COBISOFT Documentation

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====== Frequently Asked Questions ======


===== General =====

==== Which versions of SAP Business One are supported? ====

COBI.wms supports SAP Business One version 9.1 and up.  Both MS SQL Server and SAP HANA are supported.  On-premises, private cloud, partner-hosted public cloud, and SAP-hosted public cloud environments are all supported.


==== Does COBI.wms use a database of its own? ====

Other than the [[Management Database]] which is used for configuration, COBI.wms does not use any database of its own, it works purely with the SAP Business One company database.


==== Can the app be used without SAP Business One? ====

No, the app is made specifically for SAP Business One and cannot be used on its own, nor with any other ERP system.


==== Is it possible to use the app in other languages? ====

Yes, here is the current list of supported languages:

  * English
  * Spanish
  * French
  * German
  * Polish
  * Turkish
  * Finnish (partial)

Adding an additional language is simply a matter of translating a single file that contains all texts shown in the user interface of the app.


==== Is it possible to register the devices to a specific warehouse? ====

Yes, this is possible.  Please see the [[App Options]] documentation page.

In the Options, you can also configure which modules should filter the shown documents on basis of the selected warehouse.


==== Can I see which device or warehouse employee made a booking? ====

Yes, if you correctly configure the connection settings.

In on-premises or private-cloud environments, where you can set up the [[Management Database]], you can define a different SAP User for each COBI.wms device or COBI.wms user by filling out the apiUser and apiPass columns in the users table.

In public-cloud environments, where you cannot use a Management Database, you can instead directly configure each COBI.wms device to use a different SAP User by entering it directly in the app's settings.

When everything is set up correctly, you can use the "Change Log" window in SAP Business One to see who made a booking or who edited a document.


==== Can we see and/or enter prices in the app? ====

No, prices are not displayed in any way by the app and can also not be influenced.  When a booking is made, the prices being used are determined by the configuration in SAP Business One.


==== How well does the app work with a large number of Items in SAP Business One? ====

By the time of this writing, the largest known number of Item Master Data entries which a COBI.wms user has is about 150 000.

How well the app works with several hundred thousand items depends on a number of factors:

**1. Will you always scan barcodes to identify items, or will you sometimes have to open the item list and enter a search term?**

If you always scan barcodes, then the number of items doesn’t matter much during daily operation, because the app will run a query every time to find the item with the scanned code.

However, if you open the item list to find items, then the number of items can become a problem. See next part.

**2. Is it possible to establish a direct database connection to the SAP Business One server, or will the app have to rely purely on Service Layer?**

In on-premises and private-cloud deployments, it’s usually possible to open a direct connection to run custom SQL queries. In that case, the app should be able to handle up to a few hundred thousand items, although loading the item list for the first time every time the app is restarted may take up to about 20 seconds per 100 000 items. After the item list is queried once, it will be cached so long as the app is still running, so it will open immediately when you open it again.

In partner-hosted or SAP-hosted public-cloud deployments, the app usually has to do all communication over Service Layer. Sadly, this significantly degrades the performance when transmitting large amounts of data, so the app may not be able to load the item list at all. Scanning barcodes will still work the same.



===== Batch Numbers / Serial Numbers =====

==== Is "On Release Only" supported? ====

Yes, the app supports the "on release only" management method for batch/serial numbers, however there are some caveats.

For serial numbers, you must enable the checkbox **Automatic Serial Number Creation on Receipt**.  This means that empty serial number entries will be added to the database when an inbound/receipt transaction is made for the item.  During outbound/release transactions, the app will transparently update those entries with the user-provided serial numbers, and then use them for the transaction.

For batch numbers, if "on release only" is chosen, the only way to release batch numbers is to generate them in the SAP Business One client at some point, then use them in the app.  There is unfortunately no other way to support this method due to limitations in the SAP Business One programming interface.



===== Barcode scanning =====

==== Which barcodes are compatible with COBI.wms?  Which barcode app should we use to create barcodes? ====

The supported barcode types depend on the scanning hardware that is being used.  So long as the hardware supports it, COBI.wms can read any type of barcode, including 2D codes such as QR Code and DataMatrix.

COBI.wms also supports [[GS1 Barcodes]]; see next question.


==== Is it possible to get the UoM, batch number, quantity, etc. from a barcode? ====

When a barcode is connected to a specific UoM in the barcodes table of the item master data, then COBI.wms will automatically select the right UoM for the scanned barcode.

Using [[GS1 Barcodes]], COBI.wms also supports reading batch and serial numbers, production and expiry date, quantity, and so on from the scanned barcode and automatically fills in the relevant fields.



===== Pick & pack =====

==== How to avoid two pickers accidentally working on the same pick list? ====

You can fill in the "Picker" field of pick lists in SBO, and it will be displayed in the app, but that is all.  Any attempts at solving this issue via additional features poses significant challenges.

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.

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:

  * There needs to be an additional UDF on the pick list that says “locked”
  * Every time you open a pick list in the app, it needs to:
    - Run a query to make sure the pick list is currently unlocked.
    - Send an update to change the UDF value to locked.
    - When you close the pick list, send an update to change the UDF value to unlocked.

We would now be faced with the following issues:

  * 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.
  * 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.



===== Inventory counting =====

==== 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.



===== Label printing =====

==== Can we import different label sizes to the app? ====

The [[Label Templates]] imported into the app can have any size. Additionally, the label printer has to be configured correctly for the desired label size.


==== Can we automatically print labels when a booking is made? ====

For this, Coresuite Remote Print is needed. It does not work with the app’s own direct printing feature. The app can make use of an additional Windows Service from COBISOFT, called the [[Print Service]], to automatically create Coresuite Remote Print files when a booking is made.



===== Production =====

==== Can we see resources and make bookings for resources in production orders? ====

No, this is not supported.  COBI.wms can only issue wares for production.



===== Licensing =====

==== What kind of SAP Business One Licenses are needed to use the app? ====

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.

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 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.