Prodensus Support

Welcome to Prodensus Support

All support is managed via emailing support@prodensus.com which creates a support case that our team uses to track your support request and provide you with updates and fixes.

We aim to respond to all registered customer requests within 2 hours during office hours, Monday - Friday 0900hrs - 1700hrs in Europe & North America.

For any escalations, please contact your account manager as nominated during the onboarding process.

Using DataMate or RateMate

Prerequisites:

Have a DataMate account - if you don’t have access, email support@prodensus.com for assistance
Use of a desktop computer and browser such as Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome - the Prodensus toolset is not optimised at this time for tablet or smartphone use
Have your spreadsheets ready to go in the suggested format as outlined below

Excel file formatting:

We suggest that your files are organised using the concept of the first row containing all the column headers. The Prodensus DataMate toolset can process hierarchical files, for example a file with multiple rows of column headers as shown below, however this increases the potential for error rates.

To help with ensuring a smooth experience, we suggest downloading the standard template using the link below to see an idealised sheet for processing. You'll find a link to this file once you're logged into either tool.

Login to the DataMate or RateMate environment:

Visit https://app.prodensus.com and login using the credentials you were provided at sign-up
If you experience login issues, use the self-service password reset feature or email support@prodensus.com for assistance

Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs) & How-Tos

What kind of files can I upload to the platform?

You can upload Excel spreadsheet and comma-separated value files such as .xlsx, .xls and .csv files. At present, files not matching this format will be rejected.

What’s the maximum number of files that can be uploaded?

You can upload 1 file at a time to the system. Each one will be processed individually. There is no limit on the number of files that can be uploaded to your account.

What’s the maximum file size you can upload?

The maximum total volume that can be uploaded in a single transaction is 512MB.

What columns are required to successfully complete the processing?

In simple terms, if enough context is in the file that any human could understand how to process the file, the DataMate tool can process it successfully. Context is important, for example ensuring that there's one single row containing all the key information required to begin assembling and calculating the bid. The following columns or some representation of them are required to complete the file processing sequence:

Origin City
Origin Country
Destination City
Destination Country
Equipment Type (if not provided this will defaulted for each mode. E.g. "53’ Dry Van" for Full Truckload)

This is because they are the basic columns required to create a lane.

When do I know if the file has enough context?

If you or a freight analyst would look at the data and have to take a guess, it's very likely there is not enough context. If you upload a file for example with no column headers or context as to where the origin is versus the destination, the file will likely fail. As long as the required columns are present, the system should have enough context to proceed with analysis.

Do my columns need to have a specific header to be analysed?

No – DataMate is designed to deal with the non-standardized freight terms that we experience every day. For example, a column could be labelled:

“equipment type” in the first file
“equipment” in the second file
“trailer type” in the third file

In each case, DataMate will read the column header and the data contained within the column to determine these are all the same variables.

Does the file have to be in a certain structure?

No, RFPs come in all shapes and sizes! However, the simpler the structure, e.g. a classic or traditional RFP with columns and all lanes in rows on a single tab will process the fastest! Multiple tables across multiple sheets will take longer.

What sheets will be processed?

All of them, including hidden sheets. The system will treat everything you upload as part of the RFP including the instructions page.

Can the system read a formula within a worksheet?

No, this will cause a file to be rejected.

What happens if my data cannot be read?

If the data uploaded is entirely unreadable it’s due to the structure of the data (even humans and AI have limitations). A prompt will appear on screen to advise the error and provide you with context as to what might need to be amended in order for a successful processing of the file.

If there is a specific column that is unreadable, e.g. the column header or data within it is too ambiguous, this column will be ignored to allow the rest of the data to be processed.

The Prodensus team will also receive a notification and will be hands on to support with a human in the loop throughout the process. Should you require our support at any point, please contact support@prodensus.com immediately.

Do my columns need to be in a specific order?

No – they can be in any order, DataMate will realign all sheets into 1 single order of your choosing. We do however recommend that you check each file prior to upload to make sure they make sense to you.

What modes of transport are supported and what modes are not supported?

At present, DataMate is fully supportive of Full-Truckload (FTL). Other supported modes are being deployed.

How are columns analysed by the DataMate platform?

Cleaning and validating all city, state, address and ZIP information utilizing Google Address Validation services.
- You may choose after the file has been processed to use the MileMaker plugin to add a new column with distance between origin and destination to be validated by our partner, MileMaker. (Note: some additional charges may apply depending on the volume of distance calculations that may be required)
Standardizing equipment, stop flags and other mode-specific variables are pre-determined by the Prodensus domain expertise. Bad data will be flagged to you, for example 'Van' may need to be changed to 'Dry Van' for industry compliance purposes and future enhancements.
Calculating the mileage from point A to B uses MileMaker, if this is not possible the system will move to Google's Geo location API.
Standardising and calculating currencies (if charge information is present) is done by our FX table.
Identifying and correcting duplicates shipments across various data points is automatic

How is pricing added and/or handled once the file has been processed?

Files processed successfully should contain all the relevant information required for enhancements such as distance and pricing
Pricing can be added using your own Rate Card should you have one. Simply navigate to the 'Enhance' button and select 'Rate Card' and upload the rate card for the specific RFP you're handling. Once uploaded, you'll see a notification indicating successful upload and within a few moments thereafter, you'll notice columns appearing in the dashboard relevant to your pricing from the rate card and where an origin and destination from your RFP file matches an origin and destination from your rate card, pricing will be automatically added in seconds
You may also wish to enhance your RFP data with pricing from a third-party company such as Triumph Intelligence (formerly Greenscreens) - simply navigate to the Enhance button and select 'Triumph Intelligence' and follow the on-screen instructions to connect your Triumph Intelligence account to the DataMate by Prodensus dashboard. Once successfully completed, the pricing in relevant columns for your Triumph Intelligence account will be automatically added for all corresponding origin and destination paired lanes where data is available.

How do I download the finished file and complete the customer response?

Once you've completed your analysis of the data that's been cleaned and validated (you can 'turn on' the data that was uploaded in order to visually compare like with like) you can simply navigate to the 'Download' button and choose the relevant export, usually the 'Prodensus Export'
Once downloaded, open the file and notice that it's a copy of the original RFP file uploaded with an additional worksheet titled 'Prodensus Lanes' added at the beginning containing all your enhanced data. The data should appear in the format it was read, and for most files, this will be sequential from top-down, allowing you to quickly copy & paste into the request format sheets and once finished, you can simply remove the 'Prodensus Lanes' worksheet and return the file to your customer.
- For more complex files where data may have been added in blocks from left-to-right within the sheets, the data in the 'Prodensus Lanes' will create rows on the vertical plane according to each relevant record found on the horizontal plane within the original file, as the system assumes everything should be read, left-to-right, in line with traditional RFP files from North American, South American and European shippers.
We also add a lane identification marker on both the 'Prodensus Lanes' worksheet and that identification marker is present beside each corresponding original lane provided in your customer's RFP file - this should allow for quick use of the VLOOKUP function in your spreadsheet management software of choice

How do I view the exported file in a web-based spreadsheet app?

If you're using Google Sheets, simply upload the newly downloaded file to your Google Drive and open it from there once uploaded
If you're using Microsoft Excel Online, simply upload the newly downloaded file to your Microsoft OneDrive and open it from there once uploaded

How do I access support for using the Prodensus platform?

You can get support with any aspect of using our platforms by emailing support@prodensus.com

For more, visit our Terms of Service page.