Delete Payroll Item Descriptions?

[onemore4gsus]

Is there a way to deactivate or delete payroll item descriptions? I don't see one. Thanks!

[tborgal]

When you open the Maintain Item Description window there are a row of selections across the top and one of them is Delete. This is the case in V10 and V11 and would most likely be the same in older versions although I can not verify that.

[onemore4gsus]

When I try to delete it, it says, "This item cannot be deleted because processed payroll checks use this item."

Yet this item # has not been used since 2006.

[JohnDMeyers]

You can

1) make a backup and Delete Old Data (Payroll / Setup / Delete Old Data)

2) renumber the item to something like 999 to move it to the bottom of the list

I have done both. It depends on whether or not you want to keep the old data.

[onemore4gsus]

Thank you, John.

[onemore4gsus]

Is there a way to see the last date a payroll item description was used? That way, I can set up time-inactive parameters for deleting them.

[JohnDMeyers]

I don't think there is a search criteria called "last date used".

You can use Payroll / Reports / Selected Payroll Data over a long period of time, and use the "exhausive search" method. In other words, look down the list for the Pay Item and see what was the last date it was used.

Once you have the report on your screen, you can use the binoculars in the window to do a search for the Pay Item number within the report and it will locate it for you.

[onemore4gsus]

Thanks, John. For auditing purposes, what would you think is a good time frame to use for deleting inactive item descriptions, five years? Seven years?

[JohnDMeyers]

Because it is possible to create software backups, it is possible to backup PowerChurch and keep that handy for whatever years are required, and delete old data as necessary.

On our church computer, I have installed versions 8, 9, 10 of PowerChurch with the year-end backup currently active for each version. This way, I can immediately open up the information and run reports for those years. I also have the install disks of all those versions, and a backup file for each PowerChurch, in case we ever lose that computer (which is running Windows XP).

Someday, I imagine that version 7 of PowerChurch will no longer install on the latest Windows version. (it may not install on Windows 7 for all I know). Fortunately, Windows is progressing slowly enough that I am still ahead of the IRS requirements.

It is also likely that PowerChurch will come out with a new version every two to five years, which is the about the most data I would keep in any one version, anyway.