Interal User Guide

8/2/2019 Interal User Guide

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INTERAL- Table of Contents 1

General Application .......................................................................................................... 10How to use INTERALs Help documents .................................................................... 10

General Terminology ................................................................................................ 10General parameters ................................................................................................... 11

Network Configurations................................................................................................ 11Client/Server Structure.............................................................................................. 11

Licences .................................................................................................................... 12Licence manager ....................................................................................................... 12

Database theory ............................................................................................................. 12General concept ........................................................................................................ 12Locked files ............................................................................................................... 13Access ....................................................................................................................... 13

Starting up the software ................................................................................................ 14Connecting to the database ....................................................................................... 14

The Console .................................................................................................................. 14General concept ........................................................................................................ 15The consoles menu bar............................................................................................ 16

Exploration bar.......................................................................................................... 17Selection filters ......................................................................................................... 19Nomenclature ............................................................................................................ 21Image Dimensions in Files........................................................................................ 22The Notes, System, Notepad and Attached files tabs ................................. 23Customizing Files ..................................................................................................... 25Configuration of the ISO field .................................................................................. 25Configuration of custom fields ................................................................................. 26Customizing Fields ................................................................................................... 27

Tips & Tricks .................................................................................................................... 28Keyboard Shortcuts ....................................................................................................... 28Shift + Double-Click ..................................................................................................... 29Going from one item to another in a file....................................................................... 29Save Layout .................................................................................................................. 29Column Chooser ........................................................................................................... 31Actions Button........................................................................................................... 32Searching in a List ........................................................................................................ 33Configurating Filters ..................................................................................................... 34Printing a List ................................................................................................................ 35Right-Click .................................................................................................................... 35Typing Directly in a Drop-Down List .......................................................................... 36Customizing the Button Bar.......................................................................................... 36Customizing Files ......................................................................................................... 37Customizing Fields ....................................................................................................... 38Auto-Hide the Navigation Bar ...................................................................................... 39Column Data Statistics .................................................................................................. 39Modifying grid background colors ............................................................................... 40

Employees ......................................................................................................................... 41Recommended Steps before Adding Employee Files ................................................... 42


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Creating Departments ............................................................................................... 43Creating Salary Classes............................................................................................. 43Creating Holidays ..................................................................................................... 43

Employee File ............................................................................................................... 43Detail ......................................................................................................................... 44Work ......................................................................................................................... 44

Labor Cost ................................................................................................................. 45Groups ....................................................................................................................... 45Approval ................................................................................................................... 45Vacations................................................................................................................... 47Experience................................................................................................................. 48Internet ...................................................................................................................... 48

User Permissions ............................................................................................................... 49Bids ............................................................................................................................... 50Billing ........................................................................................................................... 51Calendars....................................................................................................................... 51Call for Tenders ............................................................................................................ 51

Customer Purchase Orders ............................................................................................ 51Employees ..................................................................................................................... 51Equipment/Suite ............................................................................................................ 53Executions ..................................................................................................................... 53Expense Accounts ......................................................................................................... 54Human Resources ......................................................................................................... 54Indicators and Statistics ................................................................................................ 54Inventory ....................................................................................................................... 54Lockout Proc. ................................................................................................................ 54Lookup Codes ............................................................................................................... 55Maintenance .................................................................................................................. 55Maintenance Planning ................................................................................................... 56Plants/Warehouses ........................................................................................................ 56Product/Part Management ............................................................................................. 56Production Orders ......................................................................................................... 57Production Planning ...................................................................................................... 57Products / Parts / Material ............................................................................................. 57Punch In/Out ................................................................................................................. 58Requisitions................................................................................................................... 58Shipping ........................................................................................................................ 58Stores............................................................................................................................. 58Supplier Purchase Orders .............................................................................................. 58System Tools ................................................................................................................. 59Third Parties .................................................................................................................. 59Time Management ........................................................................................................ 60Transactions .................................................................................................................. 60Work Requests .............................................................................................................. 60

Calendars........................................................................................................................... 61List of Calendars ........................................................................................................... 61


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Resources Allocation .................................................................................................... 62Fiscal Periods .................................................................................................................... 64

Adding a Fiscal Period .................................................................................................. 64Closing Preparation and Closed Checkboxes ........................................................ 64

Lookup Codes ................................................................................................................... 66Adding a Lookup Code ................................................................................................. 66

Taxes ............................................................................................................................. 66Tax Groups.................................................................................................................... 66Expense Account Groups .............................................................................................. 67Delay Types .................................................................................................................. 67Freight Charge Types .................................................................................................... 68Currency ........................................................................................................................ 68Units .............................................................................................................................. 68Equipment Meter Units ................................................................................................. 68Production ..................................................................................................................... 69

Production Order States ............................................................................................ 69Production Verification Codes .................................................................................. 70

Production Priorities ................................................................................................. 70

Customer Orders ........................................................................................................... 70Duty Service.............................................................................................................. 70Order States ............................................................................................................... 70Payment Terms (Sales) ............................................................................................. 71

Employees ..................................................................................................................... 71Bank Information ...................................................................................................... 71Absence Types .......................................................................................................... 71Punch Types .............................................................................................................. 71

Purchase Orders ............................................................................................................ 71Priorities .................................................................................................................... 71Order States ............................................................................................................... 72Payment Terms (Purchases) ...................................................................................... 72Reject Codes ............................................................................................................. 72

Product/Parts/Material .................................................................................................. 73Accounting Categories .............................................................................................. 73Part Categories .......................................................................................................... 73Part Classes ............................................................................................................... 73Depreciation Codes ................................................................................................... 73Color Codes .............................................................................................................. 73Part Codes ................................................................................................................. 74Manufacturer Codes .................................................................................................. 74Inventory Codes ........................................................................................................ 74Price Lists.................................................................................................................. 74Special Instructions ................................................................................................... 74

Third Parties .................................................................................................................. 74Companys Event Codes........................................................................................... 74Business Category Codes .......................................................................................... 75Business Sub-category Codes ................................................................................... 75


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Question Codes for Businesses ................................................................................. 75Field of Activity Codes ............................................................................................. 75

Maintenance .................................................................................................................. 75Work Orders Priorities............................................................................................. 75Classifications ........................................................................................................... 75Work Order Status .................................................................................................... 76

Tools ......................................................................................................................... 77Execution Modes ...................................................................................................... 77Work Request and Action Codes .............................................................................. 77Maintenance Verification Codes............................................................................... 77Verification Lists ...................................................................................................... 77

Equipment/Suite ............................................................................................................ 77List of Types of Energy Sources ............................................................................... 77List of Lockout Procedure Methods ......................................................................... 78List of Equipment Groups ......................................................................................... 78List of Equipment Divisions ..................................................................................... 78

Plants/Warehouses, Stores and their Locations ................................................................ 79

Plants/Warehouses ........................................................................................................ 79Creating a Plant/Warehouse File .................................................................................. 79

Detail ......................................................................................................................... 79Expense Accounts ..................................................................................................... 79Taxes ......................................................................................................................... 81

Plant Group List ............................................................................................................ 81Stores............................................................................................................................. 82

Creating a store ......................................................................................................... 82Plants Tree-View .......................................................................................................... 83

Equipment/Suites .............................................................................................................. 84Creating Suite Files ....................................................................................................... 84Creating Equipment Files ............................................................................................. 85Detail ............................................................................................................................. 85

Expense Account ...................................................................................................... 85Tool Group ................................................................................................................ 86Location .................................................................................................................... 86Plant/Warehouse ....................................................................................................... 86Equipment Group ...................................................................................................... 87Division ..................................................................................................................... 87Hourly Rate ............................................................................................................... 87Drawing #.................................................................................................................. 87End of Warranty ........................................................................................................ 87Permanent Meter ....................................................................................................... 87Component Management .......................................................................................... 88Using Components .................................................................................................... 92

Tree-View ..................................................................................................................... 96Creation ..................................................................................................................... 96

Operations ..................................................................................................................... 97Costs .............................................................................................................................. 98


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Preventive Template ..................................................................................................... 98Locations ....................................................................................................................... 98Lockout Procedures ...................................................................................................... 98Repairs .......................................................................................................................... 99Parts............................................................................................................................... 99Statistics ........................................................................................................................ 99

Parts/Material .................................................................................................................. 100

Usage for replacement parts........................................................................................ 100Usage for production................................................................................................... 100

Common notions for both usage types.................................................................... 100Identifying and coding parts ................................................................................... 101

Adding a part............................................................................................................... 101Detail ....................................................................................................................... 101Descriptions ............................................................................................................ 104Plants/Warehouses .................................................................................................. 105Planning .................................................................................................................. 105Special Instructions ................................................................................................. 105

Tree View................................................................................................................ 105Equivalent ............................................................................................................... 107Order ....................................................................................................................... 107Suppliers ................................................................................................................. 108Manufacturers ......................................................................................................... 109Statistics .................................................................................................................. 109

Actions Button in a Part File ................................................................................... 109Actions Button in the List of Parts .......................................................................... 109

Copy structure of a product/part...................................................................... 109Amortize parts/material ....................................................................................... 110

Maintenance .................................................................................................................... 111The Preventive Template ............................................................................................ 111

Detail ....................................................................................................................... 111Assignments ............................................................................................................ 113Checklist ................................................................................................................. 114Parts......................................................................................................................... 115Schedule .................................................................................................................. 115Configurating meters .............................................................................................. 120Appendix ................................................................................................................. 122Tools ....................................................................................................................... 125History..................................................................................................................... 125File Attachments ..................................................................................................... 125Actions Menu .......................................................................................................... 125

Conditional Maintenance ............................................................................................ 126Configurating Verification Codes ........................................................................... 126Configurating a Preventive Templates Checklist Tab ....................................... 126Issued Preventive Work Order ................................................................................ 127

Work Requests ............................................................................................................ 127Creating Requests ................................................................................................... 128


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Approve or Reject a Work Request ........................................................................ 129The Work Order File ................................................................................................... 129

Calibration............................................................................................................... 130Service Call ............................................................................................................. 130

Closing Work Orders .................................................................................................. 131Supervision ............................................................................................................. 131

Hours ....................................................................................................................... 132Parts......................................................................................................................... 132Costs ........................................................................................................................ 132

List of Work Orders .................................................................................................... 134Actions Menu .......................................................................................................... 136

Maintenance Board ..................................................................................................... 136Filter ........................................................................................................................ 137Icon Descriptions .................................................................................................... 139Possible Displays .................................................................................................... 140Actions Menu .......................................................................................................... 141Early Issue ............................................................................................................... 141

Moving Work Orders .............................................................................................. 143Right-clicking on an icon ........................................................................................ 143

Scheduling Section of the Maintenance Board (Optional Module) ................................ 143Work Program ................................................................................................................. 145Dashboard ....................................................................................................................... 147

Copying the dashboard items ...................................................................................... 150Indicators..................................................................................................................... 151Description of Indicators............................................................................................. 157

Maintenance for PocketPC ............................................................................................. 159Connecting to a Database ............................................................................................ 159List of Work Orders .................................................................................................... 161How to Associate Work Orders to a User ................................................................... 162

Executions ............................................................................................................... 168Lockout Procedures ........................................................................................................ 169

Types of Energy Sources ............................................................................................ 169Lockout Procedure Methods ....................................................................................... 169Energy Sources ........................................................................................................... 170

Audit ....................................................................................................................... 170Associating Energy Sources to Equipment ................................................................. 171Creating a Lockout Procedure .................................................................................... 172

Linked Equipment ................................................................................................... 174Picture ..................................................................................................................... 175History..................................................................................................................... 175

Approving and Disapproving Lockout Procedures ..................................................... 176Printing Lockout Procedures and their Reports .......................................................... 176

Suppliers ......................................................................................................................... 177Detail ........................................................................................................................... 177Contacts....................................................................................................................... 178Billing ......................................................................................................................... 178


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Shipping ...................................................................................................................... 178Preferences .................................................................................................................. 179Internet ........................................................................................................................ 180History......................................................................................................................... 180Statistics ...................................................................................................................... 180

Inventory ......................................................................................................................... 181

Physical Inventory by Location .................................................................................. 181Taking the First Physical Inventory ........................................................................ 181Taking the Physical Inventory ................................................................................ 182

Physical Inventory Adjustment ................................................................................... 184Inventory Evaluation Readjustment ............................................................................ 185

Merge Inventory Lines ............................................................................................ 185Consult Stocks ............................................................................................................ 186Stock Analysis ............................................................................................................ 187Restocking Management ............................................................................................. 189

List of exceptions .................................................................................................... 189Batch Consulting ......................................................................................................... 190

Parts Out...................................................................................................................... 190

Part Transfers .......................................................................................................... 190Parts Out on a Piece of Equipment ......................................................................... 191

Parts Out (Work Order) .............................................................................................. 191Parts Out (Production Order) ...................................................................................... 192Parts In/Returned ........................................................................................................ 193Product/Part Management ........................................................................................... 193

Purchases......................................................................................................................... 194The Purchase Cycle..................................................................................................... 194

Requisitions............................................................................................................. 194Approving a Requisition ......................................................................................... 197

Transforming a Requisition into a Supplier Purchase Order ...................................... 198Pink Line ................................................................................................................. 198White Line with Red Writing ................................................................................. 198Grayed Out Item ..................................................................................................... 199

Calls for Tenders ......................................................................................................... 199Creating a Call for Tenders ..................................................................................... 199Adding a Part .......................................................................................................... 200Adding a Duty Service ............................................................................................ 200Adding a Requisition .............................................................................................. 200Adding a Supplier ................................................................................................... 201Configurating the Call for Tenders ......................................................................... 201Sending the Call for Tenders to Suppliers .............................................................. 201Call for Tenders Replies ......................................................................................... 201Ordering from a Call for Tenders ........................................................................... 202

Supplier Purchase Orders ............................................................................................ 202Supplier Purchase Order Item File .......................................................................... 204Misc. Fees ............................................................................................................... 205Address ................................................................................................................... 205


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Costs ........................................................................................................................ 205Transactions ............................................................................................................ 205

Approving a Supplier Purchase Order ........................................................................ 205Receiving a Supplier Purchase Order ......................................................................... 205Entering Accounts Payable ......................................................................................... 207Accounts Payable ........................................................................................................ 208

Purchase Order Normalization .................................................................................... 209Cash Payments Journal ............................................................................................... 210

Transactions .................................................................................................................... 212System Tools ................................................................................................................... 215

Barcode Wizard .......................................................................................................... 215Procurement for PocketPC .............................................................................................. 220

Connecting to a Database ............................................................................................ 220Prepare Shipment ........................................................................................................ 223Ship Bundle ................................................................................................................. 227Supplier Order Receptions .......................................................................................... 228Parts Out...................................................................................................................... 231

Equipment ................................................................................................................... 232Work Order ................................................................................................................. 233Production Order ......................................................................................................... 234Parts In/Returned ........................................................................................................ 235Inventory ..................................................................................................................... 237

Consult .................................................................................................................... 237Transfer ................................................................................................................... 238Physical Inventory .................................................................................................. 239Physical Inventory Adjustment ............................................................................... 240

Customers ....................................................................................................................... 242Detail ........................................................................................................................... 242Contacts....................................................................................................................... 244Billing ......................................................................................................................... 244Shipping ...................................................................................................................... 245Discount ...................................................................................................................... 245Preferential Prices ....................................................................................................... 246Events .......................................................................................................................... 247Q & A .......................................................................................................................... 248Preferences .................................................................................................................. 249Service Calls ............................................................................................................... 249Sales Forecast.............................................................................................................. 249Accounting .................................................................................................................. 250Internet ........................................................................................................................ 250History......................................................................................................................... 251Statistics ...................................................................................................................... 251

Follow-ups ...................................................................................................................... 251Accounting Tab and Expense Accounts...................................................................... 253The Sales Cycle............................................................................................................... 254

Bids ............................................................................................................................. 254


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Header ..................................................................................................................... 254Misc. Fees ............................................................................................................... 257Address ................................................................................................................... 257Costs ........................................................................................................................ 257Actions Menu .......................................................................................................... 258

Transform Bid into Purchase Order ............................................................................ 259

Customer Purchase Orders .......................................................................................... 260Header ..................................................................................................................... 260Misc. Fees ............................................................................................................... 262Address ................................................................................................................... 263Costs ........................................................................................................................ 263Transactions ............................................................................................................ 264Actions Menu .......................................................................................................... 264

Preparing a Shipment .................................................................................................. 265Billing ......................................................................................................................... 268

Prepare Accounts Receivable ................................................................................. 268List of Accounts Receivable ................................................................................... 270

Cash Receipts Journal ............................................................................................. 271

Time Management .......................................................................................................... 273Pay Periods.................................................................................................................. 273List of Pay Codes ........................................................................................................ 275Schedule Management ................................................................................................ 276

Creating Bonuses .................................................................................................... 276Creating Schedules.................................................................................................. 277Creating Work Teams ............................................................................................. 279

Schedule Planning ....................................................................................................... 280Preauthorisations and Punches .................................................................................... 281

Absence Types ........................................................................................................ 281Punches ................................................................................................................... 282Preauthorizations..................................................................................................... 282

Time and Attendance Management ............................................................................ 283Normalization of Hours Worked (depending on your configuration) ........................ 285

Denormalization ...................................................................................................... 286Station Restrictions ..................................................................................................... 286ExamplesGrace Periods and Roundings ................................................................. 288

Time Banks ..................................................................................................................... 290Prerequisites ................................................................................................................ 290

Activating the Time Bank Feature (depending on your configuration) .................. 290Using the Time Banks ................................................................................................. 291

Denormalization (depending on your configuration) ............................................. 292


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INTERAL- General Application 10

General Application

How to use INTERALs Help documents

In order to understand this document properly, the reader should be familiar withWindows applications and its regular operation (copy/paste, click, double-click, tree-views, etc).

These Help documents are separated into modules that correspond to INTERALstopics and features.

Important comments will be identified as Notes and useful tips will be identified withthis drawing. Read these carefully as they will be very helpful.

As you navigate throughout the software, you might notice fields and menu items that aregrayed out. These are related to modules that have not been activated because they havenot been purchased or because all your licences are used by other users.

Access paths for menus are written in blue, italic font.

General Terminology

Below are definitions of some terms frequently used throughout this document.

Scroll bar: Refers to the horizontal or vertical slider and arrows found on the bottom orright side of a window. It allows the user to view the remaining contents of its window.

Button: Object on which appears a drawing or word, usually found at the top pf awindow, on which a user can click to perform an action. Example:

Field: A rectangular zone that contains information that can or cannot be modified by theuser.

Hold down the Shift key and double click on certain fields to openthe related file. Example: In a customer purchase order file, pressshift and double-click on the customer number to open thecustomers file without having to go through the menu. Thiscombination will save precious time. Also useful to open the listof lookup codes.


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Special field: Special fields are identified by this symbol: . They allow users to enterinformation freely, and it remembers every entry typed in that particular field. This way,when creating a new file, click the icon the see the list of entries that have already beenentered for this field in other files.

Click: Press the left mouse button once and release it quickly.

Double-click: Press the left mouse button twice and release it quickly.

File: Window that contains information about its topic. For example, a customer filecontains information about a customer.

List: Window in which data is organized into rows and columns and can be sorted bycolumn headers.

General parameters

For security reasons, a number of parameters have been configured by INTERALsspecialists during installation of your software. These parameters define how the systemuses and stores its information. INTERAL reserves the right to modify these parameters

if it is in the best interest of its customer.

If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with the way the system was configured, pleasecontact INTERALs technical support team in order to evaluate the impact of changingthe parameters.

Network Configurations

Client/Server Structure

INTERAL uses a client/server structure for its software.

A server is a computer, no matter how powerful, that contains your database. A client is aworkstation that connects to the server to access the data. Generally, there is one server

To sort a list, double click on the columns header, or drag theheader to the gray area at the top of the list.


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and one or more clients that must be connected to the server (either with the localnetwork, or through a modem). A server may also serve as a workstation. Otherperipherals, such as a portable computer can also be connected to the server to access thedatabase.

Licences

INTERAL licences are calculated as consumed when users connect to the software.Therefore, when a user is connected to the database, a licence is consumed. When theuser disconnects, the licence is freed up and another user can connect to the database.

This principle is useful for many companies. For example: A foreman is in his officeconnected to the software. He receives a phone call and must go to the plant floor. Hedisconnects from the database before leaving his office, and can reconnect on the plantfloor, using only one licence.

Licence manager

To obtain licences, contact INTERALs technical support team or sales department.Make sure you have access to the software when calling, as well as the SAs password.

When adding a licence, you will be asked to access the licence management window.This window is accessible via File / Licence management.

Database theory

General concept

A database is a collection of information that is generally linked to a specific subject orfunction. For example, a plants production data, or a librarys book collection can beconsidered as related to a specific subject or function. This collection is organized in anoptimal manner in order to store, recuperate and manipulate the information easily.

A relational database is basically a set of tables between which relations exist. Theserelations save a considerable amount of storage space.

Example:

The tables EMPLOYEES and DEPARTMENT below have a relation: the EMPLOYEEStable contains only a reference number from the DEPARTMENT table. In this case, it is


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the department number. The department description will never be copied to theEMPLOYEES table. This gives two distinct advantages:

It saves space, and if a department description is modified, it will automatically beupdated for all employees in the department.

This concept is important, because according to this principle, you will not be able todelete a department if any employees are associated to it. If you attempt to delete it, the

application will not allow it in order to preserve the databases integrity.

The message will tell you that the file is presently used in another module. If you want todelete it, a new department will need to be attributed to the employees currently in thisone first.

Locked files

In order to protect data, a file locking system is necessary in a client/server applicationsuch as INTERALs.

A file is described as an electronic formula where data can be modified. Some examplesare customer files, work order files, or equipment files.

If you close the application while files are still open, the next time you will want to openit the files will still be locked. A message will ask to unlock the files. Click Yes tocontinue.

If you open a file and all its fields are grayed out, that means that another user is currentlyusing it or has left it open on his/her workstation. To find out who exactly is using it,

click on the System tab and refer to the Locked by field. For more information aboutthe System tab, refer to the appropriate section.

Access


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INTERALs data is protected by user permissions. These vary from simply consulting thedata to having complete access. The permissions are associated to groups, which are inturn associated to usernames.

To have access to the data, users must enter their username and password.

Starting up the software

When starting up the software, after the displaying the legal warning and the versionnumber, a connection window will appear.

This window allows the user to identify him/herself in order to have access to thesoftware. This operation is called connecting to the database.

Connecting to the database

Connecting to the database consists of selecting a database and entering a valid usernameand a password.

The server dropdown list already contains the name of the server and database thatwere configured at installation. If it does not contain the correct information, the user canedit it directly in this window.

The source file can be modified to display the correct information automatically. The fileis named Server.INI and it can be found in INTERALs installation folder.

The Console

The console is presented in the screenshot below. It allows users:

To access the modules (with the menu or exploration bar)

To manage security features (reading and/or writing permissions for the modules)

To establish connections to the database

To coordinate serial numbers and version numbers for each module.

INTERAL was developed according to Windows standards. The modules areprogrammed to be as user-friendly and intuitive as possible.


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General concept

As mentioned earlier, INTERAL is composed of modules and topics. Each module andtopic contains windows and files. These are all developed according to the same model.A windows basic model is made up of a list. The lines contained in the list can be either

edited or read-only, or related to a file that can be edited or not, depending on thepermissions granted to the user. The software was developed uniformly so that the userwill feel familiar with it no matter which module he/she is in once the basic functionshave been learned.

In INTERAL, a module refers to a specific function of the company, for examplemaintenance or production. A topic, on the other hand, refers to a series of windows usedto save parameters and options needed for a module to work properly.

To make the software more user-friendly, an exploration bar has been developed to easilynavigate through the modules and topics by simply clicking on their icon. These can also

be accesses through the menu through Topics.

Generally, when a window is opened, the information is presented in summary in theform of a list in a grid. Each line is potentially related to a file that can be accesses bydouble-clicking on the corresponding line in the grid. However, there are some gridswhere no file is linked. In these cases, certain columns can be edited directly from thegrid, while others are read-only.


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In some files, certain fields are required to be filled out before the file can be saved. Thishappens when the information is used by other modules.

In INTERAL, data is viewed in real-time. This means that when a user modifies data,other users see the modifications instantly if that window is opened.

When a file is open, its name is displayed in the title bar. The item number is alsodisplayed if applicable.

The consoles menu bar

The menus are also accessible with keyboard shortcuts. All items that have a letterunderlined so they can be accessed by pressing on the Alt key and the underlined letter.Next, use your keyboards arrows to navigate through the menu. Click on Enter toselect the desired option, or press on the underlined letter.

The following menus can be found in INTERALs menu bar:

File: This menu contains the basic functions to connect to and close the application.

Connect

Disconnect

Licence management

Licence activation

List of current users

Logon management

Quit

Edit:Offers utilities used to edit in the application, as well as a shortcut to Windowscalculator.

Undo

Redo

Cut

Copy

Paste

Delete

Select all

Find

Calculator


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Display: Allows the user to customize the applications appearance

Toolbar

Status bar

Navigation bar

Dashboard

Options: Menu containing options for using the application.

User preferences

User permissions

Customize

ISO Audit

Topics:Gives access to all of the softwares different modules and topics integrated inthe system.

Reports: Gives access to the reports available with the application.

Plugins: Gives access to components that can be purchased and added to the system.

Windows: Allows users to reorganize and access the different windows opened.

Cascade

Tile horizontally

Tile vertically

Arrange icons

Also lists the windows that are currently open

Help:INTERALs help menu

INTERAL website

Technical support website

About INTERAL

Exploration bar

In the following table, the left side column represents the icons found in the explorationbar, and the right side column describes these icons. These icons are general to theapplication and do not apply to a particular module or topic.


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File management : This toolbar is common to lists.The buttons allow you to edit (ctrl + O), add a new file(ctrl + N), or delete a file.Save: (ctrl+S) This buttons allows the user to savedata contained in a file. It is automatically activated

each time information is added or modified.Save and new : (ctrl+M) This button saves theinformation and opens a new file ready to be edited.

Paste : (ctrl+V) Allows the user to paste informationthat has been cut or copied.Copy : (ctrl+C) Allows the user to copy information inorder to paste it elsewhere.Cut : (ctrl+X) Allows the user to cut information inorder to paste is elsewhere.Print: (ctrl+P) Sends a document to the printer.

Add a sub-item: Allows the user to add a sub-item to alist.

Insert a sub-item: Allows the user to insert a sub-itemin a lista t a specific position.

Delete a sub-item: Allows the user to delete a sub-itemfrom a list

Move a sub-item to the top of the list: Allows the user tomove a sub-item in order to place it at the top of thelist.Move a sub-item to the bottom of the list: Allows the user

to move a sub-item in order to place it at the bottom ofthe list.Move a sub-item up: Allows the user to move a sub-item up one line in the list.

Move a sub-item down: Allows the user to move a sub-item down one line in the list.

Options: Allows the user to consult the possibleoptions in that window.

Actions : Allows the user to consult the possibleActions in that window.

Filter : Allows the user to filter through the list in thewindow.

Connect: Allows the user to connect to a database.

Mandatory field : Warning that appears when a fieldmust be completed before being savedFind: Allows the user to search through a list.


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Selection filters

When opening a list, INTERAL displays the data according to the default filter, oraccording to the systems default values, if no other filter was configured as default.

The user can filter the data to display only the necessary information. To do so, the userclicks on the Filter button located in the exploration bar. A filter appears to allow theuser to specify the required criteria. The available options vary depending on the list to befiltered.

The user can choose his selection, and save the filters disposition sothat he doesnt haveto refilter the list every time he opens it and wants to see this specific data.

In fact, the user can save many filter configurations and designate one to be loaded bydefault for this list, by click on Load by default in the drop down menu.


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Once the list is loaded, the user can reload the list with another preconfigured filterconfiguration by clicking on the arrow located on the right side of the filter button.

When the filter contains a date or starting from type of field, the user can choose thedate if he wants to refer to a particular date. However, if the filter disposition is saved, the

selected date will remain the same.

If the user wants to configure the filter in order to always see information for the currentday, week or month, for example, he can choose the Day or Month options, anddetermine the appropriate values depending on what he wants displayed.

For example, if we want to see customer purchase orders for the last week, we canconfigure the filter this way:

If we want to see work orders whose start date is between last week and next week, wecan configure the filter this way:


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When using these options, day 0 (or month 0) refers to the current day (or month).

Nomenclature

A good structure starts with the proper identification of items. Certain item numbers arenot generated automatically and must be entered manually by the user, such as customerand supplier numbers, and employee numbers, among others. It is very important to adopta nomenclature structure that can easily adapt to change.

Implementing a good nomenclature means attributing unique numbers to your items.These numbers, or names, should speak for themselves.

Use groups of letters and numbers that can be easily recognizable and whose range canbe expanded easily without modifying the original structure.

For example, lets identify INTERAL as a customer:

CA-INT-01


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CA = Canadian customerINT = 3 first letters of the customers name01 = Sequential number that makes up the unique number for each customer.

Each of the groups must be expandable in order to potentially contain all of your

customers, present and future. In the above example, it is possible to contain up to 99Canadian customers whose name begins with INT. Therefore, if you estimate that oneday you will count 100 or more, it would be wiser to name the customer CA-INT-001 inorder to accommodate up to 999 of these customers without messing up thenomenclature.Numbers in a category should be composed of the same number of characters. Here aretwo examples of good and bad nomenclature:

Good:CA-INT-01

20-125-C-045

Bad:CA-INT-120-125-C-45

Besides being neater and improving the look of reports and lists, this method insuresproper ordering of items. Thats because the application lists items alphanumerically. Itwill go through the characters one by one starting from the left side, numbers first andthen letters.

For example, 20-125-C-145 will come before 20-125-C-45 because the tenthcharacter is a 1, which is less than a 4. In order to be logical, the numbers should bepresented as follows:

20-125-C-04520-125-C-145

Image Dimensions in Files

Images can be added to the Employee, Part/Material, Product and Equipmentfiles, under the Detail tab for visual identification.

Here are the dimensions, in pixels, of these images:

Width Height

Employee: 95 126


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Part/Material: 176 176Product: 176 176Equipment: 184 140

Note that if an image of more than 150Kb is added to a file, a message will appear to

warn the user not to put too many large-sized images.

The Notes, System, Notepad and Attached filestabs

Each file contains the Notes, System, Notepad and Attached files tabs. Thesetabs are explained below. They will be found practically everywhere throughout thesoftware and their function stays the same throughout unless otherwise specified in themodules help file.

System

The System tab displays information about the users who have created, last modified orwho is presently using the file. In certain files, an Audit button is also available toallow users to verify modifications that were brought to registered fields in the file.Finally, a field displays who, among users that have proper permissions, has verifiedthe file.

It is impossible for a user to modify a file that is currently locked by another user.


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Notes

Many files in the system contain a Note tab, which allows users to store additionalinformation that has not been entered anywhere else in the file. For example, a user canprovide particular feedback about a part in this tab. This information can be edited by any

user.

Notepad

The Notepad tab is different from the Notes tab because its use is stricter. To add acomment in the Notepad tab, click the Add button at the top of the file. A new lineappears. Type in information in the Note column. When saved, the line will display theusername of the creator of the note, as well as the date on which it was created. Thesenotes, once they are saved, are permanent and cannot be edited or deleted, not even bytheir creator.

File Attachment

The File Attachment tab is also present in most of the systems files. It allows users toattach any kind of file for other users to see and/or print.

However, a users capacity to view these files depends on whether or not his/hercomputer has the required program installed in order to view that specific type of file. Forexample, if a user wishes to view the file technical_plan.pdf, his/her computer musthave Adobes Acrobat Reader installed in order to do so.

The External checkbox enables to user to specify whether the file must be copied to thedatabase (not checked) or whether the file must stay in its original location to be accessed(checked).

In the first case, where the checkbox is not checked, the file will always be accessible toother users, even if it is deleted from its original location. However, if the original file ismodified, someone must update the file in INTERAL in order to keep it up to date.

In the second case, where the checkbox is checked, the opposite is true. The file willalways be up-to-date when it is modified in its original location, however if it isaccidentally deleted, or if the computer on which it is located breaks, the file will nolonger be accessible for INTERAL users.

As for the Print checkbox, it must be activated by INTERAL in order to be functionalbecause in most cases it is not used and can even be harmful to the system in some cases.The only place where it is configured by default is in the maintenance work order file. Inthis case, if this checkbox is checked, the attached file will be automatically printed alongwith the work order.


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Customizing Files

Users that are part of the ADMIN group can customize the file windows so that the

Notepad, File attachment, and/or System tabs arent displayed. Thesecustomizations will apply for all users who arent part of the ADMIN group. This featureis accessible under the Options / Customize this window menu when the window to becustomized is open.

Configuration of the ISO field

INTERALs ISO module is used to make it easier to track changes made to data in thesystem (as for managing quality control in programs such as ISO 9000). For example, itmay be useful to track changes made to a products cost price. The ISO module makes itpossible to track every time this field is updated, a transaction is recorded and easilytraceable. All the user has to do is click on the Audit button in the system tab to access

the history of changes brought to the field.

Users must however be informed that the audit fields must be carefully selected becausethis process takes up a lot of memory space and may slow down the system. Onlyimportant fields should be configured to be ISO fields. For the moment being, only theproduct file and operations can be audited.

Moreover, users must have proper permissions in order to use this function.


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For more information on how to set up an audit field, please contact INTERALstechnical support department.

Configuration of custom fields

It is possible to set up addition custom fields where additional fields are required forinformation not included in the file but that may be useful to the users. For example, acompany may want to specify a contact name in the employees files in case of anemergency. Because this field does not come standard in the system, a custom field mustbe added. The information will be stored in the Custom tab which will appear in thefile once the field will have been configured.

First, open a file that needs to be customized (an employee file in this case). Anyemployee file can be opened, as the Custom tab will appear in all employee files oncethey have been customized. Then, click on Options / Customize. The following windowwill appear:

Note that the user must have the proper permissions in order to access this function.


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In the first description field, type in the name of the custom field you wish to add(example: Contact name). Check the Enabled box in order to activate this field. If youwish to make this field mandatory before it can be saved, check the Required checkboxas well. Next, select the type of data that will need to be entered (text, numerical, date orquery). These fields can also be audited using the ISO checkbox, but their auditing setup

is made directly in the Customize window.

When all necessary fields have been defined, click the Save button found in the lowerleft hand corner of the window.

A maximum of 24 custom fields can be customized for each different window (employee,part, product, etc.)

To view the Custom tab in the file, close it and then reopen it.

Customizing Fields

Users that are part of the ADMIN group can customize the file windows so that theNotepad, File attachment, and/or System tabs arent displayed. Thesecustomizations will apply for all users who arent part of the ADMIN group. This featureis accessible under the Options / Customize this window menu when the window to becustomized is open.


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INTERAL Employees 28

Tips & Tricks

This document is for INTERAL users of all modules. It was written to improveINTERAL user-friendliness by pointing out the features that make it easier to use.

Most of these tips and tricks can be applied in all of the softwares windows and modules,unless they are impossible to carry out because of technical reasons.

Keyboard Shortcuts

INTERAL has many keyboard shortcuts that allow its users to save time and becomemore efficient. It also allows them to limit the use of the mouse to a minimum.

Keyboardshortcut

Symbol(s) Description

andSelects previous/next line in a list.

Enter / Ctrl +O

Opens the selected lines file in a list.

EscCloses the active window in INTERAL (lists,files, etc.)

Ctrl + X Cut text, digits or dates in a field.Ctrl + C Copy text, digits or dates in a field.Ctrl + V Paste text, digits or dates in a field.Ctrl + P Print (calls the reports available to be printed)Ctrl + S SaveCtrl + G Save + new file (from a file)Ctrl + N New file (from a list)Ctrl + Page Up/ Page Down

Ctrl + / Go to previous/next tab in a file.

Tab / Shift +Tab

/ Shift

( ) +Go to next/previous field.

Alt +

Used in a drop-down list to open the list ofavailable options or display the calendar in adate field, or the calculator in a numerical field.

(Use the arrows and the Enter key to select)Ctrl + Tab Ctrl + Go from one open window to the next one in

the software.F12 Opens the dashboardSpacebar Enables or disables a checkbox.


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Shift + Double-Click

The Shift ( ) + double-click feature is used to open a file from another file. Forexample, in a supplier purchase order items file, you can use this combination on the partnumber field to open the parts file.

To use this feature, simply hold the Shift key while double-clicking on the field to open.The original window remains open, and the window you have called opens over it.

This feature can be used everywhere a drop-down list refers to information that has itsown file: part numbers, product numbers, work orders, bid numbers, purchase orders, etc.This feature cannot be used in text, date or numerical types of fields. Fields that can beused with this feature are normally bordered by a dotted line.

This feature can also be used to create a new file. For example, you want to create a newsupplier file. You search for the supplier, but you realize it doesnt yet have a file. So youuse the Shift + double click on the empty Supplier # field. A blank supplier file opens.You can fill it and the use that supplier number in your purchase order.

Going from one item to another in a file

When a user is in a secondary file (a supplier order item, for example), he can go directly

from one item to the next (or previous) without having to go back to the parent file,simply by clicking on the Next and Previous arrows at the top of the file.

Save Layout

You can customize the way a list looks in INTERAL so that it corresponds more to your

needs. All lists can be configured (example: list of employees, works orders, parts, etc),as well as most grids found in files (example: list of items in a purchase order file).

You can enlarge or reduce the size of the columns by placing your cursor at the right endof the column so that your cursor becomes an arrow ( ). Drag and drop your mouseleft or right to reduce or enlarge the column until its the right size.


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You can use the Best fit option to automatically adjust the column width. Right-clickon the column header, and choose Best fit from the popup menu.

You can also switch columns around by dragging and dropping a column header to theplace of your choice.

The data can be grouped by column on many levels. To do so, simply drag and drop acolumn header to the gray area above (Drag a column header here to group by that

column).

For example, in the list of work orders, you can group the work orders by equipment, andthen by type of work order (corrective/preventive/service call). You can explore thecontents of the groups by clicking on the + sign at the left of the grouping.

To see all of the items, simply right-click on the gray zone and choose Full expandfrom the popup menu.

To remove the groupings, you can drag the header back to its place, or right-click in thegray zone and choose Clear grouping from the popup menu.


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You can also sort the list by a particular column by click on its header. The data will besorted in ascending alphanumerical order. You can click on the header again for adescending order. An arrow indicates the sort column and its direction indicates the order.

Finally, to save the lists layout, click on the Options button at the top of the list andchoose Save layout from the menu. Consequently, the next time you will open the list,it will appear with this layout. The Delete layout option will bring the list back to thedefault layout.

Note: Saving the layout also saves the interface language for column headers. Therefore,if the user changes the interface language, the column headers will remain in the languagethey were when the layout was saved.

Column Chooser

INTERAL allows you to modify the columns displayed in its grids and lists with theColumn chooser feature.

To use this feature, right-click on a column header, and choose Column chooser fromthe popup menu.


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A Customization window appears in the lower right corner of the window with theavailable columns, if any.

To add an available column, drag and drop it to the desired location among the columnheaders in the grid.

Its also possible to remove columns from the grid. Simply drag and drop the columnheader into the Customization window.

Dont forget to save the windows layout before closing the window if you want thesechanges to remain.

Actions Button

The Actions button can be found in most windows in INTERAL. As a user, youshould explore this button because it often contains interesting features.

In most windows, this buttons menu contains the Export data and Send by emailfeatures.

The Export data feature allows you to export the data in the available formats XML,Text (TAB), or CSV (comma)either in a file or in the clipboard.


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The Send by email feature saves the data in a PDF file and inserts it in an email withyour default mail software. If no email software is available, the feature will not work.

The information will be the same as if it had been printed in a report. If many reports canbe printed for this window, the list will be displayed to choose the report to be emailed.

Other than these two options, there are usually other options unique to each window.These options are often very useful. For example, in the list of work orders, with theActions button you can:

- Copy a work order- Close work order(s)- Change sender or receiver of open work orders- Bind work orders- Have access to planning

Note: Most of the options contained in the Actions button menu are explained in theirrespective modules.

You will also find these options in the lower part of the popup menu that appears whenyou right-click in the window.

Searching in a List

There are many ways you can use to search through a list.

First, you can use the filter, which can be configured to display specific data by default(see next section). The filter can also be used to find one particular item by entering the

appropriate criteria.

Note: You can type text directly in a grayed field in the filter to enter your search criteria.The field will automatically become white with the default operator for the field (startswith, contains, ends with, etc.).

Secondly, you can simply click on a line in the list, in the appropriate column, and type inthe beginning of the item you are looking for (the equivalent of Starts with in the


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filters). The selected line will change as you type to find the first line that corresponds towhat is typed.

If there is more than one line that contains what was typed, only the first occurrence willbe selected. To find the next one, simply select the line below and start typing from the

beginning.

Finally, you can use the Ctrl + F keyboard shortcut as is the case in most Windowsapplications (Word, Excel, etc.). This keyboard shortcut opens a search window that willfind the first occurrence of what youre looking for (equivalent of contains). To find thenext occurrence, click on Find again.

Configurating Filters

The filters can be configured to load certain values by default.

Click on the Filter button at the top of a list, and configure the criteria like you wantthem by default. Then, click on the button in the lower right corner of the filter (called

System values by default). You can name this filter configuration by clicking on Saveas from the popup menu. To load this configuration by default, select Load by defaultfrom the same menu.

You can configure many options for the same filter and, from the list, you can load adifferent configuration by clicking on the arrow at the right of the filter button andchoosing another configuration.


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Printing a List

You can print any list in INTERAL as it appears on-screen (list of work orders,equipment list, lookup codes, etc.). To do so, filter and sort the desired list according toyour needs and click on the Actions button to choose Print Grid from the menu.

Its possible to configure print parameters for grids in the Print Options section of theUser Preferences window, under the Options menu.

Right-Click

In any INTERAL window (list, file, etc.), you can right-click to see the available optionsfor the window. These will include the buttons in the exploration bar (the ones found atthe top of each window). The available Actions for this window will also be includedin the popup menu.


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Typing Directly in a Drop-Down List

You can type directly in a drop-down list field instead of using the filter or lookingthrough the entire list. The result will be the first occurrence of what you have typed(equivalent of Starts with).

Customizing the Button Bar

The button bar in INTERAL can be configured to display only the buttons needed.

To do so, click on an arrow at the right of one of the buttons, then on Add or RemoveButto

Documents

Interal User Guide