Q&A Badger TraCS Hosted Environment
- Geraldine Polster
- Julian Pazynski
Badger TraCS Hosted Environment Questions & Answers
How do I know what database engine my agency is using (Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server)?
Agencies can check their database engine used for TraCS by following the steps below:
On the TraCS Master Computer, log into TraCS Configuration Manager as a user with System Administrator privileges.
Navigate to Setup | Database Connection.
Expand Database Connection Strings. Click on Support.
On the right, you will see a ‘Database:’ field. If it says Access (as shown below), your agency is using Microsoft Access for their database engine and is therefore eligible for the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment.
You can now close TraCS Configuration Manager. If you are prompted if you are sure you want to close, simply click Yes.
What’s the process for getting migrated to the new Badger TraCS Hosted Environment?
The following are the basic steps for migrating to the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment:
Sign Up: Notify BadgerTraCS (send an e-mail to badgertracs@dot.wi.gov) expressing your interest.
Badger TraCS will Notify Agencies: DSP/TraCS will notify agencies with an e-mail requesting them to review and sign the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment User Agreement. They will also receive a Hosted Worksheet to be completed with agency information needed to set up TraCS in the new Hosted Environment. When these documents are completed, they should be sent through an e-mail to Badger TraCS.
Schedule a Migration Appointment: Once DSP/TraCS receives the signed agreement and completed Hosted Worksheet, DSP/TraCS will contact the agency to review the information and other prep work. They will go over all the information in the Hosted Worksheet, copy a couple of tables and schedule a migration appointment.
Migration Appointment: DSP/TraCS will uninstall your current TraCS system from all your PC’s and laptops, install the new Badger TraCS Hosted System and make a copy of your current/archived data. We are estimating the appointment should take between 2 – 4 hours depending on how many computers the law enforcement agency has.
Follow Up: Your current and archived data will be uploaded within 48 hours after the appointment.
How much will it cost to join the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment?
We will have a 4-year agreement that will expire December 31, 2024. This 4-year agreement will not include any costs to law enforcement to migrate to or use the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment. However, moving forward after 2024, the next agreement will probably include a minimal cost to cover the replacement of the equipment. We are unable to state exactly how much the cost will be but will try to minimize the costs.
If a cost is applied after 4 years, do you see these costs divided among all agencies equally or is it dependent on the number of machines and/or users on their system?
We are not able to establish a cost at this time; however, we expect a charge to be applied at an equal, base rate per agency, independent of their number of users or computers with the TraCS Software installed. We would like to reiterate that we will try to keep the costs minimal and any fees charged would go right back into the system itself – server maintenance, hardware replacement, storage costs, licensing fees, etc.
If we join the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment, can we later leave and switch to our own SQL Server?
Yes, agencies will remain the owners of their data and therefore can request their data be returned and there User Agreement terminated with their removal from the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment. The only requirement is you have a SQL server ready for migration. We cannot migrate your database from the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment to an environment with MS Access
When can law enforcement get a copy of the agreement to review?
DSP/TraCS has the final Badger TraCS Hosted Environment User Agreement and is available to anyone. Please send an e-mail to Badger TraCS (badgertracs@dot.wi.gov) if you would like to review it.
Will law enforcement have access to any other law enforcement agencies’ data or just their own?
Originally, DSP/TraCS was going to set each law enforcement agency up to only view/edit their own data. However, we have heard from some agencies that they would like the opportunity to view (only view, not edit) other agencies data as well as their own. We have decided the default would be for agencies to view and edit their own data only. If a law enforcement agency chooses to opt-in and open their data up for others to view (only view, not edit) their forms and attachments, we’ll do that. This would allow all law enforcement agencies that opted-in, to view (only view, not edit) other agencies’ forms and attachments except for forms that are marked ‘confidential.’
Will the Law Enforcement Agency need to Archive their own data/forms?
Yes, after the forms have been transmitted and exported, the agency can go in and archive their data/forms.
How often will DSP/TraCS be transmitting our forms?
DSP/TraCS will transmit all forms according to the following documentation. https://wi-state-patrol.atlassian.net/l/cp/n0377TaC
Will the law enforcement agency be transmitting their forms to the state, court, RMS, etc.?
No, DSP/TraCS will set up automatic batch transmissions to transmit all forms in an ‘Accepted’ status daily. This transmission will follow this documentation: https://wi-state-patrol.atlassian.net/l/cp/n0377TaC
How will DSP/TraCS know if the forms are ready to be transmitted?
DSP/TraCS will ask all agencies to ‘modify’ their review process/work flow and put their forms in an ‘Accepted’ status when the form is ready to be transmitted. This is the current process for all agencies using Web Services. Transmission will then occur during the scheduled batch time.
I find a lot of mistakes when I transmit myself, such as incorrect court date, address, etc. and I can fix these errors before transmission. Will this hosted environment offer a method to amend or correct citations either before or after they are automatically transmitted?
The current rules regarding editing citations and forms before and after transmission will still apply. So long as the form is not in ‘Accepted’ status, it will not get transmitted and therefore will still be editable dependent on the type of form and its form disposition status (whether a citation has been ‘Issued,’ etc.). Edits are not allowed after transmission barring a few specific forms (such as amending a crash from). We therefore encourage you make use of the ‘Completed’ and ‘Rejected’ statuses to indicate whether a form has been checked for errors and is ready for transmission.
Will we still be able to e-mail citations with citations being a PDF file as we currently can?
Yes, this process will not change after joining the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment. Agencies can continue to export their citation reports as PDF documents and attach these to e-mails.
Our data is stored on our county’s RMS database using FTPS, how will this work?
We will set up the RMS Download feature (shown below) to download all the fields to your hard drive and then send them using TraCS and FTPS to the county server.
Will there be a way to create a scheduled task to download the RMS exports automatically rather than manually going into TraCS and clicking that button? Similar to how scheduling the exports works now.
There is currently no way to automate the RMS Download Process in the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment, though it is as simple as logging into TraCS and clicking the RMS Download button after your scheduled RMS export This is a feature request that can be discussed for a future Badger TraCS Update.
Our agency needs to have forms in our RMS right after they are transmitted. We call this "Forms Are Available in Realtime." Is there a way to manually run the process to get the forms into our RMS?
There is currently no way to manually run the RMS Export/Download Process in the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment, though RMS Exports begin as soon as two hours after forms are transmitted to the State. You can check whether a form is ready to be downloaded by checking the RMS Export Date column offered in Forms Manager (shown below). If there is a date in the column, you can simply click the RMS Download button to send this form to your RMS.
Where will the attachments be stored?
There are two options for storing attachments. This new system will have a 2 MB size limit to store attachments with your form on the new system. Your options will be to store attachments in the new system complying with the size limit or storing your attachments on your local PC. If you have questions on this, we can discuss this on a case by case basis.
How will we handle forms that have a status of Failed Transmission? Do we troubleshoot these or does TraCS Staff take care of these for us?
Failed Transmission troubleshooting will continue to function in much the same way as it does currently – technical/mechanical errors will be handled by TraCS Staff, while user/data errors must be addressed by the agency. Badger TraCS Staff will monitor the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment to screen for any errors in the batch transmission process. If one is found, they will begin researching the error and contact the agency if it is an error that must be addressed by the agency such as an invalid character in a data field, etc. Badger TraCS Staff will not manipulate agency-entered data without first contacting an agency representative.
Will the law enforcement agencies have a master computer?
No, the master computer will now be stored on the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment server.
Will the office computers/workstations look or act the same?
No, office computers/workstations will look similar but act differently. Once an agency joins the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment, every TraCS office computer/workstation at their agency becomes a TraCS Web Client, which means there is no longer a difference between office computer/workstations and field units. A TraCS Web Client allows you to access all data in your databases – so long as you have Internet access. If a TraCS Web Client ever loses Internet access, TraCS will still be functional, it will simply upload all the forms to the database once Internet access is reestablished. This means you will no longer need to end/start-shift. This also means that changes made to forms, such as rejecting a form or issuing a form will be seen across the agency in real time.
Will the field units look or act the same?
No, the field unit will look similar but act differently. Once an agency joins the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment, every TraCS Field Unit at their agency becomes a TraCS Web Client, which means there is no longer a difference between office computer/workstations and field units. A TraCS Web Client allows you to access all data in your databases – so long as you have Internet access. If a TraCS Web Client ever loses Internet access, TraCS will still be functional, it will simply upload all the forms to the database once Internet access is reestablished. This means you will no longer need to end-/start-shift. This also means that changes made to forms, such as rejecting a form or issuing a form will be seen across the agency in real time.
What "equipment" will the law enforcement agency need to purchase?
None, unless you use thumb drives for end-shifting (indicating you do not have reliable internet connection in the field). The new process will need internet access from your car to update forms to the database. You may need to get an air card if you don’t have Internet access in your car currently or find a hotspot where you can get your data uploaded daily. We can discuss this more on a case by case basis.
Can I use my current diagram tool if it is not the TraCS 10 version?
No. The TraCS 73 version will stop working when MS Access stops working as it is a 32-bit application. The TraCS 73 version will not be turned on in the Hosted Environment as it will be going away soon anyway. As for the other applications, we do not have a license for them, so crash forms will not transmit.
You said we need to migrate our 32-bit machines to 64-bit before the fall of 2021. To join the Hosted Environment, do we need to have all 64-bit computers, or can we migrate those last few machines later after having already joined?
While we encourage you to migrate to a 64-bit operating system as soon as possible to avoid any delays during the Migration Appointment for joining the Badger TraCS Environment, we have successfully migrated several 32-bit computers to the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment. So long as you plan to migrate these last few computers from 32-bit to 64-bit before the fall of 2021, there is no problem in joining the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment with a few last 32-bit computers.
The link below is an FAQ from Microsoft that outlines how to check whether your computer is running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows, and whether your computer can upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit or whether replacement hardware would be necessary:
Will law enforcement agencies still need to maintain their own ordinance tables, court schedule, etc. (local tables)?
Yes, there will be a new process for law enforcement agencies to update their local tables. Currently, as soon as the tables are updated, all ‘workstations’ have immediate access to the new table updates and then your TraCS Administrator runs a distribution to update the field units. The new process will include updating the tables daily. Law enforcement will be able to update tables up until a specified cutoff time/day and then DSP/TraCS will need to copy that data from your local tables to the production server. Then as individuals log into TraCS after a specified time/day the new table updates will be downloaded to that individual’s TraCS Web Client. The cutoff to update your tables will occur End of Day. The table updates will be available for download the next morning when logging into TraCS
Will all computers receive table updates on Monday morning automatically if they’re not connected to the internet?
Yes, all computers at an agency once joined to the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment are TraCS Web Clients and therefore do need internet connection to receive table updates.
What will the law enforcement agency need to do to get a TraCS Update?
After DSP/TraCS staff downloads the TraCS Update on the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment Server, Law enforcement TraCS users will receive a pop-up message requesting to install the TraCS Update on their web client. If they choose yes, then TraCS installs, if they select no, then it won’t install but they will continue to receive the pop-up message each time they log into TraCS.
An agency will only need to run a distribution when one of the following occurs:
DSP/TraCS adds an INI file (this should only happen in the Fall Pack),
An agency adds or modifies a GPS setting, or
An agency adds or modifies a Barcode Reader setting
All ‘Additional Instructions’ will now be performed by DSP/TraCS Staff, which will make updates (particularly Fall Updates) much more streamlined for agencies.
When will law enforcement agencies need to run a Distribution?
A Law Enforcement Agency will only need to run a distribution if any of the following occurs:
DSP/TraCS adds an INI file (this should only happen in the Fall Pack),
An agency adds or modifies a GPS setting, or
An agency adds or modifies a Barcode Reader setting
DSP/TraCS staff will be available to assist an agency with this if needed. Instructions to run a distribution can be found in the new Badger TraCS Hosted Environment Maintenance Guide that is still under development.
How do I know if my agency has proper e-mail naming convention?
TraCS will be using individual work emails as their primary login ID. This is necessary to make sure that we do not have duplicate login users. Agency emails need to be unique and need to include the individuals name or badge number and the law enforcement agency info. If an individual were to leave, a new officer down the road would not be able to use the same e-mail address.
For small agencies with only a single user, is a generic e-mail such as chief@policeagency.com be ok or do we have to be more specific if we are the only person employed by the law enforcement agency?
No, to ensure unique e-mails in the present and future, each e-mail address must uniquely identify and individual at an agency. Acceptable e-mail address examples are shown below:
Officer123@yahoo.com (where 123 is the officer’s badge number)
I heard that passwords expire. Can users change their own password? If a user gets locked out, can they (we) take care of this on our own at the agency?
User passwords will expire every 3 months once an agency joins the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment. After users are initially entered into the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment by DSP/Badger TraCS, password management will be handled by the agency. Agencies can reset their own passwords using the ‘Forgot Password’ link found on the Badger TraCS Login Screen (shown below – internet access required).
Will there be any issues with permissions to maintain TraCS? Will you need us to give you a Windows User who has full permissions to each of our computers?
Just as we currently do, we will always work with an agency representative when troubleshooting/installing TraCS on agency computers. We will not require the password for any credentials for any agency computers/servers, we will rely on the agency to enter these credentials for us while working together.
What would the process be for adding or changing over to a new computer once we're already on the hosted environment.
Currently, we will work together with agencies in installing/migrating TraCS from computer to computer. We will foresee allowing agencies on the Badger TraCS Hosted Environment to install the TraCS Software on their own once documentation is secured and tested, but for now agencies will need to contact Badger TraCS to schedule a computer installation/migration appointment.
What map file will we get?
Currently, our system is only able to have one map, so at this time everyone will have the full state map file as opposed to a regional map file.
Our agency provides crash reports to Carfax, how will this work?
Just add it like a second RMS, we will set up the RMS download feature to download all the files to your hard drive and then send them on to one or more locations as needed.
Last Updated: 12/30/2020 – AH