Workflow Delegates

Pretend you are going to take a real vacation, two weeks in Spain with no work laptop. You have planned and prepared for your trip but, what about all the work that is going to keep going while you are away? Work orders still need to be reviewed, assigned, and approved by someone. Purchase Orders and Invoices need to be approved so vendors can get paid. You know that giving your username and password to your co-workers so they can log in and do your work is against company policy (and no one wants to get on IT’s bad side). Lucky for you Maximo has a way to help you out so you can eat tapas in peace knowing work is being handled, it is called Workflow Delegates.

Workflow delegates allow you to select a single person to receive all records that are sent to you via workflow in Maximo. Maximo allows you to set a start and end date for your delegate to receive the records or you can just enter a start date and never select an end date.

There are some things to think about when selecting a workflow delegate.

  • Any records that were sent to them while they are acting as a delegate will stay with them even after the delegation ends.
  • For financial records if the delegate does not have sufficient limits and tolerances they will not be able to approve the record. Depending on how Maximo is configured this may result in an error message or the record may be routed to an approver with higher limits and tolerances.
  • If the delegate does not have security access to the application the record was created in then the delegate will not be able to view the record. Selecting a delegate with the equal or greater security privileges is advised.

Once you return from your trip to Spain you can log into Maximo knowing that work has continued without you.

How to set a workflow delegate:

  1. Navigate People application from Administration > Resources > People and open a Person record.maximo_workflow
  2. Populate the Workflow Delegate field and at least the Delegate From field.maximo_workflow

MxMobile Update April 2023 Release

ibm_mxmobile_maximo mobile_app_application_suite_report_maintenance_reliability_industry_4_work_order_enterprise_asset_management_inventory_perform_count_log_time_create_meter_reading_shipping_and_recieving_mobility_admin_service_request_issue_parts_material_approve_task_job_plan_software_upgrade

A3J Group is happy to announce the latest MxMobile releases below. The releases will be available on Monday, April 17, 2023.

MxMobile:

    • Ability to use a Stop/Start timer for Labor Entries in MxWork
    • Ability to Modify Work Order Specifications in MxWork
    • General bug fixes and performance improvements

What do you need to do?

  • Updates are available to current clients automatically by updating your apps via the appropriate app store.
  • If you would like to request a new feature or report a bug, please follow our new support ticket guidelines submitting a video and a support form describing the request.
  • If you would like to opt out of receiving these communications in the future, please reply STOP to this email.

We hope you enjoy the new updates of A3J Group’s MxMobile suite of IBM Maximo mobile apps. If you have any suggestions, feature requests or need to report a bug, please contact support@a3jgroup.com. If you would like to be notified via email when A3J Group posts a new blog sign up in the form below.

MxMobile Update October 2022 Release

A3J Group is #AlwaysInnovating in order to bring state-of-the-art enhancements to the IBM Maximo community. Our 20+ years of experience in Maximo allows us to deliver end users the proper support and solutions needed to maximize efficiency. We strive to remain thought leaders in the community and we face common issues and challenges head-on. Our suite of mobile apps for IBM Maximo, MxMobile, gives users access to IBM Maximo in the palm of their hand. Our apps allow Maximo users the ability to create and edit work orders, generate meter readings, manage inventory, and more.

As an IBM Maximo mobile solution provider, A3J Group consistently improves the functionality and features of MxMobile. Enriching the experience of MxMobile users is not only our passion, but necessary. Our users enjoy the freedom of Maximo mobility and are happy to report bugs and request interface features, and our team actively delivers on those requests. You can download MxMobile apps from the Apple App or Google Play store.

A3J Group is happy to announce the latest MxMobile news below. This release is available as of Monday, October 3, 2022.

Policy Update

We have a new MxMobile support ticket policy! Going forward we ask that all MxMobile support tickets be submitted the following way: 

By doing this we hope to expedite support issues and requests providing the highest level of customer satisfaction. As always, you can also email support@a3jgroup.com or call 877-235-4774 ext 1 with any questions regarding the new process. 

October Release Updates

A3J Group is happy to announce the latest MxMobile news below. The releases will be available on Monday, October 3, 2022.

MxWork 

  • Ability to create Follow Up Work Orders
  • Ability to enter Failure Reporting information
  • Conduct Inspections from a Work Order
  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

MxTicket 

  • Sending communications from a service request
    • Please note this requires some Maximo components, such as an automation script, to be installed.
  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

MxApprove 

  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

MxAsset 

  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

MxCount

  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

MxMeter 

  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

 

What do you need to do?

  • Updates are available to current clients automatically by updating your apps via the appropriate app store.  
  • If you would like to request a new feature or report a bug, please follow our new support ticket guidelines by submitting a video and a support form describing the request.  

We hope you enjoy the new updates of A3J Group’s MxMobile suite of IBM Maximo mobile apps. If you have any suggestions, feature requests or need to report a bug, please contact support@a3jgroup.com. If you would like to be notified via email when A3J Group posts a new blog sign up in the form below.

MxMobile Update September 2022 Release

A3J Group is #AlwaysInnovating in order to bring state-of-the-art enhancements to the IBM Maximo community. Our 20+ years of experience in Maximo allows us to deliver end users the proper support and solutions needed to maximize efficiency. We strive to remain thought leaders in the community and we face common issues and challenges head-on. Our suite of mobile apps for IBM Maximo, MxMobile, gives users access to IBM Maximo in the palm of their hand. Our apps allow Maximo users the ability to create and edit work orders, generate meter readings, manage inventory, and more.

As an IBM Maximo mobile solution provider, A3J Group consistently improves the functionality and features of MxMobile. Enriching the experience of MxMobile users is not only our passion, but necessary. Our users enjoy the freedom of Maximo mobility and are happy to report bugs and request interface features, and our team actively delivers on those requests. You can download MxMobile apps from the Apple App or Google Play store.

A3J Group is happy to announce the latest MxMobile news below. The releases will be available on Monday, September 5, 2022.

Policy Update

We have a new MxMobile support ticket policy! Going forward we ask that all MxMobile support tickets be submitted the following way: 

By doing this we hope to expedite support issues and requests providing the highest level of customer satisfaction. As always, you can also email support@a3jgroup.com or call 877-235-4774 ext 1 with any questions regarding the new process. 

September Release Updates

MxApprove 

  • Push notifications are enabled in MxApprove, allowing proactive notifications when a new workflow assignment is received.
    • Please note this requires some Maximo components, such as an automation script, to be installed. The solution also comes with minor additional cost.
  • MxApprove is now available within the MxMobile app
  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

MxAsset 

  • Filter for historical work orders
  • Create a new asset
  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

MxWork 

  • Ability to create meter readings from a work order
  • Bug fix for Dark Mode on Android
  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

MxTicket 

  • New app available within MxMobile
  • This is a ticket management app for interacting with Service Requests and other ticket types

MxCount

  • General bug fixes and performance improvements

What do you need to do?

  • Updates are available to current clients automatically by updating your apps via the appropriate app store.  
  • If you would like to request a new feature or report a bug, please follow our new support ticket guidelines by submitting a video and a support form describing the request. 

We hope that you enjoy the new updates of A3J Group’s MxMobile suite of IBM Maximo mobile apps. If you have any suggestions, feature requests or need to report a bug, please contact support@a3jgroup.com. If you would like to be notified via email when A3J Group posts a new blog sign up in the form below.

MxMobile Update June 2022 Release

A3J Group is #AlwaysInnovating in order to bring state-of-the-art enhancements to the IBM Maximo community. Our 20+ years of experience in Maximo allows us to deliver end users the proper support and solutions needed to maximize efficiency. We strive to remain thought leaders in the community and we face common issues and challenges head-on. Our suite of mobile apps for IBM Maximo, MxMobile, gives users access to IBM Maximo in the palm of their hand. Our apps allow Maximo users the ability to create and edit work orders, generate meter readings, manage inventory and more.

As an IBM Maximo mobile solution provider, A3J Group consistently improves the functionality and features of MxMobile. Enriching the experience of MxMobile users is not only our passion, but necessary. Our users enjoy the freedom of Maximo mobility and are happy to report bugs and request interface features, and our team actively delivers on those requests. You can download MxMobile apps from the Apple App or Google Play store.

 

Here are the improvements that the A3J Group developers have made to MxMobile as of Monday, June 13, 2022:

A3J Group is happy to announce a new app has been released to the apps stores. The new app is our first iteration of the all in one app called MxMobile. This release will include the following apps:

  • MxWork
  • MxAsset
  • MxCount
  • MxReceive

 

We have added some additional features included in this release of MxMobile. They are the following:

  • Have more control of what offline data is pulled down prior to going out into the field.
    • Support for more offline functions included
  • Work Management, Asset Management, Receiving, Inventory counting included in this release
    • Other apps will be added in future releases, including more enhanced security controls
  • Start Center shows available app and result sets, allowing you to jump right into a given list of records.
  • Users can hyperlink between applications
    • For example, pull up a work order in MxWork and hyperlink over to the associated asset record in MxAsset

 

What do you need to do for this update?

  • If the MxMobile applications on your devices are set to auto update no action is needed.
  • If the MxMobile applications on your devices are set to update manually you can find the updates in the App Store or Play Store to download.

We hope that you enjoy the new updates of A3J Group’s MxMobile suite of IBM Maximo mobile apps. If you have any suggestions, feature requests or need to report a bug, please contact support@a3jgroup.com. If you would like to be notified via email when A3J Group posts a new blog sign up in the form below.

MxMobile Update April 2022 Release

A3J Group is #AlwaysInnovating in order to bring state-of-the-art enhancements to the IBM Maximo community. Our 20+ years of experience in Maximo allows us to deliver end users the proper support and solutions needed to maximize efficiency. We strive to remain thought leaders in the community and we face common issues and challenges head-on. Our suite of mobile apps for IBM Maximo, MxMobile, gives users access to IBM Maximo from their mobile device. Our apps allow Maximo users the ability to create and edit work orders, generate meter readings, manage inventory and more.

As an IBM Maximo mobile solution provider, A3J Group consistently improves the functionality and features of MxMobile. Enriching the experience of MxMobile users is not only our passion, but necessary. Our users enjoy the freedom of Maximo mobility and are happy to report bugs and request interface features, and our team actively delivers on those requests. You can download MxMobile apps from the Apple App or Google Play store and enjoy a 30-day trial.

Here are the improvements that the A3J Group developers have made to MxMobile as of Monday, April 4, 2022:

 MxReceive:

  • Print labels online or offline via a Bluetooth connected printer! Stay tuned for a video demonstration from the team…

MxWork:

  • Show data from the multiple assets, locations and CIs table on the work order.
  • Better handling of session token expiration.
  • Additional data type of duration has been added.
    • Users can now enter hours as 2.5 or 2:30

MxAsset:

  • Barcode scanning capability has been enhanced to support Bluetooth scanning devices
  • Bug Fixed – When entering a meter reading value of 0 it was not working properly. This has been fixed.
  • Additional API Key support added

MxCount:

  • Barcode scanning capability enhanced to support Bluetooth scanning devices

What do you need to do for this update?

  • If the MxMobile applications on your devices are set to auto update no action is needed.
  • If the MxMobile applications on your devices are set to update manually you can find the updates in the App Store or Play Store to download.

We hope that you enjoy the new updates of A3J Group’s MxMobile suite of IBM Maximo mobile apps. If you have any suggestions, feature requests or need to report a bug, please contact support@a3jgroup.com. If you would like to be notified via email when A3J Group posts a new blog sign up in the form below.

A3J Group Launches New Ninja Fix Solution: Approval Summary Tab Creator

A3J Group continues to produce products that can be purchased through our Ninja Fix suite of self-service IBM Maximo configuration options. The Approval Summary Tab solution was released March of 2022 and acts as a one-stop shop for viewing specific records in IBM Maximo.

The A3J Approval Summary solution introduces a new tab, Approval Summary, to the Work Order Tracking, Purchase Requisition, Purchase Order and Invoice applications. The Approval Summary tab is designed to show both the Active Assignee, to whom the record is currently assigned, and a history of approvals. At a glance you will know immediately who is responsible for approving the record as well as where the record is at in the approval chain. Instead of having users navigate the workflow history and assignment applications to determine the approval status for a record you can simply point them to the Approval Summary tab for all the pertinent information.

The Approval Summary solution consists of a tab with two tables. The first table displays the current active assignee(s) for the record.

ibm-maximo-self-service-managed-service-configuration

This table contains the user ID and display name of the active assignee(s). In addition, a description of the assignment is included for easy reference.

The second table lists the approval history of the record. The user can see who previously approved the record, any memo that was included with approval of the record as well as some workflow details.

ibm-maximo-automation-scripts-work-order-tracking-purchase-requistion-purchase-order-invoice-application

The Approval Summary tab focuses only on workflow transactions originating from an Input node and that are either assigned or reassigned in order to reduce clutter and help the user focus solely on the assignment. Additional nodes may be included by simply updating the A3JWFTRANSACTION relationship on the parent object. You can also contact A3J Group for assistance with expanding the Approval Summary design to other use cases.

 

ibm-maximo-configuration-approval-summary-tab-record-approval-status-history-assignment

 

Learn more about the Approval Summary Tab creator and other solutions from Ninja Fix here. If the solution is a fit, purchase, download and experience immediate IBM Maximo enhancements from A3J Group today!

MxMobile: Using Saved Queries with A3J Group’s Mobile Apps for IBM Maximo

As we all know, saved queries can make our workload much easier to manage when you’re having to sort through hundreds of records in Maximo.  However, have you ever created a saved query in Maximo and you weren’t able to find that query on one of A3J Group’s mobile apps?  You’re not alone, it’s happened to me too and the solution is very simple to follow.

 

For this example, I will use MxWork as the mobile app. In Maximo, I created a query on the Work Order Tracking application called “Environmental Group WOs” that displays all of the work orders with a person group of “ENV” and with a status of “APPR” and “INPRG”.

 

saved queries MxMobile IBM Maximo Mobile App

 

When I save this query and log into the MxWork mobile application and navigate to the Saved Queries list, I won’t see this query.  Why is that?  Well, the saved query has to be available in the API in order to access it from the mobile apps.  So, with the addition of Query Definitions in Maximo 7.6.0.3, we can select the query in the Object Structure for that specific application which will then allow the query to be accessible from the API.

 

If you open the details of the Object Structure, in this example we’re looking at MXWODETAIL, you’ll see Query Definitions listed under More Actions.  This is where you will add your query.  If you do not see your query in the lookup, you may need to make your query public by accessing View/Manage Queries and checking the box underneath Public.  Below are the three fields that are required:

  • Query Type: appclause
  • App Name: WOTRACK
  • Query Clause Name: Environmental Group WOs

asset management saved queries MxMobile IBM Maximo Mobile App

 

After I click OK and reload the Saved Queries list in MxWork, I now see the Environmental Group WOs query.  What’s also great about this solution is that the same process applies to all of A3J Group’s mobile apps!

using saved queries MxMobile IBM Maximo Mobile App

Maximo Mobile App saved queries used in MxMobile A3J Group asset management

Unable to Find Records in IBM Maximo

If you are searching for items and your descriptions do not present any search returns then you may need to read this article…

IBM Maximo attributes such as the Description field are natively configured to use TEXT search instead of WILDCARD.  A text search will use the database’s text search engine.  This is important because text searches are more efficient due to the database using indexes to locate records.  In addition, a text search is not case-sensitive so users typically prefer this type of search over WILDCARD.

I recently had an experience where an IBM Maximo environment using a Microsoft SQL Server database was unable to locate item records using the search term ‘WELL PUMP’ on the Description field.  A search for ‘WELL’, ‘%WELL%’, or ‘WELL PUMP’ brought back zero records.  The pump could only be found by searching for ‘PUMP’.

Since ITEM.DESCRIPTION is a text search enabled attribute, I knew it had to be full text search related. However I was unsure how it was related.  I first rebuilt the text catalog located under Databases > [database_name] > Storage > Full Text Catalogs > [text_catalog_name].

Maximo-Object-Explorer

A rebuild of the catalog had no effect.  Next I increased logging on the ITEM object so I could get the exact query IBM Maximo was sending to the Microsoft SQL Server.  This produced the following query:

select *

from item 

where ((status != 'OBSOLETE' and contains(description , 'FORMSOF(INFLECTIONAL,"WELL")') 

and itemsetid = ITEMSET1))

and (itemtype in (select value from synonymdomain where domainid='ITEMTYPE' and maxvalue = 'ITEM'))

Running the above query in SQL Server Management Studio produces zero records.  I was getting closer! The complexity of some of IBM Maximo enterprise asset management system requires much patience, and thoroughness, especially when troubleshooting…

The downside is that there is no shortage of articles on the Web discussing SQL Servers Full Text search capabilities.  I found myself down quite the rabbit hole.  My esteemed coworker, Kelly Nimmo, dropped in to set me down the correct path as she so often does.  She suggested I look into something called a Stop List.

A Stop List in SQL Server is a list of commonly occurring words that SQL Server will discard while searching.  These words are omitted from the full-text index.  A query of the SYS.FULLTEXT_SYSTEM_STOPWORDS table

SELECT * FROM sys.fulltext_system_stopwords where stopword = 'WELL'

for the word ‘WELL’ reveals the following entries:

Search-feature-Stopword

Bingo!  I now had a decision to make.  I could look at removing these entries from the table. Instead, I chose to omit the ITEM table from using the Stop Word list via the following statement:

ALTER FULLTEXT INDEX ON dbo.item SET STOPLIST = OFF

I will roll this out to other tables where WELL may be used to prevent this behavior in the future.

Securing Attachments in IBM Maximo

Need help securing attachments in IBM Maximo?

 

So you have secured your IBM Maximo installation using SSL, perhaps by following one of the secure articles in our A3J Group blog library, and are feeling pretty comfortable that your IBM Maximo users are protected. Just as you are about ready to lean back in your chair and enjoy the fruits of your labor you receive an urgent communication with a screenshot showing an IBM Maximo attachment being served up with the unsecured HTTP rather than HTTPS. Sound familiar? Thankfully you will be back to your feeling of tranquility in no time as this fix is a piece of cake.

*Note you could have been prevented the above scenario from occurring by not binding IBM Maximo to an unsecure port. This would not have allowed the attachment to work but would have prevented an unsecure connection.