Difference between revisions of "General"

Revision as of 05:08, 10 March 2014

Page for General.

Adding Notes

Ad Manager allows you to enter notes in for each Site and Face. To enter notes, go to the appropriate Site (if the note pertains to all Faces at the Site) or Face (if the note pertains to a particular Face at the Site).

Select the Notes page, and enter in the appropriate note. The note will not appear automatically on any reports, unless it is specifically added as a field. Notes are mainly for use internally. The only exception to this are Posting Notes.

Posting Notes can be entered on the Notes page of the Face, in the Posting Notes field. These notes will appear on Instructions sent with the billposter each time they are scheduled to visit the Face.

Backing Up Data

The only sure way to keep your data safe is to back it up. Often. Use a rotating schedule and store your backup tapes off site. The off-site location can be as simple as bringing the tapes home. Do an incremental backup daily, copying all files to tape. Ideally, you should use a different tape for each day, but some people use one tape for all their daily backups. This way, you never lose more than a day's work. At the end of each week, do a complete backup. Use three tapes, alternating them so that you use tape one the first week, tape two the second week, tape three the third week, and then start again with tape one for the fourth week. Even if one tape goes bad, you still will have access to most of your data.

This way if you accidentally delete a file or directory, you are 24 hours away from a complete recovery. When you don't have the time to lose even 24 hours' worth of work, you can reset your backup schedule so that you not only back up at the end of the day, but at lunchtime as well.

As you plan your own backup schedule, try to determine just how many hours of data you can afford to lose without causing major problems. For many people, a 24 hour schedule is enough. Others may need a four hour schedule. Some data may be irreplaceable.

Backup tapes are cheap. Missed deadlines and redoing work may not be.

Backup software can be purchased off the shelf, or you can use the backup routines already in use on your network server. We would also recommend that you test the backup software by backing up data and trying to retrieve it. If your backup software does not work properly, it is best to find out before you really need to use it.

Changes to Software

As changes are made to the Software, this page will summarize what is new in the most current version. Ad Manager for Windows, Release 2000

The most obvious change for users of the Ad Manager Suite of Products is the appearance of the software. Ad Manager has now been designed to mimic the appearance of Microsoft Outlook, a standard in many workplaces. This change allows users not familiar with Ad Manager to be able to move around the software in a more intuitive manner. This environment also allows users to open multiple windows and flip back and forth between different areas of the software quickly and efficiently. Information can be retrieved from the Shortcuts Bar or the Folders List with the click of the mouse button. The software has also been completely integrated with this latest release. All components of the software (Inventory Management, Advanced Mapping, Maintenance, Multimedia and Financial modules) are now available through the one common interface. This allows users to see all aspects of their operations in one place. Different functions have now been bundled together to help our users operate more efficiently. The basic package, for example, now comes with basic mapping capabilities. Depending on which components you have purchased, different portions of each screen will be accessible to you. Our eAd Manager functionality also allows you to extend this power to the Internet and service your organization and your clients better.

New Features

The biggest change in the software is the structure of contracts. Contracts have 3 components; a contract level, a sub-contract level and a flights level. Each level tracks different information and allows you greater control over your charting. Other new features include the ability to assign faces to networks and sell them in this manner. Virtual faces allow you to sell the same face as different media types without having to disable the other face definition. A new lighting tracking screen has been added to provide complete information on your lighting controls. Ad Manager designs have now been set up to include a overlay database. This is where location or time specific copy can be stored and added to designs accordingly.

Improved Features

Dates in the system are now displayed based on how you have set up your operating system. Ad Manager now allows you to keep multiple records for permits and inactive dates for sites, and multiple agencies and sales people can be assigned to a contract. Contracts can now be defined as Proposals, Dead Proposals, Limited Holds (with an expiry date), Unlimited Holds, and Contracted. The charting component has been revised and expanded to allow you greater control over how the charting is to be completed. The system also allows a "Dry Run" option to see what faces meet your criteria before selecting them. Skewing has been modified to allow you to specify which skewing conditions MUST be met, and which are desirable. The user security has also been modified to give greater control over access to different areas of the software.

Customize Current View

Ad Manager allows users to customize screens throughout the software to provide each user with the ability to see the information that they need most often. However, the "Customize Current View" option is machine-driven therefore, if the user logs into a different machine, the view will not be the same. If everyone who uses the system needs to have the same customized views, they must be individually set up on all the machines. To customize any list in Ad Manager, right click in the list and choose "Customize Current View". The following screen will appear.

To select information to include on your screen, you can either Add columns or Delete columns from the view. To add a column to your view, select the New () button. A list of available columns will appear; from this list, click on the desired item to add it. To remove one or more columns from your view, highlight them by holding the CTRL or SHIFT key down while clicking on them in the list and select the Delete () button. This will remove the column from your view. You can add it back to the view at a future time if you wish. The order that information appears on your screens will be in the order shown in "Column". To move items up or down the list, highlight them (to move multiple items, use CTRL or SHIFT while clicking) and use the Move Up () or Move Down () button as appropriate. To reset to the default view, select the Reset button.

Entering the Software

In order to use Ad Manager, you must be on a computer that meets the minimum system requirements. Next, you must have proper access to Ad Manager from your machine. If you are on a network, this means setting up the local machine to access the software from your network. It also means you must install specific components on your machine. If you are unsure of how to do this, contact our Technical Support staff. Once you are properly set up, simply double click on the Ad Manager for Windows icon on your screen. Ad Manager will ask you for your User ID, Password and Server information. The server information will be available from your network administrator. Please note the User ID and password are case sensitive.

If you have been set up to use your Windows logon for Ad Manager, you must check the Use Windows Authentication box on the Ad Manager Logon Information screen, enter the Server name, and the Database name, then click ok. Once this is entered, the main Ad Manager screen will appear. Ad Manager will remember the User ID and Server information from the last person to logon to the computer. If you are the only person accessing Ad Manager from the machine, you simply need to enter only the password, as the remaining information will already be filled in. If you are using Windows Authentication to logon, you simple click on OK.

Importing Your License

Periodically, the license for Ad Manager will require updating. When this occurs, Dot2Dot will issue and send a new license for your company. Once this license file has been received, it should be saved on a common area of the network where all users that use Ad Manager will have access to.

Each Ad Manager user will need to log into the Ad Manager installation on their machine and click on Tools-License-Update. Ad Manager will prompt the user to select the location of the new license file. The user will find the appropriate file in the appropriate directory and highlight it. Once the file has been selected, click Open to update the file.

Ad Manager will close. Launch Ad Manager again and go to Help-About to make sure the correct license is now in place.

Providing and Restricting Access

This section identifies how you can create users and identify what access they have to different areas of the system. Adding a New User

Deleting a User

Changing a User's Access

Updating Information on Multiple Items

Ad Manager provides the ability to update information for multiple items (Faces, Sites, Contracts, Subcontracts, Designs, Advertisers, etc.) quickly and easily. For example, if there are several Subcontracts that need to be changed to sold, this can be done through the Update window one time, instead of having to change each Subcontract individually.

In the Ad Manager Explorer window or in a Filter, highlight all the Subcontracts you wish to update with the same information. You can highlight multiple Subcontracts by holding either the SHIFT key down (for all items in a range) or the CTRL key down (for specific items) while clicking with the mouse. Once all the desired items have been selected, go to TOOLS-UPDATE.

The screen that will appear allows users to set values for fields related to the items selected. By entering a value into one of these fields, Ad Manager will change each of the selected items to have that value in that field. To select a field, you must first activate it by putting a checkmark next to the field name. If you do not wish to update a field, make sure you "uncheck" the checkbox prior to running the tool.

Please Note: If you activate a field and leave it blank, the current values will be deleted and left blank for all selected items.

To run the tool, simply click OK.

Upgrading Ad Manager Versions

Please do not follow these procedures without the assistance of a SQL administrator. This process requires a basic knowledge of SQL.

Download the newest version of the Ad Manager Client by contacting a Dot2Dot representative

The feature sheet of what is included in the upgrade can also be downloaded from here as well.

Place the ChartPro installer in a share folder on the server.

Make sure no users are in the database.

Complete a SQL binary backup of your database.

Uninstall Ad Manager from the server, using Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs.

Install the new version of Ad Manager on the server.

Launch the DatabaseMaker utility located in the Ad Manager Tools Software directory.

A wizard will take you through the various steps of upgrading. Be sure to use a login account that has SQL administrator privileges and is a user of the database. The most common reason for the upgrade failing is incorrect credentials.

Once logged in, the database upgrade will go through a number of steps and finally present you with a successfully completed screen.

We recommend that you do a post upgrade SQL binary backup of the new/upgraded database as well. Do not overwrite the original backup. Create a new backup.

The database is now ready to use.

Double-click on the Chartpro.msi file and install the new version of the software on the server.

Launch Ad Manager on the server to test connectivity.

Import your Ad Manager Licence and close Ad Manager.

On each of the workstations, manually uninstall the existing Ad Manager client using Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs.

Point to the new Ad Manager client installer in the share folder on your server and install Ad Manager on each workstation.

PLEASE CONTACT A DOT2DOT SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE FOR ASSISTANCE IN AUTOMATING THIS PROCESS IF YOU ARE UPGRADING A LARGE VOLUME OF WORKSTATIONS.

View Conflicts

Ad Manager allows you to view all the conflicts that have been generated by a Contract, Subcontract, Site or Face quickly and easily. You can specify which criteria you consider to be a conflict.

To view a listing of all conflicts generated on all Subcontracts of a specific Contract, go to the Contract and click on the Tools menu and select Contract Conflicts. You can also view conflicts generated among certain Contracts. From a finder or list view of Contracts, highlight the Contracts among which you wish to check for conflicts. Go to Tools and select Contract Conflicts.

To view a listing of all conflicts generated on a Subcontract, you can either go to the Contract's Subcontract page, highlight all the Subcontracts and click on the Tools menu selecting Subcontract Conflicts. or go to the desired Subcontract and click on the Tools menu and select Subcontract Conflicts. You can also view conflicts generated among certain Subcontracts. From a finder or list view of Subcontracts, highlight the Subcontracts among which you wish to check for conflicts. Go to Tools and select Subcontract Conflicts.

To view a listing of all conflicts generated on all Faces of a specific Site, go to the Site and click on the Tools menu and select Site Conflicts. You can also view conflicts generated among certain Sites. From a finder or list view of Sites, highlight the Sites among which you wish to check for conflicts. Go to Tools and select Site Conflicts.

To view a listing of all conflicts generated on a Face, you can either go to the Site's Faces page, highlight all the Faces and click on the Tools menu selecting Face Conflicts, or go to the desired Face and click on the Tools menu and select Face Conflicts. You can also view conflicts generated among certain Faces. From a finder or list view of Faces, highlight the Faces among which you wish to check for conflicts. Go to Tools and select Face Conflicts.

When you choose to see conflicts for an item, the following screen will appear.

From this screen you can select which items you wish to consider a conflict issue to review. To select an item, click on it and a check mark will appear. To unselect a checked item, click on it and the check mark will disappear. To reset the Conflict Types screen to the original settings, click Reset. When you have selected all the items to review, click OK and Ad Manager will list all items that have generated conflicts.

When you double click on an item, Ad Manager will display the details, and you can review the conflicts generated. Ad Manager will not resolve the conflicts for you; it will only bring them to your attention.

Understanding Conflict Warnings

Face Inactive - This conflict type looks for Faces that are inactive for any portion throughout the life of the Contract or Subcontract.

Face Inappropriate - This conflict type searches for Faces that do not match the criteria of the Contract/Subcontract. Examples include Faces that do not meet the area distribution, Faces that do not meet the Conditions/Restrictions specified, etc.

Face Non-saleable - The conflict type searches for Faces assigned to the Contract/Subcontract that are designated as non-saleable on the Face - Details Screen.

Face Not Installed or Retired - This conflict type looks for Faces that have not been installed by the start of the Contract/Subcontract and for Faces that have been retired prior to the start date or at some date during the duration of the Contract/Subcontract. The installation date and the retirement date are located on the Face - Details Tab. By not entering these dates into Ad Manager, you leave room for errors such as assigning your clients' campaigns Faces that have not been built yet or that have been permanently removed.

Line-of-Sight Conflict - This conflict type looks for Faces in line-of-sight with each other that are assigned to conflicting advertisers or categories.

Market Mismatch - This conflict type looks for Faces that are not part of the market specified by the Subcontract.

Media Type Mismatch - This conflict type searches for Faces that are not the media type specified on the Subcontract.

Outside Subcontract Dates - This conflict type looks for Faces that are assigned for a time frame that does not match the Subcontract dates. For example, assignments that are scheduled to begin before the Subcontract starts, or after the Subcontract ends.

Potential Line-of-Sight Conflict - This conflict type searches for Faces in line-of-sight with each other that could be displaying conflicting advertisers or categories if one is not taken down or covered immediately after the end of the Posting Schedule and before the other Face's Posting Schedule is completed.

Proposal Line-of-Sight Conflict - This particular conflict type looks for Faces in line-of-sight with each other that are displaying conflicting advertisers or categories where one or more or these Faces are scheduled to Proposals.

Proposal Potential Line-of-Sight Conflict - This conflict type looks for Faces in line-of-sight with each other that could be displaying conflicting advertisers or categories if one is not taken down or covered immediately after the end of the Posting Schedule and before the other Face's Posting Schedule begins and where one or more of these Faces are scheduled to Proposals.

Proposal Scheduling Conflict - This conflict type searches for Posting Schedule that are assigned to Proposals for the same time frame they are scheduled to Contracted, Holds, or expired Holds.

Scheduling Conflict - This conflict type searches for Faces that are assigned to more than one Posting Schedule with overlapping time intervals.

Welcome

Welcome to the Ad Manager® Suite of Products. Our software has been specifically designed to assist outdoor advertising operators with all aspects of their organizations. Everybody now has access to the information they need, quickly and easily, from one source. Ad Manager® was developed in close association with a number of outdoor advertising plant operators in 1985 and has been continuously maintained and upgraded so that the current version contains all the main features used by chartists as well as a large number of special features incorporated at the request of specific users. Ad Manager is comprised of 6 different modules; Inventory Management, Advanced Mapping, Maintenance, Multimedia, Digital Media and Financial. Each module provides specialized assistance to assist in various functions within your organization. All of these modules can be used in conjunction with the Internet through eAd Manager. When the databases are kept up-to-date, it enables the user to perform their daily routines in a fraction of the time once spent to perform the same functions manually. Ad Manager should be viewed as more than just a tool to assist in the day to day operations of your plant; it has been designed to help everybody in an organization. Ad Manager can never replace the valuable experience of the user, but instead helps the user achieve more. In order to get the most benefit out of the purchase of this software, please take the time to read this manual and go through simple example sessions prior to actually using the system.

What's New

This version of Ad Manager contains a number of new enhancements to Virtual Faces, and the ease of data entry. To see topics that have changed since the last version of Ad Manager, look for the () symbol.

Why Security

Ad Manager allows its users to set up user names and passwords to control access to the software. This is a very valuable and important feature for several reasons. By setting up user names, you can ensure that only authorized staff have access to the software and its powerful features. Each user may have different areas of responsibility. You may want to limit staff to be able to access only those areas of the software that they require. Restricting access to other portions of the software can aid in ensuring only those people responsible for a function have access to it. Each user will have their own "work environment". Users may prefer seeing information in a particular sort order, or filter their information to only see certain structures or contracts. Each user may also have a preferred printer they want to print to. Each user can set up predefined views. These views can be public (seen by all users), or private (available only to them) If a user makes changes to the scheduling of a contract, or if they schedule a face to a contract that may cause problems (e.g. line of sight issues, restricted from that location or not available during that time frame), the software will record which user made these changes. This allows you to follow an electronic paper trail, and follow up with the appropriate person as to why this change was made. As you can see, Ad Manager's security feature allows you greater control over your working environment, ensuring a more efficient and successful use of our software.