Sage 300

Introduction

The Templates installation provides you with a ready-to-use set of Views, Dashboards and Reports.

The installation (assuming the Central Point is freshly installed and empty), will consist of two steps:

• Configuring the Data Sources for the ERP and Data Warehouse (optional) databases.
• Importing the Templates into the Central Point.

There may be other steps including building and loading the OLAP Cubes.

Nectari DataSync

DataSync is required for Sage 300 only if you want to consolidate the data into one database so that Reports from different Companies can be viewed into the same one.

Prerequisites

• A version of Sage 300 supported by Sage
• A destination database (preferably, in the same collation as your Sage 300 Database)
• A valid version of DataSync (refer to Installing DataSync for more information)

Set the Connections

• Follow the procedure described in Add a Source and Destination Connection to create a Source and a Destination connection.

Importing the Extractions

This feature allows you to import a pre-defined template or to restore a backup that you may have done yourself with the Export feature (refer to Export an Extraction for more details).

Some pre-defined templates are already available; if you don't have access to them, please contact your partner. An example of a pre-defined template you could use is the one which defines the list of tables and fields to be synchronized to send Sage 300, X3, Acumatica, Salesforce data to the Cloud.

1. Click on one of the extractions in the list then on the Import icon located on the upper right-hand corner.
   
2. In the Import Extraction window, click on the Choose a zip file hyperlink to browse to the location you saved the export .zip file or drag it directly into that window and click on Next.

3. On the left pane, select the type of extraction you want to perform and click on Next.
   

4. Refer to Setup the Extraction Panel to define the extraction and click on Import to finish the process.
   

5. You should have a result similar to this:

The diagram below illustrates how DataSync processes data.

 

Validating and Building the Extractions

Once your extraction (source, destination connection and their related tables) is set up, the next step is to validate the setting of an extraction, before being able to run it.

The feature will:

• Ensure that all the tables/fields exist in the source connections,
• Validate all SQL queries or calculated fields,
• Ensure that the data integrity in the destination connection is not affected (ex: change the table structure).

To do so:

1. Select the extraction you want to validate and build in the list and click on the Validate and Build icon.
   
2. In the new window, choose the action which best fits your needs and click on Build (Validate for Migration and Export extraction types).
   

3. Wait for the process to be done.

Running the Extractions

Once your data have been validated (refer to Validate and Build an Extraction for more details), you can manually run the extraction if you want an immediate result instead of scheduling it.

1. Select the extraction you want to run in the list and click on the Run Extraction Now icon.
   
2. In the upper-right hand corner, choose the action you want to execute and the table(s) then click on Run.

3. Wait for the process to be done.

Data Source Configuration

Environments and Data Sources

The following information is needed to configure the Data Sources:

• Database server credentials: Server name, Instance, Authentication strategy.
• Main ERP database information: Database and schema name.

ERP Data Source

1. In the upper-right hand corner, click on the to access the Administration section.
   
2. On the left pane, select Env. & Data Sources.
3. By default, there is already an environment called Production, which you can rename by double-clicking in the name box. Once changed, press the Enter key.
   
4. In the Data Sources section, click on Add to create the first Data Source.
   
5. Complete the ERP Data Source configuration. See instructions for MS SQL Server and Oracle below.

Oracle instructions follow

Datasource description:

Sage 300 Data Source

Type:

SQLSERVER

Server:

Database server of Sage 300

Database name:

Name of the Sage 300 database (beware of the case sensitivity)

Database schema name:

Create the two following entries by clicking on the icon (replace DatabaseName by the appropriate value):

DatabaseName.dbo

DatabaseName.NEC_CUSTOM_SCHEMA

Note

This second line contains the Nectari Custom Schema.

You can use a different one, but we highly recommend following this naming convention:

• Start with NEC
• Use all capitals
• Separate words by an underscore

Important

Choose a unique Custom Schema name for each Environment.

Nectari schema:

Enter the chosen Nectari custom schema for the current environment

Authentication stategy:

UseSpecific

User Name:

SQL User accessing the Sage 300 database. For example, sa.

Password:

The user's password.

6. Click on Validate then on Save to complete the configuration of the Data Source.

For Oracle Database

Datasource description:

Sage 300 Data Source

Type:

ORACLE

Server:

Name of the Oracle server

SID and Port:

SID and Port of the Sage 300 database instance

Database schema name:

Create 2 entries by clicking on the + icon:

dbo

NEC_CUSTOM_SCHEMA

Nectari schema:

Enter the chosen Nectari custom schema for the current environment.

Authentication stategy:

UseSpecific

User Name:

For example: system.

Password:

Password of the user.

• Click on Validate then on Save to complete the configuration of the Data Source.

Cube Data Source

In the same Environment as the ERP Data Source, create a new Data Source for the OLAP Cube.

Complete the Data Source Definition with all the appropriate information.

Oracle instructions follow

The screenshot below provides an example of this.

Server:

Database server where the Nectari OLAP For SQL Server package is installed.

Database name:

NectariCube.

Database schema name:

NectariCube.NEC_FOLDER (replace FOLDER by the folder name).

Where NEC_FOLDER (replace FOLDER by the folder name) is the schema used in the ERP Database of the same environment.

Nectari schema:

Enter the chosen custom schema for the current environment

• Click on Validate then on Save.
• Click on Set as Data Warehouse to define the Data Source as a Data Warehouse then enter the following information:

Database warehouse schema:

Enter the chosen Nectari custom schema again.

Use MARS during the cube loading:

Unchecked

• Click on Validate then on Save.

For Oracle Database

Server:

Name of the database server where the Central Point is installed

SID and Port:

SID and Port of the Oracle database instance

Pooling:

Activating this option will improve performance (Refer to Environments and Data Sources for more details).

Database schema name:

NEC_CUSTOM_SCHEMA

Where NEC_CUSTOM_SCHEMA is the custom schema used in the ERP database of the same environment

Nectari schema:

Enter the chosen Nectari custom schema for the current environment.

Database warehouse schema:

After saving the data source and set it as a data warehouse, enter the chosen Nectari custom schema for the current environment.

• Click on Validate then on Save to complete the configuration of the Data Source.

Importing Templates

For each environment, the following previously configured information will be required:

• ERP Database Name
• Nectari Custom Schema
• ERP Schema

Download the Template file: TPL_9.5.XXX_Sage300.zip.

The X represents the build number of the template (use the highest available).

Running the Import Template

1. In the upper-right hand corner, click on the to access the Administration section.
   
2. In the Administration section, click on the Templates drop-down menu in the left pane.
3. Select Import Template.
4. Choose the specific location where the new templates will be installed and click on Next.
   
   Note

   Usually, the Root folder is used.

5. In the Import Template window, click on Select files....
   
6. Find the folder where you saved the Template.zip file in order to select it then click on Open.
7. In the Data Sources Mapping screen, associate the Data Sources (ERP) listed in the Received Data Sources Description column (those from the template) with the Data Sources you previously defined in the Central Point (listed in the Current Data Sources Description column)
• In the Received Data Sources Description column, ensure that only the Data Sources checkboxes you want to use from the template are ticked off.
• In the Current Data Sources Description column, click on Bind a Data Source to access the drop-down list containing the existing Data Sources and click on Next.
  

In the next screen all of the Templates content is displayed, against what the Central Point already has.

By default, on the first install, everything will be set to Add (leave everything by default) .

• In the case of a first installation, the first four columns will display None and Never Installed, the next three will detail the Template content, and the last three gives you the choice to Add, Update or Skip during the installation.
  Note

  In the case of an update, you can refer to Updating template for more details.

1. Click on Next (this can take time).
   

2. Once this has been completed, a window will be prompted to input the necessary parameters to create the custom objects.
3. If more than one Environment have been created, you will see a column per Environment. You can untick an Environment checkbox, in which case the Global Scripts will not run in it.

4. Complete the parameters, see examples below, and click on Next.
   

5. After importing, an Execution Report will be produced, as shown below.
   Note

   The first section is for the ERP Data Source and the one below it is for the Cube Data Source.

   You can click on the button to see the details of each script individually. If no failures are reported, close the window.

6. If any of the scripts failed to run, a fail icon will be displayed. Click on the fail symbol to view the Report Preview window, which shows the respective SQL script.
   

• Copy this script, debug, and run it separately if needed. Users who are proficient with SQL can debug it straight in the Report Preview window and run it by clicking on the Try to rerun button.
  

Updating template

When performing an upgrade of the Nectari software, it will only update the software and not the template. In other words, the existing Nectari Data Models and Views won't be affected.

To update a template:

1. After having mapped the Data sources, tick the checkboxes of the objects you want to upgrade and click on Next.
   
   Note

   By default, no checkbox in the Update column will be ticked. If there is a new Data Model / View the Add checkbox will be ticked. Select Skip if you want to ignore it.

   Important

   If you tick the Update checkbox, it will overwrite the existing Nectari objects associated with that Data Model or connected to the others (dependencies). Please note that if any customizations have been done, they will be lost.

2. Select the environment in which the scripts will be executed and click on Next.
3. Complete the parameters and click on Next.
4. In the Execution report window, If any of the scripts failed to run, a fail icon will be displayed. Click on the fail symbol to view the Report Preview window, which shows the respective SQL script.
5. Copy this script, debug, and run it separately if needed. Users who are proficient with SQL can debug it straight in the Report Preview window and run it by clicking on the Try to rerun button.
   

Important

Web Browsers have updated their policy regarding Cookies and these changes must be applied to your Web Client if you want Nectari embedded into your ERP website, or use Single Sign-On (SSO). Refer to Cookie Management for more details.

Setting up Optional Fields

Optional Fields is a feature of Sage 300 that has been imported into Nectari.

For Sage 300, there are seven types of configurable Optional Fields:

Global Variable	Sage 300 Table	Number of Variables
@@GLOPT	Account	5
@@ICITEMOPT	Item	9
@@ORDOPT	Order	5
@@CUSOPT	Customer	9
@@GLPOSTO	Posted Transaction	5
@@VENDOPT	Vendor	10

To access the various Optional Fields available in Sage 300, you must first configure them using the Global Variables available in the template.

Editing a Global Variable

To edit a Global Variable:

1. In the Administration section , click on Global Variables in the left pane.
2. In the list, select one of the Global Variables and click on the pencil located on the right.
3. Change the value in the Script field and click on Update.

Concrete example

If we take the Detailed Transaction report as an example, we can see that the Dimensions representing the GL Opt Field 1 Code and GL Opt Field 2 Code optional fields return a nul value.

As specified in the table above, these Fields correspond to the Account table and are defined in the @@GLOPT global variable.

In this example, we've modified the @@GLOPT1 and @@GLOPT2 global variables by following the procedure described in Editing a Global Variable.

Note

These Optional Fields can be found in the GLAMFO table.

We will use the ACCTCLASS and CASHFLOWTYPE values for the Script values.

If we refresh the Report now, we can see that the data for these Optional Fields are now available.