Taskbill Export Program

The TASKBILL program exports updated fee and cost transactions (not payments, write offs, or client funds) from Tabs3 for a variety of companies that require data in an electronic format. The TASKBILL program does not create reports of any kind.

Installation

The TASKBILL export program (WTSKBILL.EXE) must be installed to the directory on your hard disk where the Tabs3 program resides. 

  1. Insert the enclosed CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
  2. A CD Browser program will automatically start.
    Note:  If the CD-ROM Autorun feature is disabled, click the Start button, and then click Run... Click the Browse button and navigate to the CD-ROM drive. Double-click the LAUNCH.EXE file. Click OK.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the selected systems.

Executing the Taskbill Export Program

Use the following procedures for exporting:

  1. Complete your normal billing cycle for the Tabs3 matters that are to be exported. This includes both the final bill and update processes.
  2. Run TASKBILL by doing the following:
    Click the Start button, select Programs, select the folder containing TASKBILL (usually named Software Technology), and click Taskbill.
  3. Enter your User ID and password.
  4. From the File menu, select the Export option. If you haven't configured any formats yet, the message "No formats have been configured." will be displayed. Refer to the following section titled "Configuring the Taskbill Program" for more information about configuration. You must configure the desired format before proceeding.
  5. The "Task Billing Export" window will be displayed. The format that was used last will come up as the default in the "Taskbill Format" box. You may export for this format or select a different format. Only formats that have been configured are available in the lookup list.
  6. Next, select a single client number or a range of clients (one or the other, depending upon which configuration format has been selected). You may choose the desired client(s) by using the client lookup window.
  7. Next, select the statement number or statement date (one or the other, depending upon which configuration format has been selected). The statement number lookup window or statement date calendar window can be used to help make your selection.
  8. After making the selections above, click OK.
  9. The "Export File Name" dialog box will be displayed. Change the default file name (usually "report.txt") to the desired file name and select the folder in which to save the file. If the file already exists, either a message will be displayed warning you that the file will be overwritten or a message will be displayed asking if you want to append or overwrite the existing file (depending upon which configuration format has been selected).
    Note: If you need to send the exported data to a floppy disk, be sure to select the A or B drive in the "Save in" lookup window.  
    Note:     TyMetrix and COSMOS formats do not allow you to change the output file name, though you can change the file path.
  10. After selecting the file name, the export process will begin. If TASKBILL allowed only a single client, the message "Task Completed" will be displayed when the export is done. Otherwise, a counter along with each client's name and work description will be displayed as TASKBILL processes each client in the specified range.
  11. You can continue to export data for other clients or client ranges until you exit the TASKBILL program.

Configuring the Taskbill Program

Before you can export any data from Tabs3, TASKBILL must be set up to handle the necessary format(s). The main purpose of configuration is to allow you to map fields in Tabs3 to fields required by the electronic data format.

  1. From the File menu, select the Configure option. The "Task Billing Configuration" window will be displayed. Select the desired format from the "Taskbill Format" lookup list.

    2. A list of items on the left side of the window will be displayed along with a list of lookup windows on the right side. The item names correspond to the required fields needed for the selected format that are not defined in Tabs3. The lookup windows correspond to available fields in the Tabs3 client file where the required fields can be stored. See the enclosed document(s) titled "Integration Requirements for Tabs3 and ..." for specific information about setting up each format.

    Note: The Bristol-Myers Squibb, TyMetrix, Law Audit Services, LEDES, PeerPoint and Legal Review International formats have an additional page of field mappings. Click on the More Config button to get to this additional page.

  2. After specifying the field mappings, click the OK button to save the configuration options. All the options that have been set up will be saved in the TASKBILL.INI file. Each time you execute the TASKBILL program, the configuration options will be used automatically.

Note: You can configure TASKBILL for multiple electronic data formats. All formats are stored in the TASKBILL.INI file. When exporting data, TASKBILL defaults to the last format that was configured, though you can choose from any of the formats that have been set up when exporting.

2003/11