Link client files (create cards in CCH iFirm Tracking)

Required users' rights: Access the dashboard and settings management

You installed the CCH iFirm Tracking add-in and configured the Web CCH iFirm Tracking. You must now establish a link between the Taxprep client files and CCH iFirm Tracking to initialize the CCH iFirm Tracking database, and see cards representing the returns

CCH iFirm Tracking has access to the tax data in the client file only if the client file is saved. Once the database has been initialized, make sure that the information of the cards created and the Taxprep client files is identical by synchronizing this information.

Important: You must assign roles (preparer, reviewer or any other role) to staff members prior to executing the Link Client Files command. If roles are not assigned, the users’ names will not appear in the users’ drop-down list. For more information on how to assign roles, consult the following article: Configure roles to make it easier to allocate cards to a person or a group of persons based on the status or complexity of the return.

How to link client files

To perform this operation, proceed as follows:

In the CCH iFirm Tracking menu of the Taxprep program, click Link Client Files.
The Link Client Files dialog box displays.
(Optional) Select the office that will be associated with client files during the creation of the links.
Select the source of roles assignments for the cards to create.
To use the list of staff members defined in the Taxprep preparer profile , select the option User's Preparer profile and client file information. This option is selected by default.
(The following option is available on request only. To use it, contact the Technical Support team.) To create cards assigned to a specific partner, select the option Use a specific partner, then select the partner's name from the list of users. This list includes all users defined as partners for whom an account has been created in the User Settings dialog box.
Import notes from last year's cards: the Import notes from last year's cards option is selected by default. If the notes in last year's cards were imported and you want to clear the notes in the cards, select the option Clear notes imported from last year. Note that this option will only clear notes that have not been modified since their import. If you do not want to perform one of these operations, select the option Do not import or clear notes.
(For Corporate Taxprep users only), For each taxation year processed by the program, choose the statuses of the client files for which cards will be created.
By default, all statuses of the client files are selected for the most recent two prior taxation years. In cases where the database will have to be initialized again, these selections will be saved on the user's workstation.
In the Directories containing the client files section, choose the folder that will be scanned.
The folder defined for client files in the Taxprep program should be selected by default.
Click the Add button to add a folder to scan.
Click the Delete button to remove a selected folder.
(Optional) If you want to keep certain returns confidential and make sure that no cards are created for those returns, in the Directories to exclude section, choose the folders that will not be scanned for card creation purposes.
Click the Add button to add a folder that will not be scanned.
Click the Delete button to remove a selected folder.
Click OK to initialize the database.

To perform this operation, you must authorize the Taxprep program to transfer data to CCH iFirm Tracking by indicating your e-mail address and password in the box displayed in the Taxprep program.

CCH iFirm Tracking will read all of the information of each client file, which can take some time. In addition, the Taxprep program will wait for you to enter the password required to open the protected client file (or that you cancel the reading of the client file concerned), where applicable. You can stop this process at any time, but you will then have to redo it entirely. If you are performing this operation for an integration with Corporate Taxprep, all of the client files will be read, but cards will be created only for the previously selected taxation years and statuses.

A progress bar will display and will indicate how many client files have been read and how many remain to be read. Note that you can also verify the progression in real time in CCH iFirm Tracking: you will see the number of returns increase as CCH iFirm Tracking detects them.

If the client files are stored in a network location common to all users, this operation needs to be performed only once. All CCH iFirm Tracking users will have access to all returns from the cards.
If the client files are stored in different locations (for example, a local folder on the workstation of each user), this operation will have to be performed on each workstations in order for a card to be created for each client file of your firm. In this situation, a CCH iFirm Tracking user will only have access to returns stored in his or her local folder.

When all client files have been read, it means that you are done setting up and the users can use CCH iFirm Tracking. Make sure that CCH iFirm Tracking is installed on each workstation on which the Taxprep program is used.