This Help Center is a preview of a future release. The final Help Center will be available on the Validation date.

Type = How-tos, ; Topic = Multienterprise Information Network Tower (MINT),;Persona = TraceLink Administrator, User,; Orchestration = Manufacturing,; Function = Supply Chain, IT, Procurement,

Product activities

Product activities reports are routinely distributed to trading partners, suppliers, or upstream supply chain partners. The product activities report is issued either at set intervals or in response to significant deviations in inventory levels outside the normal schedule.

For more information about Product activities guidelines, see Product activities transactions.

Create and submit product activities

Create and submit product activities. Additionally, customers can begin work on a product activities and save it for completion at a later time.

  1. Select the Main Menu icon.
  2. Select My Networks in the header.
  3. Select a [MPL Network] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
  4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
  5. Select the Go button.
  6.  Select Commerce - Customer from the left menu.
    Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.

  7. Select Product Activities.

  8. Select the New button.
  9. Enter the product activity number in the Product Activity Number field.

  10. Select the Save button.

    The screen refreshes with the saved product activity in the draft state and with the required sections populated.

  11. Select the Edit button.

  12. In the Transaction Information section, select Submitted from the Process Status drop drown.
  13. In the Product Activity Information section fill in the following fields:
    1. Product Activity Number field – . The unique identifier for the product activity.
      This field auto populates the value entered New Product Activity screen.
    2. Product Activity Date field – The date the transaction is created.
    3. Product Activity Purpose Code drop-down – The code specifies the purpose of the product activity transaction set. The valid vales are:

      1. PLANORDERS

      2. NOTIFICATION

      3. PURCHASEORDERS

    4. Start Date field – The validity start date of the transaction.
    5. End Date field – The validity end date of the transaction.

  14. In the Preassigned Purchase Order Numbers section, fill in the following fields:

    1. Select the Addicon.
    2. In the New Preassigned Purchase Order Number panel, fill in the following fields under Purchase Order Number Information section:
      1.  Referenced Purchase Order Start field – Suggested purchase order number. If a range of suggested PO numbers is sent, this attribute would store the first number in the range.
      2. Referenced Purchase Order End field – The last PO number when a range of suggested purchase order numbers is sent.
      3. Company Identifier Type drop-down – The identifier type used for this company.
      4. Company Identifier Value field – The value associated with the identifier type used for this company.
    3. Select Apply.

      The new purchase order number information line item is added to the preassigned purchase order number table.

  15. In the Reference Transaction Information section:
    1. Select the Addicon. At least one reference transaction line item is required to submit a product activity.
    2. In the New Reference Transaction panel, fill in the following fields under Reference Transaction Information section:
      1. Transaction Type drop-down – The type of transaction.
      2. Transaction Number type-ahead field – The unique identifier of the transaction.
        If the value does not match the available options, the value must be entered manually.
      3. Transaction Date field - The transaction date.
    3. Select Apply.

      The new reference transaction line item is added to the transaction reference table.

  16.   In the Customer and Supplier section, fill in the following fields under Customer group:
    1. Company type-ahead field – The name of the company sending the product activity. This field pulls from the Owner's company and location master data.

      The remaining Customer fields are auto populated with the values from the company or location's master data entry. If the name of the company is not present in the Owner's master data, the company name must be entered manually.

    2. Address 1 field – The address of the particular location.
    3. Address 2 field – Any additional address information.
    4. Country drop-down – The two-letter country code with country name for this location.
    5. State field – The state or region for this location.
    6. City field – The city for this location.
    7. Postal Code field – The postal code for this location's main address.
    8. Contact Telephone Number field – The company or location's phone number.
    9. Contact Fax Number field – The company or location's fax number
    10. Party ID Type drop-down – The identifier type used for this company or location. See Identifier and Item Code Types for more information.
    11. Party ID Value field – The value associated with the identifier type.
  17. In the Customer and Supplier section, fill in the following fields under Supplier group:
    1. Company type-ahead field – The name of the company receiving the product activity. This field pulls from the Owner's company and location master data.

      The remaining Supplier fields are auto populated with the values from the company or location's master data entry. If the name of the company is not present in the Owner's master data, the company name must be entered manually.

    2. Address 1 field – The address of the particular location.
    3. Address 2 field – Any additional address information.
    4. Country drop-down – The two-letter country code with country name for this location.
    5. State field – The state or region for this location.
    6. City field – The city for this location.
    7. Postal Code field – The postal code for this location's main address.
    8. Contact Telephone Number field – The company or location's phone number.
    9. Contact Fax Number field – The company or location's fax number
    10. Party ID Type drop-down – The identifier type used for this company or location. See Identifier and Item Code Types for more information.
    11. Party ID Value field – The value associated with the identifier type.
  18. In the Ship From Location and Ship To Location section, fill in the following fields under Ship to Location group:
    1. Company type-ahead field – The name of the company location where actual goods will be shipped by supplier.
    2. Address 1 field – The address of the particular location.
    3. Address 2 field – Any additional address information.
    4. Country drop-down – The two-letter country code with country name for this location.
    5. State field – The state or region for this location.
    6. City field – The city for this location.
    7. Postal Code field – The postal code for this location's main address.
    8. Contact Telephone Number field – The company or location's phone number.
    9. Contact Fax Number field – The company or location's fax number
    10. Party ID Type drop-down – The identifier type used for this company or location. See Identifier and Item Code Types for more information.
    11. Party ID Value field – The value associated with the identifier type.
  19. In the Ship From Location and Ship To Location section, fill in the following fields under Ship From Location group:
    1. Company type-ahead field – The company name of the supplier the goods will be shipped from.
    2. Address 1 field – The address of the particular location.
    3. Address 2 field – Any additional address information.
    4. Country drop-down – The two-letter country code with country name for this location.
    5. State field – The state or region for this location.
    6. City field – The city for this location.
    7. Postal Code field – The postal code for this location's main address.
    8. Contact Telephone Number field – The company or location's phone number.
    9. Contact Fax Number field – The company or location's fax number
    10. Party ID Type drop-down – The identifier type used for this company or location. See Identifier and Item Code Types for more information.
    11. Party ID Value field – The value associated with the identifier type.
  20. In the Line Items section:
    1. Select the Addicon. At least one line item is required to submit a product activity.

    2. In the Line Items panel, fill in the following fields under Line Item Information section:

      1. Line field – The number to identify the line item by (e.g. 50).
      2. Item field – The name of the product. If the user enters an item code instead, the field automatically displays the corresponding item name.
        The Item Code Type and Item Code Value fields are auto populated with the values from the product's master data entry. If the product is not present in the Owner's product master data then the product name or code must be entered manually.
      3. Item Code Type field – The product code type (e.g. IN-Product Code).
      4. Item Code Value field – The product code.
      5. Quantity field – The quantity inside the inner containers for a line item.
      6. Line Notes field – Additional information about the line item being added.

    3. Select Apply.

      The new line item is added to the product activity.

    4. Select a item line row and then select the branch icon and fill in the following fields under Quantity Detail Information section:
      1. Quantity Activity Code drop-down – The type of inventory movement or activity reported in the transaction.
      2. Activity Quantity field – The number of units involved in the inventory activity specified by the Quantity Activity Code.
      3. Unit of Measure drop-down – The unit in which the quantity is measured.
      4. From Date field – The validity start date of the line item.
      5. To Date field – The validity end date of the line item.
    5. Select Apply.

      The quantity details information is added to line item.

    6. Select a quantity details information item line row and then select the branch icon and fill in the following fields under Destination Location Quantity Information section:
      1. Company Identifier Type field – The company location identifier qualifier for the line item.
      2. Company identifier Value drop-down – The company location identifier qualifier value for the line item.
      3. Location Quantity Value field – The company location identifier qualifier for the line item.
      4. Unit Of Measure drop-down – The unit of measure for the quantity value at the destination location for the line item.
      5. Reference Transaction Identifier Type drop-down – The reference information for identifiers that are related to transaction documents.
      6. Transaction Identifier Value field – The transaction reference identifier value as defined by enumerations in Reference Type.
    7. Select Apply.

      The destination location quantity information is added to line item.

    8. Select the line item row drop down to view the destination location quantity information in a table.
  21. In the Notes section, select the Addicon to enter any additional comments or instructions.
  22. To submit the product activity:
    To save the product activity in a Draft state and finish it later, ensure the Move To button is not selected and then select the Save button in the draft state.

    1. Select the Move To button at the top of the screen.

      The submit status indicator circle is filled in with green to indicate the desired action upon selecting save.

    2. Select the Save button.

      The product activity is submitted.

Tips

  • Select the Addicon, to add a new line item, where available.

  • Select the Deleteicon, to remove an individual line item, where available.

  • Select the branch icon, to add a new line item in the inserted table, where available.

  • New product activitys can also be created by selecting the New button on the Product Activities Details screen for an existing product activity.

 Complete and submit a saved product activity in the draft state.

  1. Select the Main Menu icon.
  2. Select My Networks in the header.
  3. Select a [MPL Network] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
  4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
  5. Select the Go button.
  6.  Select Commerce - Customer from the left menu.
    Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.

  7. Select Product Activities.

  8. Select the Filter button to find the product activities in Draft state.

  9. Select the Product Activity Number link in the results table.

  10. Select the Edit button.

  11. In the Transaction Information section, select Submitted from the Process Status drop drown.
  12. Confirm the product activity details and select the Edit icon associated with that line item to modify the fields if required. See Create and submit a new product activity for detailed field description of product activity.

  13. Select the Move To button at the top of the screen.

    The submit status indicator circle is filled in with green to indicate the desired action upon selecting save.

  14. Select the Save button.

    The product activity is submitted.

Tips

  • Select the product activity number row and then select the Delete icon on the top of the Search Product Activity screen, to delete a product activity in the draft state.

A deleted transaction cannot be retrieved.

Create new discussions and add comments to existing discussions

Owner and Partner can start discussions or add comments directly from a subtype view page. This allows authorized users from owner and partner companies to collaborate in the context of the transaction they are viewing.

Perform this task to add new discussion directly from the subtype record being viewed.

  1. Select the Main Menu icon.
  2. Select My Networks in the header.
  3. Select a [MPL Network] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
  4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
  5. Select the Go button.

  6. Navigate to the subtype record you want to discuss.

  7. Open the subtype record to display its view page.

  8. Select the Add Discussion button.
    The new discussion page opens in a new tab.

  9. Start the discussion using one of the following options:

    1. In the Transaction section, select the transaction ID link to review and update the related transaction automatically referenced from the subtype record.

    2. Select the New button to initiate a new discussion for the transaction, if required.
      This creates a new, independent discussion thread for the transaction. The new discussion will not be a continuation of any existing discussion associated with the subtype record, and prior discussion details from the subtype record will not automatically carry forward into the new thread.

  10. Enter the discussion details. For detailed field descriptions, see Create and submit a discussion

  11. Select the Save button.
    The new discussion is now associated with the transaction from the originating subtype view page.

Perform this task to add a comment to an existing discussion associated with transaction being viewed.

  1. Select the Main Menu icon.
  2. Select My Networks in the header.
  3. Select a [MPL Network] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
  4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
  5. Select the Go button.

  6. Navigate to the subtype record related to the discussion you want to comment on.

  7. Open the subtype record to display its view page.
  8. Select the Add Comment button.
    The Discussion Search page opens in a new tab within the context of the selected transaction.

  9. Find the discussion to update using one of the following options.

    1. Review and update the discussions already associated with the transaction.

    2. Select the Filter button, enter the search criteria, and apply the filter. From the filtered results, select the discussion to review and update. For detailed field descriptions, see Search and View All Discussions

    3. If the existing discussion is not appropriate, select the New button to start a new discussion for the associated transaction. For detailed field descriptions, see Create and Submit a Discussion

  10. Select the discussion to update.

  11. Enter comment.
  12. Select the Save button.
    The comment is added to the selected discussion and remains associated with the related transaction.

Search and view product activity

Perform this task to search for and view the details of the product activities sent or received by customer or suppliers. Viewing the details of a product activity enables customer and suppliers to quickly access order information (e.g. the quantity for each line item in an order) in TraceLink without having to search through the actual B2B message.

  1. Select the Main Menu icon.
  2. Select My Networks in the header.
  3. Select a [MPL Network] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
  4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
  5. Select the Go button.

  6. Select Commerce - Customer or Commerce - Supplier from the left menu.

    Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.
  7. Select Product Activities.
  8. Select the Filter button.
  9. Fill in one or more of the following fields to filter the results:
    1. Multi Field Search field - Searches across multiple indexed fields using a single keyword, including Text, Text Area, Email, URL, and Lookup fields.

    2. State drop-down – The state of the product activity: 

      • Draft – The transaction is in the draft state.
      • Submit – The transaction has been created.
      • Processing – The application is getting ready to handle incoming transactions by doing some initial tasks, such as copying the files it receives.
      • Processed – The application changes the standard information into a format that is easy to use and specific to your transaction.
      • Preparing to Send – The application is getting ready to send out a transaction and is doing some initial tasks, like copying the necessary information for the process.
      • Sending –The application sends out business transactions to the buyer or supplier.
      • Sent – The transaction is successfully completed and shared with the receiving party.
    3. Product Activity Number type-ahead – The unique identifier for the product activity.
    4. Product Activity Date drop-down – The start date of the product activity.
    5. Product Activity Purpose Code drop-down – The code specifies the purpose of the product activity transaction set. The valid vales are:

      1. PLANORDERS

      2. NOTIFICATION

      3. PURCHASEORDERS

    6. Receiver type-ahead – Displays only if the menu item is Sent Product Activities in Commerce - Customer. The name of the company the product activity was sent to.
      If the name of the company is not present in the Owner's master data then the company's name must be entered manually.
    7. Sender type-ahead – Displays only if the menu item is Received Product Activities in Commerce - Supplier. The name of the company the product activity was received from.
      If the name of the company is not present in the Owner's master data then the company's name must be entered manually.
    8. Last Modified drop-down – The period of time in which the product activity was last updated:
      • Today – The transaction was modified within the last few hours.
      • Yesterday – The transaction was updated within the past 24 hours.
      • Last Week – The transaction was modified in the last 7 days.
      • Last Month – The transaction was modified in the last 30 days.
      • Last 3 Months – The transaction was modified in the last 90 days.
      • Last 6 Months – The transaction was modified in the last 180 days.
      • Custom Range – Select a specific period of time that the transaction was modified in from the calendar.

  10. Select Apply.

    A list of product activitys displays based on the filter results.

  11. Select the link for the product activity from the results table.

    The View Product Activities screen displays.

  12. To view all fields for each line item, select the View icon on the Product Activities Details screen.

For detail information about these fields, see Create and submit a new product activity.

Reprocess and resubmit product activities

Reprocess the return authorization request if the Processing Status is set to Paused with Error on the Search Business Transaction screen. Use the following procedure to resolve any error messages encountered while submitting product activities.

  1. Select the Main Menu icon.
  2. Select My Networks in the header.
  3. Select a [MPL Network] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
  4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
  5. Select the Go button.
  6.  Select Commerce - Customer from the left menu.
    Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.

  7. Select Product Activities.

  8. Select the Filter button to find the product activities in Processing, Processed, Preparing to Send, or Sending state.
  9. Select the Product Activity Number link in the results table.
  10. View the following fields for error in the Transaction Information section: 
    • Process Status - Displays the status of the submitted purchase order
    • Last Transaction Error - Displays the error message.
  11. Select the Edit button..
  12. In the Transaction Information section, select Submitted from the Process Status drop drown.
  13. Select the Save button.
    The product activity request is moved from Processing state to Sending state indicating that the product activity is submitted successfully.

Do not select the Move To button, as it will cause the transaction to skip a workflow state, preventing successful delivery.

If a transaction is successfully sent to a partner but an issue occurs on the partner's side (e.g. in their ERP system), the sender can avoid re-entering all the details by rolling back to a previous workflow state and resending the transaction, thus saving time and effort for both parties.

  1. Select the Main Menu icon.
  2. Select My Networks in the header.
  3. Select a [MPL Network] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
  4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
  5. Select the Go button.
  6.  Select Commerce - Customer from the left menu.
    Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.

  7. Select Product Activities.

  8. Select a Product Activity Number in Sent state.

  9. Select the Edit button.

    The state of the product activity is automatically set to Sending state.

  10. Select the Move To button at the top of the screen.

    The submit status indicator circle is filled in with green to indicate the desired action upon selecting save.

  11. Select the Save button.

    The product activity is submitted.

The status of the product activities move to Sent state.

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