RE: Automating Purchasing process

Paul,

I am sending this to the BPCS-L list since I think that the subject might be
interesting to other users.

While it is true that you can use ESEND to correspond via email from an
AS/400, this package is not necessary and is a generic solution that does
not seem to offer the user an easy way to solve the problem that Rick has
originally mentioned, i.e. sending a specific document (printout) to a
vendor.  I evaluated it and then decided that custom programming was the way
to go.

Some of the postings to the list includes a "print key" which is made part
of the email.  Most of the time they are not very readable.  I imagine that
type of transmission would be unacceptable for a PO or in my case an order
acknowledgement.

In general, this is the old arguement of generic versus custom programming.
I think custom wins because the user is looking for a small enhancement
without lots of pain for the users.

Mindaugas Bielskus

P.S. I hope nobody gets mad that I am discussing a generic question here,
rather than strictly a BPCS topic.



-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Nelson [mailto:p_nelson-br@pop.inil.com]
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2002 9:01 PM
To: Rick.Carter@holley.com
Cc: Mindaugas@oneac.com
Subject: Re: Automating Purchasing process


There are a number of products that will help you to enable this process
with little or no programming.

There is Gumbo Software's product (don't remember the name), ESEND from
Advanced Systems Concepts, or Email Report Server from RJS Software. I've
used them all with success. It just depends on your requirements.

Mindaugas and I share a client in the Chicago area that has the ESEND and
SEQUEL products from ASC. The sales people can remotely sign on to the 400
to have reports run and emailed to themselves.

< snip >


Paul Nelson
Braxton-Reed, Inc.
630-327-8665 Cell
708-923-7354 Home
pnelson@braxton-reed.com