Control Key Phone Conversion Program
Version 1.5
OVERVIEW
The CKPLCONV Interface Program is used to convert telephone transactions from a Control
Key PL Series Phone System to be compatible with the TABS III Merge Remote Data program
(if you are using a version TABS III prior to Version 3.4). If have version 3.4 or later,
then the Import Data from Data Capture Devices program is used to merge the converted data
with your TABS III data files. The CKPLCONV program must reside in the same directory as
the TABS III programs in order to work properly. The phone data is transferred from the PL
Phone System by connecting the serial port of the PL System to a serial port on the
computer and using the PL Call Record Dump (58) routine. The computer must have
communication software capable of storing the phone data that is transferred in a file
named PHONE.DTA in the TABS III program directory.
A fee transaction record will be created for each phone call that has a timekeeper number
as part of the Account Code information. A cost transaction record will be created if the
cost of the call is not zero (i.e. local calls are not charged to the client). The Account
Code field must consist of the Client Number followed by an "*" character, then
the Matter Number to be charged for the call. If you want a fee transaction created as
well as a cost transaction, follow the Matter Number with by another "*" and
finally the TABS III Timekeeper Number of the person using the phone. For example, if a
call is a made by Timekeeper 14 to TABS III client number 200.03, the Account Code
information would be keyed in on the phone keypad as "200*03*14". If a long
distance call is made and only the cost of the call should be charged to the client, then
do not key-in the Timekeeper Number (i.e. only "200*03" would be keyed in on the
phone keypad).
INSTALLATION
The CKPLCONV interface program (CKPLCONV.EXE) must be transferred to the directory on your
hard disk where the TABS III programs and data files reside (otherwise you will get a
"FILE NOT FOUND" error message). This is done by using the INSTALL program.
To install the CKPLCONV Interface program on your hard disk:
1) Insert the CKPLCONV Interface program disk into floppy disk drive "A:" and
enter the following commands:
A:
INSTALL
2) Follow the on-screen instructions to install the software onto your hard disk. The
Install program will locate your TABS III software on your hard disk so that the interface
program can be transferred to the same directory as TABS III. After the installation
process, the message "Installation Complete" will be displayed.
EXECUTING THE CKPLCONV INTERFACE PROGRAM
Use the following procedure for conversion:
1)Transfer the data from your phone system to your computer's hard disk. The data
must reside in a file named PHONE.DTA in the TABS III directory.
2) Invoke the conversion program by entering: CKPLCONV
3) The first time you run the CKPLCONV program, you will be asked to enter the TABS III
fee transaction code number that you use for telephone fee transactions (a fee transaction
will be created if the Timekeeper Number is part of the Account Code information. You will
also be asked to enter the TABS III cost transaction code number that you use for
telephone cost transactions (a cost transaction will be created if the Cost of the call is
not zero). You may use the same transaction code number for both fees and costs if you
wish. Once you specify the transaction code numbers, the CKPLCONV program will use those
same numbers each time you run the CKPLCONV program. You can also specify the minimum
phone call duration before a fee transaction will be created. For example, if you don't
want to charge a fee for phone calls less than 6 minutes, enter 6.
4) Next, you will be asked "Is it OK to continue? (Y/N)". If you enter
"N" the program will be aborted. If you enter "Y" the program will
look for the PHONE.DTA file containing the PL System phone data. If the PHONE.DTA file is
found to contain data, the program will display the message "CONVERTING
TRANSACTIONS" followed by a "." for each transaction read from the file.
The files T3FEEKEY.REM, T3FEE.REM, T3EXPKEY.REM and T3EXP.REM will be created which can be
merged with the main TABS III data files. You must then start up TABS III and select
UTILITIES on the Main Menu screen. If you are using a version of TABS III prior to Version
3.4, select the Merge Remote Data utility program. Otherwise, select the Import Data from
Data Capture Devices program.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to clear the transactions from your phone systems's
memory to avoid duplication of data in your TABS III data files. Also, be sure the remote
data files (*.REM) are deleted after running the Merge Utility program. This is handled
automatically by the Import Data from Data Capture Devices program but not the Merge
Remote Data program.
NOTE: If you are not using a demo version of the program, the PHONE.DTA
file will automatically be deleted when the conversion is complete to avoid double-posting
of the data.
NOTE: You may change the telephone transaction codes in the future by
deleting the file: CKPLCONV.PRM which is created in your TABS III directory. This
will enable you to go through the setup procedure described above in Step 3 as a first
time user of the program.
Optional Client Fee File for CKPLCONV (CKPLFEE.DTA)
An optional client flat fee file can be used by the CKPLCONV program to create a fee
transaction for a specified flat fee amount for selected clients. If a phone call includes
the attorney number as part of the call account information, a fee transaction will be
generated. Normally, fee transactions are based on the duration of the call
multiplied by the attorney's hourly rate. However, if the client being billed for the call
has a record in the optional fee file, then the fee transaction will be based on the flat
fee associated with the client instead. The client flat fee file must be a standard
(ASCII) text file and can be created using a word processing program. The file must be
named CKPLFEE.DTA and it must reside on your hard disk drive in the same directory as the
CKPLCONV.EXE program. The file can contain a maximum of 50 client records.
File Format
Each record begins on a new line and consists of a client number and a flat fee amount.
The client number can be positioned anywhere between column 1 and column 12. Only the
client number portion of the TABS III client/matter number should be used. The matter
number of the phone call account information will be ignored when the CKPLCONV program
searches the CKPLFEE.DTA file. This will result in the flat fee amount being applied
to all matters for which phone calls are billed. The client numbers can be in any order
(ascending, descending or random).
The flat fee amount must be positioned between column 14 and column 18. You may
enter whole dollar amounts or include cents if desired.
Any information beyond column 19 is ignored by the CKPLCONV program. This enables
you to have miscellaneous descriptive text associated with a client record if desired.
Below is a sample of what a CKPLFEE.DTA file might look like. The positioning of the
clients and amounts is intentional to show you the flexibility allowed in the format.
Normally, you will probably want to right-justify the client numbers and align the dollar
amounts making the information more readable when you look at the file.
Sample file format:
101 15.00 ABC Insurance Co.
200 10.00
203 10 Allstate Corp.
1025 15. XYZ Co.
123 15
2024 20.50
300 5.75 (note that the decimal points don't have to align)