12. Settings

Settings are divided into eight main areas with respective sub-items. While the time tracking module is active, an additional Time Tracking area appears.

General

Language

Choose between Deutsch, English and Francais. The change takes effect immediately and affects all menus, dialogs and messages.

Automatic Updates

When enabled, the application checks for new versions at startup. You will be notified when an update is available and can decide whether to install it.

Usage Statistics

Optionally, you can send anonymous usage statistics to INAT Solutions to help improve the software. No personal data, customer data or invoice contents are transmitted. The toggle is located in the Updates section.

Appearance

Switch between light and dark design using the sun/moon icon in the title bar (top right). The dark design is easier on the eyes during extended work and is ideal for low-light work environments. The theme switches instantly without a restart.

Help and Introduction

Here you can restart the setup wizard, view the news of the current version, open the help glossary or show the keyboard shortcuts overview. You can also open the glossary context-sensitively with F1; the shortcuts overview is additionally available via Ctrl+/.

When you restart the setup wizard, you can also switch the start profile. The profile updates visible add-on modules and the focused shell immediately.

As long as the focused start is not complete, the First steps card remains visible on the dashboard. The fourth step opens the backup dialog directly from there or via the shortcut Ctrl+B.

Company

Master Data

All information that appears on your business documents:

Value Added Tax

Configure your VAT settings:

• Checkbox to activate VAT liability
• Set standard rate (Switzerland: 8.1%)
• Define reduced rate (Switzerland: 2.6%)
• Activate special rate if needed (e.g., 3.8% for accommodation)

The rates are offered as selection for invoices and in the catalog.

Invoices

QR Payment Data

For correct Swiss QR invoices you need:

Document Designer

Open Settings → Document Layouts → Open Document Designer. There is one design for all documents: invoices, quotes and reminders use the same style, logo and colors. The designer opens as a spacious studio: the icon rail on the left switches between the four areas Design, Colors & font, Texts, and Logo; the large live preview on the right offers zoom and Fit. In the header bar you switch the preview between Invoice, Quote and Reminder to check the design on each document type.

Design

• Choose one of 22 style templates: Minimal plus the 21 V2 designs Nova, Helvetic, Facet, Quartz, Atelier, Split, Minimal 2.0, Aurora, Bold, Wave, Terra, Bento, Ribbon, Duotone, Blob, Arch, Mesh, Poster, Ticket, Depth, and Slate
• Every template appears as a real mini rendering of a sample invoice — you immediately see how the design looks
• Use the search field and the category chips (All, Classic, Colorful, Organic, Typographic) to filter the catalog

Colors & font

• Full color picker for the accent color: color area and hue slider, direct hex input, plus a dialog for custom colors (including a screen eyedropper)
• Quick pick colors and Recently used for recurring company colors; Default (from style) returns to the curated accent color of the selected design
• A legibility hint warns about colors that are too light, and the "Effect on the document" schema shows live which elements (bands, hero total, table and sum lines) adopt the accent color — text and paper tones stay fixed
• Select the font via the "Font" dropdown — each entry is rendered in its actual typeface so you can directly compare Helvetica, Times, and Courier variants

The ten newest templates extend the catalog with distinctly different document styles:

Texts

• Store header and footer text (applies to all documents)
• Introduction per document type: Use the switch in the introduction field to maintain separate introduction texts for invoices and quotes — reminders automatically use the text from the dunning settings
• Adjust additional invoice texts and microcopy

Logo

• Anchor Grid (3×3): One click places the logo at any of the nine standard positions (top-left, top-center, top-right, middle-left, …, bottom-right). The logo snaps to the chosen corner with a smooth animation.
• Drag and drop in the preview: Click the logo directly in the preview, drag it to the desired location, and release. While dragging, a subtle ghost outline appears as a placeholder.
• Advanced (collapsible): Under "Advanced" you will find sliders and input fields for millimeter-precise fine-tuning of X/Y offset and logo size — ideal for keyboard navigation and exact values.

Save and discard

• Save confirms the change with a short checkmark feedback directly on the button (no more popup messages).
• Discard changes reverts all values to the last saved state — after a confirmation dialog so nothing gets lost by accident.

Quotations

Layout Adjustments

Quotations use the same document design as invoices — there is no separate quotation editor anymore. In the Document Designer you maintain the quotation-specific introduction text via the switch in the Texts area and check the result with the quotation preview.

Additionally for quotations:

• Default validity period in days

Reminder System

Configure Fees

Adjust the reminder fees for each level to your needs:

Additionally, you can individually formulate the reminder texts for each level.

These fees are added to the open invoice amount when a reminder is created and are not included in existing line or document discounts.

Catalog

Management

Here you manage the structure of your service catalog:

• Create, rename and delete categories
• Set default VAT rate for new entries
• Import/export catalog data (CSV)

Accounting

Manage Categories

Organize your accounting with your own categories:

Income Categories: Product Sales, Services, Commissions, Other Income

Expense Categories: Materials, Personnel Costs, Rent, Insurance, Vehicle Costs, Office Supplies, Marketing, Bank Fees, Other Expenses

You can add, edit or delete categories (as long as no entries are assigned).

Export Receipts

Export all receipts of a selected period as ZIP archive. Ideal for your accountant or tax return.

Time Tracking

While the time tracking module is active, the settings show a dedicated Time Tracking area. There you define two company defaults:

• Vacation entitlement per year (default): Applies to all employees without an individual vacation entitlement (preset: 25 days)
• Full-time workload (100 %): Defines how many weekly hours correspond to a workload of 100 % (preset: 42 h, adjustable from 1–80 h). This value is the basis for the workload conversion in the employee dialog

Web App: In the HIVE web app, you find these defaults as a dedicated Time Tracking section in the Company category — likewise only visible while the module is active.

System

User Management

Manage access to the application:

• Create new users with their own password
• Change existing passwords
• Deactivate or delete user accounts

Deactivate / Activate a User

To temporarily revoke a user's access without deleting the account:

1. Go to Settings → User Management
2. Right-click on the desired user
3. Select "Deactivate" from the context menu

The user can no longer log in after deactivation. The account and all associated data are fully preserved. To restore access, repeat the process and select "Activate".

Note: You cannot deactivate your own account. Deactivated users receive no specific error message on login — this is a security measure against account enumeration.

Reset Password

If a user has forgotten their password, the “Forgot password?” link is available in the login dialog. The process runs in three steps:

1. Enter username — Enter the username of the account.
2. Confirm code — A 6-digit numeric code is sent to the user’s stored email address. The code is valid for 15 minutes. After 5 failed attempts, the process is locked for 15 minutes.
3. Set new password — Enter a new password with at least 8 characters and confirm it.

Requirements: The user must have a valid email address stored in their profile. The reset code is delivered through the central HIVE service, so no local SMTP or Outlook configuration is required.

Session timeout: After 30 minutes without keyboard or mouse activity, HIVE ends the current session for security reasons and returns to the login dialog. Any open dialogs are closed during this process.

Inviting Users (remote mode)

In remote mode you can invite new users by email: Settings → User Management → Invite User. The invited person receives an invitation link and sets their own password when opening it for the first time.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA, remote mode)

In remote mode you can additionally protect your account with two-factor authentication (TOTP). You will find the management under Settings → User Management → Manage 2FA:

1. Install an authenticator app — e.g. Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator or Authy (free in the App Store / Google Play)
2. Confirm with your account password — a QR code will then appear
3. Scan the QR code and enter the displayed 6-digit code — done
4. Save your recovery codes — they are only shown once. Keep them safe (e.g. password manager or printout)

After activation, HIVE asks for a 6-digit code from your authenticator app at every login in addition to your password. If you do not have access to the app, you can use one of your recovery codes instead — each code works only once. Deactivation takes place in the same location and also requires password and code.

Note: 2FA applies to your HIVE web account and thus protects both the login in the desktop application (remote mode) and the login to the HIVE web app in the browser.

Optional Modules

Activate or deactivate optional functional areas:

• Jobs module for jobs, projects and work reports
• Vehicles module for vehicle management
• Tire storage module for storage/retrieval and seasonal planning
• Time tracking module for working time recording and hour billing

After activation, the new areas appear in the navigation.

You find the company defaults for time tracking (vacation entitlement, full-time workload) in the dedicated Settings → Time Tracking area (see above).

Calendar Integration

Connect your Microsoft account for Outlook synchronization. Appointments are synchronized bidirectionally.

Email Sending (SMTP)

For direct email sending without Outlook, configure:

Email Templates

Create reusable templates for:

• Invoice sending
• Quotation sending
• Reminders of each level

Available placeholders: {customer}, {salutation}, {invoice_no}, {amount}, {due_date}

Database

Under Settings → Database & Import you choose between two modes:

• Local: All data is stored encrypted on this computer, no internet needed
• Remote (HIVE Cloud): You sign in with your HIVE account (workspace, email, password, 2FA code if enabled). Your data is stored on the secured HIVE server — access from multiple devices and additionally via the HIVE web app in the browser

Switching is done via Manage Connection. In remote mode, the desktop application and the web app work on the same data.

Data Transfer (Local ↔ Cloud Workspace)

Via Settings → Database & Import → Synchronize you transfer your complete data set between the local database and your cloud workspace — including all receipts and documents:

• Upload (local → cloud workspace): e.g. when switching from local to remote mode. Your data is then available in remote mode and in the HIVE web app.
• Download (cloud workspace → local): e.g. when switching back to local mode or to create a local working copy.

The assistant works in two steps:

1. Preview: You see in advance which tables and how many receipts will be transferred. For uploads, the server additionally checks whether your plan's storage space and user seats are sufficient — only then is anything changed.
2. Transfer: After your explicit confirmation, the target side is completely replaced by the transferred data. A backup is created automatically beforehand.

Important: The transfer is a complete replacement, not a merge. Review the preview before confirming. Your workspace user accounts remain untouched during an upload.

Receipts: Receipts count towards your plan's storage space (e.g. 500 MB on Starter, 2 GB on Plus, 5 GB on Pro). If the space is not sufficient, the preview shows a corresponding message. Embedded binary values such as the company logo must be re-uploaded once in the workspace after the upload.

Database Encryption

HIVE automatically encrypts your local SQLite database with AES-256-GCM. The encryption key is protected via Windows DPAPI and is tied to your Windows user account. This means:

• Your data is encrypted on disk
• Only your Windows account can decrypt the data
• When changing devices, you need a backup and the exported key file (see Key backup)

Encryption happens transparently in the background and requires no manual configuration.

Data Backup

Protect your data:

• Create manual backup at the push of a button (Ctrl+B)
• An initial backup is created automatically on the first login
• Automatic backup every 7 days (can be enabled)
• Set backup location (local folder or network drive)
• Restore backup from file
• Configure automatic reminder (weekly recommended)

Cloud backup (remote mode): In remote mode, a backup protects your cloud data: HIVE downloads the complete dataset of your workspace (incl. receipts) encrypted and stores it as a backup file. Restoring uploads a cloud backup back to the server and - after a preview and double confirmation - replaces ALL data there (admin role required, 1 GB upload limit). A cloud backup always belongs to exactly one workspace and cannot be restored into a different workspace.

Key backup: Backups are encrypted with a device-bound key. In the backup dialog, use Key backup to export a passphrase-protected recovery key file (.inatkey) - only with it are your backups readable on a new device after PC loss or reinstallation. Store the file and passphrase separately and safely.

Data Import

Transfer data from other systems:

• Import customers from CSV file
• Import catalog entries
• Transfer accounting data

A wizard guides you through column mapping.

Reset Data

If needed, you can selectively clear areas:

• Delete all invoices
• Delete all quotations
• Reset accounting
• Reset complete data

Each action requires double confirmation to protect against accidental data loss.

Change Log

Under Settings → Change Log you will find a complete log of all data changes in the application. This serves compliance requirements and full traceability.

Available filter options:

The table shows per entry: timestamp, user, type, ID, action, and a description of the change. 100 entries are shown per page; use the navigation buttons to page through.

Export and Archiving:

• CSV Export — Exports the filtered view as a CSV file.
• Archive… — Selects a period, creates a ZIP file with CSV and checksum, verifies the export, and then deletes exactly those exported entries from the database.
• Local storage — With local SQLite usage, storage is freed after successful deletion. In web/remote mode, archiving uses a server-side snapshot so only exported entries are deleted.

Webhooks

With webhooks you can connect HIVE to external systems. When certain events occur, the application automatically sends an HTTP notification to your server.

Configure webhooks:

1. Go to Settings → System
2. In the Webhooks section:

• Webhooks active: Enable the feature
• Webhook URL: Enter the recipient URL
• Select events: Which events should trigger webhooks?
• Secret (optional): For HMAC-SHA256 signature authentication

Available events:

Use the "Send Test" button to verify that your server correctly receives the request. The response is displayed immediately.

Webhooks are sent in the background and never block the user interface. Temporary failures automatically trigger a retry.

License

Here you will find all information about your license:

• Current license status and plan (Starter, Plus or Pro — or Standalone for pure desktop use without cloud)
• Validity date and remaining days
• Connect account with HIVE
• Enter and activate license key
• Manage subscription and payment method

Trial Period and Renewal

• New accounts start with a free 45-day trial with full functionality
• Annual subscriptions equal 10 monthly payments — two months free
• If a subscription has expired, you can still log in: open Settings → Subscription & Payment to renew the subscription via the payment portal. Your data remains fully intact