A common question that we are asked is whether AccountLinx is able to export time data to two different company files in cases where a company needs to track two sets of employees within one ExakTime account. While we recommend that AccountLinx be set up with a single payroll/job costing application, it is possible for AccountLinx to export to multiple applications. For the purposes of this article, we will refer to both payroll, accounting, job-costing, etc., applications as "payroll" for brevity.

This will primarily depend on certain key factors to see if we can accommodate this need:

• Are you using two different payroll/job-costing applications or a single payroll/job-costing application with two different company files?
• If you are using two different company files for one payroll/job-costing application, is there any overlap of data when mapping entities?
• What are the accounting/payroll applications?

Your Payroll/Job-Costing Situation

The first question that needs to be answered is the intended configuration of AccountLinx, as it can determine the complexity.

With Multiple Different Applications

The simplest situation would be to use AccountLinx with different applications, such as one for payroll only and one for job costing/billing. Because AccountLinx exports to two distinct applications, you can have two sets of mapping data for each application that have little to no impact on each other. The expected process for this would be:

1. Open AccountLinx and confirm your exporter.
2. Double-check any mappings and pay data configurations.
3. Select and export your time data.
4. Confirm that the time data has populated your payroll.
5. Reset your exported records in AccountLinx.
6. Switch your exporter. Repeat steps 2-4 to export your time data.

Different Company Files for One Payroll Application

If you are using multiple company files for one payroll application, such as multiple QuickBooks Company Files, there may be some difficulty with your mapped data, as it can require you to remap the data for your payroll application. As AccountLinx will only save one set of mapping data, if the entities overlap between the company files, it may complicate your exports, as you would need to remap your data for each export.

For example, in Company File AB, John may have an employee ID of 005, while in Company File GH, John has an employee ID of 010.

No Overlapping Entities

The ideal situation for data mapping with multiple company files is having each entity be unique. If the mapping data is unique, you would simply need to export the time data for the desired company file.

For example, employees A, locations A, and cost codes A are only used by and for Company File A, while employees Z, locations Z, and cost codes Z are only used by and for Company File Z.

This can be helped by using:

• Employee Viewsets - Limits the employees that an employee can see and interact with in ExakTime.
• Location Viewsets - Limits the cost codes that can be used with a location.
• Crews/Groups - Group up desired employees, locations, and cost codes on ExakTime Mobile for easier selection.

The expected AccountLinx process for this would be:

1. Open AccountLinx and confirm the company file you will be exporting to.
2. Double-check any mappings and pay data configurations.
3. Select and export your time data for the first company file.
4. Confirm that the time data has populated your payroll.
5. Switch Company Files if you are using a direct connection. Depending on the exporter, it can differ, such as:
   • If you are exporting to QuickBooks, you would need to close AccountLinx, reopen QuickBooks for the second company file, then reopen AccountLinx.
   • If you are exporting to Sage 100, you could switch the company file you are exporting to from the Exporter Settings.
   • If you are exporting a file that would be imported, you do not need to switch the company file.
6. Select the second batch of employees to export for the next company file and export your time data.  

Overlapping Entities

AccountLinx currently only allows entities to have one set of mapping data. In the event that an entity requires two different sets of mapping data for two company files, then you will be unable to easily export the data. If you were to remap the data, you would need to be mindful to do it before every export to prevent any potential export issues.

For example, you are trying to export Employee A's time data for Company File A and Company File B. Employee A's employee ID is 000450 for Company A and 000513 for Company B. As we can only have one set of mapping data for the employee at a time, you would need to either remap the data before every export for the appropriate company file or have a duplicate set of entities for the respective company to have their own unique mapping.

If you were to have a duplicate set of entities, your employees would need to be mindful of selecting the correct entities when clocking in/out. There are some options to help with this, such as Categories, Groups, or Location Viewsets. It is highly discouraged to have duplicate employees in ExakTime Connect to ensure that all time data is associated with a single employee.

The expected AccountLinx process for this would be:

1. Open AccountLinx and confirm the company file you will be exporting to.
2. Double-check any mappings and pay data configurations.
3. Select and export your time data for the first company file.
4. Confirm that the time data has populated your payroll.
5. Switch Company Files if you are using a direct connection. Depending on the exporter, it can differ, such as:
   • If you are exporting to QuickBooks, you would need to close AccountLinx, reopen QuickBooks for the second company file, then reopen AccountLinx.
   • If you are exporting to Sage 100, you could switch the company file you are exporting to from the Exporter Settings.
   • If you are exporting a file that would be imported, you do not need to switch the company file.
6. Map your data and pay data configurations to match the second company file.
7. Select the second batch of employees to export for the next company file and export your time data.  

What is Your Payroll Application?

Many of our AccountLinx exporters allow you to remap your entities so you can export your time data for the appropriate company file. Some accounting packages, such as Sage 50 Simply Accounting API, however, use unique hidden data for each entity that will be unique to the company file. This prevents remapping an entity before exporting your time data.