Electronic Signatures (also referred to as eSignatures) is one of SYSPRO’s most powerful administrative tools. It allows you to audit and monitor transactional data against any type of event you can imagine throughout SYSPRO. In addition, it also includes “trigger” features where you can have certain events execute custom scripts, send email messages, or invoke custom reports. This section of SYSPRO has several layers of functionality. Explaining it all is difficult, so we have highlighted below some of the key features that eSignatures have and how you can use them to improve your SYSPRO experience.
Auditing Capabilities
The most used feature of eSignatures would be the auditing capabilities that they possess. If you have used SYSPRO for a good amount of time, you may have come to find that it is hard to track down “who did what” and “when did it happen”. SYSPRO does not natively keep much information on file about who is committing changes to the system.
For instance, by default in SYSPRO, you will have a hard time figuring out who created that one purchase order, who completed that job prematurely, or who modified the price of that sales order line. eSignatures exist to solve exactly that!
In the Electronic Signatures Setup program, you can browse on any type of event across all SYSPRO modules. Against each of these specific events, you can set up access levels, custom triggers, and detail logging of key data points relating to these events when they take place throughout SYSPRO. As an example, under the “Sales Orders” module, you can add a logging condition against the “SO add sales order” transaction to keep a log of any operator who creates a sales order in SYSPRO.
Each time a sales order is created, a log entry is then stored in the database with details about who created the sales order, when they created it, and which details the sales order was created with. You can query eSignature event logs by using the eSignature Query program later for auditing purposes.
Additionally, there are also “e.net” type transactions for the same events that track when business objects perform these events. These can be extremely helpful if your environment uses any third-party products or custom business object implementations. There are otherwise no other efficient ways in SYSPRO to monitor or track changes that are committed by business objects unless your custom integrations have been programmed to track it themselves.
SYSPRO eSignature Triggers
Triggers can be configured against an event to perform a certain action. Contrary to the logging, these are helpful if you are looking to perform an additional action when an event takes places. When setting up an eSignature Trigger, you can choose between the following trigger action types:
Email
Run a VBScript
Run any program
Run any application
Write to message inbox
Run an SRS report
You can probably already start to imagine the countless things these could be useful for. For instance, perhaps you want to receive an email whenever a new customer is created in SYSPRO. Maybe your programmer wants to run a script and perform a given activity if the event was triggered by a specific operator, roles, or group. Or maybe, you want to run an entirely custom-built program and pass it the sales order number that was just created and captured by the eSignature.
These details only scratch the surface of what is possible with eSignatures in SYSPRO. There are several additional features within this section of SYSPRO that may be worth your time to investigate and get familiar with as they can take your company’s SYSPRO experience to the next level.
Your SYSPRO Autograph
Electronic Signatures (eSignatures) emerge as a cornerstone of SYSPRO’s administrative arsenal, delivering robust functionalities to enhance the overall user experience. The auditing capabilities stand out as a pivotal feature, addressing the longstanding challenge of tracking changes within SYSPRO. By meticulously logging key data points related to various events across modules, eSignatures enable users to easily trace actions, such as the creation of purchase orders or modifications to sales order prices. The Electronic Signatures Setup program empowers users to establish access levels, custom triggers, and detailed logging, offering a comprehensive solution for auditing purposes.
Furthermore, the versatility of eSignature triggers adds another layer of efficiency, allowing users to configure actions such as sending emails, running scripts, or generating custom reports in response to specific events. As we delve into the intricacies of eSignatures, it becomes evident that the possibilities extend beyond the surface, with additional features waiting to be explored. By investing time in understanding and leveraging the full potential of eSignatures, businesses can elevate their SYSPRO experience, ushering in a new era of efficiency and control.
As your manufacturing company considers upgrading its current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to Epicor Kinetic, the prospect of navigating potential challenges and complexities might seem daunting. However, with the right approach, this transition to advanced enterprise software can be a smooth and beneficial process for your organization.
Preparation for ERP Upgrade Team Success
Begin by thoroughly preparing for the transition to Epicor Kinetic. Evaluate your ERP needs, customize the solution to align with your requirements, and identify any redundant aspects of your current system. Gain a comprehensive understanding of Kinetic’s new features and formulate a detailed upgrade plan tailored to your company.
Utilize Documentation for a Stress-Free Epicor Upgrade
Leverage available documentation and industry best practices to make the upgrade to Kinetic a stress-free experience. Conduct an initial consultation to walk through the planning and upgrade process, ensuring your team is well-informed and prepared for the transition.
Adopt a Three-Stage Approach to All ERP Upgrades
Implement a three-stage approach to streamline the upgrade process. Develop checklists, tools, and data fixes that align with the flexibility and customization needs of your current system. This approach minimizes disruptions and ensures a seamless transition during each stage of the upgrade.
Harness the Power of ERP Upgrade Tools
Prior to your upgrade, use tools to identify necessary customizations and anticipate potential obstacles. Post-upgrade, utilize tools to understand your new configurations and operating system. This analytical approach enables your team to make well-informed decisions throughout the transition. Software is alive, and Epicor Kinetic upgrades often become part of a holistic digital transformation process, and the abundance of tools will help your team optimize every digital step.
Invest in Employee Learning for Optimal Performance
Maximize the performance of your updated system by investing in employee learning. Develop a comprehensive training plan to ensure that your staff can fully utilize the functionality of the new Epicor Kinetic system. Proactively schedule training sessions to facilitate a smooth transition and enhance overall workflow and productivity.
By adopting these strategies and focusing on internal capabilities, your manufacturing company can smoothly transition to the Kinetic upgrade. Navigate each step with careful planning, industry knowledge, and a commitment to optimizing your ERP system for enhanced efficiency and productivity. Embrace the benefits of a newly customized system without hesitation, and position your company for success with Epicor Kinetic.
Totaled Tip: Choose Your ERP Cloud Wisely So You Don’t Crash
When considering the Epicor Kinetic upgrades, businesses often find themselves deliberating between the private cloud deployment and the Software as a Service (SaaS) web-browser version. The private cloud option provides companies with a dedicated environment, offering greater control over customization, security, and data management. It is an ideal choice for organizations with specific compliance requirements or those seeking a tailored solution. On the other hand, the SaaS web-browser version, being a cloud-based option, offers flexibility and accessibility. With this model, businesses can benefit from reduced infrastructure costs, automatic updates, and seamless scalability. The decision between private cloud Kinetic and SaaS depends on factors such as organizational needs, preferences, and the level of control desired. While private cloud ensures a more personalized approach, SaaS brings the advantages of convenience and agility in adapting to evolving business requirements.
Are you looking for help with Epicor Kinetic upgrades and updates?
Chat with us now for immediate help, or schedule a free introductory consultation with one of our Epicor experts.
Keeping your Prophet 21 ERP system up to date poses numerous challenges, especially when dealing with upgrades. The testing, retesting, troubleshooting, and remediation processes can be time-consuming and demanding. Transitioning to the P21 Web UI introduces even greater challenges, with larger changes, increased risks, and heightened frustrations for end users. Consequently, the adoption of the P21 Web UI has been progressing slowly, akin to molasses in January, as they say in Canada.
In November, EstesGroup sponsored the Southeast User Group chapter of the P21WWUG, presenting on P21 Infrastructure Best Practices and the elusive topic of Web UI Migrations. Our polls revealed that two-thirds of customers have yet to fully migrate from the P21 desktop application.
For customers still tethered to a desktop version seeking a way out, we recommend two approaches when planning a P21 Web UI migration: incremental or big bang.
An Incremental Approach
For those committed to the last branched version (2021.1) and hesitant to fully transition from the P21 desktop, an incremental approach is advisable. The customer creates an ecosystem as a live testing model, gradually shifting from the old to the new through the following steps:
Develop an adoption plan for “branched” usage, initially allocating specific hours for web UI use.
Configure a branched deployment in the live environment, allowing parallel use of desktop and web UI.
Instruct users to incrementally operate on the web UI during designated hours.
Address reported shortcomings incrementally through IT or ERP administrator intervention.
Create a remediation work plan for identified issues and initiate resolution.
Conduct remediation and testing cycles until all issues are resolved.
Increase web UI usage until reaching a predefined cutoff amount of time.
Attain user and management signoff, and officially transition all users to the web UI.
Stabilize the live cutover environment and provide ongoing support.
A Big Bang Approach
For customers seeking a more significant leap to a web-only version (2022+), the big bang approach is recommended. This involves an implementation-level cutover executed in one decisive move:
Deploy the Web UI to a middleware-only test environment.
Conduct user testing, addressing and communicating issues as they arise.
Create a remediation work plan and resolve identified issues.
Document remediations and compile into a cutover plan, expanding the testing pool.
Conduct a mock cutover (CRP), regression testing, and address any remaining issues.
Attain user and management sign-off for the “go live” decision.
Repeat the cutover to the new version in the live environment with Web UI.
Stabilize the live cutover environment and provide ongoing support.
The Weight (and Freight) of Risk in P21 Migrations
The choice between incremental and big bang approaches depends on your risk tolerance and desired rewards. If you seek to minimize risks, choose the incremental approach. For maximizing rewards, opt for the big bang. Each approach comes with its own set of risks, rewards, and characteristics. If you need assistance with your Web UI Migration, please reach out to us!
Manufacturers and distributors can benefit significantly from a Managed Services Provider (MSP) managing one website or kin websites as part of an integrated IT services, IT security, and enterprise cloud strategy. An external IT provider ensures that the world will view web-based company representation with optimal performance, scalability, and security, reduced downtime and enhanced user experience. Through robust IT security measures, a cloud provider like EstesGroup safeguards sensitive data, mitigating the risk of cyber threats. Additionally, integrating enterprise cloud solutions facilitates seamless data access, collaboration, and scalability, enabling manufacturers and distributors to focus on core business functions while staying agile and competitive in the digital landscape.
For businesses, websites serve as crucial repositories for sharing information, necessitating proper hosting and data management to connect with customers, ensure security, and facilitate growth. When exploring website hosting services and ERP hosting solutions, businesses encounter various cloud options, with managed hosting and shared hosting being the primary types. Understanding the distinctions in the website vs. ERP hosting conversation empowers businesses to make informed decisions aligning with their unique identities.
Is your website hosting forgotten data?
While your IT team is focusing on critical tasks, your website might go unnoticed, opening the path to vulnerability and chaos. In the realm of website hosting, discerning between managed hosting and shared hosting is essential. Managed hosting is ideal for businesses seeking comprehensive control and responsibility, with the service provider acting as a dedicated IT department overseeing all aspects of the website. Conversely, shared hosting accommodates businesses needing performance and security but may lack the size or budget for full-service management. Multiple businesses share resources like RAM and CPU under a shared server, potentially impacting performance during traffic surges. Managed hosting suits larger enterprises prioritizing ultimate performance and security, while shared hosting remains viable for budget-conscious smaller businesses.
Managed Hosting vs. Shared Hosting vs. Managed ERP Hosting
Businesses should consider several key differences between managed and shared hosting for websites and ERP hosting for enterprise resource planning applications. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you unravel your web of business data.
Resources: Managed hosting provides dedicated server resources, ensuring optimal performance, while shared hosting involves resource-sharing, potentially leading to performance issues during high traffic.
Customization: Managed hosting offers customized solutions, tailored to specific business needs, whereas shared hosting tends to be more one-size-fits-all.
Security: Managed hosting prioritizes security, protecting individual businesses, whereas shared hosting may compromise security if one business on the shared server experiences a breach.
Optimal Performance: Managed hosting eliminates performance issues associated with shared resources, providing consistent and optimized performance.
Updates: Managed hosting ensures prompt updates and security patches, while shared hosting may require businesses to schedule updates themselves.
Email: Both hosting types offer email services, with managed hosting providing premium plans for enhanced features.
Cost: Shared hosting is more affordable, making it suitable for smaller businesses with budget constraints, while managed hosting, though more expensive, offers superior performance and security.
How ERP Hosting Gets Tangled in Your Website Web
The discussion on website hosting parallels ERP hosting, where businesses can opt for a managed service provider to host their ERP software in a remote, cloud-based data center. This centralized approach provides cost-effective, secure, and scalable solutions, enabling businesses to focus on operations rather than maintaining on-premise infrastructure.
Businesses must comprehend the disparities between the many available cloud options to make informed choices for their website and ERP hosting needs. While managed hosting excels in performance, security, and support, startups or small businesses with budget constraints may consider shared hosting initially. Managed hosting proves invaluable for businesses seeking to eliminate on-premise responsibilities, allowing them to concentrate on optimization and growth.
Complex Cloud Hosting Environments
Experience seamless business operations with our fully managed ERP hosting, ensuring optimal performance, security, and scalability as we take charge of your ERP software in a secure, remote, and cloud-based environment. Ready to tackle website vs. ERP hosting? Elevate your online presence with our fully managed website hosting, where a dedicated IT team handles every aspect, providing tailored solutions for peak performance, robust security, and unmatched support. Trust EstesGroup to streamline your technology infrastructure, allowing you to focus on growth and innovation without the burden of managing complex hosting environments.
A warning message that most SYSPRO users will commonly see is the “Operator already logged in” prompt. Under normal circumstances, this message means exactly what it says! The operator is already signed in.
However, the error message can appear for other reasons that may be puzzling to the user. It is most typically associated with users not exiting SYSPRO through normal means (crashes, forced computer shutdown, etc). It is good for both the ERP administrator as well as the end-users to know what this error means and why it may appear despite the user not being signed in.
What does this “SYSPRO Error Message – Operator Already Logged In” message mean?
SYSPRO’s database has a table called AdmOperator. Inside this table there is a column used to indicate whether a SYSPRO operator is currently signed in. The column value is set to “Y” when a user signs in and is cleared when SYSPRO is closed out normally by the user. The “Y” value can linger in the database if the user fails to close out of SYSPRO “gracefully”.
In that case, the “Operator already logged in” message will appear. The user has the option to proceed which will clear any lingering operator entries. If the user is in fact already signed in, any previous session is terminated by the system.
What causes this “Operator already logged in” message?
Besides the intended circumstance of the operator already being signed in on another computer, the message also appears if a user fails to close out of SYSPRO “gracefully”. Examples of this could include:
The user shuts down their PC while SYSPRO was running.
The user closes SYSPRO forcefully using the Windows Task Manager. This is common in the event of SYSPRO freezing or crashing.
If the user closes their web browser when using SYSPRO Avanti without using the logout functionality in the application.
Some of these events may also result in “Unknown Processes” lingering in SYSPRO. These will have to be closed out using administrative tools in SYSPRO. To learn about these processes, see our article on Handling Unknown Processes in SYSPRO.
So, what should you do about this message?
Clicking “OK” to proceed is all you need to do! If the warning appears because the user is in fact already signed in, that previous session will simply be terminated. If it appeared for any of the other reasons outlined above, the database fields are cleaned up from any incorrect flags and reset to their intended status. It is good to inform users that this error means no harm and that they can safely proceed if they do not believe that their operator is signed in anywhere else.
