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#0Copyright 2011 FUJITSUMobile data entry in the warehouse today
involves the use of wireless radio frequency (RF) terminals or
devices carried by the warehouse staff to record data. The data
that the staff records is usually in bar code form, either printed
on the paperwork for transfer orders or as bar code labels that
identify products, storage bins, or other objects. The display on a
RF device can use a graphical user interface (GUI). The information
is transmitted from the SAP system, and individual transactions can
be executed using a touch screen or keys. A device either has a GUI
or is character-based with a special, non-graphical user interface.
Standard SAP systems support RF devices, and several functions
within the warehouse can be executed via RF. Introduction of Mobile
Data Entry#1SAP transactions can be executed on RF devices that are
handheld or forklift-mounted. No middleware software is required to
connect the devices to the SAP system. The SAP systems
functionality enables real-time handling of material flow through
RF scanning devices. Having the screens and the business logic
within the SAP system makes it easy to distribute new processes to
each device. Two standard RF devices can be used with SAP systems:
GUI devices Character-based devices The main difference is that the
character-based device uses terminal emulation, and the GUI devices
use a Microsoft Windowsbased operating system.Introduction to RF
Devices Graphical User Interface Devices The graphical user
interface (GUI) RF device uses a small keypad, touch screen, or
some other interface, but the data is always displayed in a
graphical manner, as you would expect to see with a device such as
a PDA or cell phone. The device is connected to the SAP system, as
any other standalone computer would be.Character-Based Devices The
character-based device is not connected directly to the SAP system
but communicates via an interface called SAPConsole that was
introduced in SAP ERP Release 4.6B. Communication between
SAPConsole and the RF device can be achieved by using a Telnet
server. SAP supports two industry standards for screen sizes: RF
devices for forklifts: 8 lines by 40 characters Portable RF
devices: 16 lines by 20 characters #2
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#RFID. Very effective on docks for receiving and shipping,
handling inbound and outbound shipments, mostly at the pallet
level. Has yet to become effective as an operational tool at the
pick-face or less-than-pallet/carton level.RFID is a means of
identifying an object using a radio frequency transmission. The
technology can be used to identify, track, sort, or detect a wide
variety of objects. Communication takes place between a reader or
interrogator and a transponder or tag.
Tags can either be active, powered by battery, or passive,
powered by the reader field. A reader field is an RF field that is
transmitted by the reader to interrogate the RFID tag. The
communication frequencies used depend to a large extent on the
application; they range from 125 KHz to 2.45 GHz. Most countries
impose regulations to control RF emissions and prevent interference
with other industrial, scientific, or medical equipment.
In June 2004, Wal-Mart announced that it would require its top
100 suppliers to put RFID tags on all shipping crates and pallets
by January 1, 2005. This would then expand to its next largest 200
largest suppliers by January 1, 2006. Wal- Mart requires that each
tag store an EPC (EPC tag identifies the manufacturer, product,
version, and serial number ) that can be used to track products as
they enter Wal-Marts distribution centers and then in turn are
shipped to individual stores. As the worlds largest company in
terms of revenue, Wal-Marts mandate had a profound affect on the
RFID strategy of many large companies that sought to remain direct
suppliers. 4Copyright 2011 FUJITSU
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#Each RF user is assigned to the following parameters, which can
be changed either using the RF monitor or during logon by the user
in question. Main Menu: Identifies the group of functions provided
for the user in questionWarehouse Number: Each user can have only
one warehouse number assigned at any one timeQueue: Determines the
area in the warehouse where the user is to execute operations and
the specific types of operationsPresentation Format: Each user can
select one of the two standard presentation types (8x40 and 16x20)
to match the device type used.User Exit: Several or all screens can
be customized with respect to size and the scope of information
displayed. It is possible to set one screen that uses the user exit
and another screen that uses the standard screens, based on the
selected presentation type.
User Management#16
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#The RF monitor is a tool warehouse managers can use to view the
queues that are being worked on in the warehouse. Users with RF
devices can only see the items in their queue; only the users of
the RF monitor have the overall picture of the RF operations in the
warehouse. Using the RF monitor benefits the warehouse by enabling
staff to: Monitor the queues and review the number of assigned
transfer orders, the number of users, and the ratio of workload to
users Assign transfer orders and users to other queues Change the
processing priorities of the transfer orders in the queues Give the
warehouse manager a significant overview of the devices being used
and the work being performed Radio Frequency Monitor (LRF1) #
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#SAPConsole is a tool that enables RF devices to be run within
SAP applications. Introduced in 1999, SAPConsole was shipped with
SAP ERP Release 4.6B and was used for bar code and handheld RF
applications in the Logistics Execution System (LES), which
included WM. SAPConsole can be described as a framework for
automatic data collection (AIDC) in a warehouse environment. It
translates GUI screens to character-based screens that are used on
a variety of data collection devices. SAPConsole does not contain
business logic, databases, or external functionality. Its sole
function is to translate SAP GUI screens in the SAP environment to
the character-based equivalent. SAPConsole consists of four
components: RF Terminal, which is the Telnet client RF Access
Point, which allows for Wireless Ethernet Telnet Server/SAPConsole
Administrator, which allows each RF terminal to connect to the
Windows machine in character-based mode and supports VT220 terminal
emulation SAP R/3 System that receives the data from the mobile
terminals An SAPConsole session allows a connection to the SAP
system in real time, exactly like an SAP GUI session. All the
functionality and business logic resides within the SAP
application. SAPConsole connects the user to that business
logic.SAPConsole#26
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