Time Tracking

Package: SERVICE PROJECTS

1. General

2. Configuration

After opening the settings item „Time Tracking" in the company information, the settings are divided into three blocks:

• Provider → provider selection and authentication
• General Settings → general settings for time tracking
• Module and Field Mappings → field mappings for the modules Services, Organizations, Projects and Timesheets

Company Information - Time Tracking

2.1. Provider

In the „Provider" block, the time-tracking provider can be selected in the „Provider" picklist and the authentication can be carried out.

After clicking the action link „Authenticate now", the „Time Tracking Authentication" popup opens.

Popup Time Tracking Authentication Clockodo

The email address and API key are displayed after logging in to Clockodo under „My data“. The data must be entered and saved in the „Time Tracking Authentication Clockodo“ popup.

2.2. General Settings

The following fields are available in the „General Settings" block:

• Which CRM records should be synchronised? → The settings of this item apply to all modules in the Module and Field Mappings item!

  • Only records of the selected list
  • All records
  • Only manually added records

• Responsible user/responsible group → New records from the external time tracking are assigned to the selected user/group.
  This setting only takes effect if the creator cannot be clearly identified.

  The „Responsible user/responsible group“ item is mainly used when an employee has a Clockodo account but no active brainX user. This makes it possible to synchronise data from Clockodo into the brainX Timesheet module as well, regardless of whether a Clockodo user also has a brainX user.

  • all active users and groups

• Behaviour when deleting a CRM record → setting for delete behaviour

  • Delete record in the time tracking
  • Keep record in the time tracking

• Conflict resolution - take data from → conflict resolution setting

  • the most recently changed
  • CRM
  • time-tracking server

• Maximum synchronisation period → setting of the period after which existing records from the external time tracking should no longer be synchronised with brainX.

  The creation date of the external time-tracking record always applies. Changes in brainX are not affected by this.

  • Values from 1 - 12 weeks

• Customer assignment in brainX → Depending on whether „Organization“ or „Contact“ is selected here, the corresponding „Contacts“ or „Organizations“ block is displayed in the Module and Field Mappings item.
  In the vast majority of cases, „Organization“ is selected here, as customers are usually organizations (B2B) and not contacts (B2C).

  • Organization
  • Contact

2.3. Module and Field Mappings

The „Module and Field Mappings" block is divided into four blocks:

• Services
• Organizations or Contacts
• Projects
• Timesheets

2.3.1. Services

The following fields are available in the „Services" block:

• Select list view
• Name*
• Service no.
• Archived
• Note

*Mandatory field

The picklist values are automatically determined from lists (list views) and fields (picklist fields) of the Services module and displayed here in the configuration.

2.3.2. Organizations

The following fields are available in the „Organizations" block:

• Select list view
• Name*
• Customer number
• Archived
• Billable
• Note

*Mandatory field

The picklist values are automatically determined from lists (list views) and fields (picklist fields) of the Services module and displayed here in the configuration.

2.3.3. Contacts

The following fields are available in the „Contacts" block:

• Select list view
• Name*
• Customer number
• Archived
• Billable
• Note

*Mandatory field

The picklist values are automatically determined from lists (list views) and fields (picklist fields) of the Services module and displayed here in the configuration.

2.3.4. Projects

The following fields are available in the „Projects" block:

• Select list view
• Name*
• Customer*
• Project number
• Archived
• Billable
• Project budget
• Budget in credit
• Budget is target value
• Note

*Mandatory field

The picklist values are automatically determined from lists (list views) and fields (picklist fields) of the Services module and displayed here in the configuration.

2.3.5. Timesheets

The following fields are available in the „Timesheets" block:

• Select list view
• Import only active records
• Start*
• End*
• Customer*
• Project*
• Service*
• User
• Billable
• Description ID
• Created
• Edited
• Customer name
• Project name
• User name
• Note
• VAT
• Type
• Hourly rate

*Mandatory field

The picklist values are automatically determined from lists (list views) and fields (picklist fields) of the Services module and displayed here in the configuration.

2.4. Background Task

For a synchronisation of the data between brainX and Clockodo to be carried out, the background task „Time Tracking“ must be activated in Global Settings - System Automation - Background Tasks!

An execution interval of „Every 5 minutes“ is recommended here.

2.5. User Settings

Every brainX user who wants to use the integration and synchronise data between brainX and Clockodo must authenticate in My Settings in the Integrations tab under the „External time-tracking connection“ item.

After clicking the „External time-tracking connection“ tile, the „Clockodo“ popup opens.

Popup Time Tracking Authentication Clockodo User

The email address and API key are displayed after logging in to Clockodo under „My data“. The data must be entered and saved in the „Clockodo“ popup.

After successful authentication, a corresponding notice is displayed and the user can start working with the Time Tracking integration immediately.

3. Usage

3.1. Synchronising Data

In the modules Services, Organizations (or Contacts), Projects and Timesheets - after the brainX user has authenticated - the action „Export to time-tracking system“ is available both in the list view and in the detail view.

Using the action „Export to time-tracking system“, one record (action in the detail view) or several records (action in the list view including prior selection of the records) can be exported/synchronised to Clockodo.

For projects, a referenced record from the „related to“ field (e.g. Organization) is also synchronised!

After a successful export - or synchronisation - a corresponding notification „Record exported“ is displayed in brainX.

Should synchronisation problems occur due to missing values in mandatory fields, these are listed in the Sync Conflicts module.
Further information about the Sync Conflicts module is available in the Sync Conflicts section of the handbook.

Records that are exported/synchronised to Clockodo are created/updated accordingly in Clockodo.

In the Timesheets module, the action „Synchronise record with time-tracking system“ is available in the detail view instead of the action „Export to time-tracking system“.

The action „Synchronise record with time-tracking system“ enables an „immediate“ synchronisation if this is required. The action can likewise be used to synchronise records manually if they would not be considered due to the synchronisation settings.

In the list view of the Timesheets module, the action „Export to time tracking“ is available - just as in other modules.

3.2. Synchronisation Conflicts

Should synchronisation problems occur due to missing values in mandatory fields, these are displayed in the Sync Conflicts module - including an indication of the conflict source.

From the list view, the affected records can be opened directly and the conflicts resolved.

If a record is selected in the list view using the action „Resolve conflict" in the „Action" column, the record is opened in the edit view of the respective module. The missing values in the mandatory fields can now be added accordingly and the conflict resolved.

4. Practical Examples

1 - Record project hours in Clockodo and bill them in brainX

Initial situation: A project team records its working hours directly in Clockodo. At the end of the month, these times are to be billed as invoice line items in brainX without manual transfer.

Procedure: The Time Tracking integration is configured and the background task runs every 5 minutes. The timesheets recorded in Clockodo are automatically synchronised bidirectionally into the Timesheets module in brainX. Using the Bill timesheets action, the recorded times are transferred directly as line items into a new invoice.

Result: Billing is based on the actual recorded times - without manual entry or transfer errors. The billing effort is significantly reduced.

2 - Synchronise projects and customers from brainX to Clockodo

Initial situation: A company manages projects and customer data in brainX and wants employees to be able to access the correct project names and customer assignments directly in Clockodo - without having to maintain data twice.

Procedure: The field mappings for Organizations and Projects are set in the integration configuration. Using the Export to time-tracking system action in the list view of the Projects module, all relevant projects are transferred to Clockodo. For projects, the referenced organization is automatically synchronised as well.

Result: Employees always find up-to-date projects and customers from brainX in Clockodo. Duplicate maintenance is eliminated, and consistency between both systems is ensured.

3 - Include employees without a brainX account in Timesheets

Initial situation: An external employee records their times in Clockodo but does not have their own brainX user. Their timesheets should nonetheless be visible in brainX.

Procedure: In the general settings of the integration, an internal user or a group is stored as a fallback in the Responsible user/responsible group field. Timesheets of the external employee from Clockodo are automatically assigned to this user or group and imported into brainX.

Result: Times of employees without a brainX account are also fully recorded and can be used for project evaluations and billing.

5. Frequently Asked Questions

Which data is synchronised bidirectionally and which only in one direction?

Records from the Services, Organizations (or Contacts) and Projects modules are synchronised exclusively unidirectionally from brainX to Clockodo. Records from the Timesheets module are synchronised bidirectionally - changes in brainX are transferred to Clockodo and vice versa.

Does each user have to set up the integration separately?

Yes, every brainX user who wants to use the integration must authenticate in My Settings → Integrations tab with their personal Clockodo API key. The system-wide configuration in the company information alone is not sufficient.

What happens if mandatory fields are missing during synchronisation?

If records cannot be synchronised due to missing mandatory fields, these are listed in the Sync Conflicts module. Using the Resolve conflict action, the affected record can be opened directly, the missing values added, and the conflict resolved.

How often is the data synchronised?

Synchronisation is carried out via the Time Tracking background task, which must be activated in the Global Settings under Background Tasks. An execution rhythm of every 5 minutes is recommended as the interval. In addition, individual records can be synchronised immediately at any time manually via the Export to time-tracking system or Synchronise record with time-tracking system actions.

Can only a selection of records be synchronised instead of all records?

Yes, in the general settings, under Which CRM records should be synchronised?, you can choose between three options: all records, only records of a specific list view, or only manually added records. In this way, the synchronisation scope can be restricted in a targeted manner.