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Using DATASMITH Payroll in Multitasking Environments
such as Networks, Windows 95, Windows NT, or OS/2
Most plain-paper reports from Datasmith Payroll will work fine in either
a single-user or multi- user environment, with or without a spooler. However,
there are some Payroll reports which may either require that the printer
is dedicated to the payroll process during the entire operation, or which
may behave differently when sharing a printer.
SHARING VS "PAUSE-ADJUST-RESUME" OPERATION
A Local/Dedicated printer greatly simplifies and enhances operation
of check printing and W-2 (or other nonstandard form) production by allowing
the operator to interact with the system for "pause-adjust-resume" or "restart"
operations: particularly when large numbers of employees are involved. Certain
Payroll report modules send data to the printer in "chunks". These "chunks"
correspond to the block of data associated with a single employee, so that
there is a logical place (between "chunks") to check for operator directions
to pause, adjust, possibly stop, and restart without spoiling a check or
printing incomplete employee details. For the check writer a "chunk" is a
single check, and for the W-2 program, it is a single W-2 form. In each of
these modules, the operator can direct the program to re-start at a specified
employee.
A "Shared/Network" printer always receives the entire report in one
large "chunk" via a Spooler program. This makes "pause-adjust-resume" operation
impossible, because neither the Spooler program nor the printer itself knows
what is being printed, and cannot determine how to restart printing at a
logical point: only an application program can perform a useful "restart".
CHOOSING: DEDICATED OR SHARED?
With smaller payrolls, the added convenience of "Local/Dedicated" operation
will be small, and the best choice will usually be "Network/Shared" for all
printers. For payrolls with large numbers of employees, "Local/Dedicated"
will usually continue to be the best choice for checks and W-2 forms.
For this reason, payroll operators may have good reason to impose different
"shared printer"/"dedicated printer" requirements upon the system for different
payrolls or different payroll operations on the same system.
PRINTER SETUP FOR PAYROLL VERSION 9.x:
In Datasmith Payroll Version 9.x and later, the operator may choose whether
each printer is handled as a "Local/Dedicated" or a "Network/Shared" printer.
This choice, which appears as the printer's Connection setting, will dictate
the operation of all payroll output to the printer, and each and every report
(including Check and W-2 printing) will adapt to this choice.
On the Datasmith Payroll Version 9.x Printer Definition screen, the operator
may choose between "Local/Dedicated" and "Network/Shared" Connection for
each of the four printers (PRINTER1 - PRINTER4) attached to Payroll. The
recommended Connection setting on Payroll's Printer Definition screen is
"Network/Shared" for all printers which are either (1) actually shared by
more than one task or user on a network, or (2) operated in a multitasking
environment such as Windows 95, OS/2, or Windows NT. The Printer Definition
screen may be accessed by choosing Company, and then Printer Definition (CO-PR)
from the Main Menu, or by selecting "Printer Definition" from the pull-down
"Utilities" menu.
If a given printer is ever operated as a "Local/Dedicated" printer, you must
make sure that neither your operating system nor your network routes program
output through a "Spooler".
PRINTER SETUP FOR PAYROLL VERSION 8.x AND EARLIER:
The following Payroll (Version 8.x) operations are known to be disrupted
by the presence of a Spooler. When using Windows 95, turn off MS-DOS printer
spooling.
You should always make sure that neither your network nor your operating
system routes program output through a "Spooler" when performing these operations
under Datasmith Payroll Version 8.x and earlier systems.