FYI...from an ITtoolbox vantage blogger (permission given)
Did not see any threads on this in yahoo groups.
epicor-l@...
---------------Original Message---------------
From: Mike C
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 10:05 AM
Subject: Epicor 9.05 - Attachments Issue
Good afternoon all,
After pestering Epicor support for an eternity (since it surfaced in June), I've finally (in October) managed to convince them that this is not functioning as intended. They've now acknowledged that it is a bug, and are working on introducing a fix with 9.05.603, though they may be able to offer fixes to earlier versions - they're doing one for us in 9.05.601.
As a summary, here's the full replication details for anyone that might be interested:
1. Set up 3 Word documents, each named "testdoc.docx", containing text "testdoc1", "testdoc2", "testdoc3" respectively. Store these in 3 separate folders.
2. Set Epicor to use File System Management, with a default URL to the required folder in which you wish to save attachments.
3. Select 3 existing customers from Customer Entry.
4. Add testdoc.docx from folder 1 to the first customer record (adds correctly).
5. Add testdoc.docx from folder 2 to the second customer record. The Rename Attachment dialog opens - enter testdoc2.docx as the new file name (adds correctly).
6. Add testdoc.docx from folder 3 to the third customer record. The Rename Attachment dialog opens - enter testdoc2.docx as the new file name.
Here is the issue: The document added to Customer 3 adds as testdoc2.docx without validating that a file with this name already exists when the user enters the new file name - it validates on the first name tried (testdoc.docx), but not the subsequent re-name, so if the user renames to a file name that already exists within that recordset - under any individual record - then the pre-existing attachment will be overwritten with the new, but the link on the previous record will now link to the new attachment.
So, if you now go to each Customer record and open the attachment you just added to it, you will find that:
Customer 1 opens the correct document, displaying text "testdoc1"
Customer 2 opens the document added to Customer 3, displaying text "testdoc3", named testdoc2.docx instead of the document originally added with the text "testdoc2".
Customer 3 opens the correct document, displaying text "testdoc3", named testdoc2.docx
The document originally added to Customer 2, with the text "testdoc2" no longer exists within the Epicor environment, it has been overwritten at the point of saving the attachment to Customer 3. Editing the document attached to either Customer 2 or Customer 3 will edit the same document, so any changes will be displayed on both customer records.
Obviously, the potential as things currently stand for problems are pretty big, especially if, like us, you have hordes of documents named things like "Order Form" and "Quote"... In the meantime, until / unless you're able to get a fix in, I'd recommend any attachments manually add a unique reference to the file name, e.g. Customer ID & date (date because this occurs within customer records as well as across separate customers). Note that there isn't a way to verify what attachment names already exist without the user opening the location to which the documents are written and manually checking what file names already exist, which is obviously not practical.
Note that this applies to ANY records able to take attachments - not just Customer. Vendor, Part, Customer / Vendor Contacts, Quotes, Orders...
Cheers,
Mike
Did not see any threads on this in yahoo groups.
epicor-l@...
---------------Original Message---------------
From: Mike C
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 10:05 AM
Subject: Epicor 9.05 - Attachments Issue
Good afternoon all,
After pestering Epicor support for an eternity (since it surfaced in June), I've finally (in October) managed to convince them that this is not functioning as intended. They've now acknowledged that it is a bug, and are working on introducing a fix with 9.05.603, though they may be able to offer fixes to earlier versions - they're doing one for us in 9.05.601.
As a summary, here's the full replication details for anyone that might be interested:
1. Set up 3 Word documents, each named "testdoc.docx", containing text "testdoc1", "testdoc2", "testdoc3" respectively. Store these in 3 separate folders.
2. Set Epicor to use File System Management, with a default URL to the required folder in which you wish to save attachments.
3. Select 3 existing customers from Customer Entry.
4. Add testdoc.docx from folder 1 to the first customer record (adds correctly).
5. Add testdoc.docx from folder 2 to the second customer record. The Rename Attachment dialog opens - enter testdoc2.docx as the new file name (adds correctly).
6. Add testdoc.docx from folder 3 to the third customer record. The Rename Attachment dialog opens - enter testdoc2.docx as the new file name.
Here is the issue: The document added to Customer 3 adds as testdoc2.docx without validating that a file with this name already exists when the user enters the new file name - it validates on the first name tried (testdoc.docx), but not the subsequent re-name, so if the user renames to a file name that already exists within that recordset - under any individual record - then the pre-existing attachment will be overwritten with the new, but the link on the previous record will now link to the new attachment.
So, if you now go to each Customer record and open the attachment you just added to it, you will find that:
Customer 1 opens the correct document, displaying text "testdoc1"
Customer 2 opens the document added to Customer 3, displaying text "testdoc3", named testdoc2.docx instead of the document originally added with the text "testdoc2".
Customer 3 opens the correct document, displaying text "testdoc3", named testdoc2.docx
The document originally added to Customer 2, with the text "testdoc2" no longer exists within the Epicor environment, it has been overwritten at the point of saving the attachment to Customer 3. Editing the document attached to either Customer 2 or Customer 3 will edit the same document, so any changes will be displayed on both customer records.
Obviously, the potential as things currently stand for problems are pretty big, especially if, like us, you have hordes of documents named things like "Order Form" and "Quote"... In the meantime, until / unless you're able to get a fix in, I'd recommend any attachments manually add a unique reference to the file name, e.g. Customer ID & date (date because this occurs within customer records as well as across separate customers). Note that there isn't a way to verify what attachment names already exist without the user opening the location to which the documents are written and manually checking what file names already exist, which is obviously not practical.
Note that this applies to ANY records able to take attachments - not just Customer. Vendor, Part, Customer / Vendor Contacts, Quotes, Orders...
Cheers,
Mike