Time Management for Shift employees

Hi,

I am implementing Positive Time Management for the first time and needed help in a few queries:

1. Is Factory Calendar mandatory for implementing positive time mgt?

2. My client uses a third party tool for capturing employee swipe timings. In view of that:

a) What is the best way to capture the timings in SAP - Is integrating the tool with SAP and uploading the time events on a daily basis to IT 2011 be the method? Or is there any other way?

b) In case of abnormal/ lost hours (outside the swipe time events captured & its tolerance), what is the best standard method so that employees regularize their lost hours?

Appreciate any help on the above.