This document outlines the process of managing credit purses when the till provider is responsible for handling credit balances. In this scenario, the till system manages the credit purses, while Trac serves as a repository for capturing transaction data, enabling accurate financial reporting.

Purpose

The purpose of this feature is to enable the till provider to manage credit purses directly. This setup ensures that credit balances, such as free school meals or other allocated funds, are tracked and utilised correctly in real time by the till system. Trac acts as a centralised data repository to capture these transactions for accurate financial reporting, ensuring schools and caterers have comprehensive and up-to-date credit usage information.

Scope

This document covers:

The workflow for sales and refunds when the till provider manages credits.
Data synchronisation between the till system and Trac.
The technical conditions that must be met for successful integration.
Financial reporting and reconciliation through Trac.

Description

The till system is responsible for managing all credit balances, handling sales, refunds, and credit allocation independently. Trac’s role is to capture transaction data for accurate financial reporting. This process ensures that all credits used at the till are transmitted to Trac for reporting and reconciliation.

Handling Different Transaction Types

Sales Processing:

When a sale occurs, the till system manages the allocation of funds across different purses, such as the cash purse or the credit purses (Free School Meal, Universal Free School Meal, etc.).
Once the sale is completed, this data, including the "source of funds," is transmitted to Trac. This information is used to update Trac's internal records, allowing accurate financial reporting.
Trac does not store the source of funds directly but uses this data to adjust the internal balances of the credit purses accordingly.

Refunds:

Same-day Refunds: The till provider handles the refund internally and updates the pupil's balance. The data is then transmitted to Trac for reporting.
Subsequent-day Refunds: These refunds are treated as top-ups. The credit purse is not directly refunded but adjusted via the till system, and Trac records the updated information.

Cancellations: Cancellations involve correcting mistakes at the till. These should not affect Trac and should remain within the till system.

Integration and Synchronisation

When the till provider manages credit purses, it's crucial for Trac to receive accurate data about every sale, including the "source of funds" for transactions.
The till system must transmit this data via Trac's API to ensure financial reporting is consistent and accurate.

Implementation

For successful integration, the following conditions must be met:

Source of Funds Transmission: The till system must be capable of transmitting a detailed breakdown of the source of funds for each transaction. This includes specifying how much came from each credit purse, cash, or any other source.
Consistency in Balances: Trac and the till system should continue to provide consistent balances, because all transactions will be correctly debited. The till provider is responsible for ensuring the sources of funds are correctly specified.
Handling Divergences: Any discrepancies in balances between Trac and the till system must be resolved promptly, ensuring there is no ongoing divergence in recorded credits. Responsible staff will need to monitor discrepancies and correct them manually. Trac provides tools to assist with this task.
Integration Testing: Before going live, the till provider must pass a series of integration tests defined by Pebble. These tests verify that all sales, refunds, and credit transactions are accurately transmitted and processed.