CCIS Payroll provides a number of useful utilities that are reached from the Main Menu. This section discusses:
• How to backup and restore your data
• About Rollback Backups
• How to change the appearance of the toolbars
Backing up Client Data
We strongly recommend that you maintain backup copies of your data in case of hardware failure, operator error, or other events that can damage or destroy your valuable payroll data. This function creates backup copies of your data.
This chapter concerns backing up your Client data for your own purposes. If you are reading this with the idea of making a copy to share with a Client, please read the section on sharing your Client data.
To save space on your backup disks, we license and supply you with a copy of PKZIP 2.5 for DOS.
This handy software creates industry-standard .ZIP files. Client data can be compressed to 10% of its normal size, especially at the start of a year when most of the data is 0.
The name of the backup file is "ISBK" & [Current Year] & ".ZIP". For example, a backup file for the year 2008 is called ISBK2008.ZIP. A backup disk contains only the one file. The file itself can hold from 1 to any number of Clients. Because all the data is compressed, you cannot see the contents of the file with Explorer or in DOS (all you will see is ISBK[year].ZIP
If a Client has been backed up into this file on a previous occasion, the data from the current backup replaces the data in the backup file. If a given Client has never been backed up into this file, the Client is added to the file.
CCIS Payroll runs PKZIP from a DOS window that you might see. Due to the way Windows multi-tasks, you might return to CCIS Payroll before the backup operation completes. Please wait until the PKZip icon disappears from your taskbar before removing the backup disk from your drive.
To make a backup of the current client data:
1. Select File | Backup from the Main Menu.
2. The Back up Client data window opens:
3. Choose:
• Current Client only to back up only the Current Client.
• Choose All Clients in [current year] to back up all clients in this payroll year.
• To pick and choose which Clients to back up, click on Choose Clients to back up.
Using the drop-down box, click on each Client that you want to include. A checkmark appears beside each chosen Client.
4. Select the Next button.
5. Choose the Compress data… option on the next screen.
6. Choose the Next button.
7. Next step, is to tell CCIS Payroll where to put the backup file. The default is your Drive A, but backups may be placed anywhere. Select Browse to find another place to store your backup.
• If you are backing up to a CD, please make sure the CD is opened for direct access. This is the only way it can write to a CD. If you don’t know how to do this, please read the help section of your disk copy utility or Windows.
8. Choose Finish to back up the files.
Restoring Client data from a backup
The Restore procedure replaces data for one or all Clients in the current year with backup data contained in the backup file. All of the Client’s data is replaced. It is not possible to restore a single employee, for example.
The restored data is only as fresh as the backup. If your last backup was in January, and this is June, you replace June data with that from January.
To restore a backup:
1. Choose File | Restore from the Main Menu.
2. Select from the available options and choose Next.
3. Choose the Browse button to tell Payroll where to find the backup file you want it to use.
4. The name of the backup file is "ISBK" & [Current Year] & ".ZIP". For example, a backup file for the year 2008 is called ISBK2008.ZIP.
5. Choose Finish to restore the file.
Developing a backup strategy
So much is written about backing up in case of a disaster that you’re probably sick of it by now. You either have a disaster plan in place, or you don’t. So we won’t talk about it.
During many years of supporting clients doing payroll like you, there have been many cases where the easiest solution would be to hop in a time machine and start the day over. You can reverse time by adopting what we call a Rollback Backup Strategy.
The purpose of a Rollback Backup is to enable you to set the Client’s data back to the last known good payroll. For weekly Clients, it’s last week. For biweekly Clients, it’s 2 weeks ago. And so on.
Having a Rollback Backup gives you the option of throwing away the current payroll and reverting to the last good one in seconds.
A Rollback Backup should best be kept right on your hard disk with your Client data where it’s easy to find, takes comparatively little time to make, and is safe from spilled coffee.
To develop a rollback backup:
1. Immediately before starting a new payroll job, choose File | Backup from the Main Menu.
2. Choose Current Client only.
3. Select the Next button.
4. Browse to C:\ISPAYW\[the current year]. This is the hard part! Your data may be somewhere else. Write down its location when you find it.
5. Select Finish.
The Rollback Backup is made before you finish reading this sentence.
To use your Rollback Backup:
1. Choose File | Restore from the Main Menu.
2. Choose Current Client Only.
3. Browse to the backup file.
4. Select Finish.
You’ve rolled back the clock!
How to change the appearance of the toolbars
You can change the look and content of the three toolbars from the Main Menu.
To change the look of the toolbars:
1. Select Home to get to the Main Menu.
2. Point your mouse at any toolbar and right-click.
3. Choose Captions to select from:
• Icons with text
• Icons only
1. Choose Appearance to choose:
• Flat buttons
• 3-D buttons
CCIS Payroll automatically saves your choice.
You can also rearrange the toolbars, even stack them one on top of the other, like this.
To do so, point your mouse at this slider of the bar you want to move (the cursor changes to a two-headed arrow). Press and hold the left mouse button, and drag the toolbar to the place you want.
Release the mouse button.
When toolbars are stacked, only one is visible. To make another appear, double-click on the slider.
The bars slide back and forth, revealing or hiding the one underneath. Or, if you prefer, drag the slider to reveal or hide a part of the toolbar.
We don’t save the changes you make to the toolbars locations yet. Please let us know if this is something you would like us to add to the program.
Installing updates and options
The information in this section describes procedures that are being phased out to be replaced by automatic download.
All program maintenance, tax tables, Forms on a Disk™ and other updates install automatically from CD’s.
1. Begin by shutting down CCIS Payroll. Also temporarily disable any virus or other anti-malware software as they may interfere with the installation.
2. Put the CD into your CD drive.
3. The installer will auto-run and present you with a screen showing the location it will install to.
4. Confirm that the location is correct and select OK to install.
If you have disabled the Auto-Run feature of Windows, please refer to the CD and/or its packaging for instructions.