If you have been using Epicor for some time at your place of business, you have encountered the need to send the output of a report to a directory on the network. If you only need to do this once, you can simply print to your PDF writer and send it to the directory. If you need to do this multiple times, on schedule, then you will want to use APM. Setting up APM is simple, but not trivial, Continue reading
Category: Epicor (Page 1 of 2)
Several of our clients have experienced the infamous 7175 error and the subsequent “Tried to call a method in an invalid procedure. (7224)” error. This error normally indicates a broken network connection between the client machine and the server, so after a user sees this error, Epicor will stop functioning withal. For users with elusive but persistent network hiccups, this is especially aggravating. Continue reading
How have we at Deft Flux made life easier by implementing elegant solutions to real business requirements? Herewith, we present two examples.
Company A needs to produce an XML file for the Job Order Interface of its Trumpf Inventory Manager Machine. Company A also needs to produce a tab-delimited advanced ship notice (ASN) for upload to a customer’s system. Both of these cases are interesting because they cannot be solved with a Business Activity Query (BAQ) or simple Business Process Management (BPM) Method Directive. Although a BAQ can be exported, the XML is not in the right format for the Trumpf machine. A simple BPM cannot handle file output, let alone tab delimited. How do we proceed? Continue reading
We often hear from someone who needs to log changes to data in his business system. Perhaps a production supervisor wants to know when the description of a part was changed or a human resources manager wants a record of everyone’s pay rate changes. Maybe the human resources manager also wants to be notified by e-mail every time the pay rate gets updated. Using Epicor, logging table changes is as easy as pie. This week, we show you how to use the Business Activity Manager (BAM) to meet this requirement.
First, the BAM is found on the menu under Executive Analysis >> Business Activity Management >> Setup.
Open the BAM.
In the BAM tool, on the first tab, we simply choose the table and the columns in that table that we want to be logged.
Select the table.
On the second tab, we choose the action or actions we want to take to accomplish the logging. We can have a log created. Simply check the “Create Log” box.
![Select [Create Log].](http://deftflux.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/BAM-3.png)
Select [Create Log].
![Select [Send Alert].](http://deftflux.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/BAM-4.png)
Select [Send Alert].
View the logs.
The log simply tells you the date and time of the change, the old value, and the update value, which can be quite valuable.
View the log details.
Now, the BAM can also automatically kick of a report whenever some key thing is updated. That, however, is another story for another day.
If you need help setting up your logging, or any other business process, give us a call. We are here to help.
On occasion, an Epicor ERP user will want to write a report that requires a hierarchical view of a part’s multi-level bill of material. In Epicor, we would prefer to do this using a Business Activity Query (BAQ). The Epicor 10 BAQ tool is much more powerful than the tool from version 9, so it comes close to being able to do this, but just misses the mark. In order to query a hierarchical BOM, we must write the SQL and create a view in the database. Once we create the view, we can use a BAQ to access it (in version 9 or version 10 as long as we’re using SQL Server), or we can query it directly using an SSRS report. Herewith, we provide the SQL:
In the world of Epicor, most customer modifications (Dashboards, BAQs, Customizations, etc.) can be individually exported to a file and thus imported one at a time. This is a convenient way to make a quick modification and move it from Pilot or Test up to Live. Not all modifications are created equal, however. A Dashboard cannot be imported to update an existing Dashboard with the same name. The dashboard must be renamed. Report Data Definitions cannot be directly exported at all.
“So,” you ask, “How can I export a Report Data Definition?” Continue reading
At Deft Flux, we are curing business information headaches, and we are doing it because we care. Here is an example.
Epicor has several different paths whereby one may create a customization. So far, we have found the Business Process Management (BPM) method directive to be the most useful. Why? Continue reading
As we have stated previously, Epicor has provided customers with a simple method for building business rules into the ERP workflow without the usual upgrade headaches that go along with customizations. They call it Business Process Management (BPM). BPM comes in two flavors, Method Directives and Data Directives. Data Directives are fired by updates to a table. Method Directives are called before, during, or after a Business Object Method executes. Today we want to demonstrate how to perform a common validation using a BPM Method Directive.
Deft Flux is jump-starting the movement to return to elegant information design. You are saying to yourself, How? So, here we have an example.
Recently, an Epicor client asked us whether, on his traveler, it would be possible to print the color of the part being produced. We responded with the standard questions: What is the real reason for the change? Since the raw materials are already listed, is it worth the effort? Is it even possible? Continue reading
Last time, we discussed a method whereby we could report on the efficiency of a crew by using indirect labor codes, and comparing the total labor on a production line to the total estimated labor for jobs produced on that line.
As we mentioned, we are unable to get a precise breakdown of labor hours by job, but we can get a fair estimate by using the weighted allocation that Epicor uses. When an employee clocks directly onto multiple operations at once, Epicor will allocate hours to each operation based on the weight of that operation’s estimated hours. Let us make up an example: Continue reading