10-31-2003, 06:02 PM
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Thoughts Media Review Team
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 749
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Trackin' My Time...a Review of BOnTime v1.6.1
Tired of filling up your calendar with fake appointments in order to record time you've worked on projects or with clients? BSystems Ltd. has released the latest version of BOnTime, a time tracking/accounting/reporting application which is geared toward those of us chained to the weekly timesheet, and actually makes time recording a lot simpler!
For those of us involved in consulting or other 'contract-based' work, timesheets have always been the bane of our existence. They're required (so we can get paid), but they can be a royal pain -- especially when you're working for multiple clients, on multiple projects and everyone wants details on what you've been doing for whom. Well, BSystems Ltd. has released version 1.6.1 of their BOnTime application which looks like a pretty reasonable time recorder with enough output options to maybe fill in those timesheets for you! :mrgreen:
Over the years of my time with PDAs, I've tried to make the best use of the available tools to keep track of my work so that timesheet day wouldn't be so difficult. For the last year or so, I've been creating appointments in Pocket Outlook to track time spent on projects for each of my clients, then translating those -- day by day -- on Fridays when I need to submit my timesheets. Now, I'm not saying that using Pocket Outlook as a time recorder is necessarily a bad thing. There are a lot of advantages -- including automatic backup to my desktop whenever I synchronize; having a single source of information about what I've done; and integration of documents and contacts with recorded work. The down side is an incredible cluttering of my calendar with stuff that isn't really appointments or meetings, which gets even worse when I'm actually working on multiple clients' projects simultaneously. What I end up doing now is to simply fill in appointments for the day with guesstimates as to the number of hours allocated to each. If it's a really bad week, I sometimes wait until the end of the week and simply share the time between the projects I worked on during the week. I need something easier, so I decided to give BOnTime a try.
Getting Started
When you first start up BOnTime, there is an initial splash screen, then a display of the current client/project/task/job tree structure.
Figure 1: BOntime's main screen
Looks a bit blank, huh? Well, never fear, BOnTime includes a Help file with a pretty thorough description of the functions available, and they're arranged in chapters which follow you through the normal work flow. However, here are some 'quick start' hints. First, it's important to remember that BOnTime uses a Client/Project/Task/Job hierarchy -- which you remember from reading the documentation, right? ;-) So the first step is create a new client. This can be accomplished from either the New menu at the bottom of the screen, or by tapping and holding anywhere within the tree display area. This will bring up a context-sensitive menu of options, including the New menu, from which you select Client.
Once you've created your client(s), you then create projects for each client by highlighting the client in the tree, then selecting New/Project from either the New menu or by tapping and holding within the tree display. Similarly, you'll need to create Tasks for each one of the Projects, since you can only record actual time spent by creating Jobs assigned to a specific Task. This is one of the unfortunate parts of having to use the entire hierarchy -- there's no way to record work at a higher level, such as directly against a Client or a Project. I got around this by creating dummy 'Stuff' tasks for each of my projects where there weren't specific tasks, or where I didn't need to record to that level of detail. Once you've got this structure built, subsequent initiations of BOnTime take you to the Client level depiction of the tree.
Figure 2: Main screen with Clients
Fortunately, BOnTime lets you duplicate the names of Projects, Tasks and Jobs between Clients, so you can have multiple Clients involved in the same Project, and use similar Task names (like 'Stuff') in different Projects. You can also go back and change the names of Clients, Projects or Tasks by selecting them in the tree and tapping Edit/Properties from the menus.
Entering Jobs
Once you have the Client/Project/Task structure set up, then you're ready to begin recording time, also known as Jobs in BOnTime. Two different methods are provided. The first is an automatic timer function, which you can start and stop as you work through each Job. More than one Job can be active simultaneously in this mode and there's also a Pause feature, if you need to take a bio or walk break or attend to something else for a short time. If you have more than one Job active, though, you'll have to Pause each one when you leave.
Figure 3: Entering Jobs via BOnTime's Timer Function
The other method of recording Job time is to simply type in the Job description, duration, and date, then tap the Enter button. This is the one I prefer, as I typically have more than one thing going at a time, and my work on any one of these is not linear, by any stretch of the imagination! To record Job time against a task, you tap the Task in the tree structure to highlight it, fill in the Description and Duration and tap the Enter button. Unfortunately, most of the input methods (keyboard, letter recognizer, etc.) will obscure the Enter button, so you'll have to hide the method before you can tap Enter. There's also a bug in the current version when you select the Calendar gadget from the Duration box. It shows the currently selected date twice. Not a biggie, and I'm sure Darryl at BSystems probably has it fixed already.
Figure 4: Entering Jobs via Duration
BOnTime also provides the ability to use an existing Job entry as a template for a new one. By selecting an already recorded Job, then tapping and holding and selecting Copy to new job (or selecting Copy to new job from the Edit menu), it will use the description, duration and date from the original to create a new Job. If you are using the start/stop timer option, it will use the current time as the new start time. If you want to go back and change Job information just select the Job from the tree structure. Its description, duration and date will be displayed in the input fields below and you can make whatever changes are necessary.
Reporting
Being able to record work quickly and easily is only half the battle though. We need to be able to get it back out in some sort of reasonable form. Wouldn't it be great if BOnTime could just automatically submit the timesheet? Well, it doesn't go quite that far, but BSystems has provided a number of different ways to get the information out of the database which could then be manipulated to fit into existing timesheets.
The Day Summary provides a list of the hours accumulated for each client on a given day. I find this particularly useful when I'm filling in my timesheet by hand, since for billing purposes, only the number of hours associated with each client is important. BOnTime thoughtfully includes Prev(ious) and Next buttons and a calendar gadget to allow you to select which day to display.
Figure 5: Day Summary Screen
If you're looking for more detail, you can use the Reporting screen.
Figure 6: BOntime's Reporting screen
The Reporting screen provides a wide range of filters to select out the Jobs recorded in the database. The filters are automatically updated as you add new Clients, Projects and Tasks and again, are hierarchically context sensitive. This means you must select a Client first, then the Project list will be populated with all Projects for that Client. Similarly, when you've selected a Project, the Task list is populated with all Tasks associated with that Project for that Client. If no item is selected from the list, the default assumption is 'all'. Unfortunately, there's no way to select more than one option from the lists, so if you want to get a report of more than one Client (but not all), or a selection of Projects within a Client, you'll need to report on them all, then manipulate the provided extract. Templates, which allow you to select which columns/fields from the database are provided in the extract and their output order, are created under the Settings/Reports option from the Edit menu.
Once you've made your selections, tap the Get Jobs button to extract the appropriate records from the database. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time (or energy) to create a massive database to text extraction speed, but I'll let you know as I work with this application a bit more. The extract job records are displayed in the scrolling window in the middle of the screen and, if everything looks OK, then tap the Export button to have them saved to a CSV (Comma Separated Values) text file. This file can then be transferred to your desktop PC and manipulated in either Word or Excel (or anything else that accepts CSV!) I couldn't find any way to get Pocket Excel to read this type of file, but maybe our Pocket PC Thoughts gurus will have some solutions!
There is also an Export to SQL function which is available from the File menu. It produces a text SQL file for importing the data to another database. Here's an example. I'm not an expert in SQL, but I don't see any DDL statements to create the database, so you might have to create the tables and columns first.
Archiving and Unarchiving Clients
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to shelve a client for a while to let you work on other, more interesting work? If you want to remove a client (and the associated projects, etc.) or a project from the tree view and the reports, then you can use the Archive function from the Edit menu to accomplish this. The data is still contained within BOnTime's database -- it's just not displayed or reported. The Unarchive function reverses this process and reinstates the client and/or project(s).
Backup
As BOnTime is working, it saves data in a BOnTime.sdf file which is automatically stored in the My Documents folder in main memory. Thus, it can be backed up to your desktop using ActiveSync or any other backup program you have installed. I think it would be better to allow the user to specify where they would like the database to be stored as I can imagine in my case, it might get pretty large after a year of work...
Settings? We've got Settings!
As with any application of this type, there needs to be options to change it to suit individual requirements. BOnTime provides three screens of options from the Edit/Settings menu.
Figure 7: BOnTime's General settings
The General Settings screen lets you select how duration will be accepted and displayed. I won't go into describing it here, since it's well documented in the Help file provided. Suffice to say that there are lots of options for recording duration which makes things a lot easier. It also lets you select if you want your profile included with the exported report file. There is only one profile provided which includes your company name, your name, address, city and country, and is accessible from the Edit/Profiles menu. I was surprised to see that state/province were not included.
The Tree Options settings allow you to set up what will be displayed in the hierarchical tree structure on the main Timer screen.
Figure 8: Tree Options settings
Again, I won't go through all the options here, since they are described well in the Help file. Ones to note however, are the Rebuild treeview on settings update selection, which supposedly lets you choose if you want to have the Tree view reconstructed after you change the settings. Currently, this option will not 'stick' if it is selected. After talking to Darryl at BSystems, he's agreed that this setting will probably be removed in the next version, as the decision to rebuild the tree structure is made automatically by BOnTime, based on what's been changed. The other option to know about on this screen is the Don't Show Summaries. Typically, summary information regarding the selected Client, Project, or Task is shown just below the job input portion of the Timer screen. Calculating this summary information can slow down movement between Clients, Projects or Tasks on slower processors, so this option has been provided to allow you to turn off those summaries.
I mentioned the last setting screen, Reports, previously in the Reporting section. Report templates allow you to select which fields from the database will be included, and in what order, when you do a export from the BOnTime database.
Figure 9: Creating a Report Template
Installation
The .zip file supplied by BSystems for BOnTime version 1.6.1 contains the .Net Compact Framework, MS SQL Server CE2.0, BOnTime application (.exe file) and a text file of instructions. The instructions are for the 1.5 version, but will work just fine for 1.6.1. BSystems also sent me a Reviewer's Guide which I'd suggest to them should be included in the release package. There's a wealth of really helpful information in the Guide, as well as a good overview on how BOnTime works and how to get the most from it.
The files provided are .CAB files, so once they've been extracted from the .zip, you will need to copy them to your Pocket PC using Activesync or some other file transfer mechanism. As with other applications I've reviewed recently, BSystems is not using the ActiveSync standard installation routines, opting instead for self-installing applications which you run from your Pocket PC. While this has some advantages in terms of packaging and direct availability to download to your Pocket PC, it means you lose some flexibility in determining where you want the application to be installed. Once you execute these applications on your Pocket PC, they determine where BOnTime will be located - there's no ability to have it installed on a CF or SD card.
As most will have heard numerous times by now, you only need to install the .Net Compact Framework if you're running Pocket PC 2002. The Windows Mobile 2003 ROM already contains the .Net Compact Framework.
The MS SQL Server should be installed and your Pocket PC given a soft reset, before installing the BOnTime application. Although this is not explicitly described in the installation text, I found things went much cleaner when I included the extra step -- otherwise, BOnTime may produce a message saying that MS SQL Server is required to be installed. Also, be aware that although the MS SQL Server .CAB files will delete themselves after completing their install, the BOnTime module will not. After you've successfully installed the application, you'll need to go back to the location of the original .exe file and delete it.
Gotchas
Is it perfect? Not yet, but I give BSystems a lot of credit for getting BOnTime this far. It's not easy coming up with an application that will meet every consultant or contractor's needs, but I think BOnTime is a good start. Here are some things to watch for (which I'm sure BSystems will address in upcoming releases!):
- The interface still needs some work (e.g. Calendar gadget showing duplicate dates; input methods obscuring the Enter button, Export dropdown showing SQL files not CSV, Settings not always working, etc.).
- You can't select more than one item in the filters on Reporting tab. If you wanted to get reports on two clients, you have to select them all, then edit in the .CSV file produced.
- There's no way to tell BOnTime to install to anywhere other than the programmed location.
- There's no way to move the database to a CF or SD Card, or to other non-volatile memory locations.
- When inputting duration, it would be great to have an interface similar to the one PocketInformant uses for duration of appointments.
- It would be cool to be able to also record expenses associated with a Job.
- You can't move items (Projects, Tasks, Jobs) between the next higher levels (e.g. if you recorded the Job under the wrong Task).
- It would be great to be able to produce reports with summary totals at the Task, Project or Client levels.
Where to Buy
BOnTime is available from Handango for $14.95 USD. [Affiliate] A trial version which will work for 15 days is also available there.
Specifications
BOnTime is supported on all ARM processor-based devices running Pocket PC 2002 or Windows Mobile 2003. It requires .Net Compact Framework and MS SQL Server CE which are included in the package. BOnTime takes 416K of memory and MS SQL Server CE takes 1605K.
Conclusions
So, will I use this instead of my Outlook Calendar? It's kind of a toss-up at the moment. I've gotten very used to being able to record time as appointments in either the desktop or Pocket PC version of Outlook and having them synchronize automatically. But I detest the clutter it creates in my calendar. I guess it will be a case of getting into the habit of using BOnTime instead. It certainly simplifies entry of time recording and produces output in formats which don't require as much 'interpretation'. Maybe this is one of those situations where "Do something 60 times and it becomes a habit" holds true. I'll let you know.
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10-31-2003, 07:07 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 28
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calander view
Great review.
I have tried all these time sheet programs, and while cool they all do not do the one thing I want.
Calender view.
I do not remember appointments or jobs as, I did this on the 13th.
I think by week days, I did this last thursday.
For the love of God will someone add a calender view to their timesheet program and I will buy it.
end rant :lol:
craig
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10-31-2003, 07:55 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 481
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Re: Trackin' My Time...a Review of BOnTime v1.6.1
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Originally Posted by Don Tolson
- There's no way to tell BOnTime to install to anywhere other than the programmed location.
- There's no way to move the database to a CF or SD Card, or to other non-volatile memory locations.
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I was going to try it (and I might still do it) but I think that the two items you mention above is a show stopper for me. I really don�t think that a company should expect me to load their program in memory and not to a card. Isn�t that what cards are for? I have about 75mb on my iPAQ 3850 256mb SD card. This includes projects I�m working on, programs that I�m analyzing for myself and customers plus the programs that I use everyday. I think that this is unacceptable not to let someone install a program and its data onto whichever card a user wants. I would imagine that it would (or should) be fixed pretty soon. If I do load up the demo then it would probably only be able to stay there a day or two.
Oh yeah I have another card in my iPAQ (I have a MemPlug dual CF card sleeve and both CF cards are also 256mb) that contains approximately 150mb of data to a Server project I�m building. So without the ability to put files where I want to (need to) I would have to use a laptop (not cool).
Jeff -
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10-31-2003, 08:56 PM
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Thoughts Media Review Team
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 749
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Apparently, BSystems is coming out with a 1.6.3 release very soon, which will allow you to move the database file to non-volatile storage.
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/drt
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10-31-2003, 09:50 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 481
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Don Tolson
Apparently, BSystems is coming out with a 1.6.3 release very soon, which will allow you to move the database file to non-volatile storage.
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Yeah that's good news. I went to their site to take a look if they mention anything about it but nothing about the upgrade is mentioned yet. I'll have to keep an eye out. It runs under .NET with SQL Server CE so I gotta try it. It's my my Windows day job so it gotta be cool (I hope) 8)
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11-01-2003, 04:48 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 566
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Any idea how BOnTime compares with TimeTTracker? I demo'd this one a while back and really liked it. It was just a bit pricey, IMO.
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-= Sass =-
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11-01-2003, 08:17 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 430
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by SassKwatch
Any idea how BOnTime compares with TimeTTracker? I demo'd this one a while back and really liked it. It was just a bit pricey, IMO. |
What were the features you liked the most? We are keen to continue to improve BOnTime, and have a raft of very cool stuff coming up, but we REALLY NEED your feedback to make BOnTime the best app on the market. :mrgreen:
Post your list or send them to support at bsystems.co.nz!
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Darryl BurlingReporting from the inside :-)blog: www.burling.co.nz |
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11-01-2003, 01:46 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 566
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by darrylb
Quote:
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Originally Posted by SassKwatch
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What were the features you liked the most? We are keen to continue to improve BOnTime, and have a raft of very cool stuff coming up, but we REALLY NEED your feedback..... |
Well, it's been several months...and I use a pda cuz I don't trust my own memory, so specifics are a little fuzzy at this point.  But here's what I recall....
* In general, the 'ease of use' factor would have ranked 7-8 on a 10 point scale.
* I liked that, by default, there was a desktop version of the app so that entries could be made on either the PPC or the desktop.
* The desktop portion of the app was an Access db. That was very nice as the db could be queried with all the usual Access tools and build reports from within Access if the app itself didn't provide what was needed.
What I didn't like was that, by design, the app assumed it was being used by a consultant who needed to expense out his/her billable time. I'm a salaried corporate cube farm menial, and don't need those capabilities. I just need to track my time so I can prove to the boss how overworked I am.
It seems almost every app I've looked at in this genre makes it hard to avoid having to do at least some 'expense' related data entry because they all assume use by consultant rather than somone who just needs to document time. TimeTTracker was better than others in that respect, but still couldn't avoid some 'expense reporting' altogether if it wasn't relevant to the user's situation.
Just as a general note unrelated to TimeTTracker and without having yet evaluated BOnTime, I can say that the ease of use factor is *BY FAR* the most important for my needs with an app of this type. I need to spend as little time as possible documenting my 'productive' time rather than spendng 20% of that time documenting activities...making me less productive.
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-= Sass =-
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11-01-2003, 05:09 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 368
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I like the timer feature of time tracker. Like stop watch, you can start the timer and stop it whenever you stops your tasks so you can record the exact time you worked on the individual task.
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11-01-2003, 05:18 PM
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Thoughts Media Review Team
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 749
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ignar
I like the timer feature of time tracker. Like stop watch, you can start the timer and stop it whenever you stops your tasks so you can record the exact time you worked on the individual task.
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Yep, BOnTime has the same feature -- including the ability to have multiple jobs 'on timer' simultaneously, and the ability to pause any one of the running jobs.
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/drt
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Linear Mode
