Manage your Cash Flow with the General File Detail Report

Effective cash flow management is critical to any successful business. In addition to standard Financial Reports and User Reports, Dynamic provides a powerful management report in the form of the General File Detail Report.

The General File Detail Report is available in the Core module, Front Desk and Dynamic Online Reports.

Just like all other Dynamic Reports, the General File Detail Report generates as a PDF document from the Console modules, and the Dynamic Online Report can be printed directly from the web page.

Why use the General File Detail Report?

Unlike Financial Reports that follow strict guidelines concerning layout, the General File Detail Report contains information relevant to managing the professional matters in the practice.  The report uses a typical current-status approach to each file, showing up-to-date file information.

From left to right, columns generated include the #Account number, the Legacy number & Client name, the current balance, the nature of the balance and the days since the last balance movement and the current Fee Book balance.

Handy sort options include the File Type, Department and Fee Earner to manipulate the report to management specifications.

In addition, the column headers can be used to sort the report in the desired order.

Note that only Active files will be included in this report.

To facilitate use by management, this report utilizes terminology which makes it easy to understand.

For instance, a line such as
#00002 ABC123*Charles Darwin 4148.90 Receivable 8 days” means the following

Account #00002 for Legacy number ABC123 which is our client Charles Darwin has a debit balance of4148.90. This is  Receivable and the last time we worked on this file was 8 days ago.

By sorting this report by Balance Type, or days since last movement makes it easy to see when last work was done, and gives a user friendly interpretation of Age Analysis data.

The information contained in this report is easily supported by additional reports.

Other reports to consider are

  • Age Analysis
  • Ledger History Reports
  • Cash Flow Statement
  • Client Balance List

For day to day management with an emphasis on current, up to date information, the General File Detail Report is the managers’ preferred tool.

 

Dynamic

New version 2.0.0.71 Released

A new version is available.

Dynamic software is subject to constant review and improvement. Based on valuable client feed back we implement changes.

Improvements available with update 2.0.0.71 include the following:

  • Use of Legacy numbers on statements and invoices
  • Default Fee Earner, Department and File Type now available in droplists
  • Fee Book allows Batch fees to be imported or Rejected
  • Local currency unit from Config will show on the Console
  • General Search result will update File Take On dialogue

How to get this update?

Open Dynamic
Type PIN
Cancel Cloud password
Click Utility -> Quick Update
Wait for the update to complete
Dynamic will re-open after the update
Type PIN
Type Cloud password
Click Utility -> Refresh Bookset & Folders

Thank you for using Dynamic

-Dynamic

Dynamic works on all supported versions of Windows

DynamicLTA One and DynamicLTA Two Core and Front Desk modules are designed specifically for the Microsoft Windows* environment and offers Microsoft Outlook integration.

Dynamic Online Reports are browser based and operating system independent.  This means that transactions captured on a DynamicLTA Two Windows front end, can be browsed on an Apple device using the Safari browser.

*Only supported Microsoft Windows Operating Systems are recommended.

Data Protection

The End User License Agreement (EULA) has been updated.  General Data Protection Regulations world wide require an express statement of data protection measures agreed between parties. As a vendor in a confidential market, these updates reflect existing business practice.

Please note that the updated EULA comes into force immediately.

Amendments include an express statement of obligations on Dynamic:

Dynamic shall

  • keep any client and third party information confidential.
  • not mine data or use personal information for any purpose other than instructed, but may use such anonymized data for
    (a) analytical and/or statistical purposes;
    (b) training purposes;
  • maintain a reasonable standard of security based on industry standards for software providers.
  • inform client of any security breach which may affect the Client.

Dynamic

 

Income Statement has been modified

The Financial Report: Income Statement has been modified.  The content remains unchanged, but changes have been made to the formatting and layout.

This is in direct response to user feedback.

Please note that the Dynamic One application is being re-worked to follow the same layout as Dynamic Two.  Please see elsewhere for an update on when the new version of Dynamic One will be available.

Dynamic

General File Detail Report now available in Dynamic Online Report

The General File Detail Report is now available online!

This is a management report which compresses large volumes of data in an easy to read format.

The General File Detail Report is a maxi report designed to give a high level overview of large numbers of files.  This report includes the current account balance, with a narrative explanation of the nature and number of days since last movement.  This report is intended to be used as a main management report.

These details make it easy to track file activity and follow up on outstanding issues.

The Dynamic Online Report makes it possible to access this report directly on a mobile device, such as smartphone, where it is easy to copy&paste details to text messages.

Technology supporting your modern practice.

Dynamic

Dynamic Online Reports

Dynamic Online Reports support all major browsers.

The hybrid cloud solution makes it possible to browse reports over any internet connection, using any of the major browsers.

You will need your login credentials to proceed.

Dynamic

Urgent Notice of Scheduled Maintenance Downtime

Urgent Downtime Notification

Please note that for maintenance reasons the DynamicLTA Online Server will be taken offline for approximately 2 hours on Tuesday 16 January 2018.

The nature of the downtime is urgent and scheduled.

The cause of the downtime is a precaution against the recently discovered Meltdown Vulnerability.  This downtime is preventative in nature.

 

The downtime is scheduled for early morning hours and it is expected that the server will again be operational by the time ordinary working hours start.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience caused during this rollover period.

-Dynamic

Faster internet connection speeds

DynamicLTA Two is an online hybrid cloud based system. The data is stored on a remote cloud server, while the front end runs on a standard Windows PC. This gives the user the ultimate benefit of a familiar Windows working environment, with the safety of cloud based data storage.

However, cloud based data also means that internet connection quality may be an issue.

To test your connection and make sure that you have a connection which is fast and stable enough, we recommend a speedtest by Speedtest by Ookla.  The Help section even contains some internet jargon to help you better understand what is going on.

Just for clarity, if your internet speed is reported in the “KBps” range, your connection is probably too slow to work online with DynamicLTA.

 

For offices without suitable internet, there is always the DynamicLTA One application – standalone, no internet required.  We can even ship it on a CD. 🙂

DynamicLTA

Server Downtime

Urgent Downtime Notification

Please note that for security reasons the DynamicLTA Online Server was taken offline for approximately 2 hours on Monday 6 November 2017.  Service has been restored.

The nature of the downtime was urgent and scheduled.

The cause of the downtime was faulty hardware.

Some users may have to restart their browsers in order to get full access to Dynamic Online Reports.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused during this rollover period.

-Dynamic

Trouble shooting: Thunderbird email attachments

Client’s see WINMAIL.DAT attachments in Thunderbird but in Outlook they open fine

Dynamic sends invoices and statements to clients’ by email.  This is a great time saving feature but sometimes problems occur.

One such problem is the display of the attached PDF in Thunderbird.

What is this?

This not a Dynamic issue.  The issue is experienced by Thunderbird users who received PDF invoices sent by Dynamic.

The problem is with Thunderbird.

Any PDF sent as an attachment will be treated in this way by Thunderbird.

Who gets this?

The problem described here is typical for Thunderbird users and the same email, with attachment, forwarded to an Outlook user will not report the same problem.

Why is this important?

Never open untrusted attachments.

Clients may complain that they do no receive invoices sent to them by email.

The attachment is normally named invoice_123456789.pdf – and in standard PDF format.

Thunderbird users may report that they do not see a PDF attachment.  The attachment may appear as a winmail.dat attachment.

Solution

The solution lies with Thunderbird.  Please install the LookOut plugin for Thunderbird.

Download LookOut for Thunderbird

Never open untrusted attachments.

Additional information for this issue:

From Mozilla Help for Thunderbird:

When people send messages from incorrectly configured Microsoft Outlook email clients, a file attachment called winmail.dat may be added as an attachment to the message. This file contains formatting information for messages that use Microsoft’s proprietary TNEF standard and any attachments sent with the original message. The file is not recognized by other email clients. Because of this, any attachments sent with the original message are not displayed in Thunderbird’s message pane.

-Dynamic

 

Trouble shooting: Gmail “noname” attachment

Client’s can’t open “noname” attachments in Gmail but in Outlook they open fine

Dynamic integrates with Microsoft Outlook.  Dynamic sends invoices and statements to clients’ by email.  This is a great time saving feature but sometimes problems occur.

One such problem is the display of the attached PDF in Gmail.

What is this?

This not a Dynamic issue.  The issue is experienced by Gmail users who received PDF invoices sent by Dynamic.

The problem is with Gmail.

Any PDF sent as an attachment will be treated in this way by Gmail.

Who gets this?

The problem described here is typical for Gmail users and the same email, with attachment, forwarded to an Outlook user will not report the same problem.

Why is this important?

Never open untrusted attachments.

Clients may complain that they do no receive invoices sent to them by email.

The attachment is normally named invoice_123456789.pdf – and in standard PDF format.

Gmail users may report that they do not see a PDF attachment.  The attachment may appear as a noname attachment.  Some users may see a Winmail.dat attachment, similar to the problem experienced by Thunderbird users.

The problem presents itself like this:

gmail noname attachment
Gmail noname attachment

Solution

Click the download button.  The noname attachment will be downloaded to the local Download folder.  Right click and select Open with… Reader (or your preferred PDF Reader).  The correct attachment will display.

Never open untrusted attachments.

Additional information for this issue:

This link indicates that the problem is at least seven years old:

There is a bug in Google Mail that sometimes gives you “noname” attachments, bizarrely encoded (it’s called “appledouble”), when sent from a Mac. Google have been made aware of the problem in March 2007 and are… hum… “working on it”. Here you can upload those files and retrieve them decoded. If for some reason it doesn’t work, send me your noname file *zipped* and I’ll see what I can do to make the script better.

And here:

I have a problem with using gmail on multiple machines, because I use Outlook Express on one machine and when I download a message I can open up the attachments fine but when the attachments are labeled at noname and there is no file association with it, but on OE the file reads file, can you add support for those files i dont know what they are.

-Dynamic

Issues Resolved

We are proud to confirm that several minor software niggles have recently been resolved.

#201708001 – The Client Trust Investment List report displayed amounts wrong in certain circumstances.  This was a display issued and does not affect the underlying data.  Information was correct on all other reports.  Implications: This report may display a different balance to other similar reports. Status: Resolved.  Please obtain an update.

 

#201708002 – The Find in Transactions search option ignored certain data items due to lower case input. Implications: Searches on the transactions entered would not return a result.   Status: Resolved. Searches are now accurate regardless of the text case.

 

#201708003 – Processing Cash Book transactions would in certain circumstances post a nil transaction to the cash book.  This created a nil entry in the cash book.  Implications: Not an error, but certainly not what we want.  Status: Resolved.

 

Please report issues immediately?  Please remember that an issue may not be an error.  Issues may be resolved in a variety of manners, depending on the nature and implication of the issue.

-Dynamic

Trouble shooting: DDE Server error

 

Unable to Shutdown Due to a DDE Server Window: Explorer.exe Application Error

sad
Some users have experienced Cannot connect to DDE Server errors.

What is this?

This is a print related issue.

The problem appears to be a local software issue. It is typically associated with print jobs and print queues.

The problem may simply be out-of-date software.

Who gets this?

This error typically occurs when the Print icon is clicked to generate a PDF report.

The good news is that the problem is not caused by DynamicLTA. 🙂

Why is this important?

General inquiries can be made on screen. For any external reports a print out is required. The DDE Server error indicates that it is not possible to generate the report, or display the PDF containing the report. The system will keep on working, but printing reports will not be possible.

Solution

Please note that Microsoft recommends a clean boot or re-installing software.

We recommend that you uninstall your default PDF Reader software and install an upgrade. For example, you may have an older version of Adobe Reader on your computer, which for some reason no longer functions as expected. Uninstall this version and install the most recent version, such as Reader 11. This will upgrade the Reader to version 11 and is expected to resolve the DDE Server error.

DynamicLTA is designed to work with any standard PDF reader, meaning you may use the Reader of your choice.

Download PDF Readers here:

-Dynamic

Powerful diagnostic reports

All bookkeeping systems require the ability to drill down, or analyze figures right down to the constituting transactions.  DynamicLTA has the ability to display balances, summaries and individual transactions.

The following screenshots illustrate the summarized totals for January 2017.  This is then shown broken down to the individual entries, sorted by date, and finally the same data exported to spreadsheet.

This screenshot shows the totals of the various transactions types for the specified overview, (one month).

 

This screenshot shows the breakdown of the Trust Receipts for the same month.

 

This screenshot shows the same data exported to spreadsheet.

 

Diagnostic reports are designed in such a way that the system is entirely transparent.

-DynamicLTA

Trouble shooting: Adobe Reader fails to show

Adobe Reader does not show PDF after clicking the Printer icon.

 

 

After upgrading Reader, some users experience a no show after clicking the Printer icon.

 

 

 

 

 

What is this?

This is a file and report display issue. All Dynamic reports are generated as PDF documents, which should automatically open in the default PDF Reader.

The problem may be caused by two related and distinct issues. It is typically associated with print jobs and print queues.

The first issue may be caused by an over aggressive McAfee anti-virus, attempting to protecting the computer by refusing to allow Reader to open the PDF.

The second issue may be a caused by the default security settings in Adobe PDF Reader.

Who gets this?

This error typically occurs when the Print icon is clicked to generate a PDF report.

Typically after an upgrade of the Adobe Reader, users may experience this problem.

The good news is that the problem is not caused by DynamicLTA. 🙂

This is such a common problem than it has been discussed on the Adobe Reader support forums: Open Reader, navigate to Edit menu -> Preferences -> Security Enhances & disable the Protected mode.

Adobe blames Microsoft:

Why can't I print my PDF?
Why can’t I print my PDF?

 

Why is this important?

Not being able to generate an external report is a serious problem. General inquiries can be made on screen. For any external reports a print out is required. The system will keep on working, but printing reports will not be possible.

Solution

Check that a default PDF Reader is in fact installed and working.

McAfee

  1. Attempt to create an exclusion for the DynamicLTA folder.
  2. Uninstall McAfee.

Adobe Reader

  • Open Reader, navigate to Edit menu -> Preferences -> Security Enhances & disable the Protected mode.

 

-Dynamic

How to recover from a WannaCry attack

DynamicLTA's auto backup folder
Backup

If WannaCry makes you want to cry…

Recovering from a data-loss disaster is easy.  Make sure you have a working, off-site backup and follow the steps below.

The WannaCry disaster has re-emphasized the importance of off-site backups.

Don’t despair.  Every time you work in DynamicLTA, it automatically makes a backup of the data file to an internal backup folder.

In the example above, the old installation runs from the “fastcar” folder.  In normal conditions the “fastcar/database” folder is all you need to recover.

Simply perform a new DynamicLTA installation as discussed elsewhere.

Once the nex installation is complete, copy the content of the old  “fastcar/database” folder from your backup into the new “manhatten/database” folder.  The system should be operational immediately.

 

Do not rely on the internal backup mechanisms of DynamicLTA to survive a disaster.  It is designed as an internal safety feature.  When your entire computer is compromised by malicious activity such as a ransomware attack, you need a clear, accurate backup procedure.

Make sure you have backups in place before you need them.

DynamicLTA

Financial Reports

Financial Reports

DynamicLTA supports the following Financial Reports:

  • Trial Balance
  • Statement of Financial Position
  • Comparative Statement of Financial Position
  • Income Statement

These reports are located under Reports menu item.

The Trial Balance is not considered a Financial Report, but is included as it forms the basis of all other Financial Reports.

In addition, the Trial Balance is typically required from a compliance point of view.

DynamicLTA

DynamicLTA One

DynamicLTA One is designed to be portable, fast and reliable.  It uses a local embedded database and generates easy-to-read combined client business-and-trust ledgers, standardized Financial and Management and User reports, including:

  • Age Analysis
  • Single Ledger History Reports
  • Full Ledger
  • Trial Balance
  • Income Statement
  • Balance Sheet
  • Client Trust Balance List
  • Client Investment List

It also comes with a standard FREE DOWNLOAD and one year student license.

 

If you are not sure, download DynamicLTA One now and see for yourself!  Why wait? Download now!

-Dynamic

Thank you for making DynamicLTA great!

DynamicLTA celebrates all the women who make our product great!

From inspiration to be great startup product, owners, end-users and auditors, more than half our users are women.

Thank you for making DynamicLTA great!

 

-Dynamic

 

 

Software Update 1.0.0.263

Description: Bulk Transfer Procedure Allow or Block button
Status: Effective immediately
Date: 2 March 2017

Explanation:

A new feature was introduced at the beginning of March 2017.  This allows the use to block the Bulk Transfer Procedure from posting Transfer Journals to ledger accounts.

The update introduces a new button on the Matter Take On screen.

Bulk Transfer Procedure Allow or Block button
Bulk Transfer Procedure Allow or Block button

This update requires a Data Refresh in order to work.

After downloading the update, please select this menu item:

Refresh Bookset and Folders in the Utility menu
Refresh Bookset and Folders in the Utility menu

This update allows users to toggle Allow or Block of Bulk Transfer Procedure Transfer Journal entries on the selected ledger account.  This is an absolute block and will prevent all transfers from occurring.

-Dynamic

Why is DynamicLTA detected as virus / malware by antivirus software?

Panda Antivirus False Positive
Panda Antivirus False Positive

Antivirus and anti-malware software are essentials to protect our computers against malicious software attacks.

Firewalls protect us from unauthorized internet based access.

 

DynamicLTA constists of two portions.  The actual software and the database.

The database is an on-disk file that just houses the data.  The software is the front end that the user sees.  The software continuously reads and writes to the database.  It is this series of read-and-write processes which the anti-virus software detects and flags as an suspicious and typical of virus or malicious software.

False Positive
False Positive

This result where good software is incorrectly identified as bad, is called a False Positive.  The test result is positive, that means it has identified a problem, but that test result is false.  We want to keep this good software and do not agree that the match is in fact positive.  That is why this match is called a false positive.

If it is any relief, other accounting systems that use this type of data read, modify and write cycle are subject to the same scrutiny by anti-virus products.

 

Usually, the solution is NOT to quarantine, isolate, delete or remove the files in question.

The problem can be neutralized by setting the scanner to exclude the software folder.

 

The only reliable solution is to set an Exclusion on the Dynamic folder.

Each anti-virus has its own specific mechanism for Excluding files and folders from further scrutiny.  Select the Exclusion folder for Dynamic and you should be good to go.

In this example a “c:\dynamic” folder hosts the DynamicLTA installation inside the “fastcar” subfolder. By excluding the dynamci folder, all sub-folders, where the dLTA.EXE application and data is located, are excluded.

-Dynamic

 

 

VAT Calculator

The Basic DynamicLTA module is not designed to auto-process VAT.  An easy to use built-in VAT Calculator is included.

VAT Calculator
VAT Calculator

This means that if you use DynamicLTA Basic for a lawyer who is registered for VAT, inclusive and exclusive amounts can still be easily calculated.

This means that with only the amount and the applicable VAT Tax Rate, the net amount, gross amount, or the VAT portion can be calculated.

Making your life easier.

-Dynamic

to understand DynamicLTA, you need to use it

To understand DynamicLTA, you need to use it. An empty bookkeeping system is like a ghost town without houses.

Please follow the Download link in the top menu.

DynamicLTA is released with a standard student licence.  The software can be downloaded free of charge and is free to use for one year for all bona fide students.*

This means that students can prepare their assignments using DynamicLTA and prospective commercial users can learn the workings of DynamicLTA first hand before engaging in a pay-for-use license.

The notice on this page is an abridgment of the Terms and Conditions of the EULA.  In the final instance, please refer to the EULA for disambiguation.

Downloads of DynamicLTA software subject to the EULA.

-Dynamic

Wrong currency format?

Currency Display
Currency Display

My currency symbol is different.  Why does it display $ for dollars, when I do not use dollars?

DynamicLTA uses the local computer’s Regional Settings to format and display local currency.  If your computer is set up for USA, then the leading $ dollar symbol will be used to display your currency.

This is a common issue and is easily fixed.

The solution is to update local Windows Regional Settings to reflect the correct, local currency.

Windows Regional Settings
Windows Regional Settings

Start by searching on your computer for Regional Settings.

If you need more assistance, try and internet search for the term “Regional Settings”

-Dynamic