Oracle and HMS Software have extend their technical alliance for a 26th consecutive year.

The relationship between HMS and Oracle is remarkable for the technology industry.  Firstly, it’s remarkable to have any technology company be around for 26 years then to have created such a lasting relationship is yet more amazing.  The link between Oracle started back in 1997 when we were creating the first version of TimeControl to be based on a relational database.  That same year we began a relationship with Primavera.  Primavera would be purchased by Oracle in 2008 making the many ties HMS had with each company now housed under the same roof.

This long lasting alliance between our company and Oracle has served us both but the real impact is what we’ve been able to deliver to our mutual customers.

HMS and Oracle partner across multiple fronts. HMS Software’s TimeControl timesheet system supports Oracle databases, we also integrate with numerous Oracle Applications including Oracle-Primavera EPPM and Primavera Pro.

Some of the many TimeControl’s value-added benefits when linking with Oracle-Primavera include:

• The multi-functionality and auditability of TimeControl that allows it be used for project management, HR, payroll, invoicing, job costing and government compliance all at the same time
• Support for multiple rates per employee
• Automated business rule validations
• Automated workflow
• Vacation management
• Missing timesheet notification
• Simultaneous support for multiple versions of Primavera
• The free TimeControl Mobile App for smartphones and tablets supporting both iOS and Android
• Matrix timesheet approvals with HMS’s unique Matrix Approval Process for Labor Actuals™
• With TimeControl Industrial, the Crew Timesheet and Materials and Equipment field data collection

For more information on how Oracle and HMS Technologies work together, visit the Oracle/TimeControl Portal at: Oracle.TimeControl.com or contact HMS at info@hms.ca for more information.

TimeControl Online clients got an opportunity to preview TimeControl Project last year at no cost.  The trial period was very successful but a number of clients were unable to take full advantage of the preview because of other priorities.  We received numerous requests asking if another trial would ever be scheduled.

We are excited to announce that we will be starting a brand new TimeControl Project 90 day free trial starting with the upgrade of TimeControl Online and TimeControl Industrial Online 8.4.  Clients who have already subscribed to TimeControl Project will receive a 90 day extension on their TimeControl Project subscription.

TimeControl Project is a remarkable edition of TimeControl Online and TimeControl Industrial Online which brings multiple level project management tools to TimeControl.  Where TimeControl has become known for its power and flexibility in tracking and controlling project actuals, TimeControl Project carries that to project planning and management.

TimeControl Project provides project tools at the Strategic, Operational and Tactical levels.  These tools can be integrated with different levels where needed or work independently if that would be best.  Tools like a spreadsheet for budget vs. actual might be best at the Strategic Level.  A resource capacity barchart might be more effective at an operational level.  And, a Kanban Agile board might be more useful at the tactical level.

Like all of TimeControl, flexibility is the cornerstone of TimeControl Project so adapting the tools to your particular way of business is something we expect.

You can find out more about TimeControl Project at: TimeControlProject.com or contact us at TimeControl.com/contact.

TimeControl 8.4 has some great new features in it but one of our favorites is the Hierarchy function.  TimeControl has always been able to organize and structure data hierarchically.  We see this done often in charge codes for example.  Also, the organization approval process in TimeControl is, by its nature hierarchical.  There are options in security to say “Allow the user to see their own data and the data of everyone who reports through them”.  But there are other hierarchical needs that arise too.

Let’s say that we want to create security to restrict the data that is visible to this department and all departments, sub-departments and other sub-departments below them.  That becomes a bigger challenge.

And that’s what the new Hierarchy function is for.

The new Hierarchy Table let’s you create many hierarchy structures.  Let’s say you make one for location to show countries, states, counties and cities.  Easily done.  Then you want another hierarchy that is based on accounting General Ledger Codes. even though some of those codes don’t “roll-up” numerically.  Easy to define in the Hierarchy Table.  Perhaps you have departments and more departments and more and you want to do security, reporting or exporting based on that hierarchical view.  Once you’ve defined a hierarchy you can associate it inside a table such as the Employee Table or the Charge Table or the Project Table using a new user-defined field type called, you guessed it, hierarchy.  You can then see that table with all data listed that way in hierarchical structure then, if you wish, flip that view to a different hierarchy on the fly.

The power and flexibility of this feature is remarkable and we see it becoming a common element of reporting, security, exporting and more.  Hierarchies are described in the TimeControl 8.4 Reference Guide.

Just one of the great new features in TimeControl 8.4

We are very excited to announce that TimeControl 8.4 has now been released. This is a big new version of TimeControl and TimeControl Industrial on-premise, TimeControl Online and  TimeControl Industrial Online in the Cloud and TimeControl Project.

There is lots to celebrate in this upgrade of TimeControl including:

All new Dashboards

We’ve done a complete rewrite of the Dashboard Editor and display mechanisms.  The editor now supports drag and drop of dashboard widgets, and dashboards that extend longer than the existing screen size. There are new dashboard widgets and improvements on the existing widgets too.

Support for Azure 365 Active Directory SSO

TimeControl has had support for SAML for some time and we’ve now extended this to include support for Azure’s very specific requirements for Active Directory in the cloud.  You’ll even find a tutorial guide on how to make this configuration work for you.

New Link RESTful API link Oracle-Primavera

TimeControl has had a link with Primavera since 1997.  With each evolution of Oracle-Primavera we have extended how TimeControl and Primavera integrate to take advantage of any new features from either product.  Primavera has evolved its original Web Services link from SOAP protocol into a RESTful API architecture.  TimeControl 8.4 supports both these services Web Services and will continue to support other link technologies we’ve already published for earlier versions of Primavera.

Mobile Version updates

The free TimeControl Mobile App has gone through an almost complete rewrite.  The underlying architecture of both the iOS version and the Android version has been brought up to the latest abilities from both including Dark Mode.  You’ll also find new functionality in TimeControl Industrial to support Equipment / Machines.

And so, so much more.

TimeControl 8.4 is available right now for existing TimeControl and TimeControl Industrial on-premise clients with a current support agreement at timecontrol.com/support/updates.  The free TimeControl Mobile App will be released on the Apple Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android devices in the next two days.  Subscribers to TimeControl Online and TimeControl Industrial Online will be informed directly on the application about the schedule of their automatic upgrade which is expected in the next couple of weeks.

For more information on TimeControl 8.4, visit www.timecontrol.com/features/latest.

On Wednesday, April 5th, Montreal where HMS Software’s headquarters are located experienced an ice storm that was protracted and cumulative.  The results caused widespread destruction.  Over 1.1 million customers lost electricity in the province of Quebec, about half of them in Montreal.  HMS Software’s offices did not lose power but virtually all our staff did.  Power for some was not restored until Sunday afternoon.  During this period, HMS Software’s Internet connection was lost and in the Montreal area, Internet and even cell phone service was interrupted.

We’re happy to report that none of our staff or their families were injured and, while there is plenty of damage in the Montreal area, none of our staff experienced extensive damage to their homes. During the outage, HMS Software services such as TimeControl Online were unaffected.

As of this morning (Monday, April 10), we are all back at our posts and operations have returned to normal.  For those who checked in with us to ensure we were alright, we thank you.  For those who have found that we’ve been a little slower than normal in returning your calls, we thank you for your patience.

We were delighted this week to find TimeControl getting some great press over on the Serchen website.  The article on their blog describes some of the challenges in selecting a timesheet but goes on to say that TimeControl is a great example of a multi-purpose timesheet that can meet multiple needs at the same time.

You can find the article in its entirety at: blog.serchen.com/choosing-a-timesheet-can-be-a-challenge.

We were delighted to find that 10TechDesign has featured TimeControl in the “Top 10 Time Tracking Apps to Look Up in 2023”.  It’s always gratifying to see others recognize the hard work and accomplishments of the TimeControl Team.  You can find out more at: www.10techdesign.com/top-10-time-tracking-software.