TIMY-Soft Attendance Clocking : Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the Attendance Clocking system limited to any number of Employees ?
2. If I want to add more Employees to the system what software costs are involved ?
3. How are the badges numbered ?
4. What are the badge dimensions ?
5. Can a former Employee's badge be re-used for another Employee ?
6. What if an Employee loses his badge ?
7. Can the Time Clock memory data be downloaded with any other USB Key ?
8. Can more than one TIMY Time Attendance system be used with one TIMY-Soft application ?
9. How do I move the application and data from one PC to another ?
10. Will the memory contents of the Time Attendance Clock be lost if the batteries run down ?
11. Can the Time Attendance Clock display individual data to the employees ?
12. Can the TIMY-System be used to open a door for access control ?
13. Can the Time Attendance Clock unit be installed outdoors ?
14. Does the TIMY-Soft application run on all versions of Excel ?
15. Will TIMY-Soft work with OpenOffice.org ?
16. Will the TIMY-Soft application run on a MAC ?
17. Can the TIMY-Soft application run on a network server ?
18. Can Timesheets be modified by the employer ?

1. Is the Attendance Clocking system limited to any number of Employees ?

Absolutely not. The basic package is shipped with 25 badges, but as many badges as required can be ordered. The whole philosophy of the system is orientated to the needs of small and medium-size organisations. We have many customers with over 100 employees and some with more than 500 employees.

2. If I want to add more Employees to the system what software costs are involved ?

None whatsoever. Unlike most other system suppliers we do not limit the software to operate with a specific number of employees. There is no technical or software licence limitation to the number of people that can be handled.

3. How are the badges numbered ?

The badges are pre-coded at the factory with unique barcodes - we never produce two badges with the same code. The barcode and its 4-digit alphanumeric equivalent are printed on one side of the badge so that it is easy to identify. The link between an employee and a badge is made in the application software - the user simply enters the badge code with the employee name. A label with the employee's name can be placed on the reverse side of the badge, or can be be written on the badge with a permanent marker.

4. What are the badge dimensions ?

The badges are exactly the same size as a bank or credit card, and are made from the same material. The barcodes are printed on one side and the badge can be 'swiped' up or down.

5. Can a former Employee's badge be re-used for another Employee ?

Yes. When an Employee leaves, simply delete that person from the Time Clock software using the 'Delete Employee' function and issue the returned badge to another Employee. Alternatively, if the departed person's data is to remain on file, replace the badge number with a 'virtual' number that doesn't exist in the stock of badges. The returned badge can later be issued to a new Employee.

6. What if an Employee loses his badge ?

Issue the Employee with a new badge and change the Badge Number in the TIMY-Soft application using the 'Modify Employee' function. If the lost badge is subsequently found return it to stock for future use.

7. Can the Attendance Clocking memory data be downloaded with any other USB Key ?

No. Although the supplied USB Key is a standard memory product, it is formatted and labelled with a particular volume name and it contains a specific file. Anyone who tries to download the memory contents of the Time Clock with an unauthorised USB Key will receive an error message on the Time Clock display. Detailed information on preparing a USB Key is published in the User Manual.

8. Can more than one TIMY Time Attendance system be used with one TIMY-Soft application ?

Yes. We have supplied some customers with more than 12 Time Clock systems. A single USB Key can be used to download all the Time Clock data, one after another, and then upload all the data into the software at once. Alternatively, different USB Keys can be used if that is more practical. The Time Stamp file on the USB Key can also be sent as an e-mail attachment - useful if Attendance Time Clock Recorders are installed at remote sites. Staff can also clock-in on one Attendance Time Clock Recorder and clock out on a different Time Clock Recorder.

9. How do I move the application and data from one PC to another ?

If you did not change the defaults during installation, your database is located at C:\BKS\. Copy the entire contents of the BKS directory to the same directory on the new computer on which you plan to run TIMY-Soft. Ensure your Excel macros security on the new computer are set correctly and run the TIMY-Soft application. You will then be using the existing data.

10. Will the memory contents of the Time Attendance Clock be lost if the batteries run down ?

Absolutely not. The Time Attendance Clock uses "flash" memory - that's the same technology as USB Key memories. Flash memory doesn't need any power to retain its data, so even if a Time Attendance Clock is left for months without batteries the data will not be lost. But if the batteries are removed for more than a few minutes the clock may require adjusting by using the supplied "Set Clock" badge.

11. Can the Time Attendance Clock display individual data to the Employees ?

No. With an offline Attendance Clocking Recorder, not directly connected to a computer, it is not possible to display data, such as the cumulative time worked in the current week or vacation days remaining. These data are always available in the TIMY-Soft application.

12. Can the TIMY-System be used to open a door for access control ?

No. The TIMY Time Attendance Clock is only used for Time Attendance Recording.

13. Can the Time Attendance Clock unit be installed outdoors ?

No. The TIMY Time Attendance Recorder is not waterproof and is not intended for extended temperature ranges commonly encountered outdoors.

14. Does the TIMY-Soft application run on all versions of Excel ?

Yes. TIMY-Soft will run under all versions of Excel, back to Excel 97. However, not all versions of Excel are compatible with all versions of Windows. The combinations that work correctly are:
Windows 98 with Excel 97 Windows 2000 with Excel 2000, 2002 and 2003
Vista & Windows 7 with Excel 2007 Windows XP with Excel 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007

15. Will TIMY-Soft work with OpenOffice.org ?

No. The compatibility between Excel and the OpenOffice.org Calc program does not extend to the fairly complex macros used in the TIMY-Soft application.

16. Will the TIMY-Soft application run on a MAC ?

No, due to differences in the compatibility between Excel "MAC" and Excel "Windows". In addition, MACs use a different method for adressing external drives like USB Keys, and the TIMY-Soft macro that reads the Time Stamps from the USB Key does not function with Excel "MAC".

17. Can the TIMY-Soft application run on a network server ?

Yes. The TIMY-Soft system files can be installed on a shared network disk but MS-Excel files can only be accessed from one PC at a time. Due to this Microsoft limitation, TIMY-Soft is not a multi-user application.

18. Can Timesheets be modified by the employer ?

TIMY-Soft Timesheets containing the Employee Time Stamps are password-protected and cannot be directly modified by the System Manager. Within TIMY-Soft, Time Stamps can be manually entered or adjusted but are automatically marked in bold characters and the System Manager cannot circumvent this built-in security mechanism. The USB Key file containing the Time Stamps (from the Time Attendance Clock) can be opened and viewed, but the data is securely encrypted and is unintelligible in any file reader, such as MS-Notepad. The TIMY-Soft Application and Employee Timesheet data is very strongly protected, like other PC-based Time Attendance Reporting packages.