Disconnecting and returning workpapers for work in the field

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The Disconnect / Return Workpapers feature in Workpapers CS is available for staff who need to perform audit-based engagement tasks without a connection to the main application via terminal server, Virtual Office CS, Software as a Service (SaaS), or peer-to-peer network.

Use the following procedures to disconnect workpapers from the engagement binder, update them in their native application (for example, in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel), and then return the updated workpapers to the engagement binder.

To update the trial balance in the field, you must have access to a full version of the client database. You can use the File > Client Data Management Utility to back up the client database in the office and restore it on a fieldwork laptop that has the same version of the application installed. Use the Fieldwork Utility to attach to the client's database at the office and after updating the client data in the field, use the File > Client Data Management Utility to create a backup of the client's database. Back at the office, you can re-attach to the local database via the Fieldwork Utility and restore the updated client's database. Note that all changes made to the client's database at the office are overwritten by the restore. For details see, Backing up and restoring data for a client via the Client Data Management Utility.

See also

Disconnect and return workpapers

Workflow for audit collaboration in the field

Workflow

The following workflow describes the process of disconnecting workpapers via the Disconnect Workpapers wizard, updating them in the field, saving them and returning them via the Return Workpapers wizard at the office. If you need to update the Trial Balance in the field, see Method 2 in the Disconnect and return workpapers topic.

Disconnect workpapers from the engagement binder via the Disconnect Workpapers wizard.
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Include workpapers for remote access outside of the network
(not including Trial Balance).
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Workpapers are updated and status is Available.
Workpapers are updated and status is <i>Available.</i>
Return workpapers to the engagement binder via the Return Workpapers wizard.
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Update workpapers in their native application
(e.g., Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel)
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Save workpapers to a removable media that can be accessed from the office workstation.
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In the office
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In the field
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Disconnecting a workpaper

  1. In the Engagement Binders Tree of the Workpapers Dashboard, right-click the engagement briefcase, folder, or single workpaper, and choose Disconnect workpapers to launch the Disconnect Workpapers wizard.
  2. Mark the checkboxes next to workpapers that you want to disconnect from the engagement.
  3. In the File Location field, enter or browse to the location where you want to send the selected workpapers.
  4. Click the Disconnect button to create a folder named with the client's ID, which contains the selected workpapers. If you choose to disconnect more workpapers for the same client in the future, you can browse to the same folder in the Disconnect Workpapers wizard.
  5. If you sent the workpapers to a file location in the workstation at the office (step 3), copy the folder with the client's ID to a removable media or fieldwork laptop.

Notes

  • If you right-click the engagement briefcase engagement briefcase to launch the Disconnect Workpapers wizard, all workpapers are selected by default in the Workpapers grid of the wizard. If the wizard is launched from the folder engagement folder level, only those workpapers in the selected folder are marked to be disconnected; at the single workpaper engagement workpaper level, only the selected workpaper is marked to be disconnected. If necessary, you can manually clear or mark checkboxes in the Workpapers list after launching the wizard.
  • Workpapers that are disconnected from the engagement binder have a status of Disconnected with read-only access. 
  • PPC's SMART Practice Aids that are linked to the engagement cannot be disconnected and reconnected to the engagement binder. If a SMART Practice Aid document is disconnected from the engagement binder, the link is broken and they become regular unlinked Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel workpapers.

Updating disconnected workpapers in the field

  1. Browse to the location of the disconnected workpapers on the workstation or laptop to which they have been saved. (Disconnected workpapers are contained in a folder labeled with the client's ID.)
  2. Open and update the workpapers in their native application (for example, Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel) and make any necessary updates.
  3. Save the updated workpapers, and if prompted, click Yes to replace the originals.
  4. Copy the updated workpapers to the original location on the workstation on which the application is installed when they were saved via the Disconnect Workpapers wizard. For example, X:\<client ID> (where X represents the local or network drive that is accessible via the application).

Notes

  • When workpapers are opened outside of the application in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, the Checkmark and Procedure N/A buttons are the only buttons that are available from the Workpaper CS ribbon. (To be fully functional, the Workpapers CS addin requires access to the Workpapers CS database.)
  • The PPC toolbar is available in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel when PPC Checkpoint Tools is installed on the workstation or laptop on which the disconnected workpapers reside.
  • If you want to update the trial balance outside of the office, you must restore the entire client's database on the workstation or laptop, using the same version of the application that you have installed in the office (version 2014.1.2 or higher). For details see, Backing up and restoring a Workpapers CS client for work in the field.

Returning updated workpapers to the engagement binder

  1. In the Engagement Binders Tree of the Workpapers Dashboard, right-click a workpaper with a status of Disconnected and choose Return to Binder.
  2. In the Return Workpapers wizard navigate to the location of the updated workpapers and mark the checkboxes next to the workpapers that you want to return to the engagement.
  3. Click Next, and then click the Finish button to return the updated workpapers to the engagement binder. The status of the workpapers change to Available and makes them available for editing from the engagement workspace.

Note: When the trial balance is updated remotely, you must create a backup of the client's data and restore it back into the original database at the office. All changes made in the source database in the office are overwritten.

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