Barcode Scanning Guide

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form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Blackbaud, Inc.

The information in this manual has been carefully checked and is believed to be accurate. Blackbaud, Inc., assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions in this manual. In no event will Blackbaud, Inc., be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect or omission in this manual, even if advised of the possibility of damages.

In the interest of continuing product development, Blackbaud, Inc., reserves the right to make improvements in this manual and the products it describes at any time, without notice or obligation.

All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

All other products and company names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective holder.

PEBarcodeScanningGuide-2011

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Wired Barcode Scanning in The Patron Edge

Prepare for Wired Barcode Scanning . . . 2

Define Ticket Barcodes . . . 2

Define Membership Barcodes . . . 5

Define Coupon Barcodes . . . 8

Configure Barcode Administration Settings . . . 9

Scan Tickets . . . 24

Scan Tickets for Access Control . . . 24

Scan Tickets for Refunds and Exchanges . . . 27

Scan Membership Cards . . . 35

Scan Membership Cards for Access Control . . . 36

Scan Membership Cards to Display Member Information . . . 39

Scan Coupons . . . 42

Scan Coupons on the Standard Sales Screen . . . 42

Scan Coupons on the General Admission Sales Screen. . . 43

With barcode scanning in The Patron Edge, you can define, print, and scan ticket barcodes. Scanning barcodes provides quick and efficient access control for events and shows. This scanning functionality is also helpful in expediting ticket refunds and exchanges. You can also define, print, and scan membership barcodes. You can print barcodes on membership cards you generate or that you purchase from an outside vendor. Scanning membership barcodes provides an efficient method of access control for members attending an event or show. Membership scanning also helps streamline the membership information look-up process and expedites general admissions sales transactions. In addition to tickets and membership cards, you can also scan coupons during sales processes. For more information, see

“Define Coupon Barcodes” on page 8.

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The Patron Edge provides barcode scanning capability using wired devices. Barcode scanning using wireless devices is available only with the optional module Access Control, which requires

implementation services. If your organization is interested in Access Control and wireless barcode scanning, please send an information request to [email protected]. For more information about wireless scanning, see “Wireless Barcode Scanning in The Patron Edge” on page 45.For membership scanning to work, the program must recognize the membership barcodes. For example, membership numbers generated from The Patron Edge are automatically recognized. However, if The Raiser’s Edge generates your membership cards and numbers, you must configure the program to recognize those numbers when scanned. If your organization uses a third party to generate membership cards and numbers, you will need a custom-developed solution to successfully scan membership barcodes. For information about obtaining a custom solution, please send an information request to

[email protected].

Prepare for Wired Barcode Scanning

There are multiple tasks to complete when preparing to use barcode scanning in The Patron Edge. First, we recommend that you review your current business processes and examine how implementing barcode scanning will change those processes. For example, consider these questions.

• Will you use both ticket and membership scanning?

• What sales and access points should have scanners?

• For ticket scanning and access control, do you want to limit validation capabilities per event, scanner, and date range?

• Are your tickets and membership cards printed from The Patron Edge or from an outside source?

In addition to reviewing your processes and considering implementation options, you must acquire compatible hardware, define barcodes, and configure various Administration settings.

Define Ticket Barcodes

To scan tickets in The Patron Edge, the ticket documents must display the appropriate barcode. This section provides specific information about defining the required barcode.

For ticket barcode scanning, you access the Document Designer in Administration and add the required barcode to your ticket document. Once added, the program prints this unique barcode on each ticket sold.

With the Document Designer, you can select the location of the barcode on a ticket document and resize and rotate the code as needed until it fits properly. The default barcode format is Code 39, also known as Code 3 of 9, cannot be changed. Code 39 is an alphanumeric barcode that encodes 43 characters; 0-9, A-Z, minus symbol, plus symbol, forward slash, space, decimal point, dollar sign and percent symbol. For more information about building tickets using the Document Designer, see the Document Design Guide.

Note: This guide provides information about setting up, printing, and scanning barcodes for tickets and membership cards. The audience for this document varies. The setup and preparation tasks are intended for an administrator, while the actual scanning procedures are intended for box office employees.

Note: Wired barcode scanning in The Patron Edge works with any PS/2 compatible barcode scanning device. However, you may be required to program the device to enable compatibility.

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Define ticket barcodes

1. Access Administration and expand the Document Design folder.

2. Double-click Ticket Design. The Document Designer screen appears.

3. Access the File menu and select Open Printer Document. The Load Printer document screen appears.

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4. In the Document Name field, select the ticket document for which you are adding the barcode and click OK. The document appears.

5. In the list on the left side of the screen, select Barcode and drag it onto the document, placing it where you want the code to appear on the ticket. To adjust the size, click Barcode, hover the cursor over an edge, and drag it.

Note: The Barcode field in the Document Designer is not related to coupon barcodes and cannot be configured to display a coupon barcode. Instead, you can use a standard Label field to add a coupon code to a document. For more information about configuring coupons, see the Coupons chapter of the Box Office Setup Guide.

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6. To view a number of configuration options that determine how the code appears, right-click Barcode. A shortcut menu appears.

7. To change the orientation of the barcode from horizontal to vertical, select Rotate and either 90°

cw or 90° ccw.

8. To display the barcode representation on the ticket document instead of the placeholder, select Show As Bar Code.

9. To save the format selection and return to the Document Designer, click OK.

Define Membership Barcodes

To scan membership cards in The Patron Edge, the membership card documents must display the appropriate barcode. This section provides specific information about defining the required barcode type.

If you are integrated with The Raiser’s Edge, you must decide whether to generate membership cards from The Raiser’s Edge or The Patron Edge and make this a standardized part of your business

practices. Although a successful integration will recognize scanned membership cards from either system, you must generate those cards from one system or the other. If a patron needs to reprint a membership card, it must be reprinted from the program where it was initially generated.

When defining barcodes for membership cards, there are several possibilities depending on how your organization produces the actual membership cards.

• Membership Cards Generated in The Patron Edge - If The Patron Edge generates your membership cards, you define the code by simply accessing the Document Designer and adding the required membership barcode to your membership card design. This unique barcode is then generated with each membership purchased and printed on each membership card. When scanned, The Patron Edge recognizes and processes the barcode.

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• Membership Cards Generated in The Raiser’s Edge - If The Raiser’s Edge generates your membership cards using the default 15-character format, you must configure the program to recognize them. For more information, see “Configure The Patron Edge to Scan Raiser’s Edge Membership Barcodes” on page 20.

If you generate membership cards in The Raiser’s Edge but you are not using the default 15-character format, you will need a custom-developed solution to successfully scan membership barcodes. For information about obtaining a custom solution, please send an information request to

[email protected].

For more information about membership cards generated from The Raiser’s Edge, see the Membership Cards section of the Mail Guide for The Raiser’s Edge.

• Non-System Membership Cards - If your organization uses a third party to generate membership cards and numbers, you will need a custom-developed solution to successfully scan membership barcodes.

For information about obtaining a custom solution, please send an information request to [email protected].

Define membership barcodes

This procedure is for defining a barcode for membership cards generated from The Patron Edge.

1. Access Administration and expand the Document Design folder.

2. Double-click Ticket Design. The Document Designer screen appears.

3. Access the File menu and select Open Printer Document. The Load Printer document screen appears.

Note: To generate membership cards from The Raiser’s Edge, you must have the optional module Membership Management.

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4. In the Document Name field, select the membership card document for which you are adding the barcode and click OK. The document appears.

5. In the list on the left side of the screen, select and drag Barcode onto the document and place it where you want the code to appear on the ticket. You can adjust the size by clicking Barcode, hovering the cursor over an edge, and dragging it.

Note: The Barcode field in the Document Designer is not related to coupon barcodes and cannot be configured to display a coupon barcode. Instead, you can use a standard Label field to add a coupon code to a document. For more information about configuring coupons, see the Coupons chapter of the Box Office Setup Guide.

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6. To view a number of configuration options that determine how the code appears, right-click Barcode. A shortcut menu appears.

7. To change the orientation of the barcode from horizontal to vertical, select Rotate and either 90°

cw or 90° ccw.

8. To display the barcode representation on the membership card document instead of the placeholder, select Show As Bar Code.

9. To save the format selection and return to the Document Designer, Click OK.

Define Coupon Barcodes

When you set up and configure coupons in The Patron Edge, you can select to use a system-generated ID or you can manually enter a user-defined ID. Both coupon ID types can be printed as barcodes that can be scanned during sales transactions and applied to the basket. For more information about configuring coupons, see the Coupons chapter of the Box Office Setup Guide.

If your intent is to generate coupon codes that can be printed as barcodes in newspaper or magazine ads, tourist brochures, or other marketing correspondence intended for customers to bring into the box office, you can use either system-generated IDs or user-defined IDs when creating a coupon batch.

However, if your box office does not have scanners, it may be beneficial to create user-defined coupon IDs as they can be shorter and therefore easier to enter manually.

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Both the system generated IDs and the user-defined IDs must unique. If your organization creates user-defined IDs, you should retain a list of all user-defined IDs that have been used. After an ID is generated, you can include it in promotional ads and mailings by simply converting the ID to a barcode using a word processing application. Depending on your organization, you may simply pass the ID on to your marketing team to convert it to a barcode and add to advertisements, brochures, or other

marketing materials being designed.

Additionally, you can add a coupon to various documents generated from The Patron Edge using the Document Designer. For example, your organization may want to print a coupon barcode on a receipt (assuming your receipt printer is capable of printing barcodes), confirmation email message,

merchandise document, voucher, or other system document. If this is this case, you can open a document in the Document Designer, drag a Label field on to the document and enter the numeric coupon ID in the field. Next, to display the code on the document as a barcode, right-click on the field and select Show As Bar Code. For more information about using the Document Designer, see the Document Design Guide.

Configure Barcode Administration Settings

Before you can scan tickets, membership cards, and coupons in The Patron Edge, you must activate the scanning functionality and configure administration settings for the scanners you use. For ticket and membership barcode scanning, you must also define specific scanning rules.

Some preparation tasks do not apply to all organizations, for example, you must configure non-program barcodes only if you generate barcodes outside of The Patron Edge and The Raiser’s Edge. Each

preparation task appears in this section along with procedures.

Activate barcode scanning. This is a required task for all scanning.

Set the company parameters related to generating membership barcodes. This is a required task if you are generating membership barcodes.

Set barcode validity and scanning intervals for shows. This is a required task if you are scanning tickets.

Define barcode scanners. This is a required task for all scanning.

Define ticket scanning rules. This is a required task if you are scanning tickets.

Define membership scanning rules. This is a required task if you are scanning memberships.

Prepare for membership ticket scanning. This is a required task if you generate ticket records when scanning membership cards for access control.

Configure The Patron Edge to scan the default 15-character Raiser’s Edge membership barcode. This is a required task only if your organization uses membership cards generated from The Raiser’s Edge with the default 15 character format.

Configure user profiles for scanning. This is a required task for all scanning.

Configure wired scanners. This is a required task for all scanning.

Warning: If your organization plans to circulate a coupon ID as a barcode that can be scanned at the box office or used online and at kiosks, you must print the barcode with the barcode numeric or alphanumeric characters intact. Users purchasing tickets online or at a kiosk can then enter the characters to receive the coupon benefit. It is important to note that The Patron Edge Online supports alphanumeric characters while The Patron Edge Kiosk supports only numeric characters.

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Configure prefix and suffix settings for your scanners. This is a required task if your scanners cannot be programmed for compatibility with the default prefix and suffix.

Activate Barcode Scanning

In preparation for using barcode scanning, you must access the Company Table in Administration and set the value for “System Barcode Activated” to Yes. This enables the program to generate barcodes when tickets and memberships are purchased.

Activate barcode scanning

1. Access Administration and expand the System Set Up folder.

2. Double-click Company. The Maintain Company Table screen appears.

3. On the General tab, locate the System Barcode Activated option.

4. Mark Yes to activate barcodes in The Patron Edge. If you mark this option No, the program does not generate barcodes for tickets and memberships, regardless of other settings.

5. After activating barcodes, click OK to save the setting. A confirmation message appears.

6. Click OK again.

7. To close the Maintain Company Table screen and return to Administration, click Back.

Note: The Barcode generation function field changes only when you implement program

customizations. If you use the standard scanning functionality, you should leave the program default value, which is “1”. This number identifies the stored procedure in the database used for barcode scanning.

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Set Company Parameters for Generating Membership Barcodes

If you are generating membership barcodes, you can set a company parameter in Administration that determine whether barcodes are generated only when membership cards are printed and whether new barcodes are generated when memberships are renewed.

Set company parameters for generating membership barcodes 1. Access Administration and expand the System Set Up folder.

2. Double-click Company. The Maintain Company Table screen appears.

3. Select the General tab.

4. Locate the Generate Subscription Barcode On Printing field. This setting allows you to delay the creation of new membership barcodes until membership cards are printed. It is especially helpful if your organization solicits and processes renewals in advance of membership expiration. If you mark Yes, a membership barcode must be printed in order for it to be recorded in the Barcodes database table. If you mark No, membership barcodes are added to the Barcodes database table when generated and not as a result of printing.

5. Locate the Create new barcode on subscription renewal field. This setting controls whether a new barcode is created when a membership is renewed. To generate a new membership barcode with each renewal, mark Yes. To disallow the creation of new barcodes when memberships are renewed, mark No.

6. To save the settings, click OK. A confirmation message appears.

7. Click OK again.

8. To close the Maintain Company Table screen and return to Administration, click Back.

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Set Barcode Validity and Scanning Intervals for Shows

For each show, multiple settings control the validity of a ticket barcode. In Administration, you can access each show and determine whether to allow ticket barcode scanning. If allowed, you can enter a specific number of days it is valid, a range of valid dates, and an expiration date.

You can also designate whether the tickets should be scanned on the show or event level. If your organization generally sells reserved seating tickets, the “By Event” setting is typically used because the tickets are valid for a specific event performance. If you select “By Event”, the program ignores the Barcode Valid Days, Barcode Valid From, and Barcode Valid To Date fields.

If your organization sells admission tickets, the “By Show” setting is typically used because the tickets are generally not tied to a specific event. Instead, they are used for admission and may be good for an extended period of time until used or they expire.

There are many possibilities when setting the barcode validity by show or event. While we mention typical scenarios, we recommend reviewing your own business processes to determine the best setting for your organization. For example, although organizations with a general admission ticket would typically use “By Show”, they may need to configure “By Event” if they configures their admission by event. Some organizations may do this to control crowds and limit admission access during specific blocks of time.

Additionally, you must designate scanning intervals to determine the amount of time a ticket can be scanned and validated prior to and after a show begins. These intervals are required whether you are scanning tickets on the show or event level. The default setting is 60 minutes before and after the show begins. Using the default as an example, if a ticket is scanned more than 60 minutes before a show begins or more than 60 minutes after it begins, the scanner displays an error message that reads

“Unable to Find Matching Event” or “Ticket Outdated.”

Set barcode validity and scanning intervals for shows 1. Access Administration and expand the Events folder.

2. Double-click Shows. The Administration - Shows screen appears.

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3. In the grid, double-click the show that will use ticket barcode scanning. The Shows - Edit screen appears.

4. In the Barcode Valid Days field, enter the number of days for which the barcode is valid, starting from the ticket sale date. If this show is configured as admission to a museum or similar venue, typically the value of this field would be a fairly long period of time, for example, “90” days. If you do not support barcode scanning for this show, enter “0”.

5. In the Barcode Valid From field, enter the date the barcode is effective. The default value is the current date. If you prefer not to set a valid range and would rather the barcode be effective as of the ticket sale date, enter 01/01/1900 in this field.

6. In the Barcode Valid To Date field, enter the barcode expiration date. The default value is the current date. If you prefer not to set a valid range and would rather the barcode expire after the number of days entered in the Barcode Valid Days field passes, enter 01/01/1900 in this field.

7. In the Barcode Check Level field, select “By Show” to set the barcode validity dates according to the above parameters. This option is useful for tickets not associated with a specific date, such as admission tickets to museums or exhibitions. Select “By Event” to indicate that a barcode is effective only on the day of the respective event and the program ignores the preceding parameters.

Note: The settings you enter in the Barcode Valid Days, Barcode Valid From, Barcode Valid To Date, and Barcode Check Level fields are generally determined by the types of shows and events for which your organization is scanning, as well as your business processes.

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8. In the Interval before event field, you must enter a specific number of minutes prior to the start of an event that tickets can be scanned and validated. This field applies only when “By Event” is selected in the Barcode Check Level field. For example, if you want to start scanning tickets two hours before an event starts, you would enter “120” in this field. The default setting is 60 minutes. If a ticket is scanned outside this duration, the scanner displays an error message that reads “Unable to Find Matching Event.”

9. In the Scan After Event Starts field, you must enter a specific number of minutes for which to allow tickets to be scanned and validated after an event starts. This field applies only when “By Event” is selected in the Barcode Check Level field. For example, if you want to allow tickets to be scanned and validated for up to an hour and a half after an event has started, you would enter

“90” in this field. The default setting is 60 minutes. If a ticket is scanned outside this duration, the scanner displays an error message that reads “Ticket Outdated.”

10. To save the setting and close the show record, click OK.

Define Barcode Scanners

During this process, you access Administration and identify each scanner with a unique ID and description. Typically, you associate individual scanners with locations in your building or venue. For example, you may have scanners at each sales point and each entry or access control location.

Define your barcode scanners

1. Access Administration and expand the Scan & Validate folder.

Note: If you selected “By Show” in the Barcode Check Level field, any duration entered in the Interval before event field is ignored.

Note: If you selected “By Event” in the Barcode Check Level field, the number of minutes you enter in the Scan After Event Starts field must be less than or equal to the event duration. If you selected “By Show” in the Barcode Check Level field, any duration entered in this field is ignored.

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2. Double-click Scanners List. The Administration - Scanners List screen appears.

3. On the toolbar, click New. The Scanners List - Add New screen appears.

4. In the Scanner ID field, enter a numeric value to identify the scanner.

5. In the Description field, enter a description to help identify the scanner. This is usually a sales point or entry location. For example, “Front Door A.”

6. In the Status field, select “Active” to activate the scanner for use. To deactivate the scanner, return to this screen and select “Not Active” in this field. The default setting is “Active”.

7. Click OK.

Define Ticket Scanning Rules

During this process, you identify a scanner and determine the events and shows for which the scanner can validate tickets. You can also set a specific period of time that the scanner will be operational and capable of validating tickets for the specified shows and events.

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Define ticket scanning rules

2. Double-click Ticket Scanning Rules. The Administration - Ticket Scanning Rules screen appears.

3. On the toolbar, click the New button. The Ticket Scanning Rules - Add New screen appears.

4. In the Description field, select the scanner for which you are setting permissions.

5. In the Show field, select a show to permit the scanner to validate. To permit the scanner to validate all shows, select All.

6. In the Event field, select an event to permit the scanner to validate. To permit the scanner to validate all events of the selected show, select All. This drop-down list includes only events belonging to the selected show.

7. In the Enabled From and Enabled To fields, you can specify a date range for which tickets can be scanned. These settings are especially important for reserved seat venues as they determine when patrons with tickets to an event are allowed into the venue and can be scanned.

8. To save the rules and return to the Administration - Ticket Scanning Rules screen, click OK. The rule you just created appears in the grid.

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Define Membership Scanning Rules

During this process, you identify a scanner and determine the events and shows for which the scanner can validate membership cards for entry. You can also set a rule that creates a ticket record when you scan a membership card.

Define membership scanning rules

2. Double-click Membership Scanning Rules. The Administration - Membership Scanning Rules screen appears.

3. On the toolbar, click the New button. The Membership Scanning Rules - Add New screen appears.

4. In the Description field, select the scanner for which you are setting permissions.

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5. In the Series field, select the membership for which you are setting permissions. For example,

“Individual” or “Lifetime”.

6. In the Show field, select a show to permit the scanner to validate. To permit the scanner to validate all shows, select “All”. If you intend to create ticket records when a membership card is scanned, you must select a specific show.

7. In the Event field, select an event to permit the scanner to validate. To permit the scanner to validate all events of the selected show, select “All”. This drop-down list includes only events belonging to the selected show.

8. In the Enabled From and Enabled To fields, you can specify a date range for which membership cards can be scanned. This is typically used for general admission organizations that configure shows and events as admission to their building.

9. To determine whether the program creates a ticket record when you scan a membership card for admission to an event, access the Create ticket record field and select “Yes” or “No”. Creating ticket records is available only for admission events and shows.

If you select “Yes”, the program adds a record to the Tickets database table that captures the member’s attendance. You must also designate a specific show or event for scanning. If you configure membership scanning for all shows and events, ticket records are not created regardless of the setting in the Create ticket record field.

10. To save the rules and return to the Administration - Membership Scanning Rules screen, click OK.

The record of the rules you created appears in the grid.

Prepare for Membership Ticket Scanning

If you generate ticket records when scanning membership cards for access control, we recommend that you add a unique “membership ticket” user name, sales point, and membership ticket price type in Administration.

By adding unique “membership ticket” characteristics, you can report effectively on tickets generated and processed from membership card scans. For more information about reporting, see “Barcode Scanning Reports” on page 71.

Once you add the unique “membership ticket” characteristics in Administration, you must access the engine configuration screen and designate the member tickets characteristics to use when generating membership tickets.

Note: If you create a ticket record when scanning membership cards, we recommend you also add a unique “member tickets” user name, sales point, and membership ticket price type to The Patron Edge for reporting purposes. For more information, see “Prepare for Membership Ticket Scanning” on page 18.

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Configure the scanning engine for membership tickets 1. Access Administration and expand Scan & Validate.

2. Double-click Engine Configuration. The Engine Configuration - Edit screen appears.

3. In the User Name field, select the specific user name to use for member tickets. For example,

“Member Scanner”.

4. In the Sales Point field, select the specific sales point added for member tickets. For example,

“Member Tickets”.

Note: The Ext. Validation Module and Ext. Validation Configuration fields are used only if you are generating your membership numbers from The Raiser’s Edge or from a third party.

Note: We recommend that you configure unique “membership ticket” user name, sales point, and membership ticket price type characteristics in Administration. By adding unique “membership ticket” characteristics, you can report effectively on tickets generated and processed from membership card scans.

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5. In the Membership ticket price type field, select the specific price type added for member tickets. For example, “Member Ticket”.

6. To save the information and return to Administration, click OK.

Configure The Patron Edge to Scan Raiser’s Edge Membership Barcodes

If your organization prints membership cards generated from The Raiser’s Edge using the default 15-character format, you can configure the The Patron Edge to recognize the barcodes. To enable this recognition, you must configure several settings in The Patron Edge and your database. This process should be completed by a system administrator with working knowledge of SQL Server. The

configuration process involves several tasks:

Verify that you have the required DLL files needed to enable The Patron Edge to scan and process barcodes generated from The Raiser’s Edge using the default 15-character format. The required DLLs are TIX_REValidation.dll and PEBarcodeScanning.dll. By default, these files are located in the following directory where they should remain: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Blackbaud\The Patron Edge\Objects.

Configure the scanning engine to recognize the default 15-character format Raiser’s Edge barcodes.

Configure the scanning engine for Raiser’s Edge barcodes 1. Access Administration and expand Scan & Validate.

Note: For more information about membership cards generated from The Raiser’s Edge, see the Membership Cards section of the Mail Guide for The Raiser’s Edge.

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2. Double-click Engine Configuration. The Engine Configuration - Edit screen appears.

3. In the Ext. Validation Module field, enter TIX_REValidation.clsREValidation. This string enables the Raiser’s Edge barcodes to be recognized when scanned. The

TIX_REValidation.dll must also be located in the following directory: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Blackbaud\The Patron Edge\Objects

4. In the Ext. Validation Configuration field, enter the following string of XML code without spaces:

The PEBarcodeScanning.dll must also be located in the following directory:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Blackbaud\The Patron Edge\Objects 5. In the User Name field, select the specific user name to use for member tickets. For example,

“Member Scanner”.

6. In the Sales Point field, select the specific sales point added for member tickets. For example,

“Member Tickets”.

7. In the Membership ticket price type field, select the specific price type added for member tickets. For example, “Member Ticket”.

8. Click OK. The scanning engine is now configured.

Configure User Profiles for Scanning

Before a user can scan tickets, their user profile must be configured to display the Scanning shortcut on the Patron Edge main menu. Once the shortcut is displayed, the user clicks it to launch the scanning application.

Note: We recommend that you configure unique “membership ticket” user name, sales point, and membership ticket price type characteristics in Administration. By adding unique “membership ticket” characteristics, you can report effectively on tickets generated and processed from membership card scans.

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Configure user profiles for scanning

1. Access Administration and expand the Users Set Up folder.

2. Double-click Profiles. The Profile maintenance screen appears.

3. In the Select Profile field, select the profile for which you want to display the scanning shortcut.

4. In the Permissions box, expand Main Menu and mark Scanning.

5. To save the setting, click OK. A message appears confirming that the setting was saved.

6. Click OK again. Users with this profile are now able to access the scanning utility by clicking the Scanning shortcut displayed on the main menu.

7. To return to Administration, click Back.

Configure Wired Scanners

Wired barcode scanning in The Patron Edge works with any PS/2 compatible barcode scanning device.

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Generally, you install a wired scanner by connecting it to your machine’s keyboard PS/2 connection port.

This PS/2 port is traditionally purple and is located on the back of your PC. To install the scanner, you unplug your keyboard and plug the scanner into the PS/2 port. You then plug the keyboard into an extension input on the scanner cord.

After attaching the scanner to your machine, you must program it to recognize the default prefix (~~) and suffix (~). If your scanner is hard-coded with a prefix and suffix and is not programmable, you must add a new prefix and suffix record in Administration to enable compatibility with The Patron Edge. For information about adding a new prefix and suffix record, see “Configure Prefix and Suffix Settings for Scanners” on page 23.

These are general configuration steps that may not apply to your scanner. You should refer to the manufacturer’s instructions to install and program your particular barcode scanner.

Configure Prefix and Suffix Settings for Scanners

For a scanner to successfully read barcodes, it must recognize both a prefix that signifies the beginning of a scan and a suffix that signifies the end of a scan. In The Patron Edge, the default prefix is “~~”and the default suffix is”~”. If you scanner is programmable, you can simply program it to use these default settings. However, if you have a scanner that is hard-coded with a prefix and suffix that cannot be changed, you will need to add the specific prefix and suffix for the scanner in Administration. Once added, the scanner will work in The Patron Edge. You can add multiple prefix and suffix records to meet the needs of all scanners used by your organization.

Configure prefix and suffix settings for scanners

2. Double-click Prefix/Suffix Configuration. The Administration - Prefix/Suffix Configuration screen appears. A record containing the default prefix “~~” and the default suffix ”~” is displayed. We recommend that you leave the default prefix and suffix record intact and add new records for additional prefix and suffix configurations.

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3. To add a new prefix and suffix, access the toolbar and click the New button. The Prefix/Suffix Configuration - Add New screen appears.

4. In the Scanned Code Prefix field, enter the prefix your scanner uses to recognize the beginning of a scanned number.

5. In the Scanned Code Suffix field, enter the suffix your scanner uses to recognize the end of a scanned number.

6. To save and return to the Administration - Prefix/Suffix Configuration screen, click OK. The prefix/suffix record you added appears in the grid.

Scan Tickets

In The Patron Edge, with barcode scanning capabilities, you can define, print, and scan ticket barcodes for access control, as well as expedite ticket refunds and exchanges. Make sure you have configured your program properly before running the scanning application. For more information about configuration, see “Prepare for Wired Barcode Scanning” on page 2.

With ticket barcode scanning, you configure a barcode to be printed on your tickets. The barcode can then be scanned for access control, and for quick processing of returns and exchanges.

Scan Tickets for Access Control

When scanning tickets for access control, you can perform a ticket check to determine if a ticket is valid or a ticket validation which virtually “tears” the ticket and marks it as used. Once you scan and validate a ticket, you cannot validate it again. If you scan a previously validated ticket again, you get a message telling you that the ticket is no longer valid.

Scan tickets for access control

This procedure guides you through scanning tickets for access control with wired scanners.

1. Connect the scanner to your computer.

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2. Access the Patron Edge Main Menu screen.

3. Click the Scanning icon on the navigation bar. The Access Control screen appears.

4. Access the Tools menu and select Settings. The Settings screen appears.

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5. In the Scanner ID field, enter the number of the scanner you are using. This is the ID defined on the Scanners List in Administration. For more information about defining scanner IDs, see

“Prepare for Wired Barcode Scanning” on page 2.

6. In the Ticket validation mode field, select the default mode to use when scanning tickets.

• Select “Ticket Check” to verify the validity of a ticket without further action.

• Select “Ticket Validation” to validate a ticket and register it as used. Once you scan and validate a ticket, you cannot validate it again.

7. To save your settings and return to the Access Control screen, click OK. You are now ready to scan tickets. Remember, the Access Control screen must remain open (not minimized) and active to successfully scan tickets.

8. After you scan a ticket, a validation screen appears.

This screen displays a specific result message depending on the scanning mode selected and the validity of the ticket. Default messages that can appear include:

• Success - This message appears when scanning and validating a ticket is successful. The text is displayed in green to help quickly identify a successful validation.

• Ticket is already used - This message appears when a ticket has already been validated. The text is displayed in red to help quickly identify an unsuccessful validation.

• Scanning for this event/show is disabled at the moment - This message appears when you scan an applicable ticket, but the program cannot complete the validation.

Note: If you opt to print the corresponding numbers with the barcode on each ticket, you can perform a manual “scan” by entering the barcode numbers in the Manual Validation field and clicking

Validate. This is helpful if the scanner has difficulty reading the barcode.

Note: You can customize the various result messages by accessing the Barcodes_ResultMessages database table and manually changing each.

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• Wrong scanner for the show/event - This message appears if you scan a ticket by a scanner not permitted to scan tickets for the corresponding show or event. For more information about setting scanner permissions, see “Prepare for Wired Barcode Scanning” on page 2.

• Code not found - This message appears if you scan a ticket, and the program does not find the barcode in the Barcodes database table.

9. No action is required after you scan a ticket. You simply continue scanning tickets as needed.

Scan Tickets for Refunds and Exchanges

To expedite ticket refunds, you can scan a ticket while in CRM, on the traditional sales screen, or on the general admission sales screen. This action quickly opens the Ticket List window and saves you from manually looking up a customer or transaction to find the tickets.

On the general admission sales screen, you can scan tickets to expedite ticket exchanges.

Scan tickets for refunds in CRM

1. From the Patron Edge main menu, click CRM. CRM opens and the Client Search Criteria screen appears.

Warning: To refund or exchange tickets, you must have the required permissions, which are assigned via user profiles in Administration.

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2. Scan the ticket to return. If the ticket is not valid, a message appears notifying you. If the ticket is valid, the Ticket List screen appears displaying a list of all tickets included in the transaction to which the scanned ticket belongs.

3. Select the tickets to return.

4. Click Remove. The Basket for the corresponding patron and the Payment screen appear, displaying the tickets to be returned.

5. From this point, continue with the transaction as you would normally to return tickets. Once complete, you return to the Sales screen.

Note: If you do not have an open cash drawer when you scan the ticket, the program prompts you to open the cash drawer before continuing.

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Scan tickets for refunds on the standard sales screen

1. From the Patron Edge main menu, click Sales. The sales screen appears.

2. Scan the ticket to return. If the ticket is not valid, a message appears notifying you. If the ticket is valid, the Ticket List screen appears, displaying a list of all tickets included in the transaction to which the scanned ticket belongs.

3. Select the tickets to return.

4. Click Remove. The Basket for the corresponding patron and the Payment screen appear, displaying the tickets to return.

5. From this point, continue with the transaction as you would normally to return tickets. Once complete, the client record opens on the Booking tab.

Note: If you do not have an open cash drawer when you scan the ticket, the program prompts you to open the cash drawer before continuing.

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Scan tickets for refunds on the general admission sales screen

To display the general admission sales screen, you must access user options, locate the Use GA Sales Screen option, and mark Yes. You can refund ticket sales whether the tickets have been printed or not. For more information about selling tickets, see the Tickets chapter of the General Admission Sales Guide.

1. To begin the ticket refund process, access the general admission sales screen.

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2. Click Exch/Ref. The payment method screen appears.

3. Scan the tickets to refund. Once scanned, the tickets appear in the box below the number pad.

Note: You create the exchange/refund payment button on the General Admission Setup screen in Administration.

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4. To return all tickets in the selected transaction, click Full Transaction. To return a single ticket, click Single Ticket. The selected transaction appears in the basket on the general admission sales screen.

5. In the basket, click the plus (+) button on the Payment - Exch/Ref row to show the details of the transaction.

6. To process the refund payment, select a payment method button. For example, select Cash to issue a cash refund. The reimbursement appears in the basket.

7. To continue processing the refund, click Complete Sale. The Walk-Up screen appears displaying the patron’s information.

8. To complete the refund and return to the general admission sales screen, click Confirm.

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Scan tickets for exchanges on the general admission sales screen

To display the general admission sales screen, you must access user options, locate the Use GA Sales Screen option, and mark Yes. The process of exchanging tickets begins with the sale of the

replacement tickets. For more information about selling tickets, see the General Admission Sales chapter of the Sales Guide.

1. Access the general admission sales screen and process a ticket sale for the patron’s new tickets.

The replacement tickets should appear in the basket before you proceed.

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2. When you are ready to select a payment method, click Exch/Ref. The payment method screen appears, configured for exchanges and returns.

3. Scan the tickets to be exchanged. Once scanned, the tickets appear in the box below the number pad.

Note: You create the exchange/refund payment button on the General Admission Setup screen in Administration.

Warning: Series event tickets are not eligible for exchange on the general admissions sales screen.

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4. To return all tickets in the selected transaction, click Full Transaction. To return a single ticket, click Single Ticket. The selected transaction appears in the basket on the general admission sales screen.

5. In the basket, click the plus (+) button on the Payment - Exch/Ref row to show the details of the transaction.

6. If applicable, any remaining balance or difference appears in the basket. To accept payment for the balance due or to reimburse any difference, select a payment method button. For example, select Cash and the payment appears in the basket.

7. To continue processing the exchange, click Complete Sale. The Walk-Up screen appears, displaying the patron’s information.

8. To complete the exchange and return to the general admission sales screen, click Confirm.

Scan Membership Cards

With membership barcode scanning, you configure a barcode to print on membership cards. The barcode can then be scanned for access control, to check membership status and view member information, or to display member information during sales processes.

When scanning membership cards for access control, you can configure the program to generate a ticket record when you scan a card. You can then run reports and review data about members attending events.

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Scan Membership Cards for Access Control

When scanning membership cards for access control, you can perform a check to determine if the membership is valid. If you are using membership cards for admission, you can perform a validation which virtually “tears” the membership “ticket” and marks it as used. If you are creating ticket records when scanning membership cards for admission, it is important to note that each scan creates a separate ticket record. For example, if the same membership card is scanned three times, three ticket records will be created and attached to that membership.

Scan membership cards for access control

This procedure guides you through scanning membership cards for access control with wired scanners.

1. Connect the scanner to your computer.

2. Access the Patron Edge Main Menu screen.

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3. Click the Scanning icon on the navigation bar. The Access Control screen appears.

4. Access the Tools menu and select Settings. The Settings screen appears.

5. In the Scanner ID field, enter the number of the scanner you are using. This is the ID defined on the Scanners List in Administration. For more information about defining scanner IDs, see

“Prepare for Wired Barcode Scanning” on page 2.

The Ticket validation mode is not used for membership barcode scanning. Scanning validation is the default action when a membership card is scanned. To create a ticket record for each scan, you must configure the membership scanning rules in Administration. For more information, see

“Define Membership Scanning Rules” on page 17.

6. To save your settings and return to the Access Control screen, click OK. You are now ready to scan membership cards. Remember, the Access Control screen must remain open (not minimized) and active to successfully scan membership.

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7. After you scan a membership card, a validation screen appears.

8. This screen displays a specific result message depending on the scanning mode selected and the validity of the card. Default messages that can appear include:

• Success - This message appears when you scan a membership card and validation is successful.

The text is displayed in green to help quickly identify a successful validation.

• Membership is expired - This message appears when you scan a membership card and the program finds it expired. The text is displayed in red to help quickly identify an unsuccessful validation.

• Scanning for this event/show is disabled at the moment - This message appears when you scan an applicable card, but the program cannot complete the validation.

• Wrong scanner for the show/event - This message appears if you scan a card with a scanner not permitted to scan cards for the corresponding show or event. For more information about setting scanner permissions, see “Prepare for Wired Barcode Scanning” on page 2.

• Code not found - This message appears if you scan a card, and the program cannot find the barcode in the Barcodes database table. This message can also appear if you are scanning Raiser’s Edge membership numbers and a scanned number is not found in The Raiser’s Edge.

9. No action is required after you scan a membership card. You simply continue scanning membership cards as needed.

Note: If you select to print the corresponding numbers with the barcode on each ticket, you can perform a manual “scan” by entering the barcode numbers in the Manual Validation field and clicking Validate. This is helpful if the scanner has difficulty reading the barcode.

Note: You can customize the various result messages by accessing the Barcodes_ResultMessages database table and manually changing each.

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Scan Membership Cards to Display Member Information

You can scan membership barcodes in CRM to quickly display a member’s client record. This process is useful when a member requests membership or other specific information or to simply expedite a transaction by loading the client record.

Additionally, you can scan membership cards when working on the general admission sales screen. Once scanned, the member’s information is loaded and the membership status appears.

Scan Membership Cards in CRM

When working in CRM, whether you are on the Search Criteria screen, Search Results screen, or in a client record, you can scan a membership card to quickly load the corresponding member’s client record If a client record is already open and you scan the membership card of a different patron, you are prompted to close the current record in order to proceed. If you proceed, the current record closes and the record of the member whose card you just scanned opens.

Scan membership cards in CRM

1. From the Patron Edge main menu, click CRM. CRM opens and the Client Search Criteria screen appears.

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2. Scan the membership card. The client record for that member appears.

3. From this point, you perform any tasks that you normally would from a client record.

Scan Membership Cards from the General Admission Sales Screen

When working on the general admission sales screen, you can expedite transactions by scanning a membership card to quickly load a member’s client record and display membership information. You can do this from any stage of a transaction. For example, if multiple items are already in the basket and you scan a membership card, that member’s client information is loaded and the basket retains its items.

If a client record is loaded and you scan the membership card of a different patron, you can opt to replace the currently loaded client record with the record of the member whose card was just scanned.

Note: You can also scan a membership card from the Search Results screen or from an open client record to load the client record associated with the scanned membership card.

Note: If you scan a different membership card from an open client record, the program notifies you that the current record will be closed and a new record opened.

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Scan membership cards from the general admission sales screen

1. From the Patron Edge main menu, click Sales. If you have configured the required user option, the general admission screen appears.

2. Scan the membership card. If successful, the membership information appears in the lower left corner of the screen, including member name, membership type, and expiration date. If another member’s information is already loaded, you are prompted to unload that information before proceeding.

Note: To display the general admission sales screen, you must access user options, locate the Use GA Sales Screen option, and mark Yes.

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3. From this point, continue with the general admission sales transaction as you would normally.

For more information about general admission sales processes, see the General Admission Sales Guide.

Scan Coupons

Once you activate barcode scanning in Administration, configure barcode scanners for use with The Patron Edge, and define coupons, you can scan coupon barcodes during sales processes. You can scan coupons on the standard sales screen and the general admission sales screen. For more

information about configuring coupons, see the Coupons chapter of the Box Office Setup Guide.

Scan Coupons on the Standard Sales Screen

When working on the standard sales screen, you apply coupons on the Payment screen before you enter payment information. You can apply coupons to purchases made through the standard sales screen by scanning a valid coupon barcode.

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To scan a coupon the customer has presented, click the ellipsis next to the Coupons field. The Coupons valid for this basket screen appears.

The Available Coupons grid displays all coupons that are eligible to be used with this basket. Click in the Coupon ID field scan the coupon barcode. Once the coupon ID is entered, click the green plus sign to apply the coupon to the basket. For more information about applying coupons on the standard sales screen, see the Reserved Seats Sales Guide.

Scan Coupons on the General Admission Sales Screen

When working on the general admission sales screen, you apply coupons using the Coupon button displayed along with the payment method buttons. The label text of the Coupon button is displayed in blue to easily identify it among the payment method buttons.

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If the basket contains items that are eligible for coupon discounts, the Coupon button is displayed on the general admissions sales screen along with the payment method buttons and is active. To scan a coupon the customer has presented, click the Coupons button. The Coupons screen appears.

On the Coupons screen, scan the corresponding coupon barcode. Once the coupon code is entered, click Confirm and the discount is applied to the basket. For more information about applying coupons on the general admission sales screen, see the General Admission Sales Guide.

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Wireless Barcode

Scanning in The Patron Edge

Prepare for Wireless Barcode Scanning . . . 46 Process Summary Checklist . . . 46 Install and Configure Access Control . . . 46 Install the Wireless Scanning Application . . . 47 Configure Administration Settings for Wireless Scanning . . . 53 Activate Barcode Scanning . . . 53 Set Barcode Validity and Scanning Intervals for Shows . . . 54 Define Ticket Scanning Rules . . . 58 Define Membership Scanning Rules . . . 59 Configure The Patron Edge to Scan Raiser’s Edge Membership Barcodes . . . 62 Configure a Wireless Device for Barcode Scanning . . . 63 Use the Scanning Application . . . 65 Troubleshoot Wireless Barcode Scanning . . . 68

To use barcode scanning with wireless devices in The Patron Edge, you must have the optional module Access Control. With Access Control, you use compatible wireless devices to scan and validate tickets and membership cards. You can also set a membership scanning rule to create a ticket record for each membership card scanned.

Due to the technical requirements involved with installing this module, implementation services are required. If your organization is interested in Access Control and wireless barcode scanning, please send an information request to [email protected]. The installation and configuration information contained in this document is intended for reference use and is designed to complement

implementation services.

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Prepare for Wireless Barcode Scanning

There are multiple tasks to complete when preparing to use wireless barcode scanning in The Patron Edge. First, we recommend that you review your current business processes and examine how implementing wireless scanning will change those processes. For example, consider these questions.

• Will you use both ticket and membership scanning?

• What sales and access points should have scanners?

• For ticket scanning and access control, do you want to limit validation capabilities per event, scanner, and date range?

• Are your tickets and membership cards printed from The Patron Edge or from an outside source?

You must also acquire compatible hardware. The optional module Access Control is a browser-based solution that works with wireless devices capable of scanning barcodes and that are equipped with Windows Mobile (versions 2002, 2003, and 2005). During testing of this module, Symbol MC50 series scanners were used.

In addition to reviewing your processes, considering implementation options and acquiring hardware, you must define barcodes and configure various Administration settings. For detailed information about defining ticket and membership barcodes, see “Define Ticket Barcodes” on page 2 and “Define

Membership Barcodes” on page 5. Information about configuring wireless Administration settings is provided in this chapter.

Install and Configure Access Control

The installation process for Access Control involves multiple tasks, some of which are outside the scope of our software. These include installing IIS on the machine where Access Control will reside and installing a Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) access point on your network to allow wireless communication between the wireless devices, Access Control, and your database.

Process Summary Checklist

The following checklist provides a summary of the installation and configuration steps required to get wireless scanning up and running. If your organization is currently using wired barcode scanning, some of the Administration settings will already be configured.

Make sure Internet Information Services (IIS) is installed on the computer where Access Control will reside. For more information about IIS, see

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/iis/default.mspx. IIS must be installed before continuing.

Install the wireless scanning application. Before installation, confirm that the computer where the application will be installed is connected to your network and has access to the Patron Edge database.

Configure the Administration settings for wireless scanning. These include activating barcode scanning, designating scanner IDs, configuring scanning rules, and configuring the scanning engine.

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Confirm that you have an existing 802.11 b or 802.11 g access point on your network. If you do not have an existing access point, you must add one to your network before continuing. Verify that IIS is accessible via the access point. Installing an access point is outside the scope of this documentation.

Refer to the access point manufacturer’s documentation for installation and configuration instructions.

Configure your wireless device to connect to your wireless network. You will need to configure security, connection speed, and protocol settings as required by the specific devices you are using.

Configuring wireless devices to connect to your wireless network is outside the scope of this documentation. Refer to the wireless device manufacturer’s documentation for configuration instructions.

Configure the barcode scanner on your wireless device. We provide instructions for configuring Symbol MC50 series wireless devices. If you are using devices other than the MC50 series, refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for configuration instructions.

Install the Wireless Scanning Application

The process for manually installing this application is technical and should be completed by an implementation services provider or system administrator.

The installation package described here is not included with The Patron Edge. It is part of the optional module Access Control. The installation package includes the following three files:

• “TIX_ScanEngine.dll” (the scanning DLL).

• “Default.asp” (the Web page that should be accessed from the wireless device).

• “Global.asa” (the configuration file for the Web page).

Install the wireless scanning application

1. Access the computer where you want to install Access Control. Make sure the installation package containing the three required files is accessible.

2. Open the installation package and copy “TIX_ScanEngine.dll” to your computer.

3. Register “TIX_ScanEngine.dll”. If you are installing the wireless application on the machine where The Patron Edge is installed, this file is already registered.

4. Open IIS and create a virtual directory. To open IIS, access the Windows Control Panel and double-click Administrative Tools. The Administrative Tools screen appears.

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5. Double-click Internet Information Services. The Internet Information Services screen appears.

6. In the tree view on the left, expand the computer on which you are installing the wireless scanning application. Next expand the Web Sites folder.

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7. Right-click on Default Web Site and select New, Virtual Directory. The Virtual Directory Creation Wizard appears.

8. Click Next to continue. The Virtual Directory Alias screen appears.

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9. Enter an alias for the virtual directory and click Next to continue. The Web Site Content Directory screen appears.

10. In the Directory field, enter the location or browse to the directory containing the “Default.asp”

and “Global.asa” application files.

11. Click Next to continue. The Access Permissions screen appears.

12. Leave the default settings and click Next to continue. The confirmation screen appears.

13. Click Finish to complete the virtual directory creation process. The new virtual directory is displayed in the tree view on the left side of the screen and should contain the “Default.asp” and

“Global.asa” files.