The Grid Optimizer

The Grid Optimizer UI

Before you start working with the Grid Optimizer, we will explain the UI so that you can quickly familiarize yourself with the possibilities of the Grid Optimizer.

You can find the Grid Optimizer by clicking on <BOOKING> in the Header module and then selecting the Grid Optimizer in the Detailed Planning section in the Function menu.

Overview

The Grid Optimizer is a very powerful tool with countless functions. Let's take a quick look at the interface.

(1) The Channel Selection

At the top right of the screen you will find the channel selection using a drop-down field. Click on the field and select a station from the list. After you have done that, the grid for the channel will be loaded.

(2) The View Settings

You can influence the display of the work area via the view settings.

First, you can specify the period (1) that should be displayed. You can update the setting by clicking the Refresh button (2).

You can use the weekday selection (3) to show or hide certain days of the week. With the slider in the Scope area (4) you can set how many days should be displayed on the UI at the same time (the date period must be set to more than one day in order to show more than one day).

With zoom (5) you can adjust the granularity of the timeline in the work area. The smaller the value, the more detailed the breaks are displayed.

(3) The Grid

The heart of the Grid Optimizer is of course the grid, the display of the advertising space.

1 - The status of the respective day is displayed at the top of the day's header. How to change this status will be explained later.

2 - The blocks are displayed in a calendar view. These advertising spaces are, so to speak, above the content. The entire Ad Break can be moved by dragging and dropping.

3 - You can see the commercials within the break. These can also be moved in the order using drag & drop.

You can also move a commercial from one break to another.

(4) The Filter Section

In the filter section you can further restrict your selection so that you can work more easily. You can find these filters on the left side of your work area. You have three filters to choose from which you can also combine:


  1. You can filter by break categories
  2. You can filter by time units
  3. You can filter for certain content

(5) Tools & Checks

The Grid Optimizer offers you a number of useful functions that help you to ensure the quality of your work. You can find these tools in the Tools & Checks section.

1 - Advertiser Clash - Advertiser clashes are displayed in this report which are defined in the Exclusions area

2 - Product Clash - Product clashes are displayed in this report which are defined in the Exclusions area

3 - Material Issue - Missing material will be displayed in this report

4 - Capacity Constrains - Here you can see in which breaks, over or under bookings occur

5 - User Display Settings - As in many other MYDAS areas, you can also adapt the view in the Grid Optimizer to your needs

6- Spot Exceptions - By clicking on the flag you will get an Excel report with all unplaced spots, pre-empted spots, or issues.

(6) Clipboard - You can call up the clipboard via the arrow at the lower middle edge of your workspace. This clip board is explained in more detail in the next chapter.

The Clipboard

On the clipboard, you will find all unplaced spots that could not be booked or the pre-empted spots that could not be broadcasted for various reasons.

Let's look at the unplaced spots that could theoretically still be booked. Whether it be as fillers for gaps in the break or to fill campaigns. You can find all the relevant information about booking requirements from the list. You can now move a spot from the clipboard to an advertising block using drag & drop. If the break fits the requirements of the placement, the spot is simply booked. If there is a discrepancy, this spot is marked in yellow.

Fine Planning the Broadcast Day

The next steps will explain a straight forward way to finalize a broadcast day and generate a playlist

From the point of view of usability, you can always follow the following rules:

1. You can find all functions with which you work for the whole day, in the day header. By clicking on the header with the right mouse button, the selection of actions is displayed

2. You can find all functions with which you edit an advertising block by right-clicking on the header of the advertising block

Now we will go into the most important functions.

1. Pre-log a day

Click first on the header of the specific day and select from the pop-up menu, the entry "Lock day/Pre-log Day". Having done that, you can start with your work on this day and it also becomes blocked for other user during this time.

2. Run Copy Rotations

To make sure that all copy rotations are placed correctly, you can use the command <Run Copy Rotations> to check the day again for the correct assignment of the materials.

3. Resolve Material Issues

The red number on the break header points out a material issue. By right-clicking on the according spot, a pop-up menu opens again. Select the <open placement> command here. You will now be taken directly to the placement where you can solve the material issue by assigning the correct material to the bookings.

4. Run Placing Optimizer

With the Placing Optimizer, spots can be placed for the entire day based on pre-configured rules. To do this, click on the tag header and select the entry <Run placing optimizer>. In this run, among other things, all first and last placements are set and a spot is placed between tandem spots / piggy back.

5. Manual Check of Breaks

As a further step, you can now check break by break manually and, if necessary, change the order using drag & drop. The booked first and last placements are marked in color in the block. So you can see immediately if such a placement has been accidentally put in the wrong place.

6. Filling Breaks with Spots from the Clipboard

Finally, you might want to fill in gaps in the advertising block. We have already explained the clip board function elsewhere.

However, because this function is so essential, we will explain it again:

  1. You open the clip board by clicking on the arrow located in the lower middle
  2. You choose the right spot from the clip board based on the features of the advertising block
  3. You simply move the spot into the correct position using drag & drop

If the spot doesn't match the block due to its specification, two things can happen:

  • The spot cannot be pushed into the block due to a strict ban
  • The spot does not necessarily fit into the break, but can be booked, in this case the spot is marked in yellow = warning

7. Create Commercial Spotfile

Work is done? Then you can create the spot file or playlist. You do this by right-clicking in the daily header and selecting the command <Create commercial Log / Spotfile>. MYDAS now creates the spot file and transfers the data to the planning system. After this action the day is locked.

Exception - How to re-lock a day

It may happen that you have to change a day although you have already finalized it and the log file has already been sent. In this case, you can simply reset the status of the day. Then you make the changes and after you are finished, create a new log file