MES Model-Driven Application Content (Version 3.0) Readme

Last revision: 3/30/2020

About This Release

The model-driven application content is designed to allow you to use the forms and workflows as is for inventory, job, and work order management, or to customize them to meet the requirements of your specific production environment.

This version of the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) model-driven application content is being delivered as three Workflow Management packages:

• The Inventory Management version 3.0 package (MES_PKG_Inventory_Management) includes forms and workflows that allow supervisors and operators to receive and manage inventory among lots and storage locations.

  In this release, the Material Reception menu option has been added to the Operations>Operator menu to allow operators to open the Receive form.

• The Job Management version 3.0 package (MES_PKG_Job_Management), along with the Split Control version 3.0 package (MES_PKG_CustomControl_Split), include forms and workflows that allow operators to manage jobs in a job queue, add job production, add BOM consumption, and manage utilization events for entities.

  The utilization event management feature, which is new in this release, allows operators to:

  • Assign new utilization events to entities
  • Edit utilization events to, for example, change an event's pending reason to its actual reason
  • Merge two utilization events
  • Split a utilization event
• The Work Order (WO) Management version 3.0 package (MES_PKG_Wo_Po_Management) includes forms and workflows that allow supervisors to manage work orders, a work order's job bill of materials (BOM) records, and a work order's job specifications.

This version also includes localization for all three packages for the following languages: Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish.

System Requirements

AVEVA Software Requirements

The following AVEVA software is required for using MES model-driven application content:

• Workflow Management 2019 or 2019 U1
  • Workflow Management 2019 U1 requires the following hotfix: WM2019‑Update1‑HTFX‑6.1.1053.2.
• MES 2017 R2 (version 6.1)

  Note: MES model-driven application content supports OS Group and OS User MES users, but not native MES users.

• Workflow Management Connector and Extension for MES 2017 R2 (version 6.4)

  Note: Workflow Management Extension and Connector for MES version 6.3 cannot be upgraded to version 6.4. You must uninstall version 6.3, then install version 6.4.

• Intelligence 2017 U1 (a non-licensed limited version is included with the MES 2017 R2 installation software; the full version is optional)

In addition, for solutions using automated data and event capture:

• System Platform 2017 U3 SP1 (Application Server, InTouch, Historian).
• Workflow Management Connector and Extension for the latest available update of System Platform 2017. Currently, this is the Skelta BPM 2017 R2 U2 Connector for System Platform (note that when the install file is downloaded, it is called Skelta BPM Connector for SP2017U3.zip).

Operating System, SQL Server, and Browser Requirements

For a particular node when implementing MES model-driven application content, the Windows operating system version, SQL Server version, and web browser must be compatible with all of the AVEVA products that are being installed on the node.

For the current compatibility information, see the Technology Matrix, which is available in the Knowledge and Support Center. To access the Knowledge and Support Center, start at the Contact Page and click through the Customer Support links.

Hardware Requirements

The Windows operating system and SQL Server versions that are being used in the Model-Driven MES solution impose hardware requirements for the nodes in the solution. Refer to the Microsoft MSDN web site for the hardware requirements for the versions of Windows and SQL Server that are being used.

For hardware requirements specific to AVEVA products that are being used, see the Technology Matrix, which is available in the Knowledge and Support Center. To access the Knowledge and Support Center, start at the Contact Page and click through the Customer Support links.

In addition, it is strongly recommended that the Workflow Management server node and all client nodes have at least 16 GB of RAM to optimize performance.

Installing MES Model-Driven Application Content

For complete system requirements and instructions about how to install a system to support MES model-driven application content and how to install or update the application content Workflow Management workflow packages, see the MES Model-Driven Application Content Installation Guide.

Extracted Installation Files Folder Structure

The folder structure of the MES model-driven application content installation files, after being extracted from the installation Zip file, is described below.

Top Level Folder

• Additional Files folder The additional files that might have to be manually copied during an upgrade. See Known Issues.
• Workflow Management hot fix folder The Workflow Management hot fix that must be installed before installing or upgrading any packages.
• Package files The MES model-driven application content package files.
• User documentation files The Readme, Installation Guide, and Developer Guide.

Additional Files Folders

• CSS The CSS files for all packages.
• DLL The DLL file for the Job Management Split control.
• JS The javascript files for all packages.
• Locales The localized text files for all packages, organized by the locales of the supported languages.
• Help folders The folders that contain the help files, by package.
• MDMSPLIT\images folder Image files for the Split control.
• MDMTHEME\images folder Image files that are used by forms and controls for all packages.

Known Issues

Display Issues on Non-Windows Devices

MES model-driven application content has been optimized for web browsers on Windows devices. While Workflow Management does not support browsers on non-Windows devices, MES model-driven application content has been tested on a limited number of these devices (that is, Android and iPad tablets). Best results were found with Chrome in landscape mode (if the tablet device is used in portrait mode, you might experience limitations in the display of the forms). Future versions of MES model-driven application content will further address mobile device needs and support for the Work Tasks Pro application.

Open Change Requests

The following table lists the known open change request for MES model-driven application content, listed by its change request number.

Editing Job Management Cancel Job Workflow Displays Error Message

Attempting to edit an activity in the job management Cancel Job workflow (MDMCancelJobWorkFlow) causes an error to occur. The error that is logged to the console indicates that elements with the same name and in the same scope must have the same type. This occurs because the stored procedure (Prod.JobExec.ChangeJobStates:SP_U_JOB_EXEC_CHANGEJOBSTATES) that is called by MESXML command that cancels the job returns two results, one a string and one an integer, when only one result is expected.

To workaround this issue

1. Select the Cancel Job MESXML Command activity.
2. In the Properties panel, click Generate Command.
3. In the dialog, change the Cancel Job States stored procedure to another stored procedure that returns only one result (e.g., Prod.Item.Add:SP_I_ITEM).
4. Click Generate Input/Output X.
5. Make your intended edits to the workflow and save them.
6. When you are finished making changes, change the stored procedure that is called by the Cancel Job MESXML Command activity back to Prod.JobExec.ChangeJobStates:SP_U_JOB_EXEC_CHANGEJOBSTATES.
7. Click Generate Input/Output X.
8. Save the change to the workflow.

User Authentication Method When Using MES Model-Driven Application Content with InTouch OMI

If using MES model-driven application content with InTouch OMI, Active Directory user authentication does now work consistently. When creating the repository, its Resource Provider property should be set to Repository User Provider and not Active Directory. This issue is being investigated as part of Workflow Management Defect #1301351.

Additional Known Issues

Following are additional known issues in this release of MES model‑driven application content.

• When updating a package, the additional files might not be installed. If this has occurred, you have to copy the additional files manually, which are in Zip files provided with the package files. For complete instructions about updating workflow packages and where additional files should be stored, see the MES Model-Driven Application Content Installation Guide.
• When updating the packages, a warning message might appear in the install window. Also, two errors and a warning message are logged in SMC. The error relates to the folders created in Forms to separate each package. The error does not affect proper functionality of package features.
• When a form lookup is called and no records are returned, a warning message is logged in SMC because the MES Web API returns a null instead of an empty JArray. This issue does not adversely affect the use of the form.
• Some messages in the job management utilization Split control have not been translated to the supported languages. For information about which messages were not translated and in which file they are located, see the localization chapter in the MES Model-Driven Application Content Installation Guide.
• If using Work Order Management while running Workflow Management 2019, using certain non‑English characters for work order and operation IDs can cause some work order and job actions, such as changing their status or deleting work orders, to fail. The solution is to upgrade to Workflow Management 2019 U1.

MES Model-Driven Application Content Documentation

The MES model-driven application content documentation set includes the following:

MES Model-Driven Application Content Installation Guide

Provides information about installing Workflow Management, MES, Workflow Management Extension and Connector for MES, Workflow Management Extension and Connector for System Platform, and Intelligence to support using the MES model-driven application content. Also provides information about installing or updating the MES model-driven application content packages.

Work Order Management Help

Provides information about using the Work Order Management form.

Job Management Help

Provides information about using the Job Management form.

Inventory Management Help

Provides information about using the Inventory Management form.

MES Model-Driven Application Content Developer Guide

Provides information about how to use MES model-driven application custom controls in Workflow Management forms.