I have a client with drivers that conduct checks along long routes (10 min - 60 min).
When they begin the route, they start a record in AppSheet, scan a few bar codes and leave the phone in the truck on the same screen until they reach the next site. Note: They have not pressed saved yet.
The Automatic Save every 30 minutes is currently causing the drivers to lose records as theyโre in the middle of a route and the system runs the sync in the middle of the route causing them to lose the existing records.
Moving to another screen on device during a Route (like taking a phone call) could also cause the records to be lost as well.
Will turning off Delayed Sync AND Automatic Updates ensure data is posted immediately minimizing data loss?
Iโve read the documentation on each of the sync types but its unclear how they work or contradict with one another.
The only way for form data to be saved in any manner is to press the Save button (or choose an option from or tab off of the last column if auto-save is enabled).
Once a form is saved, the saved data will remain exclusively on the userโs device until the userโs device syncs.
Donโt think itโs a good practice to spend that much time in a form.
Wouldnโt it be better to have a parent table for the driverโs shift and a child table for the in-shift records?
Can you detail a bit more what is the app doing?
Thanks Alex,
Yes youโre right. We have a parent table and a 2-3 child tables set.
The user inputs the Route Header Info (parent table) and then inputs data into the child record area. The issue is the route is not complete so the form could be open for up 60 minutes until the driver inputs all of the bar codes at each of the sites heโs driving to.
Would be great if the system committed the data to database as it was entered but itโs not until the user presses Save that the data gets committed to the device (offline mode). Weโve had phones who may move away from the form etc which disrupts the form and 25-30 records are lost
We had Automatic Save on but again if the user didnโt press Save the record is in this โentry modeโ so it disrupts the form an data is lost.
Can you not brake it down a bit more?
Rather than have a route that contains all the scans, can you not have:
A route (grandparent)
With multiple stops (parent)
With multiple scans (child)
?
I have a very similar one:
A driver has a shift which has:
multiple stops
multiple documents
multiple notes
multiple trucks (might swap mid-shift)
Checksheets
Multiple notes
Multiple photos
Multiple trailers (again swaps)
Checksheets
Multiple notes
Multiple photos
So what I did was brake it down to the smallest โeventโ and build it up from there.
Another advantage to this (in my case) is that updates can be sent to the main office after every event (if needed) so tracking would be a lot better.
Hope it helps!
Thanks Alex when you reference โswapsโ, do you mean thereโs a new form every time thereโs a swap. Iโm concerned about the transitions from form to form as the process has to come across extremely simple for the drivers.
Do you have Auto Save in place for each form? How about a Finish View?
Again a million thanks for the process.
send me your email address and Iโll add you on mine
daisyramirez.methods@gmail.com
Thanks Alex!
Hi Alex did u already email?
Hi Daisy,
I have now.
Iโve put a prototype together to replicate just the shift/stop/scan module.
Should be straight forward but feel free to ask any questions
Hope it helps
the driver will start a new shift
timestamp auto-filled but it can be modified
(I would hide it and add start time)
Once the drivers arrive at a client, he will:
add the client
(I would add another timestamp column for the arrival)
scans the items
once he is done scanning, heโll click โBackโ and go back to Shift Detail view
(I would add another timestamp for the departure, maybe a status column - arrived/left and an action to change the status)
once heโs done with his shift, he clicks end shift and the status will change to finished.
if done by mistake, there is the option to continue the shift.
(I would add a workflow to send an email after every stop with the scans and/or at the end of the shift with all heโs done)
Kept it simple not to get lost in it and the โI wouldโ bits just to see my whole view about it.
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