Grouped Record Types

When setting security in Centerbase, it can be difficult to manage the many different records and what settings wanted on each.  To help with this, we have grouped the various types of records that come packaged with Centerbase in ways that most firms like to categorize them for security purposes.

Accounting

This includes records that are primarily tied to accounting and the General Ledger.  These records typically have the tightest settings on who is allowed to create, view, and edit them.  Some firms allow users besides the bookkeepers to enter Vendor Bills and view Vendors for accounts payable purposes.

• Vendor Bills
• Vendors
• Vendor Bill Payments
• Vendor Bill Payment Distributions
• Checks
• Bank Deposits
• Trust Bank Transfers

Billing

These records are related to trust, AR, and WIP balances for matters.  This is typically the second most secure area (below accounting) for many firms.  Few firms let just anyone create and edit payments, refunds, and trust transactions.  Many won't even let anyone but the bookkeepers even see many of these transactions.

Billing codes are also often carefully controlled on who creates them, but you usually want to make sure everyone can at least view and link to them.  They are an integral part of time and expense entries, and limiting access to them can mean that people can't enter their time.

One new feature to consider when setting Billing security is our Electronic Pre-Bill Approval.  If you are simply having your bookkeepers print out pre-bills and put them on people's desks, you can certainly lock down your bills and payments more tightly.  However, if you are having attorney's go into Centerbase to view bills and make changes to them during the approval process, you will need to make sure that they have sufficient security rights to do so.

Billing Entry security also typically varies from firm to firm.  Some let everyone in the firm see, but not edit all the entries.  Others only let the timekeeper do so.  Consider what makes sense for your firm and set your security accordingly.  Also check out the settings under System Settings -> System Configuration -> Timekeeping to make sure that timekeepers security will be used, even if other people are entering time for them.

• Bills
• Consolidated Bills
• Payments
• Payment Distributions
• Credits
• Credit Distributions
• Trust Transactions
• Refunds
• Refund Distributions
• Billing Codes
• Billing Entries
• Billable Events

General

These represent some of the more general records within Centerbase that are typically at least viewable to the whole firm.  Some firms limit who is allowed to open new matters and potential new clients.  Others allow more people to create those, but they limit who is allowed to manage the rates, origination, and trust on the matters that are opened.  You should also consider how your firm wants to handle more basic records such as activities on the calendar, notes, documents, etc.

• Contacts
• Potential New Clients
• Matters
• Referrals
• Marketing Campaigns
• Activity
• Notes
• Calls
• E-Mail
• Documents

Leave Alone

These records are typically handled internally in the program and you pretty much never want to change security settings on them.

• Users
• User Contacts
• Groups
• Addresses
• E-Mail Addresses
• Phone Numbers
• History
• Merge Templates
• Charts

Not Used by Law Firms

There are several types of records that are leftover from our CRM and Recruiting software days that still have special code associated with them.  We typically recommend firms hide all of these types of records and not allow people to create them.

• Candidates
• Employment Histories
• Employers
• Job Orders
• Keywords
• Matching Candidates
• Projects
• LinkedIn Locations
• Call Lists
• Call List Members
• Opportunities
• Conflict Check Line-Items