Fastmaint 8.0 User Guide: Basic/Standard/Professional Editions

Rev 2016-04-01
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide
Basic/Standard/Professional Editions
© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.
When you first start using FastMaint Professional edition, the system asks you to
specify a password for the "admin" account. Make sure that the Admin password is
NOT longer than 10 characters. You will need to use this password the next time you
use FastMaint.
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide
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Printed: April 2016

FastMaint 8.0 User Guide Contents 3
Table of Contents
Part I Welcome to FastMaint 5
Part II Getting Started 7

1 About ...................................................................................................................................
Tasks and Work Orders 9
2 Maintenance
...................................................................................................................................
Management Workflow 11
3 Setting
...................................................................................................................................
Up The System 14
Part III Screen Reference 17

1 Main ...................................................................................................................................
Window 19
2 Lists (left
...................................................................................................................................
bar buttons) 20
Calendars .......................................................................................................................................................... 23
Categories .......................................................................................................................................................... 25
Equipm ent .......................................................................................................................................................... 27
Locations .......................................................................................................................................................... 31
Parts .......................................................................................................................................................... 33
People .......................................................................................................................................................... 36
Purchases .......................................................................................................................................................... 38
Tasks .......................................................................................................................................................... 41
Vendors .......................................................................................................................................................... 45
Work Orders .......................................................................................................................................................... 47
Statistics .......................................................................................................................................................... 55
3 Toolbar
...................................................................................................................................
(top bar buttons) 57
Workload Balancing
..........................................................................................................................................................
And Detecting Schedule Conflicts 59
Planning Report/
..........................................................................................................................................................
Print Work Orders 61
Fast Feedback.......................................................................................................................................................... 64
Em ail Processing
.......................................................................................................................................................... 66
4 Menus
................................................................................................................................... 70
Im porting Data
.......................................................................................................................................................... 73
Export Wizard.......................................................................................................................................................... 76
Groups .......................................................................................................................................................... 78
User Accounts .......................................................................................................................................................... 80
Settings (Em ail,
..........................................................................................................................................................
Alerts, etc.) 82
Reports .......................................................................................................................................................... 87
5 Other
................................................................................................................................... 103
HTML Editor .......................................................................................................................................................... 104
Login Window.......................................................................................................................................................... 106
Work Requests
.......................................................................................................................................................... 108
Web Based Work
..........................................................................................................................................................
Request Module 111
Part IV Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 114

1 How...................................................................................................................................
to import data? 116
3
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide 4
2 Do I need to create a new task every time I want a new work

................................................................................................................................... 123
order?
3 How...................................................................................................................................
to create a 240 day task? 124
4 How...................................................................................................................................
to create a meter based task? 131
5 How...................................................................................................................................
to create an alarm based task? 137
6 How...................................................................................................................................
can I see past due, current and future work orders? 141
7 How...................................................................................................................................
can I create breakdown/ request work orders? 142
8 How...................................................................................................................................
do I get rid of work orders that were never worked on? 143
9 How can I print files attached (linked) to a work order or other
................................................................................................................................... 144
report?
10 How...................................................................................................................................
can I customize a report? 145
11 How...................................................................................................................................
can I sum a numeric field on a report? 152
12 How...................................................................................................................................
do I use barcodes? 153
13 How...................................................................................................................................
do I install/ upgrade FastMaint? 155
14 How...................................................................................................................................
do I back up and restore my data? 158
15 How can I open the database with another program (e.g.
...................................................................................................................................
Microsoft Access)? 159
Part V For IT Administrators 161
Part VI Get Support/ Contact Us 166
Part VII Video Tutorials 168

Part
I
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide Welcome to FastMaint 6
1 Welcome to FastMaint
FastMaint can help you quickly put together a maintenance management
program. Manage preventive and unplanned (e.g. breakdown) maintenance jobs,
track inventory usage, labor and material costs, create a variety of reports and
more.
FastMaint comes in four editions; Basic (single user), Standard (single user),
Professional (multiple users) and Web (browser access, multiple users).
This help documentation is for the Basic, Standard & Professional

editions.
If you are new to FastMaint you may want to see the Getting Started 8 section
and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 115 section. You may also be
interested in seeing Video Tutorials 169 .
Rev 2016-04-01

Part
II
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide Getting Started 8
2 Getting Started
Work through this section to get a sense of what FastMaint can do for you, and
how.
To start off you may want to see the About Tasks and Work Orders 9 section.
Then, as you use the system, you'll probably discover features you want to
know more about - that's the time to consult the Screen Reference 18 section
and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 115 section.

2.1 About Tasks and Work Orders

In FastMaint, you create maintenance task templates that are used to create
maintenance work orders as needed (i.e. planned as well as unplanned/
breakdown work orders).
Some tasks are one-off, and you can treat them as "Any Other Maintenance".
However, most tasks will require work orders more than once, so FastMaint
enables you to enter them in the system for later re-use.
Whenever you create a work order,

FastMaint fills it with information from
the task - you can edit this information
as required on the work order.
Typically, a work order is created in

one of three ways (see illustration):
· Automatic: The task's frequency

settings 44 automatically schedule
work orders, e.g. a monthly deep
clean or a quarterly oil change. When
you run the Planning Report 61 these
work orders are automatically
created. You can also modify these
work orders 48 .
· Manual: The task frequency is

specified as “Unplanned”.You enter the work order manually 52 . Once created
you can also modify these work orders 48 .

· Equipment: An alarm or meter reading 29 on a piece of equipment triggers

different tasks to generate work orders. Again, this depends on the task's
frequency settings 44 .
Among other things, tasks and work orders can also be assigned equipment 27 ,
parts (spares) 33 , people 36 and locations 31 . By default these assignments are
copied from the task to the work order. However, you can change them as
needed on the work order.
Next, have a look at the Maintenance Management Workflow 11 section to

understand how the pieces fit together.

2.2 Maintenance Management Workflow
At its core, FastMaint has a very simple workflow:
Task Frequency
settings
automatically
schedule planned
work orders
The task's frequency
settings 44 automatically
schedule work orders, e.g.
a monthly deep clean. An
alarm or meter reading 29
on a piece of equipment
triggers the a task to
generate a work order.
Again, this depends on the task's frequency settings 44 .
If you have the Web Based Work Request Module 111 , your staff and clients can
also make maintenance requests online. Use the Requests/Breakdowns button
to schedule work orders from the work requests.
Manager reviews scheduled work orders, then creates

and emails/ prints them
"Planned" work orders appear on the work order list without a status 48 . Find
these by running a Planning Report 61 , or just by double-clicking them. Once you
have created and saved them, you can email or print the work orders using the
Planning Report 61 .

Manager creates any unplanned work orders and prints

them
You can also create "unplanned" work orders 52 . Once you have created and
saved them, email or print the work orders using the Planning Report 61 .
Maintenance staff execute the work orders

Who does what, using which equipment depends on the work order or the
original task - see About Tasks and Work Orders 9 . This information will be on
the work order. If the maintenance staff received the work order by email they
can reply to the email with updated status and their feedback. If you have
FastMaint Professional you can process such emailed updates and automatically
update/ close the work orders.
A special WO Tag field can contain special lockout data/ shutdown information
about the equipment or location.
Manager or staff update the work order...

You can update the status of a work order by opening and editing it. If you have
FastMaint Professional you can also update batches of work orders using Fast
Feedback 64 or use the Email Processing 66 feature to automatically update work
orders based on emailed responses from maintenance personnel who complete
the work orders.
If you have the Web Based Work Request Module 111 , your non-maintenance
users e.g. customers or management, can also check the status of tasks work
orders online. If you have the Barcode Support Module 84 , you can also use the
“Find” feature to bring up the correct work order using a hand scanner to scan
the bar code from the work order printout.

...FastMaint updates any quantities
If your tasks or work orders specify particular parts (spares) 33 , then FastMaint
updates the quantities of these. (Should a work order be canceled, it "returns"
the parts to the inventory.)
Manager generates any reports

You can use a range of built-in or custom reports to monitor maintenance
activity over time - see Report Designer 94 .
Next, have a look at the Setting Up The System 14 section to understand what
you need to setup the system.

2.3 Setting Up The System

Once it's installed, you can start using FastMaint right way; just generate work
orders, and enter any reusable information as you go along (there's always a
handy Add or Edit button). If in doubt, base work orders on the "Any other
maintenance" task.
However, depending on how you plan to use the system, you may want to enter
some information right away either by entering your data or importing existing
data 73 .
Workflow
FastMaint enables you to assign work orders to particular people, and track the
progress. You can also use this information to avoid asking two people to be in
the same place at once! (See Workload Balancing And Detecting Schedule
Conflicts 59 .)
· Equipment: Enter the equipment to be maintained - see Equipment 27 .
· Locations: Buildings, rooms, assembly lines, stations, etc where maintenance

may be needed - see Locations 31 .
· Parts: Maintenance parts/ spares needed to complete maintenance - see Parts

33 .
· People: About the workers performing the maintenance - see People 36 .
· Tasks: If some people are needed for certain jobs, set up a list of tasks and
assign people to them - see Tasks 41 .
· Groups and User Accounts: If other users are able to update the status of
work orders, then you need to assign passwords and permissions - see Groups
78 and User Accounts 80 .

Consider getting the Web Based Work Request Module 111 , an add-on product
that allows any user to submit a work request for breakdown (Unplanned) tasks
or report alarm conditions via a web browser.
Inventory
FastMaint can track the use of parts, and even generate purchase orders 38 .
· Parts: List the parts and their current quantities. You can use the Reorder at
setting to identify when parts need to be reordered - see Parts 33 .
· Tasks: Set up tasks and use the Parts tab to list what parts are required -
see Tasks 41 .
· Vendors: Enter a list of vendors and their rating as suppliers - see Vendors 45 .
Equipment Maintenance
FastMaint can generate work orders for a piece of equipment based on an alarm
or meter reading.
· Equipment: Enter the equipment to be maintained, and set up alarms or

meters - see Equipment 27 .
· Tasks: Enter a list of tasks, and use the task's frequency settings 44 to tie
them to the equipment - see Tasks 41 .
Reporting
You can use a range of built-in or custom reports to monitor maintenance
activity over time - see Reports 87 and Report Designer 94 .
· Categories: A useful tool that enables you to tag almost anything according to
custom categories - see Categories 25 .

· Locations: It's handy to keep track of where certain jobs take place -
Locations 31 .
· Custom Fields: Set up custom fields for equipment, locations, parts, etc. by
selecting Custom Fields under the Administration menu on the main window.
Next, for examples on how to do some common tasks see the Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs) 115 .

Part
III
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide Screen Reference 18
3 Screen Reference
This section describes the main features available through the FastMaint
screens.

3.1 Main Window

This is the main window from which all the other windows can be accessed. It
contains the following major sections; Lists (left bar buttons) 20 , Toolbar (top
bar buttons) 57 , Menus 70 (main window menus).
If you are new to FastMaint you may also want to see the Getting Started 8
section and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 115 section.

3.2 Lists (left bar buttons)

The bar on the left of the main window contains buttons providing access to all
FastMaint's lists e.g. equipment list, location list, part list, work order list, etc.
Instructions
· Add and edit the contents of each list using the Add, Open, and Delete toolbar
buttons, or by double-clicking an entry.
· Use the Find button to quickly locate entries e.g. find all work orders with a
number starting with “5”, find an equipment named “PUMP-56A”. The Find
button is particularly useful if you have barcode support 84 since you can scan
in the barcode and quickly pull up the relevant record.
Listing
Button Description
Calendars are used for a variety of reasons:
Calendars 23
· For scheduling tasks based on holidays and
working times.
· Calculation of equipment meters based on

estimated use.
· Specifying when people are available for work,

so as to support Workload Balancing And
Detecting Schedule Conflict 59 .

Button Description
Categories are a useful way to classify tasks,
Categories 25 equipment people and parts, e.g. "electrical",

"plumbing", and "Production".
Examples of equipment include air conditioning
Equipment 27
plants, pumps, vehicles, and printers.
Specifying locations makes it easier to perform
Locations 31
and track work orders 48 , as well as to report and
classify all the maintenance data you collect.
If you are doing facilities maintenance, Locations could

be used to specify the buildings/ rooms/ areas which
need maintenance work.
Parts are items required to complete a task, e.g.
Parts 33
an air conditioning filter, a toner cartridge, or a
quart of oil. When you mark a task as complete,
FastMaint reduces the quantity of required parts
accordingly.
Tell FastMaint about people who work for you or
People 36
your company, whether as contractors or
employees.
Purchase orders can be created to order parts
Purchases 38
from vendors 45 . You can see outstanding
purchase orders on each part. When purchase
order items are received they are added to stock.

Button Description
Each task describes a job or action that can be
Tasks 41 specified in a work order 48 , for example a weekly

maintenance check, fixing an equipment
breakdown or doing a 3000 mile vehicle service.
Enter vendors into the system and list and rate
Vendors 45 them as possible suppliers for equipment and

parts. You can then generate purchase orders 38 ,
and print vendor contact information on Parts to
Reorder reports.
Use work orders to assign maintenance tasks for
Work Orders 47
particular dates and times. FastMaint
automatically schedules work orders for regular
tasks, however you still have to create these
manually 48 , or run a Planning Report 61 .

3.2.1 Calendars
Calendars
Calendars contain information related to working days, holidays and other

absences. Calendar information on a task is used to schedule the task based on
holidays and working times. There can also be different calendars for different
people and equipment. Calendar information can be checked during task
scheduling to see if the right people are available.
In the Professional edition you can restrict a user's ability to view or modify
calendars.

Instructions
· Complete the form (see below) and click Save.

(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes.
Listing
· Name: A code or name identifying the calendar, e.g. "Night Shift Calendar".
(This field is locked for the "Default" calendar.)
· Description: One-line description of the Calendar.
· Working Days: Select days of the week that will be worked.
· Start Of Day, End Of Day, "Same Day"/"Next Day": For overnight shifts,
select the ending time and specify that it is the "Next Day".
· Holidays: Click Add to add new holidays or days off. Double-click an item to
edit or delete it.
· Comments: Enter any additional information. See HTML Editor 104 for how to
insert links, pictures, etc.

3.2.2 Categories
Categories
Categories are a useful way to classify tasks, equipment people and parts, e.g.
"electrical", "plumbing", and "Production". This makes it easier to report and
classify all the maintenance data you collect.
information on categories.
Instructions
(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes.)

Listing
· Name: A name or code to identify the category, e.g. "HO Department",

“Mechanical”, or “Fleet Operations”.
· Description: One-line description of the category.
· Annual Budget: For tracking purposes.
· Comments: Enter any additional information. See HTML Editor 104 for how to
insert links, pictures, etc.

3.2.3 Equipment
Equipment
Examples of equipment include air conditioning plants, pumps, vehicles, and

printers.
equipment.
Instructions
1. Complete the form (see below) and click Save.
(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes, or Clone to make a
new record based on this one.)

2. If required, click Requests/Breakdowns to create a work order 48 .
Listing
· Name: Identifies the equipment, a name e.g. "Forklift Truck 1" or an internal
code e.g. "VH-FLFT-1".
Tip: If you have a large quantity of equipment, it may make sense to switch to using a unique
equipment code/identifier. Put the equipment code in the “Name” field and a detailed equipment
name and description in the “Description” field.
· Description: One-line description of the equipment.
· Location: The location 31 where this equipment is based or kept.
· Category: The equipment belongs to this category 25 .
· Vendor: The vendor 45 who supplied this equipment. Click New to add one to
the list.
· Part Of: Use this if the equipment is part of another piece of equipment.
· Model # and Serial #: As supplied by the manufacturer.
· WO Tag: Any special lockout data/ shutdown information for the equipment
that will appear on work orders.
· Comments tab: Any additional information about the equipment, e.g. pictures,
or links to manufacturer’s manuals. You may enter several pages of
comments. See HTML Editor 104 for how to insert links, pictures, etc.

· Alarm tab: You can specify if an alarm condition is reportable on this

equipment (e.g. an overheated bearing, a regulatory inspection, etc.). You can
enter/ modify dates the alarm condition is reported. You can set up different
tasks to be scheduled whenever this equipment has an alarm - see Tasks-
Frequency tab 44 . This when used in conjunction with Create Work Orders For
Breakdowns/ Requests 52 or the Work Requests 108 screens can be used to
report alarm conditions and schedule work orders from the tasks.
· Log tab: Clickable list of log entries relating to the equipment e.g. issues
reported by operators, or changes made to operating parameters. Click New
to add a new entry. Click Delete to remove a selected entry.
· Meter tab: Enables you to set up and update a meter which can then schedule
work orders 48 . For example, you could set up a "mileage" meter for a car and
then have an "oil change" task scheduled for every 3000 miles.
To set up the meter, select Has a meter, then decide whether to schedule
tasks by Estimated use, or Actual use and fill in the details. If you select
Estimated Use, FastMaint will try to estimate meter readings over time and
schedule any associated tasks accordingly. If you selected Actual use, then
somebody must use the Add readings button to add regular readings or
periodically import the readings using the Import feature 73 .
For setting up tasks triggered by a meter, see the Tasks - Frequency tab 44 .
· Non-working days: Specify a calendar 23 to use when calculating estimated

use (see above, "Meter tab"). You can also click the Add button to enter
Vacation/ Off Days and double-click an existing entry to change or delete it.
· Parts: Clickable list of parts associated with this equipment. To edit the list,
click Add/Remove Parts From List. To have FastMaint use the existing tasks
to work out what parts are required, click Identify Parts Required from
Tasks.

· Tasks tab, Work Orders tab: Clickable list of tasks 41 and work orders 48
associated with this equipment. Use Add and Remove to edit the list. Adding
or removing tasks will not change associated work orders that already exist.
· Custom Fields tab: Enter specific information not covered in the other tabs. In
the main window, select Administration, Define Custom Fields to add fields, e.g.
customer number, contact person, or contract renewal date.

3.2.4 Locations
Locations
Specifying locations makes it easier to perform and track work orders 48 , as well
as to report and classify all the maintenance data you collect. If you are doing
facility maintenance, locations can be a way to manage maintenance of specific
rooms or buildings.
information on locations.
Instructions

Listing
· Name: Identifies a location, either an actual name (e.g. “Room 101”) or an

internal code (e.g. “AZ-DG5438”).
Tip: If you have a large number of locations, it may make sense to switch to
using unique location code/identifier. Put the location code in the “Name” field,
and a detailed location name and description in the “Description” field.
· Description: Longer one-line description.
· Part Of: Use this if the location is part of another location, e.g. a room or
outbuilding.
· WO Tag: For any special lockout data/ shutdown information for the location
on work orders.
· Comments tab: Any additional information about the location, e.g. maps,
pictures, or notes. You may enter several pages of comments. See HTML
Editor 104 for how to insert links, pictures, etc.
· Equipment tab, Parts tab, People tab, Tasks tab, Work Orders tab:
Clickable lists of equipment, parts, people, tasks and work orders associated
with this location. Use Add and Remove to edit the lists. Adding or removing
tasks will not change associated work orders that already exist.
· Custom Fields tab: Additional information you need on each location. In the
main window, select Administration, Define Custom Fields to add fields, e.g.
square footage, customer contacts, etc.

3.2.5 Parts
Parts
Parts are items required to complete a task, e.g. an air conditioning filter, a toner
cartridge, or a quart of oil. When you mark a task as complete, FastMaint
reduces the quantity of required parts accordingly.
parts.
Instructions
(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes, or Clone to create a new
part based on this one.).

Listing
· Name: Identifies the part. Either a name, e.g. "Oil Filter 55AWC", or an internal
code e.g. "HPC4092A".
Tip: If you have a large number of parts, it may make sense to switch to
using unique part code/identifier. Put the part code in the “Name” field and a
detailed part name and description in the “Description” field.
· Description: One-line description of the part.
· Price: The cost of the part. Updating the price updates any automatically
calculated costs.
· Quantity In Stock: Number of parts available.
· Units: Any units of measurement for the part e.g. gallons, boxes, etc.
· Reorder At: Reorder when the quantity hits this floor. Enter "-1" (minus one) if this
is not needed for this part.
· Category: Enter the related category 25 .
· Comments tab: Provide more information about the part, e.g. pictures or
notes. See HTML Editor 104 for how to insert links, pictures, etc.
· Equipment tab: Clickable list of equipment 27 for which this part is required.
Click Auto Identify to let FastMaint use the tasks to work out which
equipment requires the part. Click Change to edit the list.
· Locations/Stores tab: Clickable list of locations 31 where this part is

stored.Click Change to edit the list.
· Purchases: Clickable list of purchase orders 38 for this part. To add a new one,
click Create New Purchase Order.

· Tasks tab: Clickable list of tasks 41 for which this part is required.
· Vendors tab: Clickable list of vendors 45 who supply this part (note the Rating
column!). Click Change to edit the list.
· Custom Fields tab: Additional information you need about the part. In the
alternate parts, special requirements, etc.

3.2.6 People
People
You can tell the system about people who work for you or your company,
whether as contractors or employees.
information on people.
Instructions

Listing
· Name: Identifies the person, either an actual name, e.g. "William Marshal" or
an internal code, e.g. “Electrician-L3”.
· Phone & Email: Contact details.
· Category: The person belongs to this category 25 .
· Location: Person works or is based at this location 31 .
· Hourly Rate: An hourly wage rate/cost rate applicable for this person. If this
is changed, any automatically calculated labor costs for tasks will be updated.
· Comments tab: Provide more information about the person, e.g pictures or
notes. See HTML Editor 104 for how to insert links, pictures, etc.
· Non-Working Days tab: Define working hours and days for this person by
selecting a calendar 23 . You can also click the Add button to enter Vacation/
Off Days and double-click an existing entry to change or delete it.
· Tasks tab: Lists tasks 41 for which this person is required. Double-click a task
to bring up a clickable list of work orders 48 or click Add/Remove tasks From
List to edit the list.
· Work Orders tab: List of work orders 48 involving this person. Double-click an
entry to review and edit it, or click Add/Remove tasks From List to edit the
list.
· Custom Fields tab: Additional information you need about the person. In the
hire date, employee number, specialties, etc.

3.2.7 Purchases
Purchases
Purchase orders can be created to order parts from vendors 45 . You can see
outstanding purchase orders on each part. When purchase order items are
received they are added to stock.
purchase orders.
Instructions

2. Select the Print button to print out the purchase order for approval or
submission to a vendor. You can save your changes by selecting the Add/
Save button. Selecting the Cancel button discards all changes. The Delete
button will delete the purchase order (after asking you for confirmation!).
Listing
· PO Request #: Automatically generated request number identifying the

purchase order. When you first create a purchase order, FastMaint asks you to
enter a template for these numbers.
· Description: A one-line description of the order.
· Order Date: Date of the order.
· PO Number: Purchase order number, e.g. as assigned to by the purchasing

department.
· Required By: Date when the order should be completed and parts delivered.
· Status: Status of the order, e.g. "Requested", "Approved" etc.
· Completed: Available when the order status is completed. Enter the date the
order was completed (all parts received).
· Details tab: Shipping and billing addresses, plus payment terms.
· Discounts/ Charges tab: Any discounts, shipping charges, taxes etc.
· Instructions tab: Any special instructions for the vendor.
· Parts tab: Specify parts to be ordered.
· Other tab: Any other non-stock parts or services to be ordered.

· Work Orders tab: Any work orders that depend on this purchase. This can be
useful when parts are received so you can identify work orders that can be
completed.
· Custom Fields tab: Additional information on each purchase order.

(You can add fields to this tab, e.g. cost center, approvals. To do this, in the
main window, from the Administration menu, select Define Custom Fields).

3.2.8 Tasks
Tasks
Each task describes a job or action that can be specified in a work order 48 , for
example weekly maintenance checks, fixing an equipment breakdown or
changing an oil filter. You can create a task when you fill out a work order, but
it's better to enter some standard tasks beforehand. Also, if you define a task as
having a regular frequency, FastMaint schedules it for you. For step-by-step
examples see - How to create a 240 day task? 124 and How to create a meter
based task? 131
In the Professional edition you can restrict a user's ability to view, create or
modify tasks.
"Any Other Maintenance": This task can be used to create ad-hoc unplanned
work orders using the Request/ Breakdowns 52 button. Do not delete it, or
assign equipment or locations to it. If you can't find this task (because someone
changed its name), in the Create Work Orders For Breakdowns/ Maintenance
Requests Request/Breakdowns window, look for the hint next to the Equipment
and Location entries, "...you can always use the same unplanned task...". If this
doesn't list a task, create a new one called "Any Other Maintenance".

Instructions
2. If required, Click Work Orders/History to display a schedule of work orders,

which you can create by clicking Add.
You can also create a new task based on the current one by using the Clone
button; and use the Delete button to remove the current task.
Listing
· Name: Identifies the task, either a short description (e.g. "Weekly A/C
Maintenance") or an internal code (e.g."PUMP-01-SCHED-A").

Tip: If you have a large number of tasks it may make sense to switch to using unique task
code/ identifier. Put the task code in the “Name” field and a detailed task name and
description in the “Description” field.
· Description: More information about the task.
· Class: Is this a "preventive maintenance task" or a "breakdown maintenance

task"?
· Category: Category, e.g. "Electrical", "Production Dept.", "Customer #5". Use

the Add/ Edit button to add new categories.
Class & Category information can be useful for reporting & analysis.
· Priority: The priority for the task.
· Start Time & Duration: Expected start time and duration of work orders for
this task.
· Effective Period: This task can only be used to create work orders during this
time period. This is useful, e.g., if you wish to disable this task after a specific
date or number of work orders. Normally you would select “Never Ends” for
this field.
· Work Order Options: Select the "Create separate work orders for each
equipment and location associated with this task" to always generate a
separate work order for each location and piece of equipment associated with
the task.
If you don't select this option, then a single work order will cover all the
associated equipment and locations (unless you assign a custom frequency to
each location and piece of equipment on the Locations tab and the Equipment
tab).

· Frequency tab: Specify how often the task should be automatically scheduled,
and then fill out additional information depending on what you selected.
FastMaint automatically schedules work orders (calculates work order dates)
for regular tasks, however you still have to create these work orders manually
48 , or run a the Planning Report 61 to create all scheduled work orders in a
specific period. If you specify a Calendar, working hours and off days will be
considered.
Use "Unplanned" or "Alarm" for emergency or breakdown maintenance jobs.
You have to schedule these manually.
· Equipment tab/ Locations tabs/ Part tabs/ People tabs: Use these tabs
to associate particular equipment, locations, parts and people with the task. In
each, use the Add button to open a list, select the check boxes then click OK.
· Costs tab: Record the Labor Cost (cost of people needed), Material Cost (cost
of parts needed) and Other Cost (any other costs involved) for this task. If you
want to calculate any of these manually, uncheck the box. Otherwise FastMaint
calculates labor automatically based on the entries here.
· Instructions tab: Enter up to several pages of instructions. You can format

the instructions with paragraphs and spaces to make them easy to read when
displayed or printed on reports. See HTML Editor 104 for how to insert links,
pictures, etc.
· Feedback tab: Leave this blank or enter a template for the work order
feedback e.g. a fill in form, checklist, etc.
customer number, contact person, contract renewal date, etc.

3.2.9 Vendors
Vendors
You can enter vendors into the system and list and rate them as possible
suppliers for equipment and parts. You can then generate purchase orders 38 ,
and print vendor contact information on Parts to Reorder reports.
vendor information.
Instructions

Listing
· Name: Name or internal code to identify the vendor, e.g. "Sam"s Auto Parts",
or “V5463-22”.
Tip: If you have a large number of vendors, it may make sense to switch to using unique vendor code/
identifier. Put the vendor code in the “Name” field and the vendor name and description in the
“Description” field.
· Description: One-line description of the vendor.
· Our Account: Your organization's account number with this vendor.
· Vendor Rating: A good way to record how good a vendor is.
· Contacts tab: Enter different contact information for each service provided by
a vendor, or click select Only one contact for all sales and services to use just
one set of contact details for all sales & services.
· Equipment tab, Parts tab, Purchases tab: Review and edit equipment,
parts and purchase orders related to the vendor. The vendor will then appear
on the Vendors tab of the relevant record.
· Comments tab: Provide more information about the vendor. You may enter
several pages of comments. See HTML Editor 104 for how to insert links,
pictures, etc.
· Custom Fields tab: Additional information on each vendor.

(You can add fields to this tab, e.g. cost center, approvals. To do this, in the
main window, from the Administration menu, select Define Custom Fields).

3.2.10 Work Orders
Work Orders
Use work orders to assign maintenance tasks for particular dates and times.
New work orders are created from pre-entered tasks 41 . The default values are
copied from the task e.g. start time, duration, equipment, people, etc. This
speeds up data entry. When a work order is created it is given a unique "Work
Order #" (work order number).
When are work orders created (work order # assigned)?
FastMaint automatically schedules work orders (i.e. calculates work order dates)
for most types of tasks, however you still have to create them (the work order
# will be assigned when created). You can create these work orders by running
the Planning Report 61 for the work order dates (click the Plan button).
Alternatively look in the work order list for work orders with an empty status
(see screenshot below) and open the work order to create it using the Create/
Modify Work Orders 48 window. For tasks with a frequency of "Unplanned" or
"Alarm" you have to use the Requests/ Breakdown 52 function to schedule (&
create) unplanned task work orders or enter alarm conditions which will schedule
(& create) any work orders based on the alarm condition.

3.2.10.1 Create/Modify Work Orders
With the Work Order list displayed, double-click a work order
When are work orders created (work order # assigned)?

FastMaint automatically schedules work orders (i.e. calculates work order

dates) for most types of tasks, however you still have to create them (the
work order # will be assigned when created). You can create these work
orders by running the Planning Report 61 for the work order dates (click the
Plan button). Alternatively look in the work order list on the main window for
work orders with an empty status and open the work order to create it. For
tasks with a frequency of "Unplanned" or "Alarm" you have to use the
Requests/ Breakdown 52 function to schedule (& create) unplanned task work
orders or enter alarm conditions which will schedule (& create) any work orders
based on the alarm condition.

Instructions

(Alternatively, click Cancel to abandon your changes. Any scheduled task will
still remain scheduled.)
You can also use the Delete button to remove the current work order (It will still
be scheduled by FastMaint if the work order is not based on an Unplanned
frequency task. Set the work order status to "Canceled" if you do not want it in
the schedule). Use Email to email the work order to all the people associated
with the work order. Use Print to print the work order - when the print window
pops up, you can select the Print all linked documents to print all supporting
documents required for the work order.
Listing
· Task Name and Description: From the original task 41 . (You can't edit this.)
· Last Changed: For tracking purposes, shows when this work order was last
changed. (You can't edit this.)
· Work Order #: Automatically assigned when the work order is created (will be
"N/A" until you click Save). This number can be used to locate the work order
using the Find button on the main window. (You can't edit this.)
· Last Emailed: For tracking purposes, shows when this work order was last
emailed. (You can't edit this.)
· Planned: Date & time this task was planned for.(You can change this only for
work orders based on an Unplanned frequency task.)
· Description: More information about the task.

· Start Time Actual start time.
· Duration: Actual duration of work.
· Work Status & Completed: Current status of the work. If it is completed

then enter the completed date. If the work order is canceled then enter the
date it was canceled.
If the Work Status is changed to "Started" "Incomplete" or "Completed", the
quantity in stock for all parts needed for this task will be appropriately reduced.
If the Work Status is changed from "Started", "Incomplete" or "Completed" to
"Planned" or "Planned (Requested)", the quantity in stock for all parts used for
this task will be increased since the parts will not yet have been used.
· Priority: The priority for the task.
· Problems: Wether there were any problems when executing this work order.
· Feedback tab: The place for any additional information. You can format the
instructions with paragraphs and spaces to make them easy to read when
displayed or printed on reports. See HTML Editor 104 for how to insert links,
pictures, etc.
· Equipment tab/ Locations tabs/ Parts tabs/ People tabs: Use these tabs
to associate particular equipment, locations, parts and people with the task. In
each, use the Add button to open a list, select the check boxes then click OK.
· Purchases tab: Any purchases required for this work order. You can also
create new purchases here and fill them with parts required on the work order.
· Requests tab: Any work requests assigned to this work order.

· Costs tab: Records the Labor Cost (cost of people needed), Material Cost
(cost of parts needed) and Other Cost (any other costs involved). Depending
on the settings in the original task, these are usually calculated automatically
for you based on the Duration, and contents of the Parts tab and the People
tab.
customer number, contact person, contract renewal date, etc.
· Instructions button: Review task instructions (can be changed only by editing

the task 41 ).
3.2.10.2 Create Work Orders For Breakdowns/ Maintenance Requests
With the Work Order list displayed, click Add

OR
In the main window, click Requests/ Breakdowns
Use this screen to create work orders for breakdowns and maintenance
emergencies, or maintenance requests. If you select one of the tasks you
defined earlier, then some of the information is filled in for you.
You can also use this screen to modify and print work orders. The resulting work
orders will also appear in the Planning Report 61 - useful if you want to schedule
non-emergency maintenance requests for the next period.
In the Professional edition you can restrict this screen to specific groups of
users.

Instructions
Complete the form (see Listing, below) then click one of the buttons:
· Reset: Clear the form and start again.
· Create: Finalize the work order, saving your changes.
· Cancel: Close the window without saving your changes.
Listing
· Work Order Details: Indicate whether this work order is unplanned or based
on an alarm. (Daily/ Weekly/ Monthly/ Yearly/ Meter/ task types are
automatically scheduled by the system.)

TIP: It speeds up data entry if you've already created several "Unplanned" tasks
for common breakdowns/ requests. Do this now by clicking the Task Add/Edit
button. This opens the Tasks screen 41 .
· Only Show Tasks For: Limit the list of possible tasks by specific equipment/
location.
· Task: Base the Work Order on this task. Use the Add/ Edit button to add new
tasks or modify existing tasks
· Reason: Reason for the work order.
· Work Order Date: The work order is for this date (today or in the future).
· Work Order Comments/Special Instructions: Any additional text.
Tip: If you need to remove an unplanned/ alarm work order that have already
been submitted, delete the work order (Creating And Updating Work Orders 48 ).
Also remove the alarm on the equipment if the work order’s task is scheduled
based on an equipment alarm. Alternatively you can just set the work order's
status to "Canceled". This will ensure that such work orders do not get scheduled
in the Planning report.

3.2.11 Statistics
Statistics
View current system statistics (e.g. work order backlog, equipment downtime,
pending work orders, etc.) and compare them with prior periods. For example in
each period you can identify which equipment took the most work order time for
breakdown (unplanned) maintenance as well as planned (preventive)
maintenance. This can help identify trends or signal potential problems if you see
unusual changes over the three different periods.
By default the current period (P1) is the last 30 days. Two prior periods are last
31-60 days (P2) and last 61-90 days (P3). You can change the size of the
periods used for the statistics calculation (e.g. from 30 days to 90 days) by
using System Settings 82 .


3.3 Toolbar (top bar buttons)

The buttons on the main window toolbar enable you to quickly perform common
tasks, most of them relating to the lists opened by the buttons on the left bar 20 .

Listing
· Add: Add a new entry to the selected list.
· Open: Open the selected list entry. (You can also do this by double-clicking.)
· Delete: Delete the selected entry.
· Find: Find an entry on any of the lists - no need to display the list first. If you
have the barcode support module 84 , then you can also scan in identification
numbers using this feature.
· Requests/Breakdowns: Process emailed/ web submitted work requests or

create new unplanned work orders 47 for maintenance requests or
breakdowns.
· Workload: Review workload and resolve schedule conflicts, e.g. where people
are not available for a job, or are required elsewhere - see Workload Balancing
And Detecting Schedule Conflicts 59 .
· Plan: Create and print (or re-print) pending work orders for any period - see
Planning Report/ Print Work Orders 61 .
· Feedback: A quick way of updating the status of multiple work orders for a
selected period - see Fast Feedback 64 .
· Email: Process staff emailed/ SMS text responses to work orders emailed to
them - see Email Processing 66 .

3.3.1 Workload Balancing And Detecting Schedule Conflicts

Click Workload
Use this screen to review workload and resolve schedule conflicts, e.g. where
people are not available for a job, or are required elsewhere. This can help reduce
overtime hours, and ensure that jobs get done.
Instructions
1. Specify the period to review (you can also click the buttons to focus on
specific task categories, people, equipment etc), then click OK.
The Workload screen opens. This may take a few minutes if there are a large
number of tasks or the period you selected is very large.

2. Review the Task Duration Chart. When you find a red bar (representing a day
with conflict), click it.
The tasks for that day appear in the Task Chart.
3. Work through the Task Chart, clicking each red bar (representing a task with
conflict) and using the Modify button to resolve any conflict.
4. Click Refresh to update the display, then return to step #3 until you have
resolved all the conflicts.
5. Click Close.
The window closes. Now would be a good time to review the Planning Report
61 to create a work plan or directly produce work orders.
Description
Bars in red indicate conflicts.
· Task Duration Chart: A bar chart showing workload. The title on top shows
the period for the chart as well as the number of dates found with conflicts.
Each bar represents a single day. The height shows the total duration or total
labor hours of all the tasks for that day (depending on the Chart total labor
hours... checkbox). When calculating total labor hours, tasks with no
associated people are treated as requiring a single person.
Select a bar to see the breakdown of the tasks for that day in the Task Chart.
· Task Chart: A bar chart showing tasks for the date selected in the Task
Duration Chart.
Each bar represents a single task.The height shows the duration.
For dates with conflicts, the title of the Task chart will show how many of the
tasks had conflicts. You can select an individual task bar to see more details of
the task. Click Modify to resolve the conflict by updating the task 41 or work
order 48 .

3.3.2 Planning Report/ Print Work Orders

Click Plan
Planning provides a way to create and email or print (or re-print) pending work
orders 47 for any period.
Email Work Orders

You can email pending work orders in a period to each person associated with
the work order (make sure that they have a valid email/ SMS text address using
the People 36 window). Specify the period (you can also click the buttons to
focus on specific task categories, people, equipment etc, and use the check box
to save the settings until the next time), then click OK. You will be asked if you
wish to modify the work orders before emailing them - this is a good time make
any changes or to cancel any work orders that are no longer needed. Once this
is done the work orders are emailed. This may take some time.

The maintenance staff who receive these email/ SMS text messages can
perform the work and send you back a status update by email/ SMS text. If you
have FastMaint Professional you can receive and process the emailed
responses from the maintenance staff using the Email Processing 66 feature.
Print Work Orders
Built-in Report Templates
1. Compact: Print work orders with multiple work orders per page.
2. Detailed: Print work orders with each work order on its own page.
3. List: Print work orders in a tabular form - similar to a spreadsheet.
specific task categories, people, equipment etc, specify what appears on the
report in Print Options, or pick a different Order or Report Template, and use
the check box to save the settings until the next time), then click OK. You will
be asked if you wish to modify the work orders before printing them - this is a
good time make any changes or to cancel any work orders that are no longer
needed.
The report opens. This may take some time.
2. After the report is created: Click Save to save the report as a PDF (opens
in Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar) or HTML file (opens in your web browser)
and Email to send the report via email. Click Preview to see how many
pages the report would be before printing it out, and the Print to print (when
the print window pops up, on the Options tab you can select the Print all
linked documents to print all supporting documents required for the work
order).

Tip: If you wish to create custom report templates see - How can I customize a
report? 145

3.3.3 Fast Feedback

Click Feedback
The Fast Feedback screen is a quick way of updating the status of multiple work
orders for a selected period. It makes it very easy for maintenance personnel to
update their work orders.
1. Specify the period and which categories of work order to review (you can also
click the buttons to focus on specific task categories, people, equipment etc,
and use the checkbox to save the settings until the next time), then click OK.
The Update Work Order Status screen opens.

2. Do one or both of the following:

Click the check boxes to update the status. Selecting a check box marks the
work order as completed and parts used will be reduced from stock.
Unselecting a checkbox marks the work order as incomplete (parts are
returned to stock only if the work order status is changed to "Planned").
Double-click a work order to edit it and enter additional details 48 .
3. Click Close.
The screen closes.

3.3.4 Email Processing

Click Email
The Email Processing screen allows you to receive
1. Maintenance technicians emailed/ SMS text responses to work orders emailed

to them. Based on these responses work orders can be updated or closed.
2. Emailed work requests and work request updates from external users.
Instructions
1. Click the Receive button to get the email responses sent to the default email
address specified in Settings 82 .
2. Review the received email. The Errors column will display any errors (e.g.
bounced email). Double click on an email message to edit it or delete it 67 . You
will do this to fix errors or forward/ reply to the message to request
clarifications.

3. Click Process to process the email messages. All email messages without
errors will be checked. If the text "Work Order #:" is found in the email
subject, the corresponding work order is located & updated. The work order
status is set based on the first word found in the email message (Completed/
Canceled/ Incomplete). The relevant part of the email message is copied into
the work order feedback. If you have turned on emailed work requests in
Settings 82 , and if the text "Work Request #:" is found in the email subject,
the corresponding work request is located & updated. Any remaining
messages are treated as new work requests (unless you have specified an
optional text/ word that must be in the email subject for a work request). Any
errors during this process will cause the email message to be marked with an
error. Messages that are successfully processed are removed from the list.
4. Go back to step 2 to fix any email with errors. If none of the messages left
are needed (e.g. they are all bounce errors) then click on Delete All to
remove all remaining messages. If done click on the Close button to exit.
3.3.4.1 Edit Email
In Email Processing, double click on an Email
You can use this to fix some email errors e.g. work order # not found in the
email subject because the subject was changed in the email. You can also use
this to Reply to the email to get clarifications or Forward it to someone else to
get more information.

Instructions
Listing
· From: Name of the person this email is from.
· From Email: Email address of the person who sent the email.
· To: The email address the email was sent to. It cannot be changed. This will
normally be the default email address set in the system Settings 82 .

· Subject: The email subject. Avoid changing this to avoid email processing
errors. You would normally change this only when trying to fix an email error
like "Cannot find Work Order # in subject". To fix such an error make sure that
the work order number is correct and that it comes immediately after the text
"Work Order #:" in the subject.
· Message: The actual response from the person. When processing the email to
update the work order, FastMaint will pull out the relevant part of the response
and use it to update the work order feedback.
· Reply/ Forward button: Use this button to forward the email message to
someone else or send a reply to the person who sent the email. Pressing this
button will show a slightly different screen since the message will be from
FastMaint to another person (From address, To address will change). You can
enter your message here and press the Send button to send the email
message and return to the edit screen. Note that replying/ forwarding the
message will not remove the original email message - you can still process it.
· Save button: Save your changes.
· Delete button: Delete the message so that it will not be processed.

3.4 Menus
Keyboard shortcuts are listed next to the menu item on the actual menu, e.g.
"Delete Ctrl+D".
Menu Options
File · Add: Add an item to the displayed list 20 .
· Open: Open the selected item.
· Import: Load information from other tools - see

Importing Data 73 .
· Export: Save information so it can be used by other

tools - see Export Wizard 76 .
Edit · Delete: Delete the selected item.
· Find: Find an entry on any of the lists - no need to

display the list first. If you have the barcode support
module 84 , then you can also scan in identification
numbers using this feature.
View · Refresh: Update the display to take account of any

changes, e.g. by somebody else using the Web Based
Request Module 111 .
· Text Size: Increase or reset the text size for easy

readability.

Menu Options
Administration · Groups & User Accounts (Professional Edition):

Create and manage multiple user accounts with different
permissions - see User Accounts 80 and Groups 78 .
· Define Custom Fields: Set up custom fields for the

Custom Fields tabs.
· Settings (Email, Alerts, etc.): Alter the system

settings for alerts, email, bar codes and so on - see
Settings 82 .
· Application Setup: Use this option to setup FastMaint

(upgrades, change databases etc).
· Compact Database: A bit like defragmenting your hard

drive; this option speeds up the system by reorganizing
the way information has been stored.
Tools · Bar Code Labels (Bar Code Module): Print barcode

labels, depending on your Bar Code Options 84 .
· Fast Feedback: A quick way of updating the status of

multiple work orders for a selected period - see Fast
Feedback 64 .
· Workload Balancing: Review workload and resolve

schedule conflicts, e.g. where people are not available for
a job, or are required elsewhere - see Workload
Balancing And Detecting Schedule Conflicts 59 .

Menu Options
Reports A variety of useful reports, including:
· Maintenance, Planning / Create Work Orders: A way

to create and print (or re-print) pending work orders for
any period - see Planning Report/ Print Work Orders 61 .
· For a list of available reports see Reports 87 .
Help Help in using this application plus:
· Check for updates: Check for any changes to

FastMaint. You should do this regularly.
· Online Demos/ Tutorials: Access online demos/

tutorials on the SMGlobal website
· User Manual: Open printable user manual.
· Registration: Enter your license key to convert

FastMaint from the trial version to the full version.

3.4.1 Importing Data

Select File, Import
The Import function can be used to import Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets (.xls
files) and comma delimited text files containing data such as alarm and meter
readings, parts lists, and vendors. This can be a good way to quickly load your
system with information about your site. The import function can also be used to
update existing data e.g. part prices & quantities, etc. For a step-by-step
example see - How to import data? 116
Import rights are based on the user's rights to update information. For example,
if they have no update rights to Equipment they will not be able to import
Equipment. See Groups 78 for how to set access rights.
Instructions
1. Ensure that your source file is correctly organized (see below). The easiest
way to do this is to export similar data 76 and use the resulting file as a
template.

2. Select File, Import.

The Wizard starts.
3. Work through the wizard using the Next button. (You can backtrack by
clicking Previous.)
At the end, a list of errors appears. Entries with errors will not be imported.
4. Open the original file, fix any errors and try again.
FastMaint treats any duplicates as errors and skips them.
TIP: In the column-mapping step of the Import wizard, place the mouse over
selected columns to see "tool tips" with more information on what is expected in
the column as well as any special formatting instructions.
Format for source file

Its simplest to export similar data 76 and use the resulting file as a template.

· Comma delimited files: If you create the text file by exporting the data as
Comma Separated File (CSV) from another program such as Microsoft Excel™
or Microsoft Access™, it will normally take care of formatting.
All fields should be separated by a comma. The first line should contain the
column names. Each subsequent line should contain a single item of data:
Column-Name1, Column-Name2, Column-Name3
Item1-Col1-Value1, Item1-Col2-Value2, Item1-Col3-Value3
Replace any double quotes in the original data with single quotes ('). Replace
any embedded newlines/ carriage returns with "^p" (Shift+6 and p). Any fields
containing commas should have double quotes (") around them.
The resulting file should look like this:

Name, Email, Phone, Calendar, Comment, Rate
"Smith, Sam",, 555-1212, Default,No overtime, 15.75
Ben Lane,,, Maintenance Calendar,,,22
"Paz, Bob R.","bob@test.com","Ext 15","Default","","",25.00
· Microsoft Excel™ Spreadsheets: Only the first workbook in the spreadsheet can
be imported. The first row should contain the column names.

3.4.2 Export Wizard

Select File, Export
Use the Export Wizard to export People, Equipment, Parts, Tasks, Vendors and
Work Orders (pending or historical data) to an external text file or Microsoft

Excel spreadsheet. This can be a way to transfer information to another system
as needed.
Export rights are based on the user's rights to view People, Equipment, Parts,
Tasks and Vendors. For example, if they have no rights to view Equipment they
will not be able to export Equipment. See Groups 78 .

Instructions
· Work through the wizard using the Next button. (You can backtrack by
clicking Previous.)
Listing
· Format: "MS Excel File" produces a standard file with the extension ".xls".
"Text File (comma delimited)" produces a file with commas separating the
fields (sometimes known as a CSV file).
"Text File (tab delimited)" produces a file with tabs separating the fields - this is
probably the easiest to import into a word processor or spreadsheet program.

3.4.3 Groups
Select Administration, Groups then select a group and click Open
The settings for each group enables you to control who uses what parts of the
system.
You do this by setting up a User Account 80 for each person who uses the
system. You then assign each user to one of three groups:
· Administrators: Complete rights to use the system.
· Power Users: Rights to everything except manage user accounts and group
rights.
· Basic Users. Limited rights to use the system
You can change the settings of a group to control access to different parts of the
system for all users who belong to that group.

Instructions
Listing
· Name: Identifies the group.
· Comments: Any useful information about the group.
· Access Rights: Scroll through the list, assigning access as required. Hovering
the mouse pointer brings up additional information about each setting.

3.4.4 User Accounts

Select Administration, User Accounts, then select an account and click
Open or New
User accounts contain a user's login details, and determine their group
membership 78 , which in turn controls their access to the system.
IMPORTANT: Keep the default "admin" account password in a safe place.

Without access to an account with administrator group rights, you cannot
manage users and groups, compact the database or register the software.
Instructions
· Complete the form (see below) and click Save or Add.
Listing
· Name: A unique name for the user, perhaps their real name or a network ID.
Try to make it easy to both remember and type, since this name is required
every time they log on!

· Contact Details: How to contact the user.
· Password & Re-enter: Leave this blank to have the user enter their own
password the next time they log on. This is useful for resetting existing
passwords.
· Group: Determines access to FastMaint - see Groups 78 .
· Comments: Any useful information.

3.4.5 Settings (Email, Alerts, etc.)

Select Administration, Settings
Use this window to alter the system settings for a variety of FastMaint features
such as the statistics period, work request alerts, email accounts, initial system
settings and so on.
Instructions
· Complete the form (see below) and click Save. (Click Cancel to return to the
previous page.)
Listing
1) Main tab: General settings such as:

a. If you have also purchased the Web Based Work Request 111 add-on:
Require an equipment or location to be specified when a work request is
submitted.
b. Disable deletion of a work order once it is created (a work order #

assigned). This will prevent work orders from being accidentally deleted.
This is useful if you need to keep track of every work order number
assigned for auditing purposes.
c. Change the number of days from the default 30 days in a period for
Statistics 55 . Do not make this too large as otherwise system performance
will suffer as the statistics are periodically refreshed.
d. Option to automatically insert the user name & date in the work order
feedback whenever the work order is updated
e. Daily when program starts, email pending work orders & reminders: If this
option is selected, once a day when the program is started it will email out
all pending work orders and work order reminders to technicians. You can
specify how many days a work order should be overdue to send a
reminder. Note: If no one runs the program that day - no work orders or
reminders will be sent out that day!
2) Requests tab: Work request processing is available only in FastMaint

Professional edition. You can get or send alerts by email SMS/ text messages
when a work request is received or updated. You can also turn on the ability
to receive work requests by email.
3) Barcodes tab: Print and use bar codes in FastMaint. Requires the bar code
module add-on to be purchased. More details of each bar code option is
available here 84 .

4) Email tab: Email account settings. You will need to specify both receive email
settings (POP3) as well as send email settings (SMTP).
5) Initial settings tab: The initial system settings such as whether you want to
create a demo database, work order numbering, work request numbering
(used if you have FastMaint Professional edition) and purchase order
numbering.
3.4.5.1 Bar Code Options
Select Administration, Settings, Bar Codes tab
Use this to alter the standard settings for bar codes generated by FastMaint.
FastMaint can generate and print bar codes, and then read them using the Find
function (on the main window's Edit menu 19 ). Bar codes can be a great way to
reduce data entry and make it easier to use the system. For example, you can
use bar codes for checking out parts from inventory, and then for updating the
work order.
Requirements: To print and use barcodes, you will need to have the Bar Code
module, an add-on for the Standard & Professional editions. If you wish to
evaluate the module please contact sales@smglobal.com for a trial or to
purchase a license. You will also need to have or purchase your own barcode
scanners to scan in the bar codes. The bar code scanners should be of the
"wedge" type (plug into the keyboard) OR should use software that makes it
seem like the bar codes are being entered as text on the keyboard.

Instructions
1. Complete the form (see below) and click OK.
2. If required, select Tools, Barcode Labels to print your bar codes.

(You can pick from a range of standard labels, or define your own. )
3. If the scanner fails to read your bar codes, increase the dimensions and quiet
zone and try again.
Listing
· Create Bar Codes of Type: Select a standard type of bar code. Code 128
produces the most compact.
· Height, Narrow Width: Dimensions of the bar code.

· Quiet Zone: Blank area on either side of the bar code to enable the scanner to
work.

3.4.6 Reports
Select Reports
There are a variety of useful reports. Most reports use a report template. You
can create new report templates or modify existing ones to create customized
reports - see Report Designer 94 and How can I customize a report? 145 .
List of available reports:
Menu Report Name Description
Select Reports, Work Order Analysis This report helps compare preventive,
Maintenance unplanned and other (miscellaneous)
maintenance work orders over a period
of time. Use it to identify trends (e.g.
too much variance from estimated
work durations, frequent unplanned
maintenance, etc.) and other issues
that may need to be fixed in the
maintenance plan.
See Work Order Analysis Report 91 .
Select Reports, Equipment This reports gives you an overview of

Maintenance Maintenance maintenance work due by week on
Calendar different equipment over a twelve
month period. This can be very useful
for planning and identifying machine
downtime periods.
See Equipment Maintenance Calendar 92

Select Reports, Planning/ Create Use this report to actually generate and
Maintenance Work Orders print work orders as needed. It will allow
you to modify work orders prior to
printing as well as calculate part and
person availability. Depending on the
report templates you choose, you can
print out work orders in tabular format,
detailed format, etc.
See Planning/ Create Work Orders 61 .
Select Reports, Work Order History This report allows you to review & print
Maintenance past and future work orders. See Work
Order History Report 93 .
Select Reports, Work Requests This reports allows you to review & print
Maintenance work requests. To use this you have to
have FastMaint Professional with the
web work request add-on.
Select Reports, Details This reports allows you to list all the
Categories categories in your system, plus the
associated equipment, tasks, parts, etc.
Select Reports, History This reports allows you to compare

Categories work order costs and durations by
category, over a specified period.

Equipment equipment in your system, plus the
associated tasks, parts, etc.

Equipment work order costs and durations by
equipment, over a specified period. Use
the "Part Of" option to get a detailed
work order cost and duration roll-up of
a piece of equipment and its sub-
equipment.
Locations locations in your system, plus the
associated equipment, tasks, parts, etc.

Locations work order costs and durations by
location, over a specified period. You
can also include work orders by
equipment in the location. Use the "Part
Of" option to get a detailed work order
cost and duration roll-up of a location
and its sub-locations.
Parts parts in your system, plus the
associated equipment, tasks, vendors,
etc.


Parts work order parts usage costs and
durations by part, over a specified
period.
People people in your system, plus the
associated tasks, holidays, etc.

People work order costs and durations by
person, over a specified period.
Select Reports, This reports allows you to list all

Purchases purchase orders in your system, over a
specified period.
Tasks tasks in your system, plus the
associated equipment, locations, parts,
etc.

Tasks work order costs and durations by
maintenance task, over a specified
period.
Select Reports, This reports allows you to list all the

Vendors vendors in your system, plus the
associated equipment, parts, etc.

3.4.6.1 Work Order Analysis Report
Select Reports, Maintenance, Work Order Analysis
The Work Order Analysis Report is used to compare preventive, unplanned and
other (miscellaneous) maintenance work orders (see Creating And Updating
Work Orders 48 ) over a period of time. Use it to identify trends (e.g. too much
variance from estimated work durations, frequent unplanned maintenance, etc.)
and other issues that may need to be fixed in the maintenance plan. For example
the variation of average days to complete work orders (difference between
Completed date & Planned date) tells you how well you are following your
maintenance plan. Ideally it should be zero or a small positive number of days.
From the Maintenance sub-menu in the Reports menu, select Work Order
Analysis.
1. Breakdown vs Preventive: Compare time spent, average days to complete &

costs of breakdown vs. preventive vs. other task work orders.
2. Cost & Duration Variance: Compare actual cost & actual duration variances
from task estimates of different types of work orders.
3. Tabular Data: See all analysis data in tabular form rather than in charts.

Instructions
specific task categories, people, equipment etc, enter a different Title for the
report, or pick a different grouping (Show By - Day/ Week/ Month) or Report
Template, and use the checkbox to save the settings until the next time),
then click OK.
2. Click Save to save the report as an HTML file (opens in your web browser).
Click Preview to see how many pages the report would be before printing it
out, and the Print to print.
report? 145
3.4.6.2 Equipment Maintenance Calendar
Select Reports, Maintenance, Equipment Maintenance Calendar
The Equipment Maintenance Calendar Report gives you an overview of

maintenance work due by week on different equipment over a twelve month
period. This can be very useful for planning and identifying machine downtime
periods. From the Maintenance sub-menu in the Reports menu, select Equipment
Maintenance Calendar.
Instructions
1. Specify the twelve month (one year) period to create the calendar for (you
can also click the buttons to focus on specific task categories, people,
equipment etc), then click OK. The report opens. This may take some time if
you have a lot of equipment or many maintenance tasks.

report? 145
3.4.6.3 Work Order History Report
Select Reports, Maintenance, Work Order History
The Work Order History Report is used to see work orders (see Creating And
Updating Work Orders 48 ) done in a given period. From the Maintenance sub-
menu in the Reports menu, select Work Order History.

1. Compact: Print work orders with multiple work orders per page.
2. Detailed: Print work orders with each work order on its own page.
3. List: Print work orders in a tabular form - similar to a spreadsheet.
Instructions
specific task categories, people, equipment etc, enter a different Title for the
report, or pick a different Order or Report Template, and use the checkbox to
save the settings until the next time), then click OK.
report? 145
3.4.6.4 Report Designer
Select Report, then any report, then click Add/Edit next to Report
Template, then New or Open on the list of templates
Report templates are used to generate most reports. You can modify most
report templates and also create your own ones. For a step-by-step example
see - How can I customize a report? 145

You can create new fields for an item (e.g. a new warranty date field for
equipment) that can be displayed on the report by selecting Administration,
Define Custom Fields for that specific item type (e.g. equipment) on the main
window.
Instructions
1. Open the report for editing.
If it's a built in report, FastMaint creates a copy - you can't edit built-in
reports!
2. If required, change the report name and description to something more

descriptive.

3. If you are an administrator, you can specify if the report template is available
only to you or all other users.
4. Edit the template as required, using the Insert Field button to insert fields -
see Editing a Report Template 96 . You can click on the HTML View button to
see the report code.
5. Click OK then Add.

The report is now available for use.
Listing
· Name: Short easy-to-remember name for the report.
· Description: Longer description of the report.
· Type: Determines which fields are available,
· Sub-Type: Determines the layout, e.g. "List".
· Owner: Whoever created the report.
· Available for: Who can use this report. You need to be an administrator to
alter this setting which is available under Groups 78 .
· Report Template: See Editing a Report Template 96 .
3.4.6.4.1 Editing a Report Template
From inside a Report, click in the Report Template field
The report template is used to generate the actual report. You can insert tables,
columns, add/ remove fields or functions and so on. All report fields/ functions
are enclosed in double square brackets (e.g. "[[wo.category]] ").

Instructions
Edit the report as you would using any word processor. Enter text and format it
using the icon buttons. Hovering the mouse over the buttons displays tool tips
explaining what each one does. The first button toggles between Design view and
HTML view (you can also use the HTML View/ Design View button above the
template to the right).
If you insert any pictures & links make sure that the files are in locations
available to all users e.g. a public website or shared folder. Otherwise you will be
able to access them but others will get errors when trying to access them from
some other computer (pictures will not be displayed and links will not work).
Insert/ Modify fields: Click on a field/ function in design view to change the
field/ function. Insert fields and functions at a particular location by moving the
cursor there and then clicking on the Insert Field button. Once a field is
selected, you can also use drag and drop to move it around within the section
(Header/ Detail/ Footer) it was created in.

You can create new fields for an item (e.g. a new warranty date field for
equipment) that can be displayed on the report by selecting Administration,
Define Custom Fields for that specific item type (e.g. equipment). This new field
will now be visible when you click on the Insert Field button.
Detail record field: For example an equipment field on a work order report can
occur multiple times - once for each equipment on the work order, a part field on
an equipment report can occur multiple times - once for each part associated
with the equipment. In such cases insert a list (use the numerical list/ unordered
list toolbar buttons in editor) before the field e.g.
· [[equipment.name]]
HTML view (experts only!): Review and directly edit the HTML code here. Do
not put in the <html>, <header>, <body> tags as they are automatically be
inserted - duplicate tags may cause your reports to look odd! You can use most
tags normally found within the <body> section of HTML documents. For fields/
functions make sure that there are no spaces between the square brackets.
DO NOT delete or move around the Header, Details or Footer sections otherwise
your report will produce errors or be incorrect if you try to use this template. If
you accidentally do this, you may need to delete this template and start afresh if
you have saved your changes.
Components Of A Report Template

· Sections: A report template contains three sections:
1. Header Section: It can contain report title, summary information, etc. It is

marked by the tag [[report.header]] in HTML View.

2. Details Section: It contains the actual content of the report e.g. work
order details, part details, etc. It is marked by the tag [[report.detail]] in
HTML View.
3. Footer Section: It can contain summary information (e.g. report totals).

It is marked by the tag [[report.footer]] in HTML View.
· Report Functions: Function names are case insensitive. Functions may also
be nested e.g. [[FormatCurrency(total(wo.laborcost))]] will format the total
labor cost of all work orders retrieved in the current currency format.
· Avg: Gets the average of a numeric column e.g. [[avg(wo.laborcost)]].
· Count: Gets the numer of rows/ records found e.g. [[count(wo.name)]]
· Total: Gets the total of a numeric column e.g. [[total(wo.laborcost)]].

Typically used in the report's footer section to get totals.
· FormatCurrency: Formats a numeric value into the current currency

format e.g. [[formatcurrency(wo.laborcost)]].
· FormatDate: Formats a date value into the current date format e.g.
[[formatdate(wo.completeddate)]].
· FormatDuration: Formats a time duration value into the hour & minute
format e.g. [[formatduration(wo.actduration)]].
· FormatTime: Formats a time value into the current time format e.g.
[[formattime(wo.StartTime)]]

· IfPresent: Takes two or three arguments e.g.

[[IfPresent(equipment.description, equipment.description, "-No
description-"]]. If the first argument evaluates to empty/ null, it returns the
third argument or nothing if no third argument is supplied. If the first
argument is present and not empty, it returns the second argument.
· RowNum: Gets the row number of the current record being processed e.g.
[[rownum(wo.name)]].
· DrawChart: Draws a chart of the specified type. Parameters are:
o Type: Can be “barchart”, “linechart” or “piechart”
o Width: Chart width in pixels
o Height: Chart height in pixels
o Chart title
o Horizontal axis title
o Horizontal series data
o Vertical axis title
o First vertical series name
o First vertical series data
o Second vertical series name (optional)
o Second vertical series data (optional)
o Third vertical series name (optional)
o Third vertical series data (optional)
· Report Variables: Variable names are case insensitive. Enclose variable names
in square brackets e.g. [[report.date]].
· report.date: Returns date report was created.
· report.dump: Returns a full list of all parameters available in a report section. Useful if
you want to find out what variables and records are available in a report section.

· report.newline: Returns a line break (useful for formatting).
· report.null: Returns an empty value. Useful as a placeholder - say as a second

argument for the IfPresent function. E.g. [[ifPresent(eqp.name, report.null,
report.commentstart)]] - this will comment out a report section if no equipment records
are found.
· report.pagebreak: Produces a new page.
· report.space: Returns a single space. Useful for formatting.
· report.commentstart: Starts an HTML comment. Useful to use with the IfPresent

function to comment out (hide) unused sections of a report. Must be used along with
report.commentend. See the "Location History" report template for an example of how
this is used to show/ hide equipment information based on whether the checkbox to list
all equipment in a location is selected.
· report.commentend: Ends an HTML comment. Useful to use with the IfPresent

function to end a comment out (hide) unused sections of a report. Must be used with
report.commentstart.
Hints & Troubleshooting

· Make sure that there are no spaces within the double square brackets e.g.
something like "[ [" or "] ]" will cause items not to be recognized.
· Avoid using HTML code in function arguments (e.g. in the IfPresent function).
This can cause problems depending on the input data.
· Use the [[report.dump]] tag to get a detailed list of variables available in a

report section if the report generator cannot find a requested parameter.
· You can switch the Report Template to HTML mode (click HTML View) to see
the raw HTML code and hence locate the cause of some hard to find errors.
· If a field/ function does not display correctly make sure that you have not
moved it from the section (Header/ Footer/ Detail) that it was created in
originally.

· Seeing extra columns or rows in a table? If a field is detail record field it may
have multiple values for each master record field (e.g. more than one part
record associated with each work order record). You may need to put such
fields in their own sub-table or in a list by inserting a list symbol before the field
(use the numerical list/ unordered list toolbar buttons in editor). Otherwise you
may see an extra table column or row for each occurrence of this field.
· Problems with tables? If the table does not fill the width make sure that table
width is set to 100%. Blank table cells not displayed when you print or create a
PDF. If you want them displayed (because they have a border or margin) put
something in the cell. For example you can change a cell like "<td ……. ></td>"
to "<td ……. > </td>" (" " is a non-breaking HTML space). To
make text in a table cell bold use "<th>" rather than "<td>" e.g. rather than
"<td><strong>My Heading</strong></td>" use "<th>My Heading</th>".
· Font sizes & styles: If you want to make specific sections of a report larger
e.g. "Planned Date" field in the "Work Order: Detailed" report you have to edit
the HTML style. The report editor fonts are not used on the final report since it
is generated based on HTML 5 styles. To change the HTML styles click HTML
View.
Change:
<p>Date: [[wo.planneddate]]</p>
To:
<p style="font-size: 200%;">Date: [[wo.planneddate]]</p>

3.5 Other
This covers miscellaneous features of FastMaint.

3.5.1 HTML Editor

On any form, you edit Comments/ Instructions with this editor
You don't actually need to understand HTML in order to use the editor! You enter
text and images just as you would in a word processor such as Microsoft Word.
The editor is recognizable in any field due to the row of icon buttons at the top
as shown below.
The HTML Editor allows you to insert pictures, tables, formatted text and even
links to other documents. Note that these are links to these files - so you must
update the documents and pictures directly in their folders, e.g. when manuals
change.
Only links to documents in HTML format can be printed. Links to documents

of other types can be viewed when you click on them in the reports if you have
the corresponding document viewer installed in your web browser (e.g. for PDF,
Word, etc.). However, unless they are in HTML format they will not be printed
out. If you have many documents in other formats check if they can be
converted to HTML files. Note that Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, etc. are able
to save and edit documents as HTML files.

Instructions
If you insert any pictures & links make sure that the files are in locations available
to all users e.g. a public website or shared folder. Otherwise you will be able to
access them but others will get errors when trying to access them from some
other computer (pictures will not be displayed and links will not work).
· Enter text and format it using the icon buttons. Hovering the mouse over the
buttons displays tool tips explaining what each one does. The first button
toggles between Design view and HTML view.
Listing
· Design view: Use the buttons and menus to insert tables, insert pictures,
format paragraphs and more. You can even select pictures and tables and drag
them to another location or even re-size them.
· HTML view (experts only!): Review and directly edit the HTML code here. Do
not put in the <html>, <header>, <body> tags as they are automatically be
inserted - duplicate tags may cause your reports to look odd! You can use
most tags normally found within the <body> section of HTML documents.

3.5.2 Login Window

The login window is where you enter your user name (account id) and password
to start using FastMaint Professional. Based on your account options, you will
have different access rights to the system 78 .
The Admin Password (first use of FastMaint

Professional)
When you first start using FastMaint Professional edition, the system asks you to
specify a password for the "admin" account.
· Make sure that the Admin password is NOT longer than 10 characters.
You will need to use this password the next time you use FastMaint.

Forgotten Password: If you are a normal user, ask your FastMaint administrator
to reset your account password 80 .
If you are the administrator, see Forgotten Admin Password (Administrators
Only) 107 .
3.5.2.1 Forgotten Admin Password (Administrators Only)
If you have forgotten your Admin password...
1. Try passwords you normally use (most people seem to have a few favorite
passwords).
2. If you originally entered a password longer than 10 characters, try logging on

by entering the first 10 characters ONLY.
3. If all else fails, do ONE of the following:
OPTION #1 - Reinstall the software: This means losing all your existing
data.
Uninstall FastMaint, then use the software installer you previously
downloaded to reinstall the software. It will automatically give you a new 30-
day trial. This option is only good for people doing a software trial and who do
not have much data yet in the database.
OPTION #2 - Reset the administrator account (Admin) password:

Open a command line window (click the Windows Start button, select Run
then type "cmd" and hit Enter). In the command window, change the folder to
the FastMaint install directory (usually "cd C:\Program Files\fastmaint").
Enter "fastmaint.exe -reset". This starts FastMaint Professional with the
administrator account ("admin" user) password cleared out. You can login as
"admin" with no password. At this point you will have to enter a new
password 106 .

3.5.3 Work Requests

External non-FastMaint users can submit requests for maintenance work or
report an alarm condition on equipment by email or by using the add on Web
Based Work Request Module 111 . Work requests are available only in the
Professional edition.
To receive emailed work requests you should turn on emailed work requests
in the Settings 82 and periodically run the Email Processing 66 function to receive
the email and create/ update work requests.
In the Professional edition you can restrict a user's ability to view or modify work
requests.

Instructions

2. Select the Email Requester button to send an email to the person who
made this request so that you can collect additional information if needed. You
can save your changes by selecting the Save button. Selecting the Cancel
button discards all changes. The Delete button will delete the work request
(after asking you for confirmation!).
Listing
· Status: When first submitted the work request status will be "Requested". You
can change it to "Canceled" to cancel the request or "Assigned" to assign it to
a work order. Once you change the status to "Assigned" you can enter a work
order number in the "Work Order #" field (use the Find WO button to search
for the work order if you need to) or click on the Create WO button to create
a new work order from this work request. Remember to make any changes to
the work request before you assign it so that your changes are carried over to
the work order!
· Unplanned Task/ Alarm: The work request can be a request for a specific
unplanned task to be done on an equipment/ at a location OR to report an
alarm condition. Reporting an alarm condition will schedule all tasks whose
frequency is set to this alarm condition.
· Equipment/Location: Limit the list of possible tasks by specific equipment/

location.
· Task OR Alarm: Select the unplanned task you want to create a work order
for OR select the alarm condition to report.

· Reason: Reason for the work request.
· Name, Email & Phone: Enter the requester's name & contact information.
The email address will be used to send alerts and updates when changes are
made to this work request.
· Date: The date the task work order should be scheduled OR if an alarm
condition the date the alarm is being reported for.
· Work Order Comments/Special Instructions: Any additional instructions or

comments.

3.5.4 Web Based Work Request Module

The Web Based Work Request Module is an add-on product for FastMaint
Professional edition that allows any user (e.g. your clients or staff) to submit a
work request for specific breakdown/ unplanned tasks or report alarm conditions
via a web browser. Unlike in emailed work requests, non-FastMaint users will be
able to specify the task they want or the alarm they wish to report.
During the trial period, FastMaint Professional edition allows processing of

requests submitted using the Web Based Work Request Module. See Get
Support/ Contact Us 167 for more information and to contact us to get a trial/
purchase this add-on module. After the trial period you will not be able to see
these work requests unless you buy a license for both FastMaint Professional and
the Web Based Work Request Module. FastMaint Web has a built-in work request
module with more advanced features.
Note that this add-on module is NOT REQUIRED if you just want to receive and
process work requests by email.

Instructions
1. Open your browser at the module's URL (the maintenance manager will
supply this). Click on the Submit Work Request link. The work request form
displays.
2. Complete the form and click Submit Request. Make note of the work
request number so that you can use that to check the status at a later date.
3. You can also click on the Check Work Status link to check the status of
previously submitted requests or look up the status of work at an equipment
or location.

Listing (Submit Work Request)
· Equipment/Location: Limit the list of possible tasks by specific equipment/

location.
· Work Order Details: Indicate whether this Work Order is Unplanned or based
on an Alarm. (Daily/ Weekly/ Monthly/ Yearly/ Meter/ types are automatically
scheduled by the system.)
· Task OR Alarm: Base the Work Order on an unplanned Task or an Alarm.
· Reason: Reason for the work request.
· Name, Email & Phone: Enter your name & contact information.
· Date: The work order is for this date (today or in the future).
· Work Order Comments/Special Instructions: Any additional text.

Part
IV
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 115
4 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This section contains answers to frequently asked questions.
1. How do I import data? 116
2. Do I need to create a new task every time I want a new work order? 123
3. How can I create a 240 day task? 124
4. How to create a meter based task? 131
5. How to create an alarm based task? 137
6. How can I see past due, current and future work orders? 141
7. How can I create breakdown/ request work orders? 142
8. How do I get rid of work orders that were never worked on? 143
9. How can I print files attached (linked) to a work order or other report? 144
10. How can I customize a report? 145
11. How can I sum a numeric field on a report? 152
12. How do I use barcodes? 153
13. How do I install/ upgrade FastMaint? 155
14. How do I back up and restore my data? 158
15. How can I open the database with another program (e.g. Microsoft
Access)? 159

4.1 How to import data?

You can import and export data to text files and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
Use this to bring in maintenance data from your existing system - most software
programs can export data to comma delimited text files. You can also use the
import function to update existing data e.g. part prices & quantities and so on.
Tip: You can create custom data fields for different items e.g. parts, equipment,
etc. and import them also.
1. Select the Import menu item under the File menu on the main window.
2. This brings up an Import wizard that provides a step-by-step guide to

importing your data.
3. Select the type of data (People, Equipment, Parts, ...) that you want to
import. If you want to update existing items make sure the check box "Update
existing items if present" is checked off.
4. Click the Next button and FastMaint will show you the fields that can be
imported based on your selection.

Fields you can import: This shows you the list of fields you can import based
on the type of import you selected previously e.g. the screen below shows
equipment fields. Click the Next button once again to specify the import file.
Select your data source (input data file): Here we specify the input file that
contains the data we want to import. This file can be a comma delimited or tab
delimited text file or even a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The first row of the file
should contain column (field) names and the actual data should start from the
second row onwards. Click on the Select Data Source button to specify the data
file.

Select your data source (input data file): Clicking the Select Data Source
button brings up the file selection window below. Use this to locate the file you
wish to import. You can use the Files Of Type selection field to only display files
of the type you are interested in. Select the file (in this case "imp_eqp.csv") and
click on the Open button to continue.

Select your data source (Completed): You see that the file you specified is
shown next to the Select Data Source button. If you realize that this is the
wrong file, just click on the Select Data Source button to select another file. Once
you are satisfied, click on the Next button to go to the next step.

Check if the right data is being imported: This step in the wizard allows you
to check if the data you specified is the correct data and that it is in the required
format. The first line of the import file should contain the column (field) names.
The actual data should be in the second row onwards. Here the Field Names line
shows what was found in the first row. The First Item line shows what was found
in the second row (first row of data). You may need to edit the data file so that
it fits this format. If you need to fix the input file first cancel the import. Fix the
file and then try to import it again. Once you are satisfied, click on the Next
button to go to the next step.

Specify location of fields in the input file: In this step in the wizard you specify
what field in the input file maps to the corresponding field in FastMaint. For
example, here we have specified that the column "Name" in the input file
corresponds to the field "Equipment Name" in FastMaint. Fields that do not
correspond can be left at "<--No match-->". Use the scroll bar to go through
the entire list of fields. Once you are satisfied, click on the Next button to go to
the next step.
Complete the import: Based on your settings in prior steps the Import wizard
will read in the data from the input file and create the corresponding items in
FastMaint. As it proceeds it give you information on items it did not import
because of problems (duplicate entries, fields with unexpected format, etc.).
Once the import is completed you can use this information to fix the input file
and run the Import wizard once again on the same file. Items that were
previously imported will be automatically skipped.

Click on the OK button to return to the main window. If we click on the

Equipment button in the main window we should see all the equipment we just
imported.

4.2 Do I need to create a new task every time I want a new work
order?
A task is basically a template for creating work orders - by the system or by
you. Work orders created from a task can be completely modified so that they
bear little relation to the original task. You can use the same task to create
multiple work orders with each work order being for different equipment. For
example you create an unplanned task named "General Maintenance" or
"Change Light Bulb". Now you can create work orders as needed using this task
as a template. Each work order can be modified to associate it with different
equipment, locations, etc.
In the most extreme case you could have just one unplanned task in the system
e.g. named "Any Maintenance". You could then create all work orders as needed
from this by selecting "New" work order OR by selecting "Requests/
Breakdowns" (from on the main window). Modify the resulting work orders to
change equipment/ locations/ parts/ people/ etc.
However, it is advisable to create different tasks for different types of

maintenance (e.g. tasks specific to boilers, tasks specific to cooling systems,
preventive maintenance tasks, etc.). This will make it easier to standardize best
practices (in the task instructions), organize work orders as well improve
reporting/ audits/ analysis/ etc.

4.3 How to create a 240 day task?

I want to set up a task that schedules a work order for different equipment once
in 240 days. First I set up the task as below:
I associate any equipment as needed on the Equipment tab:

You can double click on each equipment above to bring up a new windows that
will allow us to specify a custom work order frequency for each equipment. We
double click on the row above for equipment "HVAC-B" to modify the task work
order frequency from the default 240 day cycle e.g. below we changed the Start
Date to 4/1/2011 and effectively put this HVAC unit on a different 240 day cycle.
Save the changes.

Return to the task screen. See that "HVAC_B" shown below now has a “*” next
to its frequency showing that it is on a custom frequency not the default.

Now click on the “Work Orders/ History” button to see the work orders this task
would generate (see below). We can see a work order for "HVAC-M" and
another for "HVAC-B" generated every 240 days (dates may be adjusted for
Calendar holidays if the task has a calendar associated with it).
You can click on the “Add” button to modify the work orders.
If you now go to the main window you can see these work orders scheduled:

If I open one of the work orders and mark it as completed

On the main window I see that the Status column value has changed from blank
to "Completed":

The second 240 day task for "HVAC-B" (due 4/1/2011) is still open till I
complete it. Then about eight months later (240 days), I should see two new
work orders scheduled again for this task and repeating every eight months (240
days).

4.4 How to create a meter based task?

I want to set up a task that schedules a work order whenever a meter reading
changes by some amount. I can specify that an equipment has a meter and use
that meter to schedule tasks for that equipment or entirely different equipment.
In this case I have a forklift that needs to be serviced every 3000 miles of use.
First I create an equipment record for the forklift. On the meter tab I check
off that it has a meter. Since I am going to be scheduling tasks based on actual
use of the forklift, I select the “Actual Use” option. This gives me two options for
the meter type – a regular meter that has ascending/ descending readings or a
batch meter. Batch meters are useful for industrial equipment where one tracks
how much product was made per day e.g. 150 widgets one day, 200 widgets
the next day and so on. For the forklift since I am keeping track of the mileage it
has, I chose a regular meter type (Ascending/ Descending Readings) as
below:

I have already entered some meter readings for the forklift. I can enter them
directly here or use the import function 116 to import meter readings in the
future.
Next I create a new task for the 3000 mile forklift service. On the Frequency
tab I select the meter option. From the Equipment Meter drop-down I select
the forklift I just created. I specify that this task is to be done every time the
meter readings changes 3000 miles since the task was last done.

I then click on the Equipment tab to associate the task with the equipment that
needs the work done. Since I am going to do the service work on the specific
forklift I only associate the specific forklift to this task.

Advanced Tip: If I had multiple forklifts e.g. Forklift-2, Forklift-3, etc. I could
associate all of them with this task and give each of them a custom frequency
based on a meter reading associated with them. So Forklift-2 could have its own
meter and I could create a custom frequency association with this forklift by
double clicking on the equipment to change the frequency setting from the
default as shown below. This is useful when I have a standard maintenance task
that has to be done at different frequencies on different equipment.

I save the new task. The Work Orders button will now be enabled. I can click on
the Work Orders button to see the work orders this task would generate if I
have meter reading entered for this equipment.

Scheduling work orders: Work orders will be scheduled from this task as meter
readings are entered for the equipment with the meter. This can be done
manually on the equipment screen or by using the import function 116 to import
meter readings.

4.5 How to create an alarm based task?

I want to set up a task that schedules a work order whenever an alarm condition
is reported on an equipment. I can specify that an equipment has an alarm and
use that alarm to schedule tasks for that equipment or entirely different
equipment. In this case I have an overheating alarm defined on an HVAC unit.
When this alarm is reported I need to create a work order for someone to go
check this equipment.
First I create an equipment record for the HVAC unit. On the alarm tab I
check off that it has an alarm. I do not need to enter any alarm dates at this
time since I can use the Create Work Orders For Breakdowns/ Maintenance
Requests 52 function or have users report an alarm condition using the Web
Based Work Request Module 111 (if I have it).

Next I create a new task for the alarm service. On the Frequency tab I select
the alarm option. From the Equipment Alarm drop-down I select the equipment
alarm I want to use to schedule this task.
I then click on the Equipment tab to associate the task with the equipment that
needs the work done ("HVAC-B" in this case). However, it is possible that the
alarm condition could be used to schedule work on totally different equipment/
locations by associating them with the task.

Advanced Tip: If I had multiple similar equipment e.g. HVAC-B, HVAC-C, etc. I
could associate all of them with this task and give each of them a custom
frequency based on an alarm associated with them. So HVAC-C could have its
own alarm and I could create a custom frequency association with this
equipment by double clicking on the equipment to change the frequency setting
from the default as shown below. This is useful when I have a standard
maintenance task that has to be done at different frequencies on different
equipment.

I save the new task. The Work Orders button will now be enabled. However, no
work orders will be shown as scheduled unless I have some alarm conditions
reported on associated equipment.
Scheduling work orders: Work orders will be scheduled from this task on every
day an alarm condition is reported on associated equipment alarms. This can be
done in the following ways:
1. Manually enter alarm dates on the Alarm tab in the equipment screen
2. Using the import function 116 to import alarm conditions
3. Using the Create Work Orders For Breakdowns/ Maintenance Requests 52
function
4. Have users report an alarm condition using the Web Based Work Request
Module 111 (if I have it)

4.6 How can I see past due, current and future work orders?
You can use the selections on the main window 19 such as: Last Week, Next
Week, This Week, This Month, Last 30 Days or Custom Period (if nothing else
matches!). With Custom Period selected you can enter period start & end dates.
Note that too large a period can make FastMaint very slow and unusable since a
lot of calculations are required! Another alternative is the Work Order History
Report 93 . This report offers a variety of sorting and filtering options to get
reports on work orders for periods that you specify. You could even specify
future periods to see planned tasks due and work orders (if created).
Tip: Use the Planning Report (Planning button) to create/ re-print pending work
orders for a specific period.

4.7 How can I create breakdown/ request work orders?

On the main window you can click on the "Requests/ Breakdowns" button.
Alternatively you can directly open the affected equipment/ location and click on
the "Requests/ Breakdowns" button at the bottom left of the form. For detailed
instructions on how to use this feature see - Create Work Orders For
Breakdowns/ Maintenance Requests 52 .

4.8 How do I get rid of work orders that were never worked on?
Set the status of such work orders to "Canceled". No parts will be reduced from
stock for them and costs will be set to zero. For more information, see Create/
Modify Work Orders 48
Example: Suppose there's a daily task to check the rollers. Some days this is
skipped and on the following day, the new daily work order is completed. The
uncompleted/ skipped work orders from previous days still appear on the screen
until you change their status to "Canceled".

4.9 How can I print files attached (linked) to a work order or other
report?
Sometimes you need to print additional information information (e.g. special
instructions, manufacturer's recommendations, etc.) along with each work
order. These can be added as hyperlinks in comments/ instructions.
Only links to documents in HTML format can be printed. Links to documents

of other types can be viewed when you click on them in the reports if you have
the corresponding document viewer installed in your web browser (e.g. for PDF,
Word, etc.). However, unless they are in HTML format they will not be printed
out. If you have many documents in other formats check if they can be
converted to HTML files. Note that Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, etc. are able
to save and edit documents as HTML files.
Instructions
Make sure that any pictures & links are to files that are in locations available to all
users e.g. a public website or shared folder. Otherwise you will be able to access
them but others will get errors when trying to access them from some other
computer (pictures will not be displayed and links will not work).
1. If you have not already done so, add the hyperlinks to the task instructions or
work order comments.
2. When printing (by clicking the appropriate Print button), select the Options tab
and then check "Print all linked documents".
The system prints all the linked documents.

4.10 How can I customize a report?

Report templates are used to generate most reports. You can modify/ create
new report templates to create customized reports. There are several built-in
report templates that you can copy & change to suit your needs.
Example 1 - adding a custom field to the Work Order (Detailed) report:
Let us assume that you created a new custom field (a user specified field) called
"ApprovedOn" for tasks & work orders (Note: You can define custom fields by
using the "Define Custom Fields" option in the "Administration" menu on the
main window). The "ApprovedOn" field will now be available as an entry on the
Custom Fields tab on tasks as well as on work orders. On a task this field should
be left empty since each work order created from a task will have a different
approval date.
Now let us add the approval date to the "Work Order: Detailed" report. In
the main window click on the Plan button to start the planning report (pictured
below). Click on the Add/ Edit button found next to the Report Template field at
the bottom left of the window. This will bring up a list of all report templates
available to you.

Scroll down the list of report templates in this list (shown below) till you find the
"Work Order: Detailed" report template. Double click on it to open it. Since this is
a built-in system report (the Owner column is blank) it cannot be modified.
Instead you will be asked if you would like to make a copy of the report template
to modify it. Select Yes and the report editing window will open up.

You will see that the name of the report has changed to "Copy of WorkOrder".
You can change the name to suit your needs e.g. call it "ABCWorkorder" as
shown below. Leave the Type & SubType fields as is. Now click in the Report
Template field to modify the actual template contents (how to use the Report
Designer 94 ).
In the template below we have dropped the task/ work order class ("Class:
[[wo.class]]") and instead replaced it with "Approved Date: [[wo.approvedon]]"
in the middle column of the third row of the table. Make sure that there are no
spaces between the two square brackets ([) e.g. it should be "[[" NOT "[ [".
There are a variety of report functions & options available for your use to
customize the report. See Editing a Report Template 98 for more information on
these functions.

Once you are done click on the OK button to save your changes. This brings
you back to the report window. Click Add to save the report template you have
created. Make a note of the report template name since you will select this
report template when you run the Planning Report. You will now see your newly
created template in the Reports list window (you may need to scroll through the
list to find it). Click on the Cancel button to close the Reports list window and
return to the Planning Report options window.
Using the modified report template: Now you should be back in the Planning
Report options window. Click on the dropdown arrow next to the Report
Template field. You should find your newly created template in the list. Select it.
Click on the OK button to run the Planning Report. You should see the report
generated with the custom field in it for each work order printed.
Problems? Check the troubleshooting section in Editing a Report Template 101 .
Example 2 - adding a field for equipment in the Work Order (List) report:

If you look at a work order report generated using the "Work Order: List" report
template you will see it has a variety of columns as shown below but no column
with the equipment the work order is associated with.

You can create a new report template by editing and creating a copy of the
"Work Order: List" template. In this new template we replace the column
Instructions with a new column Equipment. First change the name of the
column. Then select the [[wo.Instruction]] field in the table and delete it (you can
use the scissors icon in the top toolbar). Now you have an empty table cell. The
equipment is a multi-valued field (multiple equipment can be associated with a
work order). So you must include the list bullet so that if there are multiple
equipment they will be listed one after another. Otherwise it will produce two
columns if there are two equipment associated. Put the cursor in the empty table
cell and click on the list bullet icon in the top toolbar to create a list. Press the
space bar key a couple of times to insert some space after the list bullet - useful
if you want to add several different equipment fields in the list. After the list bullet
click on the Insert Field button and insert the [[equipment.name]] field. Move
the cursor a couple of spaces right over the spaces you inserted. Click on the
Insert Field button and insert the [[equipment.description]] field. The cell
contents will be as follows:
• [[equipment.name]] [[equipment.description]]
For example as shown below in the new report template "Copy Of WorkOrder:
List":

You can now select this report template "Copy Of WorkOrder: List" when you
want to print a list of work orders with the associated equipment in the list.

4.11 How can I sum a numeric field on a report?

To create a summation on a numeric field use the function Total. It gets the
total of a numeric column e.g. [[total(wo.laborcost)]]. Typically used in the
report's footer section to get totals. For a list of available functions look at the
help section Editing a Report Template 98 .

4.12 How do I use barcodes?

Requirements: To print and use barcodes, you will need to have the Bar Code
module, an add-on for the Standard & Professional editions. If you wish to
evaluate the module please contact sales@smglobal.com for a trial or to
purchase a license. You will also need to have or purchase your own barcode
scanners to scan in the bar codes. The bar code scanners should be of the
"wedge" type (plug into the keyboard) OR should use software that makes it
seem like the bar codes are being entered as text on the keyboard.
Barcodes for equipment, parts, etc. can be printed on work orders. With
barcodes it is easier to scan out parts from stores, work orders can be easily
retrieved as needed and so on. The add-on currently supports "Code
39(Extended)" and "Code 128" barcodes. These barcode types are the most
commonly used in manufacturing industries worldwide and are supported by
most barcode scanners.
1. First you will need to set the bar code options by selecting "Settings 82 " from
the "Administration" menu on the main window.
2. Option 1: You can print bar code labels for equipment, parts or people by
selecting "Barcode Labels" from the "Tools" menu on the main window. This
can be useful if you want to stick the labels on the equipment/ parts and use
the label in conjunction with a hand held scanner and the "Find" function
available on the main window to pull up equipment/ part details.

3. Option 2: Select the option to print bar codes in the Planning 61 report. This
will print barcodes for equipment, parts, work orders, etc. For example the
printed part barcodes on the work order could be used by the inventory
manager to pull up the parts when the technician goes to get the maintenance
parts from inventory. The work order barcodes can make it easy to pull up &
update/ close the work orders using the "Find" function on the main window
once the technician completes the work order and returns it with their
comments/ feedback.

4.13 How do I install/ upgrade FastMaint?

FastMaint can be installed and setup as one of three editions - Basic (single-
user), Standard (single-user) of Professional (multi-user). It is possible to
upgrade from Basic to Standard to Professional editions by buying the
appropriate license. Upgrading to the Professional edition gives you a new 30-
day trial before you have to purchase the license. You may be eligible for special
upgrade pricing.
Note that you CANNOT "downgrade" from the Professional edition to the Basic/
Standard editions since the maintenance database formats differ. To go back to
your previous edition, uninstall the Professional edition and remove any database
files. Then re-install FastMaint the original edition and restore any pre-upgrade
backups.
Basic and Standard Editions

1. If upgrading, backup any existing data 158 .
2. Run the installer to upgrade or install the software.
3. Run FastMaint and click through the wizard, making sure to select the correct
edition.
Professional Edition with built-in Microsoft Access (Jet)

database
1. If upgrading, backup any existing data 158 .
3. Run FastMaint and click through the wizard, making sure to select the
"Professional Edition". (If you get this wrong, you can use the Administration
menu, Application Setup option.)

4. Follow the instructions to use an internal database, then select the option to
setup a new shared database.
5. Click the Change Database Location button to enter the shared drive/
network location you want the database files to be kept.
If you are upgrading from the Basic/ Standard edition, your existing database
will be upgraded and copied to this location.
6. Login into FastMaint using the “admin” account.

(If this is your first login, you will be asked to enter a new admin password 106
.)
7. Use the Administration menu to create some user accounts and tailor their
access 80 .
8. Repeat steps #2, #3 and #4 on all the remaining destination computers.
Professional edition with Microsoft SQL Server

You should already own licenses for SQL Server and have it set up on your
server.
1. If upgrading, backup any existing FastMaint data 158 .
2. Using Microsoft SQL Server, create an empty database for use with
FastMaint.
3. Create a database user account that has DDL administration as well as read
+write access to the database (avoid using the SQL administrator account for
security reasons).

4. In Microsoft Windows, under the Control Panel, Administrative Tools, select

"Data Sources (ODBC)". Set up a System DSN with an SQL Server based data
source. Point to the SQL Server database you created for FastMaint. Use the
database user account you created (do not use Windows/ Integrated
security). Test the connection.
6. Run FastMaint and click through the wizard, making sure to select the
"Professional Edition". (If you get this wrong, you can use the Administration
menu, Application Setup option.)
7. Follow the instructions to use an external SQL Server database. Specify the
System DSN you setup in step #2.
The setup wizard will initialize the empty SQL Server database. If you are
upgrading from the Basic/ Standard edition it can also transfer all your existing
data over to the SQL Server database.
8. Login into FastMaint using the “admin” account.

(If this is your first login, you will be asked to enter a new admin password 106
.)
9. Use the Administration menu to create some user accounts and tailor their
access 80 .
9. Repeat steps #4, #5 and #6 on all the remaining destination computers.

4.14 How do I back up and restore my data?

It is very important to periodically make a copy of the database for backup and
restore purposes. It is also recommended prior to installing a software update or
upgrade.
1. Make sure that all users are out of FastMaint.
2. Copy the database files FastMaint.mdb and FastMaint.mdw and paste

them into a safe location.
The location of these files depends on the FastMaint edition. Basic and
Standard both use the program install directory (usually “c:\Program Files
\fastmaint” OR on 64-bit systems “C:\Program Files (x86)\fastmaint”) .
However, Professional uses a location specified by the FastMaint.ini file found
in the program install directory.
3. If required, again make sure that all users are out of FastMaint, then restore
the backups to the original location.

4.15 How can I open the database with another program (e.g.
Microsoft Access)?
It's sometimes useful to access your data using another program e.g. to create
a custom report/ fix some data. How you do this depends on which FastMaint
edition you are using:
To preserve the integrity of the FastMaint system it is advisable to open the

database as Read Only. Bad updates can cause the FastMaint system to fail or
work incorrectly.
Single user edition or multi-user edition using an

internal database (Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000):
FastMaint data is stored in a Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000 database called
FastMaint.mdb. Many third-party programs, utilities and report generation tools
can access this database. You will need to configure the tools to also use the
workgroup information file FastMaint.mdw (found in the same location as the
FastMaint.mdb file).
Two user accounts are provided with the Access database to read/ write data in
this database. This will enable you to create any special reports you need, export
maintenance data to a corporate data repository and so on.
· Account "reader": No password (default) – has read access to many tables

in the database.
Account "editor": No password (default) – has read and update access to
many tables in the database.
To open the database with Microsoft Access 2000

· Create a shortcut on your desktop to Microsoft Access and use this shortcut to
open the FastMaint database. The shortcut should call Microsoft Access with
the following properties: (MS Access path) (database path) /WRKGRP
(workgroup path)
e.g. (all on a single line)
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE" "C:\Program Files

\fastmaint\FastMaint.mdb" /WRKGRP "C:\Program Files\fastmaint
\FastMaint.mdw" /excl
(The "/excl" flag above opens the database in exclusive mode (single user
mode). It is optional and is only required if you want to create custom
Microsoft Access Reports in the database.)
Warning: Set passwords on the "reader" and "editor" accounts as soon as

possible to prevent unauthorized access to FastMaint data.
External Microsoft SQL Server database (ODBC

connection)
Many third-party programs, utilities and report generation tools, can also access
this database.

Part
V
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide For IT Administrators 162
5 For IT Administrators
Regular backups are important!
On a regular basis, please take a backup of the FastMaint.mdb and

FastMaint.mdw files
· Basic/ Standard editions: The files are in the program install directory.
· Professional edition: For an internal database, the files are in the database
directory specified in the Fastmaint.ini file. For an external database using
ODBC, please speak with the database administrator about taking regular
backups of the FastMaint database.
Improving performance
It's a good idea to regularly compact the database to reduce wasted space:
Select Administration, Compact Database.
If you are connecting to an external database using ODBC, speak with the
database administrator to see what kind of regular maintenance needs to be
scheduled for optimum performance.
If configuring the Professional Edition for users from multiple workstations, put
the database on a fast network location to get best performance. Slow and
unreliable network connections will result in poor performance as well as
database corruption and loss of data.
Changing the database location (Professional edition

only)
· Internal database (Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000)

1. Move the FastMaint.mdb and FastMaint.mdw files to the required location.
2. Ensure that all users who will connect to this database have file create,
update and delete rights in this new location.
3. Edit the Fastmaint.ini file (found in the FastMaint installation directory of

each workstation that has FastMaint installed) and change the path of the
Database attribute to point to the new location. Each workstation that
connects to the FastMaint database should have the Fastmaint.ini file
modified to point to the same database location. You can also use the
Application Setup Wizard (Administration menu) to make this change to
the FastMaint.ini file on each workstation.
· External Microsoft SQL Server database (ODBC connection):
1. Speak with the database administrator about backing up and restoring the
existing database onto another server/ location.
2. Go to each workstation that will be connecting to this database and use

the ODBC Connection Wizard to add/ change the ODBC connection to the
relocated database.
3. If using a new ODBC connection, also use the Application Setup Wizard
(Administration menu) to make changes to the FastMaint.ini file to point to
the newly setup database.
Integration with other systems/ Getting access to

FastMaint data
To preserve the integrity of the FastMaint system it is advisable to open the
database as Read Only. Bad updates can cause the FastMaint system to fail or
work incorrectly.

· Single user edition or multi-user edition using an internal database

(Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000): FastMaint data is stored in a Microsoft Jet/
Access 2000 database called FastMaint.mdb. Many third-party programs,
utilities and report generation tools can access this database. You will need to
configure the tools to open the workgroup information file FastMaint.mdw
(found in the same location as the FastMaint.mdb file).
Two user accounts are provided with the Access database to read/ write data
in this database. This will enable you to create any special reports you need,
export maintenance data to a corporate data repository and so on.
Account "reader": No password (default) – has read access to many tables

in the database.
Account "editor": No password (default) – has read and update access to
many tables in the database.
To open the database with Microsoft Access 2000:

Create a shortcut on your desktop to Microsoft Access and use this shortcut to
open the FastMaint database. The shortcut should call Microsoft Access with
the following properties: (MS Access path) (database path) /WRKGRP
(workgroup path)
e.g. (all on a single line)
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE" "C:\Program Files

\fastmaint\FastMaint.mdb" /WRKGRP "C:\Program Files\fastmaint
\FastMaint.mdw" /excl
(The "/excl" flag above opens the database in exclusive mode (single user
mode). It is optional and is only required if you want to create custom
Microsoft Access Reports in the database.)
Warning: Set passwords on the "reader" and "editor" accounts as soon as

possible to prevent unauthorized access to FastMaint data.
· External Microsoft SQL Server database (ODBC connection): Many third-

party programs, utilities and report generation tools, can also access this
database.

Data locking issues (Professional edition only)
If using the internal (Microsoft Jet/ Access 2000) database, all FastMaint users
should have file create, update and delete rights on the directory where the
shared FastMaint database files are stored.
If a user workstation crashes when editing an item (e.g. a Part, Task, etc.), a
lock may still be retained on one or more items, preventing all users from being
able to access them (you will get an item is locked error message). To release
such spurious locks, first ensure that all users are out of the FastMaint
application, then shut down and restart the file server or workstation on which
the FastMaint database files are kept. This will release all open locks. If
connecting to an external database using ODBC please speak to the database
administrator about how to release such locks.

Part
VI
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide Get Support/ Contact Us 167
6 Get Support/ Contact Us

Visit the Support Center (http://www.smglobal.com/support) to search for
information, helpful tutorials or submit support requests.
For sales questions (pricing, upgrades, add-on modules, etc.) please email
sales@smglobal.com.

Part
VII
FastMaint 8.0 User Guide Video Tutorials 169
7 Video Tutorials
Our tutorials keep changing so please visit the online Tutorial section (http://
www.smglobal.com/fastmaint/demo) for the latest video tutorials and other
tutorials on different FastMaint features.

FastMaint 8.0 User Guide Index 170
Index -D-
data 116, 158
-3- database 158
Deleting expired work orders 143
3rd party system 159 downtime 55, 92
-A- -E-
About Tasks and Work Orders 8 email 66, 67, 82, 108
Access (MS Access) 159 emergency 142
accounts 82 equipment 27, 92, 116, 123, 131, 137
add-on 108 errors 67
administration 106, 162 estimating 55
alarm 137 excel 116
alert 82 export data 76
alerts 82
analysis 91
-F-
-B- FastMaint
fields
155
96, 145
backlog 55 fonts 96
backup 158 forward 67
bar code 82, 153 frequency 131, 137
Bar codes 82, 84, 153 functions 152
barcode 84, 153
Barcodes
batch
82, 84, 153
131, 137
-H-
breakdown 91, 142 HTML Editor 104
breakdowns 52
bug 167
bugs 167 -I-
import 116
-C- import data 73
importing 116
calendar 92 Installation 155
calendars 23 integration 159
categories 25
comma delimited 116
completed 91 -L-
configuration 82
configure 82 Linked files 144
create 131, 137, 142 Location 123
custom 145 Locations 31, 123
customize 145 login 106

FastMaint 8.0 User Guide Index 171
statistics 55
-M- styles
sum
96
152
suppliers 45
main window 19
support 167
meter 131
module 108
-T-
-N- task 131, 137
Task Frequency tab 44
numeric 152
Tasks 41, 123
text messages 66, 67
-O- total
training
152
167, 169
open database 159 trends 91
tutorial 167, 169
-P- tutorials 167, 169
parts
past due
33, 38
55
-U-
pending 55 unplanned 52, 142
people 36 updates 66, 67
percentage 55 upgrade 155
plan 91
planned 91
planning 48, 59, 61 -V-
preventive 91, 92
variance 91
Printing 144
vendors 45
process 66, 67
video tutorials 6, 169
purchase order 38
videos 169
Viewing all past due, current and future 141
-R-
reply 67 -W-
report designer 94
web 108, 111
reports 145, 152
work order 123, 142
request 108, 111, 142
Work orders 48, 55, 61, 64, 66, 67, 91, 92, 93, 123,
requests 108
141, 143
restore 158
work request 108
work requests 52, 108, 111
-S- workbook 116
workload balancing 59
schedule 52
settings 82
setup 82
sms 66, 67
spreadsheet 116

Fastmaint 8.0 User Guide: Basic/Standard/Professional Editions

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Rev 2016-04-01

FastMaint 8.0 User Guide

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

Printed: April 2016

Part I Welcome to FastMaint 5

Part II Getting Started 7

Part III Screen Reference 17

Part IV Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 114

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

2 Do I need to create a new task every time I want a new work

Part V For IT Administrators 161

Part VI Get Support/ Contact Us 166

Part VII Video Tutorials 168

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

This help documentation is for the Basic, Standard & Professional

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

2.1 About Tasks and Work Orders

Whenever you create a work order,

Typically, a work order is created in

· Automatic: The task's frequency

· Manual: The task frequency is

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

· Equipment: An alarm or meter reading 29 on a piece of equipment triggers

Next, have a look at the Maintenance Management Workflow 11 section to

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

2.2 Maintenance Management Workflow

At its core, FastMaint has a very simple workflow:

Manager reviews scheduled work orders, then creates

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

Manager creates any unplanned work orders and prints

Maintenance staff execute the work orders

Manager or staff update the work order...

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

...FastMaint updates any quantities

Manager generates any reports

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

2.3 Setting Up The System

· Equipment: Enter the equipment to be maintained - see Equipment 27 .

· Locations: Buildings, rooms, assembly lines, stations, etc where maintenance

· Parts: Maintenance parts/ spares needed to complete maintenance - see Parts

· People: About the workers performing the maintenance - see People 36 .

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

· Equipment: Enter the equipment to be maintained, and set up alarms or

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

3.1 Main Window

section and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 115 section.

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

3.2 Lists (left bar buttons)

Calendars are used for a variety of reasons:

· Calculation of equipment meters based on

· Specifying when people are available for work,

© 2010-2016 SMGlobal Inc.

Categories are a useful way to classify tasks,

Categories 25 equipment people and parts, e.g. "electrical",

Examples of equipment include air conditioning

Specifying locations makes it easier to perform

If you are doing facilities maintenance, Locations could

Parts are items required to complete a task, e.g.

Tell FastMaint about people who work for you or