2 Self-Hosting Features and Updates

This chapter describes the features and updates contained in this release that affect self-hosted installations.

• Reporting and Analytics
  
• Inventory Management
  

Reporting and Analytics

This release contains the following hosting features and changes for Reporting and Analytics:

• Custom Point-of-Sales Version Support
  
• Time Threshold for Scheduled Reports After Report Mail Service Downtime
  
• Remasteralign Updates Major and Family Group Master
  

Custom Point-of-Sales Version Support

This release adds the Pos Configuration tab to the Production Management portlet for viewing and editing the list of supported versions of the Oracle Hospitality RES 3700, Oracle Hospitality e7, and Oracle Hospitality 9700 Point-of-Sales (POS) applications. The posting server accepts data from the listed versions, including versions that have not been officially supported by the installed version of Enterprise Back Office.

For example, if the hosting server uses Enterprise Back Office 8.4.0 with RES 5.3 support, you can now use the Pos Configuration tab add support for RES 5.4 without upgrading Enterprise Back Office to a version that officially supports RES 5.4. You can also use the Pos Configuration tab to remove support if the posting server encounters issues with a POS version.

To add or remove a POS version:

1. In Production Management, select the Pos Configuration tab.

2. Click the Supported Version for the POS application you want to configure.

3. Edit the list of versions and then click Save.

   You must use a comma without spaces to separate versions. For example, 3.4,5.6,5.6.1

Time Threshold for Scheduled Reports After Report Mail Service Downtime

You can configure the time threshold in which Report Mail retroactively runs and sends scheduled reports in the event that the Report Mail service stops. For example, if you configure the time threshold as eighteen hours, Report Mail runs and sends all reports scheduled to run in the final eighteen hours of the service outage.

1. Navigate to and open <installation_directory>\infoDelivery\SchedulerConfig.xml in an editor.

2. Find and set <replayPeriod hours=NumberOfHours />

   By default, the NumberOfHours is set to 18. Enter a time based on reasons such as the typical amount of downtime experienced during server upgrades.

Remasteralign Updates Major and Family Group Master

When an aligned item is posted with a changed major group master or family group master, the local major group or family group is not changed. But if you run remaster align, both local and master menu item is updated with the new family group or major group master.

When an unaligned item is posted with a changed major group or family group master, the linked local menu item’s family or major group updates.

Inventory Management

This release contains the following hosting features and changes for Inventory Management:

• Password Encryption
  
• Default and Custom Web Service Definitions
  
• Improved Performance with Auto Document Purge
  
• Automatically Restart Jobs
  

Password Encryption

This release changes the encryption method for web service passwords. No administrator action is required after installation.

Default and Custom Web Service Definitions

You can now configure the default host and login information for the Reporting and Analytics Web Service and the Inventory Management Web Service. To configure the default web service settings:

1. In Inventory Management/Organizations, click Web Services.

2. Select Override Custom Definitions to force all organizations to use the settings on this page.

3. Enter the host address and login credentials for the web services, and then click Save.

You can configure web service settings when editing each organization, and you can view whether an organization has customized web service settings using the Custom Web Services column on the list of organizations.

Improved Performance with Auto Document Purge

In system environments with the Use Suggested Qty (master switch) option enabled, the Auto Document Purge job now improves system performance by removing forecasting data older than 10 weeks.

This job can take a long time to finish processing when run for the first time after this change.

Automatically Restart Jobs

Inventory Management now automatically restarts the following jobs if an administrator uses the Stop Service command to stop the automation service or if the job was interrupted during execution:

• Export Inventory Definitions

• Export Inventory Totals

• Auto Document Purge

• Remove Unused Items from Store

• Menu Item AutoLink

• Cleanup Service Job Queue

• Export Menu Item Cost

A job does not automatically restart if you manually terminate the job using the Automation Service Monitor or if the job is schedule to run again in the following fifteen minutes. The automation service checks for child parameters, such as a specified Cost Center, when determining whether the job is an equivalent. For example, the automation service restarts the Export Menu Item Cost job for Cost Center A even if the Export Menu Item Cost job for Cost Center B is scheduled to run five minutes later.