April 2017 Release
This release has been approved by eTASK for use in production environments. You can download the release immediately and install it on your server. Since the release contents are still being edited, the release changelog is currently empty. You will be able to access the changelog once the editing process is complete and the release has been approved. You will be automatically notified of the release via email, provided you are registered with eTASK as a recipient of release notifications.
Note: This release may not be suitable for customers who use the eTASK.CostRecording and eTASK.Rental products. The risks associated with an update should be clarified in advance with the customer or the eTASK consultant.
eTASK.DeskSharing
Highlight: New feature for booking workstations (desk sharing)
With this new paid product, you can make any workspace managed in eTASK available for booking by your employees. In an easy-to-use booking interface, a single user can book multiple workspaces at once. The user must be specified for each workspace. Workspaces can be booked across multiple days, either for the morning, afternoon, or all day. The location can be filtered beforehand when selecting workstations. If BIM or CAD visualization is available, you can also view the workstation’s location in the model or floor plan.
eTASK.BIM
Improvement: Recalculation of length, area, and volume values from the BIM model upon import into eTASK
Differences between the length, area, and volume values in the BIM model and those used by default in eTASK are now automatically reconciled when the model is imported into eTASK. For example, if room heights are specified in millimeters in the model, they are converted to meters—the unit used in eTASK—during import.
Improvement: Combined cropping of models in the BIM Explorer
The function for cropping BIM models has been expanded so that cropping can now be performed in parallel and from all directions in any perspective. Using the sliders for "front/back," "right/left," and "top/bottom," you can generate the desired view of the model.
Improvement: Automatic assignment of color values for BIM visualization
For the "representations" in the BIM model, the model elements (rooms, components, objects) are displayed in different colors. For example, rooms for the visualization of DIN 277 usage types are displayed in a specific color per usage type. The color used to represent specific information no longer needs to be defined manually. With the new timer job "Automatically (pre)fill BIM/CAD color values," these color values are assigned automatically and randomly, provided they have not already been defined manually. This eliminates the need to maintain values for legends. If specific information is to be displayed in a specific color, this can still be set manually.
Improvement: Direct printing and image generation from the current view of the BIM model
You can now save your BIM model in any perspective and display format either as an image (PNG) or print it directly.
Improvement: Automatic placement of stamps in rooms replaces manual maintenance
Stamps in rooms are now automatically placed in BIM models in eTASK. Various algorithms ensure that the orientation of the stamps (0° or 90°) is automatically selected based on available space. For irregularly shaped rooms, the largest available rectangular area is used for positioning. The system thus determines the best possible display for the user. Compared to the manual placement of stamps in CAD drawings, the placement of stamps in BIM models is now fully automated. The effort required to place stamps is eliminated here during the initial import as well as after every change to the model.
Improvement: Temporarily save custom 3D visualizations
Have you aligned and cropped your BIM model to the desired perspective view, but want to view the model from a different perspective and then return to the previous view? You can now temporarily save your custom view of the model, modify the view, and then reload the original settings later.
Improvement: Determining floor area from various sources when importing models into eTASK
When determining floor areas from a BIM model, various possible sources are now taken into account, as it is not always guaranteed that floor areas are maintained in a single source. The import now attempts to determine the floor area from the sources IfcBuildingStorey, IfcSlab, GrossArea, Gross Area, or Gross Floor Area (GFA).
Improvement: Display of room labels in the model even when data is missing
If the room stamp with the room code cannot be displayed correctly in the rooms of a BIM model due to missing or incorrect data, only the room number is automatically displayed as a "fallback."
Highlight: Automatically commission entire buildings, including all objects, in eTASK using BIM
When importing IFC building data models, the objects contained in the model (building components, MEP, furniture, etc.) are now also registered and created in eTASK along with their properties, or updated upon re-import. This makes it possible to capture an entire building, including its complete architecture and all objects contained within, in eTASK in a nearly fully automated manner without manual data maintenance. During import, object types are automatically generated for the objects or assigned to existing ones, and match codes and attributes are created. This makes these objects immediately available for processes in eTASK, such as maintenance management or warranty tracking. Of course, the following applies: The better the data has been prepared in the BIM model, the more structured and complete it can be utilized in eTASK. However, if the BIM model creator is given the appropriate specifications, the building’s commissioning can be fully automated. If you’d like to learn more about the possibilities of BIM-based property management for your portfolio, please contact us!
eTASK.Outlook Room Booking
Bug Fix: Retain booked resources when changing the booking title in OAI
Under certain conditions, resources that had already been booked within a room booking were removed when the title of the room booking was changed. This issue has been resolved.
eTASK.InfoDisplayController
Bug fix: Correct display of bookings on screens showing bookings for multiple rooms
On displays that show bookings for multiple rooms, all current and upcoming bookings for the corresponding rooms are now displayed correctly. Bookings that have already taken place are no longer displayed.
eTASK.Operating Cost Settlement
Bug fix: Optimization of the report for printing the operating cost statement
Under certain circumstances, the "Net Advance Payment" was incorrectly displayed on the operating cost statement. The report has been adjusted so that the advance payment is now displayed correctly under all circumstances. Additionally, the contact person listed for the operating cost statement is now taken from the lease agreement and no longer displays the person responsible for the building.
eTASK.Cost Entry
Bug fix: Partial services with correct operating cost year
If no different operating cost year is passed to the "ImportInvoice" web service for a partial service on an invoice, the operating cost year of the invoice is now correctly used, or, if this is also not passed, the year of the invoice date. Previously, in such cases, the different operating cost year of the partial service could be specified as "0." As a result, the partial service could not be included in the operating cost statement.
Improvement: "Document Number" Now Matches Posting Date
The "document number" of an incoming invoice is now generated from its posting date and no longer from the invoice date.
Improvement: Automatic adjustment of amounts on outgoing invoices when partial payments have already been made
Outgoing invoices to which a payment has already been assigned are now automatically removed from pending payment runs. These outgoing invoices are then included in the next payment run with a new amount (original amount minus the payment already assigned). This ensures that only the amounts that are actually still outstanding are transferred, without having to check every single outgoing invoice (credit memo).
Improvement: Improved email sending for outgoing invoices
Email sending for outgoing invoices has been revised and standardized. For example, the "additional address" is now taken into account. Additionally, the documentation on this topic has been expanded in many areas so that you can configure your specific settings for email sending. Relevant help articles can be found under IC1776, IC1771, IC1769, and IC8598.
eTASK.Rental
Improvement: Automatically populated rental area when creating new rooms
For newly created rooms, the value for "Rental Area" is now always automatically populated with the value of the "Floor Area." The two area values can subsequently be changed independently of one another. However, if the floor area corresponds to the contractual rental area, no further data maintenance is necessary.
eTASK.Media Supply / Energy
Bug fix: Correct VAT rate for utility bills
The VAT rate for utility bills is now correctly taken from the contract for advance operating cost payments and no longer from the lease agreement.
eTASK.Maintenance
Improvement: Better performance in the "Order Overview" report
The report’s loading time has been reduced by up to 80%, so that it now delivers results in a reasonable amount of time even with large data sets. At the same time, the filtering options have been expanded so that more than 1,000 data records can be transferred to parameter fields.
eTASK.FM Portal
Bug fixes
Correction of various minor bugs and optimizations in various eTASK products.
Bug Fix: Display of building codes in the map view (OpenStreetMap)
Building codes with a specific formatting were displayed as dates in the map views. Building codes are now always displayed as text, regardless of the formatting.
Bug fix: Correct workstation code when changes are made in the parent hierarchy
Changes to the code of the location, building, floor, or room now affect the workstation code.
Bug fix: Favorites are working again
Favorites can now be created and used as usual.
Bug fix: "Areas according to DIN 277" report now executable again
Calling up the report resulted in an error message if certain area values, such as the gross floor area (GFA), were empty or set to "0." The report has been revised so that the error message no longer appears. However, the corresponding fields must still be filled in to ensure the report returns correct values.
Paid Feature: Connecting the eTASK Portal to SIGMA LDAP (as an alternative to Microsoft LDAP)
As an alternative to connecting eTASK to the LDAP directory of Microsoft Active Directory (AD), this paid plugin allows for a comparable connection to a SIGMA LDAP. Does your company also use a SIGMA LDAP? Contact your eTASK consultant or the eTASK sales team to discuss the options for connecting your LDAP to the eTASK Portal.
Improvement: Display of help texts ("Tool Tips") on mouseover
The fields in forms now once again feature a "tool tip" that is automatically displayed when the mouse pointer hovers over the field label.
Improvement: New system configuration with a clear structure and better overview
The portal’s system configuration has been completely revised and restructured. The individual system parameters are now displayed in logical groups, making them easier and more intuitive for your administrators to maintain.Nevertheless, we recommend exercising caution when working with the system configuration, as this is where essential default settings for the portal are defined; incorrect entries made unknowingly or accidentally can lead to significant restrictions on usage or even render the portal inoperable.
Improvement: Longer titles for individuals now possible
In the "Personnel List" form, titles with more than 15 characters can now be entered for a person, such as "Prof. Dr. med. dent.".
eTASK.Inventory
Improvement: "Inventory Status" report optimized for large inventory items
The report has been expanded to include hierarchical groupings by locations and buildings. This ensures a clear overview even for large inventories.