The main idea behind broadcaster is to make it possible to create Maitre'D
data update for multiple restaurants in a process that require modifying
only one Maitre'D data. As an example, let's suppose that the restaurant
Corporate Office wants to change the menu and price in all restaurants
in the chain. Right now, the only way to do it is, for the Corporate Office
to create / update their Maitre'D system with the proper menu items, prices
etc... then do a management copy. The resulting floppy disk must be copied
and sent to every restaurant by traditional mean, namely mail. At the
restaurant branch, someone must take this floppy and do a management restore.
This process is working correctly but there is no way for the Corporate
Office to know if the copy was installed and, if so, at the proper date.
Also, if there is a need to have a different price for the same item in
two or more restaurants, the data must be manipulated and a set of management
copy must be recreated for those ones, making it time consuming to update
many restaurants.
Broadcaster solution step by step
Install the Master Database
Create a "profile" for data update.
Add restaurant sets to the profile.
Add restaurants to the set.
Modify the data of the restaurant sets.
Once the modifications are complete, gather all update files into
a single file.
Transmit the file to each restaurant.
At a given date, when end of day is run, update the restaurant
file.
More graphically:
When creating a new profile, the user is prompted to add restaurant set
to it. When adding set, the user must choose restaurants that are part
of the set.
All restaurants in a set share the same data.
A single restaurant cannot be part of more than one set.
It is possible to make modification to many sets at the same time. In such
a case, only items that are identical in all sets can be edited.
Some records within the management files must be reserved for restaurant
to change.
In some cases, fields and or bit flag must be reserved for the same reason.
Once the data was updated, it can be prepared for transmission.
At the chosen date, the data will be transmitted to the restaurant to be
processed at the given date too.
The converter module will be responsible to update the back office files.
Starting Maitre'D Broadcaster
To use Maitre'D Broadcaster, Maitre'D Back-Office must be install. This
also means that you must have all licenses require to run the Back-Office
application such as terminal on computer and inventory if you plan to
manage inventory recipe from the corporate office. Maitre'D broadcaster
application can be started from Program menu under Maitre'D CCM menu or
from the broadcaster shortcut on the desktop.
When started, the following screen displays:
File
New
The New option from the File menu allows to create new Profiles. Profile
is a where you will group restaurant set. For example, profile could be
september menu change and price update
When selected, the following screen displays,
This new profile can be created from an existing one. Select your preferred
option and click Next to go to the following step.
General
Description
Enter the description of this profile.
Status
This field displays current status for this profile.
Prepared
When profile created, adjust and ready for broadcast
Updated
When profile created and menu and inventory have been adjusted.
Pending
When profile created.
Transmission
Specify here the date that this profile will be available to client restaurants
for download.
When available, the restaurants will download this profile after they transmit
their DBF information to the Corporate Office.
Activation
Enter here the data that these new changes must be activated at the client
restaurant. After the End of day procedure, Maitre'D looks for the activation
date on the profile already download and if the date activation date has
been reached, it will update the restaurant database with the profile
information.
Important: A profile cannot be transmit and activate on the same day. Activation
date must be further of the transmission date. 24hr operations is not
compatible with Broadcasting.
Restaurant set
Create all different restaurant set related to this profile. When you modify
the data, this is by restaurant set. This means that each restaurant that
are sharing the same price structure and all other features should be
group under the same restaurant set. With this regrouping, you can modify
all these restaurants by modifying only a set of restaurant. Instead of
modifying all restaurants one at the time, you can modify the restaurant
set that will affect each store the same way.
Set name
Enter the name of the set you are creating.
SELECT ALL or CLEAR ALL
From the list, select the restaurants that are included in this set. Restaurant
already selected in other restaurant set will be gray out to notice you
that they are no more available for further set. Use the SELECT ALL button
to include all remaining restaurant or CLEAR ALL button to remove all
restaurant previously selected from this set.
When the restaurant set is completed, the current sets of this profile
are listed.
Properties
The Properties option from the File menu allows to look at all specific
information of selected profile. From this option you will be able to
modify setting about the selected profile.
Information on each profile is available from 4 pages
General
You can modify the profile description as transmission and activation dates.
Restaurant set
Add, modify or delete restaurant set related to this profile.
Add
Add button allows to add a new restaurant set to the selected profile.
Modify
Modify button allows to modify restaurant sets. To modify the set, highlight
the desired set and select the modify button.
Delete
Delete button allows to remove a restaurant set from the list. To delete
the set, highlight the desired set and select the Delete button.
Broadcaster prompts a warning message. Select OK to validate your choice.
Note: If this profile is compile and ready for transmission, the restaurant
sets are display but not available for add modify or delete options. To
have the buttons available, you must cancel the broadcast for the selected
profile using Cancel Prepared Data option from the Data menu.
Include Records
Add, modify or remove from Maitre'D configuration file from the database
that will be send to the restaurants.
Maitre'D menu database is made up of files including all different objects
related to each other such as Divisions, Categories, inventory items,
etc. From this option you can modify the default database that is send
to restaurant to update menus and inventory recipes.
Add
Add button allows to add a new record file to the selected profile. When
selected, the following window displays:
File
Select from the drop down menu, the record file you want to add to the
database that will be send to the restaurants.
Records
Specify the number of records include in this file.
Click on OK to validate your choice.
Modify
Modify button allows to modify the number of record this file include.
To modify the number of record, highlight the desired record file and
click on the modify button.
Records
Specify the number of records include in this file.
Click on OK to validate your choice.
Remove
Remove button allows to remove a record file from the list. To remove
the record file, highlight the desired file and click on the Remove button.
Broadcaster prompts a warning message. Select OK to validate your choice.
Default
Select the Default button to reset the changes you did on the default
setting of the database. When selected, Broadcaster displays a warning
message:
Click on OK to validate your choice.
Exclude Fields
Specify if some individual record fields are excluded from the database
update. For example, some restaurants might want to keep items printings
enlarge on the kitchen printer when some others do not. This option let
you exclude from the update the field that is managing the Enlarge option
in the sales item database.
Add
File
Select from the drop down menu, the record file you want to exclude
field from.
Field
Select the field you want to exclude from the database update.
Bits
Some field use bits to manage more then one option. Disable the specific
bit you want to exclude from the database update.
Modify
Modify button allows to modify a field exclusion listed. To modify the
excluded field, highlight the desired record file and click on the modify
button.
Default
Select the Default button to reset the changes you did on the default
setting of the database. When selected, Broadcaster displays a warning
message:
Click on OK to validate your choice.
Delete
The delete option from the file menu allows to delete the selected profile.
When selected, Maitre'D Broadcaster prompt for a confirmation.
Type "YES" to confirm the operation.
View
Toolbar
This option allows to choose whether to display or not display the toolbar
(all the icons at the top of your screens). This selection toggles from
enable and disable. When there is a check mark beside the option, the
option is enabled and you will see the toolbar.
Status Bar
This option allows to choose whether to display or not display the status
bar (the line located at the bottom of your screen) or not. This selection
toggles from enable and disable. When there is a check mark beside the
option, the option is enabled and you will see the status bar.
Options
Selection
Output Directory
Type the location that will be used to keep files ready to transmit
to the client restaurants. This path must be different from the path specify
to receive data from the client restaurant (specify in the Communication
Server application). The installation program proposes C:\POSERA\CCM\SERVER\OUTGOING
as default path.
DBF Directory
Select the location where is located the DBF files received from the
client restaurants. Broadcaster will display restaurant information from
these files in the process to create and manage the profiles.
Language
Select from the drop down menu the language you would like to use when
accessing Broadcaster.
Diagnosis
Log level
Select the type of log file you would like to register. This option
could be useful when troubleshooting a broadcaster communication or execution
problem.
View
Click on the VIEW button to display the recorded log file.
Data
Modify data
This option from the Data menu allows to modify the data of a restaurant
set. The changes that will be added will be specific to this Restaurant
set. Maitre'D Broadcaster bring to a restrain Back-Office application
allowing to modify information from the menus or inventory module.
To modify a restaurant set data, select the profile that include the restaurant
set.
ALL or CLEAR
From the list, select the restaurant set you want to modify data from
and click on OK to reach the restaurant set database. Use the ALL button
to include all restaurant set or CLEAR button to remove all restaurant
set previously selected.
Broadcaster will create from the master database, a specific database
for the restaurant set you select. Also, Broadcaster is creating local
workstation data including the data information from this restaurant set.
From this Back-Office program, All change and modifications will be saved
and keep for this restaurant set. You can use the local workstation application
to look at and test the changes you did to the program.
From the P.O.S. Control, you can modify:
From the inventory module, you can modify:
Prepare data
When modifications are done for all restaurant set of the selected profile
(high lighted), use Prepare Data option from the Data menu to create a
transmission file ready to be transmit at the date specified in the profile
propriety. When data as been successfully prepare, you cannot modify any
information related to the database.
Cancel prepared Data
When a profile data is created and ready to be transmitted, use Cancel
prepared Data option to cancel the scheduled process.
Modify master data
Use this to access the master database. From the option you can add
new menus.
