Business Alerts

You can set up custom business rules and notifications for various events in the Exo Business system. Rules using custom conditions can be attached to a defined list of system events; when a rule’s conditions are met, a message can be displayed to the user and a device notification or email can optionally be sent to one or more recipients. Custom rules are triggered when one of the following events occur:

A Sales Order is saved A Sales Order is supplied A Purchase Order is saved An Opportunity Quote is saved A Job Quote is saved A Job Transaction is saved A Serviceable Unit is saved

A Debtor Invoice is saved A Creditor Invoice is saved A Debtor account is saved A Creditor account is saved A Non Account is saved A Stock item is saved A General Ledger account is saved A Contact record is saved

Note: Alerts on Debtor and Creditor Invoices are only triggered from Invoice Entry screens, e.g. the Creditor Invoice Entry screen or the Invoice Entry screen in Exo Job Costing. They are not triggered when creating the invoice from another screen, e.g. when creating a Debtor Invoice from a Sales Order. Similarly, creating an Opportunity by copying an existing one will not trigger alerts on Opportunities.

Business Alerts are set up in the Exo Business Configurator at System > Event Log > Business Alerts:

The Rules tab displays all available events on the right; rules defined in the system for the selected event are displayed on the right. Rules are listed in order of priority—to change priorities, move rules up or down using the up and down arrow buttons.

Double-click on a rule to edit it or click New to create a new rule for the selected event (the New button is disabled when the Show All box is ticked). When adding or editing a rule, the Details tab appears. The Options sub-tab displays the conditions that must be met for the rule to be activated.

A rule's status can be one of:

• Active - the rule will be applied to the selected event whenever it occurs.
• Inactive - the rule will not be applied.
• Sub Rule - the rule will be applied when it is used as part of a composite rule. If it is not part of a composite rule, it will not be applied.

The Rule Type option determines how the rule's conditions will be applied. Choose from:

• Record Condition - applies simple filter conditions against the record, checking the data set before it is written to the database.
• SQL Query - applies a SQL query to data that is already in the database; each line is individually queried.
• Composite (list) - uses a list of other Business Rules, which are evaluated together.

Once the rule is saved, this property cannot be changed.

The Run Against option determines whether the rule should be applied to all lines related to the record, or to the record header.

Ticking the Invert Rule option means that the alert will be triggered when the inverse of the rule conditions is met, i.e. it effectively places a NOT operation in front of the rule conditions.

The Behaviour section specifies what should happen in the Exo Business interface when the rule is triggered:

• Silent - no message is displayed to the user, although the fact that the rule was triggered is still logged.
• Warning - a warning message is displayed to the user with Yes and No options. The user can click Yes to proceed with the action or No to cancel.
• Blocking - a message is displayed to the user indicating that the action cannot proceed.

For "Warning" or "Blocking" rules, enter the message to display to the user in the section below. This message can contain the same parameters that are used to build rule conditions—see below.

Rule Conditions

The bottom section of the Details tab is where you enter the conditions that must be met to trigger the rule (unless the Invert Rule option has been ticked, in which case the rule will be triggered when the conditions are not met).

Rules with the type "Record Condition" are entered in the form of a filter that can include the parameters detailed below.

Rules with the type "SQL Query" are entered in the form of a SQL statement to run against the Exo Business database. The parameters below can also be used in SQL statements.

Parameter	Meaning
General (available for all rules)
@CURRENT_USER	The ID number of the logged on user.
@STAFFNAME	The name of the logged on user.
@NOW	The current date and time.
@NOW_STR	The current date and time as a string in the format 'yyyy-mm-dd hh:MM:ss' (including quote marks).
@TODAY	The current date.
@TODAY_STR	The current date as a string in the format 'yyyy-mm-dd' (including quote marks).
@COMPANYEMAIL	The email address of the associated Debtor account.
@EXOLINK	A formatted exo:// protocol hyperlink to the transaction, e.g. exo://saleorder(10001). Can be used in notification emails.
Sales Orders (saving or supplying)
@ACCNO	The ID number of the Debtor account on the Sales Order.
@ACCOUNTNAME	The name of the Debtor account on the Sales Order.
@FREIGHTFREE	Returns 'Y' if the transaction is freight free; otherwise returns 'N'.
@ORDERNO	The ID number of the Sales Order.
@SALESNO	The ID number of the salesperson on the Sales Order.
@SUBTOTAL	The Sub Total amount on the Sales Order.
@TAXTOTAL	The GST Total amount on the Sales Order.
@TOTALDISC	The total discount on the Sales Order.
@UNDISCOUNTED	The undiscounted total of the Sales Order.
@H	A specified field from the SALESORD_HDR  table, e.g. @H.DUEDATE.
@L	A specified field from the SALESORD_LINES table, e.g. @L.STOCKCODE.
Purchase Orders
@PURCHORDNO	The ID number of the Purchase Order.
@ACCNO	The ID number of the Creditor account on the Sales Order.
@ACCOUNTNAME	The name of the Creditor account on the Sales Order.
@SALESPERSON	The ID number of the staff member in the Purchase Order’s Ordered by field.
@H	A specified field from the PURCHORD_HDR  table, e.g. @H.ORDERDATE.
@L	A specified field from the PURCHORD_LINES table, e.g. @L.UNITPRICE.
Debtor Invoices
@SEQNO	The ID number of the invoice.
@ACCNO	The ID number of the Debtor account on the invoice.
@ACCOUNTNAME	The name of the Debtor account on the invoice.
@FREIGHTFREE	Returns 'Y' if the transaction is freight free; otherwise returns 'N'.
@H	A specified field from the DR_TRANS table, e.g. @H.SUBTOTAL.
@L	A specified field from the DR_INVLINES table, e.g. @L.DISCOUNT.
Creditor Invoices
@SEQNO	The ID number of the invoice.
@ACCNO	The ID number of the Creditor account on the invoice.
@ACCOUNTNAME	The name of the Creditor account on the invoice.
@H	A specified field from the CR_TRANS table, e.g. @H.TRANSDATE.
@L	A specified field from the CR_INVLINES table, e.g. @L.TAXRATE.
Company Accounts
@ACCNO	The Debtor, Creditor or Non Account's ID number.
@ALPHACODE	The Debtor or Creditor account's name. (Not available for Non Accounts.)
@H	A specified field from the DR_ACCS, CR_ACCS or PROSPECTS table.
Contacts
@CONTACTID	The contact record's ID number.
@ACCOUNTNAME	The name of the company account that the contact is associated with.
@H	A specified field from the CONTACTS table, e.g. @H.FIRSTNAME.
General Ledger Accounts
@ACCNO	The GL account's ID number.
@H	A specified field from the GLACCS table, e.g. @H.BALANCE.
Stock Items
@STOCKCODE	The Stock item's ID code.
@ACCNO	The ID number of the stock item's supplier.
@H	A specified field from the STOCK_ITEMS table, e.g. @H.SELLPRICE1.
Jobs
@ACCNO	The ID number of the Debtor account on the job.
@ACCOUNTNAME	The name of the Debtor account on the job.
@JOBNO	The job number.
@H	A specified field from the JOBCOST_HDR  table, e.g. @H.STATUS.
@F	A specified field from the JOBCOST_FLAGS table, e.g. @F.ISACTIVE.
@Q	A specified field from the JOBCOST_LINES  table, e.g. @Q.STOCKCODE.
@T	A specified field from the JOB_TRANSACTIONS table, e.g. @T.QUANTITY.
Serviceable Units
@UNITNAME	The Serviceable Unit's name.
@STOCKCODE	The ID code of the stock item on the unit (this may be null).
@H	A specified field from the SU_MAIN  table, e.g. @H.UNITDESC.
@W	A specified field from the SU_WARRANTY  table, e.g. @W.WARRANTY_REF.
Opportunities
@ACCNO	The ID number of the company account on the opportunity.
@ACCOUNTNAME	The name of the company account on the opportunity.
@OPPORTUNITYID	The ID number of the opportunity, or “New” if it has not been saved yet.
@CONTACTID	The ID number of the contact associated with the opportunity.
@CONTACTNAME	The name of the contact associated with the opportunity.
@H	A specified field from the OPPORTUNITY  table, e.g. @H.PROBABILITY.
@L	A specified field from the OPPORTUNITY_QUOTE table, e.g. @L.QUANTITY.

The alias parameters that give access to the fields of a table (@H, L@, etc) can be used to access Extra Fields; however, computed fields are not supported in Business Alerts.

Note: While these parameters are not case-sensitive, the values of table fields are, e.g. @F.ISACTIVE would need to look for the value "Y", not "y".

Composite Rules

When "Composite (list)" is selected for the Rule Type, the bottom section of the Details tab lets you set up a list of Business Rules that are evaluated together to trigger this rule. Click Add Rule to select an existing rule to add to the composite rule.

You can select any rule for the same event as the composite rule that has its status set to "Sub Rule".

Select an Operator (AND or OR) to determine how the rule should be evaluated in conjunction with the other rules on the list. For example, if rules A, B and C are all added with the AND operator, the composite rule will be triggered if all three are triggered; if the rules are added with an OR operator, the composite rule will be triggered if any one of them is triggered.

Rule Actions

The Actions sub-tab defines a list of actions to perform when the rule is triggered. The following actions can be performed:

• Sending an email to specified recipients using the Exo Email Service.
• Sending a notification to a mobile device running the Exo OnTheGo mobile app.

All actions set up for the rule are displayed. Actions are displayed in the order that they will be applied - they can be ordered using the arrow buttons on the right. Click New to create a new action.

On the Details sub-tab, enter a descriptive name for the action, then select an Action Type: Email or Notification. The available settings differ depending on the action type. Once all information has been entered, click Save Action to add the action to the rule.

Note: Clicking Save Action adds the action to the rule, but does not save the rule itself—click the Save button on the main toolbar to save the rule and all of its actions to the Exo Business database. Rules that have been added but not yet saved are listed on the Actions sub-tab with the ID "New".

Email Settings

When sending an email, first specify who to send the email to. One or more Exo Business staff members can be selected as recipients from the Internal Recipients dropdown, and other email addresses can be entered manually into the Other Recipients field. You can also enter email address parameters into the Other Recipients field.

Note: The Other Recipients field can also contain parameters that allow the email to be sent to an email address associated with the record that generated the alert.

Enter a subject line and the message text to send. The message body can include any of the parameters that are available for the rule.

Notification Settings

When sending a device notification, first select who to send the notification to. One or more Exo Business staff members can be selected as recipients from the Recipients dropdown, which contains all staff members who have the Allow OnTheGo Access option enabled on the Staff screen in the Exo Business Configurator. Each staff member can have up to two devices configured for them; notifications will be sent to all devices configured for each selected staff member.

When a notification arrives at the OnTheGo app, it can be tapped to open a related record. The On Arrival dropdown lets you specify what record should be opened when the notification is tapped. The available options depend on the kind of rule being configured. For example, for a rule on the "Save Sales Order" event, you have the option of opening the Sales Order itself, the Debtor account on the Sales Order, or the stock item on the relevant Sales Order line.

Enter the message text to send. The message body can include any of the parameters that are available for the rule.

Email Parameters

Business Alerts can be sent to an email address associated with the record that generated the alert. Email address parameters can be entered into the Other Recipients field; when the alert is triggered, the parameter will be replaced with the relevant email address for the record. The following email parameters are available:

Parameter	Meaning
General
@COMPANYEMAIL	The email address for the company (Debtor or Creditor) associated with the record.
@DEFAULTCONTACTEMAIL	The email address for the default Contact of the company associated with the record.
@CONTACTEMAIL	The email address for the Contact associated with the record (not available for Purchase Orders or Creditor Invoices).
Sales Orders
@SALESEMAIL	The email address for the Salesperson associated with the Sales Order.
@STATEMENTCONTACTEMAIL	The email address for the Statement Contact of the Debtor associated with the Sales Order.
Purchase Orders
@SALESEMAIL	The email address for the staff member associated with the Purchase Order.
@STATEMENTCONTACTEMAIL	The email address for the Remittance Contact of the Creditor associated with the Purchase Order.
Debtor Invoices
@SALESEMAIL	The email address for the Salesperson associated with the invoice.
@STATEMENTCONTACTEMAIL	The email address for the Statement Contact of the Debtor associated with the invoice.
Creditor Invoices
@STATEMENTCONTACTEMAIL	The email address for the Remittance Contact of the Creditor associated with the invoice.
Jobs
@SOLDBYEMAIL	The email address for the staff member who entered the job (JOBCOST_HDR.STAFFNO).
@ACTIONBYEMAIL	The email address for the staff member who is set as the job’s manager (JOBCOST_HDR.ACTIONBY).
Opportunities
@ASSIGNEDBYEMAIL	The email address for the staff member in the Opportunity’s Assigned By field.
@ASSIGNEDTOEMAIL	The email address for the staff member in the Opportunity’s Assigned To field.
@CREATEDBYEMAIL	The email address for the staff member who created the Opportunity.

Applying Rules to Users

The Apply To sub-tab lets you specify which Exo Business staff members the rule applies to:

Tick the boxes for the users that this rule applies to, or tick Apply To All Users.

Event Rule Auditing

Every time a Business Alert is triggered, an entry is recorded in the REASON_EVENTS table used by the Event Log. New Reason Classes are created automatically for each type of event that alerts can be created for.

For alerts that send a message, an entry is also stored in the new EVENTS_SCHEDULE table. Entries include the values of all parameters relating to the rule.