Sage Abra Alerts Installation Setup Guide

Sage Abra HRMS Sage Abra Alerts RY9U0602-1 Installation and Setup Guide 09/09

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Table of Contents Overview........................................................................................................................1

System Requirements....................................................................................................1

Install Sage Abra Alerts 5.1...........................................................................................2

Follow the checklist below to prepare for installation ...................................................................................3 Create an NT account for Sage Abra Alerts..............................................................................................3 Create an E‐mail Account ...........................................................................................................................3

To Install Sage Abra Alerts ................................................................................................................................3

Change the Data Source..............................................................................................9

Connect to an ODBC System DSN..................................................................................................................10 Connect to an OLE DB Data Source................................................................................................................11 Update the Scripting Agent .............................................................................................................................12

Predefined Processes..................................................................................................13

To Copy or Modify a Predefined Process ......................................................................................................15

Create a New Process ................................................................................................16

General Tab ........................................................................................................................................................16 Process Name..............................................................................................................................................16 Category ......................................................................................................................................................17 Comments ...................................................................................................................................................17 Enabled........................................................................................................................................................17

Schedule Tab......................................................................................................................................................17 Advanced Schedule Options ....................................................................................................................20 Set the Duration of Process Execution.....................................................................................................20 Set the Process Timeout Settings..............................................................................................................20 If a Step Causes a Process to Abort..........................................................................................................21 Restore Defaults/Cancel ............................................................................................................................21 Steps Tab .....................................................................................................................................................21 Steps vs. Sub‐steps .....................................................................................................................................21 To Add a Step .............................................................................................................................................22

Installation and Setup Guide i

Tips for Using Sage Abra Alerts .................................................................................. 26

Microsoft Jet....................................................................................................................................................... 26 Custom Field Replacement in Word RTF documents ................................................................................. 26 Creating Data Monitor Snapshots .................................................................................................................. 26

ii Abra Alerts

Installation and Setup Overview The Installation and Setup Guide is provided to help you install and set up Sage Abra Alerts. It includes the following topics:

• System Requirements

• Install Sage Abra Alerts 5.1

• Change the Data Source

• Predefined Processes

• Create a New Process

• Tips for Using Sage Abra Alerts

Review the Sage Abra Alerts 5.1 Release Notes for the latest enhancements and modifications.

System Requirements Before you install Sage Abra Alerts, review the following software and hardware requirements.

• A server running Microsoft Windows 2003 Server, Microsoft Windows 2008 Server, or one of the following:

− Microsoft Windows Vista

− Microsoft Windows XP Home or Professional Edition

− Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP1 or later

− Microsoft Windows 2000 Server SP1 or later

− Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP1 or later

− Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 SP6 or later

− Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 SP6 or later

• Microsoft Data Access Components, version 2.6 SR2 or later

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or greater

• A minimum 200 MHz Pentium processor

• Minimum 128MB RAM

Installation and Setup Guide 1

Install Sage Abra Alerts 5.1

• 100MB storage for program installation

• Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) and Exchange settings require Microsoft Outlook 98 or greater installed on the server running Sage Abra Alerts. For Outlook 2000 and greater, Collaborative Data Objects (CDO) Components must be selected during its installation prior to installing the Data Agent Server. As of Outlook 2007, CDO is no longer included in the Office setup. CDO can be downloaded from Microsoft for those using Outlook 2007.

• Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) requires an available SMTP server.

Note: If you are installing Sage Abra Alerts and Abra Workforce Connections on the same server, you must install Sage Abra Alerts before installing Abra Workforce Connections.

Install Sage Abra Alerts 5.1 Sage requires that Sage Abra Alerts be installed by a Sage certified Business Partner.

Please read the following before you begin!

• Back up your current Processes and Templates folders.

• If you are upgrading from version 4.X, do not uninstall Sage Abra Alerts prior to the installation of Sage Abra Alerts 5.1. The installation process will uninstall the previous version 4.1 or earlier.

• You must have full administrative rights to install Sage Abra Alerts.

• Confirm you have the hardware and software necessary to install Sage Abra Alerts. Refer to the “System Requirements” on page 1 for details.

• Sage Abra Alerts is designed and licensed exclusively for use with the Sage Abra HRMS databases.

• Read the Release Notes to learn about enhancements and modifications included in version 5.1. The Release Notes are included on the Sage Abra Alerts DVD or you can access them after the installation from the Start menu by selecting All Programs > Sage Software > Abra Alerts > Release Notes.

• Sage Abra Alerts will be installed to the Sage Software programs group.

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Follow the checklist below to prepare for installation

Create an NT account.

Create an e‐mail account for Sage Abra Alerts.

Obtain the Sage Abra Alerts serial number.

Obtain names for the MAPI Exchange server and mailbox.

Obtain the names for the SMTP mail server and From address.

Create an NT account for Sage Abra Alerts

We recommend that the domain Administrator create a special domain level account (so that it can access network resources) to be used only for administering Sage Abra Alerts. This includes administrative access to the Data folder. We refer to this as the Sage Abra Alerts Administrator account.

This account must belong to the server’s Administrator group. During installation, the following advanced user rights are automatically assigned to the account:

• Log on as a Service

• Act as a Part of the Operating System

• Log on as Batch

These rights, as well as membership in the local administrator group, are necessary for the account to run the service.

Create an E-mail Account

We recommend that you create an e‐mail account specifically for Sage Abra Alerts. Contact your system administrator or postmaster for this information.

To Install Sage Abra Alerts

1. To help ensure a complete and error‐free installation, close any Windows or DOS applications you have running.

2. Insert the Sage Abra Alerts 5.1 Installation CD into your CD‐ROM drive. If Autorun is enabled on your system, the Installation dialog box opens. If the Installation dialog box does not automatically open, browse to your CD‐ROM drive, and double‐click Setup.exe.



3. In the Welcome dialog box, click Next.

If you already have Sage Abra Alerts 4.1 installed, the following steps a ‐ d replace steps 4 ‐ 7. If a message appears indicating an application is currently active, click Close, and then click Next.

a. A message appears indicating that the installation found Sage Abra Alerts 4.1 on your system. To uninstall Sage Abra Alerts 4.1 and continue with the Sage Abra Alerts 5.1 installation, click OK.

b. After you click OK, a message appears for you to confirm uninstalling Sage Abra Alerts 4.1.

c. Click Yes to continue or No to exit the Sage Abra Alerts 5.1 installation.

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Note: If you are using Sage Abra Alerts 4.0 or 4.1, installing Sage Abra Alerts 5.1 in the directory where the previous version was installed will uninstall version 4.0 or 4.1. Uninstalling Sage Abra Alerts 4.1 does not remove the alerts defined in the 4.1 version. They will appear in the newly installed Sage Abra Alerts 5.1

d. Continue installation process at step 8.

4. In the Enter Serial Number dialog box, enter your Name, Company, Serial Number, and License Key. Click Next.

5. In the Select Destination Directory dialog box, select the path and directory where you want Sage Abra Alerts 5.1 installed. Click Next.



6. In the Install Sage Abra Alerts 5.1 for dialog box, select the type of database installed for your Sage Abra HRMS system, either FoxPro or SQL Server. Click Next.

7. In the Service Account Information dialog box, enter the Domain, Login, and Password and Password confirmation of the account the service should use to run under. Click Next.

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8. In the Ready to Install dialog box, click Install to proceed with the installation.

9. When the installation is complete, the (e‐mail) Settings dialog box displays. All employees to whom you want Sage Abra Alerts to send e‐mail messages must have e‐mail addresses.



The settings are used to update the included library of alerts with your specific e‐mail settings. Enter the following:

• An e‐mail profile for the Sage Abra Alerts Administrator account.

Note: The Default Mailbox Name must conform to the format in the Outlook Profile. If you select Exchange Server in the e‐mail and you did not enter the mailbox name in the correct format, Sage Abra Alerts will not send the e‐mail message and an error message will be logged that the profile may be invalid. Verify the format in the profile and change the mailbox name accordingly. To verify the profile in Outlook, select Services > Microsoft Exchange Server > Properties. The server and mailbox name display.

• A MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface) or SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) for exchanging e‐mail. Check with your system administrator or postmaster as to which one you should set up.

MAPI is a Microsoft Windows program interface that allows you to exchange e‐mail with various messaging systems, for example Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook, and Eudora.

− To enable automated sending of MAPI and Exchange Server account messages, log on to the server using the account used to run the service; then, using the same log on, configure and test the e‐mail client that the Alerts Product NT service will use.

− Your MAPI e‐mail program, such as Outlook, should be set to be the default e‐mail handler.

− The e‐mail profile for the account used to run the service should be set to the default profile when starting your e‐mail program. Your e‐mail program should not prompt for a profile to use when starting.

− If you cannot send e‐mail messages using your default MAPI e‐mail program, or you do not know whether you should use MAPI, Exchange Server, or SMTP, then see your postmaster or system administrator for assistance.

• SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a protocol for sending and receiving e‐mail messages on the internet.

Some SMTP e‐mail systems do not send mail unless a valid e‐mail address appears in the “From:” section of a message. We recommend setting up a separate e‐mail account for the E‐mail Agent, then setting the Default “From” Address to this account.

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Change the Data Source

10. When the installation has completed, click Finish.

Change the Data Source In order to use the predefined alerts provided with Sage Abra Alerts, you must create a data source to provide access to your database and change the data source in each process you want to use.

• If you are using SQL Server, you must create an ODBC System DSN named Abra HRMS Alerts.

• If you are using FoxPro, you must create an OLE DB Provider named Abra HRMS Alerts.



Connect to an ODBC System DSN

1. From the Start menu, select Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC). The ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog box opens.

2. On the System DSN tab, click Add. The Create New Data Source dialog box opens.

3. Select SQL Server and click Finish. The Create a New Data Source to SQL Server dialog box opens.

4. Enter Abra HRMS Alerts as the name for your data source and select the SQL Server to which you want to connect. Click Next.

5. Enter the appropriate information on the remaining dialog boxes and click Finish.

6. From the Start menu, select (All) Programs > Sage Software > Abra Alerts > Abra Alerts 5.1. The Process Manager opens.

7. From the Process Manager, right‐click the process you want to use and select Properties. The Process Properties dialog box opens.

8. On the Steps tab, click Edit. The Monitor an ODBC Data Source dialog box opens.

9. Click Data Source. The Select Data Source dialog box opens.

10. On the Machine Data Source tab, select Abra HRMS Alerts and then click OK.

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11. If you receive a message that your data source has changed since you created the query, click No.

12. Repeat steps 7 ‐ 11 for each process.

Connect to an OLE DB Data Source

1. From the Start menu, select (All) Programs > Sage Software > Abra Alerts > Abra Alerts 5.1. The Process Manager opens.

2. From the menu, select Service > Start Service.

3. From the menu, select View > Agent Control Panel > Data Sources. The Data Sources Manager dialog box opens.

4. Click Add. The Add New Data Source dialog box opens.

5. Enter Abra HRMS Alerts as the name for your data source and click Configure. The Data Link Properties dialog box opens.

6. Select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Visual Fox Pro and then click Next.

Note: If Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Visual Fox Pro does not appear in the list of providers, obtain it from the Microsoft Web site. Currently, the version for Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Visual FoxPro is version 9.0. This version is compatible with all previous versions.

7. On the Connection tab, click Browse. The Configure Connection dialog box opens.

8. Select Free Table Directory and then click Browse. The Select Directory Containing Free Tables dialog box opens.

9. In the Folders section, navigate to the Data folder in your Sage Abra HRMS directory. Click OK.

Note: If you have created any queries that use FoxPro specific functions that are not the same in SQL Server, you must change the selection criteria.



Update the Scripting Agent

Update the Scripting Agent for those processes that use scripting. For example, if you are using one of the predefined alerts that use scripting, you must complete these steps for each. In addition, you must complete these step for all of your custom processes that use scripting.

Note: The Scripting Agent can be used in a step in the process (Process > Properties > Steps) or in a sub‐step for the monitoring agent (monitoring agent dialog box > Steps tab). You will need to be familiar with your custom processes in order to make sure that all processes using the Scripting Agent are updated.

1. From the Processes list, double‐click the alert.

2. Select the step or sub‐step that uses scripting.

3. Click Edit.

4. Click Insert From File.

5. Go to the C:\Templates folder and select the appropriate VBS file (*.VBS) for the process. Click Open.

6. Click OK to save the script.

7. Repeat steps 1 ‐ 6 for each alert that uses scripting.

8. Restart all processes that you previously had running:

a. From the Process Manager page, double‐click the alert.

b. On the General tab, select the Enabled check box.

c. Click OK.

d. Repeat steps a ‐ c for each alert that was previously running.

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Predefined Processes

Predefined Processes The following list describes what each will do. Use each process as a template or starting point and then modify them to suit your company’s needs.

Refer to the end of this section for step‐by‐step procedures to modify a predefined process.

• Abra Alert Maintenance – (FoxPro only) This alert periodically deletes all files with an extension of “tmp” in the C:\Temp folder and prevents this from occurring. It is recommended that you run the alert daily but you may need to run it more often depending on the frequency that you have your alerts scheduled to run.

• Abra Alerts Status ‐ This alert provides notification on a daily basis to a designated person in HR or Payroll that Sage Abra Alerts is up and running.

• Address or Phone Change Verification ‐ This alert notifies employees when their Home Address or Phone Number has changed.

• Applicant Rejection Notice ‐ This alert will send a notification to applicants who are rejected for a position for which they applied. The criteria for selecting applicants is that they must have a Letter of Rejection specified for them (REJECT). You will need to insert the name of your company in the e‐mail.

• Application Received ‐ This alert will send an e‐mail to applicants for whom an application or resume has been received. The criteria for selecting the applicant is that they must have a Letter of Acknowledgement specified (ACKNOWL). You will need to add your company name and phone number to the e‐mail.

• Available Balance Has Reached Accrual Limit ‐ This alert notifies employees when their Available Balance reaches the Accrual Limit of a benefit plan.

• CEU Balance ‐ This alert notifies an employee and their supervisor that a certification based on CEUs will expire in 30 days.

• Class Completion ‐ This alert notifies an employee’s supervisor when the employee has completed a training class.

• Class Confirmation ‐ This alert notifies an employee and the supervisor within 7 days prior to the start of a training class the employee is enrolled in.

• Deduction Has Reached Goal ‐ This alert notifies an employee when a deduction goal has been met.

• Direct Deposit Verification ‐ This alert notifies an employee when a new direct deposit is set up or an existing direct deposit is changed. The employee is sent an e‐mail along with an associated attachment. The alert does not monitor for deleted records.



• FMLA Return ‐ This alert sends an e‐mail to an employee’s supervisor 7 days before an employee is to return from a Family or Medical Leave of Absence. If you would like HR to be notified, you will need to add the e‐mail address of that person.

• I‐9 Renewal ‐ This alert notifies an employee and the employee’s supervisor 30 days prior to the renewal of I‐9 related information. If you would like HR to be notified, you will need to add the e‐mail address of that person.

• Negative Available Balance ‐ This alert notifies employees when their Available Hours become negative for Vacation or Illness attendance plans.

• New Hire ‐ This alert notifies employees of information that has been entered into the Abra system if they are a new hire or a rehire. The employee should review the information and notify the HR department of any changes. Also attached is a W‐4 form for the employee to complete and return.

• On‐Demand Check Processed ‐ This alert is designed to be sent to a senior management accounting person any time there is a new on‐demand check created. The e‐mail address of this person will need to be added in order for the alert to work correctly.

• Overtime Listing ‐ This alert creates an Excel spreadsheet that lists all employees who worked overtime since the last time the alert was run. A Visual Basic Script populates the spreadsheet based on new records being added to the Employee Check History database (PRCKHIST.DBF). The spreadsheet is then sent to a designated person whose e‐mail address must be entered in order for the alert to work correctly.

Notes:

• The Send E‐mail with Overtime Listing step is set up as a primary step (not a sub‐step). This means that the e‐mail message will be sent every time the alert is scheduled regardless of any data changes.

• Microsoft Excel must be installed on the Sage Abra Alerts server; otherwise, the spreadsheet will not contain any data.

• Performance Review Due ‐ This alert notifies supervisors of employees who have reviews due in 60 days. You may want to include attachments but none is provided with the alert. The step in this process includes Monitor the Next Performance Review Date. It is scheduled to run on the first day of every month at 5 A.M.

• Termination Notice ‐ This alert notifies a designated person, such as someone in MIS, when employees are terminated. The e‐mail address of the designated person must be added to the e‐mail in order for the alert to work correctly. The step in this process includes Monitor for Employee Terminations. It is scheduled to run every weekday at 5 A.M.

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• Voided Check Listing ‐ This alert creates an Excel Spreadsheet that lists all employees who have had a check or direct deposit voided since the last time the alert was run. A Visual Basic Script populates the spreadsheet based on new records being added to the Employee Check History database (PRCKHIST.DBF). The spreadsheet is then sent to a designated person whose e‐mail address must be entered in order for the alert to work correctly. The steps in this process include Monitor for Voided Checks and Send E‐mail. It is scheduled to run every Monday at 5 A.M.

Notes:

• The Send E‐mail with Voided Check Listing step is a primary step. This means the e‐mail message will be sent every time the alert is scheduled regardless of data changes.

• Microsoft Excel must be installed on the Sage Abra Alerts server; otherwise, the spreadsheet will not contain any data.

• W‐4 Change Verification ‐ This alert notifies an employee when any of their W‐4 information changes. The e‐mail includes an attachment that contains the W‐4 information. The step in this process includes Monitor W‐4 changes. It is scheduled to run daily, starting at 5 A.M. every weekday.

To Copy or Modify a Predefined Process

To copy or modify a predefined process, follow these steps:

1. From the Process Manager, right‐click the process and then select Copy Process. The Copy Process dialog box opens.

2. Enter a name for the process and click OK. The copied process is added to the Process list.

3. Open the copied process. The Process Properties dialog box opens.

4. Enter information on each tab (General, Schedule, Steps) as needed.

5. Click OK.


Create a New Process

Create a New Process 1. From the File menu, select New Process. You can also click the New Process icon in the

taskbar below the menu. The Process Properties dialog box opens.

2. Enter information on each tab (General, Schedule, Steps) as needed.

3. Use the General tab to name and describe the process and to begin execution of the process schedule.

4. Use the Schedule tab to set up the process schedule.

5. Use the Steps tab to assign agents to carry out your alert process.

6. Click OK.

General Tab

The General tab enables you to provide general information about the process.

Process Name

Enter a descriptive name for your new process. It is important to develop a set of consistent rules for naming processes. As you become familiar with the program it is likely that you will create quite a few processes. Consistent naming enables you to sort, identify, and manage the processes as they execute and when reviewing a log file.

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Category

This is a user‐defined field that helps you keep track of the database that the process will be monitoring. It also helps in sorting processes and logging data. Upon initial installation, the list contains a category for each Sage Abra HRMS product.

However, if you need to add another category, simply enter it in the field. It will then be added to the list for future use. For example, you might want to add:

• Accounting – processes created for the accounting department

• Year End – processes run only at the end of the year

Comments

Enter descriptive comments as needed for your new process.

Enabled

Select the Enabled check box to enable the alert. By default, new processes are enabled. However, the predefined processes are not enabled until you enable them.

Schedule Tab

The Schedule tab offers you a wide range of scheduling options. Select a Schedule Type and complete the information in the dialog box. The options displayed will vary based on what you select in the Schedule Type field.



The following table shows each schedule type and its associated scheduling options.

Schedule Type and Options Description

Run Once Start Time The time of day the process should run. Start Date The date on which the process should run. Hourly Start Time At (x) minutes after the hour

The first time the process should run. The specific time every hour the process should run.

Start running on The date of the first process run. Do not run after 11:59 PM on The last date the process should run.

Daily Start Time The time of day the process should run. Every (x) day(s) The frequency (every day, every other day, etc.) at which the process

runs. Every weekday The process only runs Monday through Friday. Start running on The date of the first process run. Do not run after 11:59 PM on The last date the process should run.

Weekly Start Time The time of day the process should run. Every (x) week(s) on The frequency (every week, every other week, etc.) at which the

process runs. Sunday, Monday… The days of the week on which the process should run. Start running on The date of the first process run. Do not run after 11:59 PM on The last date the process should run.

Monthly Start Time The time of day the process should run. On the (x) day of the month The day of the month for the process run. On the (x) (xxx) of the month Further specify the run date: e.g., 1st weekday or 3rd Sun. Select Month(s) below The months the process should run. Start running on The date of the first process run. Do not run after 11:59 PM on The last date the process should run. Quarterly Start Time The time of day the process should run. At the start of each quarter At the end of each quarter

The process runs at the beginning of the quarter. The process runs at the end of the quarter.

Start running on The date of the first process run. Do not run after 11:59 PM on The last date the process should run. Yearly Start Time The time of day the process should run. Every (date) The process runs on a specific date each year.

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Schedule Type and Options Description The (x) (day/week...) of (Jan/Feb...) The process runs on the specified day. Start running on The date of the first process run. Do not run after 11:59 PM on The last date the process should run.

Continuously Start Time The time of day the process should run. Every (x) minutes The interval in which the process should run. Start running on The date of the first process run. Do not run after 11:59 PM on The last day the process should run.

Tip: ‘Continuously’ Schedule Type: A process running against a large database can take some time to complete and can slow the performance of the database. If the time necessary to run the process is longer than the time interval specified, the next run of the process is queued until the preceding run has completed.

Therefore, you should make sure you have set the interval in the Every (x) minutes field to be longer than the longest anticipated runtime of the process. If you do not know how long the process will run, run it once and then review the log file to determine how long the process took, then set the interval.

Tip: ‘Do not run after 11:59pm on’ Schedule Type: You might want to use this option for weekends. For example, if you do not want the process to run over the weekend, enter Friday’s date, and then the process will not run after 11:59 P.M. on that Friday.



Advanced Schedule Options

Click Advanced on the Schedule tab to open the Advanced Schedule Options dialog box.

Set the Duration of Process Execution

Typically, you want your process to run until it is complete. However, if you want to set a limit on how long you want the process to run, select Limit process execution time to <x> minutes and enter the limit in minutes (60 minutes is the default). If you select this option, and the process runs longer than the limit, the process is terminated.

Tip: If you are running a process that takes a long time to complete, you will probably want to set a limit on its duration since you do not want to tie up a database for a long period of time. To see how long a process will take, run it at least once, and check the log to see how long it took to complete.

Set the Process Timeout Settings

The Sage Abra Alerts NT Service periodically checks to see if the process is responding. If the Process Timeout is set to No Limit, the process does not have to respond. If you select Stop process after not responding for <x> seconds, the process is terminated if it has not responded within the selected timeframe.

Note: This setting overrides default settings for process timeouts.

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If a Step Causes a Process to Abort

A process can consist of many different steps, each step consisting of a different agent configured to perform a different task. Typically, these steps are interrelated. If one step fails, you may want to end the process, or you may want to try again.

You can define what happens to a process when one of its component steps fails and process execution halts. The options are:

• Don’t re‐run the process (default).

• Re‐run the process every x minutes, where x is a number you define (30 is the default).

• Define how many times you want to attempt to re‐run the process. Select Limit the number of times the process is re‐run and set the number of times (10 is the default).

Note: You should not set processes to run during a payroll process. Otherwise, databases can lock up and cause data corruption. Therefore, we strongly recommend you select the default Don’t re‐run the process.

Restore Defaults/Cancel

Click Restore Defaults to reset all options to their default values. Click Cancel to undo changes you have made since opening the dialog box or since you last saved changes.

Steps Tab

Each process includes one or more steps that launch agents. Each time a process runs, Sage Abra Alerts runs the steps set up for the process. Each step can include one or more sub‐steps that launch additional agents based on the outcome of running the step.

Steps vs. Sub-steps

If you have set up a step that launches a monitor agent (from the Steps tab of the Process Properties dialog box), you can also set up steps for the monitor agent (from the Steps tab of the Monitor Agent dialog box). For clarity, we refer to a step set up for the monitor agent as a sub‐step.

The directions are basically the same to add a step or sub‐step. Any differences are noted.



To Add a Step

1. On the Steps tab , click Add to open the Add Step dialog box:

Note: If you are editing a step or sub‐step, you can change any element with the exception of the agent that is used. To change the agent, you must delete the step completely and add a new step.

2. Select an Agent to be used in the step or sub‐step. Although each agent is unique, the steps to set up the agents are similar.

3. Enter the Step Name. This name will be displayed in the log file record; enter a descriptive name so you can easily identify each step.

4. Select a Perform Step For from the list. This defines the conditions under which the step should be run.

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The Perform Steps For options are different when you are adding a sub‐step because they depend on the parent step.

• When you add a step, the options relate to the execution of the process.

• When you add a sub‐step, the options relate to the execution of the monitor agent.

The following tables describe these options

Perform Step for: Step

Options Effect

Normal Execution Always runs, regardless of errors or successful completion. This is the default option and we recommend you use this for all steps.

Error Only runs if the process has encountered one or more errors prior to reaching this step.

Successful Completion

Only runs if the process has encountered no errors prior to reaching this step.

Perform Step For: Sub-step

Option Agent Effect

New or changed files File Monitor If a difference is detected between the source files and the snapshot, or a new file is detected, the sub‐step agent is triggered.

New or changed records Database Monitor

If the result set returned from the query on the monitored database contains new or changed records in one of its monitored fields, the sub‐step agent is triggered.

New files File Monitor If a new file is detected (such as., one that does not exist in the snapshot), the sub‐step agent is triggered.

New records Database Monitor

If the result set returned from the query on the monitored database contains new records in one of its monitored fields, the sub‐step agent is triggered.

Changed files File Monitor If a difference is detected in any of the source files included in the snapshot, the sub‐step agent is triggered.

Changed records Database Monitor

If the result set returned from the query on the monitored database contains changes in any of the monitored fields, the sub‐step agent is triggered.

Unchanged files File Monitor If no difference is detected in any of the source files included in the snapshot, the sub‐step agent is triggered.



Option Agent Effect

Unchanged records Database Monitor

If the result set returned from the query on the monitored database contains no changes in any of the monitored fields, the sub‐step agent is triggered.

All files/All records Database Monitor

File Monitor

Sage Abra Alerts triggers the sub‐step agent whenever the process is executed. No files are ignored; the result set returned is not ignored, regardless of its status.

Deleted files File Monitor

If the agent detects that a file has been deleted, the sub‐step agent is triggered. (Only the name of the deleted files can be embedded in messages.)

Deleted records Database Monitor

If the agent detects that a record has been deleted, the sub‐step agent is triggered. (Only the contents of Unique Fields from the deleted record can be embedded in messages.)

5. Select a Logging Level. This defines the level and type of information that is written to the log file. The following table describes these options.

Option Effect

Errors Only Writes log information when it encounters an error condition that halts either the process or an individual agent’s execution.

Warnings and Errors Writes log information when it encounters an error or a warning condition. A warning condition does not halt the process or agent, but is not entirely normal.

Information, Warning and Errors

Writes log information when it encounters an error or a warning condition, and provides a brief message about the step’s execution. This is the default option and we recommend you use this for all steps.

Trace, Information, Warnings and Errors

Writes extensive log information. It is useful when trying to figure out why a process is not running as expected. The log grows very quickly, so do not leave it selected for general use.

24 Abra Alerts


6. Specify the On Process Error. This specifies how the system should respond to error conditions that occur while running this step. The following table describes these options.

Option Effect

This step runs even if an error condition is encountered. Ignore and run this step anyway Don’t run this step The step stops executing if an error condition is encountered.

However, the remaining steps in the process are executed. Stop the process This step stops executing and all remaining steps in the process are

cancelled (forexample, are not run) if an error condition is encountered in this step.

7. Click Edit Condition if you want to add a condition under which the step should run.

To Manually Enter an Expression: a. Select the And or Or radio button.

b. From the Field drop‐down list, select a category, for example RunTime.

c. From the Operators drop‐down list, select an operator, for example less than or equal to.

d. In the Value field, enter a value for the condition.

e. Click Add. The expression is added to the Criteria for Step field.


Tips for Using Sage Abra Alerts

f. Click OK.

To Use the Edit Expression Dialog Box to Enter an Expression: a. If you want to select specific database fields or global fields, click Edit. The Edit

Expression dialog box opens.

b. Complete the expression and click OK.

c. Click Add. The expression is added to the Criteria for Step field.

d. Click OK.

8. Enter optional comments into the Comments field.

9. Click OK. The Setup page for the selected agent opens.

Tips for Using Sage Abra Alerts

Microsoft Jet

To install Sage Abra Alerts on a server with MDAC 2.6 installed as the first and only version of MDAC, you can first install the OLE DB Provider for Jet 4.0 from the installation CD (\MDAC\jet40sp3_comp.exe) and then install Sage Abra Alerts.

Custom Field Replacement in Word RTF documents

Word assumes that anything with an ʺ@ʺ symbol is an e‐mail address and makes it a hyperlink. This causes a problem with custom fields embedded in the document. To work around this, after inserting the custom field, right click on it in the document, select the hyperlink, and remove the hyperlink.

Creating Data Monitor Snapshots

If you encounter problems when creating a snapshot which states ʹPrimary Keys are not uniqueʹ, the recommendations are:

1. Check your query; if you are using a join, include fields from all tables in the join to make the record unique.

2. Check your database configuration and the data using Preview. Some fields may be null which can cause duplicate keys.

3. Some databases will report this if it needs to be re‐indexed.

26 Abra Alerts

Documents

Sage Abra Alerts Installation Setup Guide