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Posted May 9, 2017 in Updates

Version 17.05.09.01

Note: For those districts that have the Web Link module, you will also need to be at Web Link version 17.05.09.01 (or higher, if applicable) since this update contains changes that affect both products simultaneously. Web Link updates must be downloaded through the File Transfer Center and installed on the web server.

An exciting new feature included on this update is a comprehensive Leave Request workflow to integrate with the Payroll module. The Web Link module will be an essential and required tool to pull it all together for your district in order to easily facilitate data entry and approvals.

You will see many new features outlined in the release notes to follow that are directly related to this new enhancement. We will briefly discuss this feature in our End of Fiscal Year workshops and you can expect more detailed training resources in the near future. Please also refer to the Leave Requests and Leave Requests Setup Checklist topics in the Help File for further information.

  • Main Screen>Maintenance
    • The Web Link tab in the Email Manager option, which only appears for those districts who have licensed the module, has been updated to include a new section for Leave Request Options. If completed, emails can be sent when leave requests are submitted, approved, rejected or recalled.
  • Main Screen>Utilities
    • The Payroll tab in the Web Link Setup Options has been updated to give two options for displaying the leave balance information to employees: Current Year Only and Selective Years. When the update is installed, the system will default to Current Year which displays only the current year leaves based on the current date of the web server and start/end dates of the leaves. The other option, Selective Years, allows the system to be set up to display as many years as the district would like by entering in a beginning leave start date to use to determine which leave years to display. To make changes, refer to the Web Link Setup Options topic in the Help File.
  • Main Screen>User Controls
    • Enhancements/Updates for User Security:
      • The Allow Employee Selection on WL Reports has been replaced with a tab for Employee Groups. By assigning employee groups to a user and designating a module (payroll, human resources or negotiations), the web link user will be able to print information for the employees in these employee groups. When the update is installed any users who previously had access to print employee information, will continue to be setup accordingly with access to the EMPLOYEES employee group, which is a system defined group including all employees, but can be removed if employee groups are assigned limiting their access.
      • The User Permissions for Payroll have been modified to include the new screens for Employee Groups and if licensed Web Link, the screens for Leave Request Entry, Leave Request Entry – FMLA, Leave Request Inquiry, Leave Request Approvals, Select Leave Requests/Substitutes for Processing, and Cancel/Remove Unprocessed Leave Requests/Substitutes.
      • The User Permissions for Web Link have been modified to include Approve Leave Requests and Enter Leave Requests (which also includes the option for Leave Request Inquiry).
      • The Add Employees as Web Link Users option has been updated to include Employee Groups and the new features for Web Link.
      • The View/Adjust Users option has been updated to include employee groups along with all the new screens for payroll leave requests.
      • The User Security Listing report has been updated to include the new user permission screens.
  • General Ledger>Check Options
    • When using the Close Batch option from the Options menu in Check Reconciliation, the system was updating the cleared date for all entries in the batch to match the bank statement date. This was only an issue for those customers using the Import Cashed Checks feature and has been corrected in this release.
  • General Ledger>Maintenance
    • South Dakota Cities Only: A new optional account piece for Sub Account is now available for Balance Sheet accounts. Sub Account references will first need to be defined in the Reference Files and can then be added to chart of account numbers by using the Crosswalk Account Numbers option located under the Options menu in the Chart of Accounts.
  • General Ledger>Government Reporting
    • Illinois Only: The Annual Report for 2016-2017 and Budget Report for 2017-2018 are not available yet. Once they are released, we’ll make the necessary changes and include them in a future update.
    • Iowa Only: The GASB 34 Reports for 2016-2017 are now available. No software changes were needed for the Annual Report.
    • Kansas Only: The Budget Report for 2017-2018 is not available yet from the Kansas State Department of Education. Once it is released, we’ll make the necessary changes and include it in a future update.
    • Missouri Only: The Annual Report and GASB 34 Reports for 2016-2017 are now available.
    • North Dakota Only: The GASB 34 Reports for 2016-2017 are now available. The 2016-2017 Annual Report is not available yet nor is the 2017-2018 Certificate of Levy report. Once these reports are released, we’ll make the necessary changes and include them in a future update.
    • South Dakota Only: The Annual Report and GASB 34 Reports for 2016-2017 are not available yet. Once they are released, we’ll make the necessary changes and include them in a future update.
    • Wyoming Only: The Annual Report and GASB 34 Reports for 2016-2017 are now available.
  • Accounts Payable>Data Entry
    • When making invoice entries for vendors designated to accumulate 1099 amounts, if the Vendor 1099 Amount field was zeroed out in the detail information section, it was being repopulated after advancing through the Invoice field and should not have been. This has been corrected.
  • Accounts Payable>Requisitions
    • If an approval tree was set up to allow the approver to edit the detail description field, the system was limiting the number of character entered to 40 and should not have been. This has been corrected.
  • Payroll>Data Entry
    • A new menu, Leave Requests, has been added to Pay Period Entries and Employee Absences for those districts with the Web Link module. There are two new options available under this menu:
      • The Select Leave Requests/Substitutes for Processing option can be used to select absence entries and/or substitute entries from approved leave requests to bring into a batch for processing. Once the leaves and substitute entries have been selected, the user will need to correct any validation errors within the batch. The Employee ID and Subbed For Employee ID fields will be disabled for leave request/substitute entries. The Validation button will display the number of errors and warnings in the batch and by selecting the button, a grid of the individual employee records with errors or warnings will appear. All errors must be fixed prior to including the batch in a check cycle. Refer to the Select Leave Requests/Substitutes for Processing topic in the Help File for details on using this feature.
      • The Cancel/Remove Unprocessed Leave Requests/Substitutes is used to cancel approved or rejected leave requests, remove absence entries and/or substitute entries so they no longer show in the Select Leave Request/Substitutes for Processing option in the future, and delete substitute entries from approved leave requests. Refer to the Cancel/Remove Unprocessed Leave Requests/Substitutes topic in the Help File for details on using this feature. This option is also available under the Leave Request submenu under the Payroll Options menu.
    • Two new fields have been added to the lower section of the Pay Period Entries and Employee Absences: Approved Leave Balance and Main Leave Approved Leave Balance. These fields will only appear if making a leave entry and there are approved leave requests that have not yet been processed.
  • Payroll>Check Cycle
    • If any Pay Period Batches to Include batches still contain leave request validation errors, you will not be able to select it on the Calculate Payroll screen. All errors must be fixed first in the Pay Period Entries or Employee Absences batch.
  • Payroll>Maintenance
    • A new feature for Employee Groups has been added and is used to define different groups of employees for report printing purposes or for use with leave requests. Employees can be assigned to multiple groups. If the Use with Leave Requests field is selected, a user will need to be designated as the group manager for leave request approvals. When generating reports, the Employee Group ID parameter can be used to limit the report generated to only the employees within the selected groups. There is a standard employee group defined with an ID of EMPLOYEES with all employees selected and can be used with printing reports. Any new employees will automatically be added to this group. Refer to the Employee Groups topic in the Help File for additional details.
    • Enhancements/changes to the Employee File:
      • Employee Groups have been added to the Employment tab. Employee Groups allow employees to be grouped together for report printing purposes or for use with leave requests. An employee can be assigned to more than one group.
      • The Leaves tab has been updated to include leave request entries in the Leave Detail section. Also the Employee Leaves grid has been redesigned to show posted entries and include columns for unposted entries and approved, pending approval and unsubmitted leave requests.
    • The Leaves File has been updated to include a tab for Web Link Leave Options. The tab is only available for those districts that have licensed the Web Link module. The Display in Web Link field is used to designate if this particular leave should show the leave and detailed balance information in the Leave Balances in Web Link. The Additional Leave Request Fields section is used to set up additional sections and fields to display for this particular leave when an employee enters in leave requests. Refer to the Leaves topic in the Help File for additional details.
    • If a deduction is set up as a Percent or Percent Table and a Deduction Lower Limit on gross was also used, the percent was being calculated on the full gross amount rather than the amount over the entered limit. This has been corrected.
  • Payroll>Options
    • A new submenu has been added to the Options menu: Leave Requests. This submenu is only available to those district that have licensed the Web Link module and is used to set up the leave request process, enter and approve leave requests, and view the status of leave requests. To begin using Leave Requests, refer to the Leave Requests Setup Checklist in the Help File for step by step instructions.
      • The Cancel/Remove Unprocessed Leave Requests/Substitutes is used to cancel approved or rejected leave requests, remove absence entries and/or substitute entries so they no longer show in the Select Leave Request/Substitutes for Processing option in the future, and delete substitute entries from approved leave requests. Refer to the Cancel/Remove Unprocessed Leave Requests/Substitutes topic in the Help File for details on using this feature. This option is also available under the Leave Requests menu in Pay Period Entries and Employee Absences batches.
      • Leave Request Approvals is used by designated users to approve leave requests that have been submitted for approval. Approvers will have a calendar view of all submitted leave requests, and will be able to select to see details for the leave and add substitutes if desired. Refer to the Leave Request Approvals topic in the Help File for additional details.
      • Leave Request Entry is used to enter leave requests and submit them for approval. Employees will be able to include the type of leave along with the dates, number of units to use, and any additional information requested for the leave. Refer to the Leave Request Entry topic in the Help File for additional details.
      • Leave Request Entry – FMLA is only available to those districts that have licensed the Human Resources module and have set up to allow FLMLA leaves in the Leave Request Options. Employees will use this feature to enter in FMLA leave requests and submit them for approval. Once approved, the FMLA leave request can be brought into the FMLA tab of the Employee File. Refer to the Leave Request Entry – FMLA topic in the Help File for additional details.
      • The Leave Request Inquiry option shows the information and status for the leave requests entered by all employees including a calendar view. All the detail information, such as the approval status, the starting and ending dates and times for the leave request, the additional leave request fields, and the substitute information tied to the leave request (if applicable), is displayed. Also if a leave request has been selected and brought into a batch of Pay Period Entries or Employee Absences, the payroll entry information can be viewed. Refer to the Leave Request Inquiry topic in the Help File for additional details.
      • The Leave Request Options option is only accessible to supervisors and is used to customize the information for leave requests. Supervisors will be able to set up the system with the approval paths, whether or not to permit approver edits and allow approvals out of sequence, and stipulate if FMLA leave requests can be used. Refer to the Leave Request Options topic in the Help File for additional details.
  • Payroll>Government Reporting
    • Kansas Only: Date Sequence has been added as a column in the Payroll Batches List in the Kansas Retirement Report option. This will allow the user to select only the date sequences needed when filing the report.
    • Missouri Only: The file extension added to the end of the file created for the Missouri Unemployment Report must be lowercase (i.e. dat). The system has been updated to accommodate this requirement.
    • Nebraska Only: Due to changes requested by the Nebraska Department of Labor, when creating the Nebraska Unemployment Report, the hours worked will now be included for each employee. The Adjust Hours Worked tab has been added to allow changes to be made prior to creating the file for submission. Also, if Include Position is selected on the Report Options tab, the Position from the Employment tab in the Employee File will be included for each employee.
  • Payroll>Reports
    • All reports, including custom written reports, with a report parameter for Employee ID have been updated to also include a report parameter for Employee Group ID.
    • The following new reports have been added to Payroll: Employee Groups Listing, Leave Request Approval Paths Listing, Leave Request Report, and Leave Request Status Report.
    • A new category has been added to the Reports menu to group the leave request reports together. The following reports currently appear under this category: Leave Request Approval Paths Listing, Leave Request Report, and Leave Request Status Report.
    • Employee Detail Listing for Payroll and Employee Detail Listing with Signatures: These reports were updated to include a section for employee groups.
    • The following reports were updated to include the new information for leave requests: Employee Detail Listing for Payroll, Employee Detail Listing with Signatures, Employee Listing – Leave Information, Employee Absence Report with Balances, Employee Leave Balance Report, and Employee Leaves over Maximum Report.
    • Leaves Listing: This report was updated to include an additional report selection for ID Sort with Web Link Leave Options.
  • Human Resources>Maintenance
    • The FMLA tab in the Employee File has been updated to include information for leave request entries made for FMLA reasons. Submitted and approved leave requests will display in the FMLA Leave Request Entries section (only visible if applicable) and the approved entries can be selected to either create a new FMLA record or update an existing one. Field labels have been changed to accommodate entries coming from leave requests and new fields were added to the FMLA Leave Details section.
  • Human Resources>Reports
    • Employee Detail Listing for Human Resources: This report was updated to include a section for employee groups, the leave section was updated to include the new information for leave requests, and the FMLA section was updated to match the label changes and field additions in the employee file.
    • Employee Listing – FMLA Leave Information: This report was updated to match the label changes and field additions in the employee file.
  • Fixed Asset Inventory>Reports
    • All reports with a report parameter for Room ID have been updated to also include a report parameter for Room ID with Building ID. This will allow a user to easily select the room/building combination when generating reports.
  • Accounts Receivable>Maintenance
    • Invoice Form Setup has been added as a new option under the Maintenance menu. This feature allows users to customize their own invoice forms to send to customers. Refer to the Invoice Form Setup topic in the Help File for additional details. Because of this addition, the existing Invoice Form report was renamed to Standard Invoice Form.