DPF - TPH Global

Q: How do I search for invoices?

From the Navigation Bar select Invoices . Select the group of the Invoices you would like to search for. These include Draft, Approve, Hold, Pending, Declined, Approved or All. Use the search bar and type in the supplier name and press enter. A list of results will be returned.

Q: How do approvals work?

Approve PO: From the Navigation Bar select Orders . Go to the Approve tab. Select the PO you would like to approve. Click the Approve icon. The PO will be moved to the Approved tab. Approve Expenses: From the Navigation Bar select Expenses . Go to the Approve tab. Select the expense you would like to approve. Click the Approve icon. The Expense will be moved to the Approved tab. Approve Invoices: From the Navigation Bar select Invoices . Go to the Approve tab. Select the invoice you would like to approve. Click the Approve icon. The invoice will be moved to the Approved section if you are the only approver, and to the Pending section if there are multiple approvers.

DPF (Digital Paper Flow)

DPF is the first fully digital, paperless workflow for Production Accounting for creating and approving orders, invoices, expenses (Petty Cash and Debit Cards), Timecards and generic accounting and production documents.

After creating the first digital purchase order system 20 years ago for Film and TV (EzyPO) we have applied that knowledge to expanding our digital approval process to make it possible for remote work to become a reality. With no extra effort, the workflow is seem less, fast and fully integrated into our Eclipse Production Accounting system. There is no need for expensive 3rd party signing tools, clumsy digital folders to copy signed documents into (hopefully the copied to right folder) and a disconnect between your Production Accounting system and your digital documents. With DPF can see all documents at a transaction level in DPF and Eclipse. From the Budget Worksheet, General Ledger, AP, PC, PO Inquiry screens, every document is simply a click away.

Once again, TPH is setting the benchmark for the next generation.

WHY DPF

Benefits of a completely digital paper flow

DPF offers a digital paper flow that has only one mission in life – to make your life simpler. Features like drag and drop an email OCR* for invoices, custom approval workflows across each module incorporating an e-Signature tool to digitally sign documents, means reduced costs and faster processing.

*OCR is an Optical Character Recognition tool able to automatically enter a PDF invoice into the system and attach a copy ready to be digitally signed.

Full of Features

Quick & Easy

Demo Available

Free Support

e-Signature Solution

If you are an Accountant on a production, you know how important it is to have everything properly signed according to the company or studio procedures manual. These procedures are in place to ensure companies comply with federal laws (eg SOX, Tax Laws etc), partner audits and reduce the risk of fraud and embezzlement. A poor audit report for not complying could mean a short career in accounting. In the past, a lot of extra effort and manpower was required to get everything signed properly. Orders could require eight or more approvals depending on the value of the order right up to the President of the company. Quadruplet carbon paper order books and manually emailing orders to studio executives for a signature was a nightmare!

Sending any original document out from the accounting department for an approval signature was always fraught with danger. The amount of original invoices with original orders and backup attached that would go out never to return was frustrating and time-consuming for accounts departments. Accountants resorted to photo copying everything with an in/out system so they could track documents not returned and they had a copy if the originals disappeared.

With DPF this is just a distant nightmare. Approval chains ensure everyone required to sign a document, signs the document before it is fully approved automatically going from on approver to the next. Nothing is ever lost as digital copies of the documents are signed and current approvers can be tracked in the system. This means faster turnaround times, enhanced security, lower costs, and eliminates paper waste and storage. It’s all digital for easy sharing.

Document Storage

TPH Global is dedicated to making the life of production accountants easier, and one of the best ways to do that is to eliminate unnecessary paperwork and filing. With DPF, paperwork that is created digitally can be signed and returned.

To supplement this digital paper flow, these documents are then be stored within the system and can be accessed at any time. Our data storage offers enhanced security and daily backups, and you can download to a web folder at any time should you wish to keep a copy off site.

Once the PDF Invoice has been dropped or emailed to the system, it converts it into a digital version of that document. This eliminates the need to keep mountains of folders and filing cabinets filled with paper, just in case you need to refer back to it. Everything is simply a click away now.

Custom Approval Workflows

Every production has its own nuances regarding approvals and workflows. A key feature of DPF is your ability to customise the workflows in order to reflect who has to approve the document. Simple approval systems rely on one approval depending on the value of the source document. For example you may order some pens for the office which your manager approved up to 500. You then order 10 new chairs for 5000 which goes to you managers manager – the big boss. You can see the problem when the big boss calls your manager who has no idea you raised this order.

We know and understand the workflows in production – they need to be flexible and they can be complex. Each department or individual can have their own approval chains so the Art director is not approving costume orders and invoices unless you want them to! For 24/7 reality productions you can setup multiple approvers at each approval level so the system does not grind to a halt. Some users like the travel co-ordinator may need to choose from several different approval chains depending on who they are booking travel for and which department. Everyone along the chain can pre-approve an item, even if the amount requires the President of the company to ultimately approve it – so there are no surprises and awkward phone calls. Order numbers can be generated when the order is fully approved, part approved, part-approved and below a threshold amount or as soon as the person sends for approval. This can be tailored per approval chain so users like the travel co-ordinator can get and order number quickly. And every module can have its own custom approval chain – who approves and at what amount for orders can be different for invoices, expenses and timecards.

Custom approval and signing workflows can be created to suit your specific situation, and the sky is the limit.

Invoice Entry Using OCR

Entering invoices into DPF has never been easier. Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, key information from your invoice will be automatically extracted and entered into DPF with a PDF copy of the invoice automatically attached and ready to be digitally signed. You have the choice of either dragging and dropping your invoices into DPF or forward your invoices to DPF via email. The OCR process will detect the relevant elements from your invoice such as company name, invoice number, invoice date, amount, purchase order number etc.

Once you have checked what you need to, it’s ready for the next step. The digitised invoice can then be launched into the automated custom approval process.

Digital Timecards

DPF is fully integrated with our digital timecard system, Freelance Portal. By using Freelance Portal to handle your timecards digitally, your crew can submit their times wherever they have internet access. It could be on mobile, tablet, or laptop, at home or away – geography and time zones no longer matter.

Once your crew have submitted their timecards, they are then sent to be approved by their department head, accounts and production automatically. If you are also using TPH Payroll you can access additional features. As a means of customising your workflow and integration with TPH Payroll, timecard and payslip approval is also available.

WORK SMARTER, FASTER AND MORE SECURELY

A truly digital all-in-one approval and signing process

DPF is a product designed specifically to help you work smarter and faster. We know firsthand that things happen fast on a production. You need to have your finger on the pulse if you want to stay on budget and allow the director to execute their vision, and DPF lets you do that.

FLEXIBLE TO WORK YOUR WAY

Customisable to suit your workflow reporting requirements

It doesn’t matter if you’re the Studio Executive or the Production Accountant, when you need something actioned, you quite often can’t wait until tomorrow. DPF’s native digital landscape means as long as you have an internet connection, you can get it done 24/7.

Not only does DPF deliver, you can customise it to work your way. Whether it be specific approval workflows, system-wide preferences, or just how you’d prefer to use it yourself, you can make it your own.

ELEMENTS OF DPF

What makes up DPF's capabilities?

Expenses

Keeping track of every cent

Payments

Simplifying the payment process

Approvals can be set with payment limits requiring additional approvers in the approval chain. Once invoices have been fully approved, bank payment files can be created or cheques printed.

Approved invoices can be selected to create pre-approval payments for bank payment files or cheque printing.

Timecards

Unleash the power of Freelance Portal

When the Freelance Portal is integrated with our digital timecard system, you can get your crew to submit their timecard via mobile, tablet, or desktop computer and approve online. Once they’ve been submitted, they can then be sent for approval to their department head, accounts and production digitally. If you are a TPH Payroll customer, payslips can be generated and digitally approved at the same time timecards are approved. The payroll workflow then becomes the same as orders or invoices rather than the traditional batch approval resulting in much faster turnaround and accurate payroll.

Purchase Orders

Set custom approvals, limits and more

DPF lets you select the order from the summary list to see an actual copy of the order. From here you can edit the order on screen and attach quotes. When you are ready, it can then be sent off for approval. Approvers can clearly see the order; view attached quotes and even add comments. Once it’s fully approved it can email the supplier a copy of the order with your T&C and either appear in the Eclipse Production accounting system automatically or be available to export into your accounting system.

Your full chart of accounts can be loaded and different codes can be restricted to different departments, and you can set up all your free fields to tag rebates and assets. Approvers can update coding and flags and can approve via their browser, mobile app or email.

Instantly create orders using our spreadsheet template. Selected travel company bookings can be imported simply by entering the booking number. You can skip approvers if the amount is below their signing limit. The Order number can be set to only generate once fully approved or at any stage of the approval process.

Invoices

Making data entry old school

Email your invoices to DPF or drag and drop a copy into the invoice entry screen to have them automatically entered into the system, leaving you only to add the necessary details. The invoice approval group defaults to the orders approval group but has its own independent approval chain which can be sent to different people to approve with different limits to skip.

Approvers can see a copy of the invoice with current approvals as well as a “Matches PO Stamp” and comment if it doesn’t. They can also see the purchase order and backup as well as a full audit report showing all the coding and flagging and order log and activity. Once the invoice is fully approved it will display the ‘approved’ stamp with all the approvals, including the transaction number. It’s then available to be posted and is shown in the Payments Approval module.

Invoices can be set to skip Dept Head approval if the invoice amount matches the Order.

Documents

Everything you need on screen

Documents is a generic catch all module. It was specifically set up for approving other accounting and production documents like bank reconciliations, hot costs, cost reports and travel authorisations. Setup different approval flows for different types of documents. You then have a repository of all fully approved documents including activity audit log.

Suppliers

Pre-approve your suppliers

If your corporate governance requires pre-approval of supplies to ensure you are only using preferred suppliers and the legitimacy of the supplier including bank details and tax registrations then this option will help you automate this process and ensure nothing slips through the cracks. This is an optional setting to approve suppliers before they can be used in the system.

Distribution Changes

To be approved or not, that is the question

If the studio policy is to have Distribution changes pre-approved, then this workflow will ensure they are not posted until fully approved.

Journals

Customisable according to studio policy

If the studio policy is to have a Journal pre-approved, then this workflow will ensure nothing is posted until it is fully approved.

CASE STUDIES

Customer Success Stories

"The developers at TPH share my passion for efficiency and accuracy. They are all actively working in the industry which they serve, which allows unequalled insight into the challenges being faced and enables them to find unique solutions to any obstacle."

“They are all actively working in the industry which they serve, which allows unequalled insight into the challenges being faced and enables them to find unique solutions to any obstacle. All of their software works logically and seamlessly together and their experienced payroll staff offer a wealth of experience to work through the most complex taxation issues. ”

"The team at TPH are a pleasure to deal with & always professional. The support is always above & beyond & the relationship really feels like an extended part of our production finance team. Couldn’t recommend highly enough."

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Our focus is on you

At TPH Global we know and understand the importance of a happy customer. Our unequalled support for our software and payroll saas means you’re never on your own.

Online ticket system

Fully supported ticketing system to ensure your query never gets lost.

Dedicated team

Our support team works their hardest to resolve your issue quickly.

Improvement program

Customer problems and suggestions are integral to our product development.

ENDLESS CONFIGURATION OPTIONS

All the features you know and love, customisable to suit your workflow requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I search for invoices?

From the Navigation Bar select Invoices.
Select the group of the Invoices you would like to search for. These include Draft, Approve, Hold, Pending, Declined, Approved or All.
Use the search bar and type in the supplier name and press enter. A list of results will be returned.

How do I create a Purchase Order?

From the Navigation Bar select Orders.
Select the +Newbutton.
The New Draft POPreview will appear. Select Edit, a new window will appear.
The Currencywill be set to the default. The currency of the PO can be selected from the Currency drop-list. If a required currency is missing, contact your Accounting Department so it can be setup.

In the Supplier field, enter in the first few letters of the supplier’s name. Click on the vendor. If the vendor choice does not exist, then it must be entered, see Adding a new Supplier.

The date is also set to default and cannot be changed.

Fill in the Import Quoteand Delivery Instructions/ Special Conditionsif applicable.
Scroll down to the Order Details.
Fill in the Order Description.
You can fill in a transaction manually by filling in the details on each transaction line or use the Pencil icon to bring up the assistance tools. When filling in a transaction manually enter in the Description, Chart Code, Insurance, Free Field, Tax, Set, QAPE and Amount (excluding GST). You can type in a few letters of the chart code to find the correct code. To add further transaction lines, select the Plus + icon.
When entering a transaction with assistance use the Pencil icon. Click the pencil a new pop window will appear. Click on the Chart Code and use the search tool bar to find the correct account code. The Chart Codes can be searched by either name or number. Use the tracking codes field to select the appropriate codes required. Enter in a item description. Select the PO type, Service is the default PO. Refer to advanced PO drafting for Inventory, Rental/ Hire, Car and distribution types. Enter an Internal SKU and the discount if applicable. Enter in the amount (excluding GST). Click the Save icon once you have finished.
Scroll down to select the Approval Group and verify the Total Amount.
Add attachments by clicking on the Cloud and select the file destination in the pop-up window. You may also drag and drop attachments to this area. Attachments allows you to add pdf, excel, doc and pictures files. Uploading images of assets is recommended so approvers can see the item referred to in the PO.
Once the PO has been completed, scroll back to the top and click on the Save icon.
You will then be directed back to the Purchase Orders screen. To send the PO for approval click on the Send icon. Your order will be sent for approval to the signature line established by your Accounting Department.

How do approvals work?

Approve PO:

From the Navigation Bar select Orders.
Go to the Approvetab.
Select the PO you would like to approve. Click theApprove icon. The PO will be moved to the Approved tab.

Approve Expenses:

From the Navigation Bar select Expenses.
Go to the Approvetab.
Select the expense you would like to approve. Click the Approve icon. The Expense will be moved to the Approved tab.

Approve Invoices:

From the Navigation Bar select Invoices.
Go to the Approve tab.
Select the invoice you would like to approve. Click the Approveicon. The invoice will be moved to the Approved section if you are the only approver, and to the Pending section if there are multiple approvers.

What process do I follow for sending invoices and expenses from Eclipse to DPF for approval?

The article below explains the process of creating an invoice in Eclipse, sending it to Digital Paper Flow for the approval group selection and finally sending it to the approver. The article then explains how an approver can choose to approve the invoice via email or by logging into Digital Paper Flow.

https://tphglobal.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TPHCS/pages/1790705710/Process+Of+Creating+Sending+and+Approving+Invoice+-+Eclipse+to+Digital+Paper+Flow

I'm interested in using DPF for timecard approvals. What information do you have?

If you would like to use Freelance Portal for timecards, and then approve them in DPF, please raise a support ticket requesting this set up. We’ll need your Production Name, an example of the timecard format you would like (as an attachment), the week ending day, and the email address for timecard approvals.

How do I view team orders?

If your administrator has set you up to view Purchase Orders, Invoices or Expenses that you did not draft – such as POs from a certain department, or all POs that have been approved – follow this guide.

Login to DPF
From the Navigation Bar select Orders, Invoices or Expenses.
Click on the View Team Ordersicon in the top left of the page
Once you Have completed, Click the View Team Orders icon once more to hide other team members orders. If you do not Click the icon all orders will remain in the look up.
You can then view PO’s from other members in all PO sections. These include Draft, Pending, Declined, Approved, All. This functionality also works for Invoices and Expenses.

For more details, check out our support article https://tphglobal.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TPHCS/pages/1701020658/View+Team+Orders+DPF

Is there a mobile app?

The Digital Paper Flow Mobile App is available on Apple iOS and Android Devices from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store by searching for Digital Paper Flow Mobile. The download links are also listed below:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tph.digital_paper_flow&pli=1

https://apps.apple.com/app/id1576617760

The mobile app allows you to Draft, Approve and view all Purchase Orders.

If your production is setup for it, the mobile app also allows you to View and Approve Invoices (but not Draft an Invoice).

How do I search for Purchase Orders?

From the Navigation Bar select Orders.
Select the group of the PO you would like to search for. These include Draft, Approve, Hold, Pending, Declined, Approved, All.
Use the search bar and type in the supplier name and press enter. You will be returned with results.

What do I need to do to set up Eclipse for use with DPF?

This procedure is just a temporary solution to acquire digital signatures until the full release of Digital Paper Flow.

Invoices

Open Accounts Payable > Invoice Entry and insert a new batch, or open an existing batch.
Click insert to add a new invoice.
Once in the Invoice Entry screen, click the Attachments tab. Then click the Select Files button to add the PDF attachment of the invoice.
Find and select the pdf on your computer and click the Attach button. Remember in Eclipse, your computer’s C: Drive is listed as the M: Drive.
The Invoice pdf will now appear in the viewer window, confirming it has been successfully attached.
Click on the Invoice Details tab and continue entering the Invoice as usual, drawing-down any necessary purchase orders. Click the OK button once complete.
You will then be directed back to the Unposted Invoice List window. Highlight the invoice (s), then right-click and select Send to DPF. Then click the Start button.

Note if you receive an error message at this stage it means you have not been enabled to use this feature, contact support@helpdesk.tphglobal.com

The invoice has now disappeared from the original batch and has been moved to a new batch called DPF Draft Invoices. Once it has been sent for approval in DPF, it will move to the DPF Pending Invoices Batch. Then once fully approved it will move to the DPF Approved Invoices Batch, where it can be posted.
Now login to the DPF website using your EzyPO login details: Digital Paper Flow
Click on the Draft Invoices section where you can find the invoice you just sent from Eclipse.
From here you can click the Edit button to change any details of the invoice, including the approval group.
Once you are ready to send the invoice for approval, click the Send button. Once sent, the approval will receive an email to login to DPF to approve.
The Invoice has now moved to the Pending section. You can see that the Invoice is sitting with the first approver TLannister.
Once the Approver logs into DPF they can click the Approve Invoices section to view all invoices awaiting their approval.

For more details, check out our support article https://tphglobal.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TPHCS/pages/1700955017/DPF+Eclipse+Integration

How do I set up default approval groups for use in DPF?

Once the defaults are set up in Eclipse, when the transaction is sent to DPF for approval, you will only need to edit the approval group if a change is required.

Invoices

If the Invoice does not have a purchase order attached then it will use the Default Approver Group in the System Defaults as specified in the instructions below.

In Eclipse go to Control Table → System Defaults → Digital Approve and fill in the settings for:

Default Location Code
Default Approver Group.

By default, the Invoice will use the same Approval group as the Purchase Order that was attached into it. However, if no PO is attached it will use the default setup in system defaults. We recommend doing this so that it decreases the manual work of selecting the approver group in DPF.
This is why every Purchase Order group in DPF needs to have an Invoice approval chain setup inside of it as mentioned in the start of this article: https://tphglobal.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TPHCS/pages/1731067923/Approval+Group+Setup#DPF-Approval-Group-Setup

Petty Cash

To setup Petty cash vendors with their default approval group, you need to go into Accounts Payable → Vendor Master Maintenance → Open the Petty Cash Vendor → Navigate to the Digital Paper Flow tab.

If you do not do this you will need to select the approver group after sending the PC to DPF for approval, which will slow down the workflow.

Right click inside this tab and select Add.
Set the Seq number to 1
Set AppLogin to the default Approval Group name.

For more details, check out our support article https://tphglobal.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TPHCS/pages/1833533441/Set+Up+Default+Approval+Groups

Explore more of our production accounting solutions

Whether you’re a current Eclipse user and you want to streamline your processes or this is your first visit to the TPH website, can you imagine how much easier life will be when you switch to DPF? Find out more, talk to us today.