oat merchandise visibility - oat support center

OAT Merchandise Visibility Installation and Configuration Guide

Version 7.2 OATSystems, Inc.

May 2010 Document Number: OAT_MV_ICG_7.2

OAT Merchandise Visibility Installation and Configuration Guide ii

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Support Information

You can contact the OAT Support Center (OSC) for technical support at:

OATSystems, Inc.

309 Waverley Oaks Road, Suite 306

Waltham, MA 02452

USA Phone: 877-OAT-SUPPORT or 781-907-6081

Fax: 781-907-6098

Email: [email protected]

Web site: https://support.oatsystems.com

mailto:[email protected]

https://support.oatsystems.com/

OAT Merchandise Visibility Installation and Configuration Guide iii

Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction .................................................................. 6

1.1 OAT Merchandise Visibility Distribution Packet ....................................................6

Chapter 2 Setting up OAT Merchandise Visibility .................................. 7

2.1 Pre-requisites .............................................................................................7

2.2 Setup OAT Merchandise Visibility .....................................................................7

Chapter 3 Installing OAT Merchandise Visibility on Handheld Devices ....... 9

3.1 Before You Begin .........................................................................................9

3.2 Handhelds supported by OAT Merchandise Visibility ..............................................9

3.3 Connecting the Handheld Device to Windows 7.0 .................................................10

3.4 Installing OAT Merchandise Visibility on handheld devices .......................................10

Chapter 4 Configuring OAT Merchandise Visibility ................................ 12

4.1 Define Product attributes ..............................................................................12

4.2 Create Products ..........................................................................................14

4.3 Define Locations .........................................................................................16

4.4 Configuring Handheld Devices .........................................................................18

4.4.1 Configuration Parameters for Handheld .............................................................18

4.4.2 Configuration Parameters for OATxpress Scenario.................................................19

4.4.3 Configuring OAT Merchandise Visibility in Handheld devices ....................................28

4.4.4 Handheld device in Offline mode .....................................................................54

4.5 Configuring Scenarios in OATxpress ..................................................................56

4.5.1 Fixed Reader Receiving Scenario......................................................................56

4.5.2 Configuration Parameters for Fixed Reader Receiving Scenario ................................56

4.5.3 FSBS (Front Store Back Store) Scenario ..............................................................60

4.5.4 Configuration parameters for FSBS (Front Store Back Store) Scenario .........................62

4.5.5 Configuring Fixed Reader at POS ......................................................................67

4.5.6 Configuration Parameters for Fixed Reader at POS Scenario ....................................68

4.6 Label Print Scenario .....................................................................................71

4.6.1 Encoding and Printing ...................................................................................71

4.6.2 Attribute Capture ........................................................................................71

4.6.3 Validations ................................................................................................71

4.6.4 Label Print Scenario Configuration Parameters ....................................................72

OAT Merchandise Visibility Installation and Configuration Guide iv

Preface The OAT Merchandise Visibility Install and Configuration Guide describes the procedure to install and

configure OAT Merchandise Visibility and also any additional software.

Assumptions

The OAT Merchandise Visibility Install and Configuration Guide assumes the following:

Software and hardware requirements for installing OATxpress have been completed.

The user has administrative privileges on the local host machine.

Additional Documentation

OAT, Inc. customers and partners can log on to https://support.oatsystems.com to access product release

notes, hardware configurations for supported devices, and other information related to OAT products

Document Conventions

Following are the conventions used in this document:

Code Examples Examples from an actual file or a sample command

line appears as follows: cd /oat_install_dir/ofs/schema

Navigation The 'greater than (>)' sign separates the navigation

controls in a sequence to be performed. For example Admin > Users

Admin > Users Indicates that you need to click the Admin tab and

then the Users icon.

Notes Notes convey important information. Following is an

example NOTE: In the user interface of the

OATxpress Web application, fields with asterisks (*)

are mandatory and require users to supply a value

Cross-references A cross-reference directs you to another location in

the document for information. For example: See

…Introduction. Click the text in blue, to traverse the

link to the referenced location.

https://support.oatsystems.com/

OAT Merchandise Visibility Installation and Configuration Guide v

Example of Handheld Screenshot

Window browser screenshots

OAT Merchandise Visibility Installation and Configuration Guide 6

Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter gives details of the contents of the OAT Merchandise Visibility distribution packet.

NOTE: The scope of the Installation and Configuration Guide is to describe the steps required to install and

configure the OAT Merchandise Visibility functionality on the OATxpress platform.

1.1 OAT Merchandise Visibility Distribution Packet

The OAT Merchandise Visibility distribution packet consists of the following:

Merchandise Visibility OAR files: prod-c-apparel.oar

OAT Merchandise Visibility.cab (for installation on handheld RFID devices)

NOTE: The installer file for handheld device(s) is specific to each supported handheld. ‚.cpy‛, ‚.reg‛ and ‚.ink‛ files

are packaged within the .cab file and are not distributed separately.


Chapter 2 Setting up OAT Merchandise Visibility

This chapter explains the procedure to add OAT Merchandise Visibility to OATxpress. If you are using a

handheld device, in addition to the steps in this chapter you also need to install the OAT Merchandise

Visibility application on each handheld device. See Installing OAT Merchandise Visibility on Handheld

Devices for more details.

2.1 Pre-requisites

Perform the steps outlined below on the system in which you plan to add Merchandise Visibility:

Install SQL Server 2005.

Install OATxpress using Apache Tomcat with SQL Server 2005.

Ensure that the OATxpress installation has a valid license key and is working. Login as a user

with administrative rights to the local machine. See the OATxpress Installation and

Configuration Guide for details.

2.2 Setup OAT Merchandise Visibility

To setup Merchandise Visibility, perform the following steps:

Ensure that OAT Foundation Suite Service OATTomcat_SITE is not running.

Copy the following .oar file:

prod-c-apparel.oar

to the following location:

<OAT_install_dir>\ofs\ext

For example,

C:\OATxpress\ofs\ext

In the Command Prompt type:

cd <OAT_install_dir>\ofs\bin

For example,

cd C:\OATxpress\ofs\bin

After changing the directory, type the following:

deploy.bat -f

Setting up OAT Merchandise Visibility


At the end of this process, the following message appears:

Finished deploy:

The deploy process finishes in a few minutes.

Start OATxpress, then login using one of the following methods:

In the Start menu, click All Programs > OATxpress > OATxpress Server Manager

Or

Type the URL of the OATxpress server in a browser window.

In OATxpress login page type the user name and password.

See the OATxpress User Guide for information on starting OATxpress, logging in and creating users and

roles.


Chapter 3 Installing OAT Merchandise Visibility on Handheld Devices

This chapter explains the procedure to install OAT Merchandise Visibility application on a handheld device.

3.1 Before You Begin Perform the following steps before installing OAT Merchandise Visibility on a handheld device.

1. Copy OATapparel.cab on a desktop/laptop that has Microsoft Active Sync 4.5. Connect the

desktop/laptop to the handheld device through Microsoft Active Sync 4.5.

2. Ensure that the OATxpress Server is running.

3. Setup the wireless network on the handheld device configured for communication between the

OATxpress Server and the handheld device.

Perform the following steps to test the connection:

1. Click on Internet Explorer on the handheld device to open a browser window.

2. Type the IP addresss and port number in the location bar. Use the same IP address and port number as

the OATxpress server.

http://<ipaddress>:<port>/oatedge

3. The OAT Foundation Suite login page appears.

Install Microsoft .NET CF 3.5 in handheld.

Install Microsoft .NET CF 3.5 ENU-String Resource.

3.2 Handhelds supported by OAT Merchandise Visibility

The handhelds supported by the OAT Merchandise Visibility are as follows:

Symbol 9090

Intermec IP 30

Motorola MC 3090Z

Nordic ID

NOTE: In case of insufficient memory, OATMerchandiseVisibility Application exits with the error message

‚Serious problem encountered in the MerchandiseVisibility.exe and it must be shut down‛.

Installing OAT Merchandise Visibility on Handheld Devices


3.3 Connecting the Handheld Device to Windows 7.0

Steps to establish connectivity to a handheld device on Windows 7.0:

Install Windows Mobile Centre.

Connect the Handheld device to your system. The device driver will be automatically installed. If not,

you need to locate the device driver and install it.

Restart your system.

Go to Start -> Windows Mobile Device Centre. The device is displayed as Connected.

Click on My Computer -> <mobile-device-name> to activate the device.

3.4 Installing OAT Merchandise Visibility on handheld devices

Use the following steps in sequence to install OAT Merchandise Visibility on a handheld device:

Dock the handheld device in the cradle. Connect the docking station using the USB cable, to the

laptop/desktop on which Active Sync 4.5 is available.

Once the handheld device is detected, the following Active Sync 4.5 screen appears:

Installing OAT Merchandise Visibility on Handheld Devices


Figure 1 : Setting Up Partnership

Click ‘Cancel’ to see the screen below:

Figure 2 : Sign up as guest

Click OK.

Copy the OATMerchandiseVisibility.cab file to the Application folder on your handheld device.

Double click the OATMerchandiseVsibility.cab file. This installs the OATMerchandiseVsibility application

on the handheld device.

Copy the HandheldUI.xml file to the directory - Applications\OATMVData.

Copy the HandheldUI.xml file to the directory - ProgramFiles\OATMerchandiseVisibility. For more

information on creating HandheldUI.xml according to your needs, see the chapter Configuring OAT

Merchandise Visibility.

Chapter 4 Configuring OAT Merchandise Visibility

This chapter provides details on configuring OAT Merchandise Visibility in OATxpress and handheld

device.

To use OAT Merchandise visibility, follow the steps listed below in sequence in OATxpress:

1. Define Product attributes

2. Create Products

3. Define Locations

4. Configuring Handheld Devices, as necessary

5. Configuration Parameters for Fixed Reader Receiving Scenario (optional)

4.1 Define Product attributes

Product attribute definitions can be specified using the file, ofs/bin/ProdAttrDefinition.xml, which should

be configured in OATxpress after installing OAT Merchandise Visibility. To create and upload product

attribute definitions in OATxpress database, in a Command Prompt window type:

cd <OAT_install_dir>\ofs\bin (for example, cd C:\OATxpress\ofs\bin)

createprodattrdefn.bat -fileName ProdAttrDefinition.xml

The product attribute file defines the attribute names and types for all products that can be customized as

per the project requirements.

Following is a sample ProdAttrdefinition.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<x:ProductAttributes xsi:schemaLocation="urn:ProdAttrDefinition

../conf/ProdAttrDefinition.xsd" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-

instance" xmlns:x="urn:ProdAttrDefinition">

<x:Entity name="Product" >



<x:Attribute name="Size" display="Size" type="String"/>

<x:Attribute name="Color" display="Color" type="String"/>

<x:Attribute name="SalesFloorTarget" display="Sales Floor Target Quantity"

type="Integer"/>

<x:Attribute name="TradeItem" display="TradeItem" type="String" >

<x:EnumeratedAttributeValue value="YES"/>

<x:EnumeratedAttributeValue value="NO"/>

</x:Attribute>



<x:Attribute name="ShortDesc" display="Short Description"

type="String"/>

<x:Attribute name="Style" display="Style"

type="String"/>

<x:Attribute name="Department" display="Department"

type="String"/>

Configuring OAT Merchandise Visibility


<x:Attribute name="Brand" display="Brand"

type="String"/>

<x:Attribute name="Category" display="Category" type="String"/>

<x:Attribute name="Sub-category" display="Sub-category" type="String"/>

<x:Attribute name="Season" display="Season" type="String">

<x:EnumeratedAttributeValue value="Spring"/>

<x:EnumeratedAttributeValue value="Summer"/>

<x:EnumeratedAttributeValue value="Fall/Autumn"/>

<x:EnumeratedAttributeValue value="Winter"/>

</x:Attribute>

</x:Entity>

</x:ProductAttributes>

The following table provides the description for each component defined in the ProdAttrdefinition.xml

file:

Element/Attribute Description Mandatory

ProductAttributes Top-level component for all attributes. This should not be

modified. Yes

Entity Specifies the product for which the attributes are defined.

This should not be modified. Yes

Attribute

Defines attributes associated with the products. There

should at least be one attribute in the file. The maximum

limit is 100 attributes.

NOTE: ‚Size‛, ‚Color‛, ‚SalesFloorTarget‛, and ‚TradeItem‛

are mandatory attributes.

Yes

Name

Name of the attribute. This should not contain spaces.

NOTE: The Product extension attribute cannot have an

apostrophe (') in its name. No two attributes can have same

name.

Yes

Display Display label for the attribute. Product Add/Edit page

will display the label of the attribute, not the name. Yes

Type

Defines the type of attribute. This can be one of the

following: String, Integer, Double, Date, DateTime.

NOTE: Select the date from the pop up calendar for Date

Attribute type. Any attribute declared of the type Date should

not have a hyphen (-) in the attribute name.

Yes

is-reportable Flag that indicates whether an attribute can be searched

or not. No



Element/Attribute Description Mandatory

EnumeratedAttributeValue

Specifies the list of valid, enumerated values for an

attribute. Sub-component of Attribute.

Empty value like <x:EnumeratedAttributeValue value="

"/> is not supported.

No

4.2 Create Products

Define a product corresponding to each Trade Item/SKU in OATxpress. The product must have the

following:

a description

a SKU

a Style Code

a Unit of Measure

an encoding type

OAT Merchandise Visibility lets the user do the following:

1. Configure multiple products.

2. Map products to product attributes, for example, Style, Size, Color, Brand, Department, Season

etc.

3. Use multiple tag encoding schemes with a single product (GRAI, SGTIN).



To configure Product, click Products in OATxpress and further Add Product. The following screen

appears:

Figure 3 : Product Definition



4.3 Define Locations

Configure locations in OATxpress to use the OAT Merchandise Visibility system. Locations are

hierarchical through parent-child relationships. Locations represent the physical world.

Click Locations in OATxpress to configure locations.

These are the OAT Merchandise Visibility-specific attributes that need to be configured.

IsCycleCountLocation: This attribute should be set to YES for locations where Cycle Count

Operation (via the handheld application) happens. This is to minimize the number of locations to

choose from while initiating a cycle count.

IsSite: This attribute should be set to YES only in standalone OATxpress installs for locations

representing a store. For multiple stores handled by one OATxpress, the top-level location for

each store should contain the attribute value IsSite=YES. For EA-controlled OATxpress installs,

EA itself sets the type correctly, and so the IsSite attribute need not be set.

IsDefaultBLForParent: This attribute should be set to YES for business locations that represent

their parent business locations. This is required since all item associations are done at the lowest

business location level, and so cannot be done at parent business locations. However, there’s a

need to sometimes associate items to the parent business locations – for example, when Receiving

+ Putaway scenario is used and the exact putaway location is not known to the operator, and he

instead has to place items generically on the Backroom instead of at specific locations within the

Backroom. In these cases, the child location with IsDefaultBLForParent=YES can be used as the

substitute location for item associations.

For example:

If CycleCount is to be performed at a parent location, Sales Zone, an equivalent child

location, say, Sales Location has to be created under the parent location.

The parent location, Sales Zone should have the following configuration:

IsCycleCountLocation=NO

The equivalent child location, Sales Location should have the following configuration:

IsCycleCountLocation=YES and IsDefaultBLForParent=YES.

With the above configurations, CycleCount can be performed in the child location, Sales

Location. The Sales Zone location cannot be chosen for CycleCount from the Handheld as

IsCycleCountLocation attribute is not set to YES. The inventory present in the Sales Zone and

all its child locations will be retrieved.

NOTE: It is not mandatory to set the value for the above attributes.



Click Add Location to display following screen:

Figure 4 : Location Definition



Create locations using this screen according to your needs. Points to note while creating locations:

Site Sub Location Type (SSLT) value should be set for locations that represent Sales Floor,

Backroom, Storage Area and Receiving Area. These are mandatory for Business Locations.

It is recommended that if there are distinct Read Points in these areas, the SSLT value is set for

those Read Points as well.

4.4 Configuring Handheld Devices

Three scenarios should always be configured and started for the handheld application to work. These are

MV Handheld Association Scenario

MV Handheld Receiving Untagged and Returns Scenario

MV Handheld Enhanced Cycle Counting Scenario

These scenarios need parameters such as name and scenario ID. To enable use of multiple handhelds,

multiple instances of these scenarios can be run, one for each handheld device.

In order to support multiple handhelds in a scalable way, multiple instances of these scenarios can be

run, one for each handheld device. The scenario is matched to the corresponding handheld via a ‘Scenario

External Id’ parameter. ScenarioExternalId is provided as a configurable string in these scenarios

(item_rcv.xml, item_cc.xml and item_assn.xml).

The ScenarioExternalId acts as a message identifier. It should be configured in the HandheldUI.xml and

also in the OATxpress scenario. It helps route the data from the handheld to the correct instance of the

deployed scenario in OATxpress.

4.4.1 Configuration Parameters for Handheld

HandHeldId – is created as a part of framework settings

ScenarioExternalId – OAT Merchandise Visibility Configuration setting - which can be provided

in HandheldUI.xml for each scenario.

Following are the default value for the ScenarioExternalId:

association1 for ReceivingPretagged, Putaway, CycleCount, POS, Retire.

receiving1 for ReceivingUnTagged, Returns.

cyclecount for Enhanced Cycle Counting.



Sample scenario configured with ScenarioExternalId

Following is the sample scenario of the type RECEIVING with the externalId = receiving1. This data will

be submitted to OATxpress with this externalId and will be routed to the item_rcv.xml scenario,

deployed with the message filter ‚receiving1‛.

<Scenario name="Recv Untagged by SKU scan" type="RECEIVING" visible="true"

offline_enabled="true" externalId="receiving1">

<Products>

<SearchAttribute>

<Attr>SKU</Attr>

</SearchAttribute>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>Size</Attr>

</DisplayAttributes>

</Products>

</Scenario>

4.4.2 Configuration Parameters for OATxpress

Scenario

The configuration parameter -Message identifier from mobile device- should be specified during the

scenario deployment. The scenario awaits the message having ScenarioExternalId. The identifier specified

at the OATxpress scenario during deployment is passed from handheld as a part of tag information from

the handheld.

Configuration Overview

Perform the following steps to configure the handheld device:

1. Configure the HandheldUI.xml file to setup the handheld device for its specific usage.

2. Copy the file HandheldUI.xml with customizations to the handheld device in the directory -

\Program Files\OATMerchandiseVisibility.

The handheld device configuration has the following elements:

Scenario

Product Attributes

Location Configuration



Following is a sample HandheldUI.xml that can be customized as per the project requirement:

<HandheldApplication>

<Scenario name="DC Pack" type="DCPACK" visible="false" offline_enabled="true"

externalId="dcpack1">

<Products>

<SearchAttribute>

<Attr>SKU</Attr>

</SearchAttribute>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>Size</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="DC Ship" type="DCSHIP" visible="false"

offline_enabled="true" externalId="dcship1">

<ResolveBatchSize>10</ResolveBatchSize>

<DisplayRefreshInterval>2000</DisplayRefreshInterval>

<Products>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>Size</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="Recv Untagged - SKU" type="RECEIVING" visible="true"

offline_enabled="true" externalId="receiving1">

<Products>

<SearchAttribute>

<Attr>SKU</Attr>

</SearchAttribute>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>Size</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="Receiving Tagged" type="RCVASSOCIATION" visible="true"

offline_enabled="true">



<Products>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>Size</Attr>




</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="PutAway" type="PUTAWAY" visible="true"




<Locations IdentifyBy="BarcodeScan" InferredBy="name"/>

<Products>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>Color</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="Cycle Counting" type="CYCLECOUNT" visible="true"


<AsyncResolveProduct>1</AsyncResolveProduct>


<ResolveProduct>1</ResolveProduct>

<CacheProduct>1</CacheProduct>


<Locations IdentifyBy="Names" />

<Products>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>Color</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="Enhanced Cycle Counting" type="ADVANCED_CYCLECOUNT"

visible="true" offline_enabled="true">

<DependentMessageTypes>

<DependentMessageType>RECEIVING</DependentMessageType>

<DependentMessageType>RCVASSOCIATION</DependentMessageType>

<DependentMessageType>RCVUNTAGGEDPUTAWAY</DependentMessageType>

<DependentMessageType>RCVTAGGEDPUTAWAY</DependentMessageType>

<DependentMessageType>PUTAWAY</DependentMessageType>

<DependentMessageType>CYCLECOUNT</DependentMessageType>

<DependentMessageType>ADVANCED_CYCLECOUNT</DependentMessageType>

<DependentMessageType>POS</DependentMessageType>

<DependentMessageType>RETIREMENT</DependentMessageType>

</DependentMessageTypes>

<AsyncResolveProduct>1</AsyncResolveProduct>


<ResolveThreadSleepTime>200</ResolveThreadSleepTime>

<ResolveProduct>1</ResolveProduct>

<CacheProduct>0</CacheProduct>


<MaxProducts>100</MaxProducts>

<Locations IdentifyBy="Names" />

<SearchFilter>

<Attributes>

<Attribute name="Product" display_name="Product" />

<Attribute name="Manufacturer" display_name="Manufacturer" />

<Attribute name="Size" display_name="Size" />

<Attribute name="Brand" display_name="Brand" />

<Attribute name="Color" display_name="Color" />

<Attribute name="Type" display_name="Type" />

</Attributes>

</SearchFilter>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="Picklist" type="PICKLIST" visible="true"

offline_enabled="false" message_mode="sync">












<Products>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>Size</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="StockSearch - SKU" type="STOCKSEARCH" visible="true"

offline_enabled="false" message_mode="sync">








<Products>

<SearchAttribute>

<Attr>SKU</Attr>

</SearchAttribute>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>SKU</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="Point of Sale" type="POS" visible="true"




<Products>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>SKU</Attr>

<Attr>Color</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="Retirement" type="RETIREMENT" visible="true"




<Products>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>GTIN</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

<Scenario name="Returns - SKU " type="RETURNS" visible="true"


<Products>

<SearchAttribute>

<Attr>SKU</Attr>

</SearchAttribute>

<DisplayAttributes>

<Attr>DESC</Attr>

<Attr>Color</Attr>

<Attr>Size</Attr>


</Products>

</Scenario>

</HandheldApplication>



NOTE: If special characters are used, they have to be escaped according to XML standards. If ‘&’ is used, it should

be escaped twice for it to get reflected on the main form [& - &&].

The following table provides the description for each component defined in the HandheldUI.xml file:

Element/Attribute Description Default Values

Type Defines the type of scenario. N/A

Visible Specifies if the scenario will be displayed

on the User Interface. True/ False

N/A

Offline_enabled Allows the scenario to be executed when

OATxpress is unavailable.

Varies with scenario type

Products

All product related information based on

SKU/GTIN. Product information to be

displayed on User Interface.

N/A

Search Attribute

Suggests that the scenario has a search

attribute which is provided in Attr node

(default is SKU).

N/A

SearchAttribute/Attr Suggests based on product field the

search is based on - SKU / GTIN.

N/A

DisplayAttributes

Allows the list of attributes to be

displayed on the User Interface by

displaying product Information in

Summary View.

N/A

DisplayAttributes/Attr

Specifies product related attribute (Max

of only 3 attributes are allowed) - If

nothing is specified Name and SKU are

considered as default.

N/A

Locations/IdentifyBy

Suggests a way to configure locations

through Barcode scan or dropdown

Names.

N/A

InferredBy

If locations are identified by Barcode

scan, InferredBy is mandatory for

Name/EPC/UserAttribute.

N/A

AsyncResolveProduct This feature allows the product resolution 1 (turned on)




to happen as back ground process with

read. Or product resolution happens in

sync with reads.

R esolveBatchSize

Suggests the number of EPCs that should

to be taken to OATxpress in one go for

product resolution.

40

ResolveProduct

The scenario resolve the products for the

read EPCs - 1 (every read EPC should be

resolved)/0(product resolution need not

happen).

1 (turned on)

CacheProduct

The EPCs and its resolved product

information be cached in memory -

1(cache) / 0(turn off caching).

1 (turned on)

ResolveThreadSleepTime

Specifies the amount of time the thread

should be idle if product resolve is

AsyncResolveProduct.

Default is 1000 ms.

1000 (in milliseconds)

DisplayRefreshInterval Specifies the interval for the summary

view on the UI to be refreshed.


ResolveIdleTime

Specifies the idle time before forcing a

resolve of EPCs (even though the

ResolveBatchSize is not reached).


SearchFilter

Suggests the list of attributes based on

which the inventory snapshot is fetched

from OATxpress for Enhanced Cycle

Counting.

N/A

Attribute name Specifies the name of the attribute. N/A

Attribute display_name Specifies how the name will be displayed

on the User Interface.

N/A

Message mode Specifies if the scenario will be executed

through synchronous or asynchronous

mode. Possible values are "async" (the

Varies with scenario type




default) and "sync"

If offline_enabled=true and

message_mode=sync - The

scenario tries a synchronous call

to OATxpress. If synchronous call

fails the scenario submits the data

to a reliable message queue, and

it does not count the first

synchronous try in the Maximum

Retry Count.

If offline_enabled=true and

message_mode=async - The

scenario submits the data to a

reliable message queue.

If offline_enabled=false and

message_mode=sync - The

scenario tries a synchronous call

to OATxpress. If synchronous call

fails an error is displayed to user;

no reliable message queue is

considered.

If offline_enabled=false and

message_mode=async - Invalid

configuration, hence the

message_mode will be assumed

to be sync. Behavior is same as

above.

MaxProducts

The maximum products to be fetched

while searching for inventory in

enhanced cycle counting.

Default is 100.

100

ProductExtension Details

ProductExtension are the product attributes to be saved in productInfo.xml. The details of

ProductExtension are as follows:

The <Propkey> specifies the product attributes to be displayed in ProductExtension

The product information displayed is: SKU, DESC, STYLECODE, GTIN, UOM. Maximum of only 3

product information can be displayed



Product can be identified ONLY based on SKU/GTIN

Scenario Type Details

Following table lists the valid values for type attribute of Scenario element in HandheldUI.xml, in relation

to the use-case:

Use Case Scenario Type

DC Pack DCPACK

DC Ship DCSHIP

Receiving Untagged items RECEIVING

Receiving Pre-tagged items RCVASSOCIATION

ReceivingTagged and Putaway RCVTAGGEDPUTAWAY

ReceivingUnTagged and Putaway RCVUNTAGGEDPUTAWAY

Putaway PUTAWAY

CycleCount CYCLECOUNT

Enhanced Cycle Count- ADVANCED_CYCLECOUNT

PickList PICKLIST

Inventory Count based on search STOCKSEARCH

Retirement RETIREMENT

Point Of Sale POS

Returns RETURNS



4.4.3 Configuring OAT Merchandise Visibility in

Handheld devices

To configure the handheld device follow the procedure outlined below.

1. Click OATMerchandiseVisibility in the Start Menu of your handheld device to display a start up

dialog.

Figure 5 : Start up Dialog

1. After Loading components, Loading UI, Validating Configuration and Complete, the Log In Page

is displayed.

2. Login with the following username and password the first time:

Username - oat_mobile

Password - apollo



Figure 6 : Logging in

3. The OAT Server screen appears:

Figure 7 : Configuration

4. Click the OAT server icon. The following OATServer screen appears:



Figure 8 : OAT Server

5. Type values in the OATHandheldID, OAT Server Hostname or IP field and the OAT Server Port

field. Click Save to save these settings.

6. Restart the application.

7. Login with the valid username and password, as configured in OATxpress.

NOTE: All valid OATxpress users can login to the handheld device. The username and password are

cached, digitally signed and persisted locally to enable logging into the application when OATxpress is

offline. On the success of login, the application is directed to the application home page.

If you try to login when OATxpress is not reachable or if the username or password is incorrect,

‚Problem in accessing OATxpress. Will use cached details if exists.‛ message will be displayed.

8. If the cache has the user credentials and the username and password are valid, the user is

directed to the OAT Merchandise Visibility Main Menu. If the username and password are

incorrect or the cache does not have the right user credentials, then the following message

appears:

‚Invalid username/password‛

NOTE: The Main Menu can be customized in the HandheldUI.xml file available in the Program

Files\OATMerchandiseVisibility directory. Refer to the section above for details.



Figure 9 : Main Menu

In the status bar that appears at the bottom of the Main Menu, select:

Tab Description

Settings To display the Configuration Menu page

Status To display the status of messages in the queue.

Message Process: All the messages sent from OAT Merchandise Visibility

application to OATxpress are either synchronous or asynchronous. In the

asynchronous mode, it uses reliable messaging, where the messages are

persisted locally and sent to OATxpress when it is reachable. A threshold

can be specified to limit the number of messages. There are two types of

thresholds, namely, queue threshold and disk space threshold. When

queue threshold is reached, a warning icon appears on the status bar and

when the queue is full, further messages are not accepted and the process is

stopped. When disk space threshold is reached then further messages are

not accepted.

Message Response: Message response from the scenarios, which run on

OATxpress is sent to the user based on communication status between

OATxpress and OAT Merchandise Visibility. When OATxpress is online

the response is immediate. When OATxpress is offline, the submitted

messages are placed in the queue.

Exit To exit the application



In the Main Menu select:

Button Description Visible in default Main Menu

Receiving Untagged To receive an item. The items received in the receiving

area have only the SKU number. The EPC is attached

to the item at the store.

Yes

Receiving Tagged To receive pre-tagged items. The items received at the

store have both the SKU and EPC number attached to

it.

Yes

Putaway Process by which items received into the store are

transferred to specific locations.

Yes

Cycle Counting Cycle Count is conducted to update the inventory at a

particular location.

Yes

Enhanced Cycle Counting Enhanced Cycle Count is conducted to get the

inventory of a particular product.

No

Picklist The Picklist displays items for which the Salesfloor

inventory has fallen below zero but have inventory in

the Backroom/Storage locations which can be used for

restocking.

No

Stock Search by SKU Scan Stock Search is conducted by SKU scan to display the

inventory level for a particular product at four

different types of locations - Receiving Area,

Backroom, Storage Area and Sales Floor.

NOTE: Stock Search functionality does not work when

OATxpress is in offline mode.

Yes

Point of Sale Point of sale is where the items are sold. Yes

Retirement Retirement is a process by which a tag is retired and

the reason for retirement can be selected. Inventory is

updated to reflect that the item is no longer available.

If the tag is re-usable, it can now be used for another

item.

Yes

Returns by SKU Process of returning an item by SKU to the store after

the sale.

Yes

Receiving Pre-tagged and

Putaway

To receive pre-tagged items. The items received at the

store have both the SKU and EPC number attached to

No



Button Description Visible in default Main Menu

it and transferred to specific locations.

NOTE: If the location is not specified, then the default

location is taken.

Receiving Untagged and

Putaway

The items received in the receiving area have only the

SKU number. The EPC is attached to the item at the

store and transferred to specific locations.

NOTE: If the location is not specified, then the default

location is taken.

Yes

Stock Search by GTIN Scan Stock Search is conducted by GTIN scan to display the

inventory level for a particular product at four

different types of locations - Receiving Area,

Backroom, Storage Area and Sales Floor.

NOTE: Stock Search functionality does not work when

OATxpress is in offline mode.

No

Returns by GTIN Process of returning an item by GTIN to the store after

the sale.

No

DC Pack Process of tag-association as part of the Pack process. No

DC Ship Process to confirm (at a SKU-item level) the items

shipped to a store, and verify it against the Picklist.

No

NOTE:

Main Menu can be customized in the HandheldUI.xml file.

The item_rcv.xml scenario should be deployed at OATxpress in case of Receiving Untagged, Returns, Receiving

Untagged and Putaway, and DC Pack.

The item_assn.xml scenario should be deployed at OATxpress in case of Receiving Pre-tagged, Receiving Pre-tagged

and Putaway Cycle Count, POS, Retirement and DC Ship.

The item_cc.xml scenario should be deployed at OATxpress in case of Enhanced Cycle Counting.

Click Settings to go to the OAT Merchandise Visibility Configuration menu.



Configuring Settings

Use the Configuration Menu to configure settings, locations, devices, products, application settings and

reliable messaging.

Figure 10 : Configuration Menu

Icon Description

OATServer To modify the IP address/ hostname

Device To configure RFID and Barcode devices

Products To configure products

Locations To configure locations

Reliable Messaging To configure the queue size, threshold etc.

Application Settings To configure Receiving, POS, Retire, Returns and Miscellaneous



Configure OATServer

Click OATServer in the Configuration Menu to change the IP address/Hostname.

Figure 11 : OAT Server

Parameter Description

OAT Handheld ID Enter the ID for Handheld device.

OAT Server HostName or IP Enter the HostName or IP address of the OAT Server.

OAT Server Port Enter the Port Number.

Enable HTTPS Check the box to enable Secure HTTP.

Click Save to go back to the Configuration menu.



Configure a Device

Click Device in the Configuration menu and make changes in the following screen:

Figure 12 : Configuring device

Parameter Description Default Values

RF Power level (%) Set the RF Power Level(%) using the

up or down arrow button. The valid

values are 1 to 100.

100

Beep On Reading Tag Check to have the handheld device

beep when it reads a tag or scans a

barcode

Checked

Enable Barcode Types Check the appropriate Barcode Types

that should be recognized by the

handheld device. These are listed in

script number barcode format.

Enable all Barcode Types Check to select all the Barcode Types. Unchecked

Session Possible values are S0, S1, S2, S3.

Select S0 to report the nearest tag first

then farest – Here the tag will not go

to sleep; it is powered up immediately

and no de-energize.

Select S1 to read a tag, which will be

S0



Parameter Description Default Values

reported for next 2 to 5 secs– Here the

tag will sleep for 0.5 to 5 sec.

Select Session S2/S3 where the tag will

sleep for less than 2 sec after read and

reported again and want to power up

the tag immediately like Session S0

and persist the same for less than 2

seconds.

NOTE: If the Session is left blank it

assumes the value S0 as its default value.

Starting Q Starting Q is used to avoid stray tags

reading. If the Q size is big - there will

not be any stray tags, but the time

taken to read will be more. If Q size is

less - there is a possibility to get stray

reads, but the response from the tag

will be much faster.

NOTE The preferred value for Session is

S0 and Starting Q is 4 OR Session is S1

and Starting Q is 6.

4

Save Click to save the settings.

Cancel To reset the data to last saved settings

and return to the Configuration

Menu.

NOTE: Cancel does NOT reset the data

to default settings.

NOTE: The RF Power Level and Barcode Types settings take effect only when the application restarts.



Configuring Locations

Click Locations in the Configuration Menu.

Figure 13 : Locations (Main)


Webservice client timeout (in seconds). Enter the time in seconds

Select one of the following radio buttons:

Don’t store information locally To not store the location information in memory. Do not

select this for Merchandise Visibility application.

Migrate all

To migrate all the locations available in OATxpress.

NOTE: Products and Locations have to be migrated each time

any product or location changes are made on the OATxpress

server.

Migrate only selected (Default)

To migrate only certain locations from OATxpress and

save the location information.

NOTE:

If there are multiple sites configured in the same OATxpress,

migrate only the locations which belong to the site in which the

handheld device will be used.

Click on Migrate Only selected (which lists all the

locations configured for this OATxpress) and select and




move to the right panel only the locations which belong

to the site used by the handheld device.

Click Selection - for the following dialog box to select locations.

Figure 14 : Locations (Selection)

Click Get - to display locations in ‘All Locations’.


All Locations Select the locations and click to move the product

to ‘Selected’ locations.

NOTE: Any number of locations can be selected.

Click Save - to return to the Configuration menu.



Configuring Products

Click Products in the Configuration menu.

Figure 15 : Products (Main)


Webservice client timeout (in seconds). Enter the time in seconds.

Default Value is 300.

Select one of the following radio buttons

Don’t store information locally Will not store the product information in memory. Do not

select this for Merchandise Visibility.

Migrate all To migrate all the products available in OATxpress.

Products and Locations have to be migrated each time

any product or location changes are made on the

OATxpress server.

Click Save - to return to the Configuration menu.



Configuring Application Settings

Select Application Settings in the Configuration menu. Application Settings consists of various tabs which

allow you to configure the process-steps for specific scenarios. The configuration settings typically

involve selection of the Business Locations and/or Read Points.

Select DC Pack tab at the bottom of the page.

Figure 16 : DC Pack


Select Business Location Select the business location for DC Pack from the

dropdown list, for example, DCStorage.

Select Read Point Location Select the Read Point location for DC Pack location of EPC

from the dropdown list, for example, DCStorageRP.

RFID Verification Time out (Seconds) Specify the timeout in milliseconds to wait for the event.

The EPC read event is expected within this time.

Default value is 5.



Select DC Ship tab at the bottom of the page.

Figure 17 : DC Ship


Select Read Point Location Select the Read Point location for DC Ship location of EPC

from the dropdown list, for example, DCShipRP.



Select Receiving tab at the bottom of the page.

Figure 18 : Receiving


Select Business Location Select the business location for Receiving from the

dropdown list.

Select Read Point Location Select the business location configured for Receiving from

the dropdown list.

RFID Verification Timeout (Seconds) Select the RFID Verification timeout in seconds using the

up or down arrow buttons.

Default is 5.



Select Retirement tab at the bottom of the page.

Figure 19 : Default retirement reasons

Figure 20 : Retirement




Select Read Point Location Select the Read Point location from the dropdown list.

Default retirement reason Select one reason from the dropdown list of retirement

reason-codes.

Update Retirement Reason code Click to update the reason for retirement.

NOTE: Each time the Retirement Reason is modified or updated,

click ‚Update Retirement Reason Codes‛ to update the reasons.

The Retirement reason-codes can be customized in the file mv.properties.

Following is a sample mv.properties file displaying the retirement reason codes.

## For modifying retirement codes, only properties file needs to be modified;

## on startup they'll be synchronized with database table

'retirement_reason'.

ret_code.ITEM_SOLD=Item is sold

ret_code.ITEM_SHIPPED=Item is shipped from store

ret_code.ITEM_MISSING=Item is confirmed missing

ret_code.ITEM_UNKNOWN=Item is unknown; detached tag

ret_code.ITEM_DESTROYED=Item is destroyed

ret_code.TAG_MISSING=Tag missing from item; will retag

ret_code.TAG_FAILED=Tag failed; will retag

ret_code.TAG_WRONG_FOR_ITEM=Tag wrong for item; will retag

# The default retirement code

default.ret_code=ITEM_SOLD

# The default POS code used in webservice

default.pos_code=ITEM_SOLD

# The POS locations configuration file

pos.locations.filename=E:/OATxpress71RC6/ofs/conf/PosLocations.xml

## Retirment location was configured in app_properties.properties earlier.

## While this is a good place for that property, the mechanism to indicate

## a retirement location has now changed - an sslt_code of 213, meaning

## 'Out Of Site Location', when assigned to a BL will indicate it as the

## retirement location.

## ret_loc=



Select POS tab at the bottom of the page.

Figure 21 : POS


Select Read Point Location Select the Read Point location configured for POS from the

dropdown list.

Default POS Retirement Reason Select one reason from the dropdown list. This is

configured in the retirement reason code corresponding to

POS.



Select Returns tab at the bottom of the page.

Figure 22 : Returns


Select Business Location Select the business location for returns from the

dropdown list, for example, Returns.

Select Read Point Location Select the Read Point location for return location of EPC

from the dropdown list, for example, Returns_RP



Select RF Power Setting tab from the bottom of the page.

Figure 23 : RF Power Settings

Set the RF Power Level (%) for the following:

Parameter Default values

Receive Pre-tagged 33

Putaway 10

Cycle Counting 100

POS 33

Retirement 33

Returns/Receiving Untagged 10



Select Miscellaneous tab at the bottom of the page.

Figure 24 : Miscellaneous

Parameter Description Default

Tracked Messages Count Select the number using the up or

down arrow button.

10

Idle Time-out (minutes) Select the time in minutes using the

up or down arrow button for system

to wait before re-login.

10

EPC-Product Cache Expiry

(minutes)

Enter the time in minutes. 10

EPC-Product Cache Size Enter the Size 1000

Product Cache Size Enter the Size 1000

Product Sync Time (days) Select the number of days using the

up or down arrow button.

7



Select EPC Detection tab at the bottom of the page.

Figure 25 : EPC Detection

In scenarios where an EPC is associated to a product, the process is to first barcode scan a product SKU,

then scans one or more EPCs, again scan another SKU, and so on. The operator does not need to indicate

a new product scan by clicking a button, instead OAT Merchandise Visibility solution lets the operator

scan product SKUs and EPCs on a continuous basis, and infers what the scan means. In order to identify

an EPC correctly, the following parameters can be configured. If a scanned value does not match the rules

for identifying EPCs, it will be treated as a product SKU. Note that even if the product SKU does not exist

in OATxpress, a new product with minimal information of SKU value and an UOM of ‘Item’ will be

created in OATxpress. The scenarios where these rules are applicable are:

Receiving Untagged

Receiving Untagged with Putaway

Returns

DC Pack




Hexadecimal EPC Length Select the length of the hexadecimal EPC. If more than

one EPC length is used (say 16 and 24 digits), select a

value lesser than 16 to force MV to ignore this criteria.

Default Value is 24.

EPC Prefix (not part of EPC) If EPC barcodes are printed with a prefix to identify

them, enter the prefix for EPC. This could be another

easy way to identify an EPC accurately. The prefix

value will be stripped from the scanned value and the

hexadecimal EPC alone will be taken. This prefix

could be any string, and its sole purpose is to identify

the scanned value as that of an EPC.

First Few Characters Of Hexadecimal EPC Enter the first few characters of hexadecimal EPC. If

the same encoding scheme is used for all item EPCs,

the hexadecimal EPCs will all have the same first

characters. These can be specified here to identify the

EPC.

Select the Advanced tab at the bottom of the page.

Figure 26 : Advanced



Select Web Service Time Out for scenarios in seconds in the following:

Parameter Default Value

PickList 60

Stock Search 60

Product EPC Look Up 300

Enhanced CC – Inventory Snap Shot 30

Enhanced CC – Review and Reconcile 30

Default 30

Configuring Reliable Messaging

Click on Reliable Messaging in the Configuration menu.

Figure 27 : Reliable Messaging




Show OATxpress status on

status bar

Check to see the status of the

connection and the message queue

icon at the bottom of the application.

NOTE: If unchecked the connection

status of the connection and the message

status icon are shown as notification icons

in the Windows notification bar.

Checked

Select Policy Type Select one from the dropdown list:

Time Based Policy – is based

on the time specified in Time

to Live, after which the

messages is not sent to

OATxpress, and is not

available in the queue.

Count Based Policy – is based

on the number of retries

specified in Maximum Retry

Count, upto which messages

are in the queue.

NOTE: On selection of one, the other is

disabled.

Count Based Policy

Maximum Retry Count Enter the number of tries is permitted.

For example, if the value entered is 30,

the total number of tries will be 30

only. It will NOT be 1 try and 30

retries.

NOTE: This is used only when Count

based Policy is used.

Default is 30.

Time to Live (in Minutes) You cannot edit this value. This is

used only when Time based Policy is

used.

Default is 5.

Interval between two retry

command (In Seconds)

Enter the time in seconds, after which

the messages will be retried to be sent

to OATxpess.

Default is 1.

OAT Connectivity check

Interval (In Seconds)

Enter the time in seconds for the

handheld device to check the status of

the connection with the OATxpress

Default is 120.




server.

Web Service Client Timeout

(In Seconds)

Enter the time in seconds for the Web

Service Client to timeout.

Default is 50

Queue size Enter the number of messages that can

be stored when the OATxpress server

connection is unavailable.

Default is 50.

Queue size threshold Enter the percentage of messages that

can be stored when the OATxpress

server connection is unavailable.

Default is 80.

Disk space threshold Enter the percentage of information

that can be stored when the

OATxpress server connection is

unavailable.

Default is 80.

Select Save to save the Application Settings.

Close the OAT Merchandise Visibility application.

Your handheld device is now ready to communicate with OAT Merchandise Visibility.

4.4.4 Handheld device in Offline mode

Handheld device scenarios for OAT Merchandise Visibility can also be used in cases where the

OATxpress server is not reachable by handheld applications. It allows storing of sent messages in

persisted storage before forwarding it to OATxpress when it is reachable.

The application goes into the offline mode if:

Network is unavailable

OATxpress Server is not reachable

OATxpress Server is not running

Note that this is different from not being able to reach the scenario when OATxpress is running. In such a

case, a message such as 'Scenario is not running' is displayed by the handheld device. No further

processing can be done on that scenario until the OATxpress scenario is started and reachable.

While running the offline enabled scenario in the offline mode:

Messages are stored in the persistent storage and can be retrieved, even if the handheld device is

cold booted before all the messages are sent to OATxpress.

Offline messages are sent to OATxpress server once the connection is restored, in the same order.



On restarting the application (Merchandise Visibility) the saved offline messages are processed, if

OATxpress is available. If OATxpress is not available, they are displayed as unknown message

type, in the Message Information section.

The following table briefs the activity which will be available in offline mode:

Activity Availability in Offline mode

Receiving Untagged Yes

Receiving Pre-tagged Yes

Putaway Yes

Cycle Counting Yes

Enhanced Cycle Count

NOTE: Inventory search and Review and Reconcile are not available in

offline mode.

Yes

Picklist No

Point of Sale Yes

Retire Yes

Stock Search by SKU Scan No

Returns by SKU Yes

Stock Search by GTIN Scan No

Receiving Untagged and Putaway Yes

Receiving Pre-tagged and Putaway Yes

Returns by GTIN Yes

DC Pack Yes

DC Ship Yes



4.5 Configuring Scenarios in OATxpress

Following sections explains the procedure to configure the OATxpress scenario.

4.5.1 Fixed Reader Receiving Scenario

Fixed readers are typically used at the Receiving Dock doors in larger stores. The Receiving Dock Door

portals offer an alternative to the manual receiving process when items are already tagged by the

suppliers or at the DC. Fixed readers are typically used at large stores (that may occupy floor space of

10,000 square feet or more).

Automated mode

As the store associates unload the cartons/trolleys and carry them past the Receiving Door, the system detects the tagged items and updates the store inventory accordingly.

Manual mode

The store associates also have the option to access the OATxpress application to monitor the Receiving activity. The OATxpress Receiving UI displays counts of items (by SKU/GTIN) being received. The tags are encoded with the product information e.g. SGTIN-96.

The OATxpress fixed reader receiving scenario contains the core functionality to receive items. It is

deployed at the dock door or receiving door and the items received are assigned to backroom or receiving

area which can be decided during configuration time or during runtime.

It allows you to:

Capture the item attributes

Read item EPCs

Receive an item to the specified location

4.5.2 Configuration Parameters for Fixed Reader Receiving Scenario

Use the following sections to configure parameters prior to running the OATxpress Fixed Reader

scenario. Parameters listed below correspond to the fields displayed in the configuration user interface.

Section 1: Define Devices


RFID antenna readpoint location Select one of the following readpoint locations from the

dropdown list, configured in devices.




Specify the digital input device for starting and

stopping multi asset movement

Select one from the configured list displayed.

Turn on the reader only during the session (for

session)

Select No to keep the reader on all the time.

Select Yes to turn on the reader only during receiving

session.

Section 2: Receiving Process


How is the receiving done? Select one of the following:

Items moved in bulk without an active session –

for the reader to stay on all the time, there is no

stop processing instruction.

Each load is received within a defined session –

to receive the items in definite batches.

Attributes to capture for the load (for Session) Specify the attributes to be captured for the receiving

session in the popup window.

NOTE: Maximum of two attributes can be captured.

Section 3: Receiving Process – Session Start


How does the session start? Select one of the following:

Photocell or motion detector used to start the

receiving process – to start the session

automatically by photocell or motion detector.

User starts session from display –to start the

session manually by clicking a button.

Specify the digital input trigger state to start

receiving

Select state (On or Off) that starts the receiving process

in case of using photocell or motion detector to start the




receiving process.

Section 4: Receiving Process-Session Close


How does the session close? Select one of the following:

Photocell or motion detector is used to stop the

receiving process – to stop the session

automatically by photocell or motion detector.

User stops session from display –to stop the

session manually by clicking the button.

Specify digital input trigger to stop receiving Select state (On or Off) that stops the receiving process

in case of using photocell or motion detector to stops the

receiving process.

Stop receiving after the configured time (ms) Specify the time period in milliseconds, after which the

system will stop receiving in case of using timeout

above.

Section 5: Load Verification – applicable for session


Do you want to verify the load quantity? Select Yes to verify the load quantity.

Example: Ten items in particular session.

Do you want to verify the number of SKUs

received?

Select Yes to verify the number of SKUs received.

Example: Ten SKUs in particular session.



Section 6: Putaway Process


Putaway location for items on normal receiving Select from the list of configured locations at which the

items should be received.

After the closure of receiving allow the

operator to expedite the Putaway (for Session)

Select from the following:

Always – to always allow the operator to expedite

Putaway.

If validation is defined and it failed – operator logs in to

different location.

Never

Parent Putaway location for items on expedited

receiving

In case of multilevel hierarchy, select a location to be

displayed as parent location.

Section 7: Display


For timeline view, items received are displayed

in blocks. Block size in minutes

Enter time in minutes.

Time window in which EPCs are counted and displayed

in the timeline.

For timeline view, items read beyond this

configured period are ignored (for Sessionless).

Time period in minutes, subject to a ceiling of 1

day

Enter time in minutes.

Example: 60 minutes is entered in this prompt and 10

minutes in above prompt. There will be 6 blocks of 10

minutes window each.

How to show the product description Configure the relevant product information in the

popup window.



4.5.3 FSBS (Front Store Back Store) Scenario

Merchandise Visibility offers the capability to automatically track items moving back and forth between

the sales floor and the back room. RFID Portals installed at the Transition doors leading from the

Backroom to the Salesfloor can be used to infer direction of the movement as store associates carry items

to the salesfloor for stocking or bring them back to the backroom; and update the inventory status of the

items (e.g. Backroom or Salesfloor) accordingly.

Features of FSBS Scenario

Item EPC Capture

FSBS scenario supports the movement of single and/or multiple items at a time. The EPC can be captured

by RFID read. Barcode scanning and user interface entry are not supported.

If configured for single item processing, alerts can be generated if more than one item is found at the

same time. If configured for processing multiple items at the same time, then multiple items are read, and

are processed in chronological order. The attributes cannot be captured or validated if an Item Type of All

is chosen.

Direction Inference

If an item EPC is new to the system, the movement has to be configured either as inbound or outbound. If

an item EPC is repeatedly detected within a fixed window of time, then the movement direction is treated

as being unchanged from the last time item was detected in the specified time frame.

Following are the four methods for detecting the direction of Item and their parameters:

Reader: Direction of Item movement is provided by RFID device.

o Device Direction Event: is the event which provides the item direction movement.

o Read Point: is the entry or exit point where a reader is located. The reader’s location

can be placed either under an inbound or an outbound zone, or outside the two zones.

Previous Location Tag: Logical movement inference is based on OATxpress knowing the

previous location of an item.

o Inbound Zone: the area where an item is considered to be inbound. Typically, this is a

parent location in OATxpress that comprises all inbound child locations. But there may

be group of child or parent locations in the zone.

o Outbound Zone: the area where an item is considered to be outbound. Typically, this

is a parent location in OATxpress that comprises all outbound child locations. But there

may be group of child or parent locations in the zone.


can be placed either under an inbound or an outbound zone, or outside the two zones .

Reads at Multiple Read Points: The direction is inferred using multiple antennas by configuring

them as IN and OUT.



o Flow Definition: is to define the direction based on first read point and next read point.

o First Read Point: is the entry point where a reader is located. The reader’s location can

be placed either under an inbound or outside the two zones.

o Second Read Point: is the exit point where a reader is located. The reader’s location

can be placed either under an outbound zone, or outside the two zones. The read points

can be swapped.

Motion sensors: The direction is inferred using Motion sensors by setting its state to ‘On’ or ‘Off’.

o Motion Sensor Event: is the event which decides the item direction movement.


can be placed either under an inbound or an outbound zone, or outside the two zones.

o The purpose of this functionality is to track items as they enter and exit certain zones in

the store that are of interest for the purpose of inventory tracking. Following are a few

examples:

Track items as they are taken to the sales floor for stocking or as they are being returned to the

backroom (through the sales floor transition door – also known as FSBS portal).

Track items moving in and out of trial rooms or alteration area.

Location to assign item

The item is associated with an inbound or outbound location, depending on the movement inferred. An

EPC associated to a (parent) location is also assumed to be associated to its child location.

Configuration options for item processing methods

Following are the different configuration options for item processing methods:

Multi-item processing: Provides the ability to identify the direction of multiple items as a batch.

A collective direction is inferred and applied for all items in the batch. The following are the three

configuration options to determine the start and end of the batch:

o Digital trigger: Photocell or Motion detectors are used to start and stop the scanning

process.

o Time-out: This is based on a specified period of time. The Items are scanned for the

configured time.

Multiple items processed individually: Provides the ability to process one or more items

simultaneously. Each item’s direction is inferred individually, no collective direction is applied.



4.5.4 Configuration parameters for FSBS (Front

Store Back Store) Scenario

Use the following sections to configure parameters prior to running the OATxpress FSBS scenario.

Parameters listed below correspond to the fields displayed in the configuration user interface.

Section 1: Determine Item Movement Direction


Specify parameters for direction inference Configuration is through a popup window. See Section

1.1: Directionality Algorithm and Rules Configuration

for details.

Ignore multiple reads of same item, if read

within (sec)

The item may be read more than once depending on

reader position and speed at which the item moves.

Specify the time in seconds within which the subsequent

read of the same item will be ignored.

Section 1.1: Directionality Algorithm and Rules Configuration


Direction inferred by Select one of the following:

Reader

Previous location of tag

Reads at multiple read points

Motion Sensor

Default Direction Assigns a direction to an EPC that is either new to the

system or if the direction inference algorithm is unable

to decide the direction.

NOTE: Selecting UNKNOWN as the default direction should

be avoided. If selected, IN is chosen as the direction.

If the item direction inference algorithm chosen

is ‘Reader’

For details see

Section 1.1.1: Rules Configuration for Reader based

Directionality Algorithm

If the item direction inference algorithm chosen For details see




is ‘Previous location of item’ Section 1.1.2: Rules Configuration for Previous location

of item based Directionality Algorithm


is ‘Reads at multiple antennas’

For details see

Section 1.1.3: Rules Configuration for Reads at multiple

read points based Directionality Algorithm.


is ‘Motion Sensor’

For details see

Section 1.1.4: Rules Configuration for Motion Sensor

based Directionality Algorithm

Section 1.1.1: Rules Configuration for Reader based Directionality

Algorithm


Direction IN or OUT; will be the inferred direction.

Device Direction Device event for direction inference. The event name is

based on the device.

Section 1.1.2: Rules Configuration for Previous location of item based

Directionality Algorithm


Direction IN or OUT; this will be the inferred direction.

Previous Location Select one or more locations to be considered as

previous locations.

NOTE:

If a parent location consisting of multiple child locations

is selected, all child locations are considered as previous

locations.

Previous Location for IN and OUT cannot be the same.

None; cannot be selected as it does not imply any

location.



Section 1.1.3: Rules Configuration for Reads at multiple read points based Directionality Algorithm


Direction IN or OUT

NOTE: Direction has to be configured to IN only, when

using Reads at multiple read points based Directionality

algorithm.

First Read Select Read Point 1 or Read Point 2. The actual read

point will be configured later in – Define Devices.

NOTE:

If the First Read was Read Point 1 then the next has to be

Read Point 2 and Vice Versa.

They cannot be same for both IN and OUT.

Next Read Select Read Point 1 or Read Point 2. The actual read

point will be configured later in – Define Devices.

NOTE:

If the First Read was Read Point 1 then the next has to be

Read Point 2 and Vice Versa.

They cannot be same for both IN and OUT.

Min. time diff Specify the minimum time in milliseconds to move from

First Read to Next Read.

NOTE: Reader device has to be configured correctly for this to

work. A reader in polling mode should have a ‚Time between

reads (ms)‛ value lesser than this parameter’s value. Please

refer to OATxpress User Guide for configuring devices.

Max. time diff Specify the maximum time in milliseconds to move from

First Read to Next Read.

NOTE: Timeout event is created as soon as the first tag is

read. This timeout logically groups the tag reads in case of

multiple item reads into a batch. If other timeouts/ batch

quantity is configured then this event will affect them.



Section 1.1.4: Rules Configuration for Motion Sensor based Directionality Algorithm


Direction IN or OUT

NOTE: Direction has to be configured to IN only, when

Motion Sensor based Directionality algorithm.

Motion Sensor Select Motion Sensor 1 or Motion Sensor 2 for IN and

OUT direction.

NOTE: They cannot be same for both IN and OUT.

State Select ON or OFF

Timeout Specify the timeout in milliseconds to wait for the event.

The EPC read event is expected within this time.

NOTE: Timeout event is created as soon as the first tag is

read. This timeout logically groups the tag reads in case of

multiple item reads into a batch. If other timeouts/ batch

quantity is configured then this event will affect them.

Section 2: Define Devices


RFID antenna read point Select from the list of configured read points. This read

point is mandatory for all the direction inference

algorithms.

NOTE: In case of ‘Reads at multiple read points’ algorithm,

this is the first Read Point.

Second RFID antenna read point (if using

multiple read points)

Select from the list of configured read points. This read

point is necessary only for ‘Reads at multiple read

points’ algorithm, and is the second Read Point.

NOTE: This parameter has to be configured only if there are

multiple read points.

Specify the digital input device for starting

inbound item movement

Select from the list of digital input points. This is

mandatory for Motion Sensor based direction inference.




NOTE: This is the Motion Sensor 1


outbound item movement

Select from the list of digital input points. This is

mandatory for Motion Sensor based direction inference.

NOTE: This is the Motion Sensor 2

Section 3: Specify Handling of Multiple Items


Is a photocell or motion detector used to start

the scanning process?

Select Yes to specify if photocell or motion detector is

used to start the scanning process.


and stopping multi item movement

Select the digital input device from the dropdown list.


scanning

Select the digital input trigger state from the dropdown

list.

Specify the digital input trigger state to stop

scanning

Select the digital input trigger state from the dropdown

list.

Stop scanning if no EPCs or sensor events

occur for a period (configured below)?

Select Yes to stop scanning if no EPCs are read for

configured time.

Stops scanning after this time (ms) (if Yes is

selected above)

Enter the time in milliseconds.

Turn on the reader only while scanning for

items

Select Yes to turn the reader on only when the items

are scanned.

Section 3: Specify Location to Assign Item


Specify inbound location to assign Select the actual location to which the item needs to be

assigned when it is inbound.

Specify outbound location to assign Select the actual location to which the item needs to be

assigned when it is outbound.

Specify inbound location to assign on

validation failures

Select the inbound location to which the item needs to

be assigned when validation fails.




Specify outbound location to assign on

validation failures

Select the outbound location to which the item needs to

be assigned when validation fails.

Section 4: Actions to Perform on Reading an Item Tag


Send digital output when EPC is invalid In the popup window, configure the digital output, to

which the scenario sends signal for every item tag that

has failed EPC validation.

NOTE: This configuration is applicable to both inbound and

outbound items.

Send digital output signal when EPC is valid In the popup window, configure the digital output, to

which the scenario sends signal for every item tag that is

valid.

Section 5: Miscellaneous


Send digital output on unknown error In the popup window, configure the digital output to

which the scenario sends signal for any unhandled

error.

4.5.5 Configuring Fixed Reader at POS

Fixed Reader at POS is used to auto-retire the tagged items at Point Of Sale. Following are two options

according to which the configuration of parameters can be conducted:

RFID readers placed at POS terminals are managed by OATxpress to detect the RFID tags on

items being sold. The OFS scenario activates the reader by external system trigger, POS barcode

scan etc. There is no user interface. The POS terminal displays the items purchased based on bar-

code scan of items. Kill Tag process is implemented.

OATxpress receives an inbound message from an external system containing the EPCs that are

part of the POS and proceeds to retire these EPCs in OATxpress.

Readers which are supported in OAT Merchandise Visibility 7.2 for tag deactivation are:

Impinj Speedway, preferably with CS-777 Brickyard Near-Field Antenna



Sirit Infinity510

Other readers are supported for EPC reads and retirement, but not for tag deactivation.

4.5.6 Configuration Parameters for Fixed Reader at

POS Scenario

Use the following sections to configure parameters prior to running the OATxpress Fixed Reader at POS

scenario. Parameters listed below correspond to the fields displayed in the configuration user interface.

Section 1: Essential Configuration


How is the POS retirement process started Select one from the dropdown list.

Digital Input (Photocell, Motion Sensor, etc.)

Barcode scan of SKU

POS system trigger

Choose RFID reader Select the RFID reader from the dropdown list.

Choose RFID reader location (used for logging) Select the RFID reader location from the dropdown list.

This should be the location of the RFID reader in the

previous parameter. If this is chosen wrongly, scenario

will not throw an error; instead reports will show the

wrong location of retirement.

Section 2: Parameters for Digital Input As Start Trigger



POS retirement process

Select the digital input device from the dropdown list

for starting the POS retirement process.


POS retirement process

Select on or off to specify the digital input trigger state

to start POS retirement process.



Section 3: Parameters for POS System As Start Trigger


Identifier for this scenario, for sending message Enter a string value that corresponds to the particular

POS terminal. Note that one scenario should be

deployed for each POS station/terminal. This string

should be sent with the trigger message as well, so that

the trigger can be delivered to the correct scenario.

Section 4: Parameters for Barcode Scan As Start Trigger


Barcode scanner for scanning SKU Select the barcode scanner from the dropdown list for

scanning SKU.

Validate tag against scanned SKU Select Yes to validate the tag against scanned SKU.

Select No, otherwise.

Stop waiting and read tags if no barcode scans

are received for this period (in ms)

Enter the time in ms for the system to read tags, if no

barcode scans are received for this period.

Default is 2500.

Section 5: Tag Deactivation


Deactivate (kill) tags? Select Yes to deactivate tags after they are read.

If Yes is chosen above, provide the tag

password (leave as 0 if tags don’t have a

password; common for all tags)

Enter the tag password to deactivate the tags. If tags do

not have a password, leave the value as 0.

Digital output if at least one tag fails to be

deactivated

Configure to show digital output signal even if killing

one tag fails.



Configuring Web Service for POS

In Web Service for POS, OATxpress receives an inbound message from an external system containing a

list of EPCs in hex format to be retired and a location name from where the message is sent.

The following are the steps to integrate POS and external system using web service.

1. Configure locations in ofs/conf/PosLocation.xml as below

<locations>

<location name="pos station1" readpointlocation="xpress readpoint

location name"/>

</locations>

Where name is POS station name and readpoint location is readerlocation in OATxpress.

2. A webservice ‚PosService‛ is exposed in ‚http://localhost:8080/axis/services/PosService?wsdl‛.

The method is registerSoldEpcs(String[] epcs, String location). Parameter 'epcs' should contain

array of EPCs in hex format and location is the POS station name. Both fields are mandatory.

3. If the POS service is executed successfully, it will return the output from scenario.

4. In case of error, it returns error in below format

“<response type=”error"><error> errorMsg</error></response>”

Enhanced Cycle Count Search Filter configuration

Enhanced Cycle Count, location and product attribute search filter and the order in which they have to be

displayed in the user interface can be configured in the HandheldUI.xml as follows:

<Scenario name="Adv CC" type="ADVANCED_CYCLECOUNT" visible="true"


<Locations IdentifyBy="Names">

<Location>BackRoom</Location>

</Locations>

<SearchFilter>

<Attributes>

<Attribute name=”Product” display_name=”Product” />

<Attribute name=”Manufacturer” display_name=”Manufacturer” />

<Attribute name="Color" display_name="Color" />

</Attributes>

</SearchFilter>

</Scenario>

The following table provides the description for the search components of Enhanced Cycle Counting

defined in the HandheldUI.xml file:

Field Description UI type

Location Location names in HHUI.xml, or the barcode scan, or list of all

valid business locations with IsCycleCountLocation attribute

configured to Yes.

Dropdown list

http://localhost:8080/axis/services/PosService?wsdl



Field Description UI type

Attributes Up-to six attributes can be configured. The text can be entered.

Wild cards are allowed.

4.6 Label Print Scenario

The Label Print scenario commissions new EPCs, associates attributes to these EPCs and prints labels

with the attributes. The scenario is administered through OATxpress Administration UI pages.

An RFID printer/encoder programs an RFID chip embedded in a smart label, then prints text, graphics,

and barcodes on the label surface.

In the user interface version of the scenario, attributes are input through an external message, barcode

scan or user interface and validated against configurable validation rules.

4.6.1 Encoding and Printing

To print the label the following has to be defined:

Attributes to be captured, validated and printed

Printer and label template

Digital alerts are configured to let the operator know the status of the printer before printing and to

indicate the success or failure of printing. Product details such as SKU and UOM are gathered

dynamically by the scenario using the floor user interface.

4.6.2 Attribute Capture

Attributes are associated with the asset’s EPC. Attributes are captured through a barcode scan or the user

interface and/or from an external system. The attributes, their capture modes and the order of capture are

defined. The set of attributes to be printed on the label can differ from the set of attributes whose values

are captured by the scenario. It is possible to capture attribute values and not print them on the label. The

scenario allows constant values to be specified for certain attributes. These values are associated with the

respective attributes for all assets whose labels are printed by the scenario.

4.6.3 Validations

Attributes and product details such as SKU and UOM are validated. The scenario checks that the

attributes that are configured to be captured and printed. Captured attribute values are validated against

configurable validation rules. Based on the success or failure of a validation, the asset is associated with a

‚success‛ location or a ‚failure‛ location, as defined. Alerts appear if validation fails. Process errors are

logged, and appear in the Asset Timeline report.

Following are the validations available:



Product Validation: Labels are printed only for products that satisfy the configured EPC

encoding scheme. Choose product details such as SKU and UOM. Only SKUs and UOMs

available for the configured encoding scheme are displayed. If the operator enters an

unsupported SKU and tries to print labels, the scenario will not accept the entered combination

and flags an error. An error message is displayed.

Attribute Validation: Following are the two kinds of asset attribute validations:

o Current step validation: Attributes are captured through the user interface, barcode

scan and/or external system integration. These validations are applied when the

attributes are captured through each mode in the specified order.

o Modified state validation: Attributes are captured and validated have been captured by

the scenario. Validation includes any constant attribute value modifications configured.

An alert is triggered if validation fails.

In addition, the data types of the asset attributes values are validated automatically.

4.6.4 Label Print Scenario Configuration

Parameters

The following sections describe the parameters of the scenarios to be configured.

Section 1: General


Encoding scheme Select the EPC encoding scheme from the dropdown list.

Tag Commissioning Association Location Select the location from the dropdown list.

Display dropdown list for SKU Select Yes or No

Section 2: Product Attributes


Product Attributes to Print Select the product extensions to print in the pop up

window and click Done.

Section 3: Printing Configuration





Print template path Select the label template for the labels to be printed.

Maximum number of line items Enter the maximum number of line items for a single print

run.

NOTE: One line item corresponds to one set of values of

the SKU, UOM, and Quantity of labels to be printed. Only

one line item is specified to an instance of the callable

scenario, using the ‘Asset SKU’ and ‘Asset UOM’

configuration parameters (above).

Maximum number of labels allowed per

line item (U)

Enter the maximum number of labels (Quantity) allowed

per line item.

NOTE: If more number of labels are needed for a

particular product (combination of SKU and UOM), two

(or more) separate line items are specified for the same

product, such that the sum of Quantities across these line

items matches the required number of labels to be printed.

Number of labels per EPC serial number Enter the number of labels required per EPC serial

number.

Maximum number of labels per EPC serial

number

Enter the maximum number of labels allowed per EPC

serial number.

Verify printer status before writing Select Yes to check the printer status (online/offline)

before printing.

Verify tag after writing Select Yes to verify the tag after printing.

Section 4: Digital Output


On print failure Configure to show digital output signal when printing

fails.

On print start Configure to show digital output signal when printing

starts.

On print succeeded Configure to show digital output signal when printing

succeeds.



This completes installation and configuration instructions for the OAT Merchandise Visibility. Refer to

OAT Merchandise Visibility User Guide for deploying the scenarios in both handheld and OATxpress.

oat merchandise visibility - oat support center

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