Re: Windows Version of BPCS

Hi Bent, 

I have corrected a few things in your post. My comments are indicated
with --> under the relevant paragraph.

Take care,
Genyphyr Novak
SSA GT R&D


date: Wed, 5 Jul 2006 20:02:43 +0100
from: "Bent Nielsen" <bent@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
subject: Re: [BPCS-L] Windows Version of BPCS

Dear Davide,

I fully understand your need to defend SSA - I worked in Frimley (UK)
for 4 years - but how about a little honesty here...
-->  There is nothing dishonest in what Davide has posted. 

You only need to access the OGS site and look at the date difference
between a BMR being available for AS400 and Unix in order to realize
where the resources are allocated!!!

--> Actually I am not sure where you get this from. I see BMRs completed
on a version for all 
--> platforms where the fix should be completed. If a customer for Unix
or NT wants a given BMR 
--> generated for their platform and it isn't completed yet, they are
welcome to use our support 
--> system to request this. Additionally we can and do create and
complete BMRs for issues ONLY 
--> found on NT or Unix, which occasionally happen such as in the ODW
generator or design tool or 
--> in system level programs that are not coded in AS/SET.
--> If you look at raw numbers, well certainly Unix and NT platforms do
not exist in all BPCS 
--> versions, such as V8.0 or BPCS CD. But otherwise, if the code is
AS/SET code and NT or Unix 
--> platforms were shipped, those are completed with AS/400

To make it clear to everybody (working from my memory):
SSA generated a version of BPCS that ran on Windows (NT) with an
Informix database. Actually is was exactly the same as the Unix version
for Informix - so no magic there...

--> NT BPCS runs (not 'ran') using Oracle, not Informix. There are some
runtime differences, and this is 
--> why we had a development project to create this release, which did
take around 6 months as I recall. 
--> Of course the AS/SET business definitions are the same - I am only
talking about runtime changes. 
--> As Davide stated, we do have a number of customers, largely in the
APJ 
--> region who do use this product to run their businesses. 

SSA used to implement all BMRs from Vxx automatically into all supported
versions and on all supported platforms. Now this is only done if
someone on Vyy/platformxx  escalates the issue.

--> This is actually only partially correct. Current policy is to
complete the work on the escalated 
--> version and on the most current version of the product (if bug is
applicable on current release). However 
--> this has NOTHING to do with the platforms within a version. A
'version' includes all supported 
--> platforms. Therefore, if escalated by an AS/400 customer on 8.2,
once the AS/SET code is done, 
--> it is done (it is not recoded for each platform). Generating into
Unix and NT 8.2 from AS/SET is actually 
--> internally automatic. I reviewed a number of recently completed BMRs
and see no place where we 
--> are ignoring Unix or NT platforms on a version of BPCS which has
these and are only shipping the 
--> AS/400 platform (unless the program in question is for example a
non-AS/SET operating system 
--> specific one, for example one that uses an IBM API on AS/400 which
has no Unix or NT equivalent).

As SSA has - from ERP LX (BPCS V8.3) - given up using ASSET they have
effectively scrapped the dream of being "multi-platform" and we are all
expected to use AS400/ISeries/P5.
--> This decision changes nothing about how existing releases of BPCS
are maintained. If you 
--> currently use NT or Unix BPCS 8.2 you can continue to do so. In
fact, we 
--> recently (March) announced support for new versions of Unix
operating systems as well as updated 
--> Oracle and Informix databases on our OnePoint site for V6.x and V8.2
Unix BPCS. 
--> Also you might recall that SSA does now own several other ERP
products that do run on a number of platforms.

So - as SSA are implementing all new BMRs by manually changing the RPG
code generated by ASSET - you can easily estimate the expected time for
a BMR to be fixed on your V6.1.00...

--> Existing releases of BPCS are maintained in ADK/ODW as always.
Meaning AS/SET is still used to 
--> code BMRs in BPCS releases. There is no impact on coding time for
BPCS fixes due to how ERP LX is now being coded.

Kind regards
Bent Nielsen

message: 4
date: Wed, 5 Jul 2006 16:08:06 +0200
from: "Davide Roveda" <Davide.Roveda@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
subject: Re: [BPCS-L] Windows Version of BPCS

Al,

You are right that Iseries is core for BPCS, but before say:

Also it is for VERY SMALL firms
* 99% of the companies using BPCS do so on AS/400/iSeries
--> You should have access to SSA numbers, for APJ especially.

it does not get much support compared to AS/400 iSeries
--> Any BMR completed on OGS, where present NT / UX version, also UX /

--> NT
BMR are available

This is not for dispute, only to clarify.

Thanks

D