AccountLinx is an application we offer that bridges the gap between Sage 300 Timberline and ExakTime Connect. With AccountLinx, you can:

• Data map between corresponding entities of ExakTime and Sage 300.
• Enable various settings to help tailor your time data for Sage 300.
• Export time data from ExakTime Connect into Sage 300 for reporting, payroll, and more.

SyncLinx is the other half of AccountLinx and allows you to import your Sage 300 entities into ExakTime to limit duplication of effort. If you would like steps on setting up SyncLinx and importing your Sage 300 entities, refer to our article that covers connecting the applications and the exporter settings.

If you have any questions or concerns during setup and/or use, you can contact us with the "Request Support" link at the top of the page and we will try to assist as best as possible. Keep in mind, however, that we are not Sage support. We will try to assist you as much as we are able, but there are aspects of Sage that are out of our area of expertise and your questions may be better served by Sage support or your trusted contact to answer/assist.

As Sage allows flexibility to fit various company needs, we cannot take every unique setup into account. It is advised to read through this article before setting up SyncLinx/AccountLinx to understand what is needed ahead of time.

Table of Contents

• Setting Up The Sage 300 Import Template
• AccountLinx Export Settings for Sage 300
• Data Mapping
• Exporting Time Data
• Importing Into Sage 300
  • Reviewing Time in Sage 300
• Troubleshooting Exports for Sage 300

Setting Up The Sage 300 Import Template

When we export time data from AccountLinx to be imported into Sage 300, an import template must first be created in Sage 300 so it can understand the time data being imported. The steps below will instruct on how to create this import template based on our Standard and Advanced Import templates. 

When deciding which Import Template to set up, it can be helpful to set up the Advanced Import template even if you do not use all of the available fields in the event that you begin using the fields in the future. 

If you enable or disable any additional options, such as equipment codes and equipment cost codes, you may need to adjust your Sage 300 import template. 

AccountLinx Export Settings for Sage 300

To export your time data from ExakTime Connect for Sage 300, AccountLinx must first be configured with the necessary data/information.

1. Go to Tools and click Exporter Settings.
2. Click Configure... on the Exporter Settings window. The 'Settings' window will have 4 tabs:
   • The 'General' tab offers the following options:
     • Default Pay IDs - Set up the default Pay IDs that should be recognized by Sage 300.
     • Optional Pay IDs Matching - Specify what Sage 300 code should be exported when Vacation, Holiday, and Sick Time ExakTime Cost Codes are used for a time record. 
     • Alternative Pay IDs - This will allow an alternate time type to be associated with specific employees, locations, cost codes, or equipment. This allows specific employees, locations, cost codes, or equipment to have an alternate set of pay IDs when exported. The related mapping screen will show drop-down menus to specify the pay IDs that should be associated with exported time records.
     • Export Version - Specify the template to be used when exporting your time data. The selected export version should match the import template set up in Sage 300.
     • Location Mapping Required - Requires a location to be mapped before it can be exported for a time record.
     • Cost Code Mapping Required - Requires a cost code to be mapped before it can be exported for a time record.
     • Include JC Extra in Export - This should be enabled if the JC Extra field was added to your Sage 300 import template during creation. 
     • Map Shift Differential - This will allow you to associate a shift differential with an employee, location, or cost code and the default shift that should be associated with exported time. The related mapping screen will show fields for a shift differential. 
   • The 'Equipment' tab options will only be available if you have selected an 'Advanced' export version from the 'General' tab.
     • Export Equipment - Export the equipment code and cost code that was used for a time record for Sage 300. If enabled, the 'Map Equipment' page will be an option on the main screen of AccountLinx.
     •  Equipment Cost Code Default - Enter the default cost code that should be used for exported equipment data if the equipment cost code was not entered on the 'Map Cost Code' window.
     • Display Pre-Export Screen for Entering Accounting Date - If enabled, will display a screen for entering an accounting date before exporting. 
   • The 'Advanced Setup' tab will only be available if you have selected an 'Advanced' export version from the 'General' tab.
     • Advanced Export Setup - A series of options for associating advanced data with mappable data such as Employees or Cost Codes. If an advanced data option is enabled, it will appear in the related 'Map X' window.
     • Output Fields Adjustment - As Sage 300 restricts the number of fields that can be imported, you can disable certain fields to not be exported to accommodate for other needed fields. If you have disabled any fields, you will need to adjust your import template to match the modified AccountLinx export.
   • The 'Comments/Notes' tab will only be available if you have selected an 'Advanced' export version from the 'General' tab. This tab will allow you to export-related employee, location, cost code, or time record comments with your time data.
3. Save your changes made.

Data Mapping

After setting up your Sage 300 exporter settings, you will need to map your data in AccountLinx so the time data from AccountLinx will export to the matching entities in Sage 300. The mapping process is fairly consistent for all applications we integrate with some variations depending on your export settings. For more information about mapping, you can refer to the following dedicated article.

If you are unsure what data should be entered when mapping your employees, locations, and cost codes, we recommend trying to manually enter the time into Sage 300 first. When manually entering the time, you can see what data populates the fields and what Sage 300 would expect and understand.

Some Mapping options are reliant on previous SyncLinx import settings, such as 'WC Code'. If 'WC Code' is enabled for Mapping, you will need to select the 'WC Code' from a drop-down menu that is populated by SyncLinx when performing actions such as importing. 

Enabling AccountLinx Integration

If the Employee, Location, and Cost Code IDs in ExakTime Connect are consistent with the IDs in Sage 300, you can set AccountLinx to automatically "copy" the entity IDs into the mapping fields in AccountLinx for a faster mapping process. 

If you are interested in enabling this, you can refer to the following dedicated article.

Exporting Time Data

When your exporter settings and your mappings have been completed, you should be able to begin exporting your time data. The export process is fairly consistent for all applications we integrate with. For assistance with exporting time data, you can refer to the following dedicated article.

Importing Into Sage 300

1. In Sage 300, go to Tools and click Import Time. A window will open with the following fields/options:
   1. Import File - Click into the 'Import' file field, click List, and select the file that was exported from AccountLinx.
   2. Error File - Click into the 'Error' file field, click List, and specify where you want the error file to be created. If any time record cannot be imported into Sage 300 for any reason such as invalid data, the error file will be created containing these time records. This file can be used to re-import any files that were not successfully imported previously.
   3. Time Entry View - Click into the 'Time Entry View' field, click List, and select the import template created in the previous section.
   4. Period Begin Date - Enter the pay period begin date (optional).
   5. Period End Date - Enter the pay period end date.
   6. Printer Information - Printer information is used to set up how the import status should be generated with any warnings/errors that occurred during the import of time data. This is different from the 'Error File' that is generated as it gives provides the reason for a rejected record. 
      • It can be helpful to setup the 'Printer Setup' to print the information to a file or PDF for review digitally.
2. Click Start.
3. The 'Background Tasks' window should open to show the progress of your time data import. 

Reviewing Time in Sage 300

1. While using Sage 300, go to Reports, then Pay Period Processing, then Time Sheet.
2. From the Data File Selection window, select a Record and File, then click OK. The "Time Sheet - Print Selection" window should appear.
3. Enter a new report date or use the date provided.
4. Enter Period End Dates or leave these fields empty (Optional).
5. Click Print Preview to preview the Time Entry Report.
6. Click Close when finished.

Troubleshooting Exports for Sage 300

Time Data Not Importing into Sage 300

In the event that your time data is not importing into Sage 300 as expected, Sage 300 will generate two files: An 'Error File' and a printout of the import progress. 

• The 'Error File' will only contain rejected records not imported into Sage 300. This allows you to import the 'Error File' again after making any corrections in Sage 300 and only import rejected data.
• The printout of the import progress provides additional context as to why a time record was not accepted. This printout can be printed physically, to a Sage 300 file, or to a digital file like a PDF.

To determine the cause of the problem, we recommend reviewing the 'printout' and the reason for the rejection. Some common rejections are caused by, but not limited to:

JC Cost Code does not exist

This is generally due to the incorrect JC Cost Code number being entered into AccountLinx. If the incorrect JC Cost Code number is entered into AccountLinx during Mapping, it can result in every time record associated with that JC Cost Code being rejected when importing into Sage 300.

This error can also occur if a cost code has not been assigned to the job in Sage 300.

Import File Not Matching Import Template

If the import template was incorrectly created in Sage 300, the data in the AccountLinx export will not be properly interpreted by Sage 300, even if the data that is present would normally be understood by Sage 300. This can be confirmed by reviewing the AccountLinx export file with the Sage 300 Import Template.

In our example below, we are comparing an Advanced Import Template for Sage 300 and an export from AccountLinx. Every piece of data within commas should match with the Sage 300 import template as that will be how Sage 300 will interpret the data. After reviewing the export template, we can see that it is missing a set of data as the data for Date, Certified?, Pay ID, and Units is correct, but just off by one space. Looking at the data, it appears that there should be a 'JC Extra' column added to the data as 'DEMO' should be in the 'JC Cost Code' column. 

This type of issue can be corrected in AccountLinx by enabling the 'JC Extra' option under the Exporter Settings.