RCS

Example and Generating the Report, and Troubleshooting

The export file should mirror the following text example, when the created text file is viewed from any word processor or text editor. Please follow the two steps required to insure a successful traffic load.

Example RCS Export Traffic File

2KBBBFM 
A970630201Morning Drive 42 42 42 42 42 22 16 
a970630201Morning Drive 42 42 42 42 42 22 16  
B970630201Morning Drive 42 38 41 43 41  6  5  
b970630201Morning Drive 43 39 43 44 42  7  5  
C970630201Morning Drive 99 90 97 102 98 28 34  
c970630201Morning Drive 103 93 102 104 100 32 34  
A970630202Midday    10AM     45 45 45 45 45 45 42  
a970630202Midday    10AM     45 45 45 45 45 45 42  
B970630202Midday    10AM     33 33 41 45 46 40 34  
b970630202Midday    10AM     35 34 42 46 48 41 37  
C970630202Midday    10AM     74 72 90 100 102 89 82  
c970630202Midday    10AM     77 75 94 102 106 91 88  
A970630203Afternoon Dri    39 39 39 39 39 45 29  
a970630203Afternoon Dri    39 39 39 39 39 45 29 
B970630203Afternoon Dri    37 愈Ů 344��2 �� 20 
b970630203Afternoon Dri    38 37 38 45 43 25 22  
C970630203Afternoon Dri    95 90 95 114 109 54 70  
c970630203Afternoon Dri    99 94 96 115 110 55 76  
A970630204Evening   Dri    27 36 36 30 36 36 36  
a970630204Evening   Dri    27 36 36 30 36 36 36  
B970630204Evening   Dri    16 17 17 25 37 18  2  
b970630204Evening   Dri    16 18 17 25 37 18  2  
C970630204Evening   Dri    58 48 46 83 102 49 6  
c970630204Evening   Dri    60 50 46 83 102 50 6  
A970630205Overnight Mid    30 48 48 42 48 48 48  
a970630205Overnight Mid    30 48 48 42 48 48 48  
B970630205Overnight Mid    1 11 14 15 22 35  19  
b970630205Overnight Mid    2 11 15 15 22 35  19  
C970630205Overnight Mid    4 23 30 36 46 73  40  
c970630205Overnight Mid    7 23 32 37 47 73  40

Each line represents a record. Please note for any record however, an embedded description of a daypart is not required. The file carries sold counts, capacity counts, and sold percentages for both units and time values for a daypart Monday through Sunday for a given week. It will be necessary that a station produce such a file on a daily basis. This export file will then be used to load and update inventory sold counts inside Maxagrid.

Note: The following is a step-by-step list of the RCS to Advanced Revenue Management System process. These steps will result in a successful update of Advanced Revenue Management System avails, if configurations across traffic and Advanced Revenue Management System are logically correct, consistent, and intact.

Generating a RCS File

When generating a RCS traffic give the file a unique name, such as Avwaaa, "Av" to identify it is an avail's file and WAAA you can replace with your stations call letters). Maxagrid configures a customized traffic load for each customized system it builds, therefore, this file needs to be created the same each time. If you anticipate any changes to this file please contact our office immediately so we can configure the load to read the new file.

Note: Make sure you name the file the same each time you produce it. Any modifications to the file may produce "False Information" or a "Load Failure".

Loading the RCS traffic file

Load Switches

Interface with the traffic model prior to data load. This loads traffic model for 52 weeks. It takes the model percent sold numbers x capacity per daypart to derive a unit sold count.
Import only non-zero traffic inventory sold data. Either previous booked, pacing or manual entry.
Import only greater than traffic sold data . If you want traffic to mirror Advanced Revenue Management System do not check any load switch's.

Traffic Report Basis

Units Only Time Only Both Units & Time
If you are a Units based station load Units Only
If you are a Time based station load Time Only
If you want to track both Units and Time check Both Units & Time

Convert Units < - > Time Factor

"File data offset" - Do Not modify unless authorized by Maxagrid employee.

Last Result:

Import: last import was successful or it failed
Last Run: last date that an import was started
File: path of the last file whether it was successful or failed
File Date/Time: date and time of the last file and number of weeks imported
Last success: Day of last successful import
Last Process Request Made: Date and time of last successful import and who was logged in at time of import

Once you have check to make sure each of the above settings is correct press "Process". If the above steps have been followed you are ensured a successful load.

Troubleshooting

Q - Why are the numbers accross Maxagrid different after loading avails?

A - A successful avails update may only occur if the two steps are followed and the configurations across systems are logically correct, consistent, and intact. It is crucial to notify Maxagrid when changing dayparts within you traffic system, if you change dayparts in your traffic system your traffic extraction \ import will not run and/or will not reflect accurate information. As a trouble-shoot, if avail counts differ, repeat the two steps and compare numbers again. If avail counts still differ across systems, one check is to verify that defined capacities between RCS and Advanced Revenue Management System are matching. The Extraction / Import process does not update Advanced Revenue Management System capacities for a station. If differences on capacity values exist, then derived percent-sold or percent-available numbers may not match across systems. Check the RCS file you are trying to import, make sure it is a current file. If differences remain, please contact Maxagrid technical support for assistance.

Q - How often should updates be made?

A - The avails information is used by the Advanced Revenue Management System application in setting the various day daypart inventory rates. The percentage of sold inventory, within any daypart, any day, and any future week is the primary determinant of demand pressures for a property's inventory. Some Maxagrid clients review and update their avails information on a daily basis, many others review the information every second day.

Maxagrid recommends…

At Maxagrid, we recommend that the avails information as stored in the system be reviewed and updated at least once a day. How often within the current selling week the avails information should be updated will depend largely on the level of sales activity. The greater the sales activity for any future week, the more often the avails information should be updated for that week. Remember, any change in the avails information will result in a rate change for the unsold inventory. Although at times the rate change may appear to be minor, perhaps only $1 or $2; these small increments when applied to all of the inventory sold in a year provide a very significant increase in total revenue. The incremental increase in revenue becomes even more significant when you consider that after commissions almost all of the remainder is profit.

Avails information and traffic.....

Many of today's traffic systems do not report sold inventory any further than 12 weeks into the future. Some report for as few as 6 weeks. In order to maximize the potential yield of unsold inventory, it is extremely important that any changes in sold inventory (i.e. demand) be recognized in pricing of inventory for as far into the future as possible. Your Advanced Revenue Management System application recognizes this quickly and updates easily. Often, inventory may be committed to by an advertiser but not yet booked, therefore not accounted for by the traffic system. In other instances the impact on the percentage of inventory sold by day daypart for ROS, moveable, and pre-emptable inventory is not reflected in a traffic system's reports until the airtime logs have been prepared. In order to maximize the potential yield available from unsold inventory, adjustments may be necessary to the percent sold information received from your traffic reports. If necessary, these adjustments are probably best made by yourself with your knowledge of business activity, and the traffic reports.

Updating on Friday or Monday…

Remember that week one of the pacing profile is always loaded to the current calendar week, beginning on Monday. If you choose to make the updates on a Friday in preparation for the following week, then simply make the percent sold values for the first two weeks of the pacing profile the same. Since you are changing the percent sold levels at the end of the current calendar week, after most sales activity for the current week is over, any effect on individual rates will be negligible.