Thursday, November 1, 2012

Maximo Beginners

Launching Maximo and the Navigation Bar
You will use a Web browser to access Maximo because it is a web based application. Please see below for the format of Maximo URL.
http://<server name>:<port number>/maximo.
Server name – this is the name of the server where Maximo is installed.
Port Number – this depends on the assigned port by your Maximo system administrator.
Signing In to Maximo
Maximo homepage contains the Sign-In screen. In this page, you can enter your user name and password.
You can use the assigned Maximo user name and password provided by your system administrator. If you do not have a user name and password, you can click the “Register Now” to register yourself.
Note: If you are using a demo database of Maximo, you can use maxadmin/maxadmin or Wilson/wilson by default.
Once you successfully log-in. Your display name will be visible on the upper left side of the Start Center.
Maximo Navigation Bar
Maximo Navigation Bar contains the following sections:
  • ØApplication icon and name – Located on the upper left to identify the current application.

  • ØNavigation Links – Located on the right part of the navigation bar. Available links changes depending on which page you are currently using.


  • Bulletins – Broadcast messages from the Bulletin Board can be found here.
  • Go To – Contains the list of modules and lets you move among modules and applications.
  • Reports – Also contains the list of modules that will let you choose among modules and applications to run reports.
  • Start Center – Brings you back to your Start Center.
  • Profile – Lets you manage your personal information such as address, phone, e-mail, and etc. This also contains your maximo password.
  • Sign Out – Let you sign out of Maximo.
  • Return – This will be available after you link to another application and let you return to the previous application page without selecting a value.
  • Return with Value – This will be available after you link to another application and lets you return to the previous application page with selected value(s).
  • Help – This is always available and can be use to display the help menu.

Maximo Start Centers
The system administrator is responsible for assigning the Start Center to different security groups. Start Center content contains reports, links to actions, applications and data records that are relevant to the group. If a user is assigned to more than one security group, the user will have more than one Start Center.

Start Center Components
A Start Center consists of one narrow column and one wide column. Each column can be configured to display one or more portlets that creates a specific Start Center to support a particular job function. Below are the common portlets:
  • Bulletin Board – Messages in the bulletin board are displayed here.
  • Favorite Applications – Displays links that can launch specific Maximo applications.
  • Inbox/Assignments – Routed records that require action or attention such as review or approval can be found here.
  • KPI Graph – Displays one or more Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
  • KPI List - Displays a list of links to one or more Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports located in the KPI Manager application.
  • Quick Insert – Link that will allow you to launch an application immediately and add new record, for Example create new database.
  • Result Set – Displays the result set from a saved query.
Modifying a Start Center:
  • Login to Maximo.
  • Click the Modify Existing Template
  • Select a template you want to modify.
  • You can edit the portlet content by clicking the icon.
  • Click the Save Template when done.
Assigning a Start Center
  • Login as system administrator.
  • Go to > Security > Security Groups.
Inside Security Groups application, hit enter to display the list of all security groups and select the security group that you want to assign a Start Center.
Once you selected the group. Select the lookup icon beside start center template to search for available start centers.
Select the template that you want to assign to the group.
Click Save when done.

Using Bookmarks
Bookmarks are the fastest way to retrieve a record that you frequently use. This dialog box will display all records that you have bookmarked. The saved bookmarks are dependent on the user name, a user will only see bookmarks listed that were bookmarked under their user name. Each application has a separate bookmark list.

Adding a bookmark
From the application tab, browse to the Select Action menu and select Add to Bookmarks to add the record to your list of bookmarks.
Managing bookmarks
To view My Bookmarks dialog box, you can click the Bookmarks on the Search toolbar. This contains the list of all bookmarked records. If you want to remove a bookmark, you can click the delete button. This will only delete the bookmark and not the record.
Searching the Maximo Database
Maximo records all entered information into a database. When you open a Maximo application, the first tab is the List tab which displays all the records fetched by your default query. Maximo will not display a result if you don’t have a default query, but you can select available queries in the upper left of the module.

There are several actions available when you open a Maximo application under the list tab:
  • Execute a saved query from the Query menu
  • Perform a key field search with find field
  • Create new record button
  • Create reports for one or more records
  • Select group of records and select an action from select action menu to perform on the selected records.
Search Toolbar
This toolbar allows you to perform different search actions. Knowledge in Structured Query Language (SQL) is not required to conduct data searching from the database. This allows both SQL and non-SQL based searches.
Advanced Search – contains additional Advanced Search Options by selecting the icon beside the Advanced Search option:
  • More Search Fields – Used to access additional record fields.
  • View Search Tips – Used to view tips for searching the Maximo database.
  • WHERE Clause – This is where you can see the current where clause in SQL format. You can edit this where clause to conduct searches in Maximo database.
Save Query button – contains additional saved query options:
  • Save Current Query – Select this to save the current query so that you can reuse it later.
  • View/Manage Queries – This is used to view and manage saved queries for the current application.
Using Attached Documents
This feature can be found in most Maximo applications. This allows you to attach a document to a record. This can be a new file or a new web page. You can also view the attached documents to a record. This can be very helpful for a company to manage a reference records within Maximo records.
  • Open the application where you want to add attachments.
  • Click the Attachment button
  • Select Add New Attachments and choose if you want to add a new file or a new web page.

  • When you select the Add New File option, the create a File Attachment wondowwill be displayed. Click on the browse button to display the file browser.
Click Ok button after selecting the file.
Managing Records
This is opposite when creating records, creating records is similar for most of the Maximo applications. While managing the records after it has been saved varies depending on the type of record.

Editing an existing record
If your security authorizations permits you to edit the record after it has been saved, you will have the ability to edit an existing record. There are cases that records must be maintained for review purposes that will disallow you to edit some or all of the fields on the record. In most cases, editing fields on the record depends on the status of the record that you want to edit.
For example, a purchase order record will not allow editing once it is already approved. Records will be editable if they are still under the status of (Waiting for approval, In Progress, Draft)

Deleting Records

Deleting records depends on the authorization given to your group by the system administrator. Not all applications allow the deletion of record. There are rules governing when a record may be deleted or not. For example, you cannot delete a history of records that will surely affect the auditing purposes of the records.
Maximo Applications
IBM Maximo Asset Management applications are grouped into modules and submodules under the Go To menu except for the Start Center applications. Below are the modules and submodules:
  • Administration
  • Assets
  • Change
  • Contracts
  • Desktop Requisitions (within Self Service module)
  • Financial
  • Integration
  • Inventory
  • IT Infrastructure
  • Migration (within System Configuration module)
  • Planning
  • Platform Configuration (within System Configuration module)
  • Preventive Maintenance
  • Purchasing
  • Release
  • Reporting (within Administration module)
  • Resources (within Administration module)
  • Safety (within Planning module)
  • Security
  • Self Service
  • Service Desk
  • Service Level
  • Service Requests (within Self Service module)
  • System Configuration
  • Task Management
  • Work Order
Administration Module
You can go to this module and use the applications if you need to do a simple administration tasks such as managing organizations.
Below are the applications and submodules that comprise the Administration module.
  • Sets
  • Organizations
  • Calendars
  • Resources (submodule)
  • Bulletin Board
  • Communication Templates
  • Reporting (submodule)
  • Deployed Assets (submodule)
  • Reconciliation (submodule)
  • Conditional Expression Manager
  • Classifications
  • CI Types
  • Work View
Change Module
This module contains only one application which is Activities and Tasks. This application can be used to plan, review, and manage activities and tasks.
Contracts Module
  • The following applications comprise the Contracts module:
  • Purchase Contracts
  • Lease/Rental Contracts
  • Labor Rate Contracts
  • Master Contracts
  • Warranty Contracts
  • Software Contracts
  • Terms and Conditions
Desktop Requisitions submodule
  • You can use this to create and view purchase requisitions, check the status of your order and manage template requisitions such as creating a new template, view, open or draft. Templates can be useful for the items that you frequently order.
  • The following applications comprise the Desktop Requisitions submodule:
  • Create Requisitions
  • View Requisitions
  • View Templates
  • View Drafts
Financial module
When defining and managing currency codes, exchange rates, general ledger accounts and resource codes, and project management costs. Applications in financial module will help you. You can also manage the GL account codes in this application.
The following applications comprise the Financial module:
  • Currency Codes
  • Exchange Rates
  • Chart of Accounts
  • Cost Management
Integration module
This module contains set of applications that will help you on integration of Maximo with other enterprise applications.
The following applications comprise the Integration module:
  • Object Structures
  • Publish Channels
  • Invocation Channels
  • Enterprise Services
  • Web Services Library
  • End Points
  • External Systems
  • Logical Management Operations
  • Integration modules
  • Launch in Context
  • Message Tracking
  • Message Reprocessing
Inventory module
You can manage item inventory in this module by keeping all items always available for work tasks and prevent excessive inventory balances. This module helps to prevent delays on work tasks due to unavailable materials needed for the work.
The following applications comprise the Inventory module:
  • Item Master
  • Service Items
  • Tools
  • Stocked Tools
  • Inventory
  • Issues and Transfers
  • Condition Codes
  • Storerooms
IT Infrastructure module
When managing the configuration items in your IT environment, such as maintaining, identifying, controlling, and verifying all configuration items. This IT Infrastructure module will help you achieve those things.
  • The following applications comprise the IT Infrastructure module:
  • Configuration Items
  • Relationships
  • Collections
Migration submodule
This submodulesits within the System Configuration module and can be used to migrate the configurations from one environment to another.
The following applications comprise the Migration submodule:
  • Migration Manager
  • Migration Groups
  • Object Structures
Planning module
This Planning module will help you plan on how to perform the work.
The following applications comprise the Planning module:
  • Job Plans
  • Routes
  • Safety (submodule)
Platform Configuration submodule
This submodulesits within the System Configuration module and can be used to perform the initial configuration after an installation, or changing the layout of an HTML panel.
The following applications comprise the Platform Configuration submodule:
  • System Properties
  • Logging
  • Domains
  • Database Configuration
  • Application Designer
  • Communication Templates
  • Actions
  • Roles
  • Escalations
  • Workflow Designer
  • Workflow Administration
  • Cron Task Setup
  • E-mail Listeners
  • Object Structures
  • Web Services Library
  • Launch in Context
Preventive Maintenance module
This can be used to manage work that could be executed on a regular basis to keep assets running efficiently. You can also modify the master PMs in this module.
The following applications comprise the Preventive Maintenance module:
  • Preventive Maintenance
  • Master PM
Purchasing module
This module can be used to manage the purchasing process such as vendors, purchase requisitions, purchase orders, terms and conditions, invoices and receiving of the purchased items.
The following applications comprise the Purchasing module:
  • Purchase Orders
  • Receiving
  • Invoices
  • Request for Quotations
  • Companies
  • Company Master
  • Terms and Conditions
Reporting submodule
This Reporting submodulesits within the Administration module and lets you create and view key performance indicators (KPIs), administer BIRT, Crystal, Cognos or Custom reports for users. You can also use this submodule to manage the report-based security.
The following applications comprise the Reporting submodule:
  • KPI Manager
  • Report Administration
Resources submodule
This Resource submodulesits within Administration module and lets you create records about the persons in your workforce. This can include internal and external workers.

The following applications comprise the Resources submodule:
  • Labor
  • Qualifications
  • People
  • Person Groups
  • Crafts
Safety submodule
This Safety submodulesits within the Planning module and contains information of potential dangers in the work environment to protect the workers from those hazards.
The following applications comprise the Safety submodule:
  • Hazards
  • Precautions
  • Lockout/Tagout
  • Safety Plans
Security module
You can use this Security module when implementing and managing security for users and groups within Maximo.
The following applications comprise the Security module:
  • Security Groups
  • Users
Self Service module
This can be used to view a service request for asset repairs, and to request, and search for related information. If given with a proper permission, self-service users can register themselves in the system and use this module.
The following applications comprise the Self Service module:
  • Create Service Request
  • View Service Request
Service Desk module
You can create and manage service requests, activities and tasks to give a general description of work that needs to be done on a service request.
The following applications comprise the Service Desk module:
  • Activities and Tasks
  • Service Requests
  • Ticket Templates
Service Requests submodule
This Service Requests submodulesits within the Self Service module andallows a self-service user to create service request for equipment repair and review existing service request information.
The following applications comprise the Service Requests submodule:
  • Create Service Request
  • View Service Requests
System Configuration module
You use the applications in the System Configuration module to configure system and platform settings.
The following applications comprise the System Configuration module:
  • Platform Configuration
  • Migration
Task Management module
You can use this module to plan, review, and manage activities and tasks.
The following applications comprise the System Configuration module:
  • Activities and Tasks
Work Orders module
The applications in the Work Orders module is used to track past and present work and to plan future work. This contains the work order records that include details of work to be performed. These details includes the performed tasks, labor hours, services, materials, and tools required to do the work, the assets and locations where the work was performed.
The following applications comprise the Work Orders module:
  • Work Order Tracking
  • Labor Reporting
  • Quick reporting
  • Activities and Tasks
  • Assignment Manager
  • Service Requests
Application Pages
Applications have the same appearance and contain the following part:
  • Navigation Bar – Contains the application name and provides navigation links to switch on different applications.
  • Toolbar – This is where you can find the search options, action menu, and buttons for actions that are frequently used.
  • Application Tabs – This groups the similar actions and fields within an application.
  • Record Heading – This can be located at the top of every tab which contains record numbers, description and any other fields that identify the current record.
  • Sections – This separates the fields and groups the related data within the application page.
  • Table Windows – Displays multiple records from the database at the same time.
System Toolbar
  • Query Menu – Where you can locate and use the saved queries to search records.
  • Find Fields – Can be used to perform a quick key search using the record number.
  • Select Action Menu – Contains all application-specific actions that are available to your group.
  • Toolbar Buttons – This contains the buttons that are common to most system applications. This is based on what buttons are authorized by your system administrator to your group.
Tabs and Subtabs
Almost all applications in Maximo display two or more tabs. These tabs serve as the grouping to organize the data. First tab contains the list of all records within the application and the second tab contains the main information for the selected record and the remaining tabs contain supporting information. If a record has additional information, subtabs may exist that contains related data to parent tab.
Record Heading
In order to easily identify your current record when navigating from one tab to another, a record heading is always visible on the upper part of the application page. This contains the record number, description and other additional fields.

Sections
The function of this is to group the related fields into sections. You can minimize or maximize this when needed.
When the minimize option is selected, all of the fields in the section will be hidden and only the section heading will appear. Maximize button is used when you want to display the hidden fields under the minimized section.
Work Order Tab with minimized Asset Details section
Table Windows
This displays multiple records from the different tables of the database simultaneously.
Work Order Tracking application – related records tab showing 2 tables
Filtering Table Windows
Filtering table windows will help you locate specific rows in large tables by narrowing the number of records being displayed. Click the icon to display the row of editable fields for the filter criteria.
Closed table filter
Open table filter
Maximo Fields
Maximo application pages contain a number of fields and check boxes. You will encounter different types of fields as you work with Maximo applications.
Field Characteristics:
  • Read/Write – Data fields where you can view, modify, and delete data.
  • Read-only – Data fields where you are not allowed conducting data modification. You are only allowed to view the data. Data fields with read-only properties are indicated by a gray background.
  • Required – Data fields which require you to enter data before you can save the record.
  • Accept Nulls – Does not require you to enter data before the record can be saved.
  • Upper – Texts entered will be displayed in upper case.
  • Mixed-case – Texts are displayed in both uppercase and lowercase.
  • Integer – Data fields that only accepts integer values. If a decimal number is entered, it will be rounded to the nearest whole number.
  • Decimal – Fields accepts decimal values.
  • Amount – Data fields that displays currency sign.
  • Date – Data fields that can only contain dates.
  • Date/Time – Data fields that can contain dates and time. This can be configured to display 12 or 24 hour format.
  • Yes/No (Checkboxes) – Field that you can check/uncheck. When the checkbox is checked, it signifies yes and no if unchecked.
  • Calculated values – These fields are automatically calculated by the system. Example is the Total Cost value of all purchased items.
  • Default values – These fields have default values set by your system administrator. An example is the Reported by field which automatically displays the person who created the record.
  • Long Description field – These fields are useful when you need to input a large amount of texts for additional description.
  • Value list – Contains a list of values that is only accepted by the field.
Field Help
One feature of Maximo allows the giving of the user an easy way to know the table and field names of the fields present in the application. You can access the help field by pressing Alt + F1 after selecting the field to display its information.
Creating Records
Creating new Maximo records is similar for each type of application.
Types of Maximo Records
  • Self-Service applications – New records are created automatically. A typical example could be when you select the Generate Work Orders from a PM record. This will automatically generate a workorder record based on the selected Preventive Maintenance.
Simple Applications – You can create a new record by using the New Row button. An example of this is when inserting a new Purchase Order line from the Purchase Order Application. Using the New Row button will display fields where you can input data and save it to the database.
  • Standard applications – New records in these applications are created using the New <record> button located in the Maximo toolbar.

When creating a new Maximo record, the record needs to have a unique identifier to identify it. Most Maximo applications are configured to generate <record> number when you create a record. For example, if you create a new workorder record, the workorder number will be automatically generated.
Icons
You can determine if the application generates a unique value automatically or not by their new record icons.
Maximo automatically generates a unique value.
Maximo does not automatically generate a unique value and therefore you must create it. Maximo will notify you if the unique value you entered has already been used.
Creating a record
Creating a record is similar for most Maximo applications. Some applications automatically generates a numbered record ID, while other applications let you create a unique value for the record ID.
  • Open Maximo application and login using your credentials.
  • Go to the Maximo application where you want to create a new record and click the New<record> button.
  • If the key field is empty, enter a value.
  • Enter a description in the Description field and use the Long Description if you need to input a long description for the record.
  • Fill in the required fields. This can be identified when it indicates asterisk(*).
  • Click Save.
  • A message will display confirming that your record has been saved or not.