How to use the Orca Scan web app

The Orca Scan Web App is a centralised configurator and management platform allowing you to develop your barcoding solution and deploy it within your organisation.

The Basics

Once you’ve registered for an account you will be asked to create your first sheet. You can think of a sheet as a totally separate database, each with its own uniquely defined fields.

Ok, let’s jump straight in:

Log in to your newly created account at cloud.orcascan.com
Create a new sheet using a template, or start fresh with a blank canvas
Download the Orca Scan mobile app from the iOS or Android app store
Log into your account using Orca Scan mobile
Scan a barcode, then hit refresh in the Orca Scan web app.

Great! Now you’ve got the basics figured out. There’s so much more to the Orca Scan web app, so let’s explore your workspace to uncover all the features and find out where they are.

Only in the web app

You can only sign up for an Orca Scan subscription at orcascan.com, along with adding users to a sheet (including setting permissions), importing data and accessing integrations, triggers and history logs.

Sheet permissions

The person who creates the sheet is considered the owner and has full access to modify the sheet. When adding users to a sheet to collaborate, you can control who can add/edit/update using sheet permissions. There are 4 permissions Can update, Can delete, Can export and Can admin:

Can Update

A user with Can Update enabled has the ability to add and update rows from both the web and mobile app.

Can Delete

A user with Can Delete enabled has the ability to delete rows and also clear the sheet from the web or mobile app.

Can Export

A user with Can Export enabled has the ability to export the entire contents of your sheet via email from the mobile app or download the data using the web app.

Can Admin

A user with Can Admin enabled has all of the above permissions, plus the ability to modify the structure of your sheet, such as adding/editing columns. They do not, however, have the ability to add new users - this can only be done by the sheet owner.

Learn more about adding users and setting user permissions.

Customising your data fields

Each column in your sheet is an input field within your Orca Scan mobile app – remember, this can be a series of devices that scan barcodes into a single sheet. To add, edit, clear, delete, move and sort columns, simply right-click on any column inside your sheet to show the options.

Learn more about the data field customisation options.

Previewing the Orca Scan mobile app

To visualise what the Orca Scan mobile app will look like after customising fields, head to the right side of the screen to see a ‘Mobile preview’ option.

Learn more about the Orca Scan mobile app.

Adding more users

You can invite users to collaborate on your sheet, and set individual permissions. Each user automatically has update access, which means they can download the Orca Scan mobile app, log in and start scanning barcodes into your sheet.

Head to the top of the Orca Scan web app page to find the ‘Users’ tab to begin adding users.

Learn more about the relationship between users and sheets.

Creating new sheets

A sheet essentially works as a database which is visually represented as a spreadsheet (with columns and rows). With our guided setup you should have already set up your first sheet. To add more, simply head to the bottom left and look for the ‘+’ button where you’ll have the option to add a new sheet (similar to Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel) or to merge any of your current sheets into one view.

Learn more about creating new sheets with different layouts and templates.

Sheet settings and options

Each sheet has a set of options that work independently from other sheets. For example, if you want clear all of the data, delete the sheet completely, rename the sheet, duplicate the sheet, transfer the sheet’s ownership to another user, adjust the date and time settings or access the integration settings then simply right-click on the sheet tab along the bottom.

Searching your data

You should be able to see a search icon from the toolbar above your sheet. Orca Scan’s search function makes it much easier to find the needle in the haystack of data with speed. You can search by barcode, name, location and any other data field you have set up for your sheet.

Learn more about searching your data.

Exploring the history log

For true visibility through your workspace, Orca Scan’s history tab (found in the toolbar above your sheet) allows you to see historical changes on selected rows, all rows and deleted rows. You can also search through historic data for better auditing.

Learn more about tracking historic changes in your sheets.

Toggling sheet views

Data scanned into Orca Scan automatically gets tagged with location coordinates from the Orca Scan mobile app (when the device’s location services are enabled). In the bottom left of the web app, there are two viewing options for your sheet; Data and Map. The data view is the default option where you’ll see the rows, columns and cells. The map view takes the locational coordinates of each barcode to show you where they were last scanned. This is great to see into inventory locations.

Learn more about sheet views.

Importing data

The data you have in Orca Scan may be missing other important data that are in use within a separate spreadsheet somewhere. Orca Scan makes it easy to import that data to get one single view of barcodes associated with assets and inventory so you no longer have to switch through tabs. To start importing, head to the toolbar above your sheet for the ‘Import’ option.

Learn more about how to import data into Orca Scan.

Exporting data

The barcode data within Orca Scan is super-easy to work with and plays well with other tools that you may use. By heading towards the top of your sheet, you’ll find the ‘Export’ option in the toolbar where you can export your barcode data as Microsoft Excel files, CSV files, JSON files, HTML files, XML files and ACCEO Retail-1 files.

Learn more about how to export your barcode data.

Integrating Orca Scan

Orca Scan’s API is extremely flexible, making it easy to integrate with your existing system. We’ve made it even easier to directly connect with your favourite tools with our prebuilt integrations, such as Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Zapier and many more. Find the integrations option in the top toolbar above your sheet.

Learn more about integrating with Orca Scan.

Building conditional triggers

Having full access to barcode data is one thing, but automated conditional logic is another – which will supercharge your processes for you. Head to the toolbar above the sheet to find the ‘Triggers’ option where you’ll be able to build out comprehensive “if this, then that” scenarios and notification alerts triggered by specific events.

Learn more about how to use automated conditional triggers.

How to print barcodes

To print barcodes open the Barcode Labels sidebar on the left. This is where you can choose which data you want to create a barcode for, and which type of barcode you wish to generate and print.

For more info read our how to generate and print barcodes guide.

Best practices

1. Controlling data entry with field rules

Ensure high-quality data entry by applying rules to the fields by making them “Required”, “Read-only” or by hiding them altogether.

2. Using relevant field types

All fields have unique properties. By default, you have text, date, and quantity fields but there are many more custom fields like GPS, timestamps, drop-down lists and boolean fields - View them all here.

To discover what else you can do using Orca Scan or to find step-by-step directions on how to use some of our features, head over to our guides or book a free product demo.