Automerge

Automerge rules allow the scheduling engine to combine specific source checks into a prioritized list of destination checks.

This ensures that visits are as efficient as possible, balancing the best combination of checks to ensure minimized ground time and the most efficient use of technician time. For example, rather than setting up special visits for source items, such as airworthiness directives, modifications, light checks or inspection tasks, these items can be included during a regularly scheduled service check.

Automerge rules reduce the amount of manual scheduling required, while giving users the flexibility to define the merge combination that works best for their organization. These rules specify how the source TASK_ID or TASK_TYPE should prioritize merging into a destination TASK_ID or TASK_TYPE.

An automerge priority stream is a set of automerge rules that apply to the same source. The priority of each rule in a priority stream must be unique (for example, TASK 3 may only have one rule with a Priority of 1).

In the example below, we see that the TASK 3 will be merged into TASK 1. If this is not possible, TASK 3 will attempt to merge into TASK 2. If this is not possible, then TASK 3 will be scheduled independently.

Sample automerge rules
Source Source type Destination Destination type Ignore location capabilities Priority Move destination visit
TASK 3 TASK_ID TASK 1 TASK_ID TRUE 1 TRUE
TASK 3 TASK_ID TASK 2 TASK_ID TRUE 2 TRUE
TASK 2 TASK_ID TASK 1 TASK_ID TRUE 1 TRUE
REPAIR TASK_TYPE HVY TASK_TYPE TRUE 1 TRUE
Note: The TASK_ID and TASK_TYPE references must be present in the Task Definition operational data table to be used in an automerge business rule.

Fleet Planner will apply an automerge rule if:

  • the task yields will remain between their minimum and maximum yields.

  • Ignore Location Capabilities is set to FALSE and there is a track that satisfies the task type requirements of the Source and Destination task types.

Fleet Planner will NOT apply an automerge rule if:

  • a task is due after the retirement visit; instead, the task is placed into the retirement visit.

Outside of priority streams, Fleet Planner will attempt to apply automerge rules with the following source-type-to-destination-type order (most to least granular):

  1. TASK_ID to TASK_ID

  2. TASK_ID to TASK_TYPE

  3. TASK_TYPE to TASK_ID

  4. TASK_TYPE to TASK_TYPE

When tasks are automerged into a visit, the task with the longest span is used as the visit title.

If the longest span is shared between multiple tasks, then the visit title will be selected according to the following sequence:

1. The task used as the destination in automerge rules.

2. The first due task.

3. A task will be selected at random.

Note:

Automerge rules are defined in the automerge_rule.csv spreadsheet.