2. Focus: How Shall I Print Thee?
Recently, while explaining Lawson printing solutions to a client,
I realized how complicated and confusing this can be, particularly
when you are running on a UNIX server. This applies somewhat to
NT clients, although it's a little easier. My apologies to AS/400
users: I must admit that I'm "AS/400-challenged".

Printing is easy if all you are running is LID. Your "send to
printer" commands map to server-based printers. Any printer that
you can "ping" from the server can probably be set up as a Lawson
printer. If you're running the Lawson NT Environment, these commands
are mapped to any printer addressable by the Windows 2000 Server.
On UNIX servers, these commands are commonly mapped to UNIX lp/lpr
printer commands. You still have to navigate firewalls and VPNs
if your printing across the country, but it's still manageable.

However, new challenges arise if you're using Lawson via a browser,
for SEA tasks, for XML User Interface, and/or Portal. Specifically,
XML and Portal add a new feature when viewing a report. In addition
to printing via the Lawson server to a Lawson-defined printer, you
can also view the report as an Adobe PDF, which XML/Portal "renders"
on-the-fly for viewing in the browser.

So--depending on the task--you may be printing to a locally-connected
printer (i.e. clicking the print button on your browser's toolbar),
or you may (sometimes unknowingly) be printing remotely via the
Lawson server to a Lawson-defined printer.

Some examples:

Requisitioner: Using SEA, when you print a requisition, it is
routed to a Lawson-defined remote printer. You can also view the
RQ111 output in the XML/Portal print manager and render it as a PDF.

Requisition Approvers: Uses SEA for approve/reject, however SEA
lacks an unrelease function, so you have to use use XML/LID/Portal
to unrelease. Print via LID to Lawson-defined printer; via XML/Portal,
use PDF option to print to local printer.

PO Entry: View and print individual POs to Lawson-defined printer;
Print batch POs to Lawson-defined printer. Optionally, view in
XML/Portal, and use PDF option to print to local printer

General User: Use XML/Portal feature to print via PDF to locally-connected
printer. Unless report is large--then print to Lawson-defined remote printer.

Add in the requirement for running checks, customer invoices/statements,
delivery tickets, POs, and requisitions through server-based rendering
software (like MHC or Formscape), and you can see that this "freedom of
choice" gets confusing real fast! You really need to create a task-based "roadmap", so that you can explain to a specific user how to print each
particular type of output.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cited as the top frustration in Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
integration: "difficult integration" (39%)

Infoworld, September 2, 2002
http://www.infoworld.com/features/fecrmint.html
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- QUOTE OF THE ISSUE -
"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of
the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."
- Andy Rooney
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I got some interesting feedback on last month's article on purchasing
cards. One reader "scolded" me for not knowing that p-cards are a
requirement for DoD contractors on purchases of less than $2500
(http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/compliance/jul.htm), and therefore
that Lawson should have a ready solution. I explained that Lawson's
client base is widely varied, and that government contractors make up
only a small percentage.

The prevailing response was that p-cards are an invitation for fraud,
and that--although required by DoD for small purchases--p-cards have
hardly been a resounding success.

One reader relayed his consulting experience about a regional transit
agency purchasing rail cars on p-cards to circumvent the purchasing
approval process!

This coincides with a recent news story on p-card abuses
(http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=9999&nid=116). Seems that certain Navy
personnel were using p-cards for questionable purchases (see the
story for details), including to "hire prostitutes at brothels, buy
jewelry, gamble and attend New York Yankees and Los Angeles Lakers
games".

The Pentagon, of course, has promised to mend its ways, however the
focus is on "after-the-fact" audits and reconciliation. No mention
of a system to prevent fraud before it happens.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Remember to VOTE on November 5th! It's your civic duty.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

6. Lawson Tips & Tricks
By the way, if you have a tip you'd like to share, send it to
.

a. If you're running a Unix/NT version of Lawson, you can use the
'nohup' command to make your admin tasks a little easier. If you've
ever had to fight a noisy phone line during a remote dbreorg, you'll
appreciate this command:

nohup dbreorg productline > dbreorg.log 2>&1 &

- The nohup tells command processor to ignore hangup signals (SIGHUP)
- The first redirection ">" captures Unix stdout to log file
- The second (2>&1) captures stderr (which catches Lawson error
messages)
- The final & tells command processor to run detached (i.e. background).

If you log out or are disconnected from your current session, the command
will continue to run, and you can periodically check dbreorg.log.

If you log out and have nohup'ed jobs running when you logout, you will
be warned "You have jobs running". Simply logout again, and your
background jobs will continue to run.

You can also use this technique for impexp, expsysdb, etc.

b. With Internet Explorer, pressing Ctrl+N will open a duplicate
window (i.e. second browser window, opened to the same URL/form).
This gives you the same functionality using Portal or XML User
Interface as pressing F10 in LID.

c. If you're running Unix or NT, here's how to call an operating system
command from inside a Lawson COBOL program (this is an example to move
a file):

Put something like this in your WS:

02 WS-CMD-MOVE-REPLACE.
   03     FILLER       PIC X(06) VALUE "sh -c ".
   03     FILLER       PIC X(01) VALUE x"22".
   03     FILLER       PIC X(03) VALUE "mv ".
   03     WS-FROM-FILE PIC X(50) VALUE SPACES.
   03     FILLER       PIC X(01) VALUE SPACES.
   03     WS-TO-FILE   PIC X(50) VALUE SPACES.
   03     FILLER       PIC X(01) VALUE x"22".
   03     FILLER       PIC X(01) VALUE x"00".

And this in your PD:

    MOVE "File1"     TO WS-FROM-FILE.
    MOVE "File2"     TO WS-TO-FILE.
    CALL "system" USING WS-CMD-MOVE-REPLACE.

If you're running NT, remember that you're actually calling the MKS
toolkit, so you'll need to use Unix-style commands.