Core concepts
Learn how DART connects people to their work. Understand the records and rules behind each decision.
Records and relationships
To follow someone’s work over time, the system needs to recognize the same person across different records. DART gives each person a stable ID. An outside system may use a different ID for that same person. Source identifiers keep those records connected without relying on a matching name or email address.
A person can have several positions over time. Each assignment has its own dates. Their training and qualifications also keep separate records. A change to one fact does not erase the others.
An incident connects people to work. A staffing need says which position must be filled. An order names the person asked to fill it. Once they accept, the deployment tracks their work in the field.
Effective time and recorded time
Staff sometimes learn about a change after it has already happened. A record can have two important times. Effective time says when something happened. Recorded time says when DART learned about it. A late correction keeps that difference clear.
For example, a visit may have ended on Monday but been corrected on Wednesday. The history preserves both dates. A reviewer can see what the system knew before the correction.
Time zones give dates and times their local meaning. Location reports keep remote work separate from physical visits. Overlapping visits are counted once.
Published rules and versions
Requirements can change while people are still working toward them. A published definition states the rules for a type of work. For example, a task book defines what a responder must complete to earn a qualification. That definition has a version.
When staff publish a new version, earlier work keeps its original rules. This lets a reviewer understand a decision made before the change.
DART also keeps versions of course content and team templates. Deployment policies can be compared before approval and activation.
Saved decisions and reviews
When a decision is questioned later, staff need to see how it was reached. A decision is saved with the work it affects. A reviewer can see who made it and why. Earlier decisions remain visible when someone records a correction.
Some decisions need a second person. An order author cannot approve the same deployment order. A connection designer needs separate approval for data rights and security.
DART checks for changes before saving. If another person has already updated the record, the old form cannot overwrite it. Retried commands use the same request ID so an uncertain response does not create a second action.
Practice and operational work
Practice should let people try the workflow without changing live operations. An exercise workspace separates practice from operational work. Staff can rehearse an incident without issuing a real deployment order. Exercise equipment cannot be assigned to an operational incident.
Different records also have different effects. A planning simulation estimates staffing. An accepted order starts a deployment. A delivered message shows delivery. It does not show that the person has answered.