Mobile Web Services Integration

With the increased availability and capability of wireless networks and mobile technologies, mobile devices are becoming more prominent and common in the workplace. Mobile devices can be equipped with various user interfaces that enable a user to enter and retrieve data using their mobile device and interface that data with the PeopleSoft Maintenance Management application. The user interfaces on mobile devices are often simplified versions of existing user interfaces in Maintenance Management, which provide key data elements and enterable fields that can be either real-time or right-time synchronized. Mobile devices are valuable in managing the assets of an organization by providing a simple process for capturing data and enabling the support and execution of maintenance activities. This encourages preventive maintenance, streamlines data acquisition and accounting, and promotes an increase in overall data accuracy and a decrease in costs.

It is important that you understand the following terminology in order to interface a mobile device of your choice with Maintenance Management web services.

Term	Definition
Web Service API (Application Interface)	For mobile web services integration, these are Web Service APIs that can be accessed over a network such as the Internet, and executed on a remote PeopleSoft Integration Broker server that hosts the requested services.
Mobile Device	With respect to this mobile web services integration feature, a mobile device is a small form-factor wireless device, typically carried by a technician, which enables that technician to perform various PeopleSoft Maintenance Management system data acquisition, capture, and entry tasks using a smaller and more manageable device with a simplified user interface tailored to that device. For example, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
Real-Time	Computer systems that update information at the same time they receive the information. A mobile device is directly connected to a computer system and does immediate synchronization.
Right-Time	A mobile device is disconnected from a computer system. Data is collected in the mobile device when the device is disconnected from a computer system. Once a connection is made between the device and the computer system, synchronization with that computer system can occur.
Synchronous	A method of communication in which the request for data and response to that request for data occur as a single transaction. The system waits for a response to the request. This method is superior when reasonable amounts of data are contained in the response and an immediate response is necessary. which occurs in a real-time connection.

There are a number of mobile device suppliers exist that provide user interfaces that can be set up to integrate with web services. PeopleSoft Maintenance Management provides a set of dedicated web services (APIs) that enable integration with mobile devices which are designed for use by technicians and are purchased from third party suppliers.

PeopleSoft Maintenance Management supports these capabilities and transactions for mobile technician devices:

• The capability to retrieve work order task details using Task Search Views set up on the Technician Workbench. Using a mobile device, a technician can access:

  • The work order header.

  • Work order tasks.

  • Valid task status transitions.

  • Checklists.

  • Instructions.

  • Materials.

  • Purchase orders.

  • Tools.

  • Task notes.

  • Asset downtime.

  • Scheduled labor.

• A technician using a mobile device can add or update this work order information:

  • The work order header. (add only)

  • Work order tasks, such as failure reporting using the problem, cause, and resolution hierarchy, and completing work orders.

  • Work order task status (update only).

  • Check lists.

  • Inventory materials.

  • Purchased and on-hand materials.

  • Tool asset actuals (update only).

  • Task notes. (add only)

  • Asset downtime.

  • Unscheduled labor. (add only)

  • Update labor actuals.

• A technician using a mobile device can access an Inventory issue to work order.

• A technician using a mobile device can retrieve this asset information.

  • Assets.

  • Meter readings.

  • Meter types.

  • Hazardous codes.

  • Comments.

• A technician using a mobile device can enter new meter readings.

• A technician using a mobile device can download all necessary prompting and supporting tables to support the above capabilities.

Note:

These web services were developed to be generic and standards-based to enable easy integration with PeopleSoft Maintenance Management. While the focus of the integration is with mobile handheld devices, you can use the developed web services to integrate with any external system of any type (not just mobile) that supports the necessary web service integration standards.

Mobile Device PeopleSoft Maintenance Management Integration Functionality

You set up web services integration between PeopleSoft Maintenance Management and a third party mobile device. To activate this integration for a business unit in PeopleSoft Maintenance Management, you must select the Mobile Integration Enabled check box on the Integration page in the Work Order Definition component of a work order business unit. Selection of this check box enables the Mobile Updates Pending link to appear on the Work Order page of the Work Order component, Work Order Completion page of the Work Order Completion component, and the Express Work Order page of the Express Work Order component, and enables the Mobile Public check box to appear on the Task Search page associated with the Technician Workbench.

You can select the Mobile Public check box on a Task Search view. Selection of this check box determines whether the saved Search View can be used by all other technicians on their mobile devices. When you select this check box, an Assigned to Current Technician check box replaces the Assigned To field. If you select this check box, the system searches for and displays only tasks to which the technician who is executing the Search View is assigned as a scheduled labor resource.

When task or task level data, such as materials, checklists, and more is sent to a mobile device via web services and you have not received an update since the date and time the information was sent, a Mobile Updates Pending link appears for the task in the Work Order, Work Order Completion, and Express Work Order components. When you click the link, a Mobile Task Updates Pending page displays, which lists the task ID and description, the last date and time sent, and the last date and time updated (if any) for any mobile task updates that are pending. This page only applies to tasks being updated from a mobile device.

Should any errors occur during the web service update of work order tasks and task details, meter readings, or in the inventory issue to work order process, the system writes the errors to the Enterprise Components Notifications Dashboard (Enterprise Components > Events and Notifications > Notifications Framework > Notifications Dashboard). The Enterprise Components Notifications Framework overrides also enable the system to notify a specified user about any errors using email.