Student Guide Configuring Solutions Version 10

Configuring Solutions
Student Guide
Version 10

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Copyright © 2014 by Aras Corporation. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms
and conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, V1.0 or later (the latest version is presently
available at http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/).
Distribution of substantively modified versions of this document is prohibited without the explicit
permission of the copyright holder.
Distribution of the work or derivative of the work in any standard (paper) book form for a
commercial purpose is prohibited unless prior permission is obtained from the copyright holder.
Aras Innovator, Aras, and the Aras Corp "A" logo are registered trademarks of Aras Corporation in
the United States and other countries.
All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.
Microsoft, Office, SQL Server, IIS and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Notice of Liability
The information contained in this document is distributed on an "As Is" basis, without warranty of
any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability
and fitness for a particular purpose or a warranty of non‐infringement. Aras shall have no liability to
any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or
indirectly by the information contained in this document or by the software or hardware products
described herein.
Revision DECEMBER 2014
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Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Unit 1 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Unit 2 Navigating in Aras Innovator ....................................................................................................... 27
Unit 3 Exploring ItemTypes .................................................................................................................... 57
Unit 4 Creating Properties ..................................................................................................................... 85
Unit 5 Creating the User Interface ......................................................................................................... 99
Unit 6 Creating Aras Datatype Properties ........................................................................................... 125
Unit 7 Assigning Security ..................................................................................................................... 145
Unit 8 Creating Item Relationships ...................................................................................................... 185
Unit 9 Defining Life Cycles and Versioning .......................................................................................... 207
Unit 10 Examining a Workflow .............................................................................................................. 239
Unit 11 Creating a Workflow Map ......................................................................................................... 257
Unit 12 Enhancing a Workflow .............................................................................................................. 293
Unit 13 Working with Files ..................................................................................................................... 309
Unit 14 Replicating Files......................................................................................................................... 325
Unit 15 Sending User Notifications ........................................................................................................ 359
Unit 16 Sending E‐mail Notifications ..................................................................................................... 375
Unit 17 Using the Office Connector ....................................................................................................... 391
Unit 18 Configuring Office Connector ................................................................................................... 427
Unit 19 Creating Multilingual Solutions ................................................................................................. 443
Unit 20 Packaging a Solution ................................................................................................................. 465
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Introduction

Overview: In this 5‐day course you will learn the fundamental concepts and skills needed
to configure, manage and extend the Aras Innovator environment. Through
hands‐on exercises and class projects you will gain an understanding of how
Aras Innovator can be used to create a variety of business solutions.
Goals:  Navigate through the Aras Innovator application and create reusable
queries on the database.
 Design and develop a solution that incorporates a life cycle, supports
versioning and uses a workflow.
 Create a user interface that allows operators to interact with the solution.
 Support file checkin/checkout as well as file replication.
 Generate email correspondence automatically.
 Assign appropriate security policies to a solution.
 Use and configure the Aras Office Connector.
 Localize a solution to a user’s native language.

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Introductions
 Tell us about yourself:
▫ Name, title, company, background
▫ Previous experience with Aras Innovator
▫ What you hope to accomplish with Aras Innovator
 Remember:
▫ Ask questions!
▫ Feedback is encouraged
Copyright © 2014 Aras All Rights Reserved. aras.com
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Introduction
Aras Overview
Business Next Generation Enterprise Software Solutions
Company Global Organization, PLM Executives & Technologists
Solutions Aras Innovator ® Suite
Out‐of‐the‐Box Comprehensive Enterprise PLM
 NPDI New Product Development & Introduction
 CMII Configuration & Change Management
 PDM Product Data Management
Advantage Highly Scalable, Extensible, Upgradable
Innovation Advanced Model‐based SOA Technology
Delivering Unmatched Value
Aras® Corporation is the Microsoft enterprise open source software solution provider for
companies that want the control and flexibility of open source and have Microsoft skill sets and
infrastructure.
The Aras enterprise open source provides unlimited user access to all solutions. Because there is no
charge for the enterprise production‐ready software, Aras removes the need for up‐front capital and
eliminates expensive software licensing requirements for users, modules, and servers
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Aras Customers
Deliver Results
Aras enterprise open solutions are for performance driven companies of all sizes from Fortune 500
enterprises to midsized businesses looking to get an edge on the competition. Companies achieve
better customer alignment, greater profit margins, and shorter development cycles with the Aras
Innovator enterprise open source solutions.
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Introduction
Course Goals
 When you have completed this course you should be
able to:
▫ Navigate through the Aras Innovator application and create reusable
queries on the database.
▫ Design and develop a solution that incorporates a life cycle, supports
versioning and uses a workflow.
▫ Create a user interface that allows operators to interact with the
solution.
▫ Support file checkin/checkout as well as file replication.
▫ Assign appropriate security policies to a solution.
▫ Automatically generate email correspondence.
▫ Use and configure the Aras Office Connector
▫ Localize a solution to a user’s native language.

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Agenda
 Day 1
▫ Overview
▫ Navigating in Aras Innovator
▫ Exploring ItemTypes
▫ Creating Properties
▫ Creating a User Interface
 Day 2
▫ Creating Aras Datatype Properties
▫ Assigning Security
▫ Creating Item Relationships
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Introduction
Agenda
 Day 3
▫ Defining Life Cycles and Versioning
▫ Exploring Workflows
▫ Creating a New Workflow Map
▫ Enhancing a Workflow
 Day 4
▫ Working with Files and Vaults
▫ Replicating Files
▫ Sending User Notifications
▫ Sending E‐mail Notifications
▫ Class Project

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Agenda
 Day 5
▫ Using the Office Connector
▫ Configuring the Office Connector
▫ Creating Multilingual Solutions
▫ Packaging a Solution

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Unit 1 Overview

Overview: In this unit you will learn what is required to run the Aras Innovator
environment. You will also review what is contained in the Core Aras
Framework as well several pre‐packaged solutions that are available.
Objectives:  Defining system requirements
 Understanding the basic architecture
 Reviewing the “Core” system
 Defining the components of a solution
 Reviewing the pre‐packaged solutions:
 Program Management
 Product Engineering

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Objectives
 Defining system requirements
 Understanding the basic architecture
 Reviewing the “Core” system
 Defining the components of a solution
 Reviewing the pre‐packaged solutions:
▫ Program Management
▫ Product Engineering
 Using on‐line help

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Unit 1 ‐ Overview
Aras Innovator Requirements
 Microsoft Client
▫ Microsoft Windows 7, 8
▫ Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 or higher
▫ Configured Microsoft .NET Security Policy
 Apple Client
▫ OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
▫ OS X 10.7 (Lion)
 Client Browsers
▫ MS Internet Explorer 9 , 10 or 11
▫ Mozilla Firefox 24 ESR (with Aras Firefox Extension)
 Server
▫ Microsoft Windows Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012
▫ Microsoft IIS 7 or higher
▫ Microsoft .NET 4.0
▫ Microsoft SQL Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012
Innovator Requirements:
Aras Innovator runs in either the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox browser.
See the installation and release notes for more specific information about platform support.
Where to go for Help
For support questions go to: http://www.aras.com/support.
Documentation sets can be found at http://www.aras.com/support/documentation/.
NOTE
Additional resources and tools are available with an Aras Innovator subscription.
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Basic Architecture
Client
Innovator Server Vault Server
Database

Aras Innovator is an Internet application framework based on the Microsoft .NET platform.
Basic components include:
Client
Aras Innovator uses a web‐based browser interface requires very few client resources. Aras
Innovator currently supports the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox browser.
Innovator Server
Running as a Microsoft .NET application on Microsoft IIS 7 or higher requires the Microsoft Windows
Server platform.
Database
All configuration rules and code, as well as solution business objects are stored in the Microsoft SQL
Server database.
Vault Server
A separate server application maintains information about files that are linked to objects in the SQL
Server database.
Vault(s)
A file directory location made known to the vault server to store physical files.
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Unit 1 ‐ Overview
Administration Templates

The Aras Framework consists of a set of base templates that allow you build solutions to solve
business problems. Using form‐based web pages, you can quickly configure a new solution. The
framework is completely configurable and extensible allowing you to make any modifications
necessary to support your particular business case.
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Business Ready Applications
Aras Core Framework
Prepackaged Solutions
Program Product
Management Engineering

Built on the Aras Core Framework ‐ two solutions provide turnkey applications in the following
areas:
Program Management
A solution which addresses the issues of Project Integration, Scope Management, Time
Management, Resource Management and Communication Management
Product Engineering
A solution based on CMII principles for product definition and engineering change management.
Note
Additional add‐on solutions are also available to Aras subscribers including Requirements
Management and Quality Planning.
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Unit 1 ‐ Overview
Program Management
 New Product Project Portfolio
 Executive Dashboards
 Phase‐based Programs
 Milestones & Deliverables
 Actions, Tasks, Activities
 Project Templates

Aras Program Management (PM) addresses the issues of Project Integration, Scope Management,
Time Management, Resource Management and Communication Management. Other Innovator
Solutions, such as Quality Planning, address Quality and Risk Management, while Product
Engineering addresses Procurement and Cost Management. The standard solutions can be extended
to integrate Project Management with other business processes.
In Innovator, we provide a set of tools to assist organizations apply the following principles of
Project Management:
 A project is a temporary endeavor to achieve a unique result.
 A project has 'progressive elaboration', which means that details may be decided or
changed as the project proceeds
 The project manager takes personal responsibility to achieve the desired result
 The project manager's primary function is communication
 Work is broken down into smaller elements of work
 Responsibility for work elements is delegated to assignees
 Where an organization has several projects, consistency between projects is highly desirable
 Use of templates promotes consistency between similar projects
 Deliverables, the unique results, are the purpose of the project
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Product Engineering
 Bill Of Materials [BOM]
 CMII Engineering Change
 Simple Change Management
 Approved Vendor Lists
 Substitutes & Alternates
 Environmental Compliance
 Design‐to‐Goal

Aras Product Engineering is a business ready solution based on CMII principles for product definition
and engineering change management across your company and with suppliers and customers.
Development metrics are collected as a result of ongoing engineering processes for the
measurement of progress against goals and presented in graphs, reports, and scorecards for visual
management.
Benefits:
 Visibility into key development indicators increases engineering effectiveness and provides a
basis for continuous improvement
 Manage product definition processes securely online to develop high quality products on
time and on budget
 Engineering change management reduces cycle times and streamlines business operations
 Control product information release between departments, divisions, suppliers, and
customers for effective coordination
 Reuse of product and process information increases productivity and controls costs
 Industry best practices for configuration management and engineering change are
incorporated using the CMII principles and processes
 Unparalleled flexibility enables application modification to address proprietary engineering
processes and specific competitive practices
 Traditional bill of materials and document management are also included
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Unit 1 ‐ Overview
Basic Solution Components
Property
ItemType RelationshipType
Method Form
Field
ItemType
An ItemType is a template that defines the structure of a business object in the database. You
create ItemTypes in Aras Innovator which define how data will be stored the database and how
objects created from this type will behave. Each ItemType has a corresponding table in the
database that stores Items of that type.
For example, a Part is a standard ItemType in the database that defines different kinds of assemblies
that can be modeled and created.
Property
A Property is a piece of information tracked about an Item. Each Property has a name, a label, a
data type, and a number of other settings to define its behavior. A Property corresponds to a
column in the ItemType's table.
Relationship Type
RelationshipTypes define which ItemTypes are related to one another, and the behaviors of the
relationship. RelationshipTypes have a Source ItemType (the parent), an optional Related ItemType
(the child) and a Relationship ItemType.
Form
A Form allows a user to interface with an Item and is often used to view and edit instances of a
particular ItemType. Forms are configured using a drag and drop utility, stored in the database, and
rendered dynamically.
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Field
A Field is a user interface primitive used to display information on a Form. Fields may be, but are
not required to be bound to a Property.
Method
A method is an Innovator ItemType containing executable .NET language code, C#, VB, JavaScript.
Actions and Events trigger the execution of Methods. Methods determine the behavior of an Item.
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Unit 1 ‐ Overview
Items and Relationships
ItemType ItemType
Item Relationship Item
RelationshipType
Item
An instance of an ItemType is an Item. Each Item has distinct property values and can contain a life
cycle and also be controlled by a workflow.
As a developer, you will define ItemTypes that allow your end users to create Items of that type.
For example, Aras Innovator contains a Part ItemType that allows users to create unique Part
instances in the database.
Relationship
You will often link ItemTypes together to form relationships. The template for a relationship is the
RelationshipType. When an end user connects two Items together, a Relation Item is also created in
the database for that connection.
For example, a Part can be linked to a Document which contains a checked in File. There is a
RelationshipType in the database that defines this relationship.
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Identities
Identities
Users

Aras Innovator contains a rich, highly configurable security model that allows you to control who has
access to the system and what they are allowed to do.
Identities
Identities form the basis for the Innovator security model. Identities are hierarchical, and may
represent a user, a group, a group of groups, and so on.
Users
To access Aras Innovator, a User must be defined in the system with credentials (user name,
password). Users belong to one or more Identities defined above. You will learn more about
security later in this course.
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Unit 1 ‐ Overview
Summary

In this unit you learned about the basic requirements necessary to run Aras Innovator. You also
learned some basic terminology used throughout the product.
You should now be able to:
 Define the hardware and software requirements necessary to run Aras
Innovator
 Understand the basic architecture
 Identify the pre‐packaged solutions
 Define the basic components of a system
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Review Questions

What is the difference between an ItemType and an Item?
Where are Items stored?
What software is required to run Aras Innovator?
How does Aras Innovator authenticate someone to use the system?
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Unit 2 Navigating in Aras Innovator

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to log on and perform basic operations in Aras
Innovator. You will learn how to use the basic features of the tool to search for
objects as well as open and edit items in the database.
Objectives:  Logging on/off of Aras Innovator
 Exploring the Main Window
 Performing a Search
 Saving a Search Query
 Using the Search Center
 Editing, Locking and Unlocking an Item
 Using Tear Off Windows
 Adding an Item to My Desktop
 Using Shortcut Keys
 Accessing Help

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Logging On
User ID
Password
Database
To Logon to Aras Innovator
1. Open Internet Explorer and enter your server URL in the following format:
http://<servername>/<innovator_web_alias> e.g.: http://localhost/InnovatorServer
2. Enter your login name (default is “admin”)
3. Enter your password (default is “innovator”)
4. Choose your database (default is “InnovatorSolutions”)
To Create a Shortcut to Innovator
1. Open URL to Innovator to start a session instance.
2. Click Bookmark this Page… in lower left corner of Login popup.
Troubleshooting a Login
1. Make sure pop‐us are allowed for server site.
2. For Microsoft clients, make sure .NET security has been configured correctly. For Firefox
clients make sure the Aras Extension has been installed. See the Client Configuration
instructions on the CD Image or the ARAS website for installation details.
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Unit 2 ‐ Navigation
Aras Innovator Main Window
Main Menu
Main Toolbar
Workspace Pane
TOC
Pane
Status Bar
Main Window
 The Main Window appears after you first log on.
 The Main Window contains two panes, the Main Menu and the Main Toolbar.
 The contents of the window are configurable and may appear different to each user.
TOC Pane
The Table of Contents uses a tree control to allow you to quickly see the contents of the database.
You can expand and contract each category to view templates and ItemTypes stored in the
database.
Workspace Pane
When you click on a template or ItemType in the TOC Pane the workspace displays content based on
the selected object. This is known as the “TOC View”.
Status Bar
The bottom status bar displays your current User Name, Server and Database.
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Main Menu
Main Menu
The main menu displays all the functionality available in Aras Innovator. Certain menu items may
not appear active to a user based on their security profile and what operation they are currently
performing.
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Tools Menu
Tools Menu
The Tools Menu contains administrative operations as well as user preferences settings. Individual
Users may choose how each ItemType is displayed in the standard user interface. The preferences
are stored in the database on log out and are loaded when a User logs in again.
User Preferences
Change Working Directory
Allows a user to change the local location for files that are retrieved from the system (Check out).
Show Toolbar Text
Displays text alongside the Main Toolbar icons.
Delete User Preferences (Administrator only)
An administrator can also delete a user's preferences to reset them to the system default values.
Select Tools > Preferences > Delete User Preferences and then select the User to reset their
preferences. Preference items can also be viewed and edited by an administrator by selecting
Preferences from the Administration category in the TOC.
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Main Toolbar
Export to Excel or Word Promote Item,
View Revisions
New Item, Lock Item, Hide Tabs

View Item, Unlock
Edit Item, Item,
Printable
Save Item, Undo Help,
View
Copy & Save Changes Get Copy of Logout
Item, Delete File,
Item Check Out
File, Check In
File
Main Toolbar
The Main Toolbar contains a subset of the features available from the Main Menu and allows for
quick access to the most common operations. Buttons that are disabled are shown in gray.
 You can hover over a button to obtain a “tooltip” expression.
 The Help button displays context sensitive help from Just Ask Innovator.
 A user can select to show button text alongside the icons if desired.
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Navigating the TOC
Expand/Collapse
Click to Select
To Use the TOC
1. Click the (+) symbol to expand a category or minus (‐) to close it. When you click on a
category template the Workspace Pane displays a TOC View based on the context of that
template. Typically, this will be a search grid that allows to you list the objects of that type
from the database.
2. You can also click the right mouse button to display other available operations (e.g. Create
New).

The TOC contains several subcategories under the Administration category to make it easier for an
administrator to navigate to the appropriate selection. For example, management of email and
internal notification messages is defined in the Notification subcategory.
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Hide Show TOC and Properties
Hide Contents Hide Properties
Show
Contents
Show
Properties
Hide and Show TOC and Item Properties
You can expand and collapse the Table of Contents as well as the Item Properties column by clicking
in the appropriate controls.
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Performing a Simple Search
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Search Bar
Simple Search
A Simple Search allows you to view objects based on the category template you have selected from
the TOC Pane. You have the ability to customize the search grid as well as export the contents to a
Microsoft Word or Excel document.
 Execute Search or Clear Search
 Search (Simple, Advanced, AML, Hide Search Criteria)
 Select All
 Number of rows per page
 Next/Previous Page
 Maximum Number of rows to return from the database
 Effectivity Date Search
To Perform a Simple Search
1. Type one or more characters into the Search Bar.
 Use * or % as wildcards, for example the term ‘a*b’ means anything beginning with
‘a’ and ending with ‘b’
 Use * on its own to select non‐blank values
 Use 0 or 1 to select columns with checkboxes, 0 means not‐checked (false).
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 Search for Items by their keyed‐name, for example ‘Adm*’ finds the Identity named
Administrators.
2. Press the Search button to execute the search.
More About Simple Searches
 Use the left column to search for items locked by you or someone else
 All searches are not case sensitive and use string matching, including dates
 The […] marker is displayed for fields with a secondary dialog (lookup)
 A count of items matching criteria is on the status bar
 Effectivity Type, Effectivity Date, and Date Picker are used for versionable Items only and
provide further filtering on the search grid.
 Latest is the most recent of all versions.
 Released is the most recent version in the released state
 Effectivity Date is the version effective on a particular date. The date may be typed in or
selected from calendar by clicking the icon.
 To perform an "OR" search on a single column you can use the "|" symbol. Example: a*|b*
would find all strings that begin with the letter a OR b.
Tip!
Press the Clear Search button before attempting a new search to remove any previous criteria.
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Working in the Search Grid
Sort Hide/Show Rearrange
To Sort in the Search Grid
1. Click the column heading to sort ascending.
2. Click the column again to sort descending.
To Hide/Show a Column
1. Press the right mouse button over a column heading and select Hide to remove a column
from view.
2. Insert Column allows you to add columns to the grid. Only columns that have been marked
as not hidden by an administrator can be added to the grid.
To Rearrange a Column
Drag and drop the column heading to a new position in the grid.
Changes to grid displays are saved to the database and available when the user logs on to the
system the next time.
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Performing an Advanced Search
Add Criteria Operation
Remove
Criteria
Lookup (F2)
Advanced Searches
 Allow you to search on properties not shown in the simple search grid (hidden properties).
 Include things like the date an item was created, the user that modified it last, etc.
 You can apply Operations such as ‘greater than’ or ‘not equal to’, or like (to use wildcards)
 You can add as many criteria rows as necessary
 You can search for items with relationships; you can also search by those relationships. This
will discussed later in the course.
To Perform an Advanced Search
1. Select the Advanced Search feature from the search selection drop down list.
2. Press the Add Criteria button to add a new row of criteria to the search bar.
3. Select each column and choose the criteria from the drop down lists.
4. When an […] ellipsis appears after a column name that means you can perform a lookup by
pressing the F2 on the keyboard.
5. Press the Search button to execute the search.

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More About Columns
 ItemType ‐ Dropdown enables source ItemType or relationships to be selected
 Property ‐ Dropdown enables properties to be chosen
 Operation ‐ Dropdown enables a choice of operators appropriate for the property to be
selected
 Criteria ‐ Control appropriate for the property is displayed
 Boolean, checkbox
 List, dropdown
 Date, date picker
 Others, text box, wild card searches are allowed
More About Rows
Each row is an AND condition for the search. There can be many rows in the advanced search filter
so a scroll bar is available to move up and down the list.
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Saving a Search
From an executed search select Save Search… on the
main Search menu
Once saved it is selectable in the context of its given ItemType
Saved Searches
The Saved Search ItemType enables users to retrieve previously created searches. They can be used
in several ways:
 When a user makes a Search the Search Mode and search terms are saved automatically.
When a user returns to an item the last search is restored automatically.
 After a user performs a Search it may be saved by giving it a name, so that it can be
retrieved and re‐used in the future, with or without modification.
 Each user can execute Saved Searches they have made plus any shared by other users.
 Administrators change the managed_by_id property value of the Saved Searche item to
share its use by others. If managed_by_id is set to an Identity, all members of the group are
able to use the search. If managed_by_id is set to World, all users can use it.
 A Search Mode can be set to 'No UI' to hide text details in the UI. This is convenient for
enabling users to use a Saved Search without viewing complex AML structure. If an end user
will not understand AML it is best to Hide Search Criteria.
To Save a Search
1. While in the search grid, select Search > Save Search… from the Main Menu.
2. Enter a Label for the Search. If you would like the saved search to appear under a TOC
category select the Show on TOC option.
3. Press Save to capture the search.
4. Once saved, you can execute the search from the TOC (if TOC option selected) or select it
from the Saved Searches drop down list in the search bar.
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Using Search Center
Search Center
Search Center is a centralized location for all saved and shared searches. The page also includes
web and component search capabilities as well.
To Open Search Center
1. Navigate to My Innovator in the TOC Pane and expand the category.
2. Select Search Center from the list of options.
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Editing an Item
Main Menu Edit
Right Click
Menu
Toolbar
Edit
To Edit an Item
You can edit an Item by:
 Selecting Edit > Edit from the Main Menu
 Selecting the Edit button from the Main Toolbar
 Selecting Edit when you click the right mouse button on a selected Item in the search grid
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Item Locking
 An Item must be locked
to be edited
 Locked items are
displayed in search grid
 Others can view Item
(read only)
Locked by me but not saved

(GOLD)
Item Locking
By default, when you open an Item for edit it is locked. Locked items can only be edited by you –
others can view the Item (read only) but not make any changes to it.
You can search for locked Items in the search grid. By default, the first column is reserved for
locking criteria. When you click in the search bar of the first column, a menu is displayed. You can
choose to look for Items locked by you only, by others or both.
When you first edit an Item without saving it a gold lock indicator appears in the Lock column to
remind you that changes have not been saved.
When you edit an Item the system automatically locks that Item. Before you unlock the Item you
should save any changes, otherwise you will be prompted to save or discard changes when you
attempt to unlock the Item.
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Locking/Unlocking an Item
Save Unlock/ Save, Unlock,

Lock Close
Edit
Menu
Item Properties
To Lock or Unlock an Item
1. Choose Edit > Unlock from the menu or click the Unlock button. If the Item is unlocked then
select Edit > Lock or click the Lock button.
2. To Save, Unlock and Close an Item in one step press the Save, Unlock, Close button.
Note
If an Item is locked, you can see who is holding the lock in the Item Properties for that Item.
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Tear Off Window
Menu Bar
Toolbar
Form Frame
Relationships
Tabs
Relationships
Grid Add
Relationship Relationships
Toolbar
Working in a Tear Off Window
When you edit an Item, an Item View appears in a Tear Off Window based on the Form that has
been created for that ItemType.
Tear Off Windows are used for data entry and viewing detailed information beyond what is on main
search grid. The form and tabs shown will vary by ItemType since they are high customizable.
Different forms may be displayed for different users and/or different functions (add, edit, etc.).
Components of a Tear Off Window
Menu Bar
The Menu Bar contains many of the same menu items as the Main Menu but these features only
apply to this Item.
Toolbar
The Toolbar contains many of the same menu items as the Main Menu but these features only apply
to this Item.
Form Frame
The Form Frame contains data entry fields for providing information to the system for this Item.
Each ItemType can have one or more Views of any Item that have been created with Forms.
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Relationships Tab
The Relationships Tab allows you to link other Items to this Item and to provide more information
about the current Item.
To Add a Relationship in a Tear Off Window
1. Press the Add Relationship button and a new row appears in the Relationship Grid.
2. Provide the necessary information in the Relationships Grid.
3. The Relationship s Toolbar also allows you search and make changes to related items.
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Creating a New Item
Main Menu Menu Toolbar
Right Click
Creating a New Item
You can create a new Item (if allowed by security) by clicking on the Item category in the TOC and:
 Selecting File ‐> New from the main menu
 Choosing the Create a New Item icon in the toolbar
 Clicking the right mouse button and choosing New [Item Type]… from the context menu

The item tear off window will appear to allow data entry. Save, Unlock and Close the Item to save
the record to the database.
Page 47
Adding an Item to My Desktop
Adding an Item to My Desktop
For items that are commonly being viewed or edited it is handy to have quick access to these
objects. Each user maintains a “My Desktop” that allows easy access to commonly used Items in the
system.
To Add an Item to My Desktop
1. Click the right mouse button on a selected Item in the search grid.
2. Select Add to Desktop from the menu.
To View Items on My Desktop
1. Select My Desktop from the My Innovator category in the TOC Pane.
2. You can then view or edit the selected Item.
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Logging Off – Unsaved Items
Save Refresh Return to Innovator
View Save All
Logging Off
When you attempt to log off of Aras Innovator, the system checks to see if you have any unsaved
Items pending in your session. If any unsaved Items are found, the Unsaved Items dialog appears.
To Save Unsaved Items
Select the Item to be saved from the grid and click the Save button.
To View and Unsaved Item
Select the Item to be viewed and click the View button.
To Save All Unsaved Items
Click the Save All button
To Return or Refresh
You can also return to Aras Innovator or Refresh the view using the corresponding buttons.
Note
If you close the window all unsaved changes are lost.
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Using Shortcut Keys
Action Windows Mac OS
Open Window Ctrl + Enter Cmd + Enter
Close Window Ctrl + W Cmd + W
Lock/Unlock Item Ctrl + L Cmd + L
Save Item Ctrl + S Cmd + S
Delete (Row/Item) Delete Delete
Using Shortcut Keys
In addition to navigation with the mouse, you can use the shortcuts keys listed to open and close
windows as well as update and delete items and relationships.
Note
Because the Delete key is also used to delete text, the Delete key will prompt you to confirm a
deletion when you attempt to delete a relationship row. You will not be prompted if you use the
mouse and choose the delete relationship icon from the toolbar.
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On‐line Help
 Just Ask Innovator

An on‐line help system is available in the system and can be accessed from the help menu or
anytime you see the icon.
The on‐line help system contains an indexed table of contents as well as search capabilities.
Aras also supports an on‐line forum with a large set of resources including questions and answers as
well as community solutions. For more information see: http://www.aras.com/community/forums/
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Help About
Help About
For more information about additional resources available to your press Help > About from the
Main Menu.
The About dialog also displays the current release and build number of the installed product.
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Summary

In this unit you learned how to operate the basic functions of Aras Innovator including viewing,
editing, locking and searching for Items.
 Log on/off of Aras Innovator
 Explore the Main Window
 Perform a Simple and Advanced Search
 Save a Search Query
 Use the Search Center
 Edit, Lock and Unlock an Item
 Use a Tear Off Windows
 Add an Item to My Desktop
 Use Shortcut Keys
 Access Help
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Review Questions

How would I find all ItemTypes that begin with the letter “A”?
How many saved searches can I create in the database?
What is the advantage of using Advanced Search?
How can I prevent someone from making changes to an Item until I am finished working on it?
Where can I see what database I am logged on to?
Page 54
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to navigate and query for items using Aras Innovator.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will log on to Innovator as the administrator and perform a series of queries
against the database using the current data model.
Steps:
1. Log on to Innovator using the User Name admin and the password of innovator. (Make sure
the Solutions database is selected.)
2. Aras Support often requires the Version and Build Number of the product you are using. Locate
the Version and Build Number of Innovator.
_________________________________________
3. A developer on your team would like to know how many Methods are part of the Core product
in the current database and are labeled Version 2. What is the answer? _________ How many
total Methods are there in the system? ____________
4. How many RelationshipTypes contain the words “Life Cycle” in the name? _________
5. How many system Variables were created by the Innovator Admin? _______
6. A developer on your team will only be working with JavaScript Methods. Create a Saved Search
named “PE Methods” that locates all non‐core JavaScript Methods that begin with the name
“PE_”. Display this search on the TOC. Test the search to make it sure it works appropriately.
7. Open the Life Cycle Map named NonReleased for edit. Add the following to the Description
field – “Non Released Life Cycle”. Save your changes and close the window. What appears in
the first column of the Search Grid for this item?________________
Why?______________________________________________________________________.
8. Log off of Innovator and log on as the User Name root with the password innovator. Are you
allowed to edit the NonReleased Life Cycle Map? __________ Why?
___________________________________________________________________________.
9. Log off of Innovator and log on as the User Name admin again. Adjust the Life Cycle Map so
that other developers can edit the map.
10. Add the NonReleased Life Cycle Map to your “My Desktop” for easy access later.
11. Open the Calendar Item named 2014 for edit. Add June 1 as a Company Holiday and then save,
unlock and close the Item.
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Page 56

Unit 3 Exploring ItemTypes

Overview: In this unit you will review the main configuration settings in an ItemType and
how to create new ItemTypes. You will also review several reports related to
ItemType definitions.
Objectives:  Defining the Purpose of the ItemType
 Reviewing the ItemType Form
 Reviewing ItemType Properties
 Running ItemType Reports
 Creating an Item from an ItemType
 Creating a New ItemType

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ItemType Overview
Property
LifeCycle
Permissions
ItemType RelationshipType
Workflow
Action Event View
Method Form
ItemType Overview
Almost everything in Aras Innovator is defined through an ItemType. ItemTypes define properties,
forms or views available for this item, lifecycle, workflows associated with the item, permissions,
relationships, server and client methods and events that occur on the item, and much more.
ItemTypes are the templates that define what kind of Items a user will create in a solution.
Page 58
Unit 3 ‐ Exploring ItemTypes
What is an ItemType?
PR
PR-100001 PR-100002 PR-100003
 A template that defines the data structure and
behavior of an Item
 Each instance created from ItemType is an
Item
 Has a corresponding database table
▫ Each Item becomes a row
▫ Each Item is assigned a unique id
Defining an ItemType
An ItemType is the template, or a definition of Items that will be created in the system. An Item is a
business object created by your end users and managed by Aras Innovator
 An ItemType defines data structure and behavior, analogous to a class in the object‐oriented
systems.
 ItemTypes are created via a simple user interface and stored in the database.
 Each ItemType has a corresponding table in the database.
 ItemType instances are called Items.
 ItemTypes are the basis for what makes Innovator self‐describing.
 Most ItemTypes have corresponding tables in the database.

Each Item that is created from an ItemType is assigned a unique 32 character identifier that is
guaranteed to be unique for the enterprise (id property). This is commonly referred to as the GUID
(Globally Unique IDentifier).
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Defining Name and Labels
1
4 5
Defining Name and Labels
When you define an ItemType you specify information about the type and they way Items from it
will be used.
 Name
ItemType Names may contain letters, numbers, spaces and underscores. Since the ItemType
name is stored as a Table in SQL Server, ItemType names can be just about anything, but
plain‐language names are encouraged. A SQL Table name is created with all caps and spaces
converted to underscores. In the above example, the table name will be PR.
 Singular Label
Labels are displayed throughout the system and come in two forms: Singular and Plural.
 Plural Label
The system chooses and displays the appropriate label.
 Small Icon
Small icon is displayed next to Item within the TOC and the Structure Browser.
 Large Icon
The ‘Large’ icon is displayed in the Form Layout if the ItemType form is displayed.
There are many standard icons provided. To select a provided Icon click the “Select an
Image…” link and the Image Browser will appear.
Notes
Aras Innovator supports the Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) format which allows an image to
be scaled to any size.
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Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) files can be created and modified using many graphic editing
tools including the open source Inkscape utility (www.inkscape.org).
Best Practice
All SVG images provided by the Aras Innovator software are located in a single directory named:
<Root>\Innovator\Client\images\
If you choose to create your own images, the Aras Innovator server contains a reserved directory
named "customer":
<Root>\Innovator\Client\customer\
Any images stored in this location are then displayed in the “Customer” folder of the Image Browser.
Placing the images here also keeps them grouped together for easy migration if a system upgrade is
performed.
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Defining Search Settings
2
1
Defining Search Settings
All these settings can be overridden by users in various search grids, but you can set default values
for Item creation.
 Auto Search
The client browser will automatically perform a search when the ItemType is selected on the
TOC. Setting this checkbox to ‘true’ can slow the ItemType loading since it assumes a full
query search. This setting should be used mostly on ItemTypes expected to have few
instances (less than 100 would be a good rule of thumb), but setting a Max Records and a
Default Page Size to a low value can produce quicker results.
 Default Page Size
You can specify the default page size, which defines how many items will appear on the
search grid. Typically this number is set to 25. If left blank, the page size equals the Max
Records field. Note that a user can override the page size setting when they perform a
search.
 Max Records
You can specify the default Max Records size. This limits the size of the returned data set
which can improve performance. A user can override the Max Records size when they
perform a search.

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Defining Versioning and LifeCycle
Versioning and Life Cycle Overview
Every Item in Aras Innovator can be processed through a defined life cycle. As object is “promoted”
through various states its status and other characteristics may changes. Items can also be versioned
so that each time an editing change is made to an object a new “generation” of the changes is made
in the database. This allows you to view previous versions of an Item and make comparisons based
on changes that have been made.
Life cycles and versions are discusses in greater detail in a later unit.
 Revisions
Revisions defines a sequence object which dictates how each revision will be labeled (A,B, C…
1,2, 3…)
 Versionable
When selected as an automatic process, the Generation of an item is incremented each time
the item is changed (i.e., locked, edited and unlocked). The lifecycle for the item is
automatically set back to the lifecycle start state on the first edit after the “Released” state..
 Discipline
Automatic versioning increments the generation of an Item each time it is edited.
When manual versioning is selected, the item is only incremented upon explicit request by a
user (right click on an Item in the search grid and select Version from the menu). The
Generation will not increment until a user chooses to manually version the Item.

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Viewing ItemType Properties
Viewing Properties
Properties hold pieces of information that are associated with an ItemType. Each new Item that is
created from an ItemType in the system holds information relative to that “instance” of the Item.
(For example: created_on holds the date and time an Item was created.)
To View ItemType Properties
1. Click the Relationships Tab and make sure the Properties tab is selected.
2. A list of existing properties will be displayed that are associated with this ItemType in the
database.
You will learn more about Properties and how to create them in a later unit.
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Tracking History
History Template defines events to be logged
Each property can be set to

Track History
Tracking Item History
Aras Innovator provides the ability to track and record history changes to an Item. A set of Actions
are used to determine which events are captured within a history log. History can be tracked at both
the Item and Property levels. For example, if an items name property is modified by a user, the
system not only tracks the item modified, but that the name property was changed (including the
old and new values).

History Template
History Templates are used to define a set of pre‐defined Actions triggering the system to log a
change. Innovator provides a Default History Template that can be used as a reference for
configuring history of an ItemType. Alternatively, you can create custom Templates.
Property Track History
If selected on the History Template, indicates that property value changes can be recorded as part of
the Item history. You must also check Track History for each property on the ItemType. If this
option is deselected no property changes will be recorded for this ItemType.
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Class Structure
Overview of Class Structure
ItemTypes may contain a structure of subclasses where each class can refer to its own specific
properties, forms and lifecycle.
Classification allows you to share properties among subclasses. If you define a property at a parent
level class, all subclasses will inherit those properties.
In the examples above, both the Document and Part ItemType have a defined class structure. A
Document may be represented as a Drawing, CAD Model, etc. A Part can be represented as a
Component, Assembly, etc. Because each of the subclasses share common attributes it can be more
efficient to use class structure versus creating entirely new ItemTypes.
Each of these subclasses can have their own:
 Additional specific properties (in addition to the properties defined by the parent ItemType)
 Life Cycle
 User Interface (View)
 “Can Add” capability
Note
A class structure can be many levels deep and wide depending on the complexity required.
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Viewing Class Structure
2
1
Viewing Class Structure
The Class Structure dialog allows you to easily view the subclasses of the current ItemType as well as
search and manipulate the layout of the hierarchy. This dialog is used by the ItemType developer to
view the existing class structure and is also displayed to a user allow them to select a subclass on an
Item they are creating or modifying.
The following controls are available:
 Expand/Contract
Displays or hides all of the subclasses in a multiple level hierarchy.
 Search Filter
Displays only the subclasses containing the characters typed into the filter box. In the
example above the filter is set to only show subclasses that contain the characters "Pr". The
filter is not case sensitive.

Page 67
Selecting a Classification
Selecting a Classification
A user is then able to select a classification by clicking on a configured form field. When the field is
selected  the Class Structure dialog appears. The user can use the filter, expand/contract and
layout features (if necessary) to locate a specific class. Clicking the Return selected icon  sets the
classification for the current Item.
In this example, a new Document Item is created. The Document form contains a Type field that
allows a user to select a classification for the Document Item.
Note that the form display may change based on the selected classification.
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Running ItemType Reports
 There are 3 types of ItemType Reports:
▫ ItemType Definition Report
▫ ItemType Permissions Report
▫ ItemType History Configuration Report
Item Type Reports
There are three useful reports which summarize the various ItemType definitions in a structured
portrait format. An example is shown above. These can be displayed from the Reports Main Menu
Reports when an ItemType is selected in the Main Grid or from an ItemType window. The report
can be printed or saved using standard Internet Explorer options.
ItemType Definition Report
Summarizes the contents of the Form settings, all the non‐core Properties and the contents of all
relationship tabs. It is a very fast and convenient way to see an ItemType’s content without having
to open the ItemType.
ItemType Permissions Report
Summarizes allowed identity permissions (Security) showing Can Add, Can Get, Can Update, Can
Delete, and Can Change Access.
ItemType History Configuration Report
Summarizes the Default History Template, any Tracked Properties, and Lifecycles. If no History
Template is assigned the Report is displayed in a Tear‐Off window indicating “This ItemType does
not have a History Template defined.”
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To Run an ItemType Report
1. Navigate to an ItemType under the Administration category in the TOC Pane.
2. Search and click the ItemType in main search grid.
3. Select the desired report from File Menu “Reports”. The system opens a Tear‐Off window of
report ItemType.
4. The report can be printed or saved using standard Internet Explorer options.
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Creating a New ItemType
 Minimum Requirements:
▫ ItemType Name
▫ Can Add Identity
▫ TOC Access Identity
▫ Default Permission
 Recommended:
▫ Keyed Name Order
Creating New ItemTypes
In order for a user to be able to create an Item of any ItemType some minimum requirements must
be met.
ItemType Name
This identifies the type of Item to the user (e.g. Part, Document, etc.). The system also creates a
unique internal id for the Item in the database to ensure exclusivity.
Can Add Identity
You need to indicate what Users in the system can add a new Item of this type to the database. This
is typically assigned to a group Identity.
TOC Access Identity
This indicates who will be able to see the ItemType in the TOC Pane so that they can select and
create a new Item.
Default Permission
You will need to assign a default Permission to the ItemType to indicate what access one or more
users have to the new Item. Note that this is separate from the Can Add Identity. You will learn
more about applying security in a later unit.
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Keyed Name Order
Although not required, a keyed name order allows you to select one or more properties that will
identify this object in window titles, reports, etc. The default property is the internal Item id which
may not be meaningful to most users.
Later in the course, you will learn how to apply an automatic sequence number that can be used as
part of the Keyed Name Order.
Page 72
Demo Scenario
 New Design Request
▫ Allows end user to issue a new Design Request
▫ Is associated with a Customer Item
▫ Is related to one or more Documents

For the purposes of demonstration in class, we will be working with a simple example scenario to
illustrate various features in Aras Innovator.
A large company that sells consumer electronics would like to track New Design Requests made by
both Customers as well as internal Employees of the company. Submitted requests will then be
reviewed by appropriate staff members to either approve or reject the Design Request.
The Design Request should have a relationship to supporting Documents as well as the Customer
that made the request.
Can you identify the three ItemTypes we will need to accomplish this solution?
Page 73
Creating the ItemType
Creating the Design Request Item Type
Working with the Instructor, create the Design Request ItemType using the following values:
Name Design Request
Singular Label Design Request
Plural Label Design Requests
History Template Default

Default Structure View [leave blank]
Small/Large Icons Choose from list provided
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Allowing Access
TOC Access
Can Add
Default Permission
Allow Access to the Design Request
As mentioned previously, you must provide access for Users to be able to work with your new
ItemType.
Provide the following values by clicking on each Relationship Tab and adding a new row:
Relationship Tab Name Value
TOC Access World
Can Add World (check Can Add)
Default Permission Default Access (check Default)
Note
You can assign an ItemType to a TOC Category in the TOC tree. You can also add new categories to
the TOC by editing the List Item named Categories. You will learn about TOC Categories later in this
course.
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Adding a Keyed Name Order to
an ItemType
Define the order of

one or more
properties to be used
as Keyed Name
Adding Keyed Name Order
Keyed Name Order is used to help identify objects for your users. By default, the internal Id of the
Item is used.
Relationship Tab Property Keyed Name Order
Properties created_on 10
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Creating a Class Structure
Creating a Class Structure
If the ItemType requires classification you can create a Class Structure.
To Create a Class Structure
1. Click the Class Structure button.
2. Right click to add a new subclass in the field provided.
3. Click the ItemType name and then right click again to create the next subclass.
4. When all subclasses are created, press the Return selected icon to return to the ItemType.
5. Select the appropriate option for the Show Parameters Tab. The following choices are
available:

Never – never show the Parameters tab on Items of this ItemType.

When Populated – only show the Parameters tab on Items of this ItemType when
there classified properties available.
 Always – always show the Parameters tab on Items of this ItemType.
6. Save the ItemType.
For the Design Request ItemType create two subclasses named:
Internal
Customer
Page 77
Creating a New Design Request
Create a New Design Request
Make sure you can create a new Design Request from the TOC Pane.
Note
You won’t be able to do much with the Item at this point. What do we need to add to make it more
useful?
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Summary

In this unit you learned about how ItemTypes are configured and how to build new ItemTypes.
 Defining the Purpose of the ItemType
 Reviewing the ItemType Form
 Reviewing ItemType Properties
 Running ItemType Reports
 Creating an Item from an ItemType
 Creating a New ItemType
Page 79
Review Questions

What is the difference between an Item and an ItemType?
What are the 4 requirements you should consider when creating an ItemType?
What is the purpose of Keyed Name Order?
Which report best summarizes the contents of an ItemType?
An administrator creates an ItemType but the end users cannot see it in the TOC Pane – why?
What are advantages of using ItemType classification?
Page 80
Lab Exercise

Product Change Request – Solution Requirements
Each unit of this course contains an additional exercise so you can practice what you have learned.
As a working example, you will build a basic change management system that allows a company to
record and process product change requests made by customers about existing goods that they sell.
You will classify the requests as either defects or enhancements and define an appropriate lifecycle
and workflow for the solution.
The Product Change Request must be able to:
 Collect information about the product issue including a description, reason, and cost.
 Establish a required connection to a Customer and one or more Product Items
 Log one or more review notes made by the change coordinator for tracking progress.
 Follow a prescribed life cycle ‐ and once closed force the request to remain read only.
 Support a workflow that issues assignments with specific tasks to various parties to either
approve or reject the request as efficiently as possible.

Each unit of the course will allow you to add new functionality to support these requirements.
The first exercise follows on the next page.
In order to allow a user to create a Change Request, what is the first thing you will need to do?
________________________________________________________________________
Page 81
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Allow end users to create an Item of type Change Request.
Scenario:
You will use Aras Innovator to create a basic change management system that allows request items
to follow a prescribed life cycle. In this lab, you will first need to define and configure the Change
Request ItemType so that users are allowed to create one or more Change Request Items.
Steps:
1. Make sure you are logged on to the InnovatorSolutions database with the User Name of admin
and the password of innovator.
2. Create a new ItemType. What are two ways you can accomplish this?
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Provide the following information for the new ItemType:
Name: Change Request
Singular Label: Change Request
Plural Label: Change Requests
History Template: Default
Default Structure View: [leave blank]
Search – Auto Search: Yes
Search ‐ Default Page Size: 20

4. Select a small and large icon to represent the ItemType in the user interface.
5. Save, Unlock and Close the Change Request ItemType.
6. Can you now create a new Item of type Change Request? ___________ What is missing?
___________________________________________________________________________
7. Open the Change Request ItemType for Edit.
8. You need to allow users to be able to add new Items of type Change Request to the database.
For initial testing, we will allow everyone in the system (World) to add new Change Requests.
Later in the course we will fine tune the security of this ItemType to a select set of users.
To allow access, configure the following for this ItemType using the Relationships Grid on the
ItemType form:
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Can Add World
TOC Access World
Permissions Default Access – (make sure this is set as the Default permission)

9. Change Requests should support the following classifications. Create a class structure to
support these subclasses:
Enhancement
Defect

10. Save, Unlock and Close the Change Request Item Type.
11. Look for a new Change Requests type at the bottom of TOC. Create a new Change Request.
Why is the form blank? _______________________________________________________
12. Save the Change Request and keep it locked. Close the form.
13. Now try finding the Change Request using a Simple Search. How many columns appear in the
search grid? ____________
What does the first column represent?
________________________________________________________________________
Where is this Item stored in the database? _____________________________________
14. Note that when you open a Change Request Item the title bar shows a hexadecimal number to
describe the Item in the windows title bar.
Edit the ItemType so that the Keyed Name for the Change Request ItemType uses the
modified_on property. You will need to set the Keyed Name Order to a positive number for the
modified_on property in the Relationships Grid.
Try opening a Change Request Item again and notice the difference in the title bar.
15. You will add new properties to this ItemType shortly. For now, you can delete the new items
you created from the database
Page 83
Page 84

Unit 4 Creating Properties

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to assign basic properties to an ItemType. You
will also learn how properties are used in the database.
Objectives:  Identifying System Properties
 Exploring System Properties
 Exploring Property Data Types
 Defining a Property

Page 85
Property Basics
 A property is a piece of
information associated
with an Item with a
designated data type
 Each property maps to a
column in the ItemType’s
database table
Property Basics
The Properties tab in ItemTypes contains all properties of the item, including core system
properties. Properties can be thought of as columns in the database table for a single ItemType.
Some properties are required and populate on save, while other are required to be populated for
basic system functionality.
Properties also maintain a Label which is used for displays in search grids and form views.
Note
Property names must be entered as lowercase letters and spaces are not allowed.
Page 86
Unit 4 – Creating Properties
System Properties
 System properties are created with every ItemType
and must be present for an Item to function
correctly
 Each Item contains an id which is a 32 character
unique identifier
 A config_id is also maintained which links multiple
versions of the same Item
System Properties
When an ItemType is saved 23 System Properties are created by default:

Property Description Property Description
classification class path of the item major_rev major revision of versioned item
config_id common id across generations on managed_by_id id of Manager identity
an item
created_by_id id of user that created the item minor_rev not used
created_on date item was created modified_by_id id of last user that changed item
css current cascading style sheet modified_on date item changed
current_state id of current life cycle state item new_version
generation sequential version number not_lockable true (1) if item cannot be
changed
id a 32 character globally unique owned_by_id id of Owner identity
identifier (GUID) for the item
is_current true (1) if this is the most current permission_id id of the current Permission item
version
Is_released true (1) if this item is released state current state (text)
keyed_name value of the keyed name order team_id id of current Team item
locked_by_id id of user that has locked item

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Basic Property Data Types
▫ String: string value with maximum length set by
Length setting
▫ Text: A long text value with maximum length
constrained by the database
▫ Integer: Single integer value
▫ Float: Float value (set Scale & Precision setting)
▫ Decimal: Decimal value (set Scale & Precision)
▫ Boolean: Value True =1 and False=0
▫ Date: date/time value
▫ Image: image file (Images are not currently stored in
the database, but on the server)
▫ Color: color value
Basic Properties
Several data types offer custom dialogs to make data entry easier. For example, the Date data type
will display a calendar dialog to the user:

Tip!
String is preferred over Text where possible as it can use less space in a database and tends to be
more flexible.
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List Data Properties
▫ List: an enumerated value (set Data Source as a pre
defined List ItemType)
▫ Filter List: filtered list value (set Data Source and
Pattern)
▫ Color List: color list value (set Data Source)
▫ Multi Value List: stores multiple list values separated
with a comma
aras.com
Slide 6
Copyright © 2014 Aras All Rights Reserved.
List Properties
List properties allow a user to choose an option from a list of choices.
You will configure list properties using the List ItemType in a later unit
List
Allows you to create a list of choices that appear as a drop down list box to a user in a Form. You
can display a label value to the user and set a corresponding property value in the database when
the user makes a selection.
Filter List
Allows you to configure a cascading set of drop down lists where the value selected in one list
affects the values presented in other lists.
Color List
You can create a drop down list box that displays a text label with a different color background for
each row.
Multi Value List
Same as a standard List described above. User can select one or more choices from the list.
Selected choices are saved as a comma delimited string.
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Special Property Data Types
▫ MD5: cryptographic function that produces a 128‐bit
hash value (Typically used for Passwords)
▫ Sequence: auto‐incrementing sequence (Must set a
Sequence Data Source)
▫ Item: a link to another item (set Data Source)
Commonly used to reference a Foreign Property
▫ Federated: virtual property, must be set with server
events
▫ Formatted Text: long formatted (HTML) text value
▫ Foreign: a property value from another item (set Data
Source)
▫ Multilingual String: Store multiple values of same
property. Displayed value depends on Locale setting
Special Properties
MD5
User passwords use this hash function which produces a 32 digit hexadecimal number.
Sequence
Useful for auto‐numbering Items. A formatted number can be incremented each time a new Item is
created.
Item
Allows you to set the value of a property to another Item in the database.
Foreign
Allows access to foreign properties that reside on another selected Item.
Federated
Used to access data from an external system vs. the Innovator database.
Formatted Text
Allows you to provide a mask for a property that displays a phone number, product code, etc.
Multilingual String
Used for solutions that support multiple languages.
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Property Settings
 Length: maximum length for string values
 Precision: significant digits (for float and decimal)
 Scale: digits to the right of the mantissa (for float and decimal only)
 Required: requires a property value in order to save the item
 Unique: enforces uniqueness on the property value
 Indexed: sets a database index on the property
 Hidden: property visibility in the search grid
 Hidden2: property visibility in the relationship grid
 Alignment: alignment (left/right/center) of the property in grids
 Width: display width of the property on grids
 Sort Order: column order of the property on grids
 Keyed Name Order: controls the keyed name of the item
 Order By: controls the order in which records are returned
Property Settings
Property Settings are configured in the Relationships Grid under the Properties tab.
Precision and Scale
Common values for Precision and Scale are 10/2 to have 10 total digits and 2 to the right of the
mantissa (decimal point)
Required
Is enforced on save, meaning you can't save an item that doesn't have a value for a required
property. Do not set Required for Sequence properties (they get a value server‐side).
Unique
Setting Unique on 2 properties means that the combination of those 2 properties must be unique.
For example, you can set the combination of Part Number and CAGE Code (a manufacturer
identifier) to be unique so that you can maintain unique parts from different manufacturers that just
happen to have the same part number.
Hidden
If true, this property will not be displayed in the main grid for this item.
Hidden2
If true, this property will not be displayed on the relationship grid.
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Sort Order
Is an integer values that controls the relative position of columns in a search grid display with lower
values left to right.
Order By
Controls the order (top to bottom) of the items displayed in the main item grid, either after a
manual or an automatic search. Whichever property has the lowest value of Order by, is the first
one to control the order. For example, if you want to order the employees by last name and then by
first name, last name would have a value of 1 in the Order By property, and first name would have a
value of 2.
Keyed Name Order
A keyed name is an alternate way to identity an item. A keyed name is comprised of one or more
item properties separated by a space. If no keyed name for an ItemType is specified the keyed
name is the same as the Item id property. The keyed name may use as many property values as
necessary to identify the item in a meaningful way. You assign the order of the properties in the
keyed name using a number. For example, an Employee item has two properties defined:
first_name and last_name. To create a keyed name with the value of the last name [space]
first_name, order the properties using numbers in the Keyed Name Order field (e.g. property
last_name = Keyed Named Order 10 and property first_name = Keyed Name Order 20). A keyed
name is established when the item is saved to the database.
Tip: Best Practice!
Keep lengths of strings as small as possible to minimize database size.
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Other Property Settings
 Default Value: default value for the property
 Default Search: default search value for the property
 Pattern: validation pattern for dates and strings. Common Regular Expressions
are used. \d{3}‐\d{3}‐\d{4} is a Regular expression for a phone number.
 Class Path: defines a sub‐class for which the property belongs
 Foreign Property: name of the foreign property
 Tooltip: tooltip text for the property
 Help Text: help text for the property
 Track History: used in conjunction with the Configurable History. Allows for a
property to be part of a history log.
 Item Behavior: fixed/float behavior for item properties
Other Property Settings
Default Value
The Default Value of a property is used if no value is given. Blank represents a Null value.
Sometimes, it's a good idea to have a default value for required properties. The default value must
be within the same range of the Property Type set.
Default Search
A Default Search is used to predefine the search criteria for an Item. If a user has not searched on
the Item previously (no user preference) you can specify default search criteria for one or more
properties. A user can override these values.
Pattern
A Pattern applies only to properties of type Date, String, or Filtered List.
If Pattern property is of type Date, the following list of patterns can be used with the Date property.
The order of display for month, day and year will follow internationalization and localization rules
dependent on client settings.
Short Date mm/dd/yyyy
Short Date and Time mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss AM/PM
Long Date DayOfWeek, Month dd, yyyy
Long Date and Time DayOfWeek, Month dd, yyyy hh:mm:ss AM/PM
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If the Pattern property is of type String, the pattern follows basic regular expression syntax. For
example, to require that a user enter a telephone number in the format ###‐###‐#### you could use
the regular expression: [0‐9]{3}‐[0‐9]{3}‐[0‐9]{4}$
If the Pattern property is type Filtered List, then Pattern is the pointer to a property which defines
the filter. Filtered lists are discussed later in the course.
Class Path
Indicates this property will only be available to this subclass (and any children of this subclass). Only
used if a Class Structure has been implemented on the ItemType.
Foreign Property
Foreign properties work with Item data type properties to allow you to refer to and display
properties of another selected Item. Foreign properties are discussed in detail later in the course.
Track History
Indicates the “changed to” and “changed from” values of this property will be stored in the Item’s
audit history depending on the ItemType History Template selected.
Item Behavior
Item Behavior refers to properties where the data type is Item, and the target item specified by the
property is versionable. Item Behavior can be Fixed or Float. Item behavior is discussed later in the
course.
Note
Tooltip and Help Text are not functional and reserved for future use.
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Creating a New Property
New
To Create A New Property
1. Open an ItemType for edit.
2. Select the Relationship Tab labeled Properties and press the New button to add a row.
3. Provide the name, label and settings for the new property.
4. When you Save the ItemType the property columns will be automatically created in the
database.
Adding Properties to the Design Request ItemType
Add the following properties to the Design Request ItemType you created previously.
Property Data Type Length Class Path Precision Scale
_completion_date Date
_cost Decimal 6 2
_department_number Integer Internal
_description String 128
_patent_required Boolean
_title String 64
TIP!
It's a good idea to consider using a prefix character(s) for a property name to distinguish it from the
standard Aras system properties. In this example the underscore character (_) is used.
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Summary

In this unit you learned how Properties are configured and how to build new Properties for an
ItemType.
 Identify System Properties
 Identify Property Data Types and their use
 Define a new Property

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Review Questions

Where are property values stored in the database?
Where are property definitions stored in the database?

What is the purpose of the Hidden and Hidden2 settings on a property?

Which property data type uses encryption?
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Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to create basic properties for an ItemType and understand where the property data gets
stored in the database.
Scenario:
In this exercise you will create some new basic properties for the Change Request Item.
Steps:
1. Add the following properties to the Change Request ItemType:
Property Name Label Data Type Length Class Path

_title Title String 64
_reason Reason String 256
_target_date Target Date Date
_cost_estimate Cost Estimate Decimal (6, 2)
_defect_details Defect Details String 128 Defect

2. Select the property named state and uncheck the Hidden checkbox. What will this do?
_______________________________________________________________________
3. How is the database table Change_Request altered each time a property is created?
____________________________________________________________________
4. Can you see these properties on a Form when you open a Change Request Item? What needs to
be altered? _________________________________________________
(You will accomplish this in the next unit).
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Unit 5 Creating the User Interface

Overview: In this unit you will create a user interface for a solution that allows a user to
interact with web forms.
Objectives:  Creating a User Interface with the Form Editor
 Reviewing the Form Body Properties
 Reviewing Field Types
 Building an ItemType View
 Creating Multi‐level TOC Categories

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Aras Innovator Administration
Forms and Views
ItemType
View View View
Form Form Form

A View is the relationship between an ItemType and a Form.
You design Forms using the Form Editor and then associate the Form (or Forms) to an ItemType.
The same Item may be displayed to different users in different ways by creating multiple Views and
Forms.
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Unit 5 – Creating the User Interface
Design Request Form
Building the Design Request Form
The form above shows an example of the Design Request with fields added – including a Group Box.
Forms are created using the Form Editor.
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Using the Form Editor
1
2
Forms provide the main user interface for viewing and editing items
 Forms are defined using the Form Designer, stored in the database and rendered
dynamically at run time as Views.
 Many standard controls are available for Form design.
 Forms may also incorporate custom HTML and JavaScript

The Form Editor is divided into 4 areas:
 Properties
Properties that are used on the Form.
 Field Definitions
Specific information about each Field.
 Form Layout
Where you design the Form the user will see at runtime.
 Empty Fields Toolbar
A series of Controls you can add to a Form – you will then associate the field to a property.

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1
2
Field Toolbar
Create an empty field before assigning property to the field. If you use the Unused Properties
option this is done automatically based on Property Data Type. You can add the following empty
fields:
 Text field
 Password field
 TextArea Field
 DropDown Field
 Single Select ListBox field
 Multi Select ListBox field
 Checkbox field
 RadioButton field
 Label field
 Date field
 Color field
 HTML field
Add Unused Properties
Allows you to add a property that is not currently in use on the Form. Once selected, you can then
move the field that is automatically created to desired position.
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Field Type and Field Label
1
2 4 5
3
9
6
7
8
Field Type and Field Labels
Field Type and Labels are defined using the following fields:
 Name
Field name
 Field Type
 Text: a simple text box , set length at (4)
 Password: a text box with masking
 Text Area: a text box set rows and columns at (4)
 Checkbox: a checkbox for true/false values
 For Lists
 Dropdown: a dropdown box
 Radio Button List: a set of radio buttons
 Listbox Single Select: select one
 Listbox Multi Select: Hold Ctrl to select many
 Checkbox List: a list is selectable as checkboxes
 Date: a text box with a calendar control
 Item: a text box with an item picker / search dialog
 File Item: choose File Item
 Less commonly used
 Label: a simple text placement
 Formatted Text: can contain Html
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 Multilingual String: Add a String supporting different Languages
 Button: a simple button (needs a Method to take action)
 HTML: a container for arbitrary HTML
 Color: a text box with a color picker control
 Color List: Displays List Value as List Background
 Image: allow a selectable image to display on Form
 Data Source
Name of the data source property.
 Display Length
Length of Field
 Display Length Unit
To support correct field sizing in multiple browers, you can select the appropriate character
measurement unit from the list provided. The following units of measurement are available:
px = pixel
em = character in current font size
% = percentage (1em = 100%)
in = inches
cm = centimeters
mm = millimeters
ex = x‐height of current font
pt = point (1pt = 1/72 inch)
pc = pica (1pc = 12pt)
 Label
Label text
 Label Position
Top, Bottom, Left, Right
 Text Alignment
Left, Right, Center
 Font Information
Specific font information about this field

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Field Physical
1 3
4
2
5
6 7
Field Physical
The following fields define a Physical Field:
 Positioning
 Absolute X & Y measured from top left of form, default and recommended
 Relative X & Y measured from where browser would place the field in field order.
 Static position determined by browser, X & Y ignored
 X & Y measured in pixels
 X Y
Row, Column Position
 Field Order
Order used for Group Box field order
 Tab Index
Tab key order of field if Tab Stop checkbox is selected
 Z Index
Order of layered items
 Visible
Suppress field from view
 Disabled
Field is read only
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Form and Body Properties
1 5
2 9
6
3
7
4
8
10
11 13 14
12
Reviewing Form and Body Properties
Form and Body Properties are defined using the following fields:
 Name
Name of the Form
 Identity
Who has access to this Form (defined in ItemType View)
 Function
Specifies what the form will be used for (editing, viewing, printing, etc.) Default is edit and
view.
 Classification
ItemType classification associated with this Form
 Description
Details about the Form
 Width
In pixels
 Height
In pixels
 Style sheet
Custom cascading style sheet
 Category Form
Display this form in the Workspace Pane when user clicks on a TOC Category. Form name
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must match Category value.
 Background Color
Form color
 Repeat
Repeat form background image
 Attachment
Scroll – moves with scroll bar Fixed – no scrolling
 CSS
Override default CSS elements
 Image
Background Image
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Adding Field Borders
Adding Field Borders
Field Borders are a convenient way to group a collection of fields and surround them with a labeled
border.
When you associate one or more fields with a field border they move as a unit when the labeled
group box is repositioned on the form.
To Add a Field Border
1. Add any control to the form using the form editor toolbar icons. In this example, an HTML
control is selected and added to the form canvas.

2. Change the Field Type to Group Box and select either Vertical or Horizontal orientation
(fields will be “stacked” in a Vertical orientation or sit side by side in a Horizontal
orientation). Supply a name for the group box (GroupBox in this example). This becomes
the “container” name for properties that are assigned to the group box.
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3. Clear the Label for the Group Box control – the Legend attribute will label the box (next
step).

4. Choose the Field Border tab and provide a Legend which is the title label of the box and a
width to indicate the weight of the box line‐ leave Container Name blank.

5. Select an existing property on the form to be “moved” into the group box.
6. Enter the Container name (the name of the group box created above) on the Field Border
tab of the selected property and leave Border Width as zero.

7. Make sure to set the Physical Position of the selected property to Static on the Field Physical
tab. The X and Y settings will change based on the position of the entire box – you cannot
set/change the values here.
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8. If multiple properties are added to the group box they can be ordered using the Field Order
option on the Field Physical tab. For example, in a vertical group box Field Order 1 would be
the top property displayed, 2 would fall underneath that etc.
9. You cannot indicate position settings for the fields in the group box. However, you can
create an HTML field using <P></P> as the content to create an empty “space” in a box.
Assign this space holder field to the Group Box container and then order using the Field
Order setting as described in previous step.
10. Group Boxes can be nested to create both multiple rows and columns in a single group box.
See the Activity Completion Worksheet form in the Solutions database for an example.
Note
Making any changes to an existing group box requires a refresh of the screen (resave the form). The
box will appear to “collapse” when any changes are made to an existing group box until the form is
saved again.
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Creating a View
ItemType View Form
 Views relate an ItemType to a Form
 View (and related Form) is automatically
created the first time an ItemType is saved
Creating a View
Views are the relationship between ItemType and Form. In order for an end user to see your Form
you must associate it with an ItemType. Aras Innovator automatically creates a view to a Form with
the same name as the ItemType the first time you save an ItemType to the database.
To Create a View
1. Open the Design Request Item Type.
2. Locate the Views relationship tab and add a new View relationship (if it is not already there).
3. Choose the Design Request form.
4. Note the Type is Default (edit/view/print).
5. Leave the Identity as World.
6. Save the ItemType.
Note
You can supply more than one Form on an ItemType. For example, you may create a Form that is
only used when a user prints the current View.
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Configuring Views
2 3 4

Multiple views can be configured for an ItemType to provide custom displays based on function,
identity and class:
 Type
 Default – Form used when adding, editing, viewing or printing an Item.
 Add – Form used the first time an Item is added.
 Edit – Form used when the Item is locked for editing.
 View– Form used for viewing the Item.
 Print – Form used to print the Item.
 Identity
Form available for members of defined Identity.
 Classification
If Class Structure is implemented, the Form to display for this class.
 Display Priority
If more than one Form meets selection criteria above, the display order priority (1 = highest
priority, 2, 3, etc.)

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Classifying a View
Only displayed on Internal

Classification
Classifying a View
One of the features (discussed earlier in the course) is the ability to add classification to an
ItemType. If an ItemType has been created with configured subclasses, a Form and corresponding
View can be created for each subclass to show different information.
In this example, the Design Request ItemType has been modified to support an Internal classification
View. The Department Number field should only be displayed to the user if the Internal subclass is
selected for the Item.

To Classify a View
1. Create a Form for the classification (or copy an existing form). Name the Form
appropriately.

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2. Edit the ItemType and create a new View selecting the Form copied in the previous step.
3. Select the Classification subclass for the View.

4. Edit the Form used for the classified View to add classified properties to the Form.

5. Save changes to the Form.
Note
A Form must be related to an ItemType View in order to add new Unused Properties to the Form.
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Regenerating a Form
▫ A Form can be regenerated using an Action
▫ RebuildViewAction should only be used on new Forms –
current layout will be replaced
Regenerating a Form
A Form is automatically created the first type an ItemType is created in the database with the same
name as the ItemType.
Often you will add properties after you first create the ItemType. Regenerating a Form will pick up
any visible properties you have created and automatically apply them to the regenerated Form.
To Regenerate a Form
1. Open the desired ItemType and locate the Views relationship tab.
2. Click the right mouse button and select RebuildViewAction from the menu.
3. The Form will be regenerated.
Note
Do not use regeneration if you have already customized a Form – you will lose all of your changes!
Note
Make sure the Form is unlocked before attempting to regenerate it.
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Multi‐level TOC Categories
 Table of Contents (TOC) supports multiple levels
 ItemType can be assigned to a sub category
 Category access determined by TOC Access
Identity
 Categories maintained in Categories List Item
Creating Multi‐Level TOC Categories
As described earlier in the course, when you create an ItemType you must provide TOC Access to
allow users with the assigned Identity to view the ItemType in the Table of Contents pane.
You can specify an existing Category name by selecting the Category option from the TOC Access
and choosing a selection for the ItemType to be displayed.
You can also create a category that supports subcategories with multiple levels. The example above
shows the Design Request ItemType assigned to a subcategory labeled Development that belongs to
a category labeled Product Management.
Categories are maintained in a List Item named Categories as described on the next page.
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Creating Categories
 Edit List Item named Categories
Category Values
Category Labels
/ Character Designates subcategory
Creating Categories
TOC categories are managed in a special List Item named Categories. Aras Innovator is installed with
a predefined set of categories but you can add or change the Label names to better suit your
installation.
To add a category:
1. Click Administration ‐> List from the TOC and locate the List Item named Categories.
2. Open the list for edit to display the existing categories. Each row on the Value tab
represents a TOC category. The Label field indicates what is displayed to a user. The Value
field defines the internal name for the category.
3. Click the New Relationship toolbar icon to add a new row and provide a Label and Value.
To create subcategories:
1. Create a new row in the Categories list and provide the category Label. In the Value field
enter the parent category name first followed by the “/” character. Enter the value for the
subcategory to complete the Value field.
2. In the example above a new category named pm has been created with the label Product
Management. A second category labeled Development is created that will fall under the
Training Solutions category (pm/devel).
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Assign ItemType TOC Access Category
1. Edit an ItemType and provide TOC Access to the subcategory:

2. When you assign ItemType TOC Access to the Development subcategory the Product
Management category will appear as its parent in the TOC as shown below.

Notes
If a user does not belong to the TOC Access Identity specified in the ItemType and this is the only
ItemType contained in the category, the category(s) is automatically hidden from view.
After editing the Categories List Item, you may need to log off and then log on again to see the new
categories displayed in the ItemType TOC Access drop down list.
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Summary

In this unit you learned how to create an Item View using the Form Editor.
 Create a User Interface with the Form Editor
 Review the Form and Body Properties
 Review Field Types
 Build an ItemType View
 Create Multi‐level TOC Categorys
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Review Questions

What is the difference between a Form and a View?
How many Forms can be assigned to an ItemType?
When would you not use RebuildViewAction?
How do you control the size of a Form?
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Lab Exercise

Goal:
Configure a Form for an ItemType allowing changes to property values.
Scenario:
You will edit the Change Request Form to allow a user to supply values to the properties you created
earlier. Because the ItemType was created without any additional properties originally the Form
that is associated to the Change Request ItemType with a View does not display any properties. You
can quickly regenerate the Form which will add the properties automatically.
Steps:
1. Open the Change Request ItemType and select the Views tab in the Relationships Grid.
2. Select the Change Request Form Name. Click the right mouse and select RebuildViewAction
from the menu.
Note: The Change Request Form Name cannot be locked for the RebuildViewAction to execute
correctly. If the RebuildViewAction raises an error locate the Change Request Form and unlock
it.
3. Click the right mouse button on the Change Request Form Name again and select View Form
from the menu.
4. Notice the properties have now been added to the Form.
5. Inspect each property using the Field Type, Field Label and Field Physical tabs.
6. Lock the Form to allow changes.
7. Add the following Unused Properties to the Form and label them as shown below:
Property Label
created_on Created Date
state Status
is_released Closed
created_by_id Creator
classification Type

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8. Configure the form to appear as follows:

9. Save, Unlock and Close the Form (and the ItemType if it is still open) and then open a new
Change Request Item to test your work.
10. Why can’t you change the Closed and Created Date Fields on the Form?
_____________________________________________________________________________
11. Modify the Categories List Item and the Change Request ItemType TOC Access so that the
Change Request ItemType is displayed in the TOC as shown:

Extra Credit (Classifying a View)
1. Create a copy of the form you created in the previous steps.
2. Name the copied form Change Request Defect.
3. Edit the Change Request ItemType and create a classified View using the Defect class path.
Make sure the View Type is Default.
4. Edit the Change Request Defect Form and add the _defect_details property to the Form.
5. Test you work by creating a new Change Request and selecting the Defect subclass from the
Type field.
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Page 124

Unit 6 Creating Aras Datatype
Properties

Overview: In this unit you will create a property that uses another Item as its value. You
will also learn how to build properties that allow single or multiple selections
from a List as well as a Filtered List. Finally,. you will build a property that
automatically iterates to a new value when a new Item is created.
Objectives:  Defining Item Type Properties
 Defining a Foreign Property
 Defining a List Property
 Defining a Filtered List
 Building a Sequence
 Using an Image Property

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Item Type Properties
 Allow a reference to another Item
 Use an ItemType as the Data Source
 Displayed in a View as a link (using ItemType
keyed name)
_customer Customer
Design
Request
Defining Item Type Properties
Item Type Properties allow you to reference to another Item as the property value. Instead of
copying a string value to the database, Innovator stores a reference to the Id of an Item type. It is
typically shown on a form as a button with 3 dots (ellipsis) or as a link.
In the example above the Design Request Item has a property named _customer whose value is a
pointer to a Customer Item. The Design Request has a one to one relationship with the Customer
named Acme Industries
Keyed Named Order of a referenced Item is important. If the system cannot define a Keyed Name,
the internal Item Id (GUID) will be displayed (32 digit hexadecimal number).
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Unit 6 – Creating Aras Datatype Properties
Creating an Item Type Property
 Example: Customer property
Item Data Source

Data (Press F2)
Type
To Create an Item Data Type Property
1. Select Item from the Data Type drop down list.
2. Move to the Data Source column in the relationship grid and press the F2 (lookup) key.
3. Search and select the desired ItemType from the search grid. In this example the User
ItemType is used.
4. Provide a property label.
If you then add this property to a Form the following will appear to the end user:
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Defining a Foreign Property
 Display properties from an Item referenced using
an Item Type property (read‐only)
_customer Customer
main_phone
Defining a Foreign Property
Foreign properties allow you to access property values from Items that have been referenced by an
Item Data Type property. By default, you will always see the Keyed Name (or internal Id) when
referencing another Item. Foreign properties allow you to access other properties on the foreign
Item.
Foreign properties are always displayed as read only to the end user in a Form and their values
cannot be changed. Foreign properties cannot be used to filter a list in a search grid.
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Creating a Foreign Property
Select Data Source
Choose Foreign Property
To Create a Foreign Property
1. Enter the name of the Property to be created for the ItemType. In this example, a new
property named _customer_phone will be added to the ItemType.
2. Select Foreign for the Data Type.
3. Press F2 (Lookup) in the Data Source column to display a list of the current Item type
properties defined for this ItemType.
4. In this example, _customer is the desired Item data type property.
5. You can expand each Item type property by pressing the + (plus) key to view the foreign
properties of that related Item.
6. Select the desired foreign property. In this example, main_phone is the selected property.
The property will appear in the Foreign Property column in the relationship grid (you may
need to scroll to the right to see it) AFTER you save the current ItemType.
7. Provide a Label for the property. When you save the ItemType the property will be
configured.
If this property is added to a Form it will appears as:
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Defining a List Property
 Specify a pre‐defined set of values
 Normally displayed as dropdown box in a View
 Support Label, Value and Sort Order
Defining List Properties
Lists are normally displayed as dropdown boxes in ItemType Forms, but may also be displayed as
radio buttons or select lists. A list will appear in the search grid as a dropdown selection for easy
searching. Labels and Values are often the same, but may be completely different. For example, a
label of Monday may have the value monday, mon, 0, etc. The value is stored in the database, but
the label is always displayed to the user in the system. You can also determine sort order if desired.
You can choose to allow a user to select a single value from the list or multiple values based on your
configuration settings.
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Creating a List Property
Creating a List Property
In order to use List Properties you need to first create a List Item.
To Create a List
1. Create a new List Item from the TOC Pane.
2. Provide a List Name and Description for the new List. In this example, a Product Divisions
List will be created.
3. From the Value relationship tab add a new Value. The example above uses values shown
below.
4. Add a new property to the ItemType of Data Type List using this list as the Data Source. (If
you choose the Data Type Multi Value List a user will be able to select more than one
choice.)
Label Value Sort Order

Home Electronics HE 10
Mobile MO 20
Computing CO 30
Tip!
When entering Values increment the sort order by 10 to allow for additional items to be added
later. If you leave blank, the system provides a default order in increments of 128.
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Defining a Filtered List
 Selection in one list defines the contents of a
second list
Filtered Lists
You can define a list that is dependent on the selected value of another list on a form. This allows
you to narrow the choices that the user selects from and reduces the chance of a user providing
invalid data.
In the example above, if a user selects Home Electronics from the Product Division list box, only
product types related to the selected division are available for selection from the Product Type list
box.
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Creating a Filtered List
Source list
defines
values…
…that are used

to filter list
To Create a Filtered List
1. Create a source list that will be used to filter another list. In the example above, the Product
Division list is used that was discussed earlier in this unit.
2. Create another List and select the Filtered Values tab. In the example above, a list named
Product Types has been created.
3. Enter the value, label, and a filter value that corresponds to one of the source list values in
the source list. In the example above the following values have been entered:
Label Value Filter Sort Order

TV TV HE 128
Audio AU HE 256
Media Player ME HE 384
Tablet TB MO 512
Smart Phone SP MO 640
PC PC CO 768
Printer PN CO 896
Monitor MN CO 1024

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Configuring a Filtered List
1 2 3 4 5
To Configure a Filtered List
1. Open the ItemType what will use the Filtered List. Make sure the ItemType already contains
a property type related to the source list. In this example, _product_division is the name of
the property that has been configured to hold the value of the Product Division source list.
2. Add a new property to the ItemType and specify the following settings:
 Name
Name of property to hold the value of the selected row in the filtered list.
 Label
Label of the property.
 Data Type
Choose Filter List.
 Data Source
The Filtered List to be used for this list box.
 Pattern
The property that has been configured to store the value of the source list.

In this example the following values have been used:
Name Label Data Type Data Source Pattern

_product_type Product Type Filter List Product Types _product_division
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Defining a Sequence
 Provide auto‐numbering capabilities for Items
 Property values of the Sequence data type are
populated from the server
 Defined by a Sequence definition
 Support
▫ Prefix
▫ Suffix
▫ Step Increments
▫ Number Padding
Defining a Sequence
Sequences provide auto‐numbering capabilities for Items
Properties of data type Sequence are populated server‐side when an item is saved.
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Creating a Sequence
1 2 3 4
5 6 7
8
Creating a Sequence
The following fields are used to create a Sequence:
 Prefix
Up to 16 characters that will prefix each sequence number.
 Initial Value
This value will be used to set the Current Value on import to another Aras database if the
Current Value field is NULL.
 Current Value
Current sequence number value.
 Suffix
Up to 16 characters that will follow each sequence number.
 Pad With
Padding character to use (if blank no padding characters will appear)
 Pad To
Total number of characters in the sequence number (excluding prefix and suffix)
 Step
Increment of sequence number (typically 1)
 Add a new property to an ItemType and specify Sequence as the Data Type. Use the Data
Source lookup (F2) to locate the Sequence and provide a label.
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To Create a Sequence
1. Select Sequence from the Administration category in the TOC Pane and create a new
Sequence. In this example the Sequence is named Design Request.
2. Provide sequence values – in this example the following have been provided:
Prefix DR‐
Current Value 0
Suffix
Pad With 0
Pad To 6
Step 10
3. Open the Design Request ItemType and add a new property named item_number. Define
the property as a Sequence that uses the Design Request Sequence and provide a Label.
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Using an Image Property
 Images can reside in the Innovator server file
system or a Vault
3
1 2
Using an Image Property
The Image Property is used to allow a user to select an image file for display on an Item.
Images can be stored in two locations. System wide image files are available in a reserved directory
on the Innovator server. The standard location for these files is: C:\Program
Files\Aras\Innovator\Innovator\Client\images. The Aras installation provides a small collection of
icons, etc. that be used for display in any Item.
External files can also be selected from any available location. Once the selected Item is saved that
contains the image, the image file is automatically checked into the user's Default Vault location for
later display. This can be useful for storing thumbnails, diagrams, etc. associated with an Item. You
will learn about Files and Vaults later in the course.
To Select an Image
1. Open an Item that supports the Image property and click the Select an image… link.
2. Choose Innovator from the toolbar to choose an Item located in the Aras Innovator file
system or External File to locate a file in an alternate location.
3. External files will be automatically copied/checked‐in to the user's default Vault location.
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Defining an Image Property
 Use the Image Data Type
 Add to a Form
1
2
Defining an Image Property
To define an Image property, create a new Property in the ItemType and choose Image as the Data
Type. You can then add the property to a form for display. You can adjust the size of the image by
entering a width (1) and height (2) on the Field Physical tab of the Form. If you leave the width and
height blank the image is sized to its original dimensions.
Note
If you name the Image property thumbnail the image will also appear in the Properties pane when
an item is selected.
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Form Display
Adding Properties to the User Interface
This example shows the properties placed on the Design Request Form.
When a user selects a Product Division, the Product Type list is filtered.
The customer field should allow the selection of a Customer Item.
The customer's phone number will appear in the Customer Phone field.
The user will be able to select an Image to be displayed as a thumbnail on the form.
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Summary

In this unit you learned how to create properties that use another Item as their value. You also
learned about Lists and Sequences and how to apply a Foreign property to an ItemType.
 Define Item Type Properties
 Define a List and Filtered List Properties
 Define a Foreign Property
 Build a Sequence
 Use an Image Property
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Review Questions

Foreign property values can be edited by an end user in a Form. (True or False)
What is required before I can add a Foreign Property to an ItemType?
How can an administrator reset a sequence number?
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Lab Exercise

Goal:
Add additional special property types to an ItemType that allow for automatic sequencing, selection
from a list and access to foreign properties.
Scenario:
You will define an automatic sequence for number Change Requests when they are created as well
as add some additional properties that present a list selection to a user.
Steps:
1. Create a new sequence named Change Request that includes the following settings:
Prefix CR‐
Current Value 0
Suffix (leave blank)
Pad With 0
Pad To 6
Step 10

2. Create a new List named Regions. The List should display the following:
Label Value
Americas AM
Asia AS
Europe EU

3. Create a new Filtered List named Design Centers. The filtered list should be tied to the Regions
list you built above. The Filtered List should respond in the following way:
If a user selects this Region: Allow the user to choose a
Design Center:
Americas New York NYC
Sao Paulo GRU
Asia Shanghai PVG
Bangalore BLR
Europe London LON
Frankfurt FRA
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4. Add the following properties to the Change Request ItemType (provide appropriate labels):
Property Name Data Type Data Source Pattern Keyed Name Order

_item_number Sequence Change Request 1
_region List Regions
_design_center Filter List Design Centers _region
_attachment Item Document

5. Add a Foreign Property named _attachment_name that will be used to display the name of a
selected Document based on the _attachment property above.
6. Open the Change Request Form and add the new properties you have created to the Form.
7. To test your work you will need to create several Document items (Located under the Document
category in the TOC).
8. Test your work by creating a new Change Request Item. Make sure you can select a Region,
Design Center and a Document. When the Item is saved, the name of the selected Document
should be displayed if you have configured the Foreign Property correctly.
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Unit 7 Assigning Security

Overview: In this unit you will define security so that only authorized users have access to
a solution. You will also configure the system to grant specific permissions to
groups of individuals.
Objectives:  Defining Users and Identities
 Using Built‐in Identities
 Understanding Identity Membership
 Creating Permissions
 Configuring Special Permissions
 Assigning Team Permissions
 Creating Private Permissions
 Understanding Password Policies
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Security Overview
 Authentication
▫ Identifying a user with an ID and password (or through
External Authentication)
 Authorization
▫ The right or permission to use a system resource; the
process of granting access.
Security Definitions
Authentication
Authentication provides a way of identifying a user, typically by having the user enter a valid user
name and valid password before access is granted. The process of authentication is based on each
user having a unique set of criteria for gaining access. The AAA server compares a user's
authentication credentials with other user credentials stored in a database. If the credentials match,
the user is granted access to the network. If the credentials are at variance, authentication fails and
network access is denied
Authorization
After logging into a system, for instance, the user may try to create or edit Items. The authorization
process determines whether the user has the authority perform such actions. Authorization is the
process of enforcing policies: determining what types or qualities of activities, resources, or services
a user is permitted. Usually, authorization occurs within the context of authentication. Once you
have authenticated a user, they may be authorized for different types of access or activity.
(Definitions courtesy of SearchSecurity.com)
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Unit 7 – Assigning Security
Security Overview
 Users and Identities
▫ Who am I and what is(are) my role(s)
 Permissions
▫ What can I do in the system?
Security Overview
Aras Innovator provides both security Authentication with configured User records as well as
Authorization through Permissions.
In this unit you will learn how to create and configure Users, Identities and Permissions.
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Users and Identities
All Employees
Group Identities
Sales Engineering QA
User Identity
(Alias)
Peter Smith
Logon User
Peter Smith
Users and Identities Overview
Logon User
Access to Innovator is initiated with a logon authentication process. A Logon User is defined by a
user login name, a password, a User Identity association, and optional profile information. All Logon
User names must be unique within an Innovator installation.
Alias Identity
When a new User is created a User Identity record with the same name as the Logon User is also
created and is identified as a User Alias. The alias record is used to allow membership in Group
Identities.
Group Identities
Define a group of User Identities that all share a same set of roles in the organization. Group
Identities can also be assigned membership in other Group Identities forming a hierarchy.
In the example above Peter Smith is an Employee who belongs to the Engineering Identity. Rights
granted to the All Employees group will cascade “down” to Peter.
Tip!
When planning Users and Identities think “top down” like a company organization chart.
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Creating Users
2
6
4 7
3
5
Creating a New User
A new user is created to allow access to the system. The following fields define a User:
 Login Name
Must be unique and is supplied be the user at log on.
 Password
Is encrypted in the database and required for a user to be authenticated.
 Logon Enabled
Required to be checked for the User to be “active” in the system. If a User leaves an
organization it may be preferable to disable the logon versus remove the User record for
historical reasons.
 Working Directory
Is the default location for files that are retrieved and checked out to a user’s local system
from a Vault. This value can be changed later by the User.
 Default Vault
Default Vault assigned to the user for File Check In.
 Manager
User specified as manager of this user.
 Starting Page
Default starting page for the user (My Desktop, My InBasket, Search Center)

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To Create a New User
1. Select Users from the TOC Pane and create a new User.
2. Use the following values to create 3 new users for the Support team who will be allowed to
enter Help Desk Tickets:

First Last Email Login ID Password Enabled Vault
Peter Smith psmith@aras.com psmith psmith Yes Default
Susan Harris sharris@aras.com sharris sharris Yes Default
John Young jyoung@aras.com jyoung jyoung Yes Default

3. Locate and inspect the Alias Identities that are automatically created by the system.
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Alias Identity
 Automatically created for each User
 Normally do not have any members
Alias Identities
An Alias Identity is a special instance of an Identity representing a specific user. Created by the
system when a User is added to the system the Is Alias property/flag is set to true. This loosely
couples it to the User allowing the alias Identity to be placed in other Identities forming a
hierarchical structure. It is this Identity model that is used to control permissions and form a security
policy. Group Identities represent an Identity level containing a logical grouping of Identities.
Tip: Best Practice!
 It is rare and not recommended to have Users without an Identity in a security model.
 Alias Identities are created automatically, so you should not have to worry about
maintaining them or creating them manually.
 Alias Identities do not normally have Members, but Members may be created for Alias
Identities for testing purposes (so an administrator can act as Peter Smith without knowing
his password)
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Defining Identities
 Identities may represent:
▫ An individual (Alias Identity)
▫ A group of individuals (Group Identity)
▫ A group of groups (Group Identity)
▫ Roles like Creator, Owner, Manager (Built‐In Identity)
 Identities are used when defining:
▫ ItemType Permissions
▫ TOC Access and Can Add
▫ ItemType Views
▫ Workflow Assignments, Notifications, etc.
▫ Lifecycle transitions
Defining Identities
Alias Identities can be grouped into Group Identities.
A Group Identity may be composed of Individual Identities or other Group Identities, and each
group identity may have its own set of access rights. The idea behind these Identities is to define a
membership structure for controlling and managing access rights.
Other systems have separate distinctions for individuals, groups and roles. Identities generalize
these concepts so you can assign to one or many without changing the data model.
Tip: Best Practice!
Always use Group Identities for workflow assignments; they are more flexible than User Alias
Identities.
Tip: Best Practice!
As a best practice, we recommend a process of setting up User Identities similar to building a
company organization chart.
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To Set Up an Organization
Here is a list of steps to make this process easier.
1. Create identities for top level department headings, for example: Engineering, Sales, and
Marketing.
2. For each top level heading, create subordinate departments. For example, Engineering
might have: Development, Support, and QA. Support, in turn, might further consist of:
Customer Support, Documentation, and Training. Make sure you add subordinate
departments as members to their respective group identities.
3. Once departmental structure is in place, create individual user identities and add them to
their respective departments. In Innovator, one user identity can belong to more than one
group.
Note
It is easier to change a group than individual Identity permissions.
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Defining Group Identities
 Members may be User Aliases or other Group
Identities
All Employees
Members of All
Employees
Sales Engineering QA
Defining Group Identities
Identities, particularly Group Identities, serve many purposes in Innovator.
 Identities define and control user/group security, or permissions allowed for the particular
group.
 Identities determine what actions may be performed on an Item, such as add, get, update,
delete and/or discovery privileges.
 Identities determine activity assignments, such as an approval process in a workflow step.
 Identities can promote Life Cycle State and be assigned for Workflow Activities.

Multi‐tiered hierarchy access can be created using Group Identities. All members of an Identity
inherit the access privileges of the Identity. Members are assigned through the ‘Member’ tab in the
Identity ItemType. A User Alias Identity may belong to more than one group identity, in which case
the user's access or permissions would be cumulative.
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Creating Group Identities
Creating Group Identities
The following fields define a Group Identity:
 Name
Name of the Group (typically a role in the organization).
 Description
Details about the group.
 Member Name
Required to be checked for the User to be “active” in the system. If a User leaves an
organization it may be preferable to disable the logon versus remove the User record for
historical reasons.
 From Date
For a member of an Alias Identity only – designed to allow access to another user’s Workflow
Assignments Voting rights for a limited period time period. This is a deprecated feature.
 End Date
See above

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Hierarchy Example
All Employees
Group Identities
Engineering
User Identity
(Alias)
Peter Smith Susan Harris John Young
Logon User
To Create a Group Identity
1. Select Identities from the TOC Pane and create a new Identity.
2. Use the following values to create a new group for the Design Request solution.
Name Engineering
Description Group Identity for Engineering

3. Add 3 new Member relationships to the Engineering Identity and provide the following
values:

Name Peter Smith
Name Susan Harris
Name John Young

4. Add the Engineering Group Identity as a member of the existing All Employees Identity.
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Viewing Identity Membership
The Identity
Membership
Report shows the
entire structure,
plus rolled-up
alias membership
Identity Membership Report
The Identity structure may resemble an organization chart or may have product team structures. In
some cases, the structure will have both functional and product associations.
The example shown is for the out‐of‐the‐box solutions database, so it is pretty simple. Most
companies will have 4 or more levels of structure. This report is very useful as a quick reference
instead of traversing a deep hierarchy with a “Where Used” type search query.
To Create an Identity Membership Report
1. Go to Identities in Administrator Category of TOC.
2. Select Report from File Menu
3. Click on “Identity Membership” Report
The report is divided into two sections:
Alias Membership
Displays all Identity Alias’ (Users) in one column and all the identities this user is associated with in a
column to the right.
Identity Structure
A reciprocal of the Alias Membership displays a hierarchy of identities from top Group Identity down
to the Alias. User Aliases in the Identity Structure are also shown in italics for easy recognition.
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Using System Identities
 World
▫ All identities.
 Administration
▫ Identities that will have Administrative access
 Creator
▫ User that created (first saved) an item.
▫ This value is stored in the created_by_id item property.
 Owner
▫ Identity that "owns" the item.
▫ This value is stored in the owned_by_id item property.
 Manager
▫ Identity that "manages" the item.
▫ This value is stored in the managed_by_id item property.
System Identities
There are a number of system Identities in Innovator which are reserved for specific purposes (and
cannot be deleted or changed).
World
Represents all identities in the system. Every user in the Aras system belongs to the World.
Administration
Allows a user to have administrative access to Aras. This includes access to the Administration
templates in the TOC as well as the ability to break an item lock.
Creator
This identity represents the user that created (first saved) an item. When an item is saved the
created_by_id system property on the item is updated to point to the user creating the item (this
value cannot be changed). To use this individual in a security policy, life cycle or workflow the
reserved identity Creator can be specified.
Owner
This identity represents the value of the owned_by_id system property on an item. Often it is useful
to allow a creator to be able to specify another individual (or group) that will be have some
interaction with this item later (life cycle promotion, security, workflow assignment). By placing the
owned_by_id property on a Form, a user or group can be chosen when the item is created or edited.
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Access to the value of this field is then accomplished using the Owner identity in a security
permission or workflow assignment.
As an example, the Owner identity is used by a Part item to allow assignment of an Assigned
Creator, or the identity responsible for the technical content and review of the item.
Manager
This identity represents the value of the managed_by_id system property on an item. You can use
the same technique as described for Owner to obtain the value of the managed_by_id property on a
Form using the reserved identity Manager.
Note
Super User is a special user identified as the “root” user of the system. The Super User is defined by
the system to ignore all Permission settings – granting it access to any Permissions it is assigned to.
You should not use the Special User when testing security.
Tip: Best Practice!
Once the company structure is in place, the top internal department Identities should be added as
members to All Employees Identity. It creates a distinguishable Identity between Employees and
external groups such as All Suppliers and All Customers.
Administrator passwords should be changed to different passwords for different instances of
Innovator. For Example, the admin password should differ between your Test environment and your
Production environment.
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Defining Permissions
 Define which Identities may:
▫ Get (Retrieve) an Item
▫ Update an Item
▫ Delete an Item
▫ Discover an Item (Search)
▫ Show Permission Warnings on an Item
▫ Change Access on an Item
 Each Item must have a Permission (most are shared)
 A single Item can have a distinct permission (Private)
Defining Permissions
A Permission defines what access a user or group has to an Item. A Permission identifies one or
more identities and the rights and privileges assigned to each Identity, such as the ability to view,
edit, delete, etc.
Permissions are assigned to an ItemType to define the security for all Items of that type.
Permissions can also be assigned to LifeCycle states (discussed later in the course) to change the
security of an Item over its lifetime.
A system property named permission_id identifies the Permission for the current Item being viewed
or edited by a user. An Item can only have one Permission active at any one time, but many Items
can share the same Permission definition.
A special type of Permission known as "Private" allows you to define a Permission that is specific to
one Item only and is never shared. You will learn more about Private Permissions later in this unit.
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Creating a Permission
Identities Access
Creating a Permission
Permissions are defined with a name and are related to one or more Identities that have the
following access rights:
Get Access
Enables Identities to retrieve and view an Item
Update Access
Enables Identities to edit existing Items
Delete Access
Enables Identities to delete Items
Can change access
Enables Identities to change access settings,
Can Discover and Show Permissions Warnings are discussed later in this unit.
Note
Remember that Can Add and TOC Access are configured separately from a Permission. You set
these two access rights directly on the ItemType using the Can Add and TOC Access Relationship tab.
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To Create a New Permission
1. Select Permissions from the TOC Pane and create a new Permission named Design Request.
2. Create a new Permission for the Design Request solution using the following values:
Name Get Update Delete Can Show Can change

Discover Permissions access
Warnings
Engineering Yes Yes No Yes No No
Innovator Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Admin

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Defining ItemType Permission
ItemType
Default Permission
Identity
Defining ItemType Permission
Once a Permission has been defined it is assigned to one or more ItemTypes.
At least one Permission must be set as the Default permission for the ItemType.
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Assigning ItemType Permissions
Default Permission is
assigned to ItemType
Assigning ItemType Permissions
Permissions are assigned on the Permissions relation tab of an ItemType
To Assign a Permission
1. Open the Design Request ItemType for edit.
2. Locate the Permissions relation tab and add a new Permission relation.
3. You will be prompted to choose a defined Permission.
4. Search for and select the Design Request Permission and check the Default checkbox.
5. Save, Unlock and Close the ItemType
The list of all available Permissions must be defined in the corresponding ItemType.
One Permission is considered the Default permission for the Item when it is first created.
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Using Discovery Privileges
 Discovery Privilege provides the capability to
further restrict access to items in your Innovator
database.
 Provides a layer of abstraction over sensitive
information.
 Determines whether identities are allowed to learn
that an item exists in the Innovator database
Discovery Privileges
The primary function of a “Discover” privilege is to allow the user to search for items and view
limited information about them in the search grid, but not view the detailed information that would
be present on the Item form. This feature provides a certain level of access control over sensitive
information to determine if certain Identities are allowed to learn that an item exists in the
Innovator database.
For example, this feature may be used to restrict a development or supply chain partner to only
discover the items in your Innovator database they are responsible for. In this case, only items for
which the “Can Discover” access is set will be returned in searches even if items match the search
criteria.
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Discovery and Get Access Behavior
 Get Access
 Users will be allowed to view all information and open forms
 Discover Only Access
 Items will be returned in main grid and relationship grids when they match the search
criteria
 Users will be restricted to viewing only the information returned in the grid and will not
have the ability to open the form
 A warning will be displayed in the lock status column of the grids
 Warning will be displayed in the status bar indicating a permission restriction if “Show
Permissions Warning” is set and there are items missing from the result due to
insufficient privilege
 No Get or Discover = (No Access)
 Items will not be returned in main grid or relationship grid even if they match the
search criteria
 Warning will be displayed in the status bar indicating a permission restriction if “Show
Permissions Warning” is set and there are items missing from the result due to
insufficient privilege
Copyright © 2014 Aras All Rights Reserved. Slide 19
Configuring Discover and Get Privileges
Both Discover and Get privileges allow you to define the amount of information that is viewed about
an Item. It is important to understand how these two privileges work together.
If only Get Access is set to true:
 Users will be allowed to view all information and open forms.

If Discover Only access is set to true but not Get Access:
 Items will be returned in main grid and relationship grid when they match the search criteria
 Users will be restricted to viewing only the information returned in the grid and will not
have the ability to open the form
 A warning icon is displayed in the lock status column of main grid
 A warning is displayed in the status bar indicating a permission restriction

If the “Show Permissions Warning” is set to true and there are missing items from a search query, a
message is displayed indicating insufficient privilege.
Display Rules in Relationship Grid
Relationship grids are impacted in a similar manner to the main search results grid:
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 Items with no “Can Discover” access are shown with words “Restricted” in each column of
relationship grid. User is unable to open item or see any information about it. Items are
displayed in this manner so all users see a complete number of items in grid to prevent
confusion and eliminate any chance restricted information is misunderstood as incomplete
information.
 Items with “Can Discover” but no “Get” access have the Limited Permissions Icon in the first
column, similar to the main search grid.
 No warnings are displayed in the status bar.

Note
In order to use the Discovery privilege, you must also set the "Enforce Discovery" option in the
target ItemType.
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Can Change Access
 Allows a user to change Permission on an Item
Changing Access
If the “Can change access” permission is set to true for an Identity, users of that Identity have the
ability to change the Permission of the Item.
The list of all available Permissions must be defined in the corresponding ItemType.
One Permission is considered the Default permission for the Item when it is first created.
To Change Access
1. Select Views > Permissions from the Tear Off Menu
2. list of available Permissions is displayed
3. Select a different Permission and Save the Item.
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Working with Teams
 Team is a group of one or more Identities that are
assigned to a Team Role
 A Team can then be assigned to an individual Item
to define security for members of the Team
Mobile Computing
Products Products
Susan Harris, Team Manager John Young, Team Manager

Peter Smith, Team Member Susan Harris, Team Member
Working with Teams
A Team Item is defined as a group of one or more Identities that are assigned a role as part of
membership. Each Identity that is included in a Team can be assigned a Team Role that indicates
their involvement in the Team. Aras provides a standard set of Team Roles but you can also define
your own. A Team Role can then be assigned in a Permission to allow for "dynamic" security based
on Team membership. Teams can also be referenced in LifeCycles and Workflows (discussed later in
the course).
In the example above, a Team has been created named Mobile Products. It includes two members
who are assigned the roles of Team Manager (Susan Harris) and Team Member (Peter Smith).
Another Team named Computing Products has been defined with different Identities for the same
Team Role names.
If a Permission is created that uses the Team Manager role – the Identity of that role will be
determined by which Team was selected for the Item. In this example, Susan Harris is defined as
Team Manager if the Mobile Products team is selected for an item. John Young is the Team
Manager if the Computing Products team is selected instead.
The system property team_id can be displayed on a Form to allow a user at runtime to select the
appropriate Team.
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Assigning Team Roles
 Member Identities can be assigned a Team Role
that indicates their level of responsibility on a
Team
 Standard Team Roles include:
Team Manager
▫ Team Manager
▫ Team Member
▫ Team Guest
 If a role is not assigned to a member of a Team
they assume the role of "Team"
Assigning Team Roles
Aras provides four standard Team Roles as shown above. When you assign an Identity to a Team
you can choose the appropriate role. That role name can then be used to assign custom security
rights in a Permission Item.
If you do not assign a Team Role to an Identity, it assumes the default role of "Team".
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Creating a New Team
3 4
Creating a New Team
Only administrators have the right to create and configure a Team.
A Team Item provides the following fields:
 Name
Name of the Team.
 Description
Details about the Team.
 Team Member Name
An Identity that has been defined and will become a member of the Team. This can be a
Group or Alias Identity.
 Role
A Team Role. Choose Team Manager, Team Member or Team Guest. If you leave this field
blank the Identity assumes the role of Team.
To Create a New Team
1. Select Administration > Team from the TOC and add a new Team.
2. Enter the Team Name and Description.
3. Enter Team Member Identities and assign Team Roles.
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In this example, the following Team named Mobile Products has been created:
Name Team Role
Susan Harris Team Manager
Peter Smith Team Member
Create another Team using the same procedure named Computing Products and define the
following members:
Name Team Role
John Young Team Manager
Susan Harris Team Member
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Assigning Team Permissions
Team Access
Assigning Team Permissions
Team Roles can be assigned to Permission Items using the same procedure we discussed earlier in
this unit. The actual Identity that represents the Team Role will be dynamically associated at
runtime based on which Team has been selected for an Item of this type.
In this example, the Design Request Permission defined earlier in this unit has been modified to
include the Team Manager and Team Member roles with appropriate security rights based on their
level of responsibility.
Based on the two Teams created on the previous page, if the Mobile Products Team is applied to a
Design Request Item then Susan Harris (Team Manager) will be able to retrieve, update and delete
the Item. Peter Smith (Team Member) will be able to update but not delete the Item associated
with this Team.
If the Computing Products Team is applied to a request instead, then John Young will assume the
Team Manager role and Susan Harris will be a Team Member.
By creating Teams, you can supplement the already robust security system provided in Aras
Innovator.
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Displaying the Team Property
2
1
Displaying Team Property
You allow a user to select a Team for an Item by exposing the system property team_id on a Form.
The team_id property uses the Item data type property which points to a Team.
A user will then be allowed to search and select a Team to associate with the Item.
In this example, the Design Request Form is modified to allow for the selection of a Team.
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Defining Private Permissions
 An Item is assigned to a distinct Permission
created by the user
 This Permission cannot be used by any other item
Design Request Permission DR-000020

DR-000020
Private Permissions
A Private Permission (if allowed) lets a user to change the access rights for the current Permission
assigned to the Item.
The configured Permission is unique to this single Item and cannot be shared by any other Items in
the system.
For example, an Identity (such as an auditor) may need access rights on a particular Project instance
for a limited time. This Permission should be unique to this project and not shared by any other
Projects.
The Private Permission imposes a new set of access rights to this Item. It is independent of the
allowed (default and other) Permissions of an ItemType.
If Permission of the Item is changed later to a "standard" (non‐private) Permission the Private
Permission is deleted.
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Allowing Private Permissions
 Configure ItemType to allow Private Permissions
 Configure Permission to allow Can Change Access
Allowing Private Permissions
The Allow Private Permissions setting is available on the ItemType form.
Setting this option to true enables the user to set a Private Permission for an Item.
Note
The Identity must also have the Permission right “Can change access” set to true for their Identity.
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Setting a Private Permission
To Set a Private Permission
1. Select Views > Permissions > Create Private from the Tear Off menu.
2. The current Permission is displayed in a separate window.
3. Change the access rights (for this Item only) and Save the Item.
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Password Policies
 User Alias Identity defines:
▫ Password Age
▫ Password History Length
 System Variables define:
▫ Minimum Characters
 User_pwd_symbols_min_number
▫ Minimum Digits
 User_pwd_digits_min_number
▫ Password attempts
 AccountLockoutThreshold_triesNum
▫ Lockout duration
 AccountLockOutDuration_minutes
Assigning Password Policies
Password policies allow great flexibility for the administrators in configuring and maintaining User
passwords. System variables are used to specify password restrictions. On top of this each Identity
has some restrictions that can be independently applied such as aging and history.
Password Variables
Go to TOC Administration ‐> Variables to change any of the following Variables.
 User_pwd_symbols_min_number defines a minimum number of characters for a password.
 ‐1 means there is no minimum, "symbols" does not mean "special characters“
 User_pwd_digits_min_number defines a minimum number of numbers in a password.
 ‐1 means there is no minimum
 AccountLockoutThreshold_triesNum defines a number of incorrect password tries before an
account is locked out
 AccountLockoutDuration_minutes defines a number of minutes before an account is
released from being locked out
Identity Properties
 Maximum Password Age indicates the password must be changed after this specified
number of days.
 Password History Length specifies a number of old passwords that are saved and prevented
from being used again when resetting a password.
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Using External Authentication
 Innovator provides a mechanism for external
authentication, usually via Active Directory
 User records are still required, but passwords are
externally managed
 Logon screen may be simplified or eliminated
altogether
 For more information:
Aras Innovator – Authentication Setup.pdf
Aras Innovator allows for a flexible set of configurations for authentication and site structure. By
combining the ability to distribute the different tiers of innovator with the different authentication
modes, administrators can create a deployment that leverages more than one authentication
method.
External authentication can be achieved via a number of different systems, but Active Directory is
the most common because Innovator runs on the Windows platform
Public Server ‐ This server represents the main instance of Aras Innovator. This server runs the
Innovator Server, Database Server, and Vault Server tiers of Aras Innovator.
Internal Server – This server represents a second instance of Aras Innovator on the same network as
the Public Server, but does not stand alone. Users would authenticate against this server using
Active Directory, and would not be subject to the session timeout restrictions of the Aras Innovator
Security feature of the Public Server.
Distributed Client Server Tier ‐ This tier represents an instance of Aras Innovator deployed on a
different LAN than the Public Server. This server only consists of the Innovator Server tier of Aras
Innovator.
Note
This is a subscriber only feature. For more details, refer to the document Aras Innovator
Authentication Setup available for download from aras.com.
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Summary

In this unit you learned about how to implement the Aras Innovator security model.
 Define Users and Identities
 Use Built‐in Identities
 Understanding Identity Membership
 Create Permissions
 Configure Special Permissions
 Create Private Permissions
 Understanding Password Policies
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Review Questions

What is automatically created when you create a new User? What is the purpose?
Can a Private permission apply to more than one Item?
How would you prevent someone from being able to search and see an Item in the search grid?
What is the best way to see a Group Identity hierarchy that has been defined in the system?
How can you block someone from the system after 3 failed logons?
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Lab Exercise

Goal:
Refine the security of the Change Request ItemType to only allow certain users to perform specific
operations on new or existing Change Request Items.
Scenario:
You will create a new User and Identity based on a set of security requirements. You will then refine
the permissions for the Change Request ItemType.
You will be extending the All Employees Identity so that when you are finished the organization
looks like the following:

Note
You should have already built the Engineering and Alias Identities following along with the
Instructor. If not, you will need to do this before you start this exercise.
Steps:
1. Before beginning this exercise, delete any existing Change Request Items you created in
previous exercises. This will make it easier to see how making changes in security affects a
user’s ability to work in the system.
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Users and Identities
2. Create a new User named Ann Reddy (Login Name: areddy with the same password). Check to
make sure the Alias Identity is also created.
3. Edit the Group Identity named CRB (Change Review Board).
4. Add the Ann Reddy Alias Identity as a member of the CRB Identity.
5. Add the CRB Group Identity as a member of the All Employees Identity.
6. Run the Identity Membership report. How many Group Identities does your new User belong
to? _________ Why? __________________________________________________________
Permissions
7. Create a Permission named Change Request. Configure the Permission as follows:
Identity Grants
All Employees Get, Can Discover, Show Permissions Warning
Engineering Get, Can Discover, Show Permissions Warning, Update
Innovator Get, Can Discover, Show Permissions Warning, Update, Delete,
Admin Change Access

8. Open the Change Request ItemType for edit and replace the Default Access permission you used
earlier with the Change Request permission created above. Make sure it is selected as the
Default permission.
9. Currently the Can Add security setting for the Change Request ItemType is assigned to the
identity World. Replace this with the following Identity. Make sure the “Can Add” checkbox is
selected for the Identity:

10. Attempt to create a new Change Request as the admin user. Can you create a new Item?
______
Why? ____________________________________________________________________
11. Log on to Aras Innovator as Peter Smith (psmith). Can you create a new Change Request?
___________
Why? ____________________________________________________________________
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12. Log on to Aras Innovator as Ann Reddy (areddy). Are you able to view existing Change
Requests? __________ Are you able to edit a request? ___________
Why? _____________________________________________________________________

Teams
13. Log on as the Innovator Admin and create a new Team Item named Home Electronics that
includes the following members and role names:
Ann Reddy Team Manager
Susan Harris Team Member

14. Modify the Change Request Permission and add the following Team identities using the grants
as shown:
Identity Grants
Team Member Get, Can Discover
Team Manager Get, Can Discover, Show Permissions Warning, Update, Delete,
Change Access

15. Modify the Change Request form and add the team_id property to the Form to allow a user to
select a Team.
_____________________________________________________________________________
16. Log on as Peter Smith (psmith) and create a new Change Request. Assign the Item to the Home
Electronics Team before saving the Item. What two users will now be able to delete the Change
Request? ______________________________________________________
Log on as one of those users to confirm your answer.
17. To make testing easier while in development, it will be easier to allow the Innovator Admin to
also be able to add new Change Requests to the system. What change must you make to allow
this happen?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
18. Adjust the Change Request ItemType to allow the Innovator Admin to add new Change
Requests.
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Unit 8 Creating Item Relationships

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to build relationships between two ItemTypes.
You will also learn about typical relationship patterns and how they can be
used in different situations.
Objectives:  Defining Relationship Types
 Understanding the Relationship Item Type
 Reviewing Typical Relationship Patterns
 Exploring the Benefits of NULL Relationships
 Searching Relationships
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Aras Innovator Object Structure
RelationshipType
ItemType Relationship ItemType ItemType
Relationship Item
Item
Relationship Item
Item Item
Relationship Item
Item
Reviewing Object Structure
Everything in Aras Innovator is an Item that has been derived from an ItemType.
Items may have relationships to other Items through the use of RelationshipTypes.
RelationshipTypes dictate what ItemTypes are legally related to other ItemTypes.
When two Item instances are related in the database, a Relationship Item instance is also created
that can hold distinct property values for that specific relationship.
Relationship Items contain the following standard properties:
 related_id: the related (child) Item for the relationship
 source_id: the source (parent) Item for the relationship
 behavior (fixed, float): used for configuration management

Relationship Items are created by users in the Relationships Grid on the tear off window. Each
RelationshipType is represented as a separate tab on the grid.
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Unit 8 – Creating Item Relationships
RelationshipType
 Defines the relationship between two ItemTypes
▫ Source ItemType
▫ Related ItemType
 Defines cardinality and versioning behavior
between related Items
 Defines default setting in the relationship grid
RelationshipType
When you create a Relationship, the required source and related ItemTypes are captured in the
RelationshipType.
You can configure how many items can be related to the source item (one‐to‐one, one‐to‐many) and
how versions should be treated among related Items (discussed later in the course).
You can also configure some general default settings for the relationship search grid that appears in
a source Item (sort, auto‐search, etc.).
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Relationship ItemType
 Is related to the RelationshipType with same name
 Contains standard Item properties including:
▫ related_id
▫ source_id
▫ behavior
 Can contain other properties relevant to the
relationship
▫ Quantity
▫ Model number
Relationship Item Type
When you create a RelationshipType – a Relationship ItemType is automatically created in the
database with the same name. This template defines what the Relationship Items will be able to
store along with their behavior.
Because relationships are also Items they can store additional information about the relationship in
the database. For example, the Part BOM relationship in the standard PE Solution stores the
number of related Parts from a parent Part in a property named Quantity.
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Defining the Design Request
Document Relationship
Design Request
Document
Design Document
Request Design Request
Document
Defining the Design Request Document Relationship
If you recall, one of the requirements for our Design Request solution is to be able to relate to Items
of type Document. We need to be able to create a RelationshipType to define that connection.
In this example, we’ll create a relationship between the Design Request ItemType and the
Document ItemType. Note that the Document ItemType already exists in the standard solution
database.
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Creating a RelationshipType
New
Relationship Tab Label Related ItemType

Name
To Create a RelationshipType
1. Open the desired ItemType and locate the Relationships tab. In this example, we will
modify the Design Request ItemType.
2. Click the New button to define a new RelationshipType. A search dialog will appear to select
the Related ItemType. In this example, choose the Document ItemType.
3. Provide a Relationship Name (a typical naming convention is to use the source and related
ItemType names). In this example, the name is Design Request Document.
4. Provide a Label for the Relationship. This will become the tab label that is displayed in the
source Item.
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Reviewing the Relationship
ItemType
Source and Related

ItemTypes
Reviewing the Relationship ItemType
The Relationship ItemType will be created automatically and use the same name as the
RelationshipType. You can add properties and behavior to this ItemType if necessary to supplement
additional characteristics about the relationship.
Relationship Type Options
“Is Relationship” is automatically selected indicating this is a Relationship ItemType.
“Use Src Access” is automatically selected indicating this Relationship ItemType will use the same
security permissions as the parent ItemType (in this example “Design Request”). If you uncheck this
option, you must provide the “Can Add” Identities as well as the default Permission for this
ItemType.
Dependent Option
The Dependent option is useful to prevent “orphan” Items in the database. If an Item cannot exist
on its own (must have a parent Item), select this option on the related ItemType. This will prevent a
user from creating an Item of this type unless it is part of a relationship. If the parent Item is
deleted, the dependent item is deleted as well (cascading delete).
Example: a Part Price Quotation cannot exist without a corresponding Part. The Price Quotation
ItemType is marked as Dependent which means that quotes can only be created on an existing Part.
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Reviewing the RelationshipType
1
6 7
2
3 14 8 13
4 9 11
5
10 12
Reviewing the RelationshipType
The following fields define a RelationshipType
 Name
Name of the Relationship
 Label
Label displayed on Item Relationships Tab
 Auto Search
Search automatically for ItemTypes
 Sort Order
Order of Relationships Tab on an Item
 Default Page Size
Search grid page size
 Source Item Type
Name of the Parent ItemType
 Hide in All
If checked, hides the relationship
 Related Item Type
Child ItemType name
 Min Occurs
Minimum number of related Items required
 Max Occurs
Maximum Number of connections allowed
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 Behavior
Revision behavior – discussed later in the course.
 Grid View
Right ‐ places the related item properties (the columns) on the right side of the grid; the
relationship properties are listed to the left of those columns
Left ‐ places the related item properties on the left of the grid, after all the relationship
properties have been listed
Intermix ‐ the columns are ordered only by the sort_order value of each property, so the
relationship properties and the related properties will be intermixed
 On New Related Options
Allow user to pick existing ItemTypes or create new ones
Requires Related
Removes the “No Related” choice from the pick action drop down list box in the relationships
grid. A user must either pick an existing related Item or create a new one.
Open Related Form
If checked, the related Item view is displayed, allowing a user to enter data in a Form rather
than using the relationship grid columns.
 Paste Defaults
Create Related – if the source Item is copied, then the related Item(s) is also copied.
Copy Permissions‐ if Create Related is true, when the related Items are copied if they have a
Private Permission it is also copied to the new related Item(s).

Note
The recommended way to create new RelationshipType is by adding a new relationship to a source
ItemType. If you manually add a new RelationshipType you will also have to manually create the
corresponding Relationship ItemType.
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Defining a NULL Relationship
RelationshipType No
Related
ItemType Relationship ItemType ItemType
Relationship Item
Design Design Request Comments

Request
Defining NULL Relationships
NULL relationships are useful when you need to provide the ability for a user to add more than one
piece of the same information to an Item but do not need or don’t have another ItemType to make
a connection.
In the example above, a NULL relationship is used to define the ability for a User to add multiple
remarks to an Item. A “remarks” String property can be assigned to the Relationship Item. Each
time a User defines a new remark – an additional Relationship Item will be created. No additional
related item is necessary.
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Creating a NULL Relationship
1 2
3 4
Creating NULL Relationships
Open the source ItemType and locate the Relationships tab. In this example, we will use the Design
Request ItemType.
 Pick Related
Select No Related from the dropdown box .
 New
Create a new NULL relationship.
 Relationship Name
Specify the name of the relationship and a Tab Label.
 Tab Label
Tab label that will appear to the user for this relationship in the relationship grid.
To Create a NULL Relationship
1. Open the ItemType and add a new No Related relationship, in this example use the values
noted above.
2. Save the ItemType to establish the new RelationshipType and Relationship ItemType.
3. Finally you will need to add a new String Property to the Relationship ItemType to hold the
value of the remarks.
4. Locate and edit the Relationship ItemType – in this example Design Request Remarks.
5. Add the String Property _comments to the ItemType and make sure the property is not
Hidden.
6. Save changes to the ItemType.
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Testing Relationships
Each Tab represents a
RelationshipType for this Item
Testing a NULL Relationship
Create a new Item and look for the relationship tab with the appropriate label. In this example,
Remarks is the label.
Add a new relationship and enter text in the field provided. When you save the Item a new NULL
relationship is established for that Item.
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RelationshipType Patterns
 The diagrams below show typical relationship patterns
 Diagram A shows the most common type of relationship, where the source/parent
item (Part) has a relationship (Part Document) to a separate related/child item
(Document)
 Diagram B show a circular relationship, where the source/parent item (Part) has a
relationship (Part BOM) to a related/child item of the same type
 Diagram C shows a "null" relationship, where there is no related item. This
pattern is useful when there is a need to track items (Values, Comments, etc.) that
pertain only to the source item and would not be reused
A B C
Part Part List
Part Document Part BOM Value
Document NULL
RelationshipType Patterns
Innovator has three typical RelationshipType patterns, but there are others like relationships
relating to other relationships.
A Direct RelationshipType is the most commonly used pattern and is best described as having a
Source ItemType and a Related ItemType. See Diagram A above.
A Circular RelationshipType simply references itself, such as a standard Innovator Part ItemType.
Viewing the Part BOM RelationshipType reveals the Source and Related ItemTypes are both a Part
ItemType. In a Bill of Material (BOM) hierarchy Parts are connected to other Parts through the Part
BOM RelationshipType.
Null relationships normally have visible properties since they have no related ItemType. The Part
ItemType contains a good example of a Null RelationshipType named Part Goal. The Part Goal
RelationshipType does not have a Related Item since it only displays properties in the relationship
grid.
Note
Relationships may also be linked to other Relationships. An example is the (Part) BOM Substitute in
the standard PE Solution. The Part BOM Relationship contains a link to the BOM Substitute
Relationship which contains a pointer to a Related Item Part used as a substitute in form, fit, and
function for that BOM entry. To see this Relationship example, view a Part BOM entry on a Part and
then select the Substitutes tab.
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Relationships vs. Item Properties
 Item Properties can be considered an alternate
form of relationship, but only if reference remains
static.
 Relationship gives greater flexibility, allows access
to more than just one property value and provides
more detailed control over behaviors.
 The simple distinction between item properties
and relationships is that an item property may
reference only one item, while relationships may
reference many.
Copyright © 2014 Aras All Rights Reserved. Slide 14 aras.com
Relationships vs. Item Data Type Properties
Earlier in the course we discussed using properties of data type Item to link one item to another. An
Item property provides reference to a single Item (and its foreign properties).
Relationships can provide more flexibility and more configuration options, e.g. one‐to‐many or
many‐to‐many relationships to other Items using the Relationship Grid.
Some factors to consider when using a Relationship vs. an Item property:
 If a Foreign Property can be used to display related data, it is more efficient than using a
relationship (fewer database tables required).
 Relationships give greater flexibility, allowing access to more than just one property value.
 Relationships provide one‐to‐many connections, Item properties only provide one‐to‐one.
 Using multiple Item properties on a single parent Item (e.g. Manufacturing Plant 1,
Manufacturing Plant 2, and Manufacturing Plant 3) makes the data model less flexible.
 Generally, use an Item property when only one Item is referenced and a relationship for
referencing more than one item.
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Searching Relationships
 Advanced Search Relationship Criteria
Design Request
Document
Design Document
Request Doc00001
Searching Relationships
As you learned earlier in the course, the Advanced Search option allows you to locate items with
expanded criteria preferences. Advanced Search also allows you to search on relationships items
that have been created from a parent item.
To specify criteria for a relationship item:
1. Select Advanced Search from the search options drop down list.
2. Click in the Item Type column to display any relationships that have been created from this
parent item type in a drop down list.
3. Select the relationship item type and then choose the desired property to specify criteria.
In the example above, the Design Request Document relationship has been selected. Using the
system property related_id, you can find all items that are related to the parent Design Request item
type. In this case, all Design Requests related to a Document item named Doc00001.
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Summary

In this unit you learned how relate one ItemType to another ItemType using a Relationship. You also
learned how to use NULL relationships to solve certain problems.
 Define Relationship Types
 Understand the Relationship Item Type
 Review Typical Relationship Patterns
 Explore the Benefits of NULL Relationships
 Search for Items using Relationship Criteria

Page 200
Review Questions

What is the difference between a RelationshipType and a Relationship ItemType?
Which will allow me to create new custom properties?
What is the advantage of using a Null relationship?
Page 201
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to create a relationship between two or more Items and assign appropriate configuration.
Be able to define and use a Null Relationship.
Scenario:
The original requirements for the Change Request system stated:
 Establish a required connection to a Customer record issuing the request
 Allow a user to attach Products to a request
 Log one or more review notes made by the Change Review Board for tracking progress.

In this exercise, you will establish relationships from the Change Request to a Customer Item as well
as Product Items. You will also add the ability to create review notes to a request using a Null
relationship.
Steps:
1. Create a new Customer and a new Product before establishing relationships to them from the
Change Request. (These two existing ItemTypes are part of the existing solution database.)

Note
You need to be a member of the Change Specialist I Identity to create a new Product. You
will first need to add the Innovator Admin to the Change Specialist I Identity to create a new
Product (remember to log out/in after making the change).
2. Open the Change Request ItemType for edit and make sure the Default Structure View is set to
Tab View:

3. Locate the RelationshipTypes tab. Create two new RelationshipTypes using the following
settings:
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ItemType Name Customer
(choose from the Search Grid)
Relationship Name Change Request Customer
(enter name in the Relationship Name field)
Label Customer
ItemType Name Product
(choose from the Search Grid)
Relationship Name Change Request Product
(enter name in the Relationship Name field)
Label Product
Your RelationshipTypes grid should now appear as shown below:

4. Save, Unlock and Close the Change Request ItemType. What two definition types have been
automatically created for each relationship based on the settings you provided above?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Locate and view these type definitions.
5. A Change Request requires a relationship to a Customer. Open the Change Request Customer
RelationshipType and modify it so that Min Occurs is set to the number 1.
6. Next create a new Change Request Item. You should see the following tabs in the Relationships
grid.

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Are you able to save the Change Request without a Customer? ________
Why? ______________________________________________________________________
7. Now add a Product Item to the Change Request.
8. Create some additional Change Requests with Customer and Product relationships to test your
work.
9. Next, we want to add the ability to capture Review Notes in the Change Request. You will
accomplish this using a Null relationship.
10. Open the Change Request ItemType for edit.
11. Add a new “No Related” RelationshipType from the Relationships Grid. Use the following
settings:
Relationship Name Change Request Memo
Tab Label Review Notes

12. Save, Unlock and Close the Change Request ItemType. What two definition types are
automatically created?
________________________________________________________________________
13. Locate the Relationship ItemType that was automatically generated by defining the new
RelationshipType and add the following property:
Property Name _note_text
Data Type String
Label Note Text
Specifics Length = 256, Default Value = Enter note here…

14. Create a new Change Request Item and note the new tab presented in the user interface. Use
the Review Notes tab to create a new Review Note.
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Optional: Modify the Relationship ItemType so that the modified_on date also appears next to the
note in the in the null relationship above. How do you control what properties are displayed in an
Item relationship grid?
__________________________________________________________________________
Page 205
Page 206

Unit 9 Defining Life Cycles and
Versioning

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to define life cycles for an ItemType and how to
control how a user promotes an Item through a life cycle. You will also learn
how to control Item versions and how to configure different behaviors when
related Items are versioned.
Objectives:  Identifying Life Cycle States
 Defining Life Cycle Transitions
 Creating a Life Cycle for an ItemType
 Promoting an Item through a Life Cycle
 Configuring and Viewing Item Versions
 Defining Versioning Behavior
 Performing Effectivity Searches
 Using the Structure Browser
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Describing a Life Cycle
 Associated with an ItemType
 Defined by Item states
 Users with proper authority promote Items to a
new state
 Represented by a Life Cycle map
Describing a Life Cycle
A Life cycle is a series of states (i.e., stages or gates) that an Item instance traverses during its
existence. Most business processes define high‐level stages to track the progress of an object in a
Life cycle. The example above uses three life cycle states.
You configure a Life Cycle for an ItemType by creating a Life Cycle Map.
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Unit 9 – Defining Life Cycles and Versioning
Viewing a Life Cycle Map
Start
Transition
State
Role
Viewing a Life Cycle Map
State
There are 5 states in this Lifecycle Map of a Document ItemType.
Start
Every Life Cycle has a Starting state.
Transition
Defines the connection between each State ‐ or the promotion path.
Role
Defines who (Identity) is capable of making this Transition.
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Creating a Life Cycle
Define the Life Cycle Map
Assign Life Cycle to ItemType
To Create a Life Cycle
1. Select Life Cycle Maps from the Administration Category and create a new map. In this
example, we are creating a Design Request Life Cycle.
2. In the Map canvas click the right mouse button and add the new States to the Life Cycle. In
this example we are adding the states:

New
Submitted
In Technical Review
Approved
Rejected
Incomplete
Cancelled

To connect a State with a Transition, click the right mouse button over a state and select
“Add Transition”. Position the mouse pointer on a “to” state and click to add a transition
from the first to the second state. Provide the Role name. In this example, we will use the
Support Identity or all Transitions.
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3. You can add a breakpoint in the Transitions between the In Review and Incomplete States to
make the diagram mode readable.
4. To add a break, click the right mouse button over a transition and select Add Break. Drag
the transition line as required.
5. When you have completed the diagram, Save the Life Cycle Map.
6. In order to use the Life Cycle you must associate it with an ItemType. In this example, open
the Design Request Item Type and add a new Life Cycle relationship. Note that a Life Cycle
can use the classification subclasses if the ItemType has been configured with a Class
Structure (as discussed earlier in the course).
7. Select the Design Request Life Cycle and save the ItemType.
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Life Cycle States
3
1
4
5
6
7
2 8
Defining a Life Cycle State
The following fields define a Life Cycle State:
 Name
Name of the State as it appears in the Life Cycle Map. If you supply a label this is displayed to
the user instead of the name and can be localized for foreign languages.
 Image
Custom image for this state.
 Released
Signifies Item is released and should be revised to next major version if versioning is
supported for the Item. Life Cycle is also reset to first state. (This is discussed later in this
unit.)
 Not Lockable
Item is not editable while in this State.
 State Permissions
Overrides any default ItemType Permissions while in this State. State permissions must also
appear as allowed permissions on the ItemType definition to work correctly.
 Workflow
Starts a Workflow – discussed in a later unit in this course.

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 History Template
Allows the History Template defined on the ItemType to be overridden by this defined
template. Note ‐ for the override to work correctly the original ItemType must have a History
Template defined.
 Configure E‐Mail
Allows email messages to be sent when this state become current on an Item. This is
discussed later in the course.

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Life Cycle Transitions
3
1
Defining a Life Cycle Transition
The following fields define a Life Cycle Transition:
 Role
Identity that is allowed to interact with this Transition (promote).
 Server Methods
Custom server methods created to provide custom behavior before and after this transition.
 Get Comment
Presents a dialog box to the end user when a promotion occurs to capture user remarks.
 Configure E‐Mail
Configures message(s) to send when this transition is reached.
Note
Team Roles are also supported as a valid Transition Role.
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Viewing an Item Life Cycle
Promote
View LifeCycle
Viewing a Life Cycle
To view an Item Life Cycle, open an Item and select View > LifeCycle from the Tear Off menu.
In this example, create a new Design Request Item and then View the Design Request Life Cycle.
You can Promote the Life Cycle to the next State by choosing it from the drop down list and clicking
the Promote button.
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Promoting an Item from Search
Grid
Promote
Choose
Available
State
Promoting an Item From the Search Grid
You can also Promote an Item from the Search Grid by selecting the Item in the Grid and pressing
the Promote button on the Main Toolbar.
Promote is also available on the context sensitive menu when you right click an unlocked item.
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Item Versioning
 If an ItemType is Versionable:
▫ Items keep a history of changes by storing a new
generation of the item each time a change is made
▫ A new generation is created when an Item is edited –
(locked, saved and unlocked)
▫ Subsequent saves while the item is still locked modify
the same generation
▫ The Revision (major_rev) is incremented when an
item in a released state is locked and saved
 Manual Versioning allows the user to decide
when an item should be versioned
Versioning Terminology
major_rev is the Version Property containing major increments, controlled by business rules causing
the Version to increment when changes are made to an Item in its Released state.
minor_rev is the Revision Property containing the secondary increments controlled by business rule
behavior as defined at the application level and customization.
generation is an Integer Property acting as the sequence counter of changes. Generations are
automatically incremented by Innovator core processes and rules. Whenever an Item is locked,
saved and then unlocked a new instance is created for traceability.
id is a Property that is an internally unique Item instance identifier. (Not seen by end‐User)
Lifecycle is a customer defined sequence of States and Transitions used as a primary driver of
business rules. All Items are defined to be in one State within one specified Lifecycle. State names
are not significant to the system, but flags on each State definition determine Items behavior.
Lifecycle Start State is a State within the Lifecycle that has specifically been designated as the
starting point for the Lifecycle. When a new Item instance is created, it is automatically set to the
Start State. When Versioning, the Item will be set back to its Lifecycle Start State and its Generation
is incremented.
Lifecycle Release State is a State within the Lifecycle that has specifically been flagged as a Released
State. There may be more than one Released State in a Lifecycle, but when an Item that is in the
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Released State is Versioned, its major_rev is incremented, it is set to the Lifecycle Start State, and its
Generation is incremented.
Promote is an Action performed by a User to change the State of an Item. It assigns another State
from the same Lifecycle that is connected by the Transition.
Lock, save, and unlock is a set of actions used to initiate and save changes to Items resulting in
Versioning when Automatic Versioning is activated on ItemType. Lock, save, and unlock affect the
Generation and Major_Rev of an Item explicitly. Minor_Rev behavior is controlled by business rules
definable at the application level via customization.
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Configuring Item Versioning
To Configure Item Versioning
Open the desired ItemType and select Versionable as true. Each time an Item is locked, saved and
unlocked a new generation of the Item is created using the Automatic discipline.
If the Manual discipline is selected, a user decides when the next generation of the Item is created.
The generation will not be created automatically.
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Configuring the Major Revision
To Configure the Major Revision Sequence
Revisions are simply sequences defined in the system as a Revision. The sequence is added to a
Revision ItemType separated by a space. The sequence can be any number or characters, it is the
whitespace that defines the separation. The sequence is read from left to right top to bottom and
can be up to 1024 characters long. It is common to skip revision letters like I and O to avoid
confusion with the numbers 1 and 0.
Note
When dealing with Revisions some companies like to start with numbers in a pre‐release and move
to letters later when a Part is finally released. The system is not configured to change a Revision
sequence automatically once it is defined for an ItemType, however this behavior can be added with
custom programming.
Best Practice
Create your own Revision Item rather than modifying the existing Default Revision. The Default
Revision is used internally as you develop a solution and could cause problems if modified.
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Viewing Versions
Viewing Versions
Each time an Item is Un‐Locked and Saved a new Generation is created. Every Generation creates a
new row in the ItemType table with a unique Id and the generation Property is incremented by one.
An Item also maintains a hidden property – config_id. The config_id property contains a 32
hexadecimal value that remains constant throughout the entire span of an Items existence.
Regardless of how many Generations of an Item are created the config_id remains the same. This is
how the system maintains traceability of an Item.
To View a Version
1. Select an Item from the search grid and click the right mouse button.
2. Select Revisions from the menu – the Item Versions dialog will appear.
3. Choose the Version to review from the dialog.
To Delete a Revision
1. Select an Item from the search grid and click the right mouse button.
2. Select Purge from the menu.
3. The current version of the Item will be deleted from the database.
Note
If you delete an Item, all revisions of the Item are deleted. Purge and delete are the same for non‐
versionable Items.
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Versions and Life Cycle
 Items in a Released state are versioned to next
Revision when Item is unlocked, saved and locked
– Life Cycle is reset:
Edit Edit Edit
Revision A Revision A Revision A Revision B

Generation 1 Generation 2 Generation 3 Generation 4
RESOLVED RESOLVED CLOSED OPEN
Released State New Revision

after edit – Life
Cycle reset
Versioning and Released Items
When a versionable Item reaches a Released state two behaviors occur the next time the Item is
edited (Locked, Saved, Unlocked).
 The Life Cycle is reset to the starting State.
 The Major Revision is incremented based on the Revisions sequence.

In the simple example above, the Item first appears as Revision A – Generation 1 Resolved.
The Item is then edited and appears as Revision A – Generation 2.
The Item is then edited again and promoted to the Released state of Closed.
The next time the Item is edited (locked, saved, unlocked) the Revision is incremented to B.
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Item Behavior is a property of the life cycle state that sets behavior on the connection between
source item (parent), and related item (child). This property is only applicable if source item and
related item are versionable. Also, keep in mind that a default Item Behavior property is defined on
the RelationshipType as well (see RelationshipType Item Behavior). These two property settings ‐
the Item Behavior of a RelationshipType and of the Item Behavior on the Life Cycle State ‐ work
together to control configuration of source and related items.
The settings Hard Fixed and Hard Float mean different things for RelationshipType behavior and Life
Cycle State behavior.
RelationshipType
 Hard Float or Hard Fixed behavior cannot be modified by the LifeCycle state settings. This
allows different relationships on an ItemType to support different behaviors by overriding
the standard LifeCycle behavior.
Life Cycle State
 Hard Float or Hard Fixed behavior is in effect until the life cycle ends, and cannot be
changed by subsequent life cycle states

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Date Filter Searches
 Useful for finding the generation of an Item
 Four kinds:
▫ Current – most current generation of an Item
▫ Latest ‐ most recent generation of an Item that
matches criteria
▫ Released – latest Released generation (based on
Released date)
▫ Effective – latest Effective generation (based on
Effective date)

Date Filter Searches are used to help filter the main search grid with a state and date specification.
Four Effectivity Types exist; Current, Latest, Released, and Effectivity.
The default search type is Current, meaning you see the most current generation of the Items.
Latest searches may return unexpected (but correct) results. For example, consider a Document
that was originally (gen 1) named "Spec", but was later (gen 5) changed to "Functional
Specification". A Latest search for "sp*" would (and should) return gen 1 of the Document, allowing
the original author able to find it by name.
Latest can also find the latest generation based on a specific date, and return the last generation
created before the date entered.
Release Date is set automatically on promotion to a released state.
Effective Date may be exposed and set manually if desired. Otherwise, Effective Date will be set to
Release Date.
If “As Of” date is used, either Today as the default, or a Date is selected the time is inclusive up to
midnight of that day. For example, "Released as of Today" really means "Released any time before
midnight tonight".
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Using Date Filters
To Perform an Effectivity Search
On the search grid, click the drop down list and select an option and/or choose a date from the Date
dialog.
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Using the Structure Browser
 Quickly view related Items and differences in
versions
Using the Structure Browser
The Structure Browser is useful for comparing the differences between related Item structures over
time.
To Use the Structure Browser
1. Select an Item in the search grid and click the right mouse button.
2. Select Structure Browser from the menu.
3. The current version of the structure appears. You can expand and contract the structure by
clicking on the + and – signs.
4. To compare a previous version, press either the Previous Version or Another Item button in
the toolbar and select a Version to compare.
5. Press the Highlight button (01).
6. Red text indicates a structure element has changed in the structure.
7. Blue text indicates structure elements that do not appear in the comparison Item.
8. You can also view the structure in different ways using the appropriate toolbar button.
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Versioning Related Items
 Configuration behavior rules define what occurs
when related Items are versioned
 Four behavior types exist:
▫ Fixed
▫ Float
▫ Hard Fixed
▫ Hard Float
 Configuration behavior rules can be set on a
▫ RelationshipType
▫ LifeCycle state
▫ Item Data Type Property
Versioning Related Items
Versioning a single unrelated Item is fairly straight forward as we have seen. A new Generation of
the Item is created each time the Item is edited (Locked, Saved, Unlocked).
The behavior becomes more complicated when the versioned Item is related to other versioned
Items in the database. Should the other versioned Items still be related to the next Generation?
What if a related Item is edited – should it remain related to its “Parent” Item?
Four behavior rules exist for related Item versioning and can be set on a RelationshipType or a Life
Cycle State.
These behaviors are also available for Items that are related using an Item Data Type property.
Item Behavior is a property of the life cycle state that sets behavior on the connection between
source item, or parent, and related item, or child. This property is only applicable if source item and
related item are versionable. Also, keep in mind that an Item Behavior property is defined on the
RelationshipType as well (see RelationshipType Item Behavior). These two property settings ‐ the
Item Behavior of a RelationshipType and of the Item Behavior on the Life Cycle State ‐ work together
to control configuration of source and related items.
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Configuration Behavior ‐
RelationshipType
Configuring RelationshipType Behavior
RelationshipType behavior can be set on a RelationshipType using the Behavior drop down list.
Note
This rule sets the behavior property on the instance of a Relationship ItemType when it is created.
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Configuration Behavior – Life
Cycle State
Configuring Life Cycle State Behavior
Each Life Cycle State can be configured with an Item Behavior by selecting the behavior from the
drop down list.
Note
If Item Behavior is set for a Life Cycle State it takes precedence over the RelationshipType behavior
that may be defined for the Relationship Item.
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Float Behavior
Related Item Versioned
Revision A Related
Generation 1 Item is
Revision A Versioned
Generation 1
Revision A
Generation 2
Float Behavior
If a Life Cycle behavior is set as Float, when a related Item is revised to a new generation, the source
Item points to the newest version of that Item.
1. In this example, a Design Request is created and a relationship is established to a Document Rev
A – 1.
2. The Document is then edited and a new revision is created (A ‐2). The Design Request
Document relationship will “float” to the highest revision.
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Fixed Behavior
Related Item Versioned
Revision A Related
Generation 1 Item is
Revision A Versioned
Generation 1
Revision A
Generation 2
Fixed Behavior
If a Life Cycle behavior is set as Fixed, when a related Item is revised to a new generation, the source
Item points to the existing version of that Item.
A – 1.
2. The Document is then edited and a new revision is created (A ‐2). The Design Request
Document relationship will remain “fixed” to the existing revision.
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Float Behavior
Source and Related Item Versioned
1
Revision A Revision A Revision A
Generation 1 Generation 1 Generation 1
Revision A
Generation 1
2 3
Float Behavior – Source and Related Item Versioned
This example demonstrates when both a Source and Related Item are versioned.
A – 1. The Life Cycle behavior is set to Float.
2. The Design Request is then revised (A ‐2). Since there are no other Documents the relationship
to Document A ‐1 continues.
3. A user then creates a new revision of the Document (A ‐2). The Design Request (A ‐2) now
“floats” to the newer Document (A‐2).
Note however, that the original Design Request (A‐1) remains related to Document A ‐1. The
relationship behavior of Design Request A1 to Document A1 is set to "Hard Fixed" to maintain this
configuration for this version. This behavior is in accordance with the CMII standard.
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Fixed Behavior
Source and Related Item Versioned
1
Revision A
Generation 1
2 3
Fixed Behavior – Source and Related Item Versioned
This example presents the same scenario as the previous page. However, since the Life Cycle
behavior is defined as Fixed, Design Request A‐2 remains Fixed to Document A‐1.
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Hard Fixed and Hard Float
Behavior
Hard Float Hard Fixed
RelationshipType Float behavior that Fixed behavior that
cannot be modified by cannot be modified by
the life cycle state the life cycle state
settings settings
Life Cycle State Float behavior is in effect Fixed behavior is in

until the life cycle ends, effect until the life cycle
and cannot be changed ends, and cannot be
by subsequent life cycle changed by subsequent
states life cycle states

Item Behavior is a property of the lifecycle state that sets behavior on the connection between a
versionable source item (parent), and related item (child). Default behavior for a relationship is
configured on the RelationshipType template and can be overridden using behaviors configured on
each lifecycle state.
The settings Hard Fixed and Hard Float have different meanings depending on where they are
configured.
RelationshipType
When Hard Float or Hard Fixed behavior is defined on a RelationshipType this indicates that
behavior cannot be overridden by the LifeCycle state settings. This allows different relationships
from a parent ItemType to support different behaviors by overriding the parent LifeCycle behavior
(since there can only be one active lifecycle configured on a parent Item) .
Life Cycle State
When Hard Float or Hard Fixed behavior is configured on a lifecycle state this indicates that behavior
is in effect until the life cycle ends, and cannot be changed by subsequent life cycle states
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Summary

In this unit you learned how to define a Life Cycle for an Item as well as version Items in the
database. You also learned about related item behaviors when connected Items are revised.
 Identify Life Cycle States
 Define Life Cycle Transitions
 Create a Life Cycle for an ItemType
 Promote an Item through a Life Cycle
 Configure Item Versioning
 View Item Versions
 Describe Versioning of Related Items
 Using Effectivity Searches

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Review Questions

What triggers a new Major Revision for an Item?
What is the purpose of a Life Cycle transition?
Where can I configure Item behavior as it relates to versioning and related Items? What takes
precedence?
How can I compare two versions of the same Item?
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Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to define a lifecycle for an ItemType and promote an Item through the lifecycle. Be able to
define relationship behaviors based on the requirements of the situation.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will provide a life cycle for the Change Request ItemType and also support
versioning. You will also review the relationship behavior between the Change Request Item and
related Products to support a fixed or float versioning scheme.
The following lifecycle has been determined for the Change Request:

Defining the Life Cycle
1. Create a new LifeCycle Map named Change Request and using the specification above draw the
map.
2. Provide the following settings for each state:
Life Cycle State Released Not Lockable Item Behavior

Preliminary No No Float
In Validation No No Float
In Review No No Float
Approved No No Fixed
Rejected No No Fixed
Cancelled No Yes Fixed

3. Note that each transition requires an Identity to allow promotion. Who will be able to promote
the Change Request to Approved or Rejected?
________________________________________________________
4. Open the Change Request ItemType for edit. Add the new LifeCycle Map you have created
above to the ItemType.
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5. Log on as a member of the Engineering identity and create a new Change Request. Promote the
Change Request, testing the life cycle transitions you have created. Are you able to promote
from the In Review state? ______ Why? __________________________________________
Are you able to edit the Change Request when it is promoted to the Cancelled state? Why?
________________________________________________________________________
Defining Versioning
1. Open the Product ItemType and set the Versionable checkbox to True (use Automatic
versioning). Also, locate the major_rev and generation property in the Properties tab and
uncheck Hidden and Hidden2. This will allow you to see these properties easily in the search
grid and relationship grids.
2. Create a new Product Item and make sure that new generations are created each time the Item
is saved and unlocked. Why does the major revision also increment each time you save a
Product Item?
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Open a previous version of a Product by selecting Edit > Revisions (or click the right mouse
button and select Revisions from the menu). What happens if you change and save this item?
_________________________________________________________________________
Defining Relationship Behavior
Next, you will observe how relationship behavior can affect the connection to a versioned Item.
1. Create a new Change Request Item and add a versioned Product Item to the relationship grid.
Note the generation number of the Product in the relationship grid and Save, Unlock and Close
the Change Request.

2. From the TOC, open the same selected Product for edit and then Save, Unlock and Close the
Item to create a new generation.
3. Now return to the Change Request Item you created previously and open it for view. What
generation appears from the selected Product? ________
Why? ____________________________________________________________________
4. Promote the Change Request to the Cancelled state. Now create a new generation of the
attached Product outside of the Change Request. What Product generation appears when you
view the Change Request? _________ Why?
__________________________________________________________________________
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Unit 10 Examining a Workflow

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to execute a workflow by reviewing a Workflow
Map, processing assignments and tasks in an InBasket and reviewing workflow
history.
Objectives:  Describing a Workflow
 Exploring the differences between workflows and life cycle
 Reviewing a Workflow Map
 Reviewing a Workflow Process
 Processing Assignments an In Basket
 Submitting an Activity Vote
 Reviewing Workflow History
 Claiming an Assignment

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Describing a Workflow
 A set of activities, resources and data that model a
business process
 Defined by a Workflow Map
 Contain:
▫ Activities
▫ Paths
▫ Assignments
▫ Tasks
Describing a Workflow
A workflow is a defined sequence of activities representing a business process, such as an ECN
approval process. Workflows often have embedded procedural rules and incorporate branching and
parallel activities. In Innovator, a Workflow Map graphically represents the template for a business
process. An instance of a Workflow Map is called a Workflow Process. Workflow Processes track
actual participants, instances of items in the process, as well as any decisions made. Workflow is
invaluable to ensure all steps of a business process are completed, in the correct order, and in a
repeatable fashion with many different Items
As seen in the above image, a workflow map consists of Activities and Paths. Each Activity
represents a unit of work that must be performed. Activities contain a task list, the assignments to
identities responsible for these tasks, any accompanying notifications, and variables such as hours
spent on the activity. An Activity also has configurable settings which determine its behavior in the
workflow. These behaviors include whether any user interaction is necessary; whether it may be
refused or delegated; whether all votes must be received before following a path; and whether all
input paths must be completed before initiation. The Path links between Activities also have
configurable settings which determine behavior, including whether the path is the “default” exit
path for an activity or whether the path “overrides” all other votes.
When an Activity becomes active, assignees are notified by the Activity via an Assignment. An
Assignment appears in the assignees InBasket. Assignees can then open the Voting Dialog (also
known as an Activity Completion Worksheet), which guides them through a list of tasks to complete
as well as any other work to performed before an Activity can be completed. Assignees also vote on
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Unit 10 – Examining a Workflow
which exit path should be taken for this Activity. If there are multiple Assignees, each will submit a
vote and a cumulative voting weight will determine an exit path to the next activity.
Modeling a Workflow Map is repeatable and extremely important to extract metrics leading to
process improvements.
Some systems attempt to approximate workflow using a lifecycle in simple cases. This can become
difficult with more complex processing including parallel branches and loops.
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Workflow vs. Life Cycle
Workflow Life Cycle
Purpose Standardize a process and assign tasks to Define mutually exclusive states on an Item

users or groups
Nodes Called Activity State
Links Called Path Transition
Instantiation Individual Workflow Process Instances One instance shared by many items

created per Item
Assignments One or more Assignees (user or group) for Fixed in same instance
Activity
Universality Workflow is optional All Items have Life Cycle
Uniformity Items of the same type can have different Items of the same type have Life Cycle

workflows assigned by Classification
Parallel Paths Yes, parallel paths possible No, only one state
Multi Level Yes, Sub‐Workflows possible No, only one level
Link Method Yes, Pre & Post Yes, Pre & Post
Node Method Yes No
Workflow vs. Life Cycle
Workflow ‐ a finite set of activities necessary to carry out a process. For example, a workflow for a
PR (problem report) has specific activities shown for each PR entering the system. These activities
must be performed in the order specified. Each activity contains lists of action items for the
responsible persons assigned to the activity.
Life Cycle ‐ a set of mutually exclusive states an Item may be in, often representing a stage of a
process. For example, all parts or manufactured items have a lifecycle. The specific states may be
called: design, review, released, in‐change, superseded, and so forth. It is clear how a part that is in
the design state, cannot also be in the superseded state. Usually there is a specific flow through
these states, which may branch out or contain feed back in loops.
A Workflow is not the same as a Life Cycle ‐‐ workflows track Work that people actually perform
while life cycles track an Item state.
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Describing Workflow Maps
Graphical
Workflow
Designer
Workflow
Properties
Component
Tabs
Describing Workflow Maps
The Workflow Map is a template that describes how a workflow will operate.
In the image above you see a Workflow Map form divided into 3 parts. The top part is the Graphical
Workflow Designer (GWD) – also referred to as the Workflow Canvas. This canvas contains the
diagram representing Activity Templates and the Paths connecting them.
The middle part contains header properties of the selected item in the diagram. In this case, nothing
is selected in the diagram, so you see header properties of the Workflow Map itself. If an Activity
Template is selected, Activity Template Properties appear here. If a Workflow Path is selected, its
properties appear.
The bottom part contains tabs pertaining to the selected component in the Graphic Workflow
Designer (GWD). If an Activity Template is selected, seven relationship tabs appear: Assignments,
Paths, Notifications, Tasks, Variables, Server Events, and Promotions. If a Workflow Path is selected
only two relationship tabs appear: Pre Methods and Post Methods.
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Describing a Workflow Process
 Workflow Maps are associated with ItemType
 If ItemType has a Default Workflow Map a
Workflow Process is created when an Item is
created
 Each Item has its own Workflow process
PR-100001 PR-100012
Describing a Workflow Process
An instance of a Workflow Map is called a Workflow Process. Workflow Processes track actual
participants, or instances of the items in the process, as well as any decisions that are made.
Workflow information is gathered in the Workflow Process, such as Assignees, and Signoff History of
the Controlled Item. The currently active Activity of the Controlled Item appears highlighted in
yellow. Typically, an ItemType has many Workflow Processes instances running simultaneously, each
at a different point in the workflow process.
Controlled Item
An instance of an ItemType is called a Controlled Item when referred to from a Workflow or
Lifecycle. The ItemType is where you set the Workflow and Lifecycle which contain the controlling
logic for context to the Item instance.
Because a new Workflow Process is started for each Item, it is recommended that versionable
ItemTypes not be used with a Workflow.
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Processing InBasket Assignments
Processing InBasket Assignments
When a Controlled Item is saved and a workflow context set, activities are assigned to individual
identities, the Workflow is promoted to the Active start state, and the actual work on these
activities begins. The Workflow sends activities to InBaskets of the assignees. When the Assignee
logs into Innovator they go to the InBasket for a list of Activities to perform work. A typical InBasket
is shown in the image above.
To View an Assignment
Assignments are viewed and processed from the My Innovator > My InBasket.
In this example, we will create a PR (Problem Report) which is part of a pre‐packaged solution that
incorporates a Workflow.
In order to test with the PR ItemType, you will need to make the following security change (you
should have done this already in an earlier lab assignment):
Identity Add Member
Change Specialist I Innovator Admin
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1. Now create a PR (Problem Report) from the TOC Pane – the details of the report are not
important right now. Save, Unlock and Close the Report.
2. Access My Innovator > My InBasket from the TOC Pane.
3. You should see an assignment similar to the one shown above.
Filtering Assignments
The InBasket displays an Assignees Workflow Activities, Project Activities and FMEA Action Items
having been assigned through Identities. The user can filter active or pending assignments for each
of the activity types. The InBasket also provides links to Workflow Process and Controlled Items.
Filter by Type Group
Activity Display Options of the Assignee. All three can be checked they are not a mutually exclusive
grouping.
 Workflow Activities – Toggles display of all Workflow related Activities
 Project Activities – Toggles display of all Project Management Solution Activities
 Action Items – Toggles display of all Action Items of Quality Planning Solution FMEA Actions

Filter by Status Group
When a Workflow Activity is entered either from promotion or a start, the Activity becomes Active.
Prior Activities are tracked through Signoff and Future activities are all set to Pending. These two
choices affect the display of the Filter by Type Grouping, and both can be checked as they are not a
mutually exclusive grouping.
 Active – Toggle display of your currently active Activities.
 Pending – Toggles all pending Activities to provide a view of future work.
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Workflow Status
Current
Activity
Viewing Workflow Status
Assignees can view the current Workflow Map diagram to see what Activity a workflow is currently
processing. The current activity will be highlighted on the map.
To View Workflow Status
1. Click the right mouse button in an assignment in the InBasket.
2. Choose View Workflow from the menu.
3. The Workflow Status window appears.
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Workflow History Report
Viewing Workflow History
A Workflow History report is launched using the View Sign‐Offs button on the Workflow Status
dialog or from the Workflow Process form. The history report shows the assignees to an Activity
(sometimes a group or role) and who completed it (always an individual) as well as the current sign‐
off activity waiting for completion. The vote cast and any comments are also recorded.
Due to looping of a Workflow, the same activity may appear more than once. Comments typically
show the reason for a loop, such as a rejection.
To View Workflow History Report from an InBasket
1. Navigate to My InBasket and click the right mouse button. Choose View Workflow from the
menu.
2. Click the View Sign‐Offs button.
3. The Workflow History Report appears as shown in the dialog above.
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Completing Tasks
Tasks
Completing Tasks
A workflow assignment can contain Tasks that should/must be completed before the assignment
can be processed. A sequential list of Tasks will appear allowing a user to check the Complete
checkbox as each Task is finished. One or more Tasks may be required which means you must check
the Complete checkbox before you are allowed to process the assignment.
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Submitting a Vote
Submitting a Vote
The Voting Dialog is dynamically built based on the Workflow Process definition. Executed from an
InBasket, the Voting Dialog (Activity Completion Worksheet) provides a location to collect
Authentication such as passwords and e‐signatures and a location to vote an Exit Path.
The result of this vote is then used by the Workflow Process to determine the next set of actions to
perform.
Action Buttons
Complete ‐ error checks the activity (to make sure that all required tasks have been checked,
variables entered, etc.), marks the activity as complete, and continues the workflow.
Save Changes ‐ saves all information entered on form, but does not process the activity. This is a
useful option for activities having a long list of tasks, and an assignee wishes to keep track of what
has been completed. Also, if the activity is assigned to a group, then different members of the group
may work on different tasks. Once a task is completed, marked as complete, and saved, all members
of that group will see this information on their Worksheets, thereby reducing duplication of effort.
Cancel ‐ closes the form without saving any of changes made to it since it was opened or last saved
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Refusing an Assignment
 If allowed, assignee can choose to Refuse vote
 Assignment is then escalated to:
1) Assignment “Escalate To” Identity, if blank then…
2) Activity Template “Escalate To” Identity, if blank then…
3) Workflow Process Owner, if blank then…
4) Creator
A Workflow developer can allow a vote to be refused.
The Refuse option re‐assigns an Activity according to an escalation order. A refused assignment is
first escalated to a specified escalation Identity (if it exists), then to the Activity escalation Identity,
then to the Workflow Process Identity Owner and finally the Workflow Process Creator.
To Refuse an Assignment
Select the Refuse option in the voting drop down list.
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Delegating an Assignment
 If allowed, assignee can delegate assignment
to another identity
A Workflow developer can allow a vote to be delegated to another Identity. This allows a user to
pass the assignment to someone else if the they feel they cannot complete this assignment.
To Delegate an Assignment
Press the Lookup Button next to the Delegate Field and choose a new Identity. Press the Complete
action button.
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Claiming an Assignment
Claiming an Assignment
Activities may be assigned to a Group Identity and sent to all members of an Identity group. Many
members receive a notification that work is to be done, but not assigned specifically to one User.
Claiming allows you to tell others in a group that you will be doing the work. It is a very simple
mechanism to send a notification to a whole Group without the complexity of individual assignment,
but places the responsibility on Individuals to move things forward.
Claiming simply places a lock on an Activity preventing others from modifying it, since an Activity
cannot complete while it is locked. If another User tries to alter the Workflow Activity Completion
Worksheet while another User has it locked, a warning dialog box appears stating “This assignment
has been claimed by another user.”
To Claim an Activity from an InBasket
1. Navigate to your InBasket and click the right mouse button on an Activity to Claim.
2. Click Lock from the menu. A lock will appear in the left most column.
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Summary

In this unit you learned how to view and process an existing Workflow. You learned how to find and
vote on assignments in the My InBasket as well as complete tasks.
 Describe a Workflow
 Explore the differences between workflows and life cycle
 Review a Workflow Map
 Review a Workflow Process
 Process Assignments in an InBasket
 Submit an Activity Vote
 Review Workflow History
 Claim an Assignment

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Review Questions

What is the difference between as Workflow Map and a Workflow Process?
Where does a user view and process Workflow assignments?
What happens if someone refuses an assignment?
How do I claim an assignment?
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Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to complete tasks and vote on assignments.
Scenario:
In this optional exercise you will continue to experiment with the Problem Report ItemType by
creating new PR Items and processing assignments with different votes.
Steps:
 Create several new PR Items and process the resulting assignments based on what you
learned in this unit.
 Note the different paths the workflow takes based on voting results.
 Try to Refuse and Delegate an assignment to see how the workflow reacts to these events

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Unit 11 Creating a Workflow Map

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to create a new Workflow Map that incorporates
Activities and Paths. You will assign the Workflow to an ItemType and test the
new process.
Objectives:  Creating a New Workflow Map
 Assigning a Workflow Map to an ItemType
 Defining an Activity Template
 Creating Activity Paths
 Assigning an Activity to an Identity
 Creating a Task
 Defining Activity Variables

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Creating New Workflow Map
Creating a Workflow Map
To define a new workflow for an ItemType you must create a Workflow Map. The Workflow Map
determines who will receive tasks and assignments and how voting decisions will affect which path
to take in a process.
Name
Defines the name of the Workflow Map
Description
Allows you to provide details about this map.
Process Owner
An recommended Identity that can be provided to define ownership of the resulting workflow
process. Process Owner is important in escalation strategies and has the authorization to cancel a
running workflow.
To Create a Workflow Map
1. Select Administration > Workflow Map from the TOC Pane and add a new Map.
2. Provide Name, Description and Process Owner (optional). In this example, the following
values are used:
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Unit 11 – Creating a Workflow Map
Name Design Request
Description New Product Design Request
Process Flow
Process Owner Administrators
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Assigning Workflow to ItemType
Default Workflow
Assigning Workflow to ItemType
Before a workflow can be executed as an Item process, it must be associated with an ItemType. An
ItemType can be linked to more than one Workflow Map but there must be one Default map to start
the initial process.
To Assign a Workflow to an ItemType
1. Open the desired ItemType and locate the Workflows relationship tab. In this example, the
Design Request ItemType is being modified.
2. Add a new relationship to the ItemType and select the Design Request Workflow.
3. Set the Default option to true.
4. Save, Unlock and Close the ItemType.
Note
Workflows are intended to work with non‐versionable Items. Remember that each controlled Item
is associated with a Workflow Process Item. Supporting multiple versions of Items with attached
Workflow Processes can cause unexpected results.
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Adding New Activities
Adding New Activities
Activities dictate what assignments and tasks will be created from a Workflow Process. Think of
each activity as “an action someone (or the system) has to take” to continue the workflow process.
To Insert a New Activity
1. Open a Workflow Map and click the right mouse button on the Workflow Canvas.
2. Select Insert Activity to add a new node to the Workflow Map.
3. Provide a Name for the Activity in the Activity Template (we will discuss the details of the
activity template later in this unit).
In this example, the following activities have been created for the Design Request Workflow:
Verify Request
Review Request
Perform Tech Review
Approve Request

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Adding New Activity Paths
Adding Activity Paths
Activity paths connect workflow Activities to form a process to follow.
To Add an Activity Path
1. Click the right mouse button on an Activity and choose Add Path from the menu.
2. Position the mouse pointer on another Activity and click the mouse button to form the
connection.
3. You can provide a name for the path in the Workflow Path Template (discussed later in this
unit).
To Add a Break
A break allows you to “bend” an Activity Path to provide a more readable display.
1. Click the right mouse button on an Activity Path.
2. Select Add Break from the menu.
3. Drag the break dot to form a “bend” in the path.
In this example for the Design Request Workflow, t new activities have been added:
Provide Missing Info
Cancel Request
Reject Request

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The Activities have been connected with Activity Paths named:
Go
Verified
Submit to Tech Review
Approve
Reject
Cancel
Incomplete info
Resubmit to review

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Defining the Activity Template
2
1
3
4 6
5 7
8 10
9 11
The following fields are used to define the Activity Template:
 Name
Name of the Activity
 Label
Multilingual label for internationalization.
 Message
Message to display to user in Assignment .
 Expected Duration
Number of days ‐ used to calculate the due date of the activity which is equal to the activity
start date plus the expected days entered. For example, if the activity starts on June 1 and
the expected duration entered is 6 the due date is equal to June 7.
 Timeout Duration
Number of days – used to trigger escalation events after due date. If blank then escalation
begins on due date based on Expected Duration.
 Reminder Interval
The amount of time between reminder messages calculated backwards from the calculated
due date of the activity. Used in conjunction with the Reminder Count. For example, assume
an activity starts on June 1 and is due on June 7 based on an Expected Duration of 6 days. If
the Reminder Interval = 2 with a Reminder Count = 2 then a reminder will be sent on June 5
and June 3.
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 Reminder Count
The number of reminder messages to be sent. The Expected Duration must be greater than
Reminder Count * Reminder Interval.
 Managed By ID
An identity that is allowed to make changes to the Assignment list of a running activity. For
example, you could assign Peter Smith as the Managed By ID of the In Work activity on Design
Request workflow. This means he could view the running workflow of a Design Request and
edit the Assignment(s) on the In Work activity.
 Role
This field is used in conjunction with the Managed By Identity described above. If left blank,
the Managed By Identity of an Activity can edit the Assignment list and choose anyone in the
system for reassignment. If a role is provided, the user is restricted to reassigning the activity
to members of that role only.
 Escalate To
An Identity is notified when this Activity becomes overdue or is refused. When there is no
identity specified here, assignments are escalated to the Process Owner. If no Process Owner
Identity is specified, the assignments escalate to the Creator of the Workflow Process.
 Subflow
The workflow map to be instantiated as a subflow. An Activity will not be considered
complete until its subflow is complete. The exit path from an activity that represents a
subflow is typically marked as the Default Path. We discuss subflows in greater detail later in
this course.

Note
Two server Methods are provided to check for Workflow Activity reminders as well as
escalations in the standard Solutions database.
 Check Escalations
 Send Email Reminders

These Methods should be run periodically on the Aras Server. Refer to the Aras Innovator –
Scheduler Service reference document for more information.
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 Start Activity
First activity to be executed when workflow begins.
 End Activity
End Activity closes the workflow process. There can be more than one End in a workflow.
 Automatic Activity
This activity has no user interaction and completes automatically.
 Can Refuse
Allows a user to refuse this activity
 Can Delegate
Allows a user to delegate an activity
 Consolidate Delegated
Groups assignments of the same type into a single assignment – details later in this unit.
 Wait for All Inputs
Does not activate until all input paths connected to this Activity have been completed. If not
checked, as soon as any one input path is completed, the activity becomes active.

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Start Activity
 Activated as soon as the Workflow Process begins
 Single Start activity created by default
 Multiple starts supported (not typical)
Defining the Start Activity
It is best practice to have a single, automatic start activity so everyone knows where a workflow
starts and how many branches should be active. No limit exists on Activities with the Start Activity
flag set true, one can branch to multiple Activities on a Workflow Process at instantiation.
Tip Best Practice!
A separate Start Activity is most useful for maintenance. If an Activity needs to be inserted at the
beginning of the workflow it can be added without having to perform extra, and often forgotten,
modifications.
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End Activity
 Closes a Workflow Process
 Single End activity created by default
 Multiple end points supported
 Distinctive icons can be applied
Defining End Activities
Reaching an end activity causes a Workflow Process to end. Often it is difficult to have a single End
Activity for a Workflow Map, and multiple End Activities may be necessary and less confusing.
Distinctive icons are also important if multiple End Activities exist.
End Activities trigger a Workflow Process to close immediately, even if branches create
simultaneous Workflow Process Activities. Once a single End Activity is active, all other existing
assigned Activities will be removed from all InBaskets and the Workflow Process Life Cycle will be
promoted to a Closed state.
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Automatic Activity
 Require no end user intervention and are executed
by the server immediately
 Logic can be applied to respond to server events
 Default path must follow an Automatic activity in
the Workflow Process Map
 Typically used with:
▫ Start Activity
▫ End Activity
▫ Branch Activities
Defining Automatic Activities
An activity requires no user interaction and completes automatically if the Automatic Activity
checkbox is checked as true. Automatic activities must have a Default Exit Path.
Automatic Activities cannot have any Required Tasks or use Password/E‐Signatures Authentication.
Automatic Activities have several uses when used with voting weight to be discussed later in this
unit.
The Start Activity is an example of an Automatic Activity.
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Defining an Assignment
 Identify which identities will receive work to
perform in their In Basket
 Used to select an Activity path based on voting
decisions
 Can be:
▫ Delegated
▫ Refused
▫ Escalated
Defining Assignments
Assignments are used to define who will perform an operation in a workflow. Assignments appear
in users InBaskets.
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Creating an Assignment
New
1 2 3 4 5
Creating an Assignment
The following fields define an assignment:
 Name
Identity to receive assignment. Note that Team Roles are also supported as Workflow
Assignments (Team, Team Manager, Team Member, Team Guest).
 Required
Identity must complete this assignment (regardless of other voting rights)
 For All Members
This option applies only to group identities assigned to this activity; if false, only one member
of the group identity has to complete and vote on the activity, which will then automatically
remove this activity from the other group members' In Basket. If true, all members have to
complete and vote on the activity and will be assigned equal voting weight with the
cumulative weight equal to the assigned voting weight.
 Voting Weight
Percentage of vote for this assignment. In order for a path to be selected it has to reach at
least a 100% vote.
 Escalate To
An identity that will receive this assignment if the activity is not completed by the due date +
time out. If no identity is specified here, then the Activity Template Escalate To identity will
receive this assignment.

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To Create an Assignment
Locate the Assignments relationship tab on the Activity Template and add a new Assignment
relationship. In this example, the Verify Ticket Activity of the Help Desk workflow is configured with
a new assignment using the following values:
Name Creator
Required No
For All Members No
Voting Weight 100
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Defining Voting Weight
 Controls how many assignees must vote a certain
way in order to follow a path
 Enables voting rules:
▫ Majority
▫ Unanimous
Defining Voting Weight
Each Assignee is notified of an Activity’s Work to be done for a Workflow and selects an Exit Path for
the Activity using the Assignment Voting Dialog. Each Assignee is given a value or weight for an Exit
Path vote and this is used by the system to determine which path is to be taken. The system Path
computation has a combined definition of the Activity and Workflow Map Path.
In order for path selection to occur, it must reach at least a 100% vote, or more. For example, in the
above image, assuming no Default and Override Path is set; both Identities have 50 as a Voting
Weight. Therefore, both identities are required to agree for any Path to add up to 100. Once 100 (or
greater) is reached that Path is followed.
In this example, "For All Members" is not selected for any group assignment so only a single
member's vote from a group is needed.
If 100 cannot be determined after all votes then escalation occurs on this activity. This behavior can
be adjusted and is discussed later in this unit.
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Wait for All Votes
 Forces current activity to remain open until all
assignments are closed
 Can be used to split a Workflow Process
Waiting for All Votes
Wait For All Votes will not close an activity until all assignees have voted. Many times the outcome
of a vote is obvious before all votes are in, however this option forces delay until all assigned votes
are gathered.
Alternatively, the Wait For All Votes flag can be used to interactively follow multiple outgoing paths
or branch. Exit Paths for an Activity calculate after all votes are gathered. Once gathered multiple
Exit Paths may contain weights of greater than 100. In this case as with an automatic default path,
all Exit Paths with weight greater than 100 are followed, creating a branch in a Workflow Process.
For example, in the above example there are three assignees each with a Voting Weight of 100. If
the Wait For All Votes flag is not set ‐ an exit path is followed immediately on the first path >= 100 .
If Wait For All Votes flag is selected, accrued weights could be 200 for Exit Path Approve, and 100 for
Exit Path Reject. After all assignees had voted, both the Approve and Rejected Paths would be
followed.
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For All Members
 Each member of a group Identity receives an
assignment
 Voting weight is distributed evenly
Assigning For All Members
Applies only to Group Identities assigned to an activity. If false, a single member of the Group
Identity has to complete and vote on an activity, automatically removing this activity from other
group members' InBasket. If true, all members of Group have to complete and vote on an activity
and will be assigned equal voting weight with the cumulative weight of all equal to the Group
Assignment Voting Weight.
Voting Weight is calculated at runtime. Notice the Engineering Group has a Voting Weight of 100
and all its members receive an assignment. Each member Identity gets a Voting Weight divided by
the total number of members in the group. If the Engineering Group had 5 members, each user
would have a Voting Weight of 20.
Note
Voting Weight is distributed evenly, but is rounded up. If there are three members of a group
identity assigned a weight of 100, each member will get a weight of 34. This may not work as
expected when there are more than a dozen members (13 and 14 members both result in a weight
of 8).
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Creating a Task
New
1 2 3
Creating a Task
Tasks are used to provide some instruction on what work needs to be accomplished to complete an
assignment.
The following fields define a task:
 Sequence
Order of task in assignment voting dialog.
 Required
Task must be completed to complete the assignment.
 Description
Task instructions.

To Create a Task
1. Locate the Tasks relationship tab for an Activity Template and create a new Task
relationship.
2. In this example, the following values have been used for the Review Activity of the Design
Request workflow:
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Sequence Required Description
1 X Verify Division selected
2 X Fully describe the Product Request
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 If allowed, assignee can choose to Refuse vote
 Assignment is then escalated to:
▫ Assignment Tab “Escalate To” Identity
▫ Activity Template “Escalate To” Identity
▫ Workflow Process Owner
▫ Creator
If an Activity allows an Identity to refuse an assignment an escalation of the assignment begins.
Look at Assignment Tab of the Activity Template and see if there is an Escalate To Identity. If not,
then look for an Escalate To Identity on the Activity Template. If blank, then look for a Workflow
Process Owner Identity. If blank notify the Creator of the workflow.
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 If allowed, assignee can delegate assignment to
another identity
 If the Activity supports Consolidated Delegation
multiple delegations of the same assignment
become one
▫ Voting weight is cumulative
▫ Reduces the number of assignments in an In Basket
A user can delegate an assignment to another valid Identity in the system.
Consolidate Delegated
Consolidate Delegated flag is useful when one Activity is Delegated To the same Identity several
times. Normally, the targeted user will receive multiple assignments to perform the same
operation.
For example, an Activity has three Assignees each with a Voting Weight of 40, when the Activity
becomes active each Assignee gets a Workflow Activity in their InBasket of Voting Weight 40.
Assignee One and Assignee Two both Delegate To Assignee Three. Assignee Three now has 3
identical Activities in their InBasket.
If Consolidate Delegated flag is NOT checked, Assignee Three receives three identical assignments in
their InBasket ‐ each with a Voting Weight of 40. One is their own assignment and the other two
have been delegated. Assignee Three must now open each assignment individually and Vote a total
of three times for the system to calculate a Path. If the Consolidate Delegated flag is used, Assignee
Three sees only one assignment in their InBasket with a Voting Weight of 120 and needs to only
vote once.
Another benefit of Consolidate Delegated is in the timing of the vote. If Assignee Three in the above
example had already voted – when Assignee One and Assignee Two delegate their votes later ‐ the
system will automatically consolidate their votes (and their weight). Assignee Three will not have to
process any further assignments.
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Defining Activity Variables
 Store additional information about the Activity on
runtime
 Variables not marked as Hidden are available for
data entry in the Voting Dialog
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Defining Activity Variables
You can define additional variables that will prompt the user for more information in the voting
dialog and will be captured in the database.
The following fields define an Activity Variable:
 Sequence
Order of variable prompt in the voting dialog.
 Name
Name of the variable.
 Type
Data type of variable.
 Source
Data Source of variable (if reference data type)
 Default Value
Default to show the user
 Required
Voting dialog cannot be completed unless a value is entered for this variable.
 Hidden
Do not show variable (programmatic use only)
 Label
Multilingual string for internationalization

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To Create an Activity Variable
1. Choose the Variables relationship tab from an Activity Template. In this example, we are
using the Submit Activity of the Design Request workflow.
2. Provide the following values:
Sequence 1
Name Select Country
Type List
Source Countries
Default Value None
Required No
Hidden No
Label None
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Configuring Activity Paths
1 2 3
4 5
Configuring Activity Paths
Activity paths are used to indicate how each Activity interacts with each other in a workflow.
 Name
Name of the Path
 Authentication
Password/E‐Signature – does user require authentication to move forward in the process?
 Label
Multilingual string for internationalization
 Default Path
This path becomes the default exit for this Activity.
 Override Path
If chosen, this path overrides all other voting weights from the Activity.

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Authentication
 Additional verification can be required to follow a path:
▫ Password
▫ E‐signature
 Password is Aras Innovator User password
 E‐signature configured by a User:
Using Authentication on Paths
If Authentication is selected on an Activity Path, the process user will need to provide credentials to
the system to move forward.
Authentication restricts path access to identities having a Password or an E‐signature. A vote is not
completed until validation of one or both is established. Authentication is set on Exit Paths and not
the Activity of a Workflow Map.
If Password Authentication is selected for a path an end user will need to provide their Aras
Innovator password to continue to process the assignment.
An E‐signature is separate from a password. E‐signature is a user‐controlled password maintained by
the user, not an Innovator Administrator or IT password. This allows complete control over an E‐
Signature by each User. E‐Signatures pass requirements for Military Standard and Medical Device
Industry (21 CFR Part 11)
To Create an E‐Signature
1. An E‐signature is created by a user from Main Menu by selecting Tools > Change E‐
Signature.
2. The user provides the current signature (if it exists) and a new signature. If a user is setting
the E‐Signature for the first time, leave the old signature blank.
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Default Path
 Automatically followed when all assignments are
closed and no Path has reached 100% voting
weight
 Required after Automatic activities
Using a Default Path
The Default Path setting serves two purposes in a workflow.
The primary purpose is to define a Path for a Workflow to follow when no cumulative Voting Weight
reaches 100 or more for a single Path from an Activity. Normally, the workflow process will escalate
(using the Escalate To Identity) if there is no majority decision. To avoid escalation, you can define
one or more of the Paths following an Activity as Default. Once all votes have been tallied, if any
one path does not have a weight of 100 or more it can be designated as the "default vote". If more
than one path is marked as Default then the workflow will follow parallel paths.
The other purpose for Default paths is to indicate an exit path for Automatic activities. At least one
Path following an Automatic Activity must be defined as Default or the workflow will not continue.
If multiple paths are marked as Default, all default paths will be followed. Multiple default paths are
often used with an Automatic Activity to support branching (parallel processing) in a Workflow.
Note
If a Default Path is not defined following an Automatic Activity, an error will be displayed to the user
when they attempt to vote in an Activity Assignment that leads to the Automatic Activity.
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Override Path
 Followed as soon as a vote is cast
 All remaining assignments for the current Activity
are closed
Override Path
Override Paths are used to potentially make a workflow more efficient. If an override path is chosen
by a user no additional votes are collected for the activity and processing continues using the
override path. Override paths take precedence over Wait For All Votes option (discussed earlier in
this unit)
In the example above, the Cancel Ticket path is configured as the Override Path (and also requires
an E‐Signature). If this path is chosen any votes for resubmission are ignored and the Reject Ticket
activity is invoked.
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Wait For All Inputs
Wait for All Inputs
Wait For All Inputs is used to control when the workflow will activate an activity if two or more
paths are connected on the "inbound" side of the activity.
In the example above, the Order Approved activity has Wait For All Inputs selected. The activity will
not be reached until all of the Approve paths have been processed.
Conversely, if Wait For All Inputs is deselected, then the first path that is processed will activate the
Order Approved activity and move the workflow forward.
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Summary

In this unit you learned how to create and configure a new Workflow Map.
 Create a New Workflow Map
 Assign a Workflow Map to an ItemType
 Define an Activity Template
 Create Activity Paths
 Assign an Activity to an Identity
 Create a Task
 Define Activity Variables

Page 287
Review Questions

How do I configure an assignment so that all users belonging to an Identity receive the assignment?
How can you create a parallel “branch” in a workflow?
What must follow an automatic Activity?
What two forms of authentication are available to restrict who can complete an assignment?
Page 288
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to define a new Workflow Map and configure activities with assignments and tasks. Be able
to create transition paths between activities.
Scenario:
In this exercise you will create the basic Workflow Map for the Change Request workflow.
Requirements:
The following requirements have been established for the first phase of the Change Request
workflow. Attempt to draw the workflow below before attempting to create it as a Workflow Map.
1. Once a user creates a Change Request, they should receive an InBasket assignment to
recheck the request before submitting it for verification/validation and review. If they
cancel the request the process should end. If the user attempts to cancel the order they
must submit provide their E‐Signature password.
2. If the user submits the request to verification/validation, it should be sent to the
Engineering group so that any member can verify the request. At the same time, a member
of the Change Specialist I Identity should receive an assignment to validate the request.
3. Once both the verification and validation activities have been completed, the request should
then be submitted to the CRB group for final review.
4. A member of the CRB must either Approve or Reject the request which ends the process.
Workflow Diagram:
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Steps:
1. Create a new Workflow Map named Change Request using the diagram shown above as a
guideline. You will need to create new Activities and connect them with transition Paths.
Name the Activities and Paths using the suggested names below.
2. Define the Activity Assignments as follows:
Activity Name Assignment Identity Tasks (all required)

Confirm Request Creator None
Cancel Request
Branch
Verify Request Engineering Review reason and ensure all fields completed
Validate Request Change Specialist I Validate cost estimate.
Review Request CRB Enter any recommendations in field provided.
Approve Request
Reject Request

3. Add the following Variable to the In Review Request Activity:
Recommendations String Not Required

4. The Branch activity should split when the workflow reaches this activity and process both the
Verify Request and Validate Request activities in parallel. What setting must you apply to the
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Branch activity? ________________________________________________________________
What setting must you apply to the Verified and Validated paths following the activities?
_______________________________________________________________________
Apply the settings.
5. The Cancel path from Confirm Request should require an E‐Signature.
6. The Review Request Activity should not be reached until the order is both Verified and
Validated. What setting is required to ensure this happens?
____________________________________
7. None of the Activities should allow Refusal with the exception of Review Request. If the Review
Request Activity is refused it should be escalated to the Innovator Admin.
______________________________________________________________
8. Save, Unlock and Close the Workflow Map.
9. Add the Workflow Map to the Change Request ItemType as the Default.
10. Log on as the Innovator Admin (admin) and create a new Change Request.
11. View the Workflow Process for this Item – what Activity is the Workflow in?
____________________________________

12. View the InBasket. You should see an assignment with a task to perform for the Item you
created above.
13. Vote to Submit to Verify the Item. Who should receive the next assignments?
____________________________________________________________________________
Log on as that member and perform the task to complete the workflow process.
14. Walk through the complete process noting the Identities that are assigned to each activity.
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Unit 12 Enhancing a Workflow

Overview: In this unit you will learn how integrate an Item life cycle with a workflow. You
will also learn about using subflows and responding to server events.
Objectives:  Promoting an Item from a Workflow
 Launching Workflows from a Life Cycle
 Using Dynamic Assignments
 Using a Subflow

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Promoting a LifeCycle from a
Workflow
LifeCycle:
Workflow Activity
Promotes
LifeCycle State
Workflow:
Promoting a LifeCycle from a Workflow
A Workflow can be configured to provide automatic promotion of the controlled Item when an
Activity is reached in a workflow process.
In the example above, when the workflow reaches the Review Ticket Activity the life cycle of the
controlled Item is automatically promoted from New to In Review.
Using a combination of workflows and lifecycles provides the best of both technologies. A
controlled Item gains all the advantages of life cycle state you have learned about in this course.
The Workflow has the ability to create assignments, tasks and use voting weight to decide when an
object should be promoted to a new life cycle state.
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Unit 12 – Enhancing a Workflow
Configuring Promotions from an
Activity
1 2 3 4 5 6
Configuring Promotions from an Activity
Innovator provides the ability to create workflows that automatically control Lifecycle state of a
given Item (also referred to as the Controlled Item). Workflow Promotions are defined for an
Activity in a Workflow and are triggered when a specified event occurs, such as ‘OnActivate’. When
a workflow promotion is initiated, the system automatically promotes the Controlled Item’s
Lifecycle from its current state to another transition in its Lifecycle.
The following fields are used to configure a life cycle state promotion from a Workflow:
 Event
A server event that triggers the promotion action. There are many available server events
you can use – OnActivate is typical – when the Activity is activated execute the promotion.
 Item Type
The ItemType of the controlled Item.
 Life Cycle
The controlled Item Life Cycle to be used .
 From State
The state the Item currently set to.
 To State
The state the Item will be promoted to.
 Role
The granted Identity to perform this promotion. The Workflow can assume an Identity
different then current assignee‐to “grant” access to the promotion from the Workflow.
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To Configure a New Workflow Promotion
1. Select the desired Activity from the Workflow Canvas. In the example above the Submit
Activity is being modified to add a new promotion.
2. Locate the Promotions relationship tab and create a new Promotion relationship.
3. When you create the new Promotion a search dialog box appears. Search and select the
LifeCycle Map to be used for this promotion. In the example above, the Design Request
LifeCycle is being used.
4. Select the appropriate promotion From and To State. In this example the promotion New ‐>
In Review has been selected.
5. Provide the ItemType of the Controlled Item. In this example, it is Design Request.
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Promotion Guidelines
 Current LifeCycle state of Controlled Item must
match one of the “From State” values
 Only promotes states in current Controlled Item
 Workflow Activity assumes Role provided in
Promotions configuration (bypasses User Identity)
 Multiple promotion configurations are supported –
one must match current “From State”

The Controlled Item’s current lifecycle state must match one of the defined Workflow Promotions
‘From State’ when the promotion is initiated or else it will fail. For example, if the Controlled Item is
currently in the Draft state and an Activity with a Workflow Promotion is initiated, there must be at
least one Promotion defined for the Activity which has a ‘From State’ = Draft.
A Workflow Promotion cannot be used for promoting other ItemTypes that are not defined as the
‘Controlled Item’ for the Workflow.
A Workflow Promotion bypasses a defined Identity Role for a given Life Cycle Transition. As a result,
the promotion will occur even if the User who completed an Activity initiating the promotion is not a
member of the Life Cycle Transition’s Identity Role.
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Supporting Multiple Transitions
LifeCycle:
Workflow:
Supporting Multiple Life Cycle Transitions
In a more complex Life Cycle having multiple transition inputs into a single state, an Activity may
have more than one Promotion configured for it to handle each transition from different states. For
example, looking at the Life Cycle image above, you notice two transitions are entering the In
Review State, one from New and the other from Incomplete. A Workflow activating the Review
Activity having multiple Promotion values starts the Life Cycle Promotion by getting the Controlled
Items State and matching it to a From State value. If one is found, it tries to Promote along a Life
Cycle Transition to the To State. If no matching From State or Lifecycle Transition is found the
system rolls back to the prior Workflow Activity and displays an error on the Voting Dialog.
In the example above, the Review Request Activity in the workflow must provide two promotions
because the LifeCycle Submitted state has two transitions on the “From State” side. Failure to
provide both promotions will result in the LifeCycle possibly being out of sync with the workflow.
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Launching From a Life Cycle
 A Life Cycle state can launch a Workflow on an
Item when the state is reached:
Workflow
Map
Launching a Workflow from a LifeCycle State
The selected Workflow will be initiated when the Life Cycle State is activated. This is a good option if
you do not want the Workflow process to start at Item creation.
Note
An allowed Workflow is one that is related to the same ItemType to which the Life Cycle is also
related.
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Using Subflows
 Enable process reuse and simplify graphical
display
Using Subflows
Subflows may be added to any workflow to enable process reuse or to clarify the graphical display
The parent workflow continues when the subflow is complete
Subflows allow for a Workflow “hierarchy” by creating a form of branching. The current workflow
activity is suspended until the Subflow completes and returns control. A Subflow can be used with
other forms of branching, because only the Activity containing the Subflow suspends, not the whole
Workflow Process.
In this example, the Verify Ticket Activity calls a separate workflow to step through the initial
verification requirements. When they are complete the main flow continues.
Note
Activities with Subflows should always be set to Automatic
Page 300
Configuring Subflows
To Configure a Subflow
1. Specify the Subflow to call from the Activity Template.
2. Make sure the Automatic Activity setting is set to true.
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Configuring Dynamic
Assignments
 Members of the Workflow “Managed By” Identity
can add, change and delete assignments on a
running Workflow Process
 If a Role has been configured only members of that
Identity can receive changed assignments
Configuring Dynamic Assignments
Dynamic Assignment allows an Identity to make on the spot changes to individual activity
assignments after the a Workflow is instantiated (is in process). In the example above, Susan Harris
has the right to change the current assignment(s) on the Perform Tech Review on a running
workflow process. Because the Role of Engineering is supplied she can only change it to a member
of the Engineering group.
Dynamic Assignment Rules
Dynamic Assignments, Managed By and Roles Properties, must be set in advance on the Workflow
Map. Assignments can only be changed on activities that have not yet been activated in a running
process.
Note
The Activity returns an error if you try to assign an Identity not a member of the Role Identity
Property.
To Configure a Dynamic Assignment
1. Select the Manager of any Activity for which you wish to implement dynamic assignments.
Only the Manager will be able to change assignees for a Workflow Process
2. Select the Role for the same activity, the Role is an Identity; only members of this Identity
may be assigned to this Activity
3. Manager and Role must be set for all Activities in the Workflow Map that will have Dynamic
Assignments.
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Changing Assignments
 Dynamic assignments can be altered in a Workflow
Process
Changing Assignments
If Dynamic Assignments have been enabled for an Activity, the Assignments can be altered in the
Assignments section of the Workflow Process dialog. Only a user (or members of a group) specified
on the Managed By field of each activity have this privilege.
Page 303
Summary

In this unit you learned how to enhance a workflow.
 Promote an Item from a Workflow
 Launch Workflows from a Life Cycle
 Use Dynamic Assignments
 Use a Subflow

Page 304
Review Questions

If a workflow promotes an Item to a new state, what Identity is used to process the promotion?
What Activity setting is important when using a subflow from an Activity?
How do you limit what Identities can be assigned in a Dynamic Assignment?
Page 305
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to integrate an Item LifeCycle with a Workflow.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will add Promotions to the current Change Request Workflow to allow the
workflow to control the state of an Item.
Steps:
1. Open the Change Request Workflow Map for edit.
2. Set the following promotions for each activity as follows:
Activity Name Event ItemType From State To State
Cancel Request On Activate Change Request Preliminary Cancelled

Branch On Activate Change Request Preliminary In Validation
Review Request On Activate Change Request In Validation In Review
Approve Request On Activate Change Request In Review Approved
Reject Request On Activate Change Request In Review Rejected
3. Save your changes and then create a new Change Request Item.
4. Submit the Change Request for review and as you process each assignment check the state of
the Change Request. You should see the Item change state based on the promotions you have
set above.
Create a Subflow (Optional)
1. Create a Quality Control subflow using the diagram below.

2. Assign the Quality Checks Activity to the Innovator Admin Identity and create a Task that
requires the assignee to perform standard quality control checks. Save your changes.
3. Open the Change Request Workflow and assign the Quality Control Workflow as the Subflow of
the Verify Request activity.
NOTE: You will need to make this Activity automatic as the subflow will control the Assignment.
4. Set the Verified path as the Default Path.
Save your changes.
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5. Open the Change Request ItemType and add the Quality Control workflow to the ItemType
(non‐default). Why must you do this?
________________________________________________________________________
6. Create a new Change Request Item and process the Item though the workflow. The Innovator
Admin should see an assignment for Quality Control before the Item can be approved.
Dynamic Assignment (Optional)
Allow an Administrator to make changes to assignments in the Review Request Activity of a running
Change Request workflow process. The Administrator should only be able to assign individuals from
the Engineering group. Test your work by opening a running Work Flow Process Item.
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Page 308

Unit 13 Working with Files

Overview: In this unit you will learn how a vault is configured to store files created by
users in a solution. You will learn how to assign a user to a vault, set a default
working directory as well as learn about the association of a File to a Viewer.
You will also learn how to add, check in and check out files.
Objectives:  Reviewing the Default Vault
 Reviewing Vault Server Configuration
 Configuring a User Working Directory
 Reviewing Files and Viewers
 Checking Out/In a File
 Configure an ItemType to Support Files

File Vault

Page 309
Reviewing Vaults
Client
File Store
Innovator Server Vault Server
Database
As we discussed earlier in the course, files are stored in a vault (file store ‐not the database) and an
IIS Vault Server application is dedicated to each vault that is configured. The Vault Server
communicates with the Innovator Server to keep track of file names and their locations (file meta‐
data) in the database.
When Aras Innovator is installed, a vault named Default is created to hold user files. You can
configure additional vaults if necessary. Specific installation information is provided in the Aras
Innovator Installation guide.
Page 310
Unit 13 – Working with Files
User’s Default Vault and Working
Directory

When you create new User’s for an installation you also assign the vault that a user will work with to
check in and check out files from the system. The default assignment is to the vault named Default.
In addition, you can assign a default directory location which will be used as the local location for
files that are retrieved and edited by a user. If you leave the Working Directory field blank the user
will be presented with a File Dialog the first time they log on to the system. They can then choose
their own working directory.
A user can also change their working directory at anytime by selecting Tools > Preferences > Change
Working Directory… from the main menu.
Page 311
Reviewing Vault Server
Configuration
VaultServerConfig.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<VaultServer>
<AppServerURL>http://localhost/InnovatorServer/Server/
InnovatorServer.aspx</AppServerURL>
<LocalPath>C:\Support\vault\</LocalPath>
<login_name>vadmin</login_name>
<name>Default</name>
<password>vadmin</password>
<version>10.0.0</version>
</VaultServer>

When Aras Innovator is installed, a Default vault is automatically created and configured for the
system.
A Vault ItemType is created and configured and contains a URL address to the Vault Server .aspx file
used for processing files to a Vault.
The Vault Server application is configured using the VaultServerConfig.xml file which contains the
appropriate URL for the Innovator server as well as the matching vault name.
Note
If you require more than one vault (or a custom configuration), see the Aras Innovator Installation
guide for more information.
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Reviewing Vault Item
 Maintains URL to Vault Server

The Vault Item maintains a URL to the vault server .aspx page which contains the logic to copy a file
from a user's client machine to a file server directory store. The Vault Item is then assigned to each
User Item to determine their default Vault.
The following fields are available on the Vault Item:
 Name
Name of the Vault associated with the desired vault server.
 Vault URL Pattern
The URL to the vault server. The URL can also contain the following symbols which are
substituted when the Vault Item is saved:
HTTP_PREFIX_SERVER = http:// or https://
HTTP_HOST_SERVER= server name
HTTP_PORT_SERVER = server port number (if exists)
HTTP_PATH_SERVER = Innovator web alias specified at installation
 Vault URL
This read only field displays any substitution that occurs on the URL Pattern when the Vault
Item is saved.

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Files and Viewers
 “File” core ItemType represents a checked in file
▫ Maintains file name and file type
▫ Associated with an application ItemType (e.g.
Document)
 Actual files are stored in a Vault file store (not the
database)
 Files can be displayed in a solution:
▫ Using the configured browser MIME type
▫ Using a configured Viewer application

As a user works with files in a solution, it is handy to be able to view files in their native applications
from Aras Innovator. Each time a file is added to a vault, a File Item is created by the system. File
Items contain the file name of the actual file being added as well as some additional meta‐data
about the file. (Remember that the actual file is not stored in the Aras Innovator database.)
When a user chooses to view a file, the file suffix is inspected. The corresponding File Type item is
then located to retrieve the browser MIME type configuration. The MIME type is then used to
invoke the appropriate application. The File Type Item can also be used to locate a custom Viewer
Item. Viewer Items contain configuration information about server applications that can be used to
view a file. For more information, access the document Aras Innovator Viewer Add‐ons.
Note
End users should never work with File Items directly. They will always be associated with a solution
ItemType (e.g. Document).
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Adding Files to a Vault
New
Adding Files to a Vault
A user adds one or more files to a vault by defining a relationship from one ItemType to another. In
the example above, a relationship will be made between a Document Item and a File Item.
To Add a File
1. Open or create an Item that supports a File relationship. In the example above, a new
Document Item has been created.
2. Using the relationships grid, create a new relationship by choosing a file from the local file
system.
3. Save the Item to add the associated file to the Vault.
Page 315
Adding a File to a Vault
Add a file
Adding a File to a Vault
If an ItemType requires a one‐to‐one relationship with a File (i.e. the Item is only related to one file),
then an Item data type property can be configured instead. The user will be presented with a text
entry field and can add a single file to the vault that is associated with this Item.
To Add a Single File
1. Choose the ItemType that has been configured to support a single File Item.
2. Click on the Add File icon and select a file to add to the Item.
3. Save the Item to add the file to the vault.
Page 316
Checking Out/In a File
Checking Out/In a File
Once a file has been added to a vault it can be checked out (as long as another user has not checked
out – or locked the file). You can also get a local copy of a file and view the file with an associated
application as described previously.
To Check Out/In a File
1. Select the File and click the right mouse button.
2. Select Check Out for “File”
3. If the file already exists in your working directory, you will be prompted to overwrite it.
Otherwise, the file will be copied to your working directory and the File Item will be locked.
4. Once edits have been made to the file use the Check In for “File” option to copy the updated
file to the vault and release the lock.
Page 317
Configuring an ItemType to
Support Files
Defining a Relationship
to the File ItemType

As mentioned earlier in this unit, an end user should never deal with File Items directly. You can
define a relationship from your own ItemType to the File ItemType to allow users to add, check in
and check out files to a vault.
In the example above a relationship has been established between the Document ItemType and the
File ItemType.
Page 318
Configuring File Relationship
On New
Options

You can configure the relationship established between your ItemType and the File ItemType with
default behavior to make it easier for users to work with files.
In the example above, the Document File RelationshipType has been configured so that the user can
only add new files to a new Item.
When a user attempts to add a new file the file browser will appear allowing them to select a file to
add to the vault.
Page 319
Configuring a File Item Property
Defining a Data Source

to the File ItemType
Configuring a File Item Property
If an ItemType requires a one‐to‐one relationship with a file you can configure an Item type property
as we discussed earlier in the course. The Item Data Source is File.
When the text_file property is presented to a user in a form they can then add a single file to the
Item as discussed earlier in this unit.
Page 320
Summary

In this unit you learned how to work with files. You should now be able to:
 Understand where files are stored
 Associate a user to a vault
 Assign a default working directory for a user
 Understand the relationship between Files and Viewers
 Add, Check In and Check Out files
 Configure an ItemType to support files
Page 321
Review Questions

Files are stored in the Vault Server database (True/False).
How does a user become associated with a vault?
What is the purpose of the File Type Item?
How do you allow a user to attach files to an ItemType you have created?
Page 322
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to configure an ItemType to support files and check in/out files from the Default vault.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will add the capability for users to add a file to a Vault directly from a Change
Request. Once the file has been added a user will be able to check out/in the file for edits, etc.
Steps:
1. Edit the Change Request ItemType and create a new RelationshipType named Change Request
File that uses File as the related ItemType.

2. Now open the Change Request File RelationshipType template and select the Create Only and
Requires Related options from the On New Related Options panel.

3. To test the new configuration, open or edit a Change Request and check in a new file.
4. Locate the Vault directory to view the files that have been checked into the vault. (Remember,
an end user will never be allowed access to the directory.) If you have made changes to the file
why do you see the file more than once in the vault directories?
__________________________________________________________________________
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Page 324

Unit 14 Replicating Files

Overview: In this unit, you will learn how to configure file replication between multiple
Vaults. File replication is useful in enterprise installations where multiple
Vaults may be used to store different files based on type or size – or to allow
faster retrieval of files when users are located in different geographic areas.
You can configure file replication in several different ways depending on the
requirements of the solution. Note that file replication is is a subscriber only
feature that requires a subscriber license key to operate.

Objectives:  Reviewing File Replication
 Defining Replication Transactions
 Creating Additional Vaults
 Obtaining a Subscriber License
 Configuring a Preferred Vault
 Creating Replication Rules
 Using File Filters
 Removing Replication Rules
 Exploring Example Scenarios

File Vault
Vault
Page 325
Reviewing File Replication
 Every User is assigned to a default (typically local) Vault
 When a User retrieves a File, replication can:
▫ Find newest copy of the File in the system
▫ Copy (or move) the newest File to the User's preferred
Vault
 When a User adds or changes a File:
▫ File is always written to User's default Vault
▫ File can be replicated to one or more alternate Vaults
 When a system event is triggered:
▫ A custom Method can invoke replication of one or more
files
Slide 3
Reviewing File Replication
Each user in Aras Innovator is assigned to a default Vault where all files that they create or save are
stored. Users (with appropriate permissions) also have access to any other Vaults in the system to
retrieve files for viewing or editing. When a user saves their changes, they are always stored in their
assigned default Vault.
This distributed Vault environment allows for greater flexibility but poses a problem if a file that is
changed needs to be copied (or moved) to another Vault location to provide synchronization of
versions.
File replication is an asynchronous process that is invisible to the end user. A user simply locates the
desired file for retrieve and edit (based on their permissions). The system keeps track of the
location(s) of the newest copy of the file.
File Retrieval
When a user retrieves a file the first time, the system can be configured to dynamically locate the
latest version of the file and copy (or move) it to their preferred Vault for future access.
File Add/Change
When a user saves changes to a file and checks it in to the system, the file is always written to the
user’s default Vault. In addition, the default Vault can be configured to dynamically copy (or move)
the file to one or more alternate Vaults.
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Unit 14 – Replicating Files
System Event
You can create and associate a custom Method with a system event to invoke replication on one or
more files in response to the event. For example, when a Document Item is promoted to the
“Released” state the file(s) that are related to the Document Item can be scheduled for replication
to another Vault.
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Retrieving a File
1
Vault Server Innovator Server Vault Server

Alternate Default 3
2
File Store Alternate File Store Default
4 Replication Transaction 6
5
File Replicated File
Retrieving a File
This example shows a typical process for “on demand” file retrieval and file replication. Note that
there are many options available that you will learn about in this unit. This example uses two Vaults
that have been configured to support file replication (Alternate and Default).
 A User is always assigned to a default Vault in their user profile. In this example, the User is
assigned to the Vault named Default.
The User selects a file to retrieve from the Innovator Server. The Innovator Server maintains
meta‐data about each file stored in a Vault (actual file data is contained in the File Store). Since the
latest version of the file exists in the Alternate Vault (and not the User’s Vault), the Innovator Server
requests the file from the Alternate Vault.
The Alternate Vault has been configured to replicate files on demand.
The latest copy of the file is located in the Alternate Vault and is returned to the User.
A Replication Transaction is created based on the onDemand Replication Rule on the Alternate
Vault.
The file is copied to the User’s default Vault based on the schedule defined in the Replication
Rule.
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Adding/Changing a File
1

Alternate Default
File Store Alternate File Store Default
5 Replication Transaction 3
4
Replicated File Updated File
Adding/Changing a File
This example shows a typical process for “on change” file replication. Note that there are many
options available that you will learn about in this unit. This example also uses two Vaults that have
been configured to support file replication (Alternate and Default).
 A User is always assigned to a default Vault in their user profile. In this example, the User is
assigned to the Vault named Default.
The Default Vault has been configured to target the Alternate Vault when a file is added or
changed in the Default Vault.
The updated (or new) file is first stored in the User’s default Vault.
A Replication Transaction is created to copy the file to the targeted Alternate Vault.
The replicated file now resides in the Alternate Vault.

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Replication Transactions
 Configured server event triggers check for
replication when:
▫ A user requests a file (onDemand)
▫ A file is changed in a vault (onChange)
▫ A program initiates an event (onEvent)
 Replication Transactions can execute:
▫ Immediately
▫ Based on a schedule
▫ When a defined method is executed
 Files can be copied or moved
Slide 6
Replication Transactions
Replication is configured by creating Replication Rules which are associated with a Vault. When a
matching Replication Rule is found on a Vault, a replication transaction is created to process the file.
Replication Rule settings include:
 onDemand ‐ A user requests a file from a Vault. The Vault is configured with an
“onDemand” rule to copy (or move) a file to another Vault.
 onChange ‐ A file is changed or added to a Vault. The Vault is configured to copy or move a
file when a file is added or changed.
 onEvent ‐ A Vault is configured to respond to a programmed event that is invoked from a
Method. This method may be associated with an Action menu item or a system event (e.g.
Promote Item) that causes a file replication transaction to be created.
 Timing ‐ Several options are available to indicate when the transaction should be invoked,
including immediate execution, delayed or scheduled time and by program invocation.
 Move or Copy ‐ The Replication Rule indicates whether a file should be moved or copied to a
new Vault location.
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Replication Transaction
Conditions
 A Replication Transaction will be skipped if:
▫ Not due for execution (scheduled/delayed)
▫ The file is locked
▫ Another transaction is already processing the file
 A Replication Transaction will be discarded if:
▫ File is not latest version in the "source" vault
▫ Latest version is already in the "target" vault
▫ Filter method removes file from contention
Slide 7
Replication Transaction Conditions
Replication transactions are processed if they meet the conditions stated above.
A skipped transaction will remain in the queue for future processing. Discarded transactions are
removed from the queue and marked as “Discarded” in the Transaction Log (discussed later in this
unit).
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Replication Transaction Process
Options
 Innovator Server Internal Thread
▫ Configure replication.config file
 Sending a SOAP message to Innovator Server
▫ Requires AML message constructed outside of Aras
Innovator
 Processing Manual Transactions with a Program
▫ Calling a defined server method programmatically
Slide 8
Transaction Process Options
File replication can be invoked using three different options. Which option you choose will depend
on your application requirements.
Internal Thread
An internal thread can be configured to handle the processing of replication transactions that have
been created using Replication Rules. A replication.config file is available in the Innovator/Server to
enable file replication using the standard internal thread. This file has been configured on your
classroom machine with the following default settings:
Replication Interval – 60 seconds.
User Name/Password – vadmin/vadmin
Max Transactions Batch – 25
Max Transactions Pending – 50
db – [Classroom Innovator database name]
SOAP Message to Innovator Server
The Innovator Server can respond to a specially formatted SOAP message to invoke processing of
Replication Transactions. An example of this scenario is available for download at
www.aras.com/communityprojects/
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Processing Manual Transactions
Replication transactions can be configured to execute using a “manual” process which requires
calling a specifically designed server method to process these transactions. An example of this
scenario is available for download at www.aras.com/communityprojects/.
For the purposes of demonstration, you will use the internal thread in this course. For more
information on the thread parameters and other options noted above see the Configuring Vault
Replication document on the installation CD.
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Creating Additional Vaults
 Each Vault requires a Vault Server
 Each User is assigned to a default Vault
 Files can be accessed from the Default or other
alternate Vaults
 File is always saved back to user's default Vault
(can be replicated to other vaults)

Alternate Default
Creating Additional Vaults
In order to use file replication, you will need to configure at least two vaults. In this course, you will
have access to 2 vault servers that have already been configured on your classroom computer.
However, you will need to create a Vault Item for the Alternate vault.
To Create an Alternate Vault
1. Create a new Vault Item by selecting Administration > Vaults from the TOC.
2. Enter the following Url Pattern in the field provided:
http://localhost/Alternate/vaultserver.aspx
3. Restart the IIS server on your classroom computer for file replication to work with the new
vault.
For more information on creating and configuring alternate Vaults see the Aras Innovator
Installation Guide available for download from aras.com or on the installation CD.
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Activating Feature License
Slide 10
Activating Feature License
File replication is a subscriber only option. You will need to obtain a feature license key before you
can use this feature in your installation.
To Obtain A Feature Activation Key
1. Send an email from your company email address to licenses@aras.com (or contact your
Aras representative for assistance in obtaining the key).
2. Include the following text in the email Subject field:
Vault Replication activation key required

3. Include the following in the message text:
Aras Version 9.4

4. Once verified, an email will be sent to you with the activation key.
5. Select Tools > Admin > Licenses > Activate Feature from the main menu.
6. Enter the key in the field provided and press the Activate Feature button.
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Configuring Preferred Vault
 Each User is assigned a Preferred Vault
 Default "write" location
 Preferred vault for "read" (unless configured
differently)
Slide 11
Configuring Preferred Vault
Each User is assigned a default (or preferred) Vault where any files they save or edit will be
contained.
To Configure a Preferred Vault
 Locate the User Profile record for each User and assign a preferred Vault location.

In the example, above the User is assigned to the Default Vault.
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Configuring Read Priority
1 2
Slide 12
Configuring Read Vault Priority
By default, when a user makes a request to retrieve a file their default Vault location is searched
first for the file. You can configure an alternate Vault (or Vaults) to retrieve a file by assigning one or
more Read Vaults in the User’s profile.
When a user requests a file, the following locations are checked for the latest version (in the order
listed):
1. Read Vault with highest priority (1 = highest)
2. User’s default Vault
3. Any other Vaults in the system
To Configure Read Vault Priority
1. Open the User profile record for edit.
2. Locate the Read Vaults tab on the relationship grid.
3. Create a new relationship to a Vault
4. Provide the Priority Number.
In the example above, the User’s highest priority Read Vault is Alternate, followed by Default.
Note
It is typically a good practice to assign a user’s highest priority Read Vault to be the same as their
Default Vault.
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Reviewing Replication Rules
 Replication rules are assigned a Vault
 A replication rule is associated with an Identity
 Replication mode indicates what trigger events will
cause a replication transaction to be created
▫ onChange
▫ onDemand
▫ onEvent
Slide 13
Reviewing Replication Rules
You define how file replication works in your environment by creating Replication Rules. A
Replication Rule is associated with a Vault and an Identity. The Identity defines which Users will
have access to this Replication Rule (typically “World”) when a replication event occurs.
Each Replication Rule is configured with a mode setting that indicates what system event will trigger
the creation of a replication transaction.
onChange
A user has added or changed a file in a Vault.
onDemand
A user has requested a file in a Vault.
onEvent
An executed Method with “replicate” programming instructions will cause this event to fire.
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Creating Replication Rules
Slide 14
Creating Replication Rules
Replication Rules are created by establishing a relationship from a Vault to a rule.
To Create a Replication Rule
1. Open a Vault profile for edit and locate the Replication Rule tab in the relationships grid.
Create a new relationship.
2. Select an Identity that will execute the replication transaction. In most cases this will be the
“World” Identity. If you want to limit a set of files to a user or a group of users you can also
specify a specific user alias or group Identity instead.
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Defining Replication Rules
1 5
2 6 7
3 8
Slide 15
Defining Replication Rules
The Replication Rule form provides the following configuration fields:
 Initiator Type
onDemand – user retrieves a file from a Vault that should be replicated
onChange – user adds a file to a Vault that should be replicated
onEvent – a Method when execute will invoke the rule
 Replication Mode
Immediate – replication will begin without delay asynchronously
Delayed – delay replication transaction using the Replication Time field in hours and minutes
(hhmm).
Scheduled – scheduled time for transaction using the Replication Time field in hours and
minutes using UTC time (hhmm). If time has already passed for today will execute at that
time tomorrow. Max time is 2359.
Manual – transaction will not be processed until a program method call is made.
 Replication Time
Used for Delayed and Scheduled transactions.
 Label
Description of Replication Rule – this text will appear in the Replication Transaction Log
 Filter Method
A custom Method that tests if a file should be replicated (or not) when the replication
transaction is processed. When the replication transaction is invoked the Method receives
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the current file id, which can be used to determine if a file should be replicated. Example:
files over a certain size or in a certain lifecycle state are not replicated based on business
rules.
 Replication Type
Copy or Move replicated file.
 Is Active
Allows you to deactivate a rule. Useful for removing a rule discussed later in this unit.
 Timeout
Maximum time (hhmm) allowed before started replication transaction is completed. Default
is 0100 (one hour).

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Specifying File Types
Slide 16
Specifying File Types
You can specify which file types will be used as part of a Replication Rule transaction. If no types are
provided then all file types are accepted.
To Specify File Types
1. Open the Replication Rule form and locate the File Types tab on the relationships grid.
2. Add a new relationship for each file type to be supported.
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Specifying Target Vaults
 Ignored for "onDemand" Rules
Slide 17
Specifying Target Vaults
Target Vaults indicate where the copied (or moved) files will be sent.
To Specify a Target Vault
1. Open the Replication Rule form and locate the Target Vaults tab in the relationships grid.
2. Create a new relationship for each target Vault to be configured for this rule.
Notes
Target Vaults are ignored for onDemand Replication Rules. A User’s highest priority Read Vault is
used instead when a User requests a file.
Only one Vault should be specified when the Replication Type equals Move. Once the file is moved
from the source Vault it will no longer be available for any other replication transactions and will
cause replication transaction errors.
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Configuring onDemand
Replication
Default
Replication Txn Alternate
User Requests File

that is newer in
Alternate Vault
Slide 18
Configuring onDemand Replication
This example demonstrates a User that is assigned to the Vault named Default.
The User’s Read Vault Priority List is first examined and the system checks for the latest file in the
Default Vault (priority 1). It is typically a best practice to specify the user’s default Vault as the
highest priority Read Vault unless a “Master Vault” scenario is used (discussed later in this unit).
If the latest file resides in the Alternate Vault, an immediate “copy” replication transaction is
created. The file is copied from the Alternate Vault to the Default Vault based on the configured
onDemand Replication Rule on the Alternate Vault.
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Configuring onChange Replication
Default Replication Txn

Vault
Target
Alternate
Vault
User Adds New File

to Default Vault
Slide 19
Configuring onChange Replication
This example demonstrates a User assigned to the Vault Default.
The User adds a new file to the Default Vault.
The Default Vault is configured with an onChange Replication Rule which fires creating a copy
replication transaction to the Target Vault named Alternate.
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Configuring onEvent Replication
Alternate
Vault
User Chooses
File(s) to Replicate
In Alternate Vault
Slide 20
Configuring onEvent Replication
This example demonstrates a User having the ability to select a file for replication using a custom
configured Action and Method. The user selects a file and chooses the Replicate File menu item to
invoke a Method call.
The Alternate Vault containing the file starts a replication transaction based on the onEvent
Replication Rule and targets the Default Vault for the copy operation.
This same approach could be used to provide a response to a lifecycle promotion event to replicate
Document Item files to a target Vault(s) when a Document Item reaches a certain state (e.g.
“Released).
You will learn about configuring Actions and Events later in this course.
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Viewing Pending/Running
Transactions
Slide 21
Viewing Pending/Running Transactions
You can display pending or running transactions as an Administrator by selecting Administration >
Replication Transactions from the TOC.
The search grid displays the following properties for review:
 From Vault – Original file container.
 To Vault – Target Vault for Replication Transaction.
 File – id of the file to be replicated.
 Not Before – date and time restriction for delayed or scheduled transactions.
 Status – Not Started/Completed/Discarded.
 Started – date and time transaction started.
 Ended – date and time transaction ended.
 Message – Label text from Replication Rule.
 Rule – Replication Rule Initiator Type.
 Initiated By – Identity that initiated the transaction.
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Viewing Transactions Log
Slide 22
Viewing Transactions Log
Completed transactions can be viewed by selecting Administration > Replication Transactions Log
from the TOC. The properties discussed previously are displayed for review.
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Deactivating a Rule
 Deselect Is Active
 Delete Replication Rule
▫ Pending Transactions must be completed
▫ Set to Inactive first, wait for pending to be completed
Slide 23
Deactivating/Removing a Rule
You can disable a configured Replication Rule at anytime to prevent new replication transactions
from being created based on the rule. Note that any currently running/pending transactions are not
affected.
To Deactivate a Replication Rule
Open the Replication Rule for edit and deselect the Is Active checkbox.
You can also permanently delete a Replication Rule once all pending/running transactions for this
rule have been completed.
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Exploring Additional Scenarios
 All Files Replicated to All Vaults
 All Files Replicated to a "Master" Vault
 Files Assigned to Vault by File Type
Slide 24
Additional Example Scenarios
There are many ways to configure file replication to suit your specific requirements. The following
scenarios give you an idea of some additional possibilities.
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Replicating All Files to All Vaults
onChange - Copy onChange - Copy onChange - Copy

Target: B & C Target: A & C Target: A & B
Vault A Vault B Vault C
Slide 25
Requirement: Replicate All Files to All Vaults
This configuration guarantees that a user will always be retrieving the latest file from their default
Vault.
An onChange Replication Rule is assigned to each Vault in the system. Each Replication Rule targets
the other Vaults in the system for replication when a file is changed in any Vault.
Depending on number of users and system load, these rules could be scheduled for “off” hours
when the network traffic is lighter.
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All Files Replicated to Master Vault
Vault A
onChange - Copy onChange - Copy

Target: A Target: A
Vault B Vault C
Requirement: All Files Must Reside in “Master” Vault
This configuration guarantees that the latest file is always available in a “central” Vault.
Each User assigned Vault has an onChange – Copy Replication Rule associated with the Vault. The
“central” Vault becomes the write target Vault in addition to the User’s default Vault.
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Files Assigned to Vault by Type
Vault A Vault D
MPEG ZIP
onChange - Move onChange - Move

Target: A Target: D
File Type: .MPEG File Type: .ZIP
Vault B Vault C
MPEG ZIP
Requirement: File Types must be Moved to Specific “Type” Vaults
This configuration guarantees that files are moved to a Vault based on their File Type. Perhaps
.MPEG and .ZIP files tend to be larger and have special storage needs.
Each User’s default Vault (B and C) target a specific Vault based on a File Type. An onChange
Replication Rule with File Type configured moves the file from the User’s default Vault to a specific
“type” Vault.
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Summary
You should now be able to:
 Configure a Preferred Vault
 Configure Read Vaults for a User
 Create Replication Rules
 Configure File Filters
 Remove Replication Rules
aras.com

Page 354
Summary

In this unit, you learned how to configuration file replication.
 Configure a Preferred Vault
 Configure Read Vaults for a User
 Create Replication Rules
 Configure File Filters
 Remove Replication Rules
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Review Questions

Where do all files added or changed by a User get written to first?
How do you specify which Vaults should receive a copy of a file when it is changed?
How would you restrict a replication so that only AUTOCAD files were replicated?
Where you do specify the Read Vault Priority list?
Page 356
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Configure a file replication rule.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will configure file replication. You will define a Replication Rule and test the
results using the Default and Alternate Vaults that are configured on your classroom computer.
Steps:
1. Assign the following default Vaults based on each User profile:
Peter Smith Default
Service User Alternate
2. Assign Read Vault Priority using the following settings:
Peter Smith Default = 1, Alternate = 2
Service User Alternate = 1, Default = 2
3. Create a Replication Rule that will copy immediately any file that Peter Smith checks‐in. (Use
the Identity World for the rule.) The target Vault should be the Alternate Vault. Which Vault
will you apply the rule to? ____________________ What is the Initiator Type?
____________________
4. Test your work by checking in a file while logged on as Peter Smith. Review the Transaction Logs
to make sure the replication was successful. You can also perform an Advanced Search on
Administration > Files from the TOC to prove the file has been copied to the Alternate Vault.
5. How would you restrict the copy operation in Step 3 so that only .JPG images would be
replicated? ____________________________________________
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Unit 15 Sending User Notifications

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to create administrative user notifications that
appear as alerts to end users in an Aras Innovator session. These notifications
can be used to alert a user about an upcoming event (e.g. system
maintenance, updated feature, etc.) This notification system is provided for
administrators only and is separate from e‐mail notifications which will be
discussed later in the course.

Objectives:  Reviewing Notification Messages
 Creating Notification Messages
 Configuring Acknowledgements
 Controlling the Message Status Bar
 Controlling Popup Messages
 Changing Update Interval

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Configuring a Solution
Reviewing Notification Messages
 Administrator can send internal messages to end
users
 Notification can be popup window or status bar
alert
 Administrator can review user acknowledgement
 Messages can be set to expire on a future date
 Standard HTML template available
 Custom HTML messages supported
User Notification Messages
As an Administrator, there may be times when you need to notify a group of users about an
upcoming maintenance event, a new feature being introduced to a solution or simply to
communicate with users while they are working in the Aras Innovator Environment.
You can configure a message that will be broadcast to one or more users (determined by Identity).
Message can be configured to appear in the main window status bar control or to popup in a
separate window when received. You can also determine if a user must acknowledge a message
which will be recorded for your review.
Messages can also be configured to expire after a certain date which will remove them from a user’s
queue automatically.
A standard template is available to quickly create a new message or you can use your knowledge of
HTML to create a completely customized form.
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Unit 15 – Sending User Notifications
Message Status Bar Control
 Main Window Status Bar:
Message Titles
Pending Messages
Viewing Messages in the Message Status Bar Control
When a standard message is sent to a user a Messages counter will increment to indicate the
number of messages to be read. In the example above, two messages have been sent to the user.
To View the Message Titles
1. Using the mouse, click on the Message control which is located in the bottom right corner of
the Aras Innovator main window.
2. The Message Titles box is displayed.
Note
You can configure the message priority so that more important messages appear before others in
the list.
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Viewing a Message
Popup Message
Status Bar
Viewing a Message
Messages appear as a popup window containing the message text as well as an optional OK and Exit
button.
To View a Message
1. From the Message Titles box, click on a Message Title to display the corresponding popup
window.
2. Depending on how the message has been configured you can then acknowledge the
message by pressing the OK button or exit by pressing the Exit button (if configured).
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Creating a New Message
1
2 3
4 5
6 7 8
9 10 11
12 13 14
Creating User Notification Messages
Messages are created using the Notification Messages template which is available under the
Administration category of the TOC. The following fields define a message:
 Use Standard Template
If selected, a standard template is used to create the message. Otherwise the message can
be created using Custom HTML (discussed later in this unit).
 Message Number
Each message is automatically assigned a sequence number when created starting with
000001.
 Title
Title of the message (multilingual strings supported).
 Text
Message text (multilingual strings supported).
 URL
If supplied, the Title text becomes a hyperlink to the web URL provided.
 Target
The identity that will receive the message. If a group identity is provided then all users of that
group will receive the message.
 Expiration Date
If provided, the date that the message will expire. Expired messages are removed from each
user’ queue. If blank, the message will never expire and will only be removed if the
administrator deletes the notification message template.
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 Type
“Standard” indicates that the message will appear in the Status Bar control. The user will
need to select a message title to display the popup window. “Popup” indicates the message
will only appear as a popup window when the message is received (making it harder to
ignore).
 Show OK Button
The OK button is considered the “acknowledgement” button for a message that configured to
be acknowledged once (discussed later in this unit). When a user presses a message that is
configured to be acknowledged once, the event is recorded and can be viewed by an
administrator later. The window is also closed.
 OK Button Label
Text for the button (supports multilingual string).
 Priority
You can rank messages so that the message titles in the status bar control are ordered by
importance. Higher priority messages will appear above lower ones.
 Show Exit Button
The Exit button will close the window and exit the application. This is useful for messages
where the user must acknowledge the message (press OK) before they can use the system.
 Exit Button Label
Text for the button (supports multilingual string).
 Acknowledge
“Once” indicates that when a user presses the OK button on a message it will be removed
from their message queue and the event will be recorded for later viewing by an
administrator. “Always” indicates the message will always appear in the user’s message
queue until it expires or the administrator deletes the notification message template.
To Create a New Message
1. Select Administration > Notification Messages from the TOC and create a new template.
2. Provide the field information noted above
3. Once the Notification Message has been saved it will be sent to currently logged on users
based on the next message check interval (discussed later in this unit). The message will
appear immediately if a user logs on after the message has been saved.
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Using the Standard Template
 Provides standard message display that contains:
Image Title (optional linked URL)

Message Text
OK (Acknowledge)
Button
Using the Standard Template
The standard template is a preconfigured HTML form that contains the elements displayed above.
You configure the template based on the fields defined in the Notification Message.
Note
The standard template is based on a default template xml file which is located (on the classroom
computer) in the following location:
C:\Program Files\Aras\Innovator920\Client\xml\ notification_popup_template.xml
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Customizing the Standard
Template
 Optional Style Overrides
Customizing the Standard Template
The standard template is based on a series of cascading style sheet elements that can be overridden
in the Style Css dialog box.
The following styles are available for modification:
Style Name Description
.title Title text
.text Message text
.notification_ok_btn OK Button text
.notification_exit_btn Exit Button text

In the example above, the color of the title text and buttons has been changed and the message text
will display in italics.
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Creating a Custom HTML
Message
 Message Title, text and URL are replaced with custom
HTML
 Window size can be defined
 OK and Exit button still configured in Notification Message
Creating a Custom HTML Message
Custom HTML messages allow you to completely control the title text, message text and URL as well
as add any additional HTML elements required. You control the size of the window using the Style
Width and Style Height parameters (in pixels).
To Create a Custom HTML Message
1. Deselect the Standard Template option on the Notification Message form.
2. Enter the Custom HTML in the dialog box provided. Substitution for {TITLE}, {TEXT} and
{URL} are supported.
Note
The OK and Exit buttons are still configured based on the selections in the Notification Message to
allow for acknowledgement and standard exit behavior. The buttons will appear after the supplied
custom HTML.
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Defining Acknowledgements
 Acknowledge Once
▫ When user presses OK button, message is removed
from status bar
▫ Acknowledgement is recorded for review later
 Acknowledge Always
▫ Message is not removed when user presses OK button
▫ Message will be removed only by expiring (or deleted
by Administrator)
▫ Acknowledgement not recorded
Defining Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements are configured using the Acknowledge setting on the Notification Message
form.
Once
When the “Once” option is selected, the OK button on the displayed message becomes the
acknowledgement that the message was read by the end user. The message is automatically
removed from the user’s message queue. The acknowledgement is also recorded as a relationship
to the current user which will be discussed later in this unit.
Always
Messages that use the “Always” setting are not removed when the user presses the OK button on
the message dialog. “Always” messages are intended to stay in a message queue until the message
expires (or the administrator deletes the Notification Message template).
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Message Acknowledgements
Notification Message User

Message Acknowledgement
Exploring Message Acknowledgements
When a user acknowledges a message (by pressing the OK button) a relationship is created between
the Notification Message and the current User.
The relationship named Message Acknowledgement identifies the users that have acknowledged
the broadcasted message.
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Viewing Acknowledgements
Users that have acknowledged message
Viewing Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements for a Notification Message are available from the Message Acknowledgements
tab in the relationship grid.
To View an Acknowledgement
1. Open the Notification Message template.
2. If the relationship grid is not in view, select the Hide Tabs button from the tear‐off

window toolbar.
3. The list of acknowledged users is displayed.
Tip
The Message Acknowledgement relationship Item stores properties about the acknowledgement.
For example, it might be useful to expose the created_on or modified_on properties in the search
grid as you learned earlier in this course. For more information, see Creating Item Relationships.
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Configuring Update Interval
 Message updates occur:
▫ At user logon
▫ Every 15 minutes (default)
 MessageCheckInterval System Variable sets
interval
▫ Default setting is 900000 ms (15 minutes)
▫ Adjust using milliseconds
Configuring Update Interval
Notification Messages will appear to an end user as soon as the user logs on to Aras Innovator. For
users currently working in a session, the message is “pushed” at a defined interval. The default
interval time is 15 minutes. You can increase or decrease this interval time by modifying the
MessageCheckInterval system variable.
To Modify the Update Interval
1. Select Administration > Variables from the TOC.
2. Edit the variable named MessageCheckInterval.
Note
System variables always provide 2 fields to set a value. The “Value” field is used to set the current
value the system should use for this variable. “Default Value” is used to reset the current value if
the same system variable is imported into the current system (on a system upgrade for example).
In the example above, 900000 will always be the current value for this variable. If the same variable
name is imported into the system, the Default Value will be used to set the current value, regardless
of the value on the item being imported.
You will learn more about import/export and packaging later in this course.
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Summary

In this unit, you learned how to create and customize a notification message.
 Create Custom and Standard Notification Messages
 Configure Acknowledgements
 Control the Message Status Bar
 Control Popup Messages
 Change the message update interval
Page 372
Review Questions

How does an end user acknowledge a notification message?
How do you configure a notification message to appear as a popup by default?
How do you sort message titles in the status control bar?
How do you view message acknowledgements?
Page 373
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Create a notification message that alerts a user that the system will go off‐line at a certain time.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will create a notification message to alert everyone in the system that the
server will go off‐line at a specific time. You will review acknowledgements to make sure everyone
has read and acknowledged the message.
Steps:
1. For testing purposes, decrease the message check interval to 20 seconds.
2. Create a new Notification Message that appears similar to the display shown below. The user
should be able to click on the Message Title to view the aras.com home page. The message
should expire one day from today.

3. Make sure that each user acknowledges the message once and view the acknowledgements.
Note
You may need to provide a CSS override to widen the button above. You can use the following
syntax in the Style CSS field. See Customizing the Standard Template in this unit for more details.
.notification_ok_btn{width:250px}
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Unit 16 Sending E‐mail Notifications

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to send a customized e‐mail message when an
Item is promoted to a new life cycle or on a workflow event. You will learn
how to create an E‐mail Message Item and configure the Item in a LifeCycle or
Workflow Map.
Objectives:  Reviewing Notifications
 Creating E‐mail Message Items
 Using Variables in E‐mail Text
 Configuring an E‐mail in a LifeCycle
 Configuring a Workflow Notification

Email
Message
Workflow
Map
LifeCycle
Map
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Reviewing Notifications
 Allow e‐mail messages to be generated from:
▫ Lifecycle Transitions
▫ Lifecycle States
▫ Workflow Activities
E‐mail Notifications
You can configure notifications from Aras Innovator that will send e‐mails to one or more individuals
based on an Item lifecycle or workflow event.
In a lifecycle, e‐mail is used to notify selected identities that an item has either entered a specific life
cycle state, or that it is in transition between states. In a workflow, e‐mail is used to notify selected
identities that a workflow event has occurred. Common events include an Activity becoming active,
when an assignment reaches an InBasket, or when an Activity is delegated or escalated to another
identity.
Note
In order to use e‐mail, your Innovator server must be configured to work with a valid SMTP e‐mail
server. The default configuration uses the IIS mail queue (which must be enabled) but you can also
specify a specific server. See the Aras Innovator - Installation Guide for more information.
If an e‐mail server is not available (for testing purposes) you can enable the e‐mail debug option.
Locate the InnovatorServerConfig.xml file in the Aras server installation directory and remove the
“disabled” setting from the operating parameter of the e‐mail‐debug‐option:
<operating_parameter key="email_debug_option" value="file"/>
Text files representing the generated e‐mails will be now be created in the directory associated with
the temp_folder operating parameter instead of being sent from the SMTP server.
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Unit 16 – Sending E‐mail Notifications
Creating E‐mail Messages
 Notifications require an E‐Mail Message Item
1
4
2
3 5
Creating an E‐mail Message
In order to send a notification you must first create an E‐mail Message Item that contains the text of
the e‐mail you wish to send as well as the sender’s e‐mail information. The E‐Mail Message contains
the following fields:
 Name
Name of the E‐Mail Message.
 From User
Indicates who this e‐mail will be from. Choose an existing User or leave blank. Leaving this
field blank means the system will use the currently logged on user as the sender of this
message. Note that all Users should have a valid e‐mail address if a reply is needed to the
message.
 Subject
The subject of the e‐mail message.
 Body Plain
To send a plain text message, provide the e‐mail message text here.
 Body HTML
To send e‐mail with embedded HTML tags, provide appropriate text here.
 Query String
An XML representation of the current Item is always available to allow you to use variables in
e‐mail text (discussed later in this unit). In certain circumstances, you may also want to
retrieve other information to use in an e‐mail which requires the use of Adaptive Markup
Language (AML). You will learn about AML later in this course.
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To Create an E‐Mail Message Item
1. Select Administration > E‐Mail Message Item from the TOC and create a new Item.
2. Provide the name of the E‐Mail Message, as well as the from user (optional) and e‐mail
message text to be sent.
In the example above, the following message has been created:
Name Notify in Review
From User (none)
Subject Please Review Item
Body Plain Please review and
promote Item!

3. Save your changes.
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Configuring an E‐mail ‐ LifeCycle
To Configure a LifeCycle E‐mail Message
1. Open the desired LifeCycle Map and select either a State or a Transition from the state
diagram.
2. Click on the Configure E‐mail link to begin configuration of the e‐mail message.
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Configuring an E‐mail ‐ LifeCycle
1 2
Configuring a LifeCycle E‐mail Message
The Configure E‐mail dialog displays the fields you can configure to send an E‐Mail Message Item.
 Name
Name of the E‐Mail Message.
 Of ItemType
If provided, limits the use of this E‐Mail Message to this ItemType only. Note that Life Cycle
Maps can be shared among ItemTypes. If this is the case, and the e‐mail only applies to a
specific ItemType provide the ItemType name. Leaving this field blank means it will work
with any ItemType that is used with this LifeCycle.
 Name
Destination Identity for this message. If a group identity is provided, all members of the
identity will receive the e‐mail message.
To Configure a LifeCycle E‐mail Message
1. Select the State or Transition to be used to generate the e‐mail message. An e‐mail will be
generated when the system enters a state or “passes through” a transition.
2. Select a pre‐defined E‐Mail Message. In the example above, the Notify In Review message
has been selected and is being configured for the In Review state.
3. Add one or more Identities using the relationships grid. In the example above the
Engineering Identity has been selected.
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4. Close the Configure E‐Mail dialog and save changes to the LifeCycle Map. Note that the e‐
mail configuration is not saved until the LifeCycle Map is saved to the database.
You can test the configuration by promoting a Design Request to the In Review state.
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Configuring a Workflow
Notification
1 2 3
Configuring a Workflow Notification
Workflow Notifications can be defined for each workflow Activity. When you select an Activity and
view the Notifications tab in the relationships grid you can provide the following:
 Event
The following events are available to indicate when an e‐mail should be sent:
 On Activate ‐ when the workflow reaches this activity.
 On Assign – when an assignment is generated for this activity.
 On Refuse – when the assignment is refused by a user.
 On Delegate – when the user delegates an assignment to somebody else.
 On Vote – when the user votes on an assignment.
 On Remind – when an overdue reminder is triggered based on the duration
settings.
 On Due – when the activity is due to be processed based on duration settings.
 On Escalate – when the activity is escalated to another identity.
 On Close – when the workflow exits this activity.
.
 Target
 All Assignments ‐ All assignees listed in the Assignments tab for this activity. If
there is an assignee which is a group identity, all members of that identity will
receive this notification.
 Open Assignments ‐ All assignees that have not completed the activity. Typically
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this Target is used with the On Remind or On Due event.
 Closed Assignments ‐ All assignees that have completed the activity. Typically this
Target would be used with the On Close event.
 From Identity ‐ Used only for escalation or delegation, this identity is the one
from which the assignment is being delegated or escalated.
 To Identity ‐ Used only for escalation or delegation, this identity is the one being
delegated to or escalated to.
 Alternate ‐ the identity defined in the alternate field
 Alternate
If the Alternate Target is chosen above, the Identity to receive the message.

To Configure a Workflow Notification
1. Select the Activity to invoke an E‐mail Notification.
2. Click the Notifications tab in the relationships grid and add a new Notification.
3. Configure the notification based on the fields described above.
4. Save the Workflow Map.
In this example, a simple E‐mail Message Item has been created to notify a user to review a Design
Request. The following has been configured on the Review Request Activity of the Design Request
Workflow:
E‐Mail Message Event Target

Notify In Review On Activate All Assignments

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Using Item Values in a Message
<AML>
<Item type=‘Design Request’>
<_item_number>
DR-000100
</_item_number>
<state>Released</state>
<_title> Item Properties
Suggestion…
Current Item </_title>
NPR-000100 </Item>
</AML>
Using Variables
Every Item in Aras Innovator is described using an extended form of XML known as Adaptive Markup
Language (AML).
You can use specially formatted variables in the Subject and Body Text of an E‐Mail message to
provide information from the system as part of the message.
In the example above, you may want to include the Design Request number, state or priority as part
of the message to be sent to users when a Design Request is promoted, or when it is assigned to
certain individuals.
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Using Variables in E‐mail Text –
Life Cycle
 You can use variables in a message generated from
a LifeCycle using the following format:
${property_name}
where property_name is a valid property
contained in the current Item
 Example:
Please review item: ${_item_number}
Using Variables in E‐mail Text (LifeCycle)
All of the properties of the current Item associated with a life cycle are available for use in messages
that are sent when a life cycle state is reached in an Item, or when an Item is transitioned from one
state to another.
To access a property, use the syntax ${property_name} – where the property name identifies a
valid property defined in the ItemType of the Item. In the example above, the current ticket number
will be substituted in the e‐mail message when it is generated.
To Use Variables in E‐Mail Text (LifeCycle)
1. Make a copy of the Notify In Review E‐mail Message and provide the following:
Name Notify in Review – with Variables
From User (none)
Subject Please Review Item ${_item_number}
Body Plain Request Title: ${_title}.
Please review request ${_item_number}.
This request is a priority is awaiting promotion.
2. Replace the Notify in Review message configured in the In Review state of the Design
Request LifeCycle map.
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Using Variables in E‐mail Text –
Workflow Notification
 You can provide variables in a message generated
from a Workflow Notification using XPath notation.
 Current Item Property:
${Item[@type="ItemType"]/property_name}
 Example:
You have been assigned Design Request:
${Item[@type="Design Request"]/_item_number}
Using Variable in Workflow Notifications
Workflow notifications also support the use of variables to retrieve information from the current
Item and display it in an e‐mail message.
Workflow notifications support a more robust syntax using the XPath standard to locate information
in the Item AML.
In the example above, the ticket_number property of the Design Request Item will be displayed in
an e‐mail message.
Note
A full discussion of XPath is outside the scope of this class, but you can learn about the XPath
standard from many sources on the web.
To Use Variables in a Workflow Notification
1. Create a new E‐Mail Message Item and provide the following:
Name Request Flow Submit – with Variables
From User (none)
Subject Request ${Item[@type=’Design Request’]/_item_number}
waiting to be submitted

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Body Plain Please check your InBasket ‐ Design Request
${Item[@type=’Design Request’]/_item_number} needs to
be submitted.
2. Replace the Request Flow Submit message in the Verify Activity of the Design Request
Workflow Map.
Note
There are also four system variables available that can be used for any e‐mail message.
Variable Definition
$[USER] The current logon name
$[ALIAS] The alias identity of the user
$[DATE] String containing today's date
$[TIME] String containing the current time

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Summary

In this unit you learned how to enhance a workflow.
 Create an E‐mail Message Item
 Use Variables in E‐mail Text
 Send an E‐mail Message when an Item is Promoted
 Send an E‐mail Message using a Workflow Notification
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Review Questions

Where are the four places you can configure an e‐mail notification?
What is required before you can configure a notification?
What Item values are available to display in an e‐mail message?
How can you notify a user that an assignment has been delegated to him/her?
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Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to send an e‐mail notification from a LifeCycle and a Workflow.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will create notifications for the Change Request to alert users about Life Cycle
state changes and pending assignments.
Steps:
1. The Creator should receive an e‐mail message that resembles the following when a Change
Request is created. Configure the email message on the Preliminary (starting) life cycle state.
(The underlined text below is used to indicate where you will need to use variables.)
Subject: Change Request CR-000200 Created
Message:
Change Request CR-000200 has been created.
Reason: Printer assembly needs to be replaced
Cost$: 200
Please submit for review.
2. The Review Request Activity of the Change Request workflow should send the following
message to the CRB group.
Subject: Change Request CR-000200 Needs Review.
Message: An assignment has been placed in your InBasket.

Please review and approve Change Request CR-000200.
3. Process a Change Request to test your work.
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Unit 17 Using the Office Connector

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to the Aras Office Connector add‐on which is
available to all users with a subscriber license. The Office Connector provides a
convenient way to manage office files including Microsoft® Word documents,
Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and Outlook e‐mail messages.
You work directly in the Microsoft Office authoring tools to create and edit
office files that are automatically vaulted in Aras Innovator.

Objectives:  Reviewing the Office Connector
 Defining the Aras Document
 Exploring the Aras Office Ribbon
 Creating, Saving and Closing an Aras Document
 Displaying Viewable Files
 Linking an Aras Document
 Creating a Document Template
 Embedding Document Properties
 Working with Document Versions
 Saving an Outlook Email Message

MS Office
Document
File
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Reviewing the Office Connector
 Aras Add‐on Integration to Microsoft Office
▫ Word Documents
▫ Excel Spreadsheets
▫ PowerPoint Slides
▫ Outlook Email Messages
 Allows creation, versioning and management
of Aras Documents using Microsoft Office

The Office Connector is an Aras Innovator subscriber add‐on that allows you to work with Microsoft
Office Files in their native authoring environment and manage your work in Aras Innovator. The
Office Connector currently supports Microsoft Office 2007, 2010 and 2013 Word, Excel, PowerPoint
and Outlook (Enterprise or Professional Edition recommended with latest service packs) and
includes the following features:
 Search files and templates in PLM from within the Office environment.
 View documents for read‐only access or Edit to lock and modify a file.
 Auto generate PDFs (and other viewable formats) of saved files to attach and distribute to
other users.
 Automate file naming and document number sequencing.
 Create link relationships between Microsoft documents and Aras Items such as Parts,
Drawings, Projects, Process Plans, and other PLM items from within Microsoft Office.
 Configure revision and version control on Microsoft files to provide traceability and assure
that users always work with the correct version of a file.
 Create standardized Office document templates that comply with corporate conventions
and are ready‐to‐use for end users.
 Map properties from native Microsoft files to Aras or from Aras to the native Microsoft files.
 Capture and store an Outlook email message with attachments as a Document Item in Aras.

An administrator must install the Office Connector client software provided by Aras to allow access
to the integration features as well as the appropriate packages on the Aras Innovator server. See
the Aras Office Connector Installation Guide for more information.
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Unit 17 – Using the Office Connector
Defining the Aras Document
Document Item
New Aras Document
Open Aras Document
Office Application
Defining the Aras Document Item
Each time you save a Microsoft Office file to Aras, it is automatically associated with an Aras
ItemType and stored in an Aras Vault. You can access a saved Office file by searching and opening
the Aras Item that is related to the file. The Office Connector is preconfigured to work with the
standard Document ItemType, but an administrator can associate the file to any valid ItemType.
In the example above, a user has created a new Word Document named Document1.docx and saved
it to Aras using the Office Connector. A new Document Item is created and the Office file is related
to the Document Item and copied to an Aras Vault
While the file is being edited locally, a copy is retained in the user’s working directory in a subfolder
named “Office”. Each user can define their own working directory or a default can be set by the
Aras Innovator administrator.
Note that the Document Item number and filename can be configured in different ways by the Aras
administrator.
The Office Connector also supports the creation of viewable files (e.g. PDF) which are created
automatically when an Office file is saved.
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Exploring the Aras Office Ribbon
Each supported Microsoft Office application contains an Aras Ribbon for working with Aras
Documents. This unit will use Microsoft Word as an example, but the same Ribbon also appears in
Excel and PowerPoint (Microsoft Outlook uses an abbreviated version of the Ribbon).
Any Office files that need to be managed in Aras Innovator are accessed from the Aras Ribbon.
The next several sections of this unit describe the functionality of the Ribbon controls.
Note
Microsoft Office 2010 (and greater) allow you to rearrange and customize the Office ribbon. You
can move the Aras ribbon to a different position in the toolbar and also place Aras commands into
standard Office ribbon sections (like Home) to make the connector easier to access.
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Defining Document Actions
The Document Actions section of the Aras Office Ribbon allows you to manage the creation and
editing of Office files in Aras Innovator.
The following actions are available:
 New Aras Document
Creates a new Office file that is managed by Aras.
 Open From Aras
Opens an existing Office file that is stored in Aras Innovator.
 Save to Aras
Saves the current Office file to an Aras Document and retains the lock.
 Save and Close
Saves the current Office file to an Aras Document and releases the lock as well as closing the
session.
 Save As to Aras
Saves the current Office file as a new copy managed by Aras Innovator.

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Defining Document Info
The Document Info section of the Aras Office Ribbon displays current information about the Aras
Document and also provides several actions:
 Number
The Aras Document number associated with the current Office file.
 Type
The Document classification type (managed by the Aras administrator).
 Revision
Current Major Revision of the Aras Document.
 State
Current lifecycle state of the Aras Document.
 Template
Name of the Document Template used to create the current Office file (optional).
 Show Template
Display the Document Template used to create the current Office file.
 Show Aras Document
Display the Aras Document associated with the current Office item.
 Properties
Display a list of all Aras Document properties synchronized with the Office file.
 Refresh
Refresh Ribbon information.
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Defining the Edit Control
The Edit Control section of the Aras Office Ribbon displays current version information about the
Aras Document and also provides several actions:
 Version Status
Green=Local file version is latest; Yellow=Local file is outdated; Grey=Local file is a previous
version (obtained with Get Version action)
 Version Number
Version (generation) of the Aras Document associated with this file.
 Locked By
User name of the individual who has locked the Aras Document.
 Get Latest
If local file is not latest version will retrieve the latest version.
 Get Version
Retrieve an earlier version of the file.
 Lock
Lock the Aras Document if it is unlocked preventing others from editing.
 Unlock
Release the lock on a Aras Document allowing others to edit.
 Detach
Disconnect the Aras Document from the current file. The file will no longer be tracked in Aras
Innovator.

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Defining Links
The Links section of the Aras Office Ribbon displays information about an Item linked to the Aras
Document and also provides several actions:
 Linked Item
Item number of the Aras Item linked to the Document.
 Item Type
Item type of linked Item.
 Add Link
Add a link to the current Aras Document.
 Remove Link
Remove the current link on this Document.
 Show Link Item
Display the Item linked to this Document.
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Logging into Aras
1
2
3
4
Logging into Aras
The first time the Office Connector needs to access the Aras server in an office session, you will be
prompted for your credentials and database selection.
 Innovator URL
URL of the Aras Innovator server.
 Database
Preconfigured Aras database to store Document items.
 Login
Aras login name.
 Password
Aras password.
Notes
Once you log on to Aras your credentials are saved for the current session. If you close the Office
application and return later, your previous information will be preserved for faster access.
If your administrator has configured Aras Innovator to use an alternate windows authentication (e.g.
single sign‐on) you will not be required to enter a login name or password.
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Creating a New Aras Document (No Template)
You can create a new Aras Document and corresponding Office file using the New Aras Document
action from the Document Actions section of the Aras Ribbon.
The following fields are provided:
 Document Type
A list of supported Document Types that are configured by the Aras Administrator.
 Title
The title of the Document which is stored as an Aras Document Property and also available as
an Office property.
 Document Template
A list of templates that have been configured for the Document Type selected. (You will
create a Document Template later in this unit.)
 File Name
If prompted, the name of the Office file to be saved. An Aras administrator can also configure
a Document Type to automatically name the file.
 Link To
An Aras administrator can provide a list of possible Item types to link this new Document to.
If you choose a Link To Item type you can select the specific link item in the field provided.
 Properties
A list of properties that have been configured by the Aras administrator to be saved with the
Document.
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To Create A New Aras Document without a Template
1. Start the Microsoft Word editor.
2. Access the Aras Ribbon and click on the New Aras Document action. Enter your log on
credentials if prompted.
3. Choose the Document Type Ad‐hoc as shown in the example.
4. Enter Sample Document in the Title field.
5. Enter Sample in the Filename field.
6. Press the OK button to create the new Aras Document.
The Word Document named Sample.docx now resides in your Aras working directory in the Office
folder.
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Saving an Aras Document
To save a created Office file into Aras Innovator, you use the Save to Aras Document Action. The
Office file is copied to an Aras Vault and associated with an Aras Document Item.
To Save an Aras Document
1. Enter some sample text into the word document as shown above and then click the Save to
Aras action from the Aras Ribbon.
2. A confirmation prompt will appear at the bottom of the screen with a link to the Aras
Document. You can click the link to review the Aras Document Item created.
Note
The Aras administrator determines the Aras Document number using a configuration preference.
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Closing an Aras Document
When an Office file is created and saved to Aras Innovator, the corresponding Aras Document is
locked to prevent other users from editing the Document at the same time. When you are ready to
save and release the lock, you use the Save and Close Document action.
To Save and Close a Document
1. Click the Save and Close action from the Document Actions section of the Aras Ribbon.
2. A prompt will appear indicating you are about to save and release the Document lock.
3. Press the OK button to save any changes and close the Document. The Office file will also
be closed in the application.
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Displaying Viewable File
Displaying Viewable File
The Office Connector can be configured by an Aras administrator to automatically create a viewable
copy of the file (e.g. Adobe PDF) which is contained in the same Aras Document item.
To Display a Viewable File
1. Log into Aras Innovator and locate the Aras Document that was created by the Office
Connector.
2. The viewable file will be available on the Files tab of the Document item.
3. Right click and select View File to display the contents of the file.
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Opening Aras Documents
To retrieve and open a Document from the Aras server, choose the Open From Aras action in the
Ribbon. You can then use the search bar to locate a Document. Your or an Aras administrator can
also configure the Office Connector to use saved searches that locate a set of Documents each time
the search dialog is displayed.
The following fields are provided:
 Saved Search
A list of previously created Saved Document Searches from Aras Innovator. Aras also
provides a collection of predefined saved searches preceded with an asterisk (*) character.
These searches help you to quickly find all Documents of a certain type.
 Search Bar
Use simple search criteria to locate a Document.
To Open an Aras Document
1. Click the Open from Aras action on the Aras Ribbon.
2. Choose a previously defined Saved Search or leave the field blank and enter search criteria
in the search bar.
3. Click View to display the Office file but not lock the corresponding Document. Choose edit
to apply a lock to the Aras Document.
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Notes
Saved Searches only support Simple Search criteria. Advanced or AML search criteria is not
supported at this time.
An Aras administrator can configure which columns appear in the search grid.
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Linking Documents
Part
Document
Linking Documents
An Aras Document can automatically be linked to another existing Item in the database (e.g. Part)
when the Document is created. Existing Documents can also be linked to another Item.
The linked Document will appear in the Documents tab of the linked Item in Aras Innovator. The
Aras Ribbon will also indicate if a Document is linked.
In the example above, the Sample Document is linked to a specific Part Item.
An Aras administrator determines possible valid link Items.
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Linking an Aras Document
You can link a Document to another existing Item when the Document is created or use the Add Link
action to link an existing Document.
To Link A New Document
1. Select the type of the Item to be linked from the Linked to list.
2. Choose the Item to be linked by clicking on the ellipsis […] button.
3. Create the New Document.
To Link an Existing Document
1. Open a Document from Aras in edit mode.
2. Click the Add Link action from the Links section of the Aras Ribbon. The following dialog
appears:

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3. Choose the valid link Item type from the list provided (configured by an Aras administrator).
4. Choose the Item to link to and press OK. The Item number and type will appear in the Links
section of the Aras Ribbon.
To Remove a Linked Item
1. Open a Linked Document from Aras in edit mode.
2. Click the Remove Link action. The following dialog will display:

3. Click OK to remove the link to the other Item.
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Creating a Document Template
You can create a template file for an Office application that is used as a boilerplate for creating
Office files. Any Office file can be marked as a template and is used as the starting content for a
new Document.
In this example, we will copy an existing Office file and then configure it to be a template. However,
you can configure any Aras Document (existing or new) to be a Document Template.
To Save As To Aras
1. Open an existing Document for view or edit.
2. Click the Save As to Aras action from the Aras Ribbon.
3. Provide the title and File Name (if required) and create the New Aras Document. In this
example, an existing Office file is used to create a new Document that will be used as a
template.
4. Save and close the Document to release the lock.
Note
Any Office file can be used as a Document Template. It does not require the use of a Microsoft
Office template file type.
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Configuring the Document
Template
Configuring the Document Template
A Document Template is configured by marking it as a Document Template Item and classifying
what Document Type this template will be used with. You may need to coordinate this with an Aras
administrator who is responsible for defining valid Document Types for the Office Connector.
To Configure the Document Template
1. Locate the Document Item in Aras Innovator and open it for edit.
2. Click the Type field and select the Document Type for this template. In this example, a
Document Template is configured for the Document Type named General.
3. Click the Template checkbox to set it to true (checked).
4. Save, unlock and close the Document Item.
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Creating an Aras Document with
Template
Creating an Aras Document with Template
Available Document Templates will appear in the Document Template list for a Document Type once
they are configured.
To Create an Aras Document with a Template
1. Create a New Aras Document using the Aras Ribbon.
2. Select the Document Type. In this example, the General Document Type now supports a
Document Template configured in a previous step.
3. Provide the information for the remaining fields and press OK to create the new Document
with the content from the Document Template.
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Embedding Document Properties
Embedding Document Properties
An Aras administrator can create and configure Office file properties that are synchronized with Aras
Document Item properties. Standard properties include the title of the Document, the Aras
Document number, the author, date created, etc.
To Embed a Document Property (Word Example)
1. Select Quick Parts from the Insert Ribbon.
2. Choose the Field… option.
3. Select DocProperty and then select the property to be embedded in the Office file. In this
example the property Aras Document is selected.
Note
To embed properties in a Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint Office file see the appropriate online help
sections for these authoring tools.
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Creating a New Document
Version
Creating Document Versions
Aras Documents support Item versioning which is useful for tracking changes to an Office file.
Document Items are configured out‐of‐the‐box to support a Major Revision and a Generation which
is displayed as a version number in the Aras Ribbon.
A new version (generation) is created each time an Aras Document is opened for edit (locked) and
then saved and closed (unlocked).
To Create a New Version
1. Open a Document from Aras in edit mode.
2. Make some changes to the Document. In the example above, a new line of text has been
added.
3. Click the Save and Close action from the Aras Ribbon to close the Document.
4. The next time the Document is opened from Aras the Version number will be incremented.
Note
Using the Save to Aras action on an existing locked Document does not increment the version
number. The file must be unlocked to increment the generation.
If files are kept locally in a user’s Aras working directory (administrator option), a numbered
subfolder is created in the local Office folder to keep previous file versions.
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Opening a Previous Document
Version
Opening a Previous Document Version
You can open a previous version of a Document while leaving the current file open to do a side by
side comparison. Note that the version indicator in the Aras Ribbon will be grey indicating the
previous version is not current.
To Open a Previous Version
1. Click the Get Version action from Aras Ribbon.
2. Using the search grid, choose which version to display and press OK.
3. The previous version will be displayed in a new window and the version indicator in the Aras
Ribbon will be grey.
Note
An Aras administrator can tie Document versioning to current solutions supported in Aras Innovator
(e.g. Document Change Management) to control life cycle and security settings through the life of a
Document.
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Updating an Old Version
When a user opens a Document for edit the Document Item is locked to prevent other users from
making changes on the same file. When the current user is finished editing and saves and closes the
Document ‐ other users that have worked on the Document may still retain an out of date copy in
their local working directory.
When a user opens an out of date copy locally the Aras Ribbon version indicator is set to yellow
indicating the version displayed is out of date.
To Update an Old Version
1. Click the Get Latest action from the Aras Ribbon Edit Control.
2. The following message is displayed:

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3. To retrieve the latest version (potentially losing changes to the current file) press the OK
button.
4. The most current version is copied to the local working directory and displayed in the editor.
Note
If you need to retain the changes you have made to the outdated file, you can use the Save As to
Aras action to create a new Document with the current file contents.
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Saving Outlook Email Messages
Saving Outlook Email Messages
The Office Connector supports a Save to Aras action which allows you to save the contents of an
email message from Outlook into a new Aras Document. Email Documents can also be linked to
another Item if configured by the administrator.
To Save an Outlook Email Message
1. Select a message to be saved from Outlook and choose the Save to Aras action from the
Aras toolbar.
2. Make sure the Email Document Type is selected and choose a linked item if desired (and
configured by the administrator).
3. A new Aras Document will be created and the email message file will be copied to the Aras
Vault and associated with the Document Item.

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Summary

In this unit you learned how to use the Aras Office Connector to create and edit documents.
 Use the Aras Office Ribbon
 Create a New Aras Document
 Save and/or Close an Aras Document
 Display Viewable Files
 Link an Aras Document
 Create a Document Template
 Embed Document Properties
 Work with Document Versions
 Save an Email Message to a Document
Page 420
Review Questions

What operation causes a Document Version number to increment?
How do you create a Document Template to standardize document creation?
Who determines the office file naming and Document Item numbering?
What is the difference between the Save and Close action and the Save As to Aras action?
Where is the viewable version of an office file stored?
Page 421
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to use the Office Connector to create and edit Microsoft Office Word documents based on a
Document Template.
Scenario:
You will create a standard Part Requirement Document Template that can be used to define
requirements for a Part or Product. You will then create a new requirements Document using the
template.
Steps:
1. Start the Microsoft Word editor which will display a new blank document. You will use this
document to create an Aras Document Template to standardize requirements gathering for a
Part or Product.
2. Enter the boilerplate text below for the requirements template using Microsoft Word. This will
be used to standardize each requirement Document that is created in the future:

3. Next, position the cursor at the end of Title: heading and select Insert > Quick Parts from the
Office Ribbon.
4. Select Document Property > Title from the context menus. The current document title will be
inserted into the Document:
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5. Use the Save to Aras action from the Aras Ribbon to create a new Document Item in Aras
Innovator. When prompted, login to the server using the user id admin and password
innovator and select the Solutions database.
6. Choose the Ad‐hoc Document Type. Enter the Title as Requirement Template and File

Name as Requirement_Template and click OK.

Note the Document Number that appears on the bottom of the Word document (your number
may be different):

7. Click the Document Number link to open the Document Item tear‐off window from Aras
Innovator (You may need to click the Explorer icon in the toolbar tray to view the window).
Note the attached Word Document file in the Files tab.
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8. To use this Document Item as a Template, set the Template check box to true (checked).
9. Next, select the Type field on the Document Item and choose the General subclass from the list.
This will allows this Template to be available to General Document Types.
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10. Save changes, leave the Item locked and close the Document Item window. You will unlock the
Document from Microsoft Word in the next step.
11. Use the Save and Close action from the Aras Ribbon to commit all changes, unlock the
Document Item and close the Word file.
12. Now create a new Aras Document using the Document Template. Select the New Aras
Document action from the Aras Ribbon.
13. Select the General Document Type and choose the Document Template you created above from
the list. Enter a Title in the field provided and press OK.

14. A new Word Document is created from the Template and the Title is automatically entered into
the Document:

15. You can now enter information into the document based on the headers provided and use the
Save to Aras action to create a new Document Item in Aras Innovator.
16. Once you have completed working with the file use the Save and Close action to commit
changes to Aras Innovator. You can then use the Open from Aras action to locate and open the
Document for edit again.
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Page 426

Unit 18 Configuring Office Connector

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to configure the Office Connector global
preferences that determine how a user interacts with Microsoft Office files.
You must have administrative access to Aras Innovator to be able to establish
and modify preference settings.
The Office Connector is preconfigured to use the Aras Document ItemType
which already defines a relationship to Files, but you can also configure an
existing ItemType to support the Office Connector.

Objectives:  Defining Office Connector Preferences
 Defining Office File Types
 Defining Document Types
 Defining Office Document References
 Defining Valid Link Items
 Mapping Aras Document Properties
 Defining Outlook Email Options

MS Office
Document
File
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Defining Office Connector
Preferences
2 3
Defining Office Connector Preferences
As an Aras administrator, you have the option to configure how users work with the Office
Connector when they create and edit Aras Documents.
The following options can be configured:
 Supported Office File Types.
 Support Document ItemTypes (in addition to the standard Document ItemType)
 When and if a Viewable File should be created for a Document.
 Whether local Office files should be retained in a user’s working directory.
 Supported Document Types (Classification).
 Document Template requirements.
 Supported Item Links.
 Document Numbering and Office File Naming.
 An Email message property.
 Property mapping and synchronization.
To Access the Office Connector Preferences:
1. Access the Preferences from the TOC and edit the World preference Item.
2. Select the Office Preferences tab.
3. Right click to View the Office Connector Settings.
4. Lock the Office Connector Settings Item to make changes.
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Unit 18 – Configuring Office Connector
Defining General Settings
Defining General Settings
The following general preference settings can be configured on the Office Connect Settings form.
 Viewable Generation
Indicates what Aras Ribbon action creates a Viewable file (if supported for an Office Type).
 Remove Local File on Close
If selected, the local Office file will be removed from a user’s working directory when they
save and close a Document. Otherwise, the Office file will remain in the local directory.

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Defining Office File Types
1 2 3
Defining Office File Types
The Office Connector currently supports 3 Office file types including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
(Email is configured separately.) The following options are available for each Office type:
 Default File Type
Default file name extension used when an Office file is saved. Select the appropriate default
from the drop list for each Office type.
 Viewable File
If selected, a Viewable copy of the Office file is created when a Document is saved (or closed).
 Viewable File Type
Select the type of Viewable file to be created from the drop list. The office connector
currently supports the following file types:

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Defining Document Types
Defining Document Types
As an administrator, you determine what kinds of Documents will be created by users in Aras
Innovator by creating supporting Item Type classifications. Each classification is then used to
determine a Document Type and the supported features for that type.
The Office Connector is preconfigured with 4 default Document Types that use the standard Aras
Document ItemType and match the Document ItemType classifications Ad‐hoc, General, Product and
Project.
You can add more types to the list by creating a new Document Type that matches one of the
existing subclasses.
Note
You also use a different "source" ItemType (instead of Document) by configuring the ItemType for
use in Office Connector. See the Aras Office Connector Administrator Guide for the specific changes
you must make to an ItemType to support the Office Connector.
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Creating New Document Type
1 7
2 8
3 9
4 10
5 11
6 12
Creating a New Document Type
To create a new Document Type, first make sure the appropriate classification has been established
on the source ItemType. Use the Class Structure to define a new subclass if it has not already been
defined.
In this example, we will use the Specification subclass that is already defined on the standard Aras
Document ItemType.
To Create a Document Type
1. From the Office Connector Setting select the Document Types tab. Add a new Document
Type which will create a blank row in the Document Types list.
2. It is typically easier to configure a Document Type using a Form, so right click the blank row
and choose View "Document Types" from the context menu.
The Office Document Type contains the following configurable fields:
 Label
Label which is displayed to the end user as the type of Document to be created. In this
example, `Document / Specification has been entered as the label.
 Item Type
The source ItemType that will be related to the checked in MS Office file. The standard
Document ItemType has a preconfigured relationship to Files so that will be used in this
example.
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 Classification
The subclass of the chosen ItemType. This classification should be created before configuring
the Document Type. In this example, Specification is used.
 Native File
An Office Reference item that explains how the native MS Office file will be connected to the
source ItemType. In this example, the Document File – Viewable Office Reference is used.
Office References are discussed later in this unit.
 Viewable File
An Office Reference item that explains how the viewable MS Office file will be connected to
the source ItemType. In this example, the Document File – Viewable Office Reference is used.
Office References are discussed later in this unit.
 Template Required?
You can define an office template that may (or must) be used by your end users to create a
new Document. This will be discussed later in this unit.
 Available To
Members of this identity will have access to the Document Type to create new Documents.
 Document Numbering
You can configure how a Document Item is numbered when it is created. Options include a
Method or a Sequence.
 Document Numbering Sequence
If the Document Numbering is defined as Sequence the name of the Sequence to use.
 Document Numbering Method
If the Document Numbering is defined as Method, the name of the custom Method used to
define the Document Number.
 Rename File
You can configure how an MS Office file is named:
No – User must supply Office file name when Document is created.
Method – A Method determines the Office file name.
Match Document – Office file name matches the Document Number.
 File Naming Method
Name of the custom Method used if Method naming is selected above.

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Using an Office Document
Reference
 Defines the link between an Office file and an Aras
ItemType
 Defines valid links between a Document Item and
a Parent Item
Document Item Part Item
Office
File
Using an Office Document Reference
An Office Document Reference establishes how an MS Office file can be connected to a source
Document Item. It is also used to define what Items your end user is allowed to "link" to (use the
Add Link action in the Office Connector ribbon).
The Office Connector is preconfigured to allow a connection between an MS Office file and a
Document source Item using the standard Aras Document File Relationship ItemType for native as
well as viewable files (e.g .PDF).
The Office Connector also contains several preconfigured Office References to allow a user to add a
link from a Document Item to a Part or a Project.
To View Existing Office References
Select Administration ‐> Office References from the TOC.
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Defining an Office Document
Reference
Defining an Office Document Reference
The Office Document Reference form contains the following fields:
 Label
Label which defines the reference to the administrator. An Office Document Reference is
used to define how Native and Viewable files are handled on a Document Type and also to
specify valid Item Links. Make the label as explicit as possible to indicate its purpose.
 Item Type
The ItemType containing a property (of ItemType File) that will be used to associate the MS
Office File to an Aras source Item.
In this example, the ItemType Document File is used which is a Relationship ItemType that
allows a relationship between the Aras Document ItemType and the core File ItemType.
 Property
The name of the Item data type property with a Data Source ItemType of File. In this
example, the related_id property of the Document File relationship ItemType is used.

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Defining Valid Links
Defining Valid Links
A user can link an Aras Document to another Aras Item (e.g. Part) when they create or edit a
Document. You define the valid links on each Document Type by supplying an Office Document
Reference which defines the valid relationships available to the user.
Four preconfigured link references are installed with the Office Connector to allow a user to link a
standard Document Item to a Part or components of a Project.
To Add a Valid Link
1. Select the Valid Links tab from a Document Type.
2. Press the New relationship button to select an Office Document Reference that defines the
desired relationship.
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Mapping Aras Document
Properties
1 2 3 4 5
Mapping Aras Properties
You can synchronize Aras Document properties with Microsoft Office file properties to retrieve or
supply values. To map Aras Document Properties select the Property Mapping tab from a desired
Document Type. The following fields are provided:
 Office Property
Name of the property created for an Office file in a Microsoft Office application.
 Aras Property
Name of the Aras Property defined in the Document Item Type.
 Direction
From Office File to Aras – the value of the Office file property is used to populate the Aras
Document property.
From Aras to Office File – the value of the Aras Document property is used to populate the
value of the Office file property.
 Create
If true, populate the property according to Direction when the Aras Document is first created.
 Update
If true, populate the property according to Direction when an existing Aras Document is saved
to Aras.
Note
The same property can be defined more than once in the list if the Create and Update option is
different based on the Direction option. (See the Title example above).
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Defining Outlook Email Options
Capture Message Text Option
Defining Outlook Email Options
The Office Connector supports a subset of the options described for the Word, Excel and
PowerPoint applications. A user can save an Outlook Email message to a new Aras Document which
captures the message in a message file with the MHT file extension. Any attachments to the Email
message are automatically associated with the Aras Document and stored in the Aras Vault.
The Office Connector is preconfigured to create a new Item of type Document using the standard
Office Document References described earlier in this unit.
In addition, the following feature is available:
Property for Message
You can create a property of data type Text on the Document Item Type that will be used to store
the text contents of the email message (in addition to the message file attached). This property can
then be exposed on the Document Form for display and/or used for searches on the Document
search grid.
1. Edit the Document ItemType (or the Item Type specified in the ItemType field.)
2. Create a new property with the datatype of Text and save the ItemType.
3. Enter the name of the property in the Property Message field.

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Summary

In this unit you learned how to configure the Office Connector preference settings.
 Define Office Connector Preferences
 Define Office File Types
 Define Document Types using Classification
 Define Office Document References
 Define Valid Item Links
 Map Aras Document Properties to Office Properties
 Define Outlook Email Options
Page 439
Review Questions

How can you require that a user select a Document Template when they create a new Document?
How do you create a new Document Type?
What determines the supported link ItemTypes for a Document?
What determines what the default extension will be a for an Office filename?
What two approaches are available for numbering and naming Documents?
Page 440
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Configure a new Document Type with supporting options using the Office Connector Settings.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will new define a new Document Type named Hardware and configure the
necessary settings to allow users to work with this new type.
Steps:
1. Locate and edit the Document ItemType and add Hardware as a new Class Structure subclass.

2. Open the Office Connector Settings preference Item for edit. Select the Document Types tab
and a Document Type named Document / Hardware.

3. Right click and select View "Document Types" from the context menu.
4. Provide the following Document Type settings:
ItemType Document
Classification Hardware
Native File Document File ‐ Native
Viewable File Document File ‐ Viewable
Template Required No
Available To World
Document Numbering Sequence
Document Numbering Sequence Default Document
Rename File? Match Document

5. This Document Type should also allow a user to Link a Hardware Document to the ItemTypes
named Product or Project.
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6. Access the Property Mappings tab of the Office Connector Settings Item. Map the Office
Property Category to the Aras Document property classification so that the Document Type
value is saved from Aras to Office each time a Document is created or updated.

7. Access Microsoft Word and create a New Aras Document of type Hardware to test the new
configuration.
Page 442

Unit 19 Creating Multilingual Solutions

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to create a solution that supports multiple
languages and multiple time zones. You will also learn how to configure the
Corporate Time Zone to for scheduling and effectivity searches to work
correctly.

Objectives:  Reviewing Multilingual Solutions
 Defining the Components of a Multilingual Solution
 Configuring the Innovator Server
 Creating a new Language and Locale
 Using AML with Multilingual Text
 Using AML with Localized Date/Time and Number Formats

Page 443
Developing Solutions
Reviewing Multilingual Solutions
 English is the Default Language in initial install
 Text can be localized for:
▫ ItemType Labels
▫ Property Labels
▫ RelationshipType Labels (Tab Label)
▫ Form Labels
▫ List and Filtered List Labels
▫ Action Labels (Menu text)
▫ Report Labels
▫ User Messages
▫ Property Values**
Slide 3
Aras Innovator has been designed to support multiple languages for both client presentation (UI
labels) as well as property value data.
All text is stored in the Innovator database using Unicode (2 bytes per character).
Note
**Care should be taken if multiple language instance data is supported in a solution. This will be
discussed later in this unit
Page 444
Unit 19 – Creating Multilingual Solutions
Reviewing Multilingual Solutions
 Client Region and Language Settings determine
language selection and format of:
▫ Date
▫ Time
▫ Numbers
 Date/times can be displayed in local or Corporate
Time Zone
Slide 4
Once a multilingual solution has been configured the Client Region, Language and Time Zone
settings on the client browser determine what will be displayed to the user. This includes, labels,
dates, and number formats.
Note
Currency settings are not currently supported –Innovator only stores the number in the db – no
localized currency information is stored.
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Defining Components of a
Multilingual Solution
 Server Culture Code
 Language Item
 Locale Item
 Default Language and Locale Variables
 Client Region and Language Settings
 Multilingual Labels
 Multilingual Properties
Slide 5
Components of a Multilingual Solution
Localizing a solution to a native language requires configuring several components to support the
language translation.
In this unit you will learn how to configure each component to support a localized version of a
solution.
Note that one installation of Aras Innovator can support more than one localized language at a time.
Page 446
Setting the Server Culture Code
 Defines the culture attribute for Innovator Server
 Indicates locale for parsing float numbers on
server
 Edit /Innovator/Server/web.config:
<globalization requestEncoding="utf-8"
responseEncoding="utf-8" culture="en-US"/>
Set Culture Code

The Server Culture code determines the default culture setting for the server. Note that this setting
may be different than the region setting on the server.
Note
The Innovator server should be restarted after this change is made.
A culture code list is available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en‐us/library/ee825488(CS.20).aspx
Page 447
Creating a Language Item
 Defines a new language to be used for multilingual
properties and labels
1
2
3
4
5
Slide 7
To Define a New Language
Select Administration > Languages from the TOC and create a new Language Item. The following
fields are available:
 Code
ISO Code identifying language – list available at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ISO_639‐1_codes.
 Name
Name of the language Item.
 Suffix
Used to create a table name extension (discussed in this unit). Typically this is the same as
the language code with an underscore prefix.
 Collation
Any custom sorting rules that will be used in the database.
 Direction
Direction text is read ‐ Left to Right or Right to Left

Page 448
Creating a Locale Item
 Used for matching client locale setting on the
server
Slide 8
To Create a New Culture Code
Select Administration > Locales from the TOC and create a new Locale Item. The following fields are
available:
 Code
Culture code using the format culture‐LANGUAGE
 Name
Name of the Locale Item.
 Language
A Language Item that has been previously created in the database.

Page 449
Setting Default Locale and
Language Variables
 English is installed Default
 System Variables define default language and
locale
▫ DefaultLanguage
▫ DefaultLocale
 Default is used when localized translation is not
provided in labels or property values

One Default Language is supported by the system and used as the standard text if no localized
translations are found. By default, English is the Default Language in a new Innovator installation.
To change the Default Language, access the DefaultLanguage and DefaultLocale System Variables
from the TOC and edit their values.
Page 450
Setting Browser Language

A user will need to set their preferred browser language/locale to see the localized translations.
Internet Explorer setting is shown above.
This setting also changes the Date and Time format as well as Number Format based on the
language/locale.
Note
Currency format is currently not supported.
Firefox Setting
Page 451
Creating Multilingual Labels
 Press the ellipsis (…) button next to a label:
 Enter translated text in appropriate Language
textbox:

Once an additional Language has been configured a button will appear next to any Label field in the
system.
When you press the button a dialog box will appear allowing for a localized translation of the label.
Note
If a translation is left blank, then the Default language is used
Page 452
Storing Multilingual Labels
 A new column is created in the database for each
Language Item defined.
Suffix

The Innovator database stores translated labels by Language in a new column using the label name
with a suffix (defined in the Language Item discussed previously).
In this example, the label for an ItemType for the French language is stored in the database with the
–FR extension on the column name.
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Creating Multilingual Properties
 Defined on the ItemType:
 Allow user to supply translated item data:

Aras Innovator does support the ability to store translated instance data for an Item. These are
actual property values for an Item that are stored as translated text based on the Languages
configured.
When a user views and edits a field on a form they will be editing, the property value of the selected
client language appears.
You can also allow a user to edit more than one language in a form. If you change the field type on
the form to Multilingual String an ellipsis button will appear next to the field allowing the user to see
all languages as shown above.
Note
Some restrictions apply to Multilingual Properties:
 They cannot be marked as required on an Item
 They cannot have a Default value defined in the ItemType

You should also think carefully before considering maintaining translated instance data.
 Who will maintain the multilingual translations for each Item?
 Translated instance data will increase the size of database (a new database column for each
language supported)

Page 454
Storing Multilingual Properties
 New column is added to Item table for each
language defined.

When a multilingual property is defined a new column with the language suffix is added to the
ItemType table.
In this example the name property data will be stored in both the default language and French.
Page 455
Configuring Aras Innovator
Menus
 Menu items localized in XML files
 Each language uses a directory to store localized
files
Language Code
<menubar id="main_menubar">
<menu id="file_menu" name="Fichier">
<item id="new" name="Nouveau" disabled="true"/>
<item id="save" name="Save" disabled="true"/>
<item id="saveAs" name="Sauvegarder " disabled="true"/>
To Localize Aras Innovator Menu Items
To localize the menus, toolbar text and other labels presented in the Aras Innovator client:
1. Locate the Innovator/Client/xml directory and make a copy of the directory and contained
files.
2. Name the copied directory xml.[language_code] where language code is the language Item
you have created in the database. In this example, fr (French) is the alternate language
code.
3. Open the XML files contained in the copied directory to localize the menu text, etc. Any
entry that is not translated will revert back to the default directory (English in this example).
Page 456
Reviewing Time Zones
 Date and time are stored as UTC in the database
 Client time zone setting determines the time
shown/used in Aras Innovator
 If all users belong to same time zone everyone
views and stores the same time values
 If users are in different time zones then local time
value is stored for Items created/modified by users
 Issues may arise with scheduling and effectivity
searches based on different time zones
Reviewing Time Zones
A global enterprise solution may need to work across several regions or countries which are
delineated by different time zones.
To accommodate different time zones requires setting a chosen Corporate Time Zone as described
in this unit.
Page 457
Using CorporateTimeZone
 Recommended to provide single time standard
Headquarters
Remote Office
Corporate Time
10:00 AM
Local Time
10:00 AM Corporate Time
10:00 AM
Local Time
2:00 PM
Corporate Time Zone is recommended if your Innovator server will be accessed by clients in
different time zones.
Corporate Time Zone sets one “universal” time for the enterprise so that everyone uses the same
“Corporate” time in their solutions regardless of the local time zone. This is important for timed
events and scheduling.
The Corporate Time Zone is configured on the Innovator Server.
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Setting CorporateTimeZone
 Add System Variable CorporateTimeZone
(no spaces):
To Create a Corporate Time Zone
Create a new System Variable named CorporateTimeZone (No spaces!) and set the value equal to a
time zone that will be used as the “universal” time for the enterprise.
The following is a list of standard time zones:
Afghanistan Standard Time Egypt Standard Time Pacific Standard Time
Ekaterinburg Standard Pacific Standard Time
Alaskan Standard Time Time (Mexico)
Arab Standard Time Fiji Standard Time Romance Standard Time
Arabian Standard Time FLE Standard Time Russian Standard Time
Arabic Standard Time Georgian Standard Time SA Eastern Standard Time
Armenian Standard Time GMT Standard Time SA Pacific Standard Time
Atlantic Standard Time Greenland Standard Time SA Western Standard Time
Greenwich Standard
AUS Central Standard Time Time Samoa Standard Time
AUS Eastern Standard Time GTB Standard Time SE Asia Standard Time
Azerbaijan Standard Time Hawaiian Standard Time Singapore Standard Time
Azores Standard Time India Standard Time South Africa Standard Time
Canada Central Standard Time Iran Standard Time Sri Lanka Standard Time
Cape Verde Standard Time Israel Standard Time Taipei Standard Time
Caucasus Standard Time Jordan Standard Time Tasmania Standard Time
Cen. Australia Standard Time Korea Standard Time Tokyo Standard Time
Central American Standard Time Mexico Standard Time Tonga Standard Time
Central Asia Standard Time Mexico Standard Time 2 US Eastern Standard Time
Mid-Atlantic Standard
Central Brazilian Standard Time Time US Mountain Standard Time
Middle East Standard
Central Europe Standard Time Time Venezuela Standard Time
Central European Standard Time Montevideo Standard Vladivostok Standard Time
Page 459
Time
Central Pacific Standard Time Mountain Standard Time W. Australia Standard Time
Mountain Standard Time W. Central Africa Standard
Central Standard Time (Mexico) Time
Central Standard Time (Mexico) Myanmar Standard Time W. Europe Standard Time
N. Central Asia Standard
China Standard Time Time West Asia Standard Time
Dateline Standard Time Namibia Standard Time West Pacific Standard Time
E. Africa Standard Time Nepal Standard Time Yakutsk Standard Time
E. Australia Standard Time New Zealand Standard Time
E. Europe Standard Time Newfoundland Standard Time
E. South America Standard Time North Asia East Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time North Asia Standard Time

Note
Make sure to restart the Innovator server and all browsers when setting Corporate Time Zone
Page 460
Displaying Corporate Time
 Client will display both local and Corporate time
when client time zone is different than Corporate:

If the user logged on to a client in a time zone other than the CorporateTimeZone a second clock
appears showing both local and corporate time.
All Items created in the database will be marked with the corporate time.
Page 461
Obtaining Language Packs
 Several language packs are available to import
translated labels
 List of current language packs at Aras.com –
Projects page
 Language Pack Management Utility can be used to
import/export language packs

Aras has created several language packs that include translated labels. You can import these
translations in a multilingual installation to save time when setting up a localized system.
See the Configuring Localization and Internationalization support document for more information.
Page 462
Summary

In this unit you learned how to add a new language to the Innovator server and add localized
translations to labels and instance data.
 Create a new language and locale
 Add translated labels and instance data to the database
 Use AML to query or add new data to the multilingual database
 Understand how to work with neutral data and number formats
Page 463
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Be able to define a new Language and support translation of labels (and instance data) in the new
language.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will add a new Language and Locale and customize the Customer Form.
Steps:
1. Add a new Language (_es) and Locale for Spanish that uses the culture code es‐ES (Spanish‐
Spain).
2. Configure the Customer Form so that it displays the labels in Spanish when the client region and
language is Spanish(Spain) in the control panel.
3. The following translations are provided. If you are more comfortable in another language use
that instead.
Name Nombre
Phone Telefono
Fax Facsimile
Contact Name Contacto nombre
Address Dirección
City Ciudad
State Estado
Country Pais
Zip Code Código de zip
Website Sito web
Description Descripción

4. Change the name property of the Customer type to support a Multilingual String. What
happens in the database when you make this change?
__________________________________________________________________________
5. Enter some translated name strings for a few customers.
6. Using the AML Studio tool retrieve the Customer Items and note the i18n tags assigned to the
multilingual string data type.
7. How are dates and number displayed in the AML response? What action could you use to
display numbers and dates in their localized format? __________________________
Page 464

Unit 20 Packaging a Solution

Overview: In this unit you will learn how to package the solutions you have built in this
course so they can be exported and moved to a different database. You will
build a package definition, add Items and export the package to the file
system. You can then import the exported files to a different database.

Objectives:  Identifying Package Components
 Creating a Package Definition
 Reviewing Package Dependencies
 Adding Package Elements
 Reviewing a Package Definition
 Exporting a Package
 Reviewing the Logs
 Reviewing the Manifest File
 Importing a Package

Package
Definition
Page 465
Moving a Solution
Development Test Production
Slide 3
Moving a Solution
When you create a solution, you typically work on a Development server to build and configure the
new application. The Development server is also used to correct bugs as well as make
enhancements and add new features to the solution. In this course, your classroom computer has
been used as the Development server.
Once a solution is ready for testing, a copy is typically moved to a Test/QA server for assessment of
any problems, etc... When the solution has been approved for general use, it is then moved to the
Production server where end users begin to use the solution. Changes are never made to the
Production server until they have been verified through careful testing.
Your exact configurations may differ (and may be more detailed), but this general configuration is
recommended for developing/deploying solutions.
In this unit, you will learn how to package a solution so that it can be transported to a new server.
You will also learn some best practices for moving solution elements.
Page 466
Unit 20 – Packaging a Solution
Package Overview
Package
Definition
Package Groups
ItemType Workflow LifeCycle Relationship Permission Form …

Type
Product Product Product Product Product Product

Request Request Request Request Request Request…
WorkFlow LifeCycle Document
Package Elements

As you have discovered, everything you create in Aras Innovator is an Item. The templates you have
created in this course to define ItemTypes, RelationshipTypes, Forms, etc. are all Items that define
your solution.
As you also learned earlier in this course, all Items are described using Adaptive Markup Language
(AML). In effect, the Innovator database is a large collection of AML documents that describe the
configuration of your solution as well as the data. To move a solution to another system requires
careful planning to determine what components comprise your solution.
Package Definition
The first step in moving a solution is to create a Package Definition. A Package Definition is a
collection of Package Groups that contain Package Elements. Each Package Group defines a
collection of templates that are exported from the database.
In the example above, the Package Definition contains an ItemType Package Group. That group
contains one Package Element which is the Design Request ItemType. Each subsequent group
contains respective element(s) for that group (Workflow, LifeCycle, RelationshipType, etc.).
Page 467
Creating a Package Definition
Slide 5
Creating a Package Definition
A Package Definition is created to identify what elements will be exported from the database. You
select the elements that make up your solution and add them to a definition. Eventually, the
definition is used to export the selected Items from the database to the file system as AML
documents.
To Create A Package Definition
1. Select a Package Element to be included in the new Package Definition. Typically, the
ItemType(s) for the solution are targeted first. In this example, the Design Request
ItemType has been selected.
2. Choose Tools > Admin > Add to Package Definition from the main menu. The Add Item
dialog appears.
3. Choose create new from the drop down list and click the OK button.
4. Enter the name of the new Package Definition and click OK to add the first element to the
definition.
5. You can then add subsequent elements by selecting each Item and adding them to the same
Package Definition.
Page 468
Reviewing Package Dependencies
Core
PLM Solution
Design
Request
Slide 6
Reviewing Package Dependencies
Often, the solutions you build reference elements from other solution packages. You can specify
these package references as part of the Package Definition. When the exported package is imported
into another system, the required dependencies are resolved before any new elements are
accepted into the system. If a required package is missing on the destination system, an error is
raised and the import fails.
Every solution in Aras Innovator is dependent on the Core Package. The Core Package is installed
when you first install Aras Innovator. Because every solution relies on this package, the dependency
is implied and does not have to be defined in a Package Definition.
In the example above, the PLM Solution is dependent on Core but that dependency is implied and
does not have to be configured in the PLM Solution Package Definition.
The Design Request solution we have built in this course uses elements from the PLM Solution
package so it must be defined in the Design Request Package Definition.
Page 469
Adding Package Dependencies
Package Dependency
Slide 7
To Add a Package Dependency
Highlight the Package Definitions that this solution is dependent on.
Note
You can also add and remove dependencies in a Package Definition once it is created.
Page 470
Adding Package Elements
Slide 8
To Add Package Elements
Select each element and choose Tools > Admin > Add to Package Definition from the main menu.
Select the desired Package Definition and click the OK button to add the Package Element to the
definition.
Note
A Package Element can only belong to one Package Definition. If you attempt to add the element to
more than one definition an error will occur.
Page 471
Determining Package Elements
 Actions  Methods
 E‐Mail Messages  Permissions
 Forms  RelationshipTypes
 Grids  Reports
 Identities  Sequences
 ItemTypes*  SQL Items
 LifeCycle Maps  Workflow Maps
 Lists**
Determining Package Elements
Selecting the elements to be included in a package is one of the most important steps in exporting a
solution. Because each solution is different, there is no fixed rule on what elements should be
selected. Also remember, that each template you have created in your solution may reference
some other element and vice versa.
Some common techniques for collecting the necessary elements include:
 Searching on the modified_on property for each element type. If you know when
development began for your solution you can use this date/time filter to determine what
might be relevant.
 Starting with the ItemType(s) that comprise your solution and noting each element that
relies on this ItemType (Form, LifeCycle, Relationship, etc.).
 Using the Where Used browser to determine where an element is used in other elements.
 Using the Structure Browser to display the structure of related elements.

Keeping a complete inventory as you create each element in your solution can save time when it
comes time to move the solution.
*You should not package any ItemTypes that have the “Is Relationship” option selected. These
ItemTypes are automatically included in the definition of the RelationshipType element.
Page 472
** You should not include any Lists that have been generated to bind a set of PolySources to a Poly
ItemType. These Lists have the same name as the Poly ItemType and must be newly generated in
the destination database.
It is also typically not recommended that you include Users and User Aliases in a Package Definition.
Including Users in a package makes your solution less generic and ties your solution to a set of pre‐
defined individuals that must always exist in production.
Page 473
Reviewing Package Elements
To Review Package Elements
1. Select Administration > Package Definitions from the TOC and open for view or edit.
2. The list of Package Groups will be displayed in the PackageGroup tab in the relationships
grid.
3. To view the Package Elements, click the right mouse button on a Package Group and select
View “PackageGroup” from the menu.
In this example, three Form elements have been included in the Form Package Group which is part
of the Design Request Package Definition.
Page 474
Reviewing Dependencies
To Review Package Dependencies
Choose the PackageDependsOn tab in the relationships grid.
In this example, one dependency has been configured for the Design Request Package Definition.
Page 475
Exporting a Package
AML Files
Innovator Database
File System
Exporting a Package
Once the Package Definition is complete, the package can be exported using the Export utility. This
utility is a separate executable named export.exe that is available on the Aras Innovator CD.
The Export utility allows you to select a Package Definition from the database and create a package
folder structure in the file system. Each template type (ItemType, Form, etc.) becomes a separate
subfolder. Within each subfolder, each exported Item is represented as an AML file with the same
name as the exported Item.
In the example above, three Form definitions have been exported and are contained in the Form
subdirectory. Note the remaining subfolder names – each represents a kind of exported Item from
the database.
Page 476
Using the Export Utility
1
3
2
Choose Database and

Provide Credentials
Slide 13
Using the Export Utility – Log On
You must first log on using your Aras Innovator user name and password to access the selected
database.
To Log On to the Export Utility
1. Enter the URL of the Innovator Server – in this example http://localhost/InnovatorServer100
is used.
2. Click the ellipsis (…) button to the right of the Database field to populate the drop down list.
Select the desired database.
3. Enter your valid user name and password in the fields provided.
Page 477
Selecting Export Options
1
2 4
Slide 14
Selecting Export Options
The following options can be configured when exporting Items:
 Export To:
The directory location for the exported AML files.
 Export Referenced Items
If a referenced element in another package is encountered while exporting an Item, this
option will allow the referenced element to be exported as well. This is typically not
recommended – the Package Definition should be configured with appropriate package
dependencies as we discussed earlier in this unit.
 References to Unknown Packages
Remove Silently – if an unknown referenced element is encountered exporting an Item, the
Item is removed from the export and no errors occur.

Remove with Warning (recommended) – if an unknown referenced element is encountered
exporting an Item, the Item is removed from the export and a warning message appears

Don’t Remove ‐ – if an unknown referenced element is encountered exporting an Item, the
Item is still exported – this will likely cause problems on Import.
 Level
Uses the AML “level” attribute to allow a deep query into an Item. Typically, not
recommended for basic exports.
Page 478
Selecting Package(s) to Export
To Select Package(s) to Export
Click the checkboxes to choose a Package Definition and Package Groups to be used for export. You
can view the Package Elements that will be exported by clicking on the Package Group name. You
can then select or deselect individual elements in the Items list.
Page 479
Reviewing the Export Log
 Located in the same directory as the export.exe
utility
To View the Export Log
1. Locate the directory where the Export.exe program file is located. A subdirectory named
“logs” is created that stores a log of each export.
2. Open the log file using a text editor to view results and any errors.
Note
A new log file is created for each export session. If you perform more than one export before
closing the Export utility, the status messages are appended to the same log file.
Page 480
Reviewing the Manifest File
 Contains information for the Import Utility
about:
▫ Packages to be processed
▫ Package dependencies
▫ Package disk path locations
<imports>
<package name="Design Request"
path="Design Request\Import">
<dependson name="com.aras.innovator.solution.PLM" />
</package>
</imports>
Reviewing the Manifest File
A manifest file is created by the Export utility and is used at Import to locate the package element
AML files.
The manifest file contains the package name and the top level directory location where the
exported AML files are stored. Each subdirectory under the “Import” directory is the name of a
Package Group (ItemType, Form, RelationshipType, etc.)
The manifest also includes the dependencies that have been configured in the Package Definition so
that referenced Items can be resolved on import in the database.
Page 481
Importing a Package
File System
Manifest File
Innovator Database
Importing a Package
Package export is accomplished using a separate executable named Import.exe that is available on
the Aras Innovator CD.
The Import utility uses an existing manifest file to locate the AML export files. Each file is then
parsed to create (or edit) new Items in the destination database.
The Import Utility imports Package Groups from a Package Definition in the following order:
1. List 10. Email Message 19. Field

2. Sequence 11. Action 20. Property
3. Revision 12. Report 21. View
4. Variable 13. Form 22. SQL
5. Identity 14. Workflow Map 23. Metric
6. Member 15. Life Cycle Map 24. Chart
7. User 16. Grid 25. Dashboard
8. Permission 17. ItemType
9. Method 18. RelationshipType

Page 482
Using the Import Utility
1
2
Slide 19
Using the Import Utility – Log On
1. Enter the Innovator URL in the Server field. In this example,
http://localhost/InnovatorServer has been entered.
2. Click the ellipsis (…) button and select the desired destination database from the drop down
list.
3. Enter your valid user name and password for the destination database.
Page 483
Selecting the Manifest
To Select the Manifest and Package
Provide the path to the manifest (.mf) file described earlier in this unit. Select the Package for
import.
Page 484
Selecting Import Options
Selecting Import Options
Type
Merge – will attempt to merge changes of an imported Item into the database if the same Item
already exists (recommended).
Ignore – will ignore the Item if it already exists in the database.
Mode
Fast Mode – will not do detailed reference checking of the Item as it is imported into the database.
Thorough – performs comprehensive checking of referenced Items to ensure they exist and are
correct (recommended).
Page 485
Summary

In this unit, you learned how to create a Package Definition to export your solution for transport to
another server.
 You should now be able to:
 Identify the Package Components
 Create a Package Definition
 Add Package Elements
 Review a Package Definition
 Export a Package
 Review the Logs and Manifest File
 Import a Package
Page 486
Review Questions

Why are package dependencies important when exporting a solution?
Where does the Package Definition get stored?
What is the format of the exported Item files?
When is a manifest file used?
Page 487
Lab Exercise

Goal:
Export the Product Change Request solution using a Package Definition and the Export utility.
Scenario:
In this exercise, you will create a Package Definition for the Change Request solution. You will need
to determine all of the required components for the solution to create a new Package Definition.
You will then export the solution.
Steps:
1. You will first need to take inventory of what elements comprise your Product Change Request
solution. Use the table below to help you to determine what you will need to capture in a
Package Definition.
ItemTypes
RelationshipTypes
Forms
Life Cycle Maps
Workflow Maps
Page 488
Actions
Methods
Lists
Sequences
Identities
Permissions
2. Create a new Package Definition named Change Request and capture all of the elements you
have listed in the previous step.
3. Use the Export utility to extract the elements from the database to the file system into a
directory named C:\ExportPackage.
4. Review the log and manifests files that are created and resolve any errors
Page 489

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