1.4. Client/Server Installation

Client/server installations involve installing the database on a server computer and then installing client software on all the computers that need to access the database. If your organization is not already running SQL Server 2000 or 2005 then run the installer and click Server Installation.

Otherwise, if your organization is running SQL Server then use Enterprise Manager to restore the database located in the setup folder at Database/iHR.bak. When prompted, name the database IHR. For step-by-step instructions on how to use Enterprise Manager read “Restoring a Database with SQL Server 2000’s Enterprise Manager” on page 45.

1.5. Instant Self Serve Installation

If you purchased the Instant Self Serve Web Add-on then copy the Web Project files from the Instant Self Serve installation folder to your Web server. Your Web server should be running either Windows XP Pro or Windows Server and Internet Information Services (IIS) 5 or better. IIS 5 requires the installation of ASP.NET which can be downloaded for free from Microsoft’s website.

1.6. Moving the Database

If you need to move the database to a different server then follow the procedure below:

Backup the database by opening the client software and clicking File→Backup.
Move the backup file to your new server.
If SQL Server 2000 or better is not already running on the server then install MSDE.
Restore the database by following the Restoring a Backup instructions on page 45.
Uninstall SQL Server from the original host computer. To completely remove SQL Server’s footprint, delete C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server.

2. Company Setup Wizard

Use the Company Setup Wizard to set up your company. If the wizard is not already open then click Company→Company Setup Wizard.

A window similar to Figure 1 will open. Use the wizard to set up you company, define types of leave, set up accrual plans, and enroll sample employees in those plans.

The wizard will ask you if you want to delete all of the sample employees, and it can import your current employees from a CSV file.

To import employees without running the Company Setup Wizard, click Employees→Import Employees. To change company settings after you complete the wizard, click Company→Company Settings.

Figure 1. Company Setup Wizard

After setting up your company, you can explore what makes this software different from typical HR and time & attendance software. See the table below.

Table 2. What Makes Apex Software Different?

Feature	Explanation
File Attachments	Attaching files like reviews, e-mails, and scanned-in medical certifications is easy. Learn more by reading section 3.3 on page 10
Mail Merge	Set up form. After that initial time investment, creating benefit notifications, FMLA forms, and leave confirmations is effortless. Chapter 9 on page 33 explains Mail Merge.
Vacation and PTO Accrual	The software will automatically bump up people’s accrual for you, based on seniority. Chapter 4 on page 12 explains leave accrual.
FMLA & CFRA Management	Both paid and unpaid leave can run concurrently with any type of family leave, STD, LTD or work comp. Learn more by reading Chapter 4.
E-mailed Reminders	The software will e-mail reminders to employees, HR, and management regarding expiring certifications and licensing. Chapter 10 on page 34 explains tasks and reminders.
Simplification	The company settings allow you to turn off sections of the software. If you do not need to track timecards, succession planning or union membership then click Company→Company Settings and uncheck the features that you do not need.

3. Employees

This chapter explains how to list, open and add employees. It also explains most of the employee information, file folders and best practices. This chapter does not explain leave, benefits, reports or security. Each of those topics merits its own chapter and can be found on pages 12, 23, 23 and 39.

3.1. Listing, Opening and Adding Employees

The People Explorer lists employees. To open the People Explorer, click View→People Explorer on the main menu. Select Active Employees. To open an employee, double-click him. A window similar to Figure 2 will open.

Custom Tabular Reports also list employees. These views allow you to enter information about several employees at once. To open a view, click Employees→Custom Tabular Reports.

People Search searches for an employee based on name, date of birth, or social security number. To use People Search, click Employees→People Search. Double-click an employee to open him.

To add an employee, click Employees→Add Employee. A window asking for the name of the employee will open. Once you click save, the system will create the employee and open a window similar to Figure 2. You can then edit the new employee’s information.

Figure 2. Employee Window

3.2. Entering Employee Information

After you open an employee, you will see a window similar to Figure 2. Table 3 explains all of the buttons shown in Figure 2. Table 4 explains the tabs. The system raises reminders based on the information in those tabs. Table 28 and Table 29 on page 35 explain those reminders.

Table 3. Information on Employee’s General Tab

Control in Figure 2	Contents
Organization	Shows an employee’s manager, department, division, shift, location, current position and past positions within the company. To add a department, division, shift or location to the list of possibilities, click the button labeled “…”. Note that you can change “division” to “company” or “subdepartment” by clicking Company→Settings and changing the entry for the secondary organizational class.
Degrees	University degrees include years completed, location, GPA, and verification.
Continuing Ed	Continuing education includes credits, date completed, location, course, grade, and verification.
Certifications	Certifications include date completed, date renewed, expiry, and verification.
Licensing	Licensing includes state / jurisdiction, dates completed and renewed, and verification.
Test Results	Test results include test, date, and score
Training	Training includes course and dates began & completed. To record training for a group of employees, click Employees→Record Group Training
Skills	Skills include a description and level
Unions	Unions include a description and date joined
Succession	If your organization implements career planning then use succession planning.
Tardiness	Tardiness records individual incidents and whether or not they were excused.
Emergency Contacts	Lists contact information for emergency contacts.

Table 4. Employee Tabs

Control in Figure 2	Contents
Communications & Reviews	Displays when the next review is scheduled and when, if ever, the last review occurred. It also lists all the reviews. The Next Review field raises a Review Due reminder. Table 28 explains similiar reminders. To enable or disable the reminders click Company→Settings and then click the Reminders tab. Also displays all warnings, reprimands and communications regarding an employee.
Leave	Tracks detailed leave history and summarizes usage & availability as of today.
Personal Info	Shows an employee’s date of birth, social security number, race, marital status, dependents, health status, spouse, children, immigration, military experience and driver’s license information. Table 29 explains related reminders.
Benefits	Shows individual enrollment in each benefit and also tracks COBRA. To rename benefits or enter premium tables, click Benefits on the main menu.
Timecards	Tracks an individual’s timecard entries. To enter timecards for several employees at once click Timecards on the main menu.
Employment	Shows a complete salary and rehire history. Add a new entry whenever an employee’s status or pay changes. Each entry tracks employment status, pay, position status, and bonus ranges. This tab also contains new hire and exit checklists.
Communications	Displays warnings, reprimands and communications regarding an employee.
Contact	Home and work contact information.
Equipment	Lists the equipment an employee has checked out. Allows you to easily check his equipment back in.
Notes and More	Use this tab to create custom fields and enter narratives that do not fall under communications or tasks.

3.3. File Folders

The system automatically creates a folder for each employee. Within each folder, you can store MS Word resumes, scanned-in vacation requests, scanned-in review forms, and everything else that you can save to disk or scan in. To change the root folder, click Company→Settings. A window similar to Figure 3 on the next page will open. Look in the Associated File System Folders tab. Change the path to a shared folder on your network.

Whenever the system creates a folder for an employee, it creates a shortcut and several subfolders. In Company Settings, change the subfolders to meet your needs.

To open an employee’s folder, take any of the actions listed below.

Right-click the employee in People Explorer.
Navigate to the root shared folder and click the employee’s shortcut.
Open the employee and click Folder.

Figure 3. Setting up Employee Folders

To open the root shared folder, either click Employees→HR Folder or click the Open HR Folder toolbar button . You can also open the root folder with Windows Explorer.

When the system creates folders, it does not secure them. Typically, you will set permission on the root folder so that only HR staff and proprietors can access employee folders. For more advanced scenarios, like granting access to managers on all or part of an employee’s folder, administrators can use Windows Explorer to set permissions on individual folders. Consult Windows Help for more information about file system security.

3.4. Best Practices for Managing Employee Information

Apex recommends the following practices:

Designate equipment and track its location or user. To list and add equipment, click Company→Equipment on the main menu. To assign equipment to an employee, open him and click the Equipment tab.

Enter the skills, tests and training that are important to your organization. To list and add these items, click Company on the main menu. To associate skills, tests, and training with an employee, open the employee and click the Skills and Unions or Tests and Training tab.

When an employee’s status changes, open the employee and document the change in her employment tab. A new entry should be entered into the employment tab whenever the employee is rehired, promoted or demoted.

Store copies of reviews, resumes and other written documentation in the employee folders. Read page 9 to learn about employee folders.

4. Leave

This chapter explains how to set up leave. It then explains types of leave, leave accrual, how to enter used leave, frequently asked questions, and FMLA considerations. Reports are described in Table 16 on page 30.

4.1. Setting Up Leave

The Company Setup Wizard provides step by step procedures that assist administrators in setting up leave, and you can open it by clicking Company→Setup Wizard. After you run the Wizard, you can further set up leave by opening the leave setup window. Click Leave→Setup Up Leave.

Use the Set Up Leave window to define the types of leave that you need to track, create the leave accrual plans that define how much employees accrue and when they accrue it, and set the initial balances for each employee/type.

4.2. Types of Leave

To edit the list of types, open the Set Up Leave window that is shown in Figure 4. Click the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change the order that the types are listed.

Figure 4. Types of Leave Window

Figure 5. Type of Leave Window

To open the window shown in Figure 5, click the Add button. That window contains several fields. The Abbreviation field is shown in summary reports where space is a premium. The classification controls whether the leave is treated as simple or advanced. Examples of advanced types of leave include FMLA, CFRA, Work Comp and LTD. They run concurrently with simple types like vacation and PTO. Simple leave is classified as paid or unpaid and OT eligible or OT ineligible. After all the types of leave are defined the leave accrual plans can be created.

Click the Add State Family Leave button to add advanced types of leave for a state. Clicking that button will add the types and modify the existing leave accrual plans. If you are only interested in tracking Federal and state leave then you only need to enter one or two simple types of leave like paid and unpaid; you do not need types for vacation or PTO.

When you click the Advanced button in the window shown above then you will see something similar to Figure 13. Note that a plan takes effect between Start Date and Stop Date. Also note that only one plan can be in effect at one time. Figure 13 shows an employee who originally accrued 10 days of vacation, but, on 4/23, he began accruing 15 days.

Figure 13. Advanced Accrual for One Employee

Figure 14 shows the enrollment for an employee who went on extended leave on 2/1/2002 and returned 6/1/2002. She will not accumulate leave between 2/1/2002 and 5/31/2002.

Figure 14. Accrual for Extended Leave

4.4. Entering Leave

Leave can be entered as a single adjustment or itemized day-by-day. Use adjustments to set initial balances and comp credits. To enter an adjustment, click Leave→Enter Adjustment. To itemize leave day-by-day, click Leave→Schedule Leave of Absence and use the window in Figure 15.

Figure 15. Leave of Absence

In Figure 15, select the departing employee. To check availability and eligibility, click the Totals and Procedures tab. Once you determine availability, return to the General tab. To enter a range of days, click the From To button. To run the leave concurrently with an advanced type like FMLA, check the advanced types in the list labeled Also count this leave as. To schedule tasks related to the leave of absence, click the Create New Tasks tab. To mail merge a form letter, click the Write Letter button.

4.5. Leave FAQ

How do I check how much leave is available?

To check available leave for one employee, click Leave→Leave for One Employee.

What is the difference between available leave and accumulated leave?

Employees may accumulate more leave than they actually have available. For example, as of today an employee may have accumulated 8 vacation days, but, because he already scheduled 3 days, he only has 5 days available. Available leave is a function of accumulated leave, future earned leave, future scheduled leave, and future limits.

How do I schedule leave?

Click Leave→Schedule Leave of Absence.

How do I see how much leave was used during the last payroll?

Click Reports→Used Leave Summary, Employee Vs Type of Leave. Select the payroll period and run the report. The report will sum each type of leave for each employee.

How do I prevent an employee from accumulating leave while he is on FMLA or extended leave?

Open the employee and click his leave tab. Click the Change Accrual button near the bottom right of the window. You will see a line that reads “Effective [some date] to [today]”. Check the checkbox next to today’s date and select the date of departure.

4.6. FMLA Considerations

FMLA and state family leave is accrued the same way as any other type of leave, by specifying a rate and period in the leave accrual plans. To add types of family leave, read Section 4.2. To set accrual rates for those types, read Section 4.3.

4.6.1. Editing / Extending Family Leave

Once FMLA has been entered, it can be accessed by either opening the employee, clicking Leave→Leave for One Employee, or clicking Leave→Leave Matrix and finding the request in the list. After you open the leave of absence, you can extend it by clicking the button labeled From To. You can cut the leave short by scrolling down to the day that the employee returned/will return and deleting it. The software will then ask if you want to delete everything thereafter. Click yes.

4.6.2. FMLA Forms

Apex provides five FMLA forms: Request for FMLA Leave, Medical Provider Certification of Serious Health Condition, Medical Provider Recertification of Serious Health Condition, Approval of Request for FMLA Leave, Denial of Request for FMLA Leave, and Medical Provider Certification of Fitness for Duty. Customize these forms to meet your needs or take your existing forms and prepare them for mail merging. To merge employee information with a form, click Leave→Mail Merge on the main menu. Read “Mail Merge” on page 33 for more information.

4.6.3. Best Practices for Managing FMLA

Apex recommends the following best practices.

Accrue FMLA leave continuously instead of by calendar year. Instant FMLA does not support accruing FMLA by calendar year because doing so doubles your company’s exposure to abuse and misuse. Given that an employee is only allowed 12 weeks annually of FMLA leave, if you accrue FMLA leave by calendar year then you are allowing employees twice as much leave as is required; you are allowing 12 weeks for the last half of last year plus 12 weeks for the first half of this year for a total of 24 weeks over the last continuous year.

Describe FMLA benefits in the policy manual that you give to your employees. Failing to generally inform eligible employees of their FMLA benefits is punishable by a $100 per incident fine by the Department of Labor.

As soon as a qualified employee requests FMLA leave, immediately send two letters to the employee, one letter that requests medical certification and another letter that approves the leave contingent on medical certification and explains his FMLA benefits. The employer must respond to an FMLA request within two business days otherwise the employer cannot legally deny the request. The employee must deliver the certification to the employer within 15 days of his receipt of the employer’s request. If the employee can prove that he made a “good faith” effort to deliver the certification but was unable to do so then he may deliver it within 30 days. If he fails to deliver the certification within 15 or 30 days then you can deny or revoke his FMLA request. If he is already on leave then you can treat him as absent without leave, require that he retroactively take paid leave, or terminate his employment.

After the initial medical certification, consider requiring medical recertification every 30 days for pregnancy, chronic conditions, or long-term conditions. Although legally the employer must pay for the recertification (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 5, Volume 1, Section 630.1207, Paragraph j), in practice employees usually ask their provider to complete the certification during a scheduled appointment, and few employers offer to pay. For other serious conditions, including intermittent conditions, the employer may require recertification on a periodic basis, but not before the minimum duration of the period of incapacity. If the employee asks to extend FMLA leave or the employer can prove that it received information that casts doubt on the original request then the employer may require medical recertification as often as is “reasonable”. (Thirty days would likely always be considered reasonable.) Exercising this right can greatly reduce FMLA abuse. In the FMLA window, if you enter the Recertification Period then the system will raise a reminder.

If you question a medical provider’s certification then direct the employee or his family member to a provider of your choice and pay for a second opinion. As long as you pay for the opinion and you do not employ the provider, federal law gives you the right to require a second opinion. If the second opinion differs from the original certification then you can pay for and obtain a third opinion from a provider that you select. That third opinion is binding for both you and the employee.

Consider requiring a physician’s note when an employee exercises intermittent FMLA leave. If an employee secures a medical certification for intermittent leave with a generic diagnosis like depression, migraines, or stress then you can lessen FMLA abuse and misuse by requiring the employee to obtain and submit a doctor’s note every time he takes FMLA leave.

When an employee asks to extend his approved FMLA leave, click Leave→Schedule / Check Available FMLA and test his qualification. If he has not worked at least 1,250 hours during the last twelve months then he does not qualify for any additional leave.

Train HR personnel and managers to recognize qualifying events. Request a medical certification and send an approval letter even if the employee does not request FMLA leave. Legally, it is the employer’s responsibility to grant FMLA benefits regardless of whether or not the employee asks for them. Consider a male employee who asks his supervisor for time off because his wife is scheduled to deliver his child, but the employee does not know to ask for FMLA leave. If the employee’s supervisor denies his request then the employer is open to fines by the Employment Standards Administration of the Department of Labor and civil action by the employee. The supervisor should require that the employee fill out a request for FMLA leave, request medical certification, and send him a letter that formally accepts the request, contingent upon medical certification.

5. Timecards and Projects

Timecards are flexible. They can show a variety of fields including In Time/Out Time or Date/Hours. They can be logged against projects. They can be immediately accepted or marked pending until they are reviewed and approved.

You should see a Timecards entry on the main menu. If you do not see it then click Company→Company Settings and put a check beside the timecards and/or projects features. The Time & Projects tab in the Company Settings window defines the default timecard layout, or schema, for new employees. It also allows you to rename “Project” to something like “Job”, “Visit” or “Service”.

To select the fields that will show on timecards, click Timecards→Schemas. You will see a list of schemas such as “Date/Hours” and “Factory Floor”. Different employees can use different schemas. Your billable employees may record time using one schema { Date, Hours, Project } while your non-billable employees record time using another schema { In Time, Out Time }.

If you need to track time against projects or jobs then click Projects→List on the main menu. You can then add projects. Projects can be grouped into classes. A class can be anything including Payers’ name, office locations, and cost center codes.

After you define your timecard schemas you are ready to enter time. The Instant Self Serve Web add-on allows employees to clock in/out over the Internet and submit their timecards online. To use the client to enter timecards, either click Timecards→Enter Timecards for Many Employees or click Timecards→Enter/Edit Timecards for One Employee.

If you choose a timecard schema that requires manager approval then new entries will be recorded as pending. To approve them, click Timecards→Enter Timecards for Many Employees and choose Review pending entries when prompted.

To run timecard reports, click Reports→Timecards. The “Timecard Summary for Payroll” report is the most useful. All of the reports are described in Section 7.

6. Position Control and Compensation

Position control allows you to enter standard positions, group the positions into common pay grades, and assign pay steps to each pay grade. All of the settings for pay grades are under the Position→Pay Tables menu item. All of the reports for compensation and pay tables are under the Reports→Compensation menu item.

Instant HR supports military-style pay tables. The Army releases a pay table called the General Schedule which lists the pay grades as rows and the pay steps as columns. The pay table in Table 25 approximates the Army’s General Schedule. Positions are assigned to one pay grade. For example, a Private is a GS-1 (General Schedule, 1^st pay grade). You can see from the table that a Private can earn between $16352 and $20450 depending on his pay step. A General is a GS-15 and can earn between $91507 and $118957. Note that more than one position can use the same pay grade. An Admiral might also be a GS-15.

Table 5. Large Pay Table

Grade	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4	Step 5	Step 6	Step 7	Step 8	Step 9	Step 10
1	16352	16898	17442	17983	18527	18847	19383	19925	19947	20450
2	18385	18822	19431	19947	20169	20762	21355	21948	22541	23134
3	20060	20729	21398	22067	22736	23405	24074	24743	25412	26081
4	22519	23270	24021	24772	25523	26274	27025	27776	28527	29278
5	25195	26035	26875	27715	28555	29395	30235	31075	31915	32755
6	28085	29021	29957	30893	31829	32765	33701	34637	35573	36509
7	31209	32249	33289	34329	35369	36409	37449	38489	39529	40569
8	34563	35715	36867	38019	39171	40323	41475	42627	43779	44931
9	38175	39448	40721	41994	43267	44540	45813	47086	48359	49632
10	42040	43441	44842	46243	47644	49045	50446	51847	53248	54649
11	46189	47729	49269	50809	52349	53889	55429	56969	58509	60049
12	55360	57205	59050	60895	62740	64585	66430	68275	70120	71965
13	65832	68026	70220	72414	74608	76802	78996	81190	83384	85578
14	77793	80386	82979	85572	88165	90758	93351	95944	98537	101130
15	91507	94557	97607	100657	103707	106757	109807	112857	115907	118957

For large organizations, pay tables simplify salary negotiations and pay increases. For other organizations, pay is often negotiated on an individual basis and salaries do not fall into a clearly defined table. In that case, create a pay grade for each position and create pay steps for minimum, typical, and maximum pay as shown in Table 26.

Table 6. Small Pay Table

Grade	Min	Typical	Max
Clerical	16352	16898	17442
Staff	18385	18822	19431
Manager	20060	20729	21398
Director	22519	23270	24021
Partner	25195	26035	26875

Once you define your pay table(s), create positions and assign each position to the correct pay grade. When entering actual pay for an individual, you are not restricted to pay tables. You can look up salary by pay grade/step, or you enter an unrelated amount. To use the position and compensation reports, click Reports→Compensation.

7. Benefits

Instant HR supports insurance benefits and tax-deferred retirement plans (TDRPs). Insurance benefits include health, accidental death, and dental. TDRPs include 401(k)s and 403(b)s. For companies with more than twenty employees, Instant HR also tracks COBRA. This chapter explains how to modify insurance benefits, create TDRPs, track enrollment for each employee, track COBRA payments, and use best practices.

To import employee benefit enrollment, create a csv file for each benefit and click Benefits→Import Employee Benefits. In each csv file identify the employee by SSN or employee number. Also include the provider, plan, coverage, employee premium, employer premium and other information to be imported.

7.1. Adding Benefits

To list, edit, or add benefits, click Benefits→List/Edit Benefits on the main menu. If you do not see a Benefits item on the main menu then click Company→Company Settings and click the checkbox next to Benefits.

To edit a benefit, double-click it. Instant HR tracks two types of benefits: Insurance Benefits and Tax Deferred Retirement Plans (TDRPs). If a benefit is not listed in the Benefits Window, add it by clicking Add Insurance or Add TDRP. When editing an Insurance Benefit, a window similar to Figure 16 will open. Table 7 explains the fields in that window.

Figure 16. Insurance Benefit

Table 7. Insurance Benefit Fields

Field	Description
Benefit	Benefit name
Note	Details regarding the benefit
Provider	The name of the provider that provides the benefit
Plan	The specific benefits and services provided by a company to its employees
Coverage	The individuals within a family that are covered under the plan
Home Zip/Postal Code	The employee’s home Zip/Postal Code
Employee Premium	The dollar amount the employee contributes for benefits
Employer Premium	The dollar amount the employer contributes for benefits

When adding a TDRP, a window like Figure 17 will open. Table 8 explains the fields in a TDRP. For companies that use graduated matching, enter ceilings and matching rates in Employer Matching.

Figure 17. TDRP Benefit

Table 8. TDRP Benefit Fields

Field	Description
TDRP	Tax Deferred Retirement Plan Name
Company Account #	The TDRP group account number for the company
Max Contribution (%)	The maximum % salary that an employee can contribute to their TDRP
Note	Details regarding the TDRP
Employer Matching	The graduated rate that the employer contributes to the employee’s TDRP account as a percent of the employee’s contribution
Up to (%) and Rate(%)	The Employer Matching table is a graduated table, similar to an income tax table, that defines the rate that the employer matches an employee contribution. In Figure 17, if an employee would contribute 15% of his salary to his 401(k) then the employer would match 50% of the first 5% (2.5%), 25% of the next 5%(1.25%), and none of the last 5% (0). The employer would contribute 3.75% (2.5% + 1.25% + 0) of the employee’s salary.

7.2. Employee Benefit Enrollment Setup

To select an Insurance Benefit and change the enrollment for several employees from one window, click Benefits→Insurance Enrollment Matrix. A window similar to Figure 18 will open. Double-click a specific employee to edit his enrollment information. A window similar to Figure 19 on the next page will open. Check the eligibility and enrollment dates that apply.

Figure 18. Insurance Enrollment Matrix

Once the provider, plan, and coverage are specified, click the Look Up Premiums button to view matching premiums for all employees with similiar coverage.

It is possible to override premiums by directly editing the amounts. To open a benefit and either rename it or change the premium schedule for everybody, click the name of the benefit in the upper left corner of the window, which is “Dental” in Figure 19 on the next page.

Figure 19. Employee Benefit Screen

Table 9. Fields for Employee Benefit Enrollment

Field	Description
Coverage	Varies by benefit. Usually employee, employee and spouse, or family.
Note	Details regarding the benefit
Individual Policy Number	Each benefit can also have a group policy number.
Eligible	Date the employee is eligible. Not checked if not applicable. Raises an Employee Eligible for Benefit reminder. To enable or disable a reminder, click Tasks→Enable/Disable Reminders.
First Enrolled	Date the employee first enrolled. Not checked if not enrolled.
Last Enrolled	Date the employee last enrolled. Usually the same as the date first enrolled. Not checked if never enrolled.
Declined	Date employee declined benefit. Not checked if not declined.

To select a TDRP Benefit and change the selections for several employees from one screen, click Benefits→TDRP Enrollment Matrix. A window similar to Figure 20 will open. Double-click on a specific employee to edit his TDRP enrollment information.

Figure 20. TDRP Enrollment Matrix

When you open an employee’s TDRP enrollment, you will see a window that is similar to Figure 21. Check the eligibility and enrollment dates. Enter the maximum percentage and Select Look Up Employer Contribution to set how much the employer should contribute to the TDRP based on the employee contribution table. To edit the employer’s matching rates, click on the TDRP benefit in the upper left corner which is “401(k)” in Figure 21.

Figure 21. Employee TDRP Enrollment Screen

7.3. Employee Benefit Enrollment Tab

Each employee has a benefits tab that lists eligibility and enrollment. Double-click a benefit to see an employee’s provider, plan, and coverage -- or look up premiums information.

Figure 22. Employee Benefit Enrollment Tab

7.4. COBRA

Once an employee is terminated it is possible to track COBRA dates and premiums owed but not payments. Open the employee and click the Employee Benefits tab. Check the Track Cobra box. Alternatively, click on Benefits→Enroll Employee in COBRA on the main menu. Or, when terminating an employee, check the Enroll in COBRA checkbox. You can then track important dates such as eligibility, enrollment, notification, and termination.

Figure 23 COBRA

7.5. Benefits Reports

Create Benefit Reports by clicking Reports→Benefits on the main menu. Table 10 summarizes the reports below.

Table 10 Benefits Reports

Report	Description
Benefit Enrollment for One Employee	Lists all insurance benefit plans and TDRPs for a specific employee. Includes information such as provider, plan, eligibility, enrollment, policy numbers and premiums.
Cobra Enrollment	Lists all employees enrolled in COBRA as well as their premium costs, payment due dates, and the active benefits they are currently receiving.
Insurance Enrollment Matrix	A static screen of open enrollment for all employees at the same time. Enrollment criteria based on type of benefit, provider, plan, coverage, zip code, and/or date of birth.
TDRP Enrollment Matrix	Employee, eligibility, enrollment, and contribution information for TDRPs.
Premium Schedule	A list of schedule benefits for all the premiums.
Total Premiums for Each Employee	Lists total premiums for each employer plan so employers and employees know how much they owe providers each pay period.
Total Premiums for Each Provider/Plan	Lists amounts due to the provider each pay period for plan coverage.

7.6. Best Practices for Managing Benefits

Apex recommends the following practices:

Use the Company Setup Wizard to define your benefits before you add a single employee. To open the wizard, click Company→Set Up Company on the main menu. Alternatively, you can set up benefits by clicking Benefits→List/Edit Benefits.

Store copies of benefit policies and completed enrollment forms in the benefits and employee folders. Section 3.3 on page 10 explains how to enable folders.

8. Reports

To list available reports, click Reports on the main menu. After you run a report, a menu item labeled Save/E-mail Report will appear as shown in Figure 24. To save or e-mail a report, click Save/E-mail Report. The system can save the report in any of the following formats: HTML, Tiff, PDF, MS Excel, text and RTF.

Figure 24. Save/E-mail Report Menu Item

Tabular Reports contain a row for each employee and several columns. A roster is an example of a Tabular Report. To create or edit Tabular Reports, click Report→Custom Tabular Reports.

Table 11 lists reports that are directly accessible by clicking Reports on the main menu. Tables proceeding Table 11 list reports that are accessed by clicking submenus under Reports.

The windows that filter many reports show a hyperlink that is labeled, “Show employees where Status=Active”. To change which employees are included on the report, click the hyperlink. Click the Advanced button to filter employees by more than one criterion. The Advanced button also allows you to save the criteria so that they can be used in other reports.

Table 11. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports on Main Menu

Report	Description
Tasks and Reminders	List of manually scheduled tasks and automatically generated reminders
Employee Profile	Profile one employee. Configurable report that combines several lists like completed training and emergency contacts into one report.
Immigration	List of people grouped by immigration status. Highlights people whose Visas are about to expire.
Equipment	List of equipment, filtered by check in/out status.

Table 12. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Employee Detail

Report	Description
Attendance History for Employee	Itemizes leave and tardiness history for one employee. Filters by date range and type of leave. Optionally shows earned leave.
Benefit Enrollment for Employee	Lists benefits in which a single employee is enrolled.
Communications regarding Employee	Lists communications regarding one employee. Filters by date range. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.
Compensation History for Employee	Lists compensation history for one employee. Filters by date range. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.
Education and Certifications for Employee	Lists education and certifications for one employee. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.
Equipment Checked out by Employee	Lists equipment checked out by one employee. Same report as Equipment Report.
Exit Checklist for Employee	Exit checklist for one employee. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.
FMLA History for Employee	Lists FMLA occurrences for one employee.
Immigration Status for Employee	Reports immigration status and personal information for one employee. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.
Skills for Employee	Lists skill levels for one employee. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.
Succession Planning for Employee	Lists succession planning for one employee.
Test Results for Employee	Lists tests results for one employee.
Timecard Summary for Employee	Summarizes timecard entries for one employee. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.
Timecard Detail for Employee	Itemizes timecard entries for one employee. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.
Training for Employee	Lists training history for one employee. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.
Union Membership for Employee	Lists union membership for one employee. Also available as part of the Employee Profile report.

Table 13. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Compensation

Report	Description
Actual Pay Ranges for Each Position	Lists each position and the minimum, average, and maximum pay for each year for the last 3 years.
Compensation for Each Employee	Lists each employee and their effective compensation. Allows you to include benefit premiums and bonus ranges.
Employees Filling Each Position	Lists each position and the employees who are filling them.
Positions	List of positions, filtered by position status.
Position and Compensation History for Employee	Itemizes compensation history for one employee.
Salary Table	Standard general schedule-style salary table. Supports annual, biweekly, monthly, and hourly pay.
Total FTE and Compensation for Each Department	Lists each department with committed FTE and compensation.

Table 14. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Employment

Report	Description
Turnover Summary	Lists hires and separations per month for the last three years. Standard DOL turnover summary.
List of Terminated Employees	A terminated employee list
EEO-1	Generates site and headquarters EEO reports. Saves reports as text files that you can submit to the government.
Succession Summary	Summarizes succession for each employee.
Succession Itemization	Itemizes succession.
Count of Active Employees	Counts the number of active employees under each manager, in each department, in each division, and/or at each location.

Table 15. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Benefits

Report	Description
Benefit Enrollment for One Employee	Lists all insurance benefit plans and TDRPs for a specific employee. Includes information such as provider, plan, eligibility, enrollment, policy numbers and premiums.
Cobra Enrollment	Lists all employees enrolled in COBRA as well as their premium costs, payment due dates, and the active benefits they are currently receiving.
Insurance Enrollment Matrix	A static screen of open enrollment for all employees at the same time. Enrollment criteria based on type of benefit, provider, plan, coverage, zip code, and/or date of birth.
TDRP Enrollment Matrix	Employee, eligibility, enrollment, and contribution information for TDRPs.
Premium Schedule	A list of schedule benefits for all the premiums.
Total Premiums for Each Employee	Lists total premiums for each employer plan so employers and employees know how much they owe providers each pay period.
Total Premiums for Each Provider/Plan	Lists amounts due to the provider each pay period for plan coverage.

Table 16. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Leave Lists and Calendars

Report	Description
Leave Itemization and Summary for One Employee	Lists leave history and a current summary of available leave for one employee.
Leave Calendar	Shows scheduled leave in a one-month calendar format.
Scheduled Leave	Lists scheduled leave for any time period.
Single Leave of Absence	Shows the details for a single leave of absence for one employee.
Approved/Denied/Pending Leave Requests	Lists requests that meet any of several criteria.
Holidays	Lists of company holidays.
Scheduled Recertifications for Ongoing Conditions, One Month Calendar	Shows employees who are scheduled to recertify their medical condition in a one-month calendar format.
Scheduled Recertifications for Ongoing Conditions, List	Lists employees who are scheduled to recertify their medical condition in for any time period.

Table 17. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Leave Summaries

Report	Description
Accumulated Leave Summary	Lists hours of accumulated leave for a selected list of employees.
Available Leave Summary	Lists hours of available leave for a list of employees. Available leave accounts for future scheduled and earned leave.
Consolidated Leave Summary	Lists availability, accrual rates, used leave totals, and the most recently requested leave for a list of employees.
Forfeited Leave	Summarizes leave that was forfeited because it was not used before a limit was automatically applied.
Incidents Per Month	Summarizes the incidents of leave per month.
Leave Accrual Summary	Summarizes accrual rates for a list of employees.
Most Absent Employees	Lists the most absent employees in a department, division, or group.
Paid/Unpaid Leave Summary for Payroll	Totals paid and unpaid leave for a fixed period, typically one payroll period.
Used Leave Summary	Summarizes used leave for a list of employees, departments, or divisions.
Used Leave Table, Employee Vs. Time	Summarizes used leave for each employee/month or employee/week.

Table 18. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Lost Time Analysis

Report	Description
Lost Time Analysis for Each Employee	Lists analysis statistics including annual used leave, Bradford factors, and time lost for a list of employees. Bradford Factor = # incidents * # incidents * days absent
Lost Time Analysis for One Department	Lists analysis statistics for all the employees in a department.
Lost Time Analysis for Each Department	Lists analysis statistics for each department in the organization.
Lost Time Analysis for One Manager	Lists analysis statistics for all the employees under a manager.
Lost Time Analysis for Each Manager	Lists analysis statistics for each manager in the organization.

Table 19. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Timecards

Report	Description
List of Holidays	Set holidays by clicking Company→Holidays
Timecard Detail for Employee	Typical timecard for one employee. Select from a variety of formats.
Timecard Summary for Payroll	Summarizes time for one payroll.
Timecard Summary	Pivot table that summarizes time by employee/month or department/week

Table 20. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Certifications

Report	Description
Certifications Held by Each Employee	Lists detailed information for each certificate held by each employee.
Certifications Held by One Employee	Itemizes all the certifications that are held by one employee
List of Employees with Selected Certification	Lists all employees who hold the specified certification.
Certifications Expired/Nearly Expired	Lists employees with certifications that expired or will expire within three months.

Table 21. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Training

Report	Description
Training History for One Employee	Itemizes all training completed by one employee
Training Summary for Each Employee	Summarizes training for a list of employees
List People with Selected Training	Lists people who either began or completed a particular course
List People without Selected Training	Lists people who have not completed a particular course

Table 22. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Birthdays

Report	Description
Birthday Calendar, One Month	Shows birthdays on a one-month calendar.
List of Birthdays	Lists birthdays. Filters by date range.

Table 23. Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Scheduled Performance Reviews

Report	Description
Performance Review History for One Employee	Itemizes history for one employee
Performance Review Summary for Each Employee	Summarizes past reviews for a list of employees
Calendar of Scheduled Performance Reviews, One Month	Shows scheduled reviews for one month in a calendar format
List of Scheduled Performance Reviews	Lists scheduled reviews for any time period

Table 24. Minor Reports Opened by Clicking Reports→Seniority Anniversaries

Report	Description
Birthdays→Birthday Calendar, One Month	Calendar of birthdays
Birthdays→List of Birthdays	List of birthdays
Languages→Bilingual Employees
Languages→List People Who Speak Selected Language
Tardiness→Tardiness for One Employee	Enter tardiness by clicking Leave
Tardiness→Most Truant Employees	Employees with the most tardiness
Seniority Anniversaries→Seniority Anniversary Calendar, One Month	Calculated from Date Seniority Begins
Seniority Anniversaries→List of Seniority Anniversaries

9. Mail Merge

Use Mail Merge to generate group e-mails, letters and labels. Mail Merge involves two steps.

Create a document with MS Word and insert merge fields. A merge field is a place-holder for information that changes from employee to employee. Figure 26 shows a template that contains two merge fields: one for first name and one for last name.
Merge the document with the database. Merging will create one document for each selected employee, replacing merge fields with actual employee information.

To use Mail Merge, click Employees→Mail Merge. Menu options similar to Figure 25 will open. Click either Create New Mail Merge Document or Create Mail Merge Document from Existing Document.

Figure 25. Mail Merge Tools

Figure 26. Insert Merge Fields in MS Word

MS Word will open. Create or edit your document and insert merge fields as needed. To insert a merge field, click the Insert Merge Fields toolbar button as shown in Figure 26. After you complete the document, save and close it.

Whenever you need to merge the MS Word document with the database, click Merge Document as shown in Figure 25. The system will ask you to select the document and the employees or FMLA request that you want to merge. It will then create one document for each selected employee, replacing merge fields with actual employee information.

10. Tasks and Reminders

Tasks and reminders empower you to stay organized and hold employees accountable. You create tasks. The system automatically creates reminders. This chapter explains tasks and reminders, how to manage them, and best practices for using them.

10.1. Tasks

To create a task, click Task→Add on the main menu. Figure 27 shows a single task. Table 25 explains each field in Figure 27. To create a recurring task, click Recurring.

Table 25. Fields in a Task

Field	Description
Owner	Responsible for completing the task by the due date. The owner can be set to any active employee.
Regarding	Who the task regards.
Task	Explanation of what needs to be done.
Due	When task is due.
Completed	Only check the completed field if the task is done.
Urgent	Urgent tasks appear before non-urgent tasks in lists.

Figure 27. Task

10.2. Managing Tasks

To manage your tasks, click Task→List on the main menu. By default, the window will list all of the tasks that you own. From this window, you can filter, sort, print, add, edit and delete tasks. You can also open the people that the tasks regard.

To filter tasks, change the Owner, Regarding, Status or Creator fields. The window will refresh and list only the tasks that meet all of your criteria. To sort tasks, click one of the column headers like Owner or Due.

10.3. Automatically-Generated Reminders

The system can automatically raise reminders based on various employee dates. These reminders appear on task lists until something is done to lower them. The tables on the next page list all of the reminders. To change how the system raises reminders, click Company→Options on the main menu.

Table 26. Reminders Regarding Benefits

Reminder	Description
Employee Eligible for Benefit	Reminds you that an employee has become eligible for a benefit. Lowers after a date is entered in the Enrolled or Declined fields.
COBRA Expires	Reminds you that an employee’s COBRA is about to expire. Lowers after a date is entered in the Discontinued field.

Table 27. Reminders Regarding Leave

Reminder	Description
Employee Eligible for Benefit	Reminds you that an employee is eligible for a benefit. The system raises the reminder one week before Eligible and lowers the alert after you set either Enrolled or Declined.
COBRA Expires	Reminds you that an employee’s COBRA is about to expire. The system raises the reminder one month before Expires and lowers it one week after Expires.

Table 28. Reminders Regarding Fields on Reviews Tab and Certifications Tab

Reminder	Description
Review Due	Reminds you that an employee’s review is scheduled in the near future. The system raises the reminder one week before Next Review and lowers it when you uncheck Next Review or set it to a future date
Schedule Review	Reminds you that no review is scheduled for an employee. The system raises the reminder when Next Review is not checked and lowers it after you specify Next Review.
Professional Certification Expires	Reminds you that an employee’s professional certification is about to expire. The system raises the reminder one week before Certification Expires and lowers it when you uncheck Certification Expires, set it to a future date, or one month expires.

Table 29. Reminders Regarding Immigration, Driver, and Personal Fields

Reminder	Description
Renew I9	Reminds you that an employee’s I9 needs to be renewed. The system raises this reminder one week before Renew I9 and lowers it when you uncheck Renew I9 or set it to a future date.
Visa Expires	Reminds you that an employee’s Visa is about to expire. The system raises this reminder one week before Visa Expires and lowers it when you uncheck Visa Expires or set it to a future date.
Passport Expires	Reminds you that an employee’s Passport is about to expire. The system raises this reminder one week before Passport Expires and lowers it when you uncheck Passport Expires or set it to a future date.
License Expires	Reminds you that an employee’s driver’s license is about to expire. The system raises this reminder one week before License Expires and lowers it when you uncheck License Expires or set it to a future date.
Driver Insurance Expires	Reminds you that an employee’s driver’s insurance is about to expire. The system raises this reminder one week before Insurance Expires and lowers it when you uncheck Insurance Expires or set it to a future date.
Birthday	Reminds you that en employee’s birthday is near. The system raises this reminder one week before Date of Birth and lowers it two days after Date of Birth.

Table 30. Reminders Regarding Leave and FMLA

Reminder	Description
Employee Returns from Leave	Reminds you that an employee is scheduled to return from leave. If the duration of the leave was less than three weeks, then the system raises the reminder on the last day of leave. Otherwise, the system raises the reminder one week before the last day of leave. The system lowers the reminder after you check Confirmed Returned as Scheduled. The system does not raise the reminder if, according to the employee’s shift, no work days pass until the beginning of another leave of absence.
Request Medical Certification for FMLA Leave	Reminds you that an employee has requested FMLA leave but has not been asked for a medical certification. The system raises the reminder when neither Requested Certification nor Employer Waived Request for Certification is checked.
Medical Certification for FMLA Leave Due	Reminds you that an employee needs to turn in medical certification for FMLA leave. The system raises the reminder 15 days after Requested Certification and lowers the reminder after you specify First Certified.
Medical Recertification for FMLA Leave Due	Reminds you that an employee needs to turn in medical recertification for FMLA leave. Raises when Recertification Period has passed since Last Certified. Lowers after Last Certified is updated or Recertification Period is disabled.
FMLA Request Pending	Reminds you that an FMLA request has neither been approved nor denied. Lowers after the request is opened and approved and denied.

Table 31. Reminders Regarding COBRA

Reminder	Description
COBRA Payment Due	Reminds you that a COBRA payment is due. First raises on/after First Payment Due. Lowers after Next Payment Due is entered. Raises again on/after Next Payment Due. Lowers after Next Payment Due is updated. Also lowers on/after Declined or Discontinued.
COBRA Expires	Reminds you that COBRA is about to expire for an employee. Raises two weeks before Expires. Lowers after Declined or Discontinued is updated.
COBRA Notification Due	Reminds you that an employee needs to be formally notified of COBRA eligibility. Raises until Notified is entered.

10.4. Best Practices for Managing Tasks and Reminders

Apex recommends the following practices:

Set company options to generate reminders based on employee fields. Click Tasks→Enable/Disable Reminders on the main menu, and click the Reminder Creation tab. With each type of reminder, you can enable or disable the reminder and specify an owner. The Reminder Creation tab also explains the fields that are used to raise and lower the reminder.

Create recurring tasks for anything that is not related to an employee field. Payroll falls into this category. Do not task employee reviews, Visa renewals, and certification renewals. Instead, enable reminders by clicking Tasks→Enable/Disable Reminders.

11. Exporting Information

Depending on your familiarity with SQL, the system offers three ways to export information:

Run a default Export Interface.
Customize and run Export Interfaces.
Directly query the SQL Server database.

11.1. Default Export Interfaces

Export Interfaces save information from the database to a delimited file. To list the available export interfaces, click Employees→Export. To execute an interface, click it. Table 32 describes the default Export Interfaces.

Table 32. Default Export Interfaces

Export Interface	Description
Active Employees	Active employees. Contains dozens of fields including Employee, EmployeeID, Employee# and SSN.
Employees	All employees.
Leave Detail, Current Payroll	Itemized leave entries during current payroll. Contains the following fields: EmployeeID, Employee#, SSN, Employee, Date, Hrs, Type of Leave, Paid, Used. Note that Paid is 1 for paid leave and 0 for unpaid leave. Used is 1 for used leave and 0 for earned leave. Hrs is positive for used leave and negative for earned leave.
Leave Detail, Last Payroll	Itemized leave entries for last payroll.
Timecard Detail, Current Payroll	Itemized timecard entries for current payroll. Contains the following fields: EmployeeID, Employee#, SSN, Employee, Clock In, Clock Out, Hrs. Note that Clock In and Clock Out are date/times. Hrs is the difference between Clock In and Clock Out.
Timecard Detail, Last Payroll	Itemized timecard entries for last payroll.
Timecard Summary, Current Payroll	Total hours worked, summarized by employee. Only includes current payroll. Contains the following fields: EmployeeID, Employee#, SSN, Employee, Regular Hrs, OT Hrs, Holiday Hrs, Weekend Hrs, Total Hrs, Regular Rate, OT Rate, Holiday Rate, Weekend Rate, Pay. To change overtime or compensations settings for an employee, open the employee and click his Payroll, Benefits, and Compensation tab. To change holidays, click Company→Holidays.
Timecard Summary, Last Payroll	Total hours worked, summarized by employee. Only includes last payroll.
Unpaid Used Leave Summary, Current Payroll	Total unpaid used leave, summarized by employee. Only includes current payroll. Contains the following fields: EmployeeID, Employee#, SSN, Employee, Hrs
Unpaid Used Leave Summary, Last Payroll	Total unpaid used leave, summarized by employee. Only includes last payroll.

11.2. Customizing Export Interfaces

If the default interfaces do not meet your needs – and you are familiar with Structured Query Language (SQL) – then you can modify the existing interfaces or create your own. To modify or create new interfaces, click Employees→Export→Customize Export Interfaces. A window similar to Figure 28 on the next page will open.

Figure 29 shows an Export Interface. Each interface contains a SQL Statement.

When you export, the system executes the SQL Statement and returns the results as a csv file.

The checkboxes to the left in Figure 29 specify whether the first row in the csv file will contain headers and whether single words will be surrounded with quotes.

If Show Filter is checked then, when a user exports, the system will ask the user to select employees. Selected employees are available in #SelectedPeople.PeopleID

Table 33 lists useful views that can be joined with #SelectedPeople.

Figure 28. Export Interfaces

Figure 29. Export Interface

By default, a comma separates each field in the csv file. But you can change the separator to a tab, semicolon, or any other character. After you create a new Export Interface and save it, the system will add it to the Company→Export menu.

11.3. Directly Querying the Database

If you are familiar with SQL Server databases then you can directly query the database instead of using Export Interfaces. Table 33 lists useful views.

Table 33. Selected Views

View	Description
vwBenefitStandard	Selects standard benefits.
vwBenefitTDRP	Selects TDRP benefits.
vwEmployeeAll	Selects all fields for all employees. Basis for All Employees and Active Employees Export Interface.
vwEmployeeEEO	Selects EEO related information.
vwEmployeeLeave	Selects denormalized leave entries. Basis for leave-related Export Interfaces.
vwEmployeeTime	Selects all timecard entries. Basis for timecard-related Export Interfaces.
vwEmployeeCompensation	Selects denormalized compensation entries.
vwEquipment	Selects equipment.
vwPosition	Selects positions/jobs.

When querying the database, be aware that each employee has one record in three tables: Person, PersonX, and Employee. Person and PersonX are joined by PersonID; PersonX and Employee are joined by PersonID/EmployeeID. vwEmployeeAll denormalizes all the fields in all three tables. The database contains several diagrams that you can use to familiarize yourself with the database schema. Triggers provide an excellent mechanism for synchronizing data without having to periodically export anything. Apex periodically releases patches that may alter stored procedures, views, and existing triggers, but you can safely add your own objects.

12. Security

Before you plan and implement security, you need to decide whether to use Windows Authentication or SQL Authentication.

Windows Authentication. Ideally, if you and all the other users run Windows NT, 2000 or XP, and you all log in to a domain, then you can fully integrate security with Windows security. You do not need to add any users because Instant HR will use the Windows accounts in your domain.
SQL Authentication. Otherwise, if you or any of the other users run Windows 98 or ME – or you all do not log into a domain – then SQL Security is your only option. You need to add each user.

To change security, click Company→Security. A window similar to Figure 30 will open.

Figure 30. Permissions for Users, Groups and Roles

Before you use the Permissions Window in Figure 30, it is helpful to be familiar with the rest of this chapter. The next section defines basic security terms. Next it presents other security considerations and an FAQ. The FAQ explains how to set up common security scenarios. Finally it documents best security practices.

12.1. Users, Groups and Roles

Use the Permissions Window to create SQL Users and add existing Windows Accounts. Then join those users and accounts to SQL Roles. Finally set permissions on each role.

Table 34 defines these security terms.

Table 34. Security Terms

Term	Definition
Permissions Window	Figure 30 shows the window. Click Company→Security to open it.
Windows Account	Only applies to Windows Authentication. Includes any Windows user or group. Named in the format [Domain or Computer]\[user]. Examples include hqdomain\fred and workstation1\sue. To add Windows accounts to a domain, use Microsoft’s Active Directory Users and Computers tool. To add accounts to a local computer, use Computer Manager. Windows Accounts cannot be added from iHR.
SQL User	Applies to SQL Authentication. Each user who cannot use Windows Authentication must be added as a SQL User. To add a SQL User, click the Add button on the Permissions Window. Table 37 lists special built-in SQL Users that cannot be deleted.
Term	Definition
SQL Role	Applies to both SQL and Windows Authentication. Groups SQL Users and Windows Accounts. Instead of setting permissions on each user, usually you create a role for each type of user, join users to those roles, and then set permissions on each role. To add a SQL Role, click the ADD button on the Permissions Window. Table 35 lists common SQL Roles that Apex created for you. Table 36 lists special SQL Roles that cannot be deleted and that come with SQL Server.
R--- RW-- RWC- RWCD	When you open a user, role or account and click the Permissions tab, you will see these terms. They are abbreviated permissions. R = Read. W = Write. C = Create. D = Delete.

The software comes with three common SQL Roles that you can use, edit or delete to meet your needs. Table 35 lists those common roles.

Table 35. Common SQL Roles

Common SQL Roles	Description
Employee Data Entry	Members of this role are responsible for entering new employees. You can change permissions, but, by default, members can access and change everything except compensation.
Leave Data Entry	Members of this role are responsible for scheduling leave. You can change permissions, but, by default, members can access everyone’s leave.
Managers	Members of this role can access non sensitive information about their subordinates. You can change permissions, but, by default, members can access everything about their subordinate’s except for benefits and compensation.

All SQL Server installations provide built-in roles that cannot be deleted. Table 36 lists those special roles.

Table 36. Build-in SQL Roles

Special SQL Roles	Description
db_owner	Members of this role have full access to everything.
public	Everyone is always a member of this role. You can change permissions, but, by default, everyone can view everyone else’s work contact information and scheduled leave. Everyone can view their own personal contact information.

All SQL Servers provide built-in users that cannot be deleted.

Table 37 lists those special users.

Table 37. Built-in SQL Users

Special SQL Users	Description
sa	This user has full access to everything.
guest	Advanced. If InstantHR is the only database running on your SQL Server, as is the case with a typical installation, then you do not need to know about guest. Otherwise, consult your SQL Server documentation.

12.2. Effective Permissions

When the system checks if a user is authorized to do something, it looks at all of the permissions for every role to which that user belongs. If any of the roles can do it then so can the user. Effective permissions are the sum of all the permissions for a user and the roles to which he belongs.

For example, suppose Tim is a member of the Managers and Leave Data Entry roles as shown in Figure 31, and permissions are set according to Table 38. Will the system let Tim change someone’s leave accrual? Table 38 shows that even though the permission on Tim’s account (hq/tim) is set to none, the permission on Leave Data Entry is set to write. And, because Tim is a member of Leave Data Entry, Tim will be able to change anyone’s accrual. Note that Tim, and every other authenticated user, inherits the permissions that are set on the special role, public.

Figure 31. SQL Role Membership

Table 38. Effective Permissions Example

User/Account/Role	Leave Accrual Permission
hq/tim	None
Managers	Read
Leave Data Entry	Write
public	None

In Table 38, hq/tim is a member of Managers and Leave Data Entry. The table makes it look like Tim cannot change anybody’s leave accrual, but he can. Because Tim is a member of Leave Data Entry, and Leave Data Entry has write permission on Employee Leave Accrual (Figure 32), Tim also has write permission on leave accrual.

Figure 32. Permissions on Leave Data Entry

12.3. Permission Scopes

If you open the common Leave Data Entry from the Permissions Window – and you click the Permissions tab – then a window similar to Figure 32 will open. Notice the Show Permissions on select box that is set to User Viewing Any Employee. That select box provides seven choices:

Supporting Information
User Viewing Any Employee
User Viewing Self
User Viewing a Subordinate
User Viewing an Employee in User's Division
User Viewing an Employee in User's Department
User Viewing an Employee at User's Location

All of the User Viewing choices are scopes. When the system determines effective permissions, it considers the employee who the user is trying to view. If the employee is the user’s subordinate, then the system considers all of the permissions set for the User Viewing a Subordinate scope. Likewise, if the employee and the user are in the same department, then the system considers all of the permissions for the User Viewing an Employee in User’s Department scope.

12.4. FAQ

How do I set permissions on a Windows user or Windows group?

Click Company→Security. Click Add and enter the user or group. Next, either click the Membership tab and join the Windows account to one or more SQL Roles or click the Permissions tab and set permissions.

How do I allow an assistant to enter new employees without letting the assistant see compensation and benefits?

By default, the Employee Leave Entry role grants access to everything except compensation and benefits. To join an assistant to that role, click Company→Security. Double-click the assistant, click the Membership tab, and check Employee Leave Entry. If the assistant is not listed, then click Add and add his account.

How do I allow an assistant to enter scheduled leave without letting the assistant see sensitive information?

By default, the Leave Data Entry role grants write permission for everybody’s leave. To join an assistant to that role, click Company→Security. Double-click the assistant, click the Membership tab, and check Leave Data Entry. If the assistant is not listed, then click Add and add his account.

How do I grant managers access to their subordinates’ information?

By default, the Managers role grants read permissions for subordinates’ information, excluding compensation and benefits. To join a user to that role, click Company→Security. Double-click the user, click the Membership tab, and check Managers. If the user is not listed, then click Add and add his account. Note that, to set permission for subordinates’ information, click any user/group/role, click the Permission tab, and select the scope, User Viewing Subordinates.

12.5. Other Security Considerations

The software does not secure Windows folders. Employee folders which are rooted in the HR folder are not automatically secured. You should use Windows Explorer to secure them. Consult Windows Help for information on setting folder security.

The database is physically stored in two files, iHR_data.mdf and iHR_log.ldf. Unauthorized users should not be able to access the .mdf and .ldf data files on your database server. A user could copy those files to another computer, install SQL Server, reattach the files, and gain unrestricted access to your database. Note that a user can still access the database without being able to access the .mdf and .ldf data files. Likewise, unauthorized users should not be able to access database backup files.

12.6. Best Practices for Security

Apex recommends the following practices:

Secure your database by removing the Window group, Users, from the db_owner role.
Change the sa password. By default, the password is instant.
Do not set permissions on individual users. Instead, create roles for each type of user, set permissions on those roles, and then join users to those roles.
Think twice before joining roles to other roles. Effective permissions can be tricky. Nested roles make it next to impossible to figure out effective permissions.
Religiously update the summary for a user/account/role whenever you change permissions. The summary should describe effective permissions.

13. Backing Up and Restoring

To back up your database, open the software and click Company→Backup. If you back up the database to a shared folder then you may experience difficulties. By default, SQL Server runs under a local system account. The local account may not have permission to write to shared folders. To back up to a shared folder, change the login account for SQL Server by following the procedure below.

Log on to the computer that hosts SQL Server.
Right-click My Computer.
Click Manage.
Click and expand the Services node.
Double-click the service, MSSQLServer.
Click the Logon tab.
Change the logon to an account that has access to both the shared folder and the local SQL Server mdf/ldf files which are usually located in the folder, C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\Data.

13.1. How to Automatically Back Up the HR Database

If you run SQL Server 2000 and you want to automatically back up your database then Apex recommends that you use SQL Server Agent and SQL Server Job Scheduling Wizard; consult your SQL Server documentation for details. Otherwise, if you use the desktop version of SQL Server (MSDE) that comes with Instant HR then follow the instructions in the next sections.

To automatically back up your database using MSDE, create a scheduled task on the database server and copy/paste a SQL command.

1. Create a scheduled task. From the server’s desktop, click Start→All Programs→System Tools→Scheduled Task. (Note that the directions are specific to a standard Windows XP installation. If you are using a different operating system then you may need to use Windows Help to find your Scheduled Tasks folder.) Next, right-click a blank area and click New Task. Double-click the task.

2. In the Run text box, copy/paste one of the SQL commands below:

OSQL -E –S.\IHR –Q"BACKUP DATABASE InstantHR TO DISK='db.bak'"

OSQL -Usa –S.\IHR –Ppwd –Q"BACKUP DATABASE InstantHR TO DISK='db.bak'"

Use the first command if you are logged on as an administrator to a computer running Windows XP, 2000 or NT. Otherwise use the second command. If you use the second command then change pwd to your actual sa password. (Note that, with the second command, anyone with permission to read scheduled tasks on the server will be able to see your sa password.) Change db.bak to a valid, shared path on a different computer.

3. If you see a Run As text box then type the name of a Windows account that has administrative permission on the database and write permission on the backup destination. Click through the remaining tabs and verify the settings. Finally save the scheduled task.

Windows Scheduler will overwrite the backup file every time it runs. To keep more than one backup, schedule multiple tasks that run on different days within the same period. For example, you could schedule 5 tasks that run weekly; one on Monday, one on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, one on Thursday, and one on Friday; and then change the destination path for each task to be something like \\backup\InstantHRmon.bak, \\backup\InstantHRtue.bak …

13.2. Security Considerations

Everyone who can access your backup file can copy the file and restore it on another computer, thereby gaining access to all your HR information. Avoid this security hole by restrictively setting read permission on your backup folder. If you specify the sa password in your scheduled task then be aware that members of the local Administrators, Backup Operators, and Server Operators groups will be able to see the password and gain unrestricted access. Avoid this security hole by restrictively setting group membership.

13.3. Restoring a Backup

If your organization runs SQL Server 2000 then skip to section 13.3.2. Otherwise, continue reading section 13.3.1.

13.3.1. Restoring a Backup with MSDE

To restore a backup using MSDE, log on to your database server. Open a command window, usually by clicking Start→Programs→Accessories→Command Prompt. Type one of the following commands:

OSQL –E –S.\IHR –Q"RESTORE DATABASE InstantHR FROM DISK='db.bak'"

OSQL -Usa –S.\IHR –Ppwd –Q"RESTORE DATABASE InstantHR FROM DISK='db.bak'"

Use the first command if you are logged on as an administrator to a computer running Windows XP, 2000 or NT. Otherwise use the second command. If you use the second command then change pwd to your actual sa password. Change db.bak to your actual backup file. Warning: If your database already exists then the above commands will overwrite it without warning.

If you receive an error like “osql is not recognized” then MSDE is not installed. Navigate to the MSDE folder in the setup directory and run setup.exe

13.3.2. Restoring a Database with SQL Server 2000’s Enterprise Manager

To restore a database using Enterprise Manager that comes with SQL Server 2000, log on to your database server. Click Start→Programs→Microsoft SQL Server→Enterprise Manager. A window will open that is similar to Figure 33 on the next page.

To restore, follow the procedure below.

Click the server node to open it.
Right-click Databases.
Click All Tasks.
Click Restore Database and a window similar to Figure 34 will open.
In the Restore as database field type InstantHR
Click the radio button labeled From device
Click the button labeled Select Devices
Browse to the database file. For a new setup, the file will be in the setup folder at Database/iHR.bak
Click OK to return to Figure 34.
Click the tab labeled Options.
The database contains two logical files as shown in Figure 35. Verify the paths in the column labeled Move to physical file name. The folder that will contain the files must exist on your server.
Click OK to return to Figure 34. Click OK to restore the database.

If you receive any errors then return to the Options tab shown in Figure 35 and verify the file names. The file names should be something like C:\MSSQL\Data\InstantHR.mdf and

C:\MSSQL\Data\InstantHR.ldf

Figure 33. Restoring a Database with Enterprise Manager

Figure 34. Restore Database Window

Figure 35. Restore Database Options

User’s Guide
	Instant HR Instant Leave Instant FMLA Instant Self Serve
Apex Business Software ● www.ihrsoftware.net
Swift. Simple. Secure.
The Power . To Manage

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended
Operating System	Windows 98SE	XP Pro SP2
Screen Resolution	1024x768	1200x800
Free Hard Drive Space	250M	250M
System Memory/RAM	128M	256M

4.3.1. Leave Accrual Plans

4.6. FMLA Considerations

4.6.1. Editing / Extending Family Leave

4.6.2. FMLA Forms

4.6.3. Best Practices for Managing FMLA