setting up a workbook

[Sheila70]

I want to set up a Daily Calendar that I can post my billings into. I want to show the time spent working on client files so I can bill them out at month end. What is the easiest way to accomplish this. I want to be able to print a detailed page for each customer at month end showing the date , number of hours and a note of work done for each entry. 

[#2]

@Sheila70 In the consulting business myself. Started with a simple table in a spreadsheet with customer ID, project reference, date, time spent and description. Filtered by client/project at month-end and just pasted it in a simple invoice template. Worked perfect. But, I found myself writing down time spent on a piece of paper and then enter it in the Excel sheet at the end of the day/week. Moved away from that and now use a web-based and free time-tracking system on my desktop. Push the button when you start and push again when you stop and everything gets registered to the minute and you can create reports by client, project etc. and attache thos to my invoices. There are quite a few out there. Just take your pick. I love working with Excel and use it on a daily basis, but I would not want to spend time on developing something that is already out there, for free.

[#3]

@Sheila70 

First, I appreciate what @Riny_van_Eekelen had to say about preferring not to create what's already available for free....

But I also have so much fun with Excel that I'll take the time to create my own even IF there's a freebie out there. (Did that for my taxes a few decades ago, in the early days of home computers; eventually went to tax-preparing software, of course, but part of that was that my tax situation got more complicated and the ability to get answers to policy matters...)

Anyway, to get to the point: I created a time tracker and invoicing system for my wife's consulting business. It's very idiosyncratic, which is OK since the person who created it is the one who uses it, but it does enable her to enter for each basic task

• the date,
• hours spent,
• client ID,
• task details,
• task category

At the end of the month, I generate for each client, from all those lines, a simple invoice that shows number of hours by task category during the preceding month, total hours, total amount being charged given the hourly rate negotiated with that client. It's a nothing fancy but fully functional invoice (in Excel; a fancier one could easily be generate via MailMerge in Word). We simply say that daily detailed backups are available. In her case, those backups have never been requested, but they'd easily be provided in the manner @Riny_van_Eekelen described---a filtered list from the database.

The heart of my system, other than the basic database of hours described above, is an invoice that is populated by using the powerful (but infrequently used) DSUM function. In this case, extracting from the database the sum of hours in each category for the month for the client.  I also use VLOOKUP to retrieve the client's name and address from a far simpler table that just shows Client data.

I have the sense that Power Query could probably generate the same kind of result...but then we're starting to get to that point where @Riny_van_Eekelen's basic point makes sense: why duplicate what's already out there for free?!   [I guess we've come full circle, haven't we?]  ;)

[#4]

@Riny_van_Eekelen Thanks. I found a free on on line and have set it up. Thanks for your help.

[#5]

@mathetes 

Thanks for your help. I have found exactly what I needed on line. Set up and working!!