Auction Excellence - Parking Lot Management & Quality Inspection

Overview

Auction Excellence uses a multi-tenant architecture where each auction represents a separate organization or business unit. When you create an auction you automatically become the owner, giving you full administrative control.

Account approval required for new users: Super admins must approve your account before you can create auctions. If you have just registered and don’t see the Create Auction button, contact your super admin. See User Access & Auction Permissions for details.

Creating an Auction

Quick Start

Creating a new auction takes less than 30 seconds:

Your account must be approved for auction creation. If you are a new user, contact your super admin. See User Access & Auction Permissions.

Open Auction Switcher

Click the auction name in the top header bar to open the auction switcher dropdown

Select Create New Auction

Click “Create new Auction” at the bottom of the dropdown menuYou’ll be redirected to the auction creation page

Enter Auction Name

Type your auction’s name (2-100 characters)

Required field
Must be between 2 and 100 characters
Leading and trailing whitespace will be trimmed
A URL-friendly slug will be auto-generated

As you type, you’ll see a live preview of your auction’s URL slug below the name field

Review What Happens Next

The page displays a helpful “What happens next?” guide:

You’ll become the owner with full administrative access
Invite team members and assign roles
Configure locations where your team will work
Start tracking submissions, inspections, and rocks

Create Auction

Click “Create Auction” button

The auction is created instantly
You’re automatically assigned as the owner
You’ll be redirected to your new auction dashboard
A success notification confirms creation

Congratulations! Your auction is now ready to configure. You’ll see your new auction in the auction switcher and can start inviting team members.

Slug Generation

Auction slugs are automatically generated from your auction name to create clean, SEO-friendly URLs.

Transformation Rules

Rule	Description	Example
Lowercase	All characters converted to lowercase	”DDASW” → `ddasw`
Spaces to Hyphens	Spaces replaced with hyphens	”Big Valley” → `big-valley`
Special Characters	Removed (`!@#$%^&*()`)	“Auto!” → `auto`
Consecutive Hyphens	Collapsed to single hyphen	”Auto—Auction” → `auto-auction`
Trim Hyphens	Leading/trailing hyphens removed	”—Auto—” → `auto`
Preserve Alphanumeric	Letters and numbers kept	”Auction 2024” → `auction-2024`

Common Examples

Carolina Auto Auction → carolina-auto-auction
DDASW → ddasw
Big Valley Auto! → big-valley-auto
Smith & Sons Auction → smith-sons-auction
Auto Auction, LLC → auto-auction-llc
2024 Spring Auction → 2024-spring-auction

Handling Duplicates

If an auction with the generated slug already exists, the system automatically appends a numeric suffix:

First auction: carolina-auto-auction
Second auction: carolina-auto-auction-2
Third auction: carolina-auto-auction-3

Slug uniqueness is enforced at the database level. You don’t need to worry about conflicts—the system handles them automatically.

Validation Rules

The auction creation form validates your input:

Validation	Rule	Error Message
Required	Name cannot be empty	”Auction name is required”
Minimum Length	At least 2 characters	”Auction name must be at least 2 characters”
Maximum Length	No more than 100 characters	”Auction name must be at most 100 characters”
Whitespace	Trimmed automatically	Leading/trailing spaces removed

The create button is disabled while the form is submitting to prevent duplicate auction creation.

Understanding Auction Ownership

Owner Role

When you create an auction, you automatically become the Owner. This role has the highest level of access:

Full Permissions

All Editor and Viewer permissions
Manage auction settings (branding, logo, colors)
Configure submission types and locations
Invite and manage all users
Transfer ownership to another user
Delete the auction (with confirmation)

User Management

Invite new team members
Assign roles (Owner, Editor, Viewer)
Edit user profiles and permissions
Remove users from the auction
View all user activity

Configuration Access

Auction branding and identity
Submission type catalog
Location setup and capacity
Notification settings
Integration keys and webhooks

Data Access

View all submissions, inspections, rocks
Access all analytics and reports
Export any data in CSV/Excel format
Generate custom reports with Query Builder

Transferring Ownership

Owners can transfer ownership to another user:

This is irreversible! Once ownership is transferred, you’ll become an Editor and cannot reclaim ownership without the new owner’s action.

Navigate to Settings

Go to Settings > Auction Settings in the sidebar

Find Ownership Section

Scroll to the Ownership Transfer section

Select New Owner

Choose an existing team member from the dropdown

Only existing members with Editor or Owner role can become the new owner

Confirm Transfer

Click “Transfer Ownership” and confirm in the dialogThe selected user becomes the new owner, and you become an Editor

Auction Settings

After creating your auction, customize it via Settings > Auction Settings:

Branding

Setting	Description	Format
Auction Name	Display name throughout the app	2-100 characters
Slug	URL-friendly identifier (read-only)	Auto-generated
Logo	Custom logo image	PNG/JPG, max 2MB
Primary Color	Brand color for UI accents	Hex color code
Timezone	Default timezone for reports	IANA timezone

Contact Information

Setting	Description
Contact Email	Support email for team questions
Phone Number	Optional contact phone
Address	Physical business address

Preferences

Setting	Description	Default
Date Format	Display format for dates	MM/DD/YYYY
Time Format	12-hour or 24-hour	12-hour
Currency	For future pricing features	USD
Language	Interface language	English

Changes to auction settings are applied immediately and visible to all team members.

Managing Multiple Auctions

Switching Context

If you belong to multiple auctions, switch between them easily:

Click the auction name in the header
Select the desired auction from the dropdown
The entire dashboard reloads with that auction’s data

Data Isolation: Each auction’s data is completely separate. Switching auctions changes everything you see.

Creating Additional Auctions

You can create multiple auctions up to your approved limit:

Each auction is independent
You become the owner of each one you create
Invite different team members to each auction
Configure each auction uniquely

Your super admin sets your auction creation limit. Contact them if you need to create more auctions than your current limit allows.

Common Use Cases:

Scenario	Structure
Multiple Locations	One auction per major site/region
Business Units	Separate auction for each division
Testing	Create a test auction for training
Clients	Separate auction per client (for service providers)

Deleting an Auction

Permanent Deletion: This action cannot be undone! All data (users, locations, submissions, inspections, rocks, chat messages) will be permanently deleted.

Only Owners can delete an auction:

Navigate to Settings

Go to Settings > Auction Settings

Scroll to Danger Zone

Find the Delete Auction section at the bottom (marked in red)

Confirm Deletion

Click “Delete Auction” buttonA confirmation dialog appears requiring you to type the auction name exactly

Final Confirmation

Type the auction name and click “Permanently Delete”All data is immediately deleted and you’re redirected to the auctions list

If you’re a member of other auctions, you’ll be redirected to one of them. If this was your only auction, you’ll see the auction creation page.

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Choose clear, descriptive names that your team will recognize easily.

Good Names:

“Carolina Auto Auction” (clear location + purpose)
“DDASW Portland” (organization + location)
“Big Valley West Region” (business + region)

Avoid:

Single letters or numbers (“A”, “1”, “Test”)
Generic names (“Auction”, “Main”, “Primary”)
Temporary names (“New Auction”, “Temp”)

Initial Setup Order

After creating an auction, complete setup in this order:

Configure Branding (Optional)

Add logo and brand colors first so the team sees a polished interface

Add Locations

Set up all parking lot locations before inviting users

Configure Submission Types

Review and customize vehicle categories

Invite Team Members

Add users and assign roles

Assign Locations to Users

Ensure each user has the correct location access

Security Recommendations

Protect your auction from unauthorized access.

Limit Owners: Only promote trusted users to Owner role
Use Viewer Role: Give read-only access when editing isn’t needed
Regular Audits: Review user list monthly and remove inactive members
Strong Passwords: Require team members to use strong, unique passwords
Activity Monitoring: Check activity logs for suspicious behavior

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Cannot create auction

Symptoms: Create button is disabled or form won’t submitSolutions:

Verify auction name is 2-100 characters
Remove leading/trailing spaces
Try a different name if seeing duplicate errors
Check browser console for JavaScript errors
Try a different browser or clear cache

Slug conflicts

Symptoms: Seeing numeric suffix on slug unexpectedlyExplanation: Another auction with that slug existsSolutions:

This is normal behavior—each auction gets a unique slug
The suffix doesn’t affect functionality
Choose a more unique auction name if desired

Cannot switch auctions

Symptoms: Dropdown shows only one auction or noneExplanation: You only have access to one auctionSolutions:

Create additional auctions if needed
Request invitation to other auctions from their owners
Check with your team about auction memberships

Settings not saving

Symptoms: Changes to auction settings don’t persistSolutions:

Verify you have Owner role (check Settings access)
Check for validation errors on the form
Try refreshing the page and editing again
Check network connectivity
Contact support if issue persists

Next Steps

User Management

Invite team members and assign roles

Location Setup

Configure parking lot locations

Submission Types

Customize vehicle categories

Settings Guide

Complete auction configuration

Getting Started

User & Location Management

Operations

Analytics Module

Account

Data Management

Configuration

Auction Management

Overview

Creating an Auction

Quick Start

Slug Generation

Transformation Rules

Common Examples

Handling Duplicates

Validation Rules

Understanding Auction Ownership

Owner Role

Transferring Ownership

Auction Settings

Branding

Contact Information

Preferences

Managing Multiple Auctions

Switching Context

Creating Additional Auctions

Deleting an Auction

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Initial Setup Order

Security Recommendations

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Next Steps

User Management

Location Setup

Submission Types

Settings Guide

Getting Started

User & Location Management

Operations

Analytics Module

Account

Data Management

Configuration

​Overview

​Creating an Auction

​Quick Start

​Slug Generation

​Transformation Rules

​Common Examples

​Handling Duplicates

​Validation Rules

​Understanding Auction Ownership

​Owner Role

​Transferring Ownership

​Auction Settings

​Branding

​Contact Information

​Preferences

​Managing Multiple Auctions

​Switching Context

​Creating Additional Auctions

​Deleting an Auction

​Best Practices

​Naming Conventions

​Initial Setup Order

​Security Recommendations

​Troubleshooting

​Common Issues

​Next Steps

User Management

Location Setup

Submission Types

Settings Guide

Overview

Creating an Auction

Quick Start

Slug Generation

Transformation Rules

Common Examples

Handling Duplicates

Validation Rules

Understanding Auction Ownership

Owner Role

Transferring Ownership

Auction Settings

Branding

Contact Information

Preferences

Managing Multiple Auctions

Switching Context

Creating Additional Auctions

Deleting an Auction

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Initial Setup Order

Security Recommendations

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Next Steps