Who is this article for?

Users who want to learn about what happens to Pentana’s actual time data when synchronisation with RetainTime is disabled.

Elevated permissions are not required.

It is possible to simultaneously disable the synchronising of data between RetainTime and Pentana and to activate time recording in Pentana.  We do not migrate existing timesheet data, although existing summary data against audit assignments and audits remains in place.

If a customer wishes to switch to recording actual time in Pentana then care should be taken to input in Pentana data for audits where time information is still being entered, as starting a timesheet in one system and completing it in the other will give incorrect results.

This article describes the effect of disabling RetainTime on existing Pentana data.

1. Detail and Examples
   1. Example:  Before disabling the RetainTime link
   2. Example: After disabling the RetainTime link

1. Detail and Examples

2. Where a system is comprised of RetainTime and Pentana, data is held in two places
   1. The Retain database holds detailed information about each timesheet row, like the recording of time by a person against a job for a time period
   2. The Pentana database holds summary information about time recorded by all people for their audit assignments, which is further summarised against audits
3. The synchronisation process takes the Retain data and does the summarising, then records that information against audit assignments and audits.
4. Running the Disable RetainTime customisation breaks the link between the two systems but does not make any changes to the data on either side.  This means that where time data is stored against an audit it will remain as is, however if a Pentana timesheet entry is then made it will overwrite what’s there, with undesirable consequences.

1.1 Example:  Before disabling the RetainTime link

Two auditors, Jeff and Jemima, work on Audit XYZ and record time in RetainTime.

Timesheet data

In Pentana this displays as follows.

Audit Assignments

Audit Details

1.2 Example: After disabling the RetainTime link

The summary data remains the same until a change is made, but as there is no historic timesheet data, adding a timesheet for an existing audit will cause the summaries to recalculate based on only the new Pentana timesheet.

As an example of the impact that can have.

Jeff wants to add a day in the following time period to Audit XYZ.

The timesheet would look like this.

However, as Pentana has no historic timesheet data to add, the audit assignment summary now looks like this.

Audit Assignments

Audit Details

Important Note: Please therefore be aware that if you are wanting to stop using RetainTime and start using Pentana timesheeting it will probably be necessary to re-enter some time data for audits that are in progress, and for non-audit tasks.