Program Description
This program can be found on the Contracts Reports menu (CN-4-4). It is designed to work with the Enter Meter Readings program. The report can be printed and used to contact customers for a meter reading. The readings can be written on the report and later entered into the Enter Meter Readings program. The meters are then billed through Contract Billing. It can also be printed in a meter card format. Cards are mailed to customers, meter readings are recorded and then sent back.
There are five possible sort options to use when printing the report or cards, which are by Customer Number, Contract Number, Group Bill Number, Customer Name, and the Item/Serial Number of the machine. The sort option determines the order machines are printed on the report or cards.
When using the meter card format, various problems have occurred, such as printer jams, alignment problems, or cards may not reach their destination. Prior to Revision 12, specific cards could not be reprinted. Specific records on reports could not be reprinted either. With Revision 12, the five sort options were made available. Also, the ability was added to print specific machines, beginning and ending ranges of machines, or all machines. All normal parameters that determine whether a machine is due for a meter reading still apply. This includes the beginning and ending date, company number, type of contract, billing method and branch number. This means that you may enter a specific machine or range of machines, but the machines that fall within the range must still be due for a meter reading to have a card printed or be included on the report. The exception to this is the Contract sort. When a specific contract number is entered, a meter card or report is printed, regardless if machines on the contract are due for a meter reading based on other prompts. Branch Numbers used in this report is stored in the Contract Header (CNHDRD) file. This allows selection by branch of machines to be included on the report or meter cards. The full 28 character Serial File contact name is included on the report format.
Rev 15 Changes
An option has been added to print the Meter Location beneath each Machine when printing the Report format (vs Card format). If the files do not exist, or if both Contract Commitments and Contract History modules are not activated, the prompt will not display. If the operator chooses to print the report in card format, the question will not be asked.
Also, options have been added when the report option is ran, to print for a range of Meter Bill Days or A for all days and a range of Base Bill Days or A for all days. Prior to Revision 15, the report would automatically print for all Meter Bill Days and all Base Bill Days. Screen display when printing for Report option (notice the Meter Bill Days Prompts):
Report Sample showing Meter Locations:
Logic was changed with method 2 and method 3 contracts. Now, if a machine on a method 2 or method 3 contract has a meter reading in the Current Meter Reading field, but it is an newer meter reading, it will print on the report. If the there is a meter reading in the Current Meter Reading field but it is an older meter reading, it will not print on the report. Prior to this revision, if there was a meter reading in the Current Meter Reading field, it would print on the report regardless of how old or new it was. To see if a meter is a newer one, the program finds the number of meter reading between the current system date and that meter reading. If that number if days is greater than or equal to the Number Of Days For Service Meter that is stored in field 15 in Contract Global File (Record Number 8), the machine will be included on the report.
Rev 14 Changes
If a machine was on a method 1 or method 4 contract, and a meter reading was entered, the machine would still print on the report. Logic has been added so that if the machine is on a method 1 or method 4 contract, and there is a current meter reading in the Contract Line Item Meter File (CNLI.DT) and the date of that meter reading is within the date range of the report, the machine will not be printed. This logic will prevent the problem from happening.
Rev 13 Changes
There is now the ability to enter a range of company numbers in addition to the entry of specific beginning and ending company numbers. The Company Number must be between 1 and 255.
When using the report option to print instead of cards, the Fax Number, Service Plan, and Machine ID fields will print from the Serial File (SERIALD). If the fax number in the Serial file is blank, the fax number from the Customer File (CUSTD) will be used. If the fax number starts with 2 spaces (blank), the message NONE will print next to the Fax Number prompt on the report.
When printing the Meter Card Report using the Double Across cards format, the prompt Enter The Date To Print On Cards will appear. The date entered will then be printed on the cards. Copy Due Date was previously used if the contract was not a Method 3 and would print a blank date if the contract was a Method 3 contract. The Single Across card option does not print the date, so this new prompt will not appear.
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