TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Departments - Introduction
- Sub Departments Introduction
- Security Groups- Introduction
- Users - Introduction
Departments - Introduction
'Departments' are setup to allow reporting based on groups of tills as per your requirements. A simple example would be to have departments of ‘Admissions’, ‘Hospitality’ and ‘Retail’ to monitor transactions and cash flow the tills in these areas ('Departments') of the business.
Another benefit of setting up different 'Departments' is that it gives greater control over the information 'Users' can access in the Merac back office software. Users can be setup so that they are restricted to only see and update information in Merac for the 'Department' they are assigned to.
N.B. setting up new 'Users' must be carried out after setting up the required 'Security Groups', both of which are covered in this guide in the relevant sections.
Editing Departments
Departments are setup by first clicking 1. ‘Setup’ icon, then 2. click 'System' then 3. double click ‘Departments’ icon.
You will now see a 'Departments' screen like the on below. For brand new customers there are typically three 'Departments' already set up for you; these are ‘Admissions’, ‘Retail’ and ‘Hospitality’. However for existing customers there will be all the various Departments and Sub-Departments showing that have been set up by your colleagues in Merac. But the process of adding / editing theses is the same and is detailed below.
To edit one of the existing 'Departments', click on it so that it becomes highlighted.
Each 'Department' is made up of a 'Code' (10 characters maximum) and a 'Description' (30 characters maximum), which can be seen in the ‘Department Details’ section of this screen.
To amend either the 'Code' or 'Description' of an existing 'Department', click in the relevant box.
Change this information to be as required and then click the ‘Save’ button.
Adding a New Department
To create a new department, click the ‘New’ icon
Type in the required 'Code' and 'Description' for this 'Department'.
Next click on the ‘Save’ button and the new 'Department' will be added.
Repeat as required to create all the 'Departments' you need.
Sub Departments Introduction
'Sub-Departments' can provide another level of reporting below each 'Department'. N.B. you must set up at least one Sub-Department for each Department you have created (as when tills are set up in a separate process then each till is mapped to a 'Sub-Department' for reporting purposes. When tills are created If you do not require any additional breakdown at the 'Sub-Department' level, you would simply create a 'Sub-Department' with the same 'Code' and 'Description' as the 'Department' it belongs to.
Adding and Editing Sub Departments
For new customers default, three 'Sub-Departments' exist ‘out of the box’, one to mirror each of the default 'Departments'.
You can see which are 'Sub-Departments' as these are the ones with and entry showing in the 'Sub-Dept' column.
To edit an existing 'Sub-Department' click on it so that it becomes highlighted.
Just like a 'Department', a 'Sub-Department' also has a 'Code' (max 10 characters) and a 'Description' (max 30 characters). The only difference to setting up a 'Department' is that to create a 'Sub-Department' you must select a ‘Parent Dept’ using the relevant drop-own menu. The 'Parent Dept' you select determines which 'Department' this 'Sub-Department' belongs to.
Amend the 'Code' and 'Description' by typing in the correct details and if required amend the 'Parent Dept' by picking it from the relevant drop-down menu.
Click on the ‘Save’ button to accept the changes.
Alternatively, you may need to add 'Sub-Departments' to give you the required granularity for reporting purposes. In the 'Department' of ‘Admissions’ you may have tills that are in two distinct areas need that you need to get a split between, e.g. the ‘North Gate’ and ‘South Gate’ admissions. So these might be examples of 'Sub-Departments' that you need to set up.
To add a new 'Sub-Department', click on the ‘New’button.
Enter the code and description for the 'Sub-Department' as required.
As a 'Sub-Department' must belong to a 'Department', you need to select the name of the 'Department' it belongs to using the ‘Parent Dept’ (Parent Department) drop-down menu.
Once you have entered the required information, click on the ‘Save’ button.
Repeat as required to create all the required 'Sub-Departments'. This will allow you to be able to filter specific sales reports in Merac by a 'specific Department' or 'Sub Department' to produce reports on sales for different till groupings as required.
Security Groups- Introduction
'Security Groups' control the level of access given to Users that are assigned to that 'Security Group'. This not only means that Users are restricted on what they can and cannot do, they can also be restricted to seeing only information for a specific 'Department' or 'Sub-Department' (such as running reports only for a specific 'Department' and 'Sub Department' only). This enables Users of the Merac back office software to have only the buttons and functionality they require, as defined by the Security Group they are assigned to.
Editing Security Groups
The creation and management of Security Groups in Merac is done from the ‘Security Groups’ screen.
This can be found by clicking on 1. the ‘Setup’ icon, then 2. click ‘Security’ icon, then 3. double click 'Security Groups'
The 'Security Groups' screen is a very simple and easy to use screen.
There are two main parts of the screen which you need to pay attention to, the first being the ‘Security Group’ drop-down.
Use this drop-down to select the Security Group you wish to review or update.
The second part of the screen is the ‘Permissions’ window, this is where you can select what you want this ‘Security Group’ to have access to (i.e. the permissions for the ‘Security Group’).
You will notice several small + icons to the left of some of the permissions.
This shows that there are more access rights within that permission and can be revealed by clicking on the +.
Click on the + and the sub-menu of permissions will now be displayed
You will notice that the + symbol you clicked on has now change to a – symbol.
You will notice a new sub-menu will be displayed (potentially with more permissions with + icons next to them, indicating there are additional sub menus to be displayed).
Once you have found the relevant permission it can be changed by either:
(i) right clicking on the permission you want to change.
(ii) left clicking on the permission and pressing the space bar on your keyboard.
You will notice that the tick either changes from a green tick to a red cross (indicating the permission is removed), or from a red cross to a green tick (indicating the permission is granted).
Please note that changing the permissions in a ‘Security Group’ will affect all the Users that are in that ‘Security Group’.
Once you have made the required changes to all the required permissions within a ‘Security Group,’ click on the ‘Apply’ button to accept the changes.
You can then pick the next ‘Security Group’ from the drop-down list and repeat the process until all permissions are set as required for each ‘Security Group’.
Adding Security Groups
To add a new ‘Security Group’, click on the ‘New’ icon.
The ‘New Security Group’ window is loaded, as shown below.
You must enter a 'Code' for this ‘Security Group’ (maximum 3 characters).
Next enter a 'Description' for this ‘Security Group’ (maximum 25 characters).
Click the ‘OK’ button to accept these changes.
Alternatively click the ‘Cancel’ button at this point to exit and lose all changes.
In most the other fields can be left blank these would only be used for the few customers that have purchased card printers and are printing their own clerk login cards. For more information and a quote if required, please contact your Customer Success Account manager.
Your new ‘Security Group’ has now been created and added to the list.
You will notice that each ‘Security Group’ is created with no access rights at all.
Please note you must add all the required access rights for each ‘Security Group’ you create.
Once all the required permissions have been set for this ‘Security Group’, click ‘Apply’ button to accept these changes.
Removing Security Groups
In the event of needing to remove a ‘Security Group’, first select the one you wish to delete using the drop-down menu.
N.B. this should only ever be done if you have first re-assigned all users in this Security Group to an alternative one.
With the required ‘Security Group’ selected, next click on the ‘Delete’ button.
You will be asked to confirm that you want to delete the Security Group.
Upon clicking the ‘Yes’ button, the Security Group is deleted.
Upon clicking the ‘Yes’ button, the 'Security Group' is deleted permanently.
Once the required changes to your Security Groups have been made, click on the ‘Close’ button to exit this screen.
Users - Introduction
The ability to create and manage 'Users' can be found in the following location.
Click on 1. the ‘Setup’ icon, followed by 2. the ‘Security’ icon and then 3. double click on the ‘Users’ icon.
This screen is divided into two main sections.
1. 'User List': This shows all 'Users' setup and a summary of their details.
2. 'Employee Details': this shows all information for the selected employee.
Adding New Users
To add a new user, click on the ‘New’ icon.
The employee details section is now clear, you can input the details of your new user.
‘Security Group’ is the first option you must select when adding a user.
To do this you must first click on the ‘Change’ button.
You will now see the following screen.
Click on the required 'Security Group' for this 'User' (e.g. ‘System Administrators’).
Next click the ‘OK’ button.
‘Computer User Name’ is the next box you must fill in. This is the username the user will need to type in to log in to the Merac back office software. This can be up to a maximum of 25 characters which can include both letters and numbers. If you do not have any current convention for usernames, then you we recommend just entering e.g. a username based on the person’s initials.
‘Swipe Card Number’ is only entered if you have purchased swipe cards for logging onto the till. If this user is to log on to the till using a "swipe card" then enter employee’s swipe card number here (this number should be printed on the cards you were supplied by your preferred card printer / supplier).
These could either be magnetic stripe cards or barcoded cards that are used for till login purposes, for more details contact your Customer Success Account Manager for details of and a quote for the hardware requirements, as depending on the card type purchased you will need either scanners or magnetic swipe card readers to have been installed by Merac on your tills. If you will not use "swipe" cards to login to the till this value is left at 0 in this field.
‘Full Name’ section is where you enter the name for this user.
To enter the required information, you must 1. click on the ‘Full Name’ button.
2. Enter the other information as required:
If required, select a ‘Title’ using the drop-down menu (e.g. 'Mr')
Enter the required ‘Forenames’ and ‘Surname’ in the relevant boxes.
If required, select a ‘select a ‘Suffix’ using the drop-down menu (e.g. 'MBE').
3. Click the ‘OK’ button once all the required information has been entered.
To enter the address details, 1. click on the ‘Address’ button.
2. Enter the ‘House + Street’, ‘Town/City’, ‘County’ and ‘Post Code’ and 'Email' address details as required.
Please note if you have purchased the post code look up software integration for the back office software, then you can type in the post code then click 'Search'. The list of addresses returned for this postcode will be shown as a dropdown, from which to select the correct address to populate the address fields automatically. If you do not have the post code look up integration and want to find out more and get a quote, please Customer Success Account Manager.
The 'Our Reference' and 'Delivery FAO' are only necessary for 'Users' that will create 'Purchase Orders' in Merac, which is covered in a separate manual, so these can be entered if required. Likewise if you want to enter any notes about this 'User' then these can also be entered as required (e.g. "Part time Monday and Thursday shifts only") in the 'Notes' field.
3. Click the ‘OK’ button to accept these changes.
‘Max P/O Auth Amount’ is only required if this user will use the Merac 'Purchase Orders' system to raise purchase orders. This is the maximum Purchase Order value that this 'User' can authorise, so enter the amount as required. If this user will not be raising any Purchase Order in Merac this can be left at 0.00. As explained previously the Merac 'Purchased Order' functionality is covered in another user guide an dis outside the scope of this manual.
The 'Department' and 'Sub-Department' drop-downs are used to specify which 'Department' that user belongs to.
This can be setup so that the user can only view information in Merac for their 'Department'.
Use the drop-down menu to pick the required 'Department' and 'Sub-Department' for this user.
It is now also possible to assign employees to an 'Outlet' (y an additional dropdown selector above the 'Department' selector, but this is only for customers that need and have set up 'Outlets'. This is useful for organisations that want to restrict and report at different levels over and above department. 'Outlets' would first need to be set up (in Setup > System> Outlets). Then 'Sub Departments' can be assigned to an 'Outlet' to define which tills make up an 'Outlet' for reporting purposes. Then by allocating 'Users' to an 'Outlet' this will those users are then only able to view information and reports for the 'Outlet' they have been assigned to in the above screen. Please note if you do nit have this functionality then you will require a back office software upgrade, so please contact your Customer Success Account Manager.
The contact details section can be filled in simply by clicking in each field and entering the details as required.
Enter the required ‘Home Telephone’, ‘Work Telephone’, ‘Mobile Telephone’, 'Car Reg:' and ‘E-mail’ details as required.
‘Notes’ is a text box that can be filled in with any information that might be useful about that user.
If the 'Notes' box is not big enough, then click on the 
button (to the right of the Notes box).
This will open a new window with a larger text box.
This can be used to enter more detailed notes about this user.
Once you have finished entering the required notes click the ‘OK’ button.
Click on the ‘Save’ button and the new user will be created.
Once a new user has been created, you must setup their new 'Password' and 'PIN'. By default the Password entered for this user will be required for them to login to the Merac back office software. The user will login to Merac by entering both their 'Computer User Name' and the 'Password' you enter for this user. The 'PIN' will be used for the user to login to the till. To set the 'Password', click on the ‘Change’ button.
Type the new password in the ‘New Password’ box.
Next you must retype the password in the ‘Confirm Password’ box.
Click the ‘OK’ button.
A warning is now displayed advising that the password change is not instant.
Click on the ‘OK’ button to continue.
The 'PIN' is the number a user enters to log onto a till.
To set the PIN, click on the ‘Change’ button.
Type the required PIN in the ‘New PIN’ box.
Next you must retype the PIN in the ‘Confirm PIN’ box.
A warning is now displayed advising that the PIN change is not instant.
Click on the ‘OK’ button to continue.
Once all the required data has been entered click the ‘Save’ button.
Please note: you need to use the ‘Recreate Till Data’ option (in Edit > Recreate Till Data) to send any changes to your tills.
Please remember to do this once you have finished adding / editing all 'Users'
Editing Users
Updating 'User' information in Merac is very straightforward and similar to the process of adding a 'User'. Select the user from the list at the top of the window, click in and update the field(s) that needs updating and click the ‘Save’ button.
Please note you need to use the ‘Recreate Till Data’ option (in File > Recreate Till Data) in the usual way, to send these changes to your tills.
Deactivating/Reactivating Users
A 'User' can be deactivated and reactivated as required. This has the advantage that a user can be reactivated at a later date if required. To make a user inactive first:
1. Click on the user so they are highlighted yellow.
2. Click on the ‘Inactive’ box, so that it becomes ticked.
3. Finally click on the ‘Save’ button to accept this change.
If you need to reactivate a user you will have to:
1. click on the ‘Show Inactive’ box, so it is ticked. N.B. an inactive user is displayed with a line through their user name.
2. Then click on the user to select them.
3. Click the ‘Inactive’ box, so it becomes un-ticked.
4. Finally click on the ‘Save’ button to accept this change.
Please note you need to use the ‘Recreate Till Data’ option (in File > Recreate Till Data) in the usual way, to send these changes to your tills.