The Business Activity Management (BAM) is a communication tool that you can use to track data changes by monitoring fields from selected tables within the database. As users enter and update data, an event is triggered. BAM’s then communicate this data event through change logs, global alerts and automatically printed reports. You can also set parameters for when events are triggered, to limit the scenarios that generate the logs, alerts, or reports. Use the Change Log to view changes that were made to records throughout the database. These logs let you track a list of data updates that were made to pre-selected areas of sales orders, purchase orders, jobs, parts, and so on. You define which fields from these records you want to monitor, so only changes that are important to your business processes are tracked. Global Alerts are e-mail messages that are
Auto-Print Reports or Labels: The Auto-Print functionality lets you automatically
print out reports and labels when changes you define occur within the table. This data is automatically sent to a printer – giving users either a preview or a hard copy print out of the labels or reports.
BAM Rules: You can define when these BAM events are triggered by setting up a
series of rules. These rules define conditions that limit how often change logs are updated, global alerts are sent and auto-printing is activated.
Change Logs: Use the Change Log option to view changes that were made to
records throughout the database. These logs let you track a list of data updates that were made to pre-selected areas of sales orders, purchase orders, jobs, parts, and so on. You define which fields from these records you want to monitor, so only changes that are important to your business processes are tracked.
Custom Global Alerts: Global Alerts are e-mail messages that are automatically
sent to a specific user or a defined group of users when certain events occur within your company’s database. For example, you can set up a global alert that sends an e-mail out to your sales staff when a sales order is placed on hold. Global Alerts can also create system memos when these events occur. Several default global alerts are provided by the application, but you can use BAM to create your own custom alerts.
Custom Procedures: You can extend BAM global alert functionality by creating
procedure (.p) programs. These programs let you automatically generate tasks, create .xml files from the changed data, and update data within multiple records.
Business Process Management
Business Process Management (BPM) allows you to create workflows that
automate, execute and monitor business processes. The workflows extend your system's base functionality without requiring customizations or affecting your ability to take future releases of the software.
Actions: An action is an operation that is executed when the specified conditions
have been met. Like the condition statements, actions are predefined templates that allow you to choose how the Method Directive affects the system.
Condition Statements: A condition statement is a template that tests for a certain
condition, but allows you to fill in the blanks so that you can control when the system will execute the Method Directive. Next, you can add one or more pre- defined actions.
Data Trigger Directives: BPM has been extended to allow directives based on
data triggers. This is a major enhancement of BPM that introduces a new UI and replaces the existing Business Activity Manager (BAM) processing. All functions of the BAM will be present in the new data trigger-based BPM.
Holds: Set a flag on a record. By itself, a hold does nothing. However, method
directives can check for a hold on a record. If the hold is present, they can execute a variety of actions, including cancelling the execution of a base method.
HTML E-mail Support: Provides support for HTML e-mail formats.
Informational Messages: An action is now available for method directives. This
action is "show informational message based on the designed template". When you use this action, it will display a message in a separate window. If an exception is raised, however, the informational message is not displayed.
Method Directives: Intercept methods. Add custom logic to perform actions
before, after or in place of a method. Most of the power of BPM comes from Method Directives. You can create Method Directives using an interface that is similar to the Microsoft Outlook® Rules Wizard. As you create the Method Directive, you can add one or more pre-defined condition statements.
.Net Action Content: .NET Action Content The CallConetext object is now
extended to support these properties: • string MfgSysType {get;} • string PlantID {get;} • string CompanyID {get;} • string UserID {get;} • string SessionID {get;} • string LanguageID {get;}
• string DefaultUnitOfMeasure {get;} • IPropertyBag PropertyBag {get;}
Password Security Option: Optionally, a password prompt can be initiated for
security compliance.
Property Bag Support: This functionality is a collection of string values. Each
value is identified with a string key, and can be leveraged to pass user-defined information among directives with the same business object method.
Query Dialog Preset: Allows for a BPM to conditionally present a query dialog to
the client (or Web client) that may be used to direct further BPM actions and flow to the method call.
Service Connect Integration: Users can create an empty template Service
Connect workflow to the client. To do this, users click the Create New button on the Select Workflow window.
Simultaneous Row Update: Epicor ICE 2.0 allows for the simultaneous update of
changed (or “dirty”) rows and is in support of the new BPM method directives.
Variable Storage of Data Element: Provides a variable storage capability for
property settings will be introduced that can be used to share data across different BPM conditions and actions. It will include the ability to pass global variables between pre- and post-processing.
XML Data Node: A new XML data node will be added to BPM messages would
contain things like calling client, process ID, customization ID, and BPM prompt information. This new data area can be used for contextual information about the BPM message and extended by partners and customers using BPM.