Inprotech: The Case Pick List and Other Numbers

I have recently been involved with a client where a new partner has joined and brought along with them a swag of cases. The cases were loaded into Inprotech and what we did was set up a new number type called Previous Case Number and loaded into that the reference number from the previous system.

The advantage of doing this is that in the Timesheet and Billing programs (or any program where the case pick list is used to find and validate case numbers) the old reference number can be typed into the case picklist field and the case will be found, displaying the new IRN once found.

This is a nice way of easing in the change over of numbers as the case can be found with either number. This functionality works with all numbers registered against the case so if you have the application number or the registration number, but not the IRN, you can type this in and the case will be found.

The trick is that you have to type in the entire number though as it has to be an exact match. If it doesn't find an exact match it assumes you are searching by IRN and behaves accordingly.

The Fees List Program

The Fees List program is one of my favourite programs in Inprotech. It's goal is to produce a list of fees to be paid to the local IP office for a day. The items don't necessarily have to have an amount against them so a full lodgement list of documents can be produced. People who aren't using this program must be using Word or, more likely, Excel and while this is probably an acceptable "manual" workaround it does mean the they run the risk of typing errors on the applicants name, the official numbers and the reference details. Not to mention the extra work of re-typing information already in the system.

Older clients would have a licence for the module as a part of the Cases & Names module before the pricing was changed to make it a separately purchaseable module a few years back.

What I like about the program is that it's simple to enter data and use, delivers high value output easily and caters for most situations. When the Fees & Charges module is used to automatically create the entries it is exactly how integration should be used for productivity benefits.

It does have a few areas I'd like improved though and the ones that I think would be relatively easy to do are:

1. Allowing sorting of the list and unattached items tables by the different columns.
2. Printing the list in the selected sequence.
3. Adding the date/time the item was added as information against the fee items and allow sorting.
4. Allowing the Fees List name to be included on the report.
5. Displaying the Property Type on the bottom half of the screen in the Fees List picklist.
6. Remove blocking the attachment of unattached items against a list with a different country, warn only.
7. When printing the list:

• Default the Print Draft flag to be on.
• Remove the need for the Bank and Account fields to be mandatory to run the report or at least link it to the VerifyFeesListFunds site option
• Get rid of the meaningless error message after you run the report

The bigger enhancement would be for those users of the accounting modules. If the system could create a paid invoice in Accounts Payable on the Cash Book that would be fantastic.

Name Aliases & Account Codes

I am currently working on a project that requires upload of Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable information from another account system into Inprotech's accounting modules. To do this we have to get the account number from old system and record it in the Inprotech account number field so that the SQL that is written for the data load can match against the correct name.

The account code field is actually stored in the Name Alias table on the Name Alias tab in names. This tab was created many years ago to record, I think, the British IPO Client Number so that it could be written to British IPO forms using PassThru. The idea of the table was to also allow other name cross reference codes to be recorded against the name and hence an extra tab for Name Aliases and the picklist of Name Alias types. The account code is a system type and when completed a field on the main name becomes enable at the top of the screen to allow direct entry of the account code.

Name Aliases can be searched using the name picklist advanced filter dialog to find the applicable name. Unfortunately, this can take a bit of effort for the user to find and hence is probably not that much value. A better option is to place the Account Code in Search Key 2 (remembering to turn on related site option). This way the user can type in the name, the Inprotech name code or the account code from the previous system and the name will be found. This is a good aid in the change over of systems allowing the operators to maintain a level of familarity with codes that they have been working with as they get used to the new system.

If you don't want to see Name Aliases in the Names program there is a site option that turns it off.