Configure Warehouse Data Collection—Exercises

Basic Data Setup

Site

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to create sites to be used in the main exercise.

Windows:
Site
Sites per User

  1. Create two sites.
  2. Connect the sites to your user ID.

General exercise for Entering Site 

Inventory Locations

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to set up the basic data required for using the refill functionality.

Windows:
Inventory Locations

  1. Open the Inventory Locations window and create inventory locations of the following types: Arrival, Quality Assurance, Picking, Pallet Delivery, and Pallet Buffer for both sites.

General exercise for Entering Inventory Locations 

Inventory Part with Inventory Balance

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to set up the basic data that is required to use this functionality. In this exercise, an inventory part with an inventory balance will be entered.

Windows:
Inventory Part
Receive Inventory Part

  1. Enter an inventory part.
  2. Receive an amount of this inventory part into an inventory location.

General exercise for Purchased Inventory Part
General exercise for Receive Inventory Part

Main Exercise

Purpose: Understand how processes in IFS Warehouse Data Collection can be configured and how the process behavior will change depending on the configuration. In the exercises, the process Count Part (Count per Inventory Part), Count per Count Report and Transport Task Line will be configured. Other processes can be configured in the same way.

Windows:
Data Collection Configuration
Warehouse Data Collection
 Create Count Report

Copy Configuration

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.

  2. Query for the COUNT_PART capture process ID with the capture configuration ID 1.

  3. Right-click and then click Copy Configuration. Click OK on the information message that appears.

  4. The new process configuration will be opened directly. Make sure that the capture configuration ID has changed. This is the new configuration.

  5. To be able to distinguish your process configuration in the scanning client change the menu label to XX Count Part.

Give Access to the Configuration

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Click the Valid For Companies tab.
  4. Add company 10.
  5. Select the Valid for All Sites check box to enable all sites on your company to have access to the configuration.
  6. Click the Valid for All Users check box, to enable all users to have access to the configuration.

Note: The process must be valid for both your company/sites and user to appear in the Warehouse Data Collection menu. The user also needs to be granted access to the methods used by the process. For example, if the user has access to the Count per Inventory Part process, it is possible for the user to process the IFS Warehouse Data Collection.

Change Status

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. The status on the configuration is displayed on the configuration header.
  4. Right-click on the configuration header and then click Release.

Note: If you receive an error message saying that the configuration cannot be released because uncompleted sessions exist, remove these or make sure they are being closed. See the Remove Uncompleted Sessions exercise below.

  1. Now the configuration is ready to use for users that have access to the process.

Note: When the configuration is in the Locked or Released status, changes may only be done in the Valid for Companies and the User Access Details tabs.

Remove Uncompleted Sessions

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. The status on the configuration is displayed on the configuration header.

Note: If the status is Released, open sessions can exist. If it is in the Locked status, the configuration has open sessions. If it is in the Editable status, the configuration has no open sessions.

  1. To remove the uncompleted sessions, right-click on the configuration header and then click Remove Uncompleted Sessions.
  2. In the dialog box that appears, click Yes.

Note: The Locked status will automatically change to the Editable status when no uncompleted sessions exist. Uncompleted sessions can either be closed by a user that finishes the data entry or the session can be automatically or manually removed. The automatic removal can be set in the General tab of the configuration.

Start and Execute the Process

  1. Open the Warehouse Data Collection window.
  2. On the menu where the process is selected, click Count per Inventory Part.

Note: If two or more configurations exist for the same process and the user has access to them, a second menu will appear with the menu label of the configuration.

  1. Select the XX Count Part configuration.

Note: At the top of the scanning client, the user can see the site and process configuration.

  1. Scan or enter the data, what data should be entered can be seen at the top over the entry field.

Note: To learn more about the scanning client and the functions see the Scanning Client About Description.

  1. When the session is complete and the data is committed correctly, the user should receive a green information message at the top.

Change Input Order

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit to change the status to Editable.
  4. Click the Items tab.
  5. The top table displays the available data item ID that can be entered in the scanning process.
  6. Change the input order for location number to 1. The location number is the first data that is entered in the scanning client.
  7. Open the scanning client and select the XX Count Part configuration. Notice the input order.
  8. Now change the input order for part number to 1 and save. The order number for location number should be recalculated to 2.
  9. Open the scanning client and select the XX Count Part configuration. Notice the input order.

Note: The easiest way to change the order is to only change one data item at a time, and save between entries. The order number that follows the changed .one will be recalculated. The process can have hidden data depending on the configuration options, this is why the sequence of order numbers is larger than the available data items.

Configure a Default Value

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit to change the status to Editable.
  4. Click the Items tab.
  5. For the LOCATION_NO data item, enter a location number on your site in the default column. Make sure the Use Fixed Value field is set to Never.
  6. Save. Right-click and then click Release to change the status to Released.
  7. Open the scanning client and select your process configuration.
  8. In the entry field of the scanning client you will see the location number entered in the configuration. To commit the data, press Enter.

Note: The default value can be removed by scanning or entering any new data.

Configure a Fixed Value

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit to change the status to Editable.
  4. Click the Items tab.
  5. For the LOCATION_NO data item, enter a location number on your site in the Fixed Value field and select Always in the Use Fixed Value field.
  6. Save. Right-click and then click Release to change the status to Released.
  7. Open the scanning client and select your process configuration.
  8. In the entry field of the scanning client you will see that the location number entered in the configuration is automatically committed without having to press Enter.

Note: The fixed value can be removed by scanning or entering any new data.

Configure Use Fixed Value - When Applicable

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit to change the status to Editable.
  4. Click the Items tab.
  5. For the SERIAL_NO data item, select When Applicable in the Use Fixed Value field. Note that Fixed Value field is now set to (*).
  6. Save. Right-click and then click Release to change the status to Released.
  7. Open the scanning client and select your process configuration.
  8. In the entry field of the scanning client you will see that the serial no = (*) is automatically committed without having to press Enter for non-serial traced parts.

 Hide Entered Data Items

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit to change the status to Editable.
  4. Click the Items tab.
  5. For the PART_NO data item, select Always in the Hide Line field.
  6. Save. Right-click and then click Release to change the status to Released.
  7. Open the scanning client and select your process configuration.
  8. When the PART_NO data item has been entered and committed, the entry will not be shown in the scanning client information table.

Hide Line - When Fixed Value

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit to change the status to Editable.
  4. Click the Items tab.
  5. For the LOCATION_NO data item, enter a location number on your site in the Fixed Value field.
  6. For the LOCATION_NO data item, select Always in the Hide Line field.
  7. Save. Right-click and then click Release to change the status to Released.
  8. Open the scanning client and select your process configuration.
  9. In the entry field of the scanning client you will see that the location number entered in the configuration is automatically committed without having to press Enter and that it is not shown in the scanning client information table.

Hide All Previous Data Items and Item Details

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit to change the status to Editable.
  4. Click the Items tab.
  5. For the PART_NO data item, select the Hide All Previous check box.
  6. Save. Right-click and then click Release to change the status to Released.
  7. Open the scanning client and select your process configuration.
  8. When you reach the PART_NO data item the information table will be cleared as all data items and item details (except the ones added to the previous data item) are hidden.

Configure Loop Start and Loop End

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit to change the status to Editable.
  4. Click the Items tab.
  5. Make sure that LOCATION_NO is the first data item and that PART_NO is the second.
  6. For the PART_NO data item, select the Loop Start check box.
  7. For the QUANTITY data item, select the Loop End check box.

Note: This will indicate a loop start on PART_NO and that the loop end on QUANTITY. To exit a loop from the scanning client, you have to press Next.

  1. Save. Right-click and then click Release to change the status to Released.
  2. Open the scanning client and select your process configuration.
  3. First enter the location number and continue through the process.
  4. When you reach the end, the process will loop and you will be asked to enter the part number again.
  5. This loop will continue until you click Next.
  6. Click Next to execute the process.

Note: It is not possible to enter a data set that is exactly the same as the entered data set in the session.

Configure the List of Values

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the XX Count Part configuration.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit to change the status to Editable.
  4. Click the Items tab.
  5. For the PART_NO data item, select On in the List of Values list.

Note: The On option will give the user the possibility to open the list of values in the scanning client. All data items do not have a list of values. These cannot be changed to On, Forced or Auto Pick. When the Off option is selected, the user cannot open the list of values in the scanning client. The Forced option will open the list of values directly when the user is asked to enter the data item. The Auto Pick option will automatically commit the first value in the list of values, without you doing anything.

  1. For the PART_NO data item, change the List of Values option to Forced.
  2. Save and change the status to Released.
  3. Open the scanning client and select your process configuration.
  4. When you come to the PART_NO data item in the scanning client, make sure that the list of values open directly and that you can select a value from the list.

Enable/Disable Automatic Value

  1. Open the Create Count Report window.
  2. Create a count per count report.
  3. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  4. Select the Count per Count Report process.
  5. Copy the configuration and name it XX.
  6. Make sure that Use Automatic Value is set to Fixed for all data items and that the process starts with the INV_LIST_NO data item and the SEQ data item secondly.
  7. Test the configuration in the scanning client of the count per count report. Notice that most of the data items are given automatically by the process when the INV_LIST_NO and SEQ data items are entered.
  8. Open the Data Collection Configuration window again.
  9. Select the XX configuration.
  10. Right-click and then click Edit.
  11. In the Items tab, set the Use Automatic Value to Off for the PART_NO data item.
  12. Release the configuration.
  13. Open the scanning client and select the XX configuration.
  14. Start by entering INV_LIST_NO and SEQ. Notice that the process requires the part number and the value has to be entered.

Note: This can be used to validate that the user is actually counting the correct part on the correct location according to the pick list. One good way to configure the count per count report process is to have the Auto Pick option on the SEQ data item and Use Automatic Value set to Off for LOCATION_NO and PART_NO. For the SEQ data item, the data item details LOCATION_NO and PART_NO can be added to guide the user. This configuration will guide the user through the process and in the same time validate that the user is doing the count on the correct location and for the correct part.

Connect Configurations (Subsequent Process and Configuration)

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for the TRANSPORT_TASK_LINE process.
  3. Right-click and then click Copy Configuration.
  4. Change the name of the new configuration to Pick TT-Line.
  5. In the Items tab, enter Pick in the Fixed Value field and select Always in the Use Fixed Value field.
  6. Right-click and then click Copy Configuration.
  7. Change the name of the new configuration to Execute TT-Line.
  8. In the Items tab, enter Execute in the Fixed Value field and select Always in the Use Fixed Value field.
  9. In the General tab, enter the subsequent process ID and subsequent configuration ID so that Pick TT-Line points at Execute TT-Line and vice versa.

Note: This creates a loop between the two configurations. The first configuration can pick the transport task line and the second one executes transport task lines.

  1. Open the Pick TT-Line in the scanning client and make sure that the name at the top is Pick TT-Line.
  2. Complete the session. When the data is committed and a new session starts make sure that the name at the top is now Execute TT-Line.

Note: The Pick TT-Line process could have details showing the From Location Number and Part Number and the same data items could have the Use Automatic Value set to Off to guide the user from where the parts should be picked and that the correct part is picked. In the same way, the Execute TT-line could have the same validation but here the process could show the To Location as the default.

Connect Configurations (Subsequent Data Item ID)

  1. Open the Data Collection Configuration window.
  2. Query for Pick TT-Line created in the exercise above.
  3. Right-click and then click Edit.
  4. In the Items tab, and select the TRANSPORT_TASK_ID data item.
  5. In the Subsequent Data Item ID field, select TRANSPORT TASK ID from the list of values.
  6. Save your changes.
  7. Right-click on the header and then click Release.
  8. Open the Warehouse Data Collection window and query for the Pick TT-Line configuration.
  9. Execute the Pick TT-Line process.
  10. When the subsequent process for the Execute TT-Line configuration starts, notice that the transport task ID entered for the Pick TT-Line is suggested as a value.

Note:  The data is copied from the first session to the second session in the scanning client based on the subsequent data item ID entered in the Items tab.