MAINTENANCE NOTIFICATION - Important changes to the Merchant Interface and Reporting – Sunday 29th January 2012
Introduction
Why are we making this change?
When will my payment data be archived?
Retrieving archived data
FAQs
As part of our ongoing archiving programme, we would like to notify you that we will shortly be archiving payment data held on our system for all transactions which are more than two years old.
All information relating to payments that were last updated (for example, refunded, settled or charged-back) more than two years ago will be moved into an offline archive. This payment data will no longer be displayed as normal within the merchant interface or reporting module, but a search tool will be available to find and display archived payments.
We are also taking this opportunity to implement an automatic archiving function. This means that any payment related data which is more than two years old, will be automatically archived. You will be able to access this information via the Extended Archive Search tool, but you will no longer be able to access it via the Merchant Interface and reporting module.
PLEASE NOTE: To ensure that you have a complete set of financial records, it is important that you run any reports you require before the 29 January 2012.
Why are we making this change?
Our databases are currently holding over 10 years' worth of payment information. Archiving the payment data that is not actively being used will enhance the performance and speed of our payment processing systems, enabling us to continue processing ever increasing numbers of transactions and carry out system work such as maintenance and reporting more efficiently.
In 2011 we carried out a similar archiving exercise, during which all payment data held on our system was archived up until July 2009.
When will my payment data be archived?
Payment data will be archived gradually over the course of several months, starting on Sunday 29 January 2012, and will be complete by the end of June 2012.
During this period you will notice that the range of payment data you can access, via the Payments screen and reporting module in the Merchant Interface, will gradually be limited to only transactions processed in the last two years.
You can see the latest archive cut-off date in the Merchant Interface, in a field located below the main left-hand navigation panel. This field shows you how far back your payment data has been archived:
- 'Data archived before: dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm'
There will be no functional changes to the service you receive, however if you try to run a report which covers a date range which has already been archived, you will receive a message explaining that the data is unavailable.
After the archiving is complete, all payment data relating to transactions which are over two years old will be archived on an automatic basis.
You will still be able to access all payment details that we archive from within the Merchant Interface, however you will no longer be able to access this information via the reporting module. In order to retrieve any individual payment details that we archive, you will need to perform an 'Extended Archive Search' from within the Merchant Interface.
This Extended Archive Search tool will let you search for individual archived payments using a Transaction or Order ID. Once a payment has been found in the archive using the Extended Archive Search, it will be displayed in the Merchant Interface and can be handled in the same way as a current payment. You will be able to view full payment and order details and make a refund.
View our support FAQ for more information on how to retrieve payment details which have been archived.
Q: Why is historical payment data being archived?
A: Archiving data will enhance the performance and speed of our systems, preventing our databases from getting overloaded with payment data that is not actively being used by the majority of our customers.
Q: Does the archive cut-off date relate to the date the payment was originally made?
A: No, this archive cut-off date relates to the date the last update was made to a payment. This is the date it was settled, refunded or disputed, for example, rather than the date the original payment was made.
Q: How do I find payments that have been archived?
A: Payments can be found in the archive using the new Extended Search screen in the Merchant Interface. To access payment information stored in the archive:
1. Login to the Merchant Interface and from the ‘Payments’ submenu select the ‘Extended Search’ option in the left-hand navigation bar. The Extended Payments Search (including archive search) page is displayed.
2. Enter either a Transaction ID or Order ID and then select the search button to retrieve the payment details from the archive.
You can also refer to our FAQs for more information on using the Extended Search.
Q: What happens to a payment that is extracted from the archive?
A: Payments extracted from the archive will remain available to you in the normal way for a further two years.
Q: Can I refund a payment that has been archived?
A: Yes - once you have retrieved the payment from the archive, it can be treated as any other 'current' payment and can be refunded.
Q: Can I report on payment data in the archive?
A: No, we therefore recommend you run any reports you need for your financial records before this time.
Q: Will Pay-as-Order transactions be taken if the initial payment is in the archive?
A: Yes, Pay-as-Order transactions will be processed as normal if this initial payment has been archived. The process may take up-to a few seconds longer as the system searches first the live and then the archive database for the initial payment.
Q: What changes are being made to the Merchant Interface?
A: An Extended Search screen has been added to the Merchant Interface to enable you to retrieve payment data. Refer to our FAQs for more information on using the Extended Search.
