I have been using the DBA Features and Options extensively over the last couple of years and find it a very powerful tool.  Unfortunately there are some minor glitches in the program, most of which I can usually work around.  The one person at DBA who knew this area has now left and my last support calls to DBA did not give me any solutions.  I am wondering if anyone on the Forum has any ideas.
 
 
 
1.      When I create a Sales Order using Features & Options I then print out SO-B Print Acknowledgement.  The program prints out a list of options enclosed between a comment which says   --   Options .. End Options.
 
I have a situation right now where the word Options does not print.  The list of options are printed out but there is no word Options at the beginning but at the end  the words End Options print out.
 
I do not think this really affects the operation of the program (but I am not sure) but it does make me feel somewhat uncomfortable as I always use the Options ... End Options as a sign that everything is OK, and in this case, it appears the system is giving inconsistent results.
 
If I rearrange, and experiment with, the line number order of the Feature BOM, then I can get the Options ... End Options to print out.
 
 
 
2.      Another situation is when using Features and Options, and when printing the traveler (WO-C) and say Y to  Print materials in Seqs.  The Help instructions say that ---   If you answer Y to Print Materials in Seqs?, any bill of material components assigned to specific labor sequences will print within those sequences on the shop traveler.
 
This does not happen.  The components are assigned to specific sequences in my BOM, but just print out per usual and are NOT split into groups associated with the operation sequences.
 
 
 
As I said previously, DBA Tech Support could not help so would appreciate if anyone has experienced the same problems and if they can share their solutions with me.
 
Thank you
John Mannion
 
 
 
 
 
 

ITEM 1
 
I think I have identified the cause of this problem.  When using F&O I have usually had O TYPES (features) at one level and B TYPES (Phantoms) at the next lower level and have used this O-B-O-B combination, and so on, up to 9 levels with no problems.
 
Recently I had a problem with DBA (which I will explain in ITEM 4, below), and I modified the F&O BOM, but this time I had one component which had O TYPES at one level going into O TYPES at the next level.
 
I have experimented with this and the work around is to make sure you do not have an O TYPE going into an O TYPE.  DBAs notes actually explain how to use - Features within Features -  in Using Features and Options within Sales Orders, with no indication that there could be a problem.
 
A couple of strange things happen, firstly, if this correctly configured component is on Line 1 of the BOM then it does not matter if the components on the other lines are correctly configured it will still print out OPTIONS - END OPTIONS.  
 
Secondly, if I have several incorrectly configured components in the first lines of the BOM and then the correctly configured component on say, line 5 of the BOM, and print out SO-B, the first 4 options will print out then OPTIONS - (line 5 to end) - END OPTIONS prints out.
 
It looks like the  program logic does not like the O TYPE going into an O TYPE at the next level down.  Is this something that should be corrected?
 
Hope this explanation makes sense and that it may help someone, but it certainly has been driving me crazy!
 
 
ITEM 2
 
I have the end item configured as an F type.  The lowest levels are all R types, and it is these R types which are assigned to operation sequences in the router to make the F type end item.
 
I am wondering if your fix of 10/03/03 will fix the above issue.  Your fix states that  --
WO-C can now correctly handle printing BOM components assigned to different routing numbers and can manage non-sequential sequences assigned to different routing numbers. Also fixed a bug where "This traveler has already been printed" message was coming up when the traveler was being printed for the first time.
 
 
ITEM 3
 
You mentioned looking at the SO-N logic.  I have some issues with SO-N and WO-K-D.  It appears to me that these two programs (and I do run MR-F after running either of these 2 programs) do not correctly handle recommended MAKE or BUY quantities, especially when the component has a minimum reorder amount.  MR-F does seem to handle it perfectly well.  Anyway I will post the details within the next week and probably to Problem Reports - Repeatable.
 
 
 
 
ITEM 4
 
The issue I had with DBA which caused me to change a successful BOM is this.  I loaded all the component choices under the FEATURE component.  There were 600 component choices (yes 600!!!) and DBA did not seem capable of handling this.  I found out that everything was OK up to line number 199.  Then what happened was that the display, in the Pop Up Box for choosing options, seemed be corrupted with numbers jumbled on top of numbers.  I dont ever recall reading or hearing anywhere that DBA had a limit of 199 lines items for any BOM (Admittedly it is a lot but - ).  Any ideas anyone?

John -
 
ITEM 2 - No, that isn't what the IS Tech update addressed.  It was relating to the Routing Number, not the sequence.
 
ITEM 3 - SO-N and WO-K-D have never looked at anything other than the specific order you are processing.  However, that is about to change, at least for WO-K-D.  Latest IS Tech version of SO-N, if you answer Y to Prompt for WO Quantity, includes the Reorder level and reorder amount (Min Order Qty) on the screen so you can at least take them into account when determining how many of an item to make.
 
WO-K-D for the next post (Friday 4/23/04 is the planned release date) has a couple of new options.  You can prompt for WO Quantity (same as SO-N) and make your own quantity decision based on stock status, or you can have it automatically generate the WO for the balance needed which will take all orders and the reorder level into account rather than just generating a WO for the quantity needed for the order being processed.  Or you can answer N to the new choices and it will work like it always did.
 
ITEM 4 - I thought I remembered adding something to the Help file back when I worked for DBA regarding the limit on the number of components within a F&O BOM but I just looked and can't find it.  In any event, as you have discovered, there is a limit because it loads the list into an array and the array has been defined as a specified size.