1. Zortec Utility Billing
2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues
Zortec Utility Billing

2. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues
Common Problems

3. AR Out of Balance 1. Check for any unprocessed adjustment packets
AR Out of Balance 1. Check for any unprocessed adjustment packets. From the UB Main menu select option 3 Cash Receipts, 4 Packet Control. Look for any packets that start with "AJ". Adjustments hit the customer's account and AR immediately. The entries do not appear on the Daily Transactions Report until the packet is processed and Cash Recap updated.

4. AR Out of Balance 2. Check to make sure the Cash Recap has been updated. From the UB Main menu 3 Cash Receipts, 9 Cash Recap, Print Report Only, answer Y. If the system allows you to enter a printer number, there are transactions that have not been processed. You will need to run this option again and answer N to Print Report Only. If you get the error "Cash Recap file cannot be opened--try again later" there are no unprocessed transactions in the file. After running this option reprint 10 Daily Transaction Report.

5. AR Out of Balance-cont.
You can 'look' for the amount you are off. From the UB Main menu select option 52 Utilities, 1 General Utilities, 2 Find Specific Transaction Amounts. Enter the transaction year, date range and amount you are out of balance by as a positive and a negative number. If there are any transactions that match this amount, they will print on the report. Research these accounts for possible record locks or other problems. Records locks are caused when an account is pulled up on two different screens and a transaction is posted to that account.

6. AR Out of Balance-cont.
For example, you are entering an adjustment to XYZ Account and another user has this account pulled up. Or you are processing packets or updating billing during the day and a user has one of the accounts with a transaction to be posted pulled up. One way to avoid record locks is to process packets and update billing in Night Process.

7. If you still cannot find the problem or it does not correct itself the following day, please call the support center. The sooner we know about the problem the better chance we have of finding and correcting it.

8. Problems with In-Process Amounts
The In-Process amount field is found on screen 1 of Customer Inquiry. This field displays all pending transactions for payments, balance transfers, AR refunds and AR Journal Entries. It is an information only field. The only UB programs that ‘look’ at this field are the Delinquent Account programs. This field is cleared when either the POS Receipting sessions or the UB Cash Receipt packets are processed and Cleanup Database runs. There are times when this field will display an ‘incorrect’ amount, i.e. the in-process amount is doubled. Possible causes are the payment was entered twice, the payment was voided and re-entered in POS, or an additional payment exists in UB or POS.

9. Cash Receipt Packet in Use Error
You try to print or process a packet and receive the error ‘Packet is in Use – Please try later’.
If you are sure no one is using the packet in question, from the Utility Billing main menu select option 3 Cash Receipts, 20 Rebuild Packet Control.

10. Cash Receipt Packet in Use Error
Type the packet name and enter.
You will see ‘This Packet Is In Use – Rebuild and Reset?’ Type Y and press enter.
F9 until you see ‘Packet Control has been successfully rebuilt’.

11. Service Order Closing Errors
You try to close service orders and get the following errors: ‘The account is in the billing process and cannot be changed—update later.’ Or ‘The account is in the reading process and cannot be changed—update later.’
These errors are caused by the account being in either the reading process (handheld file has been created or manual reading enter) or the route is in the bill calculation process.

12. Service Order Closing Errors
If the service order must be completed before the account can be billed, you will need change the ‘READ-NOT-BILLED’ flag. From the main UB menu select 52 Utilities, 3 Reading/Billing Utilities, 1 Clear READ-NOT-BILLED Flag. Answer Y to Individual Account. Enter the account number and change the number in the ‘Read-Not-Billed’ field to 0 (zero).

13. Service Order Closing Errors
Try to close the service order again. If you still get errors you need to check in Office Manger, Route Control, Update. If the question ‘Book Being Billed’ is set to Y change this to N, complete the order then change it back to Y.

14. Billing Update Errors 
The Update Accounts option cannot be ran until the billing register has been printed and all bills have been printed, including any custom bills.

15. Billing Update Errors 
The Bill Printed Exception Report must also be printed before the Update Accounts option can be ran. This option is used to check the flags on the accounts to make sure that the register and bills have been printed. Each account is flagged according to the options ran for it.

16. Billing Update Errors 
To run the report to be sure that the register has printed and all bills have been printed, use the Bill Printed Code NP. This is the default so just press F9 to print the report. Any accounts not properly coded will print on the report. If all accounts have been printed, a message “All bills have been printed: Edit has been passed.” prints on the report and the billing can be updated.

17. Billing Update Errors-cont. 
When the billing register is printed, the first byte of the code on the Bill Printed Exception Report prints an R which means Printed on Register. If the billing register has not been printed, the first byte of the code prints an *.
If bills have not been printed, the second byte of the code on the report prints an *.

18. Below is the list of error codes:
R*-Printed on register and bill not printed.
R1-Printed on register and bill printed using Print Bills or Print Bills-Forms option.
R2-Printed on register and bill printed using Print Single Bill options.
R3-Printed on register and bill printed using the Print Custom Bills option.
R4-Printed on register and bill printed using the Print Single Custom Bill option.

19. RZ-Printed on register and bill not printed because zero bill amount and zero bills are not printed.
*1-Not printed on register and bill printed using Print Bills or Print Bills-Forms option.
*2-Not printed on register and bill printed using Print Single Bill options.
*3-Not printed on register and bill printed using the Print Custom Bills option.
*4-Not printed on register and bill printed using the Print Single Custom Bill option

20. Billing Update Errors-con’t
If the Update Accounts option is selected before the Bill Printed Exception Report has been ran, the message “Error: [BILL PRINTED EXCEPTION Hasn't Been Run - Aborting: ]< >” is displayed and bills cannot be updated. Print the report then try updating bills again.

21. If the Update Accounts option is selected before the billing register has been printed or the bills have been printed, the message “Error: [All Bills have NOT been PRINTED - Aborting: ]< >” is displayed and the bills cannot be updated.
If the Update Accounts option is ran and stops before the update is complete, when the Update Accounts option is selected again, an error “Update Program Began But Didn’t Finish-Aborting” displays and the user cannot run the update option again. Support must be contacted to correct the problem and finish the update.

22. We strongly suggest that you run the following
options:
In Meter Reading, Exception Edit Report. This report changes the Skip Next Bill flags on screen 2 and 5. It will also fix the ‘hidden read dates’ that print on the bills. Answer the question ‘Fix Problems with Service Dates Y’.

23. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues
Options

24. E-billing
Screen 18 has been added to the Customer Inquiry for addresses. When programming is complete, you will have the option of e-billing customers. A “Y” will e-bill the account. A “N” will be for information purposes only. Updates to this screen are made via File Maintenance.

27. AR History Data

28. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues
AR History Data
Several new options were added to the Delinquent Accounts menu for AR History.
These options work with the Record AR History option under Period End Process.
The Record AR History option will create a file of the AR balances as of the date it is ran.

29. AR History Data
This is a valuable tool for Support in helping track down problem record locks and other out of balance issues.
We strongly recommend this option be added to your month end and fiscal year end steps.
This will be very useful if you need to reprint the AR Detail for your auditors.

30. The Period End Process menu was updated to include the Build AR History option. Run this option for all accounts, AR Record Date is the current date (or the date of the AR if using saved files), Record as Permanent should be Y.
The Delinquent Accounts menu was updated to include three new options: AR History Summary, AR History Detail and AR History Inquiry.

31. The AR History Summary and Detail Reports print like the regular AR Summary and Detail reports but the history report pulls from the AR history files and can be printed as of any date that history is recorded. If the Build AR History option is ran on 11/30/2008, 12/5/2008 and 12/15/2008, this report can be printed for any of those dates. It cannot be printed for dates other than those included in the AR history file.

32. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues
Delinquent Accounts Menu

33. Reporting

34. Customer History Report

35. Customer History Report
The Customer History Report prints service information for selected accounts. This report prints account number, name, service address, status, type, service, rate code, service total, service average, 14 months of consumption and service amounts.
Print options include:
Beginning and Ending Account Numbers
Print for a particular service or all services
Print for a particular rate code or all rate codes
Print accounts with a particular status or statuses
Print service total consumption and amount for each service

36. Customer History Report
Print service average consumption and amount for each service
Start each account on a new page
Create a sequential file that can be imported into a spreadsheet
Choose which history months are printed. History month is the last month a transaction occurred on an account.
Choose which billing months are included

39. Customer History Report

42. Customer History Report
The UBHISTSQ.CSV file will always be created in the user profile directory under the DQZ\USR\ folder.
Generally a shortcut can be set up on the users pc to transfer the file from the server to the users pc.
Once you have the file UBHISTSQ.CSV, the file can be brought into Excel to sort the information, in the manner you desire.
This file is also easier to to other departments.

43. Selective Report By Service

44. Selective Report By Service
The Selective Report by Service prints service information. This report can be used to analyze consumption within a particular rate code, to check for multiplier accuracy, to get a count of customers that meet selected criteria, to print accounts with consumption in a particular range, etc.
This report can only be printed for one service at a time.

45. Selective Report By Service
Print options include:
Print for a particular cycle
Print for a range of routes
Print for a selected service
Print accounts that were last billed in a particular month
Print accounts with a particular customer type. This is useful if the customer type field on screen 2 of the customer's record classifies the account as residential, commercial, or industrial.

46. Selective Report By Service
Print options continued:
Print for a particular sales tax code
Print for a particular rate code
Print for a particular status
Include a customer count summary. This includes a count by status, rate code, sales tax code, other tax code, and customer type
Print only the customer count summary with none of the detail
Print accounts with the "Inside City" flag set to "Y" or "N" on screen two.

47. Selective Report By Service
Print options continued:
Prints accounts with a particular city code
Print accounts with history months in the range specified. History month is the last month a transaction occurred on an account.
Print labels for each account list on the report. The labels automatically go to the spooler in a file called UB1640LB.
Include account number on the labels

48. Selective Report By Service
For metered services only:
Print twelve month history line. This prints the consumption for the last twelve months for each account listed on the report.
Include consumption from and to a specified range

49. Night Process

50. NIGHT PROCESS Why is Night Process important:
It allows you to do time consuming items after hours
Creates a back up directory for test files
Allows for quick data restore of corrupted files
Allows items to update while no one will need to be logged on to the system
Such as payment posting
Billing updates
Alternate Key Rebuilds and Clean up Database

51. Night Process Features:
Ability to have custom options added to the screen
Want to be able to run something in Night Process and it is not listed we should be able to add it
Can run the options at anytime during the night
Reports will generate to the spooler

52. NIGHT PROCESS Setting up Night Process:
Go into UB and the Night Process option it is best to be logged in as the user NIGHT
Be sure only ONE user is setting up and running Night Process

53. Night Process Select the options you wish to run in Night Process
Recommended options:
Night Process Backup
Update Accounts After Bill
A/R Summary this will allow for a true AR balance since no one will be in the system
Rebuild Alternate Keys
Clean up Database
Logoff

54. Night Process Optional programs: Cash Receipts process
Allows you chose packets to process using Managers approval option
Cash recap
Calculate Bills

55. Night Process Things to run on the last day of the month/year:
A/R Detail Report
Deposit Report in Detail
When you run these on the last day of the month/year is it best to pull the reports from the DQZ\Usr directory and save and rename them for easier access.
The report names in the DQZ\Usr directory will be UB7610LS for the AR detail and UB2640LS for the Deposit Report

56. Night Process
If you need help with being able to move these files to a new location and renaming contact LGC support and we will be glad to help set up file transfers for your convenience.

57. If you have problems with Night Process not completing or hanging up on any options, especially Bill Update, PLEASE DO NOT APPTEMPT TO RESTART IT. Call support and let the receptionist now it is an emergency.

58. Setting up options in Night Process (Just a few examples)

61. NIGHT PROCESS
Setting up the Cash Receipts process in Night Process requires the use of the Manager’s Approval option under Cash Receipts
Under Manager’s Approval select the balanced packets that will need to be processed

63. NIGHT PROCESS
When you select Manager’s Approval we recommend leaving the Display Unbalanced Packets to Y so that you can review all packets to make sure that a packet was not missed
Place a Y beside the packets you wish to process in Night Process
Press F9 and the selections are saved

65. NIGHT PROCESS
When you select the Cash Receipts process in Night Process you should be able to leave the defaults being sure to verify the Transaction Date
This process will then precede to process all packets selected during Manager’s Approval

67. *Interesting piece of information for Night Process *
Did you know that you can run processes for other applications in Night Process?
If you have online Property Tax you can build the online file for Property Tax in UB night process.
If there is an option in another application you wish to see about running in UB Night process, please contact Support

68. Zortec Custom Export-Import file

69. What you get with Zortec Custom Export-Import file:
Support assisted ability to create a custom export file. You can also import data back into the Z applications using this feature.

70. Practical Uses:
Standardize Service Addresses
Boulevard, Blvd., Street, St. Road, Rd, etc
Populate data fields on Z screens with data exported from other systems (like GIS information to UB Screen 16).
Create a custom export file for After Hours Phone Service systems, GIS Systems, Automated Phone Systems to inform customers of service outages, late notices, cut off notices, etc

71. The next few slides shows an example of exporting service address information from the Z Utility Billing System, modifying the information using Excel, then importing the changes back into Z Utility Billing (to accomplish standardizing service addresses).

73. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues

74. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues

75. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues

76. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues

77. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues

78. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues

79. 2016 Resource - Z UB Common issues

80. Warning !
Mass Updating Data is only a good thing if you get the results desired.
If you Mass Update thousands of records “incorrectly” then there is no “Un-Do” button, no magic wand to wave and correct the mistakes you made.
Make sure you have a good backup before you import data from a file into your Z System.

81. Note – the Custom Export file creation process can be fully automated – to the point that it runs (completely without user interaction – started by windows scheduler) and exports the data desired, based on filters that you specify.
If you need to deliver a specific set of data to a 3rd party vendor on a regular basis the Z Custom Export File creation process can make that very easy to accomplish.

82. If you would like to have the Zortec custom export-import option installed simply place a support call or submit a support request online.
The Zortec custom export-import option is included in the price of the Z software and annual support – there are no additional cost for using this feature.

83. POSTAL SERVICE

84. POSTAL SERVICE
If you print your own bills then more than likely you are printing the IMB barcode for the Post Office. The Post Office is beginning to request the new option called the Full Service Mailing. We are compliant with this and have it set up and running a site. If your Post Office request for this your bills just call and we will set this up.

85. This completes our presentation on the Zortec UB Common Issues section of Resource 2016.
If you have questions about any of these processes contact our Customer Support Center at
For your convenience you can submit support requests and questions online at: