Apteryx Automatic Capture Station Assignment

Note: This feature is only available for locations using both Denticon and Apteryx.
For all other scenarios, refer to: Assigning Capture Stations to Locations – Apteryx

Inactive Capture Stations may need to be manually assigned: "Capture Station [PCNAME] is unmapped. Please map the capture station to a location" Notifications – Planet DDS

Overview

Automatic Capture Station Assignment is a Denticon‑specific feature that reduces manual setup by automatically assigning new capture stations to the appropriate Apteryx location when an image is captured.

This automation runs only at the time of image capture and applies only to unassigned computers.

Requirements for Automatic Assignment

Automatic Capture Station Assignment requires:

• The Apteryx URL is entered on the Denticon Account Info tab
  (If you can access Apteryx images from Denticon, this is already configured.)
• The capture station is not currently assigned to any Apteryx location
• The image is taken for a patient with a scheduled Denticon appointment

If any of these requirements are not met, the automatic assignment process will not occur.

How Automatic Capture Station Assignment Works

(Unassigned Capture Stations Only)

1. An unassigned capture station uploads an image to Apteryx.
2. Apteryx checks whether the configured Apteryx URL is associated with a Denticon PGID.
   • If no match is found, the process stops.
3. Apteryx checks whether the patient has a scheduled Denticon appointment.
   • If no appointment exists, the process stops.
4. Apteryx identifies the PGID‑OID linked to the appointment.
5. Apteryx checks for an existing Apteryx location with that PGID‑OID stored in the PMSID field.
   • If a matching Apteryx location exists, the capture station is assigned to that location.
   • If no matching Apteryx location exists:
     • A new Apteryx location is created using the Denticon OID name.
     • The PGID‑OID is stored in the PMSID field.
     • The capture station is assigned to the newly created location.
6. The process completes once the capture station is assigned.

When Automatic Assignment Does Not Occur

Automatic Capture Station Assignment will not run if:

• The capture station is already assigned to an Apteryx location
• The patient does not have a scheduled Denticon appointment
• The Apteryx URL is not associated with a Denticon PGID

Already‑Assigned Capture Stations

⚠️ Important:
This automation does not modify, move, or correct capture stations that are already assigned to an Apteryx location.

If a capture station is assigned to the wrong location, it needs to be manually unassigned in order for automatic assignment to correct the issue.

Troubleshooting Incorrect Assignments

If capture stations are assigned incorrectly, first confirm that computer names are unique across the entire organization. Duplicate computer names can prevent accurate location assignment and may result in incorrect behavior. For guidance on naming conventions and remediation steps, refer to: Best Practice for Capture Station Naming and Location Assignment in Apteryx – Apteryx

Once you have confirmed unique computer names exist across your organization, I would recommend following these steps:

1. Navigate to Location Management
   
2. Click on the Capture Stations tab
   
3. Click the Export CSV option in the top-right. Save this CSV as a backup of current capture station assignments in case it is needed later.
   
4. Select All by clicking the empty checkbox next to CAPTURE STATION and change the location to None.  This effectively unassigns all of your capture stations.
   
5. Wait for capture stations to take new images and let the automation do the work for you.
    
6. (Optional as needed) If there are any issues after performing step 5, you can use the Import CSV option from step 3 to "reset" your capture station assignments back to normal. 

Additional Notes

• As a part of this process, you may find duplicate locations get created because an Apteryx location existed for the PGID-OID, but did not have the correct PGID-OID in the Apteryx location's PMSID field.  Support can assist with remediating duplicate locations - please submit a Support ticket for assistance if needed.
• As a reminder, the automation only happens once for each unassigned capture station, and it is dependent upon an appointment existing in Denticon for the patient you took an image for in order for the automation to work.