Refresh data during data entry. Why is it necessary. How often is it necessary.

marvin

Hi folks. New to SiteLink. I have worked with various software platforms such as SAP and Oracle, but I have never worked with a package that requires the user to refresh data in order to synchronize data, I guess, between a cloud data source and and data source on a downstream server/work station? Anyway, if someone could briefly explain why it is necessary and when it is optimal to do so, I would appreciate it. 

themage

If you leave Sitelink on the front screen between operations, it will refresh / synchronize automatically, default every 10 minutes. 

Most of the other screens will prevent Sitelink from updating until you complete the task (for example, take a payment). Sitelink does use a hybrid of remote and local data, so it has to be pretty strict about committing data and then synchronizing it across all computers logged in to the same location. 

If 2 different computers are accessing the same account, the moment one computer saves information, the other computers information is now invalid and must be refreshed before it can be updated properly.

There are a few operation in sitelink that may take a long time and have to be saved several times before the data becomes stale. I set up our walkthrough order and found that I had to save after every several changes or Sitelink would not save it because it needed to refresh.

If you have a single operator, the refreshing is usually not much of a problem. If you have multiple operators, let the computer idle on the main sitelink screen, and refresh often (after every payment or 2, for example).

Sitelink did implement a background refresh, but it doesn't seem to have much effect on the way my location operates.

marvin

Thank you for the information. Can the 10 minute default for refresh/synchronize be adjusted upwards or downwards? For example, to run every 5 minutes instead of 10? Also, I have noticed that the date of something that I entered in notes is not reflected in another screen. For example, a note entered on 07/22/24 has not updated the field in the collections screen that indicates the last time the tenant was contacted. In this case it says 07/05/2024. Several comments were made after 07/05/2024, but the date was never advanced. Any ideas?

themage

Setup, Program Defaults, General, Auto Refresh Local Data. 10 minutes is recommended, partly because of the time it takes to actually refresh, and partly to reduce the requests on the servers, I imagine.

I can't imagine why the date in the notes may not update.

AnitaJohnson1269

marvin said:

 For example, a note entered on 07/22/24 has not updated the field in the collections screen that indicates the last time the tenant was contacted. In this case it says 07/05/2024. Several comments were made after 07/05/2024, but the date was never advanced. Any ideas?

Only the notes made while in the collection calls "past due" menu will update as a "collection call". Notes made from any other source will not update a date in the collections menu.  This is set to make sure you are making "collection calls" and not just adding notes to the account.  To get those to update, make sure you are clicking "Call past dues" and double clicking each tenant and making notes from this format. 

marvin

Thanks for that information. No one explained that to me. I jump in and out of screens as business dictates and made notes to catch up from different screens. Now that I think about it, the system has no way of linking a collection note update elsewhere back to the collections menu.  Thank you for helping me out.