Version 2023.1

Introduction

StarPM is a web application that contains multiple modules, including StarPM: Billing. It supersedes Star's existing web applications as of autumn 2017.

This document describes new features and bug fixes in each version of StarPM: Billing from initial version 2018.1.0.4.

The scope of this document is limited to the StarPM: Billing (Web) module. It does not include any other StarPM module, or any other Star Windows, Web or Mobile application or module, for each of which separate release notes are available.

Setup Prerequisites

When setting up Web Billing, ensure that Firm-level switch FutureBillDateFormat is set correctly (101=US; 103=UK) to match the globalization setting in the web.config file.

When using US regional settings, FutureBillDateFormat should be ‘101’ and the following should be in the web.config file:

  • <globalization uiCulture="en-US" culture="en-US"></globalization>

When using UK regional settings, FutureBillDateFormat should be ‘103’ and the following should be in the web.config file:

  • <globalization uiCulture="en-GB" culture="en-GB"></globalization>

Privileges

As of release version 2019.1.1.1, any user without the ‘No Limit’ Billing privilege requires the new ‘Access StarPMBilling’ Post Billing privilege to access StarPM: Billing: (Enhancement Ref. 3320).

Switches and Stored Procedures

Any changes affecting User-defined Stored Procedures (SPs) or Firm-level switches are described in context in this document.

For a full list of Star’s SPs and Firm-level switches, each grouped by functional area, refer to the relevant appendices in the latest release notes for the Star PDM application.

Date Format Settings

The date format to be used both in Future Billing and in Detailed WIP Allocation is specified by a Firm Switch, FutureBillDateFormat in tblPersonalSettings.

The supported settings for FutureBillDateFormat are:

  • 101 –MM/DD/YYYY

  • 103 –DD/MM/YYYY.

Firm switch FutureBillDateFormat must match IIS Globalization settings.
Where there is a mismatch (i.e., where the IIS date format is MM/DD/YYYY while FutureBillDateFormat is DD/MM/YYYY, or vice-versa), either partial or full WIP allocation calculations may be incorrect. In Detailed WIP Allocation, a user may edit the WIP Allocated amount, but this change will not be applied to the WIP allocation. Since this is not an application error but a result of the date settings miss-match no error is indicated; the user will be unaware.

Custom Database Fields

When applying an update to the Star Database, all new custom fields, procedures, tables, views etc. should be given a prefix denoting your organisation's name. This will ensure that no conflicts arise from duplicated names on later additions.

Within Star the prefix added is SGx, where x denotes the type of addition, e.g. SGP = StarGeneratedProcedure, SGV = StarGeneratedView, SGF = StarGeneratedFIeld.

Bill PDF Folders/Filepaths

StarPM: Billing references a file path set in Star database table tblLedgers to locate the folder in which draft and approved bills are stored. The same filepath is also referenced by StarPDM to open invoices.

A second file path/folder, AREAS/BILLING/PDF, is referenced as a temporary folder for the display of draft or approved invoice PDFs within a Web browser. This is required because PDF viewers can access files only in a subfolder of the website.

SQL Server Versions Supported

Microsoft’s extended support for SQL Server 2012 ends on 12 July 2022. Star’s support for SQL Server 2012 ends on the same date, after which the minimum version supported is SQL Server 2014.

Microsoft’s support for SQL Server 2008 R2 ended on 9 July 2019. Star’s support for SQL Server 2008 R2 ended on the same date.

Support for Internet Explorer

Star’s support for Internet Explorer ended in Autumn 2021.

Microsoft’s full support for Internet Explorer ends on June 15, 2022.

Enhancements

To view the enhancements for a specific release version, Ctrl+Click the relevant release number in the Version Index.

Reference (Ref.) numbers are provided for reference in any communication with Star consultants.

Enhancement

Ref

An enhancement has been added in this release, which allows Client Contacts to be flagged for GDPR purposes as to whether they should be selectable as an addressee in Billing and therefore potentially a recipient of the bill.

 

Currently - all client contacts show in Billing by default and therefore, can potentially be a recipient of a Bill. This behaviour will remain, but now System Admins also have the option to set the flag to show or hide the Client Contact in Billing. Therefore, preventing specifically flagged non-Billing contacts from being the bill recipient.

 

In this release, a checkbox has been added to the Client UDF Client Contacts. This checkbox enables you to flag the Client Contact as show / hide in Billing. Only Client Contacts with the Show in Billing checkbox ticked appear in Billing. Multiple Client Contacts can be flagged as Show in Billing.

 

In order to set the default for new contacts, created after the upgrade, to show / hide in Billing, a new tblPersonalSettings switch is provided - "DefaultClientContactNonBillingOnly". This holds the default value for any new Client Contact for the new field in tblCliContactOwnership "NonBillingOnly". Therefore, if you want all newly created client contacts to not show in Billing, then you set the setting of the new switch "DefaultClientContactNonBillingOnly" to 1 - i.e. they will be Non Billing Only. If new contacts created after the upgrade and existing contacts all to appear in Billing as they have done before the upgrade, then set the setting of the new switch "DefaultClientContactNonBillingOnly" to 0. This will mean that existing Contacts with tblCliContactOwnership.NonBillingOnly of null and Contacts created after the upgrade (with tblCliContactOwnership.NonBillingOnly = 0, will all show in Billing as per previous releases of the software. To fully implement the new feature, you should review all Client Contact records and set the NonBillingOnly flag appropriately for existing data.

 

Please note the client / contact billing status is stored in tblCliContactOwnership, there is a record for each client / contact relationship, which means that a contact could Show in Billing as a contact on one client, but not show in Billing on a different client where they are a Non-Billing Contact.

23705

Fixes

To view the bug fixes for a specific release version, Ctrl+Click the relevant release number in the Version Index.

Reference (Ref.) numbers are provided for reference in any communication with Star consultants.

Bug Fix

 Ref
There was an issue when a Future Bill Invoice text has been edited in Job Future Billing it does not appear on the bill by default in Billing. This has now been fixed. 22626
When Avalara integration feature is enabled the Nominal Ledger field cannot be edited without the maximum (No limit) privilege. This has now been corrected. 23786