Energy Force Templates

Templates

There are two types of templates that can be defined for the daily use of Energy Force: Tank Setup and Julian Schedules. This document will outline how to create and deploy each type of template.

Tank Template Maintenance Tables

Before a tank template can be defined, the following maintenance tables must exist in Energy Force:

Customer Types, Delivery Types, Department, and Price Codes are standard maintenance tables that all users must have in order to add a tank to Energy Force. Product Use Codes, Discount Codes and Regulatory Codes are typically optional, however, if using tank templates, a maintenance file must exist. If you do not have any of the three maintenance codes, create a code for None or Unknown.

Defining a Tank Template

Navigate to: Supervisor\Maintenance Menu\Division Maintenance\Customer Template Wizard - Get Template Name

Select the Define Templates button located in the bottom left of the screen. This will bring you to the Template Setup screen.
Select the dropdown menu in the Please select the operation you wish to perform field and choose Create New Template.
Select the Template Division.
1. If defining a template for a cooperative, select Division 1, as this is the primary division for all tanks and customers.
2. If defining a template for a privately-owned company, create this template for each division separately.
Enter a New Template Name, such as Propane Residential. This will be an identifier when selecting which type of template to apply when setting up new tanks.
Select the Next Button.
Select the Customer Type from the dropdown menu and select Next.
Select the Delivery Type from the dropdown menu and select Next.
Select the Product/Department to default to the tank from the dropdown list.
Select Product Use from the dropdown list and select the Next button.
1. Product Use is not a standard maintenance item that may be utilized. If you do not apply Product Use codes, add a maintenance type of None.
Select the Price description from the dropdown list and the Price Tier.
Select the Discount code.
1. Discounts are not a required maintenance table when setting up a tank, however, a code is required to utilize tank templates. Enter a maintenance code of None if your company does not apply term discounts when a delivery is made.
Select Payment in the Apply Discount selection and press Next. This is an indicator that the customer will be eligible for discount if paid within a specific amount of days.
1. Delivery is no longer a valid option for this program.
Select a Regulatory description from the dropdown list and select Next.
1. Regulatory fees are not a required maintenance table when setting up a tank, however, a code is required to utilize tank templates. Enter a maintenance code of None if your company does not apply regulatory fees at the time of delivery.
Review the Template Overview screen for accuracy and select Finish. This will return you to the Division Maintenance screen.

Applying a Tank Template

Once tank templates have been set up in the Division Maintenance\Define Templates program, you can apply the template to any customer tank.

In the Tank Info screen, select to add a Company or Customer Owned Tank. Once selected, press the Use Tank Templates button.
Select the Template from the dropdown list to apply to the customer tank and press Populate.
1. This will populate all of the fields entered from the Tank Template wizard.
2. The Product field will not populate until you physically click in the field after entering all other information in the Location and Tank tabs.
Complete the tank setup by applying required values such as Route, Location, County, etc.

Defining a Julian Schedule Template

The setup of a Julian schedule template is defined at the tank level. You will need to add an initial Julian tank and schedule in Energy Force before you can define a template. Once a template is defined, it can be used on any tank and will help minimize setup time by only requiring a start date for the defined template.

In this setup scenario, start with a tank that has never had a Julian schedule applied:

In the Tank Info screen, using a tank with a schedule delivery type (Julian), select the Location tab.
Select the Schedule button.
Select the green checkmark to create a new scheduling rule.
Select Start Empty.
1. A template has not yet been defined, so this step starts empty.
Enter the Method for Date Generation, Start Dates, Effective Period, Interval # of Days and Schedule base on last delivery.
1. This example is for Interval number of Days based off of the last delivery. Other schedules may be generated for Monthly, Single and Weekly deliveries.
Press the green checkmark when finished and allow the schedule to generate.
Select Save Current Rule as Template.
Enter a Template Name and press Create. The template is now saved and can be applied to any customer tank in Energy Force that has a Scheduled (Julian) Delivery type.

Applying a Julian Template to a Customer Tank

In the Tank Info screen, using a tank with a schedule delivery type (Julian), select the Location tab.
Select the Schedule button.
Select the green checkmark to create a new scheduling rule.
Select the Template Name from the dropdown list to apply and press Use Template.
The scheduled settings from the original template setup will apply.
1. Review for accuracy.
2. Change the Start Date if necessary.
Select the green checkmark to populate the Tank schedule.