Private Lesson Business

HELP Topics

Overview   |  Basics   |  About Runtimes   |  About Security Warnings

People:   Business Owner Data   |  Entering Contacts   |  Viewing Contacts
              Removing Contacts   |  Business Cards   |  Return Labels
              Mailing Labels   |  Other People Reports

Time:      Entering Appointments   |  Entering a Series of Appointments
              Viewing Appointments   |  Cancelled Appointments   |  Completed Appointments
              Mileage with Time   |  Master Schedule   |  Time Reports

Money:   Entering Receipts   |  Marking Items As Paid   |  Viewing Receipts
              Entering Expenses   |  Viewing Expenses   |  Mileage with Money
              Billing Dashboard   |  Billing Statements   |  Billing Reports
              Other Money Reports   |  Tax Information

Preferences:  Enable Email Buttons   |  Allow Bypass of Schedule-Based Billing Rules

Utilities:  Backup Database   |  Compact and Repair   |  Relink   |  Restore
              Reset Locked Files

  Overview

EZ Beans Private Lesson Business (EZBeansPL) is a desktop software application specifically designed to assist with managing and accounting for a personal private lessons business.  

• The major functional areas of PEOPLE, TIME and MONEY are integrated to minimize data entry and organized for convenient data management and reporting.
• Tracks receipts, expenses and mileage related to lessons, practices, performances and other appointments and tasks  (repeating items included).
• Schedule-based billing creates billing statements automatically from appointment and contact data in a variety of formats.
• Many different selectable-data reports and styles including mailing labels, business cards, phone book lists, master schedule reports, financial reports and much much more!

PEOPLE includes contact information management and reporting, phone book printing, mailing labels and business cards. TIME provides for schedule maintenance and reporting, a master schedule maintenance tool, and schedule planner sheets. MONEY provides for schedule-based billing, financial data maintenance and reporting, and mileage reporting that is based upon schedule, receipt and expense data. Receipt and Expense reports are commonly printed with a full year's data for tax purposes.

1. Add information in PEOPLE for the business owner, students, vendors and other contacts.
2. View and modify the Master Schedule in TIME to set defaults for mileage and schedule times.
3. Add items in TIME for scheduled lessons, practices, performances and tasks.
4. Print Billing Statements from MONEY.
5. Add Receipts and Expenses in MONEY.
6. Print reports from any of the three major areas when desired.

Subsequent sections of this Help page have useful information about how to use EZBeans and different ways that it can be used. Use the browser's print function to print this as a single document. (FAQ and the License Agreement are separate documents and must be printed separately.)
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  Basics

About Runtimes

EZ Beans products are powered by Microsoft Access(TM) and use many advanced features.   Either Access 2003 or 2007 full or runtime versions are required.   The Access 2007 runtime is available for free from links on the web site.   It is not necessary to install the runtime if you already have Access 2003 or 2007 on your system.   Microsoft Access(TM) is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Note: If you have more than one version of Access installed, the most recently used version will become the default. This may cause consistency problems if all Access applications used do not use the same version. (i.e. An application may work properly for one use and then not work properly after a different Access version has been used.) Errors will occur with versions that are older than Access 2003.
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About Security Warnings

Digital Signatures
EZ Beans products are given a Digital Signiture. A security warning about a possible security concern will appear the first time you start an EZ Beans application, but it will no longer appear once you select the "trust all from publisher" option. An exception to this is if the message states that the certificate has expired. In that case it is okay to proceed and click the OPEN button and it will ask you this each time you start until a newer version with a new certificate has been installed. (Check our web site for a newer version.)

Unsafe Expressions
A security warning about Unsafe Expressions could appear in some situations, typically on older operating systems. This is a security feature of the operating system that is set automatically on some versions and is set optionally on others. If the message asks if you want to block Unsafe Expressions, answer "Yes" and this message should no longer appear. If it just states that Unsafe Expressions are not blocked you most likely do not have the latest patches for your operating system. In this case it may direct you to the Microsoft web site to upgrade to MSJet 4.0 SP8 or later, which will resolve the issue. At the time of this writing, this upgrade was available from MSJet 4.0 SP8.

Read-Only Problem in Vista and Windows 7
Vista and Windows 7 will have a read-only problem in some situations due to the User Account Control (UAC) feature. (This appears to be affecting many programs.) An internet search on "vista read-only problem" will produce a list of links with information about it. Two solutions have been identified so far:

Option 1: Turn User Account Control (UAC) Off
- Start, Control Panel, User Accounts
- Click "Turn User Account Control on or off"
- Uncheck the check box, OK
- Restart is required

Option 2: Set security properties manually for the folders that have the issue.
(If you’re not familiar with Windows Explorer you may want to stick with option 1.)
- Open Windows Explorer (Start, All Programs, Accessories, Windows Explorer)
- Expand Computer (or My Computer), expand the C: drive, expand Program Files
- Right-click on the folder "ezBeans", then click Properties
- Click the Security tab, then click the Edit button
- Select "users" group in the top area
- Check the Allow/Full Control checkbox in the bottom area (allows saves for that folder only)
- Click Apply, OK, OK

- Repeat for a second folder that EZ Beans uses:
- Expand Computer (or My Computer), expand the C: drive, expand Program Files, expand Common Files
- Right-click on the folder "ebs", then click Properties
- Click the Security tab, then click the Edit button
- Select "users" group in the top area
- Check the Allow/Full Control checkbox in the bottom area (allows saves for that folder only)
- Click Apply, OK, OK
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  People

Business Owner Data
The first data that should be entered is Business Owner Data, which is accessible by clicking the Business Owner Data button located on the PEOPLE menu or a few other locations. This is information that will appear on Billing Statements, Return Labels, Business Cards and other reports.
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Entering Contacts
Add Students, Sponsors (who provide scholarships for students), and Hosts (anyone else you receive payments from). Be sure to select the proper Contact Type so they are categorized properly as these categories determine the drop-down lists they appear in. Active Students and Hosts appear in the drop-down lists on TIME. Active Students, Hosts, and Sponsors appear in the drop-down lists for Receipts. Active Vendors (anyone you pay) appear on drop-down lists for Expenses.

Contacts can also be identified as Personal or Other, along with different status values within each type, allowing additional categorization. For example, personal contacts can be maintained for the purposes of printing a personal phone book and printing personal mailing labels and can be subcategorized by status.
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Viewing Contacts
Click "Contacts-List" to view contacts that have already been entered. Note that contacts can be listed by any combination of Contact Type or Contact Status including all types and all statuses. See List Pages for information on list page selection and navigation features.
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Removing Contacts
When contacts are no longer needed, change their status from "Active" to another status value to remove them from drop-down lists and to allow you to group them differently when selecting data for reports. A typical use of the other status choices could be 'Inactive' for a contact that is setup for future use, 'Cancelled' for a contact that was never used, 'Completed' for a Student that you no longer give lessons to or a Vendor you no longer use.
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Business Cards
There are 15 pre-formatted Business Card layouts. All include Name, Title, Address data, Web Site, Email Address, and Two Phone Numbers from the bottom section of the Business Owner Data page. Two include the third phone number and description. Two use the Logo Initials field as a logo. Two permit a custom logo image.

Note that location of data on the pre-formatted layouts can be changed by alternate uses of input data fields. For example, a slogan could be entered into the web site field. Unused fields can be left blank (as white space) or used for another purpose. Just about any three special characters or numbers could be entered into the Logo Initials field. The email address could be entered into the Title field if that presented it in a more desireable location on a certain layout. Phone number descriptions can include a colon and could also be left blank.
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Mailing Labels
Mailing Labels can be created for a selection of contacts, based on status and type. Note that they can be created either with contact name and address or with contact billing name and address.
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Return Labels
Return Labels are mailing labels that contain the Business Owner's name and address. Note that they always use the section at the top of the Business Owner Data page.
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Other People Reports
In addition to Business Cards, Mailing Labels and Return Labels, Contacts Reports are available in a variety of formats and can be created for a selection of contacts, based on status and type.
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  Time

Entering Appointments
Lessons, practices, performances and other appointments can be recorded here. Click "Schedule-Add" to enter an appointment item. Click "Schedule-List" to view appointments that have already been entered. Selecting a contact is optional, but is recommended for most situations. If a contact is selected, Description, Location, Billable and Amount values are copied from Contact data and can be changed (on the schedule item) after contact selection. Only Active Students and Hosts display in time-related Contacts drop-down boxes.

Entering appointments enables schedule-based billing. Appointments with a contact that are Billable, not-Paid and have a Lesson Amount will appear on Billing Statements (under MONEY).

See Detail Pages for more information on detail page functionality and navigation features.
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Entering a Series of Appointments
"New - Copy" is a special button on the Schedule Detail page that allows you to create a series of appointments quickly. It starts a new appointment (just like "New" does), except that it also copies data from the current appointment and adds the specified "plus x days". It copies all data from the currently displayed appointment except for the Date, Status, Paid and Sponsor Paid boxes.
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Viewing Appointments
Click "Schedule-List" to view appointments that have already been entered. Note that schedule items can be listed by any combination of date, contact or Appointment Status including all contacts and all statuses. Short-cut buttons at the bottom left set the date to the current day, week, month or year. See List Pages for more information on list page selection and navigation features.
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Cancelled Appointments
If appointments are rescheduled, just change the date.

If appointments are cancelled, change their status from "Active" to "Cancelled", If a receipt has not been applied to this appointment and you do not wish to charge the student, uncheck the "Billable" box. (Note that this also removes this appointment from sponsor billing if applicable. If you still wish to bill the sponsor, but not bill the student, just change the student portion to $0.)

If the item has already been paid for and you do not wish to charge the student for the cancelled appointment, you can go to the receipt that was applied against this appointment, select the "View Items Paid By This Receipt" button and uncheck this appointment. Then select the "View Unpaid Items" button and apply the receipt against a different appointment. You can then go to the appointment item and uncheck the "Billable" box.
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Completed Appointments
In most cases, when appointments are successfully met, nothing else need to be done. Optionally, the status value can be changed to "Completed" if hard confirmation is desired. If signature confirmation is desired, you could change the status to "Completed" when you have signatures. (TIME has a Schedule Report by Contact that has room for signatures.)
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Mileage with Time
You can enter mileage on Schedule, Receipt or Expense Detail pages. It is usually best to record mileage on Schedule Items since mileage is best kept by date and can usually be associated with a lesson or another appointment or just a trip. If you make a special trip to pick up a receipt or to pick up an expense item, EZBeans will let you record mileage with those items instead of making an extra Schedule entry just for mileage, but you'll want to be careful not to record the same mileage twice.
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Master Schedule
The Master Schedule List provides a way to see and modify default schedule information for Students and Hosts. This modifies the same default information that appears on the Contacts Detail page in PEOPLE, but presents it on a single screen and on a report that is great for planning purposes.
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Time Reports
Schedule Reports provides multiple ways to print Schedule data. Lesson Log Sheets provide an easy way to log lesson completion on paper if you want enter them later (such as weekly). Lesson Log Sheets and the Schedule Report with the style "By Contact - Signable" have lines for students to sign if such records are desired. Master Schedule Reports provide additional ways to select contacts to print Master Schedule data and can assist with schedule planning as can blank Planner Sheets.
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  Money

Entering Receipts
Receipts can be entered by Receipt Type as they are received. Click "Receipts-Add" to enter a payment that has been received. Click "Receipts-List" to view receipts that have already been entered. Contact data with a Contact Type of Student, Sponsor (for student scholarships) or Host (anyone else) is required for receipts. Only Active Students, Sponsors and Hosts display in receipt-related Contacts drop-down boxes. The detail page Print option provides a way to print individual receipts if desired.

See Detail Pages for more information on detail page functionality and navigation features. Receipt Types and Payment Types can be maintained by clicking the button at the bottom right of the Receipt List or Receipt Detail pages.
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Marking Items As Paid
If schedule-based billing is used, be sure to check the "Paid" box for applicable lesson items as receipts are recorded. This prevents them from appearing on future Billing Statements and associates them with a receipt. When viewing receipt items after payment has been recorded, click the "View Items Paid by this Receipt" button to view items that had the "Paid" box checked.

If someone underpays for a billed item, first click paid on the items that are fully paid. Then click on the P* button at the right of the item to be partially paid, then enter the portion of the item that has been paid and click the OK button. This records the amount of payment on the existing item and creates a new billable item with the same date for the remaining amount that will show up on billing statements.

Once a receipt has been fully applied against billable items, it will be shown as "Matched" near the paid item total. Prior to matching, it will be shown as "Unmatched" in red near the paid item total.
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Viewing Receipts
Click "Receipts-List" to view receipts that have already been entered. Note that receipts can be listed by any combination of date, contact or Receipt Type including all contacts and all types. Short-cut buttons at the bottom left set the date to the current day, week, month or year. A red 'X' will appear by receipts that have not been fully matched with billable items. See List Pages for more information on list page selection and navigation features.
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Entering Expenses
Expenses can be entered by Expense Type as they are paid. Click "Expenses-Add" to enter an expense item. Click "Expenses-List" to view expenses that have already been entered. Contact data is optional for Expenses, but is recommended. Only Active Vendors display in Expense-related Contacts drop-down boxes.

See Detail Pages for more information on detail page functionality and navigation features. Expense Types and Payment Types can be maintained by clicking the button at the bottom right of the Expense List or Expense Detail pages.
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Viewing Expenses
Click "Expenses-List" to view expenses that have already been entered. Note that expense can be listed by any combination of date, contact or Expense Type including all contacts and all types. Short-cut buttons at the bottom left set the date to the current day, week, month or year. See List Pages for more information on list page selection and navigation features.
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Mileage with Money
You can enter mileage on Schedule, Receipt or Expense Detail pages. It is usually best to record mileage on Schedule Items since mileage is best kept by date and can usually be associated with a lesson or another appointment or just a trip. If you make a special trip to pick up a receipt or to pick up an expense item, EZBeans will let you record mileage with those items instead of making an extra Schedule entry just for mileage, but you'll want to be careful not to record the same mileage twice.
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Billing Dashboard
Click "Billing Dashboard" to see a quick billing status. This page shows the balance of all billable items through the end of the current month with all payments for all active contacts. Optionally, it can show active contacts with billable items and payments that have zero balances. Current messages include:
"Unmatched Receipts", which indicates that some receipts have not been fully applied against billable items.
(This could cause contacts to be billed for items already paid.)
"Past Due Items", which indicates that unmatched billable items exist for dates prior to the current month.
(The detail report will show these items with receipt# 0.)
"Credit Balance", which may include payments applied to billable items for future months.
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Billing Statements
Billing Statements can be printed after PEOPLE and TIME data has been entered. Data for Billing Statements is selected by entering a Bill-Through date, then by selecting "All Students", "All Sponsors", "All Hosts" or by selecting an individual contact.

After selecting the data, you then indicate the Level of Detail. They can be printed by lesson (i.e. by schedule item) with time, by lesson, by month, by total amount due or a full history report. Note that the first four options only show unpaid billing items (i.e. items that have not been marked as paid by a receipt) and does not take into account any unmatched receipts if present. The history report shows both paid and unpaid items along with payments received.
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Billing Reports
The Billing Reports button presents multiple ways to print reports on Billing data, The Status Report of Unpaid/Unmatched Items will match non-history billing statements. There are also two formats for printing billing history data and an option for the printing Billing Dashboard page data.
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Other Money Reports
In additional to Billing Statements, the reports buttons present multiple ways to print reports on Receipt data, Expense data, Mileage data and a Financial Summary comprising Expense data and Receipt data.
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Tax Information
Receipts reports and Expenses reports are designed with income tax purposes in mind. If the date range is selected for the desired tax period range with all other default options selected, a report by type will be generated that should provide good input for income tax purposes in most tax situations.

Note: User tax situations may vary and tax laws can change. Users are responsible for tax records and tax calculations. As matter of policy, EZBeans does not warrant this software for tax purposes.
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  Preferences

Enable Email Buttons
This activates email buttons that are present on a number of screens. If enabled, these buttons will be "clickable" and will create an email if you use Microsoft Outlook for email. It may also be compatible with several other email programs.

Note that MS Outlook can be configured to work with internet-based POP accounts. This allows you to store and use email addresses directly from EZ Beans for email creation.
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Allow Bypass of Schedule-Based Billing Rules
You should normally leave this box unchecked. Checking this box allows schedule items to be marked as paid or unpaid on Schedule List and Schedule Detail pages. It also allows you to mark a paid item as unbillable, which should also involve reapplying the receipt to show a different item as paid. Normally, marking schedule items as paid or unpaid should occur on the Receipts Detail page in order to match them with receipts. This can be checked if schedule-based billing is not used and for other possible update needs, such as a mass update situation.
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  Utilities

Backup Database
This function creates a backup of the database. Backup files are saved in folder "C:\Program Files\ezBeans\ezBeansPLv1\Backups" with the date and time added to the end of the backup file name. You should copy backup files from this location to a CD or a flash drive for secure storage. Older backups can be deleted from this location to save disk space.
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Compact and Repair Database
This function will reorganize the database space and correct database related errors. As data is added over time, it may be necessary to perform this function for more efficient storage and faster access. It will also resolve some possible data corruption conditions automatically. A new backup is created as a part of this process.
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Relink Database
This function peforms a relink between the application file and the database file. It may never be necessary but is provided in the event of possible link problems.
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Restore Database
This function restores the content of the database from a backup file that you specify.
WARNING - This will delete your current data and replace it with backup data.
A new backup file is created as a part of this process, prior to reloading data.
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Reset Locked Files
This function is available as a command file at C:\Program Files\ezBeans\ezBeansPLv1\ResetFiles.bat, not the application utilities menu. (It can be run from that directory via Windows Explorer.) In power loss and other hardware reset situations, it is possible for a database to remain in a locked state. This utility is provided to resolve that possibility.
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