TWL interface

Components

These integrated components create an interface between Distribution SX.e and TWL and enable you to share data and keep that data current:

• Distribution SX.e

  Distribution SX.e controls the financial data, static records, and all the proprietary information of your organization. As transactions occur during the business day, those that affect your warehouse pass through the interface to the TWL system for processing.

• Database

  The database contains schema and data for both the Distribution SX.e and TWL systems.

• Warehouse Logistics module

  The Warehouse Logistics (WL) module in Distribution SX.e includes functions for inquiry, entry, reports, and administration. The WL module includes the interface, which operates in the background. These functions are available from the WL menu:

  • WL Audit Inventory Report: This report is specific to TWL. After you have completed the initial load in TWL, generate the WL Audit Inventory Report to balance the on hand and unavailable quantities in Product Warehouse Product Setup to the available, reserved, and unavailable quantities recorded in TWL.
  • WL Delete Transmissions Report: You can use this report for all WL products. Use it specifically in TWL to delete inactive TWL transactions from WL Transaction Inquiry.
  • WL Entry Batch Adjust Inventory Report: You can use this report for all WL products. Use it specifically in TWL to pick up stock adjustments and launch the appropriate function to update inventory control and the general ledger. STK (stock adjustment) transactions that are created in TWL pass through the interface and remain in WL Transaction Inquiry until the WL Entry Batch Adjust Inventory Report picks them up.
  • WL Entry Batch Receiving Report: You can use this report for all WL products. Use it specifically in TWL to update the General Ledger and Product files and fill back orders after you have received incoming shipments and corrected receiving exceptions. This report incorporates the receiving transactions from TWL to the system. To process the receipts coming into the TWL warehouse, it launches Purchase Receipt of Inventory Entry, Transfer Receipt of Inventory Entry, KP Work Order Center Entry, and VA Receipt of Inventory Entry.
  • WL Entry Batch Shipping Report: You can use this report for all WL products. Use it specifically in TWL to gather the active orders and transfers shipped in TWL, zero shipped orders, and packed orders to be shipped with an external shipping interface from WL Transaction Inquiry. This report updates line item and header information, similar to Sales Shipping Feedback Entry and Transfer Shipping Entry, when standard system orders and transfers are shipped.
  • WL Initialize Warehouse Administration: You can use this function to move table value records, additional product data, and product cross-references from the system to TWL.
  • WL Inventory Balance Report: This report is specific to TWL. Use the report to compare the current as is balances of the system and TWL, locate out-of-balance conditions, display detail of the inventory transactions, orders in process, and serial and lot detail. Operator intervention, timing issues, or processing flaws may cause an out-of-balance condition to occur.
  • WL New Products Report: You can use this report for all WL products. Use it specifically in TWL to help you identify new product records, so you can add the appropriate fields to optimize TWL, such as inner pack, case, and pallet quantities. The report also prints the Product Warehouse Product Setup quantity information and the cubic dimensions from Product Setup.
  • WL Receiving Exception/RT Close Report: This report is specific to TWL. Use the report to create RCV transactions in WL Transaction Inquiry when you are using line item receiving. Receiving purchase orders by entering the line item and quantity received enables you to receive against multiple purchase orders in a single shipment.
  • WL Transaction Inquiry: You can use this function for all WL products. Use it specifically in TWL to display all data transmission files that pass between TWL and Distribution SX.e. The report shows the transaction files created in the system before they are downloaded to TWL and the TWL data transmissions after they are uploaded to the system. You can use this function to monitor, resubmit, or change the status of the transmissions.
  • WL Zero Shipped Orders Report: This report is specific to TWL. Use the report to show orders in Stage 1 (Ordered) that were zero shipped in TWL. Lost business lines and returned lines are excluded from this report. Sales Order Entry lines that are back ordered are not display on this report.
• TWL

  The TWL system is composed of the TWL Online and TWL RF systems. These components control the warehousing tasks that directly affect inventory. Although timing differences inherently exist with record updates, correct use of the RF and online systems ensure that Distribution SX.e is accurately updated.

  • TWL Web: Access TWL Online from the Distribution SX.e menu. Use this system to initially set up master records and define system-wide parameters. Then, you can use the system to inquire on TWL records, generate TWL reports, and perform warehousing tasks.

    Warehouse managers use the functions accessible from this menu to schedule and direct tasks performed by the RF users. The information gathered by RF units updates the online system immediately. Because the system records every movement in the warehouse, several analysis and management reports are also accessible from this menu.

  • TWL Radio Frequency: The RF system uses hand-held units to track order status, scan barcode labels, and transmit the data to the TWL system. It is an intuitive, user-friendly tool that enables you to perform your job productively and accurately.
  • End-of-day process: The EOD (end-of-day) process is a background utility that maintains the age of data stored in the TWL files, calculates inventory class by velocity, schedules cycle counts, cleans up system log files, clears any inventory discrepancies, and creates the product history files. Set up EOD to run on a daily basis.

Distribution SX.e setups

Distribution SX.e must be set up to accommodate TWL. Some setups in SA Administrator Options, System Administrator, and Warehouse Logistics enable TWL functions or influence how TWL operates, so you must consider these settings:

• SA Administrator Options: These options to control how TWL and Distribution SX.e function together:
  • Administrator Options for WL Location

    The location is set up in SA Administrator Options-Logistics-WL Locations. Each TWL warehouse must be associated with a location name. The location name identifies the connection that links a warehouse to the TWL system. Therefore, you must associate the location record with the Product Warehouse Description Setup record of the TWL warehouse.

  • Administrator Options for products

    You can expand the Product field in Distribution SX.e and TWL to allow entry of up to 50 characters. This enables you to accommodate product, item, service, part, or SKU numbers used between partners, vendors, and customers that exceed the default 24-character limit. The administrator must enable the expansion in SA Administrator Options-Products-Defaults by selecting the Allow Expanded Product Length option, then signing out and signing back in to activate the change. This action enables use of the expanded product number in: specific entry functions, such as Product Setup and nonstock entry in Sales Order Entry; in specific reports, such as Product Administration Change Product Report; in WL functions, such as WL Transaction Inquiry.

  • Administrator Options for sales orders

    These options are available in SA Administrator Options-Documents-Sales Orders-Entry Settings. To assign lot numbers from Distribution SX.e when you enter the order, select Yes for the Force Lot/Serial Input During Entry option.

  • Administrator Options for back orders

    If you have set up Distribution SX.e to pick inventory quickly, for example, you have enabled Auto BO Fill in Product Warehouse Product Setup-General, you can set options in SA Administrator Options-Documents-Sales Orders-Back Orders to work with TWL.

    For Create Back Orders At Which Stage, select Picking(2) to ensure a smooth workflow and create back orders when you print an order. While the timing for a back order is set at the company level in SA Administrator Options, if a warehouse is linked to TWL, the system programmatically creates the back order at Stage 2 (Picking) regardless of the option setting. Regular warehouses can create back orders at higher stages.

    For Action to Take on Completion of Receiving, select Fill Back Orders or Receipts Report to fill back orders, ship complete orders, tag and hold orders, and orders tied to purchase orders or warehouse transfers. The remaining quantity received is moved to the quantity on hand.

    Select Print Pick Tickets After BO Fill.

    For Once Completed, select Both Move and Delete to ensure orders can be filled from new receipts when the WL Entry Batch Receiving Report is processed.

    For Method For Automatic BO Fill, select All to ensure all orders and lines are considered when the WL Entry Batch Receiving Report is processed.

  • Administrator Options for printing

    In SA Administrator Options-Documents-Sales Orders-Printing, select Yes for Print Pick Ticket Line Items When Quantity Shipped is 0 to ensure all line items are printed on pick tickets that are used as packing lists.

    In SA Administrator Options-Logistics-WL Options, select No for Download Zero Quantity Lines for Order Manager to Drop to prevent zero quantity shipped lines from being downloaded to TWL and displaying on RF screens. If all lines on an order contain a zero quantity shipped, standard Distribution SX.e does not print the order, so it is not downloaded to TWL.

    In SA Administrator Options-System-Report Items-Options, select the Sales Entry Pick Tickets Report and select Yes for Print TWL Carton Detail? to print TWL carton detail in various reports . Repeat this process for the VA Entry Processing Pick Tickets Report and Transfer Entry Print Warehouse Transfer Report.

• SA Table Code Value Setup records

  To facilitate return merchandise (RM) entry and ensure the correct unavailable reason is downloaded with the order, set up Return/Adjust Reason codes to match TWL's Return Reason codes and Adjustment codes. Because TWL controls inventory, it also controls the codes that it uses to manage inventory. TWL uses specific reason codes to determine how to handle stock that is unavailable for sale. These reasons are hard-coded in TWL. Therefore, to synchronize TWL with Distribution SX.e, you must set up specific codes in SA Table Code Value Setup that coincide with TWL’s reason codes. This table shows the codes and their related terms and descriptions:

  Code	Term	Description
  I	Inventory Hold	Damage occurred within the warehouse.
  L	Liquidation	Stock with salvage value
  O	Overage	Received quantity greater than ordered
  Q	Quality Assurance	Inspection being performed
  R	Returns Hold	Inventory returned by the customer
  S	Scrap	Goods scheduled to be scrapped
  T	Transport Damage	Damage occurred in transit
  W	Work-In-Process	Kits that are scheduled for assembly
  Blank	Available	Inventory available for sale

  Note:  If you previously used these characters for other-than-TWL unavailable reason codes, you must redefine them.
• WL Initialize Warehouse Administration

  Distribution SX.e uses WL Initialize Warehouse Administration to create the data transmission files used to transfer the data from Distribution SX.e into TWL. Several options in the Create in TWL section are available from Distribution SX.e. Select the type of data transmission you want to initiate. It is recommended you select only one type of transmission to occur at a time. This enables you to isolate any errors that might occur.

  Access the options from Warehouse Logistics > Administration > Initialize Warehouse.

  Select Create WL Tables Setups to download the Reason Unavailable and Return/Adjust Reasons from SA Table Code Value Setup to TWL.

  After you click Submit and generate WL Initialize Warehouse Administration, any changes to the record are transmitted to each active Product Warehouse Description Setup TWL location set up in Distribution SX.e. If you remove a record in TWL, remove the corresponding record in SA Table Code Value Setup because the information is not uploaded.

• Product Warehouse Product Setup-Warehouse Logistics

  If your warehouse is live, this view is available. Use this view to specify field values for additional product attributes that TWL uses to facilitate the material handling process. The information in this view passes through the TWL interface to populate mapped fields on the TWL Item Master record automatically.

• Product Warehouse Description Setup

  In the General view, specify Yes in the WL Live field to initiate the master file setup interfaces from WL Initialize Warehouse Administration to update TWL when no other processing is occurring, such as during the weekend. After the data has been downloaded, change WL Live to No to allow for normal Distribution SX.e processing functions. These are the Master file setup interfaces:

  • Product Warehouse Product Setup
  • Product Warehouse Description Setup
  • Product Setup
  • Product Extended Product Cross Reference Setup
  • SA Table Code Value Setup

How it works

After you have set up TWL, you can manage the warehouse logistic workflow in conjunction with Distribution SX.e by sharing timely data between modules in one database. Data transmissions are initiated from sales orders, warehouse transfers, or purchase orders. The transmissions are held in a file that you can view in WL Transaction Inquiry. At regular intervals a process runs between the Distribution SX.e system and TWL to send and receive transmissions. The TWL interface converts the WL Transaction Inquiry files into formatted table records and sends them to TWL. The status of the transmission tells you its processing level and whether transmission errors require attention.

When Distribution SX.e receives data from TWL, the transactions with an Active status reside in WL Transaction Inquiry until the appropriate batch processing function picks up the transaction and updates the system with the information. The transaction status is then changed to Inactive so Distribution SX.e does not try to process it again. The data transmissions pass through a series of tables during each stage of data flow.

Data transmission scripts convert transactions into formatted data that is passed between the Distribution SX.e and TWL systems. The system that receives the data converts the formatted data into a usable format for that system, processes the results, and creates a formatted response to reply to the sending system. Both systems use formatted data so they can use the same map for deciphering the information.

The direction the data transmission travels depends on the type of transaction that starts it. For example, printing an order starts a "send" transmission, with a PCK process type, to download the information to TWL. You can view the order detail from the WL Transaction Inquiry-Order Data grid. View the line items and specific characteristics, such as status, process type, error messages, and if applicable, serial and lot, component.

TWL uploads transactions such as receipts, shipments, and stock adjustments. The information uploaded from TWL to Distribution SX.e is processed in the order the data is created. The company and warehouse order are ignored. TWL sends the files in formatted temporary table records, that are converted to WL Transaction Inquiry files. The files are held in WL Transaction Inquiry until a batch process, such as WL Entry Batch, picks up the record. The batch processes run at regular intervals to execute the file transmissions.

Transmission file structure

TWL and the Distribution SX.e system use a specific transmission file structure to exchange data between the systems. The file structure consists of a WLET driver file, a WLEM master file transmission that contains static data, and WLEH header and WLEL line item files that contain order information. These files operate behind the scenes, but you can view the information contained in the files in WL Transaction Inquiry.

• WLET file: The WLET driver file initiates the file transmissions between the two systems to send or receive information.
• WLEM file: If you transmit static data from the system to TWL or from TWL to the system, the WLEM file is used. The fields that display in WL Transaction Inquiry depend on the record type relevant to your inquiry.
• WLEH file: If order data is being transmitted from the system to TWL or from TWL to the system, the header information is contained in the WLEH file. The fields that display in WL Transaction Inquiry depend on the order type relevant to your inquiry.
• WLEL file: If line item records for shipping or receiving activities are transmitted from TWL to the system, the WLEL file connects the line items to the WLEH records. This file contains the assigned and unassigned information for serial and lot products and components. The fields that display in WL Transaction Inquiry depend on the order type relevant to your inquiry.

WL Transaction Inquiry displays these files in a format that makes it easy for you to obtain specific detail about a transmission. You can access different windows and sub-windows to obtain the necessary detail.