NEW ORLEANS - On the second day of workshops at NACStech, the Standards track continued educating attendees on the work being done with PCATS (The Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards).

In the workshop, "Looking Into the Technology Crystal Ball: What is PCATS Doing Next?" various committee leaders reported on their goals for 2010, as well as the current status of each working group. Donna Perkins, POS and pricebook for E-Z Stop Food Marts Inc. explained the lottery working group under the EB2B committee is currently building a matrix of lottery data by state, including what files are available, the delivery format of the files, and what retailers need to do to get them.

The goal is to have "one place for lottery data so back office, lottery providers and retailers can go to one place for the information," said Perkins. The group is also looking to test the lottery XML invoice standard, and although they have had two successful pilots, they are still seeking retailers to implement.

For 2010, the new goal is to improve instant tickets, which are a "huge risk to us as retailers," said Perkins. "We need to involve the lottery boards and providers to find a solution. If we as retailers don??t push for it, it??s not going to happen."

Additionally, the Loyalty Standards Committee completed its standard and is currently in implementation mode, and the POS/Back Office Committee released minor enhancements to Version 3.4.3 and is working to create Version 4, which will improve interoperability.

Look for more coverage of NACStech in the upcoming special issue of Convenience Store News, specifically focusing on NACStech.

NACStech wraps up today at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. For more information, visit nacstech.com.