Platinum and Platinum SQL editions are the top of the line Tabs3 Software products. These products take advantage of sophisticated database technology to provide increased performance and advanced features to firms as they grow.

Tabs3 Connect

Tabs3 Connect provides access to Tabs3 Billing and PracticeMaster records anywhere you can connect to the Internet. There are no apps to download; simply go to www.Tabs3Connect.com and log in using your iPhone®, Android device, iPad®, laptop, or even an Apple® computer. Tabs3 Connect gives you access to your client and contact information, a timer, fee and cost entry, personal and firm-wide calendar, and more. On smartphones and tablets, you can tap to create a fee, and flick to scroll through a list. Tabs3 Connect was also designed to protect attorneys’ sensitive information. The information you access using Tabs3 Connect is secure because it resides at your office, on your computer. It won’t be stored on someone else’s server in the cloud, or on a phone that you might lose.

Tabs3 Connect is available at no extra charge for firms with a subscription for both Tabs3 Billing and PracticeMaster Platinum. Alternatively, an annual Tabs3 Connect Billing license can be purchased for each user by firms who have either a Tabs3 Platinum or a PracticeMaster Platinum license. The Tabs3 Connect Comparison topic includes more information on the differences between accessing Tabs3 Connect via PracticeMaster or Tabs3 Billing.

Client Portal

The Client Portal is an extension of Tabs3 Connect that allows Tabs3 Billing clients to view and pay their balances via Tabs3 Pay from any web browser.

More information regarding the Client Portal can be found in Knowledge Base Article R11919, “Configuring the Tabs3 Client Portal.” More information regarding Tabs3 Pay can be found in Knowledge Base Article R11871, “Tabs3 Pay Frequently Asked Questions.”

Check Requests

The Check Request process is a reimbursement request, review, and authorization feature that allows users in PracticeMaster to create requests for reimbursement, have specific users review and approve these requests, and once approved, allow users in Tabs3 Accounts Payable (AP) or Tabs3 Trust Accounting (Trust) to turn these check requests into invoices or trust transactions so payment can be issued.

Additional information regarding Check Requests can be found in our Knowledge Base in Article R11923, “Tracking Check Requests.”

HotBackup

HotBackup is a feature unique to the Platinum edition of Tabs3 Software that backs up the data files for all Tabs3 Software applications. This feature allows backups to be performed without anyone exiting the software, thus allowing daily work to continue. The following features of HotBackup were implemented to increase the convenience and efficiency of the Tabs3 Software:

Additional information about HotBackup can be found in the Platinum Server Guide and Knowledge Base Article R11193, “HotBackup Overview.”

Transaction Processing & Auto-Recovery

Transaction Processing is used to ensure that all operations of a given database transaction completely succeed, thereby guaranteeing that the database remains in a consistent, reliable state. A database transaction is a collection of operations grouped together into a single unit. For example, updating a statement encompasses many operations (i.e., updating the client ledger, updating receipt allocation, updating productivity, moving each item from the work-in-process file to the archive files, etc.), but these operations are all grouped together and considered a single database transaction.

Platinum also includes an Auto-Recovery feature that will automatically be performed if the Platinum Software is not shut down correctly. In the event that a database transaction was interrupted, the Auto-Recovery feature “rolls back” the database to its previous state before the database transaction began. This ensures the safety of your data, and minimizes any chance of data corruption.

More detailed information on Transaction Processing and Auto-Recovery can be found in Knowledge Base Article R11175, “Transaction Processing.”

Tabs3 Billing and PracticeMaster Report Accelerators

A major enhancement included with the Platinum Software is the addition of Tabs3 Billing and PracticeMaster Accelerators. These services run on the server, working with the Tabs3 Billing and PracticeMaster applications to dramatically improve performance when generating reports and statements.

Accelerators improve performance by accomplishing two main goals:

In addition, Accelerators incorporate multi-threaded processing techniques, giving them the ability to process multiple users’ reports simultaneously. More detailed information on Report Accelerators can be found in Knowledge Base Article R11182, “Tabs3 Billing and PracticeMaster Accelerators.”

Accelerated Filtering and Column Sorting

Filters in Tabs3 Software are processed at the file server. Rather than having to read and filter all of the records from a file, the workstation receives only the records that have been pre-filtered by the server. This reduces network traffic and allows filtered lists to display significantly faster. Additionally, column sorting is processed at the server, which improves the speed at which lists are displayed.

Accelerated Data File Integrity Check

The Tabs3 Billing and PracticeMaster Data File Integrity Check is processed at the file server. Rather than having to read and validate all of the records from a file, the workstation only receives the results of this process. This reduces network traffic and allows the Data File Integrity Checks to complete significantly faster. Because the process is being performed at the server, even a Limited (read-only) Data File Integrity Check, which generally takes longer to perform, can be completed in nearly the same amount of time as a Full (exclusive) check.

Accelerated Search Rebuild

The PracticeMaster refresh or rebuild of search indexes is processed at the file server. Additionally, the rebuild process is a 64-bit application on the server, which allows it to utilize additional resources which may be available. Together, these greatly improve the performance when rebuilding search indexes.

When a refresh or rebuild is started in PracticeMaster Platinum, the rebuild process runs in the background, allowing you to close the window and perform other tasks.

The Notification Center allows an unlimited number of customized email messages to be configured and sent in the event a search rebuild fails or succeeds. These messages can be sent to as many user-defined email recipients as you want.

Accelerated Dashboards and Graphs

The Tabs3 Billing and PracticeMaster Accelerators are used to enhance the the Recap of Hours window and the Dashboard widgets on the Home page by processing the data at the server. This reduces network traffic and increases the responsiveness and refresh capabilities of the graphs.

Billing Dashboard Enhancements

Users can filter the widgets on the Billing Dashboard based on timekeeper, category, or location. When the filter is enabled, you can choose to only include clients assigned to the specified report order timekeepers, categories, or locations that are included in the widget values; alternatively, you can choose to only include transactions assigned to the specified working timekeeper. When filtered, the options used will be shown on the Dashboard, and included when printing the Dashboard graphs or lists.

Clicking a bar or total in the Accounts Receivable or Work-in-Process widgets of the Billing Dashboard in the Platinum edition will open an Accounts Receivable or Work-in-Process window that displays clients who make up the total shown. These windows are specific to the bar or total clicked, including the aging period, transaction type, and any filter applied. Clicking any of the clients in this list will open the Tabs3 Billing Matter Manager for that matter.

Increased Index Limit

Up to 30 user-defined permanent indexes can be created. Each file can have a maximum total of 63 indexes which includes protected indexes, user-defined indexes, and temporary indexes. In non-Platinum systems, up to 15 user-defined permanent indexes can be created, with a maximum total of 31 indexes. Indexes can be used to sort columns on the List tab of any file, used to set the Default Sort and Smart tabs in QuickViews, and can optionally be used to improve report performance.

PracticeMaster eNote

The eNote intra-office communication feature is available in PracticeMaster Platinum. eNotes blend the best features of email and instant messaging to provide a remarkably easy to use tool that streamlines communication, facilitates workflow between users, retains records for accountability purposes, and enhances your current case management procedures.

Detailed information regarding the eNote feature can be found in the Help provided with PracticeMaster and in KB Article R11246, "PracticeMaster eNote Frequently Asked Questions."

PracticeMaster Exchange Connector

The PracticeMaster Exchange Connector provides a direct link between the Platinum Server and a Microsoft Exchange server. This allows calendar and contact information to be synchronized directly between the servers, rather than via each user’s copy of Microsoft Outlook. Additional information regarding the Exchange Connector feature can be found in the Outlook Integration Guide. Detailed instructions for configuring the Exchange Connector are available via Knowledge Base Article R11596, "Configuring the PracticeMaster Platinum Exchange Connector."

Lockout Notification / Log Off Users

The Conflicting Activities window includes a Request Log Off button that opens a Request Log Off window. Clicking the Send Request button from the Request Log Off window immediately sends a message to all logged in users requesting that they exit the software (or close any conflicting activities) so that the exclusive task can be started. The Request Log Off window also includes an Automatically log off users in XX minutes check box. This feature allows you to safely log off all users after a specified time interval when clicking the Send Request button. When you initiate this process, all users will be notified that they will be logged out of the software when the displayed countdown ends, along with the reason they are being logged off. The Request Log Off feature is only available in the Platinum edition of the software.

Historic Accounts Receivable Reports

The Detail and Summary Accounts Receivable Reports include a Print Historic A/R option in Platinum that will print accounts receivable balances as of a specific date. This option calculates the A/R based on records present in Tabs3 Billing, effectively showing what the A/R would have been on the given date, assuming no records have been deleted or modified.

Although the calculated A/R will be correct based on records currently in the software, it is possible that these may not match an A/R Report run on the original date if any transactions were deleted, statements unbilled, payments reversed, write offs reversed, or any integrity check errors are present.

Accounts Receivable by Timekeeper Report

The Accounts Receivable by Timekeeper Report prints a list of clients with fees due for each working timekeeper, making it easy for individual timekeepers to see which clients owe money for work they performed. This report is different from other receivable reports, because it allows you to filter clients by including only those clients that the timekeeper worked on, a particularly nice feature for larger firms. You can optionally show fees by aging period or as a total amount. You can exclude zero balance clients, select clients whose aged balance due or total balance due is greater than a specified amount, as well as only include clients who have not made a payment in a specified number of days.

Enhanced Detail Accounts Receivable Report

The Detail Accounts Receivable Report offers the option to include a break down of fees by timekeeper and costs by cost type. When this option is enabled, each timekeeper with outstanding fees is displayed on a separate row with an aging breakdown, and outstanding costs are grouped by cost type with an aging breakdown. The Tabs3 Report Accelerator allows these complex calculations to be performed in a fraction of the time it would take a non-Platinum Tabs3 system.

Platinum Data Security

Platinum firms can limit each user's network access to the data files in the Database folder stored within the Tabs3 Current Working Directory to the “read only” level. Restricting write access to the Database folder to only users who have a need to access the files directly (such as managers, IT personnel, etc.), ensures that the data files are not accidentally moved, modified, or deleted by unauthorized users and also helps protect against viruses, ransomware, and social engineering attacks. More details regarding this feature can be found in KB Article R11763, "Platinum Data Security."

See also:   Knowledge Base Article R11405 - Platinum Frequently Asked Questions
  Knowledge Base Article R11379 - Platinum Overview
  Knowledge Base Article R11406 - Tabs3 Platinum/Platinum SQL Resources