Top Takeaways from “Process Automation – Performance Considerations and Best Practices” Infor Webinar

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This 1 hour, interactive briefing from Infor provides an overview of the best practices for performance tuning your IPA process flows, grid tuning considerations, and tips to leverage the most from your system.

The full webinar can be accessed through a link on this page: (https://technology-blog.infor.com/2015/12/13/recording-now-available-for-ipa-performance-considerations-and-best-practices-webinar/)

Here are some notable takeaways from the video:

  1. IPA Settings Tuning
    Basic tips for improving performance:

    • Ensure you are on the latest release of Landmark Environment.
    • Upgrading your system to a newer release of Java will often result in performance improvements.
    • Core Pool Size: pfi.dispatcher.CorePoolSize setting within Grid determines how many simultaneous workunits can process at a time. Rule of thumb is to start by setting this value to the number of CPU Cores in your Landmark Server. (8 core CPU = 8 max workunits) In order to fully optimize, you can start simultaneous flows equal to your server’s cores and check Task Manager’s Performance tab. For example, if only 50% of your CPU is being used with 8 simultaneous flows in progress, you can probably safetly increase the maximum workunits to 12 or even 16 for improved performance.
    • Max Heap: grid.jvm.maxHeapMB setting within Grid sets the max amount of server RAM a particular Grid Node can use for processing. When setting this value, be aware of how much total RAM is available to use on the server. All the Max Heap sizes for all Grid Nodes, Operating System Memory, and Memory Footprint of other programs needs to be less than the total RAM of the server. The Max Heap should be set as high as possible with these considerations in mind.
    • LmrkDeferred Node: When installing Landmark, some grid deployments create this LmrkDeferred grid gode which combines the functionality of Async and IPA into one node. You should not be running Process Automation with this grid node. Infor recommends that the Async node and IPA node be broken out into their own grid nodes.
    • Configure the system so that there is only one IPA Grid node per Data Area that processes workunits.
  2. Process Tuning
    Basic tips for improving processes/flows:

    • Most important factor is the number of nodes. Try to minimize the number of nodes in your flow as flows take approximately 5-20ms time between nodes and 2-5ms time per variable assignment. An important tip when trying to reduce nodes is to remember that values returned from a query or processing node will automatically be assigned an internal variable name that we can refer to. There is no need for an additional assignment.
    • When using a query to cycle through records and write to a file, using a MsgBuilder versus a FileAccess or Assign node is more efficient as it is keeping the records in memory to write all at once at a later time. FileAccess in between a query is the most inefficient as it requires opening and appending onto a file once for every record encountered.
    • Turning on logging will decrease flow performance so it should only be turned on when troubleshooting flow failure or performance issues. When a flow is failing, turn on Workunit and Activity Logging and turn this off when done troubleshooting. For performance issues, run the flow with Workunit only logging turned on.
    • When creating a large csv file, consider using SysCommand node instead of writing to a file by looping through records.

For more details and the most recently updated KB articles, refer/subscribe to:
KB 1671693 – IPA Support Best Practices

Infor Positioned as a Leader in the 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems

Gartner Inc. has positioned Infor in the Leaders quadrant of the 2019 Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems. The tech giant is being recognized for completeness of vision and ability to execute. Rod Johnson, EVP & GM, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Infor, said, “We believe that Infor’s position as a Leader in this Gartner Magic Quadrant reaffirms our belief that a single, unified, global warehousing solution built to take advantage of business value of the cloud, provides a strong foundation for sustainable growth in the age of customer-driven supply chains.” The newest member of the Infor Cloudsuite products, Infor Cloudsuite WMS, us the evolution of Infor SCE (Supply Chain Execution), which combines Infor’s enhanced capabilities in warehouse management with the computing power of the cloud. Infor CloudSuite WMS also brings the agile, flexible and proven performance Infor cloud customers have come to expect. Visual warehousing, labor management, and open API framework come standard with CloudSuite WMS. This helps reduce the need to add additional features or customization and paves the way for advanced warehousing capabilities.

 

For Full Article, Click Here

 

Favorite Filters for Admin Users in ServiceNow

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When first logging into ServiceNow as an admin, it can be a bit overwhelming.

To narrow this down, you can “favorite” a few key filters to focus in on what’s important.

 

Simply go to the All Applications Tab and STAR a filter that works best for you as shown below:

My favorite filters are My Groups Work – Active and Closed, which show all tickets assigned to my group that are either Active and or Closed:

When you have your filters selected, go to your favorites tab and click a filter to see what results it narrows down:

This is one of the most useful features ServiceNow offers. Enjoy!

How technology has transformed workplace communication

Thanks to technology, the way we communicate with others on a daily basis in both the personal and professional level has dramatically evolved. With the advancements in the workplace, office work, business transactions, meetings, and data/information transfers are being done faster than ever. First, computers transformed the way we worked. Then, the internet enabled real-time collaboration between workers in every corner of the world. Today, smartphones help us work from anywhere, at any time, in what has become known as the always-on economy. Let’s take a look at how communication in the workplace has evolved, thanks to technology.

  • It all started with a memo – In the business world, letters were formal, descriptive messages usually meant for clients and customers. Memos, short for memorandums, were the informal, yet professional enough, means of communication among colleagues, superiors, and other personnel within an organization. As useful as these hand written and somewhat confidential messages were to the workplace, they were “slow” in means of communication for a busy workplace.
  • Then came the e(lectronic) mail – With the help of the internet, email become the primary means of workplace communication. Not only was it a money and time saver, emails were also capable of sending mass messages to groups or people. Even with new advancements such as phones or messaging (which will be further discussed in the next bullet), email is still a very strong asset in business communication. Email, however, can be a bit slow if a person does not constantly check their inbox. Thanks to technology, there came another solution.
  • Instant messaging reigns as king – Since most people carry smartphones, businesses have tapped into their pocket sized computers and created the world of instant messaging as the primary and fastest means of communication. Workplace collaboration tools enable efficient business communication and foster learning-friendly cultures. Messaging, video and conference apps all fall under this instant messaging phenomena and have advanced business communication for the better.

Workplace communication has come a long way, all thanks to technology. There’s a right type of communication for everyone, and using multiple means of communication would be even more efficient. It’s exciting to wonder what next great tool will come along for workplace – and personal – communication.

For Full Article, Click Here

Resolving “Cannot run this program while GL 190 is running” error when trying to release journal entries in GL40.1

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You may run into this error at some point in GL40.1:

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix to this. First login to Lawson portal and search GLMONITOR:

In GLMONITOR, type “GL190” and select Inquire. If you get results and notice the run time, the process is in fact still running and causing the issue with GL40:

Go to job scheduler by opening LID and typing in jobschd >> F7 + A to select all users >> Then W to go to waiting screen.

Look for any GL190 jobs running and verify the User Name is the same one in GLMONITOR when inquiring on GL190 program. Check the error and if its safe to recover, recover it and let the job complete.

Go back to GLMonitor and inquire on GL190 to verify the job is no longer running:

Go to GL40.1 and release your Journal Entries. This should solve the error. Good luck!

IFS Security Role Mass Assignment

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To mass assign security roles to users in IFS, first go to Manage > Master Data. Select “Security Role” and click “Details”. Choose the Security Role for which you want to assign multiple users. On the right side of the screen, click the “Add” button. A list of all users will be displayed. Select the users who should be in that role and click Apply and/or Ok. Click Save at the top.

Upload Users to IFS

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After your AD FS configuration, you will need to load users into IFS from LDAP. There is an option to search for each user and add them manually, but if you have a large group of Lawson users this can be time consuming. IFS also offers a mass upload using a CSV file. The CSV file needs to have a header, and the only value required is the samAccountName.

Create your CSV file, then go into Manage > Users in IFS. Click “Upload” and browse to your CSV file. Click Open and the users will be added into IFS.

ICCG Goes for European Gold with Infor

The Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) has changed their alliance partnership with Infor to Gold Channel Partners (in the Europe Sector). Building on their extensive relationship already, ICCG’s enhanced relationship with the IT giant will aid in their strategy to double their revenue in Europe within the next two years. ICCG will use Infor M3, Infor CloudSuite Industrial, and Infor CloudSuite PLM solutions to target the fashion, food and beverage, industrial manufacturing and equipment and rental industries. With more than 25 years of experience with Infor M3 solutions, integrating a more aggressive cloud strategy for their plans is the key focus. ICCG CEO Shiv Kaushik explains,  “The cloud focus means we can eliminate the maintenance issues that customers don’t want to handle. In addition, the cost savings of multi-tenant cloud create a very attractive option. This will enable us to address the day-to-day challenges of many businesses across Europe.”

For Full Article, Click Here

Using IPA to Update SSOP Identity after AD FS Configuration

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Once your AD FS configuration is done, you’ll need to update the SSOP identity with userPrincipalName for all of your users in Lawson Security.  IPA is a great tool for this task.

Some nodes that you’ll need include:

  • System Command – get AD users
    • Run a powershell command to get the samAccountName and userPrincipalName from Active Directory
    • powershell “Get-ADUser -Filter * -SearchBase ‘<OU Path (i.e. OU=Users,DC=company,DC=org)>’ | Select-object SamAccountName,UserPrincipalName | ConvertTo-Csv -NoTypeInformation”
  • Data Iterator to iterate through the results from the AD query
  • Resource Query
    • Get User by querying on SSOP value
    • <?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″ standalone=”yes”?><TRANSACTION user=”[email protected]” method=”getRMQuery”><SERVICE><![CDATA[SSOP]]></SERVICE><SERVICEATTRS><SERVICEATTR><NAME><![CDATA[USER]]></NAME><VALUE><![CDATA[<!samAccountName>]]></VALUE></SERVICEATTR></SERVICEATTRS><OBJECT><![CDATA[People]]></OBJECT><ATTRIBUTES><ATTRIBUTE><![CDATA[ID]]></ATTRIBUTE></ATTRIBUTES><OUTPUTSERVICEATTRS/></TRANSACTION>
  • Resource Update
    • Using the ID from your Resource Query, Update the SSOP service

How to Maximize Filezilla FTP Transfer Speed

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  1. First, ensure that the Transfer mode is set to Passive in File ⇨ Site Manager ⇨ Transfer Settings


    Passive mode is the recommended mode for client computers behind NAT or proxy. In active mode, the client must accept connection from the FTP server. In passive mode, the client always initiates the connection.
  2. Change Maximum Simultaneous Transfers to 10 in Edit ⇨ Settings ⇨ Transfers

    As the name suggests, this increases the number of concurrent transfers that can occur to 10.

    If these tips do not improve your Filezilla transfer speed, it is probably due to some limit on your ISP or on the server you are connecting to. Some hosts place tight restrictions on FTP speeds so it may be worth contacting your ISP.