Diary of 5.1 Part III - Enhancement Issues

Rick,

Excellent list of suggestions ...

Once you get these suggestions logged with EPICOR could you repost this
email with the related suggestion numbers so the rest of us can call in and
add our names to the list ?

Todd Anderson

-----Original Message-----
From: Joslin, Rick [mailto:rick.joslin@...]
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2002 10:15 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Diary of 5.1 Part III - Enhancement Issues


The last installment of my Diary of Vantage version 5.1 . Hope
they were of some value....


Enhancement Issues
=================

1. sales order release lines available for viewing only shows 5 lines!
When dealing with 12 weeks of customer releases it's very difficult to
monitor one's own activity in processing multiple release line edits due to
ever changing release qty & dates. Vantage 3.0 allowed 22 line of
releases to be displayed. Vantage 5.1 shows only 5 lines of release
information.

Customers who use EDI and/or have blanket orders provide weekly
schedules, sometimes multiples times in a week. The schedules usually
contain 1-4 wks firm and the balance as unfirm for a total of 12-16 week
windows. Fluctuations in qty and dates can be extremely turbulent,
trying to maintain those order schedules in Vantage Sales Order Entry is
very frustrating in a 5 line window!

That same frustration can be similar in Purchase Order Entry for Managing
PO releases. Wouldn't a screen similar to Mass PO Receipt be nice to
edit multiple release lines in for Sales Orders and PO's releases?


2. Use of Scroll Mouse for browsing is something I've been waiting for
years (since vantage rev. 2.7) for the adoption of scrolling by use of a
wheel mouse. When browsing lists, Wheels are much nicer to use than the
up or down arrows. Only if programs were users, this would have been
made a priority years ago.


3. Another user productivity enhancement is the Right Mouse Button; taking
actions (insert /add, update /edit, open) are simple addition to increase
user efficiency to do more in less time. To add menu options to the right
mouse click is basically easy, then why isn't there? Because programmer's
aren't user's ! Don't get me wrong, we need programmers to be logical in
order to be good programmers. Ergonomics doesn't come up much when
focusing on table links, relationships, indexes, and conditional statements
in the world of a programmer. Make them data entry clerks and those
features would be coded within a week.

An example of this is in Part Master, all the conveniently place buttons
are gone! I understand why, to increase the viewing area. However in
doing so, now users have to mouse across the screen much more, it
repetitive motion syndrome. Appropriately placed right mouse click
options would complete the design intent of the new screen in Part Master.
Right mouse click add & update p/n's and right mouse click in the method
master for add & update is also appropriate.


4. "Returns to stock". The New screen (its new when moving from version
3.0 to 5.1) does not allow for stock returns if stock on hand balance is
zero. By the way, if the on hand balance is negative, you can still return
to stock because the negative number carries a location. No on handle
inventory then the respective re-stock material will have a currently
occupied bin location, which is needed to do the return to stock. The
selection of a Warehouse and bin is not allowed, one can only use an
existing location which shows up as default, heaven for bid if you wanted to
return stocked goods to a new stock location or warehouse. I think this
is a bug and have reported as such.



5. Vantage Plant Menu screen & Data Collection, in concert with AMM is
going to be nothing less than awesome once a few things get ironed out; like
being forced to receive toilet paper to a bin location. The system's
potential of this combined with wireless networking will allow leaps in
system integrity, accuracy and flow control when correctly implemented...
An enhancement that I have also longed for is not to force my data
collection users to select a shift when logging in. Our Employee's rarely
alternate shifts it would be preferred to have the shift question to be a
user evoke check box/button, accessed from the data collection upon user
demand would be nice option. This is a pet peeve of mine, when clocking
using data collection in Vantage, the system forces the user to respond
which shift to which they belong. This question should be an invoked
option not a daily ritual for hundreds of people five times a week, 52 weeks
a year.

My employee's frequently ask me when will Vantage know when I work.
This forced data collection response for seldom ever changed data element
lessons the confidence in electronic data collection within my organization;
because something as basic as shift definitions can't be automatically
accommodated.



6. Windows sizing is another user ergonomic consideration now since 17 & 19
inch monitors are the norm. Allowing larger windows size for list browsing
would be an extremely delicious enhancement. Most windows in Vantage
typically does not use all the screen space of a 15 inch monitor, thus
larger windows based on SVGA settings would be nice, use all the screen for
a full 800 x 600 screen would be an improvement for many screens/windows in
Vantage.


7. On Customer Shipment Entry, The packing line information for container
type is a search binocular. A drop down box would be a much faster access
menu option. Since it is a search, my operators type in container type
manually, thus its up to them as to format. A drop down box can force the
selection by 'auto complete', (i.e. type a "C" and carton & create are
automatically displayed in the drop down box. The same holds true for
shipment classification, a drop down menu would be much preferred over a
search object.



With this note goes the hopes and prayers of my dedicated data
engaged employees. I am going to enter all of the above as enhancement
requests, others users who are interested and would like to increase the
your User's Ergonomic factor in Vantage; now is the time to let yourself be
heard. As in life, law and politics, voice of one means little ( to
marketing) but voices of the many means change.




Rick Joslin
V-S Industries
rick.joslin@...
847-520-1800
847-520-0269 fax




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

ADVERTISEMENT

<http://rd.yahoo.com/M=219350.1849043.3355872.1269402/D=egroupweb/S=17050071
83:HM/A=935585/R=0/*http://www.gotomypc.com/u/tr/yh/grp/300_1b/g22lp?Target=
mm/g22lp.tmpl>

<http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=219350.1849043.3355872.1269402/D=egroupmai
l/S=1705007183:HM/A=935585/rand=791160465>

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
The last installment of my Diary of Vantage version 5.1 . Hope
they were of some value....


Enhancement Issues
=================

1. sales order release lines available for viewing only shows 5 lines!
When dealing with 12 weeks of customer releases it's very difficult to
monitor one's own activity in processing multiple release line edits due to
ever changing release qty & dates. Vantage 3.0 allowed 22 line of
releases to be displayed. Vantage 5.1 shows only 5 lines of release
information.

Customers who use EDI and/or have blanket orders provide weekly
schedules, sometimes multiples times in a week. The schedules usually
contain 1-4 wks firm and the balance as unfirm for a total of 12-16 week
windows. Fluctuations in qty and dates can be extremely turbulent,
trying to maintain those order schedules in Vantage Sales Order Entry is
very frustrating in a 5 line window!

That same frustration can be similar in Purchase Order Entry for Managing
PO releases. Wouldn't a screen similar to Mass PO Receipt be nice to
edit multiple release lines in for Sales Orders and PO's releases?


2. Use of Scroll Mouse for browsing is something I've been waiting for
years (since vantage rev. 2.7) for the adoption of scrolling by use of a
wheel mouse. When browsing lists, Wheels are much nicer to use than the
up or down arrows. Only if programs were users, this would have been
made a priority years ago.


3. Another user productivity enhancement is the Right Mouse Button; taking
actions (insert /add, update /edit, open) are simple addition to increase
user efficiency to do more in less time. To add menu options to the right
mouse click is basically easy, then why isn't there? Because programmer's
aren't user's ! Don't get me wrong, we need programmers to be logical in
order to be good programmers. Ergonomics doesn't come up much when
focusing on table links, relationships, indexes, and conditional statements
in the world of a programmer. Make them data entry clerks and those
features would be coded within a week.

An example of this is in Part Master, all the conveniently place buttons
are gone! I understand why, to increase the viewing area. However in
doing so, now users have to mouse across the screen much more, it
repetitive motion syndrome. Appropriately placed right mouse click
options would complete the design intent of the new screen in Part Master.
Right mouse click add & update p/n's and right mouse click in the method
master for add & update is also appropriate.


4. "Returns to stock". The New screen (its new when moving from version
3.0 to 5.1) does not allow for stock returns if stock on hand balance is
zero. By the way, if the on hand balance is negative, you can still return
to stock because the negative number carries a location. No on handle
inventory then the respective re-stock material will have a currently
occupied bin location, which is needed to do the return to stock. The
selection of a Warehouse and bin is not allowed, one can only use an
existing location which shows up as default, heaven for bid if you wanted to
return stocked goods to a new stock location or warehouse. I think this
is a bug and have reported as such.



5. Vantage Plant Menu screen & Data Collection, in concert with AMM is
going to be nothing less than awesome once a few things get ironed out; like
being forced to receive toilet paper to a bin location. The system's
potential of this combined with wireless networking will allow leaps in
system integrity, accuracy and flow control when correctly implemented...
An enhancement that I have also longed for is not to force my data
collection users to select a shift when logging in. Our Employee's rarely
alternate shifts it would be preferred to have the shift question to be a
user evoke check box/button, accessed from the data collection upon user
demand would be nice option. This is a pet peeve of mine, when clocking
using data collection in Vantage, the system forces the user to respond
which shift to which they belong. This question should be an invoked
option not a daily ritual for hundreds of people five times a week, 52 weeks
a year.

My employee's frequently ask me when will Vantage know when I work.
This forced data collection response for seldom ever changed data element
lessons the confidence in electronic data collection within my organization;
because something as basic as shift definitions can't be automatically
accommodated.



6. Windows sizing is another user ergonomic consideration now since 17 & 19
inch monitors are the norm. Allowing larger windows size for list browsing
would be an extremely delicious enhancement. Most windows in Vantage
typically does not use all the screen space of a 15 inch monitor, thus
larger windows based on SVGA settings would be nice, use all the screen for
a full 800 x 600 screen would be an improvement for many screens/windows in
Vantage.


7. On Customer Shipment Entry, The packing line information for container
type is a search binocular. A drop down box would be a much faster access
menu option. Since it is a search, my operators type in container type
manually, thus its up to them as to format. A drop down box can force the
selection by 'auto complete', (i.e. type a "C" and carton & create are
automatically displayed in the drop down box. The same holds true for
shipment classification, a drop down menu would be much preferred over a
search object.



With this note goes the hopes and prayers of my dedicated data
engaged employees. I am going to enter all of the above as enhancement
requests, others users who are interested and would like to increase the
your User's Ergonomic factor in Vantage; now is the time to let yourself be
heard. As in life, law and politics, voice of one means little ( to
marketing) but voices of the many means change.




Rick Joslin
V-S Industries
rick.joslin@...
847-520-1800
847-520-0269 fax




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Rick,

I live with your issues every day.

Sales Order Release Browse. (Also need to add the release number, if two
have the same date it's hard to know which one you want.)

I have the source code. My modifications consist of resizing screens and
browses, making drop down lists longer and sorted, adding fields to browses
such as above.

Being able to resize a screen?

Hit the F11 key on "REVISION CHANGE MAINTENANCE" under Job Management /
General Operations.
This should be a system wide enhancement not an Easter egg.

Patrick Winter
sSc Specialty Screw Corporation
Vantage 5.00.317, Progress 9.1a


-----Original Message-----
From: Joslin, Rick [mailto:rick.joslin@...]
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2002 10:15 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Diary of 5.1 Part III - Enhancement Issues


The last installment of my Diary of Vantage version 5.1 .
Hope they were of some value....
Rick,
DITTO! I also have a major problem with Vantage closing down when two
users access certain screens (if you select cancel when told another user
has the screen open vantage shuts down). Also we find it difficult to view
the visual scheduler when most of our jobs run over a year.

Mark Dupuis

-----Original Message-----
From: Joslin, Rick [mailto:rick.joslin@...]
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2002 11:15 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Diary of 5.1 Part III - Enhancement Issues


The last installment of my Diary of Vantage version 5.1 . Hope
they were of some value....


Enhancement Issues
=================

1. sales order release lines available for viewing only shows 5 lines!
When dealing with 12 weeks of customer releases it's very difficult to
monitor one's own activity in processing multiple release line edits due to
ever changing release qty & dates. Vantage 3.0 allowed 22 line of
releases to be displayed. Vantage 5.1 shows only 5 lines of release
information.

Customers who use EDI and/or have blanket orders provide weekly
schedules, sometimes multiples times in a week. The schedules usually
contain 1-4 wks firm and the balance as unfirm for a total of 12-16 week
windows. Fluctuations in qty and dates can be extremely turbulent,
trying to maintain those order schedules in Vantage Sales Order Entry is
very frustrating in a 5 line window!

That same frustration can be similar in Purchase Order Entry for Managing
PO releases. Wouldn't a screen similar to Mass PO Receipt be nice to
edit multiple release lines in for Sales Orders and PO's releases?


2. Use of Scroll Mouse for browsing is something I've been waiting for
years (since vantage rev. 2.7) for the adoption of scrolling by use of a
wheel mouse. When browsing lists, Wheels are much nicer to use than the
up or down arrows. Only if programs were users, this would have been
made a priority years ago.


3. Another user productivity enhancement is the Right Mouse Button; taking
actions (insert /add, update /edit, open) are simple addition to increase
user efficiency to do more in less time. To add menu options to the right
mouse click is basically easy, then why isn't there? Because programmer's
aren't user's ! Don't get me wrong, we need programmers to be logical in
order to be good programmers. Ergonomics doesn't come up much when
focusing on table links, relationships, indexes, and conditional statements
in the world of a programmer. Make them data entry clerks and those
features would be coded within a week.

An example of this is in Part Master, all the conveniently place buttons
are gone! I understand why, to increase the viewing area. However in
doing so, now users have to mouse across the screen much more, it
repetitive motion syndrome. Appropriately placed right mouse click
options would complete the design intent of the new screen in Part Master.
Right mouse click add & update p/n's and right mouse click in the method
master for add & update is also appropriate.


4. "Returns to stock". The New screen (its new when moving from version
3.0 to 5.1) does not allow for stock returns if stock on hand balance is
zero. By the way, if the on hand balance is negative, you can still return
to stock because the negative number carries a location. No on handle
inventory then the respective re-stock material will have a currently
occupied bin location, which is needed to do the return to stock. The
selection of a Warehouse and bin is not allowed, one can only use an
existing location which shows up as default, heaven for bid if you wanted to
return stocked goods to a new stock location or warehouse. I think this
is a bug and have reported as such.



5. Vantage Plant Menu screen & Data Collection, in concert with AMM is
going to be nothing less than awesome once a few things get ironed out; like
being forced to receive toilet paper to a bin location. The system's
potential of this combined with wireless networking will allow leaps in
system integrity, accuracy and flow control when correctly implemented...
An enhancement that I have also longed for is not to force my data
collection users to select a shift when logging in. Our Employee's rarely
alternate shifts it would be preferred to have the shift question to be a
user evoke check box/button, accessed from the data collection upon user
demand would be nice option. This is a pet peeve of mine, when clocking
using data collection in Vantage, the system forces the user to respond
which shift to which they belong. This question should be an invoked
option not a daily ritual for hundreds of people five times a week, 52 weeks
a year.

My employee's frequently ask me when will Vantage know when I work.
This forced data collection response for seldom ever changed data element
lessons the confidence in electronic data collection within my organization;
because something as basic as shift definitions can't be automatically
accommodated.



6. Windows sizing is another user ergonomic consideration now since 17 & 19
inch monitors are the norm. Allowing larger windows size for list browsing
would be an extremely delicious enhancement. Most windows in Vantage
typically does not use all the screen space of a 15 inch monitor, thus
larger windows based on SVGA settings would be nice, use all the screen for
a full 800 x 600 screen would be an improvement for many screens/windows in
Vantage.


7. On Customer Shipment Entry, The packing line information for container
type is a search binocular. A drop down box would be a much faster access
menu option. Since it is a search, my operators type in container type
manually, thus its up to them as to format. A drop down box can force the
selection by 'auto complete', (i.e. type a "C" and carton & create are
automatically displayed in the drop down box. The same holds true for
shipment classification, a drop down menu would be much preferred over a
search object.



With this note goes the hopes and prayers of my dedicated data
engaged employees. I am going to enter all of the above as enhancement
requests, others users who are interested and would like to increase the
your User's Ergonomic factor in Vantage; now is the time to let yourself be
heard. As in life, law and politics, voice of one means little ( to
marketing) but voices of the many means change.




Rick Joslin
V-S Industries
rick.joslin@...
847-520-1800
847-520-0269 fax




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/