BPCS Naming Conventions

As explained in some CLP/400 examples of CLP/400 programs, software for BPCS needs to be named in such a way that it is going to work within BPCS Security, which has some variations by version.

BPCS Conventions

For reasons of BPCS being a licensed and copyrighted ERP this is just a synopsis of key FAQ so as to avoid having to repeat ourselves within CLP/400 examples of programs.

BPCS V4.0.5.CD Conventions

BPCS comes with applications in which the first 3 letters of the programs are an abbreviation of the application area, such as

• INV = Inventory;
• ORD = Customer Orders;
• PUR = Purchase Orders;
• SYS = System Stuff.

BPCS Security

For reasons of Security, this is just a synopsis of key FAQ.

BPCS V4.0.5.CD Security

What people can access and run is controlled by several elements:

• their 400 user profile;
• HOW do they access the 400 ... via Green Screen or Client Access?;
• their BPCS user security;
• are they on the list for some menu we added?

BPCS V4.0.5.CD User Security

BPCS User Security controls

• Which BPCS Environments may this person access?;
• Is this person an ordinary user or a BPCS Security Officer?
• What can the user access outside of the normal menu structure?
• What applications and sub-application areas is this user authorized to run?
• What Financial Companies is this user allowed to get into?
• What Warehouses can this user get into?
• What Inventory Transactions may this user do?

BPCS V4.0.5.CD Implied Security

There are some realities not spelled out by the BPCS documentation that companies using this ERP from SSA discover in general practice.

You need some values in the 400 user profile to permit a person to create a program and get it complied so that it will run in the BPCS library list, and have any co-worker run it Ok.

You need some values in the BPCS User Security (explained above) to grant you access to be updating menu options to add programs ... for most sites 99% of the programs added to menus are CLP programs, but other kinds are supported.

Al Mac showed some co-workers how to create Query definitions; embed them in CLP programs using CLP/400 examples such as INVENGQRY to show them how; compile the result; and put the CLP program onto BPCS Menus.

The co-workers that Al had been showing how to make new Query; embed in CLP; install on BPCS Menus - they were BPCS Security officers who apparently had not understood when Al said that ONLY a BPCS Security Officer can run software that is inside BPCS that is in violation of the BPCS Naming conventions.

However, some of what Al tried to explain fell out of our collective brains as was discovered when these co-workers tried to show OTHER co-workers how to run their new creations.

Fortunately they had understood when Al Mac said not to use name of something that already exists, and how to check that. They had created new software with any old name that suited their fancy, and because they were BPCS Security officers, they could run ANY software that got added to BPCS.

However since their added software was outside the BPCS Naming Convention Rules, it could not be run by anyone who was bound by BPCS Security which is ruled by BPCS Naming Conventions.

BPCS 405 CD Danger Will Robinson

BPCS versions prior to current ones have security that was fine when those versions were current, but the needs of security have marched forwards, and the older versions, if not modified from a security perspective, have some serious concerns.

Depending on where you get your BPCS Tech Support, there are fixes for these concerns. You need to visit BPCS-L for more info on this subject.