Boontech Management Software
Advanced breeder software for producers of
Cattle/Sheep/Swine/Goats
The Boontech Management Software has been designed to keep track of all livestock and their history. To manage animal traits and allow for automatic drenching/spraying or drafting of the animals based on a multiple of selected criteria. The system is also capable of accepting standalone transactions.
Each animal is recorded with details such as its RFID tag, visual tag, date of birth, type, group, weight, location, status, carcases and fleece details if applicable. If in operation with a Boontech Handling system, during drafting if a new animal is detected it is automatically entered into the system with its RF tag and weight. Other details can be entered on the spot or at a later time.
Authorised users can easily edit database tables such as livestock, drafting criteria, groups, batches etc. Anybody can operate the software; however editing database tables requires an authorised user to log on - to ensure the integrity of the system.
When communicating with a Boontech Handling system, the details of the animals are automatically updated. They are also logged and can then be analysed in terms of weight history, group history, breeding history, treatment or vaccination history etc. Details including medical transactions can also be entered manually.
Some of the features of the system are:
-Automatic calculation of the required vaccination/drench chemical volume for an animal based on weight,
- Drafting on any criteria, including pregnancy status (singles or multiplies)
-Automatic transfer of location through specified gates,
-Vaccination due dates,
-Gestation due dates,
-Batch/expiry dates
-Vaccination/chemical usage,
-Slaughter yield percentages,
-Optional display of weight in kg or lb
-Keeping track of weight gain/loss, 5 group movements, multiply location movements, medical transactions, progeny, fleece /carcases data with up to 7 additional fields for users own terminology
-Importing fleece data details from contractor,
-Facility to purge old transactions.
Installation
To install the Boontech software, insert the installation disk in its drive.
Double click the My Computer icon on the desktop.
Double click the CD drive letter.
Double click setup.exe
Follow the instructions.
If you receive an 'Access Violation' error, simply click 'Ignore'. This means that you already have one of the required files, and it is currently in use.
When asked, enter the drive and the directory of your licence file. The default is D:\Updates. You may need to 'Retry' this step. You may also skip this step, and later copy the contents of the Updates directory to the application directory.
After a successful installation, there will be a BDraftingSystem icon on the desktop. If it is not there, you can access the program via Start/Programs/BDraftingSystem
The program requires activation. When run for the first time after the installation, you will be presented with a key.
/images/register.jpg)
Please contact:
Boontech software support team at,
(03) 9802 4792, or
(03) 9557 4823, or
0407 304 378
quoting 'Drafting System' and the key.
You will then be given your access key, which should be entered on the same window, in the same session.
This completes the installation.
Main Screen
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All functionality of the Boontech Management Software can be accessed through this screen.
Drafting or vaccination/treatment options can be selected using the 'Option' box.
Gates button allows you to edit the conditions for the selected option.
Count shows the count of animals as they are drafted through the Boontech Handlers.
'Show Details' checkbox enables the animal's history file on Livestock screen to appear whenever an animal enters the Boontech Handler. Available details such as weight and RF tag will be automatically updated. Other details can then be entered on the spot. Once the details are entered, select Save which will automatically allow the animal to exit the handler
Only an authorised user can check this box.
The Manual box can be checked to disable the control box. You can then select either 'Transaction' or 'Data entry'.
Manual Data entry: In this mode you can type or scan a barcode representing an RF tag, and the animals history file on the Livestock screen will appear showing the details of that RF tag. If a field was selected in the 'Set Focus' box, focus will be set at that field. The program expects CTRL-A from the barcode scanner to indicate the end; otherwise click OK. On the livestock screen the 'fleece data details' and the 'fleece weight' fields can also accept CTRL-A which automatically clicks the Save button.
Manual Transaction: In this mode you can enter the RF tag and weight. Click OK, and the transaction will be processed and recorded. This option may be useful mainly for the evaluation version of the software.
In order to log on, click the Log On button at the top of the screen (the key icon).
The initial userid is: Admin, and the password is: Admin.
It is recommended that you change this password.
Once you have completed the functions that require an authorised user, you can log off by clicking the Log Off button at the top of the screen (the Stop icon).
Database tables can be updated via the Edit Databases button at the top left corner of the screen.
Reports can be accessed by clicking the Reports button at the top of the screen.
A sample screen with a drafting option is shown above, and a sample screen with a drenching option is shown below.
Some of the available drafting options are shown below.
Maintenance Menu
The settings and the database tables can be maintained on this Maintenance menu, which can be accessed by clicking the Edit Databases icon in the top left corner of the main screen.
Click Setup at the top left corner of this screen to specify the settings.
The Comm. port number and settings are used to communicate with the Boontech Autolink.
Purge Log After is the time of day transaction records will be moved to history database where they continue to be available for reporting purposes without slowing down the operations of the system.
Poll is the interval in seconds to poll the Autolink.
Sound Wav Files is the number of times the specified WAV file will be sounded when an animal scheduled for a process is detected.
Weight unit specifies whether to display weight in kg or lb.
Click Save to save the specified settings. You may need to restart the application for the new settings to take effect.
More Fields button can be used to specify the names of the additional livestock traits or data fields, as shown below. These fields could be for Fleece or Carcases data and can be maintained via the 'More' button on the Livestock screen, all of these fields can be used for drafting parameters.
Initially, these fields are named as GN, Yield, SD, CV, Com Factor, Curve, and S / Fineness. If different fields are required the names can be replaced here. These fields must hold numeric values. If non-numeric values are required please convert them to numeric values such as 1 for yellow, 2 for orange etc.
Batches, Breeds, Groups, Locations, Status buttons on the Setup screen can be used to add, modify or delete the corresponding items. An example is shown below.
To view the details of an item, click it in the list on the left. Modify the details when necessary, and then click Save to save.
Click Clear to clear the fields before entering a new item. Enter the details of the new item, and then click Save.
Click Delete to delete the selected item.
Import Fleece
Click 'Import' at the top of the Maintenance menu (next to Setup) to access this screen.
Fleece details can be imported from externally prepared files on this screen. The values need to be in a comma-separated file, containing 10 fields (RF Tag, GN, Yield, Fleece weight, micron, SD, CV, Comf Factor, Curve, S / Fineness)
The first line is ignored, assuming it contains the field names.
Initially the file name is:
C:\SheepFleeceSpecs.csv
Another file name can be specified via the 'File name' function at the top of this screen.
Click Import to import these externally prepared values.
If the RF tag does not exist, it is created.
If the RF tag exists, it is updated with the new values, and the new values are logged to be viewed on the Fleece reports.
Livestock
This screen can be accessed by clicking Livestock on the Maintenance menu.
RF Tag, Visual Tag, Weight, Group (up to 5 groups) Date of Birth, Sire, Dam, Breed, Location, Status, Comments, Fleece micron, fleece weight, up to 7 additional fields, and Gestation details can be entered on this screen.
To locate an animal to view, find it in the list on the left (click 'Next 100' or 'Previous 100' if applicable); or type its RF tag, then click Find RF Tag; or type its visual tag, then click Find Visual Tag.
Entering the RF Tag of the Sire or Dam automatically displays its visual tag (if available), and vice versa.
Group, Breed, Location and Status can be selected from the corresponding list. New items can be added by clicking the corresponding Add button.
Weight section displays the latest weight gain/loss if applicable.
If the animal was sent to Abattoir, this field becomes 'Slaughter weight'.
Any manually entered weight will then is compared with the weight at the time it was sent to abattoir, and yield percentage is calculated on the Abattoir report.
An animal may be sent to abattoir in one of three ways:
1. by selecting 'Sent to Abattoir' status on this screen, or,
2. by selecting an abattoir location on this screen, or
3. by specifying an abattoir location for a gate for drafting. Status of animals drafted through that gate will be automatically set to 'Sent to Abattoir'
More: Click this button next to the Fleece weight to access up to 7 additional fields shown below.
These are additional fields that are entered on a separate window. They are saved only when you click 'Save' on the Livestock screen.
On the Livestock screen, click Save to save the details. Click Clear to clear the fields before entering a new animal. Click Delete to delete the selected animal.
The Multiple-Update functions (Group, Location, Breed, Medical) allow you to update multiple animals at the same time. Multiple animals can be selected in the list by pressing while clicking. Consecutive items can be selected by clicking the first one, then pressing while clicking the last one. This will select all animals in between. Once you have selected the required animals, clicking a multiple-update function will update all selected animals. In the example screen above, clicking 'Breed' would set the breed of all selected animals to 'NewBreed'
Delete and Schedule process functions also allow multiple selections.
In addition to the maintenance of the above details, the following functions are also available from this screen:
Gestation Details:
-To mark an animal as gestating, check the Gestating checkbox. This will bring the Gestation Details screen. The initial screen will show the current date and, depending on the Breed of the animal (if the gestation period was specified as part of the Breed) the Due Date will be calculated. These may be overridden. The Sire tag may also be entered on that screen.
The number of offspring (0 for Dry, 1 for Single, 2 for Twin, etc) can be entered and drafted on.
-To view the Gestation details of a gestating animal, click the Details button on the Livestock screen.
-To delete the Gestating status, click the Details button, then click Delete on that screen.
Scheduled Processes:
If a vaccination/chemical option is selected on the main screen, animals, which were not processed within the specified period, will be automatically detected. In addition, any process may be scheduled for an animal on the Livestock screen. This may be necessary, for example, when an animal needs medication.
To schedule a vaccination/chemical for an animal, select it in the Available Processes list, then click the left arrow to assign it to the Scheduled Processes.
When that animal is identified in the Handler, regardless of the option selected on the main screen, this will be detected, the specified sound will sound, and the required process and volume will be displayed on the main screen. This assignment will then be automatically deleted.
Available processes can be specified on the Processes screen.
Volumes can be specified, depending on the weight of animals, on the Gate Conditions screen.
Progeny
Click this button on the Livestock screen to view the offspring of the selected animal.
The example screen below shows animals 567891 and 567892, which specified 56789 as their Dam.
Medical
Click this button on the Livestock screen to view the medical history of the selected animal. New entries can also be entered. Fill the fields above the listbox, then click Add. Description may be selected from the list, or any description may be typed.
If selected from the list, available batches for the selected process will become available in the Batch list.
Reports
Clicking this button on the Livestock screen will transfer you to the Reports screen. This is the same screen that is available from the Main screen. If transferred from the Livestock screen, the RF tag will be filtered to report only on the selected animal and on the current date. This may be overridden.
Processes
This screen can be accessed via the Maintenance menu. Enter the details such as the vaccination/chemical name (Process), description, etc., then click Save.
The number of days entered on this screen will be used to calculate the next due date for an animal.
A WAV file can be specified by typing the full path, or by clicking the Browse button to locate it. This file will be played when an animal is detected to need this process on the Main screen during drafting. The process and the required volume will also be displayed on the screen.
Multiple is a reserved item. This sound will be played when multiple processes were scheduled for an animal. The individual processes will be displayed on the screen.
Batch can be specified; in this case the calculated volume for the animals will automatically be deducted from the batch volume, and a warning will be displayed when the batch volume is reduced to zero, or if the batch has expired.
Batch can be selected from the list. New batches can be added by clicking the Add button. The Batches screen is shown below. Batch volume and expiry date can be specified on this screen.
Gates
This screen can be accessed via the Maintenance Menu.
Select the option to configure from the list at the top left of the screen. This will display a list of the existing items for that option, if any. Items can be added, modified or deleted as usual. This configuration will then be used on the main screen during drafting.
If a process option was selected, the dosage (if due) to be given to an animal based on weight can be specified. On this example screen, animals up to 49.99 kg will be given half ml per kg, and animals up to 998.99 kg will be given 44 ml each. For example, a 45 kg animal will receive 22.5 ml, and a 50 kg animal will receive 44 ml (if due).
If Group (or Group2, etc) option was selected; gates for each group can be specified. Then, if that group is selected as the drafting option on the Main screen, animals will be drafted according to these specifications. This example screen specifies that animals whose Group2 happens to be 'Bad feet' are to be drafted through gate 2.
'Others' is a reserved item to specify a gate for animals which have no group, or whose group is not configured on this screen. Select the group from the list, specify the gate, and optionally specify a location.
If a location is specified for a gate, then the location of any animal drafted through that gate will be automatically updated to reflect the specified location. Such location movements are also logged to be viewed later.
If the specified location is an abattoir, the status of such an animal is also set to 'Sent to Abattoir'.
Locations screen is shown below. An abattoir location is specified by checking the Abattoir checkbox.
If a numeric option such as Weight, Age, Offspring, Fleece or one of up to 7 additional fields is selected on the Gates screen, gates can be configured in the same way, by specifying 'below' values. For example, if '54' needs to be allocated to gate 3, then specify 'Below 55' or 'Below 54.1"
Users
This screen can be accessed by clicking the Security button on the Maintenance menu.
User names and passwords can be added, modified or deleted on this screen.
The following access levels are available:
Manager - unlimited access rights.
Supervisor - may access to any function other than the Security function (this screen)
Operator - may operate the Boontech Software, may take backups, and may view most configurations, but cannot edit any database table, cannot restore a database and cannot purge any transactions.
Backup/Restore Databases
This screen can be accessed by clicking Backup on the Maintenance menu.
It is important to take regular backups of your databases, including the history database. This not only gives you an opportunity to recover some or all of your data in case of system failure such as disk crash, but it also repairs and compacts the database and re-creates the indexes.
Prolonged use of the system without taking backups can significantly slow down the system.
This screen has three sections:
Backup: Select a database from the Backup list, type the full path of a backup database in the Copy to field, then click this button to take a backup of the selected database. Next time you select a database in this list, the system will remember the backup database and will set the 'Copy To' field for you. You may override this to type a similar new name.
Restore: Select a database from the Restore list, type the full path of a backup database in the From field, then click this button to replace the selected database with the specified backup database. The system remembers the last backup database and sets the 'From' field for you. You may override this if necessary.
Purge: This section allows you to purge transactions from the history database. This may be necessary, for example, when the system has been used for a long time and the number of transactions started to degrade the performance of the history reports.
If you wish to purge transactions up to 30 June 2002, for example, enter 1 July 2002 in the records before field, then click this button. This will purge transactions, such as drafting, medical, location and group movements that were dated 30 June 2002 or earlier.
This function also automatically backs up the history database before purging the specified transactions. This database will also be available on the Reports screen (unless you manually delete it from the disk).
Reports
This screen can be accessed by clicking the Reports icon on the main screen.
Select the desired options, then click View to view the specified report.
To print, click the printer icon at the top of the viewed report.
Database to use: Select the database for the required report. Three options are available:
Current: This usually contains the transactions for the current day.
Historical: This contains the transactions that were entered before the current date.
Purged transactions: The third option is to select a database from this list, if any. When old transactions are purged via the Purge option on the Backups screen, the original database before purging becomes available in this list.
Report Heading (optional): You may optionally enter a heading for the required report. This may be desirable, for example, when you wish to transfer the contents of the report to an external party, and a certain heading would make it easier to identify the report by that external party.
Filters: It is possible to filter the required report. Selecting the All option lists everything in the selected database. To filter the data, click Filtered, and check the required filters.
A filter is available only if it is relevant to the selected report option.
The following filters are available, depending on the selected report:
From-To: Enter the staring date-time and the ending date-time to report.
RF Tag: Enter the RF Tag of the animal if you wish to view a report only for that animal. You can click the Tags button to search for the animal on the livestock screen.
Visual Tag: Enter the Visual Tag of the animal if you wish to view a report only for that animal. You can click the Tags button to search for the animal on the livestock screen.
Group: Select a group from this list if you wish to view a report only for those animals in that group.
Location: Select a location from this list if you wish to view a report only for those animals in that location.
Process: Select a process from this list if you wish to view a report only for those animals that were given the specified vaccinate/chemical.
Batch: Select a process from this list if you wish to view a report only for those animals that were given a vaccinate/chemical from the specified batch.
Gate: Enter a gate number if you wish to view a report only for those animals drafted through that gate.
The following reports are available:
Transaction Dump: This simply lists the transactions. The list is sorted by RF tag.
Livestock Lists: This is a list of animals in the selected database. Two versions are available: sorted by RF Tag, and sorted by Visual Tag.
Medical Transactions: This is a list of medical transactions. It shows the vaccine / chemical transactions during drafting, or if a medical transaction was entered manually via the livestock screen.
Weight Gain/Loss: This shows the weight gain or loss, if any, of animals from one transaction to the next.
Group Movements: This lists the animals whose group has changed manually on the livestock screen.
Location Movements: This lists the animals whose location has changed. This may happen during drafting if a location was specified for the gate, or if the location was manually changed on the livestock screen.
Chemical/Vaccine Used: This is a list of medical transactions with chemical/vaccine and batch totals.
Chemical/Vaccine Due Dates: This report shows the due dates for animals. Due dates are always kept in the current database, and are only calculated when an animal is given a chemical/vaccine.
Gestation Due Dates: This report shows the gestation due dates as marked on the livestock screen. This information is always kept in the current database.
Abattoir: This report shows those animals that were sent to an abattoir. Yield percentage is calculated by comparing the current (slaughter) weight with the weight recorded when the animal was sent to abattoir. This information is kept in the current database.
Fleece & more: This lists the animals whose fleece micron, fleece weight, or one of the 7 additional fields has changed manually on the livestock screen, or was imported via the Maintenance/Import function.
Groups 2 to 5: This lists the animals whose additional groups (up to 4 groups) has changed manually on the livestock screen.
Sending Files to Third Parties
To send files or reports to external parties, produce the desired report, then click the Export icon at the top of the viewed report. Several options are available including text, Excel, HTML formats and disk files, Microsoft Mail etc.