Infor recently completed the transformative upgrade to their hotel revenue management software, Infor EzRMS, featuring science-infused applications for enhanced optimization, pricing and forecasting. The upgrade has clearer visibility into data trends that can help indicate whether current or historical patterns should be given more weight in forecasting. Infor is also committed to optimizing the user experience, with this iteration boasting beautiful, consumer-grade interface that is designed to help users to work the way they live. Additionally, the upgrade assists hoteliers to better optimize revenue by automatically calculating demand forecasts and recommending appropriate selling strategies based on data such as day-of-week patterns, lead time figures and the number of guests per room.

 

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So your client has scheduled LBI reports that they rely on and for whatever reason, it didn’t run on the day it was scheduled for. Now, it’s Monday and it’s too late to run the report manually! Furthermore, the client wants the report to be available in the LBI “History” section of the report viewer for later reference.

We click this past scheduled report…

How to Fix a Scheduled LBI Report That Didn’t Run Properly_1

Oh No! Our Revenue Check Daily – MRN didn’t run properly!

How to Fix a Scheduled LBI Report That Didn’t Run Properly_2

First thing we need to do is start Crystal Report and open the latest instance of our editable report. For our client, this is located on their LBI server in: D:\LawsonDocuments\60_Revenue Check Daily – MRN\

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Once your report is open, either enter the date parameters for the report (if it takes parameters) or hard code the dates in the report to reflect the day it was supposed to grab data from. Don’t forget to set the front-end display dates that the end-user will see.

Once the data is verified by the end-user, export the report in crystal format.

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Select a directory and name you want your crystal report to export.

Now, find the directory of the instance that didn’t run properly or simply does not exist.

For me, this was D:\LawsonDocuments\60_Revenue Check Daily – MRN\Instances\2016-04-08_1606\

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If a crystal report exists in that directory, delete or move it elsewhere.

Now copy in your exported LBI report that you edited and rename it to the exact name of the report + “_instance number”.

Ours is Revenue Check Daily – MRN + _1606 so Revenue Check Daily – MRN_1606

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The instance number can be found in the folder name that is generated by LBI.

That’s it! You can now go back to LBI Report Viewer and click on that report that errored out earlier.

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Administering Lawson on Windows has traditionally required using the basic toolset within windows to get things done. With Windows 2012 it seems like some of the very basic tools users are used to are hidden away and require several extra clicks to get to. Here are some quick ways to make Windows 2012 easier to deal with:
Method 1
Install a 3rd party tool called Classic Shell found here: https://www.classicshell.net
This is by far the easiest way to get Windows 2012 to act more like Windows 2008.
How-to-Setup-Your-2012-Server-for-Easy-Administration_1
Method 2
Since installing 3rd party applications like Classic Shell is not going to appeal to every client. Here’s a quick way to get at least your programs menu back without the help of any 3rd party applications:
Steps (4 total)
  1. Display “Hidden items” on your C: Drive – Open File Explorer and browse to your C: Drive. On the View tab, check the “Hidden items” checkbox.
  2. Add a New Toolbar on your Taskbar. – Right-click on a blank area of your Taskbar and select Toolbars > New Toolbars.
  3. Browse to the Start Menu\Programs folder. – In the New Toolbar dialog box, browse to the “C:\Program Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs” folder.
  4. Click the “Select Folder” button. – Click the “Select Folder” button to add the new Toolbar to your Taskbar.

After dust from the upgrade settles, it’s usually time to automate any and everything that can be automated. When it comes to Lawson (LSF) related services though things can get a big tricky.

There’s a precise order bringing up the services on windows and one way to ensure this happens correctly is to setup service dependencies on your windows applications server.

Let’s first review what depends on what and why.

The services that need to come up are in order:

  1. ADLDS
  2. Lawson Environment
  3. IBM Webshphere Cell Manager (Optional)
  4. IBM Websphere Node Agent
  5. IBM Websphere Application Server
  6. Web server (IIS)

Obviously, since all the authentication work happens through ADLDS, it makes sense that it would be the services to come up first. And since ADLDS has it’s own set of dependencies, we don’t need to create new ones there.

Next we setup a dependencies for the Lawson Environment Service to depend on ADLDS.

To do this, bring up the services window (Start-> Run-> services.msc).

Right click on your ADLDS service and note the service name.

Right Click on your Lawson Environment Service and note the service name.

Now bring up a cmd prompt as administrator and type in the following command:

sc config [service name] depend= <Dependencies(separated by / (forward slash))>

Note: There is a space after the equals sign, and there is not one before it.

Warning: depend= parameter will overwrite existing dependencies list, not append. So for example, if ServiceA already depends on ServiceB and ServiceC, if you run depend= ServiceD, ServiceA will now depend only on ServiceD.

Example:

sc config laserv-prod depend= ADAM_ProdInfor10ADLDS

In the above example, my Lawson environment service is called “laserv-prod” and my ADLDS service is called: “ADAM_ProdInfor10ADLDS”.

Once you hit enter, a message should appear that says: “[SC] ChangeServiceConfig SUCCESS”

You have now setup a dependency for the Lawson Environment service to depend on ADLDS. You can confirm this by checking the service properties:

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Now you can continue with the rest of the services and setup dependencies as you go. Keep in mind that the Cell manager is really an optional service and you may not want it running all the time, so you can avoid that dependency if you like.

Next, you’ll want to change all the services named above to be automatic. We usually don’t setup any recovery options as they can lead to some unintended results.

In the end, your Web Server’s dependencies should look similar to this:

How to setup dependencies for Lawson services_2

 

Choosing the right Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software for your ecommerce business is more than just picking the best one from a list of “popular” names. A good ERP can painlessly streamline your business processes, helping you operate more efficiently and effectively. Here are a few things to consider when doing ERP research:

  • Consider Your Unique Needs
  • Ensure Shopping Cart Compatibility
  • Efficienct Customer Service
  • Real Time Transaction Data
  • Flexibility
  • Scalability
  • Included Training and Support

Modern cloud-based ERP is a good solution for any business. Searching for the right ERP solution for your business needs can cost you a lot of time and money, though the return is more than favorable.

 

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Technology is quickly changing the face of healthcare. Electronic health records (EHRs) are readily available and accessible to both the doctor and patient. Additionally, 3-D printed biologies are used for testing and potentially transplantation are very exciting technological advances. And with mobile technology, medical wearables, and various health applications, our health is constantly in our hands and we have the power to change our lifestyles to a more healthy regiment. Investors should keep an eye on how technology is transforming healthcare, since it is likely to provide terrific long-term investments.

 

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A recent blog post from enterprise app pros at Panaya surveyed the ease of cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions and how likely businesses are to move to the cloud. It focused on three categories: cloud integration, security, and return on investment (ROI). Favorable to the cloud, over half of respondents support full cloud integration, with measurable return on investments in terms of agility and cost savings. On the other side of the spectrum, some still have yet to see any reliability or favorable returns to the cloud. Cloud ERP could possibly make ERP solutions easier to use, more reliable, and a worthy investment.

 

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Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software addresses many issues, automating and unifying critical business processes across an organization, making business data available in real-time. If your business isn’t utilizing it now, you greatly want to consider it. Below are five signs it’s time for your business to implement ERP software:

  1. Information System Neither Automates Nor Integrates
  2. Lack of Real-Time Visibility Into Business Performance
  3. Rising Production Costs
  4. Insufficient Efficiency and Transparency
  5. Less-Than-Ideal Competitive Position

It’s time to ditch manual entry tasks and embrace the impact that automation will have on your business. Your customers and your bottom line will thank you.

 

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Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) system IBM Watson will deliver a new concierge experience at Hilton hotels. A robot prototype, Connie (as a nod to Conrad Hilton, the hotel chain’s founder), will utilize knowledge from Watson and WayBlazer (the world’s first cognitive travel recommendation engine) to inform guests of local tourist attractions, hotel amenities, and popular recommendations. Like any other A.I. system, the more Connie interacts with people, the more it learns and the better it will adapt to guests’ needs. Information gained from customer interaction will positively affect the workplace by improving professional productivity, and allow companies to utilize the information gained from these cognitive systems to better understand their consumers and industry.

 

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According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, e-commerce sales improved 15.1% in the third quarter of 2015. Though e-commerce has been growing, brick-and-mortar stores are still prominent. These five digital technologies are are making an effort to bring technology in store:

  1. Interactive fitting rooms for shoppers to request immediate assistance.
  2. Beacons for retailers to reach customers on smart devices while they are in store.
  3. Interactive window displays to draw customers into the store.
  4. Mobile devices for associates to keep current with promotions and inventory.
  5. Heat mapping technology for retailers to better understand shopper movement in the store.

Brick-and-mortar stores have only recently begun implementing these new technologies, though it’s looking to be a growing trend in the retail technology sector.

 

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