Dallas keys and hardware
controllers allow users to open doors, gates and barriers, plus turn on lights, saunas, sunbeds, showers, etc. Data is transmitted to/from the controllers and an MS Access database as required.
The controllers work independently from the database, i.e. there’s NO real-time communication with the database. This means the administration of the database can be done from a remote location and the operation of the system is not relying on a network connection. The connection can be either a direct cable or via modems.
The database is used to manage
Memberships that contain 1 or more
users. The membership and/or the user is linked to 1 or more Plans. These determine how/when the users pay, as well as the facilities that are available. The membership is the financial entity as well as the means of communication. I.e. single address and single bill. Membership expiry is controlled and reported by the system.
Each user is an individual person who has been allocated a Dallas tag. They are the individual members of the organisation or club. Transactions and Bookings are associated with Users. Users can individually be given function key privileges (e.g. practice, visitor, override).
Allocation of tags is made easy by an option to connect a tag reader to an administration PC that interfaces with the database.
Membership plans are used to determine how the users are charged, the sports the users can play or book for, the venues and facilities the users have access to and the times those venues and facilities are available.
A membership may be linked to several plans, e.g. “annual sub for the gym” and a “casual squash membership”.
A plan can be set up with parameters for restricting gender and age groups.
The system will allow for multiple
sports to be defined. These sports are linked to controllers and to membership plans. Through these database relationships, a user whose membership plan is, say, “mid-week golf”, is limited to a specific set of controllers at specified times for access and bookings. For specific sports the database can also track the grading or points for users.
Functions Keys are used for specialised user privileges. They correspond to a physical key on the Controller front panel. They are typically used for: Override, Practice, Visitor and Coaching. Function Keys have their own charging parameters and access times on each Controller. Whenever a function key is used on a controller, it’s identified on the transaction, for charging and reporting purposes.
Bookings can be made for any time period for any combination of controllers for a defined sport. A booking is associated with a specific user and a specific sport. Controllers can be set up so they are automatically selected when a booking is made for a sport. Depending on the User’s membership plan, the Booking will allow a charge to be specified. There are other parameters on the Booking that control the processing of the booking.
While the system is geared for unattended facilities, for those sites that have office staff, there are easy ways to cater for
Casual users, handle cash payments and produce invoices immediately.
The Hawkeye administration module can be used to generate
invoices, but it does NOT provide debtors functionality. It currently has an interface to
MYOB and interfaces to other accounting packages could be developed as required. For those organisations that do not use an Accounting package, a separate module called
'Hawkeye Debtors' is available that provides for payment recording and limited debtor reporting.
For technical information on the hardware components of the system including electrical installation requirements, contact Richard Walkinshaw of Gilbarco Nz Ltd: (04) 560 4829
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