Aloha POS - BSP Setup

Contents: This guide will show you how to enable items in Aloha POS for online ordering

Requirements

There are minimum versions of Aloha software that are required and need to be verified to ensure that the NovaDine integration functions properly. Please verify that your software meets the following requirements:

• CFC 19.3 or higher
• ATO 17.1 or Higher (should be latest version available)
• ATO minimum requirement for this integration is ATO order manager on the back of house computer.
• POS 12.3 or Higher
• POS 15.1 needs latest RAL version

Request Data Access for NovaDine

Before starting the POS setup, you will need to complete some forms to release and provision your data.

Data Release Form

First, you will need to sign a data release form for NCR that gives NovaDine access to your POS data (this allows us to pull in your menu and settings from Aloha). Your NovaDine rep will provide you with the form, send to you for completion, and ask that you send to NCR to allow them to release your data.

Provisioning Format Request

Next, a Site will need to be created in Site Service for each of your locations. To do this, you will need to complete the Site Import Sheet for Site Service spreadsheet and send to NCR. Your NovaDine rep will provide you with the spreadsheet and instructions for completing. Once completed, NCR will return the provisioning information to you, which we ask that you then forward to NovaDine, as it will have information required for the setup of each of your locations in NovaDine.

Lab Setup

Please configure the below settings in your Lab using Aloha’s BSP Setup Requirements Document:

• Time sync set up on BOH (Recommendation is Google for time sync)
• Payment type needs to be setup for NovaDine (See BSP Setup Requirements Document)
• Aloha Takeout Order Manager on BOH is required at minimum and must be setup for Web Ordering
• Order mode needs to be provided to NovaDine (default used by NovaDine is Web)
• Tax rates need to be provided to NovaDine for each site
• Labs should have Aloha Take Out on front of house and back of house installed (this is preferred)

Determine Menu Data Source

The NCR integration in NovaDine supports two different data sources from BSP. Data can be stored in either Marketplace Catalog or an AO Menu and a determination will need to be made with your NovaDine rep on which to use, but AO Menu is preferred.

Marketplace Catalog Setup

For NovaDine to access your menu data through Marketplace Catalog, please configure based on Aloha’s Catalog Activation Document:

• Flag catalog items as ‘Available for online’ in CFC (as described in Aloha’s Catalog Activation Document)
• Refresh site or perform an EOD in order to see data pushed to catalog

Menu Data through AO Setup

The menu will be used by NovaDine to pass directly to the customer, so, this menu needs to be customer facing. Some modifier groups, for example, would not make sense when ordering directly from NovaDine. An example of this would be a modifier group that has seats numbers. You will also need to use the How-To Setup Menu Configuration for Menu Service Document to give BSP access to the menu data built in AO. You may need your NCR resource to assist with this setup, which could involve labor dollars.

Note

If your site does not have AO, a Menu Provisioning request will need to be made. An email that contains the below information will need to be sent to AlohaOnlineImplementations.HSR@ncr.com:

• Site name:
• Master Store Key:
• List of AO admins:
• POS DB file (ONLY in case the key is offline)

Item Images

Images cannot be imported to NovaDine from Aloha, so they will need to be uploaded in NovaDine once the menu is imported.

• Images should be in a ratio of 4x3 (minimum of 800x600px) in .png format

Provide Access Credentials to NovaDine

Once the Catalog or Menu Setup has been completed, let your NovaDine rep know and please provide the below credentials in order for NovaDine to pull menu and place orders:

• Nep-org
• Enterprise Unit #
• Menu ID #

Additional Setup Needed

To avoid price mismatches that could occur, the following POS site settings should be set to true so we can override pricing with ours:

• UnitPriceOverride
• EnablePriceOverride
• UseTakeoutPrice

Troubleshooting issues related to using BSP

1. Verify you have followed the Aloha Takeout Implementation Guide.

2. Verify you have followed the implementation checklist and the BSP Setup Requirement Guide.

3. Run the Takeout Setup Helper. The helper will show possible configuration issues and can be run on the front of house as well as the back of house. TakeoutSetupHelper.exe is in the Aloha Takeout bin folder.

4. Verify settings. Here is a list of settings to check:

   1. Verify the settings that are enabled to give the expected functionality

   • Kitchen Integration
   • Auto apply payments

   2. Make sure nothing is enabled that is giving unexpected or unwanted functionality

   • Release call-in based on prep time
   • Order Confirmation screen enabled

   3. Make sure that the site using the correct Takeout settings

   • Order sources
   • Prepaid tenders
   • API calls

5. Check the Aloha Debouts

   1. Understanding COM errors

   • Specific COM error vs. Setup errors

   2. Following the flow from employee login to where the issue occurred

   • When did Aloha start and stop
   • Tracing the user’s actions
   • See if there were issues before, during or after the reported problem occurred
   • Was something pressed to cause the issue

6. What is in the Aloha Trans.log

   1. Finding the order
   2. Future and web order creation / release

   • Future orders voided when sent to ATO
   • Interface terminals / employee used when future orders released, and web orders injected

   3. Flow of order from creation to closing

   • Add Table / Check
   • Add Items
   • Apply Payment
   • Close Check

7. Check the ATO logs.

   1. Understanding which log to look at, where the issue occurred.

   • Server log

   • Application start to the time the issue occurred

   2. IS ATO started

   • ***Starting Aloha Takeout server.***

   3. Is ATO connected to Aloha:

      Aug 02, 11:06:29.05525, [5192], [INFO], [AlohaInterface], "(1) Iber has started"
      Aug 02, 11:06:29.58565, [3048], [INFO], [AtgService], "(1) ATO can communicate with Aloha"
      Aug 02, 11:06:31.00525, [3048], [INFO], [AtgService], "(1) Signaling services Aloha communication has been established"
      

8. Once Aloha is running, ATO will attempt to initialize the Nep Controller.

   • This should look like the below in the ATO main log:

     Aug 02, 11:06:31.08325, [5620], [INFO], [<Initialize>d__22], "(1) Initializing NEP Controller"
     Aug 02, 11:06:31.16125, [5620], [INFO], [<InitializeNotificationService>d__23], "(1) Attempting to connect to the Notification Service"
     Aug 02, 11:06:31.37965, [5620], [INFO], [<<StartNotificationBufferProcessing>b__39_0>d], "(1) Starting Notification Buffer processing"
     Aug 02, 11:06:31.45765, [5620], [INFO], [ItemInformationManager], "(1) Beginning process to send required Item Availability Update messages"
     Aug 02, 11:06:31.91005, [7192], [INFO], [<Initialize>d__15], "(1) Attempting to initialize the NEP Notification Service Communicator"
     Aug 02, 11:06:32.95525, [5620], [INFO], [<SyncOrders>d__24], "(1) Attempting to sync Unacknowledged Orders remaining on the OCP system"
     Aug 02, 11:06:32.95525, [5620], [INFO], [<GetUnacknowledgedOrders>d__15], "(1) Attempting to get Unacknowledged Orders"
     Aug 02, 11:06:32.98645, [5620], [INFO], [], "(1) Adding the NepController to the External Communication Controllers"
     Aug 02, 11:06:51.94045, [7860], [INFO], [<TransmitMetricUpdateAsync>d__36], "(1) Attempting to update the Fulfillment Timeline for metric DefaultDriveTime to 600 seconds"
     Aug 02, 11:06:51.97165, [8268], [INFO], [ATOSubscriptionManager], "(1) Subscription added for Client T1: a45626ac-1202-403c-9477-d2630c6d3f14 and Interface Type
     

9. Here are some other issues that can cause the above not show in the ATO logs:

   1. Run the ATO test tool. See documentation for it.
   2. If the test tool does not run and fails to subscribe check the following.

   • Is date and time and time zone correct?

   • Time can not be more than 10 minutes slow or 1 minute fast
   • Is the time zone set correctly?

   • Firewall issues? Are the following settings whitelisted?

   • All communication with BSP should be on TCP Port 443. This is the port for HTTPS (API calls) and WSS (WebSockets)
   • We have a couple of URLs we need whitelisted:

   • gateway.ncrplatform.com
   • notifications.ncrplatform.com

   • Because we are PCI compliant, we require TLS 1.2, also.

   • Verify the credentials are being used. Verify with support, if need be.
   • If the test tool subscribes and turns green, verify setup again.