Preparations in the Aurea CRM database

Central Login Configuration for Administrative Users

For administrative users that need to be able to access all offline clients you need to create Central Login Configuration records (ES) in the Aurea CRM win Rights module. Common administrative users are the SU, WWW and COM users.

Create central logins that are valid for all stations:

1. For each of these users, create a Central Login Configuration record without entering a station number.

   The login is then distributed to all stations.

   

   By setting the Template (Station No.) field to the main office's station number, you can update the login record on the main office, and the changes are automatically distributed to the offline stations.

   If you check Manage password globally as well, password changes are also distributed to the offline stations.

   Note: If you change the password of the SU or WWW user centrally, you need to distribute a new users.xml file to your offline stations. For further details, see CRM.users tool in the Aurea CRM web Installation & Technical Guide.

For general information on the Central Login Configuration info area, see Central Login Configuration in the CRM.core Administrator Guide.

Communication Formats

The data transfer between the Aurea CRM database on the Aurea CRM web server and the local Aurea CRM databases on the offline clients is performed by the Aurea CRM win Communication module (mmco.exe). For further details, see Communication in the Aurea CRM win Administrator Guide.

To define which data is transferred, you need to define a communication format for each direction:

• server -> offline client: To optimize performance, limit the data that is output to the offline clients using variable conditions, e.g. output only the rep's own customers, activities within a certain time frame etc.
• offline client -> server: Define a communication format that transfers all records from the offline clients to the server, i.e. check the output column for all info areas.

For detailed information on defining communication formats, see Communication Format in the Aurea CRM win Administrator Guide.

update_offlineSyncDefinition Variable

To globally set the communication format to be used for the communication connection server -> offline client, you need to define a variable in the Z5 info area, see Variables in the Aurea CRM.core Administrator Guide.

Create a variable "update_OfflineSyncDefinition" for the Comm.Format field in the Communication info area. Define a value that contains the name of the communication format used to communicate between the server and offline station (Var. Text field).

The variable must be defined so as to be applicable by all users that can add offline stations (e.g. a condition applied to the offline server’s station number).

When creating offline users, the communication format for the connection server -> offline station is read from this variable. For further details, see Defining Users as "Offline Users".

Station Number Range for Offline Clients

Define a station number range for your offline clients:

1. In the Aurea CRM win Rights module, switch to the Station record (AS) of the Aurea CRM web server.
2. Enter the number range in the Offline Station No. from/to fields.
   
   
   

   When creating offline users, the station number is automatically entered in the ID record and the respective station record (AS) is created. For further details, see Defining Users as "Offline Users".

   Alternatively, you can manually enter the offline client's station number in the ID record of the respective offline user.

Default Values

To automatically set values for the offline clients, define default values in the server's station access rights definition. For further details, see Default Values when Adding Records in the CRM.core Administrator Guide.

You should at least define the following defaults:

• Central Login Configuration (ES): Module access settings for Aurea CRM win and Aurea CRM web.
• Station (AS): Select the access rights definition to be applied to the offline clients under Station Access Rights.
• Communication (C1): Select the communication format to be used for the communication connection offline client -> server under Comm.Format.

  You can define additional default values, triggers and workflows used to add records in these info areas.

When creating offline users, the corresponding records are created using the defined default values, see Defining Users as "Offline Users".

Defining Users as "Offline Users"

Enabling the Offline user field in the Rep info area (ID) triggers the automatic creation of all necessary records required for the offline client (station, login, communication connections).

To define a user as offline user:

1. Switch to the desired Rep record (ID). The rep must be of type "Employee".
   
   
   
2. Check the Offline user field.

Upon saving the record Aurea CRM automatically adds/updates the following records:

• A new Station record (AS) is created. The station number is the next free station number from the station number range defined in the server's station record, see Station Number Range for Offline Clients. The rep is entered in the new station record. If no free station number is available, no new station record is created.
• A communication connection (C1) server -> offline client is created.
• A communication connection offline client -> server is created.
• A Login record (US) and a Central Login Configuration record (ES) is created.
• The Initialize offline station field in the ID record is set to true. (Once the initial data stock download file has been created for the offline client, the Initialize offline station field is reset to false.)

For more details, see Adding Offline Users in the Aurea CRM win Administrator Guide.

For a complete list of default and fallback values, see Default Values and Fallback Values for Offline Users and Stations in the Aurea CRM win Administrator Guide.

The next time you output communication files for the offline station, an initial data stock download is automatically created according to the defined communication format. You do not need to run mmco.exe via command line using the -u parameter in this case. for further details, see Configuring Offline Stations in the Aurea CRM win Administrator Guide.