I. INTRODUCTION

Automatic posting is a CARS+ feature that processes and posts the Accounting DBR automatically. This relieves the back office staff from having to run the posting each day.

Delays, called "lag days", are defined for each day to provide sufficient time for auditing and correcting closed RAs prior to the posting taking place.

This chapter lists the steps necessary to set up and use the Auto Post logic with CARS+.


II. SET UP

Note that Thermeon's Customer Support Department must do the set up for Automatic Posting. The set up steps are listed here for their use.

A. EDIT AUTO POST DBR SCHEDULE (EDTDBR)
This program is used to set up a schedule for posting by defining the number of days (lag days) that are needed to examine the DBR data prior to posting. For example, to
Post Monday's work on Wednesday
Post Tuesday's work on Thursday
Post Wednesday's work on Friday
Post Thursday's and Friday's work on Monday
Post Saturday's and Sunday's work on Tuesday
the following record would be set up:

OPTION: __ EDIT AUTO POST DBR SCHEDULE
Delay Automatic DBR Posting:
1 Sunday: 2 day(s)
2 Monday: 2 day(s)
3 Tuesday: 2 day(s)
4 Wednesday 2 day(s)
5 Thursday 4 day(s)
6 Friday 3 day(s)
7 Saturday 3 day(s)

8 Sweep period: day(s).



1SAVE 2 3ERASE 4 5 6 7HELP 8


B. GVT RECORD
Set up a GVT record to configure if the report will print (and which printer will be used), and/or be sent as a e-mail message, or stored as a file. Enter the acucobol print command in the alpha value field.

OPTION: __ CARS+ GLOBAL VARIABLE TABLE

1 Location
2 Code APOSTPRT
3 Description AUTO POSTING
4 Type A (A=Alpha,N=Numeric,S=Signed
5 Length
6 Decimals
7 Alpha Value -P tee -a \1| cat >>prtspool/`date +%y%m%d%H%M%S`
8 Numeric Value
9 Signed Value
10 Format Mask
11 Decimal Value






NOTE: The command to the right of the pipe ( | ) in field 7 can be any “print” command desired.
Other examples are:

7 Alpha Value -P tee -a \1| cat >>prtspool/`date +%y%m%d%H%M%S`


7 Alpha Value -P tee -a \1| cat >>prtspool/`date +%y%m%d%H%M%S`


NOTE: There are two automatic posting programs: The set up instructions below are for the original APOST program. An alternate program, APOST2, was developed for Hertz Brazil. APOST2 posts by Location Group. For APOST2:
Edit Group Names: Create a Group Name record (type "P") which includes the locations that are to be posted by APOST2.
Edit Locations: Page 2, Field 24: Manual Post DBR must be set to "G"
C. EDIT LOCATIONS

Page 2, Field 24 MANUAL POST DBR

This field is used to turn on the auto posting logic for the location.
Y = The Accounting DBR for this location will be posted manually.
N = The Accounting DBR for this location will be posted automatically (once controls are in place.) A manual posting cannot be done unless the user's record in the User Access File allows manual posting.
Page 2, Field 25 EXTEND POST THROUGH
Used to define the time through which the DBR should be posted if different from 2359.

For example, a location may close each night from 1 am to 6 am. It would be logical to include the hour of work done from midnight until 1 am with the previous day's work. Entering '0100" in this field would mean that the DBR would include transactions through 1 am of the following day. So when Tuesday's work is posted, it would include the hour from midnight to 1 am Wednesday morning.

If the DBR should run through 2359, leave this field blank.
Page 2, Field 26 NEXT POSTING / LAST POSTED
Next Posting: This field shows the date of the next day on which the automatic posting of DBR's is scheduled to occur. By setting this date several days in the future, the posting of this location's DBR's can be temporarily postponed to allow extra time for auditing.
Last Posted: This "display only field" shows the DBR date which was last posted for this location by the automated posting logic. Note, this field is not updated by locations which post their DBR's manually.
D. EDIT USER ACCESS FILE

Set up a record in the User Access File as shown below:

OPTION: __ EDIT USER ACCESS FILE
1 Employee APOST (Page 1 of 2)
2 Password APOST1 21 Password Exp Date EARLIEST (01-01-0000)
Last Login Date 22 Account Exp Date LATEST (12-31-9999)
3 Menu Type ALL 23 Restrict DBR Date
4 Create Bill-to 24 Restrict Reports
5 Prompt CHGENV 25 Empl. Last Name FOR AUTOPOSTING
6 RW Initials -- 26 Empl. First Name DON'T DELETE
7 Company ID 00 27 Restrict Rpt Code
8 RW Password 28 Employee Address
9 Fleet access Mode
10 Default drawer 29 Employee City
11 Allow bad cust 30 Employee State
12 Open rate edit 31 Employee Zip
13 Close rate edit 32 Employee Phone
14 Language code 33 Employee SS No
15 Override grounding 34 Empl. Birth Date
16 Extend rentals Create Date
17 Restrict EDITCLOS Create Empl
18 Force Subwin View Mod Date
19 Restrict Location Mod Empl
20 Email
1SAVE 2NEXT 3ERASE 4DELETE 5BACKUP 6 7HELP 8


E. TERMINAL RECORD

Set up a Terminal Record for Auto Post.

If the report will be sent as e-mail, two Terminal Records must be set up as shown below.

Reminder: If sending the report by email in pdf format, make sure the file "lpdfmail" is in place.

This first Terminal Record is needed if the report will be e-mailed.


OPTION: __ EDIT TERMINAL RECORDS

1 Terminal name DBR
2 Terminal Type FIXEDFMT
3 RA printer
4 CARS+ report printer
5 Acctg report printer
6 Acctg forms printer
7 Remote RA type
8 Remote Report type
9 Remote Acct Rpt type
10 Remote Acct frm type
11 Default location
12 Default drawer
13 Shared usage?
14 Auth/Swipe
15 RA Print Library #


1SAVE 2NEXT 3ERASE 4DELETE 5BACKUP 6 7HELP 8


The second terminal record is needed for the Auto Post program:

OPTION: __ EDIT TERMINAL RECORDS

1 Terminal name APOST
2 Terminal Type VDT
3 RA printer DBR
4 CARS+ report printer DBR
5 Acctg report printer DBR
6 Acctg forms printer DBR
7 Remote RA type FIXEDFMT
8 Remote Report type FIXEDFMT
9 Remote Acct Rpt type FIXEDFMT
10 Remote Acct frm type FIXEDFMT
11 Default location LOC
12 Default drawer 1
13 Shared usage? N
14 Auth/Swipe
15 RA Print Library #


1SAVE 2NEXT 3ERASE 4DELETE 5BACKUP 6 7HELP 8

If the report will be sent to a printer, only the APOST terminal record is needed and the printer fields should be completed as appropriate.
F. CREATE A DBR DIRECTORY

In the customer's base directory create a directory called "dbr".

G. CRONTAB ENTRY

Set up a cron job for Auto Post in the crontab. The time selected is the time that this job will begin running.

H. POSTING

The GVT record POSTRUN is temporarily created when posting begins and deleted when it ends. If it does not get deleted properly, it has to be manually deleted.

I. PRINTING AUTOPOSTED DBR REPORTS

Use the program Print Autposted DBR to print the DBR report that was created when the locations were autoposted.