Version 1.28+: Release Notes

Welcome to our first minor release! Hot on the heels of Helm CONNECT 1.28, we’re calling this one Version 1.28+ or 1.28 “Plus”. Although it’s smaller than one of our typical releases, it’s packed with features and improvements suggested by you, our customers. Click the links below to learn about the new features and improvements in this release:

• The Platform
• Helm CONNECT Maintenance
• Helm CONNECT Compliance
• Helm CONNECT Jobs
• Helm CONNECT Personnel
• Updates

The Platform

Our "platform" is our base product and includes the features and functionality shared by all our customers. Changes to our platform affect everyone, regardless of the product lines or modules you subscribe to. We made the following platform changes in this release.

The “Online help” link on the Help Menu Now Takes You to Helm U

To help you find the latest documentation and resources about Helm CONNECT, including release notes, articles, and FAQs, we’ve updated the “Online help” link on the Help menu to take you directly to our support site, Helm U. Our original online help website is still around for now, but we’ve been quietly moving all of its content over to Helm U so you can find everything you need in one place.

Helm CONNECT Maintenance

We made the following changes to Helm CONNECT Maintenance in this release.

Track Your Labor

It’s now easier to track the time spent working on tasks and checklists. For tasks, you can add labor logs on a new Labor Tracking tab in the “Log a new task” or “Update Task” windows.

For checklists, you can add labor logs by clicking a new Labor Tracking icon in the header to open the Labor Tracking window.

More about this feature:

• You can add multiple labor logs to each task or checklist.
• You can add labor logs when you correct history.
• Deleting a task or discarding a checklist will also remove any associated labor logs.

Configure Your Labor Tracking Options

We’ve given you full control over the labor-tracking settings for your tasks and checklists.

Configure Labor Tracking for Tasks

We added two new items to the Setup > Field Configurations > Tasks tab:

• Labor Tracking: This option manages the new Labor Tracking tab in the “Log a new task” or “Update Task” windows. You can choose to hide or show this tab. If you choose to show it, you can select either “Not required,” which means adding a labor log is optional, or “Only required on completion,” which means adding a labor log will be required before the task can be completed.
• Labor Tracking Description: This option manages the Description field on the new Labor Tracking tab. You can choose to hide or show this field. If you choose to show it, you can select either “Not required,” which means adding a description is optional, or “Always required,” which means adding a description will be required when a labor log is added.

Configure Labor Tracking for Checklists

When you’re creating or modifying an inspection, maintenance, or inventory template under Setup > Templates, you’ll notice a new Labor Tracking field in the header with these three options:

• Allowed: This option enables the Labor Tracking button in the header of all checklists based on the template but does not make it mandatory to add a labor log.
• Not Allowed: This option disables the Labor Tracking button in the header of all checklists based on the template.
• Required: This option enables the Labor Tracking button in the header of all checklists based on the template and makes it mandatory to add at least one labor log to the checklists before finishing it.

Report on Your Tracked Labor

We added a new report data source called “Labor Tracking” that allows you to report on the labor tracked on your tasks and checklists. We also added new Labor Tracking columns to the Inspection Templates, Inventory Templates, and Maintenance Template data sources so you can report on how your templates have been configured to track labor: Allowed, Not Allowed, or Required.

Plan the Expected Part Usage for Your Checklists

We added an optional “Est Parts Required” field to the Part Usage item on inspection and maintenance templates so you can indicate the number of parts that you expect will be needed to complete the work. This will help your crew plan their work and ensure they have the necessary parts on hand before starting a checklist.

If you enter a number into the “Est Parts Required” field on a Part Usage item on a template, it will appear as a read-only field on any checklists based on that template, including printouts. However, if you leave the field empty on the template, it will not appear on the checklists.

Report on the Expected Versus Actual Part Usage for Your Checklists

We added some new fields to the following data sources so you can include details about expected part usage in your reports:

• Inspection Templates and Maintenance Templates: We added an “Est Parts Required” column under Category > Item so you can plan ahead and report on the parts that you expect to use each time a particular template comes due.
• Inspection and Maintenance Checklists: We added an “Est Parts Required” column under Item Value so you can build reports comparing the parts you expected to use on your checklists versus those actually used.

Use Smart Filters to Manage the Parts List for Your Crew

Previously, when your crew wanted to add a part to a requisition or record one they’d used on a task, they’d have to choose the correct part from your entire master parts list. In this release, we added some new features to help you simplify this workflow for your crew and enable better part tracking.

New “Can Filter Parts on Selected Asset” Permission

We added a new permission under Inventory > Settings called “Can Filter Parts on Selected Asset” that will be turned on by default for anyone whose role currently includes at least one of the following permissions:

• Inventory > Inventory > Parts
• Onboard > Inventory > Parts
• Inventory
• Inventory > Inventory
• Onboard
• Onboard > Inventory
• Onboard > Requisitions
• Onboard > Requisitions > Requisitions
• Maintenance
• Maintenance > Requisitions
• Maintenance > Requisitions > Requisitions
• Setup
• Setup >Templates
• Setup >Templates > Requisition

New Toggle to Filter Parts in Tasks and Requisitions

Users with the new “Can Filter Parts on Selected Asset” permission will now see a toggle above the Part list when adding line items to requisitions or recording parts used on a task:

• All Assets Parts: When this filter is visible, you’ll see all the parts in your master parts list. If your company uses asset types to manage parts, you’ll see all the parts available to the asset type for the selected asset or the asset installation you’re working on.
• Only Selected Asset Parts: When this filter is visible, you’ll see only the parts tracked on the selected asset or the asset installation you’re working on.

If you remove the “Can Filter Parts on Selected Asset” permission from someone’s role, they will no longer see the toggle. By default, they will only see the parts tracked on the selected asset or the asset installation they’re working on.

Helm CONNECT Compliance

We made the following changes to Helm CONNECT Compliance in this release.

Track Your Labor

It’s now easier to track the time spent working on corrective actions and forms. For corrective actions, you can add labor logs on a new Labor Tracking tab in the “New Corrective Action” or “Update Corrective Action” windows.

For forms, you can add labor logs by clicking a new Labor Tracking icon in the header to open the Labor Tracking window.

More about this feature:

• You can add multiple labor logs to each corrective action or form.
• You can add labor logs when you correct history.
• Deleting a corrective action or discarding a form will also remove any associated labor logs.

Configure Your Labor Tracking Options

We’ve given you full control over the labor-tracking settings for your corrective actions and forms.

Configure Labor Tracking for Corrective Actions

We added two new items to the Setup > Field Configurations > Corrective Actions tab:

• Labor Tracking: This option manages the new Labor Tracking tab in the “New Corrective Action” or “Update Corrective Action” windows. You can choose to hide or show this tab. If you choose to show it, you can select either “Not required,” which means adding a labor log is optional, or “Only required on completion,” which means adding a labor log will be required before the corrective action can be completed.
• Labor Tracking Description: This option manages the Description field on the new Labor Tracking tab. You can choose to hide or show this field. If you choose to show it, you can select either “Not required,” which means adding a description is optional, or “Always required,” which means adding a description will be required when a labor log is added.

Configure Labor Tracking for Forms

When you’re creating or modifying a form template under Setup > Templates, you’ll notice a new Labor Tracking field in the header with these three options:

• Allowed: This option enables the Labor Tracking button in the header of all forms based on the template but does not make it mandatory to add a labor log.
• Not Allowed: This option disables the Labor Tracking button in the header of all forms based on the template.
• Required: This option enables the Labor Tracking button in the header of all forms based on the template and makes it mandatory to add at least one labor log to the forms before finishing it.

Report on Your Tracked Labor

We added a new report data source called “Labor Tracking” that allows you to report on the labor tracked on your corrective actions and forms. We also added a new Labor Tracking column to the Form Template data source so you can report on how your form templates have been configured to track labor: Allowed, Not Allowed, or Required.

Plan the Expected Part Usage for Your Forms

We added an optional “Est Parts Required” field to the Part Usage item on form templates so you can indicate the number of parts that you expect will be needed to complete the work. This will help your crew plan their work and ensure they have the necessary parts on hand before starting a form.

If you enter a number into the “Est Parts Required” field on a Part Usage item on a template, it will appear as a read-only field on any forms based on that template, including printouts. However, if you leave the field empty on the template, it will not appear on the forms.

Report on the Expected Versus Actual Part Usage for Your Forms

We added some new fields to the following data sources so you can include details about expected part usage in your reports:

• Form Templates: We added an “Est Parts Required” column under Category > Item so you can plan ahead and report on the parts that you expect to use each time a particular template comes due.
• Forms: We added an “Est Parts Required” column under Item Value so you can build reports comparing the parts you expected to use on your forms versus those actually used.

Improvements to the Forms Printout

In this release, we made several improvements to the appearance of printed forms to make them more professional and easier to read.

• We improved the header's style and added an image of the Helm CONNECT logo. If you’d like to display your company’s logo instead of the default image, please talk to your account manager.
• Attachments are now displayed directly within the printout. They’re scaled to fit on the page and are displayed in a preset square format for consistency. You’ll see these improvements to printed forms on historical and in-progress forms in addition to new forms.

Helm CONNECT Jobs

We made the following changes to Helm CONNECT Jobs in this release.

Improvements to the Upcoming Work Widget in the Logbook Module

We made the following improvements to the Upcoming Work widget in the Logbook module.

Easily See All Your Upcoming Work

By default, the Upcoming Work widget shows only the first three items (checklists, forms, tasks, corrective actions, or planned activities) due today or later. In this release, we added a Show All button to the bottom of the widget so you can view all items due today or later.

See Planned Activities Before Today’s Date

The Upcoming Work widget now includes planned work from before today, including activities with an actual start date but only a planned end date or no end date. We also added a new toggle to the Actions menu so that you can quickly switch between “Show Work Before Today” and “Hide Work Before Today.”

Improvements to the Voyages Features in the Logbook Module

We made the following improvements to the Voyages add-on features for the Logbook module.

The Print Billing Logs Option is Now Hidden if You Don’t Have Voyages

The ability to print billing logs is one of the Voyages add-on features we introduced in Version 1.28. Unfortunately, in that release, we accidentally made the Print Billing Logs option on the Actions menu visible to all our Logbook customers. In this release, we corrected our mistake, and you will now see the Print Billing Logs option only if you subscribe to the Voyages add-on features.

Read-Only Permission for the Current Voyage

We enhanced the Read permission under Onboard > Logbook > Voyages, so it now provides read-only permission to see the current voyage. Users with this permission can click the Current Voyage icon to see a read-only version of the Manage Voyages window.

Add Details to Billing Logs After a Voyage is Complete

Previously, you couldn’t add more details to a voyage once you had completed it by logging an End Voyage event. Now, you can add additional events and activities to a completed voyage as long as the timeframe for the additional items is between the dates of the Start Voyage and End Voyage events for that voyage.

Manage Access to the Single Crew Change Button in the Logbook Module

We added a new permission under Onboard > Logbook called “Single Crew Change” so you can control who can see the Single Crew Change button on the Onboard > Logs > Logbook tab.

Anyone whose role currently includes the Onboard > Logbook > Logbook permission will automatically receive the new permission after the upgrade to Version 1.28+. If you’d rather someone not have the permission, you must manually remove it from their role.

Some Additional Feedback Issues We Addressed

Based on customer feedback, we also addressed the following issues in Helm CONNECT Jobs:

• The details in custom fields on activities will now be visible on the Onboard > Logs > History tab.
• The assigned space will no longer be removed when you edit an event or activity on the Onboard > Logs > History tab.
• The dates and times for cargo-type events and activities will no longer be locked when you select the “Act” check box. Instead, they’ll be locked after you log the event or activity.

Helm CONNECT Personnel

We made the following changes to Helm CONNECT Personnel in this release.

Names of Archived Assets Now Display in Work Rest Reports

In the Work Rest module, we addressed an issue that prevented the names of deleted or archived assets from being included in the Excel Download and CSV Data Source reports.

My Schedule Permissions Now Work Correctly

In My Helm, we addressed an issue that prevented users with only the Read or Request Time Off permissions under My Helm > Schedule > My Schedule from seeing the My Helm > Schedule > Schedule tab.

Updates

7.1.28.505

As part of ongoing maintenance, this update included some backend server improvements.

Affected versions: All

7.1.28.503

We addressed an issue that prevented parts and locations from being displayed on the Setup > Parts > Parts and the Setup > Locations > Locations tabs. This issue also prevented items from being displayed in many of the drop-down lists throughout Helm CONNECT.

Affected versions: 1.28+

7.1.28.502

As part of ongoing maintenance, this update included some backend server improvements.

Affected versions: All

7.1.28.501

As part of ongoing maintenance, this update included some backend server improvements.

Affected versions: All

7.1.28.500

In Onboard > Logs, we addressed an issue in the “Log an activity” and “Log an event” windows that was preventing some location searches from returning the expected results.

Affected versions: All

7.1.28.499

To create a temporary password, users must have the “Setup > Users > Create Temp. Password” permission plus either the “Setup > Users > Users > Edit” or the “Setup > Users > Users > Read” permission. In this update, we addressed an issue that prevented users without the “Setup > Users > Users > Edit” permission from creating temporary passwords.

Affected versions: 1.28 and 1.28+

7.1.28.498

As part of ongoing maintenance, this update included some backend server improvements.

Affected versions: All

7.1.28.496

Our Helm CONNECT Jobs customers now have the flexibility to calculate their fuel surcharges based on the highest or average fuel price from the date range of the trips or orders that are being billed. When you click the Set Defaults button on the Jobs > Tariffs > Fuel Tables tab, you’ll see four new options:

• Order Max: Applies the highest (maximum) fuel price from the date range of the orders being invoiced.
• Order Average: Applies the average fuel price from the date range of the orders being invoiced.
• Trip Max: Applies the highest (maximum) fuel price from the date range of the trips being invoiced.
• Trip Average: Applies the average fuel price from the date range of the trips being invoiced.

The Order Average option doesn’t include duplicate days from overlapping trips in its calculation. For example, if we have two overlapping trips:

• Trip 1 from Jul 1-2
• Trip 2 from Jul 1-4

The average would be calculated as SUM(fuel prices from Jul 1, Jul 2, Jul 3, Jul 4)/4.

And if we have two trips that don’t overlap:

• Trip 1 from Jul 1-2
• Trip 2 from Jul 4-6

The average would be calculated as SUM(fuel prices from Jul 1, Jul 2, Jul 4, Jul 5, Jul 6)/5.

Affected versions: 1.28+

7.1.28.495

We addressed an issue that prevented users from opening some checklists and forms on asset installations. The issue only occurred if the template the checklist or form was based on was a duplicate of a template that contained an embedded image.

Affected versions: 1.27 and later

7.1.28.494

We addressed an issue that prevented the attachments on some completed tasks from being visible in history.S

Affected version: 1.28+

7.1.28.493

We addressed an issue that prevented users from opening tasks from the My Helm > To Do > Tasks tab on some mobile devices.

Affected version: 1.28+

7.1.28.492

As part of ongoing maintenance, this update included some backend server improvements.

Affected versions: All

7.1.28.491

We addressed an issue that sometimes prevented the Individual Document Acknowledgments data source from displaying the latest acknowledgment status for all users. We also ensured that the information in all historical reports was correct.

Affected versions: 1.22 and later.