Skip to main content
English (Australia) English (Canada) English (Malaysia) English (New Zealand) English (Singapore)

How do I manage dimensions and dimension values via the Payroll platform?

Updated

Available for the following payroll plan: Free Payroll, Core Payroll
Available for the following user access levels: Admin 

Dimensional accounting facilitates the use of detailed financial tracking in real time without requiring a complex chart of accounts that calls for numerous General Ledger entries. As employee wages form a considerable expense in a business, this feature can help enhance the efficiency of your accounting methods.

Using dimensions also helps:

  • Avoid the need to create multiple locations or sub-locations for each job, project, department, and so on, as well as the need to manage the locations in the chart of accounts
  • Assign dimension values against an employee's earnings and expense claims in the pay run
  • Include dimension details in the payroll journal, helping to prevent any manual transactions

For a short video on the setup, see: Dimensions | Video  

Important

Currently, the only journal services that cater for including dimension details in the payroll journal are File export, Detailed file export, and Microsoft Dynamics Business Central.

However, businesses that are currently connected to another accounting service can export the dimension data from the Download journal button in a finalised pay run.

What is the difference between a dimension and a dimension value?

A dimension is used to group or categorise data for the purpose of analysis. A dimension value is a sub-category or a tag attached to the data to conduct meaningful analysis.

This can be done because the data at this level is more detailed. There is no limit to the number of dimension values that can be set up under a dimension.

Helpful Hint

All dimensions/dimension values will be made available to all employees in the pay run.

Basic structure of dimensions and dimension values
  • Dimension A
    • Dimension value 1
    • Dimension value 2
    • Dimension value 3
  • Dimension B
    • Dimension value 4
    • Dimension value 5
    • Dimension value 6
Example dimensions and dimension values
  • Area
    • England
    • Scotland
    • Wales
    • Northern Ireland
  • Venue
    • Pan Pacific London
    • The Torridon
    • St Brides Spa Hotel
    • Gladesville Hotel
  • Department
    • Kitchen
    • Bar
    • Gaming
    • Restaurant

Getting started

Adding dimensions: Individually
  1. Click the   Business menu.
  2. Click the Payroll Settings submenu.
  3. Under Pay Run Settings, click Dimensions.
  4. Click Add.
  5. Write the name of the new dimension.

Important

You cannot set up a dimension with the exact same name as an existing dimension.

  1. Click Save.

Helpful Hint

If this is the first time you are setting up dimensions, you will see a banner where you can click Add a dimension now to start adding a dimension.

Adding dimension values: Individually

Important

A dimension must always be added first before its associated dimension value can be added.

  1. Click the   Business menu.
  2. Click the Payroll Settings submenu.
  3. Under Pay Run Settings, click Dimensions.
  4. Select the dimension you want to add a dimension value to.
  5. Click Add.

  6. Write the name of the new dimension value.  

    Important

    You cannot set up a value with the exact same name as an existing value for the same dimension.

  7. Put the External Id, if required.

    Helpful Hint

    Dimension value external Ids must be unique.

    This field is not compulsory and would only be required if the accounting service required this information as part of the journal integration.

  8. Select which employees the dimension value will be enabled for. By default, the dimension value will automatically be assigned to all employees. Otherwise, you can apply different criteria by selecting an employee or employees or by defining coverage based on one or more of these items:

    • primary location 
    • location
    • tags
    • employee group

    Important

    This affects what dimension values are made available for an employee's record to configure % earnings split, primary dimensions, and dimensions that can be assigned to the employee’s pay run earnings and expenses.

  9. Click Save.
Adding dimensions and dimension values: Dynamics 365 Business Central

Important

A dimension must always be added first before its associated dimension value can be added.

  1. Click the   Business menu.
  2. Click the Payroll Settings submenu.
  3. Under Pay Run Settings, click Dimensions.
  4. Click the Import Dynamics 365 Business Central dimension button.

Helpful Hint

This will automatically import all dimensions data created from within the Business Central account connected to the payroll account (via the Integrations screen), including the code and external id.

Any changes or updates to these details cannot be amended within payroll. Rather, it will need to be done in Business Central and then re-imported into payroll.

Adding and editing dimensions: In bulk
  1. Click the   Business menu.
  2. Click the Payroll Settings submenu.
  3. Under Pay Run Settings, click Dimensions.
  4. Click Export.
  5. Choose a file format.

  6. Click Download.

    Helpful Hint

    You can download the file containing all existing dimension settings or a blank template if no dimension settings have been configured yet.

  7. In the downloaded file, manually add dimensions or values or update any existing settings (in other words, update the name or external id of a dimension/dimension value).

    Helpful Hint

    See Further information at the end of this article to see what columns are included in the file.

  8. Save changes to your drive.
  9. Click Import to upload the file and update dimension settings.

Daily activities

Assigning default dimension values to employees

Helpful Hint

You can assign default dimension values to an employee similar to how you can assign a default primary location to them, but this is optional. Any earnings and expenses created within the pay run will automatically assign those dimension values.

  1. Click the  Employee menu.
  2. Click the List submenu.
  3. Select the employee you want to assign default dimension values to.
  4. Under Pay Run Settings, click Pay Run Defaults.
  5. Click the Primary Dimensions field to display a list of all dimension values.

  6. Select dimension values.

    Helpful Hint

    You can select multiple dimension values but only one dimension value per dimension.

  7. Click Save.
Splitting employee earnings by dimension value
  1. Click the  Employee menu.
  2. Click the List submenu.
  3. Select the employee you want to assign default dimension values to.
  4. Under Pay Run Settings, click Pay Run Defaults.
  5. Click the Split earnings button.
  6. Click Split by dimension.
  7. Input the dimension and split earnings % values.
  8. Click the green plus icon.
  9. Click Save.
Assigning dimensions to employee earnings: Individually
  1. Click the  Pay Runs menu.
  2. Click the pay run you want to assign dimension values to.
  3. Click the employee you want to assign default dimension values to.
  4. Under Earnings, click the Dimensions field to reveal a list of dimension values.

  5. Select the dimension values you want to assign to the employee earnings.

    Helpful Hint

    You can select multiple dimension values, but you can only select a maximum of one value per dimension.

  6. Click Save.
Assigning dimensions to employee expenses: Individually
  1. Click the  Pay Runs menu.
  2. Click the pay run you want to assign dimension values to.
  3. Click the employee you want to assign default dimension values to.
  4. Under Expenses, click the Dimensions field to reveal a list of dimension values.

  5. Select the dimension values you want to assign to the employee earnings.

    Helpful Hint

    You can select multiple dimension values, but you can only select a maximum of one value per dimension.

  6. Click Save.
Assigning dimensions to employee earnings and expenses: In bulk
  1. Click the  Pay Runs menu.
  2. Click the pay run you want to assign dimension values to.
  3. Click Pay Run Actions.

  4. Click Export Pay Run.

    Helpful Hint

    The Earnings Lines and Employee Expenses worksheets in the export template will include a column for each dimension set up in the business. Enter the dimension value you want to add in the applicable cells.

  5. Save the changes to your drive.
  6. Go back to the pay run you want to assign dimension values tp.
  7. Click Pay Run Actions.
  8. Click Import Pay Run.
  9. Select the export file you edited.
  10. Click Confirm upload.
Assigning dimensions in timesheets
  1. Go to the Dashboard.
  2. Click Employees.
  3. Click Manage Employees.
  4. Click Create Timesheets.
  5. Select the employee you want to assign dimension values to.
  6. Click the dropdown in each dimension column.
  7. Select the dimension value to assign to the employee.
  8. Click Save.

Helpful Hint

No more than one dimension value from the same dimension can be assigned per timesheet line.

Approving dimensions in timesheets
  1. Go to the Dashboard.
  2. Click Employees.
  3. Click Manage Employees.
  4. Click Approve Timesheets.
  5. Under Status, click Approved.
  6. Click the approved employee timesheet you want to modify.
  7. Click Undo 1 timesheet to revert it to a submitted status.
  8. Click OK to confirm undo.
  9. Under Status, click Submitted.
  10. Click the  icon of the timesheet you reverted to submitted.
  11. Under Dimensions, click the dimension value you want to add to the timesheet.
  12. Click Save.
  13. Click the timesheet again.
  14. Click Approve 1 timesheet.
  15. Click OK.

Data Management

Restoring dimensions

Important

You cannot restore a dimension that has the following:

  • the same name as an active dimension; and 
  • an external id that matches that of an active dimension.
  1. Click the   Business menu.
  2. Click the Payroll Settings submenu.
  3. Under Advanced, click Restore Deleted Items.
  4. Click the Deleted category dropdown.
  5. Click Dimension.
  6. Click Restore beside the dimension you want to restore.
  7. Click Restore in the confirmation popup.
Restoring dimension values

Important

You cannot restore a dimension value that has the following:

  • the same name as an active dimension value; and 
  • an external id that matches that of an active dimension value.

If you want to restore a dimension value that was deleted as a result of the dimension being deleted, you must restore the dimension. This will automatically restore that dimension's associated values.

  1. Click the   Business menu.
  2. Click the Payroll Settings submenu.
  3. Under Advanced, click Restore Deleted Items.
  4. Click the Deleted category dropdown.
  5. Click Dimension value.
  6. Click Restore beside the dimension value you want to restore.
  7. Click Restore in the confirmation popup.

Removing data

Deleting dimensions

Important

Deleting dimensions will not remove them from historic pay run data or payroll journals. However, the deleted dimension and its associated dimension values will not be available anymore to assign in pay runs moving forward.

  1. Click the   Business Menu.
  2. Click the Payroll Settings submenu.
  3. Under Pay Run Settings, click Dimensions.
  4. Select the dimension you want to delete.
  5. Click the  icon beside the dimension.
  6. Click the OK button.

Warning

Deleting a dimension will also delete its associated dimension values.

Deleting dimension values

Important

Deleting dimension values will not remove them from historic pay run data or payroll journals. However, the deleted dimension values will not be available anymore to assign in pay runs moving forward.

  1. Click the   Business Menu.
  2. Click the Payroll Settings submenu.
  3. Under Pay Run Settings, click Dimensions.
  4. Select the dimension with values you want to delete.
  5. Click the  icon beside the dimension value.
  6. Click the OK button. 
Deleting dimensions and dimension values: Dynamics 365 Business Central users

Important

Dimensions and dimension values cannot be deleted in the payroll account for Dynamics 365 Business Central users. You can manage any deletion directly within Business Central.

Further information

Columns on the file exported from Dimensions
ReportingDimensionId

This is the system generated id pertaining to the dimension.

An id will be displayed for existing dimensions.

If you are adding new dimensions via the import functionality, keep this cell clear.

If you are updating an existing setting, ensure to not remove the Id so that the system knows exactly what setting to update.
ReportingDimensionName This pertains to the name of the dimension.
Id

This is the system generated id pertaining to the dimension value.

An id will be displayed for existing dimension values.

If you are adding a new dimension value via the import functionality, keep this cell clear.

If you are updating an existing dimension value, ensure to not remove the Id so that the system knows exactly what setting to update.
Name This pertains to the name of the dimension value.
ExternalId

Enter value in this cell if the business has connected to a specific accounting service that requires an external id to be added to dimension settings. In this case, that value should come from the accounting platform.

Otherwise, this can be kept blank.
Reporting dimension values in the payroll journal

The payroll journal will now reflect any dimension values assigned in the pay run when you post or download it. But this functionality only applies to businesses using File export, Detailed file export, or Dynamics 365 Business Central journal service.

Businesses that are currently connected to another accounting/journal service can export the dimension data from the Download journal button in a finalised pay run.

Explore related content

Powered by Zendesk