Data Files samples / HR, payroll and timesheets

Wrenmoor Garden Centre

Staff, contracts, holidays, absence, timesheets, pay runs and payslips for a business with employees.

Download 247 KB17 tables, 19 queries, 10 reports, 5 print templates and 11,295 invented records, dated back from 2026-10-22.

How the tables are related

A line runs from a field that points at another table's record to that table. Data Files keeps a record from pointing at one that is not there, and a query with both tables joins them by it.

Employees.Department points at Departments
Employees.Manager points at Employees
Pay Changes.Employee points at Employees
Documents Held.Employee points at Employees
Documents Held.Checked By points at Employees
Holiday Allowances.Employee points at Employees
Absences.Employee points at Employees
Absences.Allowance points at Holiday Allowances
Absences.Decided By points at Employees
Pay Runs.Pay Year points at Pay Years
Timesheets.Employee points at Employees
Timesheets.Approved By points at Employees
Timesheets.Pay Run points at Pay Runs
Timesheet Lines.Timesheet points at Timesheets
Payslips.Pay Run points at Pay Runs
Payslips.Employee points at Employees
Payslip Lines.Payslip points at Payslips
Annual Summaries.Pay Year points at Pay Years
Annual Summaries.Employee points at Employees
Annual Summary Lines.Annual Summary points at Annual Summaries

Start Here

The guide to this database: the everyday tasks a step at a time, each step saying which table, form, query, report or print template to open. Open its report, Start Here, to read or print it. Delete the table when you no longer need it; nothing else uses it. (44 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Order	Whole number	The order the steps are read in.
Task	Short text, required	The everyday task the step belongs to.
Step	Whole number	The step's number within its task.
What To Do	Long text	What to open and what to do there.

Business

The business's own details, in one record. Every document it prints, an invoice, a receipt, a statement or a letter, takes its name, address and payment details from here, so they are changed in one place. (1 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Name	Short text, required	The name printed at the top of every document.
Address	Short text	The street address.
City	Short text	The town or city.
Postcode	Short text	The postcode or ZIP code.
Country	Short text	The country.
Phone	Short text	The phone number customers call.
E-mail	Short text	The address customers write to.
Website	Short text	The website, if there is one.
Tax Number	Short text	The VAT or sales tax registration number, printed on invoices. The sample has a placeholder.
Company Number	Short text	The registered company number, where the business is a company. The sample has a placeholder.
Bank Details	Short text	Where customers pay by transfer: the bank, account name and number. The sample has a placeholder.
Payment Terms	Short text	The words printed under an invoice's total, such as "Payment within 30 days".
Tax Rate	Number	The usual rate of VAT or sales tax as a fraction: 0.2 is twenty percent. Lines may carry a rate of their own.
Currency	Short text	The currency the business trades in, as its three-letter code.
Document Footer	Long text	A line or two at the foot of every document: thanks, opening hours, returns policy.

Departments

The parts of the business people work in. Payroll cost and overtime are added up by department. (3 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Name	Short text, required, unique	The department's name. Each name is used once.
Code	Short text, unique	A short code, such as CAF, for a cost centre in your accounts. Each code is used once.
Notes	Short text	What the department does, or anything worth knowing about it.

Employees

One record for each person who works for you, or has done, or is about to start. The pay fields hold the terms they are on now; Pay Changes keeps the history. (32 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Employee No	Short text, required, unique	Your own number for the person, printed on payslips and timesheets: EMP-0103. Each number is used once. It is not any government number.
First Name	Short text	Their first name.
Last Name	Short text, required	Their family name.
Job Title	Short text	Their job now.
Department	Points at Departments	The department they work in.
Manager	Points at Employees	The person they report to, who approves their timesheets and leave.
Start Date	Date	Their first day. A date ahead is someone about to start.
Leave Date	Date	Their last day; empty while they still work for you.
Leaving Reason	Short text	Why they left, in a few plain words.
Date of Birth	Date	Used for the birthdays list, and where pay or pension depends on age.
Address	Short text	Their home street address, for letters and the annual pay summary.
City	Short text	Their town or city.
Postcode	Short text	Their postcode or ZIP code.
Phone	Short text	Their own phone number.
E-mail	Short text	Their work e-mail address.
Pay Type	Short text	Hourly (paid for the hours on their timesheets) or Salaried (paid a yearly salary in twelve parts).
Hourly Rate	Currency	What one normal hour pays, for someone paid by the hour. Overtime is one and a half times this.
Annual Salary	Currency	The salary for a year, for someone salaried. For a part-timer it is the salary for their hours, not the full-time figure.
Hours per Week	Number	The hours in their contract each week. Hours above this on a timesheet are overtime.
Days per Week	Number	How many days a week they work, which sets their share of holiday.
Pay Frequency	Short text	How often they are paid: Monthly in the sample, or Weekly where you pay by the week.
Holiday Days	Number	The holiday a year in their contract, in days, for the days they work. Each year's Holiday Allowances record starts from it.
Notice Weeks	Whole number	The notice in weeks either side must give after the trial period.
Tax Code	Short text	The code or reference your tax office gives for the person, printed on payslips. Left empty in the sample.
Bank Code	Short text	The sort code, routing number or branch code of their bank account. The sample has noughts.
Account Number	Short text	Their bank account number. The sample has noughts.
Emergency Contact	Short text	Who to call if they are taken ill or hurt at work.
Emergency Relationship	Short text	Who that person is to them: partner, mother, friend.
Emergency Phone	Short text	The emergency contact's phone number.
Notes	Long text	Anything else worth keeping: a fixed-term contract, an agreed change to their days.

Pay Changes

The history of each person's job and pay: when they joined, each yearly pay review, a promotion, a change of hours. The newest record for a person is what Employees shows now. (181 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Employee	Points at Employees, required	Whose job or pay changed.
Effective From	Date	The first day the new terms apply.
Reason	Short text	Joined, Annual review, Promotion or Change of hours.
Job Title	Short text	Their job from that day.
Pay Type	Short text	Hourly or Salaried from that day.
Hourly Rate	Currency	The hourly rate from that day, for someone paid by the hour.
Annual Salary	Currency	The yearly salary from that day, for someone salaried.
Hours per Week	Number	The weekly hours from that day.
Days per Week	Number	The days a week from that day.
Notes	Short text	Anything said about the change, such as who agreed it.

Documents Held

The papers and checks kept for each person: the signed contract, the check that they may work for you, the starter form with their bank and emergency details, and letters that changed their terms. A record with no Completed On is still to be done. (99 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Employee	Points at Employees, required	Whose document it is.
Document	Short text, required	Employment contract, Right to work check, Starter form or Contract change letter.
Reference	Short text	Your own file reference for it: HR-0103-2. Never a passport, visa or identity number.
Issued On	Date	The day it was given to the person, or the check was asked for.
Completed On	Date	The day it came back signed, or the check was done; empty until then.
Checked By	Points at Employees	Who did the check or filed the document.
Expires On	Date	For a right to work that runs out: the day it must be checked again. Empty when it does not run out.
Notes	Short text	Anything worth knowing about it.

Holiday Allowances

Each person's holiday for each holiday year: what they may take, what they brought from last year, and what is booked. The sample's holiday year runs from 1 January to 31 December. (55 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Employee	Points at Employees, required	Whose allowance it is.
Reference	Short text	How the record is known in lists, such as on the Absences form: the person's name and the year.
Holiday Year	Short text	The year it is for: 2026.
Year Starts	Date	The first day of the holiday year.
Year Ends	Date	The last day of the holiday year.
Days per Week	Number	The days a week they worked when the allowance was set.
Full-time Days	Number	The allowance for someone working five days a week for the whole year.
Allowance	Number	Their own allowance in days: the full-time days for their days a week, and for the part of the year they work if they joined or left during it, rounded up to a half day.
Carried Over	Number	Unused days brought from last year, up to five.
Days Booked	Number	Approved holiday in the year, taken or still to come. Add a request's days when you approve it.
Notes	Short text	How it was worked out, or what was paid for untaken days when someone left.

Absences

Every day someone is away from work: holiday, sickness, appointments, compassionate leave and unpaid leave. Holiday and unpaid leave are asked for ahead and decided by the manager; sickness is recorded when it happens. (490 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Number	Short text, unique	The absence's number, given in date order and once only: LV-2026-0042, a new run each year.
Employee	Points at Employees, required	Who is away.
Kind	Short text	Holiday, Sickness, Appointment, Compassionate leave or Unpaid leave.
Allowance	Points at Holiday Allowances	For holiday, the person's Holiday Allowances record for the year it comes out of. Empty for other kinds.
Starts	Date	The first day away.
Ends	Date	The last day away (for sickness still going on, the day they expect to be back at work, less one).
Days	Number	The working days it covers, on the person's own working days. A half day is 0.5.
Reason	Short text	A few plain words, kept general: "Cold or flu", "Family matter". Medical details do not belong here.
Status	Short text	Requested (waiting for a decision), Approved, Declined, or Recorded for sickness and compassionate leave.
Requested On	Date	The day it was asked for, or the day sickness was reported.
Decided By	Points at Employees	The manager who approved or declined it, or recorded it.
Decided On	Date	The day it was decided or recorded.
Paid	Yes/No	Ticked when the days are paid: holiday, sickness, appointments and compassionate leave in the sample. Unpaid leave is not.
Notes	Short text	Anything else, such as a handover arranged.

Pay Years

The years pay is added up in, for the year-to-date figures and the annual pay summary. A payslip belongs to the pay year its pay date falls in. The sample uses the calendar year; set your own dates where your tax year differs. (2 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Name	Short text, required, unique	The year's name: 2026.
Starts	Date	The first day of the pay year.
Ends	Date	The last day of the pay year.
Notes	Short text	Anything worth knowing about the year.

Pay Runs

Each time pay is worked out and paid: once a month in the sample, with a payslip for each person. A salary is paid for the run's own month; hours are paid a month behind, for the weeks that ended in the month before. (22 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Number	Short text, unique	The run's number: PAY-2026-M10 for October 2026. A weekly run would be PAY-2026-W14.
Pay Year	Points at Pay Years, required	The pay year its pay date falls in.
Frequency	Short text	Monthly, or Weekly for a weekly run.
Period	Short text	The period in words: October 2026.
Period Starts	Date	The first day of the month the salaries cover.
Period Ends	Date	The last day of that month.
Pay Date	Date	The day the money reaches people's accounts: the last working day of the month.
Status	Short text	Open while it is being prepared, Paid once the money has gone.
Notes	Short text	Anything worth knowing about the run.

Timesheets

One for each person paid by the hour, for each week they worked, with a line for each day. The person hands it in when their week is done and their manager approves it, in time for the month's pay run. (1,527 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Number	Short text, unique	The timesheet's number, given in date order: TS-2026-0042, a new run each year.
Employee	Points at Employees, required	Whose hours they are.
Week Commencing	Date	The Monday the week starts on.
Contract Hours	Number	Their contract hours for that week, kept here so a later change of hours does not alter it.
Total Hours	Number	All the hours worked in the week: the lines added up.
Overtime Hours	Number	The hours worked above the contract hours for the week.
Status	Short text	Submitted (waiting for the manager) or Approved.
Submitted On	Date	The day the person handed it in.
Approved By	Points at Employees	The manager who approved it.
Approved On	Date	The day it was approved.
Pay Run	Points at Pay Runs	The pay run it was paid in: the run at the end of the month after the week ended. Empty until then.
Notes	Short text	Anything said about the week.

Timesheet Lines

One line for each day worked in a week. (5,588 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Timesheet	Points at Timesheets, required	The timesheet the day belongs to.
Date	Date	The day worked.
Day	Short text	The day of the week, as it reads on the printed timesheet.
Start	Short text	The time they started, on the 24-hour clock: 08:30.
End	Short text	The time they finished: 17:00.
Break Minutes	Whole number	The unpaid break taken, in minutes.
Hours	Number	The hours worked that day: finish less start less the break.
Overtime	Number	The part of the day's hours that took the week above the contract hours.
Note	Short text	Why a day was different: stayed late, an extra shift, a half day off.

Deduction Rates

The rates the business uses to work out what is taken from pay, and what it pays on top as the employer. You fill these in yourself. The tax, social insurance and pension rates in this sample are invented examples, named "(example rate)". They are not the rules of any country. Before paying anyone, replace them in Deduction Rates with your own country's current rules or your payroll provider's figures. (7 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Name	Short text, required	The deduction as it is printed on the payslip.
Paid By	Short text	Employee (taken from pay and shown on the payslip) or Employer (paid by the business on top of pay).
Percent	Number	The rate as a percentage of pay above the threshold: 18 is eighteen percent. Empty for a fixed amount.
Fixed Amount	Currency	A set amount a year, shared equally across the pay periods: 52 a year is 1.00 a week or 4.33 a month. Empty for a percentage.
Threshold	Currency	The yearly pay below which nothing is taken, shared across the pay periods the same way. Empty or 0 for none.
Applies From	Date	The first pay date the rate is used for.
Applies To	Date	The last pay date it is used for; empty while it is still in force. When a rate changes, end the old record and add a new one.
Print Order	Whole number	Where the deduction comes on the payslip, lowest first.
Notes	Short text	Where the figure comes from; in the sample, that it is an invented example.

Payslips

One for each person in each pay run, with its lines. The money figures are stored as they were paid, so a later change of rate never alters an old payslip. (511 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Number	Short text, unique	The payslip's number, given in pay date order: PS-2026-0042, a new run each pay year.
Pay Run	Points at Pay Runs, required	The pay run it belongs to.
Employee	Points at Employees, required	Who is paid.
Tax Code	Short text	The tax code used for this payslip, from the person's record. Left empty in the sample.
Hours From	Date	For someone paid by the hour, the Monday of the first week paid.
Hours To	Date	For someone paid by the hour, the Sunday of the last week paid.
Hours Paid	Number	The hours paid, for someone paid by the hour: worked, overtime and paid absence.
Gross	Currency	All the pay before deductions: the payment lines added up.
Deductions	Currency	Everything taken from pay: the deduction lines added up.
Net	Currency	What reaches the person's bank account: gross less deductions.
Employer Costs	Currency	What the business pays on top of gross pay, from the employer rates.
Gross to Date	Currency	Gross pay in the pay year so far, this payslip included.
Deductions to Date	Currency	Deductions in the pay year so far.
Net to Date	Currency	Net pay in the pay year so far.

Payslip Lines

The lines of each payslip: the payments first (basic pay, overtime, holiday pay, sick pay), then each deduction. (2,540 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Payslip	Points at Payslips, required	The payslip the line belongs to.
Line	Whole number	Its place on the payslip, from 1.
Kind	Short text	Payment or Deduction.
Item	Short text	What the line is, as printed: Basic pay, Overtime, Holiday pay, or for a deduction the name of the Deduction Rates record it was worked out from.
Hours	Number	For hourly pay, the hours paid on the line.
Rate	Currency	For hourly pay, the rate per hour on the line; overtime is at one and a half times.
Amount	Currency	The line's amount, rounded to the penny.
Year to Date	Currency	The same item added up over the pay year so far, this payslip included.

Annual Summaries

An end-of-year summary of pay for each person paid in a pay year, issued when the year closes. Last year's are in the sample; this year's are made after its last pay run. (26 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Number	Short text, unique	The summary's number: APS-2025-0012.
Pay Year	Points at Pay Years, required	The pay year it covers.
Employee	Points at Employees, required	Whose pay it is.
Tax Code	Short text	The tax code at the year end. Left empty in the sample.
Issued On	Date	The day it was given to the person.
Payslip Count	Whole number	How many payslips they had in the year.
Gross Pay	Currency	All pay in the year before deductions.
Deductions	Currency	Everything deducted in the year.
Net Pay	Currency	What they received in the year.
Employer Costs	Currency	What the business paid on top in the year.
Notes	Short text	Anything worth knowing, such as that they left during the year.

Annual Summary Lines

The lines of each annual summary: each kind of pay and each deduction, added up for the year. (167 records in the sample.)

Field	Type	What it holds
ID	AutoNumber	The number Data Files gives each record. Other tables point at a record by it.
Annual Summary	Points at Annual Summaries, required	The summary the line belongs to.
Line	Whole number	Its place on the summary, from 1.
Kind	Short text	Payment or Deduction.
Item	Short text	The kind of pay or the deduction's name.
Amount	Currency	The total for the year.

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