Using Mobile Time Management

This chapter provides prerequisites and an overview of Mobile Time Management and discusses how to:

Access Mobile Time Management.
View, report, and update elapsed time entries.
View schedules.
Synchronize data.

See Also

Prerequisites

Before using Mobile Time Management, Time and Labor application tables must be set up. PeopleSoft Mobile Agent must be installed and running on the host machine and the mobile device. The bootstrap synchronization does not need to be performed if the host machine is not also the mobile device.

Before using Mobile Time Management, PeopleSoft Mobile Agent must be installed on the mobile device and, if Mobile Time Management is used on a pocket PC, PeopleSoft Mobile Agent must also be installed on the host computer. For installation instructions on PeopleSoft Mobile Agent refer to the Enterprise PeopleTools Installation Guide posted on the PeopleSoft Customer Connection Website.

The billable time functionality requires implementation of PeopleSoft Projects. To record and track billable time, Time and Labor integrates with PeopleSoft Projects.

See Also

Understanding Time and Labor

Enterprise PeopleTools PeopleBook: PeopleSoft Mobile Agent

Understanding Mobile Time Management

This section provides an overview of Mobile Time Management and discusses how to:

Install PeopleSoft Mobile Agent.
Initialize Mobile Time Management.

See Also

Setting Up Basic Tables

Establishing Time Reporting Codes

Mobile Time Management

Mobile Time and Labor provides time reporting and viewing capabilities for Pocket PC and laptop computer users while disconnected from the organization's network. This enables users to manage time reporting while working remotely and to submit reported time periodically through synchronization with the server.

Mobile Time Management enables users to report elapsed time-related data on mobile devices. Mobile Time Management runs on either a laptop computer or pocket PC. When disconnected from the network, users can still maintain time reporting data on the mobile device. Time reporter data is uploaded to the network server upon synchronization, and then the data passes to the application server, updating the time reporter data in the application.

You can report time through the mobile device and still use the Time and Labor online self-service transactions as well. If duplicate entries are made on the mobile device and through an online transaction, the entry performed on the device is processed as the default entry, and the system produces an error message upon the next synchronization. Corrections to previous period time reporting data must be performed online.

Mobile Time Management enables users to designate billable time for each time reporting transaction. This data passes to reported payable time in Time and Labor and then is passed onto PeopleSoft Projects, if installed, or another third-party application. This allows for accurate time reporting for organizations and clients.

The Mobile Time Management table-loading implementation can be divided into four phases: fundamental tables, Time and Labor Tables, PeopleSoft Mobile Agent tables, and Mobile Time Management.

Important! The order in which you set up tables required to implement Mobile Time Management may vary; each individual application isn’t necessarily set up in sequence. The order in which you complete setup may also depend on the features you want to use. The information provided in this chapter offers a high-level guide of how our documentation maps to the overall implementation process; it doesn’t offer step-by-step guidance on how to perform an actual implementation.

See Also

Enterprise PeopleTools PeopleBook: PeopleSoft Mobile Agent

Enterprise PeopleTools Installation Guide

Installing PeopleSoft Mobile Agent

The steps discussed in this section provide an overview of the PeopleSoft Mobile Agent installation process. The reference documentation listed for each step provides further detail.

Step	Reference
1. Access the PeopleSoft Mobile Agent setup files and follow the steps in the PeopleSoft Mobile Agent InstallShield Wizard.	Enterprise PeopleTools Installation Guide,Appendix: Installing PeopleTools Mobile Agent
2. Sign in to the PeopleSoft Mobile Portal and set the synchronization IDs.	Enterprise PeopleTools PeopleBook: PeopleTools Mobile Agent , Using Synchronizable Component Interfaces, “Using the Synchronization ID and DateTime Stamp”
3. Define mobile user roles and associate them with user IDs.	Enterprise PeopleTools PeopleBook: PeopleTools Mobile Agent, Mobile Pages, “Creating Roles for Mobile Users and Associating Permission Lists to the Roles”

Initializing Mobile Time Management

The steps discussed in this section provide an overview of the Mobile Time Management initialization process. The information that you defined in your fundamental tables lays the foundation for this setup.

Note. The steps listed below as optional are required only when using a pocket PC.

Start the PeopleSoft Mobile Agent application.
On the Mobile Portal Bootstrap synchronization page that appears, synchronize the mobile device.
Synchronize the mobile device.
(Optional) If initializing a Pocket PC, make certain the device has a network connection to the host computer. Then repeat the step if the Mobile Agent has been stopped.
(Optional) Select PS Sync PDA from the Mobile Agent Menu.
(Optional) Log on to the Update PDA Applications page that automatically loads upon initial logon.
(Optional) Synchronize the mobile device.

Accessing Mobile Time Management

This section discusses how to:

Access Mobile Time Management from a laptop.
Access Mobile Time Management from a pocket PC.
Navigate through Mobile Time Management.

Accessing Mobile Time Management From a Laptop

To access PeopleSoft Mobile Time Management from a laptop, select Start, Programs, PeopleSoft Mobile Agent, Start PS Mobile Agent, PS Mobile Application.

When you first access PeopleSoft Mobile Agent and PeopleSoft Mobile Time Management, you see a page to perform an initial synchronization that copies your business applications to the mobile device. If your applications successfully load, a full synchronization is performed to load your business data onto your device.

Accessing Mobile Time Management From a Pocket PC

To access PeopleSoft Mobile Time Management application on a pocket PC:

From the Start menu, select Programs.
Select the PeopleSoft folder.

This folder contains the files to start and stop PeopleSoft Mobile Agent and the PeopleSoft Mobile Time Management application file.
Select Start PS Mobile Agent.

This starts PeopleSoft Mobile Agent.
Select PS Mobile Application.

This opens PeopleSoft Mobile Time Management.

When you first access PeopleSoft Mobile Agent and Mobile Time Management, you see a page to perform an initial synchronization that copies your business applications to the mobile device. If your applications successfully load, a full synchronization is performed to load your business data onto your device.

To perform the initial synchronization:

Make sure that you're on the Mobile Portal Bootstrap synchronization page, which should appear automatically.
Synchronize the mobile device.
Make certain that the device has a network connection to the host computer.

Restart the application if PeopleSoft Mobile Agent has been stopped.
Select PS Sync PDA from the Mobile Agent menu.

The Update PDA Applications page appears.
Synchronize the pocket PC.

Note. To improve viewing on the pocket PC screen, reduce the text size by selecting View, Text Size, Smaller (or Smallest).

Navigating Through Mobile Time Management

Mobile Time Management uses familiar PeopleSoft and web navigation methods, including a menu, links, and buttons.

The Menu link displays the main page, including the Mobile Time, Alerts and Synchronization links. The Menu link appears only on the pocket PC, not on the laptop. Each of these menus contain links to Mobile Time Management pages.

The Mobile Time Management menu contains links to the basic functions of the application, the Elapsed Time page and the View Schedule page. Click the Elapsed Time link to go to the Elapsed Time Summary page. This page displays the elapsed time entries for the current period. From this page, you can add new elapsed time entries by clicking the Add button or modify time entries by clicking the date link for that entry. Either link displays the Report Time page.

Viewing, Reporting, and Updating Elapsed Time Entries

This section provides common elements and discusses how to report and update elapsed time.

Common Elements Used in This Section

Time Reporting Code	Enter a time reporting code (TRC), an element of compensation or a bucket of several elements in which the system collects labor data, hours, amounts, or units worked. Define these codes on the Time Reporting Codes components in Time and Labor. Click the column heading to sort by TRC.
Quantity	Enter the number of hours being reported for the designated date and TRC. Click the column heading to sort by quantity.
Currency	Select a currency code for this time report entry.
Billable	Select to charge the time expense to a project and trigger client billing. PeopleSoft Projects must be implemented to use this feature.
Sync Status (synchronization status)	Use the Sync Status column to view the synchronization information on each entry. Click the heading to sort by synchronization status.
Use Saved Search, Date, Time Reporting Code, Quantity, Sync Status, (synchronization status), Save Search Criteria, and Personalize Search	Enter a name for this search and then enter search criteria. Click the Save Search Criteria link to name this search and save the criteria to use again. Click the Personalize Search link to define search layout. Note. Saved searches on the Elapsed Time Summary page do not appear on the View Schedule page. Separate criteria for saved searches must defined on each page. The search feature on the pocket PC is identical to that on the laptop.

See Also

Establishing Time Reporting Codes

Pages Used to View and Report Elapsed Time

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Elapsed Time Summary	TL_MBLE_ELPTIME_MP	Mobile Time, Elapsed Time	View the reported elapsed time entries for the current period and any time reported on the mobile device that has not been submitted.
Report Time	TL_MBLE_ELPTIME_MP	Mobile Time, Elapsed Time Click a date link. Mobile Time, Elapsed Time Click the Add button.	Enter reported time.

Reporting and Updating Elapsed Time

Access the Report Time page.

Date

Enter the date for the reported time.

Country, State, and Locality

Enter the country, state and locality from where the time is being reported. You cannot report a locality without reporting a state; you cannot report a state without reporting a country.

Return to List

Click to return to the Elapsed Time Summary page.

If time for one date is split between different TRCs or billable and non-billable time, enter a separate time report for each TRC or billable and non-billable hours. For example, if on July 15, 2002, you worked four regular, non-billable hours; four regular, billable hours; and three overtime hours, you would enter three separate time reports with the same date.

Reported time entries remain stored on the mobile device until the next server synchronization process uploads the entries to the server.

To update entries prior to synchronization, modify any fields and click Save.

Viewing Schedules

Use Mobile Time Management to view the current schedule period. Scheduling data updates with either the Full Synchronization or Update Application synchronization modes.

The schedule displays the current period as defined by the payroll definitions in Time and Labor. If a period is one week, the week containing the current date appears. If a period is one month, the month period containing the current date appears, with a maximum of 31 days.

Page Used to View Schedules

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
View Schedule	TL_MBLE_SCHEDULE_MP	Mobile Time, View Schedule	View the current schedule period.

Synchronizing Data

This section provides an overview of mobile synchronization and discusses how to synchronize mobile application data.

Understanding Mobile Synchronization

Mobile applications store data updates on the mobile device until the mobile user initiates a data synchronization. The mobile user must gain a network connection to the synchronization server gateway machine prior to running the synchronization process. During the synchronization process, data from the device is uploaded to the server and any data conflicts between the device and server are resolved. In some cases, new and modified business data, application definitions, and error messages are downloaded from the server to the device.

Users choose from three synchronization modes. The following table describes each mode.

Synchronization Mode	Description
Upload Changes	Sends new and modified reported time from the mobile device to the server. This is the fastest synchronization process. Only error messages download from the server.
Full Synchronization	Uploads changes and provides a complete reconciliation of the business data on the device with the data on the server. After uploading the changed data, the mobile device retrieves new and modified business data from the server.
Update Applications	Uploads new and modified reported time from the device to the server. If errors occur during the upload process, the process terminates, and the errors generated must be corrected before proceeding. If there are no errors with the reported time, the process removes all data from the device and downloads the current version of the application from the server. After successfully reloading the application, the system performs a full synchronization to restore business data to the device.

In addition to the three synchronization modes available from the Synchronization menu and described in the table below, the device automatically initiates the Bootstrap Synchronization mode upon initial logon to the application. The Bootstrap Synchronization loads your business applications if your device has never been initialized or if you have reinstalled PeopleSoft Mobile Agent and Mobile Time Management. If your applications successfully load, a Full Synchronization is performed to load your business data on to your device.

Note. When using a Pocket PC, the host machine used for data synchronization must be running PeopleSoft Mobile Agent.

Synchronizing Mobile Application Data

To synchronize Mobile Time Management data:

Select Synchronization from the Mobile Time Management main menu page.
Select the synchronization mode.

Note. To expedite synchronization on the pocket PC, use the initialized host PC. Select Start, Programs, PeopleSoft Mobile Agent, PS Sync PDA. This synchronization method uses the host PC's processing power to perform the application synchronization and then synchronizes the results to the connected pocket PC. A synchronization performed directly from the pocket PC takes longer to process.
Enter your user ID and password.
Click the Synchronize button.

After each synchronization, you can view the results as well as error messages and notifications produced by the synchronization process.

See Also

Enterprise PeopleTools PeopleBook: PeopleTools Mobile Agent,

Date	Enter the date for the reported time.
Country, State, and Locality	Enter the country, state and locality from where the time is being reported. You cannot report a locality without reporting a state; you cannot report a state without reporting a country.
Return to List	Click to return to the Elapsed Time Summary page.