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The Gas Device Maintenance window is used to create and maintain gas device types. Device types define the bill type, manufacturer and model number of a specific kind of device. When a device is created (UB> Maintenance> Device> Create Button or from the Service Request Input Wizard), the device will populate with the information from the selected device type. Device types reduce the amount of data entry when creating a new device because the device type functions as a template. You should create a device type for every device model that will be installed on UB customer accounts.

The bill type attached to the device type determines which service rate will be billed for the consumption of a device attached to the device type. When a bill is generated on a customer account, the consumption on a meter will be billed using the service rate with the same bill type as the meter. For more information on bill types see the Bill Type Overview document.

Step by Step

1     Open the Device Type - Gas window (UB> Maintenance> Device Type - Gas).

• The Device Type - Gas window will display all gas device types that have been created.
• You cannot modify any of the fields that display in the Device Type - Gas window, including the Device Default toggle. You must open the device type before you can modify it.
• Select a gas device type and click Edit to modify an existing device type.
• Select a gas device type and click Delete to delete the device type.
  • You will not be able to delete a device type that is attached to an existing device.
• Click the Create button to create a new gas device type.

2     Create the Device Type.

• Select a Manufacturer from the drop-down menu or enter a new one. If you enter a new manufacturer, it will be available in the drop-down menu the next time you create a gas device type.
• Enter a Model Number. The model number is used to identify unique device types of the same manufacturer. This is a required field.
• Click the Bill Type field label search button to select a bill type from a list. This will open the Bill Type Selection window.
  • The bill type attached to the device type determines what service rate will be used to bill for the consumption on a device. When a New Billing is generated, the billing engine will bill the consumption on a device using the service rates with the same bill type. The bill type on the device is inherited from the device type. For example, if there is consumption on a device with a bill type of GAS, all service rates with the GAS bill type will be used to calculate the billing on the device.
  • Bill Types are created and maintained on the Bill Type Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Bill Type).
  • Select a bill type that is set up to be used by gas devices.
    • Bill types are set up as gas device bill types in the Device Type drop-down menu (UB> Maintenance> Bill Type).
    • You will receive a validation error when you try to save the device type if the bill type is not set up as a gas type.
• The Default Change-out, Default Remove, and Default Add fields are used to add a default service request code to the device type. When a service request is created on the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Device tab> Change Device button), the default service request will populate on the Service Request input Wizard. For example, if you select a gas meter of this device type on the Device tab of the Account Master Maintenance window and click the Remove icon, the service request code selected in the Default Remove field will populate in the Request Code field of the Service Request Input Wizard that launches. The default service request code only acts as a default because you will be able to change the service request code that populates on the Service Request Input Wizard.
  • The Default Change-out, Default Remove, and Default Add fields are all optional.
  • You can set up security on the Service Request Code field using the DB Security feature (SS> Security> DB Security) so that it is read only and users will be forced to use the default service request code set up on the device type.
  • Click the Default Change-out field label search button   to select the default service request code for change-out device service requests created on the device type from the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Device tab> Change Device button).
  • Click the Default Remove field label search button to select the default service request code for remove device service requests performed on the device type.
  • Click the Default Add field label search button to select the default service request code for add device service requests performed on the device type.
  • You can also attach a default device type to a service request code using the Service Request Code Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Service Request code). When a service request is created using the Service Request Input Wizard and you select a service request code with a default device type, the device type will automatically be selected if it is installed on the lot. For example, a service request is generally performed on a certain type of device attach that device type to the service request code. When service requests of that code are processed the device of that type will automatically be selected.
• The Notes field is used to enter notes on the device. This is not the same as the Notes field that displays on the Device Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Device> Miscellaneous tab> Notes field).
  • The Notes field will not display on any reports and does not display in the QBE Reporting tool.
• The Round Precision field is used to specify how precise to round reads imported from this device.
  • The value in this field will determine how many decimal places the reading will be rounded to. For example, if the reading was 55.6779 and the Round Precision field is set to 2, the imported read will be rounded to 55.68. If the Round Precision field is set to 3, the imported read will be rounded to 55.678
  • This field will only be enabled if the Round Reads on Import toggle is checked below.
• Check the Default Type toggle if you are creating the default device type.
  • When a new device is created, the information attached to the default device type will populate on the new device. For example, if you are creating a new water meter device in the Device Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Device> Create button), the water meter default device type information will populate on the new device. If the default device information does not apply to the new water meter, you will be able to select a new device type and overwrite the default device type information on the device.
  • You will not be able to save the device type if there already is a default device type set up.
• Check the Retain New Reads on Import toggle to prevent imported meter readings from overwriting existing new and unbilled readings on the account.
  • This toggle will be unchecked by default as the standard functionality is to overwrite existing readings on import.
• Check the Round Reads on Import toggle to enable rounding on imported meter reads from this device.
  • When this toggle is checked, the Round Precision field above will be enabled and the rounding can be configured.
• Check the Mark Reads as Billed on Import toggle if imported meter reads should be marked as Billed rather than New.

3     Complete the Gas tab.

• Select a Unit Type from the drop-down menu or enter a new one in the drop-down menu.
  • When consumption is read on devices attached to this device type, the consumption will be read in this unit type. When a New Billing is generated (UB> New Billing> Generate), the consumption read on the devices can be converted to another unit type using the formulas set up in the conversion table (UB> Maintenance> Consumption Conversion).
  • Make sure the unit type entered in this field is set up in the consumption conversion table. If the unit type is not set up in the conversion table and you try to convert the consumption during the New Billing process, you will receive an error message during the Generate step.
• Enter a value in the Reading Multiplier and/or Reading Divisor field if you want to modify the device readings when they are imported in UB> Meter Management> Readings Import.
• Enter a value in the Consumption Multiplier and/or Consumption Divisor field if you want to modify the consumption that is billed on the selected meter type.
  • When using the consumption multiplier and divider fields, the Meters tab of the customer account (UB> Maintenance> Account) will display the consumption based on the imported read, not the modified consumption.
  • The modified consumption is the consumption that will be billed on the account when a billing is generated (UB> New Billing).
  • The Billing Register (UB> New Billing> Billing Register) can display either the modified consumption amount (UB> New Billing> Billing Register> Billable Only toggle) or the consumption read on the meter (UB> New Billing> Billing Register> Actual toggle).
• The Digits field is used to enter the number of digits on the water meter.
  • The value in this field will affect the consumption on a bill when the meter reading cycles back to 000. If the number of digits is entered incorrectly, the consumption on the billing will be incorrect.
• The Use Periods field is used to enter the number of use periods on the device type.
  • Usage periods are generally used to separate consumption into separate usage periods and charge those usage periods different service rates. (For example, charging a separate rate for peak and non-peak usage.)
• Check the Automated Read toggle if this device will be read with a handheld device.
• Check the Incrementing toggle if you are importing meter readings (UB> Meter Management> Readings Import) and the consumption calculated on the meter should be based on the previous read. For example, if the previous reading on a meter was 1000, and the imported reading is 2000, the consumption on the meter will be the previous read less the current reading, or 1000. If you do not have this toggle checked the consumption on the meter will be the entire imported meter reading. In the example above, the consumption on the meter would be 2000, or the entire imported meter reading amount.
• Select a Device Size from the drop-down menu or enter a new size. The meter size will not affect the billing.
  • You can create a report grouping the consumption read on devices by meter size (UB> Reports> Consumption by Meter Size).

4     Complete the Miscellaneous tab.

• The fields on the miscellaneous tab can be included on a report using the QBE Reporting tool in the UB module.
  • The miscellaneous fields are found in the UB module QBE reporting tool by selecting the Meters primary table. The miscellaneous fields will display are primary fields, for example: Char Misc 1 (Device Type).
• Click the Save button when complete.