"More" button for changes to Rates

When an employee's hourly rate or rate currency is changed, or when a task's prorating or an overtime prorating value is changed, you can control if these changes are applied to existing time entries using the More button. Controlling these changes is important because they all contribute in calculating costs. These change options are most useful when rates are applied after the software has been in use for a while and there is a need to backdate these changes. These options are available via the More button that appears when a change is made to one of these items. The following describes (1) how changes can be applied to existing (approved) time entries and (2) how changes affect future time entries and estimates.

 

Notes:

  • The 'Currency' selection changes described are only available if enabled by your administrator.

  • The terms ‘estimated costs’ and ‘budgeted costs’ are used interchangeably.

Options for editing rates on approved time entries (actual costs):

When a rate value/currency is changed, a "More" button appears next to the field. Clicking the More button offers 3 options that control what changes, if any, are made to approved time entries (actual costs) that already exist in the database. These costs are displayed in the Actual Time & Costs view and in various reports. Any changes are automatically applied to future time entries - described further below.

 

 

 

  • Do not replace existing values (the default option): No changes are made to rates, currency selections or proratings for approved time entries that already exist in the database. Only future entries will use the new value.

  • Replace last value only:
    For Employee Rates and Currencies: To replace the most recently used rate value and currency in approved time entries with the new rate and currency.
    For Overtime Rates: To replace the most recently used value for this rate in approved time entries with the new value.
    For Task Proratings: To replace ALL proratings in approved time entries that exactly match the previous value.

  • Replace all values from: To find and replace all rates, currency selections or proratings, regardless of its previous value, in approved time entries, from (and including) the selected date.

 

 

When Time Lockout is enabled, attempts to edit rates using either the 'Replace last value only' or the 'Replace all values from' option may be denied if any time entries associated with a locked out date range will be affected by editing the rate. If the user has the appropriate Security option enabled (Time Lockout – Bulk Edit Override), then the option to override the time lockout is made available (Override time in locked down period). When this override option is used, all edits are recorded in the Audit trail - if the Audit Trail is enabled.

How edited rates affect future time entries (estimated costs):

 

When an employee rate value or rate currency is changed, the new rate/currency is automatically applied to all future time entries. There are 2 exceptions:
 

  1. If a rate/currency for a specific task assignment was manually edited using the Project Planning tool or the Budgeted Time & Costs view, then changes applied using the More button are not transferred to these manually edited task assignment rates/currencies.

  2. If a project has its Freeze budget costs option selected, then changes will not be applied to the project.

 

The same rules apply when a task prorating is edited.

 

Notes:

  • The More button option is not offered when editing rates or proratings in the Project Planning tool.

  • Modifying overtime proratings does not alter budgeted costs as overtime proratings are not used in calculating budgeted costs: 

    • Estimated company cost = estimated hours x rate of wages

    • Estimated client cost  = estimated hours x rate charged x task prorating