Lost payroll data

[Diane Z]

Our payroll clerk wrote three checks mid-month in October. She also wrote the checks at the end of the month and then on Nov. 15. When I reconciled the October checks with the bank, I discovered that the three mid-October checks were missing from the data. (The later checks showed up just like always). They had cleared the bank and we had the stubs with all the proper information on them, including the date (which is the same information that should have been in the data base). The three checks did not show in the Payroll check register, in the quarterly reports, in the accounting fund reports - check register, account activity, etc. Our only solution was to re-enter them and print a dummy copy. We have been using PC since 1991 and have never had anything like this happen before. Is there anything our clerk could have done that would have caused the checks to vanish after they were printed?

[NeilZ]

Our payroll clerk wrote three checks mid-month in October. She also wrote the checks at the end of the month and then on Nov. 15. When I reconciled the October checks with the bank, I discovered that the three mid-October checks were missing from the data. (The later checks showed up just like always). They had cleared the bank and we had the stubs with all the proper information on them, including the date (which is the same information that should have been in the data base). The three checks did not show in the Payroll check register, in the quarterly reports, in the accounting fund reports - check register, account activity, etc. Our only solution was to re-enter them and print a dummy copy. We have been using PC since 1991 and have never had anything like this happen before. Is there anything our clerk could have done that would have caused the checks to vanish after they were printed?

1. Was a backup restored between the time she ran payroll and the time you did the reconciliation?
2. This could have overwritten the information sitting in payroll, or sitting in the unposted transactions in Funds Accounting.

If the clerk printed, then closed the Process Payroll dialog screen that info is then written to the database. If it was then posted, that data would be sitting in the unposted transactons queue in Funds Accounting.

However, if someone restored a backup taken before the payroll was processed it would overwrite all that data.

Here's some additional questions:
Were those other checks written after the payroll checks on the same day, or a few days later?

This is not a normal occurrence, and the only way this could have happened is if the database was overwritten. I would check the system audit log found under UTILITIES.

[Diane Z]

Thank you for your response.
I'm sure there were many backups between the time she ran the checks and I did the bank statement reconciliation after Nov. 15, probably every night. None of the other transactions disappeared. The backups run at night when no one is using the computers. We also always have unposted transactions in the Accounting fund which never have disappeared before, nor did any others disappear at the time these three checks vanished.

So when you are talking about processing the payroll, would you say that if she printed the checks, then did not respond to the question that asks if you want to reprint any checks, but signed off at that point, the data would not be saved?

She wrote the three vanishing checks Oct. 15 and the other checks at the end of the month and on Nov. 15.

I looked in Utilities while exploring for an answer before, but I did not know where to find the information so when I get back to the church I'll look for the audit log as you suggested.

Thanks again.

[NeilZ]

Thank you for your response.
I'm sure there were many backups between the time she ran the checks and I did the bank statement reconciliation after Nov. 15, probably every night. None of the other transactions disappeared. The backups run at night when no one is using the computers. We also always have unposted transactions in the Accounting fund which never have disappeared before, nor did any others disappear at the time these three checks vanished.

Doing the backup is not an issue, RESTORING one is.

So when you are talking about processing the payroll, would you say that if she printed the checks, then did not respond to the question that asks if you want to reprint any checks, but signed off at that point, the data would not be saved?

Very possibly.

When you say 'signing off' it infers that you are using Powerchurch Online, or do you mean 'signing off' by just going to the Windows menu and shutting down or "signing out"? In any case, if she did not click on the NO when it asks about reprints, and then did not CLOSE the processing payroll dialog properly, it is very possible that the information was not properly saved. This definitely points out the requirement to properly close the module you're working in so ALL actions performed are properly saved. When you tell the Process Payroll dialog to close, it does some final processing.

She wrote the three vanishing checks Oct. 15 and the other checks at the end of the month and on Nov. 15.

I looked in Utilities while exploring for an answer before, but I did not know where to find the information so when I get back to the church I'll look for the audit log as you suggested.

Thanks again.

Yes, check to see if anyone restored the Powerchurch backup. The other alternative is that someone restored the entire computer you use as a 'server'.

Frankly, I've not seen this happen in the whole time I've been monitoring and answering questions on the board. Of course, I'm getting older and the memory's not what it was

[Diane Z]

No one restored the backup or the computer.

I don't know what she might have done after she printed the checks. I would think she answered "no" to reprinting checks, Which seems like it is the last step in the check printing process. Then she would normally post it to accounting. Then normally close PC and log off if she had no other work to do. She doesn't remember doing anything different.
I will have to experiment with not completing the process and see what happens.

As I said, too, we've used Power Church since 1991 and we've never seen anything like this happen before either.

Thanks.

[NeilZ]

No one restored the backup or the computer.

I don't know what she might have done after she printed the checks. I would think she answered "no" to reprinting checks, Which seems like it is the last step in the check printing process. Then she would normally post it to accounting. Then normally close PC and log off if she had no other work to do. She doesn't remember doing anything different.
I will have to experiment with not completing the process and see what happens.

As I said, too, we've used Power Church since 1991 and we've never seen anything like this happen before either.

Thanks.

Which version are you using?

[Diane Z]

I think it is 11.55

[NeilZ]

I think it is 11.55

OK ... I would chalk it up to an aberration for now, but in future, she should make sure that she completes all steps then exit the program properly.

[UUUSOffice]

I just found this thread in searching for an answer to this exact situation. The payroll checks I created last Friday have disappeared -- are not in unposted payroll and have not been posted to Fund Accounting. They are nowhere to be found, just as in this thread.

Regarding the answer that was proposed, not closing out properly after printing checks...I suppose it is *possible* that I closed out the system without hitting "No" when asked if I needed to reprint checks -- but I would really be surprised if I did that!

I'm sure I will have to re-enter these and hope it doesn't happen again. I just wanted to add to the record here that this happened to me also.

[NeilZ]

I just found this thread in searching for an answer to this exact situation. The payroll checks I created last Friday have disappeared -- are not in unposted payroll and have not been posted to Fund Accounting. They are nowhere to be found, just as in this thread.

Regarding the answer that was proposed, not closing out properly after printing checks...I suppose it is *possible* that I closed out the system without hitting "No" when asked if I needed to reprint checks -- but I would really be surprised if I did that!

I'm sure I will have to re-enter these and hope it doesn't happen again. I just wanted to add to the record here that this happened to me also.

As has been pointed out, this is the only way (other than a power outage or a catastrophic disk write error) that this could have happened. What you should do is create the payroll again, but this time when you get to the list of checks just before print, change each to Manual Check then use the original number of the check that was printed.

When you then click on next, it will ask if you want to print stubs. You can print if you want, or just click finish. It will ask if you are sure you don't want to print stubs. Click YES, and the system will then save all the data.

[UUUSOffice]

Thank you so much, Neil! I hadn't had time to recreate yet, and I suspect I would not have easily seen how I should do it. You're the best!