Eliminating specific paths in Configurator On Leave statements

Yahoo Archive
1
I definitely concur, go with the UD approach, faster, safer, data doesn't move or disappear, gets backed up with database. If you are currently using spreadsheets for your data most of it should just cut and paste insert directly into a UD table. A simple find first statement is all that is needed to retrieve the data from the UD table. Same approach works in Vantage and E9.

Jim Kinneman
Encompass Solutions, Inc

--- In vantage@yahoogroups.com, Mark Wonsil <mark_wonsil@...> wrote:
>
> > Ned: Would you at all be able to give an example of what the FileLookup.p
> > parameter would look like using a DFS link reference? For example, could you
> > give us an idea of what syntax we would use to replace the
> > "\\Vantage1\EPICOR\..." portion of the following statement:
> > Run ud\test\FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Configurator
> > Tables\AltraFormaE.csv",...)
> > Also, would we need to set this path reference up in the Propath of the
> > AppServers? Thank you both again for your suggestions and help with this! It
> > will definitely be nice to get this taken care of so that we do not have to
> > revisit this in the future.
>
> Even in V8, you can get rid of the external files by storing your data
> in UD files and call your .p programs to fill your option boxes, etc
> instead of using the file system. You don't have to wait for E9 to do
> that and I suspect that the performance would be better that always
> opening files on a DFS. This has the added benefit that you can easily
> maintain the files within Vantage AND you keep that data with your
> database.
>
> Food for thought...
>
> Mark W.
>
2
Hello,

Each of our Configurators have several references to UNC paths throughout their On-Leave statements.

This is an example:

Run \\Vantage1\Epicor\mfgsys80\server\ud\WDI\FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Configurator Tables\AltraFormaE.csv","Fabric2E",P1_CMB_Input2, Output P1_Fill_Fabric2).

We would like to eliminate these UNC paths and make them something more generic so that we do not have to change them every time we upgrade and make changes to a server name or directory name. Thanks to previous entries from this Users Group we did figure out that we can replace:
Run \\Vantage1\Epicor\mfgsys80\server\ud\WDI\FileLookup.p
with the following:
Run ud\test\FileLookup.p

But what about the FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Configurator Tables\AltraFormaE.csv",...)? How can we eliminate this UNC path and make it more generic to withstand any future upgrades? Can we use something like FileLookup.p(ud\test\ConfiguratorTables\AltraFormaE.csv,...)? Do we need quotes around the path to the .csv file or not? We've tried various tests using the ud\test path but cannot seem to get anything to work. Could you tell me what syntax you guys are using? Is there any documentation out there referencing best practices on this?
I would appreciate any help that anyone could give us on this!
Thank you!
3
One thing you can do it utilize the Distributed File System(DFS) that is
part of the Microsoft Server OS, by using this you can create a network
place and point it to anywhere you want, so from the client\server it will
always look like the same place, but in the DFS settings you can have it
point anywhere you want it to.

I find this to be a good system even for network shares and mapped drives
that some people still use (even though I think mapped drives should be done
away with completely), implement it and train it and you remove server names
from every end users way of thinking and you will end up better off overall.

-----Original Message-----
From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
hmhahn_nivug
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 11:35 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Eliminating specific paths in Configurator On Leave
statements

Hello,

Each of our Configurators have several references to UNC paths throughout
their On-Leave statements.

This is an example:

Run
\\Vantage1\Epicor\mfgsys80\server\ud\WDI\FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Con
figurator Tables\AltraFormaE.csv","Fabric2E",P1_CMB_Input2, Output
P1_Fill_Fabric2).

We would like to eliminate these UNC paths and make them something more
generic so that we do not have to change them every time we upgrade and make
changes to a server name or directory name. Thanks to previous entries from
this Users Group we did figure out that we can replace:
Run \\Vantage1\Epicor\mfgsys80\server\ud\WDI\FileLookup.p
with the following:
Run ud\test\FileLookup.p

But what about the FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Configurator
Tables\AltraFormaE.csv",...)? How can we eliminate this UNC path and make it
more generic to withstand any future upgrades? Can we use something like
FileLookup.p(ud\test\ConfiguratorTables\AltraFormaE.csv,...)? Do we need
quotes around the path to the .csv file or not? We've tried various tests
using the ud\test path but cannot seem to get anything to work. Could you
tell me what syntax you guys are using? Is there any documentation out there
referencing best practices on this?
I would appreciate any help that anyone could give us on this!
Thank you!




------------------------------------

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/linksYahoo! Groups Links
4
> Each of our Configurators have several references to UNC paths throughout
> their On-Leave statements.
>
> This is an example:
>
> Run
> \\Vantage1\Epicor\mfgsys80\server\ud\WDI\FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Configurator
> Tables\AltraFormaE.csv","Fabric2E",P1_CMB_Input2, Output P1_Fill_Fabric2).

I feel your pain. Our solution, although you may not like it, was to
go to E9. Why? I now store this same information in a UD table and use
BAQs to populate dropdown boxes or Progress code to pull up constants.
All the data now stays with the database and makes upgrades or moving
to other servers a snap. Works great.

Mark W.
5
Hi Ned and Mark,
Thank you both very much for your responses to my question! Both are very helpful in knowing what our options are in removing these specific UNC paths from our configurators! At this point in time, until we upgrade to E9, I'm liking the DFS option. :) I also like the idea of using this to get rid of our mapped drives completely and I will have to pass this idea along to our Network Administrator. We actually had considered using some sort of pointer setup through DNS but were not very successful in our testing.

Ned: Would you at all be able to give an example of what the FileLookup.p parameter would look like using a DFS link reference? For example, could you give us an idea of what syntax we would use to replace the "\\Vantage1\EPICOR\..." portion of the following statement:
Run ud\test\FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Configurator Tables\AltraFormaE.csv",...)
Also, would we need to set this path reference up in the Propath of the AppServers? Thank you both again for your suggestions and help with this! It will definitely be nice to get this taken care of so that we do not have to revisit this in the future.


--- In vantage@yahoogroups.com, "Ned C." <TechnoBabbly@...> wrote:
>
> One thing you can do it utilize the Distributed File System(DFS) that is
> part of the Microsoft Server OS, by using this you can create a network
> place and point it to anywhere you want, so from the client\server it will
> always look like the same place, but in the DFS settings you can have it
> point anywhere you want it to.
>
> I find this to be a good system even for network shares and mapped drives
> that some people still use (even though I think mapped drives should be done
> away with completely), implement it and train it and you remove server names
> from every end users way of thinking and you will end up better off overall.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
> hmhahn_nivug
> Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 11:35 AM
> To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Vantage] Eliminating specific paths in Configurator On Leave
> statements
>
> Hello,
>
> Each of our Configurators have several references to UNC paths throughout
> their On-Leave statements.
>
> This is an example:
>
> Run
> \\Vantage1\Epicor\mfgsys80\server\ud\WDI\FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Con
> figurator Tables\AltraFormaE.csv","Fabric2E",P1_CMB_Input2, Output
> P1_Fill_Fabric2).
>
> We would like to eliminate these UNC paths and make them something more
> generic so that we do not have to change them every time we upgrade and make
> changes to a server name or directory name. Thanks to previous entries from
> this Users Group we did figure out that we can replace:
> Run \\Vantage1\Epicor\mfgsys80\server\ud\WDI\FileLookup.p
> with the following:
> Run ud\test\FileLookup.p
>
> But what about the FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Configurator
> Tables\AltraFormaE.csv",...)? How can we eliminate this UNC path and make it
> more generic to withstand any future upgrades? Can we use something like
> FileLookup.p(ud\test\ConfiguratorTables\AltraFormaE.csv,...)? Do we need
> quotes around the path to the .csv file or not? We've tried various tests
> using the ud\test path but cannot seem to get anything to work. Could you
> tell me what syntax you guys are using? Is there any documentation out there
> referencing best practices on this?
> I would appreciate any help that anyone could give us on this!
> Thank you!
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
> already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
> (1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
> Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
> (2) To search through old msg's goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
> (3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/linksYahoo! Groups Links
>
6
> Ned: Would you at all be able to give an example of what the FileLookup.p
> parameter would look like using a DFS link reference? For example, could you
> give us an idea of what syntax we would use to replace the
> "\\Vantage1\EPICOR\..." portion of the following statement:
> Run ud\test\FileLookup.p("\\VANTAGE1\EPICOR\Configurator
> Tables\AltraFormaE.csv",...)
> Also, would we need to set this path reference up in the Propath of the
> AppServers? Thank you both again for your suggestions and help with this! It
> will definitely be nice to get this taken care of so that we do not have to
> revisit this in the future.

Even in V8, you can get rid of the external files by storing your data
in UD files and call your .p programs to fill your option boxes, etc
instead of using the file system. You don't have to wait for E9 to do
that and I suspect that the performance would be better that always
opening files on a DFS. This has the added benefit that you can easily
maintain the files within Vantage AND you keep that data with your
database.

Food for thought...

Mark W.