Content
1. Purpose of this document
2. Components
3. Processes / Roots
4. Structure (GUI)
4.1. Tab notes
4.2. Filter
4.3. Price-Matrix
4.3.1. Dimensions and relations
4.3.2. Result when filter is active
4.3.3. Features in the Matrix section
4.4. Price-Line-Details
4.5. Price-Rules
5. Templates
6. Settings
6.1. Schemas
6.2. Row is price
6.3. Price codes
6.4. Seasons
7. Other Remarks
[7.1. Univer sality |#_Toc247355285]
8. Approval Conditions
8.1. Approval Items of the dialog: "Preismatrix"
8.2. Cross Reference

Purpose of this document

This document is used to be a functional description of the objects developed. It should help our customer to walk through the new application module and to make him familiar with all available features in it. The final goal is to enable the reader to create and maintain a DaVinci price chart with the new module: Price-Matrix.
The document describes not only the available functions as a pure reference manual but it gives also an overview of what was tested during the approval process.
During the development and writing this documentation Bewotec prepared some data in the basic data that are not necessarily available in the initial or existing installations of our customers.

Components

Bewotec developed in this work order the following components:

• New section in settings where Price-Templates can be defined
• New dialog containing the "Price-Matrix"
• New dialog called within "Price-Matrix" containing the settings

Processes / Roots

• A special installation process additional to the normal version update is not necessary.

• To create or maintain a price chart the existing price wizard lead to the new dialog: "Price-Matrix".

• New items in the context menus of basic data are provided to open the new dialog on Level:

Price Chart and Sub-Price Chart

The context menu is available in the frames:

• Leistung (Service),
• Verkaufspreise (Sales prices) and
• Einkaufspreise (Purchase prices)

Structure (GUI)

The new dialog appears with a tab note control where each tab has 3 sections:

1. Price-Value-Matrix
2. Price-Code-Details
3. Rule-Details

321

• The tab notes (on the top of the dialog) representing a sub price chart within a price chart
• on the upper right filter is located for prices of a certain booking- or travel- period)
• one cell (price value) is related to a price code in a certain season
• all price lines in section 2 and 3 as well.
• The buttons: "Neu", "Bearbeiten", "Löschen" are related to sub charts of a price table.
• The button: "Settings" opens a dialog to configure the appearance of the Price-Value-Matrix
• "OK" -button close dialog and save all changes
• "Abbruch" --button close the dialog without saving the changes

.

Tab notes

The dialog covers all sub-price-charts defined within a price-chart, each identified by one tab note. It is possible to create new "Sub-Price-Charts", as well as to alter or to delete them.
For this the dialog provides buttons on the very right "Neu", "Bearbeiten", "Löschen"
The user will find the well known dialog of the sub price properties.

Filter

The system provides a date filter with the option to switch between booking date and travel date. This filter affects the price values shown in the matrix. This filter is used for price charts where price for different periods have different values. This could be defined for periods of booking or periods of travel departure independent from the season definition.

Price-Matrix

The so called "Matrix" is a user control that should allow to see and to maintain all basic price values of a price chart in a grid and as possible in one view. (depending on the number of price user will have to scroll in the grid)
It needs just a click in a cell (like in an EXCEL-sheet) to enter or to alter a price. This improves the handling of bigger price charts and maintenance fundamentally and should speed up the definition.


For most price charts this control is very useful. For some special price charts with lot of extension prices, or many basic prices restricted by rules it may have less benefit.
If the prices are related to a season and a service type 1:1, it will always be an advantage to enter them in that matrix table. For any details a user must use the traditional table controls which are provided in the same dialog. (section 2 in the middle and section 3 in the lower part)

Dimensions and relations

The price value matrix can be build with seasons as columns and price-codes as rows and vice versa.
When user opens the dialog for the first time, the price-codes are building the rows and the columns are representing the seasons. In the setting this can be changed by a parameter. (See chapter 6 "Settings")
If a cell in section 1 is clicked all related price lines and rule lines are shown in section 2 and 3. (Base prices, extension prices and rules defined for a price code and season code)
When the matrix dialog has been opened for the first time no cell is activated and therefore it shows no price lines and no rule lines. But inside each cell it is visible if prices and/or rules are assigned to a cell. Small icons telling the user if a cell has one or more basic price lines and/or has one or more rules related. (see the following example)

DZ/Vorsaison:many prices/one rule
EZ/Vorsaison:one price/no rule

Result when filter is active

The option in the top of the dialog allows filtering on the basic price lines. This filter will not affect any rules!
If the filter is active the matrix doesn't show prices if no date restrictions are defined inside the related basic price line, despite this price would be taken in a case of booking it. Be aware that the matrix filter works independent from the logic in GenVas!
A user defined for a certain price code and season two different prices for 2 travel date periods:

The matrix shows in case the filter is set to the 30-11-2009:

… only the price cells where the date is touched. All other cells are left empty even though their related prices and also rules would be taken by GenVas.
Changing the filter to the "01.12.2009":

… the according price value is shown and again are all other price values suppressed.
Change the type of filter to "Booking date":

… results in totally empty matrix as none of the price lines contain a booking date restriction.
The final test shows the result when no filter is set:

All cells have a value of the first basic price line that is found related to the price code and season.

Features in the Matrix section

It is possible to change a price in a cell of section 1 as well as in the grid of section 2.
A context menu is available providing:

• !worddavb5cf705517cf7b37abe290a1d2d5863c.png|height=162,width=315!Copy <Ctrl + C>
• Paste <Ctrl + V>
• Settings
• New pricecode
• Edit pricecode
• Remove pricecode
• Create pricecodes from service
• Delete

The first 2 options will support the user with copying existing prices and rules to empty cells.
The 3^rd option will open the settings dialog from here. (same than to use the button)

The options: "New pricecode" or "Edit pricecode" will open the existing dialog "Preiscode" :
Enter or alter the properties of a price code in the classic dialog.
After the price code is entered the matrix shows it as new row/column.
User can enter afterwards price values with the copy paste or with the help of templates. .
If answering with "Ja" (Yes) system delete all prices and rules for all seasons related to this price code and finally the price code record itself.Choosing the option "Remove price code" the following dialog asks if the currently marked price code should be deleted.

The option: "Create pricecodes from Service" allows to select a service type from any booking c ode and to build with this code a new price code.
A Price code schema and
a price line template
… must be predefined in the settings of DaVinci and selected here to fill all mandatory fields of the price recordsFrom the service type is taken the code combination and the name to build for each service type one price code.

The definition of Price Schema for Matrix you find in the chapter: 5 "Templates"
The result will contain 2 price code lines and all season periods as columns but no price values.
Price values must be stored in a base price line, which does not exist in this moment.
The moment the user will enter an empty cell the system will create a record using the templates that must be set before in the main dialog.

Price-Line-Details

For a certain season code is defined in minimum one, eventually more price lines (records of table PREIS_SPLITTUNG)
This/Those records are shown in the middle part of the dialog in exactly the same way it is done in traditional dialog.

If there exist more basic price lines with different rule restrictions or extension price lines the amount of the first basic price line is shown in the according cell of the matrix.
They can be created, amended or deleted in this dialog in the same way as before in the traditional dialogs.

Price-Rules

For a certain season code one or more rule price lines can be defined. (Records of table PREISAUFSCHLAG)
Those (optional) records are shown in the lower part of the dialog in exactly the same way it is done in traditional dialog.


Rule price lines do not have values in the cells of the price value matrix. The rules shown are related to the combination of price- and season-code of the current cell.
They can be created, amended or deleted in this dialog in the same way as before in the traditional dialogs.

Templates

Price Schema for Matrix we find in System-Settings – "Basisdaten / Reisen" – "Price Schemas":

Use the following context menu item to open the dialog for the template details:



A complete template needs a price code (in the first tab "Einstellungen") and one price line (second tab "Preise")

The value of the price should be zero as this is not a real price line but a template.Currently the system support just one price line.
The only mandatory fields are:

• "Basis" (if empty the default is always: "Grundpreis")
• "Produktart" (Dropdownbox)
• "Tage", "Min", "Max" (is filled with default: 1, 1, 99)

Any other fields can be filled optionally. (e. g. VAT-Code, Package exclude, etc.)

Settings

In order to configure the price value matrix the dialog provides a table with several options.

Schemas

Within the matrix control a user is able to create new price codes and/or new price lines. For this he just need to enter a price value and the rest is filled by the system automatically. The Schemas are holding all data the system has to add to the created record.
In the first dropdown: "Schema" a user can select a schema he has defined like in chapter 5.
In the second he can select a price line template as defined inside the schema.
The Schema is used for the creation of one basic price lines only. Potentially it could be used to create entire structures of prices and rule lines in the future. So create just simple schemas and price templates, as complex structures are not provided yet.

Row is price

If enabled (default) the matrix looks like in all the examples before. The seasons are divided in columns and each price code is identified by a row in the matrix.
If the checkbox is disabled the matrix dimension is switched to this:
Now the price code has become a column and the season a row.
This dimension can be very valuable for tour operator working with lot of seasons and less price codes.

Price codes

In this section user can adjust the captions and the sort order for the price code dimension.
Possible captions (Header Format) are: Code, Name, Name + [Code] (in brackets), Code + Name
Possible sort criteria: Code or Name and for both the option sort order: "A to Z" (instead of the default: "Z to A")
Additional the user can enable the tooltips for the price code.
In this case it looks like this while the mouse cursor is over the price code object

Seasons

The options for the dimension "Seasons" are very similar to the options described for the price codes.
The possible captions (Header Format) are: Code, Name, Code + (From-To-Dates)
The sort criteria are: Code, Name, Date and the order can be set to "A-Z" as well.
Additionally the option "Unique season" is available. If enabled the matrix is reduced to the season codes and does not show every date range if a season code is used for more than one range.
The effect is looking like this

Compared with the image under 5.1 the season A and B are shown only once.
The date range: 10.05 – 05.06 (A) and 12.09 – 05.11 (B) are suppressed.
The setting requires usually the "Header format": "Code" to show a logical result.
In case of Header format = Name or Date the user can be misinformed.
The last option is the "Tooltips" option, which will provide details of the season. (Move the mouse curser over the season caption)

Other Remarks

Universality

The described development was done accordingly the user workshop Bewotec had in Summer 2009. Not all features discussed during this workshop could be finished in the development period of the DaVinci-Version 1044. (E. g. the new simplified season table)
In case of the Price-Matrix" Bewotec is sure to have implemented a high customizable, feature-rich and reliable solution for most of the DaVinci customers. But anyhow there will be probably a tour operator among them who is missing something. This could be a certain filter or a copy feature or any change in the existing surface.
If such an additional feature can be covered with this delivered module by a simple enhancement send a request to Bewotec and ask for a solution.

Approval Conditions

Approval Items of the dialog: "Preismatrix"

Cross Reference

The list of approval items is addressing the mentioned stories of the scope document: workshop pricematrix-20090930_PP.doc and the prototype developed in the past as the discussion base.