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Spotdata Electronic Invoicing (EI)
EI allows broadcasting and cable companies to deliver electronic invoices to local and national advertising agencies. The data transfer is seamless as broadcasting and cable companies send invoice data to an industry clearinghouse where it is merged the same night and distributed to agencies and media buying services via the Internet within a few hours.

Read about Spotdata Electronic Invoicing (EI):



Who uses EI?
EI is for all broadcasting and cable companies regardless of the traffic system the station is using. To facilitate industry participation, we have published an open standard for all traffic system vendors. Vendors will configure their media systems to produce the invoice file format necessary for electronic invoicing and the web delivery of invoices to agencies.

How will EI help me?
Business Managers
EI makes it easy for a business manager to send invoices to advertising agencies and media buying services.

Sales Managers
Be the first or one of the first in your market to use EI. With EI, you distinguish your station and make it easier for agencies to do business with you. For the first time in history, your LOCAL agencies can receive electronic invoices.

General Managers
Identify your station as a leader and innovator in the new business of Electronic Commerce.

EI means . . .

  • National and Local Agency Participation
    EI is designed to support national and local agency participation. Broadcasting and cable companies send their invoices to the industry clearinghouse located at the Harris Operations Center for delivery to participating agencies.
  • Fewer Data Entry Errors
    Invoice data is delivered electronically from the traffic system to the agency accounting system, which means no re-keying of data. Data entry errors are eliminated.
  • Improved Agency Relationships
    With the elimination of data entry errors, discrepancies disappear, making for a smoother agency/station relationship.
  • Faster Reconciliation
    With the electronic delivery of invoice data, agencies will be able to shorten the reconciliation process.
  • Timely Payments to Stations
    EI means faster delivery of invoices to agencies, faster entry of invoices into the agency system, and the elimination of data entry errors. All of this potentially means stations will get paid faster.
  • Paperless Environment
    EI opens the doors to an entirely paperless environment! No more printing, stuffing, or mailing.

How does EI work?
EI works in conjunction with your current traffic system to create invoice files during your normal billing run. The invoice files are then sent to an industry clearinghouse located at the Harris Operations Center. Once the invoice files are received at the Operations Center, they are sorted by agency. Within hours an email is sent to each agency notifying them that their invoices are ready for download.

Using the digital certificate and password assigned to them during the sign-up process, the agency logs into the Subscribers Only area of spotdata.com and downloads their invoices. The subscriber is also able to view and print their invoices from their web browser.

To see a demonstration of electronic invoicing, check out the EI Demo. See how easy and convenient it is to send and receive electronic invoices via the Internet.

If I sign up for EI, how much will it cost me to send my invoices?
Upon subscribing to Spotdata EI, an initial fee of $500 will provide you with three months of unlimited electronic invoicing and one digital certificate. The three month period begins immediately upon completion of your EI installation. After the first three months, you will be billed only $1 for each invoice sent to agencies through the industry clearinghouse.

What do Columbine, JDS 2000, BMS and non-Harris stations need to know?


What does setup cost?

  • Budget for the cost of buying the components listed in the software and hardware requirements sections (below).
  • Budget for the monthly costs of a dedicated local phone line and long-distance charges.
EI is designed to be self-installing. Free telephone support is provided during the installation process.

What are the Software Requirements?
Traffic system requirements

  • Columbine - Version 3.1 or higher plus any appropriate software updates, operating on an AS/400 using TCP/IP.
  • JDS 2000 - Version 16 plus any appropriate software updates, operating on an AS/400 using TCP/IP.
  • BMS - Version 5.5.1 or higher.
  • Non-Harris - See your traffic system vendor
Operating system requirements for Columbine, JDS 2000
and BMStraffic systems
  • CISC AS/400 - Must be at Version 3, Release 2 (V3R2)
  • RISC AS/400 -Must be at Version 3, Release 7 (V3R7) or higher
  • Specific program temporary fixes (PTFs) may be required. Available PTFs continuously change; therefore, this information will be provided upon installation.
Operating system requirements for non-Harris traffic systems
  • Contact your traffic system vendor.
General requirement for Columbine, JDS 2000, BMS
and non-Harris traffic systems
  • Invoice data cannot include semi-colon (;) characters.
  • Reserve the default TCP/IP dial-up connection for the transmission of the invoice data from your AS/400 to the industry clearinghouse. Use static routes to transmit to other networks from your AS/400.

What are the Hardware Requirements?*

  • For JDS 2000 and Columbine stations, the AS/400 terminal you use to review the electronic invoice register report must have compression capabilities.
  • A dedicated communication port on the AS/400 system for the EI modem.
  • A Hayes-compatible V.24 modem (external). We recommend a 28.8 Kbps modem for maximum efficiency, but slower speeds will work. Currently 19.2 Kbps is the maximum communications rate on the AS/400. (You can obtain a Hayes-compatible modem for under $200 at your local computer hardware store.)
  • An IBM communications cable to connect the modem to the AS/400.
  • A local telephone line connected to the Hayes-compatible modem. This line must be able to make outbound long-distance calls and should be of suitable quality to support large file data transmission.
* Some traffic system vendors may have other hardware requirements.

What should I do after my software and hardware is installed?

  • Familiarize yourself with your traffic system's electronic invoice features. (Your traffic system vendor should provide documentation.)
  • Insert the Industry Data Base (IDB) number for all participating agencies into your traffic system agency records. (You will receive a list of participating agencies and their associated IDB numbers as part of the installation process. Please note that this list is subject to change. EI functions only with those agencies participating in electronic invoicing.)
  • Transmit a test invoice to verify that the process is operational.
You are now ready to send electronic invoices!

What do BIAS stations need to know?
There are no special hardware or software requirements for BIAS stations. When you decide to sign up for EI, call your Spotdata Sales Representative who will contact the Media Industry Clearinghouse (MIC) Support department to set the appropriate system switches. Then a Media Consultant will contact you to review electronic invoice procedures.

How do I know my data is secure?
You can be assured that your data is secure. EI encrypts transmissions to the industry clearinghouse from Columbine and JDS 2000 stations and notifies the station once the data reaches the clearinghouse.

Just insert the Industry Data Base (IDB) number for each participating agency into your traffic system and your invoices will be sent to the proper agency. Only users from the designated agency will be able to view your invoices.

  • A firewall protects the invoice data in the industry clearinghouse.
  • We control access to the invoice download area of the web site and delivery of invoices to the proper agency by verifying the user's X.509 digital certificate and password every time the user logs into the secure area.
  • Secure Internet protocols (HTTPS and SSL) ensure that the data is encrypted when transmitted over public Internet connections.

Okay, I'm interested! How do I get started?
To receive the benefits of electronic invoicing, select Sign Up to begin the sign-up process.

If you want more information before you sign up, you can Request More Information.