Re: Service Parts -- BPCS-L

You are correct.  I sharing what can be done, not all how we re-direct BPCS.

My advice to anyone, seeking a path parallel to ours, would be to exploitBPCS ability to modify rules like ZPA and ITE files, before exploringmodifications, because they can be overly dependent on how the business nowruns, which will evolve, and there is always the challenge of mergingmodifications with future BPCS upgrades.

We have significantly modified several standard BPCS programs, ways ofaccessing BPCS files, added additional inquiries reports files (logicalsand physicals), added 3rd party stuff, and support activities that aresecurity insensitive. Our output of BPCS/400 to other venues is still inits infantcy.

Some modifications turned out to have less value than we originallyexpected. Some were found to be overly dependent upon flawed BPCSdocumentation.

We found the literals of immense value in changing labeling of fields onreports and inquiries, but a pain for accessing those same fields by othermeans.

When we setup new items, there are a ton of fields whose contents are notproperly populated by BPCS defaults, from our needs perspective, so weperiodically run mass updates, so as to reduce manual keying needed by ourpeople. CIC file figures prominently in this.

Al,

In standard BPCS and ERPlx you can not change the item class in the CICfile utilizing MRP140 - Facility Planning Maintenance.

Might that have been an enhancement at your installation?

Thanks,

________________________________

From:  Al Mac
Subject: Re: [BPCS-L] Service Parts

That might be dependent on BPCS version.

In our 405 CD, when a record is created in CIC, it has a copy of the IIM
item class.  You can then go into CIC and change the item class, so that
the part's class varies by facility.  You have to be careful with how to
handle the item having different item classes in different facilities,
since many BPCS programs are insensitive to this possibility.

We have some mass update programs to fix contents of files where it is too
much trouble to manage some BPCS business rules manually.

Dan Sweeney wrote:

>Al's points are correct with the excpetion of different item classes by
>facility.  An Item can only have one item class desigination.