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Is a puzzling question
Keep in mind that a true set of mileage records will always consist in a destinations that are connected by travel. Let’s just review now and see how this works
Trips are always connected
Probably not something you’d think about, but if you do… think about it, you will come to realize that this is true, even from one day to the next.
As far as creating mileage goes, if you are using the single destination creation pattern, you will create records that always start from your home. By default.
But what about the day before? Did your day’s journeys end at home? Probably likely yes. Did they end at Fusion Season where you had dinner with a client? Yeah, not really, but maybe it seems that way? Let’s just state a rule here : if the drive to Fusion Season was an allowable trip, then the return trip to your home ( we’re assuming you left from home ) is also an allowable trip. If it’s missing, it needs to be added.
This principle applies to all of your trips.
The point is – if you enter all of your mileage records, at the end of all days, all your trips will appear as one long connected string. No breaks anywhere. A break means something is missing.
Reason to Edit
Fixing a record that is incorrect is easy enough on its face. But consider, if you have two trips, consecutive trips – a trip from point A to point B, and another from point B to point C… if you correct the first record by changing point B to some other location, then you no longer have connected trips. Now you have trip 1 – point A to point new point D ( the new place ) and trip 2 – point B to point C… and the question would be appropriate : did you also go from point D to point B? Another trip?
Fortunately… if you built your mileage records using single destinations entered by you, in the order of their occurrence, then we know they are intended to be connected and remain so… so when you edit location B to new location D on trip 1, we also change the location B to D on trip 2 – the connected trip… so your records remain stringy and connected.
Location edits
If your mileage receipt has the fields “Fix Start” or “Fix End”, reply to the receipt and use these fields to make corrections to locations entered in the original. You will receive a new receipt.
If your mileage receipt only has the fields “Start” or “End”, reply to the receipt and use these fields to make corrections to locations entered in the original. You will receive a new receipt.
How to use the Override
You may have noticed in your mileage record receipt that there is a field “Override Miles” and another “Notes”. Let’s consider again the two trips from our previous example where you have gone from A to B and then from B to C…. And you later realize not that you got location B wrong, but that B was correct all along, but you happen to have gone to another place D after you went to B and then you went to C after you went to D. Correcting B on trip 1 won’t help you. That trip is still correct. Correcting B on trip 2 might seem like the right thing to do, but remember… if these trips are “connected” then this will automatically change trip 1. Problem, right?
You can make a satisfactory amendment to your record collection by using the Override field to amend you mileage for a trip…. say trip 1 was 27.8 miles, and you guestimate an additional 12 miles to the missed location D, then edit and enter 39.8 miles for Override, and provide a simple explanation of the edit. This is totally legit.
More use for the Override
It’s legit because there will be plenty of occasion when Override is the most elegant solution to a problem. When to use it – up to you. Here’s another one. You went from A to B and part of the journey included a trip leg on the Interstate, but you missed the correct exit. When we gather mileage information and return it to you, we have no way to know you missed an exit. We return the shortest distance. If it just so happens you were not able to drive that route – there was an accident on the exit, or you simply missed it – no matter. Override, add the distance and add a note : “missed my exit #9 added 12 miles”. This is ok.
Adding a new journey
Sometimes this is the right thing to do. Sometime during the weeks following April 12, you realize that you drove to Canton Ohio on business, and then returned home. Completely spaced it. Just enter this a round-trip for the day using the two-destination pattern ( the single destination pattern will try find a previous record to connect with here ). Done.
Trash
A location is incorrect or badly-formed. You thought you were going someplace, but you didn’t. You ended up somewhere else because somebody called. These things happen. Trash the record. Trashing does not effect connected records.
Now, you have some ideas on how and when to edit records. Or not.
