Overview

This section describes the basic functions in the Simphony EMC.

EMC Configuration Hierarchy

The EMC has three areas that allow you to choose where to define certain definitions and records in the EMC’s hierarchy tree. In the EMC, modules are configured (in order from highest to lowest) on the enterprise, property, or revenue center levels. See Enterprise for more information on EMC hierarchy levels.

An employee’s assigned role determines whether users have full or partial access to specific modules on certain levels. See People and Privileges for more information on employee roles.

EMC Home Page

When you sign in, the EMC defaults to the Home Page. The Home Page shows a navigation tree in the Locations pane based on the EMC levels. Modules appear to the right of the Locations pane and filters based on the location you select from the navigation tree.

You can use the filters below the Locations pane to easily search for properties, revenue centers, and zones within a large enterprise.

Figure 2-1 EMC Home Page Filters

• Filter: Enter the name of a property, revenue center, or zone to filter the navigation tree.

• Coll: Click to collapse the navigation tree. If the navigation tree is collapsed when filtering, the search returns the top most level. For example, when you search for a revenue center, the navigation tree shows the property to which it belongs.

• Exp: Click to expand the navigation tree.

• Show all zones: Select to shows zones in the navigation tree and to include zones in your search.

• #: Select to show the object number in front of properties, revenue centers, and zones in the navigation tree.

The EMC remembers each user’s state at the time of exit. The next time you sign in, the EMC Home Page defaults to the location that you last viewed before closing the EMC.

Table View and Form View

Table view and form view are two views used to show information within modules.

Most modules open to table view, which is a grid view showing all records sorted by object number. The first two columns are typically the object number and name of the record. Table view is generally used when making bulk changes. When a record is changed, table view highlights the record in yellow.

Form view shows the same content that is available in table view, but for a single record. Depending on the data, sometimes form view shows more information than table view. For example, the Roles module, which contains only object number and name in table view, contains several configurable tabs in form view. Form view includes a navigation bar that shows the object number and name of each record available, making record-to-record navigation easier. To navigate to a specific record, select the record within the navigation bar and the corresponding form view tabs populate with the selected record’s information.

Three methods let you switch between table view and form view:

• Click the Toggle Table/Form View icon on the EMC toolbar.

• While in table view, double-click the Object Number column to open form view.

• While in form view, double-click the object number/name in the navigation bar to open table view.

While configuring Simphony (in either table or form view), certain files have a Go To Previous navigational icon. This icon links to the location in the current file (or a different file) where the selected information is stored. You may want to use this icon to change an entry, add an entry, or view its configured characteristics.

For example, you are adding a group of menu items and you do not see the Screen Lookup (SLU) group you want to assign them to.

1. Click the icon next to the SLU field. The Menu Item file opens, which is located in the SLU Names section of the Descriptors tab.

2. From here you can view the existing groups or add new a SLU group name. Click Save if you make changes.

3. Navigate back to the Menu Item Definition file, and then select the new (or different) SLU group for the menu item from the SLU drop-down list.

Figure 2-2 EMC Go To Previous Navigational Icons

Module Record Filters

By default, most modules in the EMC show all available records when opened. You can remove unwanted records from view using the filters available in table view. The filters appear above the table and are set to Show All Records.

Figure 2-3 EMC Filter Section in Table View

When records are filtered,

• Form view shows only the records that appear in table view. While in form view, the navigation buttons (next, previous, first, and last) change to only the records that appear in table view.

• The Option Comparison Dialog shows only the records that appear in table view.

The Menu Item Maintenance module provides additional filters for streamlining the records. See Searching and Filtering Menu Items for more information.

Sorting Records

In the EMC, you can sort records presented in tables by one of the columns. By default, records are sorted by object number. To sort by another column, click the column header.

EMC Toolbar

The EMC uses common controls that are familiar to most users. For example, the top of the screen includes a menu bar with the standard File, Edit, and View options. Several navigational icons are also available on the toolbar.

The following table describes the icons on the EMC toolbar. You can also access the functions performed by these icons within the menu bar.

Table 2-1 EMC Toolbar Icons

Toolbar Icon	Name	Function	Available in Table View?	Available in Form View?
	Refresh	Refreshes the data in the current module.	Yes	Yes
	Close	Closes the currently active module.	Yes	Yes
	Close All	Closes all open modules.	Yes	Yes
	Location Selector	Opens the current module in another property or revenue center. This icon is enabled only if you open a module from the property or revenue center level.	Yes	Yes
	Language Translation	Opens the EMC Record Translation dialog. This icon is enabled only when the current GUI control is a translatable text field.	Yes	Yes
	Print	Opens a dialog that allows you to print records from table view.	Yes	No
	Save	Saves changes to records in the currently active module. This icon is enabled only when changes are made to the current module. When you insert a new record for a module, Simphony automatically saves that record. To invoke this icon, you must make initial entries or modify an existing record entry.	Yes	Yes
	Save All	Saves changes to records in all open modules. This icon is enabled only when an open module has its records changed.	Yes	Yes
	Insert	Adds a new record to the module. This icon is enabled only when the current module supports the Insert functionality and only when the signed-in user has Employee Role permissions to add new records to the module.	Yes	Yes
	Delete	Deletes records. This icon is enabled only when the current module supports the Delete functionality, and only when the signed-in user has Role permissions to delete records from the module.	Yes	Yes
	Distribute	Distributes records. This icon is enabled only when the EMC user is associated with an Enterprise Role with the option Distribute enabled, and only when the current module supports distribution.	Yes	Yes
	Copy Record(s)	Copies records while in table view.	Yes	No
	Undo/Redo	Performs the undo/reload function. You cannot undo the addition or deletion of a record. The EMC uses a record-level undo, where all changes to a single record are undone. You cannot undo a previous change because the flow and layout of the EMC make this an impractical option. The standard Ctrl+Z functionality does exist to undo changes to a text field. In Employee Maintenance and Menu Item Maintenance, undo is available through the right-click menu only.	Yes	Yes
	Paste Record(s)	Pastes records while in table view.	Yes	No
	Toggle Table/Form View	Switches the current module between table view and form view.	Yes	Yes
	First Record	Navigates to the first record in the module.	No	Yes
	Previous Record	Navigates to the previous visible record in the module.	No	Yes
	Next Record	Navigates to the next record.	No	Yes
	Last Record	Navigates to the last record in the module.	No	Yes
	Go To	Opens a dialog that allows you to type an object number and navigate to the specified record.	Yes	Yes
	Find	Opens a dialog that allows you to find a record based on text comparison in any column.	Yes	No
	Go To Previous	In some modules, go to links are provided to quickly open other modules. When clicked, it closes the module that you were navigated to and returns you to the module from which the link was pressed.	N/A	N/A
	Navigation Bar	Switches the visibility of the navigation bar in form view.	No	Yes