Expense Importer
A new Expenses Data Importer has been added to Access Recruitment CRM, enabling consultants to efficiently bulk-upload expense claims to existing timesheets. This enhancement streamlines expense management by eliminating repetitive manual data entry while ensuring applicants are reimbursed correctly.
What's New
The new Expenses importer follows a two-step wizard process, like the existing Timesheets importer:
Upload Data
Navigate to Tools ; Data Import ; Expenses to launch the wizard.
Click the Upload File button to browse for files via Windows Explorer (filtered to show only .xlsx, .xls, or .csv files).
Drag and drop a file directly into the designated upload area.
If an invalid file type is uploaded, an error message displays: Only files of type .xls, .xlsx or .csv are accepted.
Successfully uploaded files appear with a tick mark (✓) on the left and an 'x' button on the right to remove the file if needed.
Click the download template hyperlink to download a pre-formatted ExpensesTemplate.xlsx file.
The template includes all required columns with proper formatting and data validation hints.
Click the Template Guidelines info-tip icon (ℹ) to view acceptable data combinations:
At least one combination of data is required:Placement ID & Expense Date OR
Applicant ID, Job ID & Expense Date OR
Applicant ID, Job Ref No & Expense Date OR
Timesheet ID.
Other mandatory data include: Invoice Line Item Code ID.
The Next button becomes enabled once a valid file is uploaded
Results
After clicking Next, the wizard validates the uploaded data and displays a preview.
Validation Scenarios:
If the spreadsheet contains no expense lines: displays No Expenses found to import and the Start Import button remains disabled.
If any required columns are missing or invalid: displays specific error messages (e.g., Missing required Field: Invoice Line Item Code ID) and the Start Import button remains disabled.
If columns are valid: displays a preview of up to the first 10 expense lines showing all key fields (Placement ID, Applicant Name, Expense Date, Invoice Line Item Code ID, Quantity, Charge/Pay Rates, etc.).
When validation passes, the Start Import button becomes enabled.
Clicking Start Import begins processing the expenses in the background.
Import Summary Results
Navigate to Tools ; Data Import ; Import Summary to view completed imports.
Each import displays an 'Expense Import' list organized by applicant.
For each expense line, the Import Status column shows:
Success - expense imported successfully.
Error hyperlink - click to view detailed error messages (e.g., 'Invalid Timesheet Id has been provided' or 'This is not an allowable expense for this placement').
The View column includes a View Expense hyperlink for successful imports:
Clicking this opens the Expenses tab for that timesheet in a pop-up window.
Displays the same view as navigating to Placements ; Timesheet Manager ; Timesheets ; Expenses tab.
Template & Validation
Template includes standard expense columns: Placement ID, Applicant ID, Applicant Name, Job Title, Job ID, Job Ref No, Expense Date, Timesheet ID, Invoice Line Item Code ID, Quantity, Charge Rate, Pay Rate, Note, and Expense Approval Status ID.
Flexible identification options: match expenses using Placement ID, Timesheet ID, or combinations of Applicant ID with Job ID/Job Ref No and Expense Date.
Built-in validation ensures:
Expenses can only be added to valid timesheets.
Expense dates fall within the timesheet's start and end dates
Invoice Line Item Codes are configured as allowable expenses for the placement.
All mandatory fields are populated (blank Quantity, Charge Rate, and Pay Rate fields default to 0.00).
Import Summary Access
Import Summary is now visible to all users without the Import Data restriction (previously hidden behind the Timesheet Import feature toggle).
This change ensures users can access import results for all data import types, not just timesheets.
Prerequisites
Placements must have allowable expenses configured (via Placements ; Contract Placements ; Allowable Expenses).
Timesheets must exist for the placement before expenses can be imported.
Users must not have the Timesheet Expense Create restriction.
Grade option in Mandatory Fields Maintenance
What's New:
Admin users can now configure whether the 'Grade' field should be mandatory when managing rates in the system. This provides flexibility to match different business workflows where grade information may or may not be required.
Key Features:
A new 'Rates Form' has been added to Mandatory Field Maintenance list, containing the 'Grade' field configuration option.
By default, the Grade field remains mandatory (existing behaviour), but administrators can now choose to make it optional.
When the Grade field is set as optional, users managing rates will no longer see the red mandatory asterisk, and rates can be saved without specifying a grade value.
Where to Configure:
Navigate to Options ; System Settings ; Mandatory Fields Maintenance:
Locate the 'Rates Form' entry to configure the 'Grade' field requirement.
Where It’s Applied
Options ; Manager ; Master Types ; Rates Management:
When adding or amending rates in the Rates sub-list, the behaviour will vary depending on your configuration.
If Grade is set as Mandatory (checkbox is ticked - default setting):
The 'Grade' field will display the red mandatory asterisk.
The field must be populated before saving.
All other fields retain their existing mandatory/optional behaviour.
Rates must include a Grade value to be saved successfully.
If Grade is set as Optional (checkbox is unticked):
The 'Grade' field will not display the red mandatory asterisk.
The field can be left blank when saving a rate.
All other fields retain their existing mandatory/optional behaviour.
Rates can be successfully saved without specifying a Grade value.