We are reviewing the correct way to use MES / Shop Floor in Epicor for operator transaction tracking.
Ideally, operators would enter their Employee ID when performing transactions, without each operator necessarily having an Epicor User ID. However, we noticed that the transactions in Part Transaction History Tracker are still recorded under the User ID that is currently logged in to MES / Shop Floor, rather than under the Employee ID entered by the operator.
This creates a traceability concern, especially for inventory transfers and other shop floor transactions. We would like to accurately identify the person who actually performed each movement.
What is the recommended approach in Epicor?
Should every operator who performs transactions have their own Epicor User ID?
Is there a standard configuration that allows the Employee ID to be stored and displayed as the person responsible for the transaction?
Or would it be appropriate to create a BPM that captures the entered Employee ID and stores it in the transaction record, so it can be viewed in Part Transaction History Tracker?
We would appreciate any guidance on the best practice for maintaining accurate traceability while avoiding unnecessary user accounts.
Only Labor transactions utilize the shop floor operator’s Employee ID. All other transactions (as you noted) utilize the User ID that logged into the MES session. This is an issue in LOTS of organizations where traceability is required.
The easiest (from an implementation point of view) solution is for each shop employee to have their own User ID. However, this means that on shared entry stations the shop operator has to log in to MES, record their transaction(s), then log out of MES EACH TIME the complete their transactions to make it available for the next employee. I have implemented this solution in several client environments. It does require training and discipline.
I have never heard of someone writing a customization that puts the Employee ID in the PartTran transaction record, but it is probably possible. Messing with the PartTran table, however, is typically not recommended as it is by far the busiest table in Epicor.
Part tran captures the emp id out of the box (they added that at least a year or 2 ago), its just not added to services like part tran transaction history so it doesn’t show up. But its there if you baq it.
Thanks so much for the clarification, @aosemwengie1, that confirms what we were starting to suspect after digging into it ourselves (the field exists on PartTran but isn’t exposed in the tracker’s underlying service/dataset).
Question, once you pulled EmpID into a BAQ, how did you end up surfacing it for end users, as a BAQ Dashboard, a BAQ Report, or something else? Just trying to figure out the cleanest way to give our team visibility into which employee performed each transaction without touching the native tracker.
Appreciate the help!
I have surfaced it a couple of different ways depending on the need but definitely the easiest way is to write your own baq on part tran and put it on a dashboard. The wizard will do this for you pretty easily, you just need to make sure you have filters so people don’t accidentally run it wide open.
You CAN write a bpm to add it to the part tran history service dataset, and customize it to be shown in the part tran history tracker. That takes more code so pick your poison.
