Updated: April 15, 2020

SLConnect Introduction ...................................................................................... 3
Flow of Data from SL to Unanet .......................................................................... 3
ODC Interface for Project Expenses ..................................................................... 4
Flow of Data from Unanet to SL .......................................................................... 5
Data Mapping Example ...................................................................................... 5
Configurability .................................................................................................. 7
Unanet SLConnect Overview Page 2

SLConnect is a product developed by Unanet to serve as an interface between Microsoft Dynamics SL and
Unanet. The two applications are kept in sync by mapping data fields between the two systems, and sending regular feeds of data from SL to Unanet. The mapping definitions are highly configurable, and can be changed to suit the client’s business needs.
Unanet provides quarterly releases of SLConnect so that clients may take advantage of new interface functionality as it is released.
SL and Unanet are kept in sync by mapping data fields between the two applications, and sending regular feeds of data from SL to Unanet at defined intervals (e.g., every night at 2:00 am, or every hour). Each time a scheduled run of SLConnect occurs, any data that has been edited or created in SL, such as a new employee, an updated employee, a new project or an updated task, is gathered, translated, and sent to
Unanet. The steps in this process are:
(1) SLConnect extracts the data from the SL application database. Using configurable mapping data,
SLConnect transforms the data into the values desired for Unanet.
(2) SLConnect writes the transformed data to CSV (Comma Separated Values) files, in a format compatible with Unanet imports.
(3) SLConnect imports the files into the Unanet application database.
The diagram below depicts these steps:
Unanet SLConnect Overview Page 3


Employees

Supervisors/Managers

Customers

Projects

Tasks

Project Labor Categories

Project & Task Budgets

Assignments

Other Direct Costs (ODCs)
Data is collected from SL, transformed, and written to CSV files in a format compatible with Unanet imports
.
.
CSV files created for import to
Unanet
Data is imported into the
Unanet
Database.

People

Approval Groups

Organizations

Projects

Tasks

Project Labor Categories

Project & Task Budgets

Assignments

Other Direct Costs (ODCs)
In addition to synchronizing the standard entities listed above, SLConnect also provides functionality for exporting direct project costs (known as “Other Direct Costs”, or “ODCs”) from SL and importing them into
Unanet. These ODCs are direct project costs (such as travel expenses and project supplies) that originate in
SL; they are expenses that do not originate in Unanet via a user expense report. By bringing these ODCs
Unanet SLConnect Overview Page 4

from SL into Unanet, Unanet reports will have a full picture of Project costs: Labor, Direct Costs that originate in Unanet, Direct Costs that originate in SL (ODCs), and Indirect Costs.
The ODC interface is part of the standard SLConnect interface and is scheduled to run at the same time as the standard imports of Projects, People, Tasks, and the other entities listed above.
The flow of data from Unanet to SL is not directly provided by SLConnect. Instead, the flow of data in this direction is provided by the Unanet core application through “Unanet Exports”. These export templates are defined and customized during the consulting engagement to export Unanet data in a format ready to import into SL. These Unanet Exports are on demand, as needed, via the Unanet application. Typical exports are represented in the table below:
Journal
Transactions
Accounts
Payable
Unanet Exports:

Company Paid and Corp Card type expenses to SL General Ledger

Employee Labor to SL General Ledger

Subcontractor Labor to SL General Ledgers
Unanet Exports:
 Employee Reimbursable expenses to SL Accounts Payable

Subcontractor Labor to SL Accounts Payable (optional)
The table below shows an example of how data is mapped between SL and Unanet for SLConnect. This example shows a portion of the mapping definition for the Project entity. The project record in SL maps directly to the Project in Unanet. Each Project field is mapped from SL to Unanet, and usually transformed, translated, or formatted to generate the proper value for import into Unanet. Many of the mappings and transformations can be configured in easy-to-use configuration tables to suit the client’s business needs.
Some of the values are transferred from SL to Unanet only once, when the Project has just been created, so that the values are maintained and controlled in Unanet rather than in SL. Other values are transferred
Unanet SLConnect Overview Page 5

from SL to Unanet as updates each time SLConnect runs, so that the values are maintained and controlled in SL.
SL Screen SL Screen Field Translation Insert (new only) Unanet Field
Update (if changed)
Project Status PA.PRJ.00
PA.PRJ.00
Project Status
Project Company
Id and Project
Subaccount
SL value is translated to a valid
Unanet project status value.
INSERT
The SL Company ID is concatenated with segments of the Project Subaccount to form the Unanet Owning
Organization. The segments that are to be transferred are defined in a configuration table.
INSERT
PA.PRJ.00 SL Customer from the Project
Maintenance screen
PA.PRJ.00 Project
Customer or Subaccount, as defined in a configuration table.
INSERT
INSERT A configurable formatting mask is applied to the SL Project Code to derive the Unanet Project
Code.
PA.PRJ.00 Description Direct transfer of this value.
PA.PRJ.00 Project Contract
Type or Utilization
Type
Either value may be used to derive Project Type. This is configurable.
PA.PRJ.00 Project Contract type
PA.PRJ.00 SL Project
Manager
INSERT
INSERT
Mapped through a configuration table.
INSERT
PM is defaulted to Unanet administrator or SL Project
INSERT / UPDATE
Owning Organization
Project Organization
Project Code
Project Title
Project Type
Billing Type
Project Manager
Unanet SLConnect Overview Page 6

SL Screen SL Screen Field
NONE
PA.PRJ.00 Labor Account
NONE none
NONE
NONE none none none
Translation Insert (new only)
Update (if changed)
Manager, as defined in a configuration table.
Default Cost Structure =
Company + ”-Cost Structure”
INSERT
No transformation INSERT
Set as Default in a configuration table.
INSERT
Set as Default in a configuration table. ‘Y’
INSERT / UPDATE
Set as Default in a configuration table. ‘Y’
INSERT / UPDATE
Unanet Field
Cost Structure
Account Number
Manage at Task Level
Require Tasks for
Time Reporting
Require Tasks for
Expense Reporting
NONE none Set as Default in a configuration table. ‘N’
INSERT Assign Self Plans
SLConnect is highly configurable in terms of the manner in which data can be mapped and transformed as it flows from SL to Unanet. Various configuration tables are used to hold the transformation rules and mappings. Typically most of these configuration values are established as part of the product’s initial installation, but many of the values can be easily changed over time to support changing business needs.
The table below provides a representative sample of the configuration properties that are used to support
SLConnect’s data mapping logic. This is only a small subset of the values available to configure SLConnect.
Unanet SLConnect Overview Page 7

Table Field
UsernameDerived
DefaultRoles
UnanetTaskOption
UnanetProjectFormat
DefaultPassword
DilutionOn
ProjectTypeSource
Possible Values

EmailAddress

FullEmailAddress

FirstName.LastName

FirstLetterLastname

SLEmployeeID
Example:
‘timesheetUser,expenseUser’

SLTask Id

SLTask Description

SLTask Id and Description
Values of the form:
‘XXX-XXX’ or
‘XXXXX.XX.XXXX’
Any alphanumeric string, like:
‘welcome’
Y or N
ContractType or
UtilizationType
Description
Specifies how the Unanet Username is populated for new employee records sent to Unanet.
Specifies the default roles associated with an employee.
Three options for populating the Unanet task name. (1) Use just the Task ID, (2) Use just the Task Description, or (3) a concatenation of the two values.
If projects are of the form 123-ABCD, a project format of ‘XXX-XXXX’ should be specified.
The default password to set for new employees set up in Unanet.
Specifies whether or not Dilution is turned on in Unanet.
Specifies the source of the Project Type field in Unanet.
Unanet SLConnect Overview Page 8