EN vehicle sale

Preamble

Due to a lot of support cases of data chaos and unsecure Autopoll users concerning vehicle sales and/or vehicle scrapping, we create this documentation to counter wrong assumptions in this matter.

The change of names, like a vehicle plate number, will not create a new data object. The data object is still the same. Data objects represent the same objects like in the real world. The vehicle in Autopoll stands for the vehicle on the car park. The card in Autopoll stands for the card in hand used physically at the card reader. The vehicle is assigned to a card to know what has been filled.

Basic information

Autopoll works with two blocks of masterdata. These two blocks have to be regarded separately:

Block 1: companies, vehicles und drivers

Block 2: cards

Numbers (company numbers, vehicle numbers, driver numbers and card numbers) have to be unique, like the company names, the vehicle plate numbers, the driver names and the card identification numbers/character strings.

A vehicle or driver can be assigned to cards. This assignment will be used to assign a company, vehicle and/or driver to the polled filling for a following processing in Autopoll (exporting, analysing, invoicing)

The card is primary used to authorise at the card reader and therefore it is not necessary to assign a vehicle or driver. In other words the card functions at the card reader without an assigned vehicle or driver.

In the filling the vehicle assigned to the used card will be stored.

The card will NOT be assigned to the filling. The card will only be stored as an additional information in the filling.

In the filling only an internal, invisible key of the company and the vehicle and/or driver will be stored. That means that the visible vehicle number and the visible vehicle plate number are NOT stored in the filling, only the internal, invisible keys (company, vehicle, driver)

Common mistake or wrong assumption

If the vehicle plate number of an existing vehicle is being changed, then it is data technical no new vehicle, it is only a renaming. Furthermore after changing the vehicle plate number all old fillings will be listed with the new vehicle plate number instead of the accounting wise correct old plate number. That means that a separation for the accounting and the analysing of these two vehicles is not given, in fact it is the same economic item but with another name.

Recommended procedure

If a vehicle is being sold, scrapped or physically deactivated then the following procedure is recommended:

Example: sold vehicle number 123 with plate AA-BB 123 / new vehicle with plate AA-CC 987

Step 1 - blocking card / deleting card-vehicle assignemnt

The card, to whom the sold vehicle was assigned to, has to be blocked and the assignment to the sold vehicle has to be deleted in this card.

Step 2 - transmitting cards to the card reader/s

If there ist a time span between the sale of the vehicle and the purchase of the new vehicle, then the blocked card of step 1 should be transmitted to all card readers so that this card can't be used to authorise a filling.

Step 3 - renumbering and renaming of the old vehicle

Open the sold vehicle, renumber it (e.g. from 123 to 99123) and extend the vehicle plate number (e.g. with ..._ALT1 or XXX_..., to AA-BB 123_ALT1).

Renumbering: This will be necessary when the vehicle number (e.g. 123) shall or has to be used again. It is recommended to choose in advance a number interval for the inactive/sold/scrapped vehicles.

Vehicle plate number extension: This will be necessary if the vehicle plate number will or has to be used again, immediately or in the near future. It is recommended to define in advance a general extension for these inactive vehicles. (e.g.: always add _ALTx, AA-BB 123 will be extended to AA-BB 123_ALT1) With that extension it is assured that the vehicle plate number can be used again in the original/plain form and that the origin of the sold/scrapped vehicle is still recognisable.

Step 4 - entering new vehicle

Entering a new vehicle. This can be done by using a new vehicle number or the same number as before (e.g.: 123 - AA-CC 987). Details under vehicles

Step 5 - assigning new vehicle to the card / enable the card

Assigning the new vehicle to a new or the old/former card and activate this card for the card reader/s.

Step 6 - transmitting cards to the card reader/s

Transmitting the activated card of step 5 to all card readers.

Advantages

All old data is still connected with the "old" vehicle and can be processed/analysed over the old vehicle.

All new data is assigned to the new vehicle and can be processed/analysed over the new vehicle.

The vehicle number (e.g.: 123) can be used again and again.

The vehicle plate number (e.g.: AA-BB 123) can be used again and again.

With the above mentioned recommended procedure it is still possible to continue with the special cases of 1:1 combinations of cards connected with a vehicle with the same number (card number = vehicle number).

In spite of the same vehicle number and/or same vehicle plate number these two vehicles are two separate economic items for the accounting, which can be processed/analysed separately or together.

Disadvantage

Due to the fact that there are sold or scrapped vehicles in high vehicle number intervals (e.g. >90000) in the case of a new vehicle entry the suggested new vehicle number will be the next highest number (e.g. 90001). That means before entering a new vehicle the next vehicle number in the active vehicle number interval has to be searched and then be entered when entering the new vehicle.