Why SX.enterprise GUI? BENEFITS OF MOVING TO SX.ENTERPRISE GUI TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW 3 EASE OF USE 4 UNIQUE FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY 7 RETURN ON INVESTMENT 12 CONNECTIVITY 16 MONITORING ASSETS 16 PROVEN MIGRATION PROCESS 18 UPGRADING TO GUI 20 CONCLUSION 21 CONTACT US 22 2 Overview Graphical User Interface (GUI). You have heard the term GUI a thousand times, but your company is exclusively using a character interface. What is the big deal about a graphical user interface? Why should I change? What about GUI stability? Is it really better than what my company is using now? I think it's too technical for my users. What about my Return On Investment? Undoubtly, you've asked yourself these questions a thousand times. These are the questions that you should be asking. You may have even tried to gather the information on your own, without much luck. Everyone you run into just says "it's new, it's the wave of the future" and that "you should dive right in." But, you've spent years building your business and you have learned that you shouldn't just dive right into anything. The good news is that with Infor Distribution Essentials, you're starting with a trusted partner who remains committed to the goals of your business and industry. As you have seen in the market, a lot of technology comes and goes and only time proves that a new technology development is worth the investment, implementation, and getting your people up to speed. Infor’s Distribution Essentials SX.enterprise GUI has proven itself in the market. So, what are the advantages of SX.enterprise GUI? • Ease of use • Unique features and functionality • Return on investment (ROI) • Connectivity • Monitoring assets • Robust third party products • Proven migration process • The bottom line is that it improves customer service, employee productivity, and profitability. |3 Ease of Use Every company wants more control over the functionality of their software. The old solution for character systems was to create modifications on a per company basis - this can be costly for both Infor and our customers. One of Infor’s goals with SX.enterprise GUI, was to improve the flexibility of the software right out of the box. Another goal, was to reduce the number of customer modifications saving you money. We were surprised at an unexpected byproduct of this goal: without all those modifications, systems were running smoother and faster. SX.enterprise Interface - The SX.enterprise GUI interface is easy to use. The navigator is the "home base" of the application. All windows can be accessed from the navigator and can be customized on a per operator basis by security level and the addition of frequently used keys. Plus, there is an address box not only on the Navigator menu, but also on all SX.enterprise GUI provides you with integrated flexibility, so that your company runs more efficiently. windows. Character users will feel comfortable with this address box, because it uses the SAME functionality as the "jump box" used in the character version of the software. OneWindow puts functionality right at the fingertips of the users. The computer monitor is no longer filled with multiple "sessions" of open windows. OneWindow keeps your desktop organized by allowing multiple open sessions without having multiple open windows. Navigator - After a successful login, the Navigator is the first window to display. This window is completely customizable and can be setup on an operator basis or company wide so that the users have easy access to what they use most. Use an acronym in the address box, to go directly to that window, just like the character version of the software. If your operator uses the Inquiry Center often, customize the navigator so that one click will take them where they need to go. Order # 800981 on 4 A message will display in the ticker alerting the user to any open activties The Navigator window is the gateway to SX.enterprise. You have the ability to access SX.enterprise functions via the address bar, the recently visited list, menu toolbar buttons, function toolbar buttons, or outlines. You can completely customize the Navigator window's outlines, toolbars, web objects, link objects, layout, and size. Not only can you customize the Navigator window for each individual operator, but you can also set up profiles for a specific group of users. For example, you can set up a profile for a customer service representative and assign that profile to the Navigator window for all customer service representatives in your company. This way, the customer service representatives have quick access to those functions they use most often, without having to sift through the toolbars, buttons, and outlines to access the desired function. Press CTRL + HOME from anywhere in SX.enterprise to return to the Navigator window. The Navigator window is a very powerful tool that should be customized and completely understood for you to maximize use of SX.enterprise. If your business processes more than one company in SX.enterprise, the company number will display at the beginning of each window title whenever a window is opened for any company other than "Company 1." OneWindow - The 3.1 release of SX.enterprise has been enhanced to include the OneWindow navigational interface. OneWindow is an enhanced interface solution that provides easy navigation from function-tofunction and window-to-window in SX.enterprise. OneWindow makes the "hidden" options in SX.enterprise (for example, items under the View menu) more visible and also makes it easier for you to navigate through functions you need to use. Some of the main features of OneWindow are: • Address bar • Toolbars • Browse buttons • Customizable work flows • Vertical menu with customizable menus • Easy access to other functions • Hyperlinks • Ease of use • Button links • It's organized |5 Forward and Back browse buttons Vertical menu with View, Favorites, Links, and Other. This allows easy access to subwindows, Internet links, and other userdefined shortcuts. Ever-present address bar Numerous quick links to different functions in SX.enterprise Start button - allows fast access to other modules SX.enterprise allows you to easily import information into another software product, such as Microsoft® Excel™ or Microsoft Word™. There is no more reentering data, because with a click of the mouse, the text is automatically imported. All these features add up to a more efficient way to navigate through the software and to bring the necessary information to the end user or customer. You can serve customers faster because the user is using more efficient navigation than the character version of the software. More information at your fingertips - SX.enterprise GUI has more tools at your fingertips. GUI allows access to more information per window by the use of Favorites, Links, and Other icons, and by the use of the "open window" buttons located on the lower bar of the window that allows several sessions open at the same time. 6 GUI uses hyperlinks taking you quickly to needed information with one mouse click. For example, click on the Products hyperlink to go to the Product Inquiry Center, which will display in-depth information about the product. GUI uses extensive drill down capability making it quick and easy to go to additional information, such as credit or transaction history by the click of a button. Unique Features and Functionality SX.enterprise GUI has features and functionality that SX.enterprise Character doesn't have. Because of the many opportunities GUI provides to create value for Infor Distribution Essentials users, we will continue to focus the majority of our development efforts and future technology on the GUI product. Here are just a few features: • Contact and Activity Management • Message Ticker • Job Management • Multi-field Storage System • Navigator Portal |7 Contact and Activity Management (CAM) - GUI not only increases tools for customer service, but increases tools for managing customers and operators with a fully featured, fully integrated contact and activity management system called CAM. This feature, exclusive to SX.enterprise GUI, tracks the history of a customer, measure customer attitudes, communicate with others in your organization, or remind yourself and others of follow-up tasks. It allows you to set up prospects in OE Setup Prospects and tie them to customers, activities, and contacts. Use this window to setup prospects. 8 Create an activity (a task that needs to be completed or has already been completed) for one operator or a group of operators. Operator groups are set up in SA Event Manager Groups. When you create an activity for a group of operators, the activity displays on each operator’s to do list. The first operator in the group to access the activity assumes ownership of the activity. Then, SX.enterprise deletes the corresponding activity from the to do lists of the other operators in the group. CAM integrates with the system, attaching orders to activities and integrates with ACT® and Goldmine®. Message Ticker - SX.enterprise GUI provides a scrolling message window called a Message Ticker. The message ticker is a scrolling marquee that indicates the number of open Contact and Activity Manager (CAM) activities you have and also displays any new activities that are created for you while you are logged on to SX.enterprise. You can display the message ticker as a separate window on your desktop or as an object on the Navigator window. Initially, when you launch SX.enterprise GUI, the message ticker displays a message indicating the number of open activities you currently have, similar to the following: You Have 89 Open Activities If you do not have any open activities when you launch SX.enterprise, the message ticker does not display a message. If an activity is created for you while you are working in SX.enterprise, the message ticker displays a message showing the information for that new activity, similar to the following: Actv: AR Collection Call From: Sys 11:56 The scrolling marquee allows you to click on the activity, which then jumps you to the Add/Change Activity window so you can address the activity. Additionally, you can define activity codes in SA Setup Table Values that, when clicked in the message ticker, will jump to a specific function, the Report Viewer, or the Activities/To Do List window. |9 Setup activities for operators and operator groups using this window. Options can be defined for the message ticker, such as color, scrolling speed and pause time. With the message ticker enhancement, you also have the ability to allow SX.enterprise to automatically delete and inactivate certain Contact and Activity Manager activities. Multi-field Storage System - The Multi-field Storage System is a method for storing data to be used in record setup at a later time. You can access any setup function, such as AP Setup Vendor, or IC Setup Product, select an existing record, or create one, copy the records data in a buffer, name the buffer, then paste this data into a new, blank record at a later time. This is a time-saving procedure when you are setting up numerous records with nearly identical attributes. For example, if you have just received a list of 25 new doors that your company is now carrying in stock, and all information about the doors is identical with the exception of the description and size, you can copy the information from IC Setup Product for the first door you set up. On the second and subsequent records, you can retrieve that information and paste it into the IC Setup Product window. Navigator Portal - SX.enterprise GUI has been enhanced with functionality that allows you to place web objects and link objects on the Navigator window. This functionality allows you to access more information from the SX.enterprise Navigator window. Web Objects - You can use web objects to display any web page or HTML file for viewing directly on the Navigator window. For example, you may want to display an HTML page or a Brio® report that has been published as dynamic web pages. When you add a web object to the Navigator window, you have constant access to the web page. In addition to assigning a URL or HTML document to the object, you can assign a refresh time to the object. The refresh time allows you to indicate the amount of time (in 10 minutes or seconds) that SX.enterprise should let pass before automatically refreshing the web page or document. Following is an example of what the Navigator window may look like with a web object on it. When you create a web object, you can attach any document type to the object. For example, you can use the Lookup button to search your hard drive for a Word document to attach to the web object; however, we recommend that you do not attach documents other than HTML documents to web objects. If you attach a document, such as a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, to the web object, the application associated with that file is locked for use until you close SX.enterprise or remove the web object from the Navigator window. If you need to, you can save the Word document as HTML and then link that file to the web object. If you want to link a Word document, or any document other than an HTML document to the Navigator window, you can use link objects. Navigation - Web object are not full-featured web browsers. If you use web links on the web object to move between pages, use the Forward and Back options on the shortcut menu to navigate through the web page. If you want full browser capability, a better option is to create a link object with a link to the desired web page. Using a link object will open a web browser application. Link Objects - Link objects display a collection of links to web pages or documents on the Navigator window. Following is an example of what the Navigator window might look like with a link object attached to it. When you click a link to select the document or web page, the correct application is | 11 launched based on your PC's file type associations. For example, if you create a link to an Excel spreadsheet, when you click that link, the Microsoft Excel application is opened. Return on Investment Increase in new technology, more complex computer systems, more people to hire and train. All this impacts your company's bottom line…or does it? SX.enterprise GUI can help you increase your ROI by: • Improving employee productivity • Better training tools to keep employees up to speed and provide just in time learning • Less reliance on custom modules • Improving employee productivity, improves customer service and can reduce head-count Improving Employee Productivity - Employee productivity is increased by using the SX.enterprise GUI software (examples are listed below) and head count can be reduced by the efficiency of the system. How can SX.enterprise GUI improve employee productivity? • Usability of "One Window" provides a consistent, easy-to-learn interface. • Accessibility of more information from one window, which includes browser buttons, hyperlinks, vertical menu, buttons, address bar, and quick links to different functions in SX.enterprise GUI reduces time spent on complex tasks. 12 • Ability to attach web site links to windows for vendors, customers, and products, means more consistent information delivered in less time. • Ability to attach pictures to products to aid your customer service reps. • The ease of moving information into Microsoft Excel or Word to manipulate or present data the easiest way available. • Create your own navigation centers based on job functions for employees for speed and consistency. • Enhanced Inquiry Centers provide information that is one click away. • Ability to remove fields not needed by users streamlines data entry, saving hours of work each day. • Ability to customize workflows per user, which will improve job functions and productivity. • Ability to send e-mail messages with attachments directly from your system documents such as old invoices, quotes and statements to reduce both time and errors associated with paper-based processes. SX.enterprise GUI provides a more productive environment for your employees, because the layout and workflows can be customized to your individual business rules and needs. This flexibility reduces modifications, your company has a better ability to implement upgrades due to less modifications. This creates less dependence on Infor and saves you money. A customer service representative can have two order entry windows active, customer inquiry and product inquiry windows. It takes ONE click to move between the two windows. Working in a windows environment allows much faster access to information within the system. Training - The learning curve just got shorter. If you are a customer that has been on the SX.enterprise Character system and are converting to the GUI system, you will be able to use the GUI system the first day it's installed, because of the cross-over of functionality. If you are new to SX.enterprise GUI, the interface is intuitive, on-line help is available, and there are different training tools. By simply inserting a CD in your PC or signing on to your network, anyone in your company can get answers to their questions, when they need them. The questions can range from an overview of key features of SX.enterprise; to step by step instruction for completing a stock transfer, or recording a payment in accounts receivable. We can help you cut your training costs. The training tools now available for SX.enterprise GUI allow users to come up to speed much easier and faster with Learning iCenter and Instructor-led Internet Training (ILIT). Learning iCenter - The Learning iCenter is a web-based training solution that provides self-paced learning for graphical SX.enterprise. This tool provides a way to train all of your employees in an efficient and | 13 cost-effective manner, as well as gives you the ability to track and monitor each employee’s progress and test results. With almost 140 unique courses designed to support specific task instruction of everyone in your organization, this web-based training tool, not only delivers instruction on critical tasks, but also provides a key element to any training program: management The Learning iCenter is an advanced multimedia-based learning tool, accessed from a portal instance that allows students to take self-paced learning courses to master tasks in SX.enterprise GUI. Training administrators can assign users and courses to workgroups and run reports to review student progress by user, workgroup, or course. You can customize student requirements and build a learning curriculum that meets the needs of each user's particular position in the company. Students use the Learning iCenter to take courses that teach them how to complete tasks in SX.enterprise and complete exams for each course. The flexible nature of the Learning iCenter allows students to learn at their own pace and according to their schedule. Students can end a training session part way through a course and return to the same point at a later time to complete their work as time permits The Learning iCenter is hosted by Infor and runs from a portal. Access to the Learning iCenter is based on a subscription plan. While the plan is active, you have access to the Learning iCenter and all new courses and updates that are automatically published to the server. Infor hosting of the Learning iCenter means you do not have to purchase the portal or install Learning iCenter or future upgrades. You always have access to the most recent version of course without the maintenance. ILIT - ILIT, Instructor Led-Internet Training, is designed to provide affordable, effective training through the use of Web-based instruction for new users, current character users, and users migrating to the graphical user interface (GUI) application of SX.enterprise. Designed for staff at all levels, from Senior Management to the person at the counter, these courses maximize use of the SX.enterprise GUI application. It is the first step in the learning process at Infor too. ILIT offers the opportunity to work directly with an Infor Distribution Essentials instructor in a live demonstration of the software. To join a session with an instructor over the Internet, enter the proper URL, find your session, and click JOIN NOW -- it's that simple. The number of students per session is up to you. Students can be on their own connection or on the same connection as a group. Students may even access the courses from home. 14 The objective of ILIT is to offer customers a training program that reduces the need for on-site training, thus considerably reducing the cost of implementing SX.enterprise. The training courses are developed and deployed by Infor. Less Reliance on Custom Modifications - Less reliance on custom modifications and more control over the functionality of your software. This is what every company wants and we listened. We added more functionality to SX.enterprise GUI, such as Credit Card functionality. You can process a payment using the new SX.enterprise Credit Card functionality. It uses third party credit card authorization software, ICVERIFYÒ, to authorize credit card payments. ICVerify uses a flat file system to exchange the information, authorize, then automatically capture deposits for all major credit cards, including ATM/debit cards, corporate purchase cards, and private label cards. SX.enterprise GUI also provides a more productive environment for your employees, because the layout and workflows can be customized to your individual business rules and needs. This flexibility reduces modifications, your company has a better ability to implement upgrades due to less modifications. This creates less dependence on Infor and saves you money. | 15 Connectivity Integration to the rest of the world is what SX.enterprise GUI gives you by providing email access within the system, ability to add your favorite Internet links for vendors and product pictures, and integration to standard PC products, such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. This connectivity will provide your customer service reps with "just in time knowledge" while on the telephone with your customers providing additional service and value. Other connectivity options are SX2Go, Signature Capture, and Commerce Connect. Monitoring Assets Depend on SX.enterprise GUI to maintain a tight audit trail of your operations and personnel by using the graphical audit tracking of the system with Event Manager, Audit Log, Contact and Activity Management, and System Administrator. These options give you control over your assets. Event Manager - Event Manager is a subset of the System Administrator module and is a quality information system that provides you with timely information about events within your business. It is designed to provide you with information that you can use to improve the quality of the products or services you deliver to your customers. Event Manager can also identify inefficiencies in your operation that will allow you to reduce your costs. Event Manager consists of the following components: • Trigger Setup: These are locations within SX.enterprise that can be used for a given event. • Event Setup: Each business event is defined within SX.enterprise. • Event Fields: Each event has a list of fields that are captured as part of the event. • Event Filter: The criteria that defines whether a given event has occurred or not. • Event Action: What action (email, CAM activity, CM activity, program to run) should occur when the event happens? • 16 Event Activation: Each event can be turned on or off for a given company #. Attach pictures and MSDS specification sheets to products. Add website links to access the Internet pages you need most, such as for vendors, customers and products. Send any email messages and attachments from SX.enterprise GUI, such as invoices, quotes and statements. | 17 Triggers - A trigger is a predefined procedure that initiates events during processing. Triggers represent strategic locations within the SX.enterprise code base that can be used to process one or more events. There are approximately 50 triggers in the SX.enterprise code. New triggers can be added during the normal SX.enterprise development cycle or via a custom modification. To initiate a custom modification, you must contact Infor’s Software Integration department to arrange for a trigger to be added. Events - An event indicates that something has happened in SX.enterprise that is out of the realm of normal day-to-day procedures. Events, which are created by Infor Technology programmers, are tied to triggers in the SX.enterprise source code. There are currently over 100 events in SX.enterprise. Each event is attached to one trigger. When the criteria for an event are met during SX.enterprise processing, the event occurs and notification is sent to the appropriate people specified for that event. For example, you may activate an event to notify the credit manager when a sales order is placed on hold. Contact and Activity Management (CAM) - GUI not only increases tools for customer service, but increases tools for managing customers and operators with a fully featured, fully integrated contact and activity management system called CAM. This feature, exclusive to SX.enterprise GUI, tracks the history of a customer, measure customer attitudes, communicate with others in your organization, or remind yourself and others of follow-up tasks. It allows you to set up prospects in OE Setup Prospects and tie them to customers, activities, and contacts. Refer to the "GUI Only Features & Functionality" section of this guide for more information. System Administrator Options - Administrator Options in SX.enterprise allow you to define how your system will process transactions and update General Ledger. You can set up various options related to customers, vendors, documents, system architecture, financial maintenance, and logistics. Administrator Options include: Customers, Vendors, Products, Documents, Financials, Sales History, System, and Logistics. Proven Migration Process Did you know that more than 130 customers are in various stages of upgrading to 3.1? Did you know that more than 30 customers are already live on 3.1? SX.enterprise 3.1 is generating a lot of excitement! The excitement is from customers who are choosing 3.1 as their vehicle to take them from Trend to SX.enterprise, or to take them from character to graphical. There is excitement from within Infor, as we now surround each upgrading customer with a cross-functional team. These “teams” consist of people from different departments within Infor. From Application Support to Core Development, from Account Reps to SI Managers, these team members work with the Technical Upgrade Engineer to ensure that upgrades go smoothly and that customers are happy...from Monday morning to beyond. 18 Migration reduces training time and costs for existing SX.enterprise users. Did you know that if you are running SX.enterprise character that you can add SX.enterprise GUI and use a mixed environment? Users of SX.enterprise character will find the SX.enterprise GUI application very similar. There is an "address box" for navigation - just like the "jump box" in the character version of the software. Also, the navigation of the GUI software is similar to standard graphical Microsoft navigation, which is familiar to computer literate people. Move into technology at the rate you choose. A mixed environment, one in which both character terminals and personal computers use the system, allows you to move into technology at the rate you choose. Some companies use the character Now you have a choice. You don't have to make a drastic change to get started on the GUI version. SX.enterprise GUI SX.enterprise Character | 19 terminals in the warehouse, while customer service representatives, accountants, office managers, and executives use PCs loaded with GUI. Upgrading to GUI Keeping Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications relevant with the ever-changing business environment requires continual investment and upgrades. More than ever, an ERP system is a core, strategic asset for businesses looking to stay in lock step, or ahead, of the competition. Companies that recognize their strategic asset understand that maintaining the system is an essential part of doing business. They will keep their system up to date and ensure that it continues to meet the changing requirements of their business so they receive measurable benefits throughout its life span. Upgrade business cases should not be solely built around cost savings, but should include the value that upgrading to a current version of the ERP system can bring to the overall organization. An upgrade should provide benefits that include the following: access to new functionality, improved collaboration with business partners/suppliers, ease of use, lower maintenance costs, lower cost of The bottom line is that Infor gives you choices. ownership, lower training costs, and head count reduction. In addition, the cost per user decreases dramatically with larger upgrades therefore making it more cost effective on a per user basis. Upgrades should be driven by business strategy. In a recent study by AMR Research, the top applications being driven by business strategy include: Portals and Business Intelligence, Internet Procurement Applications, Human Resources/Employee Self-Service, and Customer Management. The architecture, technology, and feature/functionality suite from your ERP system has to be kept current to remain a strategic asset to the business. Upgrading from SX.enterprise character to SX.enterprise GUI doesn't have to be painful. The GUI version of SX.enterprise is still the same product that you have used and trusted over the years - it's just easier to navigate, customizable, and has more functionality than the character version of the software. Did you know that you can still use the acronym functionality in GUI to navigate. This makes GUI usable the first day the system is running for even the most seasoned character user. The transition period is not difficult either. We offer advanced training tools to help you learn the software and utilize more of its functionality, through our Learning iCenter. It is our interactive training course. We offer on-line Instructor Led training sessions (ILIT), documentation can be viewed, printed, and downloaded from our web site at any time of the day or night, as-well-as on-line help that can be viewed and printed from any where within SX.enterprise GUI. 20 Conclusion It's easy to use, more features and functionality, greater ROI, connectivity, monitor assets, seamless 3rd party product integration, easy migration, improves customer service, employment productivity and your Return on Investment. These are just some of the advantages of SX.enterprise GUI. This is the evolution of your software - not the revolution of your software. What are the benefits, costs and risks of not upgrading? Infor is the safe choice, because our product is good, mature, easy to use, industry specific. We also protect the future of your investment with our own investment in new technology and research. Our goal is to allow the end user quick access to the data within SX.enterprise assisting them in making decisions and getting answers to their customers quickly, accurately, and efficiently. The new architecture of SX.enterprise gives much greater flexibility and ease of use. Also, the new architecture gives Infor and its customers the ability to take advantage of readily available software solutions from Microsoft and other companies - decreasing the amount of "hard coding" that Infor and its customers have to do in the future, reducing costs and potentially bringing competitive advantage to Infor’s customers. SX.enterprise GUI is also the architecture of the future. Employees familiar with using character interfaces will become more productive with SX.enterprise GUI, and employees already familiar with GUI interfaces will understand the look and feel much better, reducing training time and improving employee satisfaction. Finally, the landscape of technology is changing and new systems are becoming available all the time from companies like Microsoft. The industry is clearly going graphical with windows standards and formats. In order to continue to be a leader in the marketplace Infor will continue to dedicate more research, development, support, and enhancements to SX.enterprise GUI. This means that many future enhancements will be available in graphical only. | 21 Contact Us For more information about purchasing SX.enterprise GUI or migrating to SX.enterprise GUI, contact: • Your sales representative • Call 719 590 8940 or 800 404 8009 • Email distribution.info@infor.com • Visit www.infor.com/distribution 11720 Amber Park Drive Suite 400 Alpharetta, GA 30004 678 393 5000 |Phone 678 393 5001 |Fax Copyright © 2005 Infor Global Solutions and/or their affiliates or licensors. All rights reserved. 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