<vendor>
Scenarios from Rob + Al explain how duplicate records can arrive in iSeries
files. Back doors like that also enable field-level data accidents to elude
layers of protection. IMHO, if you could add up the cost of data accident
chaos, the result would be stratospheric. Companies don't measure it. "Data
accident expense" doesn't appear as a separate line on the P+L statement.
Rob suggests journaling as a post-accident investigative tool .... and, with
effort, it works for that purpose ... but finding the "guilty" party after
the fact doesn't erase the accident cost, it doesn't permanently slam the
back doors, and it doesn't train employees to keypunch flawlessly. There will
always be the next data accident.
Here's a new idea: Needle in a Haystack software identifies data accidents as
they are written to an iSeries file and then immediately emails an alert. The
software is a real-time rare event detector which employs artificial
intelligence to figure out what is normal and what isn't ... right down to
the field level.
<
http://www.unbeatenpath.com/software/needle/in-a-haystack.pdf>
www.unbeatenpath.com/software/needle/in-a-haystack.pdf
It works. Real-life example: a unit of measure field was changed. The
replacement value was exponentially incorrect. Edit checking didn't stop it
(both the pre-change and post-change values were legitimate). Needle in a
Haystack immediately reported the change as a rare event, enabling the
database guardian to fix it before the next MRP run.
Needle in a Haystack's self-taught ability to identify and report data
accidents in real time is unique. Ivy League professors at Cornell University
are so impressed with the creativity and distinctiveness of the product that
they're launching research efforts to help us polish the software:
<
http://www.unbeatenpath.com/news/Cornell-Sept2011.pdf>
www.unbeatenpath.com/news/Cornell-Sept2011.pdf
Warm regards,
Milt Habeck
Unbeaten Path International
(888) 874-8008
+262-681-3151
</vendor>
From: "rob@xxxxxxxxx"
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 10:09 AM
Subject: Re: [BPCS-L] Duplicate Items in Item Master
Way back in dinosaur times there was a problem putting keys on physical files
(S/32 perhaps?). BPCS still follows that philosophy. They do not even
specify UNIQUE on their logical files. They assume that no one ever migrates
data to their ERP system or anything else (like custom upgrades from earlier
versions of BPCS) that comes outside of standard item maintenance. So, yes
it is possible for duplicates to occur - we've had them. BPCS uses no
constraints (unique, key, referential, etc.). All is done within Item master
maintenance.
While I disagree with their philosophy, if you follow their rules then
duplicates shouldn't be occurring. You don't have users downloading data,
massaging it, and then uploading it, do you? That could be another possible
avenue.
The following sql should help you find duplicates:
<snip>
Happy hunting. If you journal these files you can find might be able to find
out who did it.
Rob Berendt
Group Dekko
From: On Behalf Of Al
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 11:03 AM
To: 'BPCS ERP System'
Subject: Re: [BPCS-L] Duplicate Items in Item Master
Years ago, before we had proper power protection, we have had weird stuff
happen to files, including item master, when our system had power outage
going down hard.
We don't have ordinary users uploading data for BPCS, but we have had
managers trying to do it, or ask consultants to do it, with me finding out by
accident, and speaking up about this risking loss of BPCS working right.
There are a handful of scenarios where I have shown people how to use DFU to
fix some BPCS scenario, such as in-use flag.
When we were on INFOR tech support, they taught a manager how to use
interactive SQL to fix problems in some BPCS files.
Al Mac
From: Larenzo Alexander
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 8:39 AM
Subject: [BPCS-L] Duplicate Items in Item Master
We're on BPCS v6.1 and MRP wasn't planning some items correctly and after
some research I found out that their were duplicate item numbers in the Item
Master & Facility Planning data and it caused a few issues even when the user
tried to delete one of the duplicates it confused some programs. So to
resolve the issue I had to delete the duplicated items and items that had
duplicates and let the user re create items and then they had to recreate the
customer orders. So the issue is resolved but I was wondering has anyone else
had an issue with the Item Master allowing duplicate items to be created. It
normally checks for duplicates and prevents this so I'm not sure how this was
possible in this instance. This was a stranger one but I as they say...
Anything is possible. :-)
Thanks
midrange.com
