Zeus User Guide - Airlogica
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Zeus
User Guide
Version 1.17
5 January 2017
Table of Contents
Welcome 4
Features and Benefits 4
What is BIDT? 5
Installing Zeus 5
Starting Zeus 6
Logging on 6
Selecting the BIDT table to use 6
Configuring and Customizing Zeus 7
Registration 7
Settings 8
Import / Pricing 9
Netting Settings 10
Balance Sheet Options 14
Library Export options 15
The File Tree 16
The BIDT Grid 17
Links 18
The Preview Pane 18
The List Bar 18
The Status Bar 19
Resizing Windows 19
Data Display Options 19
The BIDT Import Process 23
Importing the Amadeus and Topas Agency Name Files 25
Netting 25
Convert Currency 25
Automatic Investigations 25
Report Distributor 26
Using Netting 26
Viewable BIDT 27
BIDT Properties 28
Recalculating Pricing 28
Quick Currency Conversion 29
Balancing the invoice 29
Exporting aggregate data (library exports) 31
Grouping and Sorting 31
Line Item Summaries 32
Choose which Data Fields to view 32
Sorting data columns alphabetically 33
Finding Specific Data 33
Grouping Data 34
Return All Rows 35
Hypertext Markup Language Reports 35
Filters 37
Standard Filters 37
Design your own filter (the Filter Builder) 37
Filter Subfolders 40
Lists 42
Building lists 42
Using lists 42
Prompted Filters 42
Working with Filters 43
Deleting or Editing a Filter 44
Editing filters 44
Modifying a filter 44
Creating a copy 44
View Filters 45
The Window 45
New 45
Delete 45
Edit 45
View SQL 45
Move to Folder 45
Run 45
Return All Rows to File 46
Import 46
Export 46
Creating a filter from a “master template” 46
Advanced filters 47
Advanced Filter Wizard 47
Master Filters 48
Creating Master Filters 48
Using Master Filters 48
Exceptions 50
Posting Exceptions from a file 51
Investigate 53
Creating a Duplicate Booking investigation 53
Deleting or Editing a Duplicate investigation 55
Drill Down Filters 55
Comparison Builder 56
Report Distributor 57
Multiple-Filters 58
Automatic Investigations 58
Creating an Automatic investigation 58
Running Multiple Automatic Investigations 62
Deleting or Editing Automatic Investigations 63
Full Database Backup 63
Full Database Restore 64
BIDT Management 65
BIDT Backup 65
Restoring BIDT 66
Deleting BIDT from Zeus 66
The Scheduler 66
Updating tables 69
Appendix A 72
The Folders 72
Home 72
Automatic Investigations 72
Investigations 72
Agencies 73
BIDT 73
Country Codes 73
CRS 73
Link Types 73
Pricing 73
Exceptions 73
Status Codes 73
Channel 73
Market and Source 73
Trans_types 74
Opt_in 74
Filters 74
Appendix B 74
Updating your copy of Zeus 74
Updating the program 75
Updating the database 75
Appendix C 77
I. BIDT definitions 77
II. Boolean operators 80
Introduction
Welcome
Over the years you and your counterparts at other airlines have made Zeus the premier BIDT auditing tool in the world. We are honored and gratified by your support, and we are constantly working to maintain Zeus as the most powerful tool on your desktop.
Needless to say, the increasing complexity of BIDT and distribution in general provides a constant challenge to our customers, and we constantly updating the product to meet your needs.
Zeus was developed by the Airlogica Corporation. It is defined as a Management Information System as it assists business analysts in understanding distribution trends and allows management to develop strategies immediately to overcome problem areas. Its main source is the Billing Information Data Tapes (BIDT) from all CRS companies and data from other robotic software, enabling it to provide a comprehensive information database. It now supports Abacus, Amadeus, Apollo, Axess, Farelogix, Galileo, Gabriel, Infini, Sabre, Sirena, Travelsky (and Travelsky host), Travelport, Topas and Worldspan.
The purpose of this User Guide is to cover each of the key features of Zeus, with step-by-step procedures to take full advantage of the program. It is impossible to include a large portion of the distribution knowledge and the majority of the analytical steps, but we will do our best to introduce our users to them.
In addition to this general guide there are currently seven “pullout” guides that cover the critical functions in more depth and with more illustrations: “Imports made Simple”, “Filters made simple”, “Investigations made simple” and “Drill Downs made simple”, “Comparisons made simple”, “Backups made simple” and.”Posting Exceptions made simple”
Features and Benefits
Zeus provides an airline with the tools required to dramatically reduce distribution costs. The system achieves this by:
1. Enabling rapid and easy import of the voluminous BIDT records into a full-featured database
2. Allowing analysis of the entire CRS environment at both macro and micro levels
3. Providing market segmentation, code-share/alliance relationships and cost-center chargebacks
4. Enabling airlines to implement tightly targeted cost reduction programs, rather than "blanket" policies
5. Confirming and quantifying the success of current distribution strategies, or demonstrating the need to make changes
6. Incorporating on-line data from other Airlogica software, currently used, to reduce expensive transactions such as passives, waitlists, duplicates, fictitious and speculative bookings
7. Including Internet and Intranet capabilities, to ensure an airline can quickly and efficiently disseminate market specific information to affected departments and regional offices throughout the world.
What is BIDT?
BIDT (Billing Information Data Tapes) contain complete details of an airline’s billable bookings made by a GDS (Global Distribution System). The files contain detailed information on all booking, modifying or cancelling transactions made within the month and many ticketing and void and segments in some CRSs/GDSs.
Each CRS organization supplies BIDT with a monthly invoice. The main purpose of BIDT is to justify the CRS costs and ensure the invoice is correct.
The data fields contained within the raw BIDT are found with in Appendix C with a description; here is a short summary of some of those fields:
8. Transaction Date and Type
9. Link Type (level of connectivity)
10. Country of Sale
11. Status Code and Previous Status Code
12. Passenger Number
13. Carrier Code, Flight Number, Booking Class, Segment Date, Origin and Destination
14. CRS and CRS PNR Number
15. Pseudo City Code, IATA/ARC number and Travel Agency name
16. Passenger Name
17. Ticket Number (some CRSs and transaction types)
Zeus imports the raw data and processes it into useful information. The system does this by calculating and applying the correct cost for each passenger segment record and assigning it to the appropriate region and, if desired, cost center.
Once in the system, the information can be analyzed to identify niche cost-of-sale reduction opportunities.
Installing Zeus
Zeus requires several prerequisites before installation. It requires an operating system of Windows XP or higher or Microsoft SQL Server 2008 or later. Please refer to the Zeus Installation Guide for specific procedures.
The Airlogica team recommends a PC with the following specifications as a minimum to ensure great performance:
18. Pentium IV processor
19. Minimum 50 Gb available in the Hard Disk
20. 1Gb RAM
Starting Zeus
Zeus utilizes Microsoft SQL Server for report production, answering ad hoc queries and the ability to group (summarize) and sort data efficiently. Before the Zeus database can be accessed Microsoft SQL Server must be “running”.
To check the status of SQL Server simply observe the SQL Server smart icon in the status bar. If it displays a green “triangle”, it is running. If there is a red square instead, it is not. You may start SQLServer by right-clicking on the icon and selecting “MSSQL Server Start”.
Logging on
When you first start Zeus you will be required to log in using your User name and password for both the database (SQL) and Zeus.
Your login will determine what functions you can perform in Zeus.
There are two logins: the database login (to the SQL Server database, assigned by the database administrator) and the Zeus login to Zeus itself.
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The instructions for controlling Zeus security are found in the Zeus Access Control document.
Selecting the BIDT table to use
When you complete the login process successfully, Zeus will start and ask you which BIDTs you wish to work with (i.e. make Viewable). You may either drag the mouse or use control+click or shift+click to select multiple bidts. You must click OK to continue.
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Note: you may sort the BIDTs by CRS, Month or Year in order to find all of the desired BIDTs together for ease of selection.
Configuring and Customizing Zeus
Note: These items will be set for you during your initial installation; however, should you need to make some changes, please use this section.
By selecting ‘Administration' from the Tools menu, you will be able to change some configurations.
You will be concerned only with the four (4) items on the lower left part of the screen: Settings, Import/Pricing, Netting and Registration.
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Registration
In the registration screen you may enter the name of the analyst who is operating Zeus along with your airline name. These items will be added to all reports unless you choose not to include them in a specific report template (please see report templates).
The serial number will be provided to you once your initial license payment has been received. You may copy the information from the email to the Windows clipboard and then paste it into the ‘Serial Number’ window to license your copy of Zeus.
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The serial number includes which carrier codes you may import (including codeshare partners) and your level of Opt_in or TMAplus, so if one of these changes, you must contact Airlogica for an updated serial number.
Settings
Here you will find a number of configurable options:
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The connection timeout value may be increased if Zeus is ‘going to sleep’ before the reports have been completed. Setting it to ‘0’ disables it (recommended).
Maximum lines returned is the number of lines displayed in the Grid when you open a table or run a report. By increasing the value you will display more rows; however, most users only need the grid data to get a feel for the end result, which is then run as part of an automatic investigation that always returns all rows. If you change this value, more rows will be available to analyze on-screen, but it will take longer to load the result of your filter. If you raise the number to more than 50,000 rows, the load times may be dramatically slower and you may get an ‘out of memory’ error on yoru PC.
A new option checkbox allows you to select which BIDTs to make viewable on start-up or to manually activate eth Select BIDT window at your leisure. When checked OFF, this enables Zeus to start up much faster on some of our customers’ networks.
Here also you can tell Zeus where to store and search for your files:
Zeus creates temp(orary) files in processing - you will have no need to access them, so the location is important only for providing enough Hard Drive space for them.
This is a very important setting if you are installing Zeus on a network server, and you must use Network Neighborhood to browse to the desired folder on the server.
Zeus creates audit and error log files as it runs if this option is selected further down in this form. We may ask you for these if you encounter problems, so it is nice to know where they are stored. We recommend a '\logs' folder on each individual desktop!.
In order to speed up the import process, you may set a default folder for where the raw BIDT data files are copied to your PC for importing into Zeus. A folder named \imports is recommended, and it should be on the server in a client/server environment.
Export Files – When you wish to save the information from the Grid, you may use the right click to select "Export Grid Data". The setting here allows you to set a default location for storing these “exports”.
Report files – If you wish to define a default folder for your reports, you may browse to that older here and select that folder. Reports should be stored in a common location for ease of retrieval. Your Airlogica consultant may have some suggestions for you.
Report Details Text allows you to add a line of text to all of the HTML reports you generate, e.g. your contact information.
Home Page Header File allows you to have your airline logo or whatever graphic you desire on your Zeus desktop. Your Airlogica consultant will arrange this for you. The default is an Airlogica logo.
Log Files should be checked on for both Error and Audit field; – these will be requested by Airlogica for troubleshooting should you encounter an error.
Auto-Investigations – if you want to be able to generate balance sheets as part of an Automatic Investigation, this box should be checked. It is generally NOT checked in order to avoid having to skip the Balance Sheet page at the end of each automatic investigation created.
Import / Pricing
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The Use Additional Indexes box should only be checked if directed by Airlogica.
The Suppress Duplicate BIDT should be left unchecked so Zeus will warn you if you try to import (or restore) a BIDT that already is available in Zeus. The exception to this is if one or more CRS provides BIDTs so large that the CRS provides it on two or more files (rare).
If you wish to import, price and analyse the various Travelport non-segment records from the Travelport BIDT please tick the Travelport other fees box.
The Worldspan Option should be set by your Airlogica. Representative (if you are still receiving WOR BIDTs).
Amadeus offers two pricing options, PCA and GDA; please select the one that applies to your agreement with Amadeus.
If you are receiving your Sabre BIDTs in a compressed format Zeus will automatically decompress the file as part of the import process. However, you need to tell Zeus where the ‘decomp.exe’ file is located on your Hard Drive or server for it to do so. Please Browse (...) to find the location (folder) of the decomp.exe file and save the location in the COMM-PRESS settings window. You will also have the option of deleting the compressed file automatically after successful import; please do so to save disk space.
Update Pricing Field options: You can have Zeus insert the cancellation cost of all cancelled records in the Other_cost field by checking the Cancel Segs with Premium checkbox. Note: if you do that you cannot use ZeusPlus to update the Other_Cost field.
Decimals in Cost Fields was implemented for a few customers who wanted all cost values to be 3 (or more) decimals; it is not a recommended configuration.
Pricing by Pseudocity, if enabled, allows you to apply different pricing to different agencies’ segments by pseudocity code. This is part of ZeusPlus and requires an additional fee. We recommend you do NOT use this option as it is very slow.
Additional Pricing Options:
If you are rejecting passive segments from PSN, please check the Passive Segment Reject box.
If you participating in Opt_in (Full Content) pricing and have paid the fee for this function, please check the Opt In Pricing box and assure Airlogica has provided you with the updated pricing tables.
If you participate in the Sabre TMA pricing scheme, you will need to select either the TMA pricing or TMAPlus Pricing option; please discuss this with your Airlogica representative. TMAPlus is another additional-fee item for pricing by ticket value in Sabre; it has not yet been implement due to Sabre not providing a home country ticketing file.
Netting Settings
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a. Netting by Pseudocity or by PNR; we recommend PNR since PNRs are often transferred between different Pseudocities for Quality Control and ticketing.
b. You may include as many months of previously-imported BIDTs to be netted on import as you wish. We recommend 12 months.
c. Exception Code Handling maintains an accurate audit trail for duplicate booking exceptions:
i. Update Booked Segment Exception Code: If a booking segment in a prior month has an exception code of ‘DU’ and that segment is matched to a cancellation segment in the current month, netted will be reset from ‘0’ to '1' and, if this box is checked, the 'DU' will be changed to a ‘DX’ in the Exception field (and ‘DI’ to ‘DN’).
ii. Update Cancelled Segment Exception Code: If a cancellation is netted to a segment booked in a previous month that has an exception code of 'DU', the new cancellation segment will be marked as netted = 1 and the Exception field will be marked with a ‘DR’ to allow you to easily locate the segment in order to credit the responsible travel agency if that is your policy.
d. Netting on Import: we recommend you tick this box to include netting of Divided PNRs on import; the same exception posting options apply.
e. Netting Across CRS is used to net Travelport with APO and GAL from previous months (if ticked on). Since it has been more than five (5) years since Travelport superceded APO and GAL it may be left off.
f. Export Options: If you are using a version of Excel prior to Office 2007 then you may tick this ON so Zeus will break the result files into 60,000 record sizes if they contain more than 60,000 records.
g. Restore Options: some customers have encountered incorrect “invalid record” errors on restoring backed up BIDTs. If you tick this box, Zeus will ignore those errors if they are encountered. This is helpful when you are restoring a large number of BIDT backup files overnight.
Report templates
You can customize all of your HTML reports by first creating a template and then by selecting that template whenever you run filters whose results you wish to show in an HTML report
From the Filter builder you may select a report template and also create or edit one:
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You may change all items from here:
1. Top row above Filter name, you may right click and insert a corporate logo or other graphic which will be centered. (This graphic is not embedded so you will need to include a copy of the logo file with the report when you send it.)
2. The [ ] indicates a data element from Zeus that will automatically be inserted. e.g. [Filter name] will be the name of the filter run to create the report. [Airline] and [user name] come from your Administration | registration form, etc. You may delete any of these if you do not want them by right-click, then select ‘text’ and backspace and leave it blank or add your own text, e.g. “All costs in USD and JPY”. These are handy fields to manually add other textual information in, such as the time period the reports cover, whether the amounts are in USD or mixed currency, etc. (Please see “Report Details Text” for and other user-defined fixed input.
3. Column header is the name of the field (column) in Zeus and 'body' is the information in the field (column).
4. By right-clicking in any area (column header, the footers, body) you will open a small menu with options of ‘Font', 'Fore Color' (the text) and 'Back Color' (the background). (Note: changing the Back Color in the 'body' will require a lot of ink on your reports.) Use the color chart to add life to your reports.
5. Give each template a unique name and remember to select that name next time you create a report.
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There are two shortcuts available on the floating Filters menu (opened by right-click with the mouse in the filters area of the Folder list), that pertain to the report templates:
a. Add Report Template: This will allow you to apply any available template to the filter which you have selected (highlighted) with the mouse.
b. Add Report Template To All: This will apply the template you select to all filters you have created.
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Note: when you create new reports you will need to select the desired template for them.
Codeshare and Library export configuration
If you are using Zeus to reconcile your CRS invoices with the Excel Spreadsheets (balance sheets) we have supplied, you can allocate costs by cost center and codeshare partner. The cost center alignments are assigned on import from the Country Code table. The codeshare cost allocation is done using the flight number ranges you have assigned to your codeshare partners.
Balance Sheet Options
In order to define (add, change or delete) codeshare partners or subsidiaries and their flight number ranges please open “Balance Sheet Options” from the “Format” item on the menu bar.
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The form is self-explanatory. Merely add the name of the carrier in the “Subsidiary Airline” box then the first and last flight numbers in the ranges in the “From” and “To” boxes and click “Add”.
You any add as many flight number ranges as are necessary for an individual codeshare partner.
Once you have finished with one airline, please click "Save" before adding or editing another airline.
The "Remove" button removes selected (highlighted) flight number in the left hand Window.
The "Delete" button removes a Subsidiary Airline completely.
Please press “Close” to close the window when you are done.
Remember: all flight numbers contain four digits (0101).
Library Export options
Some of our customers prefer to work with aggregate data due to the large number of records involved in reporting at the individual segment level. Most of them use Hera as an analytical tool for the aggregated data. The data is aggregated by CRS and PseudoCity code, and the five exports include segment and cost totals for the following four areas: passives, high-yield, international and waitlists in addition to a total segment and cost report.
In order to define an individual carrier’s parameters, the “Library Export Options” form is opened from the “Format” menu item.
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This form is also quite simple. In the top portion please add the flight number ranges for those flights that should be identified as "international" and included in the “international” library export.
The bottom portion should be used to identify the booking classes that are designated as “Premium" or high-yield (usually First and Business classes; in some classes all-year economy).
The Graphical User Interface
The home screen appears when the Zeus program is opened or by clicking the “home” icon.
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The Zeus application utilizes an intuitive and graphical user interface. This provides you with the following:
21. File trees – allowing you to access the data via different perspectives (for example, view CRS by month or month by CRS).
22. Grid views - simplifying data management and analysis.
23. The ability to size all windows by “click” and “drag”.
24. Smart icons to hide/show panels on screen, to increase viewing area.
25. Microsoft Windows standard cut, copy, paste facilities allowing data to be quickly copied to other office automation systems (e.g. Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word etc.)
As with most Windows programs, Zeus provides you with up to three ways of doing each task. Some users prefer to utilize menu options while others prefer smart icons or “Right Click” procedures.
The File Tree
Located directly to the left of the BIDT Grid and the Preview Pane, the File Tree works in a very similar way to Windows Explorer.
The “+” or “-“ symbols indicate additional sub-folders. By double clicking on the folder or clicking once on the “+” or “-“ symbols, the folders can be expanded or contracted.
The File Tree can be displayed or hidden by either selecting View from the Main Menu or using the smart icons.
The BIDT Grid
Located directly above the Preview Pane, the BIDT Grid will contain the data available from the static tables selected or the first 5000 line (default) of a filter that has been run.
To view any of the data simply click on the Folder or subfolder data you would like to view. Once clicked this will open the appropriate folder within the file tree and then the actual data will be shown in the Grid. An example of this is shown below:
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Note: A status line appears at the bottom of the screen to inform you what step Zeus is currently performing. Please get in the habit of referring to this status indication as Zeus is performing its tasks.
You will note the lower left corner indicates the number of items in the Grid (100 in the example above). It this displays a total of '5000 Items', and the Grid has a default of 5000 lines, this would indicate this is NOT a complete report, only the first 5000 records of a larger report.
The pricing table is an exception; when you load the Pricing table, all records are loaded even if there are more than 5000.
Links
The home page also contains links to the Viewable BIDTs and a short list of the filters you use most frequently. (This list may be changed going to the View menu and opening the form entered by clicking ”Maintain Links”.
The Preview Pane
Located directly under the “BIDT Grid”, the Zeus Preview Pane contains summary information obtained from the report (not static table) data you are viewing within the “BIDT Grid”; you must have a summary (“grouped”) report with Fields in order to have totals, averages and percentages displayed.
Whenever information is grouped, Zeus will automatically compute the totals within the Preview Pane. The information can be printed or transferred to other office automation systems (e.g. Microsoft Access or Excel).
The Preview Pane can be displayed or hidden by either selecting View from the Main Menu or using the smart icons.
The List Bar
Is the equivalent of the File Tree, however, it is displayed in a graphical format. You may find that you prefer to access Zeus folders via this screen.
The list bar is invoked when selected from the “smart icons” or selected from the View menu.
Click on the List Bar and Zeus will display the Folders that reside within
The figure at the left displays the folders which reside under the “Administrative” List Bar. You will notice they are the same folders which reside under the File Tree Administrative Folder.
By clicking on the folders, the details within the folder are displayed for each option. Again, the details within are identical to the details displayed within the File Tree.
The List Bar can be displayed or hidden, by either selecting View from the Main Menu or using the smart icons.
The Status Bar
The status bar on the bottom of Zeus provides the user with several important pieces of information from left to right:
a. The block on the far left tells you what Zeus is doing and offers some important advisories, such as “Master Filter Applied” or “Do Not Cancel” while backing up a BIDT.
b. The left-most block of the four on the right side tells the user whether the Automatic Import Agent has been turned on or not.
c. The next block advises whether or not Master Filters are active or not (in addition, the status block on the lower left will remind users when the Master Filter is on when they run a filter).
d. The current active database is listed in the third block. This will usually be “Zeus” unless the user has multiple carrier databases.
e. The number of Connected Users is displayed in the right block.
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Resizing Windows
All Windows with the Zeus Graphical User Interface are resizable. Simply position your pointer over the Window border you wish to resize (you will notice your pointer has changed to a double arrow) – it is then a simple matter of clicking and dragging the window to the area you wish.
Data Display Options
Zeus also allows you to select different ways to view data presented with the Grid View. In most cases the large volume of records are best displayed in a “Table” format. However, on some occasions you may wish to view the information in a “Detail Card”.
To select this option you will notice a drop down list to the right of the last “Smart Icon”. Click on the drop down list and you will notice two options – “Table” and “Detail Card”. Simply select the one you would like to view.
The following figure portrays the Status Codes information displayed in a detail card.
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To return to the “Table” view, simply re-select “Table” from the drop down list.
The Smart Icons
Located at the top of the Zeus screen are several smart icons. By running the mouse pointer directly over each icon, Zeus will provide a window pop-up to show the definition.
As with most Windows programs, Zeus provides you with up to three ways of doing each task. Some users prefer to utilize menu options, others smart icons or “Right Click” procedures.
Each icon is defined below:
Home
The “Home” icon will take you back to “Home” screen. The “Home” screen is the very first screen displayed when Zeus is first activated.
[pic] Print Preview
The Print Preview icon will generate a preview of the HTML report document
Print
The “Print” icon allows you to print whatever details are contained within the Data Grid. When pressed Zeus will prompt you to save the file as an “HTML” (Hypertext Markup Language) document, which can then be printed from any standard desktop application.
Another benefit of saving files as “HTML” is the ease of distribution to other business users. “HTML” documents are small in size and can be e-mailed as an attachment.
[pic] Import
The Import icon is selected when you are going to load some new BIDT into Zeus; It will cause the Import Data screen to appear.
[pic] Select BIDTs
The Select BIDT icon will open the Viewable BIDT dialogue box so that you can easily change the Viewable BIDTs.
Perform Netting
The “Perform Netting” icon opens the Netting form in case you with to net the bookings with the cancellation after import.
Using the netting option during import is much faster than the manual netting controlled by this icon.
Netting is explained in more detail in the section of this document covering “Importing”.
Generate Balance Sheet
This Balance Sheet icon invokes the pop up mask to generate the balance sheet
Cut
The cut feature enables you to copy what data is resident within the grid view or preview pane. Zeus will not allow you to “cut” records from the database.
Copy
This copy feature enables you to copy what data is showing within the grid view or preview pane.
Paste
The “Paste” icon will allow you to paste records into the system static tables if the formats are correct. This is handy when copying an updated table (for example Pricing) from the Airlogica Website and then pasting the details to update your database.
Find
The “Find” icon allows you to search for particular criteria within a record within the database
Find Next
The “Find Next” smart icon allows you to continue your previous search criteria and searches the database for the next occurrence.
Replace
The “Replace” icon allows you to find and replace a field within the database.
List Bar
Displays or hides the List Bar on the main viewing area of Zeus
Folder List
Displays or hides the Folder List on the main viewing area of Zeus
Preview Pane
Displays or hides the Preview Pane on the main viewing area of Zeus
Group By
The “Group By” icon launches the powerful grouping feature of the Grid. This will be discussed later in the User Guide.
Field Chooser
The “Field Chooser” smart icon allows you to show only the fields they would like to look at within the Grid View (for tables). This will be discussed later in the User Guide.
A to Z
This “order by“ icon prompts a window to appear to allow you to select which field you would like displayed in alphabetical or numeric order.
[pic] Calculate Pricing
This will recalculate the selected BIDT completely. This is only available when a BIDT is in the Grid and the user is the First Connected User.
[pic] Quick Currency Conversion
This will convert the cost for records priced in Euros in Amadeus or Sirena, Yen in Infini and Yuan in Travelsky Host. This is only available when a BIDT is in the Grid and the user is the First Connected User.
You must update the Currency Conversion table before running this.
NOTE: If you have already converted currency one, you must use Calculate Pricing to get an accurate cost.
Run
To use the “Run” smart icon, simply single click is required and it will run the selected filter or operation.
[pic] View Filters
This icon will open the View Filters Menu.
The BIDT Import Process
Note: Only one person can import or modify BIDTs at a time. So, if there is more than one Connected User working in the database, only the first connected user will be able to import (or calculate pricing or restore a backup). The other users may continue to work in Zeus.
At the bottom, right-hand corner of Zeus (in the status bar) the number of connected users is displayed. If it is more than one, the import icon and menu option in the File Menu will be greyed out. You may open the View menu item and select "Connected Users" to see who is connected to the database.
In the event Zeus has been idle for some time a user can become disconnected. By using the “Refresh Database Connection item in the File menu, you will reconnect your workstation.
Importing BIDT has never been this easy! Zeus simplifies the BIDT data loading process.
BIDTs can be imported directly into Zeus from each CRS via a BIDT CD ROM or from a centrally located directory. BIDTs can be imported for multiple CRSs and months all at once if they are in the same folder (location)!
The Import process follows these simple steps:
Step 1
The unprocessed BIDT downloaded files or CD ROM should be copied to an “\imports” folder on the hard disk of the Zeus PC or the MS/SQL server. The files should be loaded using a standard naming process. For example the Sabre BIDT for August 2014 would be called SABAUG14.DAT, the Amadeus BIDT for January 2014 would be named AMAJAN14.DAT and so on.
If the CRS is supplying several files for BIDT you must give them each a unique name for import. For example the Abacus TIDT file MUST be called ABTmmmyy.dat (i.e. ABTjul14.dat). The BIDT file name just needs to begin with “AB” or “1B” for Zeus to recognize it (except the ABA TIDT file).
If this is not done, Zeus will prompt the user to select a CRS if not determinable from file name.
Notes - 1. This could be problem if you walk away from the PC after starting a long import with non-standard file names; Zeus will stop at this point and wait for your clarification.
2. If you want Zeus to decompress the Sabre and Sabre Asia-Pacific (ABA) BIDT(s), please do not change the compressed file’s extension (e.g. .cmp).
Step 2
Click on the “Import” icon on the icon bar and the following screen will appear.
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Netting is used to find cancellations and then match them to the original booking if it is on the same BIDT (or across multiple months if configured that way). Both the cancellation and the booking will have a value of ‘1’ in the netted field. Please see netting for more ramifications.
Netted transactions can be excluded from filters when they are unwanted (such as duplicate investigations), or they may be used for inclusion (as in some “churning” queries).
Note: The multiple Cost and Numeric_User fields will be greyed out if you do not subscribe to ZeusPlus. If you have selected the ‘Cancel Segs with Premium’ option to calculate the cancellation costs, the Other_Cost field will be greyed out as unavailable).
Step 3
The next step is to select the source files for import. To do this you will simply click on the button located next to the source files text box.
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To only import one BIDT file, you would only select one; to select multiple BIDT files for import simply click on each file while holding the “CTRL” key down
Once selected, the files will be highlighted.
The final action in step 3 is to click “Open”.
Step 4
The files selected will then appear in the “Import BIDT Data” Box. To import the data, click “Import”.
If you want to convert the Currency for Amadeus (Euro to USD for some Territories), Sirena (EUR), Infini (Yen to USD) or Travelsky Host (Yuan to USD) during the import process, please click the “Convert Currency” checkbox. You must update the Currency Conversion table with the correct exchange rate before import.
Depending on the size of the data and the speed of the Zeus PC or server, the import process could take several minutes or several hours. You may decide to run the import process when you are leaving the office for the day, or to schedule the import (discussed in the next section).
A status message displays the current stage and the percentage of task completion. Once import is completed an “acknowledgment” window is displayed. A log file is also created to allow process review.
Note - If loading Amadeus BIDT, Zeus will prompt you if you do not have both, the AMA and AGN, files selected, see below.
Importing the Amadeus and Topas Agency Name Files
Normally the Agency name file (named “AGN…”) is imported at the same time as the Amadeus BIDT in order to merge the agency names from the AGN file into the BIDT table. In the event you forget to import the AGN file simultaneously, you may make the imported AMA BIDT viewable and import just the AGN file using the normal import steps to add the agency names.
Note: The AGN file only contains the names and other related agency information for agencies that have made transactions during the specific month.
The same holds true of the Topas agency name file that must be named ATT…dat (e.g. ATTJan14.dat).
Please refer to Airlogica’s “Imports Made Simple” guide from more in-depth instructions, examples and consulting tips.
Netting
If you plan to do any duplicate, reject posting or cancellation analysis you must net the BIDT either on import or at a later time. Netting may take quite a bit of time so plan accordingly. For a thorough analysis, we recommend you net at least 11 months (12 for Amadeus). See Netting process.
Convert Currency
The Import form has a check box to convert the currency. It uses the “currency conversion” table from the “Maintenance” Folder.
After finding the CRS the import will search the table for the conversion value. Then during the pricing routine it will adjust the cost by the conversion value.
You can edit the conversion values just as you would the pricing table by clicking into the field within the currency conversion table and typing. Simply enter the exchange rate and date from the CRS invoice for the desired month.
Note - Currency conversion is only used for Amadeus, Sirena, Infini and Travelsky Host at present, however Zeus includes them all in the currency table, and the default rate is 1 to 1. Merely enter the Exchange Rate directly from the invoice into the “Currency” column.
The Currency Conversion table now supports multiple months of conversion rates, so you need only insert (ctrl+I) a new record to add the current month’s rates.
Note; use numbers for date entry e.g. October invoice should be 10/1/15 or 1/10/15 depending on your PC regional settings).
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Automatic Investigations
The Import form also has a check box for Automatic Investigations. This would allow Zeus to run “Automatic Investigations” in your preferred sequence immediately after BIDT import and netting.
Full details on setting up Automatic Investigations are covered later in this document.
Report Distributor
If you check this box you will be offered a list of all Report Distributors available to automatically send the reports created by the automatic investigations as part of the same process.
Full details on setting up Report Distributor are covered later in this document.
Using Netting
A few comments on netting: Netting is very important if you are seeking duplicates.
There are two ways to net BIDT segments:
1. By Pseudocity – All segments are compared within a Pseudocity code and exact segment matches are marked as netted (1).
2. By PNR – if you have a large number of PNRs that are transferred to a second (or third) Pseudocity for quality control or ticketing purposes, you may prefer to net by PNR where all segments matched within a PNR are marked as netted regardless of Pseudocity code. Travelocity provides an excellent example of this type of activity.
You may select your netting version in the Tools | Administration | Settings page.
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You also have two other netting options on the bottom of the Settings page:
• Include Existing BIDT…, if checked, will include all uncancelled booking (or ticketing) segments from previous months of the same CRS with segment dates from the first day of the new BIDT month being imported. The number of months you wish to include in the netting is configurable so you can match your needs with your PC or server’s resources. These BIDTs do not have to be viewable to be included. The netting mode is “complete” (i.e., not “divided”).
• Exception Code Handling: There are two options:
▪ Update Booked Segments: if Zeus nets a booking transaction that contains a ‘DU’ exceptions code it will change the DU to a DX.
▪ Update Cancelled Segments: the cancelled segment in the new BIDT that is used to net the original booking which had a DU code will be marked with an Exception Code DR so you can audit the transactions.
BIDTs may be netted when you import them by selecting the Netting checkbox in the Import BIDT and Tools | Schedule Imports steps.
Netting on import. . . it is highly recommended that you do tick this box so that Zeus will net both Complete and Divided on import.
Alternatively you may net the BIDTs after importing them, possibly you imported the BIDT in a hurry and you skipped the netting process on import in order to save time or our PC or server did not have sufficient space available for the netting process.
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(Note: you should net only one CRS at a time in order to save time.)
In addition Zeus provides the option to allow Zeus to net all segments including those that have been divided out (Divided). Each option must be run separately in manual netting (they are both run on import if that option is selected).
In order to speed up the deferred netting process, we have added the option of netting only for the desired travel (segment) dates (i.e., starting with the first day of the last BIDT month selected and going forward 11 months (12 for Amadeus). There is no reason to re-net past-date segments.
Viewable BIDT
This is a very important aspect of Zeus. You may want to keep a number of BIDTs “loaded" in Zeus and ready for analysis at any given time; many keep a year of data “loaded”. This provides the flexibility to analyse several months of one or more CRSs for a given report. However, if Zeus has to filter through several months of BIDT just to find and analyse the data for one or two months of one or two CRSs, it will be a very slow process.
So, Zeus allows you to retain up to 256 BIDTs in the database, subject to Hard Drive storage limitations, while only working with the desired, i.e. viewable, BIDTs; e.g. the current month.
When you start Zeus or ‘Change Viewable BIDT’ you will be offered a list of all imported BIDTs to choose from; you may select one, many or all by using the mouse and control+click to add or subtract individual BIDTs or Shift+click to select a range of BIDTs. When you press ‘OK” only the selected BIDTs will be loaded into Zeus for you to work with.
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You may sort the available BIDTs by CRS (which is the default), by Month, or, if you want them to see them sorted chronologically, by Year for the most current month on top (most common).
You may change the Viewable BIDTs in three different ways:
When you right-click with the mouse pointer over the BIDT Folder you will display a floating menu that includes the two options to
1. “Change Viewable BIDT" which will redisplay the same "View BIDT Information" that you saw on start-up (picture above).
2. If you have selected a specific CRS (Travelport), Month (December 2014) or BIDT (Travelport December 2014) the floating (right-click) menu will allow you to “Add” the selected CRS, Month or BIDT to the Viewable BIDTs if it is not Viewable already, or to “Remove” it from Viewable if it is currently viewable.
3. Or you may click on the Select BIDT icon on the menu bar [pic] to redisplay the same View BIDT Information screen you saw on start-up.
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Notes:
➢ The BIDT names and months that are not covered by an ‘X” are “viewable” and will be included in the filters unless you exclude them with a Master Filter or a condition.
➢ Whenever you start Zeus it will prompt you to select which BIDTs you wish to make viewable.
➢ When a new BIDT is imported it is automatically viewable until you change the viewable BIDT or close Zeus.
BIDT Properties
If you want to know how many records were imported for any BIDT, it is very easy to determine. Select the BIDT Folder, right-click and select “Properties” from the floating menu. The imported BIDTs will be displayed in a list along with the number of records in each BIDT.
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This is helpful if a BIDT’s total segments do not match the invoice since it can be compared to the record count in the raw data BIDT file.
Recalculating Pricing
During the BIDT import process, Zeus automatically applies the pricing from the pricing table. Occasionally, you may find a discrepancy or you may wish to reprice with a second table or add cancellation fee pricing to the other_cost filed; so you need to recalculate the pricing after correcting the pricing table. Or you may import the Amadeus, Sirena, Travelsky Host or Infini BIDT without converting the currency in order to reconcile the invoice, then later convert the currency to USD to produce combined reports with other CRSs using the Quick Currency Conversion.
This was once a time consuming task. However, with Zeus’ quick balancing feature, you can now correct or change the pricing in the pricing table and recalculate. This allows you to concentrate on strategic information contained within the data.
Follow these steps to recalculate the price of a BIDT:
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Step 1
Using the “File Tree” highlight the particular CRS Folder required for pricing calculations and right click on the CRS month folder. A Zeus floating menu will be displayed.
Step 2
To calculate the pricing for that CRS and month, select “Calculate Pricing” from floating menu.
Alternatively you may click the Fx icon on the menu bar or right-click with the mouse pointer inside the Grid, and select ”Calculate Pricing” from the Floating Menu opened there.
Quick Currency Conversion
An addition to the Floating BIDT Grid menu and icon bar allows you to just convert the costs from EUR or JPY (or CNY) to USD without having to actually recalculate all of the pricing. It is much faster.
All you need to do is open the BIDT to be updated in the Grid, right click and select Quick Currency Conversion from the floating menu and click once.
Or you may use the Quick Currency Conversion Icon from the icon bar. [pic]
Note: The conversion rate is extracted from the Currency Conversion table, so please be sure it has been updated!
NB: If you have already done one Quick Currency Conversion you may not use it again: it will only adjust the already-adjusted cost fields; instead, you must once again Calculate Pricing (fx).
Balancing the invoice
Once the figures have been checked for accuracy you may now create the balance sheet.
This is done by selecting the “Generate Balance Sheet” option from the “Tools” menu or selecting the “Generate Balance Sheet” smart icon. The following screen will appear.
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Select the Month and Year you would like the Balance Sheet generated against, create meaningful name for the file in the Output File window and then select “Generate”.
Note: You may select one CRS at a time.
A series of Excel spreadsheets have been created containing a balance sheet to help you reconcile the invoices for each of the CRSs. The Excel file contains a simple macro, which will step you through the stages of invoice balancing. Please contact your Airlogica Representative if you would like to have a set.
Note: Before using this feature you must define your codeshare or subsidiary carriers. Please go to the Balance Sheet Options section to accomplish this step.
These Balance Sheets may also be created automatically at the conclusion of an Automatic Investigation if the Balance Sheet Option has been checked on the Settings page.
Exporting aggregate data (library exports)
In order to generate the Library Exports select the “Run Library Export” item from the “Tools” menu. The following form will appear. Please verify the correct month and year are selected in the drop down boxes and the desired folder is selected. NOTE: verify the viewable BIDTs!
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Grouping and Sorting
Zeus utilizes Microsoft SQL Server ensuring breathtaking speed of report production, answering ad hoc queries and the ability to group and sort data efficiently.
The powerful grouping and sorting capabilities enable you to analyze all data residing on the system. This provides:
26. The ability to query any segment of the data contained within the folder. For example query a CRS BIDT over several months or query several months by the CRS.
27. Quick analysis by allowing data to be quickly grouped/summarized. Details can then be expanded or collapsed as necessary.
28. A preview pane to highlight a quick summary of the query.
29. The ability to sort data columns alphabetically or numerically.
30. The option to choose the fields to be viewed in the Data Grid.
31. Line item summaries
Line Item Summaries
If you have grouped some data in the grid you can get a quick summary of the total passenger segment number, total cost and the average cost by selecting summary (grey) that row in the grid and reading the summary data in the status bar in the status bar,
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Choose which Data Fields to view
Zeus provides a Field Chooser smart icon. This selection allows you to select which data fields you would like to view within the Data Grid for the static tables.
Simply click on the “Field Chooser” smart icon or right click with the mouse pointer in the Grid with a (maintenance) table open and this will cause the Field Chooser selection window to appear
Check/tick the data fields you would like to see within the Data Grid and select “OK”. Only these fields will now appear within the Data Grid.
Notes
a. To apply the new field selection, simply re-display the current information in the Data Grid by re-selecting the current Folder. To remove the selection and return to the default display simply open the Field Chooser and select or deselect the fields changed in the previous step.
b. If you are going to export the data from the table for external analysis by either Airlogica or yourself, please be sure to select all fields except the “name_id” field before exporting the data from the Grid for use by Airlogica.
c. This only applies to the static data tables found in the Maintenance folder. The fields viewable in reports are determined during the creation of the filter.
Sorting data columns alphabetically
Zeus allows you to quickly organize data into A-Z lists or ranked by lowest to highest value. By clicking on the column heading within the Data Grid, the information below will be displayed alphabetically or from lowest to highest value.
To reverse the data, simply click again on the column heading and the data will be displayed from Z-A or from highest to lowest value.
The multi-column sorting works from Grid view or from the A(Z icon on the top. To do it with your mouse, go to the Grid view and click on the first column and it will sort. You then hold down the “CTRL” key while clicking the next column and it will do the second level sort.
Note - You can sort on all columns in the grid ascending, descending or mixed in the Sort box, but all columns will be sorted the same if selected by the mouse click-on-field-header option. Usually the sort order will be set in the Filter Builder.
Finding Specific Data
Zeus provides a “Find” smart icon. This selection allows you to search for particular criteria within the data fields.
Simply click on the “Find” smart icon and this will prompt the Find selection window to appear.
Type in the search criteria and select which data field you are searching. You can vary your selection by looking for an exact (whole word) match or by matching specific case by selecting the appropriate check boxes.
Note - Unless all rows have been returned, Zeus will only search the number of rows returned in the data grid.
Grouping Data
By selecting the “Group By” smart icon a “Group By” window will appear directly above the Data Grid. Alternatively, you may right-click and select “Group by box” from the floating menu.
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You can then click and drag the fields you wish to group the data by to the “box” above the column names. For example, this figure shows Zeus grouping BIDT for the Region and then sub-grouped by Country
The lower level data can be expanded or contracted by selecting the “+” or “-“ symbols.
You will need to select the grid row, or group row, (the plus marked line) and then you will see cost, passenger number and average cost in the status bar in the lower left corner. It will remain visible until you move to another row.
Note - Be careful to note that when Zeus groups the data the normal default is a summary of the first 5,000 rows only in the data view grid. In a large report this can be very different from the actual total. This can be overcome by viewing the complete information with the “Preview Pane” (see next paragraph) or by returning all rows (see the “returning all rows” section).
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Within the Preview Pane if the option to “Compute Summaries” is selected, data summary information will be displayed to enable quick analysis.
If you wish to remove the grouping for one or all of the fields, simply drag the field name block back “down” to the header line to undo the grouping. You can also drag other fields “up” to increase the number of groupings, and move them around to determine the order of grouping.
Return All Rows
Zeus has a setting that will only display 5000 rows in the Data Grid (in a large report this can be very different from the actual total). By right-clicking on the desired Filter you will see the option to “Return All Rows”, the complete data set will be returned to the Data Grid.
Note: Be careful when using this option as it may slow your PC down considerably.
Returning all rows is necessary when exceptions are posted manually so that all affected records will be updated, not just the first 5000.
Please note: If a report (printed or exported) is generated in an Automatic Investigation it always creates a complete report.
Return all Rows to File
This option allows you to create a tab-delimited text file with all rows from a filter without the intermediate step of displaying all the rows in the grid. You can then open this file with Excel or Access for further analysis. This is faster than Returning all Rows to the Grid.
Hypertext Markup Language Reports
Zeus offers Hypertext Markup Language reports. HTML reporting works from the grid view or you may select it as an output option in Automatic Investigations. This is a great way to distribute information within your company.
To use this feature, follow the steps below:
Step 1
To create an HTML report, right click over the data in the grid and select either “Print” or, if you have selected just some of the rows from the grid, “Print Selected”. A Browse Box will appear
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Step 2
The “HTML” can be saved under a default name and directory or a name and directory of your
choice. You will then have a preview option when you select “Save”.
Note: Zeus automatically formats the information (ensuring the best fit) and headers and footers are positioned correctly.
Step 3
You can then go to the file in explorer and “double click” on the “HTML” file and the default browser will be launched.
To print the file out simply “right click” on the preview window and select the print option.
If you change the fields or sorting in the grid, the “HTML” will reflect the current view. HTML files are also usable in Word and Excel.
Note - To cancel out of a print job, use the escape key, this will work to cancel until the print preview screen appears. After that you will be able to click on the cancel button.
There is also a setting to the Administration “More Settings” window to allow you to set whether or not you would like the preview window to appear.
The reports all include a line for total cost, total segments and averages as well as a blank line for you to enter some descriptive Report Details text.
(Please see “Report Templates”.)
Filters
Zeus has pre-designed filters to enable quick and precise report production. The filters enable you to run queries over several months or across multiple CRS’ BIDTs. This provides market information and also knowledge to form the basis of negotiations with the various CRS organizations, regional sales offices and travel agencies.
When selected, the filters will be applied to the BIDT data which has been selected to be “Viewable” in the Folder list or selected by the Master Filter.
Standard Filters
Zeus contains standard filters to allow regular analysis of BIDT each month.
To run the filter, open the Filters folder within the File Tree and select the appropriate filter by clicking twice (or right-clicking to open the floating menu and then choosing Run!).
Note: The filter will be applied to all data made Viewable unless additional conditions are applied in a Master Filter.
Design your own filter (the Filter Builder)
In addition to the standard filters, Zeus enables you to perform simple ad hoc queries on any BIDT data field by the use of a query builder. It also enables examination of the information captured by other Airlogica products (for example, Flash TTR processing results can be compared to BIDT).
You enter the query criteria into a “data filter builder”. The query is then available for a one off transaction or can be kept as a permanent addition to Zeus.
To create your own Filter, follow these steps.
Step 1
Right click on the Filters folder in the File tree. You will see a prompt to create a “New Filter”. When “New Filter” is selected the following screen will appear.
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Step 2
In the Name box enter the name of your new filter. Then select the fields you would like displayed in the Grid View, by clicking in the “Field Box” next to each Field Name within the “Selected Fields” area.
Note: Each field you select will appear in your report in the order, left to right, that you select it.
Step 3
In this step the criteria are entered. Select the field you would like to search, by clicking on the drop down list box of the “Field”.
Select the “Operator” you would use to query the data (for example “=” or “like” etc) and then enter the desired “value” on the Value window. (The exact meaning of each is described in Appendix C.)
You will then notice that the criteria statement will appear in the box below. The next step is to select “Append”. This will enter the criteria into SQL format.
You can then keep adding fields, operators and criteria by filling in the fields and selecting “Append”. You can also “Insert”, “Remove” or “Update” any criteria.
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The use of lists in the criteria value can greatly reduce the time necessary to create filters; please see “Using Lists” below.
Step 4 (Optional)
You can also view your new query in the actual SQL (Structured Query Language). To do this select View SQL. To return to the original screen select “View Criteria”.
To test the SQL Statement select “Test SQL”. A prompt will be returned confirming results.
Step 5
Next you can Group (summarize) and Order (sort) the resulting data. To accomplish this task select the desired fields you want to group your data on in the order you want them grouped from the “Group by Fields” window in the lower left corner of the Filter Builder. By default, Zeus will sort (Order by) the fields in the same order that you selected the grouping. If you wish to change the order of the sort, use the “Order by Fields" window and click on the “asc” or “desc” indication inside the window (not on the header) in order to change the order from ascending (A-Z, 1-9) to descending (Z-A, 9-1).
If you are grouping or sorting the data, it is important to select only the fields that have been checked in the “Selected Fields” section in Step 2. For example, if you wish to group on “Region”, “Trans_Month” and “Trans_Year”, then you must have “Region”, “Trans_Month” and “Trans_Year” fields selected in step 2. Failure to do this will result in an error occurring when running the filter.
Whenever you do group on one or more fields, Zeus will automatically sum the pass_no into a field named 'Segments' in the report and the Cost field into a field named 'Costs' in the report. you may also choose to add averages of segments or costs, percentages of segments or costs of the whole. If you have updated the Local_Currency field, you may also choose to have the Local Currency field summed along with or instead of the Costs field.
Step 6
The row limit is a useful setting. It returns the top (or bottom) number of rows (e.g. top 50) of filtered data: for example the top 50 subscribers creating passives.
If you check the percent box it will then report on the data with the result being the top (or bottom) X% of all results.
Please be sure you select the correct field to “order by” and designate it as a “desc” (descending sort) when querying for “Top xxx” reports. (Costs or Segments)
Step 7
Finally you have the option to Save & Close the filter, Save & Run it to see the results immediately, or to ‘Ignore’ it if you do not wish to save it.
Thresholds
Sometimes a certain minimum (or maximum) number of instances is desired in order to exclude the small totals from analysis. The solution to that is thresholds. You may select a threshold value (cost or passenger number) from the area in the lower right corner of the Filter Builder. The options are less than () or equal to (=) the value you enter in the box.
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Step 7
Once all steps have been completed you can now click “OK”. The new filter is available for use immediately. It can be found with the Filters Folder in the File Tree.
Please refer to Airlogica’s “Filters Made Simple” guide from more in-depth instructions, examples and consulting tips.
Lists
There will be times when you wish to query on a list of items but do not wish to input them every time or there are too many to fit in the “value” window. In these cases we recommend you use “lists”.
Building lists
In order to build a list you must put the mouse pointer anywhere in the Filter folder area, right-click and select "Maintain Lists" from the floating menu:
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To create a new list, merely type the name of the new list in the Name box, then you may add as many items as you want a time in the Value box, separated by commas (,).
Then click the Add button. When you are done, click 'Save'.
By the same token you may edit a list by selecting it from the dropdown name box and adding or removing items from the list.
A shortcut: If you have all of your desired values available in a text-based document like Word or Notepad, separate them with commas (,) with no spaces, copy them to the clipboard and then paste them into the value window. When you Save and then reselect the list, they will be displayed in a row:
The Controls (buttons)
Add Adds value(s) to the List; Remove deletes the item from the list
Save Saves the list names and contents Delete deletes the list
Close Closes the form
Import Used to import a list Export used to export a list or lists
The import and export functions are quite intuitive, but please note, when importing a list you will see the following control: If you click ‘Yes’ ALL existing lists will be removed and replaced by the current import! If you click 'NO’ (default) the list will be APPENDED (added) to the current lists.
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Using lists
Lists are a very powerful tool. If you use them in a number of filters then when you need to update all of those filters, e.g. EU members, you only need update the list and all of the filters are automatically updated.
You may use the values in a list in one of two ways: you may manually enter the list name in the following format in the ‘value’ window: (where passives is the list name).
Alternatively, with the field selected and the operator “in” or "not in" selected, you may click the dropdown arrow on the Value window and select the desired list from the available lists.
Note: If you are using variables (% _) in your list, as in the fictitious names list, you will need to use “Like” as the operator instead of “in”.
Prompted Filters
Zeus enables you to create prompted filters. When selected this type of filter will “prompt” the user to enter the criteria in a pop up window.
Prompts are created by typing a “constant” in the filter builder.
For example: CRS = or FLT_NO = >.
These entries will generate a prompt to the user and substitute the value in the SQL.
Note - The typing by the user does not have to be upper case.
When the filter is executed, the message box will appear prompting the user to insert the desired data.
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Working with Filters
Most of the functions involving working with filters are accessed through the floating filter menu. In order to access this menu, place the mouse pointer anywhere in the Filters area of the Folder List and right–click. The following menu will appear:
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Opens the View Filters window
Moves a filter to a different folder
Opens the filter Builder for a new Filter
Opens the Advanced Filter Form
Opens the Advances Filter Wizard
Opens a filter in the Filter Builder
Creates a copy of the filter
Applies a Report Template to the filter
Applies a Report Template to ALL filters
Permits user to export a filter
Permits user to import one or more filters
Access to the List Maintenance function
Runs the selected filter (5000 row display)
Runs filter with all rows displayed in the grid
Runs filter, all rows exported to a tab-text file
Deletes the filter
Copying, Moving, Importing or Exporting Filters
Filters can be copied very easily. You may right click and select “Copy Filter”. A small window will appear asking for you to enter the new name. Once copied you can then change and adapt the new filter to suit your new business requirements.
This task could also be accomplished by editing the filter and then saving the filter under a different name.
To move a filter, merely select the filter with the mouse, right click and select “Move to Subfolder” from the floating menu. A drop-down box will appear, and you select the new folder location from that box. Zeus also allows you to drag and drop filters between folders.
You can also import and export filters. This is great if you are trying to send filters to another Zeus user or to Airlogica for advice.
To export a filter just right click on the filter and select “Export Filter” from the floating menu. A window will appear including the current file name and a file extension called “exp”. Simply select the folder where you would like to place the file and select “Save”. You will be offered the option of deleting the filter after export.
To import a filter, right click on the Filter Folder and select “Import Filter”. A window will appear allowing you to browse and select files with an “exp” extension. Once the file is found click on it to select the file and click “Open”. This will bring the file into the Filters folder. You may select multiple filters for import.
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Deleting or Editing a Filter
To edit a Filter simply right click on the appropriate filter and select “Edit Filter”. This will invoke the standard window to appear. After you have made your changes select “OK”.
Editing filters
There are 3 primary reasons to edit a filter:
1. It is incorrect or you want to modify the query
2. In order to make a copy of it for another similar query
3. As an extension of #2, to create a query from a template or “master”.
Modifying a filter
a. Right click on the filter you wish to edit
b. Select Edit Filter form the floating menu
c. Make the desired changes
d. Click ’OK’ to save.
Creating a copy
Perform the same a, b & c as above
d. Change the name of the filter in the Name box
e. Click OK to save
Filter Folders
Creating a filter folder
a. Right click on any folder in the Filters area and select ‘Create Subfolder; from the floating menu
b. Give the new folder a name and click OK.
c. The folder will be saved in the Filters folder.
Moving a filter folder into another filter folder
a. If you wish to move it into another folder as a subfolder, right click on the new filter, select ‘Move to Subfolder’ from the floating menu, use the dropdown box to find the folder you wish to move the currently selected folder to and click OK.
View Filters
View Filters is one of the most comprehensive menus in Zeus. It allows the user to find any filter quickly (especially helpful once you have created a large number of filters and folders and have forgotten which folder you saved a filter in), and it allows you to delete multiple filters in a single operation. As an aid here, the name of the Folder appears in parentheses after the filter name.
Note: the current folder where the filter is stored is indicated in parentheses after the filter name.
You can enter the View Filters function either by selecting View Filters from the Floating (right-click) menu in the Filter section or by using the View Filters icon on the right end of the icon bar:
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Since all the buttons provide the same functions as the floating menu, you may follow the link to the function. Only the additional features are noted here.
Note: for ease of managing your filters, the ‘Last Modified’ and ‘Last Accessed’ dates are now displayed in the View Filters window.
The Window
This includes ALL filters listed alphabetically regardless of which folder the filter is filed under. The list in the window is first-letter-sensitive which means you can go straight to the Drop Connected Users filter (or at least very nearby) by pressing the letter “D” on your keyboard.
New
Opens the Filter Builder so a user can create a new filter.
Delete
If you select a series of filters with the mouse and the shift key (for an inclusive range) or the control key (for individual filters), you may then delete them all at one time.
Edit
This opens the filter in the Filter Builder
View SQL
This opens the filter in the Filter Builder with the SQL code in the Criteria Window.
The following controls have the exact same function as in the Floating menu in the filters area.
Move to Folder
Add Report Template
Run
Return All
Return All Rows to File
Import
Export
If you select a series of filters with the mouse and the shift key (for an inclusive range) or the control key (for individual filters), you may then export them all at one time.
Creating a filter from a “master template”
We recommend that you test a number of layouts in order to find the one that is the most easy-to-understand by the target audience for your reports. (In fact there may be more than one depending on how many departments you provide information to, and that is fine.) Save the template(s) that are most useful with a generic name such as “Master Detail”, “Sales Template”, etc.
a. Select the appropriate master or template (e.g. Zeus Detail Template which is included)
b. Rename it with a meaningful name
c. Add the criteria that will provide the desired report
d. Modify grouping and sorting as needed
e. Attach the correct Report Template
f. Click [Save and Close] and then move the new filter it to the related folder, if necessary.
Should you make a mistake, you can click on the [Ignore] button, and Zeus will close the Filter Builder without making any changes to the filter.
To delete a Filter just right click on the appropriate filter and select Delete from the floating menu or use the “delete” key.
Advanced filters
There are two types of advanced filters – the basic advanced filter (raw SQL language) and the Advanced Filter Wizard.
The basic advanced filter is a blank page used to write pure SQL language on. Most of our customers do not use this function.
Advanced Filter Wizard
Using the Advanced Filter Wizard, if enabled, you can create your own advanced filters which allow you to link data between two different data sources: for example, between the BIDT and country code table in order to include the names of the countries with the two character codes to make the report more meaningful to readers who are unfamiliar with country codes.
In the folder area, right-click and select the Advanced Filter Wizard (below).
Select the tables you wish to use for your report using the “ctrl” key and left-click with the mouse to select multiple tables; then click on 'Add'.
Please select the fields from both tables in the order (left to right) that you wish to see them on your report.
Put the mouse pointer on the table menu bar and right click, then select ‘Add join’ then put the mouse pointer over the other table menu bar and right click again to complete the join.
Select the fields you wish to group the report on from the window in the lower left corner.
Click on ‘Go to Adv Filter’ where you may review your work in SQL or modify it in SQL.
Give your new filter a name and click ‘OK’ – All done
Master Filters
Sometimes you may want to only report on some of the data available to you in a specific report or series of reports, but you do not want to create another filter or series of filters with just that additional criterion. For example, you want to analyze duplicates using a filter with the criteria ‘exception like D%’. But you only want to analyze those bookings with a segment date of the current month or an O&D of LHR - JFK. You can do this by using Master Filters.
Using a Master Filter is just like using two filters– the first one, the Master, limits the data that the second filter will analyze. So, if the Master Filter has a criterion of 'seg_date' between 01APR and 30APR', that will be applied first; then the ‘Analyze Exceptions’ filter will be applied only to those records that have a segment date between 01APR and 30APR.
Creating Master Filters
Open the Master Filter Builder by right clicking on the Master Filter Disabled (or Enabled) box on the Zeus status bar (lower right corner), and select ‘Edit Master Filter’.
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With the Master Filter Builder open, you can select one of two conditions to apply the master filter:
➢ Duplicates, which is used when the Master Filter is to be applied to duplicate processing
➢ Filters, where the Master Filter is applied to Filters being run alone or as part of an Automatic Investigation.
Add the criteria just as you do in the normal Filter Builder.
When you are done, press the ‘Save’ button and then tick the ‘Enabled’ box. Now you can close.
Note: Master Filters cannot be combined with Advanced filters, only with filters created with the Filter Builder. This is important when applying a Master Filter to an Automatic Investigation which contains one or more Advanced filters.
Using Master Filters
When you are ready to use the master filter, right click on the Master Filter box on the Zeus status bar and select enable Master Filter.
When you are through using the Master Filters, please right-click on the Master Filter Enabled box on the status bar and select ‘Disable Master Filter’.
Notes: You may have Master Filters built for both functions at the same time (BIDT, duplicates and Filters).
When you have Master Filters enabled and run a filter or duplicate report you will receive a reminder in the lower left status bar that Master Filters are enabled.
If your filter output looks very wrong, please verify you did not forget to disable the Master Filter after the last use. (A common oversight)
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Exceptions
Exceptions allow you to “mark” records for further analysis. It utilizes the two-character code that you define in the Exceptions table. For example, you could filter all speculative and fictitious names and then mark (post) all the resulting rows with the code “FN” for Fakenames in one of the four (4) Exception fields..
Note - The only exceptions that are identified and marked automatically by Zeus are for duplicates.
Step 1
Once you have filtered the data and would like to post the exceptions, simply right click on the data grid. The following screen will appear.
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Step 2
Click on “Update Exception Code” and a list box of exception codes will appear.
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You now select the exception code you would like to apply and the exception field you wish to post the exception code in and click “OK”. Zeus will advise you when the update has been completed.
Note: If you only want to update some of the BIDT records, you can select them the Grid and use the ‘Update Selected Exception Code’ option.
Note - To remove the exception code just filter the data again using the exception code as the condition (returning all rows) and set the exception code to ‘null’.
Posting Exceptions from a file (Optionsal)
When you are trying to identify all of the segments in the BIDT that were identified in Flash-TTR or possibly from some other data source, you can compare the data source to the BIDT and then ‘post’ the segments that match the records from the other data source.
Note: You may match as many fields from the other data source as you like to the BIDT bearing in mind that the more fields you choose to compare between the two the more likely an identical match will be made and the fewer “almost” matches will be found. If you are looking only for a close match e.g. trying to match passive ticketing from one location to an active booking from another agency or even another CRS, you can do so by matching a minimum number of fields. Please contact your Airlogica consultant for ideas and guidance along these lines.
Before you can map a file to the BIDT you must be sure the data has been normalized, i.e. the data is in the same format and style:
The CRS is three letters - SAB, TPT not 1S (or AA) or TM
The flight number contains 4 digits – 0023 not 23 (hint – it must be ‘text’, not numeric)
Steps:
Select the BIDT/month you wish to compare and right-click
From the floating menu select ‘Post Exceptions from File’
Using the Browse box, select the file you wish to post, e.g. TPT_Sep_PK.tab
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You will then see the Posting Exceptions form. First, select wish exception field you wish to use and the Exception code you wish to be added to all ‘matched’ segments from the dropdown box (or you can use the exception code in the file as the exception code to be posted to the BIDT)..
When you click “match columns” you will be led through all of the fields available in the ‘tab’ file for comparison to the BIDT fields. If you wish to compare a field, you must select the same field from the BIDT and ‘add’ it to the box, then press 'Next' to select the next field. If you do not want a field to be compared, e.g. status code, just press ‘Next'.
There is one minor variation – since the passenger name field may vary in length or a passive entry may not be exactly the same as a booking entry (e.g. SMITH BOB vs. SMITH ROBERT) you have the option of setting the length of the field that will be compared, in this case, Pass_name. (This is a very dodgy proposition.)
(Please note: you need to reset the length to null when you move to the next field.) In practice most comparisons are made on PNR and not on Passenger Name.
In order to exclude undesired segments from the posting process, you may select a filter (such as a PostExcludes filter that only selects records that meet the desired criteria for matching (e.g. uncancelled passives for posting passive reject files)
If you do not want to overwrite any exception codes already posted to the records that will be matched, leave the “Overwrite Existing Codes” box unchecked.
Once you have selected all of the fields you want to compare, please click 'Finish' to return to the main posting form. If the BIDT is large you should tick the “Increase performance…” box to speed the process..
Click “Start” and be patient (If the file and BIDT are both large, Zeus may run for a long time).
At the completion of the run the matched segments will automatically be updated with the Exception Code you selected above.
In addition, Zeus will generate an unmatched file named “Postlogn.txt” that will include all of the unmatched records from the Tab file for you’re your information. You will find this file in your “temp” folder as defined in the More Settings page.
Please refer to Airlogica’s “Posting Exceptions Made Simple” guide for further information, examples and some helpful tips.
Investigate
Located under the Administrative Folder, Investigate contains several important Zeus functions. They are:
32. Duplicate Bookings
33. Multiple Filters
34. Schedule Exceptions
35. Drill Down Filters
36. Comparison Builder
Creating a Duplicate Booking investigation
Duplicate booking checks are another powerful feature of Zeus. You can run duplicate checks within an agency or across CRS or multiple months!
You simply enter the fields you wish to compare for duplicates into the “Duplicate Bookings” window. Follow these steps:
Step 1
Right click on the Duplicates folder under Investigate. You will see a prompt to create a “New Duplicate Bookings” query. When “New Duplicate Bookings” is selected the following screen will appear.
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Step 2
In the Name box enter the name of the investigation. Then select the fields you would like to run the duplicates query against. These fields will be displayed in the grid view when the query has been conducted.
Select the field in the Field menu and click “Add” to make it appear in the “Selected Duplicate Bookings” menu. You can select multiple fields by holding the CTRL key down and clicking on your chosen fields, all the fields will be added when you select “Add”.
Note: The fewer fields you select, the faster it will run. In addition, the order of comparison of the fields will also affect your processing time.
Note: You may enter as many fields as you wish. However, only the fields with a tick in the box will be compared. The others will be visible in the grid but not compared.
Date ranges: You may select a date range to look for segments booked within a certain time or with flight dates within a selected range, e.g. 3 days for domestic long haul travel or even 5-7 days for intercontinental travel.
Step 3
You can then make your “Duplicate Bookings” query more precise. You can run the query within a CRS by selecting a CRS from the drop down menu. If the CRS menu is left blank then the query will run across all BIDTs currently loaded and marked as viewable in Zeus.
Step 4
The last step is extremely important. You need to decide the sort of information you would like to include in your Duplicate Booking Query. Remember that BIDT bookings and cancellations may have a variety of status codes relating to the same segment.
Airlogica recommends that you include a filter when running a Duplicate Bookings Query to ensure only correct records are marked as duplicates.
Normally, a filter called “DupesExcluded” is available for you as a standard feature within Zeus. This filter excludes cancelled segments and various status codes that could influence your duplicate analysis. The filter eliminates the following:
➢ Status Codes beginning with “T”, “I”, “U” or “K”
➢ Status Codes such as than “PA”, “PB”, “RR”, ”LL”, etc
➢ Passenger numbers less than zero
➢ Netted transactions
You may decide to build other filters in the future, however, this one may help as a start. To select a filter simply click on the drop down menu and select your filter. A completed Duplicate investigation is shown above.
To run the Duplicate Booking Investigation you should right click on the appropriate Investigation to be offered the following menu:
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Since we only run the duplicate investigation to find segments to be marked with the 'DI' or 'DU' exception code, it is quicker if you select the option ‘Update Exception Code” rather than “Run” and then having to update the exception code in a separate step later. In addition, if you just “Run” the investigation you will only identify the first 5,000 records unless you click Return All Rows”.
During the process all duplicate booking segments are marked with the appropriate exception code:
➢ DI = Duplicate (initial booking)
➢ DU = Duplicated (subsequent bookings)
So the first booking in the pair would be the “DI” and the subsequent bookings would be “DU”. You would post both codes but only reject the “DU” exceptions. If the duplicate includes an active and a passive segment, the active segment will be assigned the “DI” code.
By default, if there are active and passive segments marked as dupes, the active segments will be the DI and the passive the DU, and the first booking found is identified as the DI if they are both active (or both passive).
Note - Duplicate Booking investigations automatically append the exception code during its process/run. If rows are posted in error, you need to display them in the grid through use of a filter and then right click, select Update Exception Code “Null - Reset to Nothing”.
Remember to Return All Rows when trying to remove unwanted exception codes.
Deleting or Editing a Duplicate investigation
To edit a Duplicate Booking query simply right click on the appropriate query and select “Edit Duplicate Bookings”. This will invoke the standard window to appear. After you have made your changes select “Save”.
To delete a Duplicate Booking query simply right click on the appropriate query and select “Delete”.
Please refer to Airlogica’s “Investigations Made Simple” guide for further information examples and insights.
Drill Down Filters
This is power squared. After running a summary report of the Top ‘x’ items, Zeus will continue to run a detail report on every one of the ‘x’ items. For example, a top 10 Abusers list will give you the current top 10 abusive agencies summary and the individual abusive segment detail records for all 10 abusers in individual files. Alternatively, you may select all records that exceed a preset threshold.
Please follow along on the attached form:
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1. After right clicking to create a New Drill Down Filter, we will name it “Passives”.
(Please keep the name short since it will appear in the detail reports filename.)
2. We will first run the report Top 1000 Passives.
3. We have selected an output directory for the reports (1000) as C:\current month\drill downs).
4. In the Drill Down Fields we will drill down by PseudoCity, agency and country.
5. In the Selected fields we select any and all fields we want in the detail reports.
6. We selected the ‘Text’ file options for the detail reports.
7. We will use the ‘Country’ and ‘Agency' fields in the names of the files (1000) created for the detail reports. (e.g. the filename will be “0_passive_US_American Express.txt”)
8. We will use standard Filter Builder criteria – in this case passive status codes and previous status codes using the "passive" list and some HK-HK criteria.
9. We can also choose the grouping, sorting, template etc using the buttons on the right.
10. Click ‘OK’ to save and exit.
In order to run the filter, highlight it and run it. Nothing will appear in the grid, but the status bar (lower left corner) will advise you where Zeus is in the process. You will find the resulting detail report files in the directory you selected. Or you can add it to an Automatic Investigation.
Please refer to Airlogica’s “Investigations Made Simple” and “Drill Downs Made Simple” guides for further information, examples and insights.
Comparison Builder
There are times when you want to compare some records with other to find those that are different. An example would be duplicates booked in different CRSs or with different classes of service. For that we use the Comparison Builder.
If you want a field included in the report, “add” it with the left arrow and use the up and down arrows to sequence the fields in report left to right.
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If you want a field to be compared leave it ticked; if you only want the field in the report, remove the tick and it will be viewable in the report, but no comparison will be made.
Determining the comparison desired: the default is equals (=) but you may use any of the six basic Boolean operators by making a right click with the mouse on the ‘=’ sign and selecting the desired operator from the floating menu.
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In the criteria part of the form you then add any conditions you desire, e.g.:
“Exception in DI, DU”;
“CRS in AXE, APO”;
”Orig = NRT”,
”seg_date between 03/01/06 and 03/31/06” etc
Check the Summary box, and close.
Then you can run the Comparison Builder to find those records which are similar but differ in ways you want to know, such as duplicates with different classes of service, different IATA’s or pseudocity codes. etc.
Please refer to the “Comparisons Made Simple” guide for further information, examples and insights.
Report Distributor
Zeus enables users to make a single click from import to report, and the 'report' part of that process is managed by Report Distributor.
Configuring Report Distributor
The program is found under the ‘Administrative || Investigate’ folder. If you right-click on the highlighted “Report Distributors” and select ‘New Report Distributor’ a wizard will open to guide you through the configuration process.
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The first screen provides for a report name, a subject line and a text field. The last two will be included in the email to the recipient(s). In addition you will note an option to set a maximum size for the attachments in case you or a recipient has a mail server that limits the size of files handled.
You may also ask Zeus to compress all of the attached reports using WinZip. In order to do this you will need to have a licensed version of WinZip ver 8.0 with the Command Line Add-In installed on the PC. (These are available at .)
You may either attach files generated by Zeus (HTML, TXT) or you may attach an entire folder.
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The wizard will ask for Folders first, then files. Merely press ‘Add’ to open a Browse box which will enable you to find and select the files and / or folders you want to include.
‘Next’ will then provide a recipients box. If you click on ‘Recipients’ Zeus will open your address book (from any standard MAPI email program) so you can select the people you want to send the report to or send a copy to or send a blind copy to.
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You may create as many Report Distributors as you like, just give each one a unique name.
If you wish to change a Report Distributor, merely highlight it with the mouse, right-click and select ‘Edit Report Distributor’ to activate the wizard.
Please see Importing and Automatic Investigations for the procedure to automatically send your reports when they are completed.
Automatic Investigations
Creating an Automatic investigation
Automatic Investigations are one of the most powerful features of the Zeus program. This option provides a “single click” concept for monthly processing. The whole idea is to be able to perfect the 'best practices' and then apply them consistently and automatically with a single click.
Duplicate investigations, Drill Down queries and Filters can be run automatically either at time of BIDT import or at a time convenient to you! The results are saved as either HTML Reports or tab-delimited text files.
To create an Automatic Investigation, please follow these steps:
Step 1
Right click on the Automatic Investigations folder under Administrative. You will see a prompt to create a “New Automatic Investigation”. When “New Automatic Investigation” is selected a wizard is invoked and the following screen will appear.
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Enter the name of your Automatic Investigation and then click “Next”.
Step 2
The next screen prompts you to enter the Duplicate Booking Investigations that you would like to run. Select the investigations that you would like and click the 'add' arrow button ((). To remove incorrect selections click on the remove from list button (().
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If you prefer to change the order in which the investigations are run, use the directional arrows
(( or () to move the desired investigation(s) up or down;
Note: To move more than one at a time hold the CTRL key while selecting.
All duplicate segments found in all of the duplicate investigations will be posted as DI or DU.
Please select whether you want the exception codes posted in the Exception or Exception2 field. (‘Exception’ is the commonly preferred field.)
Step 3
Drill Down filters can be added to the Automatic Investigation and prioritized in the manner as the Duplicate Investigations.
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Note: the selection filter for the Drill Down should be included in the next step.
Step 4
The next screen prompts you to enter the Filters that you would like to run with unattended operation. Select the queries that you would like and click the 'add' arrow button ( ................
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