Infor ERP LX / BPCS integration
For manufacturers running Infor ERP LX (Infor LX) or BPCS on IBM i, TouchPath connects to the ERP in both directions: changes in the ERP flow into TouchPath, and transactions recorded on the floor post back into the ERP.
- Two-way: ERP changes come in, floor transactions go back
- Native to the IBM i (AS/400, iSeries), over its own data queues
- The floor keeps working when the IBM i is down
Talk to us about your ERP LX/BPCS integration See how data moves
How data moves between ERP LX/BPCS and TouchPath
Both directions use the same messaging layer on the IBM i, iEnabler (formerly Application Integration Enabler, AIE), and native IBM i data queues.
Infor ERP LX / BPCS on the IBM i
iEnabler trigger messages
IBM i data queues
Posted by the iServ Adapter
TouchPath server Windows, with the TouchPath database
ERP changes
Receipts, adjustments, transfers, counts
Your floor Handhelds, scanners and label printers
ERP changes into TouchPath
- A record changes in an ERP LX/BPCS table.
- iEnabler generates a trigger message for the change.
- The message travels over native IBM i data queues to the TouchPath server.
- TouchPath writes the change into its own database, in the order it arrived.
Floor transactions back into ERP LX/BPCS
- An operator records a receipt, adjustment, transfer or cycle count.
- TouchPath queues the transaction and holds it until it is processed.
- The transaction travels over the same data queues to the IBM i.
- On the IBM i, the iServ Adapter posts the transaction through the existing ERP LX/BPCS posting programs, or directly to the ERP tables.
Messages persist until they are processed, so nothing is lost while the IBM i is unavailable; they flow when the connection returns. The same messaging supports synchronous and asynchronous communication, so it serves real-time solutions and batch-based systems.
“Integration into the ERP and the ability to operate when the iSeries is unavailable were two critical requirements, and both were achieved painlessly.”
TouchPath adapters for ERP LX/BPCS
iEnabler carries the messages on the IBM i, and the two adapters post into ERP LX/BPCS.
iEnabler for IBM i
The configuration and administration framework for the adapters. It sends and receives messages by several methods, typically IBM i data queues, and generates the trigger messages that bring ERP changes into TouchPath.
iServ Adapter for ERP LX/BPCS
Posts receipts, adjustments, transfers and cycle count results into ERP LX/BPCS, as RPG ILE programs that run natively on the IBM i. The transactions it posts, with their BPCS program codes
Shop Order Adapter for ERP LX/BPCS
Creates a shop order, changes its priority and closes it in ERP LX/BPCS. See the Shop Order Adapter.
What runs on your IBM i
The adapters run natively on the IBM i, beside the ERP. Your IT team typically works with TouchPath on the IBM i side.
TouchPath confirms the ERP version and the transactions in scope for your environment during a site evaluation.
TouchPath products that run on the ERP LX/BPCS integration
TouchInventory for ERP LX/BPCS
Bar code and RFID inventory transactions on the floor, posted into ERP LX/BPCS as they happen.
See TouchInventory for ERP LX/BPCS
TouchWMS
Warehouse management for receiving, putaway, picking and shipping, connected to ERP LX/BPCS through the same adapters.
See TouchWMS
Case studies on ERP LX/BPCS
Real-time inventory into BPCS
A global beverage manufacturer feeds real-time inventory movements directly into BPCS with TouchInventory and the iServ Adapter.
Read the case study
Allergen-safe labeling on BPCS
A global consumer packaging specialist runs label verification and real-time inventory with the iServ Adapter for BPCS.
Read the case study
Lot control integrated with the ERP
A food manufacturer tracks lots from the purchase point to shipment with TouchInventory, integrated with its ERP on the iSeries.
Read the case study
ERP LX/BPCS integration: common questions
-
How does TouchPath integrate with Infor ERP LX and BPCS?
In both directions, over IBM i data queues. iEnabler sends changes in the ERP tables you choose to TouchPath, and the iServ Adapter posts transactions recorded on the floor back into ERP LX/BPCS through its existing posting programs, or directly to the ERP tables.
-
Does data flow from BPCS into TouchPath, or only from TouchPath into BPCS?
Both. Trigger messages bring ERP changes into the TouchPath database, and the iServ and Shop Order adapters post back into the ERP.
-
What is BPCS ERP software?
BPCS (Business Planning and Control System) is ERP software for manufacturers on IBM midrange systems, today the IBM i (AS/400). The product line passed to Infor in 2006 and continues today as Infor ERP LX. TouchPath connects to BPCS 4.05CD, 6.x and 8.x and to Infor LX through 8.4.2, in both directions. How BPCS and Infor ERP LX relate.
-
What runs on the AS/400 for a BPCS integration?
The TouchPath adapters run as RPG ILE programs on the IBM i (formerly AS/400 and iSeries), alongside iEnabler. The TouchPath server is a separate Windows server that connects to the IBM i over the network.
-
What happens to scans when the AS/400 is down?
TouchPath keeps operating. Transactions wait in the queue and flow into ERP LX/BPCS when the connection to the IBM i returns.
-
Which TouchPath adapters are available for ERP LX/BPCS?
The iServ Adapter for inventory transactions and the Shop Order Adapter for shop orders. See the adapters.
Connecting the floor to ERP LX or BPCS? Tell us what runs on your IBM i.
Tell us your ERP version and what has to move in each direction, and we will walk you through how it would work.