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🔐 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
We are excited to announce that multi-factor authentication (MFA) will soon be available for System Administrators to enable on their Workbench instances. With MFA, you will have an added layer of security when accessing your Workbench account, making it even more difficult for unauthorized users to gain access.
More information will be available soon. For now, there is nothing for you to do, other than getting excited!
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Sharperlight
New Data Model version 2.0.6 is now available.
Enhancements and new data available:
WorkOrders entity
Bonds link on Jobs
Extension tables for Vouchers, WorkOrders, and DocumentRegister
Plant Movements using EventLog
Various new columns
Updates to GLAccounts table and vwJobFinancialData
Link to JobWorkCentres on Job Data By Period view
General Release 4.6.3.2
Scheduled Release - 20 March 2023
Beta Release 4.6.3.1
Scheduled Release - 13 March 2023
New Features
Enhancements to the Work Centre picker:
The Suggestion List for possible Work Centres values to be selected on all data entry screens has been enhanced so a list of valid values displays as soon as the user clicks on the field. It has changed from requiring 2 or 3 digits (depending on the screen) being entered for the system to display a Suggested List, to now not requiring any digits for the user to get a list of values to select.
Lists
Companies - Commercial Contact:
A new option to add a Commercial Contact on Companies has been added. People can now be flagged as:
Commercial Contact, Site Contact, and/or Billing Contact.
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Administration
Application Access:
Controlled user access to data imports with new permissions:
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Improved design on Roles screen:
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A practical collapse/expand feature has been added to the Role maintenance screen which assists the administrator when maintaining the roles and their permissions included.
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A new Details filter option.
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Feature Revisions
Jobs
Contracts
WIP Tab - Forecast Profit % field display format has been fixed and now displays the correct %.
WIP reversals:
In order to ensure WIP reversals are populated so that the reporting is accurate, a new validation has been introduced when running a report that includes WIP, to make sure WIP batch reversals for the previous period have been created (or generate reversal if required).
Dockets & Daysheets
Enhancements to Docket reconciliation functionality. See below under Month End section.
Purchasing
AP Vouchers - Payment Due Date:
The Payment Due Date of the AP Invoice can now be made available on the AP Voucher screen. To do this an Administrator needs to enable it from Grid Management.Attachments on Inwards Goods:
Users are now able to attach files during the Inwards Goods process, without having to close the screen and open it again.
Files attached on the mobile inwards goods screen are now visible when checking the Inwards Goods entry at a later stage (from both web and mobile screens).
Plant
Changing Rate Code on a Plant Stand Down:
Changing the Rate code from the rate code on the original Plant Assignment to a different one when saving a Plant Stand Down was not allowed, and now it is.
Timesheets
EBA - new allowance Group options for a simplified setup:
New Allowance Groups are now available to make the configuration of EBA profile allowances easier. Weekday and Weekend, can now be used to generate allowances that are required for each day of the week worked or for each weekend day worked (Mon & Sat). Other Groups specific for each day can also be used in case there are day-specific rules (Groups can be added to the Lookups table: Monday, Tuesday, etc). See this link for more details on configuration https://webwbdoc.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DOC/pages/783876202/EBA+Profiles#Allowances-Tab%3A
Billing
Job Sales Credit - invalid error message rectified:
When creating a new Sales Credit and using the 'Apply Number' picker before selecting a Client an invalid error was coming up (“This method supports the LINQ to Entities infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.” ).
Quotes
Updating Markup % value on Cost lines (At Cost Element):
When updating the cost of the items using BOMs line items, the markup % and Rate were not updated automatically when the user updated the cost and clicked away with the mouse (using Tab works as expected). This has been rectified.Handle no Cost lines on a Revenue line (At Revenue & Cost Element):
When all Cost lines on a Revenue line are deleted the Cost Rate and Total Cost on a Revenue line were not updated to equal $0. This has been now rectified.
Zero Markup (At Cost Element):
On an At Cost Element Cost Sheet, changing the Markup % to zero was not recalculating the selling rate. This has been rectified.
Service Desk
Finalised Log status to stop additional costs from being added:
When a Log has the Finalised status, the system now prevents additional costs from being entered via other data entry screens like Daily Timesheets, AP Voucher - This Voucher tab, AP Invoices. The Log pickers on these screens will not allow the selection of a finalised Service Log.The Email field incorrectly showed in the Attachments tab:
When Office365 authentication is enabled, an email picker was visible in the Attachments pop-up screen of Service logs. This was inadvertently enabled and has been removed from this screen as it has no functionality in it.
Month End
Docket reconciliation & Reversal process enhancements:
When Dockets are reversed they are now included in a batch of their own for reversals only, different from standard Docket batches.
The original docket date is applied to the reversal and the period for that date will be used as long as it is open. If that period is closed, the first open period will be used. For selected docket lines this might mean there will be different period and batches involved.
A new Select All option has been added, which means fewer clicks!
Formatting on totals improved.
Closed jobs are now selectable on the filters.
Batch Control History:
The history of all actions performed on a batch is now stored and can be accessed through the new History button on a batch header. The batch Notes are still populated with this history but it has a limit of 1000 characters, so in the case of a batch that has had many actions performed to it and the Notes grow bigger than 1000 digits, the audit notes can be deleted and only the latest ones are left. However, there is still a trace of all the changes on the History table which cannot be deleted.
System Setup
Reporting
Reports - .rdl files list order:
The list that displays the custom .rdl files attached to a Report record now displays the list in descending order by Upload Date in both the mouse-over list that comes up when hovering over the paper clip and the pop-up screen where these files are attached.
Administration
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Users - blank licence allocation:
Users could be allocated a blank licence from the Licences section on the Application Access tab, and that was causing issues with the validations of the overall licence availability. This has been rectified.
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Data Transfer
Data Imports - Plant Issues import:
LogNo is now an additional and optional column on the wbImportPlantIssues import.The import validates that the LogHeader exists and it belongs to the same job as the plant issue being imported.
System Admin
Application Log search filters:
Users can now use the new filter on the Application Log to search for specific text.
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General
GLAccounts table:
The GLAccounts table in Workbench can now be populated with an import. This table is not accessible from the UI but can be used for reporting purposes, typically from a Sharperlight report.
It now also has extra columns:GLCode (50 characters).
SequenceNo (new).
Section (new).
Subsection (new).
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Integrations
SAP B1
A new integration screen has been developed for testing integration with SAP B1 using an SAP agent.
This screen requires the latest version of the SAP agent. Please contact our support team for an upgrade.
Xero
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Workbench Release Notes
General Release 4.6.4.2
Scheduled Release - 03 April 2023
Beta Release 4.6.4.1
Scheduled Release - 27 March 2023
New Features
Stock
Period Average - New Stock Costing Method:
Introduced a 'Period Average' stock costing method that determines the average cost to use for the Item at that Location for the period.
This is simpler to validate than the 'Average' stock costing that is dynamically recalculated as each stock receipt is processed which results in a moving average cost during the period.
This provides a more stable cost that is simpler to reconcile to all transactions within the period.
The Period Average cost for the item at the location is determined at Stock Close Out, and then the value is applied to subsequent stock transactions in the following period.
For a new item to a location, the unit cost rate of the initial PO receipt will be used as the period average for that item. Where there is no receipt yet, and negative Stock issues are allowed, the Cost Rate entered on the Location will be used.
How to adopt:This should only be done at stock closeout to ensure a clear point of transition.
Immediately prior to your next Stock Close Out, change the 'Stock Cost method' ctrl param to 'Period Average' and then perform the stock close out.
This will ensure that the calculated average of the closing period is correctly established as your Period Average for the new period onwards.
Costing method label:
The Cost Rate column in the Stock List now indicates the applied costing method.
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Feature Revisions
Jobs
Budget:
On the Job Budget Entry, in 'Activity, Work Centre' mode, the FC Revenue value was not automatically populated from the Quantity and FC Sell Rate. This has been rectified.Job Contract:
A ‘Contract Tabs’ setting is now available to configure the visible tabs on the Contract Enquiry at a global and/or person level.
Bulk Forecast Generation:
The existing utility that creates Contract Forecast in bulk, now also caters for the relatively new Forecasting method 'Forecasting by Cost Category': wbUtilityGenerateBulkForescastLines
Purchasing
Purchase Requisitions:
A new Control parameter ‘Make PR requester the PO Entered By person’ has been added. Valid values are Yes/No (default Yes).When creating a PO from a PR, if the CP is set to Yes, the system populates the PO EnteredByID from the PR requester, otherwise populates with the user who is converting the PR to a PO.
AP Vouchers:
An issue has been rectified where an error occurred when attempting to sort by the Comment column on AP Vouchers List.AP Invoices:
Default GST Type:
When the Job uses an Activity Group with only one Activity Code, the system was not setting the default GST Type for that activity on the AP Invoice line. This has been rectified.
Stock
Stock items - null Sell value error:
After an enhancement done on 4.6.1, for those Sock Items using a Markup % were displaying an error when saving changes to the Stock Item due to the Sell rate being Null rather than a 0. This has been rectified.
Subcontracts
Work Orders:
Work Orders with extension columns were causing an invalid error when trying to save the Work Order. This has been rectified.
Plant
Filters in a Plant Issues Batch:
New filters have been added on the Plant Issues screen that help a user find the specific transactions matching the filter criteria. This becomes handy in a batch with a large number of Plant issues.
New filters include: Date, Job, Plant item, Rate Code, Activity, Work Centre
Auto Batching Plant Issues from Timesheets:
A change has been made to the autobatch creation process, so that the batch has the Finco of the Plant items, and not the Finco of the Job to which the plant issue was done.
Timesheets
This has not been included in this release, and has been moved to the next release 4.6.5.
Week-Based EBA Profiles with Leave:Leave is now considered in the calculation of week-based profiles. Those profiles use the 'Wk' Day value.
Billing
Job Invoices - ‘Attach Supplier Invoices' option:
The 'Attach SUpplier Invoices' option on the Perform button of a Job Invoice will now be available regardless of the charge type of the header Job and it will display an error message if a user tries to use it but there are no AP Invoice lines included in the Job Invoice.
This is handy for example when a header Job has a Clam Schedule Charge type, for which there will be no AP Invoice lines but with sub jobs with Input Based charge type for example, that may have AP Invoice lines included in the Job Invoice.
Quotes
At Revenue & Cost Element Cost sheets - Work Centre on BOM lines:
When inserting BOM Cost lines on a Revenue line, these Cost lines will now have the same Work Centre Code as the Revenue line.New option to create one Claim Schedule for all Cost Sheets:
When creating Claim Schedules from a Quote the default behaviour is to create one SChedule per Cost Sheet.
In those cases where only one Claim SChedule is needed, there is now the option to manually create an empty Schedule first, and from the Quote select that unapproved Claim Schedule to add all the Cost sheets in one.
Note: The Cost Sheet lines should not use the same LineCode if included on the same schedule, and lines with duplicate LineCodes will will have a suffix of “_Copy“ added.
Administration
User setup - Profit Centre Group and Report Groups:
Profit Centre Groups and Report Groups on the Application Access tab of a User setup can now be saved as expected. The workaround of saving it from the Profit Centre Group screen is not needed anymore.The application Log screen has been resized for ease of use.
Integrations
MYOB AccountRight
Enhancements:
AP Invoice File Attachments: A new tickbox on the MYOB Integration screen called ‘Include AP Attachments’. If this is ticked, then any images or pdfs attached to an AP invoice in Workbench being exported will be uploaded and attached to the invoice on MYOB. Note MYOB only supports attachments for AP Invoices, not AR.
Import Inactive Companies and update in Workbench: We will now include inactive contacts when importing/syncing from MYOB, so if a Contact is flagged as inactive in MYOB, it will become inactive in Workbench.
Update Contact details (email, fax, etc): When importing a contact from MYOB, we now update the Billing Contacts' Business Phone, Email, and Fax fields from the corresponding fields from the Contact in MYOB.
Upvise
Purchase Orders are now compatible with the following scenarios:
Project Purchase Orders
Job Purchases (Project Jobs, Equipment Jobs, Site Jobs)
Equipment Purchase Orders
Where the Purchase order is an equipment purchase (equipment or equipment job), the plant work centres can be utilised for purchasing.
Cost Activity group validation has been introduced on all purchase order types.
Employee Training record matrix:
A change was made to link the form to the employee record where the training record is created from the Forms application rather than the contact itself (Contacts application).
Deprecation of Native Upvise functionality: Generation of Form PDF on submission of the form & saving the Form PDF as a file
Deprecation of Native Upvise functionality: Generation of Form PDF on submission of the form & saving the Form PDF as a file
As informed before, Upvise has deprecated the function that generates a PDF of a form upon submission in the files application of Upvise on March 31, 2023.Workbench is dependant on the file existing in upvise to sync from Upvise as an attachment to Service Logs and Daysheets. As a result of the deprecation of this function, Workbench will no longer be able to import the form file into Workbench automatically.
This change only impacts clients who are dependent on these file attachments existing in Workbench.
We acknowledge that the most common user scenario is service log invoicing, where these attachments were being used.
To address assist clients with the Upvise change, Workbench has implemented a new button on the service log so that you can easily navigate to the Upvise Job (service log) and access any forms needed for invoicing purposes.
These form PDFs can be manually exported and used wherever needed for invoicing purposes.
The Workbench Integration has not changed, all other available attachments will continue to sync as expected:
Expense claim attachments
Service log attachments
Docket Attachments
Hidden Work Centres on PO forms:
Where the Work centre is hidden on a Purchase Order form in Upvise, we will use the default work centre on the activity in Workbench on the PO line. This allows users to hide the work centre field on PO forms for simpler data capture for Upvise users.