 |
 |
The question is now: Where do we go from here? So now that everybody knows there are reports that are needed that are missing from the new system. Is there a team and process in place to collect those reporting requirements and develop the reports? Or is the end user stuck with dumping to a spreadsheet and deleting the extraneous columns they don't need, formatting and then printing out? It sure would be nice to see a list of the reports to be developed along with the descriptions and the time to implementation. LD > From: Patrick Bills <[log in to unmask]> > Reply-To: Patrick Bills <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:51:23 -0500 > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: [MSUNAG] SAP GUI on Macs > > I am in the same boat as our chair is a mac user. I also don't post much > here. I'm sorry if the following is long but hope it continues a good > discussion. > > Timo is correct that there were meetings and lots of notice of the system > requirements. Many of us saw this coming but also saw it as inevitable. What > I didn't see happen was an active interest in what we really wanted in the > units. Perhaps a survey of client requirements or what we wanted ( over email, > this listserv etc). Mac compatibility would be one of those things. Or did I > miss something? > > That goes not just for this issue of OS support but for the greater issue of > user interface or reporting requirements. Not one staff person I've spoken > with is happy with the UI on any platform. My job now is to fiddle with the > SAP web interface to help people get there work done. These are folks who took > all training they could get their hands on and still could not print without > my help (and I had no training, folks like us just know what to look for). We > knew this was coming and it would be hard but not to the extent that it is. > But no one asked our staff about their processes. Everything seems to take > more clicks, more data entry, more work. The cost of the time spent just > trying to get useable reports to find out if employees got paid is way more > than $140, and that's the real burden on the staff I'm sure the back-end > databases are awesome and will be great for reporting but that doesn't help my > folks now. > > I can see why supporting a java client is problematic. The way to help users > then is to write web apps against the API that are tailored for the user, as > Alexander Hawley suggests. To that end (and on another thread) I would like > to know who is working on web apps against EBS api's for staff daily > activities. I hear there is a team at AIS and they are prioritizing. What > about outside of AIS? And what is the timeline? Who will be allowed to > write such apps? ( any of us?) That would be a great topic for the IT > conference. Perhaps this was discussed at the meetings I couldn't attend. > The staff is really miserable right now. > > For the near term however, and back to original question, I would be happy to > help build a reference XP system for Virtual Box that has the installs needed > to access SAP that we could all share. Virtual Box is not as slick as the > other VM apps but works fine for occasional use. We would each be responsible > for our own licensing on an honor system. If you want to change the UIDs or > whatever windows wants for proper replication then go ahead. I'm finding that > not much is necessary. This may be heresy in the windows world but works for > me to deal with this issue for now. > > > --- > Patrick Bills > [log in to unmask] > > On Jan 27, 2011, at 3:30 PM, "Vasquez, Timo" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> I agree with Dennis and a few others, as to why not ask these questions about >> MAC compatibility over the past three years during the development. That >> isn't fair of me to ask because I am sure others did inquire. However was >> the answer shared, displayed, to those of you who have "MAC" offices? I am >> not sure. >> >> I do know the last year EBS(P), had clearly posted client requirements, ran >> trainings created an information portal, was available via email, phone >> directory and in person visits. We as an IT community has several IT >> summits, where Bruce Alexander presented the status of the "project" as we >> knew it back then; and all of us had opportunities to ask questions about >> desktop requirements. >> >> I am just miffed we are at this stage in the post go live date and have >> departmental setup questions as it pertains to clients. >> >> I pre apologize now if I offended any of you. >> >> >> >> Timoteo "Timo" Vasquez; MCTS, MCP >> Client Services - Network Security Team >> [log in to unmask] - 517.884-3082 >> Administrative Information Services >> (where ever we hang our hat is home...) >> East Lansing, MI 48832 >> "but our computer room is in your office!" >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Jim Leikert [mailto:[log in to unmask]] >> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 2:31 PM >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Subject: Re: [MSUNAG] SAP GUI on Macs >> >> Hi All, >> >> Ok, normally I keep quiet about this kinda stuff. But I digress... >> >> Yes, I inquired about the SAP GUI for Java since our department has pretty >> much standardized on OSX, but it's not a 'feasible business approach', as >> referenced below. Cheap, good, fast- anyone? Interesting how they are >> targeting 'ongoing activities' to support running the GUI for Windows _ON_ >> OSX when they could just pool their resources and support the Java GUI to >> begin with. $140 end user Microsoft tax- *approved*. >> >> Ok, rant off. Sorry, feisty today... after spending the entire morning >> wrestling with this. Imagine when a non-technical staff member does >> *everything* in OSX and has to transpose little bits and pieces back and >> forth between their native OS and and one application running in a VM. >> >> Jim >> >> High Performance Computing Center - Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research >> Michigan State University >> >> >> /* begin snip - names removed to protect the innocent */ >> >> While I can certainly understand your predicament with SAP access on Macs and >> other OS, enabling SAP GUI for Java client is not a feasible business >> approach, for several reasons: >> >> 1. Portal would need to be reconfigured to accept SAP GUI for Java >> >> 2. New Access/Security roles would need to be created and issued >> to those using SAP GUI for Java (or we would need to redeploy the GUI to all >> users [switch them from current SAP GUI for Windows]) >> >> 3. EBS infrastructure would need to be verified/changed to use the >> SAP GUI for Java (changes to development, applications, etc.) >> >> 4. Changes would be required to online and hard copy user >> documentation of the system (screens look and sometimes behave differently >> between the SAP GUI clients) >> >> With these changes there would need to be full regression tests of the SAP >> links and workflow processes to make sure all functionality works under the >> new configuration. This change would likely require a new project be invoked >> (with the major cost and time implications that come with it). >> >> There are ongoing activities by the portal/infrastructure teams to >> continually search for patches, updates, even different browsers, that could >> be applied or used by Mac and Linux users under the current SAP GUI client >> for Windows that more fully support the current environment/configuration. I >> will also pass your name on to these areas if there is something that you >> could help beta test before it is deployed to the University as a whole. >> >> Until then, you are limited to what features/functions you can access and >> use, unless you are a Mac user and proceed with adding a Virtual Windows >> environment (which runs around $140). >> >> /* end snip */ >> >> >> Michael Hoxsey wrote: >>> It won't work, the EBS Portal was built to only interface with the >>> SAPGUI for Windows, not the SAPGUI for Java. >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Michael Kramizeh [mailto:[log in to unmask]] >>> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 1:01 PM >>> To: [log in to unmask] >>> Subject: [MSUNAG] SAP GUI on Macs >>> >>> Has anyone had any experience with using the SAP GUI on a mac with EBS?