carry Out the Same Restructure on the BASE File as well’ – respond as required. If you select to update the base file you need to manually insert the new items at the same data item positions as on the live file.

Employee Switch and Overtime files can be updated via the same process but Employee-2 and Employee-3 are fixed files and not available here. To restructure these databases to add notes select Database Systems from the main menu followed by Datafiler Database Utilities and then Create/Amend Database Structures. Select to Restructure A Database and enter the database filename for the Employee-2/3 file as required. Standard restructure settings above apply from then on.

Menu Design

The option for the Payroll Check Output needs to be added as required to the Payroll menu. To add a new menu option sign-on as the CONFIG user and select Application Menu Design, choose the menu to update (the main Payroll menu is PR.D03) and then select to update either the left or right-hand menu.Move down to a blank menu entry and enter the title required then press <Enter> to enter the menu parameters.