Introduction

ConnectALL provides Time Sheet support for the following adapters:

• Atlassian Jira
• Microsoft Project Server (limited)
• Salesforce
• ServiceNow

The ‘Work Log’ or the ‘TimeSheet’ entries can be processed between the applications listed above by configuring the respective field mapping. The below table provides the details of the associated fields.

Uni-directional Only

Due to differences in time-recording granularity between these applications and due to API limitations, ConnectALL does not recommend attempting bi-directional synchronization of time data. Synchronizing data in one direction can work, but updating that data and synchronizing it back to the source may not behave as desired.

Atlassian Jira

The Work Log for any issue type in Jira can be created, updated, or deleted. The entry for the efforts logged are tracked on a per-day basis with any number of efforts, as applicable.

Microsoft Project Server

• Microsoft Project Server does not allow a user to enter timesheets on another user's behalf. Hence, when synchronizing time data into Project, the timesheet entries are linked to the tasks assigned only to the Sync User. However, you can also synchronize a single Jira ticket that contains multiple work log entries from many people for a single day. It is useful for billing or charge-backs where you need the total hours taken for a job. 

• The time reporting period should be created and should be in an 'Open' state for a Work Log entry to get synchronized to a Timesheet entry in Microsoft Project Server.

ConnectALL’s Microsoft Project Server adapter is designed to synchronize the Timesheet data from Work Logs in Jira and ServiceNow Timecards. It can push the Work Log entries on Jira/ServiceNow tickets to Microsoft Project Server tasks. While configuring the timesheet period at the administrator level, every project task with the stipulated tenure is created as a TimeSheet Line Item and ConnectALL creates/edits the timesheet which is set to ‘available' under the line time. Based on the total efforts provided for the given project, the end date is computed by Microsoft Project Server keeping the default planned hour as 8 hours per day. 

Example: Say you have created an automation between Jira's Task and Microsoft Project Server's Task entities, where Jira’s Work Log entry (on a ticket) synchronizes with Microsoft Project Server’s Timesheet entry (on the corresponding task). In this case, map the 'LogWork' field in Jira to the "Timesheet" field in Microsoft Project Server. 

Salesforce

The Salesforce marketplace lists many add-ons to capture the Work Log information of the cases so that the agents can capture the time that they worked on a case. Time Tracking is one such add-on that provides support to track the time worked. The Service Timecards is a custom object that is added to the salesforce org. When this add-on is installed, it is used as a relationship to the 'Case Object'. ConnectALL provides support to sync the time worked information captured in these Service Timecards on a per-case basis. The entry for the efforts logged are tracked on a per-day basis with any number of efforts as applicable. 

ServiceNow

Time Card support is extended for the Project Tasks in ServiceNow. To enable this, you need to add the task type in the ServiceNowTable.properties => entity.types=pm_project_task. This is a project-specific type that is granulated to individual project tasks for which you have to key in the efforts weekly.

The synchronization will work (with certain caveats) with other participating adapters. It is important to understand the different approaches of ServiceNow and Jira when it comes to timesheet entry and the way the totals are maintained. Note that ServiceNow keeps a daily total whereas Jira allows you to enter individual time entries. When synchronizing the data from ServiceNow to Jira, each day's totals are recorded in Jira as individual entries. If such a record is subsequently edited in Jira, ConnectALL will ensure the proper update of the same day's efforts in ServiceNow. However, when an obsolete or an erroneous per-day entry is made in Jira, a new row will be created in ServiceNow reflecting that day's entry alone for the whole week – usually not what is desired. Nevertheless, this limitation ensures the consistency of data across adapters.