Serial Number - Revision history

Sdigon: /* Scrubbing on the way in */

2022-07-12T14:07:04Z

Scrubbing on the way in

Lsilverman at 20:58, 26 September 2017

2017-09-26T20:58:22Z

Lpickett: Created page with "TrackAbout has several features which help to ensure that serial numbers are entered correctly, but also to determine for which types of assets serial-number collection is req..."

2017-06-28T17:56:08Z

Created page with "TrackAbout has several features which help to ensure that serial numbers are entered correctly, but also to determine for which types of assets serial-number collection is req..."

New page

TrackAbout has several features which help to ensure that serial numbers are entered correctly, but also to determine for which types of assets serial-number collection is required.

* Ensuring that serial numbers are entered correctly
** Serial number scrubbing allows for a cleanup of common mistakes in serial numbers. For example, TrackAbout changes all "O"s to "0"s so that if one user enters it as an "O" and another user enters it as a "0," a new asset will not get created.
** Incorrect serial number formats can be set. These stop users from entering serial numbers that are know to be a different number on the tank shoulder. For example, do not accept serial numbers that start with "DOT" as this the cylinder's DOT classification and not the serial number.

* Determining for which types of assets is serial-number collection is required
** Serial-number collection is not technically required, but absolutely recommended
** Serial number can be made optional. Most assets require a serial number, but for some classes of inexpensive assets it is preferable to not collect a serial number. Therefore, rules can be set to determine which types of assets require Serial Number.

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 We made a design decision long, long ago to "scrub" serial numbers as they enter TrackAbout, to eliminate ambiguities. The rules are fairly simple:
 * All letter "O"s are converted to zeroes.
-* We strip out all special characters, like dashes and underscores. Anything that's not a number or letter gets stripped out. That's how the data gets stored in the database.
+* We strip out all special characters, like dollar signs and underscores. Anything that's not a number or letter gets stripped out. That's how the data gets stored in the database.
 When done reliably at every point where a serial number can enter the system, this practice solves some of the problems with human serial number data collection.

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-TrackAbout has several features which help to ensure that serial numbers are entered correctly, but also to determine for which types of assets serial-number collection is required.
+==Serial Numbers Aren't Unique==
-* Ensuring that serial numbers are entered correctly
+Serial numbers in TrackAbout have always been considered a cross reference number. They can be useful to identify an asset if the asset tag is lost or damaged. But they shouldn't be relied upon heavily.
-* Determining for which types of assets is serial-number collection is required
+TrackAbout has always assumed serial numbers would NOT be accurately recorded by humans adding assets to the system. Ask two people to Add New the same asset, and they'll type in different serial numbers because of this. Is it a letter O or number 0? A dash or an underline? Depending on the serial number's font, size and condition, the characters can be ambiguous and lead to bad data.
-** Serial-number collection is not technically required, but absolutely recommended
-** Serial number can be made optional. Most assets require a serial number, but for some classes of inexpensive assets it is preferable to not collect a serial number. Therefore, rules can be set to determine which types of assets require Serial Number.
+==Scrubbing on the way in==