Using ResultsNow - TMW Systems



Using ResultsNow

This guide describes the functionality available to a ResultsNow by TMW™ user. The exact degree of functionality, including menu options, page content, and access rights granted to each user, is set by your company's ResultsNow system administrator.

This guide covers the menus and pages of a default ResultsNow installation; your installation may differ. If you have questions about features not described in this guide, or if you require the use of features you do not have, please contact your ResultsNow system administrator.

Introduction 2

Logging into ResultsNow 2

Overview of the Administration page 6

Overview of default ResultsNow menu sections and pages 6

Overview of the menu sections 8

Overview of the Standard metrics pages 12

Selecting a time frame 13

Selecting a metric 13

Interpreting the metric value type indicators 13

Cumulative vs. non-cumulative metrics 13

Sub-goal metrics 14

Viewing details about a metric 14

Working with the metric graph 15

Viewing the numeric data value of a graph bar 15

Viewing the metric as a time line 16

Exporting the metrics table to Microsoft Excel 17

Viewing a metric detail 18

Displaying the metric detail in your Web browser 18

Exporting the metric detail to Microsoft Excel 19

Viewing a metric's history 21

Displaying a metric's history in your Web browser 21

Exporting a metric's history to Microsoft Excel 22

Exporting a single day's history to Microsoft Excel 23

Viewing metric layers (drill-downs) 24

Viewing metric grades in the General menu section 25

Understanding the Business Overview pages 26

Displaying metric details on a Business Overview page 26

Overview of the External Sites pages 28

Viewing truck movements and positions with the Visibility pages 29

Viewing the Load Balance page 29

Note: ResultsNow is an add-on that must be purchased from TMW. For details, contact TMW Sales at 216-831-6606.

Introduction

ResultsNow by TMW™ is a Web-based, performance monitoring application that allows management, accounting, dispatchers, and other company personnel with a "need to know" to determine whether a company is meeting its goals on multiple business metrics. Results can be displayed daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and by calendar or fiscal year. Based on the ResultsNow configuration, information is updated hourly from data recorded in TMWSuite, or other transactional systems with which ResultsNow is compatible.

ResultsNow consists of SQL-driven metrics that provide current measurements of revenue, costs, and many additional operational measures. Some metrics can be set up by the system administrator to issue an e-mailed alert when the calculated result does not meet an acceptable threshold level. Thus, ResultsNow can make users aware of a problem right away. ResultsNow by TMW also supports detailed investigation into the conditions responsible for generating the alert.

Note: This user guide applies to ResultsNow installed to monitor the TMWSuite dispatch system. Instructions and screens may differ slightly for transactional systems other than TMWSuite. If you have questions regarding a different system, please contact ResultsNow support.

Logging into ResultsNow

ResultsNow by TMW is installed on your company's intranet. Its pages can be opened and viewed using a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer.

To log in to ResultsNow by TMW, you will need to know the address of ResultsNow on your company intranet:

1. Enter the ResultsNow address into the Address bar in your Web browser (your address may differ from the one shown in this example).

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2. Click the Go button in the Web browser, or press ENTER.

A ResultsNow login page similar to this example is displayed.

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3. A notice at the bottom of the page indicates a user's login status, and provides fields for logging in if you are not logged in automatically. Depending on the login method set up for you by your ResultsNow system administrator, this page may display one of three messages. Take the appropriate action to log in to ResultsNow.

• Login successful. NT user name

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The ResultsNow validation process was able to log you in automatically, based on your Windows login. You will be permitted to view all content for which the ResultsNow system administrator has granted you rights. Click the Continue button.

• You have not been automatically identified. You will only have access to public information until you log on.

The ResultsNow validation process was unable to determine your user name and password. Unless you log in, you will only be able to view public information, that is, those items made available on a general basis to unsecured users.

Note: The User Name and Password may be the same as your TMW application User Name and Password (case sensitive) or your administrator may have set up unique credentials within ResultsNow.

Do one of the following:

• If you do not have a ResultsNow login and ID, click the Continue button. You will only be able to view public information.

• If you have a ResultsNow user name and password:

a) Click Logon to display the User name and Password fields.

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b) Enter your ResultsNow user name and password in the appropriate fields.

c) Click Submit.

• You have not been automatically identified by the system, and there is no public information available. Please logon.

The ResultsNow validation process was unable to determine your user name and password. Unless you log in, you cannot view any ResultsNow information.

a) Click Logon to display the User name and Password fields:

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b) Enter your ResultsNow user name and password in the appropriate fields.

c) Click Submit.

4. ResultsNow displays a summary page for the first category in the first menu, in this example, the Standard metrics menu section. Continue with the instructions in the following paragraphs to view ResultsNow content.

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Overview of the Administration page

You can access the Administration page only if the ResultsNow System Administrator has granted you the necessary rights. If you have this access level, consult the ResultsNow System Administrator guide for further information.

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Overview of default ResultsNow menu sections and pages

ResultsNow can display a variety of data, graphics, Web, pages, and documents. Links to this content are grouped into menu sections on the left side of the ResultsNow home page. Content is displayed to the right of the menu sections.

Each user's access to specific menu sections and category content is set by the ResultsNow system administrator, and made available based on the user's login. As a ResultsNow user, you can view page content, modify the time frame, highlight each metric to view the associated graph, and export metric details to Excel or to the screen.

Notes:

1. The screens in ResultsNow are .ASP (Web) pages, which reside in the ASP folder in your ResultsNow installation. In ResultsNow, the terms window and page are synonymous.

2. The ResultsNow system administrator can fully customize the menu sections for user groups, and grant different user groups different access rights, according to the group’s authorization to view different types of data. This guide discusses the default menu sections and contents that are available when ResultsNow is installed. The appearance of your ResultsNow pages, and your level of access, can differ.

3. ResultsNow is displayed in your Web browser. Standard operations, such as resizing windows, scrolling large Web pages, and closing the browser window, are handled just as they would be when you visit a Website. These operations are not discussed in this guide. If necessary, refer to your browser's online help or the appropriate documentation.

4. Several ResultsNow pages include buttons or links that export the page's data to Microsoft( Excel(. Your system requires an installation of Microsoft Excel to make use of this export feature. Excel is not included with ResultsNow.

5. When you export data to Microsoft Excel, a message similar to the following example might appear, depending on your version of Microsoft Excel, your Web browser, and other system settings. If you want to store the Excel worksheet, you must do so here, or from within Excel. Please consult your Excel documentation for details on saving files. Take care not to overwrite another Excel file that might have been created in ResultsNow with the same filename.

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Depending on your version of MS Office, an additional message may appear. It may not, be brought to the front of the display. If your system seems to hang up, minimize all open windows on your Desktop so that you can check for and address the message.

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Overview of the menu sections

The default ResultsNow menu sections provide links to the metric data most commonly monitored by trucking companies. Each menu section is identified by white text in a blue bar.

The options in each menu section are pages that display individual metric categories. Each category contains the individual business metrics assigned by content to the category. The displayed page is identified by an [pic] open book icon.

The illustration below represents Results Now when it is installed. Your administrator may have made many changes to the dashboard. This information should be helpful as a guide in using your dashboard.

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The following table describes the default ResultsNow menu sections and categories.

|Admin |This menu section links to the ResultsNow Administration page. It is visible only to the ResultsNow |

| |system administrator, and to users who have been granted access by the system administrator. |

|Standard Metrics |This menu section organizes pages that display individual categories of metrics based on content. |

| |Revenue – revenue per day, per truck, and per mile |

| |Billing – billing lag |

| |Dispatch –deadheads, on-time performance, and miles per load |

| |Sales – customers gained and lost, orders booked, and billed miles per load |

| |Safety – accidents per day |

| |Driver Mgmt – driver hiring and turn-over figures |

| |Each page summarizes its data by day, week, month, quarter, calendar year, or fiscal year. A user can:|

| | |

| |Select the time frame for which data is summarized. |

| |Select between a standard summary view and a timeline view. |

| |View data values, their goals and goal variation for available metrics in each time frame. |

| |View metric details exported to the screen for each metric value within the associated time frame. |

| |Export specific metric details, based on that specific time frame to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. |

|ResultsNow Training |This menu section displays multiple views of business data. These examples are helpful during |

| |administrator training, and provide examples for the administrator to build the dashboard. This menu |

| |is often hidden when the dashboard is rolled out to business users, and my not display on your screen.|

| |The pages in this menu include: |

| |Metrics - a listing of test case metrics that allow users to see data represented in ResultsNow for |

| |demonstration purposes. |

| |Pie Charts – a graphical representation of data displayed as pie charts with the % of total detail for|

| |each component of the metric. |

| |Graph Comparison – This graphical display of data is used as an example to illustrate that up to four |

| |separate business metrics can be represented as annual trends. This display is used to report 'How are|

| |we doing on our top four KPIs (Key Performance Indicators.)' |

| |Report Card - This representation of business metrics is displayed as a report card. Each selected |

| |metric is represented by its grade rather than by its result. A grading scale has been set up for each|

| |metric. |

| |A user can specify the number of grading periods to be displayed, and the period type (days, weeks, |

| |months, quarters, or years.) |

|Business Overview |This menu section graphically displays top-ranking items, as pie charts, by percent of total: |

| |Groupings – the top-performing revenue types, ranked by and percent of orders in the left column, and |

| |percent of revenue on the right |

| |Commodities are also listed as a percentage of the total and the percent of TotalMail violations by |

| |individual. The administrator may choose to disable some standard pie charts if they to do not add |

| |business value. |

| |Lanes, Time – the top performing origins and destinations, according to State and there-digit postal |

| |code, and ranked by percent of orders and percent of driven miles. Additional analysis, Revenue by |

| |month and Miles by Day of the week, and Deadhead by region are also available. |

| |Origin/Destination – the top shipper and consignee locations, ranked by percent of orders |

| |Revenue source – the top revenue sources, such as Bill To and Order By companies, ranked by percent of|

| |orders and percent of revenue |

| |A user can click graph sections, or values in a graph key, to view data details. Details can be |

| |exported to MS Excel or to the screen. |

|External Sites |This menu section links to external Web pages. Default pages include the TMW Systems, Inc. Website, |

| |and Websites displaying current fuel prices and weather information. |

| |User access consists of viewing the Websites. |

|Visibility |This menu section links to a map of the US and Canada that displays truck movements and positions. |

| |Load Balance – the numbers of trucks entering and leaving each US state and Canadian province, based |

| |on order data |

| |A user can click a truck total to view a detail of inbound trucks vs. outbound orders. |

| |Truck Locations (using PC*Miler) – The positions of trucks in US states and Canadian provinces, based |

| |on a truck's last GPS report |

| |A user can click a truck to view check call information for the truck. The user can also locate a |

| |specific truck on the map, according to tractor ID. |

| |Note: Truck Locations is available as a standard category in the Visibility menu section, but must be |

| |enabled by the ResultsNow system administrator. It also requires the installation of PC*Miler v. 17 or|

| |higher, with licensing for the mapping component, to be functional. |

|Start [pic] |Normally, ResultsNow sequentially loops through and displays all the pages listed in the menu |

|Stop [pic] |sections, pausing on each page for a number of seconds, as designated by the administrator. The Start |

| |and Stop buttons let the user manually start and stop the looping process. Looping begins with the |

| |current page. |

Overview of the Standard metrics pages

When you click a page name in one of the Menus, like the Standard metrics menu section, a page listing all of the metrics within the category is displayed, similar to the following example.

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The top part of the page consists of a table of metrics assigned to the category, and their values for the selected time frame(s). The metrics assigned to the category are listed individually in the Metric column in the table.

Variance to the goal is indicated by up/down arrow, and red or green arrow and text color.

• An upward arrow and green text color indicate the metric is above goal.

• A downward arrow and red text color indicate the metric is below goal.

In the current – prior period page layout, variance to goal is based on the result for the current period, or for the prior period. This determination is made by the administrator. For Time line page layout, Variance to goal is based on the average result of the displayed periods. The average may include or exclude the current time frame, based on administrative settings.

A graph for the selected metric appears beneath the table. This graph plots the monthly value for the selected metric, for the current month and for the previous 13 months. The monthly values are plotted, even if the Month time frame is not selected. Monthly goal values are also displayed.

All metric summary pages displayed through the Standard metrics menu section are similar in layout and options, as described below.

Selecting a time frame

Using the time frame check boxes, you can select the time frames for which metrics are calculated and displayed.

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To change the displayed time frames:

1. Select or clear the check boxes as needed of the desired time frame(s).

2. Click Save.

The page will refresh with data for the selected time frame(s).

Note: A time frame selection made in a category applies globally to all category pages in the Standard metrics menu section.

Selecting a metric

The data graphed beneath the metric table is determined by the metric row selected in the table. You can distinguish the selected metric by a darker background behind the metric's name, as compared to the unselected metrics. To select a different metric, click on the new metric's name.

Note: Do not click the [pic] Metric Description icon. If you do, you will open a detail for the currently-selected metric, rather than selecting a different metric.

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Interpreting the metric value type indicators

The border and color of a metric value's data cell provides additional information about the value.

Cumulative vs. non-cumulative metrics

Metrics can be setup to calculate and display either cumulative totals, or non-cumulative averages:

• A white border around a value's cell indicates the metric is non-cumulative. A non-cumulative metric displays an average daily data value for the time frame.

• A light blue border on the bottom and right of a value's cell indicates the metric is cumulative. A cumulative metric displays the total of all data values for the chosen time frame. Cumulative properties are also set on some normalized metrics, such as Revenue per tractor, Margin Per Driver, Travel Miles per Trailer.

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Sub-goal metrics

When a metric value has not met the goal set for the time frame, the corresponding cell background is red.

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Viewing details about a metric

The [pic] Metric Description icon beneath or to the right of a metric name provides details about the metric:

• To display a detail of the metric code and metric description, click the [pic] Metric Description icon.

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• On the detail page, click the [pic] Technical Information icon to display the name of the stored procedure used by the metric, and information about the metric's parameters. To remove the stored procedure and parameter information from the window, click the [pic] Technical Information icon again.

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Working with the metric graph

The graph beneath the metric table plots the metric values for the monthly time frame, beginning with the current month, and extending back 13 months. Several options can be used to inspect data.

Viewing the numeric data value of a graph bar

To reveal the numeric value of a graph bar, position the cursor over the bar. The metric goal and actual data value appear above the bar, and an index line for the data value extends to the graph's Y axis. The goal value appears above the data value.

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Viewing the metric as a time line

By default, metric tables are displayed as time frame summaries. You can view the metric table as a time line, based on the number and type of time frames specified on the page:

1. Click the Switch to timeline view link located beneath the metric table.

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The page switches to a time line format, and displays metric data over the time frames specified in the top right corner of the page.

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Note: User options in the timeline view are similar to those in the metric summary view:

• A metric name can be clicked to select the metric and display a new graph.

• Clicking the [pic] Metric Description icon shows details about the metric.

• Clicking a metric data value lets you view or export the metric's data to Microsoft Excel.

• Positioning the cursor over the graph or clicking the graph while pressing various key combinations lets you zoom in, zoom out, or move the graph.

• Cell borders and colors indicate whether a metric value is cumulative or non-cumulative, and whether it meets the goal.

For details on these topics, refer to the Overview of the Standard metrics pages section earlier in this guide.

2. To change the number and type of time frames in the timeline:

a. Enter the desired number of time frames in the Time Frame field.

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b. Select the time frame type from the drop-down list.

c. Click the Go button.

The page refreshes with data for the specified time frames.

3. To return to the metric summary view, click the Time frame summary link.

Exporting the metrics table to Microsoft Excel

You can export the entire metric table to Microsoft Excel. To do so:

1. Click the Export table to Excel link that appears between the metric table and graph.

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2. Microsoft Excel displays the data as a spreadsheet. You can edit the spreadsheet and/or save it under a suitable file name. If you do not save the spreadsheet, the data will be lost when you close Excel.

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Viewing a metric detail

You can view a detail of all the data relating to a time frame's metric value. Typically, this data includes metric values such as revenue, costs, travel miles, or order counts. Transaction details like resource ID's, start/end dates, and other information, may also be listed. You can view the data on-screen as an extension of the ResultsNow page, or export the data to Microsoft Excel.

Displaying the metric detail in your Web browser

To view the metric detail as part of the ResultsNow page, follow these steps:

1. In the metric table, select a metric, and click the desired data value in a time frame cell.

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2. The Select Output message appears. Click Browser.

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Note: Some metrics offer multiple options for exporting detail about the metric. Some options are subtotal and some are at the transactional level.

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3. The metric detail is displayed in tabular form beneath the metric table, in place of the graph. This detail is read-only. If necessary, use the browser's scroll bars to view all parts of the detail.

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4. To close the metric detail and return to the original metric page with graph, click on any of the metric names or click on any page on the left.

Exporting the metric detail to Microsoft Excel

To export the metric detail to Microsoft Excel, follow these steps:

1. Select a metric in the metric table, and click one of its data values.

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2. In the Select Output message, click Excel.

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3. Excel opens, and displays the detail as a spreadsheet.

You can edit the spreadsheet and/or save it under a suitable file name. If you do not save the spreadsheet, the data will be lost when you close Excel.

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Viewing a metric's history

You can view a metric's daily history for all time frames, and then export the entire history table, or just a single day's data, to Microsoft Excel. The history extends back to your ResultsNow go-live date, or it can cover the backfill period your ResultsNow system administrator specified when ResultsNow was installed.

Displaying a metric's history in your Web browser

To display the complete history for a metric, follow these steps:

1. Select a metric in the metric table by clicking on its name.

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2. Beneath the metric table, locate and click the Show history for link.

Note: The link includes the name of the selected metric (Revenue per truck in the example).

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3. A read-only table of the metric's history is displayed. You can use the scroll bars to view all parts of the history. You can also export the data to Microsoft Excel as described in the next section. To close the history page without exporting data, click the [pic] button.

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Exporting a metric's history to Microsoft Excel

To export the history data to Microsoft Excel, follow these steps:

1. If necessary, open the history table as described in the Displaying a metric's history in your Web browser section.

2. Click History to Excel to export the complete history of the metric to Microsoft Excel.

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3. You can edit the spreadsheet and/or save it under a suitable filename. If you do not save the spreadsheet, the data will be lost when you close Excel.

Exporting a single day's history to Microsoft Excel

To export the history data for one day to Microsoft Excel, follow these steps:

1. If necessary, open the history table as described in the Displaying a metric's history in your Web browser section.

2. In the history table, click a date for which you want to export data.

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3. In the message, click OK to export the data to Excel.

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4. The selected day's metric history is exported to Microsoft Excel.

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5. You can edit the spreadsheet and/or save it under a suitable filename. If you do not save the spreadsheet, the data will be lost when you close Excel.

Viewing metric layers (drill-downs)

A metric layer, also called a drill-down, is a filter that enables you to view the performance of a subset of the metric’s value. For example, you might want to focus on the subset of data from a specific revenue type (a RevType in TMWSuite) to compare its performance to overall revenue.

The ResultsNow system administrator can create up to four layers for a metric. When a layer is available for a metric, two drop-down lists appear below the time frame check boxes when that metric is selected. These fields appear in both the metric summary view and the metric timeline view.

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Note: The use of layers can build unnecessary metrics that slow down the system. It is more efficient to create individual metrics having different parameters. Layers also do not display metric values from the subsets, for comparison, on the same screen at the same time.

To filter data using an available metric layer, follow these steps:

1. Select the layer type from the drop-down list to the left of the Filter field name.

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2. Select an option from the drop-down list to the right of the Filter field name.

3. Click the Go button. The page refreshes with the filtered metric data.

Note: If additional layers are available for the displayed metric layer, the layer fields appear as shown in Step 1, and you can repeat Steps 1-3 to select another metric layer. If there are no more layers available at the current level, the Filter fields display the following messages.

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4. To close the layer, click [pic].

Viewing metric grades in the General menu section

By default, the General menu section contains one Score card page link. This page displays all metric results within a menu section in a report card format, with each metric graded according to the type of scale associated with the metric. The report card format allows you to see all metric results at the same time, enabling you to determine which areas of your business need immediate attention.

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You can change the type and number of time frames for the score card as follows:

1. In the Time Frame field, specify the desired number of time frames.

2. Select the time frame type from the drop-down list.

3. Click the Go button. The page will refresh and display grades for the specified time frame.

Understanding the Business Overview pages

The Business Overview page provides a listing and graphic comparison of various top-performing business indicators. Each menu page category in the Business Overview menu section opens a similar page, consisting of individual datasets and matching pie graphs.

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Displaying metric details on a Business Overview page

You can view a variety of data details by hovering or clicking on a graph key or pie section:

1. Do one of the following:

• To view a detail about a data value in the graph key, position the cursor over the colored square in the key.

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• To view a detail about a pie section in the graph, position the cursor over the pie section:

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2. To view the data in Microsoft Excel or in the browser, click on the key or pie section. A message appears:

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• To export the data to Microsoft Excel, click Yes. You can edit the spreadsheet and/or save it under a suitable file name. If you do not save the spreadsheet, the data will be lost when you close Excel.

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• To view the data in your Web browser, click No. A new page will be opened, similar to the following example. To close the page, click [pic] at the top right corner of the page.

Note: The postal code map appears only in the Lanes, Times browser page. At the present time, no graphics appear in other Business Overview Web page details

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Note: Clicking a graph key or a pie graph section produces the same data in Excel data or the Web browser.

Overview of the External Sites pages

The Truck Environment menu section provides links to Web pages external to your intranet. The default Truck Environment pages include the following Websites:

• TMW Systems, Inc.



• US Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Prices



• US Weather Map



Your ResultsNow system administrator can add more options to the Truck Environment menu section.

Viewing truck movements and positions with the Visibility pages

The Visibility menu section links to maps of truck movements and positions in the US and Canada. This portion of Results Now is not automatically available. If desired, your administrator can work directly with TMW systems to configure the Visibility pages.

• Load Balance

Displays the numbers of trucks entering and leaving US states and Canadian provinces, based on order data.

• Truck Locations via PC*Miler

Displays the positions and check call information for trucks in US states and Canadian provinces, based on a truck's recent GPS reports.

Viewing the Load Balance page

The Load Balance page displays a map of US states and Canadian provinces, each of which contains a number enclosed in a rectangle:

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• The number in each rectangle indicates the difference between incoming trucks and outgoing orders, as shown in this map detail.

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• A positive value indicates that the number of incoming trucks is greater. A negative value indicates that the number of outgoing orders is greater, i.e., a potential shortage of trucks exists.

You can click on any rectangle to view a detail of truck traffic. The data is displayed in two tables on the Load Balance Detail page: Load Balance – IN, and Load Balance – OUT. This example shows the portion of the table for inbound trucks.

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You can individually export the data in the inbound and outbound tables to Microsoft Excel by clicking the Export to Excel button for the appropriate table. To close the window, click the [pic] button.[pic]

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