Automated Tasks¶

User Activity

If there is a problem with Blindata (eg the connection to the database is lost) and you have to go into Task Manager to stop Blindata, when you try to log back in, it says the user is already logged in.
After a few minutes, the record in the user_activity table is cleared and the user can log back in.
We are able to reduce the time that the user_activity record is held for.
There is a new parameter called ‘User Activity Update’ in Administration -> Parameters -> Automated Tasks with a default value of 2 minutes (as it was before this change).

Enable Automatic Backup

Please check the Automatic Backup section.

Enable Same Day Despatch Cut Off Time

Same Day Despatch Service

A new flag has been created on the customer record to say that EDI orders can have the same day despatch. The field is called ‘EDI Same Day Despatch’.
There is also a new flag in the EDI Import file called ‘Same Day Despatch’.
When an order is imported for a customer with ‘EDI Same Day Despatch’ = true, the import routine checks the EDI import file to see if the field ‘Same Day Despatch’ = true.
If so, the order is then be flagged as a ‘Must Go’ and the ‘Required Date’ = current date.

However, it is also necessary to hold a specified cut off point for these EDI imported records as they will have to be imported before a certain time.
If the order is imported after the cut off time, the required date will be calculated as the next day.
We have therefore created a ‘Same Day Despatch Cut Off Time’ in the Parameters > Automated Tasks.

Also, an additional ‘Same Day Despatch’ carriage charge on a miscellaneous line has been added. We have included this in the ‘Create Invoices’ routine.
We have introduced a new rule: if the customer = EDI Same Day Despatch and Order Date = Despatch Date, then apply this miscellaneous line.
The miscellaneous line says ‘Same Day Despatch’ instead of ‘Carriage’. The normal carriage amount is also picked up as it normally is.

We therefore also need to hold a value for ‘Same Day Despatch’. This is a new field in the ‘Area Codes’ table called ‘Same Day Despatch’.

Enable Evening Cut Off Time

We now hold a new field called ‘Evening Cut Off Time’.
This is held in Administration > Parameters > Automated Tasks tab.
If an EDI order is an imported or online order is synchronised after the ‘Evening Cut Off Time’, the order date becomes the next working day. We also hold the import order date / synchronised date.

Order Processing > Orders / EDI Import

If an EDI order comes in after the evening cut off time then the scheduled date should not be the next day.
It is now at least the following day. For example, if an order is accepted on 03/10/10 (Sunday) after the evening cut off time, then the order date will be 04/10/10 and the scheduled date will be at least 05/10/10 (previously it would schedule it in 04/10/10 if there was scheduled time available).

Enable Automatic Export

The path is related to the 'Aeronaut File' export routine.

Send Stock XML File

Next XML File Creation

It is now possible to export XML files for Next according to specifications received. See dev item above.
The SFTP connection settings for each of these files that are sent are held in the FTP Folder tab in the customer record in new fields for SFTP.

StockLevel>
<Stock>
<BrandSKU>12345678</BrandSKU>
<Quantity>22</Quantity>
<Unit>Metres</Unit>
</Stock>
<Stock>
<BrandSKU>12345679</BrandSKU>
<Quantity>120</Quantity>
<Unit>Metres</Unit>
</Stock>
<Brand>Illumin8</Brand>
<StockFeedName>Illumin8</StockFeedName>
<DateTimeStamp>2019-02-20T09:46:04</DateTimeStamp>
</StockLevel>

Reorder Level Internal Email

It is now possible to send an internal email if a stock item ‘stock in hand’ falls below its reorder level.
This can be done when an order detail line is saved. Once this is done, it flags the stock item as ‘Reorder email sent’ (to stop it happening repeatedly).
When the PO is received for the stock item, the flag is reset.
There is a new email address in Parameters > Internal Email Addresses called ‘Reorder Level Email’ .
There is also a new parameter called ‘Enable Internal Reorder Level Email’.
If this is switched on, then an email will be sent with the subject ‘Reorder Level Warning – stock code XXXXXX, and the message ‘Stock Item [stock code], [stock description] has fallen below its reorder level’.

End Of Day Despatch CVS File

It is now possible to send an end of day report in a CSV format to a customer for the orders that have been despatched that day.
There is a new flag in Sales Files > Customers > FTP Settings tab called ‘Send End Of Day Despatch CSV File’ which defaults to false.
There is a new ‘End Of Day Despatch CSV File Location’ field where an FTP folder can be selected.
There is a new parameter called ‘End Of Day Despatch CSV File’ in Parameters -> Automated Tasks with the ability to enter a time at which the CSV file will be imported.
There is a new routine which will send CSV file to all customers having ‘Send End Of Day Despatch CSV File’ = TRUE and FTP settings filled. Order Details where DeliveryDate = TODAY will be included into spreadsheet.
The ‘Cust Order No’ is now exported to the ‘Customer Reference’ field in the export file.
EDI Import
On the end of day despatch, it currently creates a CSV file each night. When an order comes across in XML format the Order reference is put in as “SO: 0012634,PO: 12634”. As this has a comma in the order reference the whole csv file jumps one column along.

When an order is imported from the online system the customer reference is under certain conditions set as "SO: 0012634 PO:12634. This is now imported it without the comma i.e. "SO: 0012634 PO:12634".

Export to ERP

A different XML file is now created for each order.
Previously if there were multiple orders that were ‘exported to ERP’, they all went into the same file.
The XML file that gets exported to the ERP system has had two changes made to it.

1. The fabric code now goes into the options section and is treated as the first option.
2. There is a new section for <BILLOFMATERIALS>. This then includes the bill of materials records that are created for orders and have fields for <BOMSTOCKCODE> and <BOMQUANTITY>.

The width and drop now appear in the <ORDERLINEDATA> section and the fields are called <WIDTH> and <DROP>.
They are taken from the width and drop that are entered in the order.
Shutter Export
For all shutter orders, there is now a routine that exports a CSV file to a location (specified in Parameters > Data Path).
There is a new parameter called ‘Export Shutter CSV’. If this is set to true, then there should be a location where the file goes to – it is the same field as the ‘Export to ERP’ location, as they will never both be used by one customer. The file name is called Shutters.[order_id].csv
The CSV file layout is as per the specification provided.
Sizes are only exported as a metric, regardless of whether they have been ordered in imperial or metric.
In dev item 4429 we added functionality so XML files would be sent to a different folder. This is now working properly.
If an order is entered and ‘Export XML account code’ is filled, the XML file is sent to ‘Export Folder 2’.

The ‘Export to ERP’ parameter in Automated Tasks is used to send orders to separate folders. This has been expanded to include 4 folders.
If in the customer record, ‘Export XML Account Code’ is not null, a separate XML file is exported to ERP. This file now contains the customer invoice address.

We made the following change:
If in the customer record, ‘Export XML Account Code’ is not null, a separate XML file is exported to ERP. This file now contains the customer invoice address.
In fact, the address now goes into the file that goes to ‘Export Folder’ and not into the file that goes into ‘Export Folder 2’.
Automated Tasks > Export To ERP
When the export is done for a component order, the ORDQT field is always filled with the ‘Unit Quantity’ amount from the order detail line.

Enable PO XML Import

Despatch docket XML can now be imported into the system, update PO and then update sales order.
We did a dev item recently 4702 where XML order acknowledgements could be taken from an FTP folder and a PO record updated.
A file will be created in the sender Blindata system if ‘Send Delivery Docket Batch XML’ is switched on in the customer record.
These files are now included in the automated task called ‘Enable PO XML Import’.
The function can now distinguish between an order acknowledgement XML file and a delivery docket XML.
When the delivery docket XML is examined, it updates the PO status (and detail lines) and if all the detail lines in the sales order that relate to that PO are delivered, then it changes the status of the sales order to ‘Order Manufactured’.
The workflow is as follows. Company A sends an XML PO to Company B. When it is received by Company B, a PO XML file can be sent back (see dev 4702).
The order is then manufactured by Company B and despatched to Company A. At the ‘Despatch’ stage, the delivery docket XML file will be created and uploaded to the FTP folder.
The automated task at Company A looks in this folder for despatch docket XML files and then updates the status of the bought-in PO and, where applicable, then updates the status of the sales order.

Please check the Reverse EDI section where this functionality is used.

Enable Customer Stock Discount Import

There is now an automated task for importing ‘Customer Stock Discounts’.
There is a new flag called ‘Enable Customer Stock Discount Import.
There are also new fields for the ‘Import Path’ and ‘Import Time’.

Feedback Emailing

It is now possible to send out an email a number of days after an invoice is sent out asking for feedback about the invoice. The following has been done.

1. In Company Details, there are new fields called ‘Feedback Email Text’, ‘Feedback Image 1’, ‘Feedback Image 2’ and ‘Feedback Image 3’.
2. In Parameters > Automated Tasks, there is a new section called ‘Feedback Emailing’. This has a flag called ‘Enable Feedback Emailing’.
If set to true, there are then fields called ‘Number Of Days After Invoice’ and ‘Feedback Email Time’ which will hold the time the invoice is to be sent at.
The automated task will therefore look at all invoices that are the number of days after the invoice date and send emails containing the fields in part 1 out to the same email address as the invoice pdfs were sent to.

SMS Install Follow Up

There is now a way to send out SMS text messages to customers 3 days after their blinds have been fitted. This is done through an automated task.
In Administration > Parameters > Automated Tasks there is a new field called 'SMS Messages For Install Follow Up' - this has two fields - one called 'Days After' and another called 'SMS Time'.
There is also a flag to switch these on.
There is a new field in Administration > Company Details > SMS Texts called 'SMS Fitting Follow up'.

If this new automated task is switched on, a SMS message from 'SMS Fitting Follow Up' is sent to orders where the fitting date is x days old (where x = 'Days After') and the order has a status of at least 'Invoice Created'. It is only possible to send this message once and a history record is created for it in the order history.