Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers, each pointing to the chapter with the detail. If something has gone wrong, start with Troubleshooting.
Access and setup
Why can't I find the template I need?
A template is offered only to the people assigned to it, in the project it belongs to. Check the project selector at the top right first, then ask your administrator to add you under Assignees on the template's Access panel. See Template Manager.
How do I change or reset my password?
To change it, click your profile avatar and choose Reset Password. If you have forgotten it, ask your administrator to reset it - a temporary password is emailed to you, and you set your own at the next sign-in. If you sign in with SSO, your password is managed by your organisation's identity provider.
What does "OTM adapter not configured" mean?
The project has no OTM connection yet. Files can still be checked in the browser, but they cannot be validated against OTM or loaded into it. An administrator sets the adapter and the threshold on GoRate Setting.
Preparing a file
Which file types can I upload?
.xlsx, .xls, .xlsm and .csv. A workbook with several sheets opens with a
tab per sheet.
Where do I get the right columns for my file?
Download the template from the Resource Center on the Homepage, if your administrator has put it there - otherwise export it: Template Manager, open the template, then CSV or Excel. Build your file from that rather than from an older file, and keep the column names unchanged. See Template Manager.
What do Missing and Extra columns mean?
Missing is a column the template expects that your file does not have - it is shown in red. Extra is a column the template does not know - an amber warning only. If your file is a genuinely different shape, it needs its own template; ask your administrator rather than renaming columns. See Validation.
Which date formats are accepted?
YYYYMMDD, YYYY-MM-DD, DD-MM-YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY and ISO date-time.
Why did some cells turn amber on their own?
They were corrected automatically - for example a ZIP code padded to 3 or 5 digits. Review them; the corrected value is what gets uploaded. See Data Upload.
A row is flagged as a duplicate but is not one. What do I do?
Right-click the row and choose Mark OK. The dismissal applies for the current session and is recorded in the file's Change History, so approvers can see it.
How do allocations with several carriers on one lane work?
Rows with the same lane and effective date make up one allocation - one row per carrier, each with its percentage. The percentages on a lane must total 100%; a lane that does not is flagged in the grid before you submit.
How large can a file be?
Large files are fine. The grid stays responsive on a 50,000-row workbook, and a 40,000-record file typically takes 45 to 60 minutes to load into OTM once it is approved.
Validation
My file passed in the browser. Why were records skipped?
The browser checks your file against itself and a snapshot of OTM data. After you submit, a second validation asks live OTM, and it sets aside records whose rate offering, lane, carrier or other master record does not exist there, or that are already loaded. Skipped records do not reach OTM; the rest of the file does. See Validation.
What is the failure threshold?
The share of a file allowed to fail validation against OTM, set per project on GoRate Setting. Above it the whole file is rejected; at or below it the failing records are skipped and the rest goes through. At 0%, any failure rejects the file.
Why was most of my file skipped for the same reason?
That almost always means master data is missing in OTM - for example
Rate Offering Missing: <id> means that rate offering has not been created yet.
Take the reason and the count to your administrator. The fix is in OTM, not in
your file.
OTM has been fixed. Do I need to upload the file again?
No. Open View Source on the upload and click Revalidate - the same file is validated again, unchanged. It is offered until someone approves the file.
Can I change the data after uploading?
Until someone approves it, yes: click Reprocess in View Source. The file opens in Data Upload as a new upload with its rows loaded, ready to edit and push; the original is left as it was. Once a file has an approval it is frozen - what was approved is what loads.
What if my file has been Validating for a long time?
If it has shown Validating for more than 30 minutes, the run never reported back. Click Revalidate in View Source to start it again.
Approvals
Who approves my file?
The approvers set on the template. The row's Status Tracker shows who it is waiting for. If the template has no approvers, the file is approved automatically. See Approvals.
Why can't I approve a file?
Open View Source and tick I've reviewed the data in this file at the bottom - that unlocks Approve on the row. If you still do not see it, you are not an approver on this template.
Does approving a file load its skipped records?
No. Skipped records will not reach OTM whether or not the file is approved. They are attached to the approval email - read them before you approve.
Loading into OTM
Why is my file Queued for OTM?
Only one upload per project loads at a time. Yours starts on its own when the one ahead finishes. Nothing has been sent to OTM yet, and no action is needed.
What does Staged mean?
The project holds approved uploads until its execution time - those approved during business hours, or every upload under Execution Time Only. Execute Now on the row loads it straight away. See GoRate Setting.
When has my data actually reached OTM?
Only from Processing onwards. Every status before that - including Approved, Queued for OTM and Staged - means nothing has been sent. See Statuses.
Why is my file Completed with fewer records than I uploaded?
Completed means at least one record loaded. The rest were skipped at validation or rejected by OTM; the completion email gives the split, and its attachments list each record with the reason. See Emails.
Why did I get a completion email without being asked to approve?
Because every record in that file was skipped at validation. With nothing left to send to OTM there is nothing to approve, so GoRate finishes the upload at validation and sends the completion email instead of an approval request. The email says so, and its subject reads Completed, nothing loaded. See Emails.
Why is "Rows written to OTM" bigger than my record count?
One record writes several rows across several OTM tables - a rate writes its rate geo, cost group, costs, weight breaks and lane. That table shows what OTM received; it is not meant to match your record count.
What happens to rates already in OTM when I load new ones?
It depends on the template's Rate Geo action. Create if not found only adds; Create / update also updates a matching rate; Expire & process also expires or shortens the existing rates the new ones supersede. Check which your template uses before a large run. See Publishing to OTM.
What if I upload the same file twice?
Records already in OTM are skipped at validation as
Duplicate - already exists in OTM, and records whose dates overlap an
existing one are skipped as overlapping. Both count towards the failure
threshold, so a file that is mostly repeats is rejected.
Can I cancel an upload?
Yes, as the uploader, until loading starts. A reason is required, and approvers are told. A Staged upload has its own Cancel. Once it is Processing, data is already going into OTM and it cannot be cancelled cleanly.
A batch failed. Did the rest of my file load?
Yes. A batch the integration refuses is tried three times, then recorded as failed, and the run carries on. The Status Tracker names the batch and the reason, and the completion email counts its records as not loaded. Raise it with Report an Incident on the row. If the message says the batch may have been accepted, check OTM before loading it again.
Tracking and emails
Where is my file right now?
Open the row's Status Tracker in Upload Manager. It shows each phase and what the file is waiting on, down to each OTM batch.
Why didn't I get an email?
Who receives each email is set per template, in Template Manager - Access - Notification Emails. A row showing Nobody will be told reaches no one, and addresses marked Invalid are skipped. See Emails.
How do I find which upload put a record into OTM?
Open Audit Trail in the GoRate menu. Search by OTM record id, by lane, or by publication period; each result shows the upload, its approvals and the source file. Download evidence gives the same as a spreadsheet. See Audit Trail.
Getting help
How do I report a problem?
For a specific upload, select its row in Upload Manager and use Report an Incident - the file and its findings can be attached. For anything else, use Report an Issue in the Help menu, or email support@gotatva.com.