Configuring transactions

After activating your XProtect Transact licenses:

Add and configure the sources providing the transaction data, for example, the cash registers.
Specify what defines a transaction, that is, where it begins and ends, including how it should be presented in XProtect Smart Client.

Note

When you are done setting up transactions, you can define transaction events and configure them to trigger rules or alarms. In XProtect Smart Client, operators can investigate transactions based on these events. For more information, see Configuring transaction events and alarms.

Add transaction source

To connect data from a transaction source to XProtect Transact, you need to add the sources of the transactions, for example, an automated teller machine. In the wizard, you select a connector, and you can connect one or more cameras.

Note

If you do not have a transaction source license for the transaction source you are about to add, the system will work during the 30-day grace period. Make sure that you acquire an additional transaction source license and activate it in due time.

Steps:

In the Site Navigation pane, expand Transact.
Go to the Overview pane. Right-click the Transaction sources node and select Add source. The wizard appears.
Follow the steps in the wizard.
Depending on the connector you select, different fields appear that you need to fill in. For more information, see Transaction sources (properties). You can change these settings after completing the wizard.
If the transaction definition you need is not available, click Add new to create a new transaction definition.

Transaction sources (properties)

The settings for transaction sources are described in the table.

Name	Description
Enable	If you want to disable the transaction source, clear this check box. The stream of transaction data stops, but the data already imported remains on the event server. You can still view transactions from a disabled transaction source in XProtect Smart Client during its retention period. Note Even a disabled transaction source requires a transaction source license.
Name	If you want to change the name, enter a new name here.
Connector	You cannot change the connector you selected when you created the transaction source. To select a different connector, you need to create a new transaction source, and during the wizard, select the connector you want.
Transaction definition	You can select a different transaction definition that defines how to transform the transaction data received into transactions and transaction lines. This includes defining: When a transaction begins and ends How transactions are displayed in XProtect Smart Client
Retention period	Specify, in days, for how long transaction data is maintained on the event server. The default retention period is 30 days. When the retention period expires, automatically the data is deleted. This is to avoid the situation, where the storage capacity of the database is exceeded. The minimum value is 1 day, whereas the maximum value is 1000 days.
TCP client connector	If you selected TCP client connector, specify these settings: Host name: enter the host name of the TCP server associated with the transaction source Port: enter the port name on the TCP server associated with the transaction source
Serial port connector	If you selected Serial port connector, specify these settings and make sure that they match the settings on the transaction source: Serial port: select the COM port Baud rate: specify the number of bits transmitted per second Parity: specify the method for detecting errors in the transmissions. By default, None is selected Data bits: specify the number of bits used to represent one character of data Stop bits: specify the number of bits to indicate when a byte has been transmitted. Most devices need 1 bit Handshake: specify the handshaking method determining the communication protocol between the transaction source and event server

Create and add transaction definitions

As part of defining a transaction source, you specify a definition for the source. A definition transforms the raw data received into presentable data, so that users can view the data in XProtect Smart Client in a format that matches real-life receipts. This is necessary, because typically the raw data consists of a single string of data, and it can be difficult to see where the individual transactions begin and end.

Steps:

In the Site Navigation pane, expand Transact.
Select Transaction definitions.
Go to the Overview pane.Right-click Transaction definition and select Add new. A number of settings appear in the Properties section.
Use the Start pattern and Stop pattern fields to specify what data defines the start and end of a receipt.
Click Start collecting data to collect raw data from the connected data source. The more data you collect, the smaller the risk of missing characters, for example, control characters, you want to replace or omit.
In the Raw data section, highlight the characters you want to replace or omit. If you want to enter the characters manually, skip this step and click Add filter.
Click Add filter to define how the selected characters from the transaction source data are displayed in XProtect Smart Client.
For each filter, select an action to determine how the characters are transformed. The Preview section gives you a preview of how data is presented with the filters defined.

Note

You can also load previously collected data stored locally on your computer. To do this, click Load from file.

Transaction definitions (properties)

Name	Description
Name	Enter a name.
Encoding	Select the character set used by the transaction source, for example the cash register. This helps XProtect Transact convert the transaction data to understandable text that you can work with when configuring the definition. If you select the wrong encoding, the data may appear as non-sense text.
Start collecting data	Collect transaction data from the connected transaction source. You can use the data to configure a transaction definition. Wait for at least one, but preferably more, transactions to complete.
Stop collecting data	When you have collected sufficient data to configure the definition, click this button.
Load from file	If you want to import data from an already existing file, click this button. Typically this is a file that you have created previously in the file format .capture. It can be other file formats. What is important here is that the encoding of the import file matches the encoding selected for the current definition.
Save to file	If you want to save the collected raw data to a file, click this button. You can reuse it later.
Match type	Select the match type to use to search for the start pattern and the stop pattern in the collected raw data: Use exact match: The search identifies strings that contain exactly what you have entered in the Start pattern and Stop pattern fields Use wildcards: The search identifies strings that contain what you have entered in the Start pattern and Stop pattern fields in combination with a wild card symbol (, #, ?) matches any number of characters. For example, if you have entered "Start tra*tion", the search identifies strings that contain "Start transaction". # matches exactly 1 digit. For example, if you have entered "# watermelon", the search identifies strings that contain, for example, "1 watermelon". ? matches exactly 1 character. For example, you may use the search expression "Start trans?ction" to identify strings that contain "Start transaction" Use regular expression: Use this match type to identify strings that contain specific notation methods or conventions, for example a date format or credit card number. For more information, see the Microsoft website.
Raw data	Transaction data strings from the connected transaction source are displayed in this section.
Start pattern	Specify a start pattern to indicate where a transaction begins. Horizontal lines are inserted in the Preview field to visualize where the transaction starts and ends, and will help to keep individual transactions separated.
Stop pattern	Specify a stop pattern to indicate where a transaction ends. A stop pattern is not mandatory, but is useful if the received data contains irrelevant information, such as information about opening hours or special offers, between actual transactions. If you do not specify a stop pattern, the end of the receipt is defined in terms of where the next receipt starts. The start is determined by what is entered in the Start pattern field.
Add filter	Use the Add filters button to point out the characters that you want to be omitted in XProtect Smart Client or replaced by other characters or a line break. Replacing characters is useful when the transaction source string contains control characters for non-printing purposes. Adding line breaks is necessary to make receipts in XProtect Smart Client resemble the original receipts.
Filter text	Displays the characters currently selected in the Raw data section. If you are aware of characters that you want to be omitted or replaced, but they do not occur in the collected raw data string, you can enter the characters manually in the Character field. If the character is a control character, you need to enter its hexadecimal byte value. Use this format for the byte value: {XX} and {XX, XX,...} if a characters consists of more bytes.
Action	For each filter you add, you should specify how the characters you have selected are handled: Omit: the characters you select are filtered out Substitute: the characters you select are replaced with the characters you specify Add line break: the characters you select are replaced by a line break
Substitution	Enter the text to replace the characters selected. Only relevant if you have selected the action Substitute.
Remove control characters that are not defined as filter text	Remove non-printing characters that were not already removed after adding filters. In the Raw data pane and the Preview section, see how the transaction data strings change when you enable or disable this setting.
Preview	Use the Preview section to verify that you have identified and filtered out unwanted characters. The output you see here resembles what the real-life receipt looks like in XProtect Smart Client.

XProtect Transact for admins