Java Reference
In-Depth Information
Notice how this structure allows for two partners to bill at different rates. It is also
intended that the rate code be overridden if the terms of a contract require it.
The billable items are stored in a table that contains the date, a reference to the
matter or project, and the id of the timekeeper, as well as information about the
specific activity being billed. I have called the table Billable Items, as it is structured
such that expense items can be inserted as easily as billable hours.
The Billable_Items Table shown in
Table 2-5
contains foreign keys linking it to the
Timekeeper Table and the Client_Matter table, as shown in
Figure 2 -2
.
Figure 2-2:
The Billable_Items table is linked to the Client_Matter and Timekeeper tables.
Table 2-5: Billable Items Table
id
date
matter_id
tk_id
task_code
activity_code
units
rate_code
description
1
4/12/02
7001
2002
L530
E112
300
0
Court fees
2
4/12/02
7001
2002
L110
A101
2.5
1
Review File
The task and activity columns refer to the industry standard Litigation Code Set
developed by the American Bar Association, the American Corporate Counsel
Association, and a sponsoring group of major corporate law departments. A copy of
the Litigation Code Set can be purchased from the ABA Member Services
Department, or viewed on line at:
http://http://www.abanet.org/litigation/litnews/practice/utbms.pdf
In the example of
Table 2 -5
, E112 is the Litigation Code Set code for court fees, while
the rate code 0 is used to handle fixed-cost items, as opposed to items billed on a
per-unit basis. This permits the merging of unit billings with fixed cost billings without
introducing additional columns to handle them separately.
If you add an extra column to handle fixed-cost billings, you introduce a possible
ambiguity, because it becomes possible to enter both fixed and unit billings in a single
row. This violates the requirements of the fourth normal form because it creates
