Key Concepts

Accounting Adjustments

• Accounting Adjustments are used when the client does not use TrackAbout as the main system for managing customer asset balances and rentals. An Accounting Adjustment is a record that TrackAbout creates to edit the balances in the clients main businesses system. These are called Accounting Adjustments because TrackAbout generally refers to a clients' main business system as the 'Accounting System'.

Example: If Customer B returns as asset that was out to Customer A then TrackAbout will create an Accounting Adjustment to remove the asset from the balance of Customer A.

Addendum

• It is possible to add more assets to a record after that record is saved. These assets are added to the original record on an Addendum.

Example: A driver may deliver 4 assets and save this record. He then realizes that he forgot to scan a 5th asset. He can scan this 5th asset onto the record. This 5th asset is added to the record on an Addendum.

Alerts

• Alerts are email or pager notifications when certain conditions are met. See the Alerts section of the TrackAbout website for setting up Alerts.

Asset

• An asset is any physical object that you wish to track using TrackAbout.  A more detailed explanation can be read here.

Asset Classification

• An asset's classification defines what type of asset it is. It is defined by its Category, Group, Type, and Product Code.   A more detailed explanation can be read here.

Asset History and Timeline

• An asset's history shows the events that have happened to the asset in the past, such as Fills and Deliveries. Its history is shown in a timeline - chronological order - with the most recent event at the top of the list.

Asset Transfer Exceptions

• When an asset is moved throughout the system for whatever reason - Delivery, Branch Transfer, Accounting Adjustment, etc. - sometimes there are exceptions. Exceptions can be caused by a number of scenarios, such as an asset being returned from a customer to which that asset had never been delivered. In TrackAbout, a link to an Exception will allow users to see what the specific scenario was and to take action, if necessary.

Asset Types

• Asset Type is a part of an asset's classification. A more detailed explanation can be read here.

Collisions

• A collision occurs when an attempt to attach an asset to a record was made, but TrackAbout was not able to uniquely identify the asset using either the barcode, serial number, or both. This can occur if there are two or more assets in TrackAbout with the same barcode or serial number. Logic built into TrackAbout automatically resolves collisions based on business rules that have evolved over years of experience. However, some collision scenarios that cannot be automatically resolved.

Collisions & Duplicate Serial Numbers

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Customers

• A Customer is any person or company that is or may be in possession of one of your assets.  You may wish to track to which customer an asset has been delivered and for how long it has been there.

Data Lock

• Data Lock is a feature that is designed to protect existing records in TrackAbout from unwanted changes. Without a data lock in place, any user with sufficient privileges can edit or make changes to any record in the system, no matter how old.  A more detailed explanation can be read here.
  

Duplicate Barcodes

• Duplicate Barcodes occur when two unique Assets being tracked in TrackAbout are attached to the same Barcode.  This is a bad condition.  Because Barcodes are intended to be the unique ID for an Asset, two Assets having the same barcoded woudl be like two people with the same Social Security number.  This can happen if a pair of Barcode labels were split and accidentally applied to two Assets, or if two Idential sets of labels were accidentally printed and used.

Full/Empty Status

• Full/Empty Status is a term used to describe the Use State of an Asset that serves as a container. It is commonly used in the packaged gas industry; but may be useful in other industries as well.  See: Use States for more information.

Locations

• Locations are areas where assets can be stored. Any storage area that is not at a Customer is considered a Location. A more detailed explanation can be read here.
  

Record

• Records are any change to an asset that is tracked and recorded within TrackAbout at a specific date, time and location.  Examples would be: a truck load record, a delivery record or a maintenance record.

Record Editing

• Recording editing is how TrackAbout allows you to change records which have already been saved to the website. Changes can be made to update records or correct errors which have been made.  A more detailed explanation can be read here.
  

Unclassified Assets

• An Unclassified Asset is an Asset that is being tracked in TrackAbout; but it has not been defined or classified.  The Asset has been recorded within TrackAbout without any details regarding what kind of Asset it is (cylinder?, Tank? , Trailer?, Wheelchair?)

Use States

• Use States is teh term TrackAbout employs to determine the status or condition of an Asset being tracked. Common use states in the packaged gas industry are Full / Empty.  however other use states may be put in place, such as Broken,  In Repair or Repaired.  And for  Medical related industries: DIrty, Patient Ready or In Quarantine.

User Interface

• this refers to any screens on a computer or handheld device that allows the user (you) to control or use the TrackAbout software.  A more detailed explanation can be read here.

Users

• A User is anyone that is making use of the TrackAbout Software on the website or the handheld in order to track or maintain Assets.  Users can be employees, vendors, suppliers or with FOllow-On Tracking even Customers.