Scout Interface Program
Version 1.1

Overview

The SCOUT program is a DOS program. It is used to convert telephone transactions from a file created by the Computer Readable Output option (CRO) on a Scout telephone system so that they may be read into TABS III. The SCOUT program must reside in the same directory as the TABS III programs in order to work properly.

When you make a call, you must enter a client code in your phone system using the phone buttons. When you enter the client code, enter the entire client number. For example, if the client is number 200.00, then enter 2 0 0 0 0 on the telephone. The interface program knows where to put the decimal point.

The interface program looks for a file created by the Computer Readable Output program using the DETAIL option. The file must be named "CRO.DAT" and must be placed in the TABS III program directory. The SCOUT interface program takes transactions from the CRO.DAT file and places them into files that can be merged using the TABS III Merge Data Capture Transactions program.

Note: The Create Validation Files program must be run before you can successfully use this data capture device interface program. The Create Validation Files program is found in TABS III by selecting the following menu options Maintenance|Integration|Create Validation Files. When creating validation files, select a Validation File Type of Data Capture Device.

Installation

The Scout interface program (Scout.EXE) must be transferred to the directory on your hard disk where the TABS III program files reside. This is done by using the INSTALL program on the Scout interface program disk.

To install the Scout interface program on your hard disk:

  1. Insert the Scout interface program disk into your floppy disk drive.
  2. From a DOS prompt, make the floppy disk drive the default drive by entering the drive letter followed by a "colon". For example, if your floppy disk drive is drive A, then enter:

    3.         A:

  3. From the floppy disk drive prompt, enter the command:

    4.         INSTALL

    Note: The INSTALL program has a built-in search feature that will find where your TABS III program files reside. On larger network hard drives, this search feature can take quite a bit of time. If you know where the TABS III program files reside, you can bypass this search feature by entering the path following the install command. For example, if the TABS III program files reside on drive F: in a directory named "STI", you would enter: INSTALL F:\STI

  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the software onto your hard disk. The Install program will locate your TABS III software on your hard disk so that the interface program can be transferred to the same directory as TABS III. After the installation process, the message "Installation Complete" will be displayed.

Executing the SCOUT Interface Program
  1. Create the DETAIL data file using the CRO program. The data must reside in a file named CRO.DAT in the TABS III program directory.
  2. From a DOS prompt, start the interface program by entering:

    3.         SCOUT

  3. The first time you run the SCOUT program, you will be asked to enter the TABS III transaction code number that you use for phone charges. Once you specify the transaction code number, the SCOUT program will use that same number each time you run the SCOUT program.
  4. Next you will be asked "Is it OK to continue? (Y/N)". If you enter "N" the program will be aborted. If you enter "Y", the program will look for the CRO.DAT file containing the Scout telephone charges. If the CRO.DAT is found to contain data, the program will display the message "Converting Transactions" followed by a "." for each transaction read from the file. The files T3EXPKEY.REM and T3EXP.REM will be created which can be merged with the main TABS III data files.
  5. Run TABS III and select the Merge Data Capture Transactions program. The T3EXPKEY.REM and T3EXP.REM files will be deleted after you merge even if you have errors.

Note: If you are not using a demo version of the program, the CRO.DAT file will automatically be deleted when the conversion is complete to avoid double posting of the data.

Note: You may change the phone transaction code used by the SCOUT program by deleting the file SCOUT.PRM, which is created in your TABS III directory. This will enable you to go through the setup procedure described above in Step 3 as a first time user of the program.