E-WMS

E-WMS 404 new UI - requirements and functional changes

WMS documentation

Introduction

This document describes details of the new User Interface (UI) or WMSClient for WMS ASP available, from release 404.

Description

In product update 404, a completely revised user interface (UI) is available for E-WMS. The goal of this interface is to make E-WMS easier to use and look better. The introduction of this UI offers new functionality, and also affects some functionality when still using the old client (ERF or IE).

With the introduction of WMSclient, ERF client and also using IE as client, are in maintenance mode.

This document has following sections:

Requirements

New or changed functionality in the new WMS client:
Detailed or simple picking screen
Back, Ready and LineReady replaced by STOP button
Scan and search order number
Buttons like ADD moved to OPTIONS menu
Accessing item/stock information screen
Picking in different units more clear
Browser lists now multi-line
Focus now automatically on default button
New barcode summary screen
Generated SSCC
Edit or delete picked lines
Scan hint
Mobile Sales and leaving an order open for editing
WMS Client version check
Close button
General changes in WMS ASP (also in ERF)

Requirements

Please see section 'ASP hand terminals' of the E-WMS system requirements

New or changed functionality in the new WMS client

Detailed or simple picking screen

For most WMS processes you can configure (through the WMS scanner settings) to use detailed or simple scanning screens. After updating to 404 or higher, the default setting for each module will be 'detailed'.

Sample for order picking, detailed and simple screen layout:

In either simple or detailed view, you can tap on the screen header (customer name, in this case) to view the complete scan line information.

In following circumstances you will have to configure this setting for 'detailed' view, because in these scenario's, some data is not shown at the right time in simple mode .

you are scanning SKUs (WMS SKU Management)
you are scanning EAN128 or HIBC bar codes containing serial/batch or quantity information
you are using Pivot Point

Back, Ready and LineReady replaced by STOP button

The usage of the BACK, READY and LINE READY buttons (which was often confusing) is replaced by one button: the STOP button. Depending on when you press STOP, you will see a menu with choices; for example to skip the current order for now, or to put the whole remainder of the order to 'ready' (assuming picked zero for all remaining lines).

The BACK button can no longer be used to leave the order line completely, because then it was not clear to you whether the last picked line was saved or not.
The STOP button menu replaces the former Back-, Ready and LineReady functionality, presenting clear choices on how to proceed with this picking process.

Meaning of the STOP menu options:

Advice line is done: pick the current line as 'zero' and set this line to 'ready', the former 'Line Ready' function.
This means this advice line will not be picked anymore now.
After reading back, this line is set to backorder or will show as 'picking error', depending on your validation settings.
Skip advice line for now: you do not want to pick the advised item now, but instead first pick another advice line for the same order.
This line will then show up later again. When the hand terminal setting browse order lines is enabled, you will see the order line browser.
When the hand terminal setting 'browse order lines' is disabled, you will proceed to the next advice line in sequence automatically.
Order is done: all remaining lines for this order are set to status 'ready' (and quantity picked to 'zero' when not picked yet), allowing read back.
This replaces the former 'Ready' button.
Skip order for now: You will leave this order and return to the previous menu. Remaining advice lines are not affected and still will have to be picked.
Cancel, go back: Go back to the previous screen: the picking screen where you pressed STOP.

The STOP button will act as NEXT button when using Pivot Point, please see this document for a sample scenario using Pivot Point in the WMS client.

Scan and search order number

You are able to search and scan order numbers, in the new search functionality in the order browsers for sales order fulfillment, purchase receipts and production issues:

In this sample, order number '1034' was scanned (using prefix and suffix) and automatically opened.

The following rules are applied:

searching is based on 'contains' wildcard; so typing '2' in the sample above would show at least orders 1021, 1026 and 1028
scanning an order number is the same as typing a specific order number; using scanner prefix/suffix is supported
if the search finds one order matching the search criteria, than that order will be automatically selected and opened.

Buttons like ADD moved to OPTIONS menu

All functions for the buttons which were placed in the middle of the screen in ERF, are moved to one separate screen, which is available through the new OPTIONS button. The options menu gives access to the following functions:

Edit: Edit already picked lines
Delete: Delete already picked lines
Add: Add unplanned items to the receipt or issue
Instruction: show instruction text again
SKU: print SKU labels
(generated) SSCC: generate and print SSCC labels
S/B: Serial/Batch Generation (new in 404)

Accessing item/stock information screen

The item information (+ stock) screen is now available two ways:
1. by tapping on the screen area showing item code and item description (this part of the screen is however not indicated as 'clickable')
2. by tapping on the screen header (customer name) and then pressing the 'Info' button

method 1:


method 2:

Picking in different units more clear

Picking quantities in different scan units such as boxes and pieces is now indicated more clearly. In the sample below, item 1000G2 is advised, instead scanning scan code 'BOX2' (unit factor 10)

Now it becomes clear to pick '1 case' and '9 pieces' (19 pieces) on the advised location, as part of total 74 to pick for this item.

Browser lists now multi-line

Browser lists have changed from showing column view to a multi line row view (allowing for more space to select one specific line when operating the hand terminal with gloves for example)
Scrolling in these browser lists is done per row in the PC client version; and per page on a mobile device.

Samples of the order line browser and location browser

Focus now on default button

When a (warning or error) message window shows with choices like Yes, No, Cancel, or on the message 'All lines are scanned', pressing the ENTER key automatically selects the first (default) button.
This way the ENTER key on a device can be used more efficiently, instead of having to tap on the screen.

Note: one exception, is the screen that shows after picking is done, when the hand terminal setting 'show picked lines' is enabled. At the moment, the focus cannot be set automatically to the 'Ready' button yet.

Barcode summary screen

A new hand terminal setting "Show barcode summary" has been added for most WMS modules, to optionally show a barcode summary screen, before moving on to the next scan screen. This will only show when the next advice line would show immediately after the scan and you would have no confirmation on the current scan.

new setting:	scanning EAN128 bar code:	barcode summary screen:

Generated SSCC

The screens when using generated SSCC during Sales Order Fulfillment have changed. After entering quantity, or when pressing OPTIONS button and SSCC button, the SSCC screen will show, with buttons SSCC and INNER.
Press SSCC to generate and print a new outer (pallet) label, or INNER to generate and print a new box label.

Then press STOP to return to the picking screen, where the outer and inner SSCC numbers are now filled.

To print an extra label using the current SSCC numbers (so without generating a new number): press the OPTIONS button, the SSCC button and then the OPTIONS button in the SSCC screen;

Edit or delete picked lines

The EDIT functionality (for already scanned lines within the current transaction) is split in an EDIT and a DELETE button.
Press the OPTIONS button, then you will see options Edit and Delete.

Scan hint

The scan box will be filled with a hint text, of what is to be scanned at that time:

This will only be the case when that scan field would be 'empty' otherwise.

Mobile Sales: leaving an order open for editing

In ERF, you could leave a sales order in Mobile Sales using the BACK button (instead of READY which set the order status to 'ready'), which gave the possibility to 'edit' this order later or add new items. Since the BACK button does not allow leaving a transaction anymore, this can now be done in Mobile Sales by using the STOP button and choosing 'Skip order for now'. This will leave the current order (with status 'not ready') so you can enter a new order. The order with status 'not ready' must now be edited later using hand terminal menu 'Edit orders' (in the Mobile Sales menu), at least to still set this order to status 'Ready' using the STOP button again. An order cannot be read back until the status is set to 'ready' (done).

WMS Client version check

The new WMS client is a 'thin' client (like the ERF client), it contains no business rules, but only builds the screens based on the commands issued by the IIS server. Updating the WMS client on hand terminal or on your PC will generally not be required, unless specifically stated in the release notes. When starting the client, a client version number is indicated in the connection screen. When connecting to the IIS server this client version is checked (the versions of hand terminal file Exact.WMSClient.Common.Handheld.dll and WMS ASP IIS file Exact.WMSClient.Common.Win32.dll are compared) and will show a message when versions do not match ("server version (2.0.0.2) <> Client version (2.0.01)":

Close button

The Windows 'close' button ('X') has been removed from the client application, since the user should properly log off using the menu, and removing this window title bar provided extra valuable space.

General functional changes

Following changes have impact for usage of WMS ASP in general, so when using the new client application, or ERF, or Internet Explorer.