Plant Manager+â„¢ Data Exchange Interface (PMP-DEX)

Creating Efficient Communications between our Asset Management & Job Tracking Tool and other Essential Business Applications

The Plant Manager+ Data Exchange Interface (PMP-DEX) module enables the Plant Manager Plus server to communicate with other key applications such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and accounting systems over LAN, WAN, wireless and Internet data links. This module enables Plant Manager Plus to exchange status data with external applications, as well as to send and receive transactions as they occur.

The Data Exchange Interchange enables smooth communication between the customer’s front office, warehouse, and job scheduling software, as well as asset management control systems.  Read on for details on how the Plant Manager+ project management software tool interfaces with existing company systems.

PMP-DEX supports a number of real-time and batch data exchange mechanisms

• ODBC
  External programs write data to the Plant Manager Plus import table and read data from the Plant Manager Plus export table.
• Flat File
  External programs write files containing ASCII records into a Plant Manager Plus import directory and read files placed by Plant Manager Plus in the export directory.
• CSV (Comma Separated Values)
  Manually triggered import and export of files in comma delimited (.CSV) format. This enables data to be exchanged with Excel and other applications supporting this format.
• XML
  Status and transaction updates are sent to a Plant Manager Plus IIS web server as SOAP packets. The Web server responds with requested status and transactions in XML/SOAP packet format.

Typical status data imported by Plant Manager Plus includes new parts, routes, vendors, purchase orders, customers, orders, jobs, and sales forecasts.  This information is assimilated and used by the various planning, asset management, tracking, and job scheduling software modules of Plant Manager+.

Typical transactional data exported includes material received from vendors, materials produced and consumed by jobs, labor and machine time for job steps, and materials shipped to customers. Our project management software tool easily integrates this data into the system for use in multiple applications and report generation.  All transaction and status records are comma delimited ASCII strings and use a common format irrespective of the communications method used. They all use a keyword in context (KWIC) format and have a keyword followed by positional parameters that are specific to the keyword.

Plant Manager+ is a truly comprehensive solution integrating asset management software, route planning software, labor and materials management, and job scheduling software systems within a highly flexible modular framework that covers every warehouse, manufacturing, and delivery situation.  The Data Exchange Interface allows Plant Manager+ to talk to every key system in the house, creating a network that covers every aspect of doing business in today’s dynamic environment.