OPTION (21) Modifications to Baseline - Moderate                               GRAPHIC EXAMPLE

(MPG-Z-00) FULLY INTEGRATED FILE PURGES WITH HISTORY AREAS

This memorandum provides information with regard to the need to periodically purge files.

Many "transactional" type files, such as STOCK, WO-BOM, GJ, WO, etc. will tend to grow larger, until such time as File Purges are performed. Files such as STOCK will grow each day. Files such as INV-SUMMARY will grow, each time the user runs the DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (MMI-U-01). Files such as GJ,AR will grow only when Journals are created from Invoices and Cash, usually once per month.

Even relatively "static" files (PARTS,VENDOR,CUSTOMER, COST-VERSION) tend to show a slow but steady growth. Since these files are rarely purged, the files need to be watched on a longer-term basis to see the pattern of growth. Files such as GJ,INV and STOCK should be sized, in advance, to contain the required amount of history.

Unlike many mainframe systems, UNIDATA@ files are quite tolerant of undersizing. However, system performance is degraded if file sizing is not regularly performed.

Unfortunately, the time required to sort a "large" file is greater than for the same file after "purging", and this leads to a continuous, subtle degradation in overall performance. Reports tend to get larger, and data retrieval may suffer if resizing is not performed.

This memorandum provides information with regard to the value added from periodically purging files by the use of this Custom Module.

The following features of this Custom Module have been designed to allow for maximum availability of data, while keeping disk utilization (overall file space) at a manageable level .....

1). The use of a Process Stream to perform all purges via a single process, which can run nights or weekends.

2). The Process Stream can run specified purges or ALL purges.

3). Dates are pre-entered to determine the retention of historical data. For example, the customer can opt to keep 9 months' of Sales Order information , 12 months' of Stock Transaction, and 3 months of Work Orders, via a Data Entry Screen.

4). This Custom Module provides use of a single ARCHIVE account, or extends use of "xxx,HIST" data levels, which maintain history within the same account. NOTE: There is currently no way for Multi-Plant (MPC-00) Customers to ARCHIVE data in a SINGLE separate account, without extensive additional modifications.

5). Use of a Purge Process Stream allows System Administrators to automate file purging, rather than the inconsistent method of letting each functional area decide how much to keep, and when to purge files. This allows the use of a SINGLE backup of all newly purged data, from HISTORY or ARCHIVE.

6). Additional history files are provided.

7). Custom Modules exist for Purchase and Sales Order Detailed History, to provide for long-term retention of information, while purging the original files. These separate Custom Modules are offered at a discounted price when purchasing Custom File Purges.

8). Some customers require long-term Work Order information to be available, in terms of product costs. Please ask about optional methods of obtaining this long-term data via collection of historical data by Assembly, and Labor Analysis, without the need to keep the actual Orders, and Labor records, in History.