Time Matters is a case management system from DATA.TXT
Corporation. Integration between Time Matters (Version 2) and
TABS III (Version 8 or 9) can be set up so that transactions
entered in Time Matters are passed to TABS III. There is no
integration of client information between the two systems.
Note: Firms that want to integrate Time Matters and TABS III must
purchase CONVASCF.EXE from STI before they will be able to import
data into TABS III.
Setup
Program Setup: Integration must be set up at the
program level before it can be set up for individual users. To
set up the program integration, access the Program Level Setup
window (File | Program Setup | Program Level Setup) and select
the Billing Tab. Select "Tabs III by STI" and then
click on the Setup button. Once in the Tabs III Link Setup,
choose "both Contacts and Cases - Contacts are the default".
Next enter the default Tabs III log file. Any directory can be
used, but DATA.TXT Corporation suggests using their Data
Directory. (Tip: You can find the Data Directory by selecting
Help | System Information in Time Matters.)
There is also an Options button available with an "Allow
Changes on Billing Worksheet" check box. This will be
discussed in more detail in the Data Entry Section.
User Setup: Integration is set up at the user level.
This allows firms to decide whether all users can send
information to TABS III or whether only certain users can send
information to TABS III.
To set up integration for a user, access the User Level Setup
window (File | Program Setup | User Level Setup) and select the
Billing tab. Select the "STI Tabs III" check box and
specify a name for the Log File. The same log file can be used by
all users or each user can have his or her own log file. Any
directory can be used, but DATA.TXT Corporation suggests using
their Data Directory. (Tip: You can find the Data Directory
by selecting Help | System Information in Time Matters.)
There is also an Options button available with an "Allow
Changes on Billing Worksheet" check box. This will be
discussed in more detail in the Data Entry Section.
Reference Codes: Once integration has been set
up for a user, you need to map TABS III transaction codes to each
Time Matters reference code.
Access the Reference Codes List window (File | Features Setup |
Reference Codes). This window shows a list of available reference
codes. Select the reference code to modify and then click Change.
The Reference Code Form will be displayed. In the Additional
Event Code Settings group box, there is a Matching TABS
Transaction Code field. Enter the corresponding TABS III
transaction code number (1-999). Click OK to close the Reference
Code Form and then select the next reference code to change.
Attorneys: Next, map TABS III attorneys to each
Time Matters attorney.
Access the Attorney, Staff & Resource List (Database |
Attorneys). This window shows the employees that have been
defined. Select the Employee to modify and then click Change. The
Attorney Form will be displayed. On the Options tab for the
employee, there is a TABS Timekeeper Number field. Enter the
corresponding TABS III timekeeper number (1-999). Click OK to
close the Attorney Form and then select the next attorney to
change.
Data Entry
As each new case is defined in Time Matters, users can map the
contact to the corresponding TABS III client. The client number
is entered in the Nickname field found in Group Box "5".
As Events and ToDos are added, users can elect to send the
information to billing (there is a Send to Billing icon on the
toolbar). At this point they can specify whether the entry is a
Fee or an Expense and enter a duration and description. They can
also modify the default timekeeper, client and transaction code
mapping IF the "Allow Changes on Billing Worksheet"
check box in the User Level Setup has been selected. After
confirming the information, click the Bill It button which writes
the record to the log file specified in User Level Setup.
Transferring Data to TABS III
Once event information has been entered in Time Matters, it needs
to be transferred to TABS III. This can be done daily, weekly,
monthly, or whenever they need the entries in TABS III.
Select the Manage Billing File wizard (File | Utilities | Manage
Billing File). This wizard asks the user for the log file name
and TABS III program directory. It then converts the log file to
the format used by CONVASCF and transfers it to the TABS III
program directory. Next, it automatically starts CONVASCF.EXE and
converts the transactions to *.REM files. The user then needs to
use the Merge Data Capture Transactions program in TABS III to
bring the entries into TABS III.
2000/7/19