If you are part of the Benchmark program, you can use this window to have Fusion submit your data to Benchmark each month. Before you submit the first time you will need to set up a few things. After that submitting to Benchmark should be as simple as a few click.
There are two aspects to the initial setup. First, you must tell Fusion how to submit the data and which data should be included. Second, you must map your data into terms that Benchmark understands.
After clicking the Setup… button you will see a list of locations. Benchmark expects data to be submitted one location at a time and the information for how to submit for each location is different. Select a location and then you can change the information to the right.
The Name and Phone fields are key identifiers used by Benchmark to determine who the file belongs to. Someone from Benchmark may tell you what to enter here. If not, the important thing is to not change them later on.
Data submission happens by uploading files to an FTP site. You should check the Upload to AgSpan via FTP checkbox and then fill in the FTP credentials. Someone from Benchmark will give you the appropriate information for this area.
If you would like to keep a copy of the files that are generated, click the Save files locally checkbox and the choose a folder for the files to be saved to. This can also be helpful if you are having trouble FTPing the information and need access to the files to send another way. Note that each time new files are generated, they will replace Benchmark files in the chosen folder from the last time if they still exist.
In the main submission window there is a place to specify whether MGA was given to each lot. The MGA Default Settings area determines whether the MGA checkbox should be on or off for new lots based on their sex. Setting this up correctly will save time later on, but you can always change an individual lot's MGA setting if needed.
When submitting data, Fusion sends four files to Benchmark. In some cases it may be necessary to not submit certain files. You can determine which files are sent by checking or unchecking the four checkboxes in the Include These Files When Submitting section. These settings should only be changed after consultation with Benchmark.
After clicking the Mapping… button you will see all the mapping options. The top part of the window is where you will map each cattle type/sex combination to a Benchmark sex and age code. Simply select each cattle type/sex combination and select the appropriate Benchmark sex and age for each one. You will not be able to submit data unless every combination is accounted for.
In the lower portion of the window you can map each of your inputs to a Benchmark category. Walk down the list by selecting each input and then choosing the Benchmark category on the right. Again, each input must be mapped to a category before submission can occur.
We recommend consulting with Benchmark staff to ensure the mapping is done correctly.
Normally when you first open this window everything will be ready for the next submission. However, you should check that the date range and location are what you want and that the MGA setting is correct for each lot. If you change the date range or location, click the Update List button to refresh the list of lots. If the MGA setting is incorrect for a lot, click the checkbox in the MGA column to change it.
Fusion will analyze each lot in the list to determine if it is ready for submission. If it is not, a note to that affect will show up in the list and you will need to take care of any issues before submitting.
Once everything looks correct, click the Generate Benchmark Files button. Fusion will gather the appropriate information, create the necessary files, and submit them to Benchmark. This can take a few minutes to complete.
If you have other locations to submit for, choose each location in succession and follow the same instructions for each one.
In rare circumstances you may not want to send certain lots. We recommend consulting with Benchmark staff about this, but you can accomplish this by checking the Only Send Selected Lots checkbox and then selecting the lots you want to send before generating the files.
You can open this window by going to Fusion Office → Yard Reports → Submit To Benchmark.
