Excel Timesheets - Making a db to replace them

[snackcakes101]

I am BESIDE MYSELF with this one! I have tried to adapt the time billing template but there are too many differences in procedure.

We currently use Excel: 1 file for ea. employee, broken out by day and in .5 hour increments from 07:30 to 20:00 for each day. There is a macro in place that fills out the new dates and blanks the data for each new week.

I have tried so many different ways to write a db to replace this. I don't know how to: 1) have it fill out the current week's days and dates automatically each Monday so the employees only need to fill in their job numbers and tasks; 2) after verifying job numbers (can do a script easily for that) dump the info into a master file to use for future reports and billing.

I feel like I'm starting all over again knowing nothing about FM! Any ideas to just get me on the right path?

Eternally grateful,

Debi

[danjacoby]

You'll want a full, relational solution, with at least three files: an Employees file, with one record for each employee, a Weeks file, with one record for each week, and a third file that contains the actual data (well, most of it), and that you only see through portals in the other two files.

You'd be able to add the weekly info through a script in the Weeks file. You would also be able to view (and edit) individual employees' records in the Employees file.

This should get you started. If you're not familiar with the relational capabilities of FMP, you might want to consider hiring a contractor to set it up for you. But it never hurts to try it yourself first.

Good luck.

[snackcakes101]

Thanks - I had the files in place I was just thinking a little backwards.

Thanks for your patience - I'm a media buyer and I write these for my company in between to improve systems currently in place. So far my media, traffic and billing databases have come by trial and error! But they work!