Introduction
APS is a multi-site, multi-user system and has functionality to support collaboration between multiple planners or even multiple levels of the company.
Customer Portal
The Customer Portal allows users across the business to access information in the Published database wherever they are. As a web-based tool, it can even allow a manufacturer’s vendors to see the demand for materials and services before they occur, enabling greater efficiency not only for the manufacturer, but for its supplying vendors and outsourced production facilities. The Portal can also allow customers to check on the status and expected finish dates of their orders, enabling a higher level of customer service. Key Features are listed below:
Share SQL Server Views
Any information that can be presented with a Microsoft SQL Server View can be shared. Each View is presented on the Portal as a table of information for the viewer.
E-Mail Notification
You can invite other people, inside and outside of your company to share your Views. They receive a notice when you invite them to your Share and (optionally) whenever you update the Share with new information.
Web-Based Portal Access
Anyone who has been added as a Portal user can login to the Portal where they can:
- View the current Share version and previous versions.
- Export Shares to their local disc (CSV files) where they can edit the data in Excel or other applications.
- Maintain their user information such as their e-mail address.
Share Management — User Types
Admin: An Administrator of the account can use the Share Manager application to add new users and administer user rights.
Publisher:A Publisher can use the Share Manager to publish new Shares and notify users of updates to thoes shares.
Viewer: A Viewer can view the current version of the Share and any past versions that have not been deleted.
For more information on how to configure the Customer Portal, download the manual below:
Working With Other Users
When working in a multi-user or collaborative environment, it is important that every member of the planning team stays on the same “page” regarding changes that are made to the schedule. To this end, APS can display a System Message in the lower right hand corner of the screen whenever another user performs an action that changes the schedule or other data.
The information displayed in the message is:
- A description of the Action performed
- The User who initiated the action
- The name of the Scenario the action affected.
The checkbox to toggle this option can be found in the User’s dialogue under “Impact Analysis” as shown below:
