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Business Architecture

Epicor has long been recognized as a leader in technology innovation, not just investing in technology for technologies sake, but in order to deliver far reaching business benefits to our customers businesses. Epicor understands that modern business software needs to be intuitive, compliant, and super productive to meet both existing and future needs. For more than five years now, Epicor has been designing and building enterprise business software built from the ground up using SOA standards. Technology is the foundation which most businesses use to execute their objectives. At the same time, it is important
that the technology does not overwhelm a business but operates seamlessly and effectively in the background. Today Epicor business architecture provides a rich user experience, affording opportunities for greater user collaboration and productivity. Offering new levels of extensibility and scalability, it is a technology asset that meets a company’s requirements today, yet remains flexible enough to accommodate opportunities in the future. This unique blend of tools and technology constitute the business architecture we call Epicor Internet Component Environment (ICE).

Epicor ICE

Epicor ICE is the business architecture that underpins
the Epicor enterprise business software and offers a true service oriented architecture, Epicor True SOA?. This agile business process enabling technology builds on an already complete and robust framework. The toolset is helping our customers to both use and enhance Epicor applications at a business as opposed to a technology level—with minimum overhead. Epicor ICE addresses the following key needs of modern enterprises:

• Reliable
• Scalable
• Agile
• Accessible
• Flexible
• Customizable
• Productive
• Collaborative
• Future Proof

User Experience

Epicor ICE delivers user interface (UI) options v
that are at once easy to use, rich and intuitive,
and give users choice in deployment and
experience. Unique technology within Epicor
ICE offers the ability to have multiple user
interfaces interact with the same SOA-based
business logic simultaneously including a “
Smart Client,“ a Web browser-based Client, or
Microsoft Office applications. All UI options
are intuitive, flexible, aesthetic, and promote
user productivity.

Epicor Everywhere Framework

Today many enterprise applications are being
rewritten to support mobile devices and browser-based
clients, which provide easier more convenient access
to business information and easier deployment. These
clients are generally considered “zero-footprint“ or “thin“
clients. Rather than rewriting our application forms to
support mobile devices and the Web, we developed
the Epicor Everywhere Framework, a unique technology
that stores all client business logic as tagged XML
metadata. This permits Epicor applications to run as
smart clients or Web clients or on mobile devices,
all from the same source code. This framework also
ensures that user customizations and personalization
remain intact, whatever the UI.

• Epicor Smart Client
• Unlimited Comments
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Tool Tips
• Indication of Attachments,
  Memos, Audits, Etc.
• Open With
• User-Defined Searches
• Cut-and-Paste
• Transaction Visualization
• Form Worksets and Navigation
• Advanced Grid Management
• Personalization
• Customization
• Customization Wizard
• Localization
• Styling and Themes

Epicor Information Worker

According to current industry surveys, desktop productivity tools are used by 95%of business workers, with Microsoft Office as the standard for desktop applications. Epicor Information Worker provides a secure, seamless interface to your Epicor application from within Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft Word, blurring the lines between
enterprise software and desktop productivity software to create a single immersive solution. Imagine the productivity and business visibility you will gain by using Epicor Information Worker as an interface for both traditional and non-traditional Epicor users.

• Extend the Reach of Epicor Applications
• Work in Context, Online, and Offline
• Support Your Customer Relationship Initiatives

Business Activity Query

Every business needs an intuitive and easy to use query engine, and for this Epicor created business activity query (BAQ), which allows you to create personalized queries or to copy standard queries. Once the query is created, it can be used throughout
the application—to generate Crystal Reports, for quick
searches, to support Portal views, or to view results in a Dashboard. Epicor BAQ lets you create queries that display the data you need, when you need it.

• Easy to Use Wizards
• Graphical Links
• Use of Temp Tables and Variables
• Calculations
• Views of Data
• Easily Analyze and Test Your Query
• Epicor Portal
• Reduced IT Burden, Secure Data Access
• Ease of Use
• Improve Collaboration and Increase Productivity
• Take Action Immediately
• Unified View of Your Organization
• Epicor Portal Customer Content Pack
• Epicor Portal Supplier Content Pack
• Real Time Collaboration with Suppliers
• Secure Content Delivery

Business Process Management
and Workflow Management

Epicor takes into account the real-life circumstances that define your complex and dynamic business environment, both during planning and the actual process. Embedded within Epicor applications is a comprehensive and flexible workflow solution that gives you the tools you need to respond quickly to critical business requirements. The workflow facilities available within Epicor enable you to quickly
begin managing and automating even the most complex business processes, including working toward ISO certification. Epicor Workflow Management is comprised of five major components: Task Management; Workbench Views; Business Activity Management (BAM); and Business Process Management (BPM).

Task Management

Systematically automate and execute routine processes using a
set of tools provided by Epicor. The inherent systematic nature
of processing tasks via these tools contributes to the speed,
consistency, accuracy, and ability to document procedures for
regulatory compliance.

• Multi- and Single-Tiered Task Management
• Task Definition
• Electronic Sign-Offs
• Streamline
• Task Lists
• Message Log
• Automatic Assignment and Routing of Work
• Staying Up-to-Date
• Send Alert
• Carry Out Processes
• Workbench Views

Workbench Views

Epicor provides a series of role based workbenches to
streamline and expedite workflows throughout your company.
Workbenches provide a focused, paperless, single entry
point from which internal and external users can automate
and execute routine processes. Epicor comes with many
predefined workbenches including buyers, planning,
engineering, inspection, service, sales, credit manager, and
plant workbenches.

Business Activity Management

Epicor extends Workflow Management with integral business
activity management (BAM). BAM enables you to build simple
proactive business rules into any of your system transactions
and has four major components:

• Change Log
• Alerts
• Execute Processes
• Manage Exceptions
• Epicor Business Process Management (BPM)
• Seamless Integration and Workflow Capabilities
• Easy to Use Wizard Interface
• Pre-Process
• Post Process
• Base Process

Epicor Service Connect

Epicor Service Connect is a powerful business integration platform, functioning as a central integration point for secure workflow orchestrations within Epicor applications as well as external connectivity to Epicor and non-Epicor applications.

• Promote Lean Principles
• Much More Than A Programming Interface
• Secure Audit Trail

Exploiting the Value of Epicor True SOA

Because Epicor solutions are built using Epicor True SOA, the
power of Service Connect can be used to streamline
processing within the application framework. Business
components, represented as Web services outside of the
application, can be recomposed within Service Connect to
eliminate non-value added steps or potentially speed up any
process. For example, processing sales orders typically involves
multiple availability inquiries, reviews, inventory release
decisions, etc. Orchestrating this process within the Service
Connect Workflow Designer can eliminate many of these
steps by routing processes to automated tasks, such as ordersubmit-
direct-to-pick for specific inventory items or order
fulfillment for your best customers. Other examples include:
PLM integration without entering change orders within a
process workbench in the application; processing of e-mail
attachments for automatic data input; and corporate
governance best practices using task assignments with
digital signatures.

Web 2.0

Epicor understands the value that mass participation and
collaboration, with the Web as an enabler, can bring to
business. Substantial advances and the ongoing maturity of
the consumer Web have brought new levels of productivity
and self-evident usability to today’s technology consumers.
Even the rise in social computing and related technologies has
an outlet in enterprise business software, and are manifested
in capabilities such as enterprise search and presence. Epicor
ICE merges these emerging technologies, often referred to as
Web 2.0 with Epicor True SOA to deliver unprecedented
support for harnessing knowledge, rapidly finding
information, and taking collaborative actions upon it.

Enterprise Content Management

Enterprise content management (ECM) supports paperless operations and reduces document control costs by enabling users to easily add documents and retrieve information from nearly everywhere within the system. Epicor ECM delivers essential attachment/document management capabilities by
extending them to include use of Microsoft SharePoint
(Microsoft SQL Server) document repositories. This means that document versioning is also supported along with the option to integrate to other best-of-breed document management systems.

• Drag and Drop Attachments
• Simple and Secure
• Retrieval
• Document Viewing
• Product Documentation Workflow

Enterprise Search

Today’s business workers are typically savvy internet users in their personal lives and have come to expect the same sort of access and community in their business lives. By utilizing Web 2.0 technologies and the building blocks of Microsoft Search, such as SQL Full Text Indexing, Epicor delivers “Enterprise
Search“, a “Google“ like search tool that brings the personal Internet experience to the workplace. Enterprise Search provides embedded search capabilities through tag clouds of Epicor structured data that span all Epicor applications built upon it and extends beyond enterprise data, to un-structured
data (Word documents, etc.) if desired, and in a secure manner. Epicor Enterprise Search also supports extensible
actions from search results including task specific actions,
internal and external Web service calls and direct links to
applications or application forms in context.

• Secure Search Results
• Easily Find Relevant Business Data
• Get the Information You Need Right from Your Browser
• Enterprise Data Without Utilizing an Application License

Subscription Services

Epicor ICE extends RSS subscription capabilities to Epicor
application data. This means that business users may subscribe
to specific information that they wish to be kept appraised of.
One area where this is enabled is within Epicor Portal, where
the entire schema of Epicor applications is accessed for enduser
query development and Web deployment. By subscribing
to a particular query using RSS, users will see information
proactively pushed to them when the data behind that query
changes. For example, a user may wish to attach an RSS feed
to a particular contact at a customer site. Any time something
happens to that contact they can receive a note about it. RSS
information can be pushed to your container of choice
including the RSS Feeds Outlook Syndicated Content (RSS)
Directory within Microsoft Office or via Windows
VistaR Gadgets.

Composite Applications

Enabled by the Epicor Everywhere Framework, Epicor
application Web forms generated from XML metadata, and
their related linked business logic, can be used in composite
application development. Each Web form supports publication
and subscription, allowing specific business functionality to be
“mashed-up“ with other line of business developments.

• Epicor Portal Mashups

Mobile

Enabled by the Epicor Everywhere Framework, Epicor
application Web forms generated from XML metadata, and
their related linked business logic, can be accessed via mobile
device. Additionally, Epicor EPM KPIs can also be deployed
direct to mobile devices and include full search capabilities to
rapidly find and drill-down to applicable data.

System Tools

Epicor ICE offers a series of system facilities and tools to
enable the effective management of Epicor applications,
extending to system security, document management,
advanced software development, software deployment,
and product documentation.

• Centralized Administration Console
• System Monitor
• Integrated E-mail
• Separation of Epicor ICE from Epicor Applications
• Extended Reporting Framework
• Customizable Printed Forms
• Auto Print Control
• Advanced Print Management

Security

• Multicompany Menu
• Operating System Security
• Method Security
• Data Level Security
• Security Reporting
• Online Edits and Audits
• Date and Time (Using Server Time) and
  User Name for Auditing

DBAudit

Steadfast and trustworthy corporate governance requires
truthful leadership and attention to detail. In many parts of the
world governments are enacting legislation such as the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the United States that mandates
compliance to strict controls and business practices.
Working directly with Microsoft SQL Server, DBAudit delivers
an easy-to-use, secure way to track changes to sensitive data
within your business applications. Administrators can select
the information they want to monitor and DBAudit logs every
change to that data, whether the change is made through an
application or by direct table updates. DBAudit is a tactical
monitoring system that provides a record that serves as an
audit trail and deterrent to aberrant practices, making it an
ideal tool to incorporate into your internal control processes.

Software Development Kit

For those requirements that cannot be satisfied by the
embedded customization layers, Epicor also offers an
advanced SDK which is available at an extra cost and supplies
the client source, framework UI and business logic tools
necessary to write your own additions and extensions to the
application. The SDK is a toolset used to create new software
elements (or modify existing software elements if adoption of
future releases is not a concern).

• Use the Tools Our Developers Use
• Audit Control

Epicor Documentation and Content Delivery

Epicor offers an approach to documentation and content
delivery that puts relevant, context driven information in the
hands of stakeholders and end users. This comprehensive
solution set shortens your return on investment while
maximizing utilization of your investment in Epicor.
Epicor deploys a worldwide team of dedicated content writers
and trainers to bring together the feature summary, online
help, technical reference user guides, online training courses,
and online tutorials through a single-source technology.

• XML-based Content Delivery
• Feature Summary
• Online Help/Field Help
• Intuitive Field Level Help
• Customizable Help
• Layered Help
• User Guides
• Technical Reference Guides
• Embedded Courses
• Customization Toolkit

For further information, please contact us at (852) 2581 9373 or email at salesenquiry@polyasia.com

For the product details, please refer to the official web page of Epicor Software Corporation at http://www.epicor.com