NOTE: Before purging or global modifying information in Trams Back Office, it's important to backup your database first. The database can be restored if an error was made.
If you would like to schedule an appointment for a walk through prior to running the following routines, please email support@trestechnologies.com.
Purging will not significantly reduce the size of your database nor will it help with speed issues. Purging can take several hours and will effect agency operations. All users will need to be logged out of Trams and ClientBase.
Skip To:
- Purging PNR History in Trams Back Office
- Globally Void Open Comm Track Bookings
- Purge Credit Card Data
- Purge Change History
- Purge Interface Logs
- Reopen Period, Purge Posted Journal Entries, Purge Payments/Payables, and Purge Invoices
- Steps for purging
Purging PNR History in Trams Back Office
WARNING: Always backup your database before purging information.
On each interfaced invoice, Trams Back Office keeps a "receipt" showing the interface formats used to create that invoice. Over time, these files can build up and take up needed disk space, not only on the computer hard drive, but on the back-up medium as well. Located under Utilities | Purge | PNR History, Purge deletes PNR History. PNR History is the information displayed when selecting the "Rec Loc" button at the top of each invoice. If choosing to purge PNR history, only purge through the last closed and balanced month. If not keeping a general ledger in Trams Back Office, only purge through the last closed and reconciled ARC period.
Once the purge has completed, a backup restore routine must be performed to complete the routine. Steps below outline how to restore to a new alias (not over the current production database) as a precautionary
To Purge Data:
- Create a backup file and store it.
- Go to Utilities|Purge|PNR History. Enter the date to include in the purge. All interfaced PNR History residing under the "Rec Loc" button prior to the date entered will be purged. For example, if entering a purge through date of 01/01/12, all interfaced PNR history from the beginning of the time the agency has been using Trams Back Office through 01/01/12 is purged.
- If the agency is using the ClientBase Synchronization Routine, it is important to disable the Sync Scheduled Task prior to running the second back up routine in step 3.
- Create a new backup file (after the purge is complete). Because one should never restore a backup over an existing database, a new alias path must be created to restore the backup file to.
- Launch the Alias Utility by going to Start|Programs|Trams Back Office|Alias Utility.
- Highlight the existing Trams Alias and click modify.
- Change the Alias Name to Old Trams.
- Highlight the Alias Path and copy the path (Ctrl C) and close the window for that alias.
- Create a new alias path while still in the Alias Utility, and click Add. Type in a new Alias Name (suggest Trams). In the path field, paste the alias path copied in step 7 (Ctrl V).
- Using the Trams Backup/Restore Utility, restore the backup file created in step 3 to the new alias path.
- Rename the old database. Go to My Computer C:\Program files\Trams\database and rename the old database (.gdb or .ib) to Trams.old.
- In the Alias Utility, delete the alias path that points to the old database (with the PNR History un-purged.
- Enable the Sync Scheduled Task.
Once history is purged, it is gone. There is no way to recover this data. Prior to purging history, always be sure to do a backup. Keep this backup in a safe place, so if there is a need to retrieve any of the purged history, restore the backup.
Globally Void Open Comm Track Bookings
WARNING: Always backup your database before purging information.
Located under Utilities > Purge > Open Comm Track Bookings is a feature to globally void Open Commission Track Bookings by Latest Invoice Issue Date, Branch, and Travel Type. These bookings can build up and remain open until they are voided. If sending out Vendor Statements each month, this feature enables the agency to send out more accurate statements.
- Go to Utilities > Purge > Open Comm Track Bookings
- Enter the Latest Invoice Issue Date, Branch and Travel Type/s of the Commission Track bookings to void.
- Once these bookings have been voided, it is possible to unvoid them.
- Locate the invoice which contains the commission track booking using the Invoice Query feature.
- Select the commission track booking, and click on “Void.” This will unvoid the voided commission track booking.
Purge Credit Card Data
WARNING: Always backup your database before purging information.
A PCI related credit card purge function is located under Utilities > Purge > Credit Card Data. When the As Of date is entered, any credit card payments up to the date entered can be changed to the masked format.
Purge Change History
WARNING: Always backup your database before purging information.
Purge Change History purges changelog history using a prior to date parameter. Purging changelog history helps maintain database size to streamline backup and restore times. After the purge routine is completed, a backup and restore is required to shrink the database size. We strongly recommend that a backup is performed and archived prior to the purge routine as well.
Note: Managers with proper credentials can Purge Change History by entering a SYSDBA password.
To Purge Change History Data:
- Create a backup file and store it.
- Go to Utilities|Purge|Change History. Enter the date range to include in the purge.
- If the agency is using the ClientBase Synchronization Routine, it is important to disable the Sync Scheduled Task prior to running the second back up routine in step 3.
- Create a new backup file (after the purge is complete). Because one should never restore a backup over an existing database, a new alias path must be created to restore the backup file to.
- Launch the Alias Utility by going to Start|Programs|Trams Back Office|Alias Utility.
- Highlight the existing Trams Alias and click modify.
- Change the Alias Name to Old Trams.
- Highlight the Alias Path and copy the path (Ctrl C) and close the window for that alias.
- Create a new alias path while still in the Alias Utility, and click Add. Type in a new Alias Name (suggest Trams). In the path field, paste the alias path copied in step 7 (Ctrl V).
- Using the Trams Backup/Restore Utility, restore the backup file created in step 3 to the new alias path.
- Rename the old database. Go to My Computer C:\Program files\Trams\database and rename the old database (.gdb or .ib) to Trams.old.
- In the Alias Utility, delete the alias path that points to the old database (with the Change History un-purged).
- Enable the Sync Scheduled Task.
Once history is purged, it is gone. There is no way to recover this data. Prior to purging history, always be sure to do a backup. Keep this backup in a safe place, should the need arise to retrieve any of the purged history, it can be restored from the backup.
Important Note: Once change history is purged, when clicking on the history buttons throughout the application the User ID, Date/Time stamp, Action, Field, Old Value, New Value information can no longer be viewed for transactions preceding the prior to date entered.
Purge Interface Logs
WARNING: Always backup your database before purging information.
To purge the agency’s interface logs which are downloading and processing logs, perform a backup. After this purge is completed, you’ll be restoring the backup to decrease the size of the database. Go to Utilities|Purge|Purge Interface Logs and enter a date you want the files to be purged. Restore the database.
Reopen Period, Purge Posted Journal Entries, Purge Payments/Payables, and Purge Invoices
Located under Utilities|Purge, there is a required order that must be followed in order to ultimately purge invoices. All purge routines require a date. An attempt to purge data prior to that date will be made, there are rules where some data may not be purged, details reside each step.
1. Reopen periods.
-- This routine reformats the end of period and year end postings so they become like a standard journal entry in preparation for step 2.
2. Purge Journal Entries.
-- This routine will purge any posted journal entries (including the end of period and year end entries created in step 1 prior to the date designated).
3. Purge Payments/Payables. In order to purge a payment the following rules apply:
-- Only payables that are not linked to a journal entry and have a status of paid will be purged.
-- Payments with a blank date cleared field will not be purged.
-- Once payments are 'purged' the status changes to 'closed' and they no longer have a payment number and will be completely purged with step 4.
4. Purge Invoices. In order to purge an invoice the following rules apply:
-- The Invoice Status cannot be Open.
-- The Partial Payment Amount must equal zero.
-- Invoice and bookings must not reference any payments (See step 3).
-- No bookings can have a client or vendor status of Open.
-- Bookings must not reference a Rescard Reservation.
-- Agent Bookings must not reference a payment.
5. Note: Profiles are not purged
Some points to consider before purging
- Once data has been purged, reports cannot be run in the purged period.
- The actual purging of the data may not affect the size of the backup, or the actual size of the database.
Steps for purging
- Backup the Trams database and store this backup in for archiving purposes.
- Test the backup before starting the purge (see section, Procedure for Testing the Integrity of Daily Backup in this chapter).
- Run and print all General Ledger reports in detail before the purge.
- Determine the Purge Date. Keep at least two years of data. The date is based on the End of Period date. To purge all data prior to 01/01/2012, the Purge Date is 12/31/2011. All journal entries prior to the purge date must be posted before purging.
Important NOTE: Use the same date for the next 5 steps. - Follow the Purging process in sequence starting with Reopen Period. The period to reopen is based on the End of Period and Year End posting dates.
- Purge the Posted Journal Entries.
- Purge the Payments/Payables.
- Purge the Invoices.
- Before doing any work in the new database, compare the agency's printed reports to the reports in the current database for accuracy.