ShareThe beginning of a new year is a good time to perform some maintenance to your Timeslips data. Throughout the year, data is constantly being added and modified. But rarely is the time taken to clean up what is no longer needed. This is important to do to keep Timeslips running smoothly.
These practices are particularly important if you have not opted to move to Sage’s Timeslips Premium edition. Timeslips Premium utilizes a Firebird SQL database format that does allow for larger databases.
Some of the items to consider are:
Backup First – Backup your data before making any changes. Save this backup separately from your daily routine backups, and keep it for historical reference if needed.
Generate Final Bill & Close Clients – Once a client’s case is settled and final payment has been received, you should generate and approve the zero balance bill. You can also change the client’s status to closed. This keeps your list of active clients at a more manageable quantity. Closed client information can still be included on reports if desired.
Purge Slips – Periodically, older, billed slips should be purged. Purging slips removes them from the Timeslips database. These slips can be stored in an archive file outside of the Timeslips database in case you need to import them back into Timeslips at a future time (to run a report, etc.) Purging slips keeps your Timeslips database from continuously growing larger and reduces the amount of time the program takes to scan through a very large slip database. Generating reports and bills can be faster with fewer slips to search through.
Print Bill Images to PDF – Timeslips is typically set to store 12 bill images per client and then it will replace the oldest bill image with the most recent bill image. This number can be increased, but this will increase the size of your database and your backups. If you are concerned about losing access to your older bill images, you can reprint bills to PDF files from the “Reprint Bills” screen.
You can configure Timeslips to automatically create folders for each client and control how each PDF is named (Bill Date – Invoice # – Nickname1). These PDF files will be text searchable to make it easier to find what you need.
Update Lists – Review your list of Timekeepers, Tasks and Expenses to see if any of them need to be made inactive. Be sure you do not make something inactive that has been used on an unbilled slip. It will make the slip inactive if you do.
Stay Supported – Make sure all your software is supported by the software manufacturer. Sage Software supports Timeslips Premium and versions 2016, 2015 and 2014.
If you have any questions, please contact a Plummer Slade Applications Specialist at 412-261-5600 or psi.apps@plummerslade.com.
