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• Army Transportation Corps Regiment, Fort Eustis, VA

  “TRM Rules Manager is a powerful tool   for decreasing development time.” –   Diana Williamson, Duke Energy (ICS)

  “This product has reduced the   complexity of our configuration and   allows us to really make Maximo work   for us.” – Brenda Murphy, Fort Eustis   Department of Public Works

  “Powerful Tool! Quick and easy to   learn and use.” – Anthony Simpson,   Duke Energy

Rules Manager SE Frequently Asked Questions

Previous Customizations
Architecture
Learning
Support
Pricing
Data Migration
Scripting Engine
Performance Impact
Reporting

Previous Customizations
1. What is the recommendation for customers that have a “very” customized (i.e. lots of java classes) Maximo system? Will there be conflicts? Is it better to migrate everything to Rules Manager? Is a full test cycle needed after Rules Manager rules are added to such an environment (heavily customized)?

We typically find no conflict with previous customizations. This, of course, will depend on the customizations you've made, but in general we strive to have our product work with any current customizations.

Migration is often the best, but not always the most cost effective. This judgment should be based on where you are going with Maximo vs. how many/what kind of customizations you have.   Full testing is always recommended for any environment.

Architecture
1. Can you give us further architecture details?  What runs on the server, what in the browser client?

The Rules Manager runtime engine runs on the server. There is no installation required to your browser clients or changes to your database.  The Rules Builder Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is based on Eclipse and a Rules Manager plug-in is provided to write rules.

2. What is installed in the server in order to make Rules Manager work?

Java Archive Repository (JAR) files are installed to your Maximo installations directory and built into your Enterprise Application Repository (EAR) file. You merely have to run the Rules Manager installer, build your EAR file and deploy it to your Web platform as you normally do with "Out of the Box" Maximo.

3. Does Rules Manager require extra resources (RAM, CPU, network bandwidth)?

No. System requirements are same as for Maximo without Rules Manager.

4. Is Rules Manager independent of the platform? If not which versions/platforms are supported? Is Rules Manager development portable to any version/platform without changes?

Rules Manager is certified against all major platforms that Maximo runs on.

5. How would you deploy these rules to another environment?  Are they stored in a file somewhere?

The rules are stored in XML files that can be deployed easily to other environments (test and production environments.) 

Learning
1. How is the product packaged? Does it include rules examples for every type of rule? What documentation is provided?

Documentation is included in the Rules Builder and includes examples. There are samples included in the server installation as well.

2. Are there any best practices for implementing rules in order to improve performance or other considerations?

Standard coding best practices should be followed, e.g. build functions/libraries for items needed in multiple areas and focus on building “low cost/efficient” rules. We have a knowledge base with a living best practices thread.

3. What is available in terms of Rules Manager training?

We have a 5-day Rules Manager training course.  It is $4,000/student at our training facility in Alexandria, VA.  We offer an onsite training course for $15,000/class domestic and $18,750/class international for up to 8 students. (plus expenses).

Upcoming courses can be found at our Rules Manager Training page.

We are also creating a 3-day refresher Rules Manager course for the more experienced rule-writer to increase their knowledge. Contact us for more information.

4. How long does it take for a person to become productive with Rules Manager? 
 
This depends on the proficiency in Maximo. Typically, java programmers are immediately effective, others may take a month of working with Rules Manager to start becoming proficient after completing a Rules Manager training course. Students taking the Rules Manager training course are also encouraged to bring along their typical problems that their instructor may help solve during the course of the training.

5. Is it possible to build a library of java script functions that then can be reused in the rules?

Yes, in fact it is recommended. We provide some common useful libraries as well (such as a CSV library).

Support
1. Does IBM standard support area support clients that have Rules Manager installed?

No. TRM provides Rules Manager Support via email and phone.

If it does, when you call the IBM help desk, you can legitimately say you have no 3rd party products installed.

2. If patches/fixes are installed, are rules affected? Is testing required afterwards?

Yes, we always recommend reconfiguring and testing your Rules Manager rules after (Maximo) patches are installed. We post support patches for Rules Manager as they are QA'd.

Pricing
1. How is Rules Manager licensed? What is the Price Schedule? Is there a runtime license (for clients that will not need the development environment, will use a third party for development)?

Rules Manager licenses mirror a client’s Maximo licenses.  For example, if a client as 100 primary, 300 secondary and 1,000 requestor users, they need an equal number of Rules Manager primary, secondary and requestor licenses. Service providers that support and develop Maximo for their clients should contact us about pricing.

Data Migration
1. How does Rules Manager function as a data migration tool or interface to external systems?

Rules Manager provides several options for moving data in and out of Maximo.  Rules Manager can be used to import and export data between the systems without the need for Java development.  These tasks can easily be scripted and timed as regular tasks using Rules Manager’s CRON task capability.

One of the distinctions Rules Manager adds is the ability to transact with an external XML service and get real time data on the Maximo screen during a transaction.  An example is using a Rules Manager interface function to get GL account validations from an external system, live at the Maximo screen, while a user is working on a transaction.

Another example showing the flexibility of the Rules Manager Interface functions is a rule which includes an interface to an HR system and populates a value list (real-time) of only craftsmen currently “clocked in” per the HR system for emergency workorders.

Interface Communication Options
Rules can be written that can include the following interface communication options for Maximo with external systems or data sources which include:

• HTTP – sending and receiving web transactions in Maximo
• JDBC – pulling data from an external database into Maximo
• FTP – sending and receiving FTP files and transactions in Maximo
• XML Web Services - sending and receiving XML transactions in Maximo, e.g. SOAP
• File/Directory – creating and accessing files on the Maximo server

Data Parsing Options
For incoming data, Rules Manager includes tools to parse the data as needed.
The following data formats can be parsed within a Rules Manager rule:

• XML
• Plain Text
• CSV

CRON Task
Rules Manager supports CRON Tasks so the required frequency of the interface can be set.  Additionally Rules Manager allows scripts to be triggered base on defined conditions when a CRON task fires without the need for any Java coding.

Maximo Enterprise Adaptor (MEA)
Keep in mind, Rules Manager rules can be written on the MEA, so rules can fire for incoming or outgoing MEA traffic.  An example could be when synchronizing data with a third party accounting system such as a PO being received through the MEA from SAP to Maximo.  A rule could be written to have an email automatically sent to the head of maintenance with the PO number, quantities, descriptions, etc. that were imported.

Scripting Engine
1. I believe it is possible to run an external java script file via the rules manager. What is required on the machine from where the script is run – full rules manager installed or something less?

It is possible. There is a separate component which we call the standalone engine. The standalone engine allows your script to read/manipulate data from multiple maximo instances, XML Web services, JDBC databases, local file systems, etc. It has a separate installer. You do not need to have anything on that machine other than java to run the standalone. However, if the standalone needs to connect to a Maximo instance, that Maximo instance must have Rules Manager installed.

Performance Impact
1. What is the performance impact of Rules Manager?

A client recently did Performance Load Testing with Rules Manager in place and scaled up to 125 concurrent users and didn't see a performance impact.

We’ve tested the performance on a global organization with over 3,500 rules, multiple time zones and thousands of users – there was a negligible performance impact.

Reporting
1. Can Rules Manager customize the Reports selection and request pages?  For example, can I hide reports from some users/groups and when running a report can I customize the request page to not show some optional report criteria?

Rules Manager has the ability to control any (Maximo Business Object) Mbo or MboSet in your Maximo System. Any dialog, application, etc. that uses Mbos and MboSets to present data can be controlled. In this case, the Report Mbo is presenting the data and can be controlled via Rules Manager.

If you have additional questions about Rules Manager, email marketing@trmnet.com and we’ll be happy to answer.