Links to Profiler on Add/Update of Stock and Assemblies

When linking Datafile to other systems – for example for website updates or warehouse management integrations, or even for updates into other companies within the Datafile system -it can be a requirement to create ‘update’ files for the stock codes and assemblies added or updated.Alternatively, you may have requirements to produce labels for new stock codes, assembly specification documents for new/updated assemblies and so on.

This new feature, is similar to previously added options within SOP/POP documents, allows configuration of a Profiler action to be triggered after the add/update of a stock record via the standard stock maintenance options and after the add/update of a stock assembly template via the standard assembly maintenance options.

Installation

Application User Facilities

To define the profiler calls additional parameter options have been added to the Stock Application User Facilities. Installer users on the Premier system can right-click on the ‘Maintain Stock’ menu action and choose to Configure Option.Alternatively, users can select Installation from the main menu followed by Application Manager and then Application User Facilities. Choose the Stock Control application and thenMaintain Stock File. A new menu action Profiler Integrations is available at the end of the list.

Selecting the option allows you define the Profiler Integrations to call.

For each of the four actions – adding a stock record, updating a stock record, adding an assembly and updating an assembly – there are four parameters.

·Enable – set this to activate the call to the Profiler option after the stock/assembly action.

·Action – reference the Profiler option to be called. The format is AAA/M/O where AAA is the three-letter application ID, M is the menu number to be called, and O is the option number on that menu to be called.Although you can call other options – a Profiler UDR for a label print for example – you are likely to be referencing a Q-menu auto action.

·Item – reference the data item to be passed as the ‘selection item’ to the Profiler action. With Stock add/update this is likely to be the stock code itself, or if using multi-location stock, a sub-item of the stock code excluding the location. With Assembly add/updates this is likely to be the assembly code.

·Exclusive – when adding/updating a stock record or an assembly the system maintains an exclusive record lock on the stock / assembly for the process and would normally release that lock on save/update. If the following profiler actions require an exclusive lock on the record also it can be useful to maintain the lock into the Profiler action so other users cannot access in the middle of the action. Note though Profiler must be specifically configured to release this lock if set.

Profiler Application Design Notes

Q-Menu Design - Unless calling an option such as a Profiler User-Defined report where you can configure a ‘L-List’ selection then you will likely be linking to a Profiler Q-menu action.

The first action in the Q-menu should be a screen on the constant file with a single input for the stock/assembly link item. This will allow the constant record to be updated with the ‘link’ item from the Stock/Assembly update and can be used as the value item in the selection criteria in subsequent actions.

Constant Files – as multiple users may be adding/updating stock records or assembly records at the same time this means that you need to configure the profiler application for a user-specific constant database.

In the Location of Files set the live file pathname including ‘***’ – this will be replaced with the user-id when running the application.If this is the first time a use has accessed this process the file will be automatically created from the base file.

You can also use the ‘***’ filename principle for any ‘work’ files that may be used within the Profiler application.

Releasing Exclusive Locks – if the stock integration option is set to retain the exclusive record lock from adding/updating the SKU then an option needs to be added into the Profiler Q-menu to release that exclusive record lock.

The option type of J allows for update of file/record locks, Parameter 1 is the database the lock is to be updated for, Parameter 2 is the locking action to be performed.

The locking action is formatted as M/T/NNN – where M is the lock method and set to either L to lock a record/file or U to unlock a record/file, T is the lock type and set to R to lock/unlock a record and F to lock/unlock a file. If locking/unlocking a record, then NNN is the data item on the constant file that contains the prime index of the record to be locked or unlocked.