Best practices to set user preferences

Set preferences

Select
Setup
then
Firm
.
Select the Preferences tab.
Select the ellipse near
Default User Preferences for new Staff
.
Set the default user preferences as desired. Review the Options section for details on each option.

Select
Setup
then
Staff
.
Select a staff member and then select
Edit
.
Go to the Main tab.
Select the ellipse across from
Setup User Preferences
.
Set the user preferences for the staff as desired. View the Options section for details on each option.

Select
Setup
then
User Preferences
.
Set the user preferences as desired. Review the Options section for details on each option.
Select
OK
.

Options

Alternate background color on lists
. Check this option to have alternate shading of lines on all screens that display a grid or table, including data entry screens. It's strongly recommended that you select this option as it makes using these screens much easier.
Use Enter key to move between fields
. Microsoft navigation standards call for using the Tab key to move from field to field. Check this field to have the Enter key act like the Tab key when moving between fields on most screens. Since the TAB key will still function the same way whether this option is selected or not, it's recommended that this option be selected.
Enable desktop notifications for monitored events
. The Project Management, Client Management, and Staff Management modules provide the ability to notify selected individuals when a monitored event occurs. The available notifications can be found on the
Notifications
tab in
Firm
Setup. You can be notified in 1 or both of 2 ways:
Email
- The system can send you an email when the event occurs.
Desktop notification
- The system can display a small notification on your screen similar to Outlook desktop alerts.
Some users find the desktop notifications distracting and prefer to get their notification by email only. You may want to turn this option on and then turn it off if you find it undesirable. If you do, be sure you're set up to receive your notifications by email so they're not missed.
Show desktop notifications until closed
. If you select to enable notifications, you'll see that the notification appears on your screen, and then disappears after several seconds. If you don’t see it when it appears, you'll miss it. Checking this option causes the desktop notification to remain visible until you select
[X]
in the upper right corner of the notification. If you choose to enable notifications, it's strongly recommended that you select this option as well so the notifications won’t be missed.
Favorite screen.
This option lets you select a screen that will automatically be opened each time you start Practice CS. It's recommended that you set the favorite screen to the one you'll most oftentimes use or want to view upon opening the program. Examples are:
A staff member that only enters time in the system will want to select
Time & Expense Entry
.
A partner that is using Practice CS to monitor staff and firm performance may want to select
Firm Dashboard
.

Entry Field Default.
For several fields, you can specify a default value that will automatically be entered when inputting a time or expense transaction. Enter a default value for fields that can have only one value or you enter a specific value for most of your transactions. You can always override the default if necessary.
The
Sheet Date
field lets you select from 3 options:
Today's date
- the system date.
Most Recent
- the latest date on which at least 1 transaction has been entered.
Blank
- you'll need to enter the sheet date manually.
The
Date
field lets you select from 3 options:
Sheet Date
- the date entered in the
Sheet Date
field.
Today's date
- the system date.
Blank
- you'll need to enter the date manually on each transaction.
Entry Field Skip.
If you enter a default value for a field, or a default value isn't permitted, you can select to have the system skip over the field so you don’t have to enter or tab through it. It's recommended that you select to skip a field when a default value is specified or for fields that you typically don't enter data into such as the Time Rate, Timer, Biller Note, Custom Fields, and CPE Course Selection.
Entry Field Hide.
For any field you select to skip, you can also select to hide the field so that it doesn’t appear on the screen at all. You'll want to skip only fields in which you never need to enter a value or see the value that might be entered by the system automatically, such as the Time Rate.
Entry Field Description.
You can add the client sort name, engagement description, project description, and/or activity description to the data entry line. This can be helpful when you use numeric codes for items and you want to verify that you've selected the right value. However, these additional fields will make the data entry line longer and may force it off the right side of the screen requiring you to scroll horizontally to see the entire transaction, which can significantly slow the data entry process. If you select to show descriptions, you typically won't need to include engagement or project since the IDs of these items are usually self-descriptive. If you select not to show any descriptions, you can still view the description for the currently selected transaction at the bottom of the Time & Expense entry screen.
Timer Rounding.
The Timer rounding options let you select a time increment to use when booking time accumulated by a timer and indicate how the time is to be rounded to that increment. Most firms record time in even increments, usually 0.25 or 0.1 hours so hours and billable amounts are round numbers. It's recommended that you set the rounding increment to the same increment you use when manually entering time. It's also recommended that you set the rounding method to
Always round up
so you won’t lose billable time that's less than half of the time increment.
The second set of options in Timer rounding is whether to round each elapsed time or the accumulated elapsed time. The 1st option,
Round each elapsed time
, applies the rounding to each time increment recorded when you start and stop the timer which you can do as many times as you like. The 2nd option
Round accumulated elapsed time
, will apply the rounding to the total time accumulated. is strongly recommended that you select the
second
option, which will yield the most accurate accounting of the time for the transaction.
Allow Simultaneous Timers.
If checked, a staff member can have multiple timers running at 1 time. If not checked, the staff member can have only 1 active timer running at a time. It's recommended that this
not
be checked so staff can't accidentally double-book their time.
Start Timer for Projects.
If this option is selected, when you select the
Solutions
in a project or task record, the on-screen timer will automatically start. If you use timers to track your time, this option should be selected.
Start Timer for Phone Calls.
If this option is selected, when you open a phone call interaction, the on-screen timer will automatically start. Select this option if you use timers and you usually book the time you spend on the phone with your clients.
Enter Hours / Minutes.
This option determines whether you enter your time in hours or minutes, e.g., 0.25 hours or 15 minutes. It's strongly recommended that you enter time in hours so that your time entry screens and reports are consistent with other screens and reports in the system.
Implied Decimal on Amounts.
If this option is checked, the system assumes the decimal point in the Hours, Units, and Amount fields is after the numbers entered, ex: 2 = 2.00. If not checked, the system adds two decimal places, ex: 2 = .02. The recommendation is to set this option with the entry method with which you're most comfortable.
Auto Display Task Selection.
If this option is checked, then when you enter a project ID in the Project field, the Task Selection screen will automatically open for you to indicate what task you are entering time for. If not checked, you'll need to select the ellipse next to
Project
to open the Task Selection screen.
If you use tasks, it's strongly recommended that you select this option so you won’t forget to select a task. If you don’t select a task, the time will be allocated to the project instead of the task.
Auto Display Custom Fields Entry.
If this option is checked, the system will automatically open the custom fields screen at the end of the transaction. If you don’t select this option, you'll need to select the ellipse at the end of the transaction to open the Custom Fields screen. It's recommended that you check this option only if you enter a custom field for most or all transactions.
Auto Display CPE Course Selection.
If this option is checked, then when you enter an activity that's classified as administrative and administrative type is CPE, a list of all CPE courses to which you're assigned opens so you can select the course to assign the time to. If you don’t select this option, you'll need to select the ellipses next to the Activity field to open the CPE course selection screen. It's recommended that you select this option only if you track your CPE courses in Practice CS.
Auto Fill From Last Entry.
If this option is checked, when you complete a transaction, several of the values from the current transaction will automatically copy into the next transaction.It's recommended that you check this option only if you're entering multiple transactions where most data is the same.
Display Billed Time and Expenses.
If this option is checked, billed transactions will continue to be displayed in the timesheet. Billed transactions are designated by the icon and the values are grayed out and can't be changed. If the option isn't selected, transactions no longer appear on the timesheet on which they were entered once they're billed. It's strongly recommended that this option be selected so staff doesn’t later question whether a transaction was billed or not yet entered.
Display Hash Totals.
If this option is selected, an additional line is added after the last transaction that shows the total for all numerically values in the timesheet. It's strongly recommended that this option be selected so staff can quickly verify that they've correctly entered their time.
Start-up tab.
This option lets you  select which of 3 tabs you want to open first when you select
Time & Expense Entry
.
Select
Entry
if you typically just enter time.
Select
Overview
if you're an administrator and typically manipulate transactions.
Select
Review
if you use the Approve and Post Process and you're the person that approves and posts the transactions.

Default invoice date.
This option specifies the invoice date that will automatically be set in detail billing and the invoice date that will be used for Quick Bill, Standard Bill, Zero Bill and Recurring Bills.
Select
Today's date
to assign the current calendar date to your invoices.
Select
Period end date
to assign the last calendar day of the current period.
Select
Last date used
to assign the same date used for the previous invoice. This option is most useful in detail billing where you're changing the invoice date to a specific date and want all subsequent invoices to use that date.
Default WIP through.
This option lets you select the last WIP entry date that will be presented in Detail billing or that will be relieved in Quick Bill, Standard Bill, and Zero Bill. Regardless of the selection, Practice CS won’t present any WIP dated beyond the invoice date.
Automatically apply open credits.
When checked, if there are any unapplied credits for the client being billed, the system will apply the open credit to the current invoice up to the amount of the invoice. If you don’t want to apply the credit to this invoice, open the apply Open Credits window by selecting the ellipse and zero the applied amount. It's strongly recommended that this option be selected.
Automatically display Apply Open Credits dialog.
When checked, the Open Credits window opens automatically when there's an unapplied credit for the client being billed. If you don’t select this option, you'll need to select the ellipse to open the window. It's strongly recommended that this option be selected so credits don't get applied without your seeing exactly what is being applied. It's particularly important if you have also selected the
Automatically apply open credits
option.
Implied decimal on amounts.
If this option is checked, the system assumes the decimal point in the Amount field is after the numbers entered, ex: 2 = 2.00. If not checked, the system adds two decimal places, ex: 2 = .02. The recommendation is to set this option with the entry method with which you're most comfortable.
Mark zero invoices as printed.
This option causes all invoices for zero dollars to be marked as printed in the Print Invoices & Statements screen. On the Print Invoices and Statements screen, you have the ability to filter out all invoices that have been printed. Therefore, zero dollar invoices would be marked as printed and not printed along with those invoices that haven’t yet been printed. Select this option if you typically don't print zero dollar invoices.
Bill by.
This option specifies the level of detail from which you can select what you want to bill.
Select
Clients
if you typically bill a client for all work you have done for them on a single invoice.
Select
Engagements
if you want to be able to select the specific engagements you want to include on an invoice.
Select
Projects
if you want to be able to select the specific projects you want to include on an invoice.
Show WIP when selecting clients to bill.
If this option is checked, a column is added to the
Billing Selection
screen that shows the amount of WIP available to bill for each client, engagement, or project. It is recommended that this option always be selected.
Automatically select subsidiary Clients when selecting parent Clients.
If you've created client families then if this option is checked, when you select the parent client of the family on the billing selection screen, the system will automatically select all the subsidiary clients in the family. If not checked, you'll need to select each member of the family individually. It's recommended to check this option if you typically bill all members of a family together on the same invoice.
Start-up tab.
This option specifies which screen opens first when you select Detail Bill Selected.
Select
Summary
if you typically enter a single amount to bill all open WIP.
Select
Time & Expenses
if you typically select the specific WIP you want to bill.
Default invoice date.
This option specifies the date that will initially be assigned to each new invoice.
Select
Today's
date to assign the system date.
Select
Period end date
to assign the last day of the current period.
Select
Last date used
if you've entered a date manually and want to use that date for all subsequent invoices.
Automatically apply open credits.
This option causes the system to apply any unapplied payments, such as prepayments, to the current invoice. This option is recommended if you typically apply open credits to the very next invoice but it is also recommended that you select
Automatically display Apply Open Credits dialogue
so you can verify which payment has been applied to the invoice and change it if necessary.
Automatically display Apply Open Credits dialog.
This option causes the system to automatically open the apply screen when there is an unapplied payment available to be applied to the current invoice. This option is strongly recommended so you will know when there is a payment to apply and, if it has been automatically applied because the earlier option is set, so you can verify the application is correct.
Bill at standard rounding.
This option lets you specify if and how the amount billed should be rounded if you select to use the
Standard Bill Selected
billing method which, by default, bills the WIP for the value of the WIP.
Time & Expense Descriptions.
These options let you select which field descriptions you would like to appear on each line on the Time & Expense screen in Detail Billing. It's recommended that you select those for which the ID is a code that you can't readily recognize.

Entry Field Default.
The options in these fields let you specify a default value that will be entered in each transaction automatically. It's recommended that you set a default for any field in which the value is usually the same for every transaction.
The
Control Date
field gives you 3 options:
Today's date
- system date
Most recent
- the latest date that contains at least one receipt or adjustment transaction
Blank
- you'll need to enter the control date manually
The
Date
field gives you 3 options
Control date
- the date entered in the Control date field
Today's date
- system date
Blank
- you'll need to enter the date manually
Entry Field Skip.
If you enter a default value for a field, or a default value is not permitted, you can select to have the system skip over the field so you don’t have to enter or tab through it. It's recommended that you select to skip a field when a default value is specified or for fields that you typically don’t enter data into such as Comment.
Entry Field Hide.
For any field you select to skip, you can also select to hide the field so that it doesn’t show on the screen at all. You will want to only skip fields in which you never need to enter a value or see the value that might be entered by the system automatically, such as the Bank Account when there is only one Bank Account value used.
Entry Field Description.
You can add the Bank Account description, the Adjustment Bank Account description, the Client sort name, and the Transaction Type description to the data entry line. This can be helpful when you use numeric codes for items and you want to verify that you have selected the right value. However, these additional fields will make the data entry line longer and may force it off the right side of the screen requiring you to scroll horizontally to see the entire transaction, which can significantly slow the data entry process. If you select to show descriptions, you typically won't need to include either of the bank account descriptions or transaction type descriptions since the IDs of these items are usually self-descriptive.
Automatically apply receipts to oldest first.
This option causes the system to automatically apply the receipt or credit to the oldest invoice or debit memo first. If there is any amount left over, it will then apply it to the next oldest invoice or debit memo. It's recommended that this option be selected as this is the most commonly used method to apply credits.
Automatically display applied amounts
. This option causes the system to automatically open the apply screen so you can verify that the receipt was applied to the correct invoices and modifies the application if necessary. If you don’t select this option, you will need to select the ellipses next to the Amount screen to open the apply screen. It's strongly recommended that this option be selected so you can readily verify the application of each receipt or credit.
Implied decimal on amounts.
If this option is checked, the system assumes the decimal point in the Amount field is after the numbers entered, ex: 2 = 2.00. If not checked, the system adds two decimal places, ex: 2 = .02. The recommendation is to set this option with the entry method with which you're most comfortable.
Display hash totals.
If this option is selected, an additional line is added after the last transaction that shows the total for all numeric values in the receipts entry screen. It's strongly recommended that this option be select so staff can quickly verify that they’ve entered the correct amounts.
Start-up Tab.
This option lets you  select which of the 3 tabs you want to open first when you select Receipt & Adjustment Entry.
Select
Entry
if you typically just enter receipts and adjustments.
Select
Overview
if you're an administrator and typically manipulate transactions.
Select
Review
if you use the Approve and Post Process and you are the person that approves and posts the transactions.