Guided Initial Setup: From an Empty Database to a Running Fleet
Overview
This checklist describes the recommended order for bringing a new client from zero to a productive fleet. The order is deliberate: catalogs and users first, then e-mail automation, then data - this avoids rework. The client itself is created by a WebAdmin (article 111); which modules your licence unlocks is explained in article 112.
The seven phases
- Build up the general master data. Start with the catalogs that all records draw on: makes/models (article 22), body types (article 26), locations (article 24) as well as cost types and cost centres (article 23). An overview of the entire catalog hub is given in article 21; do not forget the public holidays for the current year (article 28).
- Set up users and roles. Create roles by task profile (clerk, controlling, administration) and assign the back-office users (article 18). If a user cannot see a module later, it is almost always down to a permission or licence (article 120).
- Set up e-mail dispatch. First configure the mail task with the SMTP data (article 01), then activate the client's info-mails along with sender and dispatch day (article 02) and create the required e-mail templates - without an assigned template no mail is generated (article 03).
- Record vehicles and drivers. Drivers are imported most quickly via CSV import with column mapping - including e-mail addresses and initial passwords (article 50). Vehicles are created via the quick-create with licence plate and body type (article 33) and the records are completed afterwards; the complete path per vehicle is described in the checklist in article 125.
- Put the fuel-card import into operation. Import a first provider file manually and check whether all transactions find their vehicle via the licence plate (article 08). Then configure the check rules with a release queue (article 10) and automate the collection via DKV mailbox or UTA FTP (article 09).
- Activate the driver portal. Configure the client's WebRes settings - booking workflow and portal options (article 95) -, flag pool vehicles (article 30) and give the drivers access, password and pool rights (article 47). What awaits the drivers in the portal is shown in article 19.
- Check the analyses. As soon as the first receipts and mileage readings are in the system, check the standard analyses for plausibility (article 73) - the key figures for this are supplied by the hourly KFZ-Info calculation (article 14). With an Enterprise licence, the reporting modules add inventory, cost and CO2 views (article 83).
Tip
Work through the phases one after another and, after phase 3, test the mail dispatch with a single driver before you import all drivers - the e-mail problem diagnosis shows every dispatch and every skip in a traceable way (article 07).
Common questions
How long does the initial setup take? Phases 1 to 3 are doable in a day; the time needed for phase 4 depends on the fleet size and the data quality of your import files. For the first clean fuel-card import (phase 5), plan in a full billing cycle of your card provider.
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