How To use dblink for IFS-Applicaion

Local database SID=RACE7
Remote Database SID=DEV10
if network is being setup ready.
1) EDIT tnsname.ora
DEV10 =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS_LIST =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = lg)(PORT = 1523)) )
(CONNECT_DATA = (SERVICE_NAME = dev10)
)
)
2) Create a public(or private) db link object
SQL> CREATE PUBLIC DATABASE LINK MY_TP CONNECT TO IFSAPP IDENTIFIED BY IFSAPP USING 'dev10';
Database link created.

3) Copy table from remote database to local database
SQL> COPY FROM IFSAPP/IFSAPP@DEV10 CREATE LONGINE_TAB
USING SELECT * FROM abc_class_TAB;
Array fetch/bind size is 15. (arraysize is 15)
Will commit when done. (copycommit is 0)
Maximum long size is 80. (long is 80)Table ABC created.
3 rows selected from IFSAPP@DEV10.
3 rows inserted into LONGINE_TAB.
3 rows committed into LONGINE_TAB at DEFAULT HOST connection.

4)SELECT * FROM LONGINE_TAB;
ABC_CLASS ABC_PERCENT ROWVERSION
------------------ ------------------------- -------------------------
A 80 2007/06/28
B 15 2007/06/28
C 5 2007/06/28

5)delete from LONGINE_TAB;

6)select * from abc_class@my_tp;
ABC_CLASS ABC_PERCENT ROWVERSION
------------------ ------------------------- --------------------------------
A 80 20070628151609
B 15 20070628151609
C 5 20070628151609

7)COPY FROM IFSAPP/IFSAPP@DEV10 INSERT LONGINE_TAB USING SELECT * FROM abc_class_TAB;

Array fetch/bind size is 15.
(arraysize is 15)Will commit when done.
(copycommit is 0)Maximum long size is 80. (long is 80)
3 rows selected from IFSAPP@DEV10.
3 rows inserted into LONGINE_TAB.
3 rows committed into LONGINE_TAB at DEFAULT HOST connection.

8)select owner,object_name from dba_objects where object_type='DATABASE LINK';
( or select owner, db_link from dba_db_links; )
ower db_linkpublic
public my_tp.WORLD

9)drop public database link my_tp;
( or drop public database link my_tp.WORLD;)

Parameter File content on IFS PRINTSERVER

!PRINTSERVER.IFM
$HOME=C:\Program Files\IFS Applications7\Print Server
$PRINTER_REFRESH_INTERVAL=360
$INSTANCE_ID=DEV10
$MODE=QUIET
$DEBUG=N
$LOG_FILE=C:\Program Files\IFS Applications7\Print Server\PrintsrvDEV10.log

$DB.NAME=LG_DEV10
$DB.USER=ifsapp
$DB.PASSWORD=ifsapp
$DB.ADM_USER=ifsapp

$PRINTER_LIST=
$TIMER.INTERVAL=20000
$HISTORY.SIZE=100
$CATEGORY.MIN=0
$CATEGORY.MAX=99999

$LANG_CODE=en
$QRP_DIR=C:\Program Files\IFS Applications7
$LAYOUT_ROOT=
$PDF_ACTIVE=TRUE
$PDF_DIR=D:\PDFs
$MULTI_LANG_SUPP=TRUE
$SERVICE.NAME=IFSPrintServerDEV10
$SERVICE.DISPLAY_NAME=IfsPrintSrv - DEV10
$SERVICE.CMD_LINE=C:\Program Files\IFS Applications7\PrintSrv.exe "%s"
$SERVICE.CHECK_INTERVAL=300
$SERVICE.RESTART_THRESHOLD=0
$SERVICE.RESTART_DELAY=60
$SERVICE.LOG=Y
$SERVICE.LOG_FILE=C:\Program Files\IFS Applications7\Print Server\PrintsrvDEV10srv.log
$CATEGORY.MIN=0
$CATEGORY.MAX=0

Manual fix for alias limitation in Crystal Reports XI

• The alias characters ("\" and "\\") used by the IFS Crystal Report framework
  is not supported by Crystal Report Developer XI by default.
  Due to this reason when developing reports an error message is show
  when adding a backslash ("\") as an alias character to a table or view,
  informing the report developer that the backslash is not a supported alias character.
  In order to work with the alias characters used by IFS,
  these alias characters should be manually added to the system registry.
  Add the registry key given below manually to the system registry or
  follow the steps given below to add the alias characters to the system registry
  by creating and running a script file,
  1. Copy and paste the following text to any text editor
  · Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
  · [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Business Objects\Suite 11.0\Crystal Reports\Database]
  "InvalidAliasCharList"="!(){}"
  2. Save the file by giving a name but make sure the file extension is .reg
  (e.g InvalidAliasCharList.reg)
  3. RMB on the file and select "Merge" and run the script file.
  By adding this registry key Crystal Report Developer XI will only recognize characters entered in the key as invalid alias characters.
  Also read the information about the "Alternative alias naming mechanism (characters) due to bug in Crystal Reports" further down in the list of limitations.

Failed to create Crystal Query Engine

The errors occur because Crqe.dll is not registered or is not registered correctly.
To correct this behavior, Crqe.dll must be in the correct folder and
it must be registered.
Register Crqe.dll using the Windows utility, Regsvr32.

To resolve this error message(s) in CR 9:
------------------------------------
1. Quit Crystal Reports.
2. On the Windows taskbar, click the 'Start' button and then click 'Run'.
3. Type:
'regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Crystal Decisions\2.0\bin\crqe.dll"'.
4. Click 'OK'.
A message appears indicating the file is successfully registered.

To resolve this error message(s) in CR 10:
------------------------------------
1. Quit Crystal Reports.
2. On the Windows taskbar, click the 'Start' button and then click 'Run'.
3. Type:
'regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Crystal Decisions\2.5\bin\crqe.dll"'.
4. Click 'OK'.
A message appears indicating the file is successfully registered.

The error message(s) no longer appear.

Aberdeen Report - Lean Scheduling and Execution

71% of Best-in-Class manufacturers are focusing on Lean scheduling and execution
to reduce overall manufacturing costs. Their results?
95% On Time Delivery
91%Throughput
79% Reduction in Manufacturing Cycle Time year over year

This benchmark study showcases the operational performance benefits manufacturers are currently enjoying due to the adoption of Lean scheduling and execution principles.

In the Lean universe, two of the major tenets are Continuous improvement? and Waste removal? which in the eyes of many Lean purists leaves no room for technology adoption. Fortunately, a new generation of manufacturing professionals has come of age and is, to a large extent, implementing Lean scheduling and execution principles with an entirely new set of technology applications.
These newer manufacturers are just as vigilant as their predecessors; with a laser focus on reducing overall manufacturing costs. How do they do it?

They put focus on more than the traditional pillars of Lean or TQM by concentrating on
integrating enabling technologies with ERP They synchronizing demand with execution
They smooth production schedules

In the Lean Scheduling and Execution Benchmark Report,
based on the survey responses of over 400 manufacturing enterprises:

Find out the operational performance benefits that Best-in-Class manufacturers attribute to the use of Lean Scheduling and Execution principles.
Read about Lean Scheduling key metrics and get ready to implement them.
Discover best practices in Lean implementations and how these help reduce overall manufacturing costs.

This is IFS Aurora

To IFS, Aurora serves three key purposes:

• To introduce a new design—a new look—for IFS Applications. All existing windows client forms will be available in the new design.
• To establish a user interface platform on which we can build truly innovative differentiating applications like MaxOEE and IFS/Business Analytics, today and tomorrow.
• To move the client to a modern .Net technology platform, allowing us to benefit from web based deployment and state of the art development tools. Citrix or Terminal Server will no longer be needed to achieve complete web based deployment of IFS Applications.

If we look at what is actually being delivered in the initial Aurora release we find:

• Aurora Enterprise Explorer (Aurora EE). A new user interface and working environment for IFS Applications. In addition to the new design, Aurora EE also offers better user ergonomics, seamless use of web, and many other usability innovations.
• All existing windows client screens available on new technology and running inside Aurora EE.
• An update to IFS Portal and Web Client, featuring the Aurora design and many of the new innovations.
• Tools and processes supporting new development, maintenance, and customization development.

When you look at the total usability of an application, there are three key ingredients: how the application looks and is visually designed, how the user performs common tasks, and how the particular real world problem or task has been modeled and visualized in the application. Aurora brings significant changes and improvements to the first two—design and ergonomics, and provides a platform for IFS to be innovative on the third.

Aurora itself does not change how the functionality in the IFS modules works. Or to put it simply; the customer order screen will still work like the customer order screen does today, whereas how you navigate to it, search for orders, attach documents, zoom to other screens, and much more will change.

Although at first sight Aurora will appear different, it is—as always with IFS—an evolutionary approach. Aurora builds on technology that premiered in IFS Applications 7, improves on the already good features of existing clients, and adds a few innovations of its own.

Leading Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center in Russia has chosen IFS Applications

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announced that VARZ-400 has chosen IFS Applications to manage its critical business processes.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030320/IFSLOGO)
VARZ-400 Maintenance Repair & Overhaul Center is a part of Vnukovo International Airport holding company. It has Russian and International certificates for aircraft repair and maintenance as well as aircraft engines, systems, assemblies and parts. It also provides rework and upgrading services along with project engineering.
"The company leaders don''t underestimate the significance of IT for critical business process control," VARZ-400 General Director Alexey Chernyshov said. "Management based on reliable data about company assets and liabilities gives incontestable competitive advantages. We have extra requirements from our IT systems, which must let us monitor the airworthiness of aircraft, assemblies and engines while they are serviced at our center."
The company''s senior management studied and analyzed different IT solutions, including IFS Applications, SAP R/3, IBM MRO Software and the Russian-made systems Ikar and InfoSoft.
"The major criteria of selection included wide functionality, easy implementation and good experience in the aviation sphere," VARZ-400 CIO Igor Saenko said. "IFS Applications presented convincingly on every important issue. We were impressed by IFS'' experience in the industry. World leading aircraft and defense manufacturers have chosen IFS Applications. According to international analysts IFS is a leading supplier of enterprise applications for the aerospace industry. VARZ-400 is the largest facility of its type in Russia, with more than 65 years of history. Complex enterprise applications are a powerful tool for efficient and strategic management -- allowing us to achieve new level business targets."
Commenting on the contract signing Leonid Viktorov, IFS Russia & CIS General Director, underlines that aerospace and defense is one of IFS'' targeted market segments.
"IFS has an International Aerospace & Defense Industry Team consisting of consultants with considerable experience in the aviation industry," Viktorov said. "An Aerospace and Defense Advisory Council was established in order to satisfy strict modern requirements. The Council members are senior specialists from IFS'' civil aviation customers, independent experts and IFS representatives. IFS Russia & CIS has a Civil Aviation Team working in cooperation with the International A&D Team."
IFS customers include the US, British and Norwegian defense organizations. Commercial MRO shops and operators include Finnair, Bristow Helicopters, Aero-Dienst GmbH, Hawker Pacific and Jet Turbine Services. In addition, IFS provides solutions to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the global defense industry such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, the Eurofighter consortium, BAE Systems, Saab and GE Transportation.

About VARZ-400
The Vnukovo Maintenance Repair & Overhaul Center No. 400 is the largest facility of its type in Russia. It is the part of Vnukovo International Airport holding company. It was set up in 1941. There are 2000 employees today. VARZ-400 has a number of International certificates.
Its industrial base and potential is further augmented by the highly qualified workforce which allows VARZ-400 to regularly increase workloads and expand the range of work and services offered on aircraft repairs and maintenance as well as aircraft engines, systems, assemblies and parts. The company also offers rework and upgrading of aircraft, systems and components to ensure their conformity with the ICAO airworthiness standards currently in force.
VARZ-400 customers are more than 50 airlines from Russia, CIS countries, Eastern Europe and others.
Source: IFS North America

How to Installing the Patch Set for ORACLE DB

A).Installing the Patch Set interactively

1.Log on as a member of the Administrators group to the computer on which to
install Oracle components.
If you are installing on a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) or
a Backup Domain Controller (BDC), log on as a member of the Domain Administrators group.
2.Start Oracle Universal Installer release 10.1.0.4 located in the unzipped area of the patch
set. For example, Oracle_patch\setup.exe.
3.On the Welcome screen, click Next.
4.On the Specify File Locations screen, click Browse next to the Path field in the Source section.
5.Select the products.xml file from the stage directory where you unpacked the patch set files,
then click Next. For example:
Oracle_patch\stage\products.xml
6.In the Name field in the Destination section, select the name of the Oracle home that you want to update from the drop down list, then click Next.
7.If you are installing the patch set on an RAC cluster, click Next when the Selected Nodes screen appears.
8.On the Summary screen, click Install.
This screen lists all of the patches available for installation.
9.On the End of Installation screen, click Exit, then click Yes to exit Oracle Universal Installer.

B).Installing the Patch Set Noninteractively

1.Log on as a member of the Administrators group to the computer on which to install Oracle
components.
2.Copy the response file template provided in the response directory where you unpacked the
patch set archive file.
3.Edit the values for all fields labeled as "Value Required">as described by the comments
and examples in the template.
4.Enter a command similar to the following to start Oracle Universal Installer in noninteractive
mode. If Oracle Universal Installer is located in Oracle_patch\setup.exe, then pass the full
path of the response file template you have edited locally as the last argument:
C:\Oracle_patch> setup.exe -silent -responseFile response_file_path
where Oracle_patch is the location of the patch set you downloaded and
response_file_path is the full path of the locally edited response file.

Read-only methods (PRAGMA methods)

Methods can be divided into two types:

• Normal methods

These methods is methods that manipulates data in the database.

• Read-only methods (PRAGMA methods)

These methods are methods that are connected to a PRAGMA that guarantees that the method never writes to the database.
This means that PRAGMA methods always are read-only. All PRAGMA methods is automatically granted when the package is granted.
There are a few methods that are considered to be PRAGMA methods by naming standard in IFS Applications (even if they are not connected to a PRAGMA in the code).
These methods are:
ENUMERATE
EXIST
EXIST_DB
LOCK__
LANGUAGE_REFRESHED
INIT
FINITE_STATE_DECODE__
ENUMERATE_STATES__
FINITE_STATE_EVENTS__
ENUMERATE_EVENTS__
Views

How to use Crystal Report for IFS Application

step by step as below:

1)Report Design thru Seagate CryStal Reports (xxx.rpt)

2)To add the xxx.rpt in Quick Report
thru IFS/Admin/Fnd1 AdMin/Quick Report

3)To Find Report id thru IFS/Admin -> Installation-> SQL Query tool
by using sql as belos:
select quick_report_id,description from quick_report;
(let quick_report_id is 99 as a example)

4)To add quick_report_id to Customer-Menu
Thru IFS/Admin - Fnd1 Admin\CustomMenu\CustomMenu-Detail

ActionType: SAL Code
Windows :enter the window identity – like :tbwPurchaseOrderLinePart
Parameter :InfoServer.QuickReportStart(SalNumberToStrX(99,0)//'@')
//please note :the number 99 is quick_report_id

5)To activate In IFS Application & enabled Custom Menus

the form ‘Properties’ – Window tab pop-up details
have enabled Custom Menus (tick the box).

History of IFS Foundation1 (2005-2006)

2005

The Edge project continued during 2005. The work with client technologies for the "next level user productivity" took on more concrete forms. The platform was used for the OEE and system administration modules was given the name IFS Rich Web Client. Implemented with .Net technology it offers the possibility to build rich and innovative user interfaces, whilst at the same time providing a fully web based, zero install, deployment solution. In the later half of the year research was initiated to see how this new client platform could be applied to larger areas of IFS Applications.

Work on the system administration modules resulted in the creation of IFS Solution Manager - a new easy-to-use administration and configuration tool for IFS Applications. One important aspect of IFS Solution Manager was the ability to perform admin tasks as any normal user, with individually grantable tasks. Enabling clear segregation of administrative duties this would make it easier to comply with SOX and other regulatory requirements.

During the year a lot of work was also done on the IFS Web Client. In particular the web client got the same possibilities to configure the screen layout as the windows client had received the year before. Combined with a new implementation of user profiles that was shared across all clients this turned out to be very powerful.

Another key theme effecting all parts of F1 development during the year was security. Following the tag line "secure by design and secure by default" frameworks were reviewed, new security concepts added, and configurations changed. Important improvements included the move to JAAS (Java Authentication and Auhtorization System) for middle-tier authentications, the introduction of security privileges, and establishing a more secure default configuration.


2006

April 2006 saw the release of IFS Applications 7 - the result of the Edge project.

The next project - Sparx - has just started. Under that project Foundation1 will continue to be developed with both short and long term goals in mind. A lot of improvements are planned for service packs on IFS Applications 7.

At the same time work development of some key features for IFS Applications 9 has arleady started.

History of IFS Foundation1 (2004)

2004

In 2004 IFS started the Edge project which was to be a longer-than-usual development project for the next core version of IFS Applications. Where this project was largely about vertical industry functionality, a key theme for Foundation1 was to be usability and user productivity.

The goal was to achieve a leap forward and deliver a level of user productivity never before seen in business applications. To this end IFS started serious research and prototyping into everything from user centric design methodologies to new ways of visualizing information.
The result was a series of prototypes demonstrating new concepts. Taking this one step further an application project called "1st Solution" was started.
The mission for this project was to put the new innovations and techniques into use in a real application. After a first approach to build a complete business solution the scope was changed to deliver a new version of the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and System Administration modules.
In parallel with the work devoted to usability research and development of new client technologies, a lot of time was also spent defining the second generation of the services layer in IFS Service Oriented Component Architecture.
In particular the logical model was being extended to provide a closer alignment with BPEL concepts, as it was becoming increasingly clear that BPEL would become the de-facto standard to describe processes oriented software components. Further enhancements were also made to the storage model to enable more flexible and efficient reuse of and integration with the application core layer. IFS Developer Studio saw significant improvements, in particular to make the RAD process more productive as well as improving the support for development teams.

Because of the longer than usual development cycle, a fair amount of time was also dedicated to improving IFS Applications 2004. Work on supporting high availability, scalability, and secure deployments continued with new product certifications and support for more advanced deployment topologies. Significant updates were also made to the two newest components in Foundation1, namely IFS Report Designer and IFS Mobile Client. These updates incorporated feedback and improvement suggestions from early adopters.

The highlight of improvements on IFS Applications 2004 was however service pack three, which in the fourth quarter brought new possibilities for configuring the screen layout.
Now it was possible to move and hide fields, as well as changing the tab order and marking certain fields as mandatory or read only. With the possibility to adjust screen layout to specific user groups and the task at hand, user productivity could be increased and training costs lowered.
For the existing customer base this functionality was the first clear result from IFS' increased investment into usability.

History of IFS Foundation1 (2003)

2003

The Chhiri project progressed as planned and in May the migration work and the RAD tools were completed. In the mean time the hype around web services had led to discussions in the software industry, highlighting the benefits of Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) when it comes to ease of integration and application extension.

This, combined with a desire from IFS to provide easier-to-use and well documented interfaces for partners and customers alike, led to the decision to incorporate the architecture (which was service oriented), techniques and tools originating from the Ti22 project (and now moved to J2EE by the Chhiri project) into the core Foundation1 architecture. In practice this meant splitting the business logic tier into two sub tiers - one application core tier containing the existing business logic, and one services layer, where service-oriented interfaces to the business logic are placed. This change not only allowed restructuring, consolidation, and simplification of the entire Foundation1 platform - it also created the architecture platform on which IFS could initiate key development investments for the coming years.
The extension of the architecture with a services layer, and the incorporation of a new RAD tool for that layer, was such a big step forward that it deserved giving the architecture a new name. And so the Open Layered Architecture (OLA) from 1995 was now officially superseded by IFS Service Oriented Component Architecture (SOCA).

The Handshake project working on a platform for mobile clients continued throughout the year. The framework itself, as well as the mobile applications, were developed completely according to the SOCA architecture. In October the first beta release was ready.


Following IFS principle of continuously updating and replacing technologies, 2003 also became the year when one of the oldest parts of Foundation1 would see its first big overhaul. Under the umbrella of the "Bayonet" project a new architecture for operational reporting was developed. Existing reports would be complemented to produce XML data.
A new WYSIWYG report layout tool - IFS Report Designer - was developed.
The new solution was based entirely on open standards, where IFS Report Designer created an XML style sheet that would transform the XML report data into a XSL/FO (Formatting Object) file, which was then rendered into PDF for viewing/printing. As all new development of Foundation1, the new solution was built according to SOCA and made good use of the services layer.

In the second half of the year a lot of work went into consolidating Foundation1 in order to lower the cost of deploying and operating Foundation1 based applications. Things like installation, configuration, authentication, were homogenized throughout the different parts of the platform, and bits were "merged" to reduce the number of parts in the platform. Combined with the move to a standard J2EE middleware this resulted in a Foundation1 platform that was significantly easier to understand, install, and operate.

In November Foundation1 2004 was released together with IFS Applications 2004. The entire web and middle tiers were now fully on the J2EE architecture, with support for all leading application servers. The consolidation meant that there was now a single component where all runtime and development tools for the services layer of SOCA were collected - "Extended Server". The "original" Foundation1 component with runtime, tools, and services for the application core was renamed "IFS Base Server". All the new parts (services, mobile clients, XML reports) now used the common RAD environment created by the Chhiri project. Because of it's central part in current and future versions of Foundation1 this environment was given the ambitious name of "IFS Developer Studio".

History of IFS Foundation1 (2002)

2002

IFS Applications 2002-2 was released 19 April - and with that also Foundation1 2002-2 which includes most of the functionality developed by the Ti22 project during the previous years. This includes the CORBA middleware, BizAPI development framework, new Connect integration framework, and the client access technology.
The Web Kit and IFS Applications web interface had been moved to the J2EE platform and IFS Applications 2002-2 no longer used ASP technology.
The new, easier way to integrate using XML BizAPI interfaces and IFS Connect to publish these as web services was of the main news in IFS Applications 2002-2.

2002 was also the year when the consolidation of application server technologies really started to happen. Out of a sea of quasi-compatible CORBA and Java application servers, came the J2EE 1.3 specification and a set of J2EE application servers that were mature, compatible, and fast enough to be considered for a wider use with business applications. At the same time Microsoft was really beating the drum for .Net and the .Net Framework. It became clear that it was only a matter of time before application servers became commodity. This was confirmed when some vendors started to give their products away for free, and with the availability of high-quality open source J2EE servers.

Realizing that sooner or later it would not be economically sensible to use anything other than standard J2EE also in the middle tier, and having experienced first hand the challenges of working with CORBA, IFS decided to do the change sooner rather than later. The Chhiri project was initiated to phase out CORBA in favor of J2EE. IFS tradition of encapsulating infrastructure in Foundation1 and thus hiding it from the application meant that it was only the Foundation1 frameworks that needed to be changed.

As IFS Applications 2002/3 and the new service based IFS Connect gained momentum, the need for a more productive and better integrated development environment to build services and other Java artifacts became apparent. Consequently the Chhiri project was given the additional directive to produce a highly productive RAD development environment.

Anticipating a rapid increase in the use of mobile devices (PDA:s, mobile phones) in a couple of years time, IFS had early in the year started an effort to extend the architecture, frameworks and tools of Foundation1 to cover volume production of mobile clients (user interfaces) for functionality in IFS Applications. This would be known as project "Handshake". The project set out to solve two key issues facing mobile business applications at the time.

The first was to avoid device lock-in by building a platform that allowed the mobile applications to run on multiple current and future devices.
The second was to create a solution that would work "online when available".

The first task for the project was to survey the market for mobile infrastructure (micro databases and the likes) to use. In the end IBM technologies were chosen - the J9 virtual machine, DB2e database, and MQe message manager. And creation of the frameworks could start.

History of IFS Foundation1 (2001)

2001

During the spring of 2001 the move of the Web Kit into a pure Java architecture,
using Java Server Pages (JSP) and Java Servlets instead of ASP for page layout, and CORBA instead of COM for backend communication was completed.
The project to migrate the actual web pages in IFS Applications ran in parallel and was completed during the fall. A special tool was developed to automate migration of the thousands of ASP+JScript web pages in IFS Applications to JSP+Java.
This means that for IFS Applications 2002 - to be released spring 2002 - the web interface can be used with any web server (Apache, IIS, etc.) and any operating system.
This migration was achieved while heavily extending the IFS Applications web interface.
IFS Connect saw its biggest development ever. The framework and most of the adaptors were moved to the new middleware. New adaptors equaling the functionality of IFS Event Server were added. The Event Server introduced in 1996 was now completely superseded by IFS Connect and no longer needed. The reborn IFS Connect framework was given built-in support for SOAP over Http, XML Schemas, and out-of-the-box integration to MS BizTalk Server and IBM WebSphere MQ.

The Ti22 project continued to run throughout the year working mainly on the new middleware, the new connect framework and supporting services.
The concept of BizAPIs was launched as a name for XML integration interfaces developed directly under the CORBA architecture. A Java framework for development of BizAPIs was produced, and a project to provide an initial set of BizAPIs for the coming IFS Applications 2002 release was initiated. The possibility of using the CORBA middleware for client access from custom clients was explored and access providers for both Java and COM were developed.

History of IFS Foundation1 (2000)

2000

During 2000, IFS significantly increased its R&D efforts to produce IFS Applications 2001. Foundation1 was no exception and a number of major improvements were made. The Windows client was modernized to Office 2000 look-n-feel. IFS Connect got new adaptors for OPC (OLE for Process Control), WAP phones, barcode readers, IBM Mobile Connect (Handheld solutions), and more.

The average size of IFS customers had grown significantly making multi-site installations more the rule than the exception. To make such installations easier, new functionality for configurable replication of any business object was added.

The Web Kit continued to be developed. For a while, the Web Kit team had been looking at different types of web portals that were becoming so frequent on the web. Ideas of a user interface based on a portal metaphor rather than Windows applications had been growing. The serious work began early in the year, leading to IFS' 3rd generation web interfaces with the IFS Personal Portal as a unifying personalized view into IFS Applications and other information sources alike. The look-n-feel and behavior of the web interface had changed completely. The difference was amazing, and the new interface was so much easier to use.

The Web Kit was also separated from the IFS Foundation1 component and released on its own. Similarly, IFS Connect was split into two components with a separate component containing the adapters. The Foundation1 platform now consisted of IFS Foundation1 3.0, IFS Web Kit 3.0, IFS Connect, and IFS Connect Adapters.

IFS Applications 2001, launched at the end of the year, included over 200 portlets for the personal portal, B2B and B2E web solutions for nearly all components of IFS Applications.
The Ti22 project, started at the end of 1999, continued.

A CORBA middleware had now been chosen and frameworks for server and web development were being built. The implementation architecture chosen was completely service oriented, with native support for XML in all areas. Because of the death of dot coms, the focus of the project shifted from B2C web sites towards B2B web, business process and application integration.

At the end of the year the decision was made to move IFS Connect and IFS Web Kit onto the new middleware. Since almost all the code in IFS Connect and IFS Web Kit is Java, this was not an overwhelming task.

History of IFS Foundation1 (1998-1999)

1998

At the beginning of the year, focus turned to usability, easy data retrieval, and ad hoc reporting. Features such as quick reports and single-click export to Excel were introduced. Support for handling EDI messages was added. A lot of work was also put into fixing bugs, memory leaks, and just making the whole environment more stable. This led to version 2.1 of Foundation1 on which IFS Applications 99 was released in the fall. IFS Applications 99 had a lot of new functionality and became a huge success. There is still a decent customer install base for IFS Applications 99.

The Web Kit continued to be developed and was integrated into the life cycle support tools of Foundation1. Web interfaces were released for selected components of IFS Applications 99 towards the end of the year. Most popular with customers were the web interfaces for time & attendance and work order handling.

In the area of general trends, business applications started to become more and more integrated. There was integration with other applications, new types of clients, and various devices such as mobile telephones, bar code readers, and radio terminals. To stem an emerging flood of custom-made solutions in IFS Applications, a project to develop an extensible integration framework was started. The framework should use XML as the native data format and have pluggable adaptors for other protocols and standards. Just as for the Web Kit, the implementation was done in Java and executed as COM objects under MS Windows and MTS.

1999

The integration framework started the previous year was completed and released as IFS Connect. IFS Connect was released as a separate component. The Foundation1 platform now consisted of two components: IFS Foundation1, containing the client-server development environment and life cycle support, and IFS Connect which was the integration framework.

Experiences from the first customer installations of web user interfaces resulted in a major overhaul of the Web Kit internal structure and the HTML output created. This work led to the second generation of IFS web interfaces with significant performance improvements and a lot more browser-side functionality. IFS now started to package two types of web solutions, B2E (Business-to-Employee) and B2B (Business-to-Business). The B2E interface was essentially an alternative full user interface for IFS Applications, while the B2B interface was specifically developed for use by external partners such as customers and suppliers. The Web Kit also started to become used by .com startups to build market places and other solutions with IFS Applications as the back end.

IFS Applications 2000 was released in the fall, again with lots of new functionality and entire new solutions. More and more customers started to make use of the new web interfaces and integration capabilities provided through IFS Connect.

1999 was also the year of .com startups, and IFS got involved with quite a few, particularly in the Nordic market. Another significant change was that ERP applications, including IFS Applications, broadened their scope to cover new areas such as CRM, eBusiness solutions (anything from back end application integration to consumer web shopping). It became clear that in the future IFS would be building application components with more varying characteristics than had been the case. While the architecture used by Foundation1, with business logic running inside the database server, was (and still is) ideal for database-intensive applications, new capabilities would be needed by some of the new components in future versions of IFS Applications. Promoting a freedom of choice strategy, IFS also wasn't satisfied that both the Web Kit and the Connect framework relied on Microsoft COM middleware and thus would only run on Windows.

To meet future requirements, the Foundation1 group started project Ti22 at the end of the year. The mission of the project was to identify a platform-independent middleware, an implementation architecture for high-performance application servers, and new innovative technologies for building high-end B2C web solutions.

History of IFS Foundation1 (1996-1997)

1996

Foundation1 was now a complete application development platform.
Rational Rose had been introduced as the design tool,
and IFS/Design helped transform the Booch object models to implementation code.
The Build and Deploy tools used to create software distributions, install and upgrade, were now fully functional.
Migration of the SYSTEM4 on to the new architecture was in full progress.
IFS Maintenance was the solution that had come the furthest.
This year Sun's Java started to spread its wings. IFS prototyped a graphical Java client using the same business logic as the Windows client - for the first time benefiting from the layered architecture.

Although functional, the prototype demonstrated that big graphical Java programs just didn't run fast enough on the hardware of the time. Instead IFS decided to go with real web clients (just using HTML). The first attempts were made using Oracle web server (OWS).
However, Java lent itself nicely to server development and IFS developed its first Java based product - IFS Event Server. The Event Server allowed business logic to proactively send events and notifications (such as e-mails and SMS messages) to clients and other interested parties.

1997

During the summer,
IFS released its first complete ERP application built entirely on the new Foundation1 platform - IFS Applications 98. This was a major milestone and a number of customer installations were done during 1997 and 1998.

The Foundation1 team was, like many software vendors, busy with the migration of the windows clients and frameworks from Win16 to Win32 platform. This migration was completed in October with the release of Foundation1 2.0. For this version, the Rational Rose tool had also been upgraded and UML was now the notation used for design.

With Java applets struggling to do anything but simple games and animations, server side scripting emerged as a faster and easier way of building "cgi type" applications that only relied on standard HTML in the browser. IFS found the combination of Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) and FrontPage to be a very productive environment for server pages. To make development of server pages easier, a framework of server-side components for business logic access, page formatting etc. was to be developed. Trying to avoid technology lock-in, the decision was made to implement these components in Java rather than a Microsoft-specific technology such as Visual Basic. Doing this, IFS was among the first companies to make use of the Microsoft Java SDK with its Java <-> COM interoperability capabilities. The Microsoft Transaction Service (MTS) was used to provide scalability.

The results of these efforts were packaged as an "add-on to Foundation1 for development of web user interface using Microsoft ASP and MTS". This package was dubbed the Web Kit - a name that should live for many years to come. Some prototype web solutions were developed for IFS Applications 98.

History of IFS Foundation1 (1994-1995)

1994

To define the "new" architecture and technology of IFS Applications, IFS R&D presented project Everest. The name Everest implied to set high goals and take a steep climb to "be on top".
The overreaching goals of project Everest were to:

• Perform BPR on the software development process used at IFS


• Become the most efficient software producer


• Development and assembly of application components


• A product that can follow the customers business development, as well as technology development


• Avoiding BIG-BANG
  

More specific goals included providing a graphical (Windows) user interface, a productive development environment, component thinking, use of object oriented design, and co-existence with SYSTEM4..

1995

This was the year when the core principles of the new architecture were established.
The architecture was to be 3-tier with business logic and data storage tiers running in Oracle, and the presentation tier built using Gupta SQL*Windows.
This architecture was dubbed Open Layered Architecture (OLA).
The applications were designed according to object orientation principles with business objects such as Customer, Supplier, Order, Invoice and so on.
Each business object had an implementation in all three layers of OLA.
The collection of these implementation was referred to as the Logical Unit (LU). Logical units communicated internally using private API:s and externally in the business logic tier using public API:s.

At the end of the year, Foundation1 consisted of a number of PLSQL system services to support implementation of business logic and a class library for Gupta SQL Windows. There was also the beginnings of life cycle support with some basic code generation and a first version of IFS/Localization tool.

The scope and functionality of Foundation1, which had now reached version 1.1,
was described using the nine components shown on the right.

Development of an IAL Object(Samples)

Development of an IAL-Object consists of the following steps.

1. Decide which data is required from the application
2. Create an .ial-file that defines this object
3. Deploy the object using Sql File Executor.
4. Set security using Security-tool, making it available to the end user

IAL Objects should be developed for access through any client based reporting tool.
This is how an .ial-file may look. Example taken from Foundation1 Demo application

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Component:
-- Purpose:
-- IFS/Design Template
-- Date Sign History
-- ------ ---- -----------------------------------------------------------
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
define OBJECT = CUSTOMERS
define MODULE = INVADER
define AO = &AO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------ OBJECT REGISTRATION -------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Disable to be able to redeploy objects
begin
&AO..IAL_Object_API.Disable('&OBJECT');
end;
/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------ VIEW FOR SELECTS ------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROMPT Creating &OBJECT view
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW &OBJECT._IAL AS
SELECT co.company_id Company,
co.name Company_Name,
cu.customer_id Customer_No,
cu.name Name,
cu.address Address,
cu.city City,
cu.phone Phone_No,
cu.type Type,
cu.total_order_value Tot_Order_Value,
cu.invoice_value Tot_Invoice_Value
FROM &AO..DEMO_COMPANY CO, &AO..DEMO_CUSTOMER CU
WHERE CU.COMPANY_ID = CO.COMPANY_ID
WITH read only;
GRANT SELECT ON &OBJECT._IAL TO &AO WITH GRANT OPTION
/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------- TABLE FOR WAREHOUSE ---------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CREATE TABLE &OBJECT._TAB
TABLESPACE &ial_data STORAGE (&normal)
AS ( SELECT * FROM &OBJECT._IAL WHERE 1=2 )
/
ALTER TABLE &OBJECT._TAB ADD (
CONSTRAINT &OBJECT._PK
PRIMARY KEY (COMPANY, CUSTOMER_NO)
USING INDEX TABLESPACE &ial_index STORAGE (&normal))
/
GRANT SELECT ON &OBJECT._TAB TO &AO
/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------- OBJECT REGISTRATION ----------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
begin
&AO..IAL_Object_API.Enable('&OBJECT');
end;
/

How to create a LOV view for ifs portal as a List Value

Step by Step :

1. create a new LOV (View as below)
   
   DEFINE MODULE = INVENT
   DEFINE LU = InventoryPart
   DEFINE VIEW = TP_INVENTORY_PART_LOV
   PROMPT Creating report view &VIEW
   
   CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW &VIEW AS
   SELECT ip.part_no part_no, ip.description description, accounting_group_api.get_description(ip.accounting_group) acc_group_desc
   FROM INVENTORY_PART_TAB ip, user_allowed_site_pub ua, part_catalog_pub pc
   WHERE ip.type_code IN ('1', '2', '3', '4', '6')
   AND ip.contract = ua.siteAND ip.part_no = pc.part_no
   AND pc.position_part = 'NOT POSITION PART'
   AND ip.accounting_group = '010'AND ip.contract = '008'
   WITH read only;
   
   COMMENT ON TABLE &VIEW IS 'MODULE=&MODULE^LU=&LU^PROMPT=&LU^';
   COMMENT ON COLUMN &VIEW..PART_NO IS 'FLAGS=PMI-L^DATATYPE=STRING(25)/UPPERCASE^PROMPT=Part No^';
   COMMENT ON COLUMN &VIEW..DESCRIPTION IS 'FLAGS=A-IUL^DATATYPE=STRING(35)^PROMPT=Description^';
   COMMENT ON COLUMN &VIEW..ACC_GROUP_DESC IS 'FLAGS=A---L^DATATYPE=STRING(35)/UPPERCASE^PROMPT=Acc Group Desc^';
2. to add above LOV in ifs-portal (java source)
   ...
   public void preDefine()
   { ASPManager mgr = getASPManager();
   
   headblk = mgr.newASPBlock("MAIN");
   headblk.addField("OBJID"). setHidden();
   headblk.addField("OBJVERSION"). setHidden();
   ....
   headblk.addField("PART_NO").
   setMandatory(). setInsertable().
   setLabel("FCSTYEARPARTPARTNO: Part No"). setSize(25).
   setDynamicLOV("TP_INVENTORY_PART_LOV").
   setLOVProperty("TITLE",mgr.translate("FCSTYEARPARTPARTNO1: Part No"));
3. to USE devtool.exe with Scan the sources
   to put new LOV in databas efor security setting by Admin.exe
4. Grant user as below:
   GRANT SELECT ON TP_INVENTORY_PART_LOV TO IFSSYS;
5. re-Run the ifs-portal (http://lg:59080/)
   PATH:WebClient Administration folder
   --Clear Profile Cache/Clear Security Cache/Reload Configuration file

To Set Client Character Set in windows

--IFS Applications On Windows mode like localize.exe etc
use environment variables through NLS_LANG (Start > Control Panel > System-Advance)
--PLSQL etc tools in windows use environment variables
through the Registry Editor (Start > Run > Regedit).

More examples:
NLS_LANG = AMERICAN_AMERICA.WE8MSWIN1252
NLS_LANG = TRADITIONAL CHINESE_TAIWAN.ZHT16MSWIN950
NLS_LANG = SIMPLIFIED CHINESE_CHINA.ZHS16GBK
NLS_LANG = VIETNAMESE_VIETNAM.VN8MSWIN1258
NLS_LANG = JAPANESE_JAPAN.JA16SJIS

IFS Dictionary FILE(.dic) Phased Out in AP7

IFS use window and web dictionary for client from IFS99/2001/2002/2003/2004,
But IFS Make a big change from IFS2007 onwards.
that is really a big technical improvement...

Dictionay Administrator can do the changes immd
in the traslation in oracle db ,
that is to replace the the client runtime dictionary
(windows/web).

2 steps put the translation change immd. on the client:
(let ifs-web as examples) :

-step1 --to use sql for update in plsql..
select * from language_sys_tab
where type ='Message'
and lang_code ='zh'
and module ='INVENW'
and text like "%" for update

-step2 --login in to IFS web(b2e/b2e) and
to reflesh the related langugae changed (in step1)
in the translation tab/web client administrator folder.

IFS Rich Web Clent started Guide for AP7 SP2

ifs Rich Web Clent started needs
(1) .net 2.0 runtime to be installed .
(version 2.0.50727)

(2)c:\ifs\instance\DEV\client\runtime\ifs.Fnd.Explorer.Started.exe

(3)IFS Solution Manager to be activated in the folder
that is to be used for web administration.

webclientconfig.xml effective in IFS Application sp2

path as below shuold be effective to ifs-portal:
C:\ifs\jboss\server\DEV\deploy\fndweb.ear\lg.war\WEB-INF\config

paths as below from others would be not effective to ifs-portal:
C:\ifs\instance\DEV\webclient\ear\fndweb.ear\lg.war\WEB-INF\config
C:\ifs\instance\DEV\ear\fndweb.ear\lg.war\WEB-INF\config

Apache2 to be installed & start first in IFS Application7 sp2

( 1) It must_ edit the conf/httpd.conf file (with notepad)
to reflect the correct ServerName, Domain, and directory paths.
(2) C:\ifs\apache2\bin\Apache -k install
(3) C:\ifs\apache2\bin\Apache -k start

Why are national characters not displayed correctly?

Version 3.5.1:
To get national characters to be displayed correctly
both the character set and national character set parameters in Oracle
must have the same value, if running on Oracle 8.1.7.
Both parameters are set during the installation,
but national character set can be changed later on (it is NOT an init.ora parameter!).
To change national character set run the following SQL statement:
update sys.props$ set value$ = '' where name = 'NLS_NCHAR_CHARACTERSET';
Another solution is to use Oracle 9 client (or later),
i.e. on the server running IFS Application Server (FNDAS).
But the client machine (the one running FNDAS) has to set NLS character set to UTF8, otherwise national characters will not be shown correctly in error messages.
If FNDAS servers are started from a command script,
it is enough to set a value of NLS_LANG parameter at the beginning of the script, e.g.:
set NLS_LANG=SWEDISH_SWEDEN.UTF8
But if the servers are run as Windows services,
it can be necessary to modify the parameter in Windows Registry entry, e.g.: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\HOME0
Note that the key can differ if running several Oracle Homes.
Version 3.6.0:
Depending on Oracle version some parts of the description above can be also valid for the node running IFS Extended Server (FNDEXT).

How I can change the user logon timeout in IFS Web Client 3.6.0 or higher?

Version 3.6.0:
All timeout related parameters are in this version of IFS Web Client controlled by the session timeout within the Tomcat/JBoss container, which can be defined within the file
\fndext\3.0.0\jboss\server\\deploy\jbossweb-tomcat.sar\web.xml.
Version 3.7.0:
The file defining the session timeout is located at \jboss\server\\deploy\jbossweb-tomcat55.sar\conf\web.xml.

oracle9i 和 ORACLE10G 删除方法(step by step)

1.先停止所有oracle之服務Stop any Oracle services that have been left running.Start->Settings->Control Panel->ServicesLook for any services with names starting with 'Oracle' and stop them.
2.先用oralce自帶的uninstall卸載.如果建立了資料庫最好用企業管理器删除再卸載.
3.然後重啓(某些文件被鎖定,不重啓删除不了)
4.然後運行regedit,然後删除以下幾個ORACLE 注册表項(看見ORACLE開頭就删)HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Eventlog\Application\
5.接下來删除你的ORACLE安裝目錄,以及資料庫文件夾還要删除一個C:\PROGRAM FILES\ORACLE 文件夾6.程式集部份亦須一併移除C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\「開始」功能表\程式集這樣基本就搞定了.
ORACLE相關的環境變量,WIN.INI文件的相關項,windows目錄下的ORACLE文件.新的版本uninstall已經幫忙做了.

IFS Defence purchases Information Science Consultants Ltd

IFS Defence Ltd, a joint venture between BAE Systems and IFS AB of Sweden, has today acquired Information Science Consultants Ltd (iSC) for cash, from Dr. M. Horton and Dr. I. Scullion.
iSC, a privately held company based in Cirencester, UK, specializes in naval maintenance management applications and services and provides the Unit Maintenance Management System (UMMS) to the UK Royal Navy fleet. iSC also provides leading expertise in reliability-centered maintenance processes and toolsets to a wide range of defense and commercial organizations. iSC generated revenue of £2.4 million with an EBIT of £0.5 million in the year ending September 30, 2006, on gross assets of £1.8m.

IFS Joins Parade to Make ERP Easier to Use

Echoing recent moves by SAP, Microsoft, Epicor, and other enterprise application software competitors, IFS AB today unveiled what it said is the first in a series of offerings that will give casual users an easy way to access ERP data using Microsoft Office applications such as Excel.
The new offering, Business Analytics, lets users tap into data from IFS's financial modules. Through the tool, users who may not have much experience with an ERP application can easily access and analyze financial data such as budget balances using the more familiar Excel program, said Rick Veague, IFS North America's chief technology officer.
"Until now, inexperienced users might have [had] to get help from the IT staff to extract financial data or learn to write reports themselves," said Veague in an interview with Managing Automation. "With Business Analytics, they can put their hands on this data with only a modest level of training."
IFS is not the only vendor of enterprise applications attempting to make its systems easier to use by employing Microsoft Office applications such as Excel as a familiar user interface. ERP market-share leader SAP has teamed with Microsoft Corp. to create Duet, a series of self-service applications that use Office programs such as Outlook, Excel, and Word as easy-to-use front ends. SAP and Microsoft recently announced an extension of their two-year-old partnership, including plans to add more business scenarios and integration with Microsoft's SharePoint Server portal product.
And Microsoft's Business Systems group in March unveiled the Dynamics Client for Microsoft Office and SharePoint, a Duet-like set of applications for Microsoft's Dynamics enterprise applications.
IFS's Business Analytics offering is different from Duet and the Dynamics Client for Microsoft Office and SharePoint, said Veague, because it provides users with a direct link to more real-time ERP data.
The Business Analytics offering is based on a smart client plug-in that IFS developed for Microsoft Excel and extensions to the metadata layer of IFS's applications. The metadata extensions provide Excel — through the plug-in — with context for the financial data in the IFS system. That allows the plug-in to respond when a user asks, for example, to see expense account balances.
In order to purchase the Business Analytics offering, customers must license and download the plug-in, Veague said. Cost of the offering was not available from IFS.
One advantage of the Business Analytics offering, he said, is that it links users directly into live financial data from the IFS ERP applications rather than requiring a separate data mart that may or may not be up to date.
The Business Analytics product has been in use in beta test mode at customer sites for the past six months. It is now generally available. The offering is just the first product in what IFS calls its Intelligent Desktop initiative. The company is now creating metadata extensions to supply chain, sales, and order fulfillment modules that will allow the company to create similar tools that let workers use Microsoft Excel to easily access data from other parts of the IFS system. IFS plans to release additional metadata extensions and tools enabling easily access to supply chain, order/fulfillment, and sales data beginning in the third quarter of this year, Veague said.

Five guys, one tent, and a power plant

The story of a global company built on total customer dedication

In 1983 five students at Linköping University shared not only the same kitchen, but also a dream. A dream of not becoming part of a large, faceless corporation, but of building something of their own. Of creating something completely new.

There was just one problem—they did not know what. One thing they did know, however, was that they were willing to go a long way to convince clients of their total dedication.“While working for a Swedish nuclear power plant, two of us even camped right outside the main entrance to save costs and be able to work double shifts,” says Ulf Stern, one of the founders. It turned out to be good advertising too. After a few weeks everybody knew who those crazy guys were.At another nuclear power plant, Forsmark, IFS was given the task of improving administration routines during the annual overhaul. Apart from becoming expert filers the work gave the IFS guys extensive knowledge of the structure of maintenance systems and a growing idea of how to improve them. The first piece of the IFS puzzle was laid.
The next one came when another student, Johan Linder, came knocking, all excited over an amazing software product he had found, which had been created by a small American company called Oracle. While Johan tried hard to explain the advantages of relational databases, the others soon started to see the possibilities.
“None of us five was particularly interested in computers, but we were really excited by what could be done with them. With the knowledge we had gotten from our customers and the power of the Oracle database we knew we could make a difference,” Stern continues.And the rest, as they say, is history.Today, more than 20 years later, the dream of those five young men has grown into a global company with thousands of customers all over the world. “A lot has changed, but the spirit of IFS is very much the same,” says Stern, who concludes, “The essence of IFS still lies in always taking the customer’s perspective, in boldness when it comes to technology choices…and in providing a real alternative.”

IFS wants bigger piece of India's ERP pie

After a two-year partnership with a distributor in India, midmarket ERP vendor IFS has gained full ownership of its Indian operations to sharpen its focus on the rising Asian market.

After setting up a joint-venture company with India's Escosoft Technologies in January 2003, the Swedish business applications maker last month acquired all remaining shares from its partner to establish wholly owned subsidiary, IFS Solutions India.

Mark Rabjohns, president of IFS Asia-Pacific, said the decision is timely as demand for ERP (enterprise resource planning) applications in India is growing. According to research firm Gartner, ERP license revenues in India is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12 percent through to 2008, faster than the Asia-Pacific region's estimated 8 percent growth rate.

Elaborating on the company's plans, Rabjohns told ZDNet Asia: "With IFS acquiring 100 percent of the shares, we will be investing in growing our presence in the Indian domestic market, as well as building a competency center of IFS-skilled consultants who will be deployed on overseas projects."

With over 100 staff currently in India, the company intends to add to the headcount, Rabjohns said. "IFS India will require an additional 50 to 100 resources over the course of the next 12 months," he said. "These are primarily application consultants and technical consultants who will be involved in project implementation and customization."
Rabjohns said the company will work on both a direct and indirect sales model. "IFS is now (selling) fully direct (to customers) in India, but we will also work with partners in selected industries," he said. For example, IFS will work with BAE HAL (Hindstan Aeronautics Ltd) in the defense sector.

IFS' Indian customer list includes Guru Nanak Auto Enterprises, YKK India, TexCorp, Modern Insulators and Escorts Agri Machinery.
India currently contributes less than 10 percent to IFS' Asia-Pacific revenues. "This should grow to 30 percent contribution over the next two years," Rabjohns said.
IFS' announcement follows similar plans from competitors, namely Oracle and SAP, to beef up their investments in India.

General Position on New Technologies--Building for Change

The world of business is constantly changing.
So is the world of technology and computer software.
IFS’ philosophy is very simple—
the winners are those who successfully manage change.

Building for change is a design and engineering challenge. Over the years, IFS has identified a number of best practices to meet this challenge:

1. IFS invests time in, and carefully plans, the evolution of its architecture to build on existing investments and create a robust design that can accommodate future change.
2. IFS takes the time to encapsulate and isolate architecture layers and platform components that might subsequently become subject to change.
3. IFS supports both leading brand and open-source products so that companies are free to change the environment in which IFS Applications runs.
4. IFS embraces commodities. Rather than continue to develop its own proprietary functionality, IFS uses third-party standard solutions whenever possible. This reduces legacy and prevents the company from getting stuck with overwhelming maintenance.

IFS’ strategy of building for change applies also to standards.
As new standards appear, IFS updates its architecture accordingly. XML, Java EE™, .Net, and web services were little known five years ago. Today they are all industry standards and integral parts of IFS Applications.