This screen is accessed via Maintenance Control / Service Schedules / Vehicle Schedules / Schedule By Service Group and selection of the Schedule Tools option from the drop-down menu.
The Group Schedule Options (Tools) form is displayed which provides the facility to perform certain scheduling functions on a group of vehicles sharing the same servicing group.
The screen is split into three areas. These are the Titlebar, the Group Schedule Options Dialogue Box and a series of Command Buttons at the bottom of the screen.
In addition to displaying the screen name the Title Bar provides a number of useful buttons. Within this form the titlebar also displays the module code (i.e. FA) and company number (e.g. 01>.
Contains a single field which gives access to a number of group scheduling options.
Selection of the drop-down-arrow button immediately to the right of this field displays a number of options that enable certain scheduling functions on a group of vehicles sharing the same servicing group. The following options are available:
- Add To Schedules
A function that enables the generation of additional repetetive tasks to a group of vehicle schedules without requiring the separate keying of each occurrence for each vehicle. For example, if the vehicles under a specific Service Schedule Template Header/service group require an extra three monthly test to be carried out in addition to the standard service schedule items, a special Service Schedule Template Header can be created and the three monthly test item set up within this template. Selecting the Add To Schedules option, and selecting this new template forces the system to run though all vehicle records and, for each vehicle associated with the Service Schedule Template Header/service group specified at the start of this process, a projection is made for the new vehicle over the vehicle's service period. This projection is then saved into the existing service schedule with any events occurring prior to the current date being ignored.
Note: This function is intended to provide a solution for situations such as those that occur when an accident occurs within a commercial fleet and Ministry Inspectors increase the frequency of certain statutory tests.
Warning: Running this function makes it impossible to regenerate or predict the effected schedules with 100% accuracy. The vehicle records therefore have their schedule flag set to E to indicate that an Edit operation has occurred.
- Extend Schedules
When a service schedule is initially created the original projection stops at the contract end date. However, in some case vehicles continue in use beyond this date and servicing therefore continues to be necessary. This option prompts for a Service Schedule Template Header/ service group and the number of periods by which to extend the service schedule, for each vehicle flagged as having a schedule based on the selected service group template. The projection is carried out based on the template in exactly the same manner to the Create process except the projection continues to the new end point as defined by the number of requested periods. As the projection is being made, the system ignores all events that occur during the period already defined on the vehicle record, thus creating a record based on the whole period but limited to the extension period only. Once the projection is made the details are saved to the existing schedule. In addition, the vehicle record date/odometer ranges are updated to show the period over ehich the new (extended) projection is made.
Tip: The Regenerate Schedules option must be used in order to regenerate the new extended service schedule.
- Re-generate Schedules
This option prompts for a Service Schedule Template Header/service group and then for each vehicle flagged as having a schedule based on the selected service group template, the current scheduling activity is deleted and a process similar to Create Schedules is run. The parameters used in making the new schedule projection (i.e. the service group and projection dates/ odometer ranges) are all taken from the vehicle record. Therefore if a vehicle has its original schedule extended by, for example, three months, the regenerate function projects a schedule based on the same template but over the new extended period.
- Set Vehicle Calibration
This option prompts for a vehicle profile by displaying the Vehicle Profile form and then reads all the Service Schedule Template Headers, searching for any template that matches the vehicle profile entered.
Note: When the system searches for a service schedule template, the search is carried out at the most specific level first i.e. the system tries to locate a variant specific template first and progressively tries the more general levels (fuel type, model code, franchise) until a match is found. It is also possible to create more than one template with the same vehicle profile; in this circumstance the system prompts with a menu of matching templates found.
The Calibrate Vehicle Schedule form is then displayed which enables the original vehicle service schedule interval to be re-calibrated from its existing interval type to a new interval type. For example, the schedule item may originally be calibrated at odometer service intervals in miles but may need to be re-calibrated to odometer service intervals in kilometres.
Once the vehicle profile selection criteria is entered and the required Calibration Code selected then the system runs down the agreement/vehicle files and updates the required service schedules.
The list of command buttons is as follows:
Proceeds with the selected menu option, generating or deleting (where applicable) the appropriate schedule records.
Exits the Group Schedule Options screen and returns to the previous screen without taking any action.
Provides online context sensitive help.