Association Aliases help Vantaca recognize which association an invoice belongs to when the invoice arrives by email or through the Desktop Utility (see Entering Invoices in Vantaca for how invoices come into Vantaca). When an invoice is matched to an association automatically, you spend less time selecting associations during data entry.
Contents
- Where to Find Association Aliases
- How Association Aliases Work
- Permissions
- Create an Association Alias
- Edit or Delete an Association Alias
- FAQ
Where to Find Association Aliases
Select the association in Association > Association List, then navigate to Association > Association Alias.
Aliases are set up for one association at a time. The screen lists every alias for the association you selected.
How Association Aliases Work
When an invoice comes into Vantaca without an association, Vantaca looks through the email subject, the email body, and the text of the invoice itself. If it finds the words from one of your aliases, it assigns that association to the invoice.
Each alias can have up to five words or phrases (Word 1 through Word 5). Keep these points in mind:
- Every word you fill in must be found. If an alias has three words, all three must appear on the invoice or in the email for it to match.
- Capitalization does not matter. "Oak Ridge" and "oak ridge" are treated the same.
- Partial text counts. The word "oak" would also match "Oakland," so use words or phrases that are specific to the association.
- Only one association can match. If an invoice contains text that matches aliases for more than one association, Vantaca does not assign an association, and you select it during data entry.
- Aliases apply to live associations. An association that has not gone live is not matched.
- Aliases only fill in a blank association. They do not change an invoice that already has an association.
Permissions
Navigate to Settings > Roles and find the role you want to assign the permission to. Go to Association and click Edit next to Association Alias, then select the permissions the role needs:
- View: Shows the Association Alias screen.
- Add/Update: Allows users to create new aliases and edit existing ones.
- Delete: Allows users to delete aliases.
For the full list of permissions, see the Role Securities article.
Create an Association Alias
- Select the association, then navigate to Association > Association Alias.
- Click + New Alias.
- Enter a word or phrase in Word 1. Word 1 is required for the alias to work.
- If you want the match to be more specific, enter additional words or phrases in Word 2 through Word 5.
- Click Update.
Each word or phrase can be up to 100 characters.
Example: Vendors often write the association's name differently than it appears in Vantaca. For Oak Ridge Estates Homeowners Association, you might create these aliases, one at a time:
| Word 1 | Word 2 | What it catches |
|---|---|---|
| oak ridge | Any invoice that mentions "Oak Ridge" | |
| oakridge | hoa | Invoices that write the name as one word and also mention "HOA" |
| 1200 ridge road | Invoices addressed to the community's street address |
Create a separate alias for each variation rather than putting several names into one alias. Because every word on an alias must be found, combining different names into one alias would prevent it from matching.
Edit or Delete an Association Alias
- To change an alias, click Edit on its row, update the words, and click Update.
- To remove an alias, click Delete on its row.
Changes apply to invoices that come in afterward. They do not change invoices that were already processed.
FAQ
Q: What is an Association Alias used for?
A: It helps Vantaca automatically assign the correct association to invoices that arrive through your invoice email address or the Desktop Utility.
Q: Is this the same as Vendor Alias?
A: No. Vendor Aliases help Vantaca recognize which vendor sent an invoice, and they apply across all associations. Association Aliases help Vantaca recognize which association the invoice is for, and you set them up for one association at a time. Using both can help invoices arrive with the vendor and association already filled in.
Q: Do I need an alias for every association?
A: Only for associations whose invoices you want Vantaca to match automatically. Associations without an alias are not matched automatically, so add at least one alias for each association that receives invoices by email or through the Desktop Utility.
Q: Why was my invoice not matched to the association?
A: Check these common causes:
- The association does not have an alias, or the alias words do not appear in the email or invoice.
- The alias has more than one word, and one of them is not on the invoice. Every word must be found.
- The invoice contains text that matches more than one association, so Vantaca could not choose.
- The invoice already had an association when it came in.
- The association is not live yet.
- Word 1 is blank.
If an invoice is not matched, select the association manually during data entry.
Q: Can I use a phone number, address, or email address as an alias?
A: Yes. Any text that appears on the invoice or in the email can be used, such as a property address or the community's name as it appears on a vendor's paperwork.
Q: What happens to existing invoices if I add or change an alias?
A: Nothing. Aliases only apply to invoices that come in after the change.
For more on how invoices come into Vantaca, see Entering Invoices in Vantaca. To set up aliases for vendors, see Vendor Alias.
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