The Time Log department contains five tables. These tables are used to log and approve time for invoicing. They are:
1. Time Log Table
DataGrows enables you to time on tasks as you work. To find out more about using the in-app timer, please refer to this article. Any time captured within DataGrows will be logged in the Time Log table in the Time Log department, shown below.
You can adjust any time by clicking on a record and changing the start or end time.
Time can also be added manually by clicking on ADD RECORD in the top right-hand corner.
The Time Log table will show time worked in:
The actual time worked under the Duration Hours column.
The actual time worked as a Decimal.
The rounded time worked according to the time rounding you selected.
The rounded time worked as a decimal.
Go to the Firm Settings Table under Setup to choose your preferred time rounding.
Then click on the record and scroll down to System Settings.
Click on the time rounding dropdown and select your preferred option.
The rounded time in your time log will display according to this selection.
2. Time Authorize Table
As a Partner or Admin user, you will have access to the Time Authorize table in the Time Log department. This is where you will review and approve the time logged by your team. We recommend doing this weekly so that any queries are still fresh in the minds of your team members.
You can adjust any time by clicking on a record and changing the start or end time.
Time can also be added manually by clicking ADD RECORD in the top right-hand corner.
You can then sort tasks into the following categories:
Mark Invoiced (Tasks that have already been invoiced)
Mark Invoice Pending (Tasks that still need to be invoiced)
Mark Internal (Tasks that you do not want to bill for)
The easiest way to mark tasks is to make a bulk selection. You can do this by checking the checkboxes to the left of the table. Then click on Actions at the top of your screen and select the action you would like to apply.
Records marked as Invoiced or Internal will move to the Time Log Archive table. Records marked as Invoice Pending will move to the Time Invoice Pending table.
3. Time Invoice Pending Table
The Time Invoice Pending table can be found in the Time Log department. This table contains all of the approved timekeeping records ready to be invoiced.
This table can be exported by clicking on Menu and Download.
These also form part of the Billing report which is linked to your rate groups and contains all your fixed fees.
4. Invoice Table
In order for your rates and retainers to reflect correctly on your invoice, you will need to set up your rates and retainers in DataGrows. This post will explain how.
To generate an invoice, enter your firm's information under the Firm Settings table in Setup. This information will be displayed on the invoices.
Then scroll down to Accounting System and select an Invoice Date from the dropdown, which will display on the invoices.
To action invoices from this table within DataGrows, go the Process Table under Setup.
Then select the Generate Invoices record. You can generate the invoices immediately by selecting Process from the Action dropdown and clicking Save. You can also schedule the process to run on a specific day each month by selecting a date from the Schedule dropdown and clicking Save. The invoices will automatically be generated on this day each month.
After running the process, go to the Invoice table under the Time Log department.
You can see your latest invoices by sorting on the invoice date and selecting Descending.
From here, invoices can be posted to Sage Business Cloud Accounting or to Xero. Invoices can also be downloaded manually, to send off to your clients.
To post to Sage Business Cloud Accounting or to Xero:
Select the invoices you would like to post by clicking on the squares to the left of the table.
Then click on Actions,
Post to Sage or Post to Xero.
If you have not integrated your DataGrows account with Sage or Xero yet, please follow the steps in the posts linked below.
To download the invoice, click on the hyperlink icon in the Invoice column shown above.
The invoice will open in a new window. It can be downloaded by clicking on the save icon in the top bar.
To adjust any of the invoice lines:
Click on the invoice record, then on Invoice Lines. Click on the record or line that you would like to adjust.
5. Time Log Archive Table
The Time Log Archive Table is where you will find all your timekeeping records. You can filter or search on any column by clicking on the three dots next to the column heading and then filter.
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