Please Follow These Steps to Allow Akia to Receive Opera Reservations
When Configuring Opera, there are two things that must be configured:
- The Report: this is the actual report itself and contains all the information necessary to make Akia work. Once configured, these reports can be created ad-hoc and sent to an email address manually.
- The Scheduler: this is the part that automates the sending of the email to our email address. It also dictates the frequency in which a report will automatically run and send us an email.
Creating a Report in Opera
The first thing to understand is the Home Screen of Opera (which happens to look similar to other screens). It's the following screen with the thick row and column of menu buttons at the top and left of the screen. Remember that this is the Home Screen.
We're going to start by jumping into the Configuration screen. Click Setup at the top, and then select Configuration.
Once you're in the configuration screen (it will look very similar to the home screen), you will set up a new report. Click Setup at the top, and then select Report Setup > Reports.
Report configuration wizard will appear on screen. Click on the New button to set up a new report.
Fill in the information in the dialog that pops up:
- Report Name: name this something intuitive and easy to find later, e.g., "Akia Arrivals Report"
- Click on Simple Report
- File Name: this doesn't really matter, you can use "akiaimport"
- Destination: This defaults to PRINTER and that's okay
- Report Group: If you have set up different groups for reporting you can put this new report into any group.
Click OK to save the new report. If you click Close, the report will not be saved.
Select the newly created report from the list of reports and click Edit. You'll see the Customize button at the bottom left of the dialog.
Select Reservations from the available options. Then click Columns at the bottom. You'll start adding columns from the left into the report columns on the right. You'll need to add the following columns:
- First Name
- Last name
- Phone Number
- Room No.
- Room Type
- Arrival Date
- Departure Date
- Reservation ID (External Reference)
- Conf Number
- Reservation Status
- VIP Code/Membership Level
- Net Total Package + Net Total Room = Total Rate of Stay (excluding taxes)
- Print Rate YN (tells us whether the rate should be displayed to guests or not)
Click on Filters
- Select Arrival Date column
- Select Today as BUSINESS DATE (this will filter for guests today)
- Add an OR condition
- Select Created Date and select Today as BUSINESS DATE
- Add an OR condition
- Select Updated Date and select Today as BUSINESS DATE
- Filter Status on DUE_IN, RESERVED, and CHECKED_IN, CANCELLED
- If there are additional restrictions on which guests should be included in Akia (e.g., I don't want VIPs to get messages), we can add additional filters here
Click OK to save
Enabling Customize Simple Reports
We may need to contact Opera to enable this:
- Go to Configuration screen. Click "Setup" at the top.
- Click "User Configuration."
- Search for any user then click "Edit."
- Click "Permissions" at the bottom.
- On the left hand side, look for the "General" folder and expand.
- Highlight "Permission customize simple reports."
- At the bottom window click "Grantees."
- Once you see grantees, call Opera (1.800.937.2211) and give them the names of grantees so they can request access for you.
Setting Up Report Scheduling
- Task Bar > Miscellaneous > Report Scheduler
- Click on New to create
- Search Report
- Set Date/Time
- Repeat every 30 minutes
- Select Delimited Data
- Select Commas (,) or Pipes (|) as delimiter
- Make sure “Fax/Email” is not checked
- Click “Ok” and Click on “File” when prompted
- Close out and click on New at the bottom to define delivery (Email)
- Add the email your Akia Customer Success Manager gives you as the destination
- Run Now to test