The program must be shut down on all machines with the software, including the system monitor.  Then shut down any anti-virus programs or at least disable them.

Copy the Data files and place them into a secure location i.e. C:\ITDataBCKUP\

Now rename the Inception folder.  i.e.  from C:\Inception to C:\IT\

That way we can revert back to this version in emergencies.  This will be temporary until we get the new version up and running.

Go into the TC32.ini file and REM the Program and Data locations out by placing the ( ; ) in front of those lines.

Now proceed with the install of the InfiniTime Oracle version 5.x.  Do the installation with its default settings, once the installation is complete, restart.  Upon doing this, when the machine reloads, you may get an error from the system monitor trying to load, that is fine, just close it and ignore it.  Once the machine is done rebooting it will ask you once to load the Oracle Database, go ahead and do so, once that completes, then go to the program directory

C:\inception\infinitime\  and run the builddb.exe.  This process will take approx. one minute, a screen will flash, and then about a 10 second pause, followed by the process window and then it will complete.  After it completes, start the program.  If all runs well, go ahead and log out of the program including the system monitor....

Now copy the data files from the secure location and paste them into the current data location.  Once they are there, go into a DOS prompt.  From there, go to the program directory C:\inception\infinitime

once there C:\inception\infinitime\>  run the command line ' builddb.exe rebuild '   this process will take just as long as the builddb.exe, however, now it will build an oracle database based on the TPS files in the data location.  Once this is complete, start the program and everything should be up and running based on the previous database.  If everything is running correctly and all the information seems to be in place, you may delete the original C:\Inception folder that was renamed to C:\IT

Hand Punch Special Enrollment

How to add new employees at the HP without them actually being there.

Go in as a supervisor.

Press Clear/Enter then release.

Enter your ID number.

Select 5 #

Special Enroll

Select # (YES)

Enter their number

Put your hand on the platform.

That’s it.

Continue to select Special Enroll, # (YES)

Enter new numbers, press 3 (YES).

You won’t need to continue to place your hand.

When done, just press Clear a few times.

Later, if you want to actually link their number to their hand, do this:

1)      Poll the clock for the punches.

2)      Go in as a supervisor, delete them (4#) press NO until you see Delete Employee

3)      Enter their number, delete them.

4)      Press NO until you see Enroll Employee, then Enroll them again, having them enter their number and their hand at the clock.

The Workforce Management Technology industry is hard to get your arms around. Even for those of us in this industry for many years. How much harder it must be for the employers who are faced with the responsibility of selecting both vendor and product for their organization.

We lack not only a common vocabulary, but also a standard definition of what workforce management systems are and what they do, as well as a clearly defined list of who the players are. The technology is advancing so rapidly that the language and topics change year to year. The landscape of vendors expands and contracts with acquisitions and offshoots keeping my contact list humming. The good news is that many of the best and brightest stick around – you just need to excel at networking and tracking. (Good thing Outlook has replaced the Rolodex or I’d be blogging about eliminating paper contact cards.)

The history and complexion of the vendors make interesting tales.
Some have been around for years having their genesis around manufacturing the old mechanical time clocks and evolving into producers of sophisticated devices and the accompanying software.

Others are the step-child of purveyors of other products and services answering a call by their customers to “be all things” and adding on a time and labor management component to their suite of products.

Some are the brainchild of talented innovators who branched out on their own with new and exciting solutions using the latest platforms and technology or answering a discreet need in the market.

And the industry includes those that started out as one thing and simply morphed themselves into their present – latest, greatest – line of business.

So what part does eliminating paper timecards have to play in choosing a vendor and product? It’s all about “green” of course. And I mean that in several ways. Green is money, green is the environment, green is experience.

Green is money

First, don’t let the “greenbacks” in your budget make this a commodity play.  The right time and labor management system is not properly decided on cost. There are folks out there who pretend to agree with this – going through the motions of a Request for Proposal and product demonstrations – only to base their final decision on price. I see it time and again – some organizations are right out front with it. Their first question is “how much does a system ‘like this’ cost?”  Others are much coyer, and drag their organizations through a vendor selection process that is merely superficial because the arguments for getting the “right” system and services fall on deaf ears.

The product offerings are numerous and run the gamut of everything from purely mechanical, unintelligent, almost archaic design and functionality to sophisticated, multi-faceted software and hardware packages that satisfy a multitude of business needs. These variances in functionality, hardware investment, integration capabilities, ease of use, and total cost of ownership are the antithesis of a commodity purchase.

You must come up with your own requirements before you reach out to the market. Define for yourself what the “value proposition” is so that you understand how you’ll get the most bang-for-your-buck. The organization needs to do a thorough assessment of all of the requirements – from environmental integration (all the technical questions so that it fits within the current technology architecture) to data collection and pay computation specifications, attendance and scheduling demands, all the way to top level reporting and visibility  and the lowest level end user functionality. Put a dollar figure behind the benefit of these requirements or the cost of NOT getting it right.

A commodity purchase process works for products that are essentially the same but delivered at varying costs. Paper is a commodity. No offense to the IT folks in the audience, but buying time and labor systems is not the same as deciding on servers and cables. At the same time, organizations that ignore the red flags their IT department folks put up about a software’s platform compatibility or concerns about performance will ultimately pay a price for not listening to these internal experts. But don’t let technical “speak” confuse the issue. Value is what is at the heart of buying an automated workforce management system.

What I am emphasizing is that time and labor systems are business systems, not just another technology purchase. The appropriate selection depends on meeting the operational needs of the business, the benefits the system will bring to the organization, the way it will support meeting the financial, operational and strategic objectives of the employer. Cost is not the most important factor when making a purchase in this area.

Green is the environment

The other green factor is the system’s ability to deliver on the promises of “going green” by eliminating paper or reducing green house gases. Automation and electronic record keeping can reduce your paper consumption only if they fully satisfy all of the internal requirements of a process. For example, if the organization cannot transition to electronic approvals and must still provide signatures on paper records, the goal of fewer paper forms will be illusive. Reliance on paper can also be a cultural or habit issue. I’ve heard accountants profess that “hand written signatures are required”. Scheduling systems do a wonderful job of eliminating the need for paper job assignments but the paper will still be produced if employees insist of posting roster sheets in the break room. The system cannot replace the documents unless they satisfy the end user’s idea of usable information.

Look at the entire process from the first point a data point is created until it is saved, posted and retired to historical records. Identify the people who touch the process at every stage and assess their needs around verifying, approving, posting and filing these records. Work to overcome any hurdle in the way of completely eliminating paper. Then list these requirements as a part of your product selection criteria. If a vendor fails to meet one of the needs, paper won’t be saved.

If you seek to go green and save the planet from auto emissions and the other environmental costs of having workers commute into the workplace, look for products that can adequately support remote workers and distance data collection and reporting. How many trips into the office to file a signed request for time off can be saved by an electronic Time Off Request process? Allowing mangers to work remotely from home on payroll Monday when they need to approve timecards or generate schedules saves another trip to the office.

An exercise in the laying out the logistics of people, processes and data can reveal numerous opportunities to save time, energy and reduce the carbon footprint. You should realize financial savings as well. But the product must match in form, fit and function for all concerned.

Green is experience

Coloring your vendor selection process “green” is just one aspect of the difficult process of choosing a vendor. There are many significant considerations and strategies for making certain you purchase the right system for your company. The final “green” hue I’ll put onto this discussion is to recognize if you’re too green to do this on your own. Your own green-ness may prevent you from making the best choice. Involve an expert in the field who is vendor neutral, advocating for your entire organization and not any one internal business area, and has wide exposure to the full field of time and labor management technology vendors. Green is when you don’t know what you don’t know. And that can hurt your chances of success.

So go green, use your green wisely, and don’t be afraid to admit you’re too green to go it alone

By Lisa Disselkamp

Acroprint introduces innovative time cards that use built-in antimicrobial technology for added protection. The average weekly employee working forty hours can punch in/out using a time card four times per day. Over five days, the employee has touched the time card over twenty times. At the end of the week, all of those time cards are collected and given to the employee handling payroll. With growing employer concerns over employee absenteeism and office cleanliness, Acroprint antimicrobial time cards offer a better way to handle time and attendance processes.

Not only do these time cards use antimicrobial technology, they are made from 30% post consumer recycled content. Branded Green Guard, these antimicrobial time cards were especially designed to be used with Acroprint side print time recorders and time clocks. Acroprint antimicrobial time cards are offered in packs of 200 and 400 with both single-sided and double-sided options.

Acroprint Time Recorder Company is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of time and attendance products with more than 1,000 dealers/distributors across the United States and products that are exported to 70 foreign countries. Acroprint is in its 39^th year of providing worldwide, high quality workforce solutions through continuous improvements, innovations, and individual initiatives.