Boyum External Launcher | Mascidon, LLC

Unlock Greater Efficiency with Boyum External Launcher

Tired of hopping from one application to another just to access the tools you need? Say goodbye to the hassle with Mascidon, LLC's Boyum external launcher. Whether it's Notepad, Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, or other vendor and customer applications, the Boyum external launcher brings everything within your reach—right on your system or network.
Let's take a closer look at how this feature can transform your workflow. Imagine this scenario: you receive EDI XML documents from customers, but alas, they've been rejected during SAP loading. With the Boyum external launcher, you can swiftly access Notepad to examine the XML files and pinpoint the issue at hand.
But it doesn't end there. Let's say you need to input a SQL query for data and execute a line loop to process the information. The Boyum external launcher makes it a breeze.

More About the Function

In my example, the incoming EDI documents received from a customer were 'rejected' as they were being processed into SAP Sales Orders. The reasons for the rejection are problems like the item not being active, the customer part not being found, or the PO not existing. When this happens, you need to swiftly analyze the document, identify the issue, make necessary corrections in SAP, and re-process the incoming EDI document. 

The process is streamlined and efficient, thanks to the Boyum Add/Edit menus. You click on the application, answer a couple of questions, and either view the XML file using Notepad or initiate the reprocessing of the incoming EDI Document.

Learn More from an SAP Business One Consultant.

Instructions:

SQL Report Shows the Documents Available for Review

The available sales order XML files are shown in this SQL report. They are sorted by last date first because the problem files are likely the most recent ones. The user decides which file to view and clicks the process button.

Using Boyum's External Launcher Universal Function

In this demonstration of Boyum, the following features will be detailed:

Using the Universal Function ‘External Launcher’
Using a SQL report to provide the means to ‘select’ documents to view using Notepad via the External Launcher
Within the SQL report, use SQL statements to define the SQL variable selections
Within the SQL report, use the Edit and Hide options to allow entry when needed and to not display background fields required for processing (that may confuse the user)
Use a Line Loop Universal Function to process the calls to the External Launcher.

Menu Item to Reprocess an Incoming EDI File

Get the EDI Document Type & Flag for Reprocess or View

Notepad opens the file and displays the XML document. When the user is done reviewing, they close Notepad. If they select multiple documents, Notepad gets called multiple times in the Line Loop Universal Function, and they see each of the EDI files separately.

Reprocess A File

If the option chosen is to reprocess the file, the system processes one file at a time as defined in the selection process and handled by the line loop. The files get copied to the 'Process' directory for the EDI XML documents and a SQL Server Agent job is called to execute the load of the EDI XML files into SAP Sales Orders.

Boyum Functions

Boyum Add-Edit Menus
Use the Add - Edit menus option to add the link to the Universal Function 'Reprocess a File.' This calls the EDI-40 Universal Function.
SQL Report Used for Selection
The EDI-40 SQL report universal function is a parameter-driven SQL report. The output is a list of EDI XML documents available for review or reprocessing. The first field is a 'Check Box' that the user can click to 'Select' that particular XML file for review. Boyum's Item Placement Tool was used to place the button 'Process' next to the 'Close' button on the SQL report.
SQL Variables defined
The user is asked for 2 inputs: A 'Filter' and an 'Option'. The filter is defined by an SQL statement and is presented to the user as a dropdown. The options are also an SQL statement and presented to the user as a dropdown selection. There are 2 options: Reprocess the file or View the file. The 'View' option uses the Externally Launched application 'Notepad' to view the file.
SQL Column Formatting
The 1st column is set to 'Editable' and a 'Column Type' of Checkbox. The SQL report sets the value of this check box to 'N' = Not Selected.
There are 2 hidden fields from the SQL report in columns 5 and 6. While these are hidden from the user, they are available for use when processing data. One of the columns is the original input flag - 'V' = view or 'R' = Reprocess.
Selection Complete - Click 'Process'
This B1 Validation is invoked when the user clicks the 'Process' button on the SQL form list after selecting which EDI files are to be reprocessed or viewed. There are no SQL conditions. The Universal Function EDI-41 is initiated.
Line Loop to Process Selected Files
The B1 Validation calls a 'Line Loop' UF to process either 'Viewing' the file (EDI-42) or 'Reprocessing' the file (EDI-45). Note: Since the last line in a query is 'real data,' always uncheck 'ignore last line' on the line loop.
Note: the 'HowtoProcess' SQL condition uses the hidden SQL column to determine if this is a 'View' or 'Reprocess' operation.
External Launch of Notepad
The actual call to Notepad.exe is a simple setup. The program is a 'Common program' that is selected from the dropdown.
The argument required by Notepad is the full file name—including the directory and the name of the file. A SQL statement is used to 'build' the file directory plus the filename into the 'Full File Name'.
NOTE: The file directory and file name are columns in the SQL report. When naming the columns in the SQL report, DO NOT BLANK SPACES. The SQL execution aborts if there are blanks in the dynamic syntax name. Inset underscores if you need a name that is clear.
Reprocess A File - Step 1
There are 2 steps to the 'Reprocess'. The first is to store the variables required. This is a macro that defines STORE1 through STORE3 and then calls the next UF EDI-54.
Reprocess A File - Step 2
The actual reprocessing of a file consists of two steps: copy the file from the backup directory to the processing directory and then initiate an SQL Server Agent job to import the XML document as an SAP Sales order.