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--- cobi.wms:faq [2022/10/05 10:56] – tkammer
+++ cobi.wms:faq [2026/06/15 13:01] (current) – thuth
@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ===== General =====
+==== Does COBI.wms support SSL/TLS encrypted connections to MS SQL Server? ====
+Yes. COBI.wms supports SSL/TLS encrypted connections to Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL), e.g. for accessing the Management Database.
+If SSL/TLS is configured on the SQL Server side, you can enforce encryption in COBI.wms by setting **Optional fields → Encryption** to **`require`**. This ensures COBI.wms will only connect if the connection is encrypted.
+**Note:** We recommend using a valid server certificate that matches the SQL Server hostname (DNS name) and is trusted by the client environment.
 ==== Which versions of SAP Business One are supported? ====
@@ Line 105: / Line 113: @@
+===== Picking & Packing =====
-===== Pick & pack =====
+==== How can you prevent two pickers from working on the same picking list? ====
-==== How to avoid two pickers accidentally working on the same pick list? ====
+COBI.wms provides a supporting feature for this scenario.
-You can fill in the "Picker" field of pick lists in SBO, and it will be displayed in the app, but that is all.
+By enabling the option “Show if a picking list has been started”, the system can indicate whether a picking list is already being processed.
-Any attempts at solving this issue via additional features poses significant challenges:
+Behavior when enabled:
+  * A user can actively “start” a picking list
+  * A corresponding flag (UDF) is set in SAP
+  * Other devices will see the list as already in progress (highlighted in green)
-Variant 1: Only let pickers open pick lists assigned to them: This has the problem that the warehouse loses flexibility. Often the employee who should take care of a pick list will change ad-hoc, and technical limitations on who can open a pick list only leads to confusion and frustration.
+Important:
+  * This is not a strict system lock
+  * The feature is intended to provide transparency and process guidance
+  * Technically, multiple users could still open and work on the same list
-Variant 2: Lock a pick list once it’s been opened by someone.  Let's see how this would need to be implemented, after which the problems with it will become apparent:
+===== Inventory =====
-  * There needs to be an additional UDF on the pick list that says “locked”
+==== Can multiple users work on the same inventory list at the same time? ====
-  * Every time you open a pick list in the app, it needs to:
-    - Run a query to make sure the pick list is still not locked (the user might not have refreshed the screen, so it could be that it was appearing as unlocked in the list, even though someone else opened it now)
-    - Send an update to change the UDF value to locked
-    - When you close the pick list, the UDF value must be updated again to unlock it.
-We would now be faced with the following issues:
+Yes, this is possible with the current COBI.wms version.
-  * Opening/closing is too slow:  Employees may want to quickly look into a few pick lists without really beginning to work on any of them, and if the app has to execute the query/lock/unlock steps every time, this will become too slow.
+Starting from version 2.43, the inventory logic has been significantly improved by introducing an external inventory service.
-  * Unlocking is unreliable:  An employee may open a pick list, not really start working on it, but leave it open on the device.  (Either because the user was not instructed properly that this causes issues, or because they were distracted and forgot to close the list.)  This again leads to confusion and frustration.
-For these reasons the app doesn't attempt to solve the problem where two pickers may accidentally start working on the same pick list.  The employees must communicate with each other to make sure this doesn't happen.
+How it works:
+  * All counting data is initially collected from devices by the external service
+  * The service centrally gathers inputs from multiple users
+  * Values are consolidated (summed up)
-===== Inventory counting =====
+  * The final results are then transferred to SAP Business One
-==== Can two employees work on the same counting list at the same time? ====
-No, this is not supported. The employees would be overwriting each other’s inputs. Instead, two different counting lists should be created for the employees to be able to work in parallel.
+Advantages:
+  * Multiple users can work on the same inventory list simultaneously
+  * Improved stability, especially for large inventory counts
+  * No blocking of the Service Layer during counting processes
+  * Reduced risk of data being overwritten
+Note:
+  * Final values are consolidated by the service before being posted to SAP
 ===== Label printing =====
@@ Line 164: / Line 177: @@
 ===== Licensing =====
-==== Is one license for device or for a person? How can we manage licenses? ====
+==== What kind of SAP Business One Licenses are needed to use the app? ====
-A COBI.wms license can be assigned to an Android device or to a COBI.wms user.
+Apart from the COBI.wms Licenses that you acquire from COBISOFT, you may also need to purchase additional SAP Business One Licenses from your SAP Partner.
-If a device is licensed, any person can log in on that device and use it.  Users don't require licenses in this case.
+According to the latest licensing guidelines of SAP Business One (as of May 2023), **every individual employee (person)** who interacts with SAP Business One through any means (including third-party applications such as COBI.wms) must have some kind of SAP Business One License.
-If a user is licensed, they can log in to COBI.wms on any Android device.  In this case, the devices don't need to be licensed.
+If an employee who will use COBI.wms already has an SAP Business One License, such as Professional or Limited Logistics, then they don't need an additional SAP Business One License to be allowed to use COBI.wms.
+However, if the employee doesn't normally use SAP Business One and therefore doesn't have any SAP Business One License, then they will need (at minimum) an SAP Business One Indirect Access User License.
+==== Are COBI.wms Licenses for devices or for users? How can we manage licenses? ====
+A COBI.wms license can be assigned to an Android device **or** to a COBI.wms user.
+If an Android device is licensed, any person can log in on that device and use it.  Users don't require licenses in this case.
+If a COBI.wms User is licensed, they can user their username and password log in to COBI.wms on any Android device.  In this case, the devices don't need to be licensed.
 Licenses can be freely swapped between devices and users.  We support both models of licensing for the sake of convenience.
+Generally, licensing devices is the easier option, especially since you won't have to deal with COBI.wms User Management.  If you license your devices, and don't set up any COBI.wms Users, your warehouse employees can simply grab any Android device and log in without having to enter a username and password.
+See [[COBI.wms:Management Database]] for details on how to manage users and licenses.