Iptor.com Help Centre

Opening Analyser

To begin a session in Analyser select Start/Programs/Analyser x.x/Start Analyser (or Analyser from the Launch Pad if you have configured this).

Choosing the server

The server is also known as the iSeries and is the database that contains all the data files for your system. You access and work with the files on the server via your PC.

Your PC may be connected to several different servers in which case the first time you open Analyser, you view a Select system window in which you must select a server.

To select a server in the Select system window, click the server name once and choose OK or double click the server name.

Tip: To set a default server for future Analyser sessions, click a server and choose Make default. To remove a default, choose Remove default.

To change server when you are working in Analyser, click the Change server icon to open the Select system window and proceed as described above.

Note: The Change server icon will appear in your main window if your PC is connected to more than one server.

Choose Configure to open the Edit iSeries system settings window. Here you can see the default settings for the server.

Choosing the company

The first time you open Analyser, the system will open a Select company window in which you must select a company.

To select a company, click the company name and choose OK or double click the company name.

To set a default company for future sessions, click a company and choose Make default. To remove a default, choose Remove default.

To change company once you are working in Analyser, choose Company/Change… or click the Change company icon on the horizontal toolbar to open the Select company window. To select a company, click the company name and choose OK or double click the company name.

Company image:
You can select a default image for each company that will appear in the Company image area of the main window.

To select the company image for a company, choose Company/Select image. If you click different paths in the left column, you view the connected image in the right window. To set an image, click a path and choose Select. The image is now associated with the company in which you are currently working.

Multimedia connection:
You can attach a Multimedia sound or movie file to a company. For information on how to make a Multimedia connection, see Multimedia connection.

Company sound:
If you have attached a default sound file to a company, you can play the sound if you choose Company/Play default sound.

If you have attached a default sound file to a company, you can also select that the sound be played at company selection time. Choose Settings/Play default sound. To remove this setting, choose Settings/Play default sound.

Company movie:
If you have attached a default movie file to a company, you can view the movie if you choose Company/Play default movie.

Navigating the main window

The main window is divided into a Left-hand navigator and a Function/object hierarchy. You can change the proportion by moving the black vertical line, between the two, with your mouse.

Left-hand navigator

The following controls are available on the navigator:

Actions. Displays a list of actions that are valid for the selected item in the hierarchy section.
Most recent functions: Displays a list of the most recently accessed functions. The size of the list can be configured in the Preferences window (Company/Preferences). You can also clear the list of most recent functions by selecting Company/Clear most recent functions. To re-access the function, click in the hierarchy.
Alert list: If Alert Management is installed, displays the latest alerts. The size of the list can be configured in the Preferences window (Company/Preferences).

Function/Object hierarchy

The following controls are available on the right part of the main window (from top to bottom):

Search function: The expanded part of the hierarchy is searched for the argument that you entered in the Find field.
Functions/Object hierarchy: Consists of two parts;

Predefined functions
User definable favourite functions and objects.

Note: You can create shortcuts to functions and/or business objects via drag and drop. See Creating shortcuts to favourite functions below.

Analyser consists of the following functions and objects:

Business Reporting
Supply Chain Analysis
Financial Analysis
Alert Management
User-defined Business Objects
System Administration
Tools
Business object categories
All functions

Business object categories
All functions

Accessing the functions

You can access any of the functions via the following three methods:

Double clicking the highlighted function.
Right-clicking the function and choosing Function/Launch.
Selecting the function and choosing Open from the left-hand navigator.

Opening the function in a new window

You can launch all higher level functions in a new window by doing any of the following:

Right-clicking the function and choosing Open in new window.
Selecting the function and choosing Open in new window from the left-hand navigator.

All sub-functions are expanded in the new window.

Creating shortcuts to favourite functions

You can create your own list of favourite functions, business objects, applications and/or web pages to which want quick access and categorise them in whatever way suits you best.

Create a new category:

Right click on My favourites in the hierarchy window and select New.
In the Create new element window, leave Category checked and click Create.
In the Element settings window, enter the name of the category and the file name of the icon that you want to depict the category. Leave the default icon if you don’t want to replace it with your own. Click OK.
You return to the Create new element window. Select the new category and click Add to hierarchy. Alternatively drag and drop the new category into the main window and drop it in the applicable location under My favourites.

Add functions to your favourite list:

You have two alternatives from which to choose. You can:

Drag the function from the hierarchy list (i.e. select the function, hold the left mouse button down) and drop it in the applicable location within My favourites.

Open the function in a new window by right clicking the function and choosing Open in new window or choosing that action from the Actions list. All associating functions appear in expanded mode in the new window. You can then drag and drop the function as described above.

Add business objects to your favourite list:

You can create a shortcut to any business object that you most often work with. For example, a customer is described below:

Open the Customer browser (found under Supply Chain) and search for the applicable customer.
Select the applicable customer in the result list and drag and drop it in the applicable location under My favourites.

Create a link to a web page or external application:

You can create a link to a web page or an external application (e.g., Notepad, Excel, etc) within your My favourites.

Right click on My favourites in the hierarchy window and select New.
In the Create new element window, check Link and click Create.
In the Functions starter settings window, click the applicable (i.e. Application or URL).

For a link to an Application enter the following:

Description
File name: The name of the item that this shortcut points to. A shortcut can point to many types of items such as a file, a folder, part of a document, a printer or a computer on your network.
Parameter: Only mandatory if the file requires a parameter.
Start in: Specifies the folder that contains the original item or some related files. If the program uses files from other locations, specify the name of the folder where these files are located so the program can find them.
Icon file: Name of the icon used to depict the file.

For a link to a URL enter the following:

Description
URL: The path to the web page.
Icon file: Name of the icon used to depict the file.

Click OK.

You return to the Create new element window. Select the new link and click Add to hierarchy. Alternatively drag and drop the new category into the main window and drop it in the applicable location under My favourites.

Configuring preferences

The following can be configured in the Preferences window (accessed via Company/Preferences in the menu bar):

Activate/inactivate and sort the predefined part of the functions/object hierarchy
The size of the Most recent functions list
The size of the Alerts list

Getting started in Analyser