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DataCore News DataCore has been selected by another Electric Utility in Alaska to implement AM-Meridian with an Oracle database backend. DataCore has the largest number of AM-Meridian installations in Electric Utilities worldwide. Numerous Companies Select DataCore to Upgrade AM-WorkFlow to AM-TeamWork A number of companies, including Tyco Electronics and Anne Arundel School District, have recently selected DataCore to upgrade their AM-WorkFlow systems to AM-TeamWork. Having been satisfied with their AM-WorkFlow systems from Cyco Software for years, they decided it was about time to reap the benefits of new technology. Additionally, Tyco looked forward to the out-of-box integration with ARCHIBUS/FM total infrastructure and facilities management software. Most companies are shocked to learn that in just about two weeks, they could be up and running with such a powerful and affordable system. DataCore Presenting at Pharmaceutical Event in Italy In September, Cyco Software will host a first-time event targeted at the Pharmaceutical industry in Italy. Cyco asked DataCore to talk about its experience implementing its FDA Module for AM-Meridian and how it has helped Pharmaceutical companies comply with 21 CFR Part 11. DataCore Announces New Partner Program DataCore's new Partner Program is offered to companies who want to promote Electronic Document Management (EDM) to their installed customer base. The program will help system integrators and Value Added Resellers across the country to provide additional EDM services to their customers, which will strengthen client relations and boost customer satisfaction. ìDataCore Technology is one of our premier channel partners,î says Eric Bouwer, Cyco Software CEO. ìThey have developed an excellent project delivery methodology to consistently help customers get up and running quickly with a quality system using Cyco Software products. Now they can offer that same methodology through other resellers as part of their new Partner Program.î Click here for the complete press release. DataCore Adds New Senior Developer Scott Rafferty, the newest member of the DataCore team brings a wealth of experience with him, most recently from Unisys as a Technology Architect. Scott has already been through Cyco AM-Meridian developer certification training and is already working on a major project.
AutoManager
News Cyco has released enhancement pack C to its AutoManager 2003 series software. Since version 2003 has been released, Cyco has continued to add exciting new functionality to its family of products. Some of the major enhancements include:
Click here to read the latest "What's new" document. Cyco Announces Affordable Bill of Material Module The Cyco AutoManager BOM Module reduces errors in the Bill Of Material creation process and distribution, cuts design time and boosts inter- departmental collaboration -- enabling small to medium sized manufacturing companies to achieve faster time-to-market. The Cyco AutoManager BOM Module distinguishes itself for its ease of implementation, affordable pricing, seamless integration with other corporate enterprise systems and support for a variety of CAD systems. Click here for the complete press release and contact DataCore for additional information. SolidWorks Gold Product Status Awarded to Cyco Cyco has been awarded the coveted Gold Partnership status by SolidWorks Corporation for its Cyco AutoManager Meridian and Cyco AutoManager TeamWork products. This exclusive seal of approval demonstrates Cyco Software's leadership position in the EDM/PLM market and maximizes benefits to customers by complying with SolidWorks' stringent software requirements for full document management integration with SolidWorksÆ 2002 and higher. Click here for the complete press release.
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PowerUser
Tip AM-Meridian 2003 is the first version of AM-Meridian to offer out-of-box reporting functionality. This capability supports the Microsoft Office applications of Word, Excel, and Access well, especially Word. Reports are built by first defining the output scope in Configurator. A new Reports switch bar section lists all existing reports and allows for the creation of new ones. Every report has a name specified on the General tab that appears for users in PowerUser. If you desire the report to only include certain documents, an existing Collection can be chosen as the default query upon which the report will be run. This query will display as a scope selection to users in addition to the currently selected vault object (folder, collection, work area, etc.). More about that later. If you need to make a new Collection, that can be done from within Configurator too.
Defining a report's scope in AM-Meridian 2003 The next step in report definition is to specify the properties that will be sent to the report by configuring the Report Data property page. On this page you can easily choose the properties to include in the output by transferring properties from the left hand list to the right hand list. A sorting property can also be chosen as well as calculated path properties.
Choosing report properties in AM-Meridian 2003
The last step in report definition depends on the intended
output format and whether or not a template is used and is
performed with the Report Format property page.
Configuring
report format options in AM-Meridian 2003
In addition to the Microsoft Office output formats, reports can
also be output in plain text format. If a user selects this
format (or any other format except Word) and no template is specified then the properties defined
on the Report Data page are simply dumped to the output file
without formatting and using the delineator characters specified
on the Report Options page. If formatting is desired, then a template
must be defined using the Add button to display the New Report
Template dialog. Select the "Text based report generated from
script expressions" option, specify an output file name and
default output file extension.
Report
template options for formatted text output in AM-Meridian 2003 When these options are set, the expressions displayed on the Report Format page are used to output text for the report's name, header, one line for each document, and a footer. Convenient VB Script editor buttons are provided for each expression that make it easy to compose expressions using standard VB Script functions and constants. The expression builder also includes a limited number of object properties from the AM-Meridian API, including Report and User and some useful functions. The editor has a built-in script validator that helps prevent script bugs.
If Microsoft Word is your intended output format, then the
Templates section of this property page should be used to
specify an existing Word template file to which the output is
sent.
AM-Meridian imports a copy of this template so that it is used
for all reports, so the template should be re-imported if any
changes are made to the template source file.
Report
template options for Microsoft Word output in AM-Meridian 2003
The Word template should contain standard hyperlinks that define
which property should appear in the report output in each
hyperlink's location. Properties are defined by addressing the
correct property set and the property's Name (not DisplayName
property). This is different than the method used to address
properties in the Expressions section of the Report Format page. For example, the hyperlink to display the Revision
Number value in a Word formatted report should use AMVersionablePropertySet._VERSIONNUMBER.
An expression to output the same property to a text report
should use ReportRecord.Property("_VERSIONNUMBER").
Configuring
a property hyperlink in Microsoft Word The final property page in Configurator, Report Options, allows you to customize the characters used to delineate each property and text strings when the output format is plain text. Once a report definition has been created, it is not yet available to be run inside PowerUser. Each report has an Execute Report permission that must be set within Roles and Privileges of Configurator. By default, no security roles are given permission and must be set accordingly. If a report definition uses a collection as its scope, that query must also be executable by the role that will run the report. When permission is granted to a user for a report, that report will list for them in PowerUser either by clicking Vault>Reports or by selecting Build Report from the context menu after right-clicking over a folder.
After selecting the desired report definition, run time options
can be selected for output. The available Scope options will
depend on whether a folder is selected or the root of the vault.
If a folder is selected, the report will include all documents
within the current folder (before any filtering performed by a query). An option is also presented to recurse all
subfolders. If the root of the Main area is selected, then a
list of all shared dynamic collections is presented for
selection.
Selecting report run time options in AM-Meridian 2003 Output format options will include the standard Office file types, plain text (and Unicode), and any report definitions for which the user has been granted permissions. If the "Open report when done" option is deselected then an output file destination may be selected. If this option is selected, AM-Meridian will launch the correct application to view the report output when it is completed. The file must then be saved from within the application. The "Add to existing report" option will append the new output to an existing report file. Using Word templates is by far the most customizable and flexible of all the AM-Meridian report format options. Besides including hyperlinks to property values (even thumbnail images), you have complete control over the aesthetics of each report definition. Font attributes, colors, tables, logos, and more can be used to create visually attractive and informative reports. As with all programs, there are some limitations to AM-Meridian's reports:
If you need the additional flexibility that these limitations prevent, then consider using AM-Meridian's reports or Archive utility to output raw data to a Microsoft Access or Excel file and use Access, Crystal Reports, or some other application to refine and output final reports. In spite of these limitations, AM-Meridian's reports provide a useful solution for the majority of reporting needs. |
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© 2003 DataCore Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. The names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. |
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