TimeControl online training Welcome to the TimeControl online training area. We've created several mini lessons to help you learn some of TimeControl's basic functionality. If you're new to TimeControl or want to see how some of the basic functionality works, then you'll be able to find what you need here.

If you're trying out the TimeControl Trial site or have been allocated one of the TimeControl hosted sites for evaluation, then you'll find that the data we use in these mini lessons is the same as the data in those sites. Some of the basic functions that you'll need to know to get started will include adding a user, adding projects and charge codes, entering time in the timesheet and basic approvals.

Additional information is available in the TimeControl online help, the TimeControl User and Reference Guides and from the TimeControl blog.

Basic Lessons

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Lesson 1: Timesheet entry
TimeControl's timesheet entry screen is mostly self-explanatory but this lesson covers some of the options that users might encounter based on how their TimeControl is configured. This is a good reminder for those who might have forgotten options like the timseheet customization screen or the Timesheet notes function. Duration: 7 minutes.

Lesson 2: Approvals
Approving timesheets by supervisors is very easy. This lesson shows the organizational approvals, what happens when an Automated Validation Rule is involked and how supervisors can approve or reject timesheets. Duration: 5 minutes.

Lesson 3: Overview of TimeControl tables
Behind the scenes TimeControl has a number of reports that can be managed by an Administrator that can help categorize data in a wide variety of ways. Not every table needs to be filled out but the User, Employee and Charge tables are essential along with at least one entry in the Rates table. This lesson shows the basic table structure and shows how Administrators can maintain some of the more important tables in the system. Duration: 7 minutes.

Lesson 4: Adding a new user
One of the key functions of an Administrator is to add a new employee into TimeControl as a user when they enter the company. This lesson goes through the New User Wizard in TimeControl and shows you how to complete all the steps for a new addition to TimeControl in an easy-to-follow series of screens.

Lesson 5: Adding a new project
The Project Table allows TimeControl not only to group charges by project but also to link those charges to external project scheduling tools like Microsoft Project, Project Server, Primavera and Open Plan. The Project table's structure allows projects to be categorized for billing, filtering or other purposes.

Lesson 6: Adding new charge codes
One of the largest tables in TimeControl is often the charge table. This table allows hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands of possible charge codes to be entered so that time can be charged against them. The structure of this table allows us to make charges hierarchical so that end users aren't confronted with a terribly long drop-down list on the web. Also, an unlimited number of user defined fields can be added for each charge record allowing Administrators to categorize future hours and labor costs for R&D tax credits, capitalization, billing, or other purposes.

Lesson 7: Running reports
TimeControl has extensive reporting capabilities right inside the system. There are numerous reports and reporting options immediately out of the box. This lesson gives a brief reporting overview and shows how to run the existing reports in the system. Duration: 6 minutes.

Lesson 8: The Drill Down Analyzer
One of the most powerful tools for TimeControl Administrators is TimeControl's Drill Down Analyzer. This tool allows Administrators to group incredible volumes of TimeControl data very very quickly by a virtually unlimited number of criteria. It's a perfect tool for answering ad-hoc questions that might otherwise require hours of design of a report or having to export and analyze the data in other tools. The Drill Down Analyzer allows you to simply drag colums of data into a hierarchical view and then see the result instantly.

Advanced Lessons

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Lesson 1: Linking TimeControl to Project Systems
A popular function within TimeControl is the link to external project management tools. TimeControl includes pre-defined links to popular project management systems such as Microsoft Project and Project Server, Oracle's Primavera and Deltek's Open Plan. This lesson shows how to make a simple link to a schedule in Microsoft Project and then bring in all the task information so it will be available as charges in the timesheet. Duration: 6 minutes.