Converting Time Matters Data to PracticeMaster

Last reviewed: 03/04/2010
Article ID: R10539

The information in this article applies to:

• PracticeMaster Version 15, 14, & 12

SUMMARY

This article outlines how to convert billing, contacts, documents, e-mail, events, matters, notes, web/research, phone, and "calendar to-do" data from Time Matters Version 9.0, 8.0, and 7.0 to PracticeMaster Versions 15, 14, and 12.

Time Matters Version 10 Note: It is important to note that the template used in these instructions will not work with Time Matters Version 10. If you want to convert from Time Matters 10, you will need to create your own template/report. Alternatively, you can contact your reseller, our Conversion department, or a third party conversion provider.

• Things to Consider
• Steps to Export from Time Matters
• Steps to Import Time Matters Data into PracticeMaster
• Field Order and Relationships

Things to Consider

You may not need to import all possible types of data into PracticeMaster. Depending on the types of information you will be importing, there are several things you should consider before proceeding. We strongly suggest that you read ALL information in each section that pertains to your conversion before you proceed.

• Importing Matters
• Importing Events and/or ToDos
• Importing Contacts
• Importing Billing records
• Importing Email, Notes, Phone records and/or Web records
• Importing Document records

Importing Matters into PracticeMaster

Matters are imported into the PracticeMaster Client file. Whereas clients are entered in Time Matters as Contacts, and Matters represent individual cases or jobs that may or may not be associated with a Contact, PracticeMaster treats clients differently. In PracticeMaster, each client record contains all information about the client AND all information about the matter.

As with Time Matters, the PracticeMaster Client ID/client number identifies the client that each matter is associated with. Unlike with Time Matters, however, each matter in PracticeMaster has its own unique Client ID. Typically, the characters to the left of the decimal point represent the client and the characters to the right of the decimal point represent the specific matter.

Notes About Importing Matters

• Any information you have entered in the Matter No field in Time Matters must be a valid Client ID that can be entered in PracticeMaster. This depends on how your Key Type and Decimal Places are configured in PracticeMaster. The Matter No field represents your new Client ID in PracticeMaster, and MUST be present in Time Matters. If you import a matter into PracticeMaster that has a blank or invalid Matter No field, you will receive an error report after importing indicating that the matter was not added.



• The Code field for each matter in Time Matters should have a PracticeMaster Area of Practice ID (AOP ID) that matches it exactly. This represents the Area of Practice that the Client will be assigned to in PracticeMaster. If this field is blank in Time Matters, it will also be blank in PracticeMaster.



• The MatterRef field in Time Matters corresponds to the PracticeMaster Work Description field. However, whereas the MatterRef field can hold a maximum of 100 characters, the Work Description field is limited to 50 characters. As a result, if any matters have data in the MatterRef field exceeding 50 characters, the Work Description will be truncated for those matters.



• Staff who are the responsible attorneys for clients or matters must be entered as timekeepers in PracticeMaster before you import matters. The value in the Staff field in Time Matters corresponds to the Primary timekeeper field in PracticeMaster. Therefore, you must have each matter's Staff field filled out with a number that corresponds to a specific timekeeper in PracticeMaster. If this field is empty, or has something other than a valid timekeeper number, the record will NOT be imported into PracticeMaster.

NOTE:  Because Time Matters uses each Staff member's initials to identify him or her throughout the application, you may encounter a problem when importing matters into PracticeMaster. Since the primary timekeeper in a PracticeMaster client record is identified by the timekeeper number rather than the timekeeper's initials, mapping the Staff field in the exported Time Matters data to the Prim_Tkpr field in the PracticeMaster Client file will prevent the fee records from being imported. This is because the Primary Timekeeper field can only contain numbers.

There are two ways you can avoid this:

1. You can map the Staff field to None when importing the data into PracticeMaster. Matters will be imported using the lowest numbered timekeeper in PracticeMaster for the primary timekeeper instead of the Staff assigned to the matters in Time Matters. This method is somewhat faster than method B.


     ...or...


2. Before importing the matters into PracticeMaster, use a DOS editor or a text editor to perform a search and replace in the CMCASE.EXP file for each timekeeper's initials. For example, if RJB is timekeeper 1, replace "RJB" with "1". Be sure to include the quotation marks in both the search and replace values. If you use a word processor to edit the file, make sure you save the file as ASCII text when you are finished (as opposed to the preferred file format of your word processor, such as a DOC file). Import the matters into the PracticeMaster Client file as normal. This method takes longer than method A, but allows you to map the Staff field to the PracticeMaster Prim_Tkpr field when importing the data into PracticeMaster. As a result, the matters will be assigned to the correct timekeepers after being imported.

Importing Events and/or ToDos into PracticeMaster

Events and ToDos are imported into the PracticeMaster Calendar file. The Calendar file distinguishes Events from Tasks (the PracticeMaster term for ToDos) based on the Type field.

Notes About Importing Events and/or ToDos

• The value in the Code field for each Event or To Do in Time Matters must have a PracticeMaster Calendar Code that matches it exactly. If this field is left blank in Time Matters, it will also be blank in PracticeMaster. If you import Events or ToDos into PracticeMaster that contain calendar codes that do not exist in the PracticeMaster Calendar Code file, errors will be generated when the Data File Integrity Check program is run.



• The Staff field in Time Matters corresponds to the User ID field in PracticeMaster. Therefore, the Staff field in the Time Matters records must be filled out with valid User IDs that exist in the System Configuration User file. For each Event or ToDo, the initials for the selected staff member will be exported. This means that the corresponding User ID in System Configuration must match the initials entered for each staff member in Time Matters. User IDs can be entered in System Configuration before or after importing Events/ToDos into PracticeMaster, but if you choose to wait until after importing, the PracticeMaster Data File Integrity Check will report errors until you enter the User IDs.
  
  

Importing Contacts into PracticeMaster

Contacts are imported into the PracticeMaster Related Party file.

Notes About Importing Contacts

• The value in the Code field for each contact in Time Matters must have a PracticeMaster Related Party Category that matches it exactly. If the Related Party Category does not exist in PracticeMaster, it will be added when the Contact is imported. If the Code has an invalid format, you will receive an error report after importing indicating that the Related Party Category was not added. The Contact/Related Party itself will be imported with a blank Related Party Category.

Note:  It is actually the Classification Code's Description that is imported into PracticeMaster, as opposed to the code itself. For example, the Classification Code STGA | StateGovAgnt will be imported as the Related Party Category StateGovAgnt, not STGA.

• If you already have Related Party Categories in PracticeMaster that serve the same purpose as certain Contact Classification Codes in Time Matters, you may want to avoid having two Related Party Categories that serve the same purpose. You can prevent this by changing the Descriptions assigned to the Classification Codes in Time Matters to match the PracticeMaster Related Party Categories before you export the Contacts.

To change the Classification Code descriptions in Time Matters Version 9.0, 8.0, and 7.0

1. Select File | Setup | Codes | Classification Codes.
2. Select Contact from the Record Type dropdown menu (or click the Contact tab in older versions).
3. Double-click the desired Code and edit it.


• Punctuation is not allowed in PracticeMaster Related Party Categories. If any of the Time Matters Classification Codes for Contacts include punctuation in their descriptions, you will receive error messages after importing and Contacts that use those Codes will be imported without a Related Party Category. To prevent this, change the descriptions in Time Matters before you export the Contacts.

Importing Billing Records into PracticeMaster

Billing records are imported into the PracticeMaster Fee file.

Notes About Importing Billing Records

• Fee amounts are not imported into PracticeMaster. This is because amounts are not stored as part of the Billing records in Time Matters. The values in the PracticeMaster Hours Worked and Hours to Bill fields are imported from the Duration field in Time Matters.



• You must set up your PracticeMaster transaction codes (tcodes) before you import Billing records into PracticeMaster. This is because the value in the Code field for each billing transaction in Time Matters must have a PracticeMaster tcode that matches it exactly. Please keep in mind that PracticeMaster only allows numeric tcodes (1-999). If the tcode is invalid or does not exist, you will receive an error report after importing indicating that the transaction was not added.



• Staff members whose time is billed to clients as fees must be set up as PracticeMaster timekeepers before you import Billing records into PracticeMaster. This is because the value in the Staff field in Time Matters corresponds to the timekeeper number in PracticeMaster. Therefore, you must have the Staff field in the Billing entry filled out with a number that corresponds to a specific timekeeper in PracticeMaster. If this field is empty, or has something other than a valid timekeeper number, the record will NOT be imported into PracticeMaster.

NOTE:  Because Time Matters uses each Staff member's initials to identify him or her throughout application, you may encounter a problem when importing billing information into PracticeMaster. Since timekeepers in PracticeMaster are identified by their timekeeper numbers rather than their initials, mapping the Staff field in the exported Time Matters data to the Timekeeper field in the PracticeMaster Fee file will prevent the fee records from being imported. This is because Staff members' initials cannot be imported into the Timekeeper field, which can only contain numbers.

There are two ways you can avoid this:

1. You can map the Staff field to None when importing the data into PracticeMaster. Fees will be imported using the lowest numbered timekeeper in PracticeMaster instead of the timekeeper who did the work, This method is somewhat faster than method B.


     ...or...


2. Before importing Billing information into PracticeMaster, use a DOS editor or a text editor to perform a search and replace in the CMFEE.EXP file for each timekeeper's initials. For example, if RJB is timekeeper 1, replace "RJB" with "1". Be sure to include the quotation marks in both the search and replace values. If you use a word processor to edit the file, make sure you save the file as ASCII text when you are finished (as opposed to the preferred file format of your word processor, such as a DOC file). Import the Billing information into the PracticeMaster Fee file as normal. This method takes longer than method A, but allows you to map the Staff field to the PracticeMaster Timekeeper field when importing the data into PracticeMaster. As a result, transactions will have the correct timekeepers after being imported.

Importing Email, Notes, Phone Records and/or Web Records into PracticeMaster

Time Matters Email, Notes, Phone records, and Web records are imported into the PracticeMaster Journal file. (Note:  Time Matters Web records are equivalent to PracticeMaster Research records and are imported as such.)

Notes About Importing Email, Notes, Phone Records and/or Web Records

• The Staff field in Time Matters corresponds to the User ID in PracticeMaster. Therefore, the Staff field in the Time Matters records should be filled out with valid User IDs that exist in the System Configuration User file. For each record, the initials for the selected staff member will be exported. This means that the corresponding User ID configured in System Configuration must match the initials entered for each staff member in Time Matters. User IDs can be entered in System Configuration before or after importing records into the PracticeMaster Journal file, but if you choose to wait until after importing, the PracticeMaster Data File Integrity Check will report errors until you enter the User IDs.
• The Description field in Time Matters Notes is not exported when using the TEMPLATE.TPS file downloaded from our Web site (although the notes themselves, entered in the memo field, are exported). If you require the Description field to be imported for each Note, make a copy of the TEMPLATE.TPS file before exporting, and modify the export template to include the Description field in addition to the other fields that are exported.



• The Subject field in the PracticeMaster Journal file is limited to 60 characters. If a Time Matters Email record or Phone record contains more than 60 characters in the Subject field, the data will be truncated when that record is imported into PracticeMaster.



• The default form layout for the PracticeMaster Journal file does not display the Subject field for Phone records, but the Subject will be imported from Time Matters. To show the Subject field for Phone records, use the Form Designer to add the field to the form layout for Phone records in the Journal file.

Importing Document Records into PracticeMaster

Document records are imported into the PracticeMaster Document Management file.

Notes About Importing Document Records

• The Staff field in Time Matters corresponds to the Performed By field in PracticeMaster. The PracticeMaster Performed By field is a lookup field in which the User ID is stored. Therefore, the Staff field in Time Matters records should be filled out with valid User IDs that exist in the System Configuration User file. For each Document record, the initials for the selected staff member will be exported. This means that the corresponding User ID configured in System Configuration must match the initials entered for each staff member in Time Matters. User IDs can be entered in System Configuration before or after importing Document records into PracticeMaster, but if you choose to wait until after importing, the PracticeMaster Data File Integrity Check will report errors until you enter the User IDs.

Steps to Export from Time Matters

Note:  In the first step, you will be instructed to download a template file into your Time Matters data directory. This is a template file that we have created in order to provide you a way to export a portion of your Time Matters data to be imported easily into PracticeMaster. If desired, you can create your own template that exports different or additional fields from Time Matters. This would allow you to import additional data into PracticeMaster besides the data our Template file is providing you with. If you want to do this, it is recommended that you be familiar with both Time Matters' export program and PracticeMaster's import program.

1. Download the TEMPLATE.TPS file from http://www.Tabs3.com/support/utilities.html into the Time Matters data directory. Make sure that you download the correct file that corresponds with the version of Time Matters you are using. TEMPLATE.TPS is the file that Time Matters uses for all export and import templates. If you want to retain an existing TEMPLATE.TPS file, rename it before downloading the TEMPLATE.TPS file we are providing.
   
   
2. Start Time Matters.
    
3. Select File | Import/Export | Export Records | Custom Export.
    
4. If you want to export all records:
   1. Select Use an existing Export Template and click Next.
   2. Select the Export Template you want to use and click Next.
   3. Specify your PracticeMaster program directory in the "Export File Name" field, this will default to C:\Tabs3\{file name}. We suggest you leave the default file name and just change the path.
   4. Click Next on the Select Export File Format step.
   5. If asked to overwrite the file, click OK. (Note: Do not overwrite if the previous file has not been imported to PracticeMaster.)
   6. Select which records you want to leave tagged and click Next on the Checking Security step.
   7. Specify whether you want to save the changes to the export template (if prompted) and click Finish to start exporting the selected records.
   8. Click OK when the export is complete.
   
   If you want to export tagged or filtered records:
   1. Select Modify an existing Export Template and click Next.
   2. Select the Export Template you want to use and click Next.
   3. Click Next on the Select Export File Format step.
   4. If asked to overwrite the file, click OK.
   5. Click Next on the Specify Time Matters Record Type step.
   6. Click Next on the Export Linked Records step.
   7. Click Next on the Select Pre-Merge Record step.
   8. Click Next on the Export Custom Forms step.
   9. Click Next on the Select <export file> Export Fields step.
   10. Select the records you want to export and click Next on the Which Record to Export step.
   11. Click Next on the Launch Application After Export step.
   12. Select which records you want to leave tagged and click Next on the Checking Security step.
   13. Specify whether you want to save the changes to the export template and click Finish to start exporting the selected records.
   14. Click OK when the export is complete.
   
   
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each file that you want to export from Time Matters. Some files have the same default file name for the export file. If you are exporting all of the files from Time Matters, you may want to edit your export file name so that you are not overwriting data you previously exported. Or you can follow the procedures to import before exporting the next file.

Steps to Import Time Matters Data into PracticeMaster

1. Start PracticeMaster.
    
2. From the menu bar, select Maintenance | File Maintenance.
    
3. We suggest you click OK to make a backup of your data.
    
4. Select the file you want to import data into and click OK.
    
5. Select the Utility tab and click Import Data.
    
6. Select the File from which data will be imported and click Next.
    
7. Select the correct Import Definition for the Time Matters Version. (In Versions of PracticeMaster prior to Version 14.2, select the Import File Type for the Time Matters Version and data type and click Reset.)
   

   Note: If using Time Matters 9.0, 8.0, or 7.0, you will need to choose Time Matters 4 in the drop-down.

8. Verify that the import fields match up to the PracticeMaster fields. Make the appropriate field mapping changes.
   
   To change a field mapping: 
   
   1. Double-click the desired field in the PM Fields list.
   2. Click the down-arrow button. A drop-down list containing fields in the PracticeMaster file will be shown.
   3. Scroll through the list and click the desired field.

   Note:  If you do not want a field in the import file to be imported, highlight the field and press Delete or select "None" for that field (shown at the top of the drop-down list). The up-arrow button or the Alt+Up-Arrow key can be used to move the highlighted PM field up one position. The down-arrow button or Alt+Down-Arrow key can be used to move the highlighted PM field down one position. Fields can also be dragged to a new position.

9. If the first record in the import file contains the field names, select the Skip this record check box.
    
10. Click Next and then Finish to import the records.
     
11. Click OK when the import is complete.
     
12. View the error log report if there is one.
     
13. Repeat steps 1-12 for each file you have exported from Time Matters.

Field Order and Relationships

The following information lists the various files and fields that can be exported from Time Matters and imported into PracticeMaster. The Time Matters file is listed in the first column; the corresponding PracticeMaster file is listed in the second column. Each field that will be imported is listed as a separate row in the table.

• Time Matters Versions 9.0, 8.0, and 7.0

Time Matters Versions 9.0, 8.0, AND 7.0

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