Siemens SIMATIC IT Preactor APS software User Guide
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Reklama
SIMATIC IT Preactor APS 2016
User Guide
http://www.siemens.com/preactor
Copyright© Siemens AG 2017
Revision 45652
Table of Contents
Planning Resource Groups and Planning Resources
Successive MPS Calculation Issue
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Alternate Capacity Availability Level and Consumption
Alerts Filtering - Capacity and Demand
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Configuration File Access Control
The Table and Menu Definition Files
Preactor Command Definition File
Compiling Preactor Configurations
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Troubleshooting the Preactor Table Definition File
Debugging Preactor Menu Definition Files
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Online Documentation
The latest version of this documentation is available online at www.preactor.com/help.htm
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About Preactor
Introduction
About Preactor
SIMATIC IT Preactor APS is a collection of software offerings comprising Advanced Planning (AP) and Advanced Scheduling (AS) products available in Express, Standard, Professional and Ultimate editions.
Preactor AS allows you to gain greater visibility and understanding of your manufacturing processes, and with it greater control of those processes, allowing better machine utilization, on-time delivery, impact analysis of 'what if' scenarios and identification of bottlenecks to give a few examples. Preactor AS is also suited to non-manufacturing environments, given that the principles of resources constraints are applicable across many industry sectors.
For companies who are in a volatile, make to stock environment and require a more dependable method to plan capacity and stock, Preactor AP offers a planning tool that has the convenience of spreadsheets but with interactive graphs to give the user full control over the results. Unlike spreadsheets and other applications that are relied upon to produce long term MPS data that in turn dictates purchasing decisions, Preactor is suitable for working with large amounts of data, supports both constrained and unconstrained production, and provides a tool to perform 'what if' calculations with alternative scenarios that can deliver true cost reductions where it matters.
Preactor has great flexibility and allows data to be input from existing systems (e.g. BoM and orders) or to be entered within the application. It can support all types of manufacturing processes, either with off-the-shelf capability or, with the Ultimate editions, rules specific to your processes can be added.
"Overview" on page 9 for more information on the various editions of Preactor AP and AS.
What's New
This section describes the major new features and enhancements introduced with this release of Preactor. This is not an exhaustive description, but covers the most significant changes. For a more complete list, please refer to the detailed change notes included in the release notes.
Replace calendar storage
Calendar Storage has been overhauled in this release. With this change to the feature within Preactor, calendar data is stored in normal Preactor tables. This allows import/export scripts and API methods to be used, in the same way as other Preactor tables.
Implement Common dataset
Permits associate tables to store one copy of the data for use in all datasets. Associate tables must be labeled with COMMON to enable the feature.
<Table Name>, ASSOCIATE (<Parent Table Name>) COMMON:
A new user interface has been introduce to allow runtime configuration. This replaces the calendar function of where data could be saved to a common dataset.
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What's New
Operation Properties Tool
A new control has been implemented to facilitate styling of Gantt bars in the Overview. It controls colors, patterns and text.
This replaces the Bar Tool. New coloring functionality has been introduced.
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Products
Overview
Products
Families and Editions
The Preactor advanced planning and scheduling (APS) solutions offer different features and levels of functionality which take you from Express through to Ultimate.
All editions of Preactor are compatible. This means that you can purchase a lower cost edition of Preactor initially, but then upgrade to another edition as your requirements change. In this way you only pay for what you need.
The Preactor products are split into the following product families: l l l
Advanced Scheduling (Preactor AS)
Preactor AS Express, Standard, Professional and Ultimate editions.
Advanced Planning (Preactor AP)
Preactor AP Ultimate edition.
Ancillary Products
Preactor AS Standard, Professional and Ultimate Viewers and Preactor AP Viewer.
Advanced Scheduling
All Advanced Scheduling products offer an algorithmic sequencing method of loading work onto the planning board. This is often referred to as sequential or "order at a time" sequencing. The general philosophy of these rules is to balance the load across resources whilst meeting due dates.
Each operation is selected in turn and all operations are added to the schedule using the constraints that have been defined. All operations for the next order are then processed, and so on, until all orders have been scheduled.
The sequence in which the orders are selected can be due date, priority, or schedule file order. The direction of loading each operation within an order can be forward from the current time or backward from the due date. In Preactor AS Standard and above you can also define a 'Delivery Buffer', to ensure the order is completed ahead of the due date when backward sequencing. In this case backward sequencing schedules the order from the due date minus the delivery buffer. Work may also be bi-directionally sequenced, whereby up-stream operations for an order are backward sequenced and down-stream operations are forward sequenced, around the selected operation (which must be placed on the planning board).
You may weight orders to generate a preferred sequence of loading, e.g. weight by due date and then by priority. Many schedules can be tried and compared before being released to the shop floor for execution.
The basic features listed for the Preactor AS Express product are available to all the other scheduling products, similarly features listed for the Preactor AS Standard product are also available in all higher level systems, and so on.
Advanced Planning
Available only in Ultimate edition, Preactor AP (Advanced Planning) is a long-term planning tool deigned to assist with high level planning decisions based on future demand. AP helps with anticipating seasonal demand variations by utilizing the defined planning resources according to the preferences defined on an item by item basis. Used often in the FMCG (Fast
Moving Consumer Goods) sector, Preactor AP considers not only high level capacity constraints, but also order multiples, minimum order sizes and shelf life. Target stock levels are defined in terms of days of cover and an array of charts plots the planned stock level for any given SKU.
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Products
Preactor AP Ultimate
The MPS Problem
Master Production Scheduling (MPS) is a key part of the MRP process that runs within an ERP system. The input to MPS will be future customer demand so it will typically be made up of a mixture of actual sales orders and forecast demand.
There are two main purposes behind the MPS process which both require MRP to have some visibility of future demand. The first is so that MRP can suggest the manufacturing orders that will need to be made and the second is to suggest the purchase orders will need to be raised for bought in items.
The fundamental MPS problem is that the process does not take into account manufacturing capacity. It simply works with the due dates from future demand and this can result in your MRP suggesting orders that simply cannot be processed in the relevant timescale.
The common solution to this problem is to pre-process future demand through one or more spread sheets before it is loaded into the MPS. This process is often called Rough Cut Capacity Planning.
The spread sheets are used to calculate how much of and when each product should be made taking into account some key process parameters such as: rough cut capacity, desired stock level limits, shelf life, etc. The resulting ‘smoothed’ data is then used to create an accurate MPS in the ERP system.
As with any spread sheet based solution, this can work quite well if data volumes are low and there is little variation in demand, but if there is a large numbers of products that share the same production capacity and/or highly variable demand, then the spread sheets become very difficult to manage.
General Features
Planning can be executed in finite or infinite capacity mode and planning time periods can be days, weeks, months or a combination of all three.
Parameters can be set against each item code, which allows different calculations for each item. For example some products may be in ‘make-to-stock’ mode whilst others are in ‘make-to-order’ mode.
If used together with a Preactor scheduling system, detailed production schedule information can be sent back to the planning system and this will override planned volume with scheduled volume. MPS can then be re-calculated using production schedule as the base for new results.
Make-to-Stock
In the food, drink, consumer goods or similar sectors, it is quite likely that production process is in ‘make-to-stock’ mode, in which case the primary driver in creating the MPS will typically be forecast of future demand.
Unfortunately, forecast demand may vary greatly over time because of seasonality, promotions, weather, special events, etc.
However, these significant variations in forecast demand can easily result in an unrealistic MPS, where there is not enough production capacity to meet the peaks in forecast.
Preactor AP imports current stock levels plus actual and forecast demand. It then considers rough cut capacity, pack forward figures, target days of stock cover, manufacturing preferences, minimum/maximum re-order quantities, re-order multiples, product shelf life, etc. to propose an accurate and achievable MPS.
Production capacity can be specified as a quantity, duration or weight and using the Preactor calendar system capacity can be varied over time. The capacity available then limits the production volume created in each period.
Once an initial MPS has been created, the data can be displayed as both stock profile graphs and capacity usage graphs. The
MPS can be changed by simply clicking and dragging a point on the stock or capacity graphs, and the production of a particular item can be moved from one planning period to another. Any changes made will be reflected in all the linked plot and grid windows.
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Products
The planning BoM can also be exploded by Preactor AP and then the production plan for lower level items is calculated in the same way. Based on the BoM explosion and the production plan, the proposed material purchase requirements can be exported to an ERP system, Excel, etc. for action.
Make to Order
In a ‘make-to-order’ environment, the stock levels of finished and/or intermediate items will not be part of the key process parameters, but there will still be the need to evaluate the effects of future demand changes on the manufacturing process.
For example, for complex assemblies in the aerospace sector, each finished item may have a deep BoM (Bill of Materials) and be made up of thousands of individual components. Many of those components are manufactured in-house and they share production capacity, so there is a complex relationship between manufacturing capacity and demand.
When a change in demand occurs, whether that be in terms of quantity or delivery dates, there is a need to be able to quickly assess if it is possible to meet the new requirements.
It is possible to import demand changes into Preactor AP and create a new 'what if' plan. The planning BoM will be exploded and
Preactor AP will show if there are any capacity issues. If there are issues, an acceptable MPS can be created by working interactively.
Ultimate Edition
Preactor AP is available in Ultimate edition only. This means there are no active restrictions on the extent to which AP may be
of applications.
Preactor AS Express
Preactor AS Express is targeted at users with simple scheduling problems found in small make to order companies. It is for standalone operation only. Database sizes are unlimited; database tables, fields and menu structure are fixed.
As with all members of the family of scheduling products, the Sequencer has an interactive planning board where you can drag and drop operations from one resource to another, and update the completion times on-screen. It also uses the sequential or order at a time scheduling method, which allows you to work with rules such as 'priority', 'due date', etc to decide the ranking of orders.
Features specific to Preactor Express include a fixed import via a heavily customized spreadsheet. Data can be exported through the SQL reports. It also has a comprehensive set of videos that describe how to use Preactor and its main features.
When the computer running Preactor Express is connected to the Internet the user can access data and displays from the
Preactor web site.
Features in higher versions of Preactor that are not available in Preactor Express include the Preactor Web Publisher, the
Preactor Import-Export script wizard, the Preactor Event Script Processor (PESP), the plots window, schedule analysis reports, and customizable data tables and menu interface.
The principal features found in Preactor Express are shared with higher level versions of Preactor.
Preactor AS Standard
The Advanced Scheduler Standard edition builds on the features and functionality included in AS Express. The main points of difference are discussed below.
Process Times
Process times can be defined in terms of time per batch, rate per hour or time per item. They can be either static times defined against an operation, or they can be specific to each of the resources on which that operation is valid.
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Products
Setup Times
Setup times can be expressed using one or both of the following techniques:
1. A static setup time against each operation.
2. Attribute based setups. Unlike to unlike setups applied when particular attributes are different between operations. These are allowed for table based attributes only. Setup times are defined in the Changeover Groups table which must in turn be referenced by the resources on which they are effective.
Operation Relationships
A slack time may be defined between operations.
Subsequent resource constraints can be defined per operation per resource group.
Secondary Constraints
While AS Express can be described as a single constraint scheduler, the Standard edition introduces secondary constraints.
These can be used to model all manner of constraints on processes. Some typical examples include tooling and manning. A list of constraints may be defined against each operation and / or each resource, as well as each of the three attribute tables provided.
Attribute Tables and Fields
Standard edition allows for up to 12 attributes to be defined per operation. Attributes may be defined in one of three attribute tables, or using one of 9 attribute fields of various types.
Material Constraints
Standard edition allows for modeling of material constraints using a FIFO linking rule that is biased to link to stock first. In standard edition, materials always link to a consuming order, such as a Sales Order, or the first operation of a works order.
Conversely materials are always linked from a supply order, such as a purchase order, or from the last operation of a works order. As such it is only possible to model the linear flow of materials in AS Standard.
Progress Updates
In AS Standard, progress for operations may be fed into the schedule by importing such information from whatever source is available. Progress will be reported, but will not affect the run-rates of operations.
Order Enquiry
Standard edition supports order enquiries for a single level - this means one level of process and BoM.
Scripting
AS Standard introduces the Preactor Event Script Processor (PESP) for scripting various aspects of Preactor.
Preactor AS Professional
AS Professional builds on the features of AS Standard, introducing comprehensive setup matrices, a greater quantity of attributes for more flexible constraint definitions, flexible material pegging rules and a material explorer module, APS scheduling rules, complex resource constraints and custom sequencer tools.
Preactor AS Ultimate
The Ultimate editions of Preactor remove all restrictions on how processes are modeled, allowing for an almost limitless set of possibilities. AS Ultimate is distributed with a Preactor Package based on AS Professional, which is a great start point for modeling your processes.
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Products
In additional to unrestricted customization, all Ultimate editions of Preactor are extensible using the Preactor API. This allows for complex programmatic interrogation of and interaction with Preactor at every level.
Preactor Viewers
Preactor viewers can be used to view all of the same information that is available in an AS or AP system, but have limited functionality that in general prevents any form of alteration of the underlying data. The exception to this is the Ultimate viewers which, with some consideration, can be used to collect information from elsewhere in a business. AS Ultimate viewers have unlimited sequencing capability, so 'what-if' scenarios can be exercised in an AS Ultimate Viewer, though still without the ability to commit those scenarios back to the database.
AS Standard and Professional Viewers
AS Standard and Professional viewers are designed to be used with their corresponding AS master scheduling system. These products allow read-only access to all Preactor scheduling data tables and to the sequencer. Access to particular tables may still be restricted using the security module.
AS Ultimate Viewers
AS Ultimate Viewers may be used in the same was as AS Standard or AS Professional viewers. Alternatively these Viewers can be configured with their own independent database, allowing a sub-set of information to be shared in an AS Ultimate Viewer session, or for 'what-if' scenarios to be played out. AS Ultimate Viewers permit the commit operations for all tables when using the data editor outside the sequencer. This means that AS Ultimate Viewers may also be used to gather information such as status updates. AS Ultimate viewers also include the Preactor API, so any extensions to Preactor that have been implemented in AS Ultimate may be replicated in the viewer. This means that, for example, a custom scheduling rule can be used to play out a 'what-if' scenario in an AS Ultimate Viewer.
AP Ultimate Viewers
AP Ultimate Viewers are configurable in the same way that AS Ultimate Viewers are, but the planning module does not allow any what-if scenarios to be played out in a viewer.
Classic Products
As of Preactor 2015, the products offered are split into two categories; Advanced Scheduling (AS) and Advanced Planning.
Within each category are a number of editions ranging from Express through to Ultimate (though at this time only Ultimate editions of Advanced Planning are offered).
Prior to this change, the products offered were: l l l l l l l l
Preactor Express
Preactor 200 FCS
Preactor 300 FCS
Preactor 400 APS
Preactor 500 APS
Preactor 400 GMPS
Preactor Enterprise
Enterprise Runtimes (APS and GMPS)
While these products are all compatible with this version of Preactor, they are no longer generally available. If you are an existing user upgrading to Preactor 2016, you will find that your Preactor product continues to work as it always has. If you would like to migrate from your classic product to a generally available product, please talk to your Preactor reseller, or visit the Preactor website at www.preactor.com
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System Requirements
Note: The upgrade path for users of 400 (and above) classic products such as Preactor 400 APS is to an Ultimate edition of
Advanced Scheduler or Advanced Planner. The feature set for this transition is equivalent or richer. For 200 and 300 classic products, users should be aware that while an upgrade path exists to either Standard or Professional editions, much of the customization possible in these classic products is now only available with the Ultimate editions, for which an upgrade path also exists.
System Requirements
Your computer should meet the following system requirements for running Preactor.
Windows® 7
1
Windows® 8.1
1
Windows® 10
1
Operating System
Windows Server® 2008
Windows Server® 2008 R2
Windows Server® 2012
Windows Server® 2012 R2 x86, x64
Supported Platforms
Microsoft® .NET Framework
Version
Microsoft® SQL Server
Processor
Memory
4.5.1
2
2008 R2 or later
2 GHz or better
3
(any edition including Express)
1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
A minimum of 1 GB free disk space is required for Preactor Installation
Disk space
A minimum of 2 GB free disk space is required for .NET Framework version 4 installation on a
64 bit platform.
1. Preactor can be installed on any edition of Windows, but an SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) server may only be installed on editions where Internet Information Services (IIS) is supported.
On editions that do not support IIS, only local reporting is possible.
2. Microsoft® .NET Framework Version 4.5.1 will be installed by the Preactor installation program if it is not already installed.
3. SQL Server 2012 is the version supplied on the Preactor distribution media.
Language Support
Preactor has built-in support for multilingual operation. The default and certified language is English.
Some translations have been provided by 3rd parties, which have been included in the product as a courtesy.
Although Siemens AG does not certify non-English languages, issues with any translations can be reported and the 3rd party will be informed, so improvements can be made.
The language text is displayed in is dependent on 2 aspects: l l
The installation language of the platform.
The configured language of Preactor.
Some 3rd party applications use the installed language to determine the language to display text, in particular standard settings in dialog boxed (e.g. Yes/No/Cancel).
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Installation
To get a consistent experience, the installed language and the configured language should be the same. However, it is not necessary to have both installed and configured languages the same (e.g. in locations where more than one language is spoken).
Installation
Introduction
This guide provides information on the process for installing and running Preactor.
Whether you are evaluating Preactor, or you have purchased a license, the installation package will be the same. Without activating a license, Preactor will only run in trial mode for 30 days after it is first run. When you purchase a license, that license will have to be activated.
Installing a full version of Preactor for the first time, the following steps are taken:
1. Ensure prerequisite SQL Server instance is available (the version provided on the Preactor distribution media is Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express (Database Only) Edition.
2. Install Preactor by opening the installation package and following the on-screen instructions.
At this point Preactor can be run in trial mode for up to 30 days.
3. Order and obtain an Activation Code.
This can be for a single user/system, or a multi-user network license.
4. If a Network License has been purchased, download and install the Preactor License Manager software.
5. Use the license utility to enter the activation code. If you are using a trial, you will be prompted by the license utility every time Preactor is run. Alternatively you can enter the activation code by opening the license utility from the start menu. For network license servers, the activation code should be entered on the server using the network license utility.
At this point Preactor can be run in activated mode.
Installation Options
This installation guide will walk you through the simplest deployment scenario where Preactor and Microsoft SQL Server 2012
Express (Database Only) Edition are installed locally. No knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server is required in this scenario.
For deployment scenarios where the SQL Server and/or SQL Server Reporting Services are to be accessed over the network, please contact your IT department.
Assistance with various deployment scenarios can be found in the Preactor knowledge base at http://kb.preactor.com
.
Installing SQL Express
Preactor requires a connection to a SQL Server instance in order to deploy databases and to use as a persistent store. You may use a pre-existing instance of SQL Server either locally or on the network. If there is no pre-existing instance to use, a copy of
SQL Express is included on the installation media.
To install Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express (Database Only) Edition from the Preactor installation disk.
1. Place the installation media into your drive. If the launcher application does not automatically start, then you will need to browse to the drive using Windows Explorer and double click on the 'setup.hta' file.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions.
If you have downloaded a stand-alone installation of Preactor, or if you prefer to use a later version of SQL Express, you may download it from http://www.microsoft.com/express/database .
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Installation
Tip: Detailed guidance on installing and configuring SQL Express can be found at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143219.aspx
Local Instance
The default deployment case for Preactor is a local instance of SQL Server Express Edition. For this type of deployment, the default server configuration options are suitable.
Remote Instance
Any supported edition of SQL Server may be used and can also be deployed remotely. Remote deployment of SQL Server should be performed according to best practices and should only be done where compliant with network and organization policy.
Note: When deploying SQL Server for use with Preactor on a remote server, in order to ensure integrity of data and deny any possibility of data being compromised or tampered with, due care and consideration should be taken to ensure that all communications between the Preactor application and the SQL server are encrypted.
Installing Preactor
Preactor can be installed from ether the Preactor Installation CD or it can be downloaded from the web site. The web install does not include any prerequisite software, which must be downloaded separately if required.
l
Installing from the Preactor Installation disk
1. Place the Preactor Installation disk into your CD-ROM Drive. If the CD launcher application does not automatically load, then you will need to browse to your CD drive using Windows Explorer and double click on the setup.hta file.
2. Follow the on screen instructions.
l
Installing from the Web Installer
1. In Windows Explorer, double click the .exe file.
2. Follow the on screen instructions.
If upgrading, the upgrade is recognized when Preactor is run and some additional options are available to the user at that point.
When (re)installing or upgrading, any existing configuration will be maintained. Upgrading the configuration is done by
Preactor when it is run. See
Running an Upgraded Version of Preactor
.
Upgrading
Any Preactor configuration that works with Preactor 10.0 or later can be upgraded to this release.
Note: It is strongly advised that you take a backup of your configuration before upgrading (i.e. create a configuration package).
Once Preactor is installed, any existing Preactor configuration may be opened. To do so, start Preactor in the normal way, selecting the required configuration.
At this point, it is likely that a set of upgrade tasks need to be performed. The greater the difference between the version of
Preactor last used with the configuration selected and the version being used now, the greater the number of upgrade steps that will be performed. Before the upgrade steps are executed the following options are offered:
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Licensing l l l
Backup and Upgrade
Opens the Preactor Configuration Package Manager, allowing a configuration backup to be taken before the upgrade steps are performed.
Upgrade
Performs the upgrade steps without taking a backup of the configuration.
Exit
Close Preactor without performing any upgrade steps.
Warning: Once an upgrade step has been performed, it may not be undone. Taking a backup of a configuration prior to performing any upgrade steps is recommended for this reason.
Customization Upgrades
Where additional work may be required due to customization, refer to your Preactor partner for support.
Repairing Preactor
If the files installed with an application have been altered in some way, it is possible that the application will be rendered inoperable or will exhibit unexpected behavior. For this reason many applications, including Preactor, include a repair facility to return the installed application to its expected state.
To repair an existing installation of Preactor, either re-run the installation wizard from the installation media and choose the
Repair option or select the repair option presented when selecting Preactor from the list of installed programs in the 'Programs and Features' control panel application.
Repairing an existing installation will replace any missing or corrupt files and re-create any shortcuts.
Uninstalling Preactor
Preactor is uninstalled using the Windows utility, found under Start ► Control Panel ► Program and Features, or by running the
Preactor executable downloaded from the Preactor web site, selecting the option to remove the software.
Uninstalling Preactor does not removed any of the configuration files.
No configuration files will be overwritten by the (re)installation of Preactor.
Be sure to take a back-up copy of any configurations you wish to keep.
Licensing
Licenses
Introduction
Preactor uses FlexNet Software Licensing for managing access to its products, and is offered with either:
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Licensing l l
A local license.
If Preactor is going to be resident on a single machine, then a local license will suffice.
A floating multi-user Network License.
If Preactor is going to be used by a number of users on their machines, even if the users are only running Preactor 1 at a time, a floating network license is required.
A license manager, installed on a server common to a number of systems, can be loaded with one or multiple licenses which enables that number of concurrent users of Preactor.
The Network License Service needs to be installed, licenses added, and Preactor configured to use that network license.
There are two different Run modes that Preactor can be launched in: l
Trial mode
This allows Preactor to be tried over a trial period of 30 days. The time period begins as soon as Preactor is opened in this mode. Preactor can be used until the 30 days have expired.
l
Activated mode
This allows Preactor to run in a fully activated state with no time constraints. An Activation Code must be entered to set
Preactor to run in this mode.
Licensing is on a product basis, e.g.
l l l
Preactor 300 FCS
Preactor 500 APS
Preactor Viewer
Activation Codes are obtained through your Preactor Partner, and it will generally be provided in an email and can be copied/pasted into Preactor.
Activation can be performed: l l
Online
Preactor Licensing operations are optimized for systems with internet access,
Offline
For installations that do not have or allow internet access, a manual procedure is offered whereby files are transferred manually between the system and the license activation service.
See
in conjunction with the description for the different Licensing operations to understand how the user accomplishes each operation in an offline installation.
There are a number of operations associated with Licensing Preactor: l l l l l l l
Initialization of the Licensing Area.
Activating a License.
Selecting a License.
Upgrading an existing license.
Returning an existing license.
Repairing an existing license.
Network license manager installation and Setup, and configuring Preactor to use the network license.
License Checks when Starting Preactor
Whenever Preactor starts, a number of license checks take place. The user will be advised and/or offered options based on those checks.
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Licensing l l l l l l l
If there is no license installed and selected, and no evaluation license has previously been used on the host system, the user is offered the opportunity to Use the Evaluation license.
If selected, this will Initialize the licensing area and activate an evaluation license for a limited period of time.
If there is no license installed and selected, but an evaluation license is installed, the system will advise the user of the time remaining on the evaluation license before continuing.
If there is no license installed and selected, the user is offered the opportunity to activate a license, or to select an already activated license.
If there is a license installed and selected, but it is within 7 days of renewal, the user is prompted with this information before being allowed to continue using Preactor.
If there is a license installed and selected, and not within 7 days of renewal, Preactor will continue through to the Preactor Desktop.
A license is automatically selected if present for the configuration being run.
If a license is not available for the level of configuration selected, but an evaluation license is still available, the evaluation license will be auto selected.
The example below shows an Evaluation license activated:
Executing License Operations
All operations (except selecting the license to run Preactor with) can be exercised through the Licensing Utility software available from the Start menu\Preactor International folder, either for the Local License or Network License:
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When running the License Utility, valid options are active, invalid options are grayed out.
Licensing
License Warning
Preactor is licensed using a system that entitles the user to execute the software. While every effort has been made to ensure the continued operation of your Preactor software, it is the case that certain operations may compromise the integrity of the license entitlement and render the system inoperable.
Such operations include, but are not limited to, amending system or installation files, deleting or moving those files or imposing policies that restrict access to those files and / or the system registry.
In order to avoid such issues, you must perform all operations on your license entitlement using the included License Utility, or Server License Utility for network licenses. Under no circumstances should you attempt to duplicate, move or remove a license entitlement by any other means, and any attempt to tamper with license entitlements is strictly prohibited. Any such attempts will render the system inoperable.
In the event that the integrity of the license entitlement is compromised, a manual administrative procedure must be performed. For customers not under current maintenance there is an administrative charge associated with this service.
For instructions on the correct procedures for removing and returning licenses, consult the included documentation.
Activating Preactor
The first time Preactor runs, you will need to specify what license to use.
Activating a Trial
You can activate Preactor for a trial period of 30 days. The time period begins as soon as the trial license is activated.
To activate trial mode, start Preactor and choose the 'Use evaluation.' option presented on the opening screen.
Activating a License
To activate a commercial license select 'Activate Now' and follow the on-screen instructions. An activation code is required in order to complete the activation process. Activation can be performed over the internet or off-line.
Once Preactor is activated, you will no longer be prompted at start-up.
Selecting a License
Selecting a license to use is be done from within Preactor.
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Licensing
Whenever starting, where no license is Activated and Selected, the user is offered the opportunity to Select a previously activated license.
When selecting to Select a license, the user is led through a series of dialogs to select the required license, starting with:
Select the Local license (single user) option.
The user is prompted to select the required product.
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Licensing
At this point, the user can chose to save the selection for later use. Hit Save Selection, and the selection will be saved in the
Command File as the specific License Number to use:
If the user does not select to save the selection, the selection will have to be made again the next time Preactor is started.
Node Locked Licenses
Node Locked Licenses
Activating a New License
Activating a license can be done from within Preactor or from the license utility, which utilizes similar screens.
Whenever starting, where no license is Activated and Selected, the user is offered the opportunity to Activate a new license.
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Licensing
When selecting to Activate now, the user is led through a series of dialogs to configure the Licensing required, starting with:
Select the Local license (single user) option.
The user is prompted for Internet or Offline activation.
See
for guidance for the offline activation.
Activation Over the Internet
After selecting Activate over the internet, the user is prompted to enter the Activation Code:
Enter the Activation code, and Preactor will perform all actions and checks without further user intervention.
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Licensing
Network Licenses
Network License (Multi-user)
Introduction
The Preactor Network License Manager is used to serve concurrent (floating) licenses for the Preactor application. This document describes how to install and use the Preactor Network License Manager and how to deal with some of the more common issues that occur.
The licenses that Preactor uses are stored in a secure location in an encrypted form. Preactor can either use a ‘local’ license, in which case the Network License Manager is not required, or the license can reside on a server and be used by multiple computers or users. These server based licenses are called concurrent or floating licenses and are served over a TCP/IP network by the Network License Manager.
The basic components of the Network License Manager are: l l
License server manager
This application (lmadmin.exe) is installed as a service and provides a web management frontend for licenses and allows users to view the status of the server, restart the server, and change the configuration for other services.
Vendor daemon
This application serves licenses for Preactor over the network. This daemon is automatically started by the license server manager and is critical for clients to be able to run Preactor.BoM
Selecting A Server for the Network License Manager
When selecting a machine on which to install a license server select a stable system; do not choose systems that are frequently rebooted or shut down. For this reason, installing the Network License Manager on a user’s desktop machine is not recommended and an ‘always on’ server is preferred. However, there is no technical limitation to installing the Network
License Manager on the same machine that will run the Preactor application.
The resources required for the Network License Manager are typically very low: l l l l
Memory
The Network License Manager uses roughly 10MB of RAM.
CPU
Very little CPU time is required and, for fewer than 100 concurrent users, the service may only consume a few seconds of CPU time over many days
Disk space
A full install of the Network License Manager will consume around 40MB of disk space. By default the Network License
Manager writes out log files to aid with creating usage reports or diagnosing problems. For a small numbers of clients these log files will grow at a small rate but it is worth checking these files occasionally and rotating and archiving them.
Logging can be turned off in the license server manager if space is at a premium. It is recommended that logging is always to a local disk and never to a remote network share.
Network bandwidth
Relatively little data is sent across the network and typically a check-out or check-in of a license uses about 1KB of bandwidth. It is possible for clients to connect over dial-up or slower connections to a central server. The web based frontend for managing licenses uses HTTP and significantly more bandwidth may be used depending on the frequency with which pages are loaded. For day-to-day use of Preactor this web based frontend is not required so users do not necessarily require access to this if network bandwidth is a bottleneck.
Installing the Preactor Network License Manager
The Preactor Network License Manager can be downloaded from the Preactor website. The software can be found by logging in to My Preactor and selecting Downloads/Installation Files from the Support menu.
The Preactor Network License Manager is listed under Useful Downloads.
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Licensing
The install is packaged as a self-extracting executable and all that is needed to install it is to double click it to run.
Administrator permissions are required to do the install as the installation includes adding a Windows service as well as installing some licensing components to the system. After the Network License Manager has been installed administrator permissions are not required and the service should run at start-up and be available to all users.
The Preactor Network License Manager should be installed to the default location that is suggested by the installer. After installation, the service will automatically be started and, unless specifically told to by the installer, no restart is necessary.
Accessing the Preactor Network License Manager
The Network License Manager can: l l l l
Monitor license counts and who is using licenses.
Monitor alerts from the license server (out of licenses/errors etc).
Restart the license service.
Configure logging on the licensing.
It can be opened from the Help and Support menu option, or from:
Start ► All Programs ► Siemens ► Preactor Network License Manager ► Network License Manager
It can also be accessed via a web interface by using a supported web browser. This is useful if the Network License Manager is being opened from a system which does not have Preactor installed.
All versions of Internet Explorer from Internet Explorer 6.0 upwards are currently supported. Most other browsers should work correctly though there may be small layout issues. The web interface can be accessed in two ways:
1. In Standard mode. This is the standard license server management interface, at: http://<server>:2188 where <server> is the system name where the license server is running.
2. Section 508 mode. This mode provides access to people with disabilities and has the same capabilities as the standard mode, at: http://<server>:2188/login508 where <server> is the system name where the license server is running.
The term “Section 508 mode” comes from Section 508, 36 CFR 1194.21, “Requirements for Software Applications and
Operating Systems” of the 1998 amendment to the Federal Rehabilitation Act.
Managing the License Operations in Preactor
All license operations are managed by the Network License Utility:
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Licensing
Start ► All Programs ► Siemens ► Preactor Network License Manager ► Network License Utility
From here, the following operations are available: l l l l
Activate a new license.
Upgrade an existing license.
Return an existing license.
Repair an existing license.
Performing these operations for a network is exactly the same as for a local single user license, except for Activating a new license where the user is also prompted for the number of seats to use the license for.
Managing the Network License Service
There are two sections to the web interface – the Dashboard and Administration sections.
The dashboard provides information for users about available licenses, who is using licenses, and alerts about the status of the license server.
The administration section allows the server administrator to change parameters for logging and ports used by the vendor daemon.
To log in to the administration section the default username and password are both ‘admin’. This should be changed to prevent non-administrative users logging in.
There is full help for the web interface available from within it.
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Licensing
Using a Network License
From the prompt when starting Preactor, select to Activate now, then the Activate a Network license option.
At the next prompt, enter the server address, and the port number if the default is not being used.
This will not succeed unless a License has previously been activated using the Network License Utility.
The server address can be: l l l an IP address.
a computer name a fully qualified domain
TCP/IP Ports
The Preactor Network License Manager uses three different TCP/IP ports for serving licenses over the network:
1. The license server manager web interface comes preconfigured to use port 2188. It is recommended that you leave this at its default value but, if it needs to be changed due to a conflict, it can be changed by editing the ‘server.xml’ file which resides in the ‘conf’ subdirectory of the installation folder. This file contains a <webserver> element with the port specified as an attribute. Alternatively, the port can be changed by using the web interface itself but this would require that the web interface is accessible, at least for a short period of time.
2. The License Server Manager is a service which provides details about the vendor daemon to connecting clients. This service enables the Preactor application to discover the port number that the vendor daemon uses. This means the user need not specify the port number when activating the Preactor application. By default this service runs on a port in the range 27000-27009. It is recommended that this is not changed unless there is a conflict. It can be changed through the web interface.
3. The vendor daemon, which serves licenses, is the most important part of the Preactor Network License Manager. By default it will choose a port to run on and this port can be any one it finds free (often it will choose one near port
50000). It is recommended that this is changed to be a fixed port which the server administrator knows is free.
To change the port, enter the ‘Administration’ section of the web interface, select ‘Vendor Daemon Configuration’ and then select ‘Administer’ next to the ‘PREACTOR’ daemon.
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Licensing
Troubleshooting
General Troubleshooting
The first thing to check when the Preactor application is unable to find a network license is whether the required services are running on server. This can be found under ‘Services’ in the Windows Control Panel. There are two services which need to be running – the ‘FLEXnet Licensing Service’ and the ‘Preactor License Manager’
Preactor will not be able to use licenses if either of these services are not running.
To diagnose this issue, open a command prompt and change to the installation directory for the Network License Manager.
Running the command ‘lmadmin –foreground’ will start the Preactor License Manager and should provide information on why the service is not starting correctly.
If the output from running lmadmin from the command prompt is similar to the following, the problem is likely to be port conflicts between the Preactor Network License Manager and another program:
<OS 10048> Only one usage of each socket address <protocol/network address/port> is normally permitted. : make_sock: could not bind to address 0.0.0.0:8080 no listening sockets available, shutting down. Unable to open logs
If there is a port conflict, the ports can be temporarily reconfigured to allow access to the Network License Manager and the administrative options to allow a permanent change: l l
Use the -licPort argument for the license server port.
Use the -webPort argument for the HTTP port.
The following command reconfigures the HTTP port to 8081: lmadmin -webPort 8081
When you have reconfigured the HTTP port, you access the license server management interface using the new port number.
So for the example above, connect to the URL, http://<server>:8081.
Firewalls
One of the more common issues when deploying the Preactor Network License Manager to a server is that most operating systems ship with an in-built firewall. For network licenses to be served over the network, ports need to be opened up to allow for this communication.
1. The vendor daemon needs to be accessible from the local network. By default the vendor daemon does not run on a fixed port so it is recommended that this is changed through the web interface. Any free port is acceptable and a high one is preferred to help prevent any conflicts with other applications. This is the minimum requirement and at least this port must be open.
2. The license server manager can be opened to the local network which allows users to activate Preactor without having to specify a port. By default, this service runs in a port range between 27000 and 27009 and it is recommended that this port range is opened to TCP traffic.
3. The Preactor Network License Manager web interface can also be opened to the local network. By default this service
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Licensing runs on port 2188 and listens for TCP traffic. This web interface is useful for users to see the status of the license manager but is in no way required for the correct running of the Preactor application.
Some firewalls allow you to specify an application to be allowed through the firewall rather than explicitly specifying ports.
There are two applications which do network communications – ‘lmadmin.exe’ which is in the installation folder, and
‘preactor.exe’ which is in the ‘Preactor’ subfolder of the Network License Manager installation.
Log Files
There are a number of log files created using the default configuration shipped with the Preactor Network License Manager.
These logs files should be sent to your technical support provider in the event of having problems with network licenses. The log files are stored in a directory called ‘logs’ under the installation folder for the Network License Manager.
l access.log - Contains information recorded about access to the license server management interface.
l lmadmin.log - Contains information recorded by the license server.
l web.log - Contains information recorded by the license server management interface. This file does not contain information about login events. See the access.log file for that information.
l
Preactor.log - This file contains information recorded by the corresponding vendor daemons
Move a License
A license may be moved to a new system by Returning the license, then using that license (same activation code) to activate
Preactor on the other system.
Return a License
A license may be returned for a number of reasons, most commonly to re-use the license on a different machine.
This is done from the Preactor License Utility – by selecting Return an existing license option.
At the next prompt, the user is asked whether the license is being returned over the internet, or is it an offline return.
See
for guidance for the offline returning of a license.
Returning a License Over the Internet
At the next prompt, the user is asked to select the license to return:
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Select the required license, then Next. The user is then asked why the license is being returned.
Licensing
Select the appropriate reason and hit Next.
The licensing utility will perform all actions and checks without further user intervention.
Upgrade a License
A license may be Upgraded to: l l
Renew the license (timeout or maintenance date changed).
Extend capability (The product or number of licenses changed).
The new license is obtained from your supplier.
Upgrading the license is done from the Preactor License Utility – by selecting the Upgrade the existing license option.
At the next prompt, the user is asked whether the license is being upgraded over the internet, or is it an offline upgrade.
See
for guidance for the offline upgrading of a license.
Upgrade a License Over the Internet
At the next prompt, the user is asked to select the license to upgrade:
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Licensing
After selecting the license to upgrade, enter the new Activation Code:
The user is then prompted to select the reason for Upgrade:
Select the appropriate reason and hit Next.
The licensing utility will perform all actions and checks without further user intervention.
The user can upgrade the license to both renew the license and to add capability at the same time. In this case, the user selects to change the product - any change to the maintenance dates will be taken into account at the same time.
Repair a License
A license may need Repairing for a number of reasons, for example forced use of new H/W.
This is done from the Preactor License Utility, and when a repair is necessary the repair option is active (when not, it is grayed out).
Preactor attempts the repair and will report the success or failure of the repair. If it failed, the user should contact Preactor
Support.
Offline License Management
Although licensing Preactor is optimized for systems with internet access, a capability is available to support the case where the Preactor system is offline – i.e. not connected to the internet.
Preactor must have a data exchange with the licensing servers for most activities, e.g. for: l l
Activation* – When the Activation Code is entered, to ensure it is valid and to record its use.
Upgrade – When the Activation Code is entered, to ensure it is valid and to record its use.
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Licensing l
Return – to return the Activation Code.
This section can be read in conjunction with the description of each License Operation to see how the procedure is modified in an offline environment.
Offline Data Exchange procedure
There is a common procedure to support the Offline data exchange.
Whenever Preactor has a 'dialog' with the licensing server:
1. A Request file must first be generated and sent to [email protected]
, to obtain a file that is used to enable Preactor to perform the requested operation.
2. A Response file is returned to the user.
3. The Response file is then applied to Preactor to complete the required operation.
It is generally possible to continue operating Preactor with it's existing capabilities after sending the request file to support and while awaiting the response (though not for returning a license). When a response file is to be applied, simply restart Preactor or the License Utility, and the option to enter the response file is offered when going through the screen progression shown below.
Activation/Initialization*
As explained in the Introduction, the step to Initialize the Licensing Area which is part of the first Activation operation performed on Preactor, and which is integral to the Activation request for online activation, involves an additional explicit step for offline activation. This is again done by a data exchange with the licensing servers. So, activating a license for the first time will require 2 data exchange dialogs with the licensing server.
Offline License Activation Example
The following example of an offline procedure shows an activation. The upgrade is the same, and the return differs only in that no Activation Code needs to be provided.
This example starts with the Activation already initiated, either when running Preactor in response to the Trial license expiring; or from the License Utility (in the case of a Network License installation, this must be initiated from the Utility).
1. After selecting the operation, the user is prompted to indicate whether this is an offline operation.
2. Selecting the offline operation, the user is prompted to generate the request file or to apply the response file.
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Licensing
3. First, you must generate the request file.
For the activation and upgrade operations, an Activation Code will be prompted for:
4. A Request file is generated:
5. These contents can be saved into a file, or copied/pasted as required. The file must now be sent to [email protected]
.
At this point, for activation and upgrade, the licensing activity can be canceled and Preactor can continue to run normally as before while the user is waiting for the response. The product however goes to an unlicensed state if returning a license.
6. When the Response file is returned to the user, it must be placed on the Preactor system.
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Configuration Packages
The licensing activity is restarted again if necessary and returned to the prompt where the Response file can be applied.
Selecting to apply the Response file, or when continuing after generating the Request file, will lead to the prompt to enter the
Response file name:
1. Enter or browse to the file.
Selecting next will enable Preactor to complete the operation without further user intervention.
Remember - if Activating for the first time, there will be a second Data Exchange (another request file being generated to be sent to Preactor, another response file to be entered), the first one having been for Initializing the License area, the second for Activating the license.
Configuration Packages
Configuration Package Manager
Overview
Preactor requires a configuration consisting of a database, some configuration files and, optionally, report definitions.
Preactor configurations are distributed packaged in a .prpkg file. It is also possible to create these files as a backup for an existing configuration.
The Configuration Package Manager is a tool for managing package files. It takes care of restoring the database to a SQL
Server and extracting the configuration files needed to run Preactor.
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Configuration Packages
A set of example package files is distributed with Preactor. Other example Preactor packages can be downloaded from the
Preactor web site. The configurations distributed with Preactor are installed into a 'Preactor Configurations' folder by default in the shared documents folder.
Extracting a Preactor Package
The default settings when extracting a package file are appropriate given the following assumptions: l l l l
The database server you are running is using SQL Server Express Edition 2008R2 or later.
The server has the default instance name of 'SQLExpress'.
The user has the appropriate permissions for the database server. Using Windows authentication when connecting to the SQL server, the user needs to have 'create' or 'overwrite' permissions. In most cases, a user with Administrator privileges will have appropriate permissions.
The folder name into which the package is installed will be used to name the database. For example, if your package is placed in a folder called 'My Configuration' then the database will be named 'My Configuration'.
All of these assumptions may be changed by selecting the appropriate options within the Package Manager wizard.
A package file can be opened in one of two ways:
1. Simply browse to the configuration folder and double click on the desired configuration package or right click on the configuration and select Install.
2. Select Start ► All Programs, Select Siemens ► Preactor 2016 ► Preactor 2016.
This displays the Preactor Configuration Selector.
1. A list of folders is displayed, containing the various packages available for you to install. All of the packages contain example data.
Additional packages are available for download from the Preactor web site some of which do not contain example data and are ready for you to enter your own data. Click the 'Web Browse' button on the 'Preactor Configuration
Selector' dialog to access these packages - you will need to log-in to the Preactor web site to download these packages.
2. Open an example configuration folder.
3. Open the Preactor package file, for example 'Preactor AS Ultimate.prpkg' to install the package.
Once a configuration has been opened, the Package Manager wizard will take you through installing the package.
Wizard
Progress through the wizard in the normal way, selecting from the Options offered in a series of dialogs.
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Basic Operation Dialog
Configuration Packages
Normally you should not need to change these options, if you want to install the complete package.
Only select the Overwrite check boxes if you know of a reason why the installation might otherwise fail.
Warning: The Overwrite option will destroy existing data. There is no way to undo this once it is done. Please ensure you have a backup before overwriting any of these items.
Configuration Files and Local Reports
l
By default, the unpacked files are deposited in the same folder as the package. This can be overwritten.
l
By default, existing files are not overwritten. This protects the user from input error – the unpacking will fail and an error will be reported if unpacking is attempted when files already exist – unless Overwrite any existing files is selected.
Database
l
By default, the DB is named from the name of the folder the package is located in.
This can be overwritten.
l
By default, an existing DB will not overwritten. This protects the user from input error – the unpacking will fail and an error will be reported if unpacking is attempted when a DB already exists – unless Overwrite existing database is selected.
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Configuration Packages
Server Reports
l
If the package contains server reports, the ‘Server Reports’ section must be enabled.
By default Server Reports will not be installed as all example packages contain both local reports and server reports. If you wish to upload the reports in the package to a report server, check the Install server reports to Reporting Services server option.
l
Existing reports will cause the installation to fail, unless Overwrite existing reports is selected.
l
The name of the Report Folder is taken from the name of the folder in which the package is located.
This can be overwritten.
Database Options Dialog
Here you have the choice whether to install the database on the local machine or on a remote server location.
To install the database on the local machine, you must enter the instance name of your local database server in the connection section. By default this is set to 'SQLEXPRESS'. If you selected an alternative instance name when you installed SQL
Server, enter it here, select if from the drop down list, or clear the instance name field to use the default instance (no instance name).
To install the database to a remote server, the name of that server must be specified along with a file share from which the database can be restored. In order for the restore process to succeed, permission to write to the specified file share is required
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Configuration Packages for the user running the package manager and read permission is required for the account under which the SQL Server process is running.
Installation Summary Dialog
This screen shows you the details of what will be installed and where it will be installed.
It is important to check that these options are correct and if necessary, click the Back button to amend the options.
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Configuration Packages
The installer will now do all the work of installing the package for you. This involves creating the database, and copying configuration and local report files.
These tasks can sometimes take a significant amount of time but should be left to run to completion. Although there is a
‘Stop’ button on the form which can be used to abort the installation process, using this may leave the configuration in an unusable state.
Warning: Any warnings or errors that occur during the installation will be listed in the above 'Package Management Progress' dialog (a normal installation will not have any warnings or errors). Clicking on the ‘Details…’ link in the message column will give more information about what has gone wrong with the installation process. For example, a warning will occur if a database with the same name already exists and the installation process is warning that it has skipped some items because it was not told to overwrite anything. If any warnings have occurred, A ‘Report…’ button appears on the 'Package Management
Progress' dialog, clicking on this button allows you to see a report of all warnings and errors from the installation.
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Configuration Packages
The installer is now finished and, if no errors occurred, you will be able to run the configuration by opening the .prcdf file from the extracted package. The Package Manager automatically modifies any .prcdf files that it installs so that the database connection strings in them are correct.
For more information on using the Package Manager with a remote SQL server, or with SQL Server Reporting Services, please refer to the knowledge base articles at http://kb.preactor.com/ .
Configuration Selector
Preactor must be run with an installed configuration. Configurations are defined in a Preactor Command Definition (.prcdf) file.
Preactor can be run simply by browsing to the configuration folder and double clicking on the desired configuration, or right clicking on the configuration and selecting Run.
Alternatively the Configuration Selector provides a means of running different examples of the Scheduler from a single location. Each of the configuration folders displayed in the Configuration Selector contains a Configuration File (.prcdf) which points to the appropriate example.
Configuration Selector is started via the start menu:
Start ► All Programs, Select Siemens ► Preactor 2016 ► Preactor 2016.
The Configuration Selector will open:
The Configuration Selector offers the following capabilities: l
The normal folder navigation (back, up, new folder, menu).
l
Select a configuration folder and run Preactor by selecting the required Preactor Command Definition File and selecting
'Open'.
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Configuration Packages l
Run the Configuration Package Manager by selecting a Preactor Package Manager.
l
To browse the Preactor web site for new example configurations: l
And from the other tabs: l get a list of Recent Configurations to run.
l get a list of Favorites to run.
A configuration is added to the favorites by right clicking on the configuration to be added, selecting modify, and in the Advance tab select Add to Favorites.
Running Preactor for the First Time
Preactor must be run with an installed configuration, i.e. a set of provisioned data and system configuration settings applicable to the planning/scheduling activity being managed by Preactor. A configuration is stored in a number of files and the contents of the database.
Preactor is distributed with a number of configurations, with others available from the Preactor web site . Each configuration is
contained within a Configuration Package. "Configuration Packages" on page 34.
Command File Editor" on page 44.
In this description of running Preactor for the first time, a simple approach is described for selecting and loading a configuration distributed with Preactor, using a local SQL server.
Preactor can be run in two Configuration modes: l l
Preactor Express (Demo)
Preactor Express (Live)
Preactor Express (Demo) is set up with example data. The system is fixed to run in the year 2000.
Preactor Express (Live) is ready to be used in live mode. Tables have been cleared and the system is ready for data entry. Data tables in Preactor can be populated by using the user friendly spreadsheets and importing the data from these sheets or it can be entered manually.
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Configuration Packages
Launching Preactor
1. Select: Start ► All Programs, select Siemens ► Preactor 2016 ► Preactor 2016. If using Windows Server 2012, navigate to the Start Screen, swipe or click to show the all Apps view and then select Preactor 2016. This displays the Preactor Configuration Selector, where a list of folders is displayed, containing the various Preactor packages available for you to install.Choose either the 'Preactor Express (Demo)' or 'Preactor Express' option.
2. Open a configuration example, in this case a Preactor AS Ultimate.
The Configuration Package will be shown for the selected example.
3. Select and Open to install the Package.
The Package Installation Wizard now runs. Run through the wizard hitting Next/Finish to install the configuration.
1. At the first prompt, if the Preactor package is being installed for the first time, the default options can be selected. However, if the Preactor package has previously been installed, certain files and databases may already exist. In this case, only select the option to overwrite existing files and database if you wish the database and files to be overwritten with the contents of the package.
2. At the next prompt, the default option is to use the SQL server that has been installed on the local machine.
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Configuration Packages
When the package has been installed successfully, the unpacked configuration can then be seen:
4. Select the Preactor Command Definition File for the Product you wish to run, in this case Preactor AS Ultimate and open it.
After going through some warning and Licensing windows if necessary, Preactor is started and the main window can be seen.
Note: In order to prevent unauthorized access to Preactor’s programming interfaces, User Account Control (UAC) should be enabled and Preactor should be run using the least privileges, i.e. a standard user account and not an administrator account.
To install a License, obtain the Activation code from your Preactor Partner or from your normal source, and follow the License
Installation dialog when starting Preactor (selecting Activate Now from the dialog).
See
in the User Guide or Help for details regarding off-line license installation; Network Licenses; or other issues.
See Licenses in the User Guide or Help for details regarding off-line license installation; Network Licenses; or other issues.
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Preactor Command File Editor
Using Preactor
Preactor Command File Editor
Introduction
Every Preactor configuration includes a Preactor Command Definition file. Many of the parameters that define how Preactor should run, from what license to use to how to connect to the database, are stored in this file. The file itself is a text file, and may be edited using a simple text editor. For convenience though the Preactor Command File Editor encapsulates the parameters that may be specified and makes editing a Command Definition File more intuitive and less error-prone.
The default action for a Command Definition File is to open Preactor. To open the file in the Command File Editor instead, choose 'Modify' from the file context menu in Windows explorer.
Hint: When selecting a Command Definition file from the Preactor Configuration Selector, hold down the 'shift' key while opening the file to open it in the Command File Editor.
General Tab
Title
The title of the configuration. This is displayed in the title bar of Preactor.
File Name
The name of the file currently being edited. This field is read-only.
Configuration Description
A description that is displayed in the Configuration Selector when the command file is selected.
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Preactor Command File Editor
Licenses Tab
Override default license settings
Setting this check box will enable the license setting controls. Once checked ‘Use network license’ or ‘Use local license’ should be selected from the drop-down list.
Server Address
When using a network license the address of the server can be specified here. The address may be a fully qualified domain name, local network name or IP-address.
Server Port
If the network license server has been configured to use a port other than the default port, then that port number may be specified here.
Use Classic Product
A classic product may be selected from the drop-down list when this option is checked. Selecting a product is only necessary for classic products such as Preactor 400 APS. Current products are selected according to the license in use.
Use specific license
When checked a seven digit Preactor license number may be entered. Only the license specified will then be used when running this configuration.
Configuration Tab
Preactor Menu Definition File
Here the menu definition file to use for this configuration is specified. Only applicable to Ultimate editions of Preactor.
Preactor Table Definition File
Here the table definition file to use for this configuration is specified. Only applicable to Ultimate editions of Preactor.
Working Directory
An alternative working directory may be specified here. Usually left blank, meaning the directory the configuration file is in will be the working directory.
Startup Tab
Fix Time
When checked, the Fix Time Options panel will become active and an absolute time and date or an expression may be specified to set the date and time for Preactor. Once set, time in Preactor will not progress. Fix Time is useful in scenarios where a repeatable, predictable behavior in Preactor is preferred. For example, when running Preactor with a sample data set. For this reason most Preactor configurations containing sample data have a time set using the Fix Time option. Fix Time can also be useful when trying to repeat a behavior in Preactor as so many of the decision points in Preactor change with the passing of time.
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Preactor Command File Editor
Fix time expressions can be useful for adjusting the date / time of Preactor relative to the current date / time. For a full explanation of the expressions that may be used here, see Shell Expressions.
System Time Offset
Similar to Fix Time expressions, but with a simpler +/- offset measured in decimal days.
PCO
When checked the Preactor Communication Object is enabled.
Runtime Tab
SQL Connection String
The connection string used by this configuration to connect to the database. This is usually populated when a Preactor
Package is installed using the Configuration Package Manager. Be aware that this parameter, like all other parameters in the
Command Definition File, is stored in plain text and therefore any user names or passwords included in the connection string will be visible to anyone with read permissions on the configuration file.
Debug Options
Debug Mode and Debug Plus
When debug mode is enabled, Preactor will create a log file called ‘preactor.log’ in the current user’s temporary directory. For fully verbose logging ‘Debug Plus’ may also be checked. Both debug options will negatively impact the performance of
Preactor, ‘Debug Plus’ especially so. Neither option should be routinely enabled.
Log
When checked a file called Audit.log is created in the working directory when Preactor starts. Any alterations to any value in any table will be recorded in this file, along with the user-name of the user who made the change and the date / time at which the change was made.
Memory Edit Mode
When memory edit mode is enabled, Preactor will inhibit write operations on the database. This is the same mode that
Preactor will adopt when a configuration is already in use on start-up.
Compiled File
A compiled file is a fixed configuration file for Preactor containing the same information that can be specified in a Preactor
Menu Definition and Preactor Table Definition file. Compiled configurations are used for a number of different reasons.
Sometimes they are used as a form of control over the configuration of Preactor, preventing changes to configuration files by end-users. Usually they are used because not all license types allow the configuration features required to have full control
File
Use this option to specify a compiled configuration file. Usually this will be a file compiled using pcompile.exe. For more
information, "Command Line Options" on page 288.
Built-In
A number of built-in configurations exist for the Express, Standard and Professional products. These may be selected by picking from this drop-down list. Only the configuration appropriate to the license being used will be usable.
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Preactor Desktop
Default
A compiled file will be selected if appropriate given the license type. For example, if you are using a Classic Preactor Enterprise
Run-time license, the Enterprise Run-time compiled configuration will be used.
Language Settings
Appearance Tab
Display Seconds in Time Fields
When checked, all time fields in Preactor will show a seconds element as well as hours and minutes. See SHOW SECONDS
Disable Anti-Aliased Fonts
Disabled advanced font rendering in Preactor, such as True Type font rendering. Historically some hardware and driver implementations have exhibited poor performance with respect to Anti-Aliased fonts. This option may be checked in order to circumvent such performance issues.
Advanced Tab
Create Enterprise Run-time
When using the Classic Preactor Enterprise product, this option will generate a new Enterprise run-time file for use with an
Enterprise run-time license when Preactor starts.
Add to Favorites
Use this button to create a short-cut to the Command Definition File currently being edited in the Favorites folder in the
Preactor Configurations directory. Shortcuts created in this folder appear in the Configuration Selector when the ‘Favorites’ tab is selected.
Other Text
Additional commands that are not recognized by the Command File Editor may be entered here.
Preactor Desktop
The Preactor desktop is the user interface screen that provides access to all of the Preactor modules such as the sequencer, editor, data transfer options etc. This section describes the organization of the Preactor window and the associated options.
The window is divided into 3 regions: l l l
The Navigation Pane.
The Active Pane.
The Work Pane.
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Preactor Desktop
Navigation Panes
The Navigation Pane contains a number of options.
Selecting an item from the Navigation Pane opening up a list of options in the Active pane associated with that item.
Typically, the Navigation items include Data Maintenance, Configuration, Help and Support, etc.
Active Panes
The Active pane contains a number of options associated with the Navigation Item associated with it.
Of particular interest is the Workspace pane. This typically offers all the day to day activities expected in Preactor, including: l l
A General sub category that provides entry to the Preactor Sequencer and/or Planner.
A Data Transfer category for Importing/Exporting Orders.
Work Panes
This area typically displays the data selected in the Navigation/Active Pane for editing, or a set of tasks associated with the function selected from the Navigation/Active Pane.
When editing data, the Work Pane has a set of menu options available appropriate to the data being edited.
These include options (where appropriate) to: l l l l l
Save the changed data.
Edit (Change, Insert, Delete, and Duplicate a record).
Edit ► Global Assign allows for changes to data covering all the records on display.
View options (e.g. sort order).
Hide options (e.g. child records)
Additional Actions (appropriate to the data on display).
Actionable Item
An Actionable Item on the Preactor Desktop can be: l l
A task - generally presented in the Work Pane
For example: Launching the Sequencer; Running an Export, Creating a configuration package.
Running the Editor for provisioning data, e.g. selecting:
- Data Maintenance from the Navigation pane, and
- Resources from the Active pane.
It is possible for Tasks to be located in the Active pane, but it is not typical in shipped configurations.
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Editor
Editor
The Editor
Introduction
Throughout Preactor data is presented and edited with the use of a common component known as ‘the editor’. The following are examples of where the editor is used: l l l
All data modified through the Preactor Desktop (Resources, Constraints etc.).
Orders from within the Sequencer in Advanced Scheduling.
Planning items from within the Planner in Advanced Planning.
Additionally, script list information (event and import/export) is presented using 'the editor', albeit with some constraints on the capabilities. For example, sorting is not permitted when editing PESP scripts.
If the Sequencer or Planner is open, any editor open on the Preactor Desktop is read-only.
Multiple records can be selected using the standard Windows behavior: hold Ctrl to select individual records, Ctrl-Shift to select a range or Ctrl-A to select all.
Whether using the editor on the Preactor Desktop, in the Sequencer in Advanced Scheduling, or in the Planner in Advanced
Planning, the following common features are available:
Edit / Insert / Delete
l l l
To edit a record, double click on the row, or select ‘Edit’ from the context or top menu. This shows a dialog for editing a record. Note that only one record dialog can be open at any one time.
To delete a selected record, press the ‘Delete’ key, or select ‘Delete’ from the context or top edit menu. If more than one record is selected, all selected records will be deleted. For tables that have a parent / child relationship defined, you can delete a family at a time my selecting ‘Hide Children’ and deleting the parent record. Alternatively simply highlight all records in the family and press delete.
To insert a record you can either scroll to the bottom of the table and double click the last (blank) row OR select a row and press the ‘Insert’ key, or select ‘Insert’ from the context or top menu. In the latter case the record will be inserted above the selected row.
Field Select and Move
l l
To select a field, right-click on the header row and select ‘Field Chooser’ from the pop-up menu. The Field Chooser is also available from the View menus.
Any field required can be dragged from the field chooser list onto the editor. To remove a field from the editor you can drag it back into the field chooser, or to any area of the screen where the mouse cursor shows an ‘X’.
Fields in the editor can be moved to any position by clicking and dragging the field header. It is also possible to stack a number of fields in a single column.
Sorting
l l l
Clicking on the header of a column will sort the entries in the table by the contents of that column. The editor will sort into lexicographic order for string fields, or by value for date, duration and number fields.
Some fields, such as color fields, have no defined natural sort order. In these cases, when sorted, like values will appear together for these columns.
To reverse a sort order, simply click on the header again.
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Editor l l l l l l
Sorting can also be done by right clicking on the header of a column and selecting Sort Ascending or Sort Descending from the context menu.
To perform a composite sort (e.g. sort by Column A then Columns B), hold down shift while clicking on the headers.
Sorting is not possible on Matrix fields.
Sorting is not possible on the added Status column in the sequencer or planner.
Sorting is not possible on the PESP event scripts or PIO import scripts tables.
For tables that have a parent / child relationship defined, sorting on a field can be done within the family, or over the whole table. This choice is selected from the context menu when right clicking on the column header.
Filtering
l l l l l l l
The line below the column header is where filters are defined.
A filter may be defined for any column.
A filter consists of an operator (as selected from the drop-down list) and a value.
Filter operands may include: l l
Standard operands like: '<', '=', 'Starts with', 'Contains'.
'IN' - where an item is included if the field value matches one of a set described as a comma separated list in value.
e.g. 'IN [Sprocket,Spindle,Gear]'.
Depending on the column type, different operators are available.
For example, a string field will allow ‘Contains’ whereas a number field will not.
Multiple filters can be defined at the same time. Where this is the case, each filter will AND with the next. For example:
Order Status = ‘Complete’ AND Quantity > 100.
The Filter Row can be switched between Show and not Show from the context menu when right clicking on a column header.
Group By
l l l
Clicking the bar above the header row opens or closes the group-by area. Dragging a field from the header row to the group-by area creates a group. The rows in the table are now grouped by that field, with the number of items associated with that group indicated. Dragging a second field after the first in the group area creates sub groups, etc. To remove a grouping, drag the corresponding field out of the group-by area to an area of the screen where the mouse cursor shows an ‘X’.
Group By is not possible on Matrix of Status fields.
The Group By area can be switched between Show and not Show from the context menu when right clicking on a column header.
In-line Editing
l l l
Within the planner it is possible to make in-line edits on all fields that are editable (for example not read-only or evaluated).
Within the sequencer, in-line edits are possible for check-boxes that are editable.
Edits are done on a record (row) basis, and are not completed until the row is deselected (another row selected) and all the changes made to the record are committed. The undo stack will have a single entry for all the changes to that record.
Printing
The contents of the current editor window can be printed, from the File menu in the Sequencer/Planner, and the More Options menu from the Preactor Desktop.
Note: Printing while items are grouped will print the collapsed groups only, regardless of whether or not the groups are expanded in the editor.
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Editor
Copying
The content of an editor window can be copied and pasted, e.g. into an excel spreadsheet. The selected rows will be copied, along with the header row which is always included.
Non Text Based Fields
l l l l
Color fields are displayed by a colored icon.
Browser fields are displayed as hyperlinks.
Icon fields are displayed as an icon.
Matrix fields are displayed as 'x' items.
Within the sequencer and the planner an additional column showing the status for each row is included within the editor.
Status Column – Sequencer
l l l l
The sequencer status column indicates the status of an operation or order.
The left hand side of the icon represents the status for the start of the operation, the right hand side for the completion of the operation.
The following states can be represented.
l l
Green: Scheduled within set time constraints.
Orange: Scheduled within the delivery buffer.
l
Red: Scheduled before the earliest start date or after the due date.
If child records are hidden, a roll-up status is given indicating the worst case status for any given operation within the order.
Status Column - Planner
l l
The planner status column indicates the Demand Color.
The status allows expressions to be passed to them for evaluation, and the colors are configurable by the user, from:
Preactor Desktop ► Data Maintenance ► Planning Parameters ► Set Planner Threshold.
Matrix Editor
When adding or modifying most data in Preactor the Editor is used, however data held in matrices is different in that records are added or changed using the 'Matrix Editor'.
'Sequence Dependent Setup Time' fields are an example of this.
When the sequence in which products are manufactured changes the amount of productive time lost to changeovers, this can be reflected in the 'To / From' sequence dependent setup time matrix.
Experience has shown that components frequently belong to product families and that setup values relate to changes between product families as easily as product to product. Grouping products into families reduces matrix sizes and enhances processing speed.
The Matrix Editor supports the following features: l
All cells in the table can be edited and set to a common value using the Edit All button.
l
All cells can be reset to the default value for their type using the reset all button.
l
A range of cells can be selected and either reset or edited by using the context menu.
The F2 key can also be used to edit a range of selected cells.
l
It is possible to highlight and mirror opposing cells.
To enter or modify a cell in the matrix:
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Editor
1. Double click with the left mouse button on the cell to be modified.
An Edit Value dialog is presented.
2. Type in the new value using the format h:mm, e.g. :25.
3. Click 'OK'.
The cell value changes to 0 Hours 25 mins.
Setup Persistence
Changing which fields are displayed in the Editor and their order, and the sorting preference for each field, persists when the editor is closed and re-opened. Filtering options do not persist, however note that the Orders Editor in the Sequencer is not closed until the Sequencer is closed.
Configuration Classifications
The following classifications control the behavior of the Editor: l
DISPLAY SEQUENCE – Determines whether the sort is just visual, or whether the ‘memory’ is sorted.
Editor Window
Manual data entry/editing e.g. of the Orders can be performed in the Sequencer's Editor window, which can be opened from
View ► Editor Window.
For help in using the editor "Editor" on page 49.
Icon Editor
The icon Editor is a graphical editor that can be used to edit the icon associated with a Product. The icon editor can be opened by selecting 'Edit...' on any icon field, such as the one defined in the Products table by default:
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Window Management
Note the Icon Foreground and Background fields where the colors displayed can be changed, the Background color is used as the principal Gantt bar color. The Lower Left and Lower Right Bar Colors can also assist product identification in Gantt charts.
The 'Document' field which can contain a document reference which provides detailed information about the product, specifications, drawings or pictures etc. Multiple documents can be located and viewed using the 'Browse' and 'View' buttons.
4. Click on the 'Edit' push button adjacent to the 'Icon Name' field.
The Icon Editor opens.
The Icon Editor consists of a drawing area with a pallet of colors to its right. The mouse pointer can be used to select a color from the pallet and draw the outline of an icon in the drawing area. Again using the mouse areas within the icon can be selected to display foreground and background colors. The colors actually displayed in these areas are selected in the previous dialog.
Window Management
Dockable Windows
Dockable windows give users more control over the way in which information is presented. It allows them to choose where a window is placed on the screen and to adjust the size of windows to suit their requirements. This can be particularly useful if available screen space is limited or if you are using multiple monitors.
Dockable windows (when ‘Dockable’ is selected) can also be: l l
Docked – fixed to the left, right, top or bottom of the sequencer window.
Floating – located anywhere in the Sequencer window.
To position the window in a floating position: l
Grab the docked window and pull it to the center of the sequencer - then locate it to the desired position using the
.
OR l
Right click on the window head or select the menu option on the head, and select ‘Floating’.
e.g. the Primary Resource Calendars window below.
To position a floating window to a docked position: l
Right click on the window head or select the menu option on the head, and deselect ‘floating’.
OR
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Window Management l
Grab the window by its head (e.g. the Primary Resources) and drag it to the center of the sequencer - then locate it to the desired position using the
.
To PIN or Auto Hide a docked window, right click on the window head or select the menu option on the head and select Auto
Hide, or select the Pin icon to its top RHS.
This will cause a tab to be created for the window where that window is docked (Left, Right or Bottom). Clicking on that tab will open the window, clicking outside the window will make it hide. The screen shot below show 2 of the 3 docked windows in the previous example hidden but all with Auto Hide selected.
Dockable windows can be treated as tabbed windows simply by right clicking on the window header and deselecting ‘Dockable’.
Docking Cues
These cues or guides appear on screen when you attempt to move a floating dockable window, they appear either singly or as clusters. If, when moving a window, you hover the mouse over a particular cue, a shadow appears on screen showing the position that the window will occupy if this cue is selected.
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Window Management
Cues can also be used when you want to arrange several windows in a single group. In any window you can see a cluster of cues and in the center of the cluster is the image of a tab.
Dropping a window in the center of the cluster will add the window as an additional tab to this existing group of windows or single window.
Windows
All windows can be accessed through their ‘tab’.
Certain windows are also able to be ‘Docked’. These are windows that, when right clicking on their tab include a ‘Dockable’ option, and which will be by default:
1. Be set to Dockable.
and
2. Open Docked
Window Tabs
All windows (including Dockable windows with ‘Dockable’ not selected) can be: l
Accessible through tabs in a single Tab Group at the top of the Sequencer.
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Window Management
This is how a window is initially displayed by default if it is not ‘Dockable’.
l
In separate Vertical Tab Groups of the sequencer.
This is achieved by dragging the tab to the left or right hand side of the Sequencer window, or by right clicking on the tab and selecting ‘New Vertical Tab Group’.
l
In separate Horizontal Tab Group of the sequence:
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Table & Field Settings
This is achieved by dragging the tab to the top or bottom of the Sequencer window, or by right clicking on the tab and selecting ‘New Horizontal Tab Group’.
Toolbars and Icons
To utilize the screen area efficiently and to provide a quick method of selecting an action: Icons are used to represent action, and a functionally associated set of Icons are grouped into Toolbars, each associated with one or more windows.
By default in shipped configurations, the Sequencer and the Planner each have a number of Toolbars appropriate to that application, some available for all windows, and some associated with specific windows.
The toolbar shown here is the Standard toolbar for the Sequencer:
Some toolbars are only visible, and only configurable on/off, when the window to which they relate is opened. An example of this is the toolbar associated with Calendar States window in the Sequencer.
The Toolbars can be configured to be turned on (displayed) or off, and new Toolbars can be created.
Workspaces
Once you have created a layout of different windows in your workspace it can be saved so that you do not have to rearrange it every time you open the Sequencer (not currently available for the Planner).
Table & Field Settings
Editor
The 'Table & Field Settings' editor allow users to modify a set of features to change how tables and fields are displayed. This allows a degree of customization of the definition of tables and fields for Standard or Professional editions of Preactor. For
Ultimate editions the Table & Field Settings provide a more user friendly option for applying certain types of customization
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without having to edit the Preactor Table Definition (.prtdf) file, though this is also an option.
Table & Field Settings
Tools
Save
The save button will save all customizations made in the editor. To abandon changes without saving, the user should navigate away to a different item in the workspace and close the module.
Show System Tables
System tables can be shown by clicking the button on the menu bar which says 'Show System Tables' or can be hidden by clicking the 'Hide System Tables' button which becomes visible when system tables are shown.
Restore Defaults
The ‘Restore Defaults’ button will delete all customizations that have previously been saved. It works at a global level and will remove the customization for every table/field, not just the table or field currently being edited.
Table Properties
The 'Table & Fields Settings' editor is split into 3 panels. The panel of the left hand side shows a list of user defined tables and, optionally, system tables.
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Table & Field Settings
To edit any settings a table needs to be selected from the list. A table can be found either by scrolling through the list or by using the filter box above the table list.
When a table is selected, the properties editor at the bottom of the 'Tables' column becomes enabled. The properties editor allows the user to change the display name of the table. This is the name displayed in the editor and when navigating in the workspace.
Field Properties
The central 'Fields' column allows the user to select a field from selected table. It becomes enabled as soon as a table is picked from the left hand column.
There is a filter box at the top of the column which allows a case insensitive filter. There are also three tabs at the bottom of the column which allow the user to switch between the fields displayed on dialogs, fields displayed on tool tips, and a list of all fields.
Selecting a field populates the final right hand column with the properties for that field.
There are some properties that are common to all fields, and some properties that are displayed depending on the field type.
The table below shows which properties are supported for each field type.
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Table & Field Settings
Null String Integer Toggle Real Duration
Display Name X X
Hidden X X
Read-Only
Number Format
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X X
X X
X X
X X
Display Seconds
Display Name
X
Setting the display name here overrides the name that is displayed on edit dialogs and on the column headers in the editor.
Read-Only
Read-only fields cannot be edited through the UI, though the underlying field values may still be altered in other ways (using a
PESP script, for example).
Hidden
The field is hidden so is not possible to modify or view the data. Selecting this toggle will remove the field from any dialogs it is on, so it will disappear from the list of fields in the ‘Dialog Fields’ tab.
Number Format
Display Seconds
Shows the seconds element of a duration field when selected.
Reordering Fields
Users can use the ‘Dialog Fields’ and ‘Tooltip Fields’ tabs to reorder fields. A field can be ‘picked up’ by clicking on it with the left mouse button and then, whilst still holding the mouse button down, dragging it into another location. This changes the position of the field within either the dialog or tooltip.
Adding and Removing Dialog Fields
The ‘Dialog Fields’ tab allows the user to add or remove fields on editor dialogs. Fields can be removed from the ‘Default’ dialog
(the one initially shown when editing a record) or the sub dialogs. For example, the ‘Attributes…’ button below would show fields listed in the ‘Attributes’ section of the ‘Dialog Fields’ list.
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Table & Field Settings
To add a field, the user clicks on the 'Dialog Fields' tab at the bottom of the central 'Fields' column and then presses the 'Choose
Fields...' button.
This will display a list of 'Hidden' and 'Unassigned' fields. The user can drag a field from either of these two categories into the list of fields. If a field is dragged from the ‘Hidden’ section of fields then it will automatically become not hidden when added to a dialog.
Similarly, it is possible to remove fields from a dialog either by right clicking on a field in the list and using the ‘Remove’ option from the context menu, or by dragging a field into the ‘Field Chooser’. Dragging a field into the ‘Hidden’ section of the ‘Field
Chooser’ will remove a field from the dialog and also set it to be hidden.
It is not possible to add or remove fields from matrix fields (‘List Fields’), but the fields within them can be reordered just like any other dialog.
Hidden fields are displayed in the ‘All Fields’ tab as disabled but will not be displayed in either the ‘Dialog Fields’ or ‘Tooltip Fields’.
Number and Duration Formats
Format strings are used to determine how a value is displayed. They are applicable to both REAL fields and DURATION fields, though they are interpreted slightly differently for both.
REAL Fields
A format string for a number field takes the following form:
[MAX] length.precision
The length element defines the overall length of the value in digits (including the decimal separator). If the length is prefixed with a zero character (e.g. 06), then the formatted number will be padded with zeros, otherwise it is padded with spaces.
The precision element defines the number of digits displayed after the decimal separator (the fractional part).
The optional 'MAX' keyword affects how the precision is interpreted for whole integer values. With the 'MAX' keyword, the precision element defines number of digits used for the fractional part only when the number has a fractional part.
Examples
Value
10.55
10.5
10.5
10
10.555
Format String
3.1
6.2
06.2
MAX 6.2
MAX 6.2
Formatted Value
'10.6'
' 10.50'
'010.50'
' 10'
' 10.56'
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Import & Export
DURATION Fields
For DURATION fields, the format determines the number of digits displayed after the decimal point for the minutes part. The default is .2 if the number of minutes is not an integer. The format must be specified as .x. For example, '.4' will cause a duration of 1 hour 5.5 minutes to be displayed as '1 Hours 05.5000 mins'. Integer minutes will always be displayed without any digits after the decimal point.
Import & Export
Overview
Much of the information used by Preactor is typically available in other systems and therefore Preactor includes a number of import features for extracting data from other sources, as well as export features for extracting data from Preactor to file.
Import, in particular, is a feature of Preactor with a broad range of functions to accommodate a wide range of integration scenarios. Once defined, import scripts can be invoked from PESP scripts, so more complex integration scenarios can be composed of several import scripts (maybe coming from different sources).
The following sections describe in detail the import and export features in Preactor, how their use is defined by means of an import script, and how those scripts can be easily defined using the in-built Import/Export Wizard.
Data Providers
Preactor supports importing from a predefined Data Provider into any table defined in the 'UserData' schema. Executing a query against the Data Provider returns a result set, which becomes the source for the import.
Note: Importing from data providers is a feature that is not available in Express editions of Preactor. If you are using an Express edition, all imports must be from a file source.
Data Providers are a component of the .NET Framework and as such, their availability is dependent upon your operating system. By default, the .NET framework installs four main providers, which allow you to connect to almost any data source. If a requirement exists for a particular 3rd party provider this can sometime be achieved by means of a provider developed by a third-party.
Some Data Providers are only available in either 32-bit or 64-bit versions although most are suitable for any CPU. For example, the OLEDB Jet provider is only available on 32-bit platforms at the time of writing.
Note: Check that your required provider is available for your target platform. You may need to consider whether the 32-bit or
64-bit versions of the required provider are available and select the appropriate installation of Preactor.
.NET Framework Data Providers
A number of data providers are include with the Microsoft .NET Framework. Each is described below:
Data Provider Description
Data Provider for SQL Server Provides data access for Microsoft SQL Server version 7.0 or later.
Data Provider for OLE DB For data sources exposed by using OLE DB.
Data Provider for ODBC
Data Provider for Oracle
For data sources exposed by using ODBC.
For Oracle data sources.
Data Provider for SQL Server
The .NET Data Provider for SQL Server allows you to connect to SQL Server instance running on Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 and later.
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Import & Export
Although it is possible to connect to SQL Server databases with both OLE DB and ODBC providers, you should always use the dedicated SQL provider where possible.
Using this provider allows you to create queries over multiple tables and views or even over multiple databases.
Note: Executing a query over multiple databases is only possible if those databases reside on the same instance or on a linked server.
For more information on linking server instances, please visit http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff772782.aspx
Data Provider for OLE DB
The .NET Data Provider for OLE DB uses a native inter-op layer for data access and provides an extensive selection of providers.
OLE DB allows you to connect to Databases and files as well as services such as Network Directory services and much more.
Data Provider for ODBC
The .NET Data Provider for ODBC enables access to system defined ODBC data sources such as dBase, Paradox, SYBASE and
Oracle services as well as Microsoft Office applications such as Visio, MS Project and Excel. Typically, these data sources are defined in the ODBC Data Source Administration control panel in Windows.
Data Provider for Oracle
The .NET Data Provider for Oracle enables access to Oracle Data Sources by using the Oracle Client connectivity software.
Managing Data Providers
Choose 'Configuration' ► 'Import/Export' ► 'Manage Data Providers' to add, edit or delete data providers you wish to define as import sources.
You can create as many providers as required but an import script can only use one data provider.
Note: A data provider named 'Preactor Default' always exists. This provider cannot be deleted or edited and exists as a convenient way to access the database to which Preactor is connected. This is typically used to import sample data.
Creating a New Data Provider
1. In the Manage Data Providers dialog, click Add.
2. In the Add Data Provider dialog, give the provider a name.
3. In the Choose Data Source dialog, select a data source from one of the listed available data sources.
4. At this point you will be shown a Connection Properties dialog. Complete the connection properties dialog, providing all the details required to connect to your chosen data source. Once complete, the connection properties dialog should look similar to this:
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Import & Export
5. If available, it is a good idea at this point to click 'Test Connection' to verify that the connection properties provided are working as expected.
Some of the connection properties may affect the validity of queries executed against the data source. For example, in the above dialog it is possible to select a database or you can leave the database blank. If no database is specified, it will need to be specified it explicitly within any queries.
Note: For information and guidance on the configuration of Data Providers, please visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/s7ee2dwt%28v=vs.71%29.aspx
Edit an Existing Data Provider
An existing data provider can be edited by selecting the data provider and choosing the 'Edit' button from the toolbar above.
Delete a Data Provider
To delete a data provider, select the provider and choose 'Delete' from the toolbar above.
Connection Strings
When you create a data provider, the connection string is stored in plain text. This means any user names or passwords specified in the connection string are not encrypted.
To avoid any issues it is recommend that you use integrated authentication if possible.
Import/Export Scripts
Both imports and exports are defined as scripts. Each script stores all the information about an import or export process - what the update method is, any queries involved, how the fields are mapped etc. While it is not important to know the detail of what is included in the scripts (this is managed using the Import / Export Wizard), it is useful to understand how these scripts are managed, maintained an ultimately invoked.
Import and export scripts are stored in the Import-Export Scripts (PIO Scripts) table.
'Configuration' ► 'Import/Export' ► 'Import-Export Scripts'.
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Import & Export
To run an existing script, select the script and choose 'Run' from the tool bar.
To create a new script, insert a record into the table as you would for any table in Preactor. On insert he Import/Export Wizard appears. Follow the steps in the wizard to create an import or export script.
Edit a script in the same way as you would edit any data row in Preactor. Again, the Import/Export Wizard will appear to walk you through editing the script.
Scripts can be saved to or loaded from a file. This is useful when transferring scripts between different configurations. To save a script select the script and select More Actions ► Save Script. To load a script, select More Actions ► Load Script.
Import / Export Wizard
Overview
The Import/Export Wizard provides a simple interface to define the options for your import or export script. It will allow you to define an import or export script for any table within the 'UserData' schema. You can also import directly into any AUTO LIST or
AUTO DIMENSION matrix using the matrix import features.
For import scripts, the Import/Export Wizard can connect to a large range of data sources using either a connection through a
Data Provider or by using the File connection type. Export scripts target file based outputs only.
When you create a new script, you will first be prompted to select the type of script you wish to create.
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Script Information
After selecting either import or export for the type of script you want to define, you are required to enter some basic information about the script. This includes a name and description as well as the table that is the subject of your script. For import scripts, you will need to define some additional information such as the connection type and whether you are importing into the selected table or into one of its associated matrix tables.
Note: Not all tables have matrices defined and the matrix import functions are dependent on what fields are defined in the selected table.
Supported Connection Types
For import scripts Preactor supports two connection types, each of which is detailed below.
File
The 'File' connection type allows you to select a locally accessible .csv file as the import source. If you are importing data from a local .csv file then select this connection type.
Data Provider
The 'Data Provider' connection type allows you to select a predefined data provider as the import source. The source data is determined by the execution of a query against that source. Select this connection type if you are importing from a database or other data source.
Once you have entered the basic script information, you may progress with the wizard. The options presented to you in the subsequent pages of the wizard will vary depending on the options you have selected.
File Import
Importing from a file is an option across all editions of Preactor. There are fewer steps in importing from a file. So long as the required file is in an accessible location, all that is required is a path to the file.
Import files must be .csv (Comma Separated Value) files. Contrary to the name, a number of delimiters are supported, as well as the standard comma delimiter.
To select a file, click the 'Browse...' button and use the 'Open File' dialog to select the file you wish to import. The file path will be populated with the full path to the file. If required, this path can be specified as a relative path (relative to the configuration directory). For example:
Import-Export Files\Import-Products-Initial.csv
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In addition to the file path, you can also specify the file encoding using by expanding the 'File encoding' section. By default the file encoding is set to Unicode (UTF-8). For Unicode files, several forms of encoding are supported. If the file is ANSI or Windows encoded, selecting 'Windows Encoding' with the default code page is typically correct. If you are importing a file that includes characters that are not native to the computer on which you are running Preactor (for example, a file including Chinese characters on a US-English computer) it will be necessary to explicitly select the required code page from the list of those available.
If the first row in the file is a header row, select 'File includes header'. By default, the expected separator is a comma, but other supported separators can be selected from the list of separators.
Data Provider Import
In all but the Express editions of Preactor, it is possible to import data from a data provider.
When importing from a data provider, select 'Data Provider' from the 'Connection Type' drop-down on the script information page of the Import / Export Wizard.
On the following page, you will be asked to select a data provider and enter a query. This query will be executed against the selected data provider and the resulting data set is imported into Preactor when the script is run.
An example of a SQL query:
SELECT Name FROM SampleData.ColorData
WHERE SampleData.ColorData.Dataset = 1
On the same page, a preview of the resulting data set is shown. Click 'Preview' or press 'F5' to refresh the data preview.
Note: The data Preview pane is populated with a subset of the query result to show you the shape and format of the data you will be importing.
Data Provider Queries
When you use a data provider to import data, you have to define a query that will be executed against your data source.
The syntax of that query may change depending on the data provider that you use, and the performance of your import script can be influenced greatly by the design of your query as well as the source, size and shape of your import data.
In order to design effective and efficient import scripts careful consideration must be given to the design of your query.
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The secret to designing an efficient query is to limit its scope. Where possible, only select columns that you need and make use of clauses such as WHERE when available and appropriate to do so.
The topic of query languages, their nuances and best practices is vast and generally outside the scope of this documentation.
For more specific information on queries you should refer to the documentation for the query language you are using.
However, some general guidance applicable to most Simple Query Language (SQL) derived query languages is given below.
SELECT Statements
The SELECT statement is used to select data from a data source. It returns an object known as a result set. This result set is used as the source for the import.
While the syntax remains similar, arguments can differ between different data sources as can be seen by the following examples:
SQL SELECT
SELECT [Column(s)]
FROM [Table]
WHERE [Condition]
EXCEL SELECT
SELECT [Column(s)]
FROM [SHEET One$]
WHERE [Condition]
Text File SELECT
SELECT [Column(s)]
FROM [File Path]
WHERE [Condition]
JOIN Statements
A JOIN combines records from two or more tables to create a single set of data. There are typically 3 types of join. INNER, LEFT
OUTER and RIGHT OUTER but this may vary by provider.
An INNER JOIN returns only those rows from the LEFT table that have a matching row in the RIGHT table, based on the join criteria.
SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table1,
INNER JOIN table 2
On table1_column_name = table2.column_name
A LEFT OUTER JOIN returns all rows from the LEFT table even if no matching rows were found in the RIGHT table. Any values selected out of the right table will be NULL for those rows returned where no matching row is found in the Right Table.
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SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table1
LEFT OUTER JOIN table 2
On table1_column_name = table2.column_name
A RIGHT OUTER JOIN is the opposite of a LEFT OUTER JOIN in that it returns all values from the RIGHT TABLE regardless of matching rows in the LEFT table.
SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table1
RIGHT OUTER JOIN table 2
On table1_column_name = table2.column_name
Note: Best practice suggests that you not use a RIGHT OUTER JOIN because these can always be rewritten as a LEFT OUTER JOIN, which is considered more portable and easier to read.
You can execute a join against .csv files and Excel files by applying the same basic syntax.
SELECT [Column (s)]
FROM [filePath] as table1
INNER JOIN [filePath] as table2
ON table1.column = table2.column
WHERE condition
Open Data Import
In all but Express editions of Preactor, it is possible to import data from an Open Data Protocol (OData) data stream.
Preactor supports OData V3 and V4, both atom and json based streams.
Where data is exposed using OData, all that is required in order to import that data into Preactor is a URL.
Authentication
Some services may require authentication. By default, Preactor will use the current user's credentials to access a service. If other credentials are required, then a user name / password may be provided. Preactor will store any passwords in an
encrypted field. "Encryption " on page 98 for more information.
SIMATIC IT Authorization
When connecting to SIMATIC IT Unified Architecture (UA) service layer, an authorization token must be provided in order to make the request on the server. Preactor supports X509 certificate based authentication for SIMATIC IT UA. An X509 certificate may be stored on disk, or added to the local certificate store. Certificates should be added to Preactor through Configuration >
Security > Certificates.
Entities
Preactor will use the OData meta-data to list the entities exposed by the service. To query for all instances of a particular entity, simply select the entity you require from the list.
Complex Queries
As well as allowing for simple queries, Preactor allows for more complex queries using OData query syntax. Open the
'Advanced' section in order to enter OData syntax. Bear in mind that Preactor will only support queries returning 'plain old
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Import Settings
Once your source data has been defined, whether from file or from a data provider, the remaining pages in the Import/Export wizard from this point on are the same.
There are some general import settings that mandate how the import data will be processed. Each option is explained below.
Clear Preactor Table
The target table will be cleared of all its existing data. Generally, clearing the contents of a table should be avoided as references to items in a table will not be considered when clearing a table and this could compromise the integrity of your data. If a table has no references to it, it is generally safe to use this option.
Update Current Records
When a row in the target table is matched with a row in the import data, its contents will be updated from the import data
(according to the mapping defined) if this option is selected.
Append New Record
When a row in the import data does not match with any of the existing rows in the target table, a new row is appended to the target table when this option is selected.
Delete Old Records
With this option selected, any rows that exist in the target table but are not matched with any rows in the import data are deleted.
Rebuild Family
Once all the import data has been imported, any broken family relationships (e.g. parents rows with the same identifier value) are repaired.
Expand New Orders
Specifically for when importing into a table with an expand relationship (such as the expand relationship between an Orders table and a Products table), this option will expand a single row into n rows as specified by the source of the expansion. This is useful when importing order header information and then expanding the routing information from a Products or Routes
table. For more information on how expand works, "Auto Expand" on page 173.
Additional Options
A number of advanced features are enabled using commands that can be defined in the in the Additional Options field.
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Mapping Import Fields
Import data and the target fields in a Preactor table need to be mapped from one to the other. The mapping identifies not only the fields for which data should be imported, but also the type of the data being imported, any supported transforms that should be applied and also fields that make up the identifiers for an import.
Mapping Tools
Certain fields can be filtered and sorted using the tool bars at the top of each field list. Each tool is described in the table below:
Hides unmapped fields
Sort fields alphabetically
Sort the fields by mapping. (only available for Import mappings)
The search box can be used to filter the field list based upon a search term.
Clear
This button will clear all of the existing field mappings.
Auto Map
Based on the names of the columns in the import data and in the target table, Preactor will attempt to map fields automatically when this button is pressed. When a new script is defined, this automatic mapping is invoked when the mapping page is first shown.
Mapping Menu
To show the mapping menu, hover the mouse pointer over the mapping relationship an click on the drop-down menu when the icon appears.
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Mapping Properties
Data Type
The first four options are associated with the type of the data that is being imported.
String The value is a string value.
Number The value is a numerical value.
JDate
Date
Duration
The value is a date represented as the number of days since midnight on the 31/12/1899, otherwise known as an OLE Automation date.
The value is a date. The date format must me specified by selecting from the predefined options or by entering a custom format string.
The value is a representation of timespan data in various formats including ticks, which are displayed as decimal days.
The normal reference point used for JDate mappings is midnight on 31/12/1899. You can however apply an offset which adds a number of decimal days to the normal reference point.
Note: Preactor supports the full range of Date Time formats within the Microsoft .NET Framework. For more information on
Date Time formats and Custom formats, please visit: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/az4se3k1(v=vs.100).aspx
Import Identifiers
At least one mapping should be marked as an import identifier in order for an import script to be valid. An import identifier is a field or one of a set of fields that can be used to identify a row in a table. For most import scenarios, this set of fields should identify a single, unique row. There are some cases where you may want to match a broader category of records, so the uniqueness of the rows identified is not enforced.
Import identifiers are marked with an 'id' symbol to the right of their field name on the right-hand side of the mapping. To set a mapped field as an import identifier select the 'Import Identifier' item from the mapping menu.
Note: Mapped fields should not be marked as import identifiers unnecessarily, as doing so can have a negative impact on import performance.
Ignore Blank Strings
With this option selected, blank strings will not be imported. Any other value will be treated as it would otherwise be treated according to the options specified.
Delete
If you select delete from the mapping menu, the individual mapping relationship will be deleted.
Default Import Values
On occasion fields that are not mapped in an import script may not carry an appropriate default value. Rather than accepting the default value as defined against the field (shown in the first column for reference), we can specify a default value for a field within the import script . The value specified can be different for difference scenarios, identified by the 'On Create', 'On Update' and 'On Delete' column headers on the default values page.
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Note: Only fields that have not been mapped are displayed on the default values page.
On Create
This value will be written to the unmapped field whenever a new row is created.
On Update
This value will be written to the unmapped field whenever an existing row is updated.
No Change
This value will be written to the unmapped field when a row exists prior to importing data, but that row is not updated.
Replaced Values
There are some key words that are may be specified within the default values. These key words will be replaced during import.
Each is detailed below:
Keyword Description
{DATE}
{TIME}
{JDATE}
A string representing the current date. Only valid for string fields.
A string representing the current time. Only valid for string fields.
A number representing the current date. Valid for string, number and date fields.
{JTIME} A number representing the current date/time. Valid for string, number and date fields.
Matrix Imports
Preactor supports two different types of matrices that can be imported.
The first type of matrix is a list of items. These lists appear throughout Preactor and are used when creating groups of items, or assigning multiple items to one record. These lists grow and shrink as you add and remove items. A typical list is shown below:
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The second type of matrix that Preactor supports is a 2 dimensional matrix. These matrices define a from/to relationship between two tables. A typical 2 dimensional matrix is shown below:
Both of these matrices are defined as fields in Preactor, and normally each row in a table will have an instance of a matrix. That is, a table with 10 rows will normally have 10 different matrices. It is therefore important when importing a matrix that you not only have the data for the matrix, but also a way of identifying the correct row in which the list exists.
Importing a List
Importing a list into Preactor uses the same Import/Export Wizard that is used to import into tables. The main difference is that there are multiple ‘mapping’ screens in order to allow the mapping of each piece of information required. For a list, you will be
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Import & Export presented with either 2 or 3 mapping screens depending on how the list is defined (whether you just have a list of items, or whether you have a list of items which have additional data defined against them).
This exercise will take you through importing secondary constraint data for a resources table.
l
Step 1: Open the PIO Scripts pane.
1. From the Preactor Desktop, click Configuration and then click Import/Export.
2. In the Import/Export pane, click Import-Export Scripts.
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Step 2: Create a new Import Script.
1. In the PIO Scripts pane, click Edit and then click Insert.
2. In the Import / Export wizard, ensure Import is selected and then click Next.
3. In the Enter Script Information window, enter the values from the following table and then click Next:
Field Value
Script Name Import Resources Secondary Constraints
Description Import secondary constraint information for resources
Preactor Table Name Resources
Matrix Import
Connection Type
Secondary Constraints
File
Note: To import data from a data provider you can use the Data Provider connection type.
4. In the Import Script Information window browse and choose either the file above, or use the standard
‘Import-Resources-InitialSecondaryConstraintMatrix.csv’ file which ships with the configuration in the
‘Import-Export Files’ folder. Click Next once this file is selected.
5. On the Import Settings page select the ‘Clear all matrix records’ option and the ‘Append New Records’ option. The other options should be left unchecked. Click Next to continue.
6. You are now presented with a mapping screen. It is important to note that the current mapping and table name are shown in the upper left corner of the screen:
7. This mapping page is to decide how which row the matrix belongs to. The upper left corner shows that you need to map one or more fields to uniquely identify a row in the ‘Resources’ table. In this the ‘Name’ row from the ‘Fields to Import’ column uniquely identifies a ‘resource’ by its ‘Name’ field.
1. In the Import Field Mappings window, select Resource in the Fields to Import list.
2. Whilst holding the left mouse button, select the Name field in the Preactor Fields list.
3. Click Next to continue.
8. This mapping page should show that it is an X Axis mapping page. Refer to the diagram of the list import if you need to understand what this is. The ‘Secondary Constraints’ on the ‘Fields to Import’ column uniquely identifies the item which should be added/updated/deleted from the list.
1. In the Import Field Mappings window, select ‘Secondary Constraint’ in the Fields to Import list.
2. Whilst holding the left mouse button, select the Name field in the Preactor Fields list.
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3. Click Next to continue.
9. This mapping page is called the ‘Data’ mapping page. This is additional data which is attached to the item in the list (usage type and quantity). In cases where there is no additional data, this page will not appear.
Similarly, you could continue without mapping any fields if you decided you didn’t want the additional data.
1. In the Import Field Mappings window, select ‘Constraint Usage’ in the Fields to Import list.
2. Whilst holding the left mouse button, select the ‘Constraint Usage’ field in the Preactor Fields list.
3. Repeat the process for the ‘Constraint Quantity’ field.
4. Click Next to continue.
10. The script has now been created. You can run it here or click ‘Finish’ and run it from within the IO Scripts table. Try changing some data in the import text file (change a constraint quantity from 1 to 5 for example) and verify that, after the script is run again, that the data has changed in the Resources table.
2D Matrix Import
Importing a 2 dimensional matrix into Preactor uses the same Import/Export Wizard that is used to import into tables. There will be 4 mapping screens, where details will be collected about which row the matrix belongs to, what the x axis is, what the y axis is, and what the data is.
The process for creating a script is similar to importing a list. The main difference is that there is an additional ‘Y
Axis Mapping Page’ and that the ‘Data’ mapping page can only ever have a single field mapping.
Export to File
Preactor supports exporting data to either a .csv file or an Excel spreadsheet. When defining an export script using the Import
Export wizard it is possible to export data from any table within the User Data schema.
Once the basic script information is defined (name, description, source table), it is then necessary to start defining field mappings. Export filed mappings differ from import field mappings in that the fields to export are not defined until the mapping is created. It is also possible to export the same field more than once (for example, with different formatting).
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Extract Expression
This is an expression that will be evaluated for every row in the source table. Only rows where the expression evaluates to true will be present in the export file.
Example:
Numeric field comparison: {#Resource Group}==2
String field comparison: ~{$Resource Group}~==~Welders~
Date field comparison: {#Order End} > -1 && {#Due Date} > -1 && {#Order End} < {#Due
Date}
Additional Options
A number of advanced features are enabled using commands that can be defined in the in the Additional Options field.
Mapping Export Fields
Mapping export fields is a case of selecting a field in the 'Preactor Fields' list on the left of the mapping page and including it in the 'Exported Fields' on the right. This can be achieved in a number of ways. A field can be dragged from the left list to the right list. If you double-click on a field in the left list, it will appear in the right list. Finally, if you click the 'Export All' button, all the fields in the left list will be added to the right list.
The order that fields appear in the 'Exported Fields' list dictates the order the fields appear as columns in the exported file. You may re-order the fields in the right hand list by dragging a field up or down the list.
Once a field is listed in the right-list it can be removed by deleting the map from the mapping menu or by clicking the 'Clear' button, which will remove all fields from the right list.
Also from the mapping menu are a limited set of formatting options, equivalent to those available for import mapping.
Default Import and Export Scripts
Import/export scripts can be run with a single button hit from the Workspace Data Transfer and General menus, for example to: l l
Import Orders, Forecasts, Sales data.
Export the Release Schedule.
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Each of these functions may have a number of scripts available to address different situations.
For example, one Import Order script may populate Preactor with a set of orders, overwriting anything that is already in the database, while another script may add to existing orders.
Which particular script to run is configured via:
Configuration Pane ► Settings ► Import Export Mapping (Preactor AS)
Configuration Pane ► Settings ► Configuration Data (for Preactor AP)
As can be seen in this Preactor AS example, a drop down menu will offer the scripts available for each of the standard data
Transfer buttons.
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There would normally be no need to change these for Preactor AP, however alternative scripts could be predefined for different circumstances allowing rapid changes between configurations without needing to manipulate script files.
Importing And Exporting Calendars
Overview
A separate mechanism exists for exporting and importing all Preactor calendar data using SQL stored procedures and XML files.
One of the primary reasons for providing this mechanism is to support the transfer of calendar data between a master scheduling system (MSS) and a viewer. This is only necessary when a viewer license is used with an independent database and therefore only applies to Ultimate viewers. When a viewer is connected to the same database as the MSS the transfer of calendar information is not required.
Using Calendar Import / Export
The import or export of calendar data can be achieved using one of two PESP actions. These actions are called 'Export
Calendars' and 'Import Calendars'. Each of these actions takes one parameter called 'Filename'. This parameter is where you can specify the name of the file to which the data will be written or from which it will be read. It is usual to give these files a
'.xml' extension. When executed these PESP actions will export or import all calendar data. There is no way to select a subset of the data to export or import. If there is a requirement to do so (for example, only transferring calendar exceptions between configurations) then it is recommended that the system implementer look into the calendar related Preactor API methods (see the API documentation for more details). Generally calendar information should only be imported while the sequencer is not open.
Note: While it is possible to edit XML files, it is recommended that the calendar related Preactor API methods are used in preference. Certain elements reference other elements using an Id. If these relationships are broken, then the file will fail to import.
External Data Mapping
Overview
External Data Mapping is a feature within Preactor that allows information from an external source to be ‘mapped’ into the tables defined in Preactor.
This approach differs from conventional import scripts, in that external data is not considered as information that is owned by
Preactor. Mapped external data is considered to be owned by the source from which it is mapped. For this reason, it is not possible to perform all of the usual insert, update and delete operations that can be performed on a standard Preactor table.
In addition, when data is mapped in this way, fields into which data has been mapped are removed from the Preactor database.
This happens on start-up, in much the same way as would happen were a field deleted from a Preactor Table Definition file in an
Ultimate edition of Preactor.
Defining an External Data Map
To create a new external data map, from the Configuration category on the Preactor desktop, select ‘Integration’ then
‘External Data Mapping’. Enter a new row in the table to begin defining the data map.
Data maps are defined in a similar way to import scripts, with the omission of some details that are not required.
In the first step the data map must be named and the target table specified. At this point you must select the type of data source you would like to map data from.
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Once the source data has been defined, the final step is to map the fields from the source data into the target table. Each field that is mapped will be removed from the database when Preactor is restarted, unless a mapped field is marked as an ID field. ID fields are used as a key on which to join the external data. More than one ID field may be defined.
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Applying Changes on Startup
When Preactor is restarted, fields that are mapped and are not used as IDs will be removed from the Preactor database. In addition, evaluated field that reference a mapped field will also be removed.
The list of changes affecting the database will be displayed on start-up.
Working with Mapped Tables
When external data is mapped into a table, there are a number of behavioral changes that become evident when working with that table in the Preactor Editor.
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Firstly, operations such as insert and delete are disabled. Any such activity should be performed in the external data. Another difference is that any field that is mapped becomes read-only. Again, any alteration to this information should be performed in the external source.
Unreachable Sources
When a data source becomes unreachable or the retrieval of external data fails for any reason, Preactor will raise an error. If an error is ignored, Preactor will continue with rows in mapped tables consistent with the ID values stored in the Preactor database. All mapped fields will have their default values. Depending on what data is mapped and the fields it is mapped to, this could have a significant impact on the behavior of Preactor.
Reporting
Reports
Introduction
To be competitive in today's market conditions, organizations require immediate access to relevant up to date information and to extend its use beyond the confines of their own business, to interact with partners, suppliers and customers.
To facilitate this, a collection of standard Microsoft Reporting Services based reports - see
Configuring Preactor for Report
A selection of reports that ship with Preactor are summarized
here . Certain reports are only available based on the Preactor
product and configuration that is being used.
The reports are generated from the Reports window in the Sequencer or Planner:
View ► Reports in the Sequencer
View ► Reports ► Report List in the Planner
The Reports List will appear down the right hand side of the screen by default.
The report generation is initiated by double clicking on the required report.
from one report to initiate another is supported.
Reports are generated on Saved data, not on data ‘in memory’.
Reports are often provided as lists, tables, and in graphical form (e.g. graphs and charts). They are generally divided into: l l l l
Reports that show the provisioning of Preactor.
Reports that show Transaction data
Reports that show different aspects and consequences of the Sequencing or Planning.
Reports that show a comparison of different aspects and consequence between two Schedules or Plans – using the current Schedule/Plan and a previously stored one, or two previously stored Schedules/Plans.
Reports can be seen on screen, and also exported to a PDF or Excel file.
Examples:
1. The Sequencer report Orders By Customers provides a list of all the orders for each customer, one page per customer.
This example shows page 1 of a multi-page screen output.
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2. The report Order Late Or Early Bar Chart shows an overview of the scheduled Completion times against due dates. On the screen output, the user can click in one of the bars on the bar chart to Drill Down to get another report detailing the orders which are represented by that bar.
This report is taken from the exported Excel output.
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3. This report shows a comparison between 2 schedules and their effect on Orders. Note the criteria used for the report can be specified.
Supported Reports
Sequencer Reports
See also
for help in generating the reports, and
on how to read and navigate the report output. Note - many reports have Drill Down reports available.
Most of the shipped reports are self-described in the title of the report. However, there are a selection of reports that require a more detailed explanation of what the report is showing, or a specific feature available in that report. This selection of reports is detailed below.
Order Reports l l l l l
At Risk Orders – Reports on Orders that are at risk of not meeting due dates.
See
for more information on what orders are deemed ‘At Risk’.
BoM Shortages Summary – Reports on the material shortages expected on a daily or weekly basis.
The user must specify the Scale of the report (Daily or Weekly).
From this report, the user can click a quantity on the report to Drill Down to details on that shortage, opening up the
Linked BoM Shortages Report.
Late Operations by Reference Date – Reports on the Operations that would be late if the Reference time were changed.
The user modifies the Reference Time field in the report and generates a report to see what state the Orders will be at that time.
Linked BoM Shortages - Provides a detailed view by order of what BoM items that order is short of.
Operations by Progress – Provides a report of the Operations listed in order of what progress state they are in, as defined by the Operation Progress field against that operation.
Other Reports l
Address Book – Displays the addresses held in the PCO Address Book table.
These will be the addresses of the current system and any system that it communicates with.
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Report Reading
There are common structures/formats used for displaying multi-page reports.
Where a multi-page report has one page per entity (e.g. one page per customer), that report will often have a Document Map on the left hand side of the report. Users can use the map to go to the page for that particular entity, or navigate through normal next/last page toolbar icons.
The Document Map can be turned On/Off by toggling the Toolbar Icon .
Export Report Data
You can export any data displayed on a report to an Excel spreadsheet or PDF file. To do so from a generated report: click on the Export toolbar option and select the export format and continue with selecting the filename and destination.
Multi-page outputs will result in multi-worksheet spreadsheets to maintain the report formatting.
Configuring Preactor for Local Reports
If reports have been installed successfully, you should see a list of the reports displayed in the 'Reports' pane in the sequencer. If the 'Reports' pane is not visible, it can be opened by choosing 'View' then 'Reports' from the menu.
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You can check the report settings by selecting 'Tools' and then 'Options...' menu option, click on the 'Reports' node in the tree view on the left-hand side. The right-hand side of the dialog displays the settings for both Remote and Local Reports (for more information on the Remote Report settings, please visit the Preactor knowledge base http://kb.preactor.com/ ). To display local reports in the 'Reports' pane, make sure that the 'Enable Local Reports' check box is checked, the 'Local Reports Folder' specifies the location of the folder that contains the report definition files (RDL) files. If you wish to retrieve the local reports from a different location to the current folder that is specified, simply browse to the folder that includes the report files that you wish to be displayed.
Configuring Reporting Services
Preactor provides its reporting facilities by integrating Microsoft Reporting Services within Preactor. Preactor can use Microsoft
Reporting Services both locally and for additional benefits remotely (if reports need to be web based using a full Microsoft SQL
Reporting Services Server).
The user can select Local or Remote reporting services, and define the reporting server URL (for Remote Reports) or the
Reports Folder (for Local Reports) from:
Sequencer ►Tools ►Options ► Reports ► General.
or
Planner ► Settings ► Report Options.
If using Remote Reports, the Server Report options selected when unpackaging the Preactor Configuration become valid.
Report Generation
When a report generation is initiated, a window will be opened.
l
If the report does not require any options to be entered by the user, the window will contain the required report.
These tend to include those reporting on the current provisioning, e.g. Calendar States.
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Reporting l
If the report does require options to be entered by the user (usually selecting which saved Dataset(s) are to be used), the top of the opened window will prompt for that data to be entered, and the 'View Report' button only becomes active when all required information is entered.
This example shows the Total Days Cover report requires the data set to be selected, the Capacity Group to be selected and the
From and To Dates to be selected before the View Report button can be used to generate the report.
Some reports require the user to define the type of data to be reported on, and/or the format of the output. The following example requires the Criteria to be selected from a drop down list, and the output format (scale and Bars per Page) to be defined.
Comparison reports require the user to select the Schedules to compare between. The comparison is done between two schedules – one can be the current Schedule or a stored Schedule, one must be a stored Schedule.
Schedules are stored from Sequencer File menu – Save Schedule As…
Drill Down
Some reports provide detail information of data presented in another report. These reports can be initiated from that higher level report. This action is called Drill Down.
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Reporting
Typically, and where available, a report indicates that Drill Down information is available by coloring the text as a link, as in this example:
Here we see that Drill Down is available for: Order No.; Customer; Product/Part No.; and Resource – each Drilled Down report providing information relevant to that item.
And in this example, the Schedule Comparison Bar Chart results in the following report:
Clicking on the bar representing Orders that are 4 days early opens up the following report detailing those Orders that are 4 days early (actually obtained from the Schedule Comparison Bar Chart Details report):
Notice that when in the Drilled Down report, the Back navigation toolbar icon becomes active, so the user can get back to the originating report.
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Calendars
Calendars
Overview
Calendars are used throughout Preactor AS and Preactor AP in a variety of ways. Although some of the specifics around what properties may be set and how the details of a calendar are interpreted may vary depending on the context in which they are used, general concepts such as states and templates and their application are common to all cases. This section describes these concepts and gives some examples of how these concepts might be applied. For more specific information on how
calendars are used in Preactor AS "Calendars" on page 185.
States
Calendar states are the entity on which all calendars are based. A state may have different properties depending on what it is used for. For example, in Preactor AS a Primary Resource state includes an efficiency which affects the run rate of operations processed on a resource.
A number of states are typically defined in Preactor covering common use cases - on shift, off shift etc. Additional states can be added by the user and may represent all manner of conditions, often purely for information purposes.
Templates
Calendar templates define a repeatable pattern of periods, each period having a duration and other properties depending on the context in which it is used. The template itself also has a duration. The periods within the template may have a cumulative duration as long as but no longer than the duration of the template itself. When applied, templates will repeat in accordance with their duration and any reference date set.
Name
Templates are assigned names in order to easily identify them. They may be given any name.
Color
A color assigned to a template may be used when rendering any view that includes the calendar detail. For example, the overview window in the sequencer in Preactor AS shows the individual calendar states that result when a template is applied to a resource and underneath those states a single colored line shows the color of the template applied at that time.
Duration
When templates are applied, they repeat according to their duration. If a template is not entirely full with periods then still the template duration governs the repeat process. Templates without periods defined for the entire duration will have gaps when applied. How these gaps are treated depends on the template type and how that template is applied.
Reference Date
When a template is applied, its reference date is used as a point from which to repeat the template. For a template that is designed to apply from 8:00 AM on a Monday morning, a reference date should be set on a Monday morning at 08:00 AM.
The date chosen is not relevant in this case. Where a template has a non-weekly repeat cycle, it is important to choose a reference date that represents the intended repeat cycle for that template. Reference dates can be overridden when a template is applied.
Calendar Instances
When a calendar is applied to an entity in Preactor it can be referred to as a calendar instance. Calendar instances detail periods for which templates and states are applied.
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Common Datasets
Default Periods
A calendar instance must have a default period. The default period for a new calendar instance will be based on defaults set in the application. A default template may run indefinitely, or it may change at a given point in time. For example, some equipment may not come online until a given date. In this case that equipment may be defined with a default period using the
'Off Shift' calendar state up until the equipment becomes operational, at which point its default period will be set to use the
'Normal Working Week' template indefinitely.
Exception Periods
Exception periods are for shorter term deviations from the default template period. As per their name, exceptions should be used for exceptional cases. Examples of this might include running unplanned overtime or simulating the breakdown of a piece of equipment.
Common Datasets
Common Datasets
Common Datasets is the functionality which allows associate tables to load from a shared (common) dataset, i.e. allowing
Supply tables (associate tables) to be loaded from one Orders table (common dataset). The functionality is configured by adding a COMMON classification to an ASSOCIATE table in the MaterialControl_prtdf.inc file (for AS) or the .prtdf file (for AP).
Once this functionality has been configured, the user may enable the functionality at runtime, via the Manage Common
Datasets window, from the Configuration menu in the Preactor Desktop.
This functionality is useful when switching between multiple schedules yet there is a desire to maintain a single Supply,
Demand or Bill of Materials tables.
When a dataset is requested, e.g. the Orders table upon entering the Sequencer, Preactor will check the dataset settings and load the data into the memory based on the settings. A similar process will be followed when saving a dataset, so that a single set of data is kept against a single ASSOCIATE table (when enabled).
Example:
In order to apply the COMMON classification to an ASSOCIATE table, the MaterialControl_prtdf.inc/.prtdf file must be opened in a text editor. For this example, AS Ultimate shall be used. Here is a section of text contained within the MaterialControl_ prtdf.inc file:
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Common Datasets
...
Supply,ASSOCIATE (Orders):
Number,-1,INTEGER,
PRIMARY KEY
HIDDEN
SUPPLY TABLE:
Order No.,"",STRING,
HELPPOPUPID (25400)
FREE FORMAT
LOCATE
MATERIAL CONTROL ORDER NO:
Order Type,1,STRING,
HELPPOPUPID (25410)
DATABASE(Order Types(Name))
EXCLUDE "(({#Number}==0)||({#Number}==2))"
LOCATE
...
For this example, the COMMON classification is to be added to the Supply table.
Supply,ASSOCIATE (Orders) COMMON:
Saving the text file will allow enabling of this functionality, which is done from the Manage Common Datasets option in the
Configuration menu.
In this example, the Supply table has had the COMMON classification applied to it, so this option will be available for enabling. If the COMMON classification hasn't been applied to a table, then that option will be grayed out.
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Security
Security
Introduction
Access by a user (Login) to certain navigation options from the Preactor Desktop can be restricted.
This is managed from the Manage Security Settings task:
Preactor Desktop ► Configuration ► Security
Access to Preactor is managed by the Login
Access to Workflows is controlled by the definition of Roles that are assigned to Logins l
A Workflow is an Actionable Item
Enabling any Workflow results in all the options in the Navigation, Active and Work panes that are required to access that Workflow to become available.
In the diagram below, the workflows for 3 roles are shown: Generate Schedule, Import Orders, and Manage
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Security
Security
Security Settings.
l
A Role is created by the user and associated to one or more workflows.
In the example below, Roles have been created to Administer the System, to Issue Orders, and a Super User role to access a number of Workflows.
l
A Login is assigned one or more Roles.
In the example below: Admin can only administer Security; User 1 has access to specific tasks for his job, but the Manager can access the whole system.
Notes: l l l l l l
Only access to menu items on the Preactor Desktop are managed. Access to menu items within the Sequencer or Planner are not individually managed.
The configured Security settings are valid for the database a configuration connects to. It will not apply to configurations using a different database.
Initialization of the Security Settings takes place when starting Preactor. Changes to the Security setting will not be seen until Preactor is restarted.
When Security is activated, login is necessary, and it is not permitted to log out and to login as a new User.
Preactor must be restarted for a different user to login.
Items added to the menus (by customization) will automatically become Workflows, available for assigning to Roles.
Such Workflows will not automatically be assigned to any existing Role however.
Items removed from menus will be removed from the Workflow lists and the Roles they were assigned to.
When configuring Security, there must always be a login configured that can administrate the Security options.
Preactor can never get into a state whereby the Security cannot be configured because of lack of access permissions.
Of course, loss of password information can result in the inability to manage Security.
Security Guidance
SQL Server
Server Setup
It is recommended that SQL Server is installed and configured by following the latest documentation from the Microsoft, which gives guidance on creating and implementing an effective security plan.
Communications between Preactor and SQL Server
Although securing SQL Server is outside the scope of this documentation, it is recommended that Preactor is configured to use secure communications. SQL Server supports Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to enable the encryption of data transfers.
Enabling SSL encryption requires modification of the connection string stored in the Preactor Command Definition (.prcdf) file, as well as installing a trusted certificate on the SQL Server host. The .prcdf file can be modified using the ‘Command File Editor’.
Please refer to the documentation for SQL Server for more information on configuring SSL.
Preactor Configurations
Access to Preactor
Preactor contains an authentication and security module. It is recommended that this mechanism is used to help prevent
configuring this module.
Preactor Configuration Files
Preactor uses a number of configuration files which are stored on disk. These files include the menu and table definition files, workspace information files, and the Preactor Command Definition File. It is recommended that access to these files is
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Security restricted to only those users which require access to them. That is, only the users who will run Preactor. Permissions on files can be set using standard Windows file or folder permission sets.
Importing or Exporting of Data
Communications Protocols
The Import/Export Wizard provides a simple interface to define an import or export script for any table within the 'UserData' schema. Preactor can import from both files on disk, and a number of different data providers.
Where Preactor is importing from a disk based file, it is recommended that the permissions are adjusted to prevent unauthorised reading or writing of that file. This can be done using the standard Windows file or folder permission sets.
Where Preactor is importing from a data provider, consideration should be given to securing both the data and the communication mechanism. For example, imports using a SQL data provider should use SSL to encrypt communications.
Imports from Open Data sources should consider using HTTPS where possible, and also implement authentication on the data source to prevent unauthorized access. In all cases it is recommended that secure communication protocols are used where possible.
Credential Storage
Preactor supports the encryption of fields. It is recommended that this feature is enabled when storing sensitive information.
See "Encryption " on page 98 for more information.
Preactor Communications Object (PCO)
Multiple Preactor systems can communicate using the Preactor Communications Object. PCO allows transport of messages through a variety of mechanisms using "Connectors", such as the FSO (File System Object) connector provided with the
Preactor.
Where the FSO connector is used, it is not uncommon to have Preactor read and write to a shared folder on a network. It is recommended that access to any shared folders is restricted to only the users that require permission. Permissions on files can be set using standard Windows file or folder permission sets.
Setting Up Security
To setup Security, the following must be done: l l l l
Create and/or Identify
Create
, and assign
to those Roles
Assign one or more
to a Login
Enable
Enable Security Authentication
Enabling Security Authentication, and choosing which types of Authentication are used, is selected from the General option of the Manage Security Settings window, obtained from:
Preactor Desktop ► Configuration ► Security
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Security
There are 2 authentication modes supported; Basic and Windows.
Basic
Enabling Basic Authentication will allow access to Preactor for any Basic Login
and enabled.
Windows
Enabling Windows Authentication will allow access to Preactor for any Windows Login or Group
and enabled.
Either, both, or no authentication mode can be selected.
Logins
A Login provides access to Preactor when
Authentication is enabled.
A Login can be: l l l
A Basic Login ('JDoe' and 'Manager' in the screenshot below).
This type of Login is defined and used only in Preactor.
Login names and passwords are stored securely within Preactor.
A Windows Login ('PreactorUser' in the screenshot below).
The Login and password is administered by Windows. Only the Windows Identities (SIDs) are stored.
A Windows Group Login ('ScheduleGroup' in the screenshot below)
Any Windows Login which is part of the group can access Preactor.
In the Logins windows, the current Logins can be seen, together with their type and whether they are individually enabled:
From the Logins selection, the user can Add, Edit or Remove a Login.
Add and Edit opens a similar dialog, the Logins Editor.
Logins Editor
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Security
The user must: l l l l
Select the type of login (Basic or Windows).
Enter the Login name.
If using a Windows login, that name must be an existing Windows Login or a work group.
A Password (for Basic types only)
Select whether to enable the login (this can also be set from the Manage Security Settings/Logins dialog.
Once created, a Login name and type cannot be changed.
Roles and Workflows
Roles and Workflows controls the access to Preactor navigation when
Authentication is enabled.
A Role is created and associated with the workflows necessary to execute that role.
From the Roles selection the user can see existing Roles, and Add, Edit or Remove a Role.
Above we see that 4 Roles have been created, an Admin Role (which can enable Security administration), a Scheduling Role, a
Provisioning Role, and a SuperUser Role.
When Adding or Editing a Role, a similar dialog is opened, the Role Editor.
The Role Editor
There are 2 tabs in this dialog, l l one for assigning Logins to the Role (Role Members).
one for assigning Workflows to the Role (Workflows).
Creating a Role, and Adding a Login to the Role Members (assigning a Role to a Login)
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Security l l l
A new Role must be given a name.
Selecting Add will result in a list being displayed of possible Logins that can be associated with this Role.
Logins can be Removed from the Role Members.
Assigning Workflows to the Role
l l l
The list shows which Workflows are currently assigned to this Role.
Selecting Add will result in a list being displayed of additional possible Workflows that can be associated with this Role.
Workflows can also be removed from this Role.
The lists can be filtered and/or sorted for ease of reading. To filter: l l l l
Expand the filter
Enter the desired string in the Name or Label field
Check the Enable Filter box
Select Filter
Associating Workflows to a Role is simply a matter of selecting one or more Workflows and selecting OK.
To select items in the lists, it is possible to: l l
Add one workflow at a time.
Use multiple individual selections (Ctrl + Left Mouse click on each item)
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l l
Use group selection (Left mouse click on first item, then Shift + Left Mouse click on last item), or Ctrl A to get all items in the list.
Use any of the above on the Filtered list.
Logging In
If
is enabled, starting Preactor will result in the Login screen being displayed:
Security
If both Basic and Windows Authentication methods are enabled, the option for which type of Login to be used is offered.
If a Windows method is being used, the current user's login is filled in. No password is needed. Access will be granted if that
Login has been enabled, or is part of a Windows group that has been enabled in the Security configuration.
If a Basic method is being used, the user must enter their Login and Password.
Changing Password
A user logged in using Basic Authentication is able to change their password (if that Workflow is allowed).
This is done via the 'Change Password' option in:
Configuration ► Security
Encryption
Overview
Some fields in Preactor carry potentially sensitive information. This information needs to be discoverable by authorized users, but should not be discoverable with access to the database only. The encryption feature in Preactor allows for this.
Behavior
Individual fields are marked for encryption. For Standard and Professional editions of Preactor, a select few fields are marked as encrypted. For Ultimate editions, any FREE FORMAT STRING field may be encrypted by adding the ENCRYPTED classification.
Encryption is enabled and disabled on a global basis. If encryption is disabled, encrypted fields will be stored in plain text. When enabled, a master password must be set to read and write the encrypted data. If encryption has been enabled, and then subsequently disabled, all encrypted information will remain in the database until it is overwritten. Encrypted data is kept in memory, and is only decrypted when it is required.
To enable or disable encryption, or to enter the master password, select 'Encryption Settings' from the 'Security' configuration category within Preactor.
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Scripting
Master Password
When encryption is enabled in Preactor, a master password should be set by the enabling user. This master password will be used as the basis for encryption. It is also salted by a cryptographically resilient algorithm, providing greater security.
When a new user (or an existing user on a different computer) tries to access the encrypted data they too will need to provide the master password. Once the master password is verified, the new user will be able to access the encrypted information from then on.
Note: If the master password is forgotten, the encrypted data is only recoverable by those users who already have access. New users cannot be granted access to the encrypted data without the master password.
Evaluate Fields and Encryption
EVALUATE fields cannot reference fields with the ENCRYPTED classification on them.
Encryption Strength
Preactor encrypts all information using the AES-256 cipher.
Scripting
Preactor Event Script Processor (PESP)
Introduction
Preactor's Event Script Processor allows users to create their own custom functionality as a sequence of Actions, and for that script to be executed in response to an event. It provides a friendly user interface to define the script, and in many cases eliminates the need for the custom feature to be written in code. See the Product Based Feature Lists to determine which products the PESP feature is available in, and note that some specific actions are only available in appropriate products, e.g.
APS Rules are not appropriate to the lower functionality products.
An event script is a series of Actions which are processed in sequence until all steps are completed, initiated by an
.
PESP provides a scripting language, used to define what happens when events occur within Preactor.
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Scripting
The
that can result in the execution of a script can be: l l l l
One of a predetermined set of possible discrete events that have occurred in Preactor, e.g. dropping an operation onto the Overview window (Discrete Event).
A PCO message is received which indicates a PESP script is to be executed (Message Event).
A selection on the Preactor Desktop associated with a script has been made (MANIP Event).
A Timed Event has occurred – an event setup to occur after a predetermined period of time (Timed Event).
l
Additionally, a PESP script is available on shipped configurations that manage the presentation and execution of
in the Scheduler.
A script can be executed by any or all of these events, e.g. a script could be executed as a result of a received PCO message, or when a selection on the Preactor Desktop is made, or when a discrete action in Preactor takes place.
There is a predetermined set of possible actions that can be executed by the event script. In addition to the predefined list of actions, there is also the option to include a ‘Custom Action’. The ‘Custom Action’ can be used to call any custom feature written in code.
An action could be: l l l
To perform some action in Preactor (e.g. schedule, or display a message).
To obtain information (e.g. get the current time).
To jump to another action (identified by the label field) in the script, based on a decision (e.g. IF true, go to this label of the script).
Information can be passed between the actions in the script with the use of variables.
Viewing the Event Scripts
From the Preactor Desktop, select Configuration ► Event Script ► Event Scripts.
A table of the available event scripts will be displayed, from which scripts can be created, deleted, and edited.
Check the box in the 'Show' column to switch between an expanded or collapsed view of the script. Likewise, check the box in the 'Action Enabled' column to enable and action, uncheck to disable.
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Scripting
Creating and Editing Event Scripts
Event Scripts are created and edited in the PESP Event Scripts data table. From the Preactor Desktop, select:
Customization ► Event Scripts ► Event Scripts l l l
To create a new script, double click beneath the last entry in the data table.
To edit the action of an existing script, double click on that action – else right click and edit.
To add actions to an existing script, click on the row after the location the action is to be added, right click and Insert.
A dialog window opens:
It is possible to delete an action, or the complete script by right clicking and selecting Delete.
The following fields are mandatory to have filled in: l l l l
PARENT
As with all Preactor data tables with family relationships between records, the first action entered in the script is referred to as the PARENT, and that is the option entered in this field. All additional actions in the script are children of the Parent
Action and have the name of that parent in this field.
Name (if a Parent Record)
Action, or Use Custom Action / Custom Action
An action must be selected, either from the drop down list or by checking the Use Custom Action box and selecting a custom action. Custom Actions can for example be created using the Preactor Software Development Kit (SDK).
To add a custom action, you can either choose the NEW PESP Custom Actions option from the drop down list on the
Custom Action field in the Event Scripts table and enter the appropriate information identifying the Project, Class,
Method and Parameters of the code that you wish to run. Or you can open up the Custom Actions table and add the entry in there first and then select it from the Custom Action field in the Event Scripts table.
Parameters
These need to be filled in as appropriate for the selected Action.
Only valid parameters for the selected action are presented to the user to fill in.
The following fields are also available: l
For Event
The For Event is used in the PARENT action of a PESP script to define if the script is to be run in response to a discrete event in Preactor.
If this field is left Unspecified, the event can only be triggered by: l l l a Menu User Interface option (MANIP Event Script).
a tool.
right clicking on a record in the sequencer to bring up a pop up menu.
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Scripting l l l l l l l l l an APS Rule.
a Message (Message Event Script).
Script Type
There are a number of Script Types that can be associated with the script. They allow you to view in the table only those types that you are interested in by using the drop down filter list box.
Additionally, a Script Type of APS Rule causes that PESP script to be listed in the APS Rules selection dialog in the sequencer. See
Script Category
A Category, as defined in the PESP Script Category table (managed from the desktop) allows scripts to further manage the presentation of the scripts in the PESP Event Script table.
Label
The Label can be used for jump actions based on a Conditional test within an Event Script (e.g. IF True, jump to this label).
Description
Allows the user to describe the action. When used for the first action of a script, it typically describes the whole script.
This description is visible when the script is displayed in contracted form in the table.
Action Enabled
A checkbox to individually enable/disable the action in the script.
This can also be set from the table view, using ctrl + shift select in the Action Enabled column.
Use Custom Action / Custom Action
Checking the Use Custom Action check box alters the Action field name to Custom Action, allowing you to use your own Custom Actions created using the Preactor Software Development Kit (SDK) for example.
To add a custom action, you can either choose the NEW PESP Custom Actions option from the drop down list on the
Custom Action field in the Event Scripts table and enter the appropriate information identifying the Project, Class,
Method and Parameters of the code that you wish to run. Or you can open up the Custom Actions table and add the entry in there first and then select it from the Custom Action field in the Event Scripts table.
Advanced
This provides the ability for the script to be executed in the sequencer from the right click menu for the operation in a number of windows in the sequencer, or using a shortcut in combination with a mouse click.
The settings shown in the dialog above add a new menu item to the operation context menu in the sequencer, as shown below.
Custom Actions
Custom actions created by the user can be executed by a PESP script. It should be noted though that:
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Scripting l l
The return value of a Custom Action cannot be used by PESP (e.g. to modify the flow of the PESP).
PESP Script Variables need to be used to return values to PESP by the Custom Action.
Script Variables
Data is transferred between actions in a script using Script Variables.
To create a script variable, just start using it by name (e.g. My Variable) in one action, and it becomes available for use in subsequent actions.
Some predefined script variables are provided: l l l
TimedEventActualTime
The date/time at which the currently running script was started.
TimedEventRequestedTime
The date/time at which the event requested is to be fired. This may be earlier than the actual time, if Preactor had been shut down or if the event calendar had been disabled.
TimedEventPrimaryKey
The Primary Key of the record in the event calendar that fired the currently running PESP script. This value can be used to reference custom data in a configuration specific table. See the section on strategies for a discussion of how to use this mechanism to associate custom information with individual events.
Event Types
Message Events
Messages are passed between systems using the PCO. The message has within it the name of any PESP script to be executed.
Typically the message will come from an external source, e.g. from a Shop-floor viewer, with data associated with it (could be a file or XML data within the message).
The data is processed (e.g. by an Import script), a reply sent, and then deleted by the Communications Object (PCO).
See
for further guidance.
Discrete Events
There are many Discrete Events that occur in Preactor and you may want to customize what happens on the occurrence of such with an Event Script.
Typically, actions associated with these PESP Events may: l l l l l l
Perform data validation or error checking, when the user clicks on 'OK' in a dialog box.
Force the user to complete all of the dialog boxes in the editor and validate the data they have entered.
Populate other parts of the database according to values they have just entered.
Perform an evaluate statement on the figures they have used for operation times.
Run a script when an operation is dropped on the sequence overview window, or when the user attempts to drag an operation in the Sequencer Overview window.
Run a custom action.
See also
for a specific application of Discrete Events.
MANIP Event
A 'MANIP' command can be used to run an Event script, using the switch /RunEventScript.
This is defined in the menu definition file (.prmdf) as shown in the example below for Import Orders:
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Scripting
Import_Orders: MANIP.DLL
/RunEventScript {FIND RELATED DB VALUE("Import Export Mapping" "Number" "1" "Order
Import Event Script")},
Import Orders Event Script,
;
Import Orders,
Foreground,ALWAYS:{RETURN};
It is an easy way of assigning scripts to Work Pane items on the Preactor Desktop. An Ultimate edition of Preactor is required in order to be able to make changes to the .prmdf file.
Timed Events
The PESP Timed Events module provides Preactor with the concept of executing tasks at some time in the future. An event calendar is used to associate a task with the date and time at which the task is to execute.
Timed Events are useful in a number of scenarios, for example:
To support order promising.
When an order promise is made, an entry can be added to the event calendar to delete the order promise at some time in the future if a firm order has not subsequently been received.
The event calendar is implemented as a standard editable table, managed from:
Preactor Desktop ► Configuration ► Event Scripts ► Timed Event Calendar.
A timed event can be added to the system by creating an entry in the table, and defining the PESP script to run, and when.
PESP actions are also provided that allow timed events to be created in a PESP script.
When the event calendar is enabled, an event calendar processor polls this table at regular intervals and runs any tasks that are overdue. Tasks are deleted from the calendar as soon as they are executed.
The Timed Event module is enabled/disabled and the table scan period is configured, from:
Desktop ► Configuration ► Event Script ► Timed Event Settings.
Changes to the configuration take place when Preactor is next started.
Event Calendar Processor Overview
The event calendar processor runs in the background and is responsible for polling the event calendar, running PESP scripts on demand, and creating/deleting events from the event calendar as needed.
Most of these tasks are designed to run silently in the background so as to disturb Preactor’s primary processing as little as possible.
This is achieved by running these processes on separate threads. Although the event calendar performs its polling and script launching logic on a separate thread, the PESP scripts themselves still run on the primary thread.
As shown in the diagram, the PESP action to create a new timed event causes a further thread to be spun up to perform the insert. This temporary thread is destroyed once the insert operation is complete. This approach enables synchronized access to the event calendar table to avoid possible corruption. Thread synchronization is provided through a mutex class which effectively places a software lock over the event calendar table. Writes to the table will only be preformed by a thread if it can obtain the mutex. If another thread is currently holding the mutex, the second thread enters a wait state until the mutex becomes available.
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Scripting
Event Parameters and Return Values
The PESP processor is logically located between the part of Preactor that detects an Event, and that which processes that
Event. Each event is sent with parameters, and a return status set to 'passed'. That data is stored in as set of variables, identified by the Event Parameters Mapping table, at:
Customization ► Event Scripts ► Event Parameter Mapping
Custom Check Parameters for Discrete Events
There are 2 parameters passed by all events, but they are not always filled with useful information.
l l
Parameter 1 is usually the Format Number, which maps to the Format Number and Format Name in the table.
Parameter 2 is usually the Record Number, which maps to the Record Number and the Custom Check number in the table.
Some Events do not use these parameters, so the data is meaningless.
Some Events put other information in these Parameters, appropriate to the Event.
These Parameters are available in the PESP script, but should not be changed.
Return Values
A PESP script can modify that return value which may impact the continued processing of that Event by Preactor. For example, if the event of dropping (but not yet dropped) an Operation on the Overview window triggers a PESP script, and that script
(after some other tests) sets the return value Failed, Preactor would not complete the processing to drop that operation. See actions Return …. (e.g Return Fail).
Not all processing of events by Preactor is dependent on the return status of the event.
Example Scripts
Message Event Script
An example of a Message Event script, found in the shipped Job Shop configuration, is the Receive Updated Record script.
The flow of this script is:
Action # Action
1: Is Module PrShell
2: IF FALSE, GOTO End
Parameters
Returns TRUE if is PrShell. Puts return value in variable variable to check, and go to label.
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Scripting
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
Display Message ‘New Schedule received’.
Suspend UI
Message to be displayed.
Copy attachment to file File used for Import script
Run Import/Export Script ID which script to run.
Send PESP Message Schedule Update to Viewer 1 Message type, destination
8:
9:
Send PESP Message Schedule Update to Viewer 2 Message type, destination
Set PESP Message as Processed
0: Resume UI
11: END End Script
Simple APS Scheduling Script
All of the shipped configurations contain examples of APS Scheduling scripts such as the APS Forward Rule (the system must run as 400 APS or above for the APS Rule option to be available in the Sequencer). This script simply performs an APS Forward
Schedule.
A Multi-Pass Scheduling Rule.
Here is shown a possible flow for a multi-pass scheduling rule facilitated by PESP.
# Description
1: Find orders for Customer A
Action
Locate By Expression – e.g.
((~{$Customer}~==~ABC Engineers~)||({#Priority}==1))
2: Backward sequence from Due Date. APS Backwards
3: Find orders for Customer B.
4: Forwards Sequence
Locate By Expression – e.g.
(~{$Customer}~==~MDN Gearboxes~)
APS Forwards
5: Find remaining orders
6: Schedule with preferred rules
Locate By Expression This time provide expression, so all remaining jobs are located.
APS Preferred Sequence.
Search Records in a Table And Perform Action on Those Matching Criteria.
Here is an example script that loops around all of the records in a table to perform actions on records that match a certain criteria. In this case the PESP script will write ‘Complete’ to the ‘Operation Progress’ field for all records that have the ‘Use Actual
Times’ toggle field set.
Action Name
Suspend UI
Description
Suspends user interface whilst processing of PESP script is occurring
Parameters Parameter Content
Set Script Variable
(Number)
START: (Label)
Find Matching Record
By Expression
Initializes script variable by assigning its value as 0
Searches Orders table for all records that have the
‘Use Actual Times’ toggle field set
Script Variable
Number
Format
Name
Script Variable
Use Script
Variable
Numeric
Value
Use Script
Variable
String
Value
RecordNo
No
0.000000
No
Orders
Expression* Use Script No
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Scripting
Evaluate Shell Expression
If False
Write Field (String)
GoTo Jump to START label name
Starting
Record
Direction
String
Goto
Variable
String
Value
Use Script
Variable
String
Value
({Use Actual Times}-
}==1)
Yes
RecordNo
Use Script
Variable
No
Constant PrObjSearchForwards
Result Script
Variable
RecordNo
Tests to see if a matching record has been found
If no matching record has been found, jump to END label name
Write ‘Complete’ to ‘Operation Progress’ field in
‘Orders’ table
Expression
Use Script
Variable
String
Value
Script Variable
Script Variable
Use Script
Variable
Condition
Script Variable
Use Script
Variable
Goto
String
Value
Use Script
Variable
Format
Name
String
Value
Use Script
Variable
Field Name
Record Number
String
Value
Use Script
Variable
Script Variable
Use Script
Variable
String
Value
Use Script
Variable
String
Value
No
({#PESP_
RecordNo}>0)
MatchFound
Yes
MatchFound
No
END
No
Orders
No
Operation Progress
Yes
RecordNo
No
Complete
No
START
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Scripting
END: (Label)
Restore the user interface
Resume UI
End Script Terminates the script
* If all records need to be included in the subsequent actions, an expression that includes all records such as 1==1 should be entered, rather than an expression that would only include a limited number of records.
APS Scheduling Rules
A PESP script called APS Select Scheduling Rule is provided that facilitates the presentation and execution in the Sequencer of all the APS scheduling rules available. This is executed when the user selects APS Rules from the Sequence menu in the
Sequencer, and opens a dialog that allows the user to select the required scheduling rule to run.
This script presents to the user all the scripts of type APS Rule. PESP scripts created to apply a new scheduling rule, given the type APS Rule, will be automatically presented to the user in the APS Rule drop down as shown.
Rule Building
In APS products, customized scheduling rules may be built using the Event Script Processor and/or a custom rule.
Rule building using PESP Actions
1. Highlight all orders with attribute Customer = ABC
2. Backward Schedule
3. Highlight all orders with attribute Customer = XYZ
4. Forward Schedule
5. Highlight all orders that remain unscheduled
6. Schedule Remaining Orders forward by due date
Another example would be to create a campaigning rule, which might contain the following actions:-
1. Highlight orders with Due Date in the next week
2. Schedule using Preferred Sequence
3. Highlight orders with Due Date in the next week +1
4. Schedule using Preferred Sequence
5. Highlight orders with Due Date in the next week +2
6. Schedule using Preferred Sequence
Building Custom Rules
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Communications
You can use standard actions held in the actions table or create your own Custom Actions using the Software Development Kit
(SDK).
You can also create customized parallel loading rules and ASCL rules using the SDK. Preactor 400 APS has a library of rule building functions or macros that can be used for this task but you can also use the SDK if the functions do not do everything that is required.
Communications
Communications
Preactor offers the ability to communicate between other Preactor systems using a feature called PCO (Preactor
Communications Object). This feature is used for example, when sending a schedule from the Master Scheduling System to a
Shop Floor Viewer.
The capability is enabled from the 'Startup' tab of the Command File Editor
There are various options available for configuring PCO, these are discussed below:
Communications Object
The Communication Object is a stand-alone application that runs side by side with one or more scheduling products and services messages passed to and from these systems as well as other applications, such as ERP.
The object allows transport of messages through a variety of mechanisms using "Connectors", such as the FSO (File System
Object) connector provided with the Preactor.
Two communication/integration concepts are supported by Preactor:-
Batch file transfer
Traditional method of importing and exporting data using ASCII files. It is activated by a manual process of clicking on a button which then imports the data in batches.
Preactor assumes that the data is current and correct.
Event-driven messaging.
Any configuration of Preactor can use either or both.
It is only possible to use event driven messaging between Preactor and an ERP system if the system has the capability to trap messages from the MSS and act upon them, as well as being able to generate messages when certain activities are completed in ERP.
Configuration
The Edit PCO Configuration dialog is used to specify the default handler for incoming messages to the current system. It should be completed after the Address Book is established.
Access to the Edit PCO Configuration dialog is via:
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Communications
Configuration Pane ► Communications ► Configuration
Select the Configuration option in the Work Pane to display the Edit PCO Configuration dialog.
l l
System Name - a unique identifier for the system. It specifies the default handler for incoming messages to the current system. It is associated with the Inbound Address in the
Show Taskbar Icon - A check box which determines whether the PCO icon is displayed in the Windows Task bar.
Pressing OK on the dialog saves any changes.
Using PCO with 3rd Party Systems
Preactor's Communication Object (PCO) can be run without Preactor and can be attached directly to another system.
How do I configure PCO in this case?
l l l l
A minimal Preactor configuration can be supplied which installs the basic data tables required (Address Book, Connectors etc.).
PCO can be installed on its own from the Install CD.
PCO can be setup without this using the Preactor API.
Example code can be supplied for a program which communicates via PCO.
Address Book
In order for Preactor systems to communicate with one another the address book must specify addresses of the systems involved in communication. The Address Book is used to specify the locations where PCO messages are to be created/processed for the currently loaded system and other Preactor systems involved in communication.
The Address Book contains Inbound and Outbound addresses for the systems that will be communicating with each other.
One PCO is available for each Preactor system that runs (even when running multiple Preactor systems on the same
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Communications computer). The address book should be configured with one inbound address for the current Preactor system, and then an outbound address for each Preactor system that it will be communicating with.
Access to the Address Book is via:
Configuration ► Communications ► Address Book
A new Address can be entered by double clicking on an empty row in the Address Book, or by right clicking an Address and selecting Insert or Duplicate to enter a new Address above that selected in the list.
An existing address can be viewed and edited by double clicking on that address in the work pane, or right click /edit.
Each Address has a number of characteristics and options, viewed from the Edit PCO Address Book Information window.
l l l l
Name - a unique identifier for the system.
Description - the user's textual descriptions.
Location - the user's textual description of the location.
Connection Data.
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Use Connector - Type of connection, only FSO Connector (File System Object) is currently available.
UNC Folder Name - Specifies the path to the common folder where messages will be sent or received.
Command Line Switches - Optional parameters that can be passed for each address that may be required. The
"/CreatePath" will create the specified folder path as defined in the UNC Folder Name field. Example configurations
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Communications l l specify the path in 'UNC Folder Name' as {TEMP}\PCO. The {TEMP} keyword represents the local user's temp directory.
Password Required? - When checked, the Password field is activated. Allows a password to be entered which may be required by receiving systems, it is NOT required for FSO Connector.
Message Direction.
Inbound - for the address of the computer that will process messages received.
Outbound - for the address of the computer that will be sent messages generated by this system.
Establish a common UNC Folder
The system needs to recognize a single common folder through which all messages will pass and a decision has to be made as to where this is to be located.
To establish a common UNC Folder:
1. Decide which networked machine is to hold the 'UNC Folder' and where it is to be located on the machine.
This is the common folder through which all messages will pass.
2. On the appropriate machine use Windows Explorer to create the UNC Folder and identify the path to it.
e.g. C:\PCO
3. Right click on this folder and select 'Properties' from the list of options.
This opens the Properties dialog.
4. Share the folder by selecting the 'Sharing' tab and clicking on the 'Share this folder' radio button.
5. Click 'OK' to close the dialog.
Unless installed on the same machine as the UNC Folder, each networked scheduling system must access this folder using a
Mapped Network Drive or access it as a
. To add a new network place all machines must be connected to the network.
Add a Network Place
On machines that are remote from the common UNC Folder, the folder may be accesses as a Network Place.
To add a network place:
1. In Windows click 'Start' and the 'My Computer', under 'Other Places' click 'My Network Places'.
2. In the subsequent dialog select 'Add a network place'.
The Add Network Place Wizard opens.
3. Click on 'Next'.
4. In the following dialog select 'Choose another network location' and click on 'Next'.
5. A the subsequent dialog use the 'Browse' button to locate the 'UNC Folder', previously established one of the networked machines. Click 'OK' to close the 'Browse for Folder' dialog and click 'Next' in the Network Place dialog.
The Internet or Network Address field will now contain the name of the networked computer and the location of the UNC folder, e.g. \\3001\C\PCO.
6. In the new Network Place dialog provide a meaningful name for the new network place.
7. Click 'Next' then 'Finish' to close the wizard.
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Communications
Networking Viewers
Used in data sharing mode Viewers require a LAN/WAN connection between them and the Master Scheduling System (MSS).
The Communications Object (PCO) distributes any updates to all viewers that have been set up to receive them. Thus Viewers can receive schedules released by the MSS, and return schedule updates to it.
Preactor has a real-time messaging system that is used to communicate between the MSS and Viewers on a PC network. The messaging system has the advantages of providing asynchronous communications that can be used over intermittently available links.
To set up these communications:
1. Install the Viewers and MSS as a networked licensed version of Preactor.
2. Establish and share a
.
3. Set up the
for each networked system.
4.
.
Send Message
The Send Message feature allows messages to be sent between different Preactor systems. The Communications
and
must already be set up in order to send a message:
Access to the Send Message feature is via:
Configuration Pane ► Communications ► Send Message.
To send a message, click on the Send Message option in the Work Pane. The 'Edit PCO Send Text Message' dialog is displayed.
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Communications l l l
Message To - Recipient of the message.
Message From - Automatically populated with the current System Name as specified in the Communications
.
Message - Text to be included in the message.
Read Messages
Messages can be sent between different Preactor systems, such as a Master Scheduling System sending a Shop Floor Viewer configuration a message. Messages can only be sent and read after the Communications
and
have been set up.
Access to the Read Message feature is via:
Configuration Pane ► Communications ► Read Messages
To read a message, click on the Read Messages option in the Active Pane. The PCO Received Message table is displayed listing all received messages. To view a specific message, double click on the message to be viewed, this will open the Edit PCO
Received Messages Information dialog.
l l l
Message To - Automatically populated with the current System Name of the system receiving the message as specified in Communications
.
Message From - Sender of the message.
Message - Message text.
Click on the ellipses to view the entire message if part of it is obscured.
Setting up the Address Book for each networked system
The Communications Object (PCO) allows several scheduling systems to be used on a single machine. Consequently each networked Viewer or MSS must have a unique system name which identifies the particular system to the network.
In order to send and receive messages, each system should have one 'Inbound Address' and an 'Outbound Address' for each system it will communicate with - see
for further details.
To set up the Address Books for all systems:
1. Firstly make sure that entries for the current system have been entered into the
.
2. Select:
Configuration ► Communications ► Configuration.
The 'Edit PCO Configuration Information' dialog is displayed.
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Database
3. Select a 'System Name' for each Preactor system.
4. Click 'OK' to save the changes.
Each system on the network now has a unique identity. It now remains to set up the Address Books for each system.
4. Go to the MSS and set up the
to enable it to communicate with each of the Viewers.
5. When this is complete take the Viewers in turn and complete their Address Book entries.
When selecting the UNC Folder for each address, use the browse button to locate the
you previously established if this folder is on a remote machine.
Testing the System
Sending messages between Viewers, and between Viewers and the MSS, tests the communications system.
To check the system:
On each machine that is remote from the UNC Folder or License Site check the network.
1. In Windows go to Start ► My Network Places ► View Network Connections.
2. Check that all required connections are connected or enabled.
If any of these are not connected, right click on the icon and select 'Connect'
3. Under 'Other Places' select 'My Computer'.
4. Check that the Network Places established for the UNC Folder and License Site are connected.
If these are not connected, right click on the icon and select Open.
5. Select a system, e.g. MSS.
6. Select:
Configuration ► Communications ► Send Message.
The Edit PCO Sent Text Information dialog is displayed.
7. In the Message To field select an outbound address from the drop down list, enter a message and click on OK.
8. Go to the system that the message was sent to and select :
Configuration ► Communications ► Read Messages.
If the message is present then the communication set- up is working.
Database
Database Schemas
The SQL database is partitioned into a number of areas called schemas. Each schema contains tables that can be considered similar in nature.
'UserData' Schema
The tables, fields and constraints in the 'UserData' schema are inferred from the .prtdf file.
These tables contain user maintained data and Preactor makes few assumptions about their structure or content.
'Integration' Schema
These tables are used my the Data Providers module and any associated plug-ins.
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Database
'SystemData' Schema
Tables defined in the SystemData schema should not be amended in any way.
Note: The structure and content of these tables may change between releases.
Fixed Schema Views
A number of views have been introduced to the 'SystemData' schemas that map consistently onto fields within the 'UserData' tables. Although the scope for this type of view is limited given the inherent flexibility of Preactor, these views can be very useful, and go some way towards providing a mechanism that will allow common tasks to be performed across a variety of different configurations.
Inferred Database Schema
While some elements of the database schema are fixed (most notable of these is the Calendar schema) for the main part the tables within the database are inferred from the Preactor Table Definition (.prtdf) file. Tables inferred from the .prtdf file are defined in the 'UserData' schema. The configuration file can be amended to add new tables and fields, or to change an existing field.
Referential Integrity
Although not currently enabled, foreign key constraints exist in the database for all of the relationships inferred from the
Preactor Table Definition File.
These constraints can be used by reporting tools and query generators to show the relationships between tables.
In future versions of Preactor, these constraints may become enabled within the database.
This is currently not practical because of the absence of any referential integrity checks at the core of Preactor. Future versions will probably perform per-row commits, and therefore per-row integrity checks.
System Tables
A collection of tables referred to as "System DB" tables are included into example configurations.
This gives Preactor a place to store the tables used routinely across a number of configurations, and the opportunity to amend and update these tables with new releases of the software. System tables are defined in the database in the 'SystemData' schema.
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Planning Concepts
Planning
Planning Concepts
Introduction
The Preactor AP (Advanced Planner) planner module is the core component in the Preactor AP product.
Preactor AP imports current stocks levels, actual sales and forecast sales. It then considers pack forward figures, target days of stock cover, manufacturing preferences, minimum/maximum re-order quantities, re-order multiples, etc. and accounts for the shelf life of stock to propose a future production plan.
Preactor AP is an interactive capacity constrained MPS generator that can feed its results into the users ERP system and/or their Preactor 400 APS scheduling system. The production plan can be scheduled in Preactor AS (Advanced Scheduler) and then fed back into Preactor AP to show the implication of the actual schedule on the subsequent planning periods. These periods can be re-planned automatically or manually using the grid or via the stock/loading graphs depending on the user’s preference.
The planning BoM is also exploded by Preactor AP and the production plan for the lower levels items is calculated in the same way. Based on the BoM explosion and the production plan the proposed material purchase requirements can be exported to e.g. Excel, for action.
Capacity Management
Capacity Management is the function of establishing, measuring, monitoring, and adjusting limits or levels of capacity in order to execute all manufacturing schedules; e.g. the production plan, master production schedule, material requirements plan, and dispatch list. Capacity management is executed at four levels: Resource Requirements Planning, Rough-cut Capacity
Planning, Capacity Requirements Planning, and Input/Output Control.
Resource Requirements Planning (RRP) is the most highly aggregated and longest range capacity planning decision.
Constraints, changeovers or other fine detail can not be considered at this level.
Rough Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP) verifies that sufficient capacity is available to meet the capacity requirements of the
Master Production Schedule.
Capacity Requirements Planning (CRP) utilizes time phased material plan information produced by MRP, including information on batch sizes, lead times, receipts and planned orders. It takes into account production capacity in the form of assembly and component inventory and, because Shop Floor Data Collection will typically provide current status for work in progress, work center capacity for current orders needs only to be calculated for the work yet to be completed. CRP links directly into MRP systems and is therefore much more detailed than either RRP or RCCP.
Operating Environment
There follows a typical environment in which Preactor may be located, but Preactor can in fact fit into any manufacturing environment as it is able to take data from existing systems or from the User Interface.
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Typical ERP Architecture
Operating Environment
Preactor AS Position
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Preactor AP Position
Operating Environment
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Typical Data Flow
Planning Resource Groups and Planning Resources
Planning Resource Groups and Planning
Resources
Planning Resource Groups are used to groups Planning Resources together. For instance a Planning Resource Group may be a whole factory while a Planning Resource will be one area of the factory. Each Planning Resource can have its own capacity level and will contribute to the total capacity of the Planning Resource Group
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For Example:
Planning Resource Groups and Planning Resources l l l l
This Planning Resource Group could be at Company Group Level, but it could simply be a section of the factory.
This Planning Resource Group contains 2 Planning Resources.
Each one of these could be an individual factory or an individual production line.
The capacity of a Planning Resource could be made up of the capacity available over a number of production lines in the factory or could be the capacity of an individual production line.
The total available capacity is the total of the capacity available from each Planning Resource.
If Planning Resource 1 requires additional capacity and Planning Resource 2 has not used the available capacity, Planning
Resource 1 can use the remaining available capacity in the Planning Resource Group.
In the below example, consider
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l l
The capacity for each Planning Resource is 6.
The capacity for the total Planning Resource Group is therefore 12.
MPS Calculation
MPS Calculation
Make to Stock
Make to stock items are planned forwards. For these items Preactor will calculate an MPS value on the opening date of each planning period from the beginning to the end of the planning horizon.
The trigger for an MPS value to be generated is illustrated with the following pseudo code:
If (Opening stock- demand) < Min stock Then
Volume should be made.
MPS = Target Stock level - Opening stock + Demand
Else
No MPS volume is required.
MPS =0
The MPS Value
There are two primary factors that influence the MPS value. These are the minimum and the target stock levels. The basics of the calculation are that if the closing stock for a given item would fall to less than the minimum stock level (assuming no more is produced) then the aim will be to close that bucket with a stock level which is at target.
The target and the minimum stock level are both calculated from the minimum days of cover and the target days of cover fields. These can be either decimal values or whole numbers. The main rule of both of these fields is that neither can be less than zero. However, a value of zero is completely valid for either the minimum or the target days of cover.
There is an option that allows the user to enter absolute values for both the minimum and the target stock level. This is instead of a calculated number.
When the conditions are such that an MPS value is required to maintain an item's stock level, Preactor will generate an MPS value while respecting the minimum order and reorder multiples for the given item. If the trigger happens on a non-make day
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MPS Calculation
(as defined in the calendar) then Preactor will test to see if an MPS value of zero will cause the item to go into a negative stock position. The system may be configured to either generate an MPS value that returns the item's stock level to its target stock, or to allow the shortage. See GMPSENABLEMAKEDAYOVERRIDE for further information.
Make Days
The system is able to use make day and non-make day flags, and so there could be a scenario where there is enough stock to cover the current day but subsequent days which are non-make days will not be covered. There are multiple ways to handle this scenario.
Example 1
Suppose we have day one set as a make day and are making enough stock to stay above the minimum level. This would typically not trigger a make, but if day 2, 3 and 4 are all set as non-make days, and they have sufficient demand on each day to take it into a negative stock position, then the system will automatically search forward and calculate how much additional volume will be required to cover these days. This is only ever going to be enough volume (taking into account order multiples) to cover these days and not enough volume to get you to the target stock level beyond this point (day 4).
Example 2
In this example the make and non-make days are the same as example 1, but we do not have enough stock to cover day 1.
This again will search forward add the additional MPS value to the current day but also adding it to the current MPS value required for this period. This will take into account the closing stock position of this period, but again the aim of this is to come out of the other side (when we have another make day) with enough stock to cover that demand. There is no limit to the number of periods forward Preactor will search. It is possible to have four days in a row which are non-make days but the life of the item is only three days. In this scenario the system will not check the item life when generating volume. The make day and non-make days ought to be re-considered to cover this scenario better, as there is a non-make period longer defined that is longer than the item life.
Example 3
Again, the make and non-make days are the same as example 1, but the demand shortages flag is enabled. This means that when the system calculates the MPS value, it will not search forward looking at the subsequent days, and will most probably
(due to reorder multiples) close the day with a low stock position. Each subsequent day which is flagged as a non-make day will have an MPS value of zero. The negative closing stock position which results will be reset to 0 each planning period, and the volume missed will be recorded in a column called 'demand shortage'. This is to allow for cases where missed sales cannot be recovered.
Order Multiples
Each time the MPS is calculated the required volume for that period will be validated against the minimum and reorder multiple quantities. Preactor first checks the volume is greater than the minimum, then it will look at the reorder multiples and validate the batch size. There is a relationship between the minimum and the re-order multiple, this means that the minimum re-order quantity has to be a multiple of the re-order multiple value.
Preactor will validate the quantity in these batch sizes and then check to see if by removing a single re-order multiple the closing stock position is still greater than the minimum stock level. This is to prevent constantly rounding up reorder multiples which would take the item over its target level each time. If, by rounding down, the item falls below its minimum stock level, the volume is rounded up.
Decimal places are also taken into consideration when the MPS calculation is made. This is driven from the parameter sets allowing the volume required to be calculated as an integer value for one item and a decimal value for another, in the same plan.
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Successive MPS Calculation Issue
Decimal places are adjusted typically on the lower level items when calculating the MPS. This is due to the finished product level requirement of a lower level item not being a whole value. This is true when, for example, a finished product is made in cases but the lower level item is made in kilograms. The demand then at this lower level is a decimal value, which is valid because the site would want to know a true number. However, when the calculation is finalized the re-order multiples are still respected to avoid small batches.
Parameter Sets
All the options that are mentioned above specified at item parameter set level.
Make to Order
Make to order items are planned backwards. Preactor will try to keep the lowest stock holding possible while adhering to reorder multiple. The MPS value will be calculated backwards from the end of the planning horizon and will look for demand values. When it finds a value it checks the reorder multiple and works out when it needs to start to produce volume in order to cover the demand. It may be that the reorder multiple is greater than the demand value so Preactor will start to move backwards and check what other demand can be covered by this volume. If Preactor can make the same volume but earlier and cover off additional demand then it will, but will take into account the days of life for that item.
During the process the planning logic will also look at the lead time specified at item level. This means that when adding item life and also lead time, it is important to remember that both will start from the demand date.
Successive MPS Calculation Issue
When the MPS calculation is repeated several times in succession, the set of MPS values that are created from one calculation iteration could sometimes be different from a set produced by previous operations. Despite this rarely occurring, the discrepancies can still happen, for logical reasons, between the first and second iterations of calculating MPS values.
This only occurs when the 'Dynamic BoM' setting is true, and only with any of the following planner modes: l l l
'Move',
'Move Then Constrain',
'Constrain Then Move''.
The main reason for the discrepancy between the first and second calculation iterations is because the second iteration has to take into account the existing MPS, from the first calculation, and how it has been distributed between planning resources.
The first iteration calculates the MPS that will generate the MAXIMUM permissible level of closing stock. The second iteration has to take into account that there is existing MPS values, and if there is enough to generate the MINIMUM permissible level of closing stock, no changes to that item will be made. However, if the level falls below the minimum level of closing stock, the calculation will increase the production needed to generate the minimum permissible level of closing stock.
If the 'Infinite Capacity' mode is used, the MPS value is left unchanged between the first and second iterations of
MPS calculation, as it will still be the value needed to calculate the maximum closing stock. However, when using a
'Move'/'Move Then Constrain'/'Constrain Then Move' planner mode, some production may be shifted from the primary planning resource to a secondary resource, that can be used to make that item.
With one of the 'Move' planning modes, it can be possible to shift enough production to a secondary resource (or resources) to produce more than the minimum permissible closing stock. If this is the case, in the second iteration the MPS for the main resource is provisionally set to zero, but the MPS for the secondary resource(s) is left unchanged. During the second calculation, the total MPS is checked to see whether it meets the minimum permissible closing stock or not. If this requirement is met, no increase to the MPS is made and the MPS values are left as they are.
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AP Planning Modes
AP Planning Modes
Planning modes alter the way in which capacity is consumed and consequently the make periods for the planned items.
There are five different planning modes: l l l l l
Infinite Capacity
Constrain
Move
Move Then Constrain
Constrain Then Move
The behavior of each planning mode is explained below.
Infinite Capacity
The 'infinite capacity' planning mode will overload the primary line for the item and NOT use any available capacity for any other line the item is associated with. If demand for an item exceeds the available capacity on the primary line, that line will be overloaded.
Infinite capacity mode is typically used when looking at the capacity requirements of the forecast for the primary choice of each item only. The calculation in make-to-stock mode will take each item to it’s target stock level and in make-to-order mode the calculation will look to make the order as late (as near to the demand date – lead time) as it can.
This mode forms the basis of all the planning modes in Preactor AP, as all other modes perform a subsequent process over the data generated by this process.
Constrain
The 'constrain' planning mode tries to squeeze the capacity requirement down on the primary line for the item and will NOT utilize any available capacity on any other planning lines associated with the item.
Items are ranked by their DOC (days of cover) as calculated for the end of the current period. Make quantities for items with the longest DOC value will be reduced by one re-order multiple quantity. The DOC for the Item will decrease each time it is reduced. This will repeat across all Items until the capacity constraint is satisfied. Items that would be forced into a negative stock position based on a single re-order multiple will not be reduced any further. In this regard, it is possible that capacity could be exceeded even though the plan is constrained.
There are a number of other reasons why a planning resource could be overloaded.
l l l l
The item cannot be made any later (MTS only)
Making it earlier (MTO mode only) would cause the item to go out of life
Item profile is too tight for the demand requirements
MTO mode has run out of earlier buckets to plan into
Move
The 'move' planning mode will look to spread production over available resources based on capacity constraint. If the total requirement for an item won’t fit in one bucket that requirement will be moved to another planning resource. Similarly to constrain mode, the items are ranked based on the DOC calculated for the end of the current period. Preactor will then look at items that have additional resources and move the overload to its secondary resource. Items may split over multiple resources to satisfy the process. Any splitting considers re-order multiple values.
The capacity of the planning resource is used only to determine an overload. If there is no other planning resource that an item could move to due to the fact they are overloaded, then no adjustment will be made to this planning resource.
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Flexibility on Dates
In summary, no lines will be constrained, but any overload that can be moved for the same bucket will be moved to alternative lines for a ‘better’ fit in batch order-multiples.
Move Then Constrain
When planning using the 'move then constrain' mode, Preactor will look to move production around the available resources
(within the same bucket) of the item before it looks to constrain. Production could occur on multiple resources to keep the
MPS value as required. If too much production is required across all items and resources then Preactor will look to reduce the
MPS value using the constraint logic described earlier.
An item will not be moved to another planning resource if its move is going to cause an overload. This means that when a plan is completed, you may have additional choice planning resources that have a small amount of capacity remaining.
This mode would typically be used when the aim is to spread the MPS value within all the available planning resources, but while trying to make it in the same bucket. For example, where all the planning choices are within the current factory.
Any overload will be moved over first, and then the line will be constrained so that the capacity consumed fits the available capacity.
Constrain Then Move
When planning using 'constrain then move' mode, Preactor will look to produce primarily on the items primary resource. Only if there is not enough capacity to make the required volume after constraining will it look to use the move option. If the secondary resource is full it will move to the next resource.
This is again a combination of the 'constrain' and 'move' planning modes and would typically be used when the additional planning resources are at a different location and therefore the preferred method is to make it in an additional bucket.
The resource will be constrained first and any overload will be moved over to alternative lines.
Flexibility on Dates
Preactor AP can present planning information in such a way to give a long term view while retaining finer 'granularity' for the more immediate dates (
). When a plan is generated, an increasingly courser view can be specified for any future date.
This can be illustrated thus:
Alternate Capacity Availability Level and Consumption
Percentage Split
This is where the capacity available is specified at the ‘Capacity Group’ level and then each planning group then has to specify how much (as a percentage) of the available capacity it have available to it’s self as a starting point.
The example below has a capacity group with 4 planning groups associated with it, total capacity 500.
Capacity Group: The capacity available is specified at this level: Capacity available = 500
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Alternate Capacity Availability Level and Consumption l l l l
Planning Group 1: Capacity available is 20% so therefore the available capacity to this planning group is 20% of 500 =
100
Planning Group 2: Capacity available is 30% so therefore the available capacity to this planning group is 30% of 500 =
150
Planning Group 3: Capacity available is 10% so therefore the available capacity to this planning group is 10% of 500 =
50
Planning Group 4: Capacity available is 40% so therefore the available capacity to this planning group is 40% of 500 =
200
Note: It is important to remember that no test is made to verify that the percentage quantities that are entered do add up to
100%. This is entirely the responsibility of the user entering the data. This would typically be used where the user is happy to define/edit the available capacity at a single point.
Total of Planning Groups
This is where the capacity available is specified at the ‘Planning Group’ level.
The example below has a capacity group with 4 planning groups associated with it.
Capacity Group: No capacity is specified at this level: l l l l
Planning Group 1 capacity available: 100
Planning Group 2 capacity available: 150
Planning Group 3 capacity available: 50
Planning Group 4 capacity available: 200
The total capacity available to the entire group Capacity Group:
Capacity available: 100 + 150 + 50 + 200 = 500
How the Capacity is Consumed
Where the Capacity Measure level is specified as ‘Percentage Split’ or ‘Total of Planning Groups’ the capacity is used in the following way.
Each planning group has an ‘Allocation Sequence’ that the user is able to specify a numeric value against. This is then used to rank the planning groups into an order in which the following logic will then be applied. Planning groups must have different numbers or the planning levels logic will apply (see ‘How the capacity is consumed – Continued’).
In the following example the planning groups allocation sequence fields have the following values: l l l l
Planning Group 1 allocation sequence = 10, Capacity available 100
Planning Group 2 allocation sequence = 20, Capacity available 150
Planning Group 3 allocation sequence = 30, Capacity available 50
Planning Group 4 allocation sequence = 40, Capacity available 400
In these modes the planning groups are processed in the following way. The first planning group is loaded until there are no more requirements for that bucket. If the capacity available is not exceeded then the remaining capacity is made available to all planning groups that follow. But it is important to realize that the next planning group in the sequence has first choice against any available capacity that remained unused from the previous group.
If more capacity than is specified for a planning group is required, then a post process is performed on the items in the planning group.
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Alternate Capacity Availability Level and Consumption
1
2
3
4
Planning
Groups
Allocation
Sequence
Capacity
First Pass
– allocated to PG 1
Free for subsequent passes
Second Pass
- allocated to
PG2
Free for subsequent passes
10
20
30
40
100
150
50
200
75
0
0
0
25
150
50
200
25
145
0
0
0
5
50
200
Note: It is important to note that the planning group with the lowest sequence number is processed first. Due to the way spare capacity is re-allocated, it should be the planning group that normally has the most spare capacity to be set to be processed first, i.e. that have the lowest allocation sequence number. The allocation sequence field is classification driven -
GMPSPLANNINGGROUPLEVEL
The allocation sequence value can also be used to create levels within a capacity group. When used in this way the each level is processed without sharing it’s capacity with another member of the level and any spare is only made available to the next level.
In the following example the planning groups allocation sequence fields have the following values: l l l l
Planning Group 1 allocation sequence = 10 – Level 1
Planning Group 2 allocation sequence = 10 – Level 1
Planning Group 3 allocation sequence = 20 – Level 2
Planning Group 4 allocation sequence = 30 – Level 3
In this mode the planning groups are processed in the following way. The planning groups are sorted into ascending sequence based on allocation sequence number. The first planning group is loaded until there are no more requirements for that bucket.
A check is then made to see if the next planning group is the same level. If it is then any available capacity from the previous planning group is saved and not made available to this planning.
If the next planning group is not the same level then any spare capacity is made available to this new level.
There are also flags specified against each planning group to specify if spare capacity can be utilized by another planning group or if spare capacity can be utilized by this planning group. This will allow the planning groups to be setup in more complicated structure.
In the following example the planning groups allocation sequence fields have the following values: l l l l l l
Planning Group 1 – Level 1, can share spare production = true,
can use spare production = true
Planning Group 2 – Level 1, can share spare production = true,
can use spare production = true
Planning Group 3 – Level 1, can share spare production = false,
can use spare production = true
Planning Group 4 – Level 2, can share spare production = true,
can use spare production = true
Planning Group 5 – Level 3, can share spare production = true,
can use spare production = false
Planning Group 6 – Level 4, can share spare production = true,
can use spare production = true
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Alternate Capacity Availability Level and Consumption
With the data setup in this way, the 3 planning groups on level 1 will all be processed independently. Planning Groups 1 and 2 will then allow any spare capacity to be utilized, but Planning Group 3 will not allow any spare capacity to be utilized.
Planning Group 4 is at level 2. It is allowed to utilize any unused capacity from lower levels. It also allows any unused capacity from either its self or subsidiaries to be utilized.
Planning Group 5 is at level 3. It is not allowed to utilize any spare capacity that is remaining from any lower levels. But any spare capacity that is remaining can be utilized by any further groups.
Planning Group 6 is at level 4. It is allowed to utilize any spare capacity that has been made available. This will include the capacity from Planning Group 4 (level 2) and Planning Group 5 (level 3).
Individually Constrained
This is where the capacity available can be specified at both the ‘Capacity Group’ level and the ‘Planning Group’ level. Setup this way, the system will constrain first by each individual planning group and then by the total of all planning groups by the capacity specified at the capacity group level.
The example below has a capacity group with 4 planning groups associated with it.
Capacity Group The capacity available is specified at this level: Capacity available = 400 l l l l
Planning Group 1:-Capacity available: 150
Planning Group 2:-Capacity available: 200
Planning Group 3:-Capacity available: 250
Planning Group 4:-Capacity available: 300
Note: When using this method, the capacity available for the planning groups could be more individually, or in total, than the capacity group.
How Individual Capacity is Consumed
Where the Capacity Measure level is specified as ‘Individually Constrained’ the capacity is used in the following way. Each planning group is first processed as if it were completely independent. Once all the planning groups have been processed (see
‘How Planning Groups are Processed’) they are then re-processed as a single group.
Note: The allocation sequence value is not used during this process.
First the Planning Groups are processed within their own limits
Then the Capacity Group is processed in the same way.
Group Capacity Usage
Spare/
Excess
Planning Group 1 150
Planning Group 2 200
Planning Group 3 250
Planning Group 4 300
Capacity Group
400
120
150
30
50
150 100
210 90
630 -230
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Planner Data
Planner Data
Items
The Items table holds information such as Min/Max reorder quantities, Days Life, Rate per Hour and Product Level (e.g.
Finished Product, Raw Material etc) for each item. Only items that are marked as 'Include in Planning' are used in the plan.
The Items display in the work pane is like this:
When an item is selected for Edit, the following dialog is opened for provisioning the entry:
Fields of particular note are: l l l l
Item Level - this is set with a custom action Set BoM Levels defined from the BoM structure.
Item Display Data - plot color and Capacity Sort Order (the order the bars are stacked on the capacity charts).
Include in Planning - if checked, item will be included in the Planner and all calculations.
Make to Stock - if checked, Target Days of Cover specifies the capacity constraint process MTS or MTO.
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Planning Resources l
Planning details, which opens another dialog: l l
And note here:
Item Setup Time - time to setup between different products.
Parameter Set - held against the Parameters Table, associated against the item.
Planning Resources
Planning Resources are assigned to Items so that their capacity can be calculated in smaller areas. Planning Resources need to be set up in the Planning Resources table.
Each Planning Resource is assigned to a Planning Resource Group and will have its own capacity level. To constrain the
Planning Resource, check the box 'Enable Constraint'.
The screen shot below is of the Provisioning Planning Resource display in the work pane, with an entry open for edit.
The Planning Resource color can be changed if required. This is the background color that will be used in the Capacity Usage charts.
Planning Resource Groups
As Preactor AP is about capacity planning, some thought needs to be given to how capacity is measured and how it is grouped.
"Planning Resource Groups and Planning Resources" on page 120 for guidance.
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Transaction Data
The screen shot below is of the Provision Planning Resource Group display in the work-pane, with an entry open for edit.
Each Planning Resource Group can be either constrained or unconstrained. To constrain the Planning Resource Group, check the box 'Enable Constraint'. This will also set the Initial Process Group to Make to Order therefore any demand for Make to
Order items will be processed within the available capacity first before processing demand for Make to Stock items. The % of capacity available to the Initial Order Group can also be set.
Transaction Data
Preactor AP considers the following as transaction data: l l l l l
Stocks
Sales
Forecasts
Capacity Levels
Variable Days Cover
Below is the Preactor Desktop showing Transaction Data, with Imported Stock information open:
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Bill of Materials (BoM)
Capacity Levels are set for individual weekdays so that levels can vary throughout the week if required.
The Variable Days of Cover table can be used to override the global settings defined in the Items table for information relating to Minimum Stock, Target Days Cover etc. This is useful in cases where it may be necessary to have different values on a particular date e.g. for promotions etc.
Bill of Materials (BoM)
The Bill of Materials (BoM) tells Preactor AP the different levels of product and quantities of product required for each Finished
Product. Using Parent Code and Child Code relationships the material requirement for each order can be calculated and planned by Preactor AP to meet demand dates.
The screen shot below is of the BoM display in the work pane, with an entry open for edit.
Each record shows the Parent Code, Child Code (the next level down), Qty per (how much Child per each Parent) and From and
To Dates (when the item is valid for use). There will then be a similar record for the Child Code but the Child Code becomes the
Parent Code as in screen shot below.
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Parameter Sets
The screen shot below is of the Parameters Sets display in the work-pane, with an entry open for edit.
Parameter Sets
The following options are available:
ENABLE SHELF LIFE
PARAMETERS TABLE
USE VARIABLE DAYS COVER
States if the item is to use shelf life to calculate out of life stock and out of life production
Identifies if the parameters table exists in the current configuration
CALCULATE DAYS COVERED
States if the item is to use variable days of cover
States if the item is to calculate the total days covered based on the opening or closing stock position
States how many decimal places as a default are shown on all calculated fields DECIMAL PLACES
USE DAY VARIATION Cover profile specific to day variation
DECIMAL PLACES DAYS COVER Decimal places for the days of cover fields
CREATE MRP RESULTS LOG
LOG NOT PLANNING ITEMS
Option to create an MRP results log
Option to create the log with non planned items
USE PRODUCTION MAKE DAY Use SKU Calendars for production make day planning period
USE SALES MAKE DAY Use SKU Calendars for Sales day periods in the planning period
MPS ROUND States if the MPS Result is to be rounded to the nearest re-order multiple
USE ADVANCED MAKESTOCK Use Frozen stock functions in Preactor AP
VARIABLE DAYS LIFE
ENABLE PRODUCTION
SHORTAGES
TOTAL DOC REF
Use Variable days of life for the out of life stock calculation
States if production shortages are to be flagged when re-importing scheduled data
States when the total days of cover calculation should start from opening / closing stock
RESET OPENING FOR FROZEN Reset opening when adding a frozen stock batch
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USE STATIC STOCK LEVELS Use static stock levels instead of days of cover
Selecting Edit against Stock Plot Options produces the plot color selection window:
Planning Parameters
Planning Parameters
Capacity Colors
Planner Thresholds
Colors are used in the Planner to indicate different levels of cover e.g. 'Closing Stock' with a value greater than 'Min Stock' AND less than 'Target Stock' will be colored yellow.
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Set Planning Horizon
Custom rules can be written in the 'Expression' field. This logic is based on the Demand and Parameters table.
Set Planning Horizon
Preactor AP can present planning information in such a way as to give a long term view while retaining finer granularity for the more immediate dates. This is done by provisioning the Planning Horizon.
When a plan is generated, an increasingly courser view can be specified for any future date. A view finer than that for the immediately preceding columns cannot be requested.
If a change in view is required, the whole plan must be re-calculated.
It is of course possible to save different scenarios as different Datasets so as to allow rapid recall of different views.
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A number of set Planning Horizons can be created for use within the Planner:
Repair Plan Run Sets
The following fields are of particular note: l l l l l l l
Belongs to Settings - defines the parent Settings, or defines this as a Parent.
From Date
No. Of Days
First Day Of Week
No. Weeks
No. Months - These fields define how far in advance to plan.
Remove Excluded Items - removes items that are unchecked from the planning if amend cycle is selected
Append to Current Cycle - adds additional records to an existing plan with amend plan option
Run Process - specifies the function to run controlled from the drop down
Repair All - repair all rows in planner or select specific row filtering
If NOT SET, Filter Repair By becomes selectable.
Planning History Rows - the number of rows from day zero to exclude from the stock calculation
From within the Planner, the particular
to use can be selected, and can be adjusted as required.
Repair Plan Run Sets
The Repair Plan allows the operator to define repair scripts, which can be manually executed from within the Planner from the
Repair toolbar option. A repair may be instigated for example if stocks fall below a certain predefined level.
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The screenshot below is of the Repair Plan and its Edit window:
Preactor Planner
The following fields are of particular note: l l l l
Belongs to Rule Set - name of the Parent Rule Set, or indicates this is a Parent Rule Set.
From Day Number - day zero is the first day of the plan.
Re-Calculate MPS - allows the user to make changes without recalculating.
Re-Calculate BoM Explosion - permits changes in quantity produced based on closing stock levels.
If not set, then Reduce Volume and Increase Volume options become available.
Preactor Planner
Introduction
This chapter assumes that all data has already been imported into the interim tables.
The Planner is the main grid that all data such as Sales, Stocks and Forecasts will be imported into. When Preactor has calculated what product is required to meet demand, the MPS values will also be shown. MPS values can be changed manually, if necessary, in the Planner.
From the Preactor Desktop Workspace Menu, select Generate Plan. When the plan is first opened it will be empty. Either open an existing Dataset (plan) or create a new one.
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Planner Main Windows
Planner Main Windows
Introduction
The View menu option provides the following screen:
From this menu option: l l l
Demand Data provides access to results of the planning, and some associated configuration data.
Chart Data provides useful information in chart from, the charts being able to be manipulated.
Calendar Data can be viewed and edited.
Calendars can be setup for: l
Planning Resources l
Planning Resource Groups l
Items
Calendar templates can be built and can be assigned to Planning Resource Groups and/or Planning Resources to define capacity levels.
l
Reports can be generated.
The reports list is displayed on the right-hand side of the planner window.
The report settings, e.g. file path, can be set in Settings – Report Options from within the Planner.
Tool Bars
For general Toolbar management and usage, see the section in the
The following tool bars can be enabled/disabled: l l l
Standard Toolbar
Global Filter Toolbar
Repair Plan Toolbar
The Standard Toolbar
The Standard toolbar will have different options depending upon which window is active.
The following are the common set offered on all windows (prior to any user modification of the toolbar customization):
Button Name
New
Open...
Save
Amend Plan
Description
Create a new Dataset
Opens an existing Dataset.
Saves a Dataset
Re-runs the Planner, to take into account changes to plan data (e.g. planning horizon)
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Tool Bars
Button Name
Undo
Redo
Auto Update MPS
Calculate Stock
Calculate MPS
Enable Capacity Constraints
BoM Exploder
BoM Imploder
Repair
Hide Child Records
Description
Undo the last change
Redo the last Undo
Enables automatic value refresh for subsequent records following a manual change
Populates the opening stock column
Populates the MPS results column with the proposed value for the plan.
Switches on or off the Capacity Constraint if Planning Resource Groups have been setup.
Explodes the records for each SKU to show lower level items as long as they are marked as 'include in planning'.
Static/Dynamic BoM
Provides access to the Repair Plan scripts.
Hide all child records present in the plan.
In addition to the common set, when the Stock Profile Viewer (graph) window (prior to any user modification of the toolbar customization) is open, the following is available:
Button Name
Code
Series
Zoom In
Zoom Out
Reset Zoom
Disable Demand Interaction
Disable All Interactions
Select Features
Description
Select from the drop down list which Item to view in the graph.
Select from the drop down which sets of data to include in the graph.
Allows the user to zoom In on graph
Allows the user to zoom Out on graph
Resets the view to default after Zoom In or Zoom Out has been used.
Enable/Disable the ability to dynamically change stock or orders by dragging the columns of the graph
Allows/prevents user from using mouse to drag/drop MPS results thus changing the overall calculations.
Select from the drop down list which features to enable in the graph, e.g.
Port Labels, Alert Colors, User Zoom and Disable Interactions.
The following is offered, in addition to the common set, when the Calendar Templates window (graph) is open:
Button Name
Undo
Redo
Add Period
Snap Period To
Description
Undo Calendar Template changes
Redo Calendar Template undo actions.
Opens the dialog to add a period to the Calendar Template
Allows the user to define the Snap value.
Global Filters
When the Global Filters toolbar (prior to any user modification of the toolbar customization) is enabled, the following is available:
Button Name
Sync Views
Description
Syncs any filters applied in the Editor window with any other opened window. It
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Configuration
Button Name
Bulk Lock Rows
Bulk Unlock Rows
Description has no impact on the Stock Profile Viewer and the Capacity Alerts.
Lock multiple rows prior to recalculating
Unlock multiple rows
Repair Plan
The following is offered when enabling the Repair Plan toolbar (prior to any user modification of the toolbar customization):
Button Name
Repair Drop Down
Run Repair Script
Repair Rule Set
Repair Plan from Rule
Description
Select from the drop down list which Repair Script to run a repair with.
Runs the Repair Script.
Select from the drop down list a Rule Set available to run a repair with.
Runs the Repair Plan according to rule selected.
Configuration
Planner Specific Configuration
Application Settings
The Application Settings window allows various settings can changed or enabled, including: l l l
Fonts
Message Displays
Colors
Planner ► Settings ► Application Settings
Planning Horizon
The Planning Horizons to use for charts is selected from:
Planner ► Settings ► Set Planning Horizons
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From here, a predefined set of values can be selected under the Script List, and individual values adjusted.
The predefined sets of values are
from the Preactor Desktop.
Planning Data
Introduction
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Planning Data
Managing the Plan
Most Provisioning and Transaction data can be viewed and edited from within the Preactor AP Desktop Data Maintenance
Pane, or imported. Data is in a read-only format if the Planner is open, and can only be edited when the Planner is closed.
Managing the Plan
Amend Plan
Amend Plan performs an update or refresh of the plan after changes are made to provisioning or configuration data within the
Planner. It is the same effect as closing and re-opening the planner.
Amend Plan is initiated from either the
toolbar icon , or from the menu item:
Planner ► File ► Amend Plan
Lock Rows
It is possible to lock records (rows) prior to running any recalculations. This is done from the Global Filter toolbar.
Use Filter By to select a grouping (Item, Date, Planning Resource Group or Planning Resource). A drop down list in the toolbar allows a specific group to be selected.
Select the padlock to lock those entries.
A number of selections or groupings, can be locked.
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Repair Plan
Once locked, further management of the row locking can be done by individually locking rows, or right clicking on an entry and using the additional locking and filtering options there.
The same procedure can be used to unlock groupings, using the unlock icon , using the All filter to unlock everything.
Repair Plan
Description
Repair plan scripts can be used to adjust production figures. The rules can be setup to adjust production figures on specified planning buckets with specified filter criteria. Repair results should always round to the nearest re-order multiple for the item repaired.
Repair Plan Options (Data Maintenance ► Repair Plan Run Sets).
Field Descriptions
Field Name Description
Belongs to Rule set
Rule Set
Rule
Enabled
From Day Number
To Day Number
Re-Calculate MPS
Re-Calculate BoM Explosion
Unlock Row Range
Reduce Volume
Specifies if the record is a parent or child record.
The name of the rule set.
The name of the individual rule for this record.
Specifies if the record is enabled as part of the repair rule script.
From bucket that the rule should start to make the repair from.
To bucket that the rule should repair to.
Specifies if the production figure should be recalculated for the bucket(s) specified.
Specifies if the bill of material needs to be re-calculated.
Reduce If True Expression
Reduction Expression
Increase Volume
Increase If True Expression
Increase Expression
Specifies if a records that fall between To and From bucket range need to be unlocked.
Specifies if the record should reduce production volumes if the reduce if true expression is met.
Specifies a preactor evaluate expression that should return true or false in order to reduce production.
Uses a preactor evaluate expression to calculate how much the production needs to be reduced by.
Specifies if the record should increase production figures if the increase if true expression is met.
Specifies a preactor evaluate expression that should return true or false in order to increase production.
Uses a preactor evaluate expression to calculate how much the production needs to be increased by.
All examples will use the make to stock example configuration that is shipped with Preactor.
The repair definition called ‘Repair Test’ will be used in this example.
Reduction Expressions
A reduction expression can be used to reduce the production figure based on the Reduce If True Expression field. The following example highlights how the logic could be applied.
Navigate to the repair plan format (Data Maintenance ► Repair Plan Run Sets):
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Repair Plan
Double click the first record ‘Repair Closing Stock to Target Stock’ to display the reduction logic.
The dialog will display the repair reduction rules and in this example if the closing stock is greater than the target stock then the production figure will be reduced for the first planning bucket.
Testing the result
Open the live plan dataset and manually change the production for SKU1001 11/06/2012 to be 5000.
This will increase the closing stock to be over the target stock of 143.
Use the repair plan option to reduce the volume to be equal to or under the target stock.
Repair ► Repair Script ListC:\Users\wf0fun\Desktop\Captured_Images\Repair Plan 4.png
Select the Repair Test rule from the drop down list:
Click ‘Repair Plan from Rule’.
The following result will highlight how the reduction process has repaired the first bucket for SKU1001.
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Repair Plan
The production figure has been adjusted to 110 and the closing stock recalculated. In this example the closing stock of 146 has exceeded the target stock of 143 this is down to re-order multiple for this item being made in batches of 5 cases.
Increase Expressions
An increase expression can be used to increase the production figure based on the Increase If True Expression field. The following example highlights how the logic could be applied.
Using the Repair Test rule, double click the ‘Increase Closing Stock to Target Stock’ record:
Buckets 2 to 3 should be re-calculated if the closing stock value is less than the target stock for the bucket based on the
Increase If True Expression field.
To test this logic open the LivePlan dataset and change the production figure on 11/06/2012 to zero. This will cause
12/06/2012 closing stock to fall negative as no production is made to cover those orders.
Use the repair plan option to increase the volume to be on target stock (Repair ► Repair Script List).
Select the Repair Test rule from the drop down list:
The production figure on the 12/06/2012 will now be increased to meet the target stock. Closing stock is now 102 again exceeding the target stock by 3 cases due to the re-order multiple of 5 for this item.
These examples highlight how to use the reduction and increase expression logic independently on separate planning buckets. It is possible to have a combination of a reduction and increase expression on the same bucket to adjust the production figures.
Re-calculate MPS and Re-calculate BoM Explosion Options
The repair rule can also specify MPS and Bill of Material calculations. For example the user could specify that the MPS calculation will only need to run from planning bucket 5 onwards and buckets 1 to 5 shouldn’t be re-calculated. If production figures should not be re-calculated those records should be locked using either the right click lock record option or the global filter lock tool (Edit ► Global Filter ► Lock Records in View).
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Repair Plan
Creating Planning Horizon Repair Script
It is possible to run more than one process using the planning horizon. The following instructions will explain the Entire
Process script defined against the planning cycle format. The script runs the following processes:
1. Create a new plan.
2. Calculate Stocks.
3. Calculate Production.
4. Repair the plan using the Repair Test script.
5. Explode Bill of material requirements.
Navigate to Data Maintenance ► Set Planning Horizon:
In the view of information the ‘Run Process’ field specifies which process to run as part of the script.
If Repair Plan is selected for the Run Process then a Repair Plan Script will need to be selected:
In this example the Repair Test rule will run after production figures have been calculated.
Using these scripts it is possible to run several repair plan scripts in succession. For example the user might have an AM
Planning horizon of rules that need to be completed in the morning and a PM Planning script for actions that need to be
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Repair Plan completed in the evening.
It is also possible to use a Preactor evaluate expression to filter the planner format so that only the filtered records will be repaired.
It is then possible to set which script needs to run in the planner (Settings ► Set Planning Horizon).
Using the script option:
Clicking the New Plan button will then run all associated processes for the ‘Entire Process’ script.
The planning horizon script ‘Entire Process’ can also run using Run Repair Script button.
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Datasets
Summary
If a single repair script needs to run for the entire planning board then the ‘Repair Plan from Rule’ button should be used – highlighted as ‘Repair Test’ above.
A single or several repair plan scripts need to run in succession with or without filtering then the ‘Run Repair Script’ button should be used to run the rule.
Datasets
Introduction
The set of data being managed by Preactor AP are stored in Datasets.
Datasets can be stored and opened, and Preactor AP can be configured to open the last worked on Dataset when entering the
Planner.
Open Existing Dataset
To Open a Dataset, select:
File ► Open
Select a Dataset from the drop down list and select Open to load the plan.
Create a New Dataset
When a new plan is generated, Preactor will adhere to the date range and bucket size defined in the Set Planning Horizon window. This can be seen in:
Settings ► Set Planning Horizon
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Datasets
In the example shown above the selection begins with Plan From Today. Preactor will create a plan for a period of 14 days, with daily records, starting with today’s date.
A
set of Planning Horizons can be accessed from the Script drop-down.
Set the Custom Start Date as required. If 'Append to Cycle' is checked the dates will be added to any existing dates (use when updating existing plan). State the Number of Days to be included in the period. If the date range is to include weekly dates, select the First Day of Week from the drop down list and state the Number of Weeks to be created. Select the Green Check
Mark to continue.
To generate the structure of the Dataset, go to:
File ► New
A record will be created for each item marked as 'Include in Planning', for each of the dates in the range selected.
Click on Calculate Stock ( - Planning Data ► Calculate Stock - or default shortcut F2).
This will bring in all imported stock data into the planner and will show values in the Opening Stocks column.
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Datasets
Before calculating the MPS values decide whether to constrain the plan or not.
If a Constrained plan is required then click on Enable Constraint before clicking on Calculate MPS .
Preactor AP takes into account the planning cycle, the opening stock, the pack forward %, the target days cover, the forecast and the make day for each item and will propose production volume. Calculated values will be displayed in the MPS Results column.
The plan will now display colors depending upon the settings in Set Planner Threshold (View ► Demand Data ► Set Planner
Threshold).
It is possible to manually edit values in the plan. Click in a cell and type the new value. If the 'Auto Update MPS' icon is selected prior to making any manual changes, Preactor AP will automatically refresh values on screen following each change.
Click on BoM Exploder if lower levels items are also needed to be displayed in the plan.
Any values shown in the Out of Life column indicate that stock of that item will be not be included in calculations from that date. This is based on Days Life values held in the Items table or Out of Life Date as held in the Imported Stocks table.
Save the Dataset ( - File ► New - or default shortcut Ctrl+S)
Saving Datasets
Demand results can be saved to the Preactor Database by clicking on the Save icon on the top menu. A pop-up form will display, enter a name for the dataset and click on Save to commit the results to the database. It is possible to save over an existing result set. Select the result set name from the list displayed and click on Save.
Open Last Dataset on Start Up
If the planner should always open up the last plan worked on it is possible to set this up in the Application Settings.
Go to Settings ► Application Settings and select Open Planning Results on Application Start by checking the box.
Save the changes and the next time the planner is started the last plan saved will open automatically.
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Demand Data
Demand Data
Introduction
The Planner offers a number of outputs to assist in monitoring production, from:
View ► Demand Data ► ...
This includes: l l l l
View Plan
View Alerts
Set Planner Threshold
MRP Results
Advance options allow Advance Pivot Grid and Day Offset Grid to be selected.
Alerts
Preactor AP has an Alerts window (View ► Demand Data ► View Alerts) that opens by default on the right-hand side of the planner window and allows the user to filter results. The Alerts window can be docked elsewhere if required.
Data can be filtered by Item Code, Demand Date, and Case Type e.g. Above Max stock, Within Limits etc.
Alerts Filtering - Capacity and Demand
To start filtering, click on the text box below the column name. Type in a value required to match on. Click on Tick:
Records in the Alerts window will be filtered to match the criteria.
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Total Stock Holding
The Alerts can be filtered further, by e.g. Date. Click on the filter box below the Date column header and either type in a value or select a value from the drop down menu to match on.
To deselect filters, click on the filter-remove button. Do this for all filters. The Alerts window will display all records once again.
Please see Filtering Data / Column Filters for full explanation of filter conditions.
Total Stock Holding
Total stock can be listed in terms of value, pallets, cases etc. These can be used to assess storage volume and value.
Right clicking on an item, chart data, or View Stock profile in the Planner allows the user to see the stock chart for that item.
MRP results can be adjusted from here.
Use of Calendars
Introduction
Calendars are used by the Planner and the Sequencer in different ways. This information related specifically to how they are used in the Planner.
Calendars in the Planner define:
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l l
Capacity level of Planning Resource Groups and Planning Resources.
Sales and Production Periods for Items.
Planning Resource Groups
The list of Planning Resource Groups is opened by:
Planner ► View ► Calendars ► Planning Resource Groups ► Planning Resource Group
Use of Calendars
The example above shows the planning resource group UK Plants. The calendar window shows that the template ‘Market
Harborough 7 day’ is assigned to this planning resource group.
Planning Resource Groups - Templates
Planning Resource Groups Templates can be viewed and edited from:
Planner ► View ► Calendars ► Planning Resource Groups ► Planning Resource Group Templates
Planning Resource Groups templates are assigned to Planning Resource Groups to define capacity levels.
Planning Resource Groups - New Templates
A new Planning Resource Groups template can be created from:
Planner ► View ► Calendars ► Planning Resource Groups ► New Planning Resource Group Template
Planning Resource Groups templates are assigned to Planning Resource Groups to define capacity levels.
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Planning Resources
The list of Planning Resource Groups is opened by:
Planner ► View ► Calendars ► Planning Resource Groups ► Planning Resource Group
Use of Calendars
Double clicking on one of the Planning Resources will open a window for that resource's calendar.
Planning Resource - Templates
Planning Resource Templates can be viewed and edited from:
Planner ► View ► Calendars ► Planning Resource ► Planning Resource Templates
Changes made to existing templates will affect all Planning Resources that have the template assigned to them.
Planning Resource templates are assigned to Planning Resource to define capacity levels.
Planning Resource - New Templates
A new Planning Resource Groups template can be created from:
Planner ► View ► Calendars ► Planning Resource ► New Planning Resource Template
Planning Resource templates are assigned to Planning Resource Groups to define capacity levels.
Item Resources
The list of Planning Resource Groups is opened by:
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Planner ► View ► Calendars ► Items ► Item Resources
Double clicking on one of the Item Resources will open a window for that resource's calendar.
Item Resource Templates
Item Resource Templates can be viewed and edited from:
Planner ► View ► Calendars ► Items ► Item Templates
Use of Calendars
Changes made to existing templates will affect all Items that have the template assigned to them.
Item Resource templates are assigned to items to define their sales and production periods.
Item Resource - New Templates
A new Item Resource template can be created from:
Planner ► View ► Calendars ► Items ► New Item Templates
Item Resource templates are assigned to Items to define their sales and production periods.
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Charts
Charts
Capacity Usage
Capacity Usage can be shown by: l l l
Planning Resources Plot
Planning Resource Group Plot
Planning Resource Multi Plot.
To open the window, select:
View ► Chart Data ► Capacity Usage ► [selected display type].
The capacity chart illustrates the production volumes, over available capacity.
Capacity is represented by the colored background area and the production volumes are represented by the colored blocks in the upright columns.
Production values can be modified by left clicking on a colored block and dragging that block up or down. The actual value will be displayed during the process. Production can also be dragged from one date to another by left clicking on a colored block and dragging the block to another date. Any changes made to production date or value in the chart will automatically update the Planner.
To view a different Capacity Group, select it from the drop down menu.
Capacity Colors
To open the Capacity Colors window, select:
View ► Chart Data ► Capacity Usage ► Capacity Colors
This displays the Capacity Colors table as described in Provisioning Data – Planner Data – Planning Parameters – Capacity
Colors. Only the colors selection can be edited from here. Double click a record to open the color edit window.
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Capacity Alerts
To open the Capacity Colors window, select:
View ► Chart Data ► Capacity Usage ► Capacity Alerts
This displays the Capacity Alerts Window on the right-hand side of the planner.
Use the column filters to filter the records in the Capacity Alerts Window that match the criteria.
BoM Pie Chart
This shows items in the top level BoM.
Charts - Analyzing the Plan
Introduction
The Planner offers a number of outputs for analyzing the plan, from:
View ► Chart Data ► ...
This includes: l l l l
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Charts
Stock Profile Viewer
All Demand Results are represented on the Stock Profile Viewer. This can be accessed by:
View ► Chart Data ► Stock Profile Viewer
- select an Item from the Drop Down box in the Toolbar or
From the Demand window, right-click on a record and select Chart Data ► View Stock Profile.
Charts
The Stock Profile can display a number of possible series, selectable from the Toolbar): l
MPS Result
The proposed production required for the specific day. A zero MPS Value is represented by an upward arrow.
l
Projected Stock
The Projected Stock Level of the item for each day.
l
Forecast
The total quantity for forecasts for the date l
Orders
The total quantity for orders for the date.
l
Min Stock
The Minimum Stock Holding required for the item for each day l
Target Stock
The ideal stock holding required for the item for each day
The plan can be modified by dragging the MPS Result columns in the chart to a different value. Right click on one of the purple columns and hold and drag the column up or down to the new value. Switch on Point Labels to see the actual value. Any
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Reports changes made in the Stock Profile chart will automatically modify the corresponding value in the Planner.
The MPS Result value can be adjusted from a zero value by left clicking on the Point Label (0) and dragging upwards.
It is possible to switch to a chart for another item by using the Stock Profile drop down list. As soon as another item is selected the graph will change to display relevant data for that item.
Once there is valid data for a graph of stock profile (calculate stock, then calculate MPS, then look at stock profile), the ability to dynamically change stock or orders by dragging the columns of the graph can be disabled.
Reports
Planner Reports
See also
for help in generating the reports, and
on how to read and navigate the report output. Note - many reports have Drill Down reports available.
Planner Reports generally include the following: l l l l l l
Below Minimum Stock
For each item, shows description, demand date; closing and minimum stocks.
Greater than Maximum Stock
For each item and demand date, shows: closing and maximum stocks.
All Capacity
For each capacity group, gives capacity used and % by date.
Capacity by Planning Group by Date
For each date, lists capacity used and % for each PG.
Demand
Items
For each Item l
Unit of measure, l
Item level, l
Include in planning?, l
Maximum and target days of cover, l
Minimum and maximum reorder quantity, l
Reorder multiple, l
Capacity and planning group names, l l l l
Out of Life
For each item, demand date, out of life stock, product and total.
Plan Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of production and total days cover by date for two selectable saved Datasets.
Imported Sales
For each item, shows order date and quantity.
Imported Stocks
For each item, shows; quantity, production and out of life dates.
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Quick Reference l l l l
All Orders
Days Cover by Item total days Cover Outside Limits
Total Days Cover
Quick Reference
What
Item Plot Color in Planner Capacity Plot
Item Sort Order in Planner Capacity Plot
How
From the Preactor Desktop:
Data Maintenance ► Items
► Double click Item
► Item Display Data
Preactor Desktop: ► Data Maintenance
► Items (Double click Item)
► Item Display Data
Columns
Within the Planner it is possible to hide/unhide columns to achieve a different view of the data.
Demand Color Enable/Disable
Toolbar icon
Toolbar icon
To provision/view:
Preactor Desktop:
Data Maintenance ► Set Planner
Threshold Planner Threshold Provisioning
- Which colors to/are used to indicate different stock levels
Messages - Completed Tasks, Enable/Disable
Messages - Show Last Task Enable/Disable
It puts a message on bottom left hand side of planner window after updates etc and gives time to run that action.
Planning Group Colors
Stock Profile Chart - Enable/Disable Data Selection
Stock Profile Chart Colors
The colors have to be defined, then the colors have to be enabled
Toolbar - Toolbar ScreenTips Enable/Disable
To View: from within the Planner:
View ► Demand Data
► Set Planner Threshold.
Settings ► Application Settings
- Show Messages for Completed Tasks.
Settings ► Application Settings
► Show Last Task Done
Preactor Desktop: ► Data Maintenance
► Items (Double click Item)
► Item Display Data
Toolbar Icon and select the required data to be displayed.
To Define the Colors:
From the Preactor Desktop:
Data Maintenance ► Parameters
- Edit the Stock Plot Options for that Parameter.
To Enable The colors
Within the Planner:
Settings ► Application Settings
- Check 'Use Custom Color For Stock Plot
Right click on Toolbar Area, select Cus-
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What How tomize.
► Select Options
Quick Reference
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Preactor Sequencer
Scheduling
Preactor Sequencer
Introduction
The Sequencer is the heart of the scheduling system and contains the Calendar Editor, Schedule Overview, Editor, Plots, Trace
Chart, and Utilization windows. It establishes the shift calendar patterns for both primary and secondary resources, provides automatic and manual scheduling functions and carries out all finite capacity calculations.
To enter the Sequencer l
From the Workspace Navigation pane in the Preactor Desktop, select General (in the Active Pane) and select the Generate Schedule button. The Sequencer opens displaying its overview window:
To open additional tabbed windows in the Sequencer l l
Select a window from the View menu option (Editor, Overview, Plot, Trace Chart, Utilization, or Material Explorer windows)
Select the window from the toolbar
Menu Bars and Toolbars
Selecting any Menu Bar commands displays a sub menu showing the options available under each one. The options available under each menu are context sensitive, based on which of the sequencer windows is focused.
Toolbars too are context sensitive, depending on the view that has focus. Here the Standard toolbar is displayed but you can right click on the bar to activate other toolbars.
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Concepts
Window Display
The Sequencer uses two types of window display, "Docking" windows and "Tabbed" windows.
Calendars and Reports are presented at the edges of the screen as hidden docking windows that are displayed when the appropriate tab is clicked. Unscheduled Operations appear in a docked panel at the bottom of the screen.
To provide more screen area for the sequencer display the Unscheduled Operations panel can also be presented as a hidden window, by clicking on the Auto Hide pin in the top right of the panel.
Tabbed windows are only presented if the "Tabbed" option is selected in Window menu bar command.
Window Layout l l
The Sequencer's window display (workspace) can be rearranged to suit your own requirements, and is normally lost when exiting the Sequencer.
The workspace can be saved (as a named workspace) and loaded for future use, or set to be saved on exit of the sequencer and re-used when entering the sequencer in future - using the Window ► Workspaces menu options.
Window Fonts l
The fonts for the text in a number of windows (Overview, Plots, Trace Chart) can be modified from the menu item:
Tools ► Options ► Environment.
Concepts
Scheduling Algorithms
Production Scheduling Algorithms
All Preactor scheduling products can use the sequential or order at a time scheduling method, found in FCS systems. Here, each order, is loaded in sequence, dependent on due date, priority etc and operations are loaded forward, backward or bidirectionally.
Additionally, APS allows you to use the parallel loading method, where, as each resource becomes free, operations are selected from the queues of work waiting to be processed, using industry standard dispatching rules.
For example, you may want to minimize setup times by selecting operations in a particular color sequence. A look-ahead period can be defined to decide which operations should be pulled forward in order to minimize setups when generating the schedule.
An example of sequence dependant changeovers can be seen on the Preactor web site.
Algorithmic Sequencing
The sequencer uses an algorithm to select an order and places each operation for that order on the planning board. It repeats this process until all orders (and therefore, all operations) have been loaded.
Each operation is loaded on its specified resource at the first available time slot that satisfies the constraints for that operation.
The order-at-a-time construction process, sometimes called Order Based Method or Sequential Loading, is shown in the following diagrams. In this example, we first load Order A, then Order B, and finally, Order C.
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Concepts
Step 1: Load Order A
Step 2: Load Order B
Step 3: Load Order C
In an order-at-a-time sequencer, selecting the sequence in which the orders are loaded onto the planning board controls the schedule. Once an order is selected, all of its operations are loaded in a straightforward, unalterable way.
Hence, the key to the quality of the schedule that is generated by the algorithmic sequencer is the dispatching rule - i.e. rule that is used for selecting the order-loading order.
There are a number of very simple heuristic rules that can be used to select the sequence for loading the orders on the planning board. One rule that can be used for selecting the order sequence is to sort the orders by a priority value that has been assigned to each order. Other possible sorting criteria are earliest due date, earliest release date, and smallest remaining slack time. None of these rules are optimal in a mathematical sense. Each rule represents a different strategy and focus in planning the orders. For example, the due date-related rules (earliest due date, least remaining slack) focus on reducing the number of late orders, whereas the priority-based rule strives to complete the most important orders as soon as possible.
In some applications, a given operation can be performed on two or more different resources. For example, a drilling operation might be performed on either of two drills. In such cases, the schedule in an algorithmic sequencer is first determined by the sequence of orders, then by the rule that is used to determine to which resource a given operation is assigned during the loading process. Again, simple heuristic rules (e.g., assign the operation to the resource that will complete the operation first) can be used to determine the schedule.
Backward Sequencing
Although an order-at-a-time sequencer typically loads each order working forward in time by starting with the first operation and continuing through to the last operation, (forward sequencing), it is also possible to use this same sequencing scheme but reverse the procedure to work backward in time (backward sequencing).
In this case, the sequencer begins by loading the last operation for the order to finish at its due date. It then continues by loading the order's preceding operation to finish at the start time of the last operation. This process is continued, working backward in time, until the first operation for the order is loaded. At this point, the sequencer then selects a new order to load and repeats the entire process, again starting with the last operation and working backward in time. It continues in this fashion until all orders are loaded.
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Concepts
The following diagram shows a schedule generated by backward sequencing Orders A, B, and C, where the vertical line on the right denotes the due date for all three orders.
Backward Sequencing Chart for Orders A, B, and C
The advantage of a backward algorithmic sequencer is that it always generates a schedule that has no late orders. However, the schedule may require start times that are infeasible; that is, the orders must start before the current time.
In essence, a forward order-at-a-time sequencer fixes the start times for an order and determines the end times (which may violate the due dates), whereas a backward order-at-a-time sequencer fixes the end times and determines the start times.
Although the idea of constructing a schedule that has no late orders is appealing, backward sequencing has some practical limitations, even in cases where a feasible solution is generated.
Backward scheduling shifts all orders to the right on the planning board so that they start as late as possible while still meeting the due date. This means that there is no time buffer in the system and any disruptions that occur; (machine breakdowns, late material arrivals, etc.) will typically create late orders. In addition, by postponing the use of our available capacity and waiting until the last minute to start each order, we give up the opportunity to consider additional orders that may arrive later and need to be added to the schedule. For these reasons, many schedulers prefer a forward sequencing. There is also a tendency for backward sequencing to produce lower resource utilization. If you consider the Backward Sequencing Chart, a gap has been left between operations A-10 and B-20 on Resource 1. It is likely that the gap is too small to be filled by operations loaded later in the sequencing process, resulting in lower utilization. If the work had been forward sequenced the gap would have been at the end of B-20 (i.e. added to the as yet unused pool of capacity), making it available to other operations of any duration. It is also possible to use an algorithmic sequencer in a bidirectional mode. In this case, we select an operation somewhere in the middle of the order and schedule the remaining operations using forward sequencing and the preceding operations using backward sequencing. This is useful in cases where we have an available time slot on a critical, highly utilized resource and we want to assign an operation to this critical resource and then load its upstream and downstream operations around this operation. We can accomplish this by fixing the operation on the critical resource and bidirectional sequencing the remaining operations for this order. In summary, an algorithmic sequencer is a simple and fast method for loading a set of orders on the planning board. The schedule is completely determined by specifying the sequence of orders and a rule for selecting between resources.
Simulation-Based Sequencing
Simulation-based sequencing provides an attractive alternative to algorithmic sequencing by providing a simple, yet very flexible method for constructing a schedule. In general, a simulation-based sequencer can also produce any schedule that is produced by an algorithmic sequencer. However, a simulation-based sequencer can also consider many schedules that cannot be considered by an algorithmic sequencer. Hence, the simulation-based sequencing approach, sometimes referred to as a
Resource Based Method or Parallel Loading, can create better schedules than an algorithmic sequencer, but this would depend very much on what you consider to be a 'better' schedule.
In contrast to the algorithmic sequencer, the simulation-based sequencer selects and loads an operation at a time. By loading individual operations rather than entire orders, the simulation-based sequencer has finer control over the way the operations are loaded onto the planning board. This operation-at-a-time loading is the key to the added flexibility in schedule generation using the simulation-based sequencer.
A second fundamental difference between the algorithmic and simulation-based sequencer is that the simulation-based sequencer constructs the schedule in a single time pass by moving forward from one event time to the next. The simulationbased sequencer begins at the current time and loads all operations that can start now. Note that these operations do not
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Concepts come from a single order as in the case of the order-at-a-time sequencer, but can be taken from the entire set of orders. Once all operations that can start at this event time have been loaded, the simulation-based sequencer advances time to the next event e.g., the first completion time for any operation on the planning board. In this case, a busy resource has just changed to idle; hence, the simulation-based sequencer attempts to load additional operations at this new event time. The simulationbased sequencer continues in this fashion, advancing time forward to the next event time and loading additional operations as resources become idle until all operations have been loaded.
The following set of figures illustrates steps in the simulation-based construction process. In each of the figures, the vertical line denotes the current value of simulated time. The first step in the simulation-based sequencer is to load all operations that can begin at the current time.
In this example: l
Step 1: Operation 10 for Order A (A-10) can be loaded on Resource 1 and Operation 10 for Order B (B-10) can be loaded on Resource 2.
Step 1: Load Operation A-10 and B-10 l
Step 2: The simulated time is advanced to the ending time of Operation A-10, and Operation C-10 is then loaded on
Resource 1.
Step 2: Load Operation C-10 l
Step 3: Simulated time is advanced to the end of Operation B-10, and Operation A-20 is loaded on Resource 2.
Step 3: Load Operation A-20 l
Step 4: Simulated time is advanced to the end of Operation C-10, and Operation B-20 is loaded on Resource 1.
Step 4: Load Operation B-20
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Concepts l
Step 5: Simulated time is advanced to the end of Operation B-20. Since no further operations remain to be loaded on
Resource 1, simulated time is advanced to the end of Operation A-20 where the final operation, C-20, is loaded on
Resource 2.
Step 5: Load Operation C-20
In contrast to the algorithmic sequencer, the simulation-based sequencer only moves time forward. It only advances time forward once all operations that are to be loaded at that time have been loaded. Hence, the simulation-based sequencer temporarily stops time and examines the entire order set, advancing to the next event time once all operations have been loaded. The algorithmic sequencer, on the other hand, is constantly moving back and forth in time as it loads all operations for each order. It starts at the current time and goes forward in time loading all operations for this first order. It then goes back again to the current time and again moves forward in time loading all operations for the second order. It continues in this fashion, moving forward and backward in time, until all orders are fully loaded on the planning board. Hence, the algorithmic sequencer fixes an order and works across time, advancing to the next order once all operations have been loaded.
In the Preactor 400 APS simulation-based sequencer, we control the schedule using dispatching rules that select the next operation to load.
Typical rules select the next operation l l l l l with the shortest setup time with the shortest processing time with the earliest due date with the lowest value of critical ratio in a preferred sequence etc
Although the loading concepts employed by the Simulation Based Sequencer provide great flexibility in schedule generation, the effective use of this flexibility is influenced by the dispatching rules chosen to select the next operation for the resource from the queue of work waiting to be processed. Preactor 400 APS employs both standard and customized dispatching rules and this is discussed further in the section dedicated to Preactor 400 APS.
There are disadvantages in using a simulation-based sequencer too. An example would be use a dispatching rule which minimizes lateness, such as 'critical ratio', where selection of operations would be based on the remaining operation time compared to the delivery time. In this situation, if capacity is a problem, a simulation-based sequencer would tend to minimize total lateness of all the orders but you would have a higher number of late orders (i.e. a large number of slightly late orders).
An algorithmic sequencer using the due date priority option would produce fewer late orders (i.e. a small number of very late orders). In this situation the user could focus attention more easily on those orders that are predicted to be late.
An algorithmic sequencer can also control some process parameters more effectively than a simulation based sequencer. For example in many food and process industries it is often a requirement to control the amount of time that work waits between process steps (food can spoil). Because an algorithmic sequencer loads a complete order at a time it can easily check if the intervals between the operations are correct, and adjust them if required.
The simulation-based sequencer has less control because when it loads the first operation it does not know when the next operation will be loaded. Later, when the next operation is loaded, it may not be possible to move the first operation because other work has been loaded in between.
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Concepts
In general, a simulation based sequencer using First In First Out (FIFO) as the dispatching rule, will generate a schedule with higher resource utilization and a shorter overall schedule span than an algorithmic sequencer, but at the expense of higher work in progress.
In-built Scheduling Rules
APS scheduling systems are equipped with in-built scheduling rules.
Examples of these are:
Preferred Sequence (by order attribute, setup time, process time, critical ratio)
Minimize Work In Process (WIP) Forwards
Minimize WIP Backwards
Selective Bottleneck (TOC)
Dynamic Bottleneck
Minimize Overall Setup
Campaigning
The Preferred Sequence rule is data driven. You can select the criteria by which the preferred sequence is created. Critical ratio is used, for example, to minimize late orders by dynamically changing the priority of orders based on a comparison of remaining process time with time to due date.
The Minimize WIP rules are sequential rules that endeavor to minimize the make-span for each order. Min WIP forward loads each order forward from the current time, locks the last operation and backward sequences from there. Min WIP backward loads each order from its due date, locks the first operation and forward sequences from there.
The Selective Bottleneck rule is based on the Theory of Constraints (TOC) philosophy. It works by the user selecting the
'Bottleneck Resource' or 'Bottleneck Resource Group'. Each order is then backward scheduled from the Due Date (less Delivery
Buffer). Any operations loaded onto a bottleneck resource are offset by the Bottleneck Buffer time (defined in the Resource data table for each resource) which is designed to give some 'slack' such that any delays to operations before the bottleneck resource will not result in it being 'starved' of work. Preactor then detects whether any operations in that order must start before current time. If so then these operations are re-scheduled forwards using up some or the entire bottleneck buffer. If this is consumed then some or the entire delivery buffer may also be used up and the 'At Risk' or 'Late' flag is set.
The Dynamic Bottleneck rule is an improvement over the classical selective bottleneck scheduling where the bottleneck will
'wander' depending on the current product mix that is scheduled. Rather than pre-processing your orders to determine a single bottleneck, the Dynamic Bottleneck Rule calculates the bottleneck individually for each order. Operations 'upstream' of the bottleneck are then backward sequenced inserting a resource buffer like the Selective Bottleneck rule.
The Minimize Overall Setup rule is similar in some respects to the Preferred Sequence rule. However it is focused purely on minimizing the setup or changeover time on resources. In the Preferred Sequence rule, as each resource becomes idle it selects the next operation to load based on the preferred sequence criteria in the resource database without any consideration of other resources that could also be used. Thus, provided one or more operations can be run on the resource and they lay within the 'Look Ahead Window' one of them will be scheduled based on the preferred sequence. In the Minimize Overall Setup rule, consideration is made across all resources able to run the operation even if they are still busy. The rule does not use the preferred sequence criteria in the Resource table. It does however use the 'Look Ahead Window' to decide whether an operation should be available to be scheduled in the same way as the Preferred Sequence rule.
The Campaigning rule is used when a production schedule is to be created in waves and uses a PESP script. When the rule runs, a dialog box asking the user to enter a Reference Date, Campaign Period and Number of Campaigns appears. The first pass of the rule locates all orders where the reference time entered is greater or equal to the due date of the order, these orders are then forward scheduled. The Reference Date is then incremented by the Campaign Period, the Number of
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Concepts
Campaigns decremented. The second pass of the rule will again locate all orders where the reference time entered is greater or equal to the due date of the order. The number of passes of the rule will be the same as the number entered into the Number of Campaigns field.
Sequential and Parallel Loading of Operations
Preactor 400 APS has an alternative scheduling engine to FCS systems.
With the FCS scheduling engine all operations for an order are loaded onto the schedule before another order is considered.
In APS you can also elect to load one operation at a time and use so called dispatching rules to select which operation to load next.
Parallel loading rules are resource specific. Operations that are ready to load are put in one or more queues which can be ranked according to the rule assigned to the resource. As a resource becomes free it looks at the queue of waiting operations and selects the best one to process next.
The standard preferred sequence rule uses this logic. It also has a ‘Look ahead window’ which defines a time period that is used to determine whether an operation should be allowed into a queue for a specific resource. When a resource becomes free the rule determines what its look ahead window is from the current time. If an operation from an order has a due date within that window then it is allowed into the dispatching rule queue.
Order & Operation Relationships
Sequencing Orders using Operation Numbers
When operation numbers are used to define the sequence of operations within an order the Preactor Sequencer assumes that lower operation numbers must be performed before higher operation numbers and that operations with the same operation number may be performed in parallel.
Defining operation relationships in this way is quite easy and has the advantage that you can easily insert or remove operations without the need to redefine the parameters of previous or subsequent operations. All operations of the Order are considered as a whole and sequenced in one action.
However, there are significant limitations in the way that operation numbers can be used to model assembly and dis-assembly within the order.
For example, consider the assembly in the following order:
Using operation number relationships only, the two operation 10s would have to be performed before either of the operations
20s and both operation 20s would have to be performed before either of the operation 30s.
Often, with assembly of this type, operations 10a, 20a and 30a could be performed independently of operations 10b, 20b and
30b. The only point at which dependency is required is at operation 40.
Sequencing Orders Using MADE FROM
Defining operation sequences using MADE FROM overcomes the limitations of implying the relationship using operation numbers. However setting up the relationship is more complex.
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In the above example the MADE FROM table would look like this:
Op 10a – No Dependencies
Op 20a – Depends on Op 10a
Op 30a – Depends on Op 20a
Op 10b – No Dependencies
Op 20b – Depends on Op 10a
Op 30b – Depends on Op 20b
Op 40 – Depends on Op 30a and Op 30b
Op 50 – Depends on Op 40
Op 60 – Depends on Op 50
When sequencing the operations of the order, Preactor creates internal virtual orders for sequencing. The virtual order is made up of the previous and subsequent operations plus, iteratively, any operations that have no more than one previous operation and no more than one subsequent operation.
Looking at the order above, this would result in the following virtual orders:
Virtual Order 1: 10a, 20a, 30a.
Virtual Order 2: 10b, 20b, 30b.
Virtual Order 3: 30a, 30b, 40, 50, 60.
Preactor then treats these virtual orders in the same way as orders defined using operation numbers. The virtual orders become available for sequencing when there are no unallocated dependents of the first operation. So in this example, Virtual
Orders 1 and 2 are considered immediately, Virtual Order 3 is only considered once both Virtual Orders 1 and 2 have been sequenced.
It can be seen that Virtual Order 3 contains both operations 30a and 30b; these operations will have been already sequenced before Virtual Order 3 is considered, so there will be no relationship between them, other than operation 40 requiring that they have both been processed.
When using the operation relationships can include operations that are not part of the same actual Order, however, internally the same Virtual Order concept is used.
Operations with complex relationships
Certain features of Preactor can create more complex relationships between operations than just there previous and subsequent operations. These features are:
• Maximum time between operations – INTER OPERATION INTERVAL
• Subsequent resource constraints – SUBSEQUENT RESOURCE CONSTRAINT and RESET SUBSEQUENT RESOURCE
• Secondary constraint usage types that can affect secondary constraints outside of the span of the operation, for example
“Increment From Start”, “Decrement To End” etc.
Use of these features must be carefully considered when using MADE FROM and assembly or dis-assembly. The above features are only considered within each order, when using MADE FROM this means the Virtual orders created internally. If any of these features are used within an order constructed using MADE FROM where multiple Virtual orders are then created, unexpected results may be obtained.
Outlined below are scenarios where problems may arise.
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Concepts
INTER OPERATION INTERVAL
If only one pair of operations in an order have and INTER OPERATION INTERVAL it will not cause a problem, however if there is a chain of INTER OPERATION INTERVAL values between contiguous operations, this creates a complex operation relationship.
In the above example, say the following INTER OPERATION INTERVAL relationships were specified, the actual duration of the intervals is not a determining factor:
First, Virtual Order 1 will be sequenced, Op 10a, 20a and 30a. If Op 30a cannot be sequenced within the required time, Op 20a will be moved forwards. Moving Op 20a may then violate the interval between Op 10a and 20a, this will cause Op 10a to be moved. Eventually operations 10a, 20a, and 30a will be scheduled so that the intervals will be respected, assuming there is available capacity.
Virtual Order 2 will now be sequenced independently.
Finally Virtual Order 3 can be sequenced which includes Operations 30a and 40, these two operations have an INTER
OPERATION INTERVAL constraint. If this interval is violated, Op 30a will be moved, however, as Op 20a is not part of Virtual
Order 3 it will not be considered and will not be moved even if the INTER OPERATION INTERVAL between it and Op 30a is violated. It will thus be possible for the final schedule to violate the INTER OPERATION INTERVAL specified between Op 20a and
Op 30a.
SUBSEQUENT RESOURCE CONSTRAINT
In the order above, say Op 50 can be performed on either the Lathe or Mill. Op 10a sets the SUBSEQUENT RESOURCE
CONSTRAINT to Lathe. The Lathe will be set as a required resource, for all subsequent operations in Virtual Order 1, Op20a and
Op 30a. However, for Virtual Oder 3 which contains Op 50, no SUBSEQUENT RESOURCE CONSTRAINT will have been set and the operation will be free to be placed on the Lathe or Mill.
Secondary Constraints
When operations require secondary constraints, the sequencing engine checks that the usage of the constraint is within the required limits for the duration of the use of the constraint, Setup time, Operation time or the entire process time. If the constraint is affected outside of the operation duration then an additional check is performed after the entire order (Virtual order) is scheduled. If the constraint is, say, incremented by one operation and decremented by another in equal quantities, the constraint will be verified between the two operations. If the constraint is not incremented and decremented by equal quantities then the constraint is checked out into the future indefinitely.
If in our example, Op 10a increments a constraint and Op 50 decrements the constraint by the same amount unexpected results may be given as Op 10a and Op 50 are not within the same Virtual Order. Virtual Order 1 will be scheduled, but as no operation in the Virtual order decrements the constraint, it will be checked indefinitely into the future. If there is no other usage of the constraint and there are no capacity changes caused by calendars that would cause the constraint to be violated,
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Concepts then the order will be sequenced. However, if at any point in the future the constraint is violated, the Op 10a will be either scheduled after the violation or left unallocated if it is not possible to place the operation without violating the constraint. If Op
10a is not sequenced, Virtual Order 3 will never be a candidate for sequencing as Op 30a will never be sequenced.
Auto Expand
Preactor will build the details of an order from a routing (typically described in a Products table), BoM & Co-Products table. This is called 'Auto Expand' and is a function of Preactor that can be performed on import or while manually entering data. In fact, the auto expand functionality is flexible and can expand from n source tables into n target tables. The process and the relationships through which this is achieved are described below. For Standard and Professional editions of Preactor AS these relationships are fixed, but for Ultimate editions the relationship may be defined in any valid way for any number of tables.
Auto Expand in AS Standard & Professional
Standard & Professional editions of Preactor AS have a fixed auto expand relationship which can be described as follows.
The Orders table is expanded from the Products table using the 'Part No.' field as an identifier to link the order and the product information. In addition, the Order BOM table is expanded from the Products BOM table and in Professional the Order Co-
Products table is expanded from the Co-Products table.
Auto Expand Configuration (Ultimate Only)
The Ultimate configuration that ships with Preactor is configured to work as described above for the Standard & Professional editions. However, configurations migrated from earlier versions of Preactor, or customized configurations, may have auto expand configured in a number of different ways, as described below.
In order to automatically expand a parent operation for an order into all its individual operations a link to a source table that contains the operation data is required. This link is created with the AUTO EXPAND classification, which defines the field that is used as a reference into the table that is to be used for creating a complete set of operations for a given order type, the order type is most commonly defined by the Product.
Expand from Parent / Child relationship
In this case individual operations are specified as children of the referenced parent record via a DATABASE reference. EXPAND
UPDATE fields are populated using this relationship.
The creation of individual operation records can be controlled using the CONTROL AUTO EXPAND classification on a TOGGLE type field.
After expand AUTO INCREMENT and UNIQUE fields are updated, default values are set and EXPAND UPDATE, ALWAYS UPDATE and UPDATE REFERENCE fields are set.
Expand from Matrix
Individual operations may be specified in an AUTO LIST of data, used is operations are common to multiple products. One record is created in the target table for each entry in the source AUTO LIST.
After expand AUTO INCREMENT and UNIQUE fields are updated. Default values are set. EXPAND UPDATE and UPDATE
REFERENCE fields are set.
Note: This method of expansion is rarely used and, while still possible, expansion from a parent / child relationship is the preferred technique. Standard and Professional editions of Preactor AS use parent / child relationships.
Disconnected Expand
In the situation where a product may or may not exist in a referenced table, a 'disconnected' expand is required. A disconnected expand is one where it is possible to either select a product from an existing list or to create ad hoc orders by specifying each operation step. This means that when importing orders, those orders can include a full description of the process, order
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Concepts header information only, or a mix of both. The auto expand relationships in Standard & Professional are disconnected in this way.
Individual field relationships are specified using the LOOKUP SOURCE classification on the AUTO EXPAND field and LOOKUP
UPDATE rather than DATABASE references, further LOOKUP SOURCE fields may be specified to aid manual product selection in a similar way to an ADDITIONAL REFERENCE field.
LOOKUP SOURCE fields are FREE FORMAT String fields that can contain either matching strings that define a unique reference into the source table or ad hoc data not present in the source table. EXPAND UPDATE fields are also updated when a matching reference is found.
When importing header only records that need to be expanded, the LOOKUP SOURCE field that is a reference to the field specified as the FAMILY in the source table must be populated for the expand to succeed. For example, if both ‘Part No.’ and
‘Product’ are specified as LOOKUP SOURCE fields in the ‘Products’ table and the FAMILY field in the ‘Products’ table is defined as
FAMILY(Part No.), then the 'Part No.' field must be populated in the import data.
Expand of associated tables
Operations in associated tables are also updated using the EXPAND REFERENCE, ORDER MATCH and EXPAND MATCH classifications via a LOOKUP SOURCE table reference. LOOKUP UPDATE fields are also updated.
A typical use would be creation of BOM data for Orders expanded using a Products table from a Product BOM table. A minimum of 4 tables are involved in this expansion type, but more table pairs can be used if required.
For example:
Orders table expanded from a Products table.
Order BOM table expanded from a Products BOM table.
Order Co-Products table expanded from a Co-Products table.
Only the tables that are to be expanded need to be associated to the main target table, Order BOM and Order Co-Products tables are associated to the Orders table in the above example. Tables containing the expansion data do not need to be associated, they are linked indirectly by the use of the LOOKUP SOURCE classification.
When the records have been created in the main target table, all associate tables are searched for an EXPAND REFERENCE field.
The expand reference is used to create a unique FREE FORMAT string reference to the main target table, if an EXPAND
REFERENCE field is present then an attempt is made to expand the associated table, any records created in the associated table will have the EXPAND REFERENCE field assigned to the related records field value.
When expanding associated tables, a search is made in the associate table for any records where all ORDER MATCH fields are equal. If they exist then expansion is assumed to have been performed already and no further action is taken.
If no records match in the associated table, then the EXPAND MATCH fields are used to create records in the associated table from the table defined by LOOKUP SOURCE.
Sequence Dependant Setup Times
Instead of using a fixed setup time you can define sequence dependent setup or changeover times based on the attributes of one operation to another operation on a resource.
For example the sequence of product A to product B on a resource could incur a 30 minute changeover time but product B to product A would incur a 3 hour changeover time.
Where limited data is available this can be achieved by using the Like to Like Setup Time and Like to Like Match fields in the
Products table.
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Concepts
Where more comprehensive data is available, go to the Resources table and use the Sequence Dependant Setup Time pushbutton in the Edit Resources Information dialog to establish a matrix of setup times. Refer to these values in the Products table using the Setup Group field.
Infinite Capacity Resources
In most cases the user will want to define resources as having 'finite' capacity, however in some circumstances 'infinite' capacity resources may be chosen to model certain processes. For example a sub-contract operation may always have a 2 day lead time no matter how many batches are sent and in this case an infinite resource called Sub-Contract might be used to model the delay.
An alternative status to Infinite capacity is Infinite with Shift Patterns. This may be used, for example, if our sub-contractor did not work at weekends so that the 2 day lead time would be extended if sent on a Friday.
Note: If you wish to be able to break down or change the calendar state of an infinite capacity resource you must use the
'Infinite with Shift patterns’ option.
To establish an infinite capacity resource:
1. From the Data Maintenance category, click on the Resources data table.
The Resources Data Table is displayed.
2. Double click on the record you wish to have infinite capacity.
3. Click on the 'drop down' arrow against the Finite or Infinite field and select Infinite or Infinite with Shift Patterns.
Materials
Material Control
Overview
Preactor AS allows the modeling of materials using a feature called Material Control. Given a Bill of Materials for an order, material control will link the required materials for each of the operation steps within that order by applying pegging rules. For
more information on building pegging rules "Building Pegging Rules" on the next page.
Materials usage is tracked across three tables: l l l
The supply table, in which items that supply material are defined.
The orders table, in which items that both consume and supply materials are defined.
The demand table, in which items that demand material are defined.
Supplies are usually stock records, purchase orders or purchase recommendations. When we refer to the orders table, we are usually referring to works orders. Demand orders are usually sales orders. A given material may be linked from any source. For example, a sales order that demands a quantity of a material may be linked to a stock record or a works order, depending on the material pegging rule defined and the availability of materials.
Supply & demand orders are represented in the sequencer on the overview as milestones. Relationship lines can be drawn between supply orders, works orders and demand orders to show the material relationships. Further analysis of material consumption is allowed in Professional and Ultimate editions of Preactor AS using the Material Explorer included in the
Material Control in AS Standard
AS Standard allows the pegging of materials using a single built-in material control rule. This rule has the following behavior: l l l
All unlocked links are cleared from all demand orders and unscheduled works orders.
Consuming queue contains all demand orders and unallocated works orders that have BoM data.
Producing queue contains all supply orders and all works orders that produce material.
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Concepts l l l l
Both queues are ranked by date then priority.
Materials are allocated on a FIFO (First In First Out) basis.
Materials will be allocated as found in the appropriate Queue. Quantities will not be compared.
Linking to materials with future availability is allowed (backward links)
Note: Demand and supply orders cannot be multi-line orders in the Standard edition of Preactor AS. For cases where multi-line sales orders or purchase orders are required, it is necessary to suffix the order identifier with a line item number or similar. This is best achieved at import time.
Material Control in AS Professional & Ultimate
In AS Professional and Ultimate editions, user defined pegging rules are allowed. These rules are fully flexible and can be defined as rule sets, which can then be applied on an elective basis. In addition, Professional and Ultimate allow the linking of materials at operation steps other then the first and last operation step. The production of additional materials may be specified in a co-products table.
Building Pegging Rules
The Pegging Rules table is used to define rules for how material links should be created between demand and supply orders. It can be accessed by going to:
Configuration ► Material Control ►Pegging Rules
These rules are fully customizable and can have several passes to them. There are built in standard rules such as 'Production
Qty=Consuming Qty', 'Production Qty>=Consuming Qty' and 'FIFO'. If the standard rules are not explicit enough, then a 'User
Defined' rule, or a rule which runs via a PESP (Preactor Event Script Processor) script can be used.
Rule Creation
A Standard Material Control (SMC) Rule will typically consist of several passes, each pass of the rule is represented by a separate record entry for that rule set. The Pegging Rules table in the Material Control example configuration includes a Default rule set which has four rule passes. The first rule pass is always the parent record and is where the name of the Rule Set is entered.
Child records of that rule set are subsequent rule passes that will run after the first pass of the rule is completed.
In the case of the Default rule set included in the Material Control example, the first pass of the rule will clear any links that currently exist between orders, note that the Internal and External Demand Queue Filter fields are available if these queues need to be filtered, if certain links to demand orders do not need to be cleared. The second pass of the rule does not filter any records and will create links between orders where the producing quantity of an order is equal to the consuming quantity of an order. The third pass which also has no filters set will create links between orders where the producing quantity of an order is greater or equal to the consuming quantity of an order. The fourth and final pass of the rule will link all the remaining orders for which links have not been created in the order that they are found in the queues.
Filtering and Ranking Queues
Filter expressions can be entered in the supply and demand filter fields to restrict the orders that are to be included in that particular rule pass. The Internal Supply Queue Filter field refers to supply records present in the Orders table. The External
Supply Queue Filter field refers to records present in the Supply table. The Internal Demand Queue Filter field refers to demand records present in the Orders table. The External Demand Queue Filter refers to records in the Demand table. Expression syntax for these fields should follow the regular EVALUATE expression syntax as documented in the Customization Help system for the EVALUATE field classification. An example of where a filter may be needed could be where links need to be made to initial stock records first before other records are considered. In this case the expression might be: (~{$Order
Type}~==~Stock~) which would be entered in the External Supply Queue Filter field on a rule pass that precedes other rule passes.
If all supply records are present in the Orders table only, then the Internal Supply Only toggle can be checked which will enable the Supply Queue Ranking field. In this setup, queues can be ranked by certain criteria such as Due Date, Earliest Start Date and
Priority with either lowest value first or highest value first. The same applies if all demand records are present in the Orders
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Concepts table only, the Internal Demand Only toggle can be checked, enabling the Demand Queue Ranking field. An example of how you may use ranking may be if you wanted your rule to link to orders with a lower due date first, you would select Due Date and press the Add L.V.F button for the Demand Queue Ranking field.
If Supply records are present in both the Supply as well as the Orders table the queue ranking will be lowest value first on Due
Date and then Priority. The same applies to the Demand records, if they are held in both the Demand and Orders table, then the ranking will be lowest value first on Due Date and then Priority.
Include Scheduled Orders in Demand Queue
When the Include Scheduled Orders in Demand Queue toggle is checked, demand orders that are already scheduled can be relinked. If the Include Scheduled Orders in Demand Queue toggle is checked on the first pass of the rule and the Clear Current
Links toggle is checked, all links will be cleared.
Inheriting Values
Values of certain fields can be passed down to orders with a lower BoM level that are related to that order, this can be applied to both supply and demand orders. An example might be where the value of an attribute of a sales order is inherited by the orders which are consumed by the sales order, in this case the Inherit From Demand field should be checked on the relevant passes of the pegging rule where it is desired for this value to be applied. The field that is to be inherited should be defined in the Orders data table in the Preactor.prtdf file.
Rules
Production Qty=Consuming Qty , Production Qty >=Consuming Qty or FIFO are standard pegging rules which can be selected as the standard rule that is to run on a particular pass of a rule.
The Production Qty=Consuming Qty rule will only allow orders to be linked together where the producing quantity is equal to the consuming quantity. The Production Qty>=Consuming Qty rule will only allow orders to be linked together where the producing quantity is greater than or equal to the consuming quantity. The FIFO rule imposes no restrictions on what orders can be linked together, orders will be linked together in the order that they are positioned in the consuming and producing order queues.
If these rules do not meet the necessary linking criteria, a User Defined or PESP Script value can be selected in the Rule Type field.
If a rule is user defined, an expression needs to be entered in the Selection Rule field. The expression should follow the regular syntax rules that apply to the EVALUATE field classification which is documented in the Customization Help system, apart from using + and - to identify producing and consuming records respectively.
If production records are present in both the Supply and Orders tables, the field name used in the expression must be a field that is present in both tables. The same applies to consumption records, if they are present in both the Orders and Demand tables the field name used in the expression must be a field that is present in both tables.
An example expression might look like this:
(~{+:$Product Attribute 1}~==~{-:$Product Attribute 1}~)
This expression ensures that this rule pass will only allow producing and consuming orders to be linked if they have the same value.
There is one special keyword that can be used in this user defined selection expression:
{SMCQTY} or {SMCQUANTITY}
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This represents the unused quantity in a producing record or the required quantity in a consuming record. These values are not available in any one field with a record during SMC processing. The unused quantity is not written to the record until SMC finishes and the required quantity is quantity multiplied by the BoM quantity. e.g. if you wanted to create an expression equivalent to the standard ‘Production Qty=Consuming Qty’ it would be
‘{+:SMCQTY}=={-:SMCQTY}’
If the PESP Script option is selected in the Rule Type field, then the name of the PESP script should be entered in the PESP Script field which should become visible.
Allocation
If the Retain Partial and Complete Allocations and Retain Complete Allocations options are both unchecked, one single rule pass has to allocate all materials to the order, if all materials cannot be allocated, nothing will get linked.
If the Retain Complete Allocations option is checked, each BoM line is treated individually. The full quantity of the BoM Line must still be satisfied, but if one of the BoM Lines cannot be satisfied, it doesn't prevent the other BoM Lines of the order from being allocated if their requirements have been met. For example, if the requirement of an order was for 5 frames, 10 wheels and 5 saddles but only the 5 frames and 10 wheels were available, then these would be allocated. But a shortage would exist for the saddles.
If the Retain Partial and Complete Allocations option is checked, anything that can be allocated will be, regardless of whether the exact quantity of a BoM Line is available. For example, if the requirement was for 5 frames, 10 wheels and 5 saddles but only 1 frame, 2 wheels and 1 saddle were available, these materials would be allocated, but the order would have shortages.
The ‘Allocate Multiples Only’ field when checked will allow the quantity of a link created to be allocated in specific multiples. This multiple is specified in the BoM Data.
Allow Backward Links
When this option is checked the default behavior of SMC is overridden by allowing backward links to be created when production occurs after consumption.
SIMATIC IT MES Integration
Available only for Ultimate editions of AS, Preactor integrates with SIMATIC IT (SIT) MES using a combination of standard import techniques and web services accessed through PESP Actions as well as an 'Alerts' window available from within the
Sequencer module.
Overview
Preactor AS can generate viable, realistic schedules of work while meeting over-arching objectives (e.g. minimized WIP) to be consumed by production. Manufacturing Execution Systems do not necessarily adhere to such a schedule. By combining
Preactor with SIT MES, you can leverage the power of Preactor AS, while ensuring that all your execution objectives are met.
While adherence to a schedule is something that ought to be a primary concern, often, real-world issues mean that at execution time it is necessary to deviate from the published schedule. For this reason, integration with SIT MES means not only publishing a schedule from Preactor, but also maintaining an on-going dialog between Preactor and SIT MES, such that the planners and production supervisors are better informed of the impact of their actions.
In the case of Preactor, this means ensuring an up-to-date view of the execution status of operations. This is achieved in a number of ways. Firstly, using Preactor's standard import facilities, to always capture the latest execution state from SIT MES before generating any plan. At this point, SIT MES is made aware that the operations imported into Preactor are under consideration and marked as 'In Planning'. This means that production staff are immediately aware that the plan is under revision. While in this state, any alterations to the properties of those operations are recorded, and presented in Preactor in
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Concepts the 'Alerts' windows in the sequencer, keeping the planner informed of execution events. This means that the planner can respond quickly to these alerts, taking appropriate action. Depending on the nature of the alert, this may mean abandoning the current planning session and starting again. In less severe cases, it may only be necessary to alter the availability of a resource to represent a breakdown or similar.
PESP Actions
A number of PESP actions exist to facilitate this integration. Refer to the reference material for PESP Actions for full details and the actions and their function. The actions specific to SIMATIC IT MES are: l l l l
SetExitState
GetExitState
SetInScheduled
SetInScheduling
The 'SetInScheduling' action plays a role in the batch process for retrieving the latest execution state from MES. This typically happens prior to opening the sequencer module. 'SetInScheduled' is used when a schedule is published in order to push suggested resources, start and end times to MES.
Alerts
Within the sequencer module an alerts window shows any alteration to the properties of all of the items under consideration by the planner. This gives the planner the planner immediate visibility of any disruptive operational issues, as well as keeping the planner informed of current statuses. The information shown in the Alerts windows is difficult to categorize in a generic sense... the significance of a property change is largely dependent on the processes concerned, but the Alerts window allows the user to sort, filter and group alerts according to their preferences. This can be of some assistance when seeking to identify operational changes that may have a significant impact on the operations under consideration.
Settings
The SIMATIC IT MES integration settings are administered from Configuration ► Settings ► SIMATIC IT Settings. The settings dialog shows a few simple fields:
Alerts Enabled
Enables the alerts window in the sequencer. Without this option checked it is not possible to open the Alerts window. When this option is checked, a valid service URI must be entered. See below.
Refresh Frequency
The time, in seconds, between each refresh of the Alerts window.
Service URI
The web service URI is used for communicating between Preactor and SIMATIC IT MES, primarily for the purpose of populating the Alerts table described above.
Note: To ensure integrity between the client Preactor application and the MES Web service, HTTPS should be used as the transport mechanism when configuring the MES service address.
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Resources and Resource Groups
Resources and Resource Groups
Critical to any Preactor scheduling system is the resource data. The items entered in to the resources table will form the entries on the vertical axis of the Gantt chart within Preactor’s sequencer and are the primary constraint on the processing of the orders and operations in the system. Which constraints are defined as primary resources will depend on the environment and should be discussed with the system implementer. In the majority of cases machines are modeled as the primary resources but in different environments it may be more appropriate to model other constraints, such as labor.
A resource can be configured in one of two main modes:
Finite – This means that the resource can only process one operation at any time. Additional work for that resource will be queued and placed on the resource when it becomes available.
Infinite – This means that the resource can process multiple operations at the same time. In most cases this mode is combined with an additional constraint on the resource which determines how many operations can be processed concurrently. Infinite mode resources can be configured to either consider shift patterns or ignore them
By default the Preactor sequencer runs in Finite Mode so these are the settings that should be configured for day to day usage.
There is also an Infinite Mode that allows the planner to identify areas of over-utilization and bottlenecks.
As well as containing the resources themselves their scheduling attributes are defined in the resources table. These include:
1. Any additional constraints associated with the resources. Details of how these are set up can be found in the Secondary
Constraints documentation.
2. Which setup and changeover time settings are associated with that resource and whether they are to be applied concurrently or cumulatively.
3. The cost of utilization and whether this cost should take in to account efficiency information from the resource calendars
The way that the resources are represented in the Sequencer is also controlled from the resources table. The Gantt Separator field specifies whether a line is drawn underneath the resource on the Gantt chart to help distinguish between individual resources or groups. The Preactor Display Order defines the order that the resources are shown in, this field is used by setting relative values and then sorting the records in the editor grid by it. The Resource Display Option field determines when the resource is shown in the Gantt chart and the Resource Display Style field allows the user to determine whether the operations on the resource are shown in a stacked or cascaded mode. The Usage Plot Display Settings determine how the resource usage is represented in the Multi Plot window
Resource Groups are a way of assigning primary resources in to groups. There are two main purposes within Preactor for these Groups
1. If these groups are set against an operation the limit the valid resources for that operation to the times contained within the group. These groups are usually defined in an upstream system and imported in to Preactor.
2. Groups can also be set up that are not assigned to any operations directly but are used for display purposes. For instance a group may be set up that relates to a particular area of the factor but contains resource of different types. This would enable quick filtering of the of the Gantt chart down to just that area.
The Resource Groups table also contains the Display Options for the Resource Groups plots.
Preactor AS Professional
In Preactor AS Professional it is possible to set up complex resource constraints. These take two forms dependent on whether the resource is set up as an infinite resource or a finite resource. For both types of resource the Match Field can be used to define rules about the usage of other resources when an operation is placed on this resource. Details about how to construct
Match Field expressions can be found in the MATCH FIELD help. For infinite resources it is also possible to set up match criteria
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Secondary Constraints in the ‘Match Required’ field. This allows the limiting of operations that can be placed on the resource at the same time to only those with a matching value in the selected field
The criteria for ranking the queued operations in the Preferred Sequence rule can also be defined against each resource. One or several criteria can be used for the ranking.
Secondary Constraints
Secondary constraints are used to model any other constraints there are on the scheduling process which are not modeled by the primary resources. In a common setup, where the Primary Resources are machines, this would include items such as labor and tooling. When used in conjunction with infinite capacity resources they can also be used to model resource capacity.
The two criteria which control the behavior of any constraints are set using the Use as a Constraint and Calendar Effect fields.
Use as a Constraint determines whether the constraint has any effect on the scheduling process. If this field is not selected the constraint can be used for information purposes, for example to give an indication of required labor levels.
The Calendar effect field specifies how the constraint interacts with primary resource calendar. Details of the options and the effect they have are contained with the tool tip that is available for each one.
These values can be set for constraints when Preactor’s sequencer is running in both finite mode and infinite mode. The default setting for infinite mode is for the resource to be not set as a constraint.
In addition to the fields which set the scheduling behavior of the constraints there is also the opportunity to set the display option of the constraint plots, how they affect the cost of the operation and any additional attributes that may be associated with them.
Once constraints have been created in the secondary constraints table there is some additional setup needed to configure the usage of them. Constraints can be assigned to:
1. Resources
2. Operations
3. Attributes of Operations
4. Specific Resource/operation combinations
In all of these cases the same three pieces of information are needed. These are the constraint name, its usage and the
Quantity that is used. The Constraint usage defines how the constraint is used during the operation, for example there may be have a skilled operator type which is only used during the setup portion of an operation or a tool which is used from the start of the operation but is not released again until several operations later. The constraint Quantity can be a straight numerical value or can be tied to the value within several other fields in the operation in question. An example of this would be linking the constraint usage to the quantity field or a dimension value of the constraint in question is modeling resource capacity.
Products, BoM and Co-Products
Preactor can be used to store templates of item routing and bill of material data. These are held in the Product and Products Bill of Materials tables. Often when used in conjunction with other business system there is no requirement to store this data in
Preactor so usage of these tables is optional. In instances where Preactor AS is not linked to a business system where scheduling specific data is available or order enquiry facilities are needed then these tables can be used to expand details of manually entered data or order header information which has been imported.
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Products, BoM and Co-Products
Products
The data in the Products table can be set up to represent multi-operation routings using a parent child relationship. This means that the first operation of any routing is set as a parent and all subsequent operations have the parent part set to match the Part No of the parent. The Op. No. assigned to the operations determines the order that they are processed in and the Operation Name must be a unique value within the product routing.
Once the basic operation details have been assigned then the scheduling attributes of that operation can be set up.
Operation Times
This includes setting the standard setup time and process time of the operation. The process time can either be set as an operation time per item, a rate per hour or a batch time. Alternatively a resource specific version of these types can be set to enable the consideration of the times set against each individual resource in the Resource Data list. It is also possible to set a slack time to be applied between this and the previous operation. There is also the possibility to set a delivery buffer against each operation which when backwards forward will give information about when the operations are falling within the delivery buffer. When scheduling backwards the delivery buffer will prevent the operation being scheduled within the specified amount of time before the due date.
Professional & Ultimate
Professional and Ultimate editions can consider some additional advanced inter-operation constraints in the scheduling process. These can be defined against the operations in the products table
Slack Time Before Next Operation – is a slack time between the end of this operation and the next which must be adhered to.
Max Time Before Next Op + Interval Type – The combination of these fields define the time in which the subsequent operation must be processed. The Max Time Before Next Op field contains the time and the Interval type defines whether the time specified is a relationship between the start or the ends of the operations. This feature is useful in situations where the state of material alters over time such as something that becomes less workable as it cools or warms
Maximum Operation Span Increase % - defines the percentage that it is acceptable for the operation length to increase by. Setting this to a low value could prevent the operation from being extended over off shift and low efficiency calendar periods.
Productivity Multiplier – is a value that can be set to alter the speed of processing for a specific operation.
Changing the value of this field from the default value of 1 to 2 will half the operation time, enabling the modeling of concepts such as variable manning levels.
Resource Information
The value in the Resource Group field determines which resources are valid for this operation; therefore it determines the list of resources to choose a required resource from and the list of resources in the Resource Data dialog.
Editing the records in the resource data list allows the input of resource specific information for the operation including costing, setup time, process time and resource specific constraint usage. It is also possible to determine, using the Automatic
Sequencing toggle, whether Preactor’s automatic sequencing rules will include this resource for consideration. The set subsequent resource group field allows the setting of the resources that are valid for all subsequent operations. This is useful in a situation where there are assembly lines set up and orders should not switch between them during processing.
The Secondary Constraints list allows the definition of constraints which are specific to this operation, regardless of which resource it is processed on
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Attributes
Attributes
The Attributes dialog allows the setting of any additional attributes that are associated with the product or operation. As well as a set of spare attribute fields of varying data types, the functionality of which is described in the attributes section, this dialog enables the setting of:
Transfer quantity, which determines how many pieces need to be processed before an order can move on to the next operation.
The Operation Icon
Costing information – The material cost and user defined operation cost can be set.
Notes and a related Document can be assigned to the operation.
Independent Lots, which determines whether the operation can be linked to a single previous step to retrieve its material or needs to be linked to all previous operations. This means that when this option is selected one lot of an order for this product can continue to be processed before the other lots have begun.
Products BoM
The products BoM holds information about the BoM requirements of the products which are held in the products table. It is a part to part BoM which is used when an order is expanded from a product routing to generate an order specific instance of the
BoM.
The Product Bill of Materials table has a family relationship in the same way as the Products table. The Part No. field relates to the product that is consuming the material. In the case of Preactor AS Standard the operation name and op. no. fields must always relate to the first operation of the product routing. The Required Part No and Required Quantity related to the material that is required. Unlike the Part No field the value held in the Required Part No field does not have to have to be an item that is also represented in the Products table, enabling the modeling of materials that are not manufactured items.
Multiply by order quantity determines whether the required quantity defined is an absolute value unrelated to the order quantity or should be
Ignore shortages determines whether any shortages of this material should affect the ability to schedule orders for the product that requires it. This may useful in instances when the user wishes to be notified of potential material issues by the scheduling system but the material has a short lead time so should not influence the scheduling results.
The Multiple Quantity allows the modeling of situations where the material should always be consumed in set quantities.
Professional & Ultimate
Preactor AS Professional and Ultimate sees the introduction of the ability to consume and produce materials at any operation of the product. This means that the Operation Name and number defined in the Products Bill of materials can be for any valid operation in the routing and the Product Co-Products table is introduced. This table is set up in the same way as the Product Bill of Materials table except the material produced instead of consumed at an operation step is detailed.
Attributes
The Preactor AS Standard configuration has been set up so that much of the scheduling related functionality is applied to operations using attributes. There are a set of attribute fields assigned to each operation of a variety of different data types to enable the addition of different attribute types. The data type of the attribute also has an effect on the scheduling functions that can be controlled from that attribute.
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Setups and Changeovers
Table Attributes
The table attributes have data sourced from a set of tables within Preactor which must be populated, manually or via import, before they can be used. Having the data held in this way means that these attributes can be used to assign a variety of scheduling functions including:
1. Bar Color, which will determine the color assigned on the Gantt chart to operations with a matching attribute value
2. Secondary Constraints, can be assigned to the attributes which will then be used by every operation that has that attribute set
3. A ranking which is used in the weighting rule to allow the attributes of the operation to affect the prioritization of works orders and operations
4. Setup times, details of which can be found in the
.
String, Numerical, Date and Duration Attributes fields can be used for information purposes and related tasks such as coloring and locating the bars on the Gantt chart. Additionally Numerical, Duration and Date Attributes have the role of use in the
Weighting rule. Numerical Attributes can also set the quantity of secondary constraint that is used by an operation, as described in the Secondary Constraints section.
Professional and Ultimate
1. Preferred Sequence; the ranking associated with the attribute can be used by the resource based advanced scheduling rule to group like operations and schedule them in a preferred order. This is useful in scenarios such as printing operations where moving from a light to a dark color is preferable. This is available for table based, numerical, date and duration attributes
2. Resource Validity; Resources can be marked as invalid for operations of a particular table based attribute. This can be used to model a scenario where there are several orders based on the same base routing, using the same resource group, but with varying attributes which have an effect on which of those resources in the group is valid. If these rules are not represented in the data sent from upstream business systems they can be easily represented against the attributes.
Setups and Changeovers
There are three locations within the configuration where setup and changeover times can be modeled. These are:
1. Against an operation in the products and orders tables
2. In the operation specific resource data in the products and orders tables
3. In the Changeover Groups table.
The Changeover groups table gives the opportunity to use operation attributes to apply sequence dependent setup times.
When creating a record in the table it is possible to record a changeover time that only occurs when there is a change in value for each of the table based attributes against the operation. The group that is created can then be applied to as many or as few resources as is required within the resources table. Using this setup it is possible to model compound changeover times which can be applied differently to different resources or groups of resources.
Preactor AS Professional
In Preactor AS Professional it is possible to also model more complex setup changeover times against each of the table based attributes. This is represented by a matrix of ‘to’ and ‘from’ values for each attribute which allows different changeovers dependent on which specific values the operations in question have for that attribute
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Calendars
Calendars
Calendars
Preactor Calendars provide the user with an intuitive approach to the development of both primary and secondary resource shift patterns. It simplifies the definition of standard shifts and allows for the use of arbitrary repeating shift patterns. Default shift patterns can easily be assigned to either resources or groups of resources. Resources, both primary and secondary, may operate under different shift patterns. Complex working practices built up in this manner may be saved for future use. It is simple to switch resources from one shift pattern to an alternative for a short period of time, e.g. overtime working.
There is a hierarchy in how resource calendars are made up. Each resource has a calendar. This calendar defines what calendar template(s) are assigned to a resource. A calendar template is made up of a number of periods. Each period has a calendar state. The creating or editing of calendar states, calendar templates and the assignment of templates to resources is done within the Sequencer.
Use of Calendars
Preactor Calendars provide the user with an intuitive approach to the development of both Primary and Secondary Resource shift patterns. It simplifies the definition of standard shifts and allows for the use of non seven day repeating shift patterns.
Default shift patterns can easily be assigned to either Resources or groups of Resources.
Resources, both Primary and Secondary, may operate under different shift patterns.
Complex working practices built up in this manner may be saved for future use. It is a simple matter to switch Resources from one shift pattern to an alternative for a short period of time, e.g. overtime working.
Primary Resource Calendars Panel
By default Primary Resource Calendars are contained in a hidden docked window.
When you click on the Primary Calendars tab a window appears in the top left of the Sequencer's main window. It lists all the primary resources.
Double-clicking on a resource in the list opens the primary resource's calendar in the main window.
Resource Calendars
Primary and Secondary Resource Calendars are generated by applying one or more Calendar Templates to a resource.
Initially they are generated automatically, as soon as a resource is created, by the application of the Default Template.
The Default Template is established in Calendar Settings and can be changed using the Calendar Period dialog,(see Default
Template).
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Resource Calendars are displayed in the Sequencer's main screen by double clicking on a resource in either the Primary Resource Calendar or Secondary Resource Calendar panels.
Calendar Exceptions
Amendments to the default calendar can be made by adding exceptions in the Resource Calendar.
To add a new exception to the Calendar:
1. Double click in a blank space in the calendar.
The Calendar Period dialog is presented.
2. Select the template to be used for the exception.
3. Enter a start and an end date and time for the exception.
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Calendars
Calendars
4. By default when creating a new exception the start time will be set to 8:00 am on the day you double clicked on.
If you are editing a default period you have the option to set these dates to “No Limit”.
This can be done clicking the “No Limit” button on the date dialog. The amendment will then appear below the default calendar on the days you defined. You can edit an amendment by double clicking on it in the calendar.
5. Set the appropriate Reference Date
The date time within the template in which to start the cycle. i.e. if you have a week long template (Monday – Friday) and you wanted to use this template but you where already half way through the week you could set the reference date to reflect this, and your period will start the cycle as if it had been running since Monday.
Template Reference Date
1
Start Time Reference Date
2
Custom Reference Date
3
6. Select the resources to which the changes will apply. To select all resources, simply right click on the first resource and choose the 'Select All' option from the pop up menu. Multiple resources can also be selected by highlighting the first resource that is to be included (left click on the resource name) and hold down the shift key and left click on the last resource name that is to be included, right click on the highlighted resources and choose the 'Check' option.
7.
Apply Changes to Resources
4
8. Click OK.
9. Save the changes to the calendar.
You can edit an existing exception by double clicking on it in the calendar.
Viewing/Editing Multiple Resource Calendars
Although individual Resource calendars can be opened under a tab in the Sequencer's Main Window, it is also possible to open several resources under a single tab.
1
This will use the reference date set in the template, the default for the "Default" period.
2
Uses the current start time as reference date. This is the default for exceptions.
3
Allows you to specify a reference date in which the exception will use.
4
Displays the resources which the exception applies to. In the multiple resource view this will display the list of resources in which to apply the period to. The resource selection also allows you to select and deselect resources in which to apply the current amendment.
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To view multiple resource calendars under a single tab:
1. Use shift click or control click to select multiple resources in the resource Calendars panel.
2. Right click on the selected resources and choose the "Edit" option.
Calendars
The resource calendars are displayed in the main window.
In this case two default resource calendars are shown as the default for one resource differs from the others.
In addition, there are two calendar exceptions, the one shown as a solid color applies to all resources in the group, while the one displayed with a transparent bar only applies to some of the resources. The names of the relevant resources are displayed on the bars of the calendar.
Editing
Resource calendars can be edited in the multiple view just as easily as they can when viewing a single resource.
Editing common exceptions or a common default template will result in the changes being applied to all selected resources.
Any non common exceptions will result in the changes only being applied to the resources it applies to.
Adding new exceptions
All exceptions added in the multi-resource view will be applied to all the displayed resources.
Deleting Exceptions
Right clicking on a period in the Resource calendar view will display a context menu which will give you the option to delete.
Amending Primary Resource Calendars in the Overview
Primary Resource calendars may be modified directly from within the Overview, facilitating short term changes to working patterns.
To modify a Primary Resource Calendar:
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1. Select 'Calendar Edit Mode' from 'View' ► 'Edit Mode', or using the 'Edit Mode' toggle on the 'Standard' tool bar.
2. Double-click on a primary resource calendar at the point where you would like to alter the calendar state.
The Calendar Period dialog is opened:
Calendars
3. Select the revised template, set the start and end times, change the details if necessary and set any other resources to which this change is to be applied.
Note: When editing calendars in this way, the list of resources that appears under 'Apply Changes to Resources' is limited to resources with the same calendar period at the same time prior to opening the edit dialog.
Amending Secondary Resource Calendars in the Plots window
If secondary resources are defined, it is possible to alter the resource calendar from the Plots window.
To accommodate short term changes, Secondary Resource Calendars can be modified from the Plots window.
To modify Secondary Resource Calendars:
1. With the Sequencer open, select the Plots Window from the View menu bar command.
2. Right click with the mouse on the secondary plot you wish to modify.
The Calendar Period dialog is displayed.
4. Select the required template.
5. Enter a Start Time and End time for the period being modified.
6. Complete the remaining details.
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Calendars
7. If necessary select the secondary resources to which the changes are to be applied.
8. Click OK.
Drag and Drop Templates into Calendars
Resource Calendar Editor
Templates can be dragged and dropped into individual and groups of resources calendars.
On drop, if the selected template can successfully be added, it will be inserted into the calendar.
In “Day” view the template will be added with a start time set to the start of the time slot it was dropped and set for a duration of 15 minutes.
In all other views the template will be added on the day it was dropped starting at midnight and running for 24 hours.
Similar to the Resource Templates a Ø (no entry) will be displayed if a period already exists in the location you are trying to drop and the status text “A period already exists at this location, Periods cannot overlap” will be displayed in the parent window.
Resource Calendar Printing
Several different views of the primary and secondaryresource calendars may be previewed and printed.
To print resource calendars:
1. In the Sequencer open the docked Primary or Secondary Calendar windows by selecting the appropriate tab to the left of the main window.
2. Select the required resource or resources (using Click with the Shift or CTRL keys).
3. Right click on a selected resource and select the "Edit" button that is presented.
The calendars are opened in the main window.
4. From the File menu bar command, select Print Resource Calendar.
The Print Options dialog is displayed.
Print Style
Print Style options provide a Monthly, Weekly or Daily view of the Resource calendars and allow you to select the date range involved.
A further option 'Calendar Details' prints a detailed breakdown of templates and exceptions on a daily basis.
Include Header and Footer
If the "Include Header & Footer" check box is checked the Resource Calendar name(s) and current date are printed.
Include Date Header
If the "Include Date Header" check box is checked, date and calendar information is added to the printed output.
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Calendars
5. Click the "Preview" button.
The Print Preview dialog is displayed. Here options allow you to control the page set up and the way in which calendars are viewed
6. Once you are satisfied with the options chosen select the print option from the File menu bar command.
Calendar Options
Calendar
Default settings for Calendars are established in the Sequencer.
To establish default settings:
1. Select "Options..." from the Sequencer's Tools menu bar command.
The Calendar Options dialog is displayed.
2. In "Undo Redo Options", enter a value for the Max Undo Count, this is the maximum number of times the Undo or Redo toolbar buttons may be consecutively selected.
3. From the drop-down lists, select the default templates which will be used when creating Primary or Secondary resources.
Whenever you create a new primary or secondary resource a default template is assigned to it using the values selected here.
This may be changed later.
4. In Calendar Period Creation select a value for the Fill Gaps With field, this is the template that will be used to fill any gaps between adjacent Calendar Periods when information is imported into the Sequencer from the Calendar editor.
Default Template
Whenever a new primary or secondary resource is created a default template is assigned to it, using the values established in the Calendar Editor Settings dialog.
To replace the existing default template:
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1. Double click on a primary or secondary resource in either of the Resource Calendar panels.
This displays the resource calendar in the Sequencer's main screen.
Calendars
2. Double click on the "Default:" template in the gray bar, in this case "Normal Week".
The Calendar Period dialog is opened.
3. Select the required template from the options available.
4. If you wish to change the default template for a specific period of time enter a start and end time.
This would allow you to introduce a different work pattern during the summer months for example.
5. Click OK.
6. Save the changes to the Resource Calendar.
Calendar States
Calendar states allow you to define the properties applicable to resources for a given condition. Typical states used are: Off
Shift, On Shift, Breakdown and Overtime. Each state is identified within the sequencer overview by the color and pattern assigned to it.
To access the Calendar States data table select 'Calendar States' from 'Calendars' in the 'View' menu.
Add/Edit Calendar States
Existing calendar states can be modified by opening the existing record, and new states added by double-clicking on a blank row or selecting 'New Calendar State' ( ) from the calendar states toolbar.
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Calendars
The Calendar State dialog has a number of fields to be completed.
Name
This serves only as an identifier and is used to identify a state when used in a calendar template or any other case where states may be referenced within the Preactor sequencer. It is typical to use names such as 'On Shift' to convey a meaning. It is possible to define states that only differ by name, which can be useful if identification of calendar states is important (e.g. 'Early
Shift' / 'Late Shift').
Color
The color assigned to a shift state is then used to identify period of that state in the sequencer overview.
Hatch Style
The hatch style may be selected from a list of available styles. This then forms the repeated pattern that is used to fill calendar periods of this state. It is a good idea to use styles that differentiate calendars from operations in order that one cannot be confused with another when looking at a busy overview.
Note: The visibility of a calendar state is not only affected by the color and hatch style selections, but also the calendar view option selected. By default Preactor will show off shift (i.e. 0% efficiency) calendar periods only.
Efficiency
The efficiency of a resource affects the rate at which operations are processed while a resource has this state applied. Often this value will be set to either 100% or 0% to indicate an active or inactive state. There are times though where other efficiencies may be appropriate. Any positive efficiency value may be used. For example, if a resource with two operators can run twice as fast, you may want to define a '2 Operator' state for that resource, with an efficiency of 200%. Another common case is where optimistic or pessimistic operation times have been defined. A way to globally affect these operation times would be to set your resource efficiency to say 90% or 110% to compensate.
Cost Factor
The cost factor is applied to a resource's 'Cost per Hour'. This can be used to indicate elevated costs when processing operations against a resource in a particular state. For example additional overhead, overtime costs etc.
Setup Allowed
Setup allowed defines whether setup can proceed while a resource is in this state. A calendar state where setup is not allowed will never allow the setup portion of an operation to commence. Although an operation may have zero setup time, Preactor considers that all operations have a setup portion. This means that even operations with zero setup cannot start on a resource where there is no calendar period that allows setup. Once an operation has been allowed to start, calendar periods that do not allow setup are treated as 0% efficiency with respect to the setup portion of an operation. Generally calendar states allow setup times and the commencement of setup is controlled through operation relationships, but disallowing setups on a calendar state may be appropriate in some cases. For example, you have a class of unattended resource where setup operations can occur only during a manned shift period, but once set up, the resource can continue processing the operation through unmanned shift periods.
Primary Resource Templates
Primary Resource Templates are accessed by selecting a Primary Template in the templates panel and double clicking on it.
This opens the Primary Resource Template in the Sequencer's main screen.
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Calendars
A Template is simply a named set of calendar periods and each period has an associated Calendar State.
The length of the template defines the repeating cycle. For example, if the template length is seven days then a resource with this template will repeat this cycle every seven days.
To create a new template:
1. In the Sequencer, select Primary Calendar Template from the File command's 'New' option.
2. Enter a name for the template.
3. In the Length field enter the template length, the time period over which the shift cycle is completed.
The Reference Date, the date on which the template is applied and the identifying Color, displayed in the Overview, are only required for Higher Level Templates.
4. Enter the Template Periods required in the new template (see Modifying Templates).
5. Save the Template.
Saving the template adds it to the primary template panel.
To Edit or Delete an existing Primary Calendar Template:
1. Right click on a name in the Primary Template Panel.
2. Select Edit or Delete Period from the options presented.
Primary Templates Panel
By default the Primary Templates panel is located to the lower left of the Sequencer's main window. It lists all the calendar templates that you have created for primary resources.
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Calendars
Double clicking on an item in the list opens its Primary Calendar Template in the main window.
Modifying Templates
We can amend all aspects of existing Primary and Secondary Resource Templates by performing any or all of the following operations.
l l l l l l
Add period
Delete period
Edit period
Move period (drag with mouse)
Change template length
Change start offset / end offset (drag with mouse)
Once modifications have taken place, templates must be saved to retain the changes.
If the Template's Tab contains a star (*) next to the tab name, it has changes that have yet to be saved.
Add Period
The Calendar Editor allows you to add periods to existing primary or secondary resource templates.
To "add" a Resource Period to an existing template:
1. Open the required template in the Sequencer's main window.
2. From the Edit toolbar select the" Add Period" option or right click on a blank line beneath any existing entries.
The Template Period dialog is displayed.
By default the calendar period edit dialog will appear with the end offset of the latest period and the same length as the latest period.
Periods may be added anywhere in the template as long as there is no conflict with an existing period.
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Calendars
3. Insert values for "Start Offset" and period "Length".
4. Select the "Calendar State" to be applied.
When a Calendar State is selected, the 'Efficiency %' and 'Cost Factor %' fields display default values established in the Calendar
States data table. These may be overwritten by checking the adjacent check boxes and entering a new value in these fields.
This will effectively lock these values whatever happens to the underlying default values of the Calendar State.
Delete Period
The Calendar Editor allows you to delete periods from existing primary and secondary resource templates.
To delete a period:
1. Open the template to be modified.
2. Right click on the period record you wish to delete.
A pop up selection menu is presented.
3. Select Delete Period.
Edit Period
In the Calendar Editor you can edit periods from existing primary and secondary resource templates.
To edit a period:
1. Open the resource template to be modified in the Calendar Editor's main window.
Right click on the period record you wish to modify.
A pop up selection menu is presented.
2. Select "Edit".
A Template Period dialog is displayed.
3. Modify the details as required and select OK
Move Period
Periods can be moved within an existing template.
Note: Only if collisions with other existing periods are avoided.
To move a period:
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1. Hover the mouse pointer over the center of the period in the template's calendar view.
A central node appears, accompanied by direction arrows.
Calendars
2. Click and drag the node to left or right.
3. Release in the required position.
Change Template Length
All time periods assigned to a resource template occur within its overall template length.
To change the template length of an existing resource template:
1. Open the existing template.
2. In the "Length" field at the top-right of the form, modify the overall length of the template.
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Calendars
Change start offset / end offset
In the Calendar Editor, Start and End Offset values specify the relationship of a period to the Resource Template in which it is allocated.
To change the start offset or end offset of a period:
1. Open the Resource Template to be modified.
2. Hover the mouse over either of the select nodes at each end of the period to be modified. Click and drag the node to move the start offset or end offset to a new time.
Snap Periods To
When moving calendar periods, or amending the start offset / end offset in the calendar template view, the “Snap Periods To” option is obeyed.
Opened from the View command, you can select from a number of predefined values what you would like your snap value to be.
Editing calendar periods manually still allows any other values to be entered.
Building Higher Level Templates
Higher level templates, representing a working day, week or month, for example can be constructed using existing lower level templates.
To build a higher level template:
1. Open the Calendar Editor.
2. Select the "New" option from the File menu bar command, and select Primary Calendar Template.
You could also select Secondary Template at this point.
3. Enter a name and overall length for the template.
4. If this is a top level template, i.e. which will be used directly by a Resource Calendar, enter a Reference Date and Color.
The reference date fixes the starting point for the template's application.
We can now enter work periods by double clicking on the first blank line and completing the Template Period dialog or we can drag and drop existing lower level templates from the list of Primary Templates into this new one.
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Orders
5. Click and drag the Working Day template from the primary Templates panel and drop it anywhere in the lower half of the new template.
6. Select this template again (or any other) and add that to the new one, and so on.
As they are added, the time periods are represented graphically against a timescale in the new template.
If for example an "Off Shift" period that has been added was not long enough to fill a particular time period, this could be extended by clicking on its graphical representation and dragging its finishing time to a new position.
This position can be influenced by the setting of the "Snap Periods To" tool bar command.
It is advisable not to leave any time gaps in your template, ensuring that the whole of the template length is filled with either
"On Shift" or "Off Shift" periods.
7. Once the template is complete, save the file.
Saving the template adds it to the Primary Templates panel.
Secondary Calendar Templates
Secondary calendar templates are, in most regards, the same as primary calendar templates. The difference is that rather than setting the calendar state, efficiency and cost factor of a primary resource over the duration of the template, instead you control the minimum and maximum values for a secondary constraint.
Orders
Much of the data in the orders table can be populated from the products table where Preactor is using this as the source of the routing information. Otherwise this data can be imported directly. The details of the usage of the fields on the Resources,
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Order Datasets
Order Datasets
A data set is a collection of operations that make a schedule and (optionally) the calendars that are valid in producing that schedule.
Data sets are stored with unique names. The data set named ‘Schedule’ is the one that is typically opened when entering the
Sequencer.
For more information on storing calendars and datasets, "Calendar Options" on page 191.
Management options for datasets are available from File menu:
The options are: l l l l l l
Open allows a saved Dataset to be opened and used, restoring both the Schedule and Calendars.
Save allows the Dataset to be saved in the standard location (Schedule).
Save Schedule Copy creates a new Dataset with the name provided.
The working Dataset continues to be used and updated with future changes to the schedule.
Some admin housekeeping of the stored Datasets is also possible from this window.
Save Schedule As creates a new Dataset with the name provided.
The new Dataset becomes the working copy, the previous working Dataset now becoming unchanged.
Some admin housekeeping of the stored Datasets is also possible from this window.
Load Calendars From Dataset: If the configuration option Save Calendars with Schedule Dataset checked, this allows the Calendars but not the Schedule to be loaded.
Some admin housekeeping of the stored Datasets is also possible from this window.
Manage Datasets allows some admin housekeeping of the Datasets.
When selecting any of the above options which allow admin housekeeping , a window similar to the following is opened:
From this window, the user can:
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Configuration l l l l l
Identify existing saved Datasets with associated information.
Use the icons at the top of the window to select a Schedule to be deleted, or for the saved schedules to be shown in list or icon format.
Right click on a Dataset to Rename or Delete it
For Save Schedule Copy... and Save Schedule As... options, enter a name to save the current schedule as.
For Open and Load Calendars From Dataset options, select a saved Dataset to open from..
When exiting the sequencer, the user is prompted to save changes to the schedule in the current Active Dataset, i.e. the last
Dataset opened, or the Dataset last saved to.
When entering the Sequencer, the Dataset named Schedule is always set as the Active Dataset.
If it is required to make a Saved Dataset the one opened automatically when entering the Sequencer, that Dataset should be opened, then Saved As the Schedule Dataset.
Datasets for tables can also be managed outside the Sequencer, if Preactor has been so customized.
However, the orders table is most commonly the table managed.
Above we see the ability to edit Orders added to the Workspace,
With Dataset Management enabled, the user is offered the options to Save as... and Manage Datasets under More Actions, and to Open Datasets. Windows similar to those described above for the sequencer are opened.
Configuration
Sequencer Configuration Settings
The Sequencer has a number of date offsets, periods, and other settings whose defaults need to be defined.
These defaults can be configured via:
Data Maintenance Pane ► Configuration ► Sequencer Configuration
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Configuration
The configurable items are:
For the Overview window
l
Historical Planning Horizon.
This determines how far back from the current date (or Fixed date) the sequencer will show calendars for, and how far back in history the Terminator line can be taken.
l
Future Planning Horizon.
This determines how far forward the Sequencer is allowed to plan for. Operations that would fall outside this horizon will not be placed onto the planning board.
l
Set Sequence Overview Range.
What the range of the Overview will be, in the Sequencer.
The Sequence Overview Range can be set to: l l
Fit to Items – The range will show all objects currently on the planning board.
Full Range – The Overview range will show from the current date minus the Historic Planning Horizon, to the current date plus the Future Planning Horizon.
l
Custom – The user can define the number of days offset from the current date to start and end the overview range (-ve numbers for dates before the current date).
l
Progress Control Color – See the Product Based Feature Lists for
and
.
l
Default Terminator Offset.
When opening the Overview window, the Terminator line is shown at this offset past the current time.
l
Set Sequencer Operation Thumb
This enables a small icon to appear on the Planning Board just at the start of the operation, to enable the user to hover the mouse over and get details about the operation and to easily drag and drop the operation. This is useful when the operation is so short it is difficult to see on the Overview – the thumbnail is never reduced in size.
For the Order Editor l l l
Default Earliest Start Date Offset.
Default Due Date Offset.
Default Terminator Offset.
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Configuration
Sequencer Configuration
The 'Sequencer Configuration' option is accessed by selecting the 'Configuration' category and then clicking on the 'Sequencer
Configuration' option in the 'Settings' work flow area. This displays the 'Edit Sequencer Configuration Information' dialog.
Historical Planning Horizon (Days) - defines how far you can scroll backwards in time in the Sequence Overview.
Future Planning Horizon (Days) - The time period that Preactor will allow jobs to be sequenced into the future, the Schedule
Horizon. When the sequencer initializes, it creates all the shift patterns for all resources up to the end of the schedule horizon.
If the horizon is very long then it will take longer to initialize the sequencer.
Set Sequence Overview Range - opens a dialog which customizes the period displayed in the Sequence Overview
Set Sequence Operation Thumb - toggles a small black triangle displayed against each operation in the Sequencer, making it easier to drag operations displayed on the planning board.
Set Progress Control Color - sets the color that displays an operation's progress in the Sequence Overview when mid-batch quantities and times have been recorded.
Default Earliest Start Date Offset - When new orders are entered in the Editor, they will automatically be assigned an ‘Earliest
Start Date’, that is the time before which the first operation of the order cannot be scheduled. The ‘Default Earliest Start Date
Offset’ uses the time of entry of the order and the offset time to assign the value. Set to 0 will mean that the first operation will be loaded as soon as possible. An offset of 1 (1 Day) will mean that the first operation will be loaded as soon as possible after the current time + 1 day.
Default Due Date Offset - similar to the Default Earliest Start Date Offset except that this defines the offset that will used to set the delivery date for the order. For example, if set to 11, the due date will be set to current time + 11 days.
Default Terminator Offset - The terminator is the current time and is used in the sequencer when removing operations from the planning board. Any operations that cross the terminator are not usually removed. By default the terminator is at the current time. Specifying an offset here allows you to move the terminator relative to the current time.
Calculate Cost - establishes options defining when cost calculations take place - During Sequence, After Sequence or Never.
Choose Default Event Scripts - displays a dialog which allows default PESP Event Scripts to be assigned to various actions.
Gauge Lines
Gauge lines are used in any window with a time line. This includes the Overview, Trace Chart and Plots window. Gauge lines can be toggled on or off by choosing View ► Gauge Lines. To configure gauge lines, double click on the time line of the
Overview window. This will show the following dialog:
All windows with a time line follow the same settings.
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Menus And Toolbars
Gauge Line Parameters
Increment
Choose from the available options. You can specify an increment along with a unit type. Using 'Best Fit', Preactor will decide the appropriate interval at which to display a gauge line.
Mode
When using any 'Increment' option other than 'Best Fit' , determines the frequency with which labels in the horizontal axis are drawn. When 'Gauge Lines Only' is selected, the increment pertains to the gauge lines and not to the horizontal axis labels.
When 'Gauge Lines and Time' is selected, Preactor will attempt to display labels in the horizontal axis at the increment specified.
Where is it not possible to display a label, 'Bet Fit' will prevail.
Options
The final set of options are as described below: l l l
Bold Lines between days - Any gauge line that falls between one day and the next will be made bold.
Include day names on Horizontal axis - Display the day of the week alongside the date/time in the horizontal axis.
Include Week Numbers on Horizontal axis - Displays the week number along with the date/time in the horizontal axis.
Menus And Toolbars
Menu Bar Commands
The Sequencer's Menu Bar Command options and associated Toolbar Buttons are described in the following section:
- The available command options vary with the view currently displayed in the Sequencer's main window.
- Most options are applicable only to the Editor window.
- Used to select the Windows displayed in the Sequencer and to control the way in which information is displayed.
- Provides the Sequencer's principal scheduling functions.
- Provides tools to be used in conjunction with the schedule.
- Provides options to change the Sequencer's workspace layout.
Help - lists the available user help facilities.
Toolbars in the Sequencer
For general Toolbar management and usage, see the section in the
The Sequencer has a number of toolbars: l l l l l l l l l
Standard - available at any time.
Workspace - available at any time.
Sequence - available at any time.
User Tools - available at any time.
Zoom and Scale - available at any time.
Overview - available when the Overview window is focused.
Editor - available when the Editor window is focused.
Trace- available when the Trace window is focused.
Calendar States- available when the Calendar States window is focused.
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Menus And Toolbars
See
for details of toolbar button functions.
File Menu Bar Command
The File Menu Bar Command options and associated toolbar buttons are listed here.
Button Name Description
New
Clear Schedule
Open...
Open Comparative
Schedule
Close Comparative
Schedule
Allows new Calendar Templates to be generated.
Deletes all operations (orders) from the current schedule, and clears the schedule.
Opens previously stored Dataset.
Opens a second file for comparison with the first.
Closes the comparison file.
Import from
Disk...
Save
Save Schedule Copy...
Save Schedule As...
Save Utilization
Data...
Export...
Saves the current Dataset under a user defined name. The newly named Dataset becomes the current
Dataset. See also
Configures and saves the utilization report.
Export the schedule to a file/location as defined by the PESP script For Event Export Button Press.
Load Calendars From
Dataset
Loads just the Calendars from the named Dataset to overwrite the current working copy of the Calendars. The Schedule and Transaction data are not restored.
Manage
Datasets.
Print...
Print Preview
Imports data from an external source.
Saves the current Dataset.
Saves a snapshot of the working Dataset to a different name. This differs from ‘Save Schedule As’ in that the schedule you originally loaded remains the current schedule; any subsequent saves will still be performed against the originally loaded schedule rather than the copy. See also the
.
Opens the Manage Datasets dialog where Datasets can be renamed or deleted. See also
Prints the contents of the current window. e.g. Print Overview, Plots etc.
Provides a preview of the printed output.
Exits from the sequencer saving the current schedule and calendar.
Exit
(This can also be achieved by clicking on the cross at the top right hand corner off the screen.)
Edit Menu Bar Command
The Edit Menu Bar Command options and associated toolbar buttons are listed below:
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Menus And Toolbars
Button Name Description
Undo
Redo
Edit...
Undo previous listed actions.
Redo previous listed actions.
Edit the selected record or add a new record, if you select the row beneath the last record in the Schedule.
Insert a new record before the selected record.
Delete the selected record.
Insert...
Delete...
Duplicate
Repeat Order...
Copy the selected record.
Allows you to repeat an existing order or split an order into a number of production batches.
Enables automatic record expansion.
Auto Expand
Expand Orders Expands all orders in the Schedule.
Set Earliest Start Date for all records
Sets the Earliest Start Date, using the offset established in the Configuration Data menu.
Set Due Date for all records Sets the Due Date using the offset established in the Configuration Data menu.
Allows you to set the
Earliest Start Date, Due Date or Priority
for all records.
The Global Assign option of the Sequencer Edit menu bar command displays the following fields for modification:
View Menu Bar Command
View commands are context sensitive and are dependent on the Sequencer window that is in focus.
Button Name
Overview Window
Editor Window
Plot Window
Trace Chart Window
Utilization Window
Description
Displays the Schedule Overview Window.
Displays the Editor Window.
Displays the Plot Window. This feature is not available in Preactor Express.
Displays the Trace Chart Window.
Displays the Utilization Window.
Material Explorer
Unscheduled Operations
Calendars
Reports
Locate
Zoom and Scale
Edit Mode
Calendar Display Mode
Displays the Material Explorer Window.
Displays the Unscheduled Operations panel if this is hidden.
Displays Primary and Secondary, Resource Calendars, Templates and Calendar States. This will not operate if the required display is already open as a hidden window.
Opens the Reports window if this is not already open as a hidden window.
Displays the operation
options.
Provides options to control how Plots and Charts are
.
Allows you to use the Overview to modify operations or calendars using:
Operation Edit mode or Calendar Edit mode.
Options allow you to:
Hide Calendar, Show Zero Efficiency Calendar and Show All Calendar in the Overview.
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Menus And Toolbars
Button Name
Display Priority
Hide Children
Filter
Description
Allows the Overview display to show:
Operations On Top or Calendar On Top.
Hides child records in the editor window.
Allows records displayed in the Editor Window to be filtered.
Uncheck the check boxes to change the selection.
Overview Groups
Show Operation Relationships
Show Highlighted
Operation Relationships
Compress Overview
Allows you to select a group of resources to view in the Overview.
Displays flow lines between related operations in an order.
Displays flow lines between related operations when orders are highlighted.
Normalize Trace Chart
Vertical Axis
Configure Plots
Hides Resources with no highlighted operations in the Overview.
Displays the Trace Chart normalized relative to the Due Date of the operation. Only visible when the Trace Chart has focus.
Enables the subject of the X (vertical) axis of the Order Trace Chart to be selected.
Opens the Select User plot dialog allowing the plots displayed in the plots window to be chosen.
Disable Workspace Tool tips
Animate Sequencing
Disables the tool tips which appear when you hover the mouse over an operation.
Enables animation of Automatic Sequencing.
► Reset Toolbars
Allows all toolbars to be reset to their original contents, and location
Toolbars
Font
Type Face
► Customize
Allows toolbars to be customized (same as right clicking
and selecting Customize in the toolbar area).
Allows the type faced used by the Sequencer interface to be selected.
Arial etc.
Sequence Menu Bar Command
The Sequence Menu Bar Command options and associated toolbar buttons are listed below:
Button Name
Forward Sequence
Backward Sequence
Bi-Directional Sequence For All
Locked Operations
Set Weight
APS Rules
Description
Sets the sequencing mode to forward and presents the available
Sets the sequencing mode to backward and presents the available
Sets the sequencing mode to bi-directional around locked operations and presents the available
bi-directional sequencing options .
Displays the Set Weight Window.
Sets the sequencing mode to use "APS rules" and presents a dialog from where an
APS rule can be selected from the available options.
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Menus And Toolbars
Button Name Description
Remove Operations from
Schedule
Lock History
Removes all operations from the planning board that are not locked.
Lock Started Orders
Ignore Locked Operations
Locks all operations that have already started.
Locks all operations in an order that has already started.
When selected operation locking is ignored.
Disable Secondary Constraints Disables checking of secondary constraints.
Schedule Despite Shortages Enables the sequencing of operations when constraining materials are unavailable.
Tools Menu Bar Command
The Tools Menu Bar Command options and associated toolbar buttons are listed below:
Button Name
Web Publish...
Peg Materials
Infinite
Capacity
Sequence
Validate
Schedule
Repair
Schedule
Schedule
Statistics...
Order enquiry...
Description
Publish the current schedule as a Web page. This feature is not available in Preactor Express.
Runs Standard Material Control (SMC) using the 'Pegging Rule' that has been set as the default to use, to create links between orders.
Sets the Sequencer into
mode.
Validates the current schedule.
Repairs the schedule keeping operations on the same primary resource where possible.
Displays the Schedule Statistics.
Opens the Order Enquiry dialog, allowing a promise date against an order enquiry to be calculated without reorganizing other operations that have already been scheduled.
Window Menu Bar Command
The Window Menu Bar Command options and associated toolbar buttons are listed below:
Button Name Description
Save Workspace
as a .prwpi file.
Restore Workspace Prompts user to select a previously saved Workspace to open
Predefined Workspace
Allows the user to edit the Predefined workspace buttons. See:
Workspace Options Provides two options -
"Save Workspace on Exit" and "Save Toolbars with Workspace"
.
Close All windows Closes all visible windows.
Minimize All windows Minimizes all visible windows.
1 Overview
2 Plots
Name of a window that is currently open in the Sequencer.
Name of a window that is currently open in the Sequencer and which has focus.
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Menus And Toolbars
Locate Menu Bar Commands
Operations and Orders can be located and highlighted based on common criteria (late, early, etc), and highlighted operations locked or unlocked. Multiple criteria can be used, e.g. highlighting Actual (complete) operations and those within the Delivery
Buffer). Each highlight criteria selection is a toggle switch, so can be enabled or disabled, with a Cancel All Highlights capability present also.
The Locate Menu Bar Command options and associated toolbar buttons are listed below, and can also be accessed from the dropdown from the locate option on the standard toolbar :
Button Name Description
Cancel All Highlights Cancels all highlighting.
Show Outline
Continues to show un-highlighted operations as an outline on the Overview, Editor and Trace
Chart windows.
This applies when the highlighting is done by options outside the Locate capabilities (e.g. toolbar).
Highlight Locked Oper-
Highlights locked operations in the Overview, Editor and Trace Chart windows.
ations
Highlight Actual Operations
Highlights actual and partly completed operations in the Overview, Editor and Trace Chart windows (those operations using Actual Times rather than Preactor Generated times).
Highlight Sequence
Errors
Highlight Early Operations
Highlights operations failing the sequence check in the Overview, Editor and Trace chart windows.
Highlights operations sequenced before the earliest start time in the Overview, Editor and
Trace chart windows.
Highlight Operations
Within Delivery Buffer
Highlight Orders
Within Delivery Buffer
Highlights operations that are Scheduled to finish within the delivery buffer period.
Highlights all operations of orders that have operations scheduled to finish within the delivery buffer.
Highlight Late Operations
Highlights operations scheduled after their Due Date.
Highlight Late Orders Highlights all operations of orders that have operations due to finish after the Due Date.
Highlight Delayed
Operations
Highlight Bottleneck
Operations
Highlights all operations that are delayed due to resource availability.
Highlights the operation that is delayed most due to resource availability in each order.
Lock Highlighted Operations
Locks all highlighted operations.
Unlock Highlighted
Operations
Unlocks all highlighted operations.
Calendar States Menu Bar Commands
The Calendar States Menu Bar Command options and associated toolbar buttons are listed below:
Button Name Description
New Calendar State Opens the Calendar State dialog allowing a new state to be created.
Delete Calendar State Deletes an existing Calendar State, unless this is currently used by an existing Resource.
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Menus And Toolbars
Zoom and Scale
These options allow you to control the way in which charts are displayed in the Sequencer.
Button Name
Scroll Lock
Description
Zoom Timeline In Decreases the scale of the X (horizontal) axis.
Zoom Timeline Out Increases the scale of the X (vertical) axis.
Reset Timeline Reset to the default value.
Increase Bar Height Increases the scale of the Y axis.
Reduce Bar Height Decreases the scale of the Y axis
Increase Plot Height Increases the scale of the Y axis.
Reduce Plot Height Decreases the scale of the Y axis
Reset Bar Height Reset to the default value.
Reset All Resets both the X and Y axis to the default values.
When selected this performs two functions :
Prevents arrow keys from causing scrolling
1
, you can still scroll by clicking on the scroll bars with the mouse.
Set Range
Gauge Lines
Configure Gauge
Lines
Prevents the overview from scrolling while dragging an operation outside of the overview window.
Opens the "Set Overview Range" dialog to allow the horizontal range of the chart to be set.
Toggles the display of Gauge Lines on and off in Overview, Plots and Trace Charts.
Opens the "Gauge line Parameters" dialog allowing you to configure chart Gauge Lines .
Global Assign
The Global Assign option of the Sequencer Edit menu bar command displays the following fields for modification:
Undo/Redo
Undo Redo
Preactor remembers your activities in the Overview. The user can undo or redo these activities using the buttons provided. So, for example, if you drag and drop an operation then decide to return it, the Undo button can be used.
1
The main use of this is to prevent scrolling of the Overview when it is zoomed in and you are using the Mouse Click and arrow keys to highlight operations.
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Workspaces
Workspaces
Predefined Windows Workspaces
From here, a user can configure which saved Workspaces to assign to a button, and also to ‘tear off’ the buttons to place on the toolbar to make switching between Workspaces quicker.
Predefined Workspaces menu Tear off buttons
Predefined Windows Workspace Configuration
Window Workspace Management
Management of the Window Workspace in the Sequencer is from the Window Workspace menu item:
From here a user can: l l l l
Save the Windows Workspace.
Restore a previously saved Windows Workspace.
Configure the Workspace options to: l
Store the toolbars as part of the Windows workspace.
l
To Save the Windows Workspace (as the Default) when exiting Preactor.
Define, and Switch between Predefined Workspaces.
Saving the Configuration - Sequencer
Changes to the Workspace and Toolbar settings can be saved for re-use between sessions in a number of ways.
Workspace
The workspace is, by default in the shipped configurations, not saved for re-use between Sequencing sessions.
The user has a number of options:
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Orders Editor l
The user can save a Workspace, and restore it during a later Sequencing session: l
The user can elect to have the Workspace saved automatically when exiting, and restored automatically when entering the Sequencer:
Toolbars
Toolbar settings are maintained across Sequencer sessions.
Toolbars settings can be stored with saved Workspaces.
Toolbar setting configuration is language dependent. That is, the Toolbar Setting is associated with the Language that configuration was done in. Change the running language from say English to German, and any Toolbar configuration will be lost until the Language they were created is again set as the runtime language.
Orders Editor
Highlight Selected Records
When using the editor in the sequencer any selected operation records can be highlighted in the overview window by selecting
'Selected Records' from the 'Highlight Options' menu on the editor context menu. The same function may be accessed from the 'View' menu by selecting 'Highlight Selected Records' or by pressing the shortcut key 'F7'.
Insert an Operation in a Started Order
You may need to insert a temporary operation into an order's production process, e.g. a rectification task may be required after operation 10 has been completed but before operation 20 starts.
Note: This facility is not enabled in systems that are integrated with an ERP system, as amendments to the process route should be undertaken within the ERP system.
To insert a temporary operation into a process route:
1. With the Editor window open in the Sequencer, click on the second operation (Op. 20) of the scheduled order that is to be modified.
2. From the 'Edit' menu bar command select the 'Insert' option.
A record is inserted between operations 10 and 20 and the Edit Orders Information dialog is displayed.
3. Against 'Operation Name' select 'Extra Operation' from the drop down list.
The operation number changes to 2000.
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Orders Editor
4. Change the 'Op. No'. to 15.
5. Click on the 'Resources' Edit pushbutton and select the 'Required Resource'.
6. Set the operation time etc. and close the dialog.
An icon is placed in the Unscheduled Operations window
You can also change the quantity and add additional constraints to the inserted operation in Preactor 300 FCS products and above.
7. Right click on the record and from the 'Remove from Planning Board' options choose 'All Subsequent Operations'.
The unscheduled operations appear as icons in the Unscheduled Operations window.
8. Right click on the record again and from the 'Place on Planning Board' options select 'Forward, All Operations'.
The unscheduled operations are rescheduled and the impact of the change seen in the Overview.
Changing Order Due Dates, Priorities etc.
You may interactively change the due date, earliest start date or priority of an order. You can then reschedule to see the impact on the overall schedule and the effect on delivery compliance across all orders.
To see the impact of changing an order's priority:
1. Double click on the first operation of the selected order.
This can be carried out in the Sequence's Overview or Editor windows.
The Edit Order Information dialog is displayed.
2. Enter the new value in the 'Priority' field.
A lower value increases priority.
3. Close the dialog.
4. Remove all orders from the Schedule.
5. Forward sequence all orders by priority.
Use the and toolbar buttons.
6. Examine the effect of the changes.
At Risk Orders
Any order where the last operation will finish within the period of the delivery buffer is considered to be potentially ‘At Risk’.
At Risk orders are indicated: l
On the Overview and Trace windows, by an yellow bar over the operation.
l
In the Order Editor, by coloring the status indicator yellow.
Highlighting
At Risk orders can also be highlighted by use of the
options:
Highlight Operations within the Delivery Buffer
Highlight Orders within the Delivery Buffer
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Orders Editor
Similar capability is available for
Late Orders and other operation statuses .
Filter Options
Uncheck the check boxes to change the selection.
Order Call off
You can enter an order and then arrange to call off sub-orders in defined quantities and time interval.
For example you could enter an order for 100 of product ‘A’, then use the call off order tool to create 5 sub orders of 20 at 1 week intervals. Each sub-order would then have the Earliest Start Date and Due Date set, taking into account the call off quantity and time interval.
To create a Call off sequence:
1. With the Editor window displayed in the Sequencer, either create a new order or select the parent of an existing order from which you wish to call off sub-orders.
2. From the Edit menu bar command, select the 'Repeat Order' option.
A Repeat Orders dialog is displayed.
3. Under 'Repeat Mode' select 'Call off'.
4. Under 'Creation Mode' select 'Create standard operations for this order'.
If the selected order uses a modified routing you may choose to use this rather than the standard operations.
5. Enter the interval at which you wish the sub-orders to be repeated in 'Repeat Interval'.
6. Enter the call off quantity for each sub-order in 'Repeat Quantity'.
Repeat Orders
You may enter an order and then define a repeat interval.
For example you could enter an order for 100 of product ‘A’ then use the repeat order tool to create 5 sub-orders of 100 offset by 1 week. The Earliest Start Date and Due Date of each sub-order would then be set taking into account the repeat interval.
To create a repeat order:
1. With the Editor window displayed in the Sequencer, either create a new order or select the parent of an existing order from which you wish to repeat.
2. From the Edit menu bar command, select the 'Repeat Order' option.
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Overview and Trace Chart
A Repeat Orders dialog is displayed.
3. Under 'Repeat Mode' select 'Duplicate'.
4. Under 'Creation Mode' select 'Create standard operations for this order'.
If the selected order uses a modified routing you may choose to use this rather than the standard operations.
5. Enter the interval at which you wish the order to be repeated in 'Repeat Interval'.
6. Enter the number of times the order is to be repeated in 'Repeat Count'.
Please note; a 'Repeat Count' of 2 provides 1 additional order, a 'Repeat Count' of 3 provides 2 additional orders etc.
Overview and Trace Chart
Overview Window
The Overview window displays the planning board.
l l
The vertical axis depicts the available primary resources on which operations are loaded.
The horizontal axis shows the time range over which they are scheduled.
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Overview and Trace Chart
The duration of scheduled operations are represented by the length of the colored Gantt bars. You can click and drag these bars to a new position on the planning board; if a new position violates existing scheduling constraints, a warning message is displayed.
Resting the mouse pointer over a Gantt bar activates a tool tip display providing information about the operation. Further information can be obtained by double clicking on the Gantt bar to display the "Edit Order Information" dialog, which allows data to be updated or modified.
The relationship between operations can be shown using by choosing 'View' ► 'Show Operation Relationships', which displays arrows linking related operations. These relationships can also be displayed by holding down the ALT key and clicking on an operation. Unrelated operations are grayed out.
Shift patterns can be displayed in the Overview. The operator can switch between different Calendar Display Modes using a toolbar option. Calendars may be modified from the Overview Window; through the introduction of overtime working or machine breakdown periods etc.
,
and
orders can be highlighted.
Display Option - Zoom and Navigation
You can zoom in on both axis using the Zoom and Scale option from the View command and the toolbar.
Quick zoom and navigation is possible using : l l l l l
Mouse Wheel to scroll up/down
Shift + Mouse Wheel to scroll left/right
Ctrl + Mouse Wheel to zoom in/out on the horizontal axis
Ctrl + Shift + Mouse Wheel to zoom in/out on the vertical axis
Ctrl + Left Mouse Button to Pan (drag by moving the cursor).
Display Option - Stacked or Cascaded Display
The Sequencer's Overview window can be changed to display Resources in a Stacked (default) or Cascaded format, as illustrated here (Lathe with Stacked display, Mill with Cascaded display):
Right click on the resource name in the Overview and select Stack Operations or Cascade Operations to change the format for that resource from the pop up menu.
The settings for this display format do not persist across sequencer sessions, however the default display format for each resource can be configured in a field in the Resources table.
Drag and Drop Operations
Operations can be dragged and dropped onto the Sequencer's Overview window from the Unscheduled Operations window, and from the Editor window using the Traffic Light. Operations already on the planning board may also be dragged and dropped onto alternate resources or on the same resource in a different sequence.
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Overview and Trace Chart
To Drag and Drop an Operation:
1. Left click on an operation icon in the Unscheduled Operations window or a Bar in the Overview, or on the status icon of an operation in the Editor; hold the mouse button down; drag it to the required position in the Sequence overview; and release the button.
While dragging an operation, the length of the bar will change if shift patterns or efficiency vary across the process and/or setup times.
The Sequencer will not allow the user to drop it onto a resource that is not in the resource group for the operation.
Operation Progress Indicator
This feature provides a convenient and visual way of tracking the progress of an operation.
As a mid-batch quantity and time is entered for an operation, a bar will be displayed in the operation on the Overview, equivalent to the percentage progress made.
The default progress control color is 'silver' but this can be modified in the 'Progress Control Color' field located in the 'Edit
Configuration Set Up Information' dialog, accessed via the 'Configuration Data' pushbutton in the Configuration Menu.
Please note, there is no link between the 'Operation Progress Indicator' and the 'Operation Completion' routine, completing an operation will not set the progress indicator bar to 100%.
This can only be accomplished by the Mid-Batch update routine.
Trace Chart Window
This window provides a convenient way of viewing schedule data in different ways to the Overview.
The Trace Chart can be opened from the View menu, or from the toolbar icon:
1. The Trace Chart for the current schedule is displayed and is similar to that seen in the Overview, but now it allows you to compare previous schedules you have saved, one with another.
2. Use the File/Open... option, or the equivalent toolbar button, to display the selected reference file as a Gantt chart.
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Overview and Trace Chart
3. Select File/Open Comparative File option from the menu bar or equivalent toolbar button, to display the selected comparative file as a second Gantt chart. Each order now displays two loading patterns, one above the other.
This feature is particularly useful if you wish to check the consequences, for example, of increasing the priority of one order on all the other orders.
Once the Trace chart has been opened, the view menu bar command contains a context sensitive Normalize Trace Chart option. When selected this displays the Trace Chart normalized to the Due Date of each order, which is useful when checking for late/early orders.
Using the drop down selection against the Vertical Axis toolbar option, the subject of the vertical axis can be changed.
You can also zoom in on the vertical and horizontal axis of the chart, using the Zoom and Scale option from the View command.
,
and
orders can be highlighted.
Display Option - General
The chart uses a number of display enhancements, selected from the View menu bar command: l l l l
Set Range - controls the start and extent of the Gantt chart.
Configure Gauge Lines - sets the interval between Gauge Lines and controls their appearance.
Gauge Lines - toggles the Gauge Lines on and off.
Disable Workspace Tool tips - toggles the tool tip display on and off.
Display Option - Zoom and Navigation
You can zoom in on both axis using the Zoom and Scale option from the View command and the toolbar.
Quick zoom and navigation is possible using : l l l l l
Mouse Wheel to scroll up/down
Shift + Mouse Wheel to scroll left/right
Ctrl + Mouse Wheel to zoom in/out on the horizontal axis
Ctrl + Shift + Mouse Wheel to zoom in/out on the vertical axis
Ctrl + Left Mouse Button to Pan
Comparing Actual Operation Times with Scheduled Times
The Trace Chart can be used to compare the original scheduled start and finish times for operations and the actual times, once the data is available.
To do this the user should save a ‘reference schedule’ say at the start of a scheduling period.
Once there are some operation completions (the Use Actual Times checkbox has been checked and start and finish times entered) the Schedule can be saved and compared to the reference schedule saved before.
To make this comparison:
1. Access the Sequencer and open the Trace Chart window.
2. Click on the Open button to open a Dataset and select the reference schedule .
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Overview and Trace Chart
3. Click on the Open Actual Comparative Schedule button and select the current schedule (with completed operations)
Only operations that have been completed will be displayed in the green area below the reference schedule so comparisons can be made.
Printing the Overview or Order Trace Chart
Various settings exist to customize how the Overview or Order Trace Chart can be printed. The 'Print Properties' dialog can be accessed by selecting the 'Print Overview' option from the 'File' menu within the 'Preactor Sequencer' when the 'Overview' tab is the current selection.
Operation Lines Per Page
One Page - Prints all of the overview lines on one page.
Total Pages - Spreads the overview lines across the number of pages specified in the 'Total Pages:' field, which becomes visible when this option is selected.
Lines Per Page: Specifies the number of overview lines that are to be included per page.
Time Span
Start Time - Allows a start time to be entered to specify the beginning of a time span to be printed.
End Time - Specifies the last time that is to be included in the printout. The actual end time may be later, based on the time
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Overview and Trace Chart span that has been selected. For example, if a start time of January 1st 2000 and an end time of February 10th 2000 has been entered, and the time span is one month per page, then the end time of the printout will be March 1st 2000, the last page will include the specified end time.
Time Span Per Page
All - Displays the whole time span on one page.
Minutes - Enables the 'Page Span' field, allowing the number of minutes to be specified per page.
Hours - Enables the 'Page Span' field, allowing the number of hours to be specified per page.
Days - Enables the 'Page Span' field, allowing the number of days to be specified per page.
Weeks - Enables the 'Page Span' field, allowing the number of weeks to be specified per page.
Months - Enables the 'Page Span' field, allowing the number of months to be specified per page.
Years - Enables the 'Page Span' field, allowing the number of years to be specified per page.
Page Orientation
Landscape - Specifies that the schedule should be printed as landscape.
Portrait - Specifies that the schedule should be printed as portrait.
Time Axis Increments
As Display - Prints the time axis lines as currently displayed in the overview.
Seconds - This option is only available if the 'Include Seconds' feature has been switched on in the Command File Editor. It specifies the interval at which a time axis line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of seconds to be specified.
Minutes - Specifies the interval at which a time axis line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of minutes to be specified.
Hours - Specifies the interval at which a time axis line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of hours to be specified.
Days - Specifies the interval at which a time axis line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of days to be specified.
Weeks - Specifies the interval at which a time axis line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of weeks to be specified.
Reference Date - this option is available when either seconds, minutes, hours, days or weeks options have been selected. The reference date allows a starting point at which the time axis lines can be applied.
Gauge Line Increments
As Display - prints gauge lines as currently displayed in the overview.
Seconds - This option is only available if the 'Include Seconds' feature has been switched on in the Command File Editor. It specifies the interval at which a gauge line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of seconds to be specified.
Minutes - Specifies the interval at which a gauge line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of minutes to be specified.
Hours - Specifies the interval at which a gauge line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of hours to be specified.
Days - Specifies the interval at which a gauge line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of days to be specified.
Weeks - Specifies the interval at which a gauge line should appear in the printed output. A 'Quantity' field becomes visible allowing the number of weeks to be specified.
Reference Date - this option is available when either minutes, hours, days or weeks options have been selected. The reference date allows a starting point at which the gauge lines can be applied.
Other Appearance Settings
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Highlighting and Locating
Bold Lines between days - prints a bold line to divide the days.
Include day names on Horizontal axis - prints the day names on the time axis.
Include Week Numbers on Horizontal axis - prints the week numbers on the time axis.
Highlighting and Locating
Highlight an Order's Process Flow
The sequence in which an order's operations are performed, the time span and the resources on which they are carried out can be seen by highlighting the process flow.
To highlight an order's process flow:
1. In the Overview click on one of the order's operations, while holding down the <ALT> key.
All related orders and operations and flow lines are added to the display. Solid lines link operations within an order and dotted lines link related orders.
2. Where the whole process cannot be seen, use the Compress Overview toolbar button to shrink the overview to include only those resources with highlighted operations.
3. Click anywhere in the Overview to return to the normal (or compressed) display.
Late and Early Order Highlighting
The operations and orders that are late or early are indicated and highlighted on the Overview,Trace, and Order Editor windows.
Late orders are indicated: l
On the Overview and Trace windows, by a red bar over the operation l
In the Order Editor, by setting the status indicator red, with an emphasis on the right side.
Early orders (those whose start date is before the Earliest Start Date specified) are indicated: l
On the Overview and Trace windows, by a green bar over the operation l
In the Order Editor, by setting the status indicator red, with an emphasis on the left side.
Highlighting
Late and early orders can be highlighted by use of the
option.
Other conditions can also be highlighted from this toolbar, e.g. Locked Operations, Bottleneck Operations, etc.
Similar capability is available for
Highlighting Options
From View ► Locate, a number of highlighting options are available:
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Highlighting and Locating
The 'Locate' option shows an additional dialog, where several equality expressions can be defined, each of which is considered in a logical 'AND' or a logical 'OR' context.
'Cancel All Highlights' returns all operations to their normal state. 'Show Outline', when enabled, will show the outline (solid gray shape) of all operations that are not currently highlighted.
The remaining highlight options are described in the below list: l l l l l l l l l l
Highlight Locked Operations - Highlight all operations for which the 'Locked' field is set.
Highlight Actual Operations - Highlight all operations for which an actual setup start, start time and end time have been set.
Highlight Sequence Errors - Highlight operations implicated in sequencing errors. For details of sequencing errors, use the 'Validate Schedule' tool.
Highlight Early Operations - Highlight all operations scheduled with start time before their earliest start date.
Highlight Operations Within Delivery Buffer - Highlight all operations with an end time that falls within the delivery buffer, specified as a duration which is subtracted from the due date.
Highlight Orders Within Delivery Buffer - As above, but entire orders are highlighted where one or more operation is implicated.
Highlight Late Operations - Highlight all operations with an end time that falls after the specified due date.
Highlight Late Orders - As above, but entire orders are highlighted where one or more operation is implicated.
Highlight Delayed Operations - Highlights any operations that are delayed beyond their unconstrained start time.
Operations can be delayed for several reasons including occupied resources, unavailable constraints and calendar shift patterns.
Highlight Bottleneck Operations - Highlights the most delayed (see above) operation for each order.
'Lock Highlighted Operations' will set the 'Locked' field on all of the currently highlighted operations. 'Unlock Highlighted
Operations' will do the opposite and unset the 'Locked' field.
Bar Tool Configuration
Preactor has an extensive Color Management capability, it allows the color of different parts of the operation bars in the
Overview or Trace windows, and icons in the Sequencer Unscheduled Operations window, to be colored based on different criteria (e.g. customer, product).
In the current release, this capability is provided by the Bar Tool, and is available for configurations based on those distributed with this release of Preactor. In later releases, the capability will be available for all configurations, new and existing.
The Bar Tool is run from within the Sequencer:
Tools ► Bar Tool
Typically, the Bar Tool would be displayed at the same time as the Overview, Trace, and/or Unscheduled Operations windows:
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Highlighting and Locating
Characteristics of the Bar Tool are: l l
When starting, the colors associated with the bars and icons are taken from the configuration set when creating the specific item (e.g .product, customers).
Any items that have a color configured to it, can have its colors managed by this capability.
l
Select the item (e.g. Product) in the associated view, right click on the color and select as desired.
l
The colors of the 3 areas of a bar can be configured: l
The whole bar .
l l
The lower half of the bar .
The right hand side of the lower part of the bar
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Utilization View l
Clicking on an item in the Bar Tool will highlight those bars in the Overview that are associated with the selected item: l
Changing the Bar Color will modify the configuration of the color for that item. For the icon, it will configure the color of the foreground and background areas. l
Apart from the color, Text can be added to the bar, up to 4 fields showing customer, product, etc:
Utilization View
The Utilization View provides a bucketed summary view of resource group, primary and secondary resource utilization. The utilization view can be opened by selecting 'Utilization Window' from the 'View' menu, or using the toolbar icon:
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Utilization View
By default, utilization data is shown for all resource groups, primary resources and secondary resources. This selection can be changed by choosing 'Configure Utilization' from the 'View' menu.
Time Buckets
The utilization view is divided into buckets of time, as specified in the 'Bucket Settings' dialog. To open this dialog, with the
Utilization view selected, choose 'Bucket Settings' from the 'View' menu.
Buckets can be a number of hours, days or weeks long or, when 'As Display' is selected, they can follow the gauge line
increment. "Gauge Lines" on page 203 for more information.
Utilization Values
Utilization can be expressed either as a percentage of the available time in a bucket (by default), or as a number of hours and minutes. To switch between the two options choose either 'Percent' or 'Hours' from 'View', 'Set Utilization Mode' while the
Utilization window is selected.
Unavailable
Unavailable time is characterized by calendar periods of 0% efficiency on primary resources. For example, when a primary resource is off-shift over a weekend.
Setup
Setup shows the time spent on the setup portion of an operation. Where setups are performed in parallel, setup time can cause a period to go beyond 100% utilization, even on finite capacity resources.
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Plots
Working
Working time considers only the process portion of operations. For infinite capacity resources this can, of course, be greater than 100%.
Idle
Idle time is identified as time when a resource could be utilized but it is not. For infinite capacity resources this is difficult to express in a consistent manner, so the nominal capacity of the infinite resource is used (see below).
Over
Over is used to display when there is no time available on the resource to process the operation, but it has work forced upon it. In percentage mode, if the Over value covers a whole time bucket, the infinity symbol is displayed.
100% Marker
It is possible to 'overload' resources. For example - when sequencing operations on an infinite capacity resource (or using infinite capacity mode) or against a secondary resource which is unconstrained. For this reason, when a resource is loaded above its nominal capacity, the 100% point in the bucket is marked with a dashed red line. For infinite capacity resources this line represents where the resource would be fully utilized were it a finite resource, and for overloaded secondary resources the point at which the resource would be fully utilized were the constraint in effect. Resource groups can also be overloaded in this way, where the sum of the nominal capacity available within that group is considered.
Note: When a period of time is defined as having zero availability on a resource, that time bucket will be shown as
100% unavailable. This is displayed with the warning symbol on a red background.
Utilization Data
It is possible to extract the underlying utilization data that is the basis for the utilization view. This can be achieved in a few different ways. To extract the data for a single row (i.e. a primary resource, secondary resource or resource group), select
'Copy' from the context menu for that row. To extract all data for all rows in the view, select 'Copy all' from the same menu.
When you copy data for all rows, the name of the row is included. When you copy data for a single row, it is not.
The copied utilization data is formatted such that it will paste easily into a spread sheet where further analysis can be done.
Plots
Plot Window
(Not available in Preactor Express).
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Plots
The window is displayed by selecting the Plot Window option from the View menu bar command. It displays Secondary
Constraint, Resource Group and Primary Resource usage. It allows you to view plots of capacity utilization or to examine the work in progress waiting to be processed at a resource at any point in time, i.e. 'Resource Workload Queues'.
You can zoom in on both the vertical and horizontal axis of these plots, using the Zoom and Scale option from the View command
The plots viewed can be chosen using the 'Configure plots...' option from the View menu or by right clicking in a primary resource plot.
If you right click in a secondary resource plot the following options are presented:
Print...; provides a print out of the plot selected.
Save Data to Disk; saves details of the selected plot as a .csv file.
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Materials
Enable/Disable Check; when this toggle is disabled it prevents a warning message appearing if the usage of the secondary resource exceeds its maximum value, while operations are being dragged and dropped in the Overview.
Enable/Disable Constraint; when this toggle is disabled the secondary constraints maximum value may be exceeded while sequencing.
Edit Calendar; presents the Calendar Period dialog allowing the calendar values to be modified.
Using the Zoom option from the View command you can zoom in/out on both the vertical and horizontal axes of the plots.
If a workspace is saved, with the Save Workspace option from the Window menu bar command, its current configuration and zoom settings will be retained.
Secondary Constraint Usage
You may define a number of secondary constraints (resources) to be used by a primary resource and/or product. For example a machine may require an operator or a tool to carry out an operation.
In the Sequencer's Plots window a plot for each secondary resource is available. You can define the color of the plot and a color change when the usage exceeds a defined level. In Preactor 200 FCS secondary constraints have infinite capacity and therefore plots are used to show excessive demand for the constraint.
It is also possible to define different secondary constraint usages for each resource that can perform an operation within a work center or resource group. For example two resources A & B may do the same process. Resource A may require an operator but resource B does not.
Usage Plot Display Settings
Are applied to plots in the Sequencer's Multi Plot window:
Plot Color - the color of the Usage Plot displayed in the Sequencer's Multi Plot window.
Plot Fill Pattern - sets the Usage Plot's fill pattern.
Usage Max. Hours - a value entered in this field defines the level at which the plot color changes to that specified in the 'Plot
Color Above Max. Hours' field. If left as 'Unspecified' a line will be drawn to display the maximum number of hours available.
Plot Color Above Max. Hours - this color is used to define those areas of a Usage Plot, displayed in the Sequencer's Multi Plot window, that exceed the value specified in the 'Usage Max. Hours' field.
Set Up Time Line Color - this color is used to define line in a Usage Plot, displayed in the Sequencer's Multi Plot window, that represents set up time.
Materials
Pegging Materials
Links between orders need to be established first before operations in the 'Unscheduled Operations' window can be scheduled.
Select the 'Peg Materials' option from the 'Tools' menu in the Preactor Sequencer, this will run the Standard Material Control module (SMC) and create the links between the orders.
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Materials
SMC will run using whatever 'Pegging Rule' has been set as the default in the 'Material Control Configuration' table. Please read the
section for more information on how to create material control rules.
The orders can be scheduled, once the order links have been created. Orders that have shortages will not be scheduled unless the shortage has been ignored.
Supply, Demand and Works Orders
Importing Orders into Preactor
Order data can be imported by choosing the Import Orders from ERP option:
When this option is selected, a PESP script is run that will import the data from some import files into Preactor, populating the
Supply, Demand, Works Orders and Bill of Materials tables.
The Supply, Demand and Works Orders tables can be accessed by going to 'Maintain Database'.
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Materials
The tables are listed under the Orders sub category. The Bill of Materials table is listed under the Material Control sub category.
Supply Orders Table
The Supply table holds orders for current or future production that do not utilize resources. These will be orders such as purchase orders where parts have been ordered from a different factory, or stock orders using parts that have already been made. A field called Supply Date is used to define when the materials become available for consumption. Records in this table are referred to as 'supply orders' and are shown in the Supply area of the Preactor Sequencer Overview positioned at the point specified in the supply date field.
Demand Orders Table
The Demand Orders table holds the orders for final consumption. These will be orders such as sales or make to stock orders; again these orders do not utilize resources, they are the orders for finished products. A field called Demand Date is used to define when the materials are required by. Records in this table are referred to as 'demand orders' and are shown in the
Demand area of the Preactor Sequencer Overview.
Works Orders Table
The Works Orders table contains the orders that are to be scheduled on the resources area on the Sequencer Overview.
Typically these will be orders for parts that when combined together produce the final product to be consumed by orders in the demand orders table.
Supply, Demand and Works Orders in the Preactor Sequencer.
In the Preactor sequencer, the overview is divided up into three different areas, the first area is for supply orders, the second is for works orders and third is for demand orders.
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Materials
The Supply Orders area is used to visually show when the supply order is available to be consumed. The Demand orders area is used to visually show when the demand orders require the material to satisfy the Demand Date. The milestones on the overview provide an access point to these supply or demand orders in their respective areas.
To access supply or demand orders, right click on a milestone on the sequence overview. A list of orders applicable at that point in time will be displayed. Hover the mouse pointer over an order of interest, the following options will be displayed: Open in Material Explorer, Edit Record, Highlight All Related, Highlight Subsequent Operation(s) and Highlight All Subsequent
Operations.
Open in Material Explorer
This will open the 'Material Explorer' window and display the selected order and any orders it is linked to.
Edit Record
This will load up an 'Edit' dialog allowing details of that order to be modified.
Highlight All Related
This option will highlight all orders related to the selected order.
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Materials
Highlight Subsequent Operation(s)
This option will highlight all immediate subsequent operations related to this order.
Highlight All Subsequent Operations
This option will highlight all subsequent operations related to this order.
Works orders can be edited by either double clicking on an operation on the overview or opening the Editor Window from the
View menu. The Editor Window displays works orders only.
Operation Relationship Lines in the Preactor Sequencer Overview
Relationship lines can be displayed in the Preactor Sequencer Overview after orders have been pegged and scheduled, by selecting the Show Operation Relationships option from the View menu. Lines will be drawn to show relationships between all orders and operations, including demand and supply orders. The solid lines show links between operations of the same order, dotted lines show links between different orders and red dotted lines show that a demand order is receiving its materials past the Demand Date.
Highlight features can be used to improve the visibility of the lines drawn in the overview. When performing a Locate from the
View menu, only lines pertaining to the located records will be shown if the Show Highlighted Operation Relationships option
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Materials on the View menu is toggled on.
Material Explorer
The material explorer is available in SMC enabled configurations. It provides an interactive graphical representation of links between orders, it accommodates easy access to orders and related orders using its drill down navigational facilities, it can be used to lock or unlock links between orders, highlight shortages and report unused quantities. Material plots relating to the selected order will also be displayed.
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Materials
Accessing the Material Explorer
The material explorer can be accessed in a variety of ways: l l l l
From the 'View' menu in the Preactor Sequencer select the 'Material Explorer' option.
Select the toolbar button on the 'Standard' toolbar.
Right click on an operation and select the 'Show in Material Explorer' option that appears on the popup menu.
Right click on any diamond image on the Sequencer Overview, hover the mouse over any of the listed orders and select the 'Open in Material Explorer' option from the pop up menu.
Material Explorer Features
The main portion of the 'Material Explorer' window provides an interactive graphical diagram of the order that is being viewed and the operations that the order comprises of. It also displays any immediate supply or demand orders that relate to that order. It shows the amount of each item required to fulfill the order, and the amount that the order itself produces, if the operations have been scheduled the times that materials become available is also displayed. The supply orders are displayed on the left hand side of the order being viewed and the demand orders are displayed on the right hand side. It is possible to double click on any of the 'supply' or 'demand' orders to drill down to the orders that relate immediately to them.
Any shortages of an item are shown as a red triangle with a white exclamation mark:
Any unused items are displayed as a stock pile:
The magnifying glass in the bottom left hand corner of the graphical order display screen can be used to zoom in or zoom out.
Locking/Unlocking of Pegged Materials
Links can be locked after running the 'Peg Materials' option from the 'View' menu. When a link has been locked, it will not be deleted when the 'Peg Materials' option is selected again. To lock a link, follow these steps:
In order to lock a link, orders must already be pegged together (to peg orders select the 'Peg Materials' option from the 'Tools' menu).
1. Open the 'Material Explorer' window by selecting 'Material Explorer' from the 'View' menu in the Preactor Sequencer or using any of the other methods described previously for accessing the 'Material Explorer'.
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2. Rest the mouse pointer over the beginning or end of a link to a specific item. A padlock icon will be displayed.
Materials
3. Click the mouse button once to lock the link; a padlock will appear on the link that is locked.
To unlock the link, again follow the same steps and click once on the padlock to unlock the link, the padlock image will disappear.
Scheduling Despite Shortages
Preactor by default will not allow orders with shortages to be scheduled. See also
Schedule Despite Shortages feature description
. This behavior can be overridden by ignoring the shortage. To ignore a shortage, follow these steps:
1. Open the 'Material Explorer' window by selecting 'Material Explorer' from the 'View' menu in the Preactor Sequencer or using any of the other methods described previously for accessing the 'Material Explorer'.
2. On the 'Issues' panel, expand the shortages area by clicking on the arrow next to the 'Shortages' text to display all shortages.
3. Double click on one of the orders listed that has shortages. The graphical view of the order will be displayed.
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Materials
4. In the graphical view of the order, double click on the red triangle that represents the shortage that you wish to ignore.
The red triangle will turn gray, and the shortage will now be ignored when scheduling the operations.
Order Description
The first panel on the right hand side of the Material Explorer provides information about the order currently being viewed.
This panel includes back and next buttons for easy navigation when exploring different orders and a refresh button to redraw the screen when changes have been made to any orders.
Search Facility
A search facility is available in the second panel displayed on the right hand side of the Material Explorer. This search feature will locate order numbers that match the search text. The search option is case sensitive and will perform sub string searches if the entire text has not been entered. Double clicking on the located order will alter the order displayed in the main window of the 'Material Explorer' so that the order displayed is the located one.
Issues Panel
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Materials
The 'Issues' panel can be used to display orders that have shortages or unused material. Clicking on the arrow next to either the 'Shortages' or 'Unused Materials' sections expands the dialog to display any items that are short or unused. You can double click on any order shown in the 'Shortages' or 'Unused Materials' area to display it in the main 'Material Explorer' window.
Material Plots
The material plot in the lower left portion of the 'Material Explorer' displays a graph showing the quantities of an item over time, and how the quantity varies as the item is produced and consumed.
If the order currently being viewed in the graphical area relates to several other materials, a plot for each material will be drawn and tabs to switch between each plot will be visible in the plot window.
The plot will show both positive and negative quantities. A circular icon is displayed at a point on the graph where a change has occurred in the quantity. If the mouse is hovered over the circle, a tip display pops up detailing the exact time that the change in quantity occurred, the current stock level, the order(s) that caused the change and the quantity produced or used by that order. It is possible to navigate to the order(s) displayed on the tip display by resting the mouse pointer over the order and clicking on the hyperlink when it appears.
The pale blue and amber vertical lines drawn on the plot represent stock movements (operations must be scheduled to see the amber line). The amber line is the currently selected item in the graphical diagram of the order, and is drawn at the time when the selected order consumes the material it is linked to. The pale blue vertical line is drawn at the time when the supply order feeds the currently selected order.
A zoom facility in the lower left corner of the material plot is available to enhance visibility.
Static Stock Line
Preactor can be customized to enable the indication on the Material Explorer stock plot of a line representing a stock level for each part, at a value supplied by the user.
The line is labeled using a tooltip with the name of the field in which the value is specified, and its provisioned value.
The indicator is visible at all zoom levels.
The use of this field would typically be used to show the minimum stock level.
The Customization Help (Index: Static Stock Level Indicators) provides details of the activation of this field.
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Sequencing
Sequencing
Unscheduled Operations Window
A view of the currently unscheduled operations can be obtained from the Sequencer menu option:
View ► Unscheduled Operations
From here: l l
All operations can be sequenced (using the Sequence menu option or the appropriate toolbar icon).
The operations for a single order can be sequenced. Right click on an operation for that order and select Place on
Planning Board: l l
Change an order to split the batch – See
for details.
Highlight the order in a number of different ways.
l
Find out why an operation has not been scheduled. Right click on an operation that was left in the Unscheduled
Operations Window after a scheduling run and choose the Reason Not Allocated option.
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A message will be displayed explaining why the operation was not scheduled on the planning board.
Sequencing
Orders that are already on the Planning Board can be removed from it and placed in the Unscheduled Operations window by: l l
For all operations, use the Sequence menu option to Remove Operations from the Schedule or the appropriate toolbar icon.
From the Overview window, select an operation and right click to remove the whole order, or subsets thereof.
Automatic Sequencing
Preactor Express uses sequential or order at a time scheduling method, which allows you to work with rules such as 'priority',
'due date', etc to decide the ranking of orders. Many production schedules can be tried and compared before being released to the shop floor for execution.
Automatic sequencing of the schedule file is accomplished in the Sequencer using options under the Sequence menu bar command, or the equivalent toolbar buttons.
When sequencing orders the user must consider the manner in which orders are loaded to the Planning Board, e.g. Forward,
Backward etc. and how the sequence of loading will be organized, e.g. by priority, due date or schedule file order.
To sequence all orders lying in the Unscheduled Operations Window:
1. Determine the scheduling criteria you wish to use.
You may wish to forward sequence in due date order.
2. Under the 'Sequence' menu bar command select 'Forward Sequence'.
A sub menu displays the options: 'Forward By Priority', 'Forward By Reverse Priority', 'Forward By Due Date' and 'Forward By
Schedule File Order'.
3. Select the 'Forward By Due Date' option.
All orders are forward sequenced by Due Date in the Overview window.
Forward Sequencing
Forward Sequencing is accessed from the Sequencer's Sequence command and provides the following sequencing options:
Backward Sequencing
Backward Sequence is accessed from the Sequencer's Sequence command and provides the following sequencing options:
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Sequencing
Bi-Directional Sequencing
In bi-directional sequencing one operation is locked, e.g. a bottleneck operation or one that is performed on a critical resource.
Operations upstream of the locked operation are sequenced backwards from its start time, while downstream operations are forward sequenced from the locked operation's end time.
One example of its use is shown here.
To sequence bi-directionally:
1. Forward sequence work from the Unscheduled Operations area.
This places the orders on the Planning Board.
2. Using the Locate option from the View command, highlight the bottleneck operations.
3. Lock the highlighted operations.
4. Deselect the highlight bottleneck operations icon.
5. Remove the unlocked operations from the Schedule.
6. Bi-directionally sequence the unscheduled operations around the locked operations.
7. Forward sequence any operations remaining in the unscheduled operations window.
This approach would give orders using bottleneck facilities priority on resources upstream of the bottleneck.
Bi-Directional Sequencing
Bi-Directional Sequencing For All Locked Operations, is accessed from the Sequencer's Sequence command and provides the following sequencing options:
Sequencing by Weight
Deciding which operation to sequence can be dependent on normal rules (e.g. forward sequencing, backward sequencing, bidirectional sequencing) as dictated by the common attributes of Priority, Reverse Priority, Due Date or File Order.
It is also possible to sequence operations based on the consideration of a list of attributes, with the relative weighting given to each attribute controlled by the user.
Modifying the Weighting
When enabled, the Set Weight option is available in the 'Sequence' menu:
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Sequencing
Selecting Set Weight opens the window allowing the relative weighting to be provisioned.
The user simply selects Highest Value First or Lowest Value First and adjusts the sliders for each attribute, then hits OK to apply the desired weighting to the scheduling.
The icon at the top of each attribute indicates the type of value that attribute is: is for a Duration is for Date/Time is for a toggle or Boolean is for a Number.
Sequence by Weight
To sequence using the provisioned weights for the attributes, the Sequence Menu has a ‘… By Weight’ option for the Forward ,
Backward and Bi-Directional sequencing options:
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Sequencing
Sequence by weight at the next sequence can be set from the Sequencing Order toolbar:
The Weighting Rule
Preactor applies a calculation to the values of the weighted attributes to effect the order the operations are sequenced.
Consider the following:
Attribute A
Range of values for all operations
Attribute B
Range of values for all operations
Attribute C
Range of values for all operations
Weighting with Highest Value
First setting
Min Value 0 12
20
Mid Value 50
Max Value 100
14
17
20
22
Jan 1st 2012
Jan 6th 2012
Jan 9th 2012 8
9
Jan 11th 2012 10
4
5
6
7
0
1
2
3
Here we see how the weighting of the values of an attribute is normalized across the range of values that attribute has with the operations being scheduled. Note: l l l
A value of 20 for Attribute A will not have the same weighting as the same value for Attribute B.
A value of 20 for Attribute A has the same weighting as a value of 14 for Attribute B.
A value of 20 for Attribute B has the same weighting as a value of Jan 9th 2012 for Attribute C.
The overall weighting of an operation is a product of all that operation's weighted attributes.
Customization Classifications:
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Sequencing l l
WEIGHTED
SEQ WEIGHT
Manual Sequencing
In the Sequencer's Overview, icons in the Unscheduled Operations window represent operation of any unscheduled orders.
Icons can be treated as the electronic equivalent of the cards that you would place in slots on a manual planning board.
The data associated with each operation can be viewed and edited by double-clicking on the icon itself, or on its associated
Gantt bar in the Sequence Overview.
Preactor allows you to drag and drop operations onto resources in the Overview window from the Unscheduled Operations window.
To load the icons/operations onto the resources:
1. Under the Schedule sub category select the Generate Schedule action.
The Sequencer is displayed.
2. Select the required icon in the Unscheduled Operations window by clicking on it with the mouse and holding down the left mouse button.
3. Drag the icon with the mouse to a suitable resource on the planning board.
When you move the icon over a suitable resource a Gantt bar is displayed.
4. Release the mouse button to drop the operation onto the resource, at a selected point in time.
Similarly, the schedule can be edited by picking up and dropping the Gantt bars in the Overview. Notice that the size of the bar changes as you move over the chart. This is because the Preactor continually re-calculates the process time and takes into account the shift patterns of a resource over which the bar or icon is placed.
Loading/Unloading by Order Attribute
The 'Locate' toolbar button can be used to highlight orders or operations with specific attributes in the 'Unscheduled
Operations' window or in the 'Overview', 'Editor' and 'Trace Chart'.
When highlighted, the selected orders can, for example, be loaded before other orders, which are subsequently sequenced using global scheduling rules.
Alternatively highlighted orders in the Overview may be unscheduled, leaving the remainder undisturbed.
To load orders by attribute:
1. With the Sequencer's Overview open and orders to be scheduled appearing as 'Icons' in the 'Unscheduled Operations' window, select the 'Locate' option from the View menu bar command.
The Locate dialog is displayed.
2. Click on the drop down accompanying the 'Search Field'.
3. From the list, select the attribute to be searched for, e.g. Order Number.
A list of the 'Search Field' values occurring in the schedule file is displayed in the dialog.
4. From this list, select the value you wish to search for by clicking on it with the mouse pointer.
Alternatively, when there is a long list of 'Search Field' values, locate the required value by typing this value in the 'Search For' field.
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Sequencing
N.B. The 'Search Field' is case sensitive.
Once the 'Search For' value has been specified the located orders (or operations) are highlighted in the 'Unscheduled
Operations' window.
The initial search can be extended using the 'AND' and 'OR' capabilities included in the dialog.
5. With operations highlighted in the 'Unscheduled Operations' window, select the required sequencing criteria and schedule the selected work.
Operation Locking
Once scheduled, individual operations can be locked onto the planning board (they will not be removed when a reschedule occurs) in a number of ways.
Individual Operations
Single operations may be locked, one at a time in the Overview, by double clicking on an operation to open the 'Edit Orders
Information' dialog and checking the 'Lock Operation' check box. Similarly operations can be unlocked one at a time.
By Order
All an order's operations can be locked together. To highlight and lock the required order use the 'Locate' feature from the
View command. In the Locate dialog, select the order to be locked.
Select the 'Lock Highlighted Operations' option to lock all the order's operations. Similarly an order's operations can all be unlocked.
By Attribute
An alternate method of locking or unlocking multiple operations uses attributes.
Use the 'Locate' feature to select an appropriate attribute and use the 'Lock Highlighted Operations' toolbar button to lock or unlock all operations with the same attribute value.
By Resource
Another method of locking and unlocking multiple operations at a time is to right click on a resource name in the Sequencer and use the lock/unlock options to lock all operations that are currently assigned to that resource.
By time
A further method of locking multiple operations at a time is, in Calendar Edit mode, to drag the terminator time to some time in the future. Operations that lie within or across the terminator will not be removed from the schedule.
Shortcuts
There are a number of shortcuts to facilitate locking. these include: l l
Keyboard Shortcuts can be setup to Lock (and unlock) operations that are highlighted,
When in Locate ► Highlight Locked Operations, using shift + left mouse button on an operation will toggle the lock operation parameter for that operation.
Schedule Despite Shortages
By default Preactor will not schedule orders that are affected due to the shortages of materials. This default behavior can be overridden by the Schedule Despite Shortages feature. There are two different ways that shortages can be ignored.
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Sequencing l l
Globally by choosing the Sequence ► Schedule Despite Shortages option.
Individually by marking items as short in Material Explorer.
Globally Applying Schedule Despite Shortages
Follow these steps to globally schedule despite shortages:
1. Run SMC by choosing the Tools ► Peg Materials option.
2. Schedule the operations.
3. Select the Sequence ► Schedule Despite Shortages option.
4. Schedule the operations again. Any operations that were unscheduled due to shortages will be placed on the planning board.
Individually Ignoring Shortages
Shortages can be ignored on an individual basis using Material Explorer. Please view the Material Explorer section for more information on this feature.
Infinite Capacity Sequencer Mode
Sequencing can be performed with resources constrained as provisioned, or in Infinite Capacity mode where Primary and
Secondary resources/constraints are removed or adjusted. Infinite Capacity sequencing may be used to help determine where additional resources can be placed to meet demand.
Infinite Capacity Sequencer mode is enabled/disabled by toggling the toolbar icon or on the Tools menu.
Datasets include the state of the Infinite Capacity Sequence mode when saved and opened, to allow any over-utilization of resources to be maintained.
The scope of which resources are set to Infinite Capacity when this mode is enabled can be modified.
Here you see the fields where this Alternate Behavior is defined for a Resource:
Here you see the settings for the Secondary Constraint:
By default (or when Alternate values are not configured to be part of the configuration), the following behavior is exhibited when enabling this mode: l l l
All primary resources become ‘Infinite with shift pattern’.
All secondary constraints become ‘unconstrained’.
All secondary constraints are no longer checked as part of the sequence validation.
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Order Status
Turning off this mode, after creating a schedule when in Infinite Capacity Sequencer mode that produces a schedule that overutilizes a resource, will result in the schedule being changed to remove the over utilization.
An example use of this capability could be as follows: l l l l l
Sequence normally to identify orders not meeting their due dates.
Un-sequence orders not being met.
Enable Infinite Capacity
Sequence Backwards by Due Date.
The Utilization Window shows resource over-utilization, providing an insight into where additional resources can be
placed to meet targets. "Utilization View" on page 224 for more information.
Order Status
An order can be given a status such as Suggested, Released or Confirmed etc.
The Order Status option accesses the Order States table where criteria can be defined for a given Order Status Category, e.g. a name, operation bar pattern and a description of the status category.
The Operation Bar Pattern is displayed in the Gantt bar on the Planning Board when the operation is set to a specific order status in the Sequencer.
Order Enquiries
Where there is an in-built data table of routing information and a single level BoM (all operations are contained in a single order), the user can use the order enquiry button to find the earliest delivery date for a batch of a product.
To make an Order Enquiry:
1. In the Sequencer's Overview window, select the 'Order Enquiry' option from the 'Tools' menu bar command or use the equivalent tool bar button.
An Order Enquiry dialog is displayed.
2. Enter the enquiry details in the dialog and click the 'OK' button.
The order enquiry is sequenced and highlighted on the planning board and the proposed completion date displayed in an
'Order Enquiry' dialog.
3. Use the Yes, No or Change buttons in the 'Order Enquiry' dialog to confirm, reject or modify the enquiry.
Schedule Repair
The user has access to a schedule repair button.
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Parallel Operations
Schedule repair can be used to correct a schedule where small alterations to actual start and finish times for an operation have caused operations within an order to overlap (assuming transfer batching has not been defined as allowed). Schedule repair will keep operations on the same resource (where possible) but adjust the start and finish times for un-started operations to maintain the correct operation sequence within an order.
The Schedule repair facility is intended for use in simple scheduling environments. If you have a more complex scheduling environment using, for example, secondary constraints, material control (pegging), inter-operation constraints, APS scheduling rules, etc. you may find that you have to unschedule and reschedule instead.
To use the schedule repair facility:
1. In the Sequencer's Tool command, click on the Schedule Repair button.
A Schedule Repair Parameters dialog is opened.
2. Check the check box if you are prepared to allow operations to be scheduled earlier.
The options are: l l l
Allow Sequence Change
This allows the operations for an Order being worked on a resource to be sequenced in a different order - e.g. Order 2 may be processed before Order 1.
Maintain Sequence when Possible
This option allows the sequence of operations scheduled on a resource to differ from the sequence in which they were originally placed. The operation sequence within an order will be maintained but operations may be placed in a different sequence relative to operations from a different order. The Resource on which an operation is placed will be maintained unless this is impossible due to sequence violations, in which case the operation will be unallocated.
Prevent any Sequence Change.
No sequence change is allowed. If a single operation cannot be placed in the same sequence then EVERYTHING that was sequenced after that operation will be unallocated – because the sequence could not be maintained..
3. Choose a preferred sequencing option by highlighting the appropriate radio button.
A message is received when the repair has been complete.
Parallel Operations
Each operation in a process route has a number, say 10, 20, 30 and so on. If two operations are defined as number 10, both of these operations must be scheduled to finish before sequencing operation 20. In effect the two operations 10 will be processed in parallel providing, of course, that the required resources are available for use.
Transfer Batching
You can define transfer batching between operations. For example a batch of 100 could have a transfer quantity of 20. Then as soon as the first 20 parts have been completed the next operation can be scheduled for the subsequent operation.
To define transfer batching between operations:
1. In the Products table, open the record where you wish to split the batch.
The 'Edit Products Information' dialog is displayed.
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Manual Batch Splitting
2. Click on the 'Operation Attributes' pushbutton.
3. In the subsequent dialog, set the 'Batching Method' field to 'Transfer'.
A 'Transfer Quantity' fields is displayed in the dialog.
4. Specify the required transfer quantity.
5. Click on the 'Previous' button and 'OK' in the subsequent dialog.
Manual Batch Splitting
The quantity scheduled for production or batches in production may be broken down into smaller lots.
To split a batch manually:
1. In the Sequencer's Unscheduled Operations or the Overview windows, right click with mouse on an operation where the batch quantity is to be split.
2. From the pop-up menu, select the Split Batch option.
A dialog headed Total Quantity is... is displayed.
3. Edit the 'Quantity' field to the smaller batch quantity and click 'OK'
The original quantity is written down and a new smaller batch created. This is represented by an icon in the Unscheduled
Operations window or a bar in the Overview.
4. Either, load this batch manually in the Overview or place it in the Unscheduled Operations window.
To sequence the split batch from the Unscheduled Operations window, right click on the icon and select 'Place on Planning
Board' and then the forward or backward sequencing options.
Lot Splitting
You can specify at an operation that a batch is split into smaller lots. For example a batch of 20 may be split into lots of 10.
To define lot splitting at an operation:
1. In the Products Data Table open the record where you wish to split the batch.
The 'Edit Products Information' dialog is displayed.
2. Click on the 'Operation Attributes' pushbutton.
3. In the subsequent dialog, set the 'Batching Method' field to 'Split'.
A 'Lot Size' fields is displayed in the dialog.
4. Define the lot size you require the batch to be split into in this field.
5. In a Preactor 300 FCS you can check the 'Independent Lots' check box to allow the split lots to proceed independently
1
.
6. Click on the 'Previous' pushbutton and then click 'OK" to close the dialogs.
1
This is used for example to allow the batch to be processed across more than one resource in a resource group or work center.
It is also used where a resource can only process a smaller lot at a time e.g. an oven can only take 10 parts at a time.
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Cost Calculation
Cost Calculation
Cost calculation by operation and schedule
A User can define a number of data fields associated with costs. For example you can define the cost per hour for resources, whether these are multiplied depending on calendar state (e.g. on-shift and overtime variations), and material cost for each operation. The cost for each operation may be displayed in a tool tip in the sequence overview. As an operation is dragged and dropped to an alternative resource or is rescheduled or overtime added, so the operation cost is recalculated.
Additional order cost report
Where cost information has been added then a standard report is available which displays the cost for each operation for an order and a total cost for the order.
Mid-batch Update
Available in Preactor 300 FCS systems and above, this feature enables you to apply a mid-batch update for a batch at an operation, e.g. you may wish to enter the quantity complete and time for part of a batch.
Preactor uses this information to calculate the 'Effective Operation Time'.
To apply a mid-batch update:
1. Open the record you wish to amend in the Sequencer's Overview or Editor windows.
The 'Edit Orders Information' dialog is displayed.
2. Select the 'Operation Status' pushbutton.
The 'Edit Orders Operation Status Information' dialog is opened.
3. Complete the 'Mid Batch Time' and 'Mid Batch Quantity' fields.
4. Click on the 'Previous' pushbutton and then the 'OK' button to close all dialogs.
When these dialogs are closed Preactor calculates the 'Effective Operation Time' to date. The operation bar is adjusted in the
Sequencer and the portion of the operation bar representing the progress of the operations is now shaded on the operation
(the default color is Silver, this can be changed in the Preactor Desktop under Configuration ► Sequencer Configuration ► Set
Progress Control Color)
If the 'Edit Orders Operation Status Information' dialog is reopened, it will be seen that the 'Effective Op Time' field now shows the calculated value.
Operation Completion
When an operation is finished it can be set as 'Complete' in the Sequencer's Overview. Setting an operation as 'Complete' sets the current start and end times as 'actual' values, unless these are overwritten. In addition the operation can no longer be removed from the schedule, it is locked to the planning board.
To set an operation as 'Complete':
1. In the Sequencer, double click on the particular operation, in either the Editor or the Overview.
The Edit Orders Information dialog is displayed.
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Export Schedule Data to Excel
2. Left click on the 'Complete' check box to lock the operation.
3. Click 'OK' to close the dialog.
Bear in mind that the Start and End Times may not be the original times, these values may be changed if the operation's Gantt bar is moved, or in a Preactor 300 FCS system, or greater, if a 'Mid Batch' time and quantity have been entered.
Export Schedule Data to Excel
You can export user defined schedule data to an Excel spreadsheet, with either of the following options: l l
Selecting File ► Export
Selection the Export icon in the Standard toolbar .
The current schedule data is exported to file/location defined by the PESP script For Event Export Button Press.
Reports
Displaying Reports
The Sequencer is equipped with a selection of standard reports.
To access the available reports:
1. Select the Reports option from the View menu bar command.
By default the Reports Panel is displayed to the right of the main window, displaying a list of available reports. Local reports will be listed under the 'Local Reports' node.
2. Select the required report by double clicking on it with the left mouse button.
The report opens in the Sequencer's main window.
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Reports
You can generate reports on different schedules that have been saved using the 'Select Dataset' facility to identify the data to be used and 'View Report' to generate the new report on the dataset.
Shortages Report
Preactor 400 APS provides a shortage report that allows you to check whether sufficient orders have been raised to satisfy the demands generated by the current production schedule.
To view the Shortages Report:
1. In the Sequencer click on the 'Reports' tab.
The 'Reports' panel is displayed.
2. Select 'BoM Shortages' report from the options available.
The BoM Shortages report is generated, listing orders with shortages, the shortage reference and the quantity outstanding.
Schedule Statistics
For any schedule the user may look at a standard set of statistics.
To display these statistics, with the Sequencer open select the 'Schedule Statistics...' option from the Tools menu bar command.
OR
Select icon:
The Schedule Statistics dialog is displayed, showing data for the currently loaded schedule:
Order Count Data
Early The number or percentage of orders for which the last operation ends before its due date.
Late
The number or percentage of the total number of orders in the schedule file for which the last operation ends before its due date.
Incomplete The total number or percentage of incomplete orders; i.e., the number of orders for which there is one or more operation that is not scheduled.
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Reports
Started
The total number or percentage of orders that have already started, i.e., the number of orders that have operations that start before the terminator.
Order Completion Data
Early Time
Total
Minimum
The total early time for all fully scheduled orders; i.e., the sum, for all orders, of time between the end of the last operation and the due date for that order. The calculation does NOT include data for orders for which this value is negative as these orders are deemed to be late.
The minimum early time; i.e., the smallest time between the end of the last operation and the due date for that order. The calculation does NOT include data for orders for which this value is negative as these orders are deemed to be late.
Average
The average early time; i.e., the average time between the end of the last operation and the due date for that order. The calculation does NOT include data for orders for which this value is negative as these orders are deemed to be late.
Maximum
The maximum early time; i.e., the maximum time between the end of the last operation and the due date for that order. The calculation does NOT include data for orders for which this value is negative as these orders are deemed to be late.
Late Time
Total
The total late time for all fully scheduled orders; i.e., the sum, for all orders, of time between the due date and the end time of the last operation of the order. The calculation does NOT include data for orders for which this value is negative as these orders are deemed to be early.
Minimum
The minimum late time; i.e., the minimum time between the due date and the end of the last operation for that order. The calculation does NOT include data for orders for which this value is negative as these orders are deemed to be early.
Average
The average late time; i.e., the average time between the due date and the end of the last operation for that order. The calculation does NOT include data for orders for which this value is negative as these orders are deemed to be early.
Maximum
The maximum late time; i.e., the maximum time between the due date and the end of the last operation for that order. The calculation does NOT include data for orders for which this value is negative as these orders are deemed to be early.
Setup Time
Total The total amount of setup time for all fully scheduled orders.
Minimum The minimum amount of setup time for an order.
Average The average amount of setup time for an order.
Maximum The maximum amount of setup time for an order.
Lead Time
Total
The total lead time of all fully scheduled orders. i.e., the sum, for all orders, of the times between the setup start of the first operation of the order to the end time of the last operation of the order.
Minimum The shortest lead time of all fully scheduled orders.
Average The average lead time of all fully scheduled orders.
Maximum The maximum lead time of all fully scheduled orders.
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Reports
Added Value Percentage
Minimum
The minimum value of the added value for all fully scheduled orders. Added value for an order is the sum of the process times for all operations divided by the lead time. Both process time and lead time are adjusted by resource efficiency and capacity. Hence, if all operations in an order do not have to wait for the resource at all and there is no setup time, the result will be 100%.
Average The average value for the added value calculation for all fully scheduled orders.
Maximum The maximum value for the added value calculation for all fully scheduled orders.
Resource Data
Working Percentage
Minimum
The minimum value, over all resources, of the working percentage calculation. The working percentage calculation is the amount of resource capacity spent in processing jobs (not setups) expressed as a percentage of the total time span.
Average The average value, over all resources, of the working percentage calculation.
Maximum The maximum value, over all resources, of the working percentage.
Setup Percentage
Minimum
The minimum value, over all resources, of the setup percentage calculation. The setup percentage calculation is the amount of capacity that the resource has which is used for setup expressed as a percentage of the total time span.
Average The average value, over all resources, of the setup percentage calculation.
Maximum The maximum value, over all resources, of the setup percentage calculation.
Unavailable Percentage
Minimum
The minimum value, over all resources, of the unavailable percentage calculation. The unavailable percentage calculation is the amount of capacity that the resource has which is unavailable due to reduced or zero efficiency expressed as a percentage of the total time span.
Average The average value, over all resources, of the unavailable percentage calculation.
Maximum The maximum value, over all resources, of the unavailable percentage calculation.
Idle Percentage
Minimum
The minimum value, over all resources, of the idle percentage calculation. The idle percentage calculation is the amount of capacity that the resource has which is available but not used expressed as a percentage of the total time span.
Average The average value, over all resources, of the idle percentage calculation.
Maximum The maximum value, over all resources, of the idle percentage calculation.
Utilization Percentage
Mini The minimum value, over all resources, of the utilization percentage calculation. The utilization per-
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Web Publishing mum centage calculation is the amount of resource capacity spent in processing jobs (not setups) expressed as a percentage of the total time span minus the unavailable time.
Average The average value, over all resources, of the utilization percentage calculation.
Maximum The maximum value, over all resources, of the utilization percentage calculation.
Schedule Span
The time span and duration from the start of the performance data calculation to the end of the performance data calculation. The start time will be the start of setup of the earliest starting fully scheduled order for which no operations are scheduled before the terminator. The end time will be the end time of the latest ending order.
Web Publishing
Web Publishing
Introduction
The web publishing facility runs with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher. It allows Gantt charts or Order Trace charts to be saved as HTML files that can be placed in a local directory or a remote directory in a shared computer.
A web server can be used to expose this location, enabling a browser to view the files over an intranet or the Internet. In this mode Preactor becomes "browser enabled". Gantt charts that are placed on a web site are not just pictures or bitmaps, each individual bar is an object. Resting the mouse pointer on a bar reveals Tool Tips, clicking on a bar displays its dialog box. The chart has pan, zoom and scroll capabilities and uses gauge lines, dates and times.
There are three ways of using the Preactor to release charts to be published on the web: l
Option 1 - The ' Release Schedule' option from the Workspace General or Data Transfer menus on the Preactor Desktop.
The default setting for the Release Schedule option does not generate HTML files, but this can be achieved by simply checking the 'Action Enabled' toggle on the 'Web Publish' action in the 'Release Schedule' event script located in the PESP
Event Scripts Data Table. (Not available with Preactor Express).
l
Option 2 - From inside the Sequencer, using the Using the
menu selection.
l
Option 3 - Using the
Viewing HTML Files
To view the HTML files through Internet Explorer:
1. Select the Configuration option from the Navigation Pane.
2. Click on the Web Publisher option from the Active Pane.
3. Click on the View Gantt Chart option in the Work Pane.
Microsoft Internet Explorer is opened showing the Gantt Chart.
Note that the path to the Gantt chart (gantt.html) is shown in the 'Address' field.
4. Rest the mouse over one of the Gantt bars.
Tool tips giving details of the order pop up.
5. Click on one of the Gantt bars.
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Web Publishing
Dialogs display more comprehensive information, allowing the schedule to be examined in detail.
6. Click on the icons in the bottom left hand corner of the chart to zoom in, zoom out and reset the display.
The View Custom Chart can be used in a similar manner.
Note: If Internet Explorer displays an Information Bar, (just below the Address Bar), and blocks the active content of the file you are viewing, right click in the Information Bar and select 'Allow Blocked Content'.
Web Publisher (PWP)
Before using this facility you should ensure that the Web Publisher is configured to meet your requirements.
To use the Web Publisher:
1. Select the Configuration option from the Navigation Pane.
2. Click on the Web Publisher option from the Active Pane.
Various options applicable to the Web Publisher are displayed.
3. Select either the Publish Gantt Chart or Publish Custom Chart to publish information for the Web.
Information will only be published if a schedule has already been generated.
The information to be published can be observed using the equivalent View options.
Web Publisher Configuration
The Web Publisher allows standard and customized Gantt Charts (HTML Charts) to be published. Some of the configuration settings can be altered to meet your requirements. Changes made in the Web Publisher only apply when using the Publish
Gantt Chart and Publish Custom Chart options available from Configuration ► Web Publisher. They do not apply when publishing from the Sequencer or any user defined work flow (such as a 'Release Schedule' work flow).
To Configure a Gantt Chart publication:
1. Select the Configuration option from the Navigation Pane.
2. Click on the Web Publisher option from the Active Pane.
3. Choose the Configuration option listed on the Work Pane.
This displays the Edit PWP Configuration Information Web dialog.
4. Set the source file, output path and the dimensions for the display.
The 'Gantt Exclude Expression' field can be used to control the data displayed.
Right click on the individual field names for more information.
5. Click OK to save any changes.
To Configure a Custom Chart publication:
The lower portion of the dialog allows a custom chart to be defined.
1. Set the source file, output path and the dimensions for the display as you did for the Gantt chart but also define the fields to be used as the axes of the chart.
2. Click OK to save the changes.
Web Publishing from Within the Sequencer
Using this method the only option available to the user is the selection of the folder to which the data will be exported.
To use this option:
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1. Selecting this option is from the Sequencer ► Tools ► Web Publish.
Selecting this option opens the Browse dialog enabling the destination folder to be selected.
Quick Reference
2. Select the required destination folder.
In this example the default Gantt folder has been used but this could be any folder on a shared networked computer.
3. Once the OK button is selected a Web Publishing dialog depicts a progress bar showing files being copied to their destination.
When the Web Publish icon is used only the current chart is transferred as an HTML file and no sizing options etc. are available to the user
Web Publishing
In Ultimate editions of Preactor the user can automatically create reports and Gantt charts, to be viewed with Microsoft
Internet Explorer.
To publish a Gantt chart:
1. In the 'Preactor Sequencer' select the Web publish toolbar button.
A 'Browse For Folder' dialog is displayed.
2. Select a destination folder for the Web Page you will create.
3. Click the 'OK' button.
You can now open the Web Page in the destination folder using Internet Explorer.
Quick Reference
Quick Reference Configuration Guide - Sequencer
What
Attribute Display - Color
How
Preactor Desktop ► Data Maintenance
► Attribute (Select Attribute)
► Select parameter
Bars/Icons Color (Temporary)
- Colors of Bars and Icons in Overview/Trace/Unscheduled Ops
Bar Text style - for Overview and Trace
Tools ► Bar Tool
View ► Bar Text
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Quick Reference
What
- Outline
- Small
- Rotated
Calendars
- Display Mode:
- Hidden;
- Show All
- Show Zero Efficiency.
- Display Priority: Calendar on Top / Operations on Top.
Calendars - Save Calendars with Datasets
Calendars - State Hatch Style
Due Date Offset
Earliest Start Date Offset
Future Planning Horizon
Gauge Lines in Overview, Trace and Plot
- Period Increment (Days, Hours etc)
- Display times, days, dates
- Weight of line between days (normal/bold)
Gauge Lines Show/Hide in Overview, Trace and Plot
Historical Planning Horizon
Operation Thumb
Overview - Resource Display Style (Stacked or Cascaded)
How
View ► Calendars
Tools ► Options ► Calendar ► General
View ► Calendars ► Calendar States
Default shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + S
Preactor Desktop: ► Configuration
► Settings
► Sequencer Settings
Preactor Desktop: ► Configuration
► Settings
► Sequencer Settings
Preactor Desktop: ► Configuration
► Settings
► Sequencer Settings in Zoom and Scale toolbar
View ► Gauge Lines (toggle)
Also in Zoom and Scale toolbar
Preactor Desktop: ► Configuration
► Settings
► Sequencer Settings
Preactor Desktop: ► Configuration
► Settings
► Sequencer Settings
For a Resource:
Temporary change - in the Sequencer:
Right click over the resource
Change Default: - from the Preactor Desktop
For 1 Resource
Data Maintenance ► Resources
► Display Options.
For all Resources:
Data Maintenance ► Resources
► Edit (Top of Workpane)
► Global Assign
► Resource Display Style
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What
Overview Range
Product Display
- Icon
- Display Color
- Plot setup time line color
Progress Control Color
Resource Display
- Display Options
- Gantt Separator
- Order
- Plot color
- Plot fill pattern
- Plot setup time line color
- Style
Resource Group Display
- Plot color
- Plot fill pattern
- Plot setup time line color
Scaling and Zoom
- Set Range for Timeline
- Zoom In Timeline
- Zoom Out Timeline
- Zoom in Bar Height
- Zoom out Bar Height
Secondary Constraint Display
- Display Usage Plot
- Effect in Infinate Capacity Mode
- Effect - Use 100% if greater than 0%
- Effect - Start of job efficiency
- Effect - Follow efficiency changes
- Max Value Color
- Min Value Color
- Plot color
- Plot fill pattern
- Plot setup time line color
Start Date Offset
Terminator Offset
Trace - Vertical Axis
- Customer
- Order Number
How
Preactor Desktop: ► Configuration
► Settings
► Sequencer Settings
Preactor Desktop: ► Data Maintenance
► Product ► Double click on Product
► Product Display Data
Preactor Desktop: ► Configuration
► Settings
► SequencerSettings
Quick Reference
Preactor Desktop: ► Data Maintenance
► Resources ► Double click on resource
► Display Options
Preactor Desktop: ► Data Maintenance
► Resource Groups
► Double click on resource group
► Display Options
View ► Zoom and Scale
Zoom In Timeline - Ctrl + scroll up
Zoom Out Timeline - Ctrl + scroll down
Zoom in Bar Height - Ctrl + shift + scroll up
Zoom out Bar Height - Ctrl + shift + scroll down
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Preactor Desktop: ► Data Maintenance
► Secondary Constraints
► Double click on constraint
Preactor Desktop: ► Configuration
► Settings
► Sequencer Settings
Preactor Desktop: ► Configuration
► Settings
► Sequencer Settings
View ► Vertical Axis
Quick Reference
What
- Part Number
- Product
- Resource
- Resource Group
How
Workspace Tooltips,
Expands info on bars in Overview, Trace and Unscheduled operations
View ► Disable Tooltips
Zoom and Scaling in Overview, Trace, and Plots
- Set Range for Timeline
- Zoom In Timeline
- Zoom Out Timeline
- Zoom in Bar Height
- Zoom out Bar Height
View ► Zoom and Scale
Zoom In Timeline - Ctrl + scroll up
Zoom Out Timeline - Ctrl + scroll down
Zoom in Bar Height - Ctrl + shift + scroll up
Zoom out Bar Height - Ctrl + shift + scroll down
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Ultimate Configuration
Ultimate Configurability
Ultimate Configuration
Whether you are using an Advanced Planner or an Advanced Scheduler product, the Ultimate editions of both allow extensive configuration options and extensibility through the Preactor configuration files and APIs.
The following topics will talk you through getting the most out of the Ultimate editions of Preactor.
Some knowledge of computer programming paradigms is assumed for the majority of this content. For support or assistance in configuring Preactor, a number of accredited Preactor Resellers are listed on the Preactor website at www.preactor.com
.
Configuration File Access Control
Editing Preactor configuration files may alter the behavior of the application such that controls put in place to prevent access or limit functionality for a user may be circumvented, or malicious or unverified extensions may be included in the application without the user’s knowledge. For this reason, only authorized users should be granted permission to edit these files.
Configuration files implicated include, but are not limited to: l l l
Preactor Configuration Definition Files (.prcdf)
(Express, Standard, Professional and Ultimate editions)
Preactor Menu Definition Files (.prmdf)
Preactor Table Definition Files (.prtdf)
(Ultimate editions only)
Other files may be included in a configuration file (using the #include directive). These files typically have a .inc extension.
Further controls preventing modification of configuration files may be employed, for example by compiling a configuration.
"Compiling Preactor Configurations" on page 287 for more information on compiling configurations.
The Table and Menu Definition Files
Preactor's menus and dialogs can be modified to reflect the process being modeled, your organization, and your working practices for example. Fields or features not used can be removed, new fields added, and many other items can be customized.
Preactor Command Definition File
Most users start Preactor by double clicking on the relevant icon or by using the Windows program menu system. Under these circumstances Preactor will use the .prmdf and .prtdf files that are contained in the working directory, and if you wish to invoke any of the Preactor.exe command parameters you will have to modify the properties of the Windows shortcut (icon).
The Preactor Command Definition File (.prcdf) gives you an alternative way of invoking the command parameters and it allows you to start a Preactor system directly from Windows Explorer.
The .prcdf file simply contains a set of Preactor command parameters that can specify the working directory, the .prmdf and
.prtdf files to use, the Preactor mode, etc. Preactor will automatically register the .prcdf extension with Windows so simply double clicking on the .prcdf file in Windows Explorer will run the required Preactor configuration. If you have several different versions of Preactor installed. Double clicking on the .prcdf file will result in running the last version of Preactor that was
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Menu Definition File installed on your computer. If you need to run using a different version, right click on the .prcdf file and choose the appropriate
'Open With' option.
Here is an example of a .prcdf file opened in a text editor
"/DbConnect:Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=\"Job Shop Example (200 & 300 FCS) v11\";Integrated Security=True;"
"/MDF:Preactor.prmdf"
"/TDF:Preactor.prtdf"
"/Title:Preactor Planning & Scheduling - {PREACTOR SYSTEM} Evaluation"
"/PCO"
The Preactor Command File Editor program provides a user interface allowing the most common options to be set against the
.prcdf file. To run the Command File Editor program, right click on the .prcdf file and select the ‘Modify’ option from the Pop Up
description on the different features that the Preactor Command File Editor program provides.
See the reference documentation for a full explanation of the available Preactor Desktop command parameters that can be applied.
Menu Definition File
The Preactor Menu Definition File
Overview
The Preactor menu definition file (Preactor.prmdf) is a human-readable ASCII command file, it controls the way that the user interacts with the system and the order in which Preactor modules are executed. It can be likened to an operating system batch command file, but it allows the user to configure navigational menus and work flows to manipulate complex command parameters to personalize the Preactor configuration.
The Preactor Desktop module reads the Preactor.prmdf file and creates categories, sub categories, category and sub category content items, action groups and work flow items to organize the Preactor Desktop. The layout of these items will be seen when Preactor is loaded, based on the definitions present in this file.
The flow of execution through the Preactor.prmdf file is controlled by labels (for example, when a workflow item is selected, go to a given label) and by the return codes generated by the programs that are run. In this way, the flow of execution can be set by special exit conditions or allowed to continue as normal.
Any executable program supported by the underlying operating system can be run from the Preactor.prmdf file. This allows you to use Preactor to integrate a number of different applications to provide an integrated solution to your problem.
In order to configure Preactor, it is necessary to understand all of the syntax and parameter definitions. This section starts with a top-level description and ultimately defines all items.
The Preactor.prmdf file has the following sections:
1. Directives
[SHELL] indicates the section of the file to be used by the Preactor Desktop program
/RunEventScript Runs specified event script defined in the 'Event Scripts' table.
#include allows other definition files to be included.
#define allows variables to be defined and conditions to be applied based on the existence of the variable.
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Menu Definition File
#label image allows an image to be joined to a program.
{MESSAGEBOX}
PROGRAMS launches any of the Preactor executable modules
or any other DOS or Windows-based program
MESSAGES defines customized messages for display to the user
DIALOGS defines menu options
CONDITIONAL BRANCHING controls program flow
Note: The Preactor tags, user variables, key words, labels, etc., in the Preactor.prmdf file are all case-sensitive.
Comments may be placed in the Preactor.prmdf by use of a semicolon character (;) at the beginning of the line. It should be noted, however, that comments may NOT be placed in the middle of the definitions for program execution unless specifically stated in the syntax for the particular construct.
Constructs
The menu definition file has four constructs: Programs, Dialogs, Conditional Branching and Application Information. All of the structures can be called from any other structure since Preactor uses a label mechanism for determining which item is next and all are defined between the PROGRAMS and PROGRAMS_END directives.
Strict Parsing
With strict parsing on (#define PARSE_STRICT placed in the .prmdf file) Preactor will not accept any invalid syntax in the menu structure. Without it Preactor will try to omit invalid syntax or mark invalid workflow items as broken in the Preactor Desktop.
The rules that apply are as follows: l l l l
Only one instance of each workflow label definition.
Menus must be called when defined.
Workflow definitions should include a calling label.
All target labels defined in the menu definition should exist elsewhere in the .prmdf file.
The table below describes the error messages that will appear when any of the above rules are broken.
Message
The label <label name> is called but not defined.
The message box '<label name>' at label '<label name>' contains a syntax error.
The dialog '<label name>' at label '<label name>' contains an
ENTRYFIELD. This is no longer supported.
The message box '<label name>' at label '<label name>' contains invalid buttons.
The message box '<label name>' at label '<label name>' contains an unknown icon type.
Reason
A dialog contains a button that calls a label that does not exist.
The message box contains something other than TEXT or
BUTTON.
Dialogs with ENTRYFIELD on them are no longer supported.
The buttons defined on a {MESSAGEBOX} are not a valid combination; refer to the documentation.
The icon defined on a {MESSAGEBOX} is not a valid icon; refer to the documentation for a valid icon type.
The Uri at label '<label name>' is invalid.
The form of the URI for the specified label is not valid. Refer to
Microsoft Pack URI documentation for more information.
The menu '<label name>' at label '<label name>' does not form part of the navigation structure. Menus of this type are no
Preactor does not allow menus to be defined without being called from another menu.
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Menu Definition File longer supported.
The workflow label '<label name>' is defined multiple times.
System Include Error: More than one default system category was found. This is not supported.
System Include Error: The default system category was not found.
Could not find label '<label name>' as defined using #set
MAIN_MENU.
Duplicate labels are not permitted.
More than one default system category was found. Check that the system includes is included correctly and you are not defining your own.
The default system category was not found, ensure you have included the system includes.
The label specified on the main menu syntax was not found.
Commands and Return Codes (Operand Parameters)
When you run the Preactor modules from the Preactor.prmdf file, the calling conventions assume that the module is a separate executable file, although in later versions of Preactor they are in fact Dynamic Link Libraries (dll's). The Preactor.prmdf
calling procedures allow commands to be passed to the Preactor modules or to any other actual executable program. The commands obey normal DOS command line conventions, and the switches are space delimited. This means that if you require a space within your command (e.g., you are using a field name that contains spaces as part of the command), then you must enclose the complete command in double quotes (").
For example:
"/EXC:{Start Time}<0"
See Also:
Passing Time Expressions with a Command
Conditional Branching
FUNCTION
Although it is possible to control program execution flow by using the combination of program return codes and the optional offset user variable, there are many cases where this method cannot provide sufficient control. The Preactor conditional branching construct allows a much more comprehensive mechanism for controlling program flow.
SYNTAX
[Label]:{CONDITIONAL},
Expression: Target Label[, Assignment User Variable = Value]: repeats...;
PARAMETERS
Label (optional)
Label is an optional alphanumeric string that is terminated with a colon (:) character and is used to jump to the conditional from another program or menu option.
{CONDITIONAL} case-sensitive key word
Expression
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Menu Definition File
Expression is the logical condition that is to be evaluated. This may contain any Preactor tags or variables that have previously been defined in the Preactor.prmdf file.
A condition may also be the reserved word "ELSE," in which case the program flow will be directed to the associated target label. If there is no "ELSE" option and none of the defined conditions are true, then the program flow will proceed to the first defined item (i.e., the {START} label).
Target Label
If the condition is true (i.e., non-zero), then the target label associated with the condition is selected.
A condition may also be the reserved word "ELSE," in which case the program flow will be directed to the associated target label. If there is no "ELSE" option and none of the defined conditions are true, then the program flow will proceed to the first defined item (i.e., the {START} label).
Assignment User Variable = Value (optional)
An optional user variable assignment statement.
EXAMPLE
Test: {CONDITIONAL} ,
{From_Date} <= {To_Date}: More_Files:
ELSE: Finished;
The above example will test the two variables From_Date and To_Date and proceed to the label More_Files if From_Date is less than or equal to To_Date. Otherwise, program flow will proceed to the label Finished.
Dialogs
FUNCTION
The dialog construct defines Preactor push-button menus.
SYNTAX
[Label:]{DIALOG},
Description,
Dialog Title,
Item Type, Parameters: repeats...;
PARAMETERS
Label (optional)
Label is the optional alphanumeric string that is terminated with a colon (:) character and is used to jump to a dialog from another program or menu option.
{DIALOG}
The {DIALOG} key word is used to indicate that this section is a dialog definition.
Description
Description text to guide the user.
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Menu Definition File
Dialog Title
Dialog Title is the title given to the dialog.
Can be set to the special value {HIDDEN}
Item Type
PUSHBUTTON
PUSHBUTTON
A push button.
The default push button.
REMARKS
The item type syntax is in the next sections.
EXAMPLE
MENU_Maintenance : {DIALOG},
,
Data Maintenance:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (53040),Resources,EDIT_Resources:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (53030),Resource Groups,EDIT_Groups:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (53050),Secondary Constraints,EDIT_Const:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (53010),Products,EDIT_Products:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (53150),Product Attributes,MENU_Product_Attributes:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (53150),Operation Attributes,MENU_Operation_Attributes:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (53110),Customers,EDIT_Customers;
The label "MENU_Maintenance" marks the start of the dialog box structure, there is no description text in this example. The dialog title is "Data Maintenance"
Seven push buttons are also defined. The HELPPOPUPID text provides a reference to the language include popup_prmdf.inc file which contains a description of the action the item performs. The HELPPOPUPID text will be displayed as a tool tip when hovering the mouse over elements such as categories, sub categories and content items in the Preactor Desktop. For workflow items the pop up text is displayed directly underneath the name of the work-flow item. The target label defines the name of the label that the Preactor Desktop will jump to when the item is selected, for example in the above the 'Resources' table will be displayed when the category content item 'Resource' is selected as defined by the 'EDIT_Resources' target label.
PUSHBUTTON
FUNCTION
Defines an item that can be selected in the Preactor Desktop.
SYNTAX
PUSHBUTTON [Help Popup Reference] [Position], Item Text, [User Variable = Value], Target
Label, [Assignment User Variable = Value]:
PARAMETERS
Name Description
PUSHBUTTON Defines the Item Type.
Help Popup The HELPPOPUPID(x) reference that determines what help pop up text is associated with the item. The pop
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Menu Definition File
Name
Reference
(optional)
Positioning of
Sub Categories
(optional)
Item Text
User Variable =
Value
(optional)
Target Label
Assignment
User Variable =
Value
(optional)
EXAMPLE 1
Description up text itself is defined in popup include files in the working directory's Language folder.
By default subcategories on the Preactor Desktop are placed above content (Editors or Feeds) to improve loading speed. To override this behavior the POSITION(x) classification can be added, where x is a number defining the positioning. All subcategories and menus are given a default order of 100.
The text that will be displayed for the item
An optional conditional test. If the condition is true, i.e., the User variable is equal to the value, then the item is displayed. Otherwise, it is not.
The label to which Preactor will go when this item is selected.
Assigns a value to a user variable.
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (50100),Data Transfer,MENU_ImpExp:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (50030),Generate Schedule,SEQ_Main:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (50100) | POSITION(0),Start Page,FEED_StartPage:
The above example demonstrates the POSITION feature, in the case of the above the Start Page category content item will appear above the sub categories General and Data Transfer on the Preactor Desktop.without the POSITION defined, the Start
Page option would appear below the General and Data Transfer sub categories because it loads an RSS feed which by default is placed below sub categories since it is a content item.
EXAMPLE 2
{CONDITIONAL},
{MODE} == 100,{NEXT},PMODE=100:
{MODE} == 200,{NEXT},PMODE=200:
{MODE} == 300,{NEXT},PMODE=300:
{MODE} == 400,{NEXT},PMODE=400:
{MODE} == 500,{NEXT},PMODE=400:
ELSE,{NEXT},PMODE=0;
...
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (53060),Routes,PMODE = 300,EDIT_Routes:
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (53060),Routes,PMODE = 400,EDIT_Routes:
The conditional ({CONDITIONAL}) statements have assigned values to the PMODE user variable based on what mode of
Preactor is running (such as 200 FCS, 300 FCS etc). On the PUSHBUTTON definition, the value of PMODE is tested to determine if the Routes option is to be displayed on the Preactor Desktop. In the above case, the option is only displayed if the value of PMODE is either 300 or 400 (Preactor is running as either 300 FCS or 400 APS).
EXAMPLE 3
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (50030),Generate Schedule,SEQ_Main,VARIABLEX=1:
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Menu Definition File
The User Variable VARIABLEX is assigned the value of 1.
TEXT and CTEXT
FUNCTION
Defines a text string to be displayed in the dialog, TEXT defines left justified text, CTEXT defines centered text.
SYNTAX
TEXT, Alpha-numeric text
PARAMETERS
Alpha-numeric text
The text string is used as the prompt for the data entry field.
Programs
The programs construct causes a Preactor module or external program to be executed. The program name (or Preactor module) is defined together with commands for that program. In addition, fields can be defined to prompt the user and inform of the action of the program.
Preactor will execute only one program or process at a time. The Preactor Desktop will then become inactive until that process terminates. When the process does terminate, it will set a return code to a numeric value (usually between 0 and 255) to indicate how the process ended. This allows the user to select a different branch of execution depending upon the return code of the process.
It should be noted that if an exit code is returned for which there is no label defined, an error would occur.
FUNCTION
Used to launch any of the Preactor executable modules, any other DOS or Windows-based program or to call an entry point in your ActiveX server.
SYNTAX
[Label:]Program Executable Name,
Operands,
; With Comments within the Operand if Desired
Screen Prompt,
Program Title,
Run Mode,
Return Code [- User Variable],Target Label,
[Assignment User Variable = Expression]:
Return Code repeats...;
PARAMETERS l
Label (optional)
Label is an optional alphanumeric string that is terminated with a colon (:) character and is used to jump to the program from another program or menu option.
l
Program Executable Name
Program Executable Name is the name of the program that you want to run; for example, NOTEPAD.exe. The Preactor modules use a .exe extension even though they are in fact dynamic link libraries (dll's)., i.e. PRS.exe.
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Menu Definition File
If the first character is "@", Preactor will try to find the Windows program that is associated with the file given as the executable. For example, if you want to load the program that can edit README.wri (WORDPAD.exe under Windows
95), you could use
@README.wri as the Program name. Note that you must still specify any command line parameters that will probably include the file name again. It should also be noted that the file must exist.
The keyword ActiveX is used to tell Preactor that you want to call an ActiveX Server, and this is followed by the entry point of your method. You cannot pass any parameters to your method, but Preactor will automatically pass the
'handle' to the Preactor database object. You cannot use the Open Planning Board object in this way, because the Preactor sequencer will not be running.
The return code for your method can simply be assigned in your code and then tested in Preactor.
For example this .prmdf file construct: -
Your_Label: ActiveX MyProject.MyServer MyFunc,
,
Running Your Method,
Method,
Foreground,
0:{START}:
1:Error_Message
Will call this method: -
Public Function MyFunc(db As PreactorObj)
'Your code for the method goes here.
'It will use the db variable as the
'prefix to the Preactor methods, e.g
- db.ReadField("Orders", "Priority", 5)
'You can assign the function name 0 or 1
'to set the return code, e.g.
MyFunc = 0
End Function
Refer to the Preactor SDK documentation for more information.
l
Operands
A list of operands that will be passed to the program that is run. Operands that can be passed to Preactor modules are explained in the Preactor Reference Guide section.
l
Comments within the Operand
After the Program Executable Name, you must specify the operands that are passed to the program.
Most of the Preactor modules are controlled extensively by the use of command switches to determine the way in which they work. The parameters may be entered on as many lines as you like; the Preactor Desktop program will remove spaces that are not required. Comment lines may be placed between operands. Operands that require spaces within them must be enclosed in double quotes to prevent them from being interpreted as multiple operands. The final operand is terminated with a comma (,).
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Menu Definition File
For example, to pass the following operands to PREdit:
/FMT:Orders /AS /PS
The following construct including the comments could be used instead:
; Specify format to use.
;
;
/FMT:Orders
; Auto Save on exit.
;
;
/AS
; Sort the records so that all children of a parent are
; displayed underneath the parent.
;
/PS, l
Screen Prompt
Screen Prompt is the string of text that is displayed in yellow at the bottom of the Preactor Desktop while the command is executing.
l
Program Title
Program Title is the string of text that is used to describe the application by Windows; this string will appear in both the task manager and in the title bar of any window that is created unless the program that is run specifically changes that title.
l
Run Mode
The Run Mode facility has been included for future use to determine the mode of execution for a program. This may be specified using the following key words: l l l l l l
Foreground - The program is run in the foreground.
Background - The program is run in the background.
Iconized - The program is run in the iconized (minimized) state.
Maximized - The program is run in the maximized state.
Clock - The program is run in the background with a clock display to indicate that the program is running.
Detached - Preactor will not wait for the program to end.
Due to limitations in the display functions in the current versions of Microsoft® Windows®, it is not possible to set the Foreground/ Background mode for a spawned program. The running mode will be determined by the program itself. In future versions of Windows, this feature may be enabled.
The run mode may also specify the key word "Minimize Shell", this causes the main Preactor window to minimize while the program is running.
l
Return Code
The Return Code is the numeric return value from the program. It can be used to determine the next action that is taken.
For example, a return code of 0 typically means that the program execution ended successfully and the next logical step should be taken. Another return code of 5 could indicate an error that requires a message to be displayed.
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Menu Definition File
There is no limit on the number of return code values. Preactor will select the label that corresponds to the actual return code.
If a program returns a value that is not specified, then Preactor will give an error message indicating the command line and return code that caused the error.
The reserved word ALWAYS can be used to select a default label, this must be the last Return Code specified.
l
User Variable
The User Variable is optional, and it allows the next action to be determined by a combination of the program return codes and the value of user variables. If, for example, you wish the next action to be the one identified by Label A only if the program executed successfully and a previous menu option had been selected, then when the previous menu option was selected, we assigned the user variable a value of 10. When the program exits with a return code of 2 (all OK), we actually test for a return code of 12 (two plus the user variable value).
User variables are defined when they are used and may be set to a value or used in an expression. If used in an expression, the name of the user variable should be enclosed in curly brackets ({}).
The end of this section contains an example of the use of a user variable to control the exit branch that is taken.
l
Target Label
Target Label is the label to which Preactor goes when the specified return value is passed back from the running program. Target label has three reserved names: l
{NEXT} goes to the next item in the Preactor.prmdf file l l l
{START} goes to the first item defined in the Preactor.prmdf file
{END} exits from the Preactor Desktop
{RETURN} valid from programs and conditionals only. It will return to the last menu that was displayed. This enables the ShellExecute routine to return to whatever menu was displayed when the method was called l
Assignment User Variable
Assignment User Variable is optional and is the name of the user variable that is to be assigned if this return value is the selected exit branch.
l
Expression
Expression is only required if an Assignment User Variable has been specified and is an expression that is to be evaluated with the result assigned to the user variable specified.
l
DELIMITERS
: (colon) - used after [Label] or between repeated parameters
; (semicolon) - defines a comment line if in column 1 or is the last character of a construct
, (comma) - separates operands
@ (at) - defines a call to a program associated with a specified file type
{ } (braces) - defines a variable. label, or directive
" " (double quotes) - defines strings with spaces in them
NOTES
This section is closely coupled with items in the Preactor.prtdf file, and there is no automatic cross checking. This must be done administratively.
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Menu Definition File
Passing Time Expressions with a Command
TimeExp is a word that is used to indicate that the command takes a time and date parameter. These times and dates can either be hard coded or, more typically, calculated by Preactor tags.
TimeExp may be specified in MM-DD-YY HH:MM or DD-MM-YY HH:MM depending on the date format settings in your Microsoft
Windows® configuration. Alternatively, you could enter Julian dates/times directly (e.g., 34700.5 = 1 Jan 1995 12:00 noon).
The Preactor tags will typically evaluate directly to Julian dates/times (e.g., {JDATE} returns today's Julian date).
Menu Structure Logic
The following steps describe the parsing logic that is used to create the layout of the Preactor Desktop navigational structure: l l l
Stage 1: Build simple menu structure from MDF
Stage 2: Restructure and flatten categories and child items
Stage 3: Introduce content groups and create navigation structure
Menu Structure Logic - Stage 1
Stage 1: Build simple menu structure from MDF
This stage involves reading the MDF contents, creating a simple menu structure and validating the results.
1. Parse all of the MDF contents
Preactor will parse all of the menus.
2. Find the first menu
The first menu is usually the first
that is found from the starting search point, named MAIN_MENU. It will follow any static conditionals and skip any program.
This can b modified by defining which menu is the Main Menu with a #set command at the top of the file, e.g.
[SHELL]
#define PARSE_STRICT
.
.
.
#set MAIN_MENU TheLabel
,
TheLabel : {DIALOG},
PUSHBUTTON | HELPPOPUPID (50100),Data Transfer,MENU_ImpExp:
...
3. Create hierarchical menu structure
From the first menu, Preactor will create a hierarchical menu structure following links to other menus
The result is attached to the Workspace category
The process is repeated from other system categories
4. Mark up special items in the structure
A further pass is made to find special content items and identify them as content.
Currently this is expressed as:
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Menu Definition File
Must be an editor
All labels return
Does not have the Edit Record command line switch
Does not have the Auto Exit command line switch
5. Check for orphaned menus
These are menus that are not called from another menu.
Menu Structure Logic - Stage 2
Stage 2: Restructure and flatten categories and child items
At this stage the menus are turned into categories and the whole hierarchical structure is flattened to four levels deep.
1. Promote any eligible sub categories of the default Workspace category
An eligible sub category is one that contains content actions such as editors.
These categories are moved up to the top level.
2. Restructure top level categories
If the category contains actions, these are moved into a default sub category called General.
3. Restructure sub categories and flatten the hierarchy
Move any nested categories up until the structure is only three levels deep.
4. Remove empty categories
Remove any empty categories from the structure
Menu Structure Logic - Stage 3
Stage 3: Introduce content groups and create navigation structure
This last stage introduces content groups and creates the final navigation structure.
1. Take each top level category a. Add a group to the category and add content workflow items to it.
b. For action workflow items, create a default sub category and add the action workflow items to a group in the default sub category.
2. Take each second level category a. Take content workflow items and add them to embedded item groups and add these groups to the sub category.
b. Take action workflow items, and add them to action item groups and add these to the sub category.
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Table Definition File
Table Definition File
Field Types
Field Types
The Field Type defines the type of data that is in the field. The field types supported by the Preactor database are listed below.
DURATION
INTEGER
MATRIX
STRING
REAL
TIME
TOGGLE
DIALOG
Database
Data Integrity
All the Preactor modules expect the SQL database tables to match their respective formats in the Preactor.prtdf file, and if a mismatch is found, the file will not be read past that point. If it is necessary to add or delete fields in a particular format, the relevant data table must also be changed to maintain the database integrity.
Adding a field to a table definition will also cause tasks to be created on start-up. In the simplest case this will be a FREE FORMAT string field, and a single task will be created to add the field to the relevant SQL data table. Other field additions will cause
Auto List and Matrix Fields" on page 286.
If records are simply added to a table that contains MATRIX or AUTO LIST fields, then these fields should also be updated. If they are not updated, PREdit will report that the MATRIX field is the wrong size when it is accessed for editing and will automatically correct the size, if requested, using default values.
Calendars Schema
Calendar data is stored in its own fixed schema. The calendar table structure and fields are not defined in the Preactor.prtdf file this includes all calendar data (including vacations and other exceptions), calendar states and minimum and maximum secondary resource values.
SQL Database File
Preactor data is held in an SQL Database. The SQL database is partitioned into four schemas:
- User Data
- System Data
- Calendars
- Schedule Analysis
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Table Definition File
The data in the
are the tables and fields that are defined in the Preactor.prtdf file. A Preactor 'format' is transformed into one or more tables in the SQL database. AUTO LIST and MATRIX data are held in separate tables with relationship links to the table that the AUTO LIST or MATRIX classifications are defined in.
For information about the other schemas please view this page:
Schedule Analysis Schema
The data in this schema is formatted in such a way as to allow you to create your own reports. A set of views are provided that simplifies reports based on simple roll ups (such as daily or weekly, single resource or resource group, etc.). User driven analysis can be performed using pivot tables. The schema is optimized for use with pivot tables allowing you to analyze your schedule metrics in chart or table form, controlling how the data is sliced and summarized.
SQL Database Schema
The database is partitioned into four schemas: l l l l
Calendars Schema
Schedule Analysis Schema
System Data Schema
SQL User Data Schema
Referential Integrity
Although not enforced, foreign key constraints exist in the database for all of the relationships inferred from the Table
Definition file. These constraints can be used by reporting tools and query generators to show the relationships between tables. In future versions, these constraints may be enforced.
System Data Schema
System data tables are defined in their own schema called 'SystemData'.
Changes should not be made to the data and structure of these tables, any changes made are not supported.
The data held in these system data tables are supplied in all supported languages.
A number of fixed schema views have been introduced to the 'SystemData' schema that will map consistently onto fields within the 'UserData' tables. Although the scope for this type of view is limited given the inherent flexibility of Preactor, these views can be very useful, and go some way towards providing a mechanism that will allow common tasks to be performed across a variety of different configurations.
SQL User Data Schema
The tables and fields in the user data schema vary by configuration and are defined in the Preactor.prtdf file.
A Preactor 'format' is transformed into one or more tables in the SQL database; one SQL table will contain the majority of the format’s data. A further table will be created for each auto-list field; this table will also contain columns for each field associated with the auto-list. An additional table will also be created for each matrix field in the format. A parent-child relationship is formed between the main table and it’s auto-list and matrix tables.
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Table Definition File
Data held in the SQL database can easily be accessed by third party applications such as Crystal Reports®, Microsoft® Access and Microsoft® Excel.
Classification Overview
Classifications (Locating Data)
Preactor must have access to certain data that is relevant to the finite-capacity calculations. To maintain complete flexibility in the structure and use of the database, Preactor makes no assumptions about the names of fields or the formats (tables) in which particular data are contained. For example, naming a field Quantity is not sufficient to indicate its function; use of the classification flag QUANTITY is required.
Classifications are used to define the use of particular fields and how they should be displayed for editing. The classifications are simply added to each field definition, which allows a particular piece of data to be contained in any format. For example, Setup
Time could be contained in the Product Format, the Operations Format, the Resource Groups Format or the Resources
Format. Multiple classifications can be added to the same field to produce the desired effect in the overall database structure.
There are seven basic groups of classifications.
Data Source
Job and Operation Parameters
Classifications that indicate the source of the data. For example, is the data to be retrieved from another table, or is it a free-format string?
Display Control Classifications that indicate how the field is to be used by
Preactor to control the display of items like the Gantt chart or the Sequencer windows.
Field Display
Control
Classifications that indicate how the individual field is displayed when a user is prompted to edit or view a data record.
Classifications that determine how Preactor will control and manipulate a job or operation of a job.
Resource
Parameters
Preactor 400
APS Specific
Classifications
Classifications that determine how Preactor will control and manipulate a resource.
Miscellaneous Classifications that do not fall into any other category; for example, those that control data record location and sorting.
Classifications specific to the sequencer in Preactor 400 APS systems.
Classification Definition
FUNCTION
Classifications are used to tell Preactor where to find and how to use particular pieces of data, how to display the data, and how to control data entry, etc., as part of the format RECORD_FORMAT.
SYNTAX
Classification | Classification
The classification is selected from a list in the Preactor Reference section (alphabetized list) or Tables 2 through 7 (functional lists) and follows the rules stated in the Preactor Reference manual and in the "Required Classifications" section.
DELIMITERS
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Table Definition File
| (optional)
The "|" can be used to delimit classifications when more than 1 is used. The "|" is only used to improve the readability of the text and is not used by Preactor. Further, if the classification list requires a second line, there is no delimiter needed for the end of line.
REMARKS
All values, except FREE FORMAT and STRING IN FILE string entries, are stored as double-precision real values in any data files produced. If they contain fractional data they are written in exponential format with 15 digits of precision, or as integers if there is no fractional data. FREE FORMAT string entries or STRING IN FILE entries will be stored as strings delimited with quotes; e.g., "string".
Classifications are an integral part of the configuration definition and must be well understood. In addition to defining the details of fields, there are also couplings where certain classifications must be used for a certain Preactor module or where one classification must be used with another classification. Again, classifications are an important feature for the configuring of
Preactor.
;
EXAMPLE
; Format Operations
Operations,"OPS.prtbl",0,200:
Number,0,INTEGER,
PRIMARY KEY | HIDDEN:
Op Name,0,STRING,
FREE FORMAT (20) | UNIQUE:
Resource Group,1,STRING,
DATABASE(Resource Group(Name)):
Resources,-1,MATRIX,
AUTO LIST(Resource Group(Resources)):
Pattern,1,STRING,
DATABASE(Patterns) | PATTERN | GANTT CONTROL:
Set-up time,0.006945,DURATION,
SEQ CHANGEOVER:
Operation Time,0.006945,DURATION,
CONDITIONAL "ENTRY>0";
Classification Use in Operations Format
Above is an example of a table format. Each field is defined as follows:
Number:
INTEGER:
PRIMARY KEY:
Data stored as an integer.
Makes this field unique and is used for numeric references.
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Table Definition File
HIDDEN:
Op Name:
STRING:
FREE FORMAT (20):
UNIQUE:
Resource Group:
STRING:
DATABASE (Resource Group
(Name)):
Resources:
MATRIX:
AUTO LIST (Resource Group
(Resources)):
Pattern:
STRING:
TABLE(Patterns):
PATTERN:
GANTT CONTROL:
Means the field is not displayed in the Preactor Editor.
Display data as a String.
Defines a free format string of 20 characters.
Forces the operation names to be unique.
Display data as a String.
Defines the source of the Resource Group data.
Data are stored as a single dimension matrix.
Defines which resources from the above group are valid.
Display data as a String.
Refers to string table of patterns.
Defines field as display pattern type.
Tells Gantt chart to use this field to decide which pattern to use to fill bars.
Set-Up Time
DURATION:
SEQ CHANGEOVER:
Operation Time:
DURATION:
CONDITIONAL "ENTRY>0":
Display data as a duration (hh:mm form).
Tells PRS to use this value for setup/changeover times.
Display data as a duration (hh:mm form).
Prevents zero and negative entries.
Classification Location
Preactor locates classifications by performing a recursive search through the database, generally starting in the Orders format. For some classifications, a remote search is carried out (searching all linked tables from the given starting point), but for others, only the starting table is searched.
For example, the BAR DISPLAY Classification, which controls the data displayed on Gantt chart bars, has a local search, typically only in the Orders format. The SEQ CHANGEOVER Classification (setup time), however, is the subject of a remote search, so
Preactor should find it wherever it is located in the database.
The recursive search is performed by starting with the first field in the initial format (typically Orders) and checking for the
Classifications. If any are found, their location is noted and Preactor moves to the second field. When Preactor finds a field with a reference to a lower database format (e.g., Part Number in the standard Preactor example), it moves to that lower format and starts searching again in the first field. This recursive searching will track through all the database tables that are linked and will continue until all paths have been checked.
As soon as Preactor finds a particular Classification, it stops any further searching for that particular Classification. This means that if you inadvertently have duplicate Classifications, it may not be immediately apparent which one Preactor will find first.
For example, if you move the Setup Time field to the Orders format and add the SEQ CHANGEOVER classification to the Orders format without removing it from the Products format, you might expect Preactor to find the classification in the higher-level
Orders format first.
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Table Definition File
In fact, the recursive search from the Part Number field will reach the Products format before Preactor reaches the Setup Time field in the Orders format. The effect of this is that any changes to the Setup Time in the Orders data will be ignored.
It should be noted that the recursive search will not track through databases that are referenced through MATRIX types other than AUTO LISTs.
A Remote Matrix location mechanism indicates that the Classification may be placed on a MATRIX type field that has direct access to both x and y axis tables from the Orders format. For example, a product-to-product changeover matrix is valid only if there is a reference to the Products table in the Orders definition. An operation to resource operation time matrix is only valid if there is both a resource and operation reference in the Orders definition; it is not sufficient to have a reference to the operation in the products table that then references the operations table. It is usually possible to fulfill this criteria by having
UPDATE REFERENCE fields in the Orders definition.
String Tables
String Tables
FUNCTION
Defines fixed data in the file that can be viewed by the user but not changed by the user.
Most data in the database is held in tables that have been defined in the table definition (.prtdf) file. This allows the data to be edited at will by the user. There are some classes of data that do not need to be changed by the user but would be undesirable to hard code into the system. As an example, the time bucket units specified for each resource in the Resources Format must be picked from Seconds, Mins, Hours, Days or Weeks.
The numeric values are actually stored in the database, but whenever the field is displayed or the pick list used, it is the text strings that are seen by the user. The list can be changed at any time by editing the table definition (.prtdf) file.
The typical tables defined in the Preactor.prtdf file are:
CAPACITY USE
TIME
Defines when to change capacity data
Defines time units
COLORS (or COLOURS) Defines available colors
PATTERNS Defines cross hatch and other fill patterns
WINDOW STATE Defines allowable PRS resource window states
Any item that can be stored in a string table could also use a Preactor database table to do the same job; however, string tables have the advantage that the amount of memory required to store the string table is significantly less than that required to store the equivalent database table.
SYNTAX
STRING_TABLES
Name:
Number , String:
repeats;
STRING_TABLES_END
PARAMETERS
STRING_TABLES all uppercase key word
Name the name of the table
Number user-assigned number associated with the "String" this is used internally in the file, but not displayed to the user
String text displayed to the user for this entry
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Table Definition File
DELIMITERS
, (comma) separates Number from String
: (colon) separates strings in the same table
; (semicolon) ends the table
EXAMPLE
Time Units:
0, Seconds:
1, Mins:
2, Hours:
3, Days:
4, Weeks;
The string table is named "Time Units." The first item is number 0 with "Seconds" as text. The last item is number 4 with
"Weeks" as text.
Database Design
The Preactor database is highly configurable, allowing you to add or delete Formats (tables) and to move particular data items
(fields) between the tables. This flexibility allows you to change the database structure to allow simple integration with other systems by matching their database structure and to change the meaning of the data by moving it between Formats (tables).
If you intend to add or delete Formats (tables), you should first develop a database structure diagram for your proposed database. Designing hierarchical tables that can contain matrices and selection lists is not a simple task and you may wish to contact your supplier for assistance.
The database structure diagram will enable you to identify the Formats (tables) and the fields that you require and the relationship between them. You should also consider whether your structure will allow Preactor to reference all the required data uniquely. Unfortunately, it is quite simple to design database structures that do not have unique references into particular tables, and with matrix data you have to ensure that Preactor has a unique key to each axis available in the Orders table.
When developing Preactor tables, some basic rules must be adhered to:
1. The relationship flow must be in one direction (left to right); i.e., the references cannot form loops. When using twodimensional matrices, however, loops can be formed by using the AUTO LIST facility to constrain the elements in the matrix that are displayed (see note 7). This is only a display constraint; all the matrix elements exist even if they are not used.
2. For the automatic sequencing functions to work correctly, the Orders format must contain a PARENT field. Even if there is only one operation per order (as often happens in Capacity Planning configurations), the PARENT field must exist.
3. Pick lists are only constrained when you have a direct pointer to the table containing the constrained list and the list itself. A good example is the selection of resources within a Resource Group in the Products table. The Products table has a reference to both the Resource Group and the Resources within that group.
4. There must always be a unique reference from a higher-level table to a lower-level one. In most cases, this is achieved by default. In each example, the Part Number field in the Schedule File has a direct relationship with the unique Part Number field in the Products table. The database will cope with references that skip levels, but you must ensure that one field in the higherlevel table has a unique reference to a record in the lower-level table. An error message will be given if this is not the case.
5. When a two-dimensional matrix is declared and one axis is a field in the current table, that field must form the first axis of the matrix. For example, if you have a Product/Resource matrix for Operation time in the Resources table, then the Resource
Name field must be the first axis to be declared.
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Table Definition File
6. With a two-dimensional matrix, if the table that is providing one of the axes also has a field that is an AUTO LIST of records in the table containing the matrix, then the AUTO LIST will constrain the display of the matrix. For example, if you created a setup matrix from operation to operation in the Resources table, then the matrix would be constrained by the AUTO LIST of resources in the Products table; i.e., you would only see the data for operations that can be carried out on that resource.
Table Hierarchy
The Preactor database uses a simple definition system to describe the database tables, etc., but applies intelligence to deduce relationships that are not explicitly specified. The data are held in tables in an SQL database.
When the Preactor data server PRSERVER reads the Preactor.prtdf table definition file, it establishes the obvious forward relationships between the tables. For example, in the standard Preactor example, the following table hierarchy is used: l l l
Products Table,
Resource Groups Table,
Resources Table.
The Products Table lists the Operations required and specifies which Resource Group is used, and the Resource Group Table defines which Resources are in the Group. Such a top-down hierarchy is typical of the way data are viewed when configuring a finite-capacity scheduling system. It is not, however, the way in which the data are often used by the system.
In the standard Preactor example, the setup time is held in the Products Table, but the setup times are required when Preactor is processing each Resource. There is no direct method defined in the Preactor.prtdf file by which a Resource can tell which
Operations can use it, since that is a backward relationship through the tables. To avoid the need to define explicitly all the required backward relationships, PRSERVER automatically deduces the backward relationships when it processes the
Preactor.prtdf file, thus allowing Preactor to also view the database as though it were structured: l l l
Resources Table,
Resource Groups Table,
Products Table.
The database also automatically constrains pick lists. For example, if an operation uses the resource group "Lathes" and subsequently a list of resources valid for that operation is requested, only the resources in the "Lathes" group are shown. The constrained lists also extend to matrix fields if a changeover time matrix was set up in the resource groups table and subsequently "Lathes" changeovers are picked for editing, only the changeovers for products processed on the "Lathes" will be displayed.
Family Relationships
Preactor supports the concept of families of records within a table. The concept is primarily to form the association between parent records and a group of child records. It is necessary to have a field with the FAMILY classification specified that will be set to -1 for the parent records and the primary key of the parent record for all child records.
FAMILY Classification
If a Family relationship has been established, it is possible (using Classifications) to define some fields as being INHERIT FROM
PARENT, in which case changes can occur only in the Parent record. These changes will be inherited by the child records. The
Part Number field in a Products table is often defined this way, since it makes little sense to be able to change the product in later operation records.
A simplified example of products table is shown below: -
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Table Definition File
;Products Definition
;
Products:
Parent,-1,STRING,
FAMILY(Part Number)
DIALOG ONLY:
Number,0,INTEGER,
PRIMARY KEY
HIDDEN:
Part Number,0,STRING,
FREE FORMAT (15)
LOCATE
INHERIT FROM PARENT:
Name,0,STRING,
FREE FORMAT (30)
LOCATE
INHERIT FROM PARENT:
Workcenter,1,STRING,
DATABASE(Resource Group(Name)):
Operation No.,10,INTEGER,
OPERATION NUMBER (10):
Operation Time,0,DURATION,
CONDITIONAL "ENTRY>0":
Icon Name,1,STRING,
ICON
DIALOG ONLY
SEQ ICON
INHERIT FROM PARENT:
Icon Foreground,15,STRING,
COLOR
TABLE(Colors)
DIALOG ONLY
SEQ ICON FOREGROUND
INHERIT FROM PARENT:
Icon Background,8,STRING,
COLOR
TABLE(Colors)
DIALOG ONLY
SEQ ICON BACKGROUND
GANTT CONTROL
INHERIT FROM PARENT;
Tracking
The Preactor database allows fields to be moved between the tables. This flexibility allows for structuring the database in a way that is suitable for each application and their processes. Moving the data can also change its meaning, and the overall effect should be considered before moving a field.
Taking Setup Time as a simple example, the effect of placing it in each of the three standard process tables can be seen in the table below.
Database Effect
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Table Definition File
Products One setup time for each operation; e.g., a widget requires 10 min.
setup on the lathe, but 15 on the mill
Resource
Groups
A single setup time for each resource group, that is independent of the operation and product; e.g., it will always take 10 min. to setup the lathes, 20 min. to setup the mills, etc.
Resources Each resource will have a single setup time that again is independent of the operation and product; e.g., Lathe A always takes 10 min. to setup, but Lathe B always takes 15 minutes.
Table Definitions (RECORD_FORMAT)
Overview
The user can modify the database by modifying fields and classifications or adding new ones to the Preactor Table Definition
(.prtdf) file.
When Preactor starts, it finds any changes that have been made to the .prtdf file and applies changes to the SQL database.
Note: This file should only be modified after attendance at a suitable Preactor Configuration Course.
Syntax
RECORD_FORMAT
;[Comment]
Name,[Table Type]:
[FieldName],[DefaultValue],[ FieldType],
[Classifications]:
[. . . additional field definitions];
;
[… additional format definitions]
RECORD_END
RECORD_FORMAT is the keyword that starts the record format section.
Name
The Name field is the alphanumeric name given to the table. This name is used in many places to access data stored in the records within the table. All names must be unique. The name may contain spaces etc.
Table Type
The table type field specifies one of the following:
1. Normal table.
For a normal table the table type field is left blank. Normal tables are loaded from the database on start up and saved upon request or on exit from the editor or sequencer. For compatibility with configurations migrated from earlier versions of
Preactor, specifying a file name in quotes has the same effect.
2. DATASET table.
Data set tables are specified using the keyword 'DATASET'. A data set table is able to load / save data from / to data sets in the database. Data sets are loaded on demand, usually when opening a sequencer or editor. For compatibility with configurations migrated from earlier versions of Preactor, specifying a file name or a file extension only with no quotes will have the same effect.
3. ASSOCIATE table.
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Table Definition File
An ASSOCIATE table is defined with the keyword 'ASSOCIATE' followed by the name of a DATASET table in parentheses. For example ASSOCIATE (Orders). Many ASSOCIATE tables can be defined using the same DATASET table. All of the ASSOCIATE tables and the table with which they are associated will be treated as a group of tables. This means that whenever a table within this group is saved or loaded, all the other tables in the groups will also be saved or loaded.
An ASSOCIATE table can also be defined with 'ASSOCIATE' followed by a classification string in squared brackets. For example,
ASSOCIATE [LAUNCH TIME]. With the use of this, Preactor will locate the first table and field that contains this classification string. If the classification string cannot be referenced, it will be excluded, and the table associated with the classification string will remain a non-loadable table.
4. COMMON
The COMMON classification can be added to an ASSOCIATE table within the MaterialControl_prtdf.inc file. Enabling this will allow the ASSOCIATE tables to load from a single, shared (common) dataset. This functionality is useful for when there is the need to switch between multiple schedules, yet there is a desire to maintain a single Supply, Demand or Bill of Materials table, for example.
Field Name
Field Name is an alphanumeric string used to describe the field. The Field Name is used in many places, in both the data structures and displaying the data to the user. Field Names must be unique within the table.
Each table must have a field defined with the PRIMARY KEY classification.
Default Value
The Default Value is used as an initial value for a field in a new record. For example, most Preactor systems use default values of 10 for the Priority field and 1 for the Batch Size field when adding a new order to the production schedule. These values can then be edited.
Some actions cause the default value to be overridden. For example, the Due Date can be set by the Preactor Editor by specifying an offset from the current date.
The following rules apply to the Default Value: l l l
If the field is a REAL, INTEGER, or TOGGLE data type, simply supply the required default value.
If the field is a STRING, TIME, or DURATION data type, a value of -1 will cause the word "Unspecified" to be shown as the field value. To allow a value of -1, a field must have the ALLOW UNSPECIFIED classification defined.
For STRING data types with a FREE FORMAT classification, the default value can be specified by enclosing the text in double quotes; e.g., "string".
Field Type
The field type defines the type of data that is in the field. "Table Definition File" on page 273.
Classifications
The classification field is where any classifications are defined against a field. Classifications are used to define the presentation, behavior and purpose of a field. For more information on classifications and their meanings, pleases refer to the reference section.
Comments
Comments are allowed in the Table Definition file anywhere outside of a field definition. Comments should be prefixed with a semi-colon (;) at the start of a line.
Remarks
1. The FieldType and Classifications parameters are defined in separate sections of this chapter.
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Table Definition File
2. To add or delete a field simply add or delete field definitions when initially configuring Preactor. If the runtime database already contains data from the user when this file is edited, data integrity must be ensured.
3. Each table requires a field with a PRIMARY KEY classification as shown in the example.
Example
Example of a typical RECORD_FORMAT definition.
RECORD_FORMAT
;Resource Groups Table Definition
;
Resource Group:
Number,0,INTEGER,
PRIMARY KEY:
Name,0,STRING,
FREE FORMAT (40)
UNIQUE
SEQ GROUP:
Resources,-1,MATRIX,
AUTO LIST(Resources(Name));
;
RECORD_END
The table is named "Resource Group,".
The first field name is "Number" and is classified as the PRIMARY KEY for this tablet. Note that all table definitions must have a field that defines the PRIMARY KEY.
The second field, "Name," is a Field Type of FREE FORMAT string 40 characters in length that is classified as UNIQUE. It is also defined as the field used to name groups of resources in the sequencer using the SEQ GROUP classification.
The third field, "Resources," is classified as an AUTO LIST of resources, picked from the "Name" field in the "Resources" table.
Changes to the Inferred Database Schema
Preactor allows ad-hoc changes to the structure of its data storage by amending the table definition (.prtdf) file.
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Table Definition File
In order to support this, changes have to be made to the database when a change is made to the table definition file. The detection of these changes takes place on start up.
Listed below are the types of changes that can be made to the Preactor Table Definition file (.prtdf) that have an effect on the inferred database schema. Any number of these changes may be applied at start-up.
Always ensure that a backup of your database is taken before applying these types of changes since many of these operations can cause data loss and are irreversible.
Adding Fields
Adding a field to a table definition will also cause tasks to be created on start-up. In the simplest case this will be a FREE FORMAT string field, and a single task will be created to add the field. Other field additions will cause incidental foreign key additions or alterations. Adding a field of the MATRIX type will cause slightly different behavior, please see the
topic.
The length of table and field names is limited to 50 characters. In the case of AUTO LIST and MATRIX type fields this maximum applies to the combined table name and field name.
Removing Fields
Removing a field will cause the inverse effect of adding a field, see the
topic.
Renaming Fields
Fields can be renamed using the PREVIOUS NAME classification. This may cause alterations to foreign keys relevant to that field.
The length of table and field names is limited to 50 characters. In the case of AUTO LIST and MATRIX type fields this maximum applies to the combined table name and field name.
Field rename tasks can occur even where the name of the column in the database table does not need to change. In these cases, the name of the field has been changed, but the net result is that the name of the column in the database is the same.
This happens because in deciding the name of a column in the table, certain characters are ignored. An example of this would be renaming a field from 'Name' to 'Name.'. Both of these field names resolve to the column name 'name'. When these tasks occur, all that happens is that the field definition in the database is updated to reflect the new field name.
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Table Definition File
Resizing Fields
FREE FORMAT, fields can have their length altered by the MAX LENGTH classification. Changes to the length will alter the field definition in the database. Field lengths greater than 4000 will cause the type of the column to change to varchar(max). This type has no limit on its length.
Altering the Length of a Field
FREE FORMAT STRING fields can have their length altered by the MAX LENGTH classification.
Changes to the length will alter the field definition in the database.
Field lengths greater than 4000 will cause the type of the column to change to varchar(max).
This type has no limit on its length.
Altering the Default Value of a Field
Changing the default value in the field definition in the table definition file will cause a corresponding task to alter the default constraint against the corresponding column in the database.
Altering the Nullable state of a Field
The ALLOW UNSPECIFIED classification determines whether a column in the database will allow null values.
Adding or removing this classification from a field causes a task on start up to alter the column accordingly.
Changing Null Field State
The ALLOW UNSPECIFIED classification determines whether a column in the database will allow null values. Adding or removing this classification from a field causes a task on start up to alter the column accordingly.
Adding Auto List and Matrix Fields
Adding AUTO LIST or MATRIX fields to a table definition will cause a new table to be created in the database. This is because the
AUTO LIST or MATRIX data has been normalized. Foreign keys will be added to link the new table to its parent.
Removing Auto List and Matrix Fields
Removing an AUTO LIST or MATRIX field will cause the AUTO LIST or MATRIX table in the database to be removed, along with all of its foreign keys.
Adding Tables
You can define a new table in your Preactor Table Definition File (.prtdf) when ever you like. When Preactor detects a change of this type on start-up, it will create tasks to perform corresponding changes in the database. In its simplest form, this will be a single task to add the table, but in many cases, changes to foreign keys will also take place.
Removing Tables
You can remove a table definition from your Preactor Table Definition (.prtdf) File. Preactor will create a task to remove the table on start-up, and again this may involve changes to foreign keys.
Renaming Tables
Renaming tables requires the use of the PREVIOUS TABLE NAME classification, which must be placed on the PRIMARY KEY field for that table. A table without a PRIMARY KEY field cannot be renamed. The name of a PRIMARY KEY column in the database is inferred from the table name where the name of the PRIMARY KEY field in the table definition file is "Number". This means that in most cases, a table rename will also cause the primary key column in the database to be renamed.
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Compiling Preactor Configurations
The name of a PRIMARY KEY column in the database is inferred from the table name where the name of the PRIMARY KEY field in the table definition file is "Number". This means that in most cases, a table rename will also cause the primary key column in the database to be renamed.
The name of any child tables that exist to support AUTO LIST or MATRIX fields on the renamed table will also change, as the name of this child table is also inferred from the parent table name.
The length of table and field names is limited to 50 characters. In the case of AUTO LIST and MATRIX type fields this maximum applies to the combined table name and field name.
Table rename tasks can occur even where the name of the table in the database does not need to change. In these cases, the name of the table has been changed, but the net result is that the name of the table in the database is the same. This happens because in deciding the name of a table, certain characters are ignored. An example of this would be renaming a table from
'Table' to 'Table.'. Both of these table names resolve to the column Table 'table'. When these tasks occur, all that happens is that the table definition in the database is updated to reflect the table name in Preactor.
SYNTAX
RECORD_FORMAT
;[Comment]
Name,
Extension or FileName,
[MinimumRecords,]
[MaximumRecords,]
[FileMode]:
FieldName,
DefaultValue,
FieldType,
[Classifications]:
[. . . additional field definitions];
;
[… additional format definitions]
RECORD_END
User Configurable Database
The user can modify the database by modifying fields and classifications or adding new ones to the Preactor Table Definition
(.prtdf) file.
When Preactor starts, it finds any changes that have been made to the .prtdf file and applies changes to the SQL database.
Note: This file should only be modified after attendance at a suitable Preactor Configuration Course.
Compiling Preactor Configurations
Running the Configuration Compiler
The configuration compiler can be run from the command line, a batch script or through a build system such as MSBuild.
When running the compiler, a command definition file (.prcdf) must be specified which must contain:
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Authoring Reports l l l
The license to compile the configuration.
Any #define directives.
The Menu and Table definition files (.prmdf and .prtdf)
As the compiler will not load any data, it will ignore the database connection string. The compiler is an executable installed alongside Preactor called pcompile.exe.
Command Line Options
Running the compiler from the command line will provide help on each of the available switches:
Usage: pcompile.exe <options>
Options:
Option
-h or -?
-c <filename>
-oem
Description
Provides help on the list of available options.
Name of the Command Definition File to run.
Compile for an OEM configuration.
-l <license number>
-r
Compile for the given license number.
Compile for a runtime configuration.
-o <filename> or -out <filename> Override the default compiled filename.
Examples:
Compile configuration for current license: pcompile.exe -c ..\Folder\FileName.prcdf
Compile a runtime configuration: pcompile.exe -c "C:\Folder\File Name.prcdf" -r
Compile an OEM configuration with a target output filename: pcompile.exe -c "File Name.prcdf" -out "filename.oem" -oem
Authoring Reports
Preactor Reports using Microsoft Reporting Services
Reporting facilities are provided by integrating Microsoft Reporting Services within the sequencer.
Report RDL files are provided in each shipped configuration package and stored locally on disk. It is also possible to upload reports to a reporting server and view these reports in the sequencer.
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Authoring Reports
Overview
For an overview of Microsoft Reporting Services, visit: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms159106.aspx
Configuring Preactor for Reporting Services
When a configuration is installed or migrated, the package manager automatically modifies Preactor’s report settings for you.
If you need to change these settings for any reason, you can do so from within the sequencer. Select 'Tools' then 'Options...' and on the Options dialog, click on the Reports node in the tree view on the left-hand side.
If the reports that are to be displayed are local reports, then the 'Enable Local Reports' option should be selected and the name of the folder containing the local reports should be specified.
If remote reports stored on a report server are to be displayed then the 'Enable Remote Reports' option should be selected.
Specify the URL for your reporting server and a folder name where the reports are held.
By default the URL is:
http://localhost/ReportServer$SQLExpress.
For local reports, if everything is configured correctly, you should see a list of the reports under the 'Local Reports' Node in the
'Reports' panel in the sequencer. For server reports, you should see a list of the reports that have been uploaded to the report server in the 'Reports' pane in the sequencer, under the 'Server Reports' Node. If the Reports pane is not visible, it can be opened by choosing 'View' then 'Reports' from the menu.
Designing Your Own Reports
To display reports within Preactor, they can be designed using 'Microsoft SQL Server Business Intelligence Studio' versions
2005 or 2008, or using 'Report Builder 3.0'.
To install Business Intelligence Development Studio you will need to download the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition
Toolkit or Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services. Download these applications or 'Report Builder 3.0' from: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download
For tutorials on creating your own reports visit: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb522859.aspx
Authoring Reports
Preactor reports are defined using the Report Definition Language (RDL) as used by SQL Server Reporting Services. Reports can be authored using Report Builder. See https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms159253(v=sql.105).aspx
for more information.
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API
Reserved Report Parameters
Some parameters are reserved for passing arguments from Preactor.
DatasetId
The dataset for the current schedule will be passed to all reports that define the parameter DatasetId when viewed from within the Preactor sequencer.
DatasetId must be an integer.
The report may or may not hide the argument.
API
The Preactor API
The API may be used to manipulate Preactor.
Custom actions can be created which allow you to execute custom code during specified events. For example the OK button on an edit dialog could execute your custom code to validate data entry in required fields.
Open Planning Board Object
A user has full access to the Open Planning Board Object, which allows access and manipulation of schedule data directly using the API methods provided.
For example a user can automate schedule tasks such as inserting operations under defined conditions, e.g. a clean in process
(CIP) operation in a process industry application, using a PESP Event incorporating a custom action.
Adding Bar Tool
Bar Tool
The Bar Tool enables the user to control the colors and patterns used for the Bars representing operations in the Overview and
Trace Chart windows, and the Bars representing operations in the Unscheduled Operations window. Text in the Bars is also managed.
The following areas can be controlled for color:-
The icon that represents operations in the unscheduled operations window.
The icon shown above is the standard icon used for shipped Job Shop configurations. The section on Product Display data in the User Guide explains how this icon is made up, where the foreground and background areas are, and how it can be edited.
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The bar that represents an operation in the Overview and Trace windows
Adding Bar Tool
The following describes how the Bar Tool is added to an installation. Note that shipped configurations generally will have much of this setup, though some additional customization may be required.
Customizing the Table Definition file (.prtdf)
The following fields in the Orders table are required if controlling that part of the icon or bar. You cannot have duplicate field names in tables. If you have duplicates you must either remove or rename the conflicting fields.
It is possible to rename the fields below. The title on the key uses these field names or, if specified, the field names from the standard Preactor configuration translation.
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Adding Bar Tool
Icon Foreground,15,REAL,
HIDDEN
RGB
SEQ ICON FOREGROUND:
Bar Color,8,REAL,
HIDDEN
RGB
GANTT CONTROL
SEQ ICON BACKGROUND:
Low Bar Color,8,REAL,
HIDDEN
RGB
LOW BAR CONTROL:
Low Right Bar Color,8,REAL,
HIDDEN
RGB
LOW RIGHT BAR CONTROL:
Bar Pattern,16,INTEGER,
PATTERN
STYLE CONTROL
GANTT CONTROL
HIDDEN:
Bar Text,"",STRING,
HIDDEN
FREE FORMAT
ALLOW EMPTY
TEXT CONTROL
BAR DISPLAY:
Bar Text 2,"",STRING,
HIDDEN
FREE FORMAT
ALLOW EMPTY
TEXT CONTROL
BAR DISPLAY:
Bar Text 3,"",STRING,
HIDDEN
FREE FORMAT
ALLOW EMPTY
TEXT CONTROL
BAR DISPLAY:
The TEXT CONTROL fields may be repeated up to 20 times.
1. Add this include line to top of .prtdf.
This is optional, if added Bar Tool will remember its last state.
#include {PREACTOR_PATH}\Include\bar_tool_prtdf.inc
2. Add classifications to the fields in the schedule table that you wish to be able to select to color the bars by: l
FOREGROUND BAR GROUPING (Optional) l
Any field with this classification in the schedule table can be used to control the icon foreground color. If this is not found black is used.
BACKGROUND BAR GROUPING
Any field with this classification in the schedule table can be used to control the icon background color.
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Adding Bar Tool l l
LOW BAR GROUPING (Optional)
Any field with this classification in the schedule table can be used to control the low bar color
LOW RIGHT BAR GROUPING (Optional)
Any field with this classification in the schedule table can be used to control the low right color
3. Add classifications to the fields in the schedule table that you wish to be able to select to pattern the bars by:
STYLE GROUPING (Optional)
Any field with this classification in the schedule table can be used to control the pattern
4. Add classifications to the fields in the schedule table that you wish to be able to select as text on the bars:
BAR TEXT (Optional)
Any field with this classification in the schedule table can be selected as text displayed on the bar.
5. Add ‘GROUPING CONTROL’ classification (Optional) to Color Type fields that can be tracked to from one of the xxxx BAR
GROUPING classifications added in <3> above. This allows you to specify a specific color to use for each entry used. If no classification is found, a Preactor color is automatically assigned.
l
Example Custom Color Field using Preactor Standard Colors
Grouping Color,16,STRING,
GROUPING CONTROL
COLOR
DATABASE(Colors(Name))
LIST TIPS: l
Example Custom Color Field using RGB Colors
Grouping Color,16,STRING,
GROUPING CONTROL
RGB:
6. Add ‘PATTERN CONTROL’ classification (Optional) to PATTERN Type fields that can be tracked to from the STYLE
GROUPING classifications added in (4). This allows you to specify a specific pattern to use for each entry used. If no classification is found then a Preactor pattern is automatically assigned.
l
Example Custom Pattern Field
Pattern Control,16,STRING,
DATABASE(Patterns(Name))
PATTERN CONTROL:
Customizing the Menu Definition File (.prmdf)
Add the following to SEQ_MAIN : PRS.dll
"/OCXWindow: Bar Tool:BarTool.PrUserControl:Bar Tool:CommandString",
Where
Bar Tool is the display name visible to the user and may be altered or translated.
:CommandString is for optional parameters separated by a pipe“|”
FontName(myfontname) – Overrides the font used.
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Adding Bar Tool
myfontname:- String, name of a font ,this must be the supported on the host operating system.
CharacterSet(n)- Overrides the Character Set used.
Only used when optional FontName(myfontname) has been used.
n:- Integer,value of Character set
FontSize(n) – Overrides the font size used
n:- Integer, point size of text between 4 and 50
Exclude(expression) – Used to specify records to be excluded from the key.
expression:- Preactor evaluate expression,
Expression when true causes record not to be included, e.g. Exclude({#Status}==0) would exclude initial stock from the key in a configuration that uses Static Material Control (SMC).
BAR TOOL OCX Window
To include the Bar Tool in the Preactor sequencer, add the following to SEQ_MAIN : PRS.dll
"/OCXWindow:Bar Tool:BarTool.PrUserControl:Bar Tool:CommandString",
Where
Bar Tool is the display name visible to the user and may be altered or translated.
:CommandString is for optional parameters separated by a pipe“|”
FontName(myfontname) – Overrides the font used.
myfontname:- String, name of a font ,this must be the supported on the host operating system.
CharacterSet(n)- Overrides the Character Set used.
Only used when optional FontName(myfontname) has been used.
n:- Integer,value of Character set
FontSize(n) – Overrides the font size used
n:- Integer, point size of text between 4 and 50
Exclude(expression) – Used to specify records to be excluded from the key.
expression:- Preactor evaluate expression,
Expression when true causes record not to be included, e.g. Exclude({#Status}==0) would exclude initial stock from the key in a configuration that uses Static Material Control (SMC).
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Field and Button Functions
Help & Support
Field and Button Functions
Pop-Up Help is available for fields or push buttons.
To determine the function of a menu button or a dialog field:
1. Click on the field name with the right mouse button or left click on the 'What's this' tool bar button and then click on the field or button.
A pop up help window appears providing a description of the selected item.
Preactor Help and Support
The Help and Support options can be obtained from the Help and Support Pane:
Support
It is often necessary to provide a backup of a Preactor configuration in the form of a Preactor package file in order to diagnose issues. This can be achieved using the 'generate support file' or 'generate support email' options.
When requesting support, the following information is required: l l l
A valid license number.
Operating system and version.
The full version of Preactor in use, in the form WW.XX.YY.ZZZZ.
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View Network License Manager
Generate Support File
This option will create a Configuration Package (a file with the .prpkg extension) in the directory that your Preactor configuration is running from, which includes configuration, report and database files.
Generate Support E-mail
This option is similar to the Generate Support File option, except that there is an option on the Package Management Progress dialog to send an e-mail.
The default email address can be altered from the 'Edit Support Settings' option.
View Network License Manager
When employing a Network License service, the Network License Manager shows how many licenses are in use, who is using them, and how many are free.
From here, the log can be inspected to see when more requests for licenses were requested than could be supported. The Help function of the License Server Manager provides guidance of the management capabilities.
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Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Introduction
This section will provide details of a number features that will help you debug your configuration, and also details steps that may be taken to resolve some common user queries.
FAQs
The following section details steps that may be taken to resolve some common user queries.
l l l l l l
How do I get Preactor out of Trial mode?
Why is Preactor running in year 2000, and how do I stop it?
How do I get Preactor to run the version I purchased?
How do I find what version or build of Preactor I am using?
How do I obtain e-mail support from my supplier?
How do I Create Copies of a Configuration for Training or Testing Purposes?
How do I get Preactor out of Trial mode?
Why is Preactor running in year 2000, and how do I stop it?
There are two different Run modes that Preactor can be launched in: l
Trial mode.
This allows Preactor to be tried over a trial period of 30 days. The time period begins as soon as Preactor is opened in this mode. Preactor can be used until the 30 days have expired.
In this mode, Preactor is fully functional.
l
Activated mode.
This allows Preactor to run in a fully activated state with no time constraints. An Activation Code must be entered to set
Preactor to run in this mode.
Preactor is distributed with a number of example configurations that facilitate the Trial of the product, and to provide you something you can base your configuration on. These configurations are set to run in a Fixed Time (e.g. the year 2000). The
Fixed Time can be changed or removed, see Fix Time – Fixing the Current Time.
How do I get Preactor to run the version I purchased?
The product to be run (e.g. 200 FCS) is configured in the Preactor Command Definition File (.prcdf). See Specify Which Product to Run / License.
How do I find what version or build of Preactor I am using?
Click on the Help icon in the menu bar and choose the 'About' option. The build and version will be displayed on the dialog that loads.
How do I obtain e-mail support from my supplier?
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Support email requests can be created from the Support menu option.
How do I Create Copies of a Configuration for Training or Testing Purposes?
Backups can be done from the Help and Support menu options.
Tracing Activity
Preactor can provide a trace of all activity. This is activated from the Help button on the workspace menu bar.
Tracing Activity
Troubleshooting the Preactor Table Definition
File
It is important that when the Preactor.prtdf file is edited that the syntax is preserved and that all field names in references, etc., are spelled correctly. If PRSERVER finds that it cannot understand any part of the Preactor.prtdf file, it will abort loading. It is recommended that modifications to the Preactor.prtdf file are made in small increments and that the system is tested between each set of modifications.
If there is an error in the .prtdf file, a warning dialog will be displayed on start up of Preactor and then Preactor will close. In this case, a spelling mistake was applied to the orders table.
From here, the Preactor.prtdf file can be opened in a text editor, in order to find where the error is and correct it.
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Debugging Preactor Menu Definition Files
The error dialog box will always display information that can be used to correct an error in the Preactor.prtdf file.
Debugging Preactor Menu Definition Files
To enable the Preactor menu definition files to be checked and especially to allow validation of the calculated tags, a Workflow
Log debug facility is provided in the Preactor Desktop. The 'Debug Window' is displayed by selecting 'Help ► Debug Window...' on
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Debugging Preactor Menu Definition Files the Preactor Desktop. When a Preactor workflow action is activated, such as entering the sequencer, text will be printed in the debug window providing information on the contents of various tags and command line parameters that are used on entry to the sequencer.
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Debugging Preactor Menu Definition Files
Security Information
Siemens provides products and solutions with industrial security functions that support the secure operation of plants, systems, machines and networks.
In order to protect plants, systems, machines and networks against cyber threats, it is necessary to implement – and continuously maintain – a holistic, state-of-the-art industrial security concept. Siemens’ products and solutions only form one element of such a concept.
The customer is responsible to prevent unauthorized access to its plants, systems, machines and networks. Systems, machines and components should only be connected to the enterprise network or the internet if and to the extent necessary and with appropriate security measures (e.g. use of firewalls and network segmentation) in place.
Additionally, Siemens’ guidance on appropriate security measures should be taken into account. For more information about industrial security, please visit http://www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity .
Siemens’ products and solutions undergo continuous development to make them more secure. Siemens strongly recommends to apply product updates as soon as available and to always use the latest product versions. Use of product versions that are no longer supported, and failure to apply latest updates may increase customer’s exposure to cyber threats.
To stay informed about product updates, subscribe to the Siemens Industrial Security RSS Feed under http://www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity .
Version 4.1 – 01.06.2016- Siemens AG, I IA L CG, Nuremberg
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Glossary
Debugging Preactor Menu Definition Files
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Index: Adding Tables – PUSHBUTTON
Index
A
B
C
Capacity Availability Level 126
Compiling Configurations 287-288
Configuration Package Manager 34
D
Database 16, 115-116, 279, 284
E
Export See Import/Export
F
H
I
Import/Export 62-67, 70-73, 76-77, 79
Wizard 65-67, 70, 72-73, 76-77
Infinite Capacity Sequencer Mode 245
L
M
Menu Definition File (.prmdf) 260-261
N
Network License Manager 24-25, 29, 296
O
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P
Creating and Editing Event Scripts 101
Planning Resource Groups 120, 131
Preactor Configuration Selector 42
Preactor Event Script Processor 99
Provisioning
Planner
Provisioning Planning Resource Groups 131
Index: Queries – Workspaces
Q
Quick Reference
R
Repair Plan Run Sets Provisioning 137
S
Schedule Despite Shortages 244
Sequencer Configuration 201, 203
Sequencer Configuration Settings 201
Simulation Based Sequencing 166
T
Table Definition File (PRTDF) 260, 282, 298
U
Unscheduled Operations Window 238
Upgrade an Existing License 30
V
W
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