Operators Call for Uniform DEX Data Standards

Operators are quick to blame the equipment manufacturers for not doing enough to standardize their DEX hardware and software. The manufacturers did not adopt a set of standards, which some now think are too broad. When NAMA said that people needed to send XYZ information, different manufacturers had different understandings of how to do it.

As a result, a handful of operators including Antares operators want to see NAMA adopt, more stringent DEX standards. Even some equipment manufactures agree that standards can do with some improvement. There are some operators that that have had problems when they first tried to utilize DEX.

In some cases, the DEX standards have been too broad. The more stringent ones may be able to solve the problems that some Antares operators are having. Manufacturers point out that not all machines require the same type of data. In addition, not all customers want the same information from the machine. Excessive standardization carries the risk of extra cost without additional benefit.

Will standards fix things?

This is the big question. Standardization will not always assure Antares operators that manufacturers will abide by new protocols. Some manufacturers claim that competitors have not supported existing DEX standards. Such a claim in itself is a judgment based on technical interpretation. Equipment manufactures have further pointed out that the task of gathering data in a useable format is one that should be handheld by the software company.

Even if NAMA adopts additional standards, as it is considering, manufacturers will add to that list for specific equipment needs. Whether minimum standards are necessary to begin with is open to question, since many protocols are already being followed for simplicity’s sake.

There are some DEX data items that tend to be standard in all vending machines, including Antares machines. These include: coin mechanical fields, coin to tube, coin to coin box, coin from tubes, total coins, total cash from validator, total vends and total cash. Machines that report less standard data, such as sales per column, sometimes require extra memory, which not every machine will have. The standardization of DEX data is an issue that will improve with time. The immediate need is for operators to understand the benefits.