fast maintmanual

© 2010-2013 SMGlobal Inc.

FastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide

When you first start using FastMaint Professional edition, the system asks you tospecify a password for the "admin" account. Make sure that the Admin password isNOT longer than 10 characters. You will need to use this password the next time youuse FastMaint.

Rev 2013-04-10

Basic/Standard/Professional Editions

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Printed: April 2013

FastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide


Contents

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3FastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide 3

Table of Contents

Part I Welcome to FastMaint 6

Part II Getting Started 8

................................................................................................................................... 91 About Tasks and Work Orders

................................................................................................................................... 112 Maintenance Management Workflow

................................................................................................................................... 143 Setting Up The System

Part III Screen Reference 18

................................................................................................................................... 191 Main Window

................................................................................................................................... 202 Lists (left bar buttons)

.......................................................................................................................................................... 23Calendars

.......................................................................................................................................................... 25Categories

.......................................................................................................................................................... 27Equipment

.......................................................................................................................................................... 31Locations

.......................................................................................................................................................... 34Parts

.......................................................................................................................................................... 37People

.......................................................................................................................................................... 39Purchases

.......................................................................................................................................................... 42Tasks

.......................................................................................................................................................... 47Vendors

.......................................................................................................................................................... 49Work Orders

.......................................................................................................................................................... 58Statistics

................................................................................................................................... 603 Toolbar (top bar buttons)

.......................................................................................................................................................... 61Workload Balancing And Detecting Schedule Conflicts

.......................................................................................................................................................... 63Planning Report/ Print Work Orders

.......................................................................................................................................................... 67Fast Feedback

.......................................................................................................................................................... 69Email Processing

................................................................................................................................... 734 Menus

.......................................................................................................................................................... 76Importing Data

.......................................................................................................................................................... 79Export Wizard

.......................................................................................................................................................... 81Groups

.......................................................................................................................................................... 83User Accounts

.......................................................................................................................................................... 85Settings (Email, Alerts, etc.)

.......................................................................................................................................................... 90Reports

................................................................................................................................... 1055 Other

.......................................................................................................................................................... 106HTML Editor

.......................................................................................................................................................... 109Login Window

.......................................................................................................................................................... 111Web Based Work Request Module

Part IV Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 115

................................................................................................................................... 1161 How to import data?

................................................................................................................................... 1222 Do I need to create a new task every time I want a new work

order?


4FastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide 4

................................................................................................................................... 1233 How to create a 240 day task?

................................................................................................................................... 1304 How to create a meter based task?

................................................................................................................................... 1365 How to create an alarm based task?

................................................................................................................................... 1406 How can I see past due, current and future work orders?

................................................................................................................................... 1417 How can I create breakdown/ request work orders?

................................................................................................................................... 1428 How do I get rid of work orders that were never worked on?

................................................................................................................................... 1439 How can I print files attached (linked) to a work order or other

report?

................................................................................................................................... 14410 How can I customize a report?

................................................................................................................................... 15011 How can I sum a numeric field on a report?

................................................................................................................................... 15112 How do I use barcodes?

................................................................................................................................... 15313 How do I install/ upgrade FastMaint?

................................................................................................................................... 15614 How do I back up and restore my data?

................................................................................................................................... 15715 How can I open the database with another program (e.g.

Microsoft Access)?

Part V For IT Administrators 160

Part VI Getting Support 165

Part VII Video Tutorials 167

Part

I

Welcome to FastMaintFastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide


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1 Welcome to FastMaint

FastMaint can help you quickly put together a maintenance management

program. Manage preventive and unplanned (e.g. breakdown) maintenance

jobs, track inventory usage, labor and material costs, create a variety of reports

and more.

FastMaint comes in four editions; Basic (single user), Standard (single user),

Professional (multiple users) and Web (browser access, multiple users).

This help documentation is for the Basic, Standard & Professional

editions.

If you are new to FastMaint you may want to see the Getting Started section

and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section. You may also be

interested in seeing Video Tutorials .

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Part

II

Getting StartedFastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide


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2 Getting Started

Work through this section to get a sense of what FastMaint can do for you, and

how.

To start off you may want to see the About Tasks and Work Orders section.

Then, as you use the system, you'll probably discover features you want to

know more about - that's the time to consult the Screen Reference section

and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section.

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2.1 About Tasks and Work Orders

In FastMaint, you create maintenance task templates that are used to create

maintenance work orders as needed (i.e. planned as well as unplanned/

breakdown work orders).

Some tasks are one-off, and you can treat them as "Any Other Maintenance".

However, most tasks will require work orders more than once, so FastMaint

enables you to enter them in the system for later re-use.

Whenever you create a work order,

FastMaint fills it with information from

the task - you can edit this information

as required on the work order.

Typically, a work order is created in

one of three ways (see illustration):

Automatic: The task's frequency

settings automatically schedule

work orders, e.g. a monthly deep

clean or a quarterly oil change. When

you run the Planning Report these

work orders are automatically

created. You can also modify these

work orders .

Manual: The task frequency is

specified as “Unplanned”.You enter the work order manually . Once created

you can also modify these work orders .

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Equipment: An alarm or meter reading on a piece of equipment triggers

different tasks to generate work orders. Again, this depends on the task's

frequency settings .

Among other things, tasks and work orders can also be assigned equipment ,

parts (spares) , people and locations . By default these assignments are

copied from the task to the work order. However, you can change them as

needed on the work order.

Next, have a look at the Maintenance Management Workflow section to

understand how the pieces fit together.

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2.2 Maintenance Management Workflow

At its core, FastMaint has a very simple workflow:

Task Frequency

settings

automatically

schedule planned

work orders

The task's frequency

settings automatically

schedule work orders, e.g.

a monthly deep clean. An

alarm or meter reading

on a piece of equipment

triggers the a task to

generate a work order.

Again, this depends on the task's frequency settings .

If you have the Web Based Work Request Module , your staff and clients can

also make maintenance requests online. Use the Requests/Breakdowns button

to schedule work orders from the work requests.

Manager reviews scheduled work orders, then creates

and emails/ prints them

"Planned" work orders appear on the work order list without a status . Find

these by running a Planning Report , or just by double-clicking them. Once you

have created and saved them, you can email or print the work orders using the

Planning Report .

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Manager creates any unplanned work orders and prints

them

You can also create "unplanned" work orders . Once you have created and

saved them, email or print the work orders using the Planning Report .

Maintenance staff execute the work orders

Who does what, using which equipment depends on the work order or the

original task - see About Tasks and Work Orders . This information will be on

the work order. If the maintenance staff received the work order by email they

can reply to the email with updated status and their feedback. If you have

FastMaint Professional you can process such emailed updates and automatically

update/ close the work orders.

A special WO Tag field can contain special lockout data/ shutdown information

about the equipment or location.

Manager or staff update the work order...

You can update the status of a work order by opening and editing it. If you have

FastMaint Professional you can also update batches of work orders using Fast

Feedback or use the Email Processing feature to automatically update work

orders based on emailed responses from maintenance personnel who complete

the work orders.

If you have the Web Based Work Request Module , your non-maintenance

users e.g. customers or management, can also check the status of tasks work

orders online. If you have the Barcode Support Module , you can also use the

“Find” feature to bring up the correct work order using a hand scanner to scan

the bar code from the work order printout.

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...FastMaint updates any quantities

If your tasks or work orders specify particular parts (spares) , then FastMaint

updates the quantities of these. (Should a work order be canceled, it "returns"

the parts to the inventory.)

Manager generates any reports

You can use a range of built-in or custom reports to monitor maintenance

activity over time - see Report Designer .

Next, have a look at the Setting Up The System section to understand what

you need to setup the system.

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2.3 Setting Up The System

Once it's installed, you can start using FastMaint right way; just generate work

orders, and enter any reusable information as you go along (there's always a

handy Add or Edit button). If in doubt, base work orders on the "Any other

maintenance" task.

However, depending on how you plan to use the system, you may want to

enter some information right away either by entering your data or importing

existing data .

Workflow

FastMaint enables you to assign work orders to particular people, and track the

progress. You can also use this information to avoid asking two people to be in

the same place at once! (See Workload Balancing And Detecting Schedule

Conflicts .)

Equipment: Enter the equipment to be maintained - see Equipment .

Locations: Buildings, rooms, assembly lines, stations, etc where maintenance

may be needed - see Locations .

Parts: Maintenance parts/ spares needed to complete maintenance - see

Parts .

People: About the workers performing the maintenance - see People .

Tasks: If some people are needed for certain jobs, set up a list of tasks and

assign people to them - see Tasks .

Groups and User Accounts: If other users are able to update the status of

work orders, then you need to assign passwords and permissions - see

Groups and User Accounts .

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Consider getting the Web Based Work Request Module , an add-on product

that allows any user to submit a work request for breakdown (Unplanned) tasks

or report alarm conditions via a web browser. For more information please visit

http://www.smglobal.com.

Inventory

FastMaint can track the use of parts, and even generate purchase orders .

Parts: List the parts and their current quantities. You can use the Reorder at

setting to identify when parts need to be reordered - see Parts .

Tasks: Set up tasks and use the Parts tab to list what parts are required -

see Tasks .

Vendors: Enter a list of vendors and their rating as suppliers - see Vendors .

Equipment Maintenance

FastMaint can generate work orders for a piece of equipment based on an alarm

or meter reading.

Equipment: Enter the equipment to be maintained, and set up alarms or

meters - see Equipment .

Tasks: Enter a list of tasks, and use the task's frequency settings to tie

them to the equipment - see Tasks .

Reporting

You can use a range of built-in or custom reports to monitor maintenance

activity over time - see Reports and Report Designer .

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Categories: A useful tool that enables you to tag almost anything according

to custom categories - see Categories .

Locations: It's handy to keep track of where certain jobs take place -

Locations .

Custom Fields: Set up custom fields for equipment, locations, parts, etc. by

selecting Custom Fields under the Administration menu on the main window.

Next, for examples on how to do some common tasks see the Frequently

Asked Questions (FAQs) .

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Part

III

Screen ReferenceFastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide


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3 Screen Reference

This section describes the main features available through the FastMaint

screens.



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3.1 Main Window

This is the main window from which all the other windows can be accessed. It

contains the following major sections; Lists (left bar buttons) , Toolbar (top

bar buttons) , Menus (main window menus).

If you are new to FastMaint you may also want to see the Getting Started

section and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section.

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3.2 Lists (left bar buttons)

The bar on the left of the main window contains buttons providing access to all

FastMaint's lists e.g. equipment list, location list, part list, work order list, etc.

Instructions

Add and edit the contents of each list using the Add, Open, and Delete

toolbar buttons, or by double-clicking an entry.

Use the Find button to quickly locate entries e.g. find all work orders with a

number starting with “5”, find an equipment named “PUMP-56A”. The Find

button is particularly useful if you have barcode support since you can scan

in the barcode and quickly pull up the relevant record.

Listing

Button Description

Calendars

Calendars are used for a variety of reasons:

For scheduling tasks based on holidays and

working times.

Calculation of equipment meters based on

estimated use.

Specifying when people are available for work,

so as to support Workload Balancing And

Detecting Schedule Conflict .

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Button Description

Categories

Categories are a useful way to classify tasks,

equipment people and parts, e.g. "electrical",

"plumbing", and "Production".

Equipment

Examples of equipment include air conditioning

plants, pumps, vehicles, and printers.

Locations

Specifying locations makes it easier to perform

and track work orders , as well as to report

and classify all the maintenance data you collect.

If you are doing facilities maintenance, Locations could

be used to specify the buildings/ rooms/ areas which

need maintenance work.

Parts

Parts are items required to complete a task, e.g.

an air conditioning filter, a toner cartridge, or a

quart of oil. When you mark a task as complete,

FastMaint reduces the quantity of required parts

accordingly.

People

Tell FastMaint about people who work for you or

your company, whether as contractors or

employees.

Purchases

Purchase orders can be created to order parts

from vendors . You can see outstanding

purchase orders on each part. When purchase

order items are received they are added to stock.

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Button Description

Tasks

Each task describes a job or action that can be

specified in a work order , for example a

weekly maintenance check, fixing an equipment

breakdown or doing a 3000 mile vehicle service.

Vendors

Enter vendors into the system and list and rate

them as possible suppliers for equipment and

parts. You can then generate purchase orders ,

and print vendor contact information on Parts to

Reorder reports.

Work Orders

Use work orders to assign maintenance tasks for

particular dates and times. FastMaint

automatically schedules work orders for regular

tasks, however you still have to create these

manually , or run a Planning Report .

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3.2.1 Calendars

Calendars

Calendars contain information related to working days, holidays and other

absences. Calendar information on a task is used to schedule the task based on

holidays and working times. There can also be different calendars for different

people and equipment. Calendar information can be checked during task

scheduling to see if the right people are available.

In the Professional edition you can restrict a user's ability to view or modify

calendars.



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Instructions

Complete the form (see below) and click Save.

(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes.

Listing

Name: A code or name identifying the calendar, e.g. "Night Shift Calendar".

(This field is locked for the "Default" calendar.)

Description: One-line description of the Calendar.

Working Days: Select days of the week that will be worked.

Start Of Day, End Of Day, "Same Day"/"Next Day": For overnight shifts,

select the ending time and specify that it is the "Next Day".

Holidays: Click Add to add new holidays or days off. Double-click an item to

edit or delete it.

Comments: Any additional information about the Calendar - see HTML Editor

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3.2.2 Categories

Categories

Categories are a useful way to classify tasks, equipment people and parts, e.g.

"electrical", "plumbing", and "Production". This makes it easier to report and

classify all the maintenance data you collect.


information on categories.

Instructions


(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes.)



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Listing

Name: A name or code to identify the category, e.g. "HO Department",

“Mechanical”, or “Fleet Operations”.

Description: One-line description of the category.

Annual Budget: For tracking purposes.

Comments: Click Edit to open the HTML Editor .106



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3.2.3 Equipment

Equipment

Examples of equipment include air conditioning plants, pumps, vehicles, and

printers.


equipment.



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Instructions

1.Complete the form (see below) and click Save.

(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes, or Clone to make a new

record based on this one.)

2.If required, click Requests/Breakdowns to create a work order .

Listing

Name: Identifies the equipment, a name e.g. "Forklift Truck 1" or an internal

code e.g. "VH-FLFT-1".

Tip: If you have a large quantity of equipment, it may make sense to switch to using a unique

equipment code/identifier. Put the equipment code in the “Name” field and a detailed equipment

name and description in the “Description” field.

Description: One-line description of the equipment.

Location: The location where this equipment is based or kept.

Category: The equipment belongs to this category .

Vendor: The vendor who supplied this equipment. Click New to add one to

the list.

Part Of: Use this if the equipment is part of another piece of equipment.

Model # and Serial #: As supplied by the manufacturer.

WO Tag: Any special lockout data/ shutdown information for the equipment

that will appear on work orders.

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Comments tab: Any additional information about the equipment, e.g.

pictures, or links to manufacturer’s manuals. You may enter several pages of

comments (see HTML Editor ).

Alarm tab: Clickable list of any alarms applying to the equipment, for example

warning of a regulatory inspection. You can set up tasks to schedule

themselves whenever a piece of equipment has an alarm - see Tasks-

Frequency tab .

Log tab: Clickable list of log entries relating to the equipment e.g. issues

reported by operators, or changes made to operating parameters. Click New

to add a new entry. Click Delete to remove a selected entry.

Meter tab: Enables you to set up and update a meter which can then schedule

work orders . For example, you could set up a "mileage" meter for a car and

then have an "oil change" task scheduled for every 3000 miles.

To set up the meter, select Has a meter, then decide whether to schedule

tasks by Estimated use, or Actual use and fill in the details. If you select

Estimated Use, FastMaint will try to estimate meter readings over time and

schedule any associated tasks accordingly. If you selected Actual use, then

somebody must use the Add readings button to add regular readings or

periodically import the readings using the Import feature .

For setting up tasks triggered by a meter, see the Tasks - Frequency tab .

Non-working days: Specify a calendar to use when calculating estimated

use (see above, "Meter tab"). You can also click the Add button to enter

Vacation/ Off Days and double-click an existing entry to change or delete it.

Parts: Clickable list of parts associated with this equipment. To edit the list,

click Add/Remove Parts From List. To have FastMaint use the existing

tasks to work out what parts are required, click Identify Parts Required

from Tasks.

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Tasks tab, Work Orders tab: Clickable list of tasks and work orders

associated with this equipment. Use Add and Remove to edit the list. Adding

or removing tasks will not change associated work orders that already exist.

Custom Fields tab: Enter specific information not covered in the other tabs.

In the main window, select Administration, Define Custom Fields to add fields,

e.g. customer number, contact person, or contract renewal date.

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3.2.4 Locations

Locations

Specifying locations makes it easier to perform and track work orders , as

well as to report and classify all the maintenance data you collect. If you are

doing facility maintenance, locations can be a way to manage maintenance of

specific rooms or buildings.


information on locations.

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Instructions



Listing

Name: Identifies a location, either an actual name (e.g. “Room 101”) or an

internal code (e.g. “AZ-DG5438”).

Tip: If you have a large number of locations, it may make sense to switch to

using unique location code/identifier. Put the location code in the “Name” field,

and a detailed location name and description in the “Description” field.

Description: Longer one-line description.

Part Of: Use this if the location is part of another location, e.g. a room or

outbuilding.

WO Tag: For any special lockout data/ shutdown information for the location

on work orders.

Comments tab: Any additional information about the location, e.g. maps,

pictures, or notes. You may enter several pages of comments (see HTML

Editor ).

Equipment tab, Parts tab, People tab, Tasks tab, Work Orders tab:

Clickable lists of equipment, parts, people, tasks and work orders associated

with this location. Use Add and Remove to edit the lists. Adding or removing

tasks will not change associated work orders that already exist.

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Custom Fields tab: Additional information you need on each location. In the

main window, select Administration, Define Custom Fields to add fields, e.g.

square footage, customer contacts, etc.



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3.2.5 Parts

Parts

Parts are items required to complete a task, e.g. an air conditioning filter, a toner

cartridge, or a quart of oil. When you mark a task as complete, FastMaint

reduces the quantity of required parts accordingly.


parts.



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Instructions


(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes, or Clone to create a

new part based on this one.).

Listing

Name: Identifies the part. Either a name, e.g. "Oil Filter 55AWC", or an internal

code e.g. "HPC4092A".

Tip: If you have a large number of parts, it may make sense to switch to

using unique part code/identifier. Put the part code in the “Name” field and a

detailed part name and description in the “Description” field.

Description: One-line description of the part.

Price: The cost of the part. Updating the price updates any automatically

calculated costs.

Quantity In Stock: Number of parts available.

Units: Any units of measurement for the part e.g. gallons, boxes, etc.

Reorder At: Reorder when the quantity hits this floor. Enter "-1" (minus one) if this

is not needed for this part.

Category: Enter the related category .

Comments tab: Provide more information about the part, e.g. pictures or

notes (see HTML Editor ).

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Equipment tab: Clickable list of equipment for which this part is required.

Click Auto Identify to let FastMaint use the tasks to work out which

equipment requires the part. Click Change to edit the list.

Locations/Stores tab: Clickable list of locations where this part is

stored.Click Change to edit the list.

Purchases: Clickable list of purchase orders for this part. To add a new one,

click Create New Purchase Order.

Tasks tab: Clickable list of tasks for which this part is required.

Vendors tab: Clickable list of vendors who supply this part (note the Rating

column!). Click Change to edit the list.

Custom Fields tab: Additional information you need about the part. In the


alternate parts, special requirements, etc.

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3.2.6 People

People

You can tell the system about people who work for you or your company,

whether as contractors or employees.


information on people.

Instructions





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Listing

Name: Identifies the person, either an actual name, e.g. "William Marshal" or

an internal code, e.g. “Electrician-L3”.

Phone & Email: Contact details.

Category: The person belongs to this category .

Location: Person works or is based at this location .

Hourly Rate: An hourly wage rate/cost rate applicable for this person. If this

is changed, any automatically calculated labor costs for tasks will be updated.

Comments tab: Provide more information about the person, e.g pictures or

notes (see HTML Editor ).

Non-Working Days tab: Define working hours and days for this person by

selecting a calendar . You can also click the Add button to enter Vacation/

Off Days and double-click an existing entry to change or delete it.

Tasks tab: Lists tasks for which this person is required. Double-click a task

to bring up a clickable list of work orders or click Add/Remove tasks

From List to edit the list.

Work Orders tab: List of work orders involving this person. Double-click an

entry to review and edit it, or click Add/Remove tasks From List to edit the

list.

Custom Fields tab: Additional information you need about the person. In the


hire date, employee number, specialties, etc.

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3.2.7 Purchases

Purchases

Purchase orders can be created to order parts from vendors . You can see

outstanding purchase orders on each part. When purchase order items are

received they are added to stock.


purchase orders.

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Instructions



2.Select the Print button to print out the purchase order for approval or

submission to a vendor. You can save your changes by selecting the Add/

Save button. Selecting the Cancel button discards all changes. The Delete

button will delete the purchase order (after asking you for confirmation!).

Listing

PO Request #: Automatically generated request number identifying the

purchase order. When you first create a purchase order, FastMaint asks you to

enter a template for these numbers.

Description: A one-line description of the order.

Order Date: Date of the order.

PO Number: Purchase order number, e.g. as assigned to by the purchasing

department.

Required By: Date when the order should be completed and parts delivered.

Status: Status of the order, e.g. "Requested", "Approved" etc.

Completed: Available when the order status is completed. Enter the date the

order was completed (all parts received).

Details tab: Shipping and billing addresses, plus payment terms.

Discounts/ Charges tab: Any discounts, shipping charges, taxes etc.



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Instructions tab: Any special instructions for the vendor.

Parts tab: Specify parts to be ordered.

Other tab: Any other non-stock parts or services to be ordered.

Custom Fields tab: Additional information on each purchase order.

(You can add fields to this tab, e.g. cost center, approvals. To do this, in the

main window, from the Administration menu, select Define Custom Fields).



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3.2.8 Tasks

Tasks

Each task describes a job or action that can be specified in a work order , for

example weekly maintenance checks, fixing an equipment breakdown or

changing an oil filter. You can create a task when you fill out a work order, but

it's better to enter some standard tasks beforehand. Also, if you define a task as

having a regular frequency, FastMaint schedules it for you. For step-by-step

examples see - How to create a 240 day task? and How to create a meter

based task?

In the Professional edition you can restrict a user's ability to view, create or

modify tasks.

"Any Other Maintenance": This task can be used to create ad-hoc unplanned

work orders using the Request/ Breakdowns button. Do not delete it, or

assign equipment or locations to it. If you can't find this task (because someone

changed its name), in the Create Work Orders For Breakdowns/ Maintenance

Requests Request/Breakdowns window, look for the hint next to the Equipment

and Location entries, "...you can always use the same unplanned task...". If this

doesn't list a task, create a new one called "Any Other Maintenance".

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Instructions



2.If required, Click Work Orders/History to display a schedule of work orders,

which you can create by clicking Add.

You can also create a new task based on the current one by using the Clone

button; and use the Delete button to remove the current task.



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Listing

Name: Identifies the task, either a short description (e.g. "Weekly A/C

Maintenance") or an internal code (e.g."PUMP-01-SCHED-A").

Tip: If you have a large number of tasks it may make sense to switch to using unique task

code/ identifier. Put the task code in the “Name” field and a detailed task name and

description in the “Description” field.

Description: More information about the task.

Class: Is this a "preventive maintenance task" or a "breakdown maintenance

task"?

Category: Category, e.g. "Electrical", "Production Dept.", "Customer #5". Use

the Add/ Edit button to add new categories.

Class & Category information can be useful for reporting & analysis.

Priority: The priority for the task.

Start Time & Duration: Expected start time and duration of work orders for

this task.

Effective Period: This task can only be used to create work orders during this

time period. This is useful, e.g., if you wish to disable this task after a specific

date or number of work orders. Normally you would select “Never Ends” for

this field.



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Work Order Options: Select the "Create separate work orders for each

equipment and location associated with this task" to always generate a

separate work order for each location and piece of equipment associated with

the task.

If you don't select this option, then a single work order will cover all the

associated equipment and locations (unless you assign a custom frequency to

each location and piece of equipment on the Locations tab and the Equipment

tab).

Frequency tab: Specify how often the task should be automatically

scheduled, and then fill out additional information depending on what you

selected.

FastMaint automatically schedules work orders (calculates work order dates)

for regular tasks, however you still have to create these work orders manually

, or run a the Planning Report to create all scheduled work orders in a

specific period. If you specify a Calendar, working hours and off days will be

considered.

Use "Unplanned" or "Alarm" for emergency or breakdown maintenance jobs.

You have to schedule these manually.

Equipment tab/ Locations tabs/ Part tabs/ People tabs: Use these tabs

to associate particular equipment, locations, parts and people with the task. In

each, use the Add button to open a list, select the check boxes then click OK.

Costs tab: Record the Labor Cost (cost of people needed), Material Cost (cost

of parts needed) and Other Cost (any other costs involved) for this task. If you

want to calculate any of these manually, uncheck the box. Otherwise

FastMaint calculates labor automatically based on the entries here.

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Instructions tab: Enter up to several pages of instructions. You can format

the instructions with paragraphs and spaces to make them easy to read when

displayed or printed on reports. You can also insert pictures and links using the

HTML Editor .

Feedback tab: Leave this blank or enter a template for the work order

feedback e.g. a fill in form, checklist, etc.



e.g. customer number, contact person, contract renewal date, etc.

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3.2.9 Vendors

Vendors

You can enter vendors into the system and list and rate them as possible

suppliers for equipment and parts. You can then generate purchase orders ,

and print vendor contact information on Parts to Reorder reports.


vendor information.

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Instructions



Listing

Name: Name or internal code to identify the vendor, e.g. "Sam"s Auto Parts",

or “V5463-22”.

Tip: If you have a large number of vendors, it may make sense to switch to using unique vendor code/

identifier. Put the vendor code in the “Name” field and the vendor name and description in the

“Description” field.

Description: One-line description of the vendor.

Our Account: Your organization's account number with this vendor.

Vendor Rating: A good way to record how good a vendor is.

Contacts tab: Enter different contact information for each service provided by

a vendor, or click select Only one contact for all sales and services to use just

one set of contact details for all sales & services.

Equipment tab, Parts tab, Purchases tab: Review and edit equipment,

parts and purchase orders related to the vendor. The vendor will then appear

on the Vendors tab of the relevant record.

Comments tab: Provide more information about the vendor. You may enter

several pages of comments (see HTML Editor ).

Custom Fields tab: Additional information on each vendor.

(You can add fields to this tab, e.g. cost center, approvals. To do this, in the

main window, from the Administration menu, select Define Custom Fields).

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3.2.10 Work Orders

Work Orders

Use work orders to assign maintenance tasks for particular dates and times.

New work orders are created from pre-entered tasks . The default values are

copied from the task e.g. start time, duration, equipment, people, etc. This

speeds up data entry. When a work order is created it is given a unique "Work

Order #" (work order number).

When are work orders created (work order # assigned)?

FastMaint automatically schedules work orders (i.e. calculates work order dates)

for most types of tasks, however you still have to create them (the work order

# will be assigned when created). You can create these work orders by running

the Planning Report for the work order dates (click the Plan button).

Alternatively look in the work order list for work orders with an empty status

(see screenshot below) and open the work order to create it using the Create/

Modify Work Orders window. For tasks with a frequency of "Unplanned" or

"Alarm" you have to use the Requests/ Breakdown function to schedule (&

create) unplanned task work orders or enter alarm conditions which will schedule

(& create) any work orders based on the alarm condition.

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3.2.10.1 Create/Modify Work Orders

With the Work Order list displayed, double-click a work order

When are work orders created (work order # assigned)?

FastMaint automatically schedules work orders (i.e. calculates work order

dates) for most types of tasks, however you still have to create them (the

work order # will be assigned when created). You can create these work

orders by running the Planning Report for the work order dates (click the

Plan button). Alternatively look in the work order list on the main window for

work orders with an empty status and open the work order to create it. For

tasks with a frequency of "Unplanned" or "Alarm" you have to use the

Requests/ Breakdown function to schedule (& create) unplanned task work

orders or enter alarm conditions which will schedule (& create) any work

orders based on the alarm condition.

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Instructions


(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes. Any scheduled task will

still remain scheduled.)

You can also use the Delete button to remove the current work order (It will still

be scheduled by FastMaint if the work order is not based on an Unplanned

frequency task. Set the work order status to "Canceled" if you do not want it in

the schedule). Use Email to email the work order to all the people associated

with the work order. Use Print to print the work order - when the print window

pops up, you can select the Print all linked documents to print all supporting

documents required for the work order.

Listing

Task Name and Description: From the original task . (You can't edit this.)

Last Changed: For tracking purposes, shows when this work order was last

changed. (You can't edit this.)

Work Order #: Automatically assigned when the work order is created (will be

"N/A" until you click Save). This number can be used to locate the work order

using the Find button on the main window. (You can't edit this.)

Last Emailed: For tracking purposes, shows when this work order was last

emailed. (You can't edit this.)

Planned: Date & time this task was planned for.(You can change this only for

work orders based on an Unplanned frequency task.)

Description: More information about the task.

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Start Time Actual start time.

Duration: Actual duration of work.

Work Status & Completed: Current status of the work. If it is completed

then enter the completed date. If the work order is canceled then enter the

date it was canceled.

If the Work Status is changed to "Started" "Incomplete" or "Completed", the

quantity in stock for all parts needed for this task will be appropriately reduced.

If the Work Status is changed from "Started", "Incomplete" or "Completed" to

"Planned" or "Planned (Requested)", the quantity in stock for all parts used for

this task will be increased since the parts will not yet have been used.

Priority: The priority for the task.

Problems: Wether there were any problems when executing this work order.

Feedback tab: The place for any additional information. You can format the

instructions with paragraphs and spaces to make them easy to read when

displayed or printed on reports. You can also insert pictures and links - see

HTML Editor .

Equipment tab/ Locations tabs/ Parts tabs/ People tabs: Use these tabs

to associate particular equipment, locations, parts and people with the task. In

each, use the Add button to open a list, select the check boxes then click OK.

Costs tab: Records the Labor Cost (cost of people needed), Material Cost

(cost of parts needed) and Other Cost (any other costs involved). Depending

on the settings in the original task, these are usually calculated automatically

for you based on the Duration, and contents of the Parts tab and the People

tab.

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e.g. customer number, contact person, contract renewal date, etc.

Instructions button: Review task instructions (can be changed only by editing

the task ).

3.2.10.2 Create Work Orders For Breakdowns/ Maintenance Requests

With the Work Order list displayed, click Add

OR

In the main window, click Requests/ Breakdowns

Use this screen to create work orders for breakdowns and maintenance

emergencies, or maintenance requests. If you select one of the tasks you

defined earlier, then some of the information is filled in for you.

You can also use this screen to modify and print work orders. The resulting work

orders will also appear in the Planning Report - useful if you want to schedule

non-emergency maintenance requests for the next period.

In the Professional edition you can restrict this screen to specific groups of

users.

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Instructions

Complete the form (see Listing, below) then click one of the buttons:

Reset: Clear the form and start again.

Create: Finalize the work order, saving your changes.

Cancel: Close the window without saving your changes.



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Listing

Web Requests: For the Web Based Work Request add-on module for

FastMaint Professional. Shows pending work requests. Selecting one pre-fills

the screen to allow you to create work orders as needed. When you click

Create, the request is removed from the queue.

This feature is also enabled during the trial period if you have FastMaint

Professional. For more information please visit http://www.smglobal.com.

Work Order Details: Indicate whether this work order is unplanned or based

on an alarm. (Daily/ Weekly/ Monthly/ Yearly/ Meter/ types are automatically

scheduled by the system.)

TIP: It speeds up data entry if you've already created several "Unplanned" tasks

for common breakdowns/ requests. Do this now by clicking the Task Add/Edit

button. This opens the Tasks screen .

Only Show Tasks For: Limit the list of possible tasks by specific equipment/

location.

Task: Base the Work Order on this task. Use the Add/ Edit button to add

new tasks or modify existing tasks

Reason: Reason for the work order.

Work Order Date: The work order is for this date (today or in the future).

Work Order Comments/Special Instructions: Any additional text.

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Tip: If you need to remove an unplanned/ alarm work order that have already

been submitted, delete the work order (Creating And Updating Work Orders ).

Also remove the alarm on the equipment if the work order’s task is scheduled

based on an equipment alarm. Alternatively you can just set the work order's

status to "Canceled". This will ensure that such work orders do not get

scheduled in the Planning report.

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3.2.11 Statistics

Statistics

View current system statistics (e.g. work order backlog, equipment downtime,

pending work orders, etc.) and compare them with prior periods. For example in

each period you can identify which equipment took the most work order time for

breakdown (unplanned) maintenance as well as planned (preventive)

maintenance. This can help identify trends or signal potential problems if you see

unusual changes over the three different periods.

By default the current period (P1) is the last 30 days. Two prior periods are last

31-60 days (P2) and last 61-90 days (P3). You can change the size of the

periods used for the statistics calculation (e.g. from 30 days to 90 days) by

using System Settings . 85



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3.3 Toolbar (top bar buttons)

The buttons on the main window toolbar enable you to quickly perform common

tasks, most of them relating to the lists opened by the buttons on the left bar

.

Listing

Add: Add a new entry to the selected list.

Open: Open the selected list entry. (You can also do this by double-clicking.)

Delete: Delete the selected entry.

Find: Find an entry on any of the lists - no need to display the list first. If you

have the barcode support module , then you can also scan in identification

numbers using this feature.

Requests/Breakdowns: Short cut to create a work order .

Workload: Review workload and resolve schedule conflicts, e.g. where people

are not available for a job, or are required elsewhere - see Workload Balancing

And Detecting Schedule Conflicts .

Plan: Create and print (or re-print) pending work orders for any period - see

Planning Report/ Print Work Orders .

Feedback: A quick way of updating the status of multiple work orders for a

selected period - see Fast Feedback .

Email: Process staff emailed/ SMS text responses to work orders emailed to

them - see Email Processing .

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3.3.1 Workload Balancing And Detecting Schedule Conflicts

Click Workload

Use this screen to review workload and resolve schedule conflicts, e.g. where

people are not available for a job, or are required elsewhere. This can help

reduce overtime hours, and ensure that jobs get done.

Instructions

1.Specify the period to review (you can also click the buttons to focus on

specific task categories, people, equipment etc), then click OK.

The Workload screen opens. This may take a few minutes if there are a large

number of tasks or the period you selected is very large.



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2.Review the Task Duration Chart. When you find a red bar (representing a day

with conflict), click it.

The tasks for that day appear in the Task Chart.

3.Work through the Task Chart, clicking each red bar (representing a task with

conflict) and using the Modify button to resolve any conflict.

4.Click Refresh to update the display, then return to step #3 until you have

resolved all the conflicts.

5.Click Close.

The window closes. Now would be a good time to review the Planning Report

to create a work plan or directly produce work orders.

Description

Bars in red indicate conflicts.

Task Duration Chart: A bar chart showing workload. The title on top shows

the period for the chart as well as the number of dates found with conflicts.

Each bar represents a single day. The height shows the total duration or total

labor hours of all the tasks for that day (depending on the Chart total labor

hours... checkbox). When calculating total labor hours, tasks with no

associated people are treated as requiring a single person.

Select a bar to see the breakdown of the tasks for that day in the Task Chart.

Task Chart: A bar chart showing tasks for the date selected in the Task

Duration Chart.

Each bar represents a single task.The height shows the duration.

For dates with conflicts, the title of the Task chart will show how many of the

tasks had conflicts. You can select an individual task bar to see more details of

the task. Click Modify to resolve the conflict by updating the task or work

order .

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3.3.2 Planning Report/ Print Work Orders

Click Plan

Planning provides a way to create and email or print (or re-print) pending work

orders for any period.

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Email Work Orders

You can email pending work orders in a period to each person associated with

the work order (make sure that they have a valid email/ SMS text address using

the People window). Specify the period (you can also click the buttons to

focus on specific task categories, people, equipment etc, and use the check box

to save the settings until the next time), then click OK. You will be asked if you

wish to modify the work orders before emailing them - this is a good time make

any changes or to cancel any work orders that are no longer needed. Once this

is done the work orders are emailed. This may take some time.

The maintenance staff who receive these email/ SMS text messages can

perform the work and send you back a status update by email/ SMS text. If you

have FastMaint Professional you can receive and process the emailed

responses from the maintenance staff using the Email Processing feature.

Print Work Orders

Built-in Report Templates

1.Compact: Print work orders with multiple work orders per page.

2.Detailed: Print work orders with each work order on its own page.

3.List: Print work orders in a tabular form - similar to a spreadsheet.

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specific task categories, people, equipment etc, specify what appears on the

report in Print Options, or pick a different Order or Report Template, and use

the check box to save the settings until the next time), then click OK. You will

be asked if you wish to modify the work orders before printing them - this is a

good time make any changes or to cancel any work orders that are no longer

needed.

The report opens. This may take some time.

2.After the report is created: Click Save to save the report as a PDF (opens

in Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar) or HTML file (opens in your web browser)

and Email to send the report via email. Click Preview to see how many pages

the report would be before printing it out, and the Print to print (when the

print window pops up, on the Options tab you can select the Print all linked

documents to print all supporting documents required for the work order).

Tip: If you wish to create custom report templates see - How can I customize a

report? 144



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3.3.3 Fast Feedback

Click Feedback

The Fast Feedback screen is a quick way of updating the status of multiple work

orders for a selected period. It makes it very easy for maintenance personnel to

update their work orders.

1.Specify the period and which categories of work order to review (you can also

click the buttons to focus on specific task categories, people, equipment etc,

and use the checkbox to save the settings until the next time), then click OK.

The Update Work Order Status screen opens.



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2.Do one or both of the following:

Click the check boxes to update the status. Selecting a check box marks the

work order as completed and parts used will be reduced from stock.

Unselecting a checkbox marks the work order as incomplete (parts are

returned to stock only if the work order status is changed to "Planned").

Double-click a work order to edit it and enter additional details .

3.Click Close.

The screen closes.

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3.3.4 Email Processing

Click Email

The Email Processing screen allows you to receive technicians emailed/ SMS text

responses to work orders emailed to them. Based on the responses work

orders can be updated or closed.

Instructions

1.Click the Receive button to get the email responses sent to the default email

address specified in Settings .

2.Review the received email. The Errors column will display any errors (e.g.

bounced email). Double click on an email message to edit it or delete it . You

will do this to fix errors or forward/ reply to the message to request

clarifications.

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3.Click Process to process the email messages. All email messages without

errors will be checked. First the work order number is located in the email

subject (by looking for "Work Order #:" in the email subject). Once located

the corresponding work order is updated. The work order status is set based

on the first word found in the email message (Completed/ Canceled/

Incomplete). The relevant part of the email message is copied into the work

order feedback. Any errors during this process will cause the email message to

be marked with an error. Messages that are successfully processed are

removed from the list.

4.Go back to step 2 to fix any email with errors. If none of the messages left

are needed (e.g. they are all bounce errors) then click on Delete All to

remove all remaining messages. If done click on the Close button to exit.



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3.3.4.1 Edit Email

In Email Processing, double click on an Email

You can use this to fix some email errors e.g. work order # not found in the

email subject because the subject was changed in the email. You can also use

this to Reply to the email to get clarifications or Forward it to someone else to

get more information.

Instructions





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Listing

From: Name of the person this email is from.

From Email: Email address of the person who sent the email.

To: The email address the email was sent to. It cannot be changed. This will

normally be the default email address set in the system Settings .

Subject: The email subject. Avoid changing this to avoid email processing

errors. You would normally change this only when trying to fix an email error

like "Cannot find Work Order # in subject". To fix such an error make sure that

the work order number is correct and that it comes immediately after the text

"Work Order #:" in the subject.

Message: The actual response from the person. When processing the email to

update the work order, FastMaint will pull out the relevant part of the response

and use it to update the work order feedback.

Reply/ Forward button: Use this button to forward the email message to

someone else or send a reply to the person who sent the email. Pressing this

button will show a slightly different screen since the message will be from

FastMaint to another person (From address, To address will change). You can

enter your message here and press the Send button to send the email

message and return to the edit screen. Note that replying/ forwarding the

message will not remove the original email message - you can still process it.

Save button: Save your changes.

Delete button: Delete the message so that it will not be processed.

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3.4 Menus

Keyboard shortcuts are listed next to the menu item on the actual menu, e.g.

"Delete Ctrl+D".

Menu Options

File Add: Add an item to the displayed list .

Open: Open the selected item.

Import: Load information from other tools - see

Importing Data .

Export: Save information so it can be used by other

tools - see Export Wizard .

Edit Delete: Delete the selected item.

Find: Find an entry on any of the lists - no need to

display the list first. If you have the barcode support

module , then you can also scan in identification

numbers using this feature.

View Refresh: Update the display to take account of any

changes, e.g. by somebody else using the Web Based

Request Module .

Text Size: Increase or reset the text size for easy

readability.

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Menu Options

Administration Groups & User Accounts (Professional Edition):

Create and manage multiple user accounts with different

permissions - see User Accounts and Groups .

Define Custom Fields: Set up custom fields for the

Custom Fields tabs.

Settings (Email, Alerts, etc.): Alter the system

settings for alerts, email, bar codes and so on - see

Settings .

Application Setup: Use this option to setup FastMaint

(upgrades, change databases etc).

Compact Database: A bit like defragmenting your hard

drive; this option speeds up the system by reorganizing

the way information has been stored.

Tools Bar Code Labels (Bar Code Module): Print barcode

labels, depending on your Bar Code Options .

Fast Feedback: A quick way of updating the status of

multiple work orders for a selected period - see Fast

Feedback .

Workload Balancing: Review workload and resolve

schedule conflicts, e.g. where people are not available for

a job, or are required elsewhere - see Workload

Balancing And Detecting Schedule Conflicts .

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Menu Options

Reports A variety of useful reports, including:

Maintenance, Planning / Create Work Orders: A way

to create and print (or re-print) pending work orders for

any period - see Planning Report/ Print Work Orders .

For a list of available reports see Reports .

Help Help in using this application plus:

Check for updates: Check for any changes to

FastMaint. You should do this regularly.

Online Demos/ Tutorials: Access online demos/

tutorials on the SMGlobal website

User Manual: Open printable user manual.

Registration: Enter your license key to convert

FastMaint from the trial version to the full version.

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3.4.1 Importing Data

Select File, Import

The Import function can be used to import Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets (.xls

files) and comma delimited text files containing data such as alarm and meter

readings, parts lists, and vendors. This can be a good way to quickly load your

system with information about your site. For a step-by-step example see - How

to import data?

Import rights are based on the user's rights to update information. For example,

if they have no update rights to Equipment they will not be able to import

Equipment. See Groups for how to set access rights.

Instructions

1.Ensure that your source file is correctly organized (see below). The easiest

way to do this is to export similar data and use the resulting file as a

template.

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2.Select File, Import.

The Wizard starts.

3.Work through the wizard using the Next button. (You can backtrack by

clicking Previous.)

At the end, a list of errors appears. Entries with errors will not be imported.

4.Open the original file, fix any errors and try again.

FastMaint treats any duplicates as errors and skips them.

TIP: In the column-mapping step of the Import wizard, place the mouse over

selected columns to see "tool tips" with more information on what is expected in

the column as well as any special formatting instructions.

Format for source file

Its simplest to export similar data and use the resulting file as a template.79



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Comma delimited files: If you create the text file by exporting the data as

Comma Separated File (CSV) from another program such as Microsoft

or Microsoft it will normally take care of formatting.

All fields should be separated by a comma. The first line should contain the

column names. Each subsequent line should contain a single item of data:

Column-Name1, Column-Name2, Column-Name3

Item1-Col1-Value1, Item1-Col2-Value2, Item1-Col3-Value3



Replace any double quotes in the original data with single quotes ('). Replace

any embedded newlines/ carriage returns with "^p" (Shift+6 and p). Any fields

containing commas should have double quotes (") around them.

The resulting file should look like this:

Name, Email, Phone, Calendar, Comment, Rate

"Smith, Sam",, 555-1212, Default,No overtime, 15.75

Ben Lane,,, Maintenance Calendar,,,22

"Paz, Bob R.","[email protected]","Ext 15","Default","","",25.00

Microsoft Spreadsheets: Only the first workbook in the spreadsheet can

be imported. The first row should contain the column names.



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3.4.2 Export Wizard

Select File, Export

Use the Export Wizard to export People, Equipment, Parts, Tasks, Vendors and

Work Orders (pending or historical data) to an external text file or Microsoft

Excel spreadsheet. This can be a way to transfer information to another system

as needed.

Export rights are based on the user's rights to view People, Equipment, Parts,

Tasks and Vendors. For example, if they have no rights to view Equipment they

will not be able to export Equipment. See Groups .81



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Instructions

Work through the wizard using the Next button. (You can backtrack by

clicking Previous.)

Listing

Format: "MS Excel File" produces a standard file with the extension ".xls".

"Text File (comma delimited)" produces a file with commas separating the

fields (sometimes known as a CSV file).

"Text File (tab delimited)" produces a file with tabs separating the fields - this is

probably the easiest to import into a word processor or spreadsheet program.



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3.4.3 Groups

Select Administration, Groups then select a group and click Open

The settings for each group enables you to control who uses what parts of the

system.

You do this by setting up a User Account for each person who uses the

system. You then assign each user to one of three groups:

Administrators: Complete rights to use the system.

Power Users: Rights to everything except manage user accounts and group

rights.

Basic Users. Limited rights to use the system

You can change the settings of a group to control access to different parts of the

system for all users who belong to that group.

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Instructions



Listing

Name: Identifies the group.

Comments: Any useful information about the group.

Access Rights: Scroll through the list, assigning access as required. Hovering

the mouse pointer brings up additional information about each setting.



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3.4.4 User Accounts

Select Administration, User Accounts, then select an account and click

Open or New

User accounts contain a user's login details, and determine their group

membership , which in turn controls their access to the system.

IMPORTANT: Keep the default "admin" account password in a safe place.

Without access to an account with administrator group rights, you cannot

manage users and groups, compact the database or register the software.

Instructions

Complete the form (see below) and click Save or Add.


Listing

Name: A unique name for the user, perhaps their real name or a network ID.

Try to make it easy to both remember and type, since this name is required

every time they log on!

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Contact Details: How to contact the user.

Password & Re-enter: Leave this blank to have the user enter their own

password the next time they log on. This is useful for resetting existing

passwords.

Group: Determines access to FastMaint - see Groups .

Comments: Any useful information.

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3.4.5 Settings (Email, Alerts, etc.)

Select Administration, Settings

Use this window to alter the system settings for a variety of FastMaint features

such as the statistics period, alerts, email accounts, initial system settings and so

on.

Instructions

Complete the form (see below) and click Save. (Click Cancel to return to the

previous page.)

Listing

1) Main tab: General settings such as:



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a. If you have also purchased the Web Based Work Request add-on:

Require an equipment or location to be specified when a work request is

submitted.

b. Disable deletion of a work order once it is created (a work order #

assigned). This will prevent work orders from being accidentally deleted. This

is useful if you need to keep track of every work order number assigned for

auditing purposes.

c. Change the number of days from the default 30 days in a period for

Statistics . Do not make this too large as otherwise system performance

will suffer as the statistics are periodically refreshed.

d. Option to automatically insert the user name & date in the work order

feedback whenever the work order is updated

e. Daily at startup offer to email pending work orders: If this option is

selected, once a day the person who first starts the program will be asked if

they wish to email out all pending work orders and work order reminders to

technicians. You can specify how many days a work order should be

overdue to send a reminder.

2) Alerts tab: Get alerts by email SMS/ text messages. Currently the only

alerts available are associated with work requests submitted using the Web

Based Work Request add-on.

3) Bar Codes tab: Print and use bar codes in FastMaint. Requires the bar code

module add-on to be purchased. More details of each bar code option is

available here .

4) Email tab: Email account settings. You will need to specify both receive email

settings (POP3) as well as send email settings (SMTP).

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5) Initial settings tab: The initial system settings such as whether you want to

create a demo database, work order numbering, work request numbering

(used if you have the Web Based Work Request add-on) and purchase

order numbering.

3.4.5.1 Bar Code Options

Select Administration, Settings, Bar Codes tab

Use this to alter the standard settings for bar codes generated by FastMaint.

FastMaint can generate and print bar codes, and then read them using the Find

function (on the main window's Edit menu ). Bar codes can be a great way to

reduce data entry and make it easier to use the system. For example, you can

use bar codes for checking out parts from inventory, and then for updating the

work order.

Requirements: To print and use barcodes, you will need to have the Bar Code

module, an add-on for the Standard & Professional editions. If you wish to

evaluate the module please contact [email protected] for a trial or to

purchase a license. You will also need to have or purchase your own barcode

scanners to scan in the bar codes. The bar code scanners should be of the

"wedge" type (plug into the keyboard) OR should use software that makes it

seem like the bar codes are being entered as text on the keyboard.

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mailto:[email protected]



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Instructions

1.Complete the form (see below) and click OK.

2.If required, select Tools, Barcode Labels to print your bar codes.

(You can pick from a range of standard labels, or define your own. )

3.If the scanner fails to read your bar codes, increase the dimensions and quiet

zone and try again.

Listing

Create Bar Codes of Type: Select a standard type of bar code. Code 128

produces the most compact.

Height, Narrow Width: Dimensions of the bar code.



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Quiet Zone: Blank area on either side of the bar code to enable the scanner to

work.



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3.4.6 Reports

Select Reports

There are a variety of useful reports. Most reports use a report template. You

can create new report templates or modify existing ones to create customized

reports - see Report Designer and How can I customize a report? .

List of available reports:

Menu Report Name Description

Select Reports,

Maintenance

Work Order Analysis This report helps compare preventive,

unplanned and other (miscellaneous)

maintenance work orders over a period

of time. Use it to identify trends (e.g.

too much variance from estimated

work durations, frequent unplanned

maintenance, etc.) and other issues

that may need to be fixed in the

maintenance plan.

See Work Order Analysis Report .

Select Reports,

Maintenance

Equipment

Maintenance

Calendar

This reports gives you an overview of

maintenance work due by week on

different equipment over a twelve

month period. This can be very useful

for planning and identifying machine

downtime periods.

See Equipment Maintenance Calendar

.

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Select Reports,

Maintenance

Planning/ Create

Work Orders

Use this report to actually generate and

print work orders as needed. It will

allow you to modify work orders prior

to printing as well as calculate part and

person availability. Depending on the

report templates you choose, you can

print out work orders in tabular format,

detailed format, etc.

See Planning/ Create Work Orders .

Select Reports,

Maintenance

Work Order History This report allows you to review & print

past and future work orders. See Work

Order History Report .

Select Reports,

Maintenance

Work Requests This reports allows you to review &

print work requests. To use this you

have to have FastMaint Professional

with the web work request add-on.

Select Reports,

Categories

Details This reports allows you to list all the

categories in your system, plus the

associated equipment, tasks, parts, etc.

Select Reports,

Categories

History This reports allows you to compare

work order costs and durations by

category, over a specified period.

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Select Reports,

Equipment


equipment in your system, plus the

associated tasks, parts, etc.

Select Reports,

Equipment



equipment, over a specified period. Use

the "Part Of" option to get a detailed

work order cost and duration roll-up of

a piece of equipment and its sub-

equipment.

Select Reports,

Locations


locations in your system, plus the

associated equipment, tasks, parts, etc.

Select Reports,

Locations



location, over a specified period. You

can also include work orders by

equipment in the location. Use the "Part

Of" option to get a detailed work order

cost and duration roll-up of a location

and its sub-locations.

Select Reports,

Parts


parts in your system, plus the

associated equipment, tasks, vendors,

etc.



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Select Reports,

Parts


work order parts usage costs and

durations by part, over a specified

period.

Select Reports,

People


people in your system, plus the

associated tasks, holidays, etc.

Select Reports,

People



person, over a specified period.

Select Reports,

Purchases

This reports allows you to list all

purchase orders in your system, over a

specified period.

Select Reports,

Tasks

This reports allows you to list all the

tasks in your system, plus the

associated equipment, locations, parts,

etc.

Select Reports,

Vendors

This reports allows you to list all the

vendors in your system, plus the

associated equipment, parts, etc.



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3.4.6.1 Work Order Analysis Report

Select Reports, Maintenance, Work Order Analysis

The Work Order Analysis Report is used to compare preventive, unplanned and

other (miscellaneous) maintenance work orders (see Creating And Updating

Work Orders ) over a period of time. Use it to identify trends (e.g. too much

variance from estimated work durations, frequent unplanned maintenance, etc.)

and other issues that may need to be fixed in the maintenance plan. For

example the variation of average days to complete work orders (difference

between Completed date & Planned date) tells you how well you are following

your maintenance plan. Ideally it should be zero or a small positive number of

days.

From the Maintenance sub-menu in the Reports menu, select Work Order

Analysis.


1.Breakdown vs Preventive: Compare time spent, average days to complete &

costs of breakdown vs. preventive vs. other task work orders.

2.Cost & Duration Variance: Compare actual cost & actual duration variances

from task estimates of different types of work orders.

3.Tabular Data: See all analysis data in tabular form rather than in charts.

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Instructions


specific task categories, people, equipment etc, enter a different Title for the

report, or pick a different grouping (Show By - Day/ Week/ Month) or Report

Template, and use the checkbox to save the settings until the next time), then

click OK.


2.Click Save to save the report as an HTML file (opens in your web browser).

Click Preview to see how many pages the report would be before printing it

out, and the Print to print.


report? 144



96

3.4.6.2 Equipment Maintenance Calendar

Select Reports, Maintenance, Equipment Maintenance Calendar

The Equipment Maintenance Calendar Report gives you an overview of

maintenance work due by week on different equipment over a twelve month

period. This can be very useful for planning and identifying machine downtime

periods. From the Maintenance sub-menu in the Reports menu, select Equipment

Maintenance Calendar.

Instructions

1.Specify the twelve month (one year) period to create the calendar for (you

can also click the buttons to focus on specific task categories, people,

equipment etc), then click OK. The report opens. This may take some time if

you have a lot of equipment or many maintenance tasks.





report? 144



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3.4.6.3 Work Order History Report

Select Reports, Maintenance, Work Order History

The Work Order History Report is used to see work orders (see Creating And

Updating Work Orders ) done in a given period. From the Maintenance sub-

menu in the Reports menu, select Work Order History.


1.Compact: Print work orders with multiple work orders per page.

2.Detailed: Print work orders with each work order on its own page.

3.List: Print work orders in a tabular form - similar to a spreadsheet.

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Instructions


specific task categories, people, equipment etc, enter a different Title for the

report, or pick a different Order or Report Template, and use the checkbox to

save the settings until the next time), then click OK.






report?

3.4.6.4 Report Designer

Select Report, then any report, then click Add/Edit next to Report

Template, then New or Open on the list of templates

Report templates are used to generate most reports. You can modify most

report templates and also create your own ones. For a step-by-step example

see - How can I customize a report?

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Instructions

1.Open the report for editing.

If it's a built in report, FastMaint creates a copy - you can't edit built-in

reports!

2.If required, edit the name to something more descriptive.

3.Click the Edit button.

The report opens in the HTML Editor.

4.Edit the template as required, using the Field button to insert fields - see

Editing a Report Template .

5.Click OK then Add.

The report is now available for use.

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Listing

Name: Short easy-to-remember name for the report.

Description: Longer description of the report.

Type: Determines which fields are available,

Sub-Type: Determines the layout, e.g. "List".

Owner: Whoever created the report.

Available for: Who can use this report. You need to be an administrator to

alter this setting which is available under Groups .

Report Template: Click Edit to open the HTML Editor to edit or compose

the report - see Editing a Report Template .

3.4.6.4.1 Editing a Report Template

From inside a Report, click Edit

The report template contains HTML text. This means you can insert tables,

columns, change font sizes, etc. All report parameter fields are enclosed in

double square brackets (e.g. "[[wo.category]] ").

See the HTML Editor for detailed instructions on how to edit the HTML code in

the report template. You can create new fields for an item (e.g. a new warranty

date field for equipment) that can be displayed on the report by selecting

Administration, Define Custom Fields for that specific item type (e.g. equipment).

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100

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Instructions

1.Edit the report as you would using any word processor - see HTML Editor .

Insert fields by using the Field button, or by typing them in manually (there

should be no spaces between the square brackets).

2.Click OK when you are done.

Components Of A Report Template

Sections: A report template contains three sections:

1.Header Section: Marked by the tag [[report.header]]. It can contain

report title, summary information, etc.

2.Details Section: Marked by the tag [[report.detail]]. It contains the actual

content of the report e.g. work order details, part details, etc.

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3.Footer Section: Marked by the tag [[report.footer]]. It can contain

summary information (e.g. report totals).

Report Functions: Function names are case insensitive. Functions may also

be nested e.g. [[FormatCurrency(total(wo.laborcost))]] will format the total

labor cost of all work orders retrieved in the current currency format.

Avg: Gets the average of a numeric column e.g. [[avg(wo.laborcost)]].

Count: Gets the numer of rows/ records found e.g. [[count(wo.name)]]

Total: Gets the total of a numeric column e.g. [[total(wo.laborcost)]].

Typically used in the report's footer section to get totals.

FormatCurrency: Formats a numeric value into the current currency

format e.g. [[formatcurrency(wo.laborcost)]].

FormatDate: Formats a date value into the current date format e.g.

[[formatdate(wo.completeddate)]].

FormatDuration: Formats a time duration value into the hour & minute

format e.g. [[formatduration(wo.actduration)]].

FormatTime: Formats a time value into the current time format e.g.

[[formattime(wo.StartTime)]]

IfPresent: Takes two or three arguments e.g. [[IfPresent

(equipment.description, equipment.description, "-No description-"]]. If the

first argument evaluates to empty/ null, it returns the third argument or

nothing if no third argument is supplied. If the first argument is present and

not empty, it returns the second argument.

RowNum: Gets the row number of the current record being processed e.g.

[[rownum(wo.name)]].



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DrawChart: Draws a chart of the specified type. Parameters are:

o Type: Can be “barchart”, “linechart” or “piechart”

o Width: Chart width in pixels

o Height: Chart height in pixels

o Chart title

o Horizontal axis title

o Horizontal series data

o Vertical axis title

o First vertical series name

o First vertical series data

o Second vertical series name (optional)

o Second vertical series data (optional)

o Third vertical series name (optional)

o Third vertical series data (optional)

Report Variables: Variable names are case insensitive. Enclose variable

names in square brackets e.g. [[report.date]].

report.date: Returns date report was created.

report.dump: Returns a full list of all parameters available in a report section. Useful ifyou want to find out what variables and records are available in a report section.

report.newline: Returns a line break (useful for formatting).

report.null: Returns an empty value. Useful as a placeholder - say as a secondargument for the IfPresent function. E.g. [[ifPresent(eqp.name, report.null,report.commentstart)]] - this will comment out a report section if no equipment recordsare found.

report.pagebreak: Produces a new page.

report.space: Returns a single space. Useful for formatting.



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report.commentstart: Starts an HTML comment. Useful to use with the IfPresentfunction to comment out (hide) unused sections of a report. Must be used along withreport.commentend. See the "Location History" report template for an example of howthis is used to show/ hide equipment information based on whether the checkbox to listall equipment in a location is selected.

report.commentend: Ends an HTML comment. Useful to use with the IfPresentfunction to end a comment out (hide) unused sections of a report. Must be used withreport.commentstart.

Hints & Troubleshooting

Make sure that there are no spaces within the double square brackets e.g.

something like "[ [" or "] ]" will cause items not to be recognized.

Avoid using HTML code in function arguments (e.g. in the IfPresent function).

This can cause problems depending on the input data.

Use the [[report.dump]] tag to get a detailed list of variables available in a

report section if the report generator cannot find a requested parameter.

You can switch the HTML Editor to HTML mode (click HTML tab) to see the raw

HTML code and hence locate the cause of some hard to find errors.



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3.5 Other

This covers miscellaneous features of FastMaint.



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3.5.1 HTML Editor

On any form, click Edit

You don't actually need to understand HTML in order to use the editor! The

design tab lets you enter text and images just as you would in a word processor

such as MS Word.

The HTML Editor enables you to insert pictures, tables, formatted text and even

links to other documents. You can then update the documents and pictures

directly in their folders, e.g. when manuals change.

Only links to documents in HTML format can be printed. Links to documents

of other types can be viewed when you click on them in the reports if you have

the corresponding document viewer installed in your web browser (e.g. for PDF,

Word, etc.). However, unless they are in HTML format they will not be printed

out. If you have many documents in other formats check if they can be

converted to HTML files. Note that Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, etc. are able

to save and edit documents as HTML files.



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Instructions

Make sure that any pictures & links are to files that are in locations available to

all users e.g. a public website or shared folder. Otherwise you will be able to

access them but others will get errors when trying to access them from some

other computer (pictures will not be displayed and links will not work).

Make your changes and click OK (or click Cancel to abandon your changes).



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Listing

Design tab: Use the buttons and menus to insert tables, insert pictures,

format paragraphs and more. You can even select pictures and tables and drag

them to another location or even resize them. Hovering the mouse over the

buttons displays tooltips explaining what each one does.

HTML (experts only!): Review and directly edit the HTML code here. Do not

put in the <html>, <header>, <body> tags as they are automatically be

inserted - duplicate tags may cause your reports to look odd! You can use

most tags normally found within the <body> section of HTML documents.

Preview: Click this tab to preview how your changes will look.



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3.5.2 Login Window

The login window is where you enter your user name (account id) and password

to start using FastMaint Professional. Based on your account options, you will

have different access rights to the system .

The Admin Password (first use of FastMaint

Professional)

When you first start using FastMaint Professional edition, the system asks you to

specify a password for the "admin" account.

Make sure that the Admin password is NOT longer than 10 characters.

You will need to use this password the next time you use FastMaint.

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Forgotten Password: If you are a normal user, ask your FastMaint administrator

to reset your account password .

If you are the administrator, see Forgotten Admin Password (Administrators

Only) .

3.5.2.1 Forgotten Admin Password (Administrators Only)

If you have forgotten your Admin password...

1.Try passwords you normally use (most people seem to have a few favorite

passwords).

2.If you originally entered a password longer than 10 characters, try logging on

by entering the first 10 characters ONLY.

3.If all else fails, do ONE of the following:

OPTION #1 - Reinstall the software: This means losing all your existing

data.

Uninstall FastMaint, then use the software installer you previously

downloaded to reinstall the software. It will automatically give you a new 30-

day trial. This option is only good for people doing a software trial and who

do not have much data yet in the database.

OPTION #2 - Reset the administrator account (Admin) password:

Open a command line window (click the Windows Start button, select Run

then type "cmd" and hit Enter). In the command window, change the folder to

the FastMaint install directory (usually "cd C:\Program Files\fastmaint").

Enter "fastmaint.exe -reset". This starts FastMaint Professional with the

administrator account ("admin" user) password cleared out. You can login as

"admin" with no password. At this point you will have to enter a new

password .

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3.5.3 Web Based Work Request Module

The Web Based Work Request Module is an add-on product for FastMaint

Professional edition that allows any user to submit a work request for

breakdown (Unplanned) tasks or report alarm conditions via a browser. During

the trial period, FastMaint Professional edition allows processing of requests

submitted using the Web Based Work Request Module. Visit the Demos/

Downloads section at http://www.smglobal.com for information on how to get

this module.

After the trial period you will not be able to see these work requests unless you

buy a license for both FastMaint Professional and the Web Based Work Request

Module. FastMaint Web has a built-in work request module with more advanced

features.

This web-based module enables you - or your clients or staff - to request

"Unplanned" tasks or report "Alarm" conditions on equipment via a web

browser, e.g. Internet Explorer or Firefox.

http://www.smglobal.com



112

Instructions

1.Open your browser at the module's URL (the maintenance manager will supply

this).

The form displays.

2.Complete the form and click Submit Request.

It is now safe to close the browser window.

Listing

Equipment/Location: Limit the list of possible tasks by specific equipment/

location.



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Work Order Details: Indicate whether this Work Order is Unplanned or based

on an Alarm. (Daily/ Weekly/ Monthly/ Yearly/ Meter/ types are automatically

scheduled by the system.)

TIP: It speeds up data entry if you've already created several "Unplanned" tasks

for common breakdowns/ requests. Do this now by clicking the Task Add/Edit

button. This opens the Tasks screen .

Task OR Alarm: Base the Work Order on an unplanned Task or an Alarm.

Reason: Reason for the work request.

Name and Contact Information: Enter these here.

Date: The work order is for this date (today or in the future).

Work Order Comments/Special Instructions: Any additional text.

42

Part

IV

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)FastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide


115

4 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This section contains answers to frequently asked questions.

1. How do I import data?

2. Do I need to create a new task every time I want a new work order?

3. How can I create a 240 day task?

4. How to create a meter based task?

5. How to create an alarm based task?

6. How can I see past due, current and future work orders?

7. How can I create breakdown/ request work orders?

8. How do I get rid of work orders that were never worked on?

9. How can I print files attached (linked) to a work order or other report?

10. How can I customize a report?

11. How can I sum a numeric field on a report?

12. How do I use barcodes?

13. How do I install/ upgrade FastMaint?

14. How do I back up and restore my data?

15. How can I open the database with another program (e.g. Microsoft

Access)?

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4.1 How to import data?

You can import and export data to text files and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

Use this to bring in maintenance data from your existing system - most

software programs can export data to comma delimited text files.

Tip: You can create custom data fields for different items e.g. parts, equipment,

etc. and import them also.

1. Select the Import menu item under the File menu on the main window.

2. This brings up an Import wizard that provides a step-by-step guide to

importing your data.

3. Select the type of data (People, Equipment, Parts, ...) that you want to

import.

4. Click the Next button and FastMaint will show you the fields that can be

imported based on your selection.

Fields you can import: This shows you the list of fields you can import based

on the type of import you selected previously e.g. the screen below shows

equipment fields. Click the Next button once again to specify the import file.



117

Select your data source (input data file): Here we specify the input file that

contains the data we want to import. This file can be a comma delimited or tab

delimited text file or even a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The first row of the file

should contain column (field) names and the actual data should start from the

second row onwards. Click on the Select Data Source button to specify the data

file.



118

Select your data source (input data file): Clicking the Select Data Source

button brings up the file selection window below. Use this to locate the file you

wish to import. You can use the Files Of Type selection field to only display files

of the type you are interested in. Select the file (in this case "imp_eqp.csv") and

click on the Open button to continue.

Select your data source (Completed): You see that the file you specified is

shown next to the Select Data Source button. If you realize that this is the

wrong file, just click on the Select Data Source button to select another file.

Once you are satisfied, click on the Next button to go to the next step.



119

Check if the right data is being imported: This step in the wizard allows you

to check if the data you specified is the correct data and that it is in the required

format. The first line of the import file should contain the column (field) names.

The actual data should be in the second row onwards. Here the Field Names line

shows what was found in the first row. The First Item line shows what was

found in the second row (first row of data). You may need to edit the data file

so that it fits this format. If you need to fix the input file first cancel the import.

Fix the file and then try to import it again. Once you are satisfied, click on the

Next button to go to the next step.



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Specify location of fields in the input file: In this step in the wizard you

specify what field in the input file maps to the corresponding field in FastMaint.

For example, here we have specified that the column "Name" in the input file

corresponds to the field "Equipment Name" in FastMaint. Fields that do not

correspond can be left at "<--No match-->". Use the scroll bar to go through

the entire list of fields. Once you are satisfied, click on the Next button to go to

the next step.

Complete the import: Based on your settings in prior steps the Import wizard

will read in the data from the input file and create the corresponding items in

FastMaint. As it proceeds it give you information on items it did not import

because of problems (duplicate entries, fields with unexpected format, etc.).

Once the import is completed you can use this information to fix the input file

and run the Import wizard once again on the same file. Items that were

previously imported will be automatically skipped.



121

Click on the OK button to return to the main window. If we click on the

Equipment button in the main window we should see all the equipment we just

imported.



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4.2 Do I need to create a new task every time I want a new workorder?

A task is basically a template for creating work orders - by the system or by

you. Work orders created from a task can be completely modified so that they

bear little relation to the original task. You can use the same task to create

multiple work orders with each work order being for different equipment. For

example you create an unplanned task named "General Maintenance" or

"Change Light Bulb". Now you can create work orders as needed using this task

as a template. Each work order can be modified to associate it with different

equipment, locations, etc.

In the most extreme case you could have just one unplanned task in the system

e.g. named "Any Maintenance". You could then create all work orders as needed

from this by selecting "New" work order OR by selecting "Requests/

Breakdowns" (from on the main window). Modify the resulting work orders to

change equipment/ locations/ parts/ people/ etc.

However, it is advisable to create different tasks for different types of

maintenance (e.g. tasks specific to boilers, tasks specific to cooling systems,

preventive maintenance tasks, etc.). This will make it easier to standardize best

practices (in the task instructions), organize work orders as well improve

reporting/ audits/ analysis/ etc.



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4.3 How to create a 240 day task?

I want to set up a task that schedules a work order for different equipment once

in 240 days. First I set up the task as below:

I associate any equipment as needed on the Equipment tab:



124

You can double click on each equipment above to bring up a new windows that

will allow us to specify a custom work order frequency for each equipment. We

double click on the row above for equipment "HVAC-B" to modify the task work

order frequency from the default 240 day cycle e.g. below we changed the Start

Date to 4/1/2011 and effectively put this HVAC unit on a different 240 day

cycle. Save the changes.



125

Return to the task screen. See that "HVAC_B" shown below now has a “*” next

to its frequency showing that it is on a custom frequency not the default.



126

Now click on the “Work Orders/ History” button to see the work orders this task

would generate (see below). We can see a work order for "HVAC-M" and

another for "HVAC-B" generated every 240 days (dates may be adjusted for

Calendar holidays if the task has a calendar associated with it).

You can click on the “Add” button to modify the work orders.

If you now go to the main window you can see these work orders scheduled:



127

If I open one of the work orders and mark it as completed



128

On the main window I see that the Status column value has changed from blank

to "Completed":



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The second 240 day task for "HVAC-B" (due 4/1/2011) is still open till I

complete it. Then about eight months later (240 days), I should see two new

work orders scheduled again for this task and repeating every eight months

(240 days).



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4.4 How to create a meter based task?

I want to set up a task that schedules a work order whenever a meter reading

changes by some amount. I can specify that an equipment has a meter and use

that meter to schedule tasks for that equipment or entirely different equipment.

In this case I have a forklift that needs to be serviced every 3000 miles of use.

First I create an equipment record for the forklift. On the meter tab I check

off that it has a meter. Since I am going to be scheduling tasks based on actual

use of the forklift, I select the “Actual Use” option. This gives me two options for

the meter type – a regular meter that has ascending/ descending readings or a

batch meter. Batch meters are useful for industrial equipment where one tracks

how much product was made per day e.g. 150 widgets one day, 200 widgets

the next day and so on. For the forklift since I am keeping track of the mileage it

has, I chose a regular meter type (Ascending/ Descending Readings) as

below:



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I have already entered some meter readings for the forklift. I can enter them

directly here or use the import function to import meter readings in the

future.

Next I create a new task for the 3000 mile forklift service. On the Frequency

tab I select the meter option. From the Equipment Meter drop-down I select

the forklift I just created. I specify that this task is to be done every time the

meter readings changes 3000 miles since the task was last done.

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132

I then click on the Equipment tab to associate the task with the equipment that

needs the work done. Since I am going to do the service work on the specific

forklift I only associate the specific forklift to this task.



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Advanced Tip: If I had multiple forklifts e.g. Forklift-2, Forklift-3, etc. I could

associate all of them with this task and give each of them a custom frequency

based on a meter reading associated with them. So Forklift-2 could have its own

meter and I could create a custom frequency association with this forklift by

double clicking on the equipment to change the frequency setting from the

default as shown below. This is useful when I have a standard maintenance task

that has to be done at different frequencies on different equipment.



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I save the new task. The Work Orders button will now be enabled. I can click on

the Work Orders button to see the work orders this task would generate if I

have meter reading entered for this equipment.



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Scheduling work orders: Work orders will be scheduled from this task as

meter readings are entered for the equipment with the meter. This can be done

manually on the equipment screen or by using the import function to import

meter readings.

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4.5 How to create an alarm based task?

I want to set up a task that schedules a work order whenever an alarm

condition is reported on an equipment. I can specify that an equipment has an

alarm and use that alarm to schedule tasks for that equipment or entirely

different equipment. In this case I have an overheating alarm defined on an

HVAC unit. When this alarm is reported I need to create a work order for

someone to go check this equipment.

First I create an equipment record for the HVAC unit. On the alarm tab I

check off that it has an alarm. I do not need to enter any alarm dates at this

time since I can use the Create Work Orders For Breakdowns/ Maintenance

Requests function or have users report an alarm condition using the Web

Based Work Request Module (if I have it).

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Next I create a new task for the alarm service. On the Frequency tab I select

the alarm option. From the Equipment Alarm drop-down I select the

equipment alarm I want to use to schedule this task.

I then click on the Equipment tab to associate the task with the equipment that

needs the work done ("HVAC-B" in this case). However, it is possible that the

alarm condition could be used to schedule work on totally different equipment/

locations by associating them with the task.



138

Advanced Tip: If I had multiple similar equipment e.g. HVAC-B, HVAC-C, etc. I

could associate all of them with this task and give each of them a custom

frequency based on an alarm associated with them. So HVAC-C could have its

own alarm and I could create a custom frequency association with this

equipment by double clicking on the equipment to change the frequency setting

from the default as shown below. This is useful when I have a standard

maintenance task that has to be done at different frequencies on different

equipment.



139

I save the new task. The Work Orders button will now be enabled. However, no

work orders will be shown as scheduled unless I have some alarm conditions

reported on associated equipment.

Scheduling work orders: Work orders will be scheduled from this task on every

day an alarm condition is reported on associated equipment alarms. This can be

done in the following ways:

1. Manually enter alarm dates on the Alarm tab in the equipment screen

2. Using the import function to import alarm conditions

3. Using the Create Work Orders For Breakdowns/ Maintenance Requests

function

4. Have users report an alarm condition using the Web Based Work Request

Module (if I have it)

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4.6 How can I see past due, current and future work orders?

You can use the selections on the main window such as: Last Week, Next

Week, This Week, This Month, Last 30 Days or Custom Period (if nothing else

matches!). With Custom Period selected you can enter period start & end dates.

Note that too large a period can make FastMaint very slow and unusable since a

lot of calculations are required! Another alternative is the Work Order History

Report . This report offers a variety of sorting and filtering options to get

reports on work orders for periods that you specify. You could even specify

future periods to see planned tasks due and work orders (if created).

Tip: Use the Planning Report (Planning button) to create/ re-print pending work

orders for a specific period.

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4.7 How can I create breakdown/ request work orders?

On the main window you can click on the "Requests/ Breakdowns" button.

Alternatively you can directly open the affected equipment/ location and click on

the "Requests/ Breakdowns" button at the bottom left of the form. For detailed

instructions on how to use this feature see - Create Work Orders For

Breakdowns/ Maintenance Requests .54



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4.8 How do I get rid of work orders that were never worked on?

Set the status of such work orders to "Canceled". No parts will be reduced from

stock for them and costs will be set to zero. For more information, see Create/

Modify Work Orders

Example: Suppose there's a daily task to check the rollers. Some days this is

skipped and on the following day, the new daily work order is completed. The

uncompleted/ skipped work orders from previous days still appear on the screen

until you change their status to "Canceled".

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4.9 How can I print files attached (linked) to a work order or otherreport?

Sometimes you need to print additional information information (e.g. special

instructions, manufacturer's recommendations, etc.) along with each work

order. These can be added as hyperlinks in comments/ instructions.

Only links to documents in HTML format can be printed. Links to documents

of other types can be viewed when you click on them in the reports if you have

the corresponding document viewer installed in your web browser (e.g. for PDF,

Word, etc.). However, unless they are in HTML format they will not be printed

out. If you have many documents in other formats check if they can be

converted to HTML files. Note that Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, etc. are able

to save and edit documents as HTML files.

Instructions

Make sure that any pictures & links are to files that are in locations available to

all users e.g. a public website or shared folder. Otherwise you will be able to

access them but others will get errors when trying to access them from some

other computer (pictures will not be displayed and links will not work).

1.If you have not already done so, add the hyperlinks to the task instructions or

work order comments.

2.When printing (by clicking the appropriate Print button), select the Options tab

and then check "Print all linked documents".

The system prints all the linked documents.



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4.10 How can I customize a report?

Report templates are used to generate most reports. You can modify/ create

new report templates to create customized reports. There are several built-in

report templates that you can copy & change to suit your needs.

Example 1 - adding a custom field to the Work Order (Detailed) report:

Let us assume that you created a new custom field (a user specified field) called

"ApprovedOn" for tasks & work orders (Note: You can define custom fields by

using the "Define Custom Fields" option in the "Administration" menu on the

main window). The "ApprovedOn" field will now be available as an entry on the

Custom Fields tab on tasks as well as on work orders. On a task this field should

be left empty since each work order created from a task will have a different

approval date.

Now let us add the approval date to the "Work Order: Detailed" report. In

the main window click on the Plan button to start the planning report (pictured

below). Click on the Add/ Edit button found next to the Report Template field at

the bottom left of the window. This will bring up a list of all report templates

available to you.



145

Scroll down the list of report templates in this list (shown below) till you find the

"Work Order: Detailed" report template. Double click on it to open it. Since this is

a built-in system report (the Owner column is blank) it cannot be modified.

Instead you will be asked if you would like to make a copy of the report

template to modify it. Select Yes and the report editing window will open up.



146

You will see that the name of the report has changed to "Copy of WorkOrder".

You can change the name to suit your needs e.g. call it "ABCWorkorder" as

shown below. Leave the Type & SubType fields as is. Now click on the Edit

button next to the Report Template field to bring up the HTML Editor which will

allow you to modify the actual template contents.

In the template below we have dropped the task/ work order class ("Class:

[[wo.class]]") and instead replaced it with "Approved Date: [[wo.approvedon]]"

in the middle column of the third row of the table. Make sure that there are no

spaces between the two square brackets ([) e.g. it should be "[[" NOT "[ [".

There are a variety of report functions & options available for your use to

customize the report. See Editing a Report Template for more information on

these functions.

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147

Once you are done click on the OK button to save your changes. This brings

you back to the report window. Click Add to save the report template you have

created. Make a note of the report template name since you will select this

report template when you run the Planning Report. You will now see your newly

created template in the Reports list window (you may need to scroll through the

list to find it). Click on the Cancel button to close the Reports list window and

return to the Planning Report options window.

Using the modified report template: Now you should be back in the Planning

Report options window. Click on the dropdown arrow next to the Report

Template field. You should find your newly created template in the list. Select it.

Click on the OK button to run the Planning Report. You should see the report

generated with the custom field in it for each work order printed.

Problems? Check the troubleshooting section in Editing a Report Template .

Example 2 - adding a field for equipment in the Work Order (List) report:

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148

If you look at a work order report generated using the "Work Order: List" report

template you will see it has a variety of columns as shown below but no column

with the equipment the work order is associated with.

You can create a new report template by editing and creating a copy of the

"Work Order: List" template. In this new template add a new column named

equipment. Put the following in the column in the template. You must include the

list bullet so that if there are multiple equipment they will be listed one after

another. Otherwise it will produce two columns if there are two equipment

associated.

• [[equipment.name]][[IfPresent(equipment.description, ": ")]]

[[equipment.description]]



149

For example as shown below in the new report template "Copy Of WorkOrder:

List":

You can now select this report template "Copy Of WorkOrder: List" when you

want to print a list of work orders with the associated equipment in the list.



150

4.11 How can I sum a numeric field on a report?

To create a summation on a numeric field use the function Total. It gets the

total of a numeric column e.g. [[total(wo.laborcost)]]. Typically used in the

report's footer section to get totals. For a list of available functions look at the

help section Editing a Report Template .101



151

4.12 How do I use barcodes?

Requirements: To print and use barcodes, you will need to have the Bar Code

module, an add-on for the Standard & Professional editions. If you wish to

evaluate the module please contact [email protected] for a trial or to

purchase a license. You will also need to have or purchase your own barcode

scanners to scan in the bar codes. The bar code scanners should be of the

"wedge" type (plug into the keyboard) OR should use software that makes it

seem like the bar codes are being entered as text on the keyboard.

Bar codes for equipment, parts, etc. can be printed on work orders. With bar

codes it is easier to scan out parts from stores, work orders can be easily

retrieved as needed and so on. The add-on currently supports "Code 39

(Extended)" and "Code 128" barcodes. These barcode types are the most

commonly used in manufacturing industries worldwide and are supported by

most bar code scanners.

1. First you will need to set the bar code options by selecting "Settings " from

the "Administration" menu on the main window.

2. Option 1: You can print bar code labels for equipment, parts or people by

selecting "Bar Code Labels" from the "Tools" menu on the main window. This

can be useful if you want to stick the labels on the equipment/ parts and use

the label in conjunction with a hand held scanner and the "Find" function

available on the main window to pull up equipment/ part details.

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mailto:[email protected]



152

3. Option 2: Select the option to print bar codes in the Planning report. This

will print bar codes for equipment, parts, work orders, etc. For example the

printed part bar codes on the work order could be used by the inventory

manager to pull up the parts when the technician goes to get the maintenance

parts from inventory. The work order bar codes can make it easy to pull up &

update/ close the work orders using the "Find" function on the main window

once the technician completes the work order and returns it with their

comments/ feedback.

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153

4.13 How do I install/ upgrade FastMaint?

FastMaint can be installed and setup as one of three editions - Basic (single-

user), Standard (single-user) of Professional (multi-user). It is possible to

upgrade from Basic to Standard to Professional editions by buying the

appropriate license. Upgrading to the Professional edition gives you a new 30-

day trial before you have to purchase the license. You may be eligible for special

upgrade pricing.

Note that you CANNOT "downgrade" from the Professional edition to the Basic/

Standard editions since the maintenance database formats differ. To go back to

your previous edition, uninstall the Professional edition and remove any database

files. Then re-install FastMaint the original edition and restore any pre-upgrade

backups.

Basic and Standard Editions

1.If upgrading, backup any existing data .

2.Run the installer to upgrade or install the software.

3.Run FastMaint and click through the wizard, making sure to select the correct

edition.

Professional Edition with built-in Microsoft Access

(Jet) database

1.If upgrading, backup any existing data .


3.Run FastMaint and click through the wizard, making sure to select the

"Professional Edition". (If you get this wrong, you can use the Administration

menu, Application Setup option.)

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154

4.Follow the instructions to use an internal database, then select the option to

setup a new shared database.

5.Click the Change Database Location button to enter the shared drive/

network location you want the database files to be kept.

If you are upgrading from the Basic/ Standard edition, your existing database

will be upgraded and copied to this location.

6.Login into FastMaint using the “admin” account.

(If this is your first login, you will be asked to enter a new admin password

.)

7.Use the Administration menu to create some user accounts and tailor their

access .

8.Repeat steps #2, #3 and #4 on all the remaining destination computers.

Professional edition with Microsoft SQL Server

You should already own licenses for SQL Server and have it set up on your

server.

1.If upgrading, backup any existing FastMaint data .

2.Using Microsoft SQL Server, create an empty database for use with

FastMaint.

3.Create a database user account that has DDL administration as well as read

+write access to the database (avoid using the SQL administrator account for

security reasons).

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155

4.In Microsoft Windows, under the Control Panel, Administrative Tools, select

"Data Sources (ODBC)". Set up a System DSN with an SQL Server based data

source. Point to the SQL Server database you created for FastMaint. Use the

database user account you created (do not use Windows/ Integrated

security). Test the connection.


6.Run FastMaint and click through the wizard, making sure to select the

"Professional Edition". (If you get this wrong, you can use the Administration

menu, Application Setup option.)

7.Follow the instructions to use an external SQL Server database. Specify the

System DSN you setup in step #2.

The setup wizard will initialize the empty SQL Server database. If you are

upgrading from the Basic/ Standard edition it can also transfer all your existing

data over to the SQL Server database.

8.Login into FastMaint using the “admin” account.

(If this is your first login, you will be asked to enter a new admin password

.)

9.Use the Administration menu to create some user accounts and tailor their

access .

9.Repeat steps #4, #5 and #6 on all the remaining destination computers.

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4.14 How do I back up and restore my data?

It is very important to periodically make a copy of the database for backup and

restore purposes. It is also recommended prior to installing a software update or

upgrade.

1.Make sure that all users are out of FastMaint.

2.Copy the database files FastMaint.mdb and FastMaint.mdw and paste them

into a safe location.

The location of these files depends on the FastMaint edition. Basic and

Standard both use the program install directory (usually “c:\Program Files

\fastmaint” OR on 64-bit systems “C:\Program Files (x86)\fastmaint”) .

However, Professional uses a location specified by the FastMaint.ini file found

in the program install directory.

3.If required, again make sure that all users are out of FastMaint, then restore

the backups to the original location.



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4.15 How can I open the database with another program (e.g.Microsoft Access)?

It's sometimes useful to access your data using another program e.g. to create

a custom report/ fix some data. How you do this depends on which FastMaint

edition you are using:

To preserve the integrity of the FastMaint system it is advisable to open the

database as Read Only. Bad updates can cause the FastMaint system to fail or

work incorrectly.

Single user edition or multi-user edition using an

internal database (Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000):

FastMaint data is stored in a Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000 database called

FastMaint.mdb. Many third-party programs, utilities and report generation tools

can access this database. You will need to configure the tools to also use the

workgroup information file FastMaint.mdw (found in the same location as the

FastMaint.mdb file).

Two user accounts are provided with the Access database to read/ write data in

this database. This will enable you to create any special reports you need, export

maintenance data to a corporate data repository and so on.

Account "reader": No password (default) – has read access to many tables

in the database.

Account "editor": No password (default) – has read and update access to

many tables in the database.

To open the database with Microsoft Access 2000



158

Create a shortcut on your desktop to Microsoft Access and use this shortcut

to open the FastMaint database. The shortcut should call Microsoft Access with

the following properties: (MS Access path) (database path) /WRKGRP

(workgroup path)

e.g. (all on a single line)

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE" "C:\Program Files

\fastmaint\FastMaint.mdb" /WRKGRP "C:\Program Files\fastmaint

\FastMaint.mdw" /excl

(The "/excl" flag above opens the database in exclusive mode (single user

mode). It is optional and is only required if you want to create custom

Microsoft Access Reports in the database.)

Warning: Set passwords on the "reader" and "editor" accounts as soon as

possible to prevent unauthorized access to FastMaint data.

External Microsoft SQL Server database (ODBC

connection)

Many third-party programs, utilities and report generation tools, can also accessthis database.

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5 For IT Administrators

Regular backups are important!

On a regular basis, please take a backup of the FastMaint.mdb and

FastMaint.mdw files

Basic/ Standard editions: The files are in the program install directory.

Professional edition: For an internal database, the files are in the database

directory specified in the Fastmaint.ini file. For an external database using

ODBC, please speak with the database administrator about taking regular

backups of the FastMaint database.

Improving performance

It's a good idea to regularly compact the database to reduce wasted space:

Select Administration, Compact Database.

If you are connecting to an external database using ODBC, speak with the

database administrator to see what kind of regular maintenance needs to be

scheduled for optimum performance.

If configuring the Professional Edition for users from multiple workstations, put

the database on a fast network location to get best performance. Slow and

unreliable network connections will result in poor performance as well as

database corruption and loss of data.

Changing the database location (Professional edition

only)

Internal database (Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000)



161

1.Move the FastMaint.mdb and FastMaint.mdw files to the required location.

2.Ensure that all users who will connect to this database have file create,

update and delete rights in this new location.

3.Edit the Fastmaint.ini file (found in the FastMaint installation directory of

each workstation that has FastMaint installed) and change the path of the

Database attribute to point to the new location. Each workstation that

connects to the FastMaint database should have the Fastmaint.ini file

modified to point to the same database location. You can also use the

Application Setup Wizard (Administration menu) to make this change to the

FastMaint.ini file on each workstation.

External Microsoft SQL Server database (ODBC connection):

1.Speak with the database administrator about backing up and restoring the

existing database onto another server/ location.

2.Go to each workstation that will be connecting to this database and use

the ODBC Connection Wizard to add/ change the ODBC connection to the

relocated database.

3.If using a new ODBC connection, also use the Application Setup Wizard

(Administration menu) to make changes to the FastMaint.ini file to point to

the newly setup database.

Integration with other systems/ Getting access to

FastMaint data

To preserve the integrity of the FastMaint system it is advisable to open the

database as Read Only. Bad updates can cause the FastMaint system to fail or

work incorrectly.



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Single user edition or multi-user edition using an internal database

(Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000): FastMaint data is stored in a Microsoft Jet/Access 2000 database called FastMaint.mdb. Many third-party programs,utilities and report generation tools can access this database. You will need toconfigure the tools to open the workgroup information file FastMaint.mdw(found in the same location as the FastMaint.mdb file).

Two user accounts are provided with the Access database to read/ write datain this database. This will enable you to create any special reports you need,export maintenance data to a corporate data repository and so on.

Account "reader": No password (default) – has read access to many tablesin the database. Account "editor": No password (default) – has read and update access tomany tables in the database.

To open the database with Microsoft Access 2000:Create a shortcut on your desktop to Microsoft Access and use this shortcutto open the FastMaint database. The shortcut should call Microsoft Access withthe following properties: (MS Access path) (database path) /WRKGRP(workgroup path)

e.g. (all on a single line)

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE" "C:\Program Files\fastmaint\FastMaint.mdb" /WRKGRP "C:\Program Files\fastmaint\FastMaint.mdw" /excl

(The "/excl" flag above opens the database in exclusive mode (single usermode). It is optional and is only required if you want to create customMicrosoft Access Reports in the database.)

Warning: Set passwords on the "reader" and "editor" accounts as soon as

possible to prevent unauthorized access to FastMaint data.

External Microsoft SQL Server database (ODBC connection): Many third-

party programs, utilities and report generation tools, can also access thisdatabase.



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Data locking issues (Professional edition only)

If using the internal (Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000) database, all FastMaint users

should have file create, update and delete rights on the directory where the

shared FastMaint database files are stored.

If a user workstation crashes when editing an item (e.g. a Part, Task, etc.), a

lock may still be retained on one or more items, preventing all users from being

able to access them (you will get an item is locked error message). To release

such spurious locks, first ensure that all users are out of the FastMaint

application, then shut down and restart the file server or workstation on which

the FastMaint database files are kept. This will release all open locks. If

connecting to an external database using ODBC please speak to the database

administrator about how to release such locks.

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6 Getting Support

Visit the Support Center (http://www.smglobal.com/support) to search for

information, helpful tutorials or submit support requests.

http://www.smglobal.com/support

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7 Video Tutorials

Our tutorials keep changing so please visit the online Tutorial section (http://

www.smglobal.com/fastmaint/demo) for the latest video tutorials and other

tutorials on different FastMaint features.

http://www.smglobal.com/fastmaint/demo

http://www.smglobal.com/fastmaint/demo

IndexFastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide 168


Index- 3 -3rd party system 157

- A -About Tasks and Work Orders 8

Access (MS Access) 157

accounts 85

administration 109, 160

alarm 136

alert 85

alerts 85

analysis 94

- B -backlog 58

backup 156

bar code 85, 151

Bar codes 85, 87, 151

barcode 151

Barcodes 85, 151

batch 130, 136

breakdown 94, 141

breakdowns 54

bug 165

bugs 165

- C -calendar 96

calendars 23

categories 25

comma delimited 116

completed 94

configuration 85

configure 85

create 130, 136, 141

custom 144

customize 144

- D -data 116, 156

database 156

Deleting expired work orders 142

downtime 58, 96

- E -email 69, 71, 85

emergency 141

equipment 27, 96, 116, 122, 130, 136

errors 71

estimating 58

excel 116

export data 79

- F -FastMaint 153

fields 144

forward 71

frequency 130, 136

functions 150

- H -HTML Editor 106

- I -import 116

import data 76

importing 116

Installation 153

integration 157

- L -Linked files 143

Location 122

Locations 31, 122

login 109

IndexFastMaint CMMS 6.1 User Guide 169


- M -main window 19

meter 130

- N -numeric 150

- O -open database 157

- P -parts 34, 39

past due 58

pending 58

people 37

percentage 58

plan 94

planned 94

planning 51, 61, 63

preventive 94, 96

Printing 143

process 69, 71

purchase order 39

- R -reply 71

report designer 98

reports 144, 150

request 141

restore 156

- S -settings 85

setup 85

sms 69, 71

spreadsheet 116

statistics 58

sum 150

suppliers 47

support 165

- T -task 130, 136

Task Frequency tab 45

Tasks 42, 122

text messages 69, 71

total 150

training 165, 167

trends 94

tutorial 165, 167

tutorials 165, 167

- U -unplanned 141

updates 69, 71

upgrade 153

- V -variance 94

vendors 47

video tutorials 6, 167

videos 167

Viewing all past due, current and future 140

- W -work order 122, 141

Work orders 51, 58, 63, 67, 69, 71, 94, 96, 97, 122,140, 142

work requests 54, 111

workbook 116

workload balancing 61

fast maintmanual

Technology

fastmaint cmms

use of information

admin password

use of programs

fastmaint professional

information storage

lists left bar buttons

admin account