Scenario => SMB machineshop => Ayanova for in-house maintenance management

We are looking at Ayanova as a possible CMMS solution for supporting in-house machine maintenance.

Our layout:

  • ca 10…20 machines to be maintained;

  • 2 maintenance employees needing to be scheduled;

  • 1…2 external subcontractors to be scheduled;

  • the operator of each machine should be able to register machine failure tickets in CMMS.

Question 1 (licencing):

according to Ayanova documentation (online and manuals) we need 3…4 licences - right?

Question 2:

if we do not want to use WBI for registering repair requests for machines (clients) then is it possible to insert the necessary records directly into Ayanova database via in-house built web-interface?

The reason being that we do not want IIS in house - all our servers (Oracle, Sybase, PostGres, MySQL) are running on linux virtual machines.

Hi and great to hear that you are looking at AyaNova for your in-house maintenance

AyaNova is used by many for managing their own in-house maintenance scheduling, service and preventive maintenace.

A suggestion for in-house use is that you relabel what is called “Clients” in AyaNova to be called “Machines” - entering each of the machines you want to manage service for now as a Machine. You could also then further specify parts of the machines being serviced by entering these parts as “Units” of each manchine so that in service workorders you can identify specific parts of the machine that need to be serviced.

Check out the Localized Text Designer feature of AyaNova with which you can relabel fields in AyaNova to whatever best for you - start with http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/localized_text_designer.htm as well as follow along with the tutorial http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/customize_an_existing_locale.htm

Question 1 (licencing):

according to Ayanova documentation (online and manuals) we need 3…4 licences - right?

Yes. AyaNova is licensed by the number of scheduleable users - the number of people you want to schedule in AyaNova. You can have as many people viewing and entering data in AyaNova, but only need to purchase user licenses for those that will be scheduled in AyaNova.

The 2 maintenance employees that you want to schedule would require 2 schedulable user licenses, and if want to schedule 2 external subcontractors in your AyaNova they too would both need schedulable user licenses for a total of 4 schedulable user licenses.

Question 2:

if we do not want to use WBI for registering repair requests for machines (clients) then is it possible to insert the necessary records directly into Ayanova database via in-house built web-interface?
The reason being that we do not want IIS in house - all our servers (Oracle, Sybase, PostGres, MySQL) are running on linux virtual machines.

You do not have to use WBI to create service workorders for servicing your machines.

Instead you can use the Windows AyaNova program that would run on a networked computer that is connecting to your AyaNova database. - also check out example how to’s in the Help documentation on creating service workorders such as http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/creating_new_workorder_for_client.htm

To explain this - do first review the section on networking in the AyaNova Help documentation starting with http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/ayanova_network_installation.htm

As outlined, the AyaNova database would be on a “server” that is running one of the database server’s - either Firebird Server, SQL Express or SQL Server.

As its sounds like you only have Linux servers, do note that you CAN use the 2.1.x Linux Firebird Server (instead of a Windows Firebird database server).

Specific configuration steps if using the Linux Firebird Server as not in the AyaNova Help documentation, but if you are familiar with Linux, the steps are similar to those of the steps for configuring the Windows Firebird Server in the AyaNova Help at http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/network_firebird_server_config.htm - do review first.

Download the 2.1.x Linux Firebird Server (SuperServer) available for download from http://www.firebirdsql.org/index.php?op=files&id=engine_213

Review the steps in the AyaNova Help on using the Firebird Database Server <A href="http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/networ

Thank you Joice for the clarifications - they were much what I expected (just needed reassurance that I hove done the reading correctly).

Some points I would like to explain before proceeding to the next question:

a) installing Firebird on one additional virtual (linux) server is “just an e-mail away” - we have outsourced our server-maintenance and monitoring so competent people wil take care of it (as they have done with all the rest of the database-engines);

b) using hosted solutions - we do not use them for mission critical IT-systems and since CMMS will be tightly interoperating with ERP and APS then putting it somewhere “out there” is not an option for us;

c) using Ayanova application to post incident reports from shoplfloor is not practical today for two reasons:

  • our shopfloor PC-s are still W2K while Ayanova requires XP (via requiring .Net 3.5);

  • the user interface for entering incident reports by “everybody on the shopfloor” has to be most simple - a tuned browser window seems a better solution than a slowly-starting-up-.Net-application so if you do not object the customer entering records directly into the Ayanova database via a 3-rd party software package then everything seems OK.

Now Question 3:

we want the CMMS that we decide to obtain to handle also what is called “operator maintenance” - registration of a set of daily, weekly, monthly activities per machine that an operator assigned to a machine for that day has to perform (e.g. “check oil level”, “change cooler air filter” etc.).

These activities would take place only when the machine is scheduled to be used so they are not strictly “scheduled for a date” - they are just recurring workorders.

What licencing model does Ayanova have for such a case?

Now Question 3:

we want the CMMS that we decide to obtain to handle also what is called “operator maintenance” - registration of a set of daily, weekly, monthly activities per machine that an operator assigned to a machine for that day has to perform (e.g. “check oil level”, “change cooler air filter” etc.).
These activities would take place only when the machine is scheduled to be used so they are not strictly “scheduled for a date” - they are just recurring workorders.

What licencing model does Ayanova have for such a case?

It would be the same licensing model- the AyaNova database is licensed by the number of schedulable users (“schedulable user” could be a person, could be a department, could be a truck, etc etc).

If you will be scheduling the machines in any capacity,then you would purchase licenses for the number of machines you will be scheduling.

  • Joyce

AyaNova Sales & Support (4/23/2010)If you will be scheduling the machines in any capacity,then you would purchase licenses for the number of machines you will be scheduling.

  • Joyce

Now that does increase the price-tag especially if we want to include maintenance of other auxiliary equipment like ventilation system (filters), floor surfaces (they need to be cleaned also), etc. etc. into the same record-keeping system, doesn’t it …

Other than the financial side - can Ayanova handle it i.e. generate easily (with one mouse click) workorders based on machine-specific task sets - each of which has its own recurrance period - for a certain date or period e.g. “today”, “tomorrow”, “this week”, “next week”, “start date / end date”?

If you want to actually schedule the machinery instead of scheduling actual people - yes - you would purchase licenses for each machine.

But if instead you enter the machinery as for example a “client”, then you can just select the machineryfor the created service workorder or preventive maintenance, and schedule whoever that actually will be performing the service. This is usually how most would use AyaNova.

can Ayanova handle it i.e. generate easily (with one mouse click) workorders based on machine-specific task sets - each of which has its own recurrance period - for a certain date or period e.g. “today”, “tomorrow”, “this week”, “next week”, “start date / end date”?

That would be the Preventive Maintenance feature.

Review the section starting with http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/what_do_i_use_a_preventive_mai.htm]

And then follow along with the tutorial How do I…? on Automatically having AyaNova generate service workorders from one Preventive Maintenance order (PM) that you have created http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/automatically_generate_a_servi.htm - so once you make the PM, there actually isn’t even a click you have to do.

Also refer to the How do I…? on Manually generating service workorders from a PM http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/manually_generate_a_service_wo.htmwhich is that once you make the PM, it is just one click of the menu option to generate a service workorder from the PM.

  • Joyce

Thanks, it seems that you have covered most of the issues.

Hi again - just wondering if you had additional questions I can help with?

  • Joyce

AyaNova Sales & Support (4/26/2010)Hi again - just wondering if you had additional questions I can help with?

Perhaps just one rhetorical one - why have you made Ayanova not compatible with W2K?

There are just so many PC-s of that generation still on shopfloor in use…

Otherwise - I will have to chew through getting rid of your computer related data and get some machine-related data entered.

You don’t happen to have sample data from that field available by chance?

Hi again

Windows 2000 is no longer supported by Microsoft;and W2K is not compatible with Microsoft.NET Framework 3 which AyaNova 6 requires.

To erase the sample data, do follow the steps in the Help documentation section How to erase the AyaNova database? http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/erase_the_ayanova_database.htm

BUT I do recommend following along with the tutorials with the existing sample data first before erasing, as is outlined in the Help’s How do I…?

By doing so, you can see and also use yourself, AyaNova’s features before erasing and entering in your own data. The sample data we have is that installed with AyaNova - we do not have additional sample data.

  • Joyce

Windows 2000 is no longer supported by Microsoft;and W2K is not compatible with Microsoft.NET Framework 3 which AyaNova 6 requires.

If you would just imagine the amount of machinery that is not supported by their manufacturers but is still in use :wink: .

But like I wrote - the question was rhetorical.

I do recommend following along with the tutorials with the existing sample data before erasing,

Probably the easier way is to copy ayanova.fdb, clean that copy and use a batch file to rename them according to the necessity (test original data vs. work with your own data).

[quote]I do recommend following along with the tutorials with the existing sample data before erasing,

Probably the easier way is to copy ayanova.fdb, clean that copy and use a batch file to rename them according to the necessity (test original data vs. work with your own data).[/quote]

Yes, you can certainly have two copies of the database while trialing, if you do not want to be able to refer back to the sample data while still being able to have erased the database and started entering your own data while trialing.

If your trial AyaNova is installed for stand-alone use:

  • Be out of AyaNova

  • Make a copy of the AyaNova database file into the same folder

  • Rename that copy to AYANOVATESTDATA.FDB(as per the stand-alone installation steps in the Help documentationat the bottom, this is the %AllUsersProfile%\AyaNovaData (on a Vista or Windows 7 computer, this usually is the C:\ProgramData\AyaNovaData folder and 2000 or XP or 2003 computer, this usually is the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AyaNovaData folder)

  • When you want to refer to the test data and follow along with the tutorials using the sample data, just edit your config.txt file in the AyaNova program folder C:\Program Files\Ground Zero Tech-Works Inc\AyaNovato refer to the AYANOVATESTDATA.FDB

  • When you want to refer to “your” data after erasing the sample, edit the config.txt file so that it refers to the AYANOVA.FDB database file.

  • Joyce

Question 4:

Help says: “As the sample users in the trial AyaNova can not be edited, we have included three usernames that use the additional sample locales so you can review AyaNova using the sample language locale of your choice. Also note once AyaNova is licensed, you can assign further customized locales to users.”

When evaluating the software I need to customize the texts fo machineshop use (Client -> Machine; Unit -> SomethingElseMakingMoreSense) so that the environment would look reasonable on screen but the English locale cannot be edited nor can users be edited to use the new language-set (ccustomized copy of English set).

Any suggestions?

Yes - follow along with the tutorial http://www.ayanova.com/AyaNova6webHelp/customize_an_existing_locale.htmwhich will walk you through how to create a new locale (which is a copy of the English locale that you can further edit) as well as assign it to a user in your temporary licensed AyaNova.

When you do so, you will get an overview of all the steps you will use to create your own locale, replace existing text with your own, save, assign it to a user and log in as that user so that you can see the customized locale in use.

  • Joyce

Joyce,

as well as assign it to a user in your temporary licensed AyaNova.

editing users (i.e. reassigning the locale for the user) is not possible in the trial version - so the quoted in my previous message help-text says and so it is - I am not able to open the user’s entry window.

Sorry - I am able to open the user entry window when clicking on certain columns (why on earth not all of them in tabular view?) but the window opens mostly in read-only mode (only Service template and Override Timezone filds are writeable).

Did you not apply the AyaNova 6 and optional add-on’s temporary 30 day Activation key that was sent to you via email on April 16th when you requested via the web site’s Request form?

If you have not, do contact us directly at support@ayanova.com with a valid email address along with your company name so that we can send it to you.

Once the temporary key is applied, this fully unlocks AyaNova and all of its optional add-ons - including the ability to create custom locales, edit user’s, and more.

  • Joyce

Hi again Madis

I have sent to your email address that is tied to your forum account two emails - one with the subject line AyaNova 6 and optional add-on’s temporary 30 day Activation key and the other with the subject line Make sure you let me know you received

Do apply as per the steps in the email with the subject line AyaNova 6 and optional add-on’s temporary 30 day Activation key

If you have not received, do check your Spam/Junk folder first.

Also check that you have set to allow all emails from support@ayanova.com if needed to on your email server too.

  • Joyce