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The Fleet Complete solution offer insight into the facts, in what actually happened. This information is very important but will be even more interesting when you link these facts to the (planned) assignment data. By linking the known assignment data to the data about the execution your assignments will be automatically recalculated (Automated project/assignment actual costing) enabling you to simply and automatically calculate travel and working hours (Automatic travel cost compensation en Automatic calculation worktime and overtime). Additionally your administration can be done faster and cheaper.
Exchanging data between different software applications (ERP, wages etc.) we call 'integration of data'.  That is what this chapter is about.

Types of interfaces

There are in fact two ways to exchange data between different software systems. These are discussed in this paragraph.
A project manager (project management) of Fleet Complete helps you to determine which method fits best with the application that you have in mind.

Exchanging files

An often used and fairly simple method is the exchanging of files. Suppliers of software agree what data, in what form (often CSV or XLS), they need from each other. Then in the first software application an export task is scheduled that ensures that the data is made available at a certain frequency at an intermediate station (this is often an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server). In the other software application an import task is scheduled that ensures that the data available on the FTP is retrieved and processed.
In case of the Fleet Complete applications it is often the case that the assignment data of the software application of the client is imported into Fielddesk and the hours per employee/assignment are then exported again to the same or a different software application of the client.
The advantage of this method is that it is reasonably simple to realise (low development cost). Downside is that the management aspect of it has to be well organised (in all phases of the project something can go wrong) and that the data exchange costs time and is therefore certainly not real-time.
Fielddesk has an import and an export routine. More about this in paragraphs Importing files and Exporting files.

Web service

A method we see more and more nowadays is a web service. On the side of each of the software application a web service is made available that includes the fields that contain the data to be exchanged. A web service is like a database that is continuously synchronised with the actual database. A web service can receive immediate answers (XML format) by asking questions to the other web service and can therefore have up to date data at its disposal very quickly.
A downside of this method is that a lot of software applications do not have a web service yet and its development is expensive. However, if this is available, a developer is often still needed to set everything up properly.
Fleet Complete has a number of web services; they are deployed when real time data exchange is required, examples could be 'retrieving urgent assignment data' and the 'delivery of GPS/location data per vehicle'.

Importing files

If you would like to import the data into Fielddesk through a file, you can do so using the option 'import jobs' in the FieldExport module. In Fielddesk you can import the following details: POI’s, project related details possibly supplemented with their planning, (work) assignments possibly supplemented with their planning, vehicle related details (brand, type, standard fuel usage etc.), new calibrations of the speedometer of the vehicle, default drivers of a vehicle, fuel promotions and employees.

How this should be set up, will be described here.

Import mapping

It is important that you create a template first. In a template you indicate which field from the Fielddesk database matches which data from the file to be imported.
Creating an import template takes place in the 'FieldExport' module under the option 'Import jobs'.

  1. Click on the option 'import mappings';
  2. Click on [add new] to make a new template;
  3. Enter a name for the template;
  4. At 'import type' you choose the type of data you would like to import. Depending on your choice the corresponding Fielddesk fields appear (fields with a green tick in the column 'required' are compulsory fields)
  5. At 'file type' you indicate what type of file you would like to import and, in case of a CSV file, with which separation mark the data is separated;
  6. Next you click on [edit] in front of the corresponding line per field to be imported and enter the line as follows:
    1. you enter the name of the column that contains the data of the field to be imported or
    2. you enter the column number that contains the data of the field to be imported or
    3. you enter a default value: a fixed description that applies to each of the lines of the import file (the import file does not need to have a column available for this)

             i.          the default value for the country you always enter in English or as 2 digit country code, so Netherlands or NL for The Netherlands

             ii.         during importing POIs you enter the description of the POI-type, matching the description listed under ‘manage POIs' in the management module exactly.

  7. Click [update] to confirm the settings.

Pay attention! During the import of projects the field 'projectmanager' is required. This field refers to the username (login name) of the user (user). The project manager should therefore be known in Fielddesk as user. 

Import group

An import group only has to be created in case you would like to import a file:

  • and there is already data present in Fielddesk that you don't want to 'archive' or overwrite (you want to keep existing data and add the data from the file)
  • and you would like to import multiple files of the same type without the risk of overwritten data.

Creating an 'importgroup' takes place in the 'FieldExport' module under the option 'Importgroups'.

  1. Click on the option 'import groups';
  2. Click on [add import group] to create a new group;
  3. Enter a group name;
  4. Click [update] to confirm the settings.

Import job

Scheduling the import of a file takes place in the 'FieldExport' module under the option 'Import jobs'. First you make a template (import mapping) of the file you would like to schedule for import. A scheduling task can be set up as follows:

  1. Click on the option 'Import jobs';
  2. You see three tabs
    1. In the first tab 'import job' you:
      1. enter the name of the task;
      2. you activate the task;
      3. indicate to which email address(es) information should be sent about the progress of the import (import-emails);
      4. indicate whether all data should be imported completely or the changes only;
      5. indicate, if applicable, which import group should be used (Import group);
      6. indicate the frequency of the execution (enter the settings belonging to the period; the end date does not need to be entered).
    2. In the second tab 'mappings':
      1. you select the mapping of the file you would like to import;
      2. you indicate whether there are rows in the file, apart from the header, that have to be skipped on import;
      3. you indicate whether a manual correction is desired (import waiting)
    3. In the third tab 'FTP':
      1. You activate the export to FTP;
      2. You enter the ip address of the FTP server (followed by a possible map in which the file has been placed);
      3. You enter the name of the file;
      4. You enter the username and the password of the FTP server.
  3. Click [update] to confirm the settings

Pay attention! During the import of files you must ensure that the file and folder names used on the FTP are completely identical to the way you enter them in the abovementioned FTP settings (these are case sensitive).

Import waiting

During the import of files you can ensure that the import 'waits' as soon as an error is found until you have indicated how this error should be handled. As soon as you have done that, the import continues. This is especially useful during the very first import to quickly check what the problem is.

Import-emails

Of every import task that you execute someone in your company will receive at least 1 email. This email informs about the progress of the import task. There are successful and unsuccessful import tasks.

  1. An unsuccessful import task is caused by not being able to (adequately) retrieve the file. The email states what the problem is:
    1. FTP download failed: no connection can be made with the FTP-server or with the file on the FTP-server (name of the folder/file does not match the settings)
    2. Import files not found
    3. Error reading columns
  2. You receive a notification of a successful import task if the import succeeds. In the summary is indicated how many lines have/have not been successfully imported/updated etc. Two attachments inform you about what has been executed:
    1. Attachment Details : this attachment indicates the action taken per line
      1. added: record did not exist and was added
      2. edited: record already existed and its contents have been edited
      3. rejected: record could not be read
      4. invalid: record contains no or invalid data
      5. to archive: record archived because it no was longer in the imported file
      6. from archive: record retrieved from archive because it was in the imported file (again)
      7. no project relation: record with poi not linked to a project
      8. skipped: record skipped due to settings under 'skip rows' or as the result of record that was locked (import function)
      9. blocked: Records with action 'rejected', 'invalid' and 'no project relatie'.  Of these records a separate overview is sent in which it is indicated per blocked line in what column the problem occurred
      10. records locked: Means that an employee is ‘locked’ and may not be edited by an import task.
    2. Attachment Errors: this attachment will only be received if there are rows that are 'blocked' during the import; it displays per blocked row the column(s) due to which these were blocked.

Exporting files

From Fielddesk files can easily be produced that can be imported in another software application. The build of the file indicated by the supplier will be set up in FieldLog. As it were you create a report that corresponds to the correct file format. You then schedule this report for export to a FTP-server.
Scheduling a file takes place in the 'FieldExport' module under the option 'Export jobs'. Of a file you would like to schedule for export you first create a report in FieldLog (create a report). A scheduling task is set up as follows: 

  1. Click on the option 'Export jobs';
  2. You see four tabs
    1. In the first tab 'job' you
      1. enter the name of the task;
      2. activate the task
      3. indicate that you would like to schedule a report
      4. indicate the frequency of the execution (enter the settings that belong to the period; the end date does not need to be entered)
    2. In the second tab 'select views' you enter which reports you would like to schedule. In case of one or more report, you do the following:
      1. Click on [edit] in front of the report you would like to schedule
      2. In the setting screen indicate the layout of the report:
        • File type: indicate what type of file you would like to export and, in case of a CSV file, with what separation mark the data is separated;
        • Whether the file should be compressed (zipped)
        • Whether the header should be exported too
        • in case of a CSV file, with what separation mark the columns should be separated
        • The file name (optionally in combination with the use of wildcards)
        • Whether a filter should be applied to the contents of the report
      3. You can enter these settings for multiple reports that have to be executed within the same task
    3. The third tab is not relevant in this application
    4. The fourth tab 'FTP' you only use when the reports are to be regularly stored on an FTP-server in the form of a file
      1. Activate the export to FTP
      2. Enter the ip address of the FTP-server (followed by a possible mapname in which the report file should be placed)
      3. Enter the username and the password of the FTP-server
  3. Click [update] to confirm the settings

Pay attention! With the option [run], you can, prior to the export task, execute the export task immediately to check whether the task has been set up completely correctly.
During the export of files you must ensure that the file and folder names used on the FTP are completely identical to the way you enter them in the abovementioned FTP settings (these are case sensitive).

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