Check that a channel is connected and correctly mapped, and that RMS is sending data to it.

Overview

Checking a channel connection in RMS confirms it is configured correctly and sending data, without waiting for something to go wrong. Work through these checks after you connect a new channel, after you change rates or mapping, and before a busy period.

The checks fall into two parts. Part 1 confirms the connection is configured correctly. Part 2 confirms RMS is sending data to the channel. You do both in RMS.

Please Note! These checks confirm what RMS is sending. Confirming that the channel received it, and that your rates and availability look correct on the channel's own extranet, is a separate step that varies by channel.

Please Note! RMS is highly configurable. Some Terminology, User Access & Permissions, Images, Labels, and Functions used in these articles may differ from your setup. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Before You Begin

Before checking a channel connection, make sure you have:

• Access to Setup > Online Bookings > Channel Management.
• The channel already connected, with mapping completed.
• Rates loaded in the Rate Manager for the dates you sell on that channel.

Part 1: Check the Connection is Configured Correctly

Part 1 checks the settings RMS holds for the channel. Go to Setup > Online Bookings > Channel Management.

Step 1: Check the channel in the list

The Channel Management Setup list shows every channel with the columns Id, Channel, Status, Mapped, Availability, Commission and Information.

1. Set Channel Connection Status to All. The list filters to connected channels by default, so a channel that has dropped out will not appear until you change this.
2. Find your channel and check Status reads Connected.
3. Check the Mapped column. It reads No when the channel has no mapping, which means RMS has nothing to send.
4. Check Availability shows the method you intend to use: Do Not Use Allotments (Full Availability), Default Allotment, or Channel Allotment.

Step 2: Check the connection settings

Select the channel and select Edit to open its connection screen. The Channel Information section holds three panels to check.

1. Connection Information: confirm that the credentials the channel issued you are present. The fields differ by channel, and can include Hotel Id, Login, Password, Chain Code and Prop Code.
2. Availability Rates & Inventory (ARI) Settings: confirm that Availability and Map by match how you sell on this channel.
3. Reservation Settings: confirm Market Segment and Booking Source are set, so inbound reservations report correctly.

Please Note! Some channels have a Pricing Model here. It must match the pricing model configured on the channel's own extranet. A mismatch is a common cause of rates that do not agree.

Step 3: Check the mapping

The Area/Rate Mapping section lists each room type the channel holds, with the columns Retail Web Site Category, Category, Rate Type and No Update.

1. Confirm every Retail Web Site Category row has both a Category and a Rate Type. An unmapped row sends nothing.
2. Confirm No Update is ticked only where you intend it. A ticked row stops RMS sending rate and availability updates for that combination.
3. Some channels add further columns, such as Disable Rate Update. Check these the same way.
4. Search the mapping list for Invalid. Expired rates appear with the rate name prefixed "Invalid" so you can find them in one go. Extend the rate, or mark it inactive.

Important! The mapping list shows the mapping RMS last saved, not the rooms and rates the channel holds right now. Select Refresh to retrieve the current room and rate combinations from the channel before you judge whether the mapping is correct. RMS displays a notification when a refresh is needed.

Please Note! Complete every mapping before you save. Where a mapping is left incomplete, RMS removes it on save unless No Update is ticked for that row.

Step 4: Check rates exist for every mapped combination

Every mapped Category and Rate Type needs a rate for the dates you are selling. Open the Rate Manager and confirm a rate period covers the whole period you distribute to the channel.

Important! Where a mapped combination has no rate for a date, RMS sends a placeholder rate and a Stop Sell for that date to every connected channel. The placeholder is an all-nines figure, which displays as 9,999 in Australian dollars. If a channel is showing an unexpectedly high rate, check for a missing rate period before anything else.

Part 2: Check RMS is Sending Data to the Channel

Part 2 checks what RMS has actually sent. The first two checks are on the channel's connection screen; the third is in the Message Centre.

Step 5: Check the Submissions Overview

The Submissions Overview (Last 7 Days) panel sits at the top right of the connection screen. It counts the availability and rate messages RMS sent to this channel over the previous seven days, measured from your property's own date.

The chart has two segments:

• Success, shown in green.
• Failure, shown in red.

Hover over a segment to see its count and its percentage of the total.

The panel displays No Data Found when RMS has sent no availability or rate messages to the channel in those seven days. On a connection you update regularly, that is itself the finding: RMS is not sending.

Important! A Success segment does not mean the channel accepted the message. The chart counts the same flag as the Status column in the Log, so a message the channel rejected can still be counted as a success. Use this chart to see whether RMS is sending at all and whether any failures are present, then open the Log to find out what the channel actually said.

Step 6: Check the Log

The Log lists the individual messages RMS exchanged with the channel. Select Log from the Menu on the left of the connection screen. It has four columns: Time, Status, Request and Response.

1. Look at the most recent rows and confirm RMS has exchanged messages recently.
2. Read the Response column, not the Status column. The Response carries the channel's own words. In this example the Status reads Failed and the Response explains why: "Unable to determine distributor property. No Room Types Returned."
3. Where the Status and the Response disagree, the Response is correct.

Please Note! The Log covers the last 30 days and shows a maximum of 100 rows. In practice the stored messages often go back about two weeks, so you may see less than 30 days, and a busy connection shows fewer days than a quiet one. The Log has no search or export. The Time column uses the clock of the server your property's data is hosted on, which may not match your local time.

Step 7: Check the Message Centre for alerts

Where a channel rejects a configuration, RMS flags the problem rather than disconnecting the channel. For Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda, RMS also ticks No Update on the affected mapping rows and raises a Critical Configuration Issues alert. Open the Message Centre from the top toolbar, select Online Travel Agent, and look for a message that names your channel and lists the mapping rows RMS changed in response.

For what each online alert means, see Online Critical Alerts in the Message Centre.

Please Note! Not every channel raises this alert. Where a channel does not, the absence of a message is not proof that nothing was rejected, so check the Log as well.

What "Status" Means in RMS

Four different things in this process are called Status, and they mean different things. Reading the wrong one is the most common reason a connection looks healthy when it is not.

Channels That Work Differently

Some channels do not have every screen described above. Where a step does not exist for your channel, skip it and rely on the others.

Still Not Working?

Once you have corrected whatever the checks above found, run a Manual OTA Resync to re-send your current rates and availability to the channel. A resync sends what RMS holds now, so it does not fix a row that is still unmapped or a rate the channel is still rejecting.

If the problem continues, contact RMS Support with the channel name, the date range affected, and the text of the Response column from the Log.

RMS Support can also check the channel's Audit Trail, which you cannot see yourself. It records every change made to the channel's mapping, including who made it, when, and the old and new value of the field they changed. It also records each Manual OTA Resync run against the channel, including who ran it and which Categories and Rate Types it covered. Where a connection worked last week and does not now, ask Support to check the Audit Trail.

Related Articles

• Availability, Rates & Inventory (ARI)
• Online Critical Alerts in the Message Centre
• Identify Channel Mapping Issues
• Channel Mapping Wizard
• Troubleshooting: Reservations Not Arriving from a Channel