Announcing Sabre CentralCommand

This release is packed full of features and functionality to help your agency improve efficiencies and reduce time required to perform daily tasks.

Responding to both customer feedback and industry requirements, v3.0 is rich with new features to further streamline your operations, ensure regulatory compliance, and offer more agile invoicing capabilities.  (A detailed description of each new feature is available below.)

Some highlights of v3.0 include:

  • Improved Efficiency
  • More Automation
  • Improved Credit Card Handling and Security
  • Regulatory Compliance

We encourage you to upgrade your system and take advantage of all the valuable additions and improvements.  You can contact your account executive or Agresso Support to arrange an upgrade.

 

Detailed Description of New Features and Functionality:

Platform Changes

  
MSSQL 2008 - This release will allow the agency to utilize MSSQL 2008 and the database encryption feature in the Enterprise Edition. Benefit: This uplift of the database environment will help the agency meet their requirements for PCI compliance.

Parser Changes

  
Interface Data Ownership - CentralCommand v3.0 uses the IATA number to identify who the transaction belongs to instead of the Branch number as in previous versions. Benefit: This enhancement uses IATA to link the Agresso Client to the agency data, a key step toward a multi-entity environment.
Product ID, trigger change - A change is being made to the trigger that is used by the parser when loading the Product ID associated with an invoice item.  The field has been expanded to accept 8 characters.
 Benefit: Better data with fewer modifications.
OB Fees - Changes to the parsers and tax table structure are being made to allow the parsing of OB Fees.  These add-on items will be available from the airlines and included in  airline tickets through the GDS. Benefit: Automated integration of new airline ticketing data.

Application Changes

  
IAR Exception Viewer - A new screen has been added to allow users to view and work with IAR exceptions within the application instead of running and printing a report and working from paper.  This new screen has tools allowing users to view the details of the IAR report as it was imported or zoom to the CentralCommand transaction for modifications. Benefit: Saving the agency money and resources like paper and ink while enabling the ARC department to close ARC reports quickly.

BSP Auto Update - Allows the agency to set system parameters to enable the auto correction/ auto update of transaction data based on the BSP HOT file import.  These 4 parameters, once activated, will allow CentralCommand to automatically update transactions within the database with data downloaded from the BSP.  The BSP file will be the override to any existing CentralCommand data.

  • Auto Refund - Will automatically set the ticket status to "R" and show the ticket as refunded.
  • Auto Update - Will update the CentralCommand transaction with any changes to FOP, carrier numbers and commission amounts, there is a variance on the amounts.
  • Auto Void - Will automatically set the ticket status to "V" and show the ticket as voided.
  • Void Car/Hotel - Will automatically void car and hotel segments from the PNR if the remainder of the transaction is voided.
 Benefit: Saving the BSP department time and allowing a full audit trail of any changes made by the system.
BSP File Viewer - This screen allows users to view HOT file exceptions as well as the contents of the BSP HOT file as it was loaded from the raw data.  This screen also allows users to view any auto corrections/updates made by the system. Benefit:  Full disclosure of information from the BSP HOT file in an easy to read format.
Service Fee Payment Update - Previous versions of the CentralCommand Service Fee module entered service fee information with an AR FOP, this version will allow agencies to set a system parameter to determine what form of payment is used from the original transaction, allowing the agency to prepare the data for a credit card authorization. Benefit: Removes the burden of manually entering or updating Service Fee forms of payment within a transaction.

Credit Card Masking - Additional fields that may contain credit card numbers will be masked in CentralCommand v3.0.  These masked fields will also be added to the primary inquiry allowing agencies to control users who have access to raw data.  Fields that are being masked are:

  • Credit Card Number and Remarks from the Form of Payment table.
  • Car and Hotel Guarantee Remarks from the car segment and hotel segment tables.
  • Credit Card log Inquiry.
 Benefit: This enhancement helps the agency meet their requirements for PCI compliance by allowing protection of sensitive personal information.
Product ID Fixed Register - A new fixed register will be provided to allow the users to enter product IDs, with default supplier/vendor IDs and tax and VAT codes and commission percentages to facilitate segment invoicing. Benefit: More flexibility to bill customers for add-on items within a transaction linked to a specific itinerary segment.

Segment Invoicing - New functionality is included that allows users to create an invoice from any segment, except Air, within a transaction.  This new functionality will use the NEW Product ID fixed register to allow a user to tag any segment and associate related fees to be billed back to the customer.  The invoice item(s) created as part of a segment invoice can be separated by invoice item or rolled up as a subtotaled invoice items. Users will control the display as part of the segment invoice creation.

A new inquiry screen will allow users to view and zoom to transactions where a user has created a segment invoice.

 Benefit: Save time from having to manually build new transactions to bill additional items to customers.
Invoice Number Fixed Register – A new fixed register allows users to create invoice number series to meet both agency and regulatory requirements.   Invoice numbers can be alpha numeric with separators if required by the agency. Benefit: This new fixed register will be used by the Invoice Number Generation Server process to assign invoice numbers to segment invoices or transactional invoices.
GDS Invoice Number Lock – A system parameter has been defined that will allow the agency to lock the GDS invoice number so that users must have specific permission to modify the invoice number. Benefit: Increased Security over customer data.
Interface Error Update – Users now have the option to turn on a system parameter to re-validate warning messages before they are moved to history.  This feature will allow agencies to ensure errors are corrected before reporting deadlines.  It will also give the agency the ability to flag transactions without stopping them from entering the database. Benefit: Ensure that all validation errors are correct before reporting deadlines.
Air and Rail City Codes – Both have been made as an attribute to allow easier creation of relations between cities. Benefit: Allows the agency to create relations between city codes for reporting purposes.  i.e. Linking EWR, ISP, JFK, RSW, LGA to a NYC code for Market pair Reporting.
Rail city codes – Numeric rail city codes are now allowed to be entered.  

Server Processes

  

Invoice Generation – A new server process allowing users to generate invoice numbers directly from CentralCommand using the Invoice Number fixed register.  This process describes the situations where the CentralCommand Invoice Numbers can be used.  As transactions are interfaced from the GDS, XML interface or entered manually entered within the back-office, the CentralCommand Invoice Process can assign invoice numbers generated from the Invoice Fixed Register and link those numbers to Invoice items within the database.  There are multiple scenarios that are covered within this invoice process.

  • Single Transactions – Interfaced or manually entered transactions where the invoice number is linked to a single CentralCommand Transaction number.
  • Merged Transaction – Interfaced or manually entered transactions where a remark exists within every CentralCommand transaction that “links” multiple CentralCommand transactions together for invoicing purposes.
  • Segment Invoices – Invoice items that are created and linked to segment information within the new Segment Invoice functionality within CentralCommand.

In this process the agency has the ability to schedule the process to run automatically and use parameters to identify when the invoice number is to be assigned.

 Benefit: The agency now has a way to create unique sequential invoices from CentralCommand not relying on the GDS invoice number when a billing item is not created in the GDS.

Screen Updates

  

Transaction Inquiry

  • Invoice # - the CentralCommand generated invoice number.
  • Segment Invoice – to signify if segment invoices are attached to transaction.
  

Transaction Header

  • Branch ID has been updated to display up to 8 characters.
  • Customer ID has been updated to display up to 10 Characters.
  

Transaction Invoice Items

  • Product ID field has been extended from 4 to 8 characters.
  • Segment Invoice field has been added.
  • Invoice number for CentralCommand generated invoices.
  
New Segment Invoice Inquiry – This screen has been added to allow for searching on segment invoice billing items.  
New itinerary Inquiry – This screen shows all segments including the itinerary only A/R segments together.  
Segment Invoice – This screen allows users to build segment invoices, pulling data from the Product ID fixed register and adding the Invoice item to the transaction.  
UDID Data Table - 30 new variable character fields have been added to the UDID table for use with UDID parsing.  

Commission Entry Screen updates – The screens used for entering car and hotel commissions have been updated to allow for easier application of commission segments.  The updates rearrange the fields to make the most common searching easier; Chain Code, Confirmation Number, Arrival or Pick-up date and Last Name have all been moved to the left in the screen to reduce the left and right scrolling.

In addition, the Checks/Reconcile/Apply/Un-apply screen has been modified to allow users to apply multiple commissions to multiple bookings without having to re-search for data.

  
View warning Messages – If the system parameter is present that requests re-validation before moving transactions to history, all tagged transactions will be revalidated and prevented from being moved to history if not completely valid.  

Tools

  

Transaction

  • Unlock Invoice – Allows user to change invoice number if it has been locked.
  • Segment Invoice – Allows user to add segment billing items to transaction.
  

Reports

  
Credit Card Export – American Express has been added to the Credit Card Export Folder.  

There is a Better Way...

Sabre® Central CommandSM with Agresso is the solution to running your business profitably and responsively. It is a fully-integrated business information system combining all the travel accounting functions with powerful back-office financial management and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools. With an integrated system, you can actually turn your back-office into a competitive advantage: identify and eliminate inefficiency to control costs, identify unrecognized vendor commission and automate service fees to increase revenue, and improve service offerings to attract and retain customers.

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