Epicor ICE 2.0: Next-Generation Business Architecture February, 2009

Epicor ICE 2.
0
Next-Generation Business Architecture February, 2009
An Epicor White Paper
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Executive Summary
Nothing stays still for long in our global economy. Business today is fastpaced, highly competitive, and more demanding than ever before. In order to remain competitive, enterprises must be prepared to adapt business processes quickly to reflect ever-changing market trends and demands. The business technologies of tomorrow must be intuitive, compliant and super productive. In response to this demand, Epicor has created a new concept in software: an agile, next-generation business architecture.
Epicor ICE helps enterprises achieve new levels of business agility and productivity by combining Epicor True SOA with proven Web 2.0 concepts.
Epicor Internet Component Environment (ICE) delivers a true service-oriented architecture (SOA) called Epicor True SOA using Microsoft .NET server infrastructure and extensibility tools for the swift development of powerful next-generation business applications. With the advent of Epicor ICE, todays businesses now have a highly sophisticated standards-based platform for low-cost integration and intensified functionality that offers a rapid return on investment (ROI). Epicor recognized that business software requirements were changing as early as 2002 when we introduced our first business software built from the ground up using 100% SOA standards. Our years of experience with this modern business architecture and our many successful offerings built using a service-oriented approach to software development have resulted in a process that allows us to separate technology framework from business application. This promotes lean and efficient software development that in turn provides the agility, scalability, and extensibility needed by our customers. We call this business architecture Epicor ICE.
The foundation for the next-generation of enterprise applications:

Close Business/IT Alignment Agile, Reliable Technology Straightforward Integration Exceptional Flexibility Rich User Experiences Productive Collaboration Vast Scalability Blistering Performance Ubiquitous Access and Availability Strictly Enforced Security
We also recognized that SOA alone was not enough to allow us to offer the type of business software that would help our customers achieve their goals and stay ahead of the competition. Epicor ICE 2.0 re-defines the concept of business architecture by fusing proven consumer Web and Web 2.0 technologies with Enterprise SOA concepts to deliver a solution that is at once designed for people, built for business, and ready for change. Together, Epicor ICE 2.0, Epicor productivity tools like Epicor Portal, Epicor Service Connect, and Epicor Information Worker, and Epicor next-generation business applications provide a truly collaborative and dynamic enterprise application experience, offering new levels of flexibility, usability and scalability to help businesses reduce costs, increase hardware utilization, optimize infrastructure and server availability, and drive unprecedented user productivity. In a demanding and highly competitive market, Epicor ICE is fulfilling the requirements for next-generation business agility, providing a global solution platform that is incredibly powerful, yet relatively inexpensive to maintain.
Epicor ICE 2.0: Next-Generation Business Architecture
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Table of Contents
Introduction Architectural Models Focus on Extensibility Scalability to Match Business Growth Reliability to Meet Business Demands Low Cost of Ownership Collaborative Future Proof Business Architecture Overview Service-Oriented Architecture Web Services Benefits of Epicor True SOA to Business Bringing Web 2.0 to the Enterprise Enterprise Search Software as a Service Summary Server Architecture Overview Application Server Database Server Application Web Services N-Tier Scalability Replication Support Summary Business Logic Layer Overview Business Logic Layer Business Object Design Microsoft .NET Framework Summary
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User Interface Overview Smart Client Smart Client Deployment Structure Smart Client Characteristics Smart Client Extensibility Epicor Everywhere Framework Epicor Web Access Microsoft Office Client Summary Extensibility Overview Flexible and Extensible Layered Adaptability Epicor ICE 2.0 Software Development Kit Business Process Management Epicor Service Connect Task Management Business Activity Queries Role-based Dashboards Global Business Management Summary Security Overview User and Group Security Management Summary Conclusion About Epicor
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Introduction
At the heart of Epicor next-generation enterprise applications is a unique business architecture called Epicor Internet Component Environment (ICE) 2.0. Epicor ICE 2.0 exploits the capabilities of Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Visual Studio, and fuses Web 2.0 and Enterprise SOA concepts to deliver rich and productive user experiences coupled with support for agile business processes. The Epicor ICE 2.0 framework is a robust combination of our adaptable SOA with insightful Business Process Management (BPM), workflow orchestration, and dynamic embedded personalization and productivity tools to provide the most advanced business software framework available today. Epicor business applications built on Epicor ICE 2.0 are able to provide a rich and collaborative enterprise experience, which can be easily extended to meet the changing needs of businesses today and help businesses anticipate and adapt to the needs of tomorrow. This white paper provides an in depth look at Epicor ICE 2.0 technology and explains how its many components and capabilities will benefit businesses of all sizes.
Architectural Models
When starting a discussion regarding enterprise technology, one should first understand some common software architectures. There have been many architectural models in the history of computing, but three in particular are important for our discussion. Mainframe Architecture In the mid 70s, with the advent of mainframe technology, packaged software applications began to take hold and businesses saw the significant value and benefit, and began migrating to them from their proprietary, custom-developed platforms. In this first model, the entire application resides on a single machine. Input and output is accomplished through the use of terminals. The structure of this architectural model is monolithicthe application is, for purposes of deployment, a single program that runs on one machine. Applications using this architecture model also run on minicomputers and it is the architecture for stand-alone PC applications. Over time there have been variations on this model for multi-processor machines, but the monolithic nature of the application remainsthe application is a self-contained unit with all processing happening in the application itself.
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Client/Server Architecture In the mid 80s, the introduction of personal computers and client-server technology precipitated a more decentralized, networked computing model which, particularly in small and midsize businesses (SMBs), significantly reduced the role of the large corporate mainframe by the mid 90s. The Gartner, Inc. describes the adoption of these new paradigms as a cycle initially driven by a small group of technology-savvy innovators, expanded by early adopters, and ultimately becoming mainstream through the large, riskadverse late majority, before tapering off as a new innovation cycle begins. In this second model, the processing is no longer monolithic. Some of the application resides on the client and other portions on the server. There are variations of the processing mix between client and server, but in all cases both the client and server are necessary for the application to function. While this model added flexibility and ease of use in application design, the client and server remained tightly coupled. One advantage of this model is the ability to create more than one client to interact with the server. Many companies did this to support multiple client platforms (i.e., Microsoft Windows, Mac, and UNIX). Service-Oriented Architecture Today, we recognize that client-server technology likely reached its pinnacle in the mid 90s. And while it will be around for some time to come, it is now clearly in the late majority phase. The advent of the Internet, and its ability to provide a collaborative environment with access to information anytime, anywhere, has once again revolutionized computing and introduced todays new platform for innovation: service-oriented architecture (SOA). While the concepts behind SOA have been around for many years, the execution and deployment have been greatly enhanced by the advent of Web services. A service within an SOA is an exposed unit of functionality with three properties: The interface to the service is platform independent. The service can be dynamically located and invoked. The service is self-contained.
Services are self-describing, self-contained, modular applications that can be mixed and matched with other services in an SOA. Services fulfill a specific task or a set of tasks and work with many other services in an interoperable manner to carry out their part of a complex workflow or a business transaction. Services interact in a language and operating system independent mannerreducing the complexities of integration. Because SOAs are loosely coupled and modular, one service can be replaced with a new one without affecting the client or other services that talk to it. As a technology innovator, Epicor has taken a leadership position in the adoption and delivery of SOA, which is featured prominently in many of our product lines and newest solutions. Over time, our evolution to a serviceoriented approach to developing software will provide value and business benefit to all our customers. At the same time, Epicor is cognizant that many customers have invested significantly in the current version of their software
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and that implementing next-generation architecture, no matter how compelling, must be carefully planned. Web-Oriented Architecture Some might say there is a fourth architectural model: Web-oriented architecture (WOA), However, WOA is really just a subset or extension of SOA in that it has all of the attributes of SOA but with a focus on the Web. Although SOA is not necessarily Web-centric, nor does it require Web services (Web services are simply the preferred standards-based way to realize SOA), we at Epicor recognize our customers need for distributed systems, the ability for diverse client access, and the efficient ease-of-use common to social computing. To this end, we have incorporated much of the flexibility of the consumer Web and related technologies, often referred to as Web 2.0, into our SOA to create Epicor ICE 2.0 business architecture. For additional information on Web 2.0 please see Bringing Web 2.0 to the Enterprise.
Focus on Extensibility
Epicor ICE 2.0 leverages and optimizes the Microsoft .NET Platform to deliver scalable, flexible and cost-effective solutions. This empowers companies to leverage SOA for flexible application management, development and deployment through a granular, solution-assembly approach, and does so efficiently and cost-effectively. The fact that Epicor ICE 2.0 is a new generation of business architecture built from the ground up is significant. As noted in a recent Forrester Research report authored by senior analyst Larry Fulton, A service-oriented application should enrich your own SOA not only by providing out-of-the-box business functionality but also by bundling that functionality as a set of services that promotes your ability to extend both the functionality and reach of the application across your enterprise. To achieve these benefits, you need to integrate the application's service library, design philosophy, release strategy, and infrastructure with your own SOA strategy.1 Epicor ICE 2.0 was developed for the evolving enterprise, offering maximum extensibility and accommodating changes in performance or functionality while maintaining system compatibility. Adding functionality is generally easy, inexpensive and noninvasive. Existing systems can be enhanced and extended without local code modification and capabilities from other systems can be invoked to extend the application. Focus on extensibility and interoperability within Epicor ICE 2.0 yields affordability in system adoption and maintenance. Additionally, this focus enables the technology to adapt to new and emerging requirements, effectively protecting the technology investment.
Embracing Your Application Vendors Competing SOA Vision Forrester Research, Inc. October 2, 2008.
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Scalability to Match Business Growth

One of the primary goals of any business is growth and expansion. But it is difficult to project exactly how much growth a business will experience or where expansion will occur. The dilemma is how much infrastructure should a smaller business acquire to meet these future needstoo much puts undue pressure on cash flow and the bottom line; to little means the system will need to be replaced as growth exceeds capacity. But the last thing companies want to do as they expand their reach is to replace a critical system such as their enterprise solution. This means that scalability is more important than ever. Epicor ICE 2.0 business architecture offers deployment choices to achieve efficient scalability across an unlimited number of machines, distributed around the globe, with virtualization support. Epicor ICE 2.0 can support the deployment of business applications on a single server yet scale out and up over time to deliver n-tier scalability and protect your investment in hardware resources. Additionally, Epicor ICE 2.0 provides cost savings and economies of scale through the use of modular and highly granular business logic which translates to easier plug-n-play of new functionality. Rather than updating tens of thousands of lines of code, its now possible to access and update just one component in the system using only a fraction of the amount of code. Delivery of new features, tools and applications is streamlined, facilitating quicker response to enterprise and functional needs. Epicor ICE 2.0 business architecture will ensure that customers are able to deploy their application on the technology framework that suits the size of their business today, whether thats Windows, UNIX, or Linux, and have the firm understanding that they will be able to scale up or down without the need to change their businesscritical enterprise application.
Reliability to Meet Business Demands

Many companies now run 24x7x365 to service the needs of global operations or customers who can access their systems via the Web. It is therefore imperative that the architecture is reliable and does not need to be shut down for maintenance or backup. The Epicor ICE 2.0 platform is designed to meet the needs of these companies. The framework allows online backup and complete fail over options to ensure that availability meets the specific business requirements of our customers. Epicor ICE 2.0 was built specifically for high performance in online transaction processing (OLTP), the processing on which business applications depend. Additionally, Epicor ICE 2.0 features built-in replication technology to provide the option to move reporting and other business intelligence (BI) functions to a non-production environment, but still with access to current business data.
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Low Cost of Ownership

Low cost of ownership has always been one of the fundamental principles that Epicor has brought to the marketplacethe ability to deploy sophisticated solutions without complication. Epicor ICE 2.0 technology continues this tradition. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides the seamless integration and open standards support needed to connect the IT environment to users, customers, suppliers, and partners. It minimizes administration and maintenance while at the same time maximizing a companys resources and productivity. Risk is reduced with a high-performing, reliable, available, and scalable solution. No matter how you look at it, Epicor ICE 2.0 provides the most cost-effective platform.
Collaborative
The n-tier, distributed model adopted by Epicor ICE 2.0 (see Server Architecture) provides an ideal platform to offer a SOA for ERP, CRM, SCM, financial, and other business applications. All interfaces against the business application are handled via Epicor ICE 2.0 SOA, which provides the necessary messaging, transformation, application interfacing, exception handling, and security capabilities for a collaborative environment.
Future Proof
The Epicor ICE 2.0 framework was chosen because it enables Epicor to continually adopt the latest technologies available, and pass them on to our customers so that in turn they can be more competitive in their field of business. One of the main objectives of the Epicor ICE 2.0 framework was the ability to append or write out a technology partner within a 12-month timeframe. Not only will Epicor ICE 2.0 provide complete choice of technology, it will also allow the rapid introduction or removal of technology in the future.
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Business Architecture
Overview
While an enterprise solution should offer a full range of functionality, customer requirements can be a moving target. To remain competitive, businesses need flexibility from their business systems to quickly respond to changes in the market and customer demands. Additionally, business workers are no longer office-bound nor do they wish to be applicationbound. Business information needs to be available any time, from any place, and via any device. According to Forrester Research, there needs to be a new generation of enterprise software that adapts to the business and its work and evolves with it.2 Only a system built from the ground up to support a service-oriented architecture (SOA), Web services, Web 2.0 technology, and an n-tier environment can offer this type flexibility, reliability, scalability, and low cost of ownership, and Epicor ICE 2.0 is that system.
Service-Oriented Architecture
According to AMR Research, service-oriented architectures (SOAs) are the best approach for building corporate software today3 and Epicor ICE 2.0 is exactly that. SOA is an approach to developing enterprise software applications in such a way that software processes are broken down into granular services which are then made available and discoverable on a network. Each service provides functionality that can be adapted to the needs of the enterprise while hiding the underlying implementation details. SOA addresses the complexity, inflexibility, and tight client to server coupling of existing approaches to business process design, workflow, and application integration by providing a development environment thats built to allow business applications to change independently of each other without such restraints. By exposing business processes, SOA provides the ability to streamline those business processes, which in turn promotes agile change management. Because business processes are broken down into smaller functions that can be accessed and manipulated, it becomes much easier to match your business rules to the processes in your business system.
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John R. Rymer and Connie Moore, The Dynamic Business Applications Imperative, September 24, 2007 Ian Finley, SOA: The State of the Market, December 18, 2007
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Web Services
The Internet is an open backbone for enterprise applications that is ubiquitous, reliable, and inexpensive. Using Web services, the Internet provides a vehicle to expose business processes in an industry standard format that can be accessed from numerous disparate systems. Although Web services loosely coupled messaging approach supports multiple connectivity and information sharing scenarios, utilizing Web services does not make business software true SOA. According to Jason Bloomberg, Perhaps the most aggravating of misperceptions surrounding service-oriented architecture in the marketplace is that SOA and Web services are the same thing.4 SOA has been in existence much longer than Web servicesthe two technologies were intertwined when it became obvious that XML was an excellent, standards-based messaging protocol and that Web services was the ideal mechanism for processes and documents to talk to each other. To ride the SOA wave, many vendors simply wrapped Web services around their client-server applications and re-branded them as SOA. Bloomberg notes, vendors started slapping Web services interfaces on their products and calling them service-oriented, an approach that amounted to little more than lipstick on the pig.5 Epicor ICE 2.0 is 100% SOA which just happens to use Web services as the messaging protocol; it is built from the ground up using SOA best practices and industry standard tools. Epicor ICE 2.0 is an SOA that exposes and streamlines loosely coupled, granular business processes that can be easily accessed and manipulated. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides distributed processing that is location and platform independent and exceptionally scalable. In fact, Epicor ICE 2.0 delivers what we refer to as Epicor True SOA.
Benefits of Epicor True SOA to Business

SOA is the foundation for truly agile ERP software. We at Epicor are convinced that it will be the standard platform for all modern ERP systems for many years to come. Therefore, we positioned ourselves on the leading edge of SOA-based enterprise software development. In doing so, we were one of the first to deliver 100% SOA solutions, enabling our customers to be among the first organizations in their industries to fully exploit the many benefits of applications built from the ground up using SOA. As our customers businesses continue to grow and expand, they can rest assured that their ERP solution can grow and expand right along with them. The benefits of Epicor True SOA are many. Businesses today need to anticipate change and adapt quickly in order to stay competitive. SOA supports that need for business agility. Businesses today are not confined to a single locationthey tend to be spread out around the globe. SOA supports these global operations and networksand geography becomes irrelevant. Because SOA breaks down complex business processes into many smaller processes which can be bypassed or accessed in any order and from anywhere, paused for human intervention or modified, businesses can
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Jason Bloomberg, Divorcing SOA and Web services, June 20, 2007 Jason Bloomberg, Divorcing SOA and Web services, June 20, 2007
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anticipate changing markets and supply-chain demands and quickly adjust operational workflows to maintain their competitive advantage. Epicors architecture allows for adaptable workflow orchestration, easy integration, real-time connectivity with business partners, and superb collaborative information sharing for quick and accurate decision-making. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides Epicor True SOA to let you build your own business rules and manage them at a business level. SOA makes it possible for any number of interface devices, such as smart mobile devices, and PCs, to interact with our services from virtually anywhere in the world. Another consideration is the growing demand for software as a service (SaaS)SOA is a key component of SaaS, and ensures that businesses can take advantage of growing cloud computing resources in a hybrid software plus services world. SOA allows you to adapt your business software to meet your unique processes and policies. You can present information the way you want it, build your own work flows, and manage these business rules at the enterprise level. Finally, SOAs are expected to save companies money. According to Gartner, Over the long term, SOA reduces the time, effort and cost needed to implement or change distributed application systems compared with using other architectures for distributed applications. Indirectly, this makes it faster and less costly to implement or change business processes that use those applications.6 According to Forrester Research, Flexibility leads cost savings as a driver for service-oriented architecture (SOA). Web services crush the cost of business interactions by replacing manual communications to save time and money, cutting the cost of connecting to partners, making internal services available across departments and geographies, and enabling new kinds of business collaboration.7
Bringing Web 2.0 to the Enterprise

Web 2.0 capabilities have become pervasive in our personal liveswe are no longer just passive viewers of information on the Web, we have become active contributors to blogs and other participatory networking communities. Its only natural that we have come to expect the same types of social interaction and collaboration in our business lives. Epicor ICE 2.0 is leveraging consumer Web concepts to create innovative business Web solutions which open up many avenues of collaboration for all business workers in the organization and across the supply chain. We are taking the best of Web 2.0 concepts like rich consumer Web content, easy contacts and communication, blogs, and wikis and utilizing the most current technology such as asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX), representational state transfer (REST), Web services, really simple syndication (RSS) feeds, SaaS, Enterprise Search, and virtualization to deliver on the benefits of Web 2.0 for business. SOA and Web 2.0 features are no longer an option if companies want to stay competitive. According to Gartner, an SOA-based ERP will provide the foundation for enterprise support for Web 2.0 technology innovations, such as social software, extensive integration of mobile computing and enterprise mashups. These technologies will be essential to increasing business performance in coming years. CEOs identify with these technologies, and IT
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Cost Cutting Strategies for SOA, May 6, 2008 Pursuing SOA in Hard Times, November 11, 2008
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organizations that aren't prepared to support them will be seen as behind the times and unresponsive to the needs of the business.8 Epicor ICE 2.0 was built foster composite applications, an application that is built by mashing-up multiple existing functions into a new application, to enable rich collaboration across functional boundaries in a way that is seamless, synchronized, and secure. Epicor ICE 2.0 also includes personalization and customization abilities, so that users can easily and quickly modify specific functionality in their business software. Epicor ICE 2.0 promotes disconnected use, effortless mobility, and trouble-free accessibility. All of this promotes innovation, collaboration, and productivity with little or no additional learning requirements. Enterprise data, dashboards, and business documents can all be made available on todays most popular collaborative portal, Microsoft SharePoint. Epicor will continue to enhance user-to-user, business-to-business, and business-to-customer collaboration. Furthermore, productive communication channels will be greatly enhanced through the planned incorporation of Microsofts unified communication technologies by including the same presence technology that appears throughout the Microsoft Office system. This allows you to communicate in context. Every person who works on a document stays associated with it, which allows many options for shared communication including an instant message session, phone call, or audiovideoconference with one or all of the document's owners.
Enterprise Search
Todays business workers are typically savvy Internet users in their personal lives and have come to expect the same sort of access and community in their business lives. By utilizing Web 2.0 technologies and the building blocks of Microsoft Search, such as SQL Full Text Indexing, Epicor ICE 2.0 delivers Enterprise Search, an enterprise search tool that brings the personal Internet experience to the workplace. Epicor Enterprise Search provides embedded search capabilities that span the entire suite of applications built upon it and extends beyond structured enterprise data, to unstructured data if desired. Business workers will be able to search data that resides within applications built using Epicor ICE 2.0 as well as data stored locally, on the network, or on the Internet. Application data search results are returned to workers based on access rightsif a user is not permitted to view certain data, it will not be listed in the results. With Enterprise Search, business workers are no longer tied to traditional ways of accessing informationnow they can specify exactly what they are looking for and pick and choose from the result set to see the data. Enterprise Search will also include the ability to drill down into related data and take action upon it. For example, if you search for a customer, you will be able to see results that drill down into sales orders, invoices, payments, or calls, to name a few. With Enterprise Search, users get the information they need with less input and without having to move from form to form within the application. Finally, to ensure relevance and productivity, Enterprise Search allows you to set the sensitivity level so you dont get irrelevant data in result sets.
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Business Managers Need to Care About SOA in ERP, March 20, 2008
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Search Technology Enterprise Search uses SQL indexing to provide quick and accurate results. Tuning options allow customers to influence ranking and presentation. Enterprise Search allows the user to browse data before logging into the systemgreatly reducing resource requirements. Enterprise Search also permits customers to define their own search content body, add calculated fields that do not exist in the database, and already incorporates enterprise business processes such as financial periods. Epicor chose to create our own search engine using Microsoft technology to provide rankings that would be relevant to our customersmost search engines do not allow any customization to their ranking schemes. Our search results are ranked first by the number of hits (similar to other search engines) but then by business activity query (BAQ) priority.
Category Data
< 1%
Resource Data
10%
Transaction Data
30%
Audit/Support Data
50%
Enterprise Search Ranking Pyramid Enterprise Search Ranking Pyramid
Enterprise Search includes tools to import and tune BAQs, define index definitions, settings to establish ranking, and several new tables to aid in searches, including a crawl table to hold hash hits by BAQ and company. Epicor provides 25 BAQs specifically in support of Enterprise Search, and customers can also import their own BAQs into the product. Epicor Enterprise Search execution performs the following steps: Parsing, which determines which search terms the user requires in the search results, which terms the user wants omitted, and which terms are optional. Stemming, which reconciles the search with the trade terms known to ERP and resolves wildcard search terms. Crawl Inquiry, where the search results are processed and ranked. Analyze and Format Results, which converts the raw XML results to a Web page.
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Epicor Enterprise Search delivers secure search options for all business and other contentsearch results are bound to the BAQ security rulesif a user does not have access to columns, they are not displayed for that user. With Enterprise Search you get fast, relevant and secure access to all of your information, without utilizing a license. Also available as a Microsoft Azure Services Platform cloud-based offering, Enterprise Search brings relevant business information to employees and customers in a familiar and easy-touse setting.
Software as a Service
More and more companies are looking to reduce or eliminate hardware, software, and administration costs by moving to hosted, managed, and shared service environments. Epicor ICE 2.0 was built to provide support for application deployment via a multi-tenanted software as a service (SaaS) or single-tenanted hosted on-demand environment. There are many models for SaaS deployment with the key driver being economies in deployment and administration by: Sharing physical servers (hardware) Sharing software licenses (Windows, SQL, etc.) Sharing software instances/configuration (single copy of application) Sharing databases (single backup)
Epicor ICE 2.0 will support physical servers that are hosted in a data-center center or cloud-based computing service. In this environment, Epicor applications can be configured and maintained by Epicor hosted and/or managed services resources remotely or combined with co-location equipment and internal services as applicable. Epicors SaaS model utilizes browser based versions of ICE 2.0 developed applications that make use of a zero or very thin client deployment. This is accommodated by Epicor Everywhere Framework, which as part of Epicor True SOA and allows generation of Web-based forms from XML metadata. The server configurations supported by Epicor ICE 2.0 fall into the following categories: Single Server, Single instance of software, Single Database, Multiple Single Companies This configuration is offered as standard with the release of Epicor ICE 2.0. In this configuration a single database supports multiple, distinct (unrelated) companies with complete business process separation between the companies. Users will be assigned to one company only (with the exception of global administrators). This configuration specifically excludes the possibility of supporting multiple different sets of multi-company instances in a single database. The rationale here is that when an organization is large enough to require a multi-company installation, then they should have their own dedicated database.
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Single Server, Single instance of software, Multiple databases, Multicompany Multiple application servers are defined for each database, but they all run the same instance of the application, thus they are all at the same patch level and one installation of a patch updates all databases. This configuration will also be used to support multiple databases for separate enterprises comprising of multiple related companies in each. This configuration will be supported in a future release of Epicor ICE. Multiple Servers, Multiple instances of software, Dedicated databases, Multicompany This is the configuration for larger enterprises where processing is shared on multiple servers. Global processing synchronizes software and business entities across servers. This configuration will be supported in a future release of Epicor ICE. Epicor ICE 2.0 will ensure that administrative functions, such as creation and maintenance of users and groups can be achieved by a company administrator without visibility or effect on other companies. Customization and BPM functionality can be utilized by a company administrator without visibility or effect on other companies.
Summary
Epicor ICE 2.0 delivers a truly adaptable SOA that will help businesses take control of their processes. But Epicor ICE 2.0 moves a step beyond the norm by seamlessly merging SOA with Web 2.0 concepts. This innovative combination brings all of the collaborative Web 2.0 technologies, such as enterprise search, presence, and mashups that consumers rely on in their everyday lives to business applications. The end result is improved efficiency, collaboration, and productivity without sacrificing security. Epicor ICE 2.0 embraces the value of Web 2.0 technologies to bring capabilities to business users that were not possible before, like enabling users to securely access structured and unstructured information across the enterprise in a single search, enhancing collaboration both internally and with partners, suppliers and customers. Epicor ICE 2.0 and Web 2.0 technologies boost the usability of business applications, and improve the ability to customize and integrate applications without causing problems for application upgrades and maintenance. The combination of Epicor ICE 2.0, which fuses Epicor True SOA with Web 2.0, brings maximum productivity and flexibility to all businesses, with minimal overhead. For those companies looking to reduce hardware and administrative costs, the Epicor ICE 2.0 framework also provides software plus services and SaaS opportunities. The Epicor ICE 2.0 framework enables Epicor to continually adopt the latest technologies available, and pass them on to our customers so that in turn they can be more competitive in their field of business. All of the features of a rich technology platform have been incorporated into Epicor ICE 2.0 and all at a low cost of ownership.
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Server Architecture
Overview
The following section describes the key elements of the Epicor ICE 2.0 server technology stack. Because most customers will use the applications that are built on the Epicor ICE 2.0 framework as they are delivered out-of-the-box, the following elements will never become visible to them. However, to some customers, the following layers will allow for the flexibility, extensibility, and scalability that may become essential to optimizing their use of the system. The diagram below illustrates the Epicor ICE 2.0 framework layers on the server. It is these separate layers that allow Epicor ICE 2.0 applications to be run on different operating systems, hardware, and database platforms. The data server and application server components allow Epicor application engineers to develop solutions without being preoccupied with scalability or multiple database issues. In essence, the Epicor ICE 2.0 framework that runs on Microsoft SQL Server with Windows Server 2003/2008 is identical to the solution that runs on Progress RDBMS with UNIX.
Application Server
The application server layer exists to encapsulate all of the business logic rules and provide a single point of entry to all application logic irrespective of the interface layer. The application server is platform independent and can be deployed on Windows, UNIX, or Linux platforms. It supports multiple interfaces, among them Web services, HTML Web access, and Microsoft .NET. Epicor ICE Application Servers allow for scalability and are location transparentthey can be deployed on multiple physical servers in any location. This allows for load balancing where processor intensive applications (such as finite scheduling) could be located on their own application server so that they do not slow down normal users and also allow the process to execute quicker. As companies grow, additional application servers can be added to accommodate that growth.
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Database Server
The database server enables Epicor applications built on ICE 2.0 to run on a number of databases with a single application code set. Epicor ICE 2.0 currently supports the Progress RDBMS and Microsoft SQL Server databases. The database server supports the full capabilities of each database. The database server offers users advanced scalability, availability, performance, and data integrity features (e.g., record locking, transaction processing, and roll back recovery). Distributed Deployment Epicor ICE 2.0 is distributed-deployment capable. Web services granular logic creates choice and accessibility, producing a myriad of deployment scenarios. Epicor ICE 2.0 offers the flexibility to deploy functionality locally or remotely, matching the distributed or centralized pattern of physical business operations. The platform is deployable through a corporate intranet, over the Internet, and Virtual Private Networks (VPN) whereby the Web server runs an installation of Epicor ICE 2.0 with component interfaces configured and optimized to match the deployment profile. Secure global access from anywhere, anytime to Epicor ICE 2.0 business logic provides simplified multi-channel device access with greater interface flexibility and IT management ease.
Application Web Services

Software business services made available as application Web services allow for advanced workflow orchestration and dynamic integration between applications, without costly and time-consuming programming. By reducing implementation times using industry standard interfaces, Web services can accelerate the return on software investment for midmarket companies. With Web services, the four walls of the enterprise do not limit integration. Rather, businesses can integrate processes with customers and suppliers up and down the entire value chain, beyond the firewall, improving inter-enterprise collaborative capabilities. This integration can be achieved without having to understand the specifics of how suppliers, partners or customers built their own IT systems. According to Ian Finley of AMR Research, Applications delivered using an SOA approach, especially in conjunction with business process management (BPM) technology, can be modified faster than those built with a traditional approach. He added, The future of SOA is secure. It just happens to look a lot like our present day technologyonly a bit faster, cheaper, and better.9 Integration is no longer a fragile, hard coded binding of specific versions of specific systems, such as EDI. Rather, integration using Web services produces a secure plug-n-play interaction with customers, suppliers, partners and employees where business processes can be brought together dynamically without private networks or proprietary interfaces to not only cut costs but also create digital assets that drive revenue and profits.
The Four Big Myths of SOA, January 20, 2009
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N-Tier Scalability
Epicor ICE 2.0 business architecture creates deployment choices to achieve efficient scalability across unlimited numbers of machines; choices that are not available to most client/server ERP applications. Many client/server ERP applications have few deployment options and are limited to only one or two servers. Not able to scale outward to more servers creates a performance bottleneck for client/server applications. The bottleneck can only be removed and performance improvements realized when the client/server application is moved to a bigger box. Implementing a bigger box solution is an extremely expensive process and performance gains are limited by Moores Law with each implementation (computing power doubles approximately every 18 months). On the other hand, Epicor ICE 2.0 applications scale easily by adding application servers, deploying services on separate servers, or implementing multiple database serversmaking Epicor ICE 2.0 easy to load balance and grow as performance needs increase.
Replication Support
Epicor ICE 2.0 also offers Replication Server support that can efficiently replicate all database transactions from the Application Server. Epicor Replication Server is designed to offload processing from the main Application Server and will support the following functions: Offline reporting and inquiries, such as trackers Offline access to archived as well as live data Offline ad hoc queries (including those from Epicor Portal and Epicor Information Worker) Offload external system processing (Mobile Connect, Sales Connect, etc.) Aggregated database holding records from multiple companies across multiple servers Data transfer for Epicor Enterprise Performance Mangement (EPM) or other Business Intelligence (BI) solutions One to many, many to one, and many to many configurations
Epicor Replication Server supports three different types of replication databases: Functional Reporting: This type of database is a complete installation of Epicor ICE 2.0 that is used for offline reporting and retrieval of archived data. All trackers, reports and other forms are functional, but the database will not allow updates via forms or Web services. This is the only type of replication database that supports Business Activity Query (BAQ) execution, so it is used to support Epicor Portal BAQ views and Epicor Information Worker.
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Ad Hoc Reporting: This type of database comprises a selected sub-set of tables defined by the publishing servers and by filters on the subscriber(s). It may be used for ad hoc reporting (via Crystal Reports for instance) and for Epicor Portal views that are defined directly against the database (but not via BAQs). DataMart: This type of database is used to support Epicor EPM functions. Epicor ICE 2.0 replication architecture includes fast data capture based on file triggers and includes the ability to replicate multiple company data from multiple servers and selective table synchronization.
Summary
Because the Epicor ICE 2.0 framework was designed to utilize separate layers for the application and database, Epicor ICE 2.0 applications can be run on different operating systems, hardware, and database platforms and the entire system is completely scalable. Since the application layer contains all of the business logic, utilizes Web services and SOA, and is separate from the database layer, it now becomes easy to customize and extend Epicor ICE 2.0 business applications to meet specific business rules without affecting source code. An additional benefit of this design is the ability to easily provide replication services for load-balancing, reporting and ad hoc queries. Epicor ICE 2.0 server layers, Web services and SOA also facilitate distributed deployment where application servers and database servers can be deployed on any physical servers located anywhere around the globe. The n-tier design for Epicor ICE 2.0 provides scalability across an unlimited number of machines and the database server supports the full capabilities of each supported database and offers advanced scalability, availability, performance, and data integrity. More information can be found within the Epicor 9 Performance Benchmark Technology Briefing, and the Epicor 9 Hardware Sizing Requirements and Recommendations Technology Briefing.
Business Logic Layer

Overview
Typically business logic represents business objects like accounts, customers, parts, and inventories to name a few. Business logic defines how these business objects interact with each other, how they are accessed, and how they are updated. Business logic contains the rules that are used to enforce business policies and workflows that determine the order in which business tasks are handled. Business logic performs calculations, enforces validations and manages data access.
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Over the years, the decision on where to place business logic has been a moving target. Does it belong on the client, the server, both the client and the server, or some middle tier (physical server)? This decision is important because the location of business logic has several implications. In a client/server system there are only two tiers. In some scenarios, the server was seen as just data storage and the business logic was implemented in the client. This resulted in heavy network traffic as the client sent data to or requested data from the server. It also resulted in the need for client redeployment every time business logic changed. To reduce network bandwidth and reduce the redeployment effort, business logic was moved all or in part to the server. The problem with this scenario is that databases are designed for storage and retrieval and database languages are not designed to handle the types of validations and calculations required by business logic. Epicor saw the problems with the two tier scenario and realized that the best way to separate business logic from the client and the server is through an ntier design where business logic lives in its own layer (section of the system that is contained within its own process) and on its own tier. This business logic layer is also critical to Epicor True SOAan SOA that is not an integration framework or Web service wrapper but a ground up creation of SOA business services and client services such as Epicor Everywhere Framework and XML metadata.
Business Logic Layer

Epicor ICE 2.0 embraces n-tier design by providing a business logic layer which separates business process rules from the application logic and database layers. Because of this abstraction of complexities, new business processes can be added and existing processes modified easily without disrupting the surrounding layersa key benefit Epicor True SOA. Epicor ICE 2.0 creates an enterprise solution that evolves and grows, eliminating the diminishing returns of client/server reimplementation cycles and complexity of managing application upgrades. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides the Object Design Tool (ODT) which allows us, and you, to create business objects. There are four major elements to a business object: Database Definition Datatable Definition Dataset Definition Business Objects
Database Definition The database definition resides at the database level and contains the base level definition of the data. The definition would contain the definition of each table, each field within those tables and the indexes associated with each table.
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Datatable Definition The data table definition is an abstracted view of the database definition and contains many extra elements that improve the development and maintenance of the application. The data table will hold extra information like foreign key links, standard global definitions, and virtual fields. Datatables point to the physical database definition table and produce a more real-world view of the data. Dataset Definition The dataset is a further abstraction of the data structure. A dataset gathers together many datatables and other related datasets in order to present a complete transaction to the end user. Inherent in the dataset is the way in which all of the datatables and datasets interact to produce a complete transaction. For example, a sales order dataset may contain OrderHed, OrderDet (sales order detail table), OrderDetMisc (sales order detail miscellaneous charges), and OrderRel (sales order release table). The dataset in short produces a multi-tiered record which contains all of the information relating to a sales order (all the header information, lines and releases). The dataset produces a business view of the physical data.
Business Objects A Business Object consists of its defined datasets, base framework methods, and its unique methods contained in an object.
Business Object Design

To be used, the business object and its datasets have to have interfaces defined for them. The datasets interface is the XML Schema Definition and stored in an .XSD file. The object interface is a C# class that is built into a .DLL file. These interface files are Microsoft .NET assemblies and can be referenced as needed by developers working with Microsoft Visual Studio.
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The structure of an object defines what datasets are contained within the object and how they are related to each other. A base object framework of common logic is used to reduce/eliminate many globally needed tasks (such as create, read, update, delete, list, and retrieve foreign key information). Using the Epicor ICE object design tool and with just referencing the base object framework a non-programmer can define and build a working business object that can immediately be used in UI development. A business object allows complete control over any transaction; looking at a transaction, deleting a transaction, updating a transaction, creating a new transaction, etc. It can be exposed in many different ways allowing any type of client access to its functionality. That client could be a Windows smart client, Web service, Web client, etc. Business Activity Management Epicor ICE 2.0 provides Business Activity Management and Monitoring (BAM) capabilities to allow a company to build proactive business rules against all the business logic within applications built on Epicor ICE 2.0. One of the key goals of Epicor ICE is to ensure that customers are able to change their applications without the need to alter the core application. Isolating their changes from the core application allows customers to keep up to date with the latest software releases and therefore maximize return on maintenance payments. Epicor ICE BAM allows users to alter the business rules within the base system without touching source code through the use of three major components. Change Log The change log allows you to track changes that have been made to a specific record. You are able to track who, what and when changes were made to the data elements. Send Alert Send alert allows you to monitor changes to key areas of the system and immediately send an e-mail alerting internal or external users of those changes. E-mails can be automatically constructed by the system or users can construct sophisticated HTML-based e-mail messages using related information. Users can specify e-mail addresses manually, use scripts to identify e-mails based on rules, or let the system automatically derive them based on a persons roles associated with the transaction. For example, if an alert has been set up to identify changes to the customers address, a message can be sent to the associated salesman and buyer from the customers site. The system will automatically generate the appropriate e-mail addresses from the customer record. Carry Out Process Users can define rules against changes to individual or groups of data changes throughout the system. When that change takes place, the new system can be set up to automatically carry out a process to update other parts of the system. These processes can be very sophisticated and, simply put, allow users to embed their own business rules into Epicor ICE 2.0 applications without touching standard source code. Thus users will have business flows that are entirely customized to their own requirements and still be able to easily take on a new release.
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Workflow and Business Process Management Best practices drive business efficiency and profit; a business process-oriented approach provides control, accountability, and results. However, matching best practices to enterprise applications has historically been an expensive endeavor. Companies have either chosen not to incur the expense and change their business processes to fit the application, or they undergo a massive and costly customization initiative to conform the application to a proven business processes. Neither approach is cost effective. And, neither approach creates a solution agile enough to adapt to changing market conditions and new business opportunities. Enter the roles of Epicor Service Connect and Epicor Business Process Management (BPM). Epicor ICE 2.0 provides an integral embedded BPM framework to allow you to modify and extend your business processes without touching the application itself. Each business process contains methods that perform specific tasks within the application. Epicor BPM tools allow you to manipulate the way in which these methods perform before, during, and/or after the base business process is run. Epicor BPM permits you to intercept communications between the client and the server. This allows you to validate, manipulate, or create workflows that are based on the data being passed throughout the application. BPM and workflow technology allow you to automate and streamline business processesremoving mundane paper shuffle activities from the decision making process of information workers. BPM reduces employee training requirements, decision response time and lost paper. BPM increases accountability, collaboration and productivity and reduces errors. And, perhaps most importantly, BPM can enforce internal business controls and enhance business processes. By automating business processes, companies can focus human resources on the most critical parts of the process where their efforts will produce the greatest value. Other business systems consider BPM to be just another customization layer that requires expensive integration with an ERP application. Epicor ICE 2.0 BPM is cost effective and enables companies to automate and streamline business processes for continuous improvement without expensive after-the-fact integrationprecisely because it is a standard embedded feature of the platform. The Epicor ICE 2.0 platform contains the necessary infrastructure to easily and effectively integrate workflow into online transaction processing (OLTP) applications, creating workflow-aware enterprise applications. Epicor ICE 2.0 transforms Web service OLTP messages into higher-level business event messages that in turn drive business process management. BPM is part of the Epicor ICE 2.0 platform rather than an add-on, creating an agile, cost effective match between best business practices and enterprise software.
Microsoft .NET Framework

Epicor ICE 2.0 business object design exploits the capabilities of the .NET Framework, Microsoft's managed code framework for building applications on Windows clients, servers, and mobile or embedded devices. Developers use .NET to build applications of many types: Web applications, server applications, smart client applications, console applications, database applications, and more.
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To support this variety, the .NET Framework includes a broad set of supporting class libraries, including: Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), for visually stunning user experiences on Windows clients; Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), enabling fast and flexible communications among applications across your enterprise; Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), allowing developers to build workflows into any application; ASP.NET, for high-performance and interactive Web-based applications; Libraries for handling XML, data, IO, cryptography, text-tospeech, and more.
Summary
Epicor recognized early on that business logic did not belong on the client or on the database server and implemented an n-tier design where business logic is encapsulated in the business logic layer, in its own tier, the application server. We did this by building a framework from the ground up, using 100% SOA standards. Epicor ICE 2.0 takes full advantage of this business logic layer to automate a number of services like transactions, security, persistence/connection pooling, messaging and name services. The n-tier design of Epicor ICE 2.0 and Epicor True SOA make future modifications much easier to implement because all of the business logic is contained in a single location, written in a standard language, XML, and isolated from the client and the server. The ability to use a true development language to implement business rules as opposed to SQL stored procedures and triggers provides more flexibility to proficiently implement business rules, while leaving your relational database management system (RDBMS) to be purely optimized for persistence. The n-tier design of Epicor ICE 2.0 allows for more flexible hardware decisions because middle tier application servers significantly decrease the load on the database server. Epicor ICE 2.0 puts business logic where it belongs and where it can be easily accessed and modified to fit any business requirements without touching source code. Epicor ICE 2.0 is a completely adaptable framework that ensures Epicor next-generation business applications align correctly with your business rules and procedures. The Epicor ICE 2.0 framework allows you to make the necessary hardware and business process decisions that make sense for your business.
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User Interface
Overview
The user interface (UI) is one of the most important features of any business software. The UI is the client software that facilitates interaction with the system. The UI needs to be easy to use, intuitive, use familiar words and concepts, allow users to handle processing in a natural way, and above all, must be flexible and mobile. Epicor ICE 2.0 offers the ability to have multiple user interfaces interact with the same business logic. Epicor ICE 2.0 includes the Epicor Everywhere Framework, a unique and modern concept that provides extensibility in terms of user experience, including support for a Smart Client, a Web browser-based client, and a Microsoft Office Business Application (OBA) client. Either way, no locally stored application code resides on the client, saving organizations substantial application deployment and maintenance costs and all three options are intuitive, flexible, aesthetic, and promote user productivity.
Smart Client
Epicor ICE 2.0 can take full advantage of Microsofts .NET smart client technology to deliver a rich user experience in a traditional local client environment. Smart clients are easily deployed and managed client applications that offer users a powerful interactive experiencean experience that takes advantage of local resources to connect intelligently to distributed data sources. Business workers can take advantage of increased opportunities to extract, consume, analyze, and distribute information to help create new products, expand into new markets, streamline business procedures, and provide better operational control.10
Smart Client Deployment Structure

Epicor ICE 2.0 is a fully n-tier application, with a .NET client working against a .NET interface layer to an application server containing the application business logic. Since the client is abstracted from the application by a .NET interface layer, the architecture supports the possibility of using any .NETcompliant smart client against the interface, and therefore the application as a whole.
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https://www.microsoft.com/net/SmartClient.mspx
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Smart Client Characteristics

The user interface that is delivered with Epicor ICE 2.0 is built using Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and the industry standard presentation layer components from Infragistics, Inc. Epicor ICE 2.0 takes full advantage of Microsoft Visual C# .NET capabilities to deliver a productive end user experience by providing the following features: Microsoft Outlook 2007 Styling and Methodology Styling offers complete control over the look and feel of the entire user interface. It works by letting you define the look of each item within the interfacebuttons, check boxes, fields, etc. Because styling themes can be deployed for a department, company, or multi-company deployments, you can set their unique theme for easy recognition. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides a new style which provides the same look and feel as Outlook 2007a tree view pane to let you easily navigate to any company and processes, a favorites panel where you can list the items you use most frequently, stay up-to-date with URLs and RSS feeds, and collaborate with Microsoft SharePoint document integration. Ability to Embed Dashboards and Web Pages Statistical analysis using key performance indicators can be embedded sideby-side with data entry forms, search criteria and trackers. (Trackers are associated linked business processes such as customer, quote, sales order, job, shipment, etc.) Linked components within a dashboard communicate through a publication/subscription mechanism and dynamically refresh with new data based on user selection. Dashboards provide intuitive visualization of task oriented processes centralized in one view. Microsoft Excel Style Grid Manipulation The Epicor ICE framework allows you to freeze multiple areas of a grid vertically or horizontally so multiple areas of a grid can be seen simultaneously and create multi-tiered groups to quickly make sense of large amounts of data. Other Excel-like features include drag and drop column manipulation and the ability to sort multiple grid columns. Cut and Paste Capabilities Cut-and-paste information to and from all areas of the system and other applications (e.g., rows can be cut and pasted to and from Microsoft Excel). Tear Off Sheets Multiple data sheets per form that can be torn off the main form and positioned at will on the users desktop in order to work with multiple views simultaneously. User Sizeable Forms All forms have the capability to be sized horizontally and/or vertically to fit each users need. Navigation Tree A navigation tree view provides an at-a-glance summary view of transaction structure and attachments at any level of the transaction.
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Non-modal Forms Most forms are non-modalthis means a user may have several forms open and be able to move between forms as needed. Drag and Drop Attachments The Epicor ICE 2.0 architecture supports the ability to manage and view attachments against any record or application process. Documents attached at the process level would typically contain information associated to process execution, workflow, or business practices for the process itself. Attachments at the record level would typically provide information, documentation, or context specific to that record. All attachments can be secured using standard role-based security. Attachment/ Document management capability also includes the use of a Microsoft SharePoint document repository. Supporting Microsoft SharePoint means that document versioning is also supported, and integration to other best-of-breed document management systems will be facilitated. Search Forms Powerful search forms provide basic, full, and advanced criteria sets. Basic and full search windows provide different levels of predefined selection criteria for system tables, while advanced searches allow the user to select from any of the fields available in the database for complex tables and to select from a range of criteria against each field. Business Entity Virtualization Epicor ICE 2.0 Smart client technology makes transition between secure business entities seamless through menu virtualization of multiple companies. All companies to which a user has access are available within the client menu. The user is able to move between companies simply by clicking on menu options, without having to log out and log back in again.
Smart Client Extensibility

The objective of the smart client is to provide a highly functional, flexible, intuitive, and attractive user interface that works through the Microsoft .NET interface layer against business objects on the application server. In order to facilitate this flexibility, the architecture places great emphasis on ensuring that the business logic and rules are centralized on the application server, rather than being built into the client user interfaces. In addition to the usability features above, all forms support sophisticated mechanisms designed to allow flexibility of use depending on preference and other factors. These include: Personalization options allowing an individual user to create a specific layout style for each form. This includes the ability to skip fields, change tab order, add columns to a grid, reorder columns in a grid, change color or other properties of a field, and much more. Optional settings to remember last position of all data sheets and main form on closing the form so that preferred layout is preserved.
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Optional settings to define initial data loading to a form including automatic loading based on predefined, named search definitions. For example, this allows a user to specify that they always work with a specific set of Vendors or Parts, and to automatically load these on form entry each time. Support for inbuilt customization allowing add/change/delete of all types of data controls on the form; and support for inbuilt language translation capability.
All personalization, customization and language parameters are stored on a central server and are deployed via XML documents to each client on request. This ensures that: Personalization follows a user from one physical client to another, thus logging into a different PC provides the same user personalization settings. Customization is always deployed automatically to all users once approved; and Users language is available regardless of which PC they are logged into.
Please refer to detail sections in the Adaptability section for more information on personalization and customization.
Epicor Everywhere Framework

Today, many enterprise applications are being rewritten to support mobile devices and browser-based clients, which provide easier, more convenient access to business information and easier deployment. These clients are generally considered zero-footprint or thin clients. Rather than rewrite application forms to support mobile devices and the Web, Epicor developed the Epicor Everywhere Framework, a unique technology that stores all client business logic as tagged XML metadata. This permits Epicor applications to run as smart clients or Web clients or on mobile devices, all from the same source code. This framework also ensures that user customizations and personalizations remain intact, whatever the UI. Using our Epicor Everywhere Framework, you can customize your smart client forms to meet your specific business needs and then simply re-generate the forms metadata and output it as a Web form with all customizations included.
Epicor Web Access

Epicor ICE 2.0 Web client forms are a straight conversion from the WinForm .clr assemblies to HTML, contain the same business logic as Smart Client forms, and are browser neutral. Currently, the Epicor Everywhere Framework supports generation of asynchronous Java and extensible markup language (AJAX) Web browser-based forms from existing Windows forms (C#). For added flexibility Web forms can be accessed from different mobile devices and browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox Apple Safari, or Google Chrome and can run on most operating systems, including Windows, UNIX, Linux, or Mac.
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Epicor ICE 2.0 makes no trade off between a feature rich Smart client and the ease of Web client deployment through our Epicor Everywhere Framework. Epicor ICE 2.0 Web Access provides a rich user experience for both the seasoned user and the new hire coupled with the ubiquity of browser access. Visual indicators, proper form layout, operational workflow, and easily accessible help guides educate new users without impeding those with more experience. Epicor ICE 2.0 client features and design leads to maximum productivity for employees at all experience levels.
Microsoft Office Client

Epicor ICE 2.0, SOA, and Web services make it possible to use Microsoft Office applications as a client for many business system processes. Epicor Information Worker utilizes Epicor ICE 2.0 SOA and Web services to seamlessly meld business data and business system functionality with Microsoft Office to create an Office Business Application (OBA). Epicor Information Worker extends the reach of essential business data to users who might not have direct access to enterprise systems, and does so from within their familiar Office applications. The result is a broader user acceptance and the elimination of training costs for two distinct interfaces. Furthermore, Epicor Information Worker provides for disconnected use so it does not place further burden on IT and network resources. All transactions entered offline remain on the client as XML files until reconnected to the network. Once connected, transactions are validated and submitted using the same Web services utilized by the standard client. Using Epicor Information Worker and Microsoft Office allows business workers to download contacts into Microsoft Outlook, create customer calls from incoming and outgoing emails, and download data for viewing and/or updating. Users can retrieve data into Microsoft Excel, edit in place, and then send the updated information back to the database. Microsoft Word can incorporate business data within a template and mail merge routine to simplify communication with customers or vendors. The possibilities are endless and allow business workers to quickly access data and reuse and repurpose documents for presentations, analysis, and communications without revisiting, pulling and updating source informationallowing workers to accomplish more in less time.
Summary
Success or failure of implementing business software depends on user acceptance, which positions the user interface of an application as a critical factor to the project outcome. By utilizing SOA for application logic, Epicor ICE 2.0 provides a vastly configurable and productive user experience that is at once feature rich, simple to deploy, and easy to maintain.
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The Epicor ICE 2.0 framework provides maximum choice in terms of UI starting with a Smart client that offers all of the functionality that a user expects, but with the added bonus of embedded personalization and customization capabilities. The Epicor Everywhere Framework extends this further with the ability to transform Smart client forms into Web forms without losing functionality, including personalization and customization. Finally, to involve and deliver maximum business insight to a broader user community, Epicor Information Worker offers Epicor next-generation application access through a familiar Microsoft Office client.
Extensibility
Overview
In many cases up until now, users of packaged software often had to resort to invasive customization or changes to source code in order to affect workarounds to make rigid code work for their particular enterpriseall too often a time-consuming, complex and expensive process. In fact, until the advent of more flexible business logic offered by SOA-based packaged software, many vendors positioned the availability of source code for customization as a positive. What many failed to consider is that this legacy lives long after the customized software is implemented. The result, all too often being the transition from packaged software (the benefits of which come from regular functional updates) to a customer-specific code line, which is often referred to as being version locked. It might also be accompanied by heightened investment in internal or third party IT resources in order to support the customizations. Yet, organizations must have the ability to control their business applications to ensure they continue to fit their changing business requirements. To address this need, Epicor ICE 2.0 offers a set of non-invasive yet embedded application management tools. These tools provide the needed flexibility to modify applications as the situation warrants, and allows businesses to quickly take advantage of windows of opportunity, market trends and changes in the competitive landscapewithout recourse to source code. Epicor ICE 2.0 reduces the cost and effort of extending an application, and simplifies the management of enhancements and extensions over the application lifecycle. Since Epicor ICE 2.0 utilizes SOA and a separate layer for business logic, extending the application software to meet your specific business needs becomes painless and your changes do not interfere when its time to upgrade. Epicor ICE 2.0 delivers unprecedented extensibility, whether in terms of integral support for changing business processes, or in the reduction of cost and complexity in terms of application-to-application, and businessto-business integration and connectivity.
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Flexible and Extensible

Epicor ICE 2.0 business architecture allows for complete flexibility and choice. There are three major aspects of choice and flexibility to consider: Operating System Database Adaptation
Operating System When making a business application selection, it is important not to get boxed in to a particular operating system, hardware vendor, or hardware platform. While there are many options available today, it is very important that you protect your options for the future. Applications that run on a single, proprietary system limit not only the ability to configure the best current system, but also lock the user into a single vision of the future. Many applications have been replaced not due to any problem with the application itself, but from a lack of operating system or hardware support. The Epicor ICE 2.0 framework will allow users to deploy their Epicor business applications on a number of operating systems including Microsoft Windows 2003/2008, UNIX, and Linux. Many larger companies prefer the price performance of UNIX to Windows; the same goes for smaller companies with simplicity of Windows over the complexities of UNIX. Epicor ICE 2.0 will allow companies to choose the operating system that best fits their business. Database Epicor ICE 2.0 supports both Progress and Microsoft SQL Server databases. The Progress OpenEdge platform provides transparent access to a wide range of heterogeneous data sources including native access to Microsoft SQL Server databases through Progress DataServers. These dedicated DataServers enable exceptional performance and scalability, and deliver advanced features such as optimistic record locking (reducing locking congestion and increase total throughput), asynchronous default database connections, and stored procedure support. Adaptation There are three important types of adaptation for enterprise business applications. The first is the ability to change existing capabilitiesadding or subtracting fields, rearranging fields to support your workflow, or changing the business rules to ensure your processes are followed. This first type of adaptation can easily be achieved through the embedded management tools provided by Epicor ICE 2.0. The second type of adaptation enables the purchaser of additional software to extend the functionality of an application. The base Smart Client model of Epicor ICE 2.0 provides a sophisticated built-in capability to adapt the UI and to leverage exposed events in both the UI and the application server code, in order to address the adaptation needs of most business scenarios.
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The third type of adaptation involves automating processes, adding or removing process steps in a workflow, and adding human intervention to a workflow, for instance, sending emails for notification or approval. This third type of adaptation can be easily achieved with Epicor ICE 2.0 built-in business process management tools and can be extended even further with Epicor Service Connect, a powerful automation and integration tool that allows you to create workflows for each process to fit your business rules. For those requirements that cannot be satisfied by the built-in model or by Epicor Service Connect, Epicor ICE 2.0 also offers an advanced software development kit (SDK), which supplies client source, framework UI and business logic tools necessary to write your own additions and extensions to the application using the Epicor ICE 2.0 framework.
Layered Adaptability
Epicor ICE 2.0 was built from the ground up to be adaptable in both the functionality and the user experience according to specific needs. This allows Epicor to support a full array of variations ranging from wide differences in product functionality to minor differences in personal preference through a single framework and code base. This adaptability is crucial to being able to provide cost effective, yet powerful solutions to our customers. In terms of the application functionality, the business logic is built to support functional variations according to: Product version licensed. Multiple versions of the product may support restricted or advanced levels of functionality. Modules licensed. Alternate or additional functionality is available according to licensing.
In terms of the user interface, variations are managed via a sophisticated, centralized deployment of layered XML documents that contain overrides to many properties of a form. The contents of these documents are able to change the presentation of the application by: Disabling or hiding fields and/or entire areas of the form. Enabling additional fields and/or adding new areas to the form. Changing terminology or language used on a form. Changing the flow of entry through a form. Changing the layout or visuals on the form.
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This layered adaptability is manifested in five distinct categories of adaptation as illustrated in the technology stack diagram below.
Productization Productization refers to the ability for multiple product variants. This layer allows Epicor ICE 2.0 to meet the requirements of each type of Epicor customer by providing an architected presentation and workflow layer that suits the size and type of customer using the product. Localization Epicor ICE 2.0 was designed as a global business architecture and includes a separate localization layer. This layer isolates country-specific localizations and makes version migration easier for customers and localization partners. Epicor ICE 2.0 is designed to support global-ready applications, utilizing Microsofts standard transactional format assemblies. Epicor has ensured that the application's resources that require localization and translation have been separated from the rest of the application's code so that source code need not be modified during localization. With a global perspective at the forefront of every phase of the development process, Epicor ICE 2.0 is ready to meet the requirements of countries around the world. Some country specific localizations will be included with the first Epicor ICE 2.0 release, some can be done as extensions to that release by value-added resellers, and others will be delivered by Epicor in subsequent releases. Translation Translation refers to the ability of the Epicor ICE 2.0 application to manage and store multiple language variants and to deploy these on demand to the client. Translating the language can be done both from within the application or off-line (via an export/import mechanism). Online translation can be performed in two places:
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In the language maintenance/translation screen where it is done mainly on a word or phrase basis (e.g. search for all instances of the word job in all of the text). Translation would also be done here on all business object text. In the actual application screen where it is on a screen/program basis (i.e., all of the screens/programs text is made available and can be translated in context.).
Translations have a hierarchy of screen, then business object, then system-wide. Translations are mainly done at the system-wide level, but it is occasionally necessary to override the generally used translation in a specific instance. Languages also have a hierarchy. Each language has a parent language and if the particular string is not translated in the users language the parent language is checked for translation as well. This is to allow for easier localization at a company, industry, regional dialect levelnot all strings need to be translated, just the differing ones. Real-time translation of the text takes place when the screen is initialized. A dataset of all the text that needs to be translated (this is built up by the UI framework automatically) is sent to the Translation Business Object. The Translation Business Object then translates the text and returns it to the client for incorporation into the form. Finally, Epicor ICE 2.0 allows the user to view currency amounts and edit them in either the document (transactional) currency, the base currency, or the reporting currency. Translation features include: All Text Stored in a Database Repository Individual Label Translation by Form Export/Import Language Files with Translation Tool Mass Update and Replacement of Like Labels 30% Form Allowance for Labels with Stretch Support User Language Preferences Change to Any Available Language at Runtime Multi-language by User Co-exists by Company Double Byte and Unicode
Verticalization Verticalization refers to the inclusion of industry-specific features and the ability to modify terminology, data fields and flow to support a specific industry vertical. Such verticalizations can be packaged and delivered as a variation to the base product.
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Customization Customization refers to the ability for the end customer to modify aspects of the user interface and application functionality. This includes the ability to model the changes, track changes, pilot changes, and deploy and rollout changes to the user community. Adaptation is a key requirement for many Epicor customers and Epicor ICE 2.0 technology supports two distinct layers depending on company need. These are: A sophisticated, built-in customization engine that allows authorized users to add, change and delete fields on a form and to modify flow and visual appearance of controls on the form. The built-in engine also allows customization of database tables via updates made through application triggers and through code associated with business activity management (BAM). An advanced software development kit (SDK) that supplies the client source, framework UI, and business logic tools necessary to write additions and extensions to the application using the framework.
The built-in customization engine is composed of two sections. One section is resident within each UI application form and the other section resides in the business application layer. The UI customization component acts like an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and allows the following: The addition of UI Form components (e.g. tabs, panels, text boxes, check boxes, grids, labels, buttons, etc.) and the ability to bind the value property to fields in the active dataset. The modification of existing UI Form component properties (e.g., visible, enabled, location, size, text). The ability to add/remove data columns to/from grids. Modification of UI flow by changing the tab order on components. The ability to add VBScript code points to run before or after data field modifications, before or after data view changes, and at Form Load or Form Exit. The code points will have access to the active dataset within the UI application and to the extended column and row properties. Additionally, the code points will have access to the data within the database.
Personalization Personalization is composed of runtime personalization, and personalization that is a subset of customization. Runtime Personalization provides the ability to save the current layout and location of a UI application. This includes the position, size, and order of UI forms, floating sub-forms, and the layout of grids. Personalization that is a subset of customization refers to the ability of an individual end user (or group of users) to personalize a form to their own requirements by using the built-in customization engine. This includes the ability to change the flow through the form, add columns to grids or arrange columns in grids, change field properties such as color, font, etc. Personalization is restricted to those changes that do not affect the actual data or minimum mandatory requirements of the application.
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Epicor ICE 2.0 Software Development Kit

The Epicor ICE 2.0 software development kit (SDK) allows customers to enhance or develop new forms with exactly the same toolset that the Epicor developers use. The advanced developer module contains the client source code, framework UI, and business logic tools. In order to use the SDK, the developer would need the following tools: Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2008 Infragistics Controls (advanced UI control objects) Business Logic Toolset Progress AppBuilder Object Design Tool
The SDK allows users to build their own custom modules and integrate and embed them into the product as though it were part of the base system. The Epicor ICE 2.0 SDK provides: Enterprise RAD platform for interaction with smart client Shared development tools, platforms and framework for Epicor, Customers and Partners Build new functionality that behaves identically to the standard application Extend business layer components Sub-class Business Logic for development in Visual Studio .NET
Business Process Management

Business Process Management (BPM) is all about identifying and improving processes to make your business more efficient, more disciplined, and better able to adapt to change. Many of today's businesses have already spent the time and effort to document and outline their business processes, some to meet strict regulatory and quality standards for their industry and others for improved business efficiency. Epicor ICE 2.0 incorporates BPM technology to enable organizations to automate and streamline business processes for continuous improvement. Epicor ICE 2.0 BPM augments your current efforts of continuous improvement by allowing you to more closely tailor your Epicor solution to reflect the best practices you have developed. Best practices dictate continuous improvement of business processes within and throughout the enterprise; as such, BPM provides a framework for building process driven integration points that, coupled with Epicor Service Connect, give Epicor customers seamless integration capabilities with any service driven application. Epicor ICE 2.0 BPM automates delivery of information to customers and suppliers directly from within the Epicor application. As an integral part of the Epicor business architecture, BPM provides a layer to each Epicor service for applying rules and conditions whether the service is called from a client, another service, or another program. The Epicor ICE 2.0 BPM tool includes the ability to track data
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changes within the database and automatically send alerts or print reports when change events occur. With Epicor ICE 2.0 BPM, you can intercept Web service methods with Method Directives and add custom logic to perform actions before, after, or in place of a Web service method. Epicor ICE 2.0 BPM allows you to build pre-process conditions that require approvals or other conditions to be met before processing continues; automate post process routines such as an Epicor Service Connect workflow that provides integration to an outside system, send an e-mail, invoke a .NET method, execute code, or create a record such as a workflow task; or replace an existing Web service with your own. Epicor ICE 2.0 BPM provides a wizard-driven interface to specify conditions and actions that modify the behavior of business logic methods. Designed similar to the Microsoft Outlook rules wizard, managing your business specific processes is intuitive. BPM allows you to apply business logic to every aspect of the system. Complex logic can be inserted into every aspect of the system and executed as though it were part of the standard code itself. Epicor ICE 2.0 will allow the simultaneous update of changed rows to support new BPM method directives and to improve processing performance. Epicor ICE 2.0 BPM combined with the agility of Epicor True SOA and the powerful business orchestration and workflow capabilities of Epicor Service Connect, helps business be more competitive by maximizing operating efficiency. Epicor ICE 2.0 BPM gives you complete control over your businessbefore, during, or after a process occurs. Pre-process Build pre-process conditions that require approvals or other conditions to be met before processing continues. For example, require approval for customer credit limit change. Post Process Automate post process routines such as an Epicor Service Connect workflow that provides integration to an outside system, send an e-mail, invoke a .NET method, execute code, or create a record such as a workflow task. Base Process Replace an existing Web service with your own. Workflow Build and execute workflow throughout the system for your unique business rules. Electronic Signatures Invoke and require electronic signature for processes with secure authorization and password.
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Epicor Service Connect

Epicor Service Connect is a business integration platform, functioning as a central integration point for secure workflow orchestrations within Epicor applications as well as external connectivity to Epicor and non-Epicor applications. Users can automate tasks and processes within the application to promote lean principles, continuous performance initiatives and Six Sigma quality within the organization or across the supply-chain. Service Connect lets employees focus on value added activities and management by exception instead of repetitive data (re)entry tasks. Built to support collaborative processes, Service Connect links different business entities, applications or users using open, industry wide standards and technology that enables businesses to deploy solutionsconfident that their investment will remain intact for the future. Service Connect harnesses the openness of XML and includes service-bus functionality for Security, Messaging, Orchestration, Transformation, Scheduling, Notification, and Exception Handling to deliver rock-solid reliability combined with ease of use. Epicor Service Connect is more than a tool for integration; it is a rapid platform for incorporating workflow and system orchestration through visual designers with little to no programming effort. Service Connect uses XML documents to provide simple Web service connectivity to Epicor solutions and other applications that support XML standards. Integration can be easily built by using the Service Connect Visual Data Mapping tool to link and transform XML documents to map to different systems along multiple communication channels and protocols to support a wide range of integration scenarios. The service-oriented architecture (SOA) of Epicor solutions enable workflow orchestrations within Service Connect to streamline processing within Epicor ICE 2.0 applications through its BPM tools. BPM allows a business analyst to react to events raised in the course of normal business activities by intercepting that event and either performing additional actions before or after that event occurs. The business analyst can even choose to substitute a completely different action for the one that would normally occur in the system. The business analyst can choose from many pre-configured actions (attach a hold, raise an exception message, update a record in the database), or they can choose to initiate a Service Connect workflow which allows them even greater flexibility in defining what actions to perform. For instance, a Service Connect workflow can be initiated to start a process that requires human intervention, such as approval of an order, or calling a customer.
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Task Management
Many times a companys workflow is a lot more than just executing predefined application screen functions. Typical business processes require the ability to link both computer and non-computer events in a logical and conditional sequence; to assign responsibility for each stage of a process execution; to schedule and manage the event queue; and to provide control and feedback. For example, the processing of a sales opportunity may require substantially more than the entry of a quote on the system. It may require the outline quote to be entered, a sales visit to establish the requirements, a sales engineer to then clarify the requirements, detailed engineering of the potential product, supplier involvement for quoting key materials and services, credit approval from a leasing agency, etc. Each event may be a key milestone with many other subsequent tasks that need to be carried out. And although a clear process may be known at the beginning, circumstances may cause the sales opportunity to be routed via a very different path during its lifecycle. Task management functionality allows users to define workflow processes that key transactions need to go through in order to be completed. Tasks may be a single step process or may be a series of interlinked processes involving many different parties. At all times users have a dynamic task list that informs them of what they are needed to do, in real-time. Task sets can be dynamically assigned based on circumstances. For example, different types of engineering change may require different levels of authorization and work. The task management system will automatically assign and route the work needed to process the change. Task sets are tightly embedded into the system ensuring that transactions can only be updated if the task set is at the right status. For example, a quote cannot be sent out to the prospect unless the sales manager has approved the pricing. Key functionality within Epicor ICE task set management: User-definable task types categorize work (e.g., to-do, Urgent Item, Telemarketing Follow Up). User-definable tasks identify type of work to be carried out (e.g., pricing approval, revision update, quote generation, etc.). Electronic sign offs ensure traceability and adherence to procedures by requiring a password when signing off a key task. User-definable task workflow sets define complete workflow processes for different types of jobs, including multi-level tasks, milestones, mandatory tasks, and alternative routes. Automatic assignment and routing of work is based on required role codes and the context of the transaction being worked on. For example, if the opportunity requires a sales manager to sign off the pricing, task management will look at the territory in which the opportunity is located and select the appropriate manager to sign it off. Supports companies striving for ISO certification. Visual representation of process status.
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Message log of all interaction, e-mails, calls, etc. regarding the task. Optional automatic notification of task creation and completion via e-mail. Ability to manually create a task for someone to carry out. Ability to manually route a task. Ability to manually alter task set against a job based on circumstances. Provide to-do lists specific to each employee, automatically driving a user to the area of the system to be worked on.
The workflow system will evaluate, based on roles, who should complete a task and automatically assign the task to that persons queue. The solution takes into account the real-life circumstances that define any environment, both during planning and the actual process. The embedded workflow solution provides a comprehensive and flexible workflow solution that gives users the tools needed to respond quickly to critical business requirements.
Business Activity Queries

Every business needs an intuitive and easy to use query engine. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides the business activity query (BAQ) Designer, which allows you to create personalized queries or to copy standard queries so that they can be modified. Once the query is created, it can be used throughout Epicor nextgeneration business applicationsto generate reports, for quick searches, or to view the results in a role-based dashboard. Epicor ICE BAQ lets you create queries that display the data you need, when you need it. The BAQ Designer includes the following features: Multiple ways to define a BAQ (free form or wizard). Use of temp tables for BPM. A graphical mechanism for showing table linkages. SQL injection restrictions. Calculated columns in free form. Easy to use wizards. The ability to access the BAQ wizard or other components from other parts of the application (such as customization). Multiple instances of a single table are allowed. A double-pass approach for additional filtering of data on the server. BAQs are callable from within BPM. Ability to test the BAQ before putting in production. Ability to see every place that a BAQ is used.
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In addition to providing a visual presentation of the query being created, the BAQ designer also provides tabs where you can analyze, test the syntax, and run the query to confirm the query is correct before it goes into production. There is also a tab to display where an existing query is being used dashboard, quick search, or dynamic report. The BAQ designer provides all the tools you need to quickly and easily create queries that return the relevant data you need.
Role-based Dashboards
Epicor ICE 2.0 applications are made up of many forms that allow users to run a complex business. Role-based dashboards allow users to define their own virtual system by giving them the ability to generate a form set that presents information the way they want to see it. This information may be cross discipline, cross technology, and cross system. For example, a user may want to see their outstanding tasks, customers on hold, a view of the customers supplier portal, and the customers current bookings shown graphically. Epicor ICE 2.0 role-based dashboards allow users to define a single form set that contains all of this information and dynamically puts into context those areas in which the user is interested. For example, highlighting a part would then show only those POs, stocks, commitments, etc. that were related to the part. Epicor ICE Dashboard technology is a completely flexible environment that is defined to meet the exact unique needs of each user based on their role. Epicor ICE 2.0 delivers predefined role-based views for most areas of Epicor next-generation business applications out-of-the-box, and additional views can be easily created using the built-in adaptation management tools.
Global Business Management

Epicor ICE 2.0 global business management (GBM) is a means of creating a single virtual enterprise and provides the essential tools needed to create and maintain a single version of the truth. Regardless of how your business is distributed or where your business goes, Epicor will keep it all in synch for seamless operation and total visibility of the enterprise. To help these businesses virtualize their enterprise, Epicor ICE 2.0 allows applications to be distributed across multiple servers utilizing master data management and other technologies to ensure real-time connectivity and so provides complete logical and physical business distribution across hardware and networks. Epicor ICE offers choice of deployment either centrally on a single server/single database, or on multiple databases/multiple servers around the world as needed, and in so doing offers low cost management of a highly distributed enterprise as a single entity regardless of information technology deployment choices.
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Epicor Multi-Tier Deployment
Epicor Centralized Deployment
Distributed Data Management Although global communications have improved drastically over the last 10 years, there are many instances where enterprises want to distribute their information around multiple servers in different geographic locations. There may be many reasons for this: Low bandwidth networks: In many parts of the world communications are still poor. Redundancy: Insuring that all of a companys information is not on one server. Reliability: Many companies truly rely on their enterprise system. If the system goes down, they stop shipping products and cannot take orders. These types of enterprises cannot afford to have their entire systems go down because of power outages, communication problems, etc. Mobile Computing: Although Web access allows many more employees to access the system with a PC and an Internet connection there are many occasions that an Internet connection is not available (in flight, customers sites, developing countries, etc.).
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Master Data Management As organizations grow, decentralize, or make acquisitions, the potential for multiple, inconsistent versions of the same data in different parts of the company can cause real problems with the quality and reconciliation of data. The recent emphasis on regulatory compliance, SOA, and mergers and acquisitions has made the creating and maintaining of accurate and complete master data a business imperative. Epicor master data management (MDM) can help to ensure that your multi-company data meets regulatory requirements and also provides the consistency needed for customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and better decision-making. With MDM, data conflicts are eliminated by clearly defining the one owner of the master information. Local copies of the master can have varying levels of differences (locally maintained), but still be tied back to the master information. Epicor MDM works across a single database or multiple databases in different locales around the globe by utilizing an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) message-based infrastructure to facilitate the movement of disparate data into and out of the master data repository. Information often transforms when moving between companies. For example, Purchase Orders on one system become Sales Orders on another. Special note is made of buying and selling transactions between companies within the same organization so that proper revenue back out and consolidation can occur. Epicor MDM includes a powerful transformation engine which provides the mapping capability to transform inbound data to the requisite master data definition and to map data definitions retrieved from the master data repository to XML for output. Based on a set of user-defined rules and mappings, diverse global entities may now have records transferred and maintained between companies with the assurance that new and changed records are sent to all companies within your enterprise. At the same time, local customers, parts, suppliers, etc. in each company remain autonomous between your companies. This is vital so that each company can maintain its own business function without being restricted to working only with global customers or suppliers. This also allows each company to produce/sell their own product line by having localized part values that are specific to each company. In addition to the master data itself, Epicor MDM allows you to maintain data hierarchiesfor example, bill of materials for products, sales territory structure, organization structure for customers, and so forth. Epicor MDM captures these hierarchies and also allows you to modify the hierarchies independently of the underlying systems. Epicor EDM manages hierarchies so that a change to the hierarchy in a single place can propagate the change to all the underlying systems. At the same time, Epicor MDM provides total control over which fields are managed by the master data publisher and which fields the subscribers can change and offers enterprise views and a complete menu system to allow you to view all entities from single login. This means you are able to simultaneously view the customer, inventory, part or any other records that are part of the master data repository that are located in different companies.
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Summary
To truly become an agile business, enterprises must be able to bend and adapt as market demands and the business evolves. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides a flexible framework that allows businesses to attain the agility necessary to remain competitive. By separating business process rules from application logic and database layers, Epicor ICE 2.0 provides unlimited extensibility. Business processes, forms, fields, and other business objects can be added or modified easily without disrupting surrounding application layers or source code. Epicor ICE 2.0 reduces the cost of extending applications to meet specific business needs and simplifies managing extensions over the application lifecycle. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides Epicor True SOA a self-documenting and open Web-based API, allowing complete programmatic access to the entire application. Epicor ICE 2.0 amplifies Web services interoperability, easing the management and integration of new applications with existing infrastructure components. Modifications to business services are isolated from source code, simplifying application updates and version upgrades. Adaptation can be managed and maintained easily from upgrading version-to-version, protecting existing changes while realizing new version features without a complete re-implementation. Workflow is inherent within Epicor ICE applications and can be orchestrated for real-time business processing with BPM and/or Epicor Service Connect. Both provide easy to use message-oriented workflow processing and application integration. Epicor ICE 2.0 next-generation business architecture provides a very complete and robust set of tools that enable businesses to both use and enhance the application. The ability to transform Smart Client forms to Web forms with the Epicor Everywhere Framework provides ultimate portability. The intrinsic adaptation and translation tools included with Epicor ICE 2.0 provide many options for flexibility in the system. When extensive or more complicated adaptation is required, the Epicor ICE 2.0 SDK extends your possibilities beyond the already powerful embedded capabilities. Finally, for those organizations that have grown through acquisition or have simply decentralized, Epicor ICE 2.0 GBM and embedded capabilities like MDM provides all of the mapping and transformation capabilities to meet the demands of todays distributed computing requirements.
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Security
Overview
A business framework can have all of the features and functionality you could possibly want, but you also need the ability to keep your data safefrom within your organization and from outside sources. Epicor ICE 2.0 delivers all of the security features you need to keep your data safe and secure.
User and Group Security Management

Security Epicor ICE 2.0 provides comprehensive user and group security to restrict data and application accessibility as needed. Security can be granted at user and group levels for all security objects including forms, fields, reports, menus, and method calls. Data tier security is also available for both tables and columns. There is also an option to use Windows Authentication to support a Windows single sign-on and password policy. The key levels of security are as follows: Product Security Product security includes protection to ensure that the application only allows use of modules and product variations purchased and licensed. Application Security Application security ensures that the business logic protects the database from corruption by always ensuring that an update is valid, regardless of the source of the transaction. This is necessary in a service-based architecture since the business logic can be called from many environments, including: The smart (primary) client External Web services Browser-based clients Other smart devices (cell phones, bar code devices, etc.)
Access Security Access security verifies that whomever (or whatever) is attempting to access the application server is permitted to do so. This includes: Login security to the menu system either by entry of user ID and password, or via Windows user authentication. Session security (same as login security) for application components that are run directly from the desktop or other non-menu areas.
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Services security through the SOA to ensure that an external system may access the business logic.
Business Security Business security includes ensuring that individual users and groups of users have access to the business functions and data that they might be attempting to view or update. Epicor ICE 2.0 allows you to grant security at both user and group levels for all security objects. Security is available at the column or field level and can be applied to all data access: Including forms, reports, and method calls. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides user interface security, menu, form and field security, application tier security, data tier security, business object and method security, and table and column securitysecurity is available at every level and for every object. Additionally, Epicor ICE 2.0 provides the option for Microsoft Windows Authentication and Windows Single Sign-on and Password Policy.
Summary
Epicor ICE 2.0 provides many ways to access your datasmart client, Web client, mobile device, Microsoft Office, Epicor Portal, Enterprise Search, and Microsoft SharePoint. This much freedom of access may cause problems with some business software, but not with applications built on the Epicor ICE 2.0 framework. Epicor ICE 2.0 provides data security from the field level all the way to the database levelonly those users with proper permissions will see the data, and they will only see the data they are allowed to see. So you can take full advantage of the Epicor ICE 2.0 data access options and rest assured that the data is safe from unauthorized access.
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Conclusion
Epicor ICE Business Architecture: Fuses service-oriented
Designed for the real-time enterprise, Epicor ICE 2.0 utilizes Epicor True SOA for agile and interactive business process modeling to help midmarket business rapidly respond to change, adjust for growth, and maintain a competitive advantage. The pairing of Epicor ICE 2.0 with SOA and Web 2.0 concepts provides a vastly extensible and interoperable framework that correctly positions your company to realize more business opportunities and accelerate the returned value on technology investments. Epicor ICE 2.0 boasts extensive flexibility through its innovative granular business services design, providing the premium performance and ease-ofuse your company demands. Each business service operates as a reusable self-describing software component, enabling enterprises of all sizes to tailor on-demand solutions with other Web services or business operations. This solution assembly approach within Epicor ICE 2.0 allows straightforward, low cost interaction with existing company IT hardware and software in addition to outside collaboration with suppliers, partners and customersall delivered within the strictest security. Epicor ICE 2.0 offers the first truly agile Epicor True SOA for global business. It is an intuitive technology asset that builds on a breakthrough in serviceoriented software development and ultra distributed computing, offering a Microsoft .NET-based adaptable and extensible toolset for rapid application development of next-generation enterprise applications. Epicor ICE 2.0 enables business rules and processes to be added or enhanced as the market demands, plus enterprise levels of scalability, interoperability and extensibility capable of complying with current and future standards and protocols. Epicor ICE is the foundation for the new breed of next-generation solutions from Epicor and builds on a tradition of offering technology solutions that yield measurable business benefits and clear customer advantage - helping global enterprises think ahead and stay ahead. Epicor ICE 2.0 underpins the next generation of Epicor ERP solution. It leverages the rich functionality that can be developed on the .NET platform to build an object-oriented client and Web services based application which delivers truly rich user experiences and ubiquitous accessibility options. Epicor ICE 2.0 is the platform that supports complete business solutions created for small and medium enterprises and divisions of Global 1000 organizations. In the introduction, we explained that a technical architecture needs to be practical. To Epicor, practical means that we meet our target customers key requirements. Epicor ICE 2.0 brings the power of Epicor True SOA to enterprise resource planning in order to satisfy these key architectural requirements. Epicor ICE 2.0 delivers a technology resource thats not just built for change, but is designed for the way people work today. In fact, it reduces the cost and complexity of technology adoption by being completely ready for business today yet provides a business architecture for tomorrow.
architecture and Web 2.0 to harness the power of collaboration Aligns ERP with the tools and devices business people use every day Establishes, enhances, and enforces agile business processes at the business level
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About Epicor
Epicor Software (NASDAQ: EPIC) is a global leader delivering business software solutions to the manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality and services industries. With 20,000 customers in more than 140 countries, Epicor provides integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM) and enterprise retail software solutions that enable companies to drive increased efficiency and improve profitability, and also empower global enterprises to achieve even greater success. Disclaimer This document and its contents, including the viewpoints, dates and functional content expressed herein are believed to be accurate as of its date of publication, February 2009. However, Epicor Software Corporation makes no guarantee, representations or warranties with regard to the enclosed information and specifically disclaims the implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose and merchantability. All information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The usage of any Epicor Software shall be pursuant to an Epicor end user license agreement and the performance of any consulting services by Epicor personnel shall be pursuant to Epicors standard services terms and conditions. Epicor is a registered trademark of Epicor Software Corporation. All other trademarks acknowledged. This document and its contents are the property of Epicor Software Corporation. Recipients of this document should not distribute to any third parties without Epicors prior written consent. Copyright 2009 Epicor Software Corporation.
For more information, contact Epicor Software Corporation: info@epicor.com
Worldwide Headquarters 18200 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 1000 Irvine, California 92612 USA Toll Free: +800.449.6772 (US/Canada) Phone: +952.417.5207 (International) www.epicor.com
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Epicor ICE 2.0: Next-Generation Business Architecture February, 2009

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Epicor ICE 2.

An Epicor White Paper

The foundation for the next-generation of enterprise applications:

Epicor ICE 2.0: Next-Generation Business Architecture

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Epicor ICE 2.0: Next-Generation Business Architecture

Epicor ICE 2.0: Next-Generation Business Architecture

Epicor ICE 2.0: Next-Generation Business Architecture

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