Cost Centres and Project Codes

Cost Centre Codes - an explanation

Every time a user makes a new booking, they are prompted for a Cost Centre code. Capturing cost centre codes is especially handy if you are using Charge Out - i.e. recovering costs from the driver's cost centre for their booking(s).

As the cost centre code is a free-text field, users can be very creative in terms of what they enter for a cost centre code.

It is possible to upload your master list of "official" cost centre codes. With this master list in place, users are then forced to enter a correct code, as the booking validation will check the code entered is a legal and valid one.

New Cost Centre can also be added individually via System Data → Cost Centres. Just click Add New and complete the form.

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Locking Cost Centres

Once created, you can also choose to individually Lock Cost Centre Codes.

If using automated imports, a Locked Cost Centre Code means this record will not be modified by the automated import process.

Locking Cost Centre Codes can not be done in bulk and can only be updated via System Data → Cost Centres → Edit

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Please note that locking cost centres will still allow them to be deleted via both the bulk import and individually, it will only stop them from being updated via the automated importer (which is a customer-specific paid service).

Deleting/Archiving Cost Centres

Once a booking has been completed, the cost centre will remain linked to that booking unless it is manually changed in the booking form by an administrator.

You cannot archive cost centres.

You can delete cost centres either manually in the Cost Centre page under System Data, or by uploading a new list of cost centres and clicking on the delete existing list.

Any cost centre already applied to bookings will still remain, even once deleted.

Once deleted, drivers/admins will not be able to apply that cost centre any more.

A Quick Word about Project Codes

We have a child field of Cost Centre code, being Project Code. Think of project code as being a sub-cost centre code, or a Fund Code. The idea is there are a bunch of project codes that sit underneath each cost centre code. 

If you prefer the terminology Fund Code instead of Project Code, it is easy to change:

1. Go to Sysadmin menu > Application Settings

2. Find the setting "'Project Code' field should be called' in the Localisation group

3. Type in what you would like to call this field.

4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click 'Save'

Project codes are not mandatory. If you wish to capture Project code on the booking form underneath Cost Centre code, you will need to enable it from the Application Settings page:

1. Go to Sysadmin menu > Application Settings

2. Find the setting "Project code field" in the Localisation group

3. Select an option - "Visible, Mandatory" or "Visible, Not Mandatory"

4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click 'Save'

Step 1. Bulk Uploading Your Cost Centre List

1. From the System Admin main menu, click the 'Cost Centres' link under the heading 'Uploaders'.

2. Download the template from the link above and populate that template with your data. You'll need to 'Save As' in Excel, choosing CSV format.

3. Open that CSV file in, say Notepad and copy all by pressing Ctrl-A, Ctrl-C.

4. Paste the CSV data into the Cost Centres page where indicated.

5. Click the 'Import' button and your list will be uploaded into PoolCar.

Step 2. Telling PoolCar to use this List

Once your official list has been imported, we then need to instruct PoolCar to use this list wherever cost centres are required.

To enable this setting:

1. Go to Sysadmin menu > Application Settings > Booking form

2. Find the setting "Cost centre data should be sourced from reference table?"

3. Set this field to Yes.

4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click 'Save'

Step 3. Test

Now try making a New Booking and start typing some text in the Cost Centre field. A list of possible matches should appear (based on what characters you have typed in)

• If you are unable to find an answer to your question in here please log a support request via the Smartrak Service Desk