E-WMS

E-WMS web service

Introduction

This document describes the E-WMS web service, as available per release 413.

The E-WMS web service offers the possibility to exchange E-WMS transaction types, using the Exact Entity (Action) Service.

The web service adds extra WMS functions to the Action Service of the Exact Entity Services.

Offering these WMS transactions to the web service is something to be implemented by programmers.

Basic workings

The custom program to be created, offers the WMS transactions to the Exact Entity Service (EES), using standard Windows web components.

EES uses E-WMS actions and components to save these transactions into the E-WMS RF tables, in principal the same as they would be scanned by a hand terminal using WMSclient.

EES returns the ID of the creation RF transaction header to the client (when the custom program asks for the service response).

This means the imported transactions can be read back, validated and processed through a WMS control center or by a WMS RF service.

Prerequisites (server/back-office)

The "Exact Entity Service" must be running
The "Exact Entity Service" must show no error messages in the Windows Event Application log
Supported protocols: SOAP and REST
Supported format: JSON
SQL application role "baco" must be available for the target database
Exact Globe Next 413 or higher installed, this automatically adds the WMS functions to the Exact Entity Action Service
Exact Globe Next menu [System, HR&Security, Workstations], "Add services" button applied
Optional: WMS RF services running to automatically read back, validate and process the imported transactions. See WMS services requirements.

Prerequisites (client)

There are no specific requirements to create and run the program that offers the WMS transactions. Only common Microsoft Windows web references are required.
Custom program: usage of SOAP or REST protocol, and JSON format
Able to communicate with the Exact Entity Services port
The client PC does not have to be in the same domain or network as the Exact Entity Service (transactions can be offered over the Internet), unless data has to be read from the SQL database by the custom program
The client PC does not require installation of Exact Globe Next, unless specific EGN references are added to the project

Installation

No server-side installation is required, besides Exact Globe Next and the Exact Entity Service. The WMS action functions are automatically available to EES when Exact Globe Next is properly installed.

Supported transaction types

The following E-WMS transaction types (EES 'Actions') are available per release 413.

Import WMS production receipts
Import WMS free production issues
Import WMS free purchase receipts
Import WMS Stock Transactions receipts
Import WMS Stock Transactions issues

All transactions support SKU numbers.

WMS validations

The EES WMS actions offer only very minimal validation of the offered transactions, since the imported transactions will be read back and validated by a WMS control center or WMS RF service, which already offers all required validations.

The web service itself will only return functional error messages for mandatory data which was not provided, such as a missing order number or item code. In that case the transaction will not be imported.

The following WMS business logic, otherwise available on a hand terminal using WMSclient, is implemented in the WMS web service:

Determining the default SKU Item ID (SKU per item configuration) for a SKU receipt, when no SKU type was supplied
Creating a record for the imported SKU number, in the SKU master table (on scanner, created when printing SKU labels)

Any messages returned by the WMS web service are always in English.

Tips / points of attention

The default target web address is "http://servername:8020/services/Exact.Action.REST.EG/".
The URL http://servername:8020/services/Exact.Action.REST.EG/$metadata (can be run in a web browser) shows a XML list of available actions and action properties, like "WMS_ImportProdIssues_InputType"
The WMS action property IsLastLine determines whether the transaction can be read back or not. If not set to "true", the transaction will be created in the RF tables but will never be read back.

If you want to offer multiple sub lines for one transaction header (order): you can set IsLastLine=false to add more sub lines to the transaction ID returned by the web service for the first created transaction line. Then only set IsLastLine=true for the last sub line.

You can also offer each sub line as a single transaction by always setting IsLastLine=true, then each sub line will have it's own header and will be read back and processed as independent transaction.

If you offer multiple sub lines with SKU numbers for one transaction, it can be beneficial to set IsLastLine=false for all sub lines, except for the last line where IsLastLine=true. Then these multiple SKU lines will be read back as one transaction, and processed in Exact Globe Next as one total transaction (SKU numbers are only available in WMS tables). When offering this same transaction where in each sub line IsLastLine is set to 'true', then this will create separate transactions in Exact Globe Next (more records = larger tables).
This document (only available to customers) offers a sample VB.NET solution on how to offer a WMS production receipt.
Please keep in mind that this solution is already quite specific on how to offer the 'IsLastLine' property. Your situation could require another approach.

Troubleshooting

Service response "An attempt was made to reference a token that does not exist":
> Use menu Exact Globe Next menu [System, HR&Security, Workstations], button "Add services"
> The SQL 'baco' login does not exist or has insufficient rights
Program error "System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.":
> the Exact Entity Service is not running or shows errors in the Windows application event log