Payroll Transaction EntryAccessing GP............................................................................................................................................1Accessing the terminal server..................................................................................................................1What do I do if I can’t access the terminal server?..................................................................................2Creating a shortcut to the Remote Desktop Connection command........................................................2Opening Great Plains...............................................................................................................................2Exiting from Great Plains.........................................................................................................................3What happens if you don’t exit properly.................................................................................................4Ending your terminal server session........................................................................................................4Understanding the GP homepage...........................................................................................................5Adding quick links....................................................................................................................................5Setting user preferences..........................................................................................................................7Specifying your printer............................................................................................................................8Getting help in GP....................................................................................................................................9

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Opening the payroll transaction entry window.....................................................................................10Creating a batch ID for payroll transaction entry...................................................................................10What happens if you don’t create your payroll batch ID correctly?......................................................10Saving your batch ID..............................................................................................................................11Entering dates for the payroll batch......................................................................................................12Selecting an employee...........................................................................................................................12What to do about the Trx Type column.................................................................................................13Understanding pay codes......................................................................................................................14Selecting a pay code..............................................................................................................................14Entering the transaction amount...........................................................................................................14Entering the pay rate.............................................................................................................................15Supplying a reason code........................................................................................................................15Reason codes overview for payroll transaction entry............................................................................15What happens if your reason doesn’t appear as an option...................................................................16Entering budget code information.........................................................................................................17Searching for a budget code..................................................................................................................19Changing a budget code........................................................................................................................19Saving your transaction.........................................................................................................................20What to do if you get the “Not all required fields have been entered” error........................................20Other types of errors you might see......................................................................................................21Reviewing your entries and printing an approval copy for your supervisor..........................................21Turning your transaction edit list into a PDF.........................................................................................22Reopening a batch.................................................................................................................................22Deleting a transaction............................................................................................................................23Deleting a batch.....................................................................................................................................23

Accessing GPGreat Plains lives on a terminal server that you use Remote Desktop to access. The most important thing to remember when accessing anything on one of the terminal servers is that when you are finished, you should log off of the terminal server. Please do not ever choose Shut Down, because you really don’t want to run the risk of shutting down the server itself.

Accessing the terminal serverClick on the Start button, select All Programs, select Accessories, and then select Remote Desktop Connection.Enter the terminal server name:

Cob-gp-term01.cob.albcoOR Cob-gp-term02.cob.albco

Click on the Connect button. Note: You may see a warning message about recognizing the computer; it is okay to select the option that will allow you to ignore this message.It may take a minute to establish the remote connection, but eventually you will see a login screen where you enter your network credentials.Schools folks: remember to change the domain at the bottom to SCHLS, or enter your username as follows:Schls\your_username

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Use one of these commands to save the Remote Desktop command where you can find it quickly and easily.Note: because I already have the Remote Desktop command pinned to my Start Menu, the shortcut menu now gives me the chance to unpin it.

What do I do if I can’t access the terminal server?If you have problems accessing a terminal server, please contact the Local Government Help Desk at 296-5895 (ext. 5895) or helpdesk@albemarle.org.

Creating a shortcut to the Remote Desktop Connection commandIf you are going to be accessing Great Plains on a regular basis, you should save yourself some clicks by setting up a shortcut to the Remote Desktop command.Click on the Start button, select All Programs, select Accessories, and then right-click on the Remote Desktop Connection command.A shortcut menu appears where you can choose to pin the command to the taskbar running across the bottom of the screen, or to the Start menu.

Click on the appropriate command.Note: once you have pinned the Remote Desktop command to either your taskbar or start menu, if you right-click on the command you will be given the option to unpin it from that location.

Opening Great PlainsOnce you are on the terminal server, you should see a GP shortcut on the desktop:If you don’t see the shortcut, click on the Start button, select All Programs, select Microsoft Dynamics, select GP 10.0, and then at last you can select the GP application from there.

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Click on the dropdown arrow here to select the company.

Note: if the GP shortcut is not on your desktop, right-click on the GP application link, select Send To, and then select Desktop (create shortcut) so that you no longer have to remember this long path!

Once you’ve opened GP you have a two-step process to get up and running:1. Log in to GP2. Select the correct company.

The login screen is shown below. The server name will always be Dynamics GP. You do not have do anything to that field.Enter user ID and password that you were given for GP, and then click on the OK button.

The next screen that displays is where you will select your company. The live production company for GP is named County of Albemarle. If you are training on a new function or doing some testing, you may be asked to select a different company.

Once you have chosen a company, click on the OK command.

Exiting from Great PlainsWhen you are finished with your GP work, be sure that you exit properly so that you are no longer logged into the system. Click on the Microsoft Dynamics GP menu and select Exit from the bottom of the menu.

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BreadcrumbsDropdown menus offer same navigation as area pages

If you simply click on the X in the upper-right corner of the GP window, you may not be properly logged out of the system, so please don’t do that!

What happens if you don’t exit properlyIf you forget to close out of GP properly, or if your connection to the terminal server gets dropped, you will see the following error message the next time you open and try to log into GP:

Click on the Yes button, and the Current User Login Activity appears, showing when you last logged in:

Click on the Delete button to eliminate that login.You should now be returned to the Company Login window, where you will be able to proceed normally with the login process.

Ending your terminal server sessionOnce you have properly closed out of GP, you must also end your terminal server session.Click on the Start button and select Log Off.Note: whatever you do, do NOT select shut down, which could shut down the server for you and everyone else!

Understanding the GP homepage

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Hover in this area until you see the pencil and Help icon appear.

These are items I have already added.

On the GP homepage you see a setup that looks somewhat like the Outlook Today homepage in Outlook. On the homepage you can access all of the different parts of GP to which you have been given access through several different methods:Area pages: in the lower-left corner of the screen are shortcuts to the homepages for different areas of GP. Click on one of these to see options available to you there.Menus: a dark gray menu bar runs across the top of the screen; select a menu option and then navigate to open directly into wherever you need to go.

Note: once you’re familiar with GP, the menus are the most efficient way to move around. The area pages are a useful way to familiarize yourself with the options available to you. You will not be able to open, or in many cases even see, items to which you don’t have access.

Adding quick linksThe Quick Links tool on the homepage is the best way to customize the homepage so that, in most cases, you can get to the screens you need to see quickly.Hover on the right side of the Quick Links title bar until you see a pencil icon appear.Click on the pencil icon to open the Quick Links Details window.

Click on the Add button near the bottom of the window and select Microsoft Dynamics GP window.Choose an item from the Menu Groups list on the left side of the screen. Its relevant options will then show up on the right side of the screen.

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Use these commands to rearrange the order in which your quick links appear.

Use the Delete command to get rid of a link that you no longer need.

Highlight the item you want to add and then click on the OK button.

You will be returned to the Quick Links Details window, where you will see the new item added to your list.If you think the display name is unclear or lacking in detail, select it in the list and then click on the Modify button near the bottom of the screen.The Properties window opens; here you can change the name to whatever makes the most sense to you.

Click on OK to return to the Quick Links Details window.

You can modify the order in which the links appear by using the Move Up and Move Down commands on the right side of the screen.To remove any links you no longer need, select the link and then click on the Delete command.When you have finished adding and modifying links, click on the OK command.You will need to refresh the homepage by selecting one of the area pages in the lower-left corner and then returning to the homepage. Then you should be able to see the changes you made to Quick Links.

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You can reset your password here; you get the same 2-week countdown period as with your network password

Determine how many autocomplete items GP will remember for you; autocomplete carries across all of GP

Setting user preferencesClick on the Microsoft Dynamics GP menu and select User Preferences.The items you are most likely to want to modify are discussed below.

Default Report Destination: you can choose whether the default destination is the printer or your screen. Please save a tree and change the default destination to SCREEN!Note: even though you set your default to screen, you will still be able to print to a printer, if necessary.

Entry Key: determines how Tab and Enter keys work. If you are accustomed to using the Tab key for moving from field to field, then leave the selection at Tab. If you prefer to have the Enter key function as a tab key, then select Return.

Display button: opens another window where you can specify how required fields display. In the lower-right side, change the Font Color for Required Fields to Red.

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Once you have made your desired changes, click on the OK command to save them.

Specifying your printerOne of the peculiarities of GP is that you must specify your printer on the homepage. If you decide while running a report that you need to print to a different printer, you must come back to the homepage and change the printer there.Click on the Microsoft Dynamics GP menu and select Print Setup.In the Print Setup window, click on the dropdown arrow beside Name and then select your printer of choice.Note: to get your printer added to the list of those available, please email the Local Government Help Desk (helpdesk@albemarle.org). The Help Desk will email you instructions for how to get your local printer added as your default printing option. Click on the OK button to save your setting.Now you should be able to return to your report or inquiry and print to the designated printer.

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Use these links to read about the fields and command buttons found in a particular window.

Getting help in GPMost screens you see in GP will have the standard blue circle Help icon on them somewhere; click on this icon to open the Help system.No matter where you are in GP, hitting the F1 key on your keyboard will bring up a context-sensitive help screen. The Help window itself looks quite similar to help windows in other Microsoft products. You can enter in a search term on the left side of the window. Note that the Context, Index, and Search tabs allow you different ways to search.

On the right side of the screen is help information specific to the window you were in when you hit the F1 key. Depending on your GP location, you may just have a single page of information, or there may be links near the top of the page to additional information on that window, as well as related topics at the bottom of the page.

Payroll Transaction EntryWhat used to be called payroll input is now known as payroll transaction entry. You will use this window to accomplish the following types of tasks:

Pay substitute employees Pay temporary employees Pay regular employees working additional hours in another position (such as coaches) Pay regular employees for working overtime hours Comp time payout Annual leave payout Police Department contractual work

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Check this box to avoid seeing this window every time you open the Payroll Transaction Entry window.

Opening the payroll transaction entry windowClick on the Transactions menu, select Payroll, and then select Transaction Entry.A “Did you know” window appears the first time you select Transaction Entry; you can check the box beside “Do not display this message again” to ensure that it doesn’t display again. Then click on the Transaction Entry command.

Creating a batch ID for payroll transaction entryIn the Transaction Entry window, the first thing you must do is create a batch ID. The batch ID name consists of four parts:

1. The number of the month (in two digits)2. A batch identifying letter (E or M)3. A dash 4. Your GP username

Some Batch ID samples: 11E-tjones: a November month-end batch for user tjones 11M-tjones: a November mid-month batch for user tjones 03M-jdoe: a March mind-month batch for user jdoe

The number of the month must be two digits, so please proceed the first nine months with a zero.

The batch identifying letters are: M for mid-month E for end of the month

Your GP username is the user ID you use to log into the system (generally speaking, it will match the network ID you use to log into the computer every day). Some sample usernames are below:

elbrother tharris jwells01

Note: users with the same name will have a number appended after their name to distinguish among themNote2: usernames are case sensitive, so be sure to enter in all lower caps unless otherwise instructed.

What happens if you don’t create your payroll batch ID correctly?

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Enter your batch ID here and then click on the TAB key when you are finished.

If you misspell your GP username or otherwise make a mistake when setting a payroll batch ID, you will see the following error when you hit the Tab key to save the batch ID:

If this happens to you, click on the OK command and start over with creating the batch ID.

Saving your batch IDOnce you enter the Batch ID, click on the Tab key on your keyboard.

A new window appears asking if you want to add the batch; click on the Add command.

A Payroll Batch Entry window appears. Here you need to do the following:

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Enter a comment specifying the time frame.

Make sure the frequency is set to Single Use.

Click here to Save the batch.

Enter a comment about the timeframe for the batch (for example, ELBrother February

mid-month). This comment will be helpful for the Payroll Department in case they have any questions about which payroll cycle you are working on.

Make sure that the frequency is set to Single Use. Click on the Save command to save your batch.

Entering dates for the payroll batchOnce you’ve saved your batch ID for this payroll cycle, you can enter the dates covered by this batch ID into the “Pay Period From” and “To” areas of the Transaction Defaults section.

You have two sets of date options:

Batch type Batch identifying letter

Pay Period From and To dates

Sample dates

Mid-month M 16th to end of prior month

04/16/201204/30/2012

End of month E 1st to 15th of current month

05/01/201205/15/2012

You do not have to enter any information into the Days Worked or Weeks Worked fields. Once you have specified the pay period dates, you can begin entering transactions for individual employees.

Selecting an employeeTo select an employee, use one of these methods:

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In the Employees lookup window, click on a header to sort by that column.

The default sort order is by Employee ID. Click on the Last Name header here to change the sort order, then type the employee’s last name into the Find box above.

1. If you know the employee’s ID number, enter it into the Employee ID field and then click on the Tab key.

2. Type the employee’s first or last name (or part of one of the names) into the Employee ID field and then click on the Lookup command.

A list of employees whose name includes the text you entered appears in the Employees lookup window. Double click on the name of the employee you want to review, or click once on the employee name and then click on the Select command.

3. Click on the Lookup command beside the Employee ID field.When the Employees window appears, click on the Last Name header to sort by that column. You can then enter the beginning of the employee’s last name into the Find by Last Name box. Hit the Tab key to begin the search.Note: in Great Plains, you will use the Tab key to move from field to field.Once you see the employee you need, use one of these methods to select the name and return to the Attendance Transaction Entry window:

Double-click on the name

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The number of pay codes available varies by employee.

Click on the name to highlight it and then click on the Select command near the bottom of the window

When you return to the Payroll Transaction Entry window, the employee’s ID and name are now displayed.

What to do about the Trx Type columnThe Trx Type column, which is shorthand for Transaction Type, contains several codes on its dropdown list. However, only Payroll employees can select anything other than Pay Code, so you should just tab through that field or click into the Code field.If you do try to select a different option under Transaction Type, you will see the following error message:

Click on the OK command to close the error message.

Understanding pay codesThe number of pay codes listed for each employee will vary depending on the employee’s status and employment history with Albemarle County.The pay code is made up of two parts:

1. Numerical prefix: the number references the employee’s pay position; employees who have held several positions with the County may have higher prefixes such as 4 or 5. Employees who have only had one position with the County will have a prefix of 0 (zero).

2. Pay code: the two letter code that references the type of pay they are receiving. Things to keep in mind about pay codes:

An employee whose pay position is temp or sub will have a pay rate of $0.00. Retirees now working part-time may have multiple pay codes.

Selecting a pay codeTab over to the Code column and click on the Lookup command to display the list of pay codes available for that employee.Note: the list of pay codes varies from employee to employee, depending on each employee’s status.

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Select the relevant pay code for that employee using one of these methods: Double-click on the pay code Click once on the pay code and then click on the Select command.

Entering the transaction amountPlease be sure that you change the number in the Amount column to the correct option for the employee.The number that you enter in the Amount column can represent the number of hours worked, with these notes for your consideration:

If you are paying a substitute classroom teacher, enter a whole number for the number of days that person worked as a substitute.

If you are paying a nurse, enter a whole number for the number of days that person worked.

Other types of substitute employees are paid on an hourly basis; please see the Supplemental Pay Schedule for more information.

. If you are doing a lump-sum payment of some sort, you would put a 1 in the Amount column and the entire dollar amount to be paid to the employee in the Pay Rate column.

Hit the Tab key once you have changed the number in the Amount column.

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The list of available reason codes varies depending on the pay code you select. Only certain pay codes also requie you to choose a type as well.

The reason codes displayed here will vary depending on the code chosen.

Entering the pay rateOnce you have entered information in the Amount column, hit the Tab key to move into the Pay Rate column. There, you will enter the correct rate of pay.Note: because Albemarle County’s pay rates are calculated out to five decimal places, please be sure that you enter enough digits to get the correct rate of pay. If you’re entering a whole number, press the decimal (period) key once you’ve entered the number and it will automatically put all the trailing zeroes in for you.

Supplying a reason codeFor transactions in the payroll transaction window, you will be required to enter a reason code. These codes function in the same way as do the reason codes used for time and attendance entry—they allow for more-precise reporting and tracking of data.The reason code window will not appear until you select a paycode. The you will see a reason and type window appear in the lower-left corner.

If you are working in the “list view” version of the payroll transaction window, you will not see a reason code window until you try to tab to the next line in the window to create another entry. Then you see the following window:

Remember that the information displayed in the dropdown list will vary depending on the type of pay code you selected. Select the correct reason and then click on the OK command. For more information on reason codes see the below table.

Reason codes overview for payroll transaction entry

Time Code Reason Assignment NotesAdditional Pay (AP)

Annual Leave Payoff

Requires an attendance transaction entry as well to reduce the hours.

Comp Payoff

Requires an attendance transaction entry as well to reduce the hours.

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Time Code Reason Assignment NotesHoliday Payoff in Money Police/FR use onlySee NoteShift Differential

Sick PayoffGrandfathered Local Gov’t employees only—do not use.

Base Pay (BP) See Note

Overtime Pay (OT)

Overtime Pay – 1 ½ Time Enter the date the overtime was worked in the Date From and Date To fields so that it will record appropriately for time-tracking purposes.

Overtime Straight Pay (OS)

Overtime Pay - Straight Time Enter the date the overtime was worked in the Date From and Date To fields so that it will record appropriately for time-tracking purposes.

Reduce Pay Payroll only—do not use

Semi-Monthly Pay (SM)

See Note Use for paying subs and temps.

Substitute EmployeeTemporary Employee

What happens if your reason doesn’t appear as an optionIf you need to pay an employee, and the appropriate reason code doesn’t appear on the dropdown list, use the See Note reason code instead.

Once you select the See Note reason, click on the OK command.Enter your relevant information (such as dates a sub worked, or reason for an employee receiving additional pay) into the blank area of the note.

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Click on the Attach command to save your note.

The Note for this record is now yellow because I entered information there.

To save the note, click on the Attach command in the lower-right corner of the window.

When you return to the Payroll Transaction Entry window, you will see that the Note icon for that record is now yellow, instead of white, to indicate that information is stored there.

Entering budget code informationBudget code information is included for regular employees, but there are circumstances where you will need to modify the account code information, including the following:

If you are paying an employee for overtime, you must change the code to hit the appropriate budget line.

If you are paying an employee additional pay that should be charged to another budget code.

Substitute and temporary employees are configured in the system without a budget code, so that you can charge to the appropriate code.

In the case of subs and temps, the system will prompt you, once you’ve finished entering a transaction for that employee, to add the necessary budget information.

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If you don’t know what budget code to charge, click on the Lookup command to open the Accounts search window.If you know what budget code to charge against, key it into the Account Number field and then verify that the Account Description column is correct.

If for some reason the Payroll Distribution Entry window shown above does not appear, use one of the following methods to open the window:

Use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + D keys Click on the Additional menu and select Distributions

If you know what budget code to use, enter it into the Account Number column and then view

the description to make sure that you keyed it correctly.Note: you can find the budget code information using the supplemental pay scale posted on the Human Resources website.If you are charging the entire transaction to one budget code, click on the OK command to return to the main transaction window.If you need to split the transaction between multiple budget codes, enter the percentage to be charged to the first budget code, and then repeat the process described above to enter the second budget code and allocate its percentage.Once you have finished entering the correct budget codes, click on the OK command to return to the main transaction window.

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To narrow down your search, enter part of your department or location here and click on the Tab key.

Searching for a budget codeIf you don’t know what budget code to use once you are in the Payroll Distribution Entry window, click on the Lookup command beside the Account Number, and the Accounts search window opens.

Here you can search for the budget code; I like to narrow down my options by using the Description filter on the right side of the window. Type your location or department name into the Description textbox and then click on the Tab key.The list of available accounts will filter down to show only those including that name.Once you find the correct budget code, you can select it using one of two methods:

Double-click on the account code Click once on the account code and then click on the Select command near the top of

the window.Either way, you will return to the Payroll Distribution Entry window and see the budget code displayed there. If you are charging the entire transaction to one budget code, click on the OK command to return to the main transaction window.If you need to split the transaction between multiple budget codes, enter the percentage to be charged to the first budget code, and then repeat the process described above to enter the second budget code and allocate its percentage.Once you have finished entering the correct budget codes, click on the OK command to return to the main transaction window.

Changing a budget codeIf you need to give an employee additional pay, use the appropriate Additional Pay code but change the budget code so that you are charging correctly.

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Click on the Delete Row command to remove existing budget code information.

To select a different budget code, click on the Additional menu and select Distributions, or use the Ctrl + D keyboard shortcut.

Remove the existing budget code information by selecting that row and then clicking on the Delete Row command.

To enter the correct budget code, key it into the Account Number column and then verify it in the Account Description column.If you are uncertain about the budget code, use the “Searching for a budget code” directions above to find the correct budget code.Make sure that the percent amount is correct, and then click on the OK command to return to the payroll transaction entry window.

Saving your transactionOnce you have entered all of the necessary information for that employee, click on the Tab key to advance to the next row if you are in the “list view.” If you are looking at the expanded view, click on the Next button in the lower-right corner. Remember, moving to the next row on the Payroll Transaction Entry window is what saves your record.As noted above, transactions requiring a reason code will prompt you with a popup window before allowing you to advance to the next record.

What to do if you get the “Not all required fields have been entered” errorIf your transaction requires a reason code, the appropriate dropdown list should appear in the lower-left corner. However, if you click into the wrong spot on the screen, the system may think that you are trying to move on to the next record and display the following message:

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Print command

Make sure your destination is set correctly here.

If this error appears for you, click back into one of the fields in your current record and then make sure that you have entered all necessary information, including the Reason code.

Other types of errors you might seeIf you don’t fill out all necessary information, you might see the following error:

Click on the Continue command to return to the record and enter the missing data.

Reviewing your entries and printing an approval copy for your supervisorIt’s always a good idea to review your work before the payroll deadline, and the Transaction Edit List will allow you to double-check yourself, and create a printed copy for your department or location’s supervisor to review and sign off on.To create a Transaction Edit List, click on the Print command near the top of the Transaction Entry window.

A Report Destination window appears; I recommend selecting “Screen” as your destination rather than sending it directly to the printer.Once you have chosen a destination, click on the OK command.

A sample Transaction Edit List is shown below:

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Notice that this list subtotals for each employee and then creates a grand total as well.Once you have completed your payroll batch, be sure to print the Transaction Edit List, sign it, and have the appropriate person sign his/her approval as well.To send your report to the printer, click on the Print icon on the report toolbar. You may see the following window the first time you try to print your transaction edit list:

Click on the Install button and let the software install.

Turning your transaction edit list into a PDFIf you would like to have a PDF version of your transaction edit list, click on the dropdown arrow beside “Select a format” and choose Acrobat (PDF) file, then click on the Export command.A new browser window opens, along with the File Download window shown below:

Click on the Open command to open and then save the PDF, or click on the Save command to save it directly into the desired location.

Reopening a batchOnce you create a payroll batch, you can enter transaction in it whenever you have the time to do so before the payroll deadline. To reopen an existing batch, click on the Transactions menu, select Payroll, and then select Transaction Entry.When the Payroll Transaction Entry window appears, click on the Lookup command beside the Batch ID field.When the Payroll Batch IDs window appears, double-click on your batch ID to select it.

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Delete Row command

Deleting a transactionIf you create a payroll transaction and later realize that you don’t need it, you will need to delete it before the deadline for batches to be processed by the Payroll Department.Open the payroll batch as described above.Click into the record you wish to delete in order to select it.Click on the Delete Row command.

A warning message appears:

Click on the Delete command.

Deleting a batchIf you need to get rid of a batch, open the batch and then click on the Delete Batch command near the top of the window.

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