The Overdrive Billing Import form is accessed via Maintenance Control / Miscellaneous Options / Import/Export Routines / Import Billing File.
Tip: This process is one in a number of disparate options carried out within the Overdrive process. To understand how each option functions within the overall process please view the Overdrive Sequence help file.
Overdrive provides potentially Three files to be imported via this process which initiates payment of the outstanding approvals within the Kestrel system (although these invoices have actually already been paid by Overdrive).
This file(s) is processed in two stages. The first stage imports the data into an import file; the second stage processes this file(s) onwards to match approvals and pay overdrive if the match is successful.
Overdrive submit the billing file(s) on a monthly basis. This holds details of all invoices paid by overdrive since the last file(s) was produced and each payment should match to an existing approval.
This import, like other imports and exports will make use of the directory structure already created. Overdrive supply the data in a fixed format ASCII file. The user is responsible for unzipping the file(s) and transferring it/them to the Overdrive import/billing directory in Unix.
The file name(s) are in the following format ???ddmmx.txt. and are as follows:
UE1ddmmx.txt The majority of transactions. Raised, married-up and validated as OK. UE2ddmmx.txt Invoice queried against approval. Limited manual intervention but ultimately reconciled. UE3ddmmx.txt Distressed purchases (tyres, glass, etc); unauthorised work; queried more than once; sundry credits.
The ddmmx portion of the file name is made up from today's date with the x as an incremental submission number within a given date. This must be a unique file name. In order to allow for user interaction the upload process allows selection of the required file to be uploaded.
The form is split into three areas. These are the Titlebar, the Overdrive Import Dialogue Box and a series of Command Buttons to the side of the form.
In addition to displaying the form name the Title Bar provides a number of useful buttons.
This area of the form simply contains a description of what is achieved by initiating the Import process in addition to prompting for the import filename. The operation may be progressed or cancelled. The description is as follows:
This process will upload the billing details from the selected file. Click OK to proceed or Cancel to return to the menu.
The following data fields are also displayed:
The full filename to be imported e.g. PRE23042004.txt
A drop-down-arrow button is provided to enable selection from files that currently exist in the directory.
The following command buttons are displayed:
Confirms and proceeds with the Overdrive Import option and new entries are created in the Overdrive Import file.
The system sequentially reads each file until the end of the file is found. Each record found is written to the FA.odimp file.
Tip: Processing is only allowed on files with a .txt extension.
Once the upload is complete the import file is renamed so that it cannot be used again in error. The .txt extension to the file is replaced with a .xxx extension.
The end of the process is marked with a form form displaying the following information:
- Name of file
- Number of records imported
- Number of records written
- Value of records imported
- Value of records written
An OK button permits a return to the menu.
Cancels the process and returns to the Import/Export Routines Menu.
Provides online access to a context sensitive Help form.