Throughput Management System (TMS)
Nominations and Scheduling
Reference Guide
Revised: 1/27/2016
Nomination
Nomination Maintenance
FUNCTION
Copy Function
Add Button
(Creates a new line
item)
Change Button
(Replaces an
existing nomination)
DESCRIPTION
When selecting Nomination Maintenance, the Open/Copy box will appear, enter
the contract number and gas date. The Copy Nomination function appears on
the top right of the screen. To copy an existing nomination, check the box and
enter dates (nominations can be copied for one day or a date-range) click ok.
This will take you into the Nomination Maintenance screen and display the
copied data. The customer can either save as is or edit before selecting the
Submit button.
When entering a new nomination/path under the selected contract, enter the
data in the Receipt and Delivery fields; click Add (create) located at the top
right hand side of the nomination screen; Submit to save. To enter a Northern
upstream/downstream contract number associated with that path, highlight the
path, click Open Up or Open Down to begin nominating on the up/down
contract; or choose the Open button located on the top left to take you back to
the Open/Copy box.
Scenario 1 – Prior to start of gas day – Highlight the existing path in
Nomination Maintenance. The data windows are in the gray colored area on the
upper part of the nomination screen; edit as needed. When the entries have
been made, click the Change button. A new path will display replacing the
existing data. Submit to save.
Scenario 2 – After Timely cycle – Highlight the path, make the change as
directed on Scenario 1. Note: At this time the nomination changes will need to
be entered for the same Begin and End Dates or a prompt will read
“Nomination END date must be the same as Nomination BEGIN date.”
FEATURES
Submit
Delete
View All
DESCRIPTION
Saves information to the TMS database.
Deletes a line item that has not scheduled on or before the nomination deadline.
To View All allows the customer to view all pooling activity on MPS agreements.
Nomination Reconciliation
The Nomination Reconciliation screen is designed to help identify nomination/confirmation mismatches.
This allows the customer to adjust nominations or contact upstream/downstream parties as needed. It is
a view only screen that provides the following information:




Nomination quantities
Confirmed quantities at locations
Scheduled quantities by cycle
Comparison of the upstream / downstream contracts at physical and logical points
The View field will encompass all of the activity in TMS based on nominations. The following information
can be retrieved and viewed as follows: nominated/confirmed volumes and exceptions (if applicable), the
upstream or downstream party contracts and exceptions (if applicable) and the scheduled volumes on
completed cycles. The Scheduled Quantities can be retrieved from the Nomination Reconciliation screen.
Highlight a line and select the “Schd View” located at the top right hand side of the screen.
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Revised: 1/27/2016
Scheduling
FUNCTION
Scheduled Quantities
Scheduled Quantities
by Contract
Scheduled Quantities
by Contract and
Location
Scheduled Quantities
by Location
Scheduled Quantities
by Contract and/or
Location and
Up/Down Contract
Batch Schedule
Status
DESCRIPTION
Enter the contract number and click ok. The date in TMS will default to the last
completed cycle. To view a different day or cycle enter date and use the drop
down arrow to select cycle accordingly.
A Reduction Reason will appear in the (RR) column identifying all nominations
that have been reduced. An asterisk (*) indicates that a path has multiple
reduction reasons. A forward slash (/) indicates the path was split. When the
Summary View is unchecked the first split path displays the reduction reason
code and subsequent split paths will not display a reduction reason code.
Highlight the nomination line showing the reduction and select Detect. The Path
Detective provides a breakdown of quantities reduced, along with the associated
reason codes, the upstream or downstream direction in which the reduction
originated. The Path Detective is available for all completed cycles.
Enter the contract number and date range, click on retrieve, then select detail
on the tool bar to display locations. (Displays the total nominated and scheduled
quantities)
Enter the contract and location number. Enter Begin/End date, retrieve to
view.(Displays the total nominated and scheduled quantities for a specific
contract and a specific location for date range specified)
Enter the location number and date range, retrieve to view. This view is only
available to operators.
(Displays the total nominated and scheduled quantities by contract nominated
at a specific location)
Enter the contract and/or location number, the up/down contract number and
date range. Retrieve to view. (Displays the total nominated and scheduled
quantities for a specific contract and/or location and a specific up/down contract
number).
Display the status of each cycle for three consecutive gas days. Retrieve to
view.
EDI Quick Response
This reporting tool displays the same information sent to the EDI customer in the Quick Response. Below
is the list of the various quick response messages. To view detail on the messages, highlight the line
showing the tracking number, warning or error code and a detail warning/error message will appear at
the bottom of the Quick Response screen.
ERROR CODE
WQ
EZ
RZ
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DESCRIPTION
The entire transition and all nominations were accepted.
Error(s) or warning(s) occurred in the transaction. Transaction has been
acknowledged. Error(s) and warning(s) follow.
The entire transaction was rejected due to header level errors.
Revised: 1/27/2016
Confirmation
Confirmation Maintenance Screen
This screen is designed for Operators to confirm the nominated volumes at specific locations. The
Confirmation screen can be retrieved by the individual Location number, the Operators Legal Entity or the
OBA contract number. The Confirmation Maintenance screen allows the operator to confirm a single
nomination or to confirm all nominated volume(s) at a location.
FUNCTION
Confirm
DESCRIPTION
The Operator can confirm each individual nomination or select the All Submit
button located on the toolbar. Note: If the Operator selects the All Submit
button the volumes may be edited as needed. Click the enter key on your
keyboard or Submit button to save.
Preliminary
The Preliminary Scheduled Quantity will display after the allocation process. The
volume displayed in the Prelim Sched Qty column indicates the amount
Northern has available.
Scheduled
The volumes are displayed under the Sched Qty column when the cycle has
completed.
Active Confirmation
The operator or agent for a location actively confirms all nominations at all
locations during all Cycles. If a confirmation is not received for the current gas
timely cycle, the timely cycle scheduled quantity from the previous gas day will
be used. If a confirmation is not received for the current gas day intraday
cycles, the previous cycles scheduled quantity will be used.
Passive
The operator or agent for a location actively confirms nominations at all
Confirmations
locations in the Timely Cycle. The operator will not be required to confirm during
the Intraday cycles. The confirmation quantity from the previous cycle will be
copied to the next cycle. If a confirmation is not received for the current gas day
timely cycle, the timely cycle scheduled quantity from the previous gas day will
be used.
Confirmation by
Northern will automatically confirm ALL NOMINATIONS for the operator’s or
Exception
the agent’s specified location(s). All confirmed quantities will equal nominated
quantities for all cycles. Operators will be able to change any confirmation that
is automatically confirmed by Northern during any cycle. Any manual change
made by the operator will remain in place for the entire gas day.
Note: When a new location is set up and no operator choice is selected TMS will automatically default to
Passive. The Operator Choice forms are located on the Northern’s Support website under
“Agreements/Forms”. (See heading, “Contracts/Nominations / Scheduling Forms” then select “Operator
Choice Form”).
Confirmation Summary Screen
The Confirmation Summary screen displays the nominated, scheduled and physical volumes. The
operators can retrieve by location number, legal entity number or by the OBA contract. The physical
volumes are displaced under the Actual column and will be two days in arrears.
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Revised: 1/27/2016
Reporting
FUNCTION
Scheduled Quantities
Report
Service Requestor
Scheduled Quantity
Report
Contract Storage
balance By Day
Report
DESCRIPTION
Select Reports, Scheduled Quantities Report. Customer can retrieve the report
by contract or all contracts by selecting ID. Operator can retrieve report by
location or all locations by selecting the ID.
(Displays nom vs. scheduled quantities for an individual date along with month
to date totals)
Select Reports, Service Requestor Scheduled Quantity Report. Select either
Scheduled Quantity For Svc Req – Daily or Scheduled Quantity For Svc Req –
Date Range option. Enter by contract number or ID.
(Displays Ranking, Zone/Area, Up/Down contract)
Select Storage, Contract Storage Balance by Day Report. Enter the contract
number then click preview. (Displays the Nom/Sched quantities per storage
contract and balances per location)
Storage
FUNCTION
FDD Contract
Balance
IDD/PDD Contract
Balance
Storage Netting at a
Location
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DESCRIPTION
Select Storage, FDD Contract Balance. Enter contract number and date range,
click retrieve. (Displays real-time, nomination and scheduling activity by
contract and how such activity has affected the service requester’s firm storage
balance)
Select Storage, IDD\PDD Contract Balance. Enter contract number and date
range, click retrieve.
(Displays the nominated and scheduled volumes on the selected contract and
how such activity has affected the service requester’s interruptible / preferred
deferred storage balance)
Select Storage, Storage Netting. The customer is required to specify contracts,
locations, group, and rank their entries prior to the Final AM deadline. (This
process minimizes the amount of daily withdrawals or injections)
Note: Storage cannot be netted across locations.
Revised: 1/27/2016
TMS Screens
FUNCTION
Open screen
Nomination and
Scheduling Quantities
Screens only
Tool Bar Selections
Nominations,
Confirmations,
Reporting and
Scheduling Screens
Tool Bar Features
Available in Nomination
and Scheduled
Quantities Screens
Available in most TMS
Screens
Right Click
Available where there
is a Location or
Contract Input Field
Group/Sort Function
Available in most TMS
Screens
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DESCRIPTION
After selecting Nomination or Scheduling the open command is located on the
top left side of the tool bar. You can enter a specific contract or search all active
contracts.
 For Search features − Right click on the Svc Req K field. From there,
select one of the following options.
 Name Begins With − Type in the company name. TMS will list all active
contracts associated to customers ID / Legal Entity.
 Name Contains − Enter part of your company name. TMS will list all
active contracts associated to customers ID / Legal Entity
 Svc Req K Lists the all active contracts within the range entered for ID.
The “options” key on the tool bar gives the customer the ability to view
information by location name or location number.
Receipt and Delivery Totals can be viewed by highlighting a line in the
Nomination or Scheduling screen, click on R totals or D totals.
Rates − Commodity rate information can be viewed by highlighting a path in
the data display area click on Rate.
Sort feature by selecting from a table. Other sort features throughout TMS are
accomplished by clicking on the column heading or a right click on matrix area.
Export feature gives the customer the ability to export data to excel, access or
lotus spreadsheet.
Search Option − This option is available in most TMS screens by right click on
the location and the Up/Dn contract field in the form area.
Dates − right click on the Next Day or Prev Day (Previous) to toggle from one
day to another on the date fields of TMS screens.
Right mouse click on the matrix area of the screen, select either Sort or Group.
Choose any of the categories to view the detail in various order or groups. To
add more items click on the forward arrow >> after your selections are in the
right column, click on the Sort or Group box below. The selections should be
sorted or grouped in the order chosen. To remove a specific selection, re-open
and click on the backward arrow.
Revised: 1/27/2016
TMS Hot Keys
ICON
Delete
Delv
Dtotal
EPSQ
Cancel
Export
Open
Path
Hot Keys
Notes
Alt+D
Deletes selected information at a line item level. Only paths for future gas days
that have not been scheduled can be deleted.
Identifies only the delivery side of the data fields. Used for delivery transactions
on a contract, such as pooling, storage, make-up, or P-N-R. When you click Delv
the system removes the receipt input data fields and defaults the transaction
type to code 04, which is imbalance payback from the pipe.
Delivery Total. Sums the delivery location totals in POI number order. Displays
location number, location name and total location quantity.
Elapsed Pro-rata Scheduled Quantity (EPSQ). Displays the EPSQ calculation for
the highlighted path, this allows the user to see the reason why the nominated
quantity is less than the actual scheduled quantity.
None
Alt+L
None
Alt+X
Alt+B
Alt+O
None
None
Detect
Closes the active screen and returns the user to the main menu.
Exports data on the active screen to a tab delimited file. The user may then
customize the data into an individual file as needed.
Opens the Open screen where the user may enter and select the company,
contract number, and gas day necessary to retrieve in the Nomination and
Scheduled Quantities screens. The Open/Copy Nomination screen also provides
a copy function that allows the user to copy the entire nomination from one gas
date to a new gas date range.
Identifies the type of transaction the user is going to enter in the data fields. For
transportation contracts, the system defaults to a path transaction that requires
both receipt and delivery information to be entered in the data field.
Enables service requesters to view scheduled quantity cuts made by the pipeline
for each cycle.
Alt+V
Preview
Print
Rates
Rcpt
Alt+P
Alt+T
None
Previews the entire nomination detail for the contract the user has open.
Prints the entire nomination detail for the contract the user has open regardless
if all paths have been saved.
Commodity Path rate information can be viewed for the contract nomination
path detail line that is highlighted in the data display area. This rate is based on
the information available at the time of nomination and is subject to change.
Identifies only the receipt side of the data fields. Used for receipt transactions
on a contract, such as pooling, storage, makeup, or P-N-R. When you select the
Rec Icon, the system removes the delivery input data fields and defaults the
Transaction Type to code 03, imbalance payback to the pipe.
Alt+R
Retrieve
Total
Retrieves data for the gas day selected.
Alt+E
Alt+S
Submit
Sort
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Alt+Z
Receipt Total. Sums the receipt location totals in POI number order. Displays
location number, location name, and total location quantity.
Saves transactions to the TMS database if all validation criteria are met. If an
error message appears, the data will not be saved until the transaction is
corrected.
Sorts all applied data fields available in the Sort Criteria View screen based on
the user’s sort criteria.
Revised: 1/27/2016
BMP
TMS Reduction Codes
Reduction Reason Description
NAESB Definition
Storage Balancing Adjustment
Quantity reduced due to service requester’s
choice to utilize their storage account to keep
their supplies or markets whole.
Quantity reduced due to bumping
BOP
Reduction due to balancing of path
CAP
CBF
Confirming Party Capacity
Constraint
Contract Balancing - Supply
CBL
Contract Balancing
CBM
Contract Balancing - Market
CCD
Pipeline Capacity Constraint at
Delivery Location
Pipeline Capacity Constraint at
Group Location
RR
ADJ
CCG
CCR
CQC
Pipeline Capacity Constraint at
Receipt Location
MDQ Change - Contract
CRD
Confirmation not Conducted by
Downstream Confirming Party
CRE
Capacity Recalled
CRI
Credit Issues
CRN
Confirmation Response Not
Received
Confirmation not Conducted by
Upstream Confirming Party
CRR
DLI
Location No Longer Valid - Delivery
DQC
MDQ Change - Delivery Point
ECM
Exceeded Contract MDQ
EFC
Exceeded Family of Contracts MDQ
EPS
Elapsed Prorated Scheduled
Quantity
FCC
Pipeline Capacity Constraint Supply
FMJ
Force Majeure
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A constraint on the confirming party’s system.
Reduction due to mismatched requested
quantities within a contract in the supply area.
Reduction due to mismatched requested
quantities within a contract.
Reduction due to mismatched requested
quantities within a contract in the market
area.
A constraint on the transportation service
provider’s system at the delivery location.
A constraint on the transportation service
provider’s system that impacts a pre-defined
group of points.
A constraint on the transportation service
provider’s system at the receipt location.
The Service Requester is told by its
Transportation Service Provider that the
downstream Confirming Party did not conduct
the confirmation.
Reduction due to capacity recall by releasing
shipper
The Service Requester is told by its
Transportation Service Provider that the
upstream Confirming Party did not conduct the
confirmation.
Nominations on the original contract and all
related capacity released contracts have
exceeded the contractual rights of the original
contract.
An adjustment to the nominated quantity as a
result of an elapsed-prorated-scheduled
quantity calculation.
Quantity reduced due to a constraint on the
Transportation Service Provider's system
resulting in an allocation in the supply area.
Revised: 1/27/2016
FPC
Fuel Percentage Change
GQS
Gas Quality Specification not met
IBQ
Insufficient Backhaul Quantity
INV
Invalid True-Up Nomination
Quantities
IQC
LFD
Max Daily Injection Quantity
Change
Limited Firm Day delivery
LFR
Limited Firm Day receipt
LFT
Limited Firm Day Transportation
Exceeded
Pipeline Capacity Constraint −
Market
MCC
PBD
Pipeline Balancing of Deliveries at a
Location
PBR
Pipeline Balancing of Receipts at a
Location
PCC
Pipeline Capacity Constraint
PCD
Confirming Party Capacity
Constraint at Delivery Location
PCR
Confirming Party Capacity
Constraint at Receipt Location
PLC
Pipeline Curtailment
PLM
Pipeline Maintenance
PMD
Pipeline Maintenance at Delivery
Location
Pipeline Maintenance at Receipt
Location
Confirmation Party Reduction at
Delivery Location
Confirmation Party Reduction at
Receipt Location
Total Nomination Quantity Exceeds
Elected Quantity
PMR
PRD
PRR
QEE
RLI
Location No Longer Valid − Receipt
RQC
MDQ Change − Receipt Point
SBC
Storage Balance Change
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Adjusted fuel percent not reflected in original
nomination.
Reduction due to insufficient backhaul
quantities scheduled to offset the related
forward haul nomination.
The sum of true-up nominations does not
equal the sum of the previously scheduled
quantities
Reduction due to a limited firm day being
called at the delivery location that does not
allow the nomination to be scheduled.
Reduction due to a limited firm day being
called at the receipt location that does not
allow the nomination to be scheduled.
Quantity reduced due to limited firm day
quantities exceeded.
Quantity reduced due to a constraint on the
Transportation Service Provider's system
resulting in an allocation in the market area.
Reduction of deliveries due to balancing of
mismatched nominated quantities across
contracts at an on-system location.
Reduction of receipts due to balancing of
mismatched nominated quantities across
contracts at an on-system location.
A constraint on the Transportation Service
Provider's system.
A reduction of the nominated delivery quantity
due to a constraint on the Confirming Party's
system.
A reduction of the nominated receipt quantity
due to a constraint on the Confirming Party's
system.
Reduction due to the total nominated quantity
exceeding the quantity previously elected for
imbalance makeup.
Revised: 1/27/2016
SCC
Storage Capacity Constraint
A decrease in quantity due to storage physical
inventory level.
SCT
Service Requester Contract
Terminated
Exceeded Storage Maximum
Capacity
Storage Netting Reduction
Reduction due to contract not being active not
as a result of the contract being terminated.
UIP
Underperformance by
Interconnecting Party
Reductions are applied at a location due to an
interconnecting party not meeting
performance requirements
WQC
Max Daily Withdrawal Quantity
Change
SMQ
SNR
Quantity reduced to maintain net sum of
storage injections and withdrawals.
Where to Find Us
Website Address: www.northernnaturalgas.com
E-mail Address: nngcustomerservice@nngco.com
Fax: (402) 548-5281
Solution Center
E-mail Address: nng.helpdesk@nngco.com
Phone – Out of Area: (866) 810-5268
Local: (402) 398-7664
Website Maintenance Window
Sunday through Saturday *10:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
Please note: During normal system maintenance TMS will be unavailable. EDI transactions
such as nominations, quick response, and capacity release will be processed after the system
returns to normal operations at 3:00 a.m.
*All times are Central Clock Time (CCT).
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