Re: Balances not maintain -- BPCS-L

from Al Mac - we are also on 405 CD

Roger describes a user education problem & why they pay IT people big bucks 
to clean up messes users create.  

When user gets message "record not available" the first thing they should do 
is cursor on the message & F1 help key to get full details WHY record not 
available.  Often it will identify the work station session of the person who 
has locked the record needed.  Folks who understand their system naming 
conventions & have access to a modicum of Operating System commands - they 
can rapidly identify who is the other person they are bumping heads with.

However, even for power users, this process can be a bit cumbersome & what 
you really need access to in this scenario is not GO CMDLCK & remember what 
command keys to use where, but 
http://www.precosis.com.au/piu1.htm
Precosis DSPBPSACT
Display active BPCS jobs in possible conflict

The reality is that when my users get an error message, they NEVER remember 
to access second level help for the full details & always do something like 
Roger describes to convert a mild conflict into a data mess, then when they 
are done, they do an ordinary sign off instead of SIGNOFF *LIST to capture a 
job log to help IT decipher the mess they created ... almost all our BPCS 
user menus have the SIGNOFF *LIST option to simplify bomb fragment aftermath 
deciphering, but they never remember to use that either.  In fact, many 
people exit BPCS via F3 to OS/400, invoking *SIGNOFF as the second menu of 
their user profile.

This area is crying out for some kind of modification, if possible, that 
might tie into user profile ... this person is a klutz ... any time they get 
a conflict we need to capture detail log & dispatch message to alternative 
qsysopr, except phrase it differently since I get into trouble if I say 
something that sounds like labeling a co-worker as an inappropriate mental 
description.

I do not want to be writing lots of software that sends messages to AL 
because some time there will be someone else doing my job & all these places 
to find.  Rather I want messages going to some Q-place then that one place 
redirecting them to the current IT staff user-ids ... change IT staff, change 
just the one redirection place, or structure the software like we do literals 
... got a new scenario, add it, recompile it, rerun it.

Perhaps when we have a potential klutz condition, I want it to call a 
standard program that sends me notification then when I retire & new IT 
person, we just recompile the list of who the standard program sends 
notification to that &USER at &WSID in &PROGRAM is experiencing conflict with 
&MSGID &MSGTEXT

Perhaps default responses can be altered through a reply list.

>  From:    Roger.Henady@thorco.com

>  We are on BPCS 405CD.    We have this problem when the user receives a
>  message "record not available"   The user needs to enter "R" for retry.
>  Sometime the user will press enter out of habit without reading the
>  message.    ( I know we are the only place with users like this.)   The
>  default response is cancel.    The result is only part of the files get
>  updated.  Some times the location will be correct, but not the warehouse or
>  itemmaster.      The PO might show received but not recorded in the
>  warehouse.   The shop order posted but no ITH record.
>  
>  The users have become more aware and know to call,  or to look at the job
>  log for the user with the record lock.
             
Peter Stewart

>  We are running BPCS 6.00.04 and have at one of our facilities experienced
>  the following.
>  
>  A location to location transfer ( 'T' trans) on  occasion will not deduct
>  the inventory from the "FROM" location but still generates the history
>  record in the ITH file. Any suggestions would be gratefully accepted as we
>  have run out of ideas. We are up to date on all BMRs
>  
>  Thanks - Peter

MacWheel99@aol.com (Alister Wm Macintyre) (Al Mac)
AS/400 Data Manager & Programmer for BPCS 405 CD Rel-02 mixed mode (twinax 
interactive & batch) @ http://www.cen-elec.com Central Industries of 
Indiana--->Quality manufacturer of wire harnesses and electrical 
sub-assemblies - fax # 812-424-6838

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