Record locking & unlocking [in-depth guide]

The locking of specific transactions in Workamajig is necessary for 'referential integrity' which means that the related record must match the details of the transaction.

Each transaction that can be entered in Workamajig: timesheet, orders, vouchers, client invoices, etc., begins with an approval process. During this initial approval step is the time you & your team should take to identify issues with the entry. As a transaction proceeds through the system, it will be locked down by each step to retain the referential integrity & financial details of the transaction. 

NOTE: There may also be security rights that restrict your ability to edit a transaction. Ex. 'edit transaction after approval' or 'unpost transactions to general ledger'.

How a transaction becomes locked

The best way to describe how or why a transaction becomes locked (uneditable) is to use an example. Here is one that defines the movement of a time entry through the system:

1. You enter time against a project.
2. You submit the timesheet for approval (Lock1)
3. The timesheet is approved (Lock 2)
4. One of the time entries contained on the timesheet is part of a billing worksheet (Lock 3)
5. Time entry is billed/marked as 'write off' (Lock 4)
6. Client invoice is approved & posted (Lock 5)
7.  A receipt is applied to the client invoice (Lock 6)
8. The receipt was approved & posted (Lock 7)
9. The receipt is part of a deposit that has been 'finalized' in an account reconciliation (Lock 8)
10. The GL closing date has been set (Lock 9)

For you to edit your timesheet directly, the timesheet entry in the above example needs to be moved backward from #10. So open GL closing date > Open the account reconciliation > Unpost > Unapprove receipt >>........

This does not necessarily mean you have to delete records, but you would have to unpost, unapproved and unapply records to remove the imposed 'lock' enforced by the preceding step. Once done, you can then reapply/reconnect the changes, approve & post. 

Other examples include:

• A vendor invoice cannot be deleted if there is a payment applied.
• An expense report cannot be edited if it has been converted to a vendor invoice.
• A project cannot be deleted if it has time or expenses entered against it.
• A task cannot be deleted if it is part of an approved estimate.
• An employee cannot be deleted if they have entered time or other records into the system.
• An "Order" that is then applied to a client invoice. This is called a 'prebill' in the system, and it processes a slew of accruals that are not easy to undo without backing out all related transactions.

Integrity of data & system audits

To maintain the integrity of the data in the system, these locks are in place for your benefit.

System logs

To see what has occurred with a transaction or record, Workamajig tracks actions such as: approved day, user, deleted date, date posted, etc. From the record itself, there is a Log button in the upper right to see this history. Additionally, there is a Menu > Admin > System log to run reports regarding the records & transactions.