Information Systems:Catapult

Description

Catapult is now located on smithers Catapult is sold and supported by the same people as WebSmart.

Catapult is an automated distribution tool that delivers spool files in the format people want (From BCD’s website). It can fax, email, and archive reports; getting the address or destination information from within the spool file itself. (See ‘Catapult and WebSmart manuals’.) It runs on a Windows server.

The i uses the EXODUS51 subsystem to communicate with Catapult (as well as with the WebSmart IDE). But the link is pretty sensitive. If the subsystem is ended while Catapult remains active, the link will not be re-established when the system is restarted. Catapult will also have to be restarted. Because we go into a restricted state every night, Catapult has to be put on a schedule that will restart it automatically every morning. As of 24 Jun 2015, this is not working correctly.

How uniPHARM Uses Catapult

Check the Catapult console/GUI to see the list of rules for a complete picture of how uniPHARM uses Catapult.

• Sales order confirmations
• Bank EDI / POS transaction import logs
• Shelf labels / price tickets
• Misc. finance reports
• BRMS backup reports

We use it to deliver printer output in PDF to WebOrders (price tags and shelf labels) and InfoNet (shareholder lists and labels).

Every morning at 8:00AM a scheduled job runs that generates (but does not print) the BRMS recovery reports, then runs the 'grab' rule that causes Catapult to archive the reports to SuperServer, and email them to the IT group. When it does this, it gets the backup tape volume ID from the report and includes it in the email subject (to tell us which tape should be removed and sent offsite).

We generate (but do not print) a lot of reports during the overnight processes (end of day, week, and month), and were saving them into a collection of out queues in the library ‘FINANCE’ (which was a manual process). In February 2016, we started using Catapult to archive them, in PDF, on SuperServer. They are all in Accounting / common / ASWreports /, then a folder structure formatted to make it clear where things are; ie ‘/ InvJournal / periodYYYYMM / InvJournalJJJJ.pdf where YYYYMM is the accounting period, and JJJJ is the journal number.

One of the options for the sales order confirmation email sent to stores is to attach a pdf report. If a store selects this option, IOP will produce a spool file in outqueue qusrsys/orderconf. The Catapult rule will get the store's email address out of this report, then email the pdf file.

Connecting the i to Catapult

Exodus is ended every night at 3:00AM when the system goes into a restricted state in order to do a full backup, then started again by EODSTR2

In order for Catapult to run, subsystem ‘EXODUS55’ and job ‘EXSERV55’ must be running. If they aren’t, ENDSBS EXODUS55 (if the subsystem is running but the job isn’t), then STRSBS XL_EX55/EXODUS55.

Originally, the '55' was not in any of these names. Version 5.5 was enough of a change that previous versions of Catapult and WebSmart would not work with it. So until both of these were upgraded, we had to run two version of Exodus at the same time.

Catapult on the Server

Catapult runs as a service on Magoo. Right click on the red ball in the lower right corner. (Sometimes it isn't there, and clicking on the icon 'Catapult Launchpad' says it is already running. Cancel it, then the red ball will be in the lower right corner.) A couple of the options are –

Launch Console

Configure the connection to the i through File / Connect to System.

These are the ‘rules’ that determine which spool files will be processed. Select one, and right click to see the options, or double click on one to edit it.

You can see on the left which sections are in use. Click on each one to see what’s there. Notice that ‘Transformation’ says to create a PDF document, and ‘Distribution’ says to archive it in \\bart.unipharm.local\webroot\unipharm\ShelfLabels.

However, some of these settings can be changed when the rule is called; which can be done by the poller, or by a CL command.

Manage Pollers

The poller looks at specific out queues on the i, and checks to see if anything matches the defined rules. Here is where you setup the times the poller will automatically run, which out queues to monitor, and how often to look at them.

Click on a poller to select it, then click on 'Configure Poller'. Set up the start up and down down times in 'General Settings'. In 'OutQueues' indicate where Catapult is to look for spool files that match one of the 'grab rules'; Its best to only include queues that will not have a lot of files in them.

Run Grab Rule (ZRUNRULE)

The poller isn't the only way for Catapult to process spool files. CL programs that build the spool files can manually call the rule we want to run (after adding XL_CATAPLT to the library list).

ZRUNRULE FILE(LABELS) SPLNBR(*LAST) RULENBR(28) TIMEOUT(20) PCFILE(11005_20150508_105938.pdf) PCPATH('\\bart\webroot\unipharm\shelflabels')

This calls rule 28, manually changing the spool file name, output file name, and where to put it.

Even though rule 10 is called ‘Price Tickets’, we also use it for partner lists and mailing labels in WebSmart.

If Exodus is running, but Catapult isn’t, Exodus will queue the ZRUNRULE commands, then submit them all when Catapult comes up. As WebOrders and InfoNet programs delete the spool files after issuing the command, they will fail. That is best, as in those cases a user is expecting immediate results; not tomorrow morning. Instead of deleting the spool file in the CL, most rules have the option to delete it turned on, so they will run correctly whenever Catapult comes up.

Poller vs ZRUNRULE

I like using the command instead of the poller, because then I can control exactly what happens when. But there are cases when it is not possible to use ZRUNRULE.

The overnight process generates several query reports, which need to be processed by several different rules. If ZRUNRULE was used, there is no way of identifying the different query spool files; the last one would be processed. Which would work if the rule was processed before the next query report was generated. But Catapult does not run overnight, so the rules would be queued. The first rule run, instead of getting the first query report would get the last, and the last rule run would get the first report.

But the rule itself in Catapult allows for more identifiers; one of which is the user data field. Notice that the out queue is one that will have vary few spool files in it.

Before the query is run, the output must be overridden with -

OVRPRTF  FILE(QPQUPRFIL)  OUTQ(FINANCE/FINTEMP)  USRDTA(REPORT2)

Shelf Labels

These can be printed by shareholders in Web Orders; either by item number or by invoice. The i creates a spool file, then calls a Catapult rule to create a PDF file, and place it in the IFS (PC type disk on the i). Web Orders displays this PDF, and the user prints it.

They are difficult to print; not all printers output the PDF file exactly the same, so they don’t always line up on the forms. Sometimes the printers have trouble feeding the cardboard, so again they don’t line up.

If a shareholder is printing a lot of shelf labels, we can do it for them. Go to Unity / Start uniPharm Extensions / VA Company / Work with UWD IT Tools. Then we have two choices; print by sales order, or by file.

The store can use UniTech to scan the items they want labels for, then upload into the label cart. We don’t need the label cart – they can clear it, we need to know the date and time they uploaded the file. Go to bart / webroot / uniPHARM / Handheld Orders, and find the uploaded file. (file name is ‘HH’, store number, time.)

The printer file is built on Bart, then sent via Catapult to -

bart\webroot\unipharm\shelflabels\shlabels.pdf

Double click on this file to load it into Adobe Reader.

Print this, making sure that ‘Page Scaling’ is set to None.

Label Formats

The label header file is WSLBHDP in library WEBPRDD.

WORK WITH DATA IN A FILE                       Mode . . . . :   CHANGE         
Format . . . . :   WSLBHDR                     File . . . . :   WSLBHDP        
                                                                               
*RECNBR:              5                                                        
Label Type:    SHELF                                                           
Label form:    TYPE1A                                                          
Description:   Std-includes SRP, descr at bot                                  
Top Mgn:                                                                       
Lft Mgn:                                                                       
Labels Across:   4                                                             
Lbls Down:       8                                                             
Label Width:    28                                                             
Label Length:   11                                                             
Col Adj Lbl #:   4                                                             
Col Adj Cols:    1-                                                            
Row Adj Lbl1:    2                                                             
Row Adj Lbl2:    6                                                             
Row Adj Rows:    1                                                             

Top margin

- how many lines above top label

Left margin

- how many spaces to left of first label

Label width

- width in characters

Label length

- length in lines

The next five fields are required if the computer cannot exactly match the dimensions of the form; a ‘fudge factor’.

Column adjustment label number

- column of labels on which to do vertical adjustment

Column adjustment

- number of columns to insert (this can be negative to delete columns)

Row adjustment label number (first)

- row of labels on which to do horizontal adjustment

Row adjustment label number (second)

- row of labels on which to do horizontal adjustment

Row adjustment

- number of rows to insert (this cannot be negative)

The label detail file is WSLBDTP in library WEBPRDD.

WORK WITH DATA IN A FILE                       Mode . . . . :   CHANGE         
Format . . . . :   WSLBDTR                     File . . . . :   WSLBDTL1       
                                                                               
Label Type: SHELF                                                              
Label form: TYPE1A                                                             
Line:         6                                                                
Column:       1                                                                
Field name: SRP                                                                
Abs Pos 1:    7                                                                
Abs Pos 2:   20                                                                
Abs Pos 3:   34                                                                
Abs Pos 4:   49                                                                
Abs Pos 5:                                                                     
Abs Pos 6:                                                                     
Abs Pos 7:                                                                     
Abs Pos 8:                                                                     
Abs Pos 9:                                                                     
Font name:  Courier New                                                        
Font size:  16                                                                 
Bold?:                                                                         

This file positions each field on the label.

Line and Column

- this field’s position on each label

Field name

- the options are UPC, UWD item #, Pathfinder, size, SRP, description 1, and description 2

Absolute Position

- use this column, which in relation to the entire page, rather than ‘Column’, which in relation to an individual label. Up to nine labels can be defined.

Font name and size

- change the font and size of the field (for example, print the price larger)

Bold

- bold the field (for example, description, which for Medicine Centre shelf labels is printed on a green background)