PPC's e-Tools - Frequently Asked Questions
PPC
How can I tell if my e-Tools are the most recent?PPC uses editions to denote the release of its publications. These editions are denoted by a month and year in parentheses, ex: (2/06), following publication titles and in template headers. These indicate the month and year a publication began updating. Shipment typically occurs two to three months following the date in parentheses.
PPC lists the edition of each e-Tools product in the tree selector, see example below.
You can compare the editions in your display to those posted on our website. To access this list click here.
PPC also uses versions to denote the release of e-Tools products. To use this method of comparison, please refer to the Latest Version Report which can be accessed by going to the Tools menu in e-Tools and selecting Latest Version Report.
You can compare the versions in your display to those posted on our website. To access this list click here.
The editorial group will respond by email.
Generally 24 to 48 hours but it is solely up to the discretion of the editor, this is a free service from our editorial department therefore there is no actual timeframe that will be adhered to.
Questions to the editorial department must be concise and related to a specific PPC product which you must own. Our editorial staff does not provide consultation services or legal service.
General Questions and Comments regarding products, content, and applications will be processed and responded to within 24 hours of submittal.
Copyright Requests will be reviewed and processed according to applicable laws regarding copyright. The request must be reasonable and you must own the corresponding product.
No, e-Practice Aids contain editable Microsoft Word and Excel versions of all audit programs, checklists, and letters in the related PPC guide.
e-Tools must be installed to the local machine to run. Subscribing to e-Tools on Checkpoint is a delivery method only, so you must log into the website to initiate the installation.
This issue can occur for any of several reasons. Try the following steps to resolve it:
- Launch e-Tools using the program shortcut and verify that you have the appropriate products installed and available. You must have the e-Tool module installed that corresponds to the document you are opening. Ex: To edit Nonprofit documents, you must have e-Practices Aids for Nonprofit Organizations available.
- Verify that the PPC menu is loading in the top bar of MS Word or Excel. If not:
- Go to Help/About and select Disabled Items. Enable any PPC addins, if found. Then close and re-launch the application.
Note: If the issues persist, contact Technical Support.
No. PPC’s SMART e-Practice Aids™ — Risk Assessment can be used with the following e-Practice Aid audit titles:
- e-Practice Aids - Audits of Nonpublic Companies
- e-Practice Aids - Audits of Local Governments
- e-Practice Aids - Audits of Nonprofit Organizations
- e-Practice Aids - Audits of Employee Benefit Plans
- e-Practice Aids - Audits of Financial Institutions
- e-Practice Aids - Construction Contractors
- e-Practice Aids – PCAOB Audits
- e-Practice Aids - Dealerships
- e-Practice Aids - Homeowners' Associations
- e-Practice Aids - HUD Audits
2007 audit guide updates required substantial changes to practice aids for compliance with the new risk assessment standards. Some practice aids were discontinued and some new ones were added. We also have multiple sets of practice aids to help users comply with and address the standards when ready. (We have Core, Specified Risk and Pre-Risk.) Because of the complexity and multitude of changes for the risk assessment standards, there was a need this year for auditors to examine the new forms and determine what should be used going forward. Using the same form as last year would not be proper under the new standards, and some of the forms have been discontinued since last year.
Yes, e-Tools products expire after two years and will become read-only unless an update is installed.
e-Tools are a suite of products. e-Practice Aids is a product available within the e-Tools suite. So e-Practice Aids make up one part of the e-Tools product line along with other products such as e-Workpapers, Interactive Disclosure Libraries and the Engagement Letter Generator.
The red triangle usually indicates a product has expired, which occurs after two years. In most cases this means an update must be installed. If the latest version is already installed, often repairing the module from Add/Remove Programs will correct the issue.
PPC requires service packs to be installed prior to the installation of e-Tools to ensure product reliability and functionality. Additional information on service packs for Microsoft products can be accessed by clicking here.
PPC's e-Tools™ requires Office 2000 with SP3, Office XP with SP2, Office 2003 or Office 2007. (Office Student/Teacher Edition is not supported. PPC recommends the use of Office Professional edition. Windows Vista is also supported.) To review PPC's system requirements, click here.
Note: This install is recommended for experienced Network Administrators only.
Deploying PPC’s e-ToolsTM products from an Administrative Install Point
The e-Tools products have been designed to take advantage of Microsoft’s Windows Installer technology (MSI). One of the many benefits of this technology is the ease with which software can be readied for distribution. The basic process involves creating administrative install points for each product to be installed on a network share. These administrative install points are then used to deploy the product to client workstations. You can quickly and easily create an unattended installation and enable remote deployment to client workstations using Group Policy, SMS.
PPC’s Product Install Wizard makes the job of setting up your PPC products even simpler. Just select the Administrative Install option to create an administrative install point for all of your PPC products at once. This saves valuable time by automating an otherwise repetitive procedure.
Administrative Installation Point - A network share, called a software distribution point, that contains the packages (.msi files), any transforms (.mst files), and the program files and components.
Supported e-Tools Active Directory Deployment Methods:
- Assignment to Computer
- Assignment to User of e-Tools Framework
- Assignment to User of e-Tools Titles (see titles limitation below)
- Publish to User
Update Notes:
- You will need to create new Administrative Installation Points for Framework and all product templates that have updated.
- Framework must be deployed using the Upgrade option on the package which removes the old version and applies the new.
- Assignment to User works in Active Directory by creating an "advertised" shortcut to an executable which, when launched, completes the install of the product. While this will work for the e-Tools Framework, the e-Tools titles are Word and Excel templates. As such, they do not have an executable that can be used to advertise a shortcut to complete the install. A new feature in Windows Server 2003 with Windows XP workstations has a box ("Install this application at logon") which, if selected, will complete the install when logging into the system. Other systems will show the titles in Control Panel's "Add New Programs", and the "Add" button must be clicked by the user for the install to complete.
Important: Before beginning this process, please verify that the system requirements are met on each workstation that will receive the e-Tools deployment. The installs will NOT complete if any of the system requirements are not met. The operating system must be Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (or higher) or Windows XP Service Pack 1 (or higher). The system must also have Office 2000 Service Pack 3 (or higher) or Office XP Service Pack 2 (or higher) or Office 2003. See the Product Information Guide for more details on these requirements.
Group Policy – Additional Information: Please refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles for additional information regarding deployment through Group Policy:
816102 – How To: Use Group Policy to Remotely Install Software in Windows Server 2003 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];816102
314934 – How To: Use Group Policy to Remotely Install Software in Windows 2000 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314934
Technical Support has no plans for in-depth assistance with administrative installs. We will continue to assist where possible, but lack the resources to perform network administration functions.
For Citrix installs, the program and templates will reside on the Terminal Services/Citrix server and not on the individual PCs.
The Local Machine install will install e-Tools to your computer’s hard drive. The Administrative install will create a set of deployable .msi packages which will then need to be installed to end user workstations using Group Policy, SMS. Note: The Administrative install is recommended for experienced Network Administrators only.
No, this number is optional and does not have to be entered. Your Checkpoint user number is pre-populated for you and will allow you to download the products you subscribe to.
Yes, e-Tools can be installed to Citrix using a Local Machine install.
**Note: MS Office must be installed on the Citrix server to install e-Tools.
No. You do not have to uninstall the e-Tools Framework if you are installing from CD-Rom or the Internet as a Local Machine install. However, if you are installing the e-Tools Framework using the file PPC e-Tools Framework.msi from an Administrative Install Point, you must uninstall the old e-Tools Framework before installing the new Framework.
Install the e-Tools template to the Workpaper Templates directory created by ProSystem. The local default path is typically C:\Pfx Engagement\WM\Workpaper Templates.
If you see messages similar to:
"The server, while acting as a gateway or proxy to fulfill the request, received an invalid response . . ."
OR
"We are unable to verify which products you are licensed for at this time (the PPCMULTISELECTWS service is unavailable),"
you may need to provide an exception for ppcdownloads.thomson.com and/or ppc.thomson.com.edgesuite.net to allow your firewall and/or proxy servers to download and install your e-Tool and SMART e-Practice Aids – Risk Assessment products.
We recommend you work with your IT and your specific Firewall provider in creating the exception.
Leading personal firewall vendors include:
Personal Firewalls
Windows Firewall – http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/security/internet/sp2_wfintro.mspx
Zone Alarm - http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/support/support.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en
Norton Internet Security - http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/support/productdetail/index.jsp?pvid=nis_2008
Proxy Servers
Fortinet - http://support.fortinet.com/
Barracuda - http://www.barracudanetworks.com/ns/support/
Check Point - https://usercenter.checkpoint.com/support/
If you've installed an e-Tools product lately, you've seen the following Macro reminder message:
"Due to Microsoft's design, Macro Security Levels for MS Excel and for MS Word must be set correctly in order for PPC's e-Tools products to operate. Instructions to change the security levels can be found in the e-Tools Product Information Guide."
For Office 2000, Office XP and Office 2003 users:
To change your Macro Security Levels in MS Word or MS Excel, do the following:
- Launch either MS Word or MS Excel.
- Go to the Tools menu and select Macro.
- Select Security from the Macro sub menu.
- In the Security screen dialog box click the radio button to select "Medium".
- Click OK.
- Perform the steps above for both MS Word and MS Excel.
For Office 2007 users:
To change your Macro Security Levels in MS Word or MS Excel, do the following:
- Launch either MS Word or MS Excel.
- Select the MS Office icon in the upper left hand corner of the screen.
- Select the Word or Excel Options button accordingly.
- Select the Trust Center option from left-hand pane.
- Select the Trust Center Settings button.
- Select the Macro Settings option from left-hand pane.
- Select the Disable all macros with notification option.
- Select OK.
- Perform the steps above for both MS Word and MS Excel.
Since our 2006-07 e-Tools release there has been an issue of the Save/SaveAs option in MS Word being grayed out after opening from ProSystem Engagement (see example below).
A fix is now available for this issue. Before using the MenuFix Utility, please ensure you have the most recent version of our PPC e-Tools Framework installed by using the link below. If your Framework is installed from a network, please contact your Network Administrator for assistance.
Current e-Tools Framework 2006-10 Install http://ppc.thomson.com.edgesuite.net/e-ToolsProducts/Framework/PPC e-Tools Framework.msi
Using the MenuFix Utility
The current version of e-Tools Framework corrects the cause of the issue. The MenuFix Utility corrects the problem in existing MS Word documents.
To Fix all MS Word documents in a single Folder:
- Save the executable FixMenu.exe to the folder containing the affected MS Word documents (right-click on the Binder, select Properties, and view Information tab).
- You must run the FixMenu.exe in each folder containing MS Word documents needing to have this issue corrected. Sub-Folders are NOT automatically corrected.
MenuFix Utility http://ppc.thomson.com.edgesuite.net/e-ToolsProducts/misc_downloads/FixMenu.exe
When attemptimg to save an e-Tool document you receive an error 4198. (For this error to apply, Goldmine v6.5 or greater and PPC e-Tool’s must be installed on the same workstation. MS Office version must be 2000.)
Your options are:
- Preferred Workaround: Upgrade office version to XP or 2003.
- Optional Workaround #1: Uninstall Goldmine link to MS Office.
- Optional Workaround #2: Do not install e-Tools and Goldmine on the same workstation.
This error has been reported when launching PPC's Engagement Letter Generator and is known to be caused by the absence of the Microsoft Calendar ActiveX control MSCAL.ocx on some systems.
To correct the issue it is necessary to download and install the Microsoft Calendar ActiveX control MSCAL.ocx.
- Click here to access the fix files. Select the correct link for your operating system.
- When the file download dialog box appears, select Open.
- Leave the default unzip location set to C: and select the Unzip button on the WinZip Self-Extractor prompt.
- You should then receive a message confirming the files have been unzipped, click OK.
- The last message will confirm the registration of the MSCAL.ocx file to your system. Click OK to complete the installation.
The Interactive Disclosure Libraries line of e-Tools products are secured differently from other Excel based workbooks from the e-Tools suite. When opening them from ProSystem fx the following message will be displayed:
If you select the Do not display this message again checkbox to deactivate the warning, the following error will display when you attempt to use the ProSystem fx toolbar again.
To bypass this issue, you must enter the Client Name, Financial Statement Date, Prepared By, Workpaper Index, and Date directly, instead of using the ProSystem fx toolbar to insert this information.
Other than this issue, the document functionality works correctly and the workbook is able to use all other features.
Anti-spyware products are removing registry entries that begin with any capitalization form of "PPC" in response to a Trojan virus. The virus targets a popular consumer product - not your PPC products. Unfortunately the PPC and WG&L e-Tool products as well as PPC's Smart e-Practice Aids-Risk Assessment are affected by the anti-spyware action since they rely on registry entries that begin with PPC.
Read the full Technical Bulletin. The latest pattern file as of 9/26/2007 no longer identifies PPC as a threat. Ensure that you get the latest pattern files before running the scan again.
The Office add-in for the PPC Menu may have become disabled.
Windows XP users:
In MS Word, go to Help > About Microsoft Office Word. Select Disabled Items. If OBETWordVBACommon.dot is listed (Obetexcelvbacommon.xla in Excel), select it and click OK. Select Enable at the prompt.
Vista/Office 2007 users:
Click the Office button then select Word Options. Click Add-Ins on the left side menu. From the Manage drop-down menu, select Disabled Items and click Go. If OBETWordVBACommon.dot is listed (Obetexcelvbacommon.xla in Excel), select it and click Enable. If OBETWordVBACommon.dot is not listed, contact Technical Support.
If you are using e-Tools standalone, use the Share Data function from the PPC drop-down menu in MS Word or MS Excel. In Engagement CS, the information will be populated for you automatically. Other paperless engagement programs have their own toolbars and functionality that you can use to insert this information into the documents.
Expand the e-Tool title you want until the document names are visible. Holding the Ctrl key on your keyboard, click to highlight the titles of documents you want to set up for the client engagement. After highlighting the documents, click the New Document button in the upper left and follow the wizard instructions.
Use MS Word’s Compare and Merge feature for heavily customized documents or simply start with an updated document template each year. Some paperless engagement software automates this function. Check with your specific application’s help system for additional information or steps.
The Tickmark Toolbar was recently enhanced to reduce its size by automatically hiding un-defined tickmarks. To change this, and show all the tickmarks, select Options on the toolbar and then select the checkbox to Display undefined tickmarks in the toolbar or define the un-defined tickmarks.
For ProSystem® fx Engagement users, we had disabled our tickmark capabilities because of issues regarding conflicts between the PPC and ProSystem fx Engagement add-ins. This issue has been addressed, and the PPC Tickmarks will again be available, starting with the September 2007 release of e-Tools.
The PPC menu provides choices whether to view or not view and whether to print or not print practical considerations. To change these settings access the PPC menu. Then check or uncheck the desired option(s) from the list of choices.
Instead of accessing the sign-off via the toolbar in MS Word, access it from the PPC drop-down menu. You will be presented with a window where you can change or remove the initials.
The Share Data feature provides the ability to share information, such as the client's name and engagement date, with other documents in the same folder location.
To use this feature when creating multiple documents:
- Select the documents you wish to create from the e-Tools application, and select New Document.
- You will be prompted to set the path where you want your documents saved. This location will be used to store your client/engagement information which can be reused with other documents if you save it in this same location.
- To select an existing document folder, select the folder from the tree display and click OK.
- To create a new document folder, key in the path and folder name and
click Create Folder. Now click OK. - Next, you will be prompted for the Client Name and Engagement Date. If this information already exists in the location where the documents are being saved, it will be displayed. The Engagement Folder Selection box will not be editable.
Note: The Client Name and/or Engagement Date can be updated. To use the updated information ONLY on the current document(s) you are creating, check the box at the bottom of the screen. If you wish to update all documents in the same location with the updated client/engagement information, do not check the box.
- Once you have decided how you want to use the information, click OK. The documents you selected will be created and saved to the location you set up.
- The final screen will display your documents by name.
a. To open documents, select one or more documents from the list, and click Open.
b. To create more documents, click Finished. You will be returned to the e-Tools application.
Note: To update stored information for a document, either double-click on the Client Name or Engagement Date field in a document or select Share Data from the PPC menu.
The PPC Menu does not initially display as it did in previous Office versions in both MS Word and MS Excel. User must select the Add-ins tab (located in the top-right of the Word 2007 interface) in order to access the PPC Menu, Tickmarks and other related toolbar items.
You can view specific Vista and Office 2007 requirements here.