Introduction to configuring and using alternate keys

Make sure that you have entry points in ACTIVE Net that correspond to all of the locations where customers with alternate keys can use their ID to gain access to a facility. Learn how to view your existing entry points or create new entry points, if necessary.

 

For each entry point that you want to be able to validate alternate keys:

1. Go to Administration > Membership Settings > Entry Points.

2. Click the Name of the entry point.

3. In the Validation Types section, select one of the following:

1. Memberships or Alternate Keys: Select if a customer can have either a membership or an alternate key with membership status in order to gain access through this entry point.

2. Memberships and Alternate Keys: Select if a customer must have both a membership and an alternate key with membership status in order to gain access through this entry point.

4. Click Save.

 

1. Create statuses for your alternate key

Different alternate key statuses correspond to different levels of access at your entry points. If you want each of your customers with an alternate key to have the same access to your facilities then you only need one alternate key status. If you want to give access to some alternate key customers and not to others, however, or if you want some alternate key customers to have more access and others to have less, then create more than one alternate key status. Learn how to create a new alternate key status.

 

Assign membership privileges to the alternate key statuses that you want to be able to gain access to entry points:

1. Go to Administration > Population Settings > Alternate Key Statuses.

2. Click the Alternate Key Status that you want to have membership privileges.

3. In the Alternate Key Status Details section, select Membership Privileges?

4. Click Save.

 

2. Create your alternate key type

Getting an alternate key type ready to use is a two-part process. You must first create the alternate key type and specify the statuses, entry points, and scanning details that it will use. Then you must specify the valid access times for each of your alternate key's statuses.

 

1. To create a new alternate key type:

1. Go to Administration > Population Settings > Alternate Key Types > Add New.

2. In the Alternate Key Type Details section, add the alternate key statuses that you want this alternate key type to use.

3. In the Entry Points for this Alternate Key Type section, specify the entry points that customers with this alternate key will be able to access.

Note: For now, just choose all of the entry points that any customer with this alternate key can access. You can limit access for individual statuses later.

4. If the alternate key values that you use in ACTIVE Net are going to represent a subset of the full barcode or ID number on your customers' scanning cards, fill out the Scanning Details section.

5. Click Save.

2. To specify the times when your alternate key type offers valid access for different statuses:

1. On the Alternate Key Type Functions page, click Change Status Entry Point Times.

2. For each alternate key status that you want to be able to validate at an entry point:

1. Click the alternate key status that you want to set entry point times for.

2. On the Alternate Key Entry Point Times page, click Add New.

3. Select an entry point that you want to be able to validate at.

4. Select a day of the week, a start time, and an end time during which customers with this alternate key type and status will be able to validate.

5. Click Save.

6. Repeat for all other validation times for this status.

 

Each customer that you link to your alternate key type needs an alternate key ID. Each customer's ID number or code in your third-party system should match up to their alternate key ID in ACTIVE Net. For example, if you created an alternate key type that corresponds to student numbers in a third-party system, then enter a student number as the alternate key ID for each student who is also a customer in ACTIVE Net.

 

To assign an alternate key ID to an individual customer:

1. Go to Administration > Population Settings > Customers or Front Desk > Population > Customers.

2. Search for and select the customer that you want to assign an alternate key ID to.

3. On the Customer Account Functions page, click Change Alternate Keys.

4. Click Add New.

5. Select the Alternate Key Type and Alternate Key Status for your customer.

6. Enter the Alternate Key Id for your customer.

7. Click Save.

 

You can also import large numbers of customer details--including alternate key IDs--into ACTIVE Net in a single batch. Contact your ACTIVE Net account manager for more information about configuring batch customer imports for your organization.

 

Search for customers using their alternate key IDs

If most of your customers have alternate key IDs, then you may find it quicker to search by their ID instead of searching by name or some other detail.

 

Before you can search by alternate key ID, you must enable searching by alternate key for your alternate key type:

1. Go to Administration > Population Settings > Alternate Key Types.

2. Click the Name of the alternate key type that you want to be able to search for.

3. Click Change Alternate Key Type Details.

4. Select one or both of Use as direct access in customer search page and Use as customer search criteria.

5. Click Save.

 

When you are ready to search for a customer, look for a box labeled with the name of your alternate key type. Enter the customer's alternate key ID in the box and click Search/Submit to search for the customer by alternate key.

 

Use alternate keys in ACTIVE Net

Your customers can use their alternate keys to enter facilities that you have specified. If you have set up entry points to validate alternate keys and if you have given your alternate keys membership privileges at specific entry points, then you can validate your customers' alternate keys at these entry points.

 

Note: Alternate key validation at entry points works slightly differently from regular membership validation. If your customer has both an alternate key and a membership that are both valid at an entry point, then the membership automatically validates without any option to validate the alternate key instead. If your customer has an alternate key that is valid at an entry point but no valid memberships, then the alternate key will automatically validate without having to select it.

 

To validate alternate keys:

1. Go to Front Desk > Membership menu > Pass Validation.

2. In the Direct Access by alternate key type section, do one of the following:

• Type the customer's alternate key.

• Scan the customer's alternate key.

3. Click Submit.

 

You can also use alternate keys to classify your customers into groups for other purposes. For example, let's say you have a discount that you only want some of your customers to be eligible for. You can create an alternate key and assign it to the eligible customers, then create a discount and specify that only customers with that alternate key can use the discount.

 

As another example, you can use alternate keys to keep track of past activities that your customers have participated in before they were entered into ACTIVE Net. Then you can use those alternate keys as prerequisites for your current activities.