Product Lifecycle

Management
Configuration Guide
for Kinetic
Version 2021.2
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 Product Lifecycle Management Configuration Guide for Kinetic

Table of Contents

Getting Started 4
Verifying Prerequisites 4
Installing Product Lifecycle Management 5
Configuring Service Connect with Product Lifecycle Management 6
Installing .NET References 6
Verifying Web Services 7
Importing the Product Lifecycle Management Workflow Files 7
Configuring Input Channels 8
Configuring Output Channels 8
Configuring Kinetic with Product Lifecycle Management 10
Creating a Default ECO Group 10
Configuring Export to PLM 10
Setting Up an External Company for PLM 11
Configuring Record Export 11
Running the PLM Process 13

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Getting Started
Welcome to the Epicor Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Configuration guide. This document is
intended as a starting point to configure Product Lifecycle Management. This document does not
describe the installation of the actual PLM software.

The purpose of PLM is to store and maintain CAD documents, CAD 3D models, CAD Bills of Materials
(BOM), part data and office documents and be able to link these documents to each other in various
ways. PLM provides security, workflow and search capabilities to structure the use of objects and to
stimulate collaboration within the company and with partners.

PLM is integrated with Kinetic at three levels: Parts, ECO (BOM), and Quotes.

Verifying Prerequisites
Use these steps to complete the requirements before you start the Epicor Product Lifecycle
Management installation.

1. Verify you are installing PLM on a machine that uses one of the following Microsoft Windows
environments:
l Windows Server 2019
l Windows Server 2016
l Windows Server 2012 R2
l Windows 10
l Windows 8.1
2. Verify you have the following Windows software installed:
l SQL Server 2017 or 2019
l BizTalk Server 2016 or 2020
3. Verify you have Epicor Service Connect installed. Use the Service Connect Installation Guide for
instructions.
4. Verify if any updated files or patches are available for this release. To do this:
a. Log on to EPICweb Customer portal website and navigate to Products > Kinetic/ERP >
Downloads > On-premises > Downloads Kinetic. You can use this link:
https://epicweb.epicor.com/products/kinetic-erp/downloads/on-premises/downloads-
kinetic.

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b. Navigate to Kinetic > Version 2021.2 > Third Party Products > Epicor PLM and
download any PLM files available for this release. For example, download the PLM for
11.1.200 zip file.

We recommend to update PLM if Kinetic/Epicor ERP was updated to a later

version to ensure compatibility. The Kinetic/Epicor ERP versions released are
certified against the latest PLM version available at the time. For example, if you
have upgraded from Epicor ERP 10.2.700 to Kinetic 2021.2, it is recommended to
update to PLM for 11.1.200 that is the version certified with Kinetic 2021.2.

Installing Product Lifecycle Management

After completing the prerequisites steps, extract the installation package you downloaded from
EPICweb and use the documents enclosed in that package to install the application.

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Configuring Service Connect with Product Lifecycle

Management
In this section, we cover how to configure PLM to use the Service Connect module communication
features.

Installing .NET References

Use the following steps to install the necessary .NET References in Service Connect.

1. In the Service Connect Administration Console tree, navigate to the Connectivity node.
2. Right-click the .NET References node and select Add References from Directory. The Add .NET
References from Directory wizard displays. Click Next.
3. In the Assembly type drop-down list, select the Epicor 10.2-11.1.200 Assembly option.
4. Click the Ellipsis button next to the Directory path field and in the Browse for Folder window,
browse to and select the Client directory. Click OK.
5. Select the Import all methods check box to register all .NET references with default request IDs.
6. Verify that the Erp.Contracts.BO File Type is selected in the File Type field. Click Next.
7. On the Assembly list screen, clear the All check box and select the following methods:
CompanyService, EngWorkBenchService, ExtCompanyService, PartRevSearchService, PartService,
QuoteAsmService, QuoteService. Click Next.
8. Keep default Reference Name. Click Next.
9. On the Logon to Epicor screen, in the Client Config field, specify the Kinetic client configuration
file.
10. In the User and Password fields, provide the Kinetic logon credentials.
11. In the Company and Plant fields, specify company and plant if desired, but you can leave this
field blank in most cases because this information is often provided in the dataset being
integrated.
12. Select the Use service license check box to use only Service license. If the number of users in the
license is exceeded, connection will be penalized (slowed down for 20 seconds) before being
granted. If you do not select the Use service license check box, when Service license is
exceeded, Service Connect will use Default license. Service Licenses are used when .NET business
objects are called not from BPM.
13. Select the Import UD fields check box, if you want to import Epicor BOs with Extended UD fields
(stored in database). If you select the UD fields check box, Service Connect identifies BOs with

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UD fields and imports them (generates schema, and so on) in such a way that UD fields are visible
in BO dataset in Service Connect and can be mapped in XML Mapper. Click Next.
14. On the Import .NET reference screen, review all the information you provided about the
assembly. Click Next to start import process.
15. When complete, click Finish.

Verifying Web Services

On the server where Service Connect is installed, verify the following directory structure exists:

l Epicor Software\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\ERPExport
l Epicor Software\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\ERPRequestResponse
l Epicor Software\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\PDMRequest
l Epicor Software\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\Publish
If you are an experienced Service Connect user, you can specify different directories as long as you also
make the necessary changes to Service Connect.

Verify the Service Connect services are running:

1. Start the Epicor Services Manager. To do this, navigate to Start > Programs > Epicor Software >
Epicor Service Connect and select Epicor Services Manager. If Epicor Services Manager is not
listed you may need to upgrade your Service Connect version.
2. When the Epicor Services Manager starts, right-click the Epicor Services Manager icon in the
System Tray to view the status.

You can create a shortcut to the Epicor Services Manager and put the shortcut in your
Startup folder on the machine where you have Service Connect running.

Importing the Product Lifecycle Management Workflow Files

The Service Connect workflows are backed up and saved into the PLM.scs file delivered in the PLM
installation package. To import them, restore them to the Connectivity node in the Service Connect
Administration Console.

Use the following steps to restore the file:

1. Locate the extracted PLM for 11.1.200 folder and extract the PLM Workflow archive.
2. In the PLM Workflow folder, locate the PLM.scs file.

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3. Use the Service Connect Administration Console to restore the PLM.scs backup file. Click the
Help icon on the toolbar for detailed instructions on how to restore the file. The basic steps
include:
a. Right-click Connectivity and select Restore.
b. Browse to the PLM.scs file. Select the file.
c. Select the Override Existing Settings check box, if available. Click Next.
d. From the drop-down menu, select your Service Connect Server Name to specify your
Service Connect server. Click Next.
e. On the Restore Connectivity Settings dialog, the Old Channel and the New Channel
names are displayed. Click Next.
f. Click Finish. The process runs. Click Finish again.

Configuring Input Channels

Use these steps to configure the Input channels for PLM.

1. In Service Connect Administration Console, expand the Connectivity > Communication Setup >
[MachineName] > Channels > Input node.
2. Right-click each input channel and select Properties.
3. In the Channel Properties dialog, select the Enable check box.
4. Click Configure.
5. Select Communicator Properties.
6. Enter a new File Path value for the C:\ location for the following Channels. Use the file path
information in the following table, replacing "C:\" with your local system identifier, if necessary.

Input Channel System File Path

ERPExport C:\Epicor\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\ERPExport
ERPRequestResponse C:\Epicor\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\ERPRequestResponse
PDMRequest C:\Epicor\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\PDMRequest

7. Click OK until you exit.

Configuring Output Channels

Use these steps to configure the Output channels for PLM.

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1. In Service Connect Administration Console, expand the Connectivity > Communication Setup >
[MachineName] > Channels > Output node.
2. Right-click each output channel and select Properties.
3. In the Channel Properties dialog, select the Enable check box.
4. Click Configure.
5. Select Communicator Properties.
6. Enter a new File Path value for the C:\ location for the following Channels. Use the file path
information in the following table, replacing "C:\" with your local system identifier, if necessary.

Output Channel System File Path

ERPRequest C:\Epicor\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\Publish
PDMRequestResponse C:\Epicor\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\Publish

7. Click OK until you exit.

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Configuring Kinetic with Product Lifecycle

Management
Use the following steps to configure Kinetic for use with PLM.

Creating a Default ECO Group

Use the following steps to create a default ECO group to check out revision changes from PLM whenever
an ECO group is not defined on a record.

1. In Kinetic, navigate to Product Management > Engineering > General Operations >
Engineering Workbench.

2. Select New .
3. Enter a Group ID and Description. For example, PLM.
4. Verify the Single User check box is selected.

5. Select Save.

Configuring Export to PLM

Use the following steps to configure your company to export your part data to Product Lifecycle
Management

1. In Kinetic, navigate to System Setup > Company/Site Maintenance > Company Configuration.
2. Select Modules > Production > PLM.
3. Enter the PLM Export Directory to specify the location where information will be exported into a
text file. For example, enter "C:\Program Files\Epicor
Software\EpicorData\ServiceConnect\PLM\ERPExport", where "C:\" is the identifier of your
system hard drive.
4. Select the ECO Group that you specified as the default in an earlier step. For example, PLM. This
group is used to check out revision changes from PLM.
5. Select the type of Revision that the PLM Server Process exports to the PLM system:
l Current - The PLM Server Process will search the last approved revision with the Effective
date equal or less than today.

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l Last Approved - The PLM Server Process will search for the last approved revision, no
matter whether it is currently approved or not. The process will not consider the Effective
Date.
l Last Modified - The PLM Server Process will search for the last modified revision, no
matter whether it is currently approved or not. The process will not consider the Effective
Date.
6. Select Save.

Setting Up an External Company for PLM

Use the following steps to set up an external PLM company in Kinetic.

1. In Kinetic, navigate to System Setup > External System Integration > Setup > External
Company Maintenance.
2. In the External System field, select PLM.
3. Create an external company to use with PLM if it does not exist. To do this:
a. From the New menu, select New External Company.
b. In the External Company ID field, enter your current Company ID. Note that the external
company must match the existing Company for the External System you use.
c. In the Description field, enter PLM.
d. Click Save.
4. Navigate to System Setup > External System Integration > Setup > External Company
Configuration.
5. On the landing page, select the external company you created for PLM.
6. On the Detail card, verify the Sent Part check box is selected.

7. Select Save. .

Configuring Record Export

You can select the fields that trigger an automatic export when they are changed in Kinetic using Global
Table Maintenance. Integration with PLM only uses the global Part table.

1. In Kinetic, navigate to System Setup > External System Integration > Setup > Global Table.
2. The landing page displays the tables from All Systems and All Companies.
3. Select the Part table record.

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4. In the Available Choices section, select the check boxes of the following required fields:
l PartDescription
l PartNum
l PDMObjID
5. Verify that the selected fields moved to the Selected Choices section.
6. Select Save.
Use the following list as a reference when configuring the Part global table. This is a partial list of fields
that are imported from PLM into Kinetic.

Table Fields

Part Company, PartNum, SearchWord, PartDescription, ClassID, IUM, TypeCode,

NonStock, ProdCode, NetWeight, PDMObjID, NetVolume, QtyBearing
PartRev Company, PartNum, RevisionNum, RevShortDesc, PDMObjID
ECOMtl Company, PartNum, RevisionNum, QtyPer, MtlPartNum, FixedQty, EstScrap,
EstScrapType, GroupID, AltMethod
QuoteDtl QuoteLine, PartNum, LineDesc, RevisionNum, CustNum, OrderQty, PDMObjID
QuoteMtl Company, QuoteNum, QuoteLine, AssemblySeq, MtlSeq, PartNum, Description,
QtyPer, IUM
QuoteAsm Company, QuoteNum, QuoteLine, AssemblySeq, PartNum, Description, QtyPer,
IUM, Parent

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Running the PLM Process

In this article, we cover how to run the PLM process. During the PLM process, the System Monitor
queries the intermediate tables, such as Part and Rev, for new records to export.

1. In Kinetic, navigate to System Management > Schedule Processes > PLM Server Process.
2. Specify the fields to launch the server process. The log file name defaults to
C:\Epicor\EpicorData\PLM.log. Change the log file name, if desired.
3. On the Advanced card, select a Schedule for running the export process.

4. Select Process.
The PLM process will not start, unless Send Part is selected in an external company with PLM as
the external system, and the company configuration includes PLM Import and Export directories
and a PLM ECO group.

5. Restart the application servers in order for the process to start.

Kinetic is now ready to work with PLM.

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