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Reconciliation is the process of comparing the order information sent to media against what actually was broadcast.
In COMPASS, reconciliation is accomplished by obtaining a reconcile file from the involved media and accessing this file in COMPASS's reconciliation module. COMPASS currently supports the MediaOcean EDI file format to reconcile schedules/traffic. These files are text based, but are not easily readable by humans. An example of one line of a typical file:
51;Y;121126;1;0654;30;;3500;;;;;;;;0;00;N;;;IAD2554=100;;999;
Fortunately, COMPASS is very adept at reading the many hundreds of such lines that make up each reconciliation file. Normal reconciliation processing requires one second or less.
If electronic reconciliation files are not available, printed media invoices can be converted to electronic files by using COMPASS's Reconcile File Generator.
When evaluating whether or not an ad appears in its specified time frame, COMPASS expects the ad to be broadcast on or after the indicated Start Time and up to but not including the indicated End Time. In other words, an ad scheduled to broadcast between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, is considered valid (not in error) if broadcast on or after 10:00 AM up to 1:59 PM. If the ad is broadcast at exactly 2:00 PM, it will be flagged as an error.
This behavior can be mitigated in the Reconciliation Options tab of Program Options by checking the box Extend traffic end time validation. When checked, the End Time for the ad will be included in the evaluation and no error will be noted.
Reconciliation involves both the order information and traffic instructions sent to the media. The two are loosely related in that the order deals with the where of the schedule (placement, price, and length) while traffic deals with the what (content and rotation of the ad copy/audio). Unfortunately, each has no direct "knowledge" of the other. Yet, in order to be reconciled, a link must be obtained for each line of the reconcile file for both the order and the traffic.
For orders, a link is obtained during the reconciliation process by comparing the reconcile file lines from media to the placement (time of day), rate, and length of the lines in the order originated by COMPASS. If a reconcile line matches perfectly with an order line, a link is established. Confusion can arise if a reconcile line matches more than one order line. For example, if there are two order lines, both with a matching rate of $100.00, how does COMPASS "know" which should receive the link? In this case, the time of day can be the determining factor. COMPASS has several intelligent algorithms to sort out such conflicts in order to attempt a correct match.
In similar manner, traffic is also evaluated based on the ad ID code, time of day, and length specified in the traffic instructions. Usually, this matching is more straightforward than linking order lines, as the ad ID code in the reconcile file (hopefully) matches up exactly with the ad ID code in the traffic instructions. But this is not always the case. Sometimes, media personnel introduce keyboarding errors, transposing ad ID code characters, or entering an incorrect ID code. In some instances, the media completely disregards the ad ID code in the traffic instructions, substituting something like "BILLBOARD :10". Such errors will most certainly be flagged by COMPASS as "Unknown".
Despite our best efforts, the process is not error free. Computers "think" literally and are unable to evaluate information that does not correspond to what is expected. For example, if a broadcast order specifies 30 second ads and the reconcile file indicates the length of the ads broadcast is 60 seconds, COMPASS flags the discrepancy as an error.
Fortunately, COMPASS has additional features to allow you to correct any misunderstandings resulting from reconciliation errors.