Messages 101

• A message is a communication sent from one point in the 400 to another.
• Messages can be sent by human beings, normally to other human beings, or work stations.
• Messages can be sent by software, to other software, to human beings, to message queues waiting on some reponse.

Types of Messages

Informational Messages

• They do not require a reply.
• Example, in user profile we can have a setting so that when some report we created finishes printing, we get a message that it got done Ok.
  • This can be helpful when teams of people are creating reports and printing each other's ... we now know that some step got done by our co-workers.
• Example, one user plans to run some major update run, but gives co-workers the opportunity to alter planned schedule.
  • If there are no objections, I plan to run a shop order purge tomorrow night.

Inquiry Messages

• An inquiry message needs a reply. It may also contain information.
• Example ... we might want to ask some co-worker a question
  • Hey Brenda, did that part # 123 get shipped today, and how many went out?
  • Hey Al, when was the last time you ran a standard cost rollup?
• Example ... some software may need human help
  • Hey guys, printer LAWPRTLP has a problem with report ALCOMPILE ... your choices are:
    • ignore that report, and continue with the next one
    • restart that report on page one
    • bunch of other options
  • we can then review the options and take what seems most appropriate