Autobatching in Agency Web

Auto Batching Procedures

The Auto Batching tool in the Agency Workstation allows ADF&G staff to assign batching information to fish tickets efficiently within the eLandings System.  You can create a batch of up to 200 fish tickets for processing within this Agency Workstation feature.  We suggest a limit of 200 paper fish tickets to a batch, as that is approximately how many paper fish ticket forms can be inserted into a standard manila envelope.

All fish ticket reports submitted to the ADF&G should be reviewed for completeness and accuracy, prior to the batching process.  If an eTicket is submitted with incorrect information (incorrect statistical area(s), incorrect number of fish/average weights), contact the processor and request that they correct the fish ticket within eLandings.  Provide them with the landing report or E-ticket number for reference.  They can access the ticket(s) within the eLandings system and correct the data.  Once corrected, the processor or you can reprint the fish ticket and staple the corrected copy to the copy of the fish ticket with the signatures.   

The primary purpose of auto batching tickets is to create a retrievable archive.  Once processed, fish ticket records are not frequently accessed.  Auto batching provides a balance between rapid and efficient data processing and source document retrieval.  The batching process also validates that fish tickets have been reviewed by staff for completeness and accuracy.  Once batched, tickets are then copied to the fish ticket database. 

Just as a reminder, Alaska Wildlife Troopers and even ADF&G staff seldom need to access the original signed copy of the fish ticket.  An electronic copy of the fish ticket is easily available within the Agency Interface application for re-printing, in the original and edited version.

Original ticket without signature

Edited ticket without signature

Unless specifically requested by Alaska Wildlife Troopers or receipt of a court order for the original copy with signature, a copy of the landing printed from the Agency Interface will suffice, in most cases.

Pre-Batching paper fish ticket processing procedures

Sort conventional ADF&G fish ticket reports from the electronically generated eTicket reports, as each ticket type needs to be processed separately.

Conventional fish ticket reports are data entered into Zephyr.  eTickets are processed within the eLandings Agency Desktop application.  Batched eTickets are pulled into the Zephyr system every 15 minutes.

Only eTickets can be auto batched. 

We suggest you sort the eTickets by period, locale code or harvest (if you plan to modify the default code 11), if you plan to assign any of these values.  You will expedite auto-batching if the pre-printed ticket numbers are in numeric sequence.  eTickets from a specific processor’s tender and from a unique opener are most likely to be in sequential order.  It is not required that you sort tickets, unless requested by the local area management biologist.  Some local management biologists want tickets to be sorted by processor and by vessel name.  If not required by your supervisor, sorting by processor, tender vessel and pre-printed fish ticket number is the most efficient procedure to expedite batching. 

In all situations, count the number of eTickets for the batch.  You do not need to stamp the tickets with a sequence fish ticket number, but some ADF&G staff find assigning a sequence ticket number helpful.  If you do not stamp a sequence fish ticket number on each ticket, you will need to adjust your ticket stamper for subsequent sequence ticket numbers.

Within the fish ticket application, Zephyr, create a batch.  You do not need to wait until all the conventional fish tickets have been processed to create a batch of eTickets.   Conventional fish ticket batches and eTicket batches can be comingled in the Zephyr Batch & Ticket Log, but again, create separate batches for each category of tickets.  

• Count the tickets and record the number of tickets for the batch, or
• Establish the ticket range within Zephyr.
• Record the batch and ticket sequence number on the exterior of the manila envelope.

Again, the individual fish eTicket reports do not need to be stamped with the sequence ticket number, but you may find this helpful.

Auto Batching

In a given year ~204,000 salmon fish tickets are created. Each year more and more of those tickets originate in eLandings. ADFG staff had difficulty keeping up with salmon ticket batching due to the volume of tickets. In an effort to make this easier, the Auto Batching tool was created for Salmon tickets. In the near future, we would like to make this work for Groundfish and Crab tickets as well.

In order for a ticket to move from eLandings to the ADFG Fish Ticket Database (i.e. Zephyr), the ticket must have batch information assigned to it. The ticket will also need harvest code information assigned to it. Typically salmon tickets have one harvest code = “11 – State managed fishery”.

The Auto Batching tool allows you to enter a list of tickets and assign batching information to them all. The benefit is that you do not have to open each ticket individually when assigning the batching information.

Login to the Agency Web application (if you need help with this please see the Agency Web Users Manual).

Select Auto Batching from the Reports drop down menu.

Batch Year will default to the current year and Harvest Code will be defaulted to 11, traditional state managed fishery, additionally the Start Fish Ticket # field will default based on the Batch Year displayed.  Though defaulted, these fields can be modified to meet your coding requirements. As an example, if you have a ticket with a pre-printed fish ticket number for the previous year, simply change the default year.  The harvest code default can be easily modified, as well. The auto batching page asks for the batch year, office code and batch number. Optionally, you can enter the harvest code, fishing period and locale code here.

To begin the auto-batching process, enter batching information:

• Office Code
• Batch Number and Sequence Ticket Range (as established from Zephyr)
• You can enter the Fishing Period, the Locale Code and modify the Harvest Code as necessary, for the entire batch, or within the batch for a sub-set of tickets, but they are not required data fields.

Auto-Batching Example

NOTE: You may use the TAB key to navigate through each field.  Once you enter a fish ticket number, press enter to populate the batching table.  To enter a sequential range, enter the first number, tab, and then enter the second number, followed by selecting the enter key.

The Fish Ticket Numbers will default with a prefix of EYY (where YY is the current year), allowing you to enter only the six digit fish ticket number.  In this example, you would enter 181164 and then hit the enter key. (See below for an example Fish Ticket Number)

In a few cases, a processor will fail to download the current year of tLandings and it generates fish tickets with the prior year date.  The ticket(s) should be batched with the current year’s fishery.  Just change the prefix on the ticket.  Remember to change the prefix back to the current year when you have completed processing of the ticket(s).  Again, enter the pre-printed fish ticket number, omitting the leading alpha letter (the E) and the year.

Entering non-sequential fish ticket numbers

Once you have entered the fish ticket number, click Enter to add the fish ticket number to the batch table.

Entering a second single fish ticket number:

Entering sequential fish ticket numbers

If you have a group of fish tickets with the pre-printed fish ticket in sequence, enter the first number in the range and then the last ticket number in the range.  When you select the enter key, all the ticket numbers within this range are loaded in the Batching Table.  The sequence can be in the forward or reverse order. 

Ascending order tickets

Reverse order tickets

The Auto Batching feature also allows you to apply batching information in the reverse order – in other words, in ascending or descending number sequences.

In the example above, the seq. ticket range is from 272 to 295. We have 13 tickets in our batch table.  Some tickets are in ascending order and some are in descending order.  The first two tickets are not in sequence, but the next four are – E15 181172-75. The next seven tickets are in reverse order, E15 163978 -72.  The fish tickets do not need to be re-ordered to assign a Seq Ticket Number in the appropriate order.

Modifying the code assignments on fish tickets

You can easily modify the codes on individual fish tickets or a sequence of tickets within the batch.  Simply change the default value assignment(s).

You can also add and modify the fishing period or locale code for all the tickets in a batch or a portion of the tickets in a batch.

Save, Load and Validate the tickets  

Note the ‘Save Entry’ and ‘Load Entry’, which allows you to save your ticket batching work to your local machine.  If you have poor bandwidth or expect interruptions during the auto-batching process, use these features to save your work.

Before I batch the tickets, I can select validate to determine if any of the fish ticket numbers I have entered will fail validation.  I click validate and an error message appears.  Ticket E 15 163989, item 15 does not match any record in the eLandings database. 

I realize that I incorrectly keyed this number.  The number was 163988. 

I close the error message dialog box and double click on item 15.  I can easily correct the record in the dialog box for this item. 

You can continue to correct individual tickets in the batching table until all pass validation and are ready to batch.

Please validate the tickets you wish to batch prior to selecting Batch.

Batch Uploading (Batching)

I can upload the tickets in the batch table at any time; I do not need to complete the entire range of tickets within the batch.  In the example above, I still have eight tickets numbers left in the batch. 

The ‘Batch’ button assigns the fish ticket numbers currently listed in the Batch Table with the batching information and the values entered into the Harvest, Fishing Period and/or Locale Code.  The batch year, office code, batch number, harvest code, fishing period, local code, and seq. ticket number range are assigned when this group of tickets is uploaded, and the upload process is initiated by selecting the batch button. 

Again, the Auto Batching feature of the Agency Interface application does allow you to enter a range of tickets with a specific assignment of harvest, period or locale code, and within the same batch, assign a new value to any or all of these data fields.  (Please remember that you do not need to assign a value period or locale code, but the harvest code always requires a numeric code value.)

When all tickets in the batch have been uploaded the Next Seq Ticket Number box will be empty, indicating that you have used all the sequence ticket numbers for that batch.  The batch is complete.

Once the batch has been uploaded the assignments are visible in the Agency Interface for individual reports. 

Special code assignments are visible for review, as well.

Error Messages

You may receive error messages when you validate a group of tickets in the batching table.

Error message 2281 indicates that this fish ticket number is not in the eLandings database.  This usually means that the number has been miskeyed or the data records stored on the thumb drive have not been uploaded by the processing facility staff.  First check the fish ticket number and correct, as needed. 

Correction of a fish ticket number in the batching table

If the fish ticket number is correct, call the processor and request immediate upload of the thumb drive data.

Error message 2289 indicates that the fish ticket is a duplicate. 

Review the ticket and make certain it is not a revision of the originally submitted fish ticket.  Processors should label any revised fish ticket submitted to the Department as “Revised”.  Search for the landing report within the eLandings Agency Interface application and review.  If it is simply a duplicate ticket, discard the ticket(s) and replace the fish ticket number with a new number using the identical procedure as outlined above.  Double click on the item that is a duplicate fish ticket and replace with a new number.

If submission of duplicate fish tickets is a continual problem, ask the processor to submit all fish ticket reports once, with the tender log attached for each offload.  The tender log is a complete listing of all landings associated with the tender trip.

Summary of Auto Batching Procedures

• Sort tickets, conventional and electronic. Electr
• onic tickets can be auto batched.
• Create a batch within Zephyr for the entire group of eTickets.
• Sort the tickets within this batch by harvest, period, or locale code (if needed) to increase efficiency.
• If tickets present in numeric sequences, ascending or descending, you can enter a range of ticket numbers.
• Enter the values that represent the code assignments for the first group of tickets.
• Enter the next range of fish ticket numbers, or individual fish ticket numbers, if the fish ticket numbers are out of sequence. Press the enter key to populate the batch table.
• You can validate tickets during the data processing of an individual group of tickets or at the end of the entire batch.
• Correct any tickets that do not pass validation.
• Once all tickets have been entered into the batching table, validated and batched the Auto Batching feature will message back that all tickets in this batch have been processed.

Delinquent Fish Tickets

Electronic fish tickets cannot be printed in the eLandings System without first being saved.  In some cases, the electronic fish ticket record is stored in our eLandings database, but the signed copy of the fish ticket has not been received.  It is easy to determine if the fish ticket record has not been submitted to the Department.  You can run a Delinquent Fish Ticket query from the Agency Interface application or OceanAK.

The Delinquent Fish Ticket query returns a CSV file that can be sorted and filtered.  The areas of harvest, as well as the harvest amounts, are also displayed.  Seafood processor contact information is also returned.

If an Alaska Wildlife Trooper requires a copy of an eTicket, please remind the Trooper that he/she can print a copy of the ticket from the Agency Desktop.  If they need access to the eLandings Agency Desktop, the Trooper can contact elandings@alaska.gov.

You can verify that all the tickets are present in the fish ticket application, Zephyr, by running any of the batch reports, 30 minutes after you have completed the auto batching process.  The fish ticket applications refreshes every 15 minutes, necessitating a brief wait.

If you have any questions related to Auto Batching, please do not hesitate to contact us at www.elandings.gov.