New user looking to migrate from SAP to MFG, but need advice.

[puravista]

I am new to this forum and to MFG, but was hoping someone could help me get my head around some of the challenges we are facing with this migration project. Any help would be much appreciated, or if someone could even point out the best reference tools where I might find some related content. – Thanks…PV:

We are looking to migrate from SAP to MFG Pro (I believe eB2.1). We have several Warehouse applications written in .Net that are integrated to SAP to extend the receiving, put away, picking, packing, and shipping transactions (most are mobile transactions that utilize Idoc or RFC interfaces into SAP). From what I can tell MFG Pro has a similar integration model using Qxtend. The warehouse system has a SQL back-end and .Net clients.
· Can you use Qxtend to interface with external systems? Or is it just for internal MFG integration?
· What is the best way for MFG to replicate core data elements and/or transaction logic to an external system?
o For example a work-order receipt. Is there a standard QDoc interface that can be used to post a work-order receipt transaction to MFG (by a user performing the receipt in the warehouse on a mobile device)?
· Can you modify standard Qdoc’s to include additional data elements?
· For Picking – is there a standard Qdoc that could send the details for the Pick list to an external system to be picked from a mobile device?
· Is there not a picking confirmation QDoc also? From what I understand once the pick list is run it is automatically sets up as a pre-shipper – Is that correct?
· Is there a standard Qdoc that could be used to confirm a pre-shipper / Confirm Shipper?
· I understand other possible options are to use CIM (a flat-file interface approach), or web services (I assume a real-time interface approach). What are the pros/cons with these 3 approaches – Qxtend, CIM, WebServices?
​

 

[lig.qad]

Lot of questions puravista... I am going to best try to clear some of the questions from what I have seen and heard of Qxtend... if you need reference of people that really know about Qxtend, shoot me a message.

The first thing I would check is what is the reason for implementing against eB2.1 and not a more recent version...

Qxtend is used for external and internal integration. I am not sure if there is a standard QDoc for WO receipt but if not it can be created using the QDoc creation tools.
Additional data elements is a bit tricky but for the most part I would say yes... the Qxtend inbound turns the actual application (as defined using the QDoc) into an API so, assuming you can first customize the entry to accept the additional fields (various techniques for this purpose) or, chain two programs together into the same "transaction" and thus "wrap two transactions" into a single QDoc, you can achieve it. Example: if I want report a WO complete and move the stock at the same time, I can create a program that simply calls WO complete and Inventory transfer (or some custom program or some customized program) under a single engulfing transaction... the QDoc would combine both activities.

Replication to an external system is one of the things that can be achieved with Qxtend; it basically leverages on the "DB triggers".

Your pick list, pre-shipper, confirmed is a bit convoluted... but yes, a pick-list (which can be done manually, system selected based on picking priorities... and can be manually tweaked as necessary) can become (as part of a robust pick-containerize-ship-confirm) a pre-shipper/shipper and confirm it... again,

CIM in QAD is commonly used for two very different methods of loading data into QAD...

The "QAD CIM" is a process in which you format the input data to meet the outlay of the fields on the screens, indicating the program name to execute and then uses "." to leave a certain loop or exit a program and the like (there is more to it). The file is then first loaded into QAD into a "CIM input table" and then is processed through QAD "CIM process programs".

Not sure if there is a standard QDoc for pre-shipper or confirm... but can be created; it is a rather mechanical process but should only be done once and works.

Another very common method that many of use like better given it gives you a much better control and feedback is the "Progress redirect" in which basically, you create a program... normally a generic "process this file" that is called indicating the program to execute using as input the contents of a file; the difference is that this method reads/processes directly from the file and can also be prepared to look at the output files (e.g. screens generated) to parse-out any errors or messages; you have better control of what is going on... input data has to be parsed in following the screen(s) layout. The progress re-direct is by far better for inbound transactions into QAD; only Qxtend surpases it. The progress re-direct gives you a lot of freedom and control, logging, pre and post validations, etc.

Qxtend, comes to pick from CIM/redirect into a much more robust method of exchanging data or implementing web services. As a note there are also ways to create web-services directly from the database through the appserver or connecting to the DB through techniques such as java connectors... for all these, there are experts out there....