Employee Department Overview
The Employee Department Inquiry screen within SapphireOne Payroll/HR allows the grouping of Employees into different Departments as applicable to your business.
For companies that have a large number of employees, the grouping of employees into different Departments will greatly assist in the analysis and production of reports generated from SapphireOne. Departments can be used for a variety of purposes, such as grouping for Accounting Department, Management, Sales Department, Consulting etc, or for any chosen financial analysis purposes.
The fields accessible through the Employee Department Inquiry screen are the Department ID, Department Name and linked General Ledger accounts. To add an employee to a Department please go to the Employee Inquiry Details Page.
SapphireOne recommends creating Departments before Employee Inquiry files are created, so that Employees can be easily added to an already existing Department.
To create a New Department or Modify an existing Department, select the Department and click the New 
or Modify 
icons as required. Select the Green Tick 
to save your Employee Department entry.
Once you have set up an Employee Department using the New button, and then created new Employees within this Department, when the Employee Department Inquiry screen is next opened, these employees will be displayed in a list in the lower section of the screen.
To add an existing employee to this Department you would go to an Employee Inquiry, select the required Employee and alter the Department of that Employee. Alternatively, when creating a New Employee, you would set their Department as desired.
In SapphireOne, all inquiry screens provide the option for customisation of the displayed item list. The feature, called Custom Inquiry, lets users choose the data fields to be shown and the sequence of data columns across the screen. The user can save infinite custom views. While a client list is used as an example to follow, any inquiry type can be customised in SapphireOne.
The Standard Inquiry Screen
The Standard Inquiry Screen in SapphireOne provides a foundational view of data, presenting a set of column fields for each record. This screen is designed to offer a straightforward and efficient way to access and review essential information.
The list above represents the standard inquiry list, displaying a fundamental set of data fields for each client record and includes two buttons as follows:
- Swap to Custom Inquiry – When the user selects the ‘Swap to Custom Inquiry’ button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, SapphireOne will display the default Custom Inquiry Screen, which is documented below.
- Show/Hide Audit Lines – Toggle the Audit lines panel open. This panel will display at the bottom of the Inquiry screen, benefiting workflow by providing an immediate view of the critical details for a selected line.
The Custom Inquiry Screen
When the user selects the ‘Swap to Custom Inquiry’ button from the Standard Inquiry, SapphireOne will display the default Custom Inquiry Screen, as shown below. This screen provides the user with a customisable view of the data set, which is maintained per user and for each particular inquiry.
The options available from the Custom Inquiry Screen are as follows:
- Swap to Standard Inquiry – Return the view to a standard Inquiry.
- Method List Box – This list box, in conjunction with the adjacent operator list box, allows for calculations to be performed across all rows of the displayed data. The results are displayed adjacent to the operator list box.
- Operator List Box – Select an operator to apply to the method selected using the method list box.
- Setup Button – The Setup button will open a modal screen with functionality to customise the Custom Inquiry, as documented in the following section.
- Export Button – Open the data set in CSV format in the devices default spreadsheet application.
The Custom Inquiry Setup Screen
The Custom Inquiry setup screen allows for the customisation of the data view, which is maintained per user and for each particular inquiry. Once the user has customised the Custom Inquiry screen, the screen view will be maintained in subsequent sessions and is unique to the current user account. This screen also provides the option to select and save an unlimited number of custom views per user.
The Custom Inquiry setup screen provides the following functionality:
- Favourite Sets – This option enables the user to save a custom-created screen for future use. For instance, the user can have a simple Inquiry screen for general use and a more complex screen view when auditing specific information.
- Row Height – Adjust the table row height to the users preference.
- Show Related Record – This option allows the user to add related fields from other tables. By ticking the Show Related checkbox at the top of the screen, the user can select a related record, and a view of that related record for the chosen entry will be displayed for that currently selected record. The user will need to select the fields to be displayed.
- Reset to Default – Reset the display to the default view configuration as established by SapphireOne.
The Custom Inquiry setup screen provides the user with two main options for organising the data displayed:
- To remove or relocate a column – Right-click on the column lines and choose from Delete, Move Left, or Move Right.
- To add a column – Locate the desired data set in the list and double-click on it to add it to the custom view as a new column. Edit the location as described above if required. Almost every field within the SapphireOne data tables can be included in the Custom List screen, provided the user has the necessary authorisation.
Customising inquiry screens in SapphireOne allows for a tailored data view that meets the users specific needs. By leveraging the Custom Inquiry feature, the user can enhance their workflow efficiency and ensure that critical information is readily accessible.
Details Page
Department Area
- ID – Enter your chosen Department ID.
- Name – Enter your chosen Department Name.
- Active Checkbox – This checkbox is automatically selected when an Employee Department is created to indicate that it is active. Unselect this checkbox to no longer display the Department within the Employee Department Inquiry screen.
Defaults Area
The Defaults area facilitates the appropriation of all financial transactions to a specified set of General Ledger accounts. All below fields within the Defaults area are searchable by entering the ‘@’ or the ‘?’ symbols.
- Company ID – The ability to link to any Company within the SapphireOne datafile.
- Department ID – The ability to link to any Department set up within the General Ledger Chart of Accounts.
- Gross GL – The ability to link to a specified General Ledger account and represents the wages and salary gross.
- PAYG GL – The ability to link to a specified General Ledger account. This is commonly referred to as Pay-As-You-Go or Pay-As-You-Earn General Ledger account.
- Net GL – This represents the Net amount after tax.
- Super GL – Ability to link to the Superannuation General Ledger account.
- Bank GL – The ability to link to the General Ledger bank account that the money will be paid from.
Notes Area
Any Notes that are required may be entered in this area. The user can select the Green Clock 
Icon to add a Time and Date stamp to the Notes. The user also has the ability to highlight the text in the Notes area and right mouse click to customise the Font, Style, Colour and Background Colour to their preference.
Dictation and Speech to Text Overview
SapphireOne’s implementation of both Dictation (MacOS) and Speech to Text (Windows) is a game changer for data entry. Any data entry field you can type into using a keyboard can use this feature.
You can also use this functionality on all inquiry screens within SapphireOne. For example, the user is in a Contact within a Client. They may have made a phone call to that particular client using the Softphone technology. Consequently, this will automatically date and time stamp both the contact and the phone number you called.
As soon as the call is completed, the user has the ability to use Speech to Text (Windows) or Dictation (MacOS). They can dictate into the memo field of the CRM contact, adding as much description as they require.
Dictation and Speech to Text Procedure
This functionality applies across every single Data Entry screen. For example, the SapphireOne user is entering a Vendor Invoice (VI). Additionally, you may want to add a memo within the Vendor Invoice (VI). The user can utilise the tool and simply dictate the memo.
Another example is if the user wants to add additional lines to the General Ledger account, within each General Ledger account. When the user is completing data entry using a General Ledger, there’s always a unique memo field for each GL account line.
The user can then utilise this feature to quickly add the information they need to add. Alternatively, you may have an interview with an employee. After the interview process is completed, the user can then make notes about the employee.
Speech to Text or Dictation is an extremely powerful tool. It is something that we at SapphireOne, as well as our clients, utilise daily. It is a massive time saver.
Actions Page
Action Page Overview
The Action Page is a versatile tool that can be added to major records and transaction tables. It includes various actionable items such as Calendar Reminders, Meeting Invites, Alarms, Emails, To-Do Lists, General Notes, Private Notes, Meeting Notes with Date and Time, Start and Finish stamps, as well as All Day Notifications. This provides users with a centralised location to manage and organise their tasks, meetings, and notes, improving efficiency and productivity.
The Action Page allows users to use the add 
or delete 
buttons to add or delete actions as required. Simply select the relevant button to add or delete an action.
Diary Area
The Diary Area in SapphireOne provides users with a comprehensive range of options to customise their actions. It includes a sequence number, title, type, action, user, privacy settings, status, tag, and link fields.
- Sequence – SapphireOne automatically generates a unique sequence number for each action.
- Title – Enter a title for the action.
- Type – Choose from the customisable drop-down menu to input a type. This will subsequently become a permanent type within the drop-down.
- Action – Utilise the user-customisable drop-down menu to input an Action. This will then become a permanent action within the drop-down.
- User – SapphireOne automatically inputs the user creating this action, though it can be modified if necessary.
- Private – If this checkbox is selected, SapphireOne will only permit the specified user to view or modify this action.
- Status – The user has three options: Open, Hold, and Completed.
- Open – Action is open and active.
- Hold – Action is active, but no alarms will be active.
- Completed – Action is now Inactive and won’t be displayed in any list of actions.
- Tag – Users may attach a tag to an action, which will create a permanent tag within the drop-down. To add a new tag, type the name of the new tag into the tag box and press the tab key. Select “Yes” from the pop-up window to confirm. To remove a tag from the list, click on the tag name while holding down the Command (MacOS) or Control (Windows) key. Select “Yes” from the pop-up window to confirm the deletion.
- Link – When created within a transaction or record, SapphireOne automatically generates a link to the transaction or record. When created from the Options Menu, Palette, or Workbook, users must select an item or function from the drop-down menu to link the action. There are 12 items on this list, ranging from Clients to Manager.
Check List Area
SapphireOne offers a user-friendly checklist tool to create and track actions, allowing users to check off completed items as they progress.
Dates and Times Area
- Start/Finish – Set a Start and Finish time for the action, or select the checkbox for an all-day option.
- Completed – Entering a completion date for an action deactivates it, and it will no longer appear in action lists.
Alarm Area
Never forget a task again – set up alarms to send reminders via email at specific dates and times. Users can also receive email notifications with the provided email address.
Recurring Area
If necessary, the alarm can be set to recur at intervals selected from the Type drop-down menu. Additionally, the recurring period can be defined by date.
Notes Area
Click the green clock button to add time and date stamps to your notes. You can also customise the font, style, color, and background color of the text in the Notes area by highlighting it and right-clicking.
Invite Attendees Area
In the event module, you can invite multiple attendees to your event and track their acceptance or rejection of the invitation. You can also send them an email notification if their email addresses are provided. Additionally, you can manage and track attendees’ RSVP status in real-time.
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