Re: Attachments (Mike Ellis / ISI) -- MAPICS-L

Lisa,

I have done this type of thing several times.  I have some suggestions 
that may be helpful.

1)  Consider whether you want the pictures attached to the Item Revision 
or the Enterprise Item.   Clearly, if the item photograph looks the same 
irrespective of revision, then it may be easier to attach the picture at 
the enterprise level.  That way, as revisions occur (if you use them) or 
asthe item is used in multiple sites, you won't have to duplicate the 
attachment records too.  Linking the attachment to the new revision could 
undoubtedly happen with a user exit (Integrator required), but if you can 
simplify to the Enterprise Item level, could be alot easier.  If not, then 
process will have to accomodate that degree of sophistication.  I think 
I'd look at an Integrator Action on the Item Revision that allowed a 
button to automatically open the attachment that is the picture for this 
item.

2)  As for where to store them, a key consideration is to place the 
attachments in a server that is universally available.  Security is 
controlled by the network where the file is stored.  My experience says 
that the best place to store this type of data is on the AS/400 IFS.  The 
concept of "universally available" for the IFS extends to every user that 
has access to MAPICS.  In other words, if the user has access to MAPICS, 
then he can easily be granted (and equally easily prevented) access to the 
IFS that would contain the attachments.   Attachments use the UNC 
(universal naming convention) style of path to the media files, so you 
won't have to worry about drive letters, aliases for paths, etc.  That was 
not always true, but it is true at my level of the Browser appls (Level 32 
of XAR6).  Of course, the cost of disk can be a consideration, since this 
application could be a disk hog.

3)  Another suggestion is to think about a structure for your media files. 
 Think into the future about whatever other applications you might have 
for this VERY powerful function.  Naming convention and the directory 
structure will be important to manage versions/revisions of the 
attachments, if you have them.  Examples might include engineering 
drawings, scanned images of A/P invoices, scanned images of receivables 
checks, CNC programs attached to routing operations.

Just some thoughts to help you get started.

Michael G. Ellis
Information Systems International, Inc.
A Global ERP Consulting Firm
815-398-1670 x23
 
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message: 1
date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 16:01:14 -0500
from: lisa.thomas@xxxxxxxxxxx
subject: Attachments

We are interested in attaching item pictures to our item revisions in
Browser.

Anyone using Attachments in Browser?  Have you run into any problems? 
Where
did you decide to store the attachments and why?  Security issues?

Any feedback is appreciated!

Lisa A. Thomas
Hayssen
Packaging Technologies
lisa.thomas@xxxxxxxxxxx
864-486-4449