Activity Codes
The Activity Codes screen is used to define employee schedule codes for an organization unit. Activity codes can be associated with either productive (worked) time or non-productive time, such as vacation/sick. These codes establish the attributes of an activity, including start time, length of activity, and shift coverage. Each different combination of a start time/length of activity needs a unique activity code.
The organization structure level where activity codes are created can be viewed on the Organization Link Levels screen. One set of activity codes is shared by this organization unit where the codes are set up and all its child organization units. For example, if the activity codes are created at level 4, a specific level 4 organization unit and its children at levels 5-9 use this same set of activity codes.
Once a set of activity codes is created, it can be copied to another organization unit. All attributes of the original activities are copied.
Existing activity codes can be copied to the same organization unit, with a different Code. They can then be modified.
Record Management
Depending on the user's authorization level, the following actions may be available.
Note
The options listed below are not available for some screens.
Authorized users can add a new record by completing the following steps:
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Click on the Add button in the left pane to open a configuration screen.
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Enter data in all applicable fields. The fields with an asterisk are required and must be completed before the record can be saved.
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If specific values are required for a field, the valid options are available in one of the following:
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The Field Look Up Values are displayed in the right pane. In most cases, the values available have been previously entered on the related configuration screen.
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The List Selector icon to the right of a field opens a listing of valid values for a field. In most cases, the values available have been previously entered on the related configuration screen.
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The Drop Down Menu arrow to the right of a field opens a menu of valid options for a field. In most cases, the values available are standard core values.
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A Date Selector Calendar is available in the Field Look Up Values in the right pane for date fields. If there is no right pane, the Date Selector icon is displayed to the right of the field.
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Use the online help features for information on configuration of the screen.
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For information on specific fields, highlight the field with the cursor to view the short Help text in the right pane.
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To open the documentation to find more information for the related page, click on the Help icon in the tool bar or click on More... in the right pane after the short help.
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If there are Indicator and/or Parameter tabs, these must be configured as well. Default values are displayed for the indicator settings, but may be changed for this record. For more information see
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After entering information, save the record. The system does a validation to make sure the information entered is valid for the field, such as numbers must be entered in numeric fields or fields with look up values must match the options displayed.
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The Audits tab is now displayed with information on the entered record.
Note
For more information, see Adding a New Record in .
Authorized users can delete existing records. Open records can be deleted by clicking on the Delete or Delete Selected button in the left pane.
To delete one or more records that are not open, complete the following steps:
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From the related screen, conduct a search to locate the records that are to be deleted.
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To select one or more record, click the box to the left of the record to alternately add or remove the check mark. To select/de-select all records in a specific search result set, click on the box above the search results to add or remove all check marks.
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Click on the Delete Selected button.
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If the record code has been assigned to one or more other records (as a field value), an error message is displayed and the record cannot be deleted.
Note
For more information, see Deleting a Record under .
Authorized users can make edits to add or update information in existing records.
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Using the Search page selection criteria, search for all the records to be updated.
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To select one or more record, click the box to the left of each record to alternately add or remove the check mark. To select/de-select all records in a specific search result set, click on the box above the search results to add or remove all check marks and select them by checking the box to the left of the record.
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To open the record you wish to view first, click its folder. All other selected records can be viewed by scrolling, using the right and left arrows in the Navigator section of the left pane.
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Highlight the fields to be updated with the cursor and enter the information.
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If the field is grayed out, that field is not editable.
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If specific values are required for a field, the valid options are available in one of the following:
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The Field Look Up Values are displayed in the right pane.
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The List Selector icon to the right of a field opens a listing of valid values for a field from the related configuration screen.
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The Drop Down Menu arrow to the right of a field opens a menu of valid options for a field.
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A Calendar is available in the Field Look Up Values in the right pane for date fields. If there is no right pane, the Date Selector icon is displayed.
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For information on specific fields, view the short Help text in the right pane.
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The Indicator and/or Parameter tabs can also be updated. Click on the tab to open and edit the values. For more information see
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After entering information, save the record. The system does a validation to make sure the information entered is valid for the field, such as numbers must be entered in numeric fields or fields with look up values must match the options displayed.
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The Audits tab displays information on the edits made to the record.
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For more information, see Editing a Record in .
To open and view existing records, complete the following steps:
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Using the Search page selection criteria, search for all the records to be viewed.
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To select one or more record, click the box to the left of each record to alternately add or remove the check mark. To select/de-select all records in a specific search result set, click on the box above the search results to add or remove all check marks.
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To open the record you wish to view first, click its folder. All other selected records are also available.
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To view all other selected records, scroll to the previous record or to the next record using the navigation arrows.
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For records displayed in a list format, click the card arrow on a record to open and view it.
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For more information, see Opening and Viewing a Record in .
Authorized users can use the Replace feature to update multiple selected records at the same time with the same field information or the same indicator and/or parameter values.
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Not all screens have the Replace feature available.
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Using the Search page selection criteria, search for all the records to be updated. Multiple searches can be conducted to build a results list.
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To select one or more record, click on the box to the left of each record to alternately add or remove the check mark. To select/de-select all records in a specific search result set, click on the box above the search results to add or remove all check marks.
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Click on the Replace button in the left pane.
A screen is displayed with all replaceable fields showing as read only.
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Check the box to the left of a field to be updated. The field is then enabled.
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Enter the new information in the field.
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Update any additional fields in all tabs.
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Values in the Indicator and Parameter tabs can also be updated by entering values in each field.
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To reset all the values back to the previously saved ones, click on the Reset button.
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Once the records have been saved, the values cannot be reset to the previous values. They would have to be re-entered as updated values, following steps 1-10.
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Click on the Save button to save the changes.
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All selected records are now updated, with the new information replacing the old information in the selected fields.
Note
For more information, see Replacing Record Values under .
The Search page is the default page when a screen is opened. This screen is used to filter criteria when searching for a specific record.
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After entering values in the selected fields, click on the Search button. The results are listed below the search screen.
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Additional searches with different filter options can be run to add to the selected record results set.
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To select one or more record, click the box to the left of the record to alternately add or remove the check mark. To select/de-select all records in a specific search result set, click on the box above the search results to add or remove all check marks.
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To open the record you wish to view first, click its folder. All other selected records can be viewed by scrolling, using the right and left arrows in the Navigator section of the left pane.
Note
For more information on searching for an existing record, see Searching for a Record in the Help section. For more information on the Action buttons available in the left pane after the search is completed, see Search Action Buttons. For more information on setting the check boxes default to be checked or unchecked, see .
Authorized users can use the Replicate feature to copy all general, indicator, and parameter attributes of an existing record, so the setup of a new record requires less time.
Note
Not all screens have the Replicate feature available.
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Using the Search page, search for a record to copy.
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Click on the folder to the left of a record to open it.
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In the Actions section in the left pane, click the Replicate button.
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Update values on the General screen.
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"Key" identification fields must be unique or a Duplicate Key error message is generated. For example, because the "key" identification field for a Holiday record is the Code, the system does not allow a user to replicate a holiday record with the same Code. The Code for each Holiday record must be unique.
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Click the Save button.
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Optional. Update tabs, including Indicators and Parameters, and click the Save button.
All selected records are now updated, with the new information replacing the old information in the selected fields.
Depending on the page displayed, the following fields may be available. |
The following related topics are available: Steps for Adding an Activity Code Steps for Copying Activity Codes to Another Organization Unit Steps for Copying Activity Codes Within the Same Organization Unit |
Active
Indicates whether this activity code is currently being used by the system and can be assigned (Yes/No).
Activity codes that are no longer valid but have been previously assigned cannot be deleted from the system. This is to maintain historical integrity of data. An activity code can be deactivated by setting this value to No, so it can no longer be assigned.
Code
The alphanumeric short name or abbreviation identifying this activity code.
Activity codes can be up to 16 characters in length. The system is not case sensitive so you cannot have both a D1 (upper case D) and a d1 (lower case d) code, with upper and lower case letters the same.
Do not use a space, comma, or semicolon in the code, as these are used as delimiters (characters that mark the beginning or end of a unit of data) when entering activity code/profile strings into the schedule grid.
Description
The label describing the activity code.
Display Color
The color this activity code displays on the schedule screen and on printed reports when using a color printer.
Example
Colors can be used to denote time of day, such as day (blue), evening (green), and night (purple). Colors can differentiate types of work, such as on call, productive, and nonproductive. These colors make it easier to identify patterns or an unusual shift on the Schedule screen.
Length (Hours)
The length in hours of this activity without lunch length, entered in whole/decimal hours. If an activity runs from 07:00 to 15:30 with a half hour lunch, enter 8.0 hours for the length and .5 for the lunch. The system adds these together to make an 8.5 hour activity code.
Lunch Length (Hours)
The total time of the lunch break expressed in whole/decimal hours. For example, a half hour lunch break should be entered as .5 hours. The Lunch Length value is added to the Length value to determine the ending time of the activity.
For example, if the activity code has a start time of 7:00 and a Length of 8 and a Lunch Length of .5, the end time of the activity is calculated to be 15:30. If this same activity code has a Lunch Length of 1.0, the calculated end time is 16:00.
Organization Unit
Enter the appropriate organizational codes for this activity code. The corporate structure determines the organization level where activity codes are configured, and also the number of levels and label names available.
Pay Code
The Time and Attendance pay code associated with this activity code. For example, a VAC (vacation) activity code may be associated with a PTO (paid time off) pay code.
Start Time
The time of day that this activity code begins, expressed in 24-hour time.
Action Buttons
The following Action buttons may be available in the left pane, depending on the page that is open:
Click on the Add button to open a screen to configure a new record.
Complete the following steps to add a new record:
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Click on the Add button in the left pane. The corresponding New Record screen is displayed.
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Enter data in applicable fields. The fields with an asterisk are required and must be completed before the record can be saved.
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Fields that require specific values display Field Look Up Values in the right pane. If there is no right pane, the List Selector icon is displayed to the right of a field to open a listing of valid values.
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Fields that require specific standard response values, such as Yes/No, display a Drop-Down Menu arrow to open a list of valid options.
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Fields that require date values display a calendar in the Field Look Up Values in the right pane. If there is no right pane, the Date Selector icon is displayed to open a calendar to select a date. Date values can also be typed in.
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If there are Indicator and/or Parameter tabs, these must be configured as well. Default values are displayed for all indicator settings (and selected parameter settings), but may be changed for this record. For more information on indicator and parameter settings, see
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Depending on the screen being set up, there may also be additional Section buttons in the left pane. Click on the buttons to open and configure those additional screens.
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When all screens have been completed, click on the Save button to save the new record values.
Note
For more information and screen prints, see Adding a New Record.
The Advanced button loads the expanded search criteria mode with additional fields for locating a record. When the Basic search mode is loaded, the button shows as Advanced. When the Advanced search mode is loaded, the button shows as Basic.
Note
The user can set whether the Basic or Advanced search mode is automatically loaded for each screen. This setting is found under
. The Advanced/Basic buttons only display on screens with Advanced search capabilities.The Audits button in the left pane opens a screen to view changes to records in the open page. The audit trail displays information on additions, edits and deletions, including the date and time the change was made, the type of change (inserted, updated, deleted), the description of the change, the name of the person making the change, and the original and new values.
The audit records can be grouped and sorted by one of the following options: application, audit date, audit description, classification, or who modified. To change the sort, click the drop down arrow near the Group By field in the Audit List Actions to open the record, then select the grouping from the list.
Group by Application
Groups the audit records by the application where the changes were made.
Group by Audit Date
Groups all the audits by the date when changes were made.
Group by Audit Description
Groups the audit report by the description of the edits that were made.
Group by Classification
Groups the audit records by whether the record was inserted, updated, or deleted.
Group by Who Modified
Groups the audit records by the user who made the updates.
The Delete or Delete Selected button is used to remove one or more records from a screen.
Complete the following steps:
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If there are multiple records, click on the selection box to the left of each record that is to be deleted.
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If this is a single record, there are no check boxes to select. Skip to step 3.
A check mark is displayed in each selected box.
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Click on the Delete Selected button for multiple records or the Delete button for a single record.
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The system does a validation check to make sure the record is not linked to any other records. If it is, a warning message is generated and the record cannot be deleted.
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If there are no children records, the record is deleted.
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For more information, see Deleting a Record.
The Replace button opens a screen to update one or more field values for all the records selected in the search. This feature can be used to update multiple records with the same field information.
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Using the Search page, search for all the records to be updated. Multiple searches can be conducted to build a results list.
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Select the box to the left of each record to be updated.
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Click on the Replace button in the left pane.
A screen is displayed with all the fields as read only.
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Select the box to the left of each field to be updated. The field is then enabled.
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Enter the new information in the field.
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Complete all tabs to be updated, including the Indicators and Parameters tabs, if applicable.
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To reset all the values back to the previously saved values, click on the Reset button in the left pane.
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Once the records have been saved, the values cannot be set back to the previous value using the Reset button. They can be changed by using the Replace feature.
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Click on the Save button to save the changes.
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All selected records are now updated, with the new information replacing the old information in the selected fields.
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The system does not allow the user to use this feature to replace "key" identification fields. A Duplicate Key error message is generated. For example, because the "key" identification field for a Holiday record is the Code, the system does not allow a user to replace multiple holiday records with the same Code. The Code for each Holiday record must be unique.
Note
For more information and screen prints, see the section in Record Management under Replacing Record Values.
The Replicate button copies all general, detail, indicator, and parameter attributes of an existing record, so the setup of a new record requires less time. The General screen opens so you can update general field values for the new record.
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Using the Search page, search for a record to copy.
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Click on the folder to the left of a record to open it.
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In the Actions section in the left pane, click the Replicate button.
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Update values on the General screen.
Note
"Key" identification fields must be unique or a Duplicate Key error message is generated. For example, because the "key" identification field for a Holiday record is the Code, the system does not allow a user to replicate a holiday record with the same Code. The Code for each Holiday record must be unique.
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Click the Save button.
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Optional. Update tabs, including Indicators, Parameters, and Details, and click the Save button.
All selected records are now updated, with the new information replacing the old information in the selected fields.