Technical FAQ about Openbravo ERP/tr
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Openbravo ERP Hakkında Sıkça Sorulan Sorular
Genel Sorular
Openbravo`nun Hangi Sürümünü Kullanmalıyım?
Openbravo`yu işletme amaçları, üretim ortamları veya deneme için kullanan herkes Openbravo R2.x sürümlerine odaklanmalıdır. R2 üzerinde çalışmaya ve geliştirmeye daha uzun süre devam edeceğiz.
Openbravo ERP R3.x (kodadı Green) sadece bir prototiptir ve hala dizayn aşamasındadır.
Openbravo Ağ Nedir?
Openbravo Topluluk Sürümü, Openbravonun topluluk tarafından desteklenen sürümüdür. Sınıfının en iyisi, üretimde kullanılmaya hazır ve ödül kazanmış olarak tanımlanır.
Openbravo Ağ, topluluk sürümü üzerine inşa edilmiştir. Erp`nizi bir uygulama formatında çalıştırmanız için bütün bileşenleri barındıran ticari bir pakettir. Aşağıdakileri içerir:
- Openbravo ERP (Bu sourceforge`dan download ettiğiniz sürümle ile aynıdır)
- İşletim sistemi
- Uygulama sunucusu
- Oracle veritabanı
- Uygulamayı düzenleyen ve muhafaza eden bazı özel rPath teknolojileri.
Openbravo Ağ aynı zamanda, geliştirilen bütün sürümleri uygulamaya yardımcı olan ve belli bir SLA ya sahip müşteriler tarafından raporlanan herhangi bir hatayı düzeltmeyi garanti eden temel bir destek servisi içerir.
Openbravo Ağ, yazılım ve desteği birarada bulunduran, paralı bir servistir. Ücret aynı zamanda Oracle ve rPath lisans ücretlerini içerir. Daha fazla detay ve karşılaştırma için lütfen websitemizi ziyaret edin.
Müşteri bilgisi için web servisleri?
Şu anda, Openbravo bu özelliği desteklememektedir. Şu anda web servisleri, satış siparişleri almak ve ürün,fiyat bilgilerini dış uygulamalara aktarmak için kullanılmaktadır. Müşteri içe-aktarmaları text(CSV - virgülle ayrılmış değerler) dosyaları kullanılarak yapılabilir.
Openbravo`yu Gerçekleştirmek Ne kadar Süre Alır?
Cevabı etkileyen birden çok etken var. Temel olarak:
Lokalizasyon: Müşterinin bulunduğu ülke, lokalizasyon projesini tamamladı mı?
Openbravo Tecrübesi: Uygulayıcıların Openbravo tecrübesi var mı? Öğrenme eğrisi dik.
Dikey Pazar: Firma ne üretmektedir ve müşterilerle ve tedarikçilerle ne şekilde iş yapmaktadır? Sizin normal düşündüğünüz birşey Openbravo için olağan bir uygulama olmayabilir.
Özel Gereksinimler: Firmanın veya pazar segmentinin veya sektörün Openbravo tarafından sunulmayan özel gereksinimleri var mı?
Genellikle, tam bir gerçekleştirme, diğer şeylerin dışında, eski bilgilerin aktarılması, müşterinin iş süreçlerinin analizi, varolan sistemlerle entegrasyon, kullanıcı ve rollerin tanımlanması, pencerelerin kurulması veya raporlamanın yaratılması/özelleştirilmesini içerir.
Openbravo`nun, lokalizasyonu tamamlanmış ve gereksinimleri Openbravo tarafından sağlanan bir ülke için, küçük bir gerçekleştirme projesi ortalama 400 saat civarında sürer.
Is Openbravo compatible with Compiere?
Openbravo is an independent project which aims to produce the best open source ERP in the world working together with the community. We have a dedicated and experienced development team (in-house), and we are executing an ambitious plan to continue developing the application from both a functional and technical perspective.
As explained on our website, Openbravo's dictionary is based on Compiere’s releases 2.4.4 and 2.5.0 dictionaries, but has been extended to accommodate our new web-based architecture, WAD engine, and a new set of functionalities developed over time (manufacturing, European accounting practices, ...). Therefore, it is currently incompatible.
We believe, just as many others in the community do, that cooperation makes all of us stronger and enables us to achieve larger objectives. We would be very happy to work together with Compiere again in the future to ensure compatibility between both projects. With this spirit, we have offered our support to Compiere. However at this stage this type of coordination is not guaranteed and therefore we cannot ensure compatibility.
For more information about our relationship with Compiere see our page devoted to it.
What is Openbravo ERP support for security features?
These are the main Openbravo ERP security features:
- Encrypted communication (https/SSL).
- Digest Passwords (SHA-1 BASE 64).
- Centrally maintained access control (all Openbravo servlets extend from HttpSecureAppServlet.java which ensures that no unauthenticated access is allowed).
- Standard session management through the Servlet API (HttpSession).
- Declarative authentication mechanism to implement Single Sign On.
Two levels of security are implemented:
- Access control: users are assigned to roles. For each Openbravo component (Windows, Process, Reports, Forms, etc.) is defined which roles are granted.
- Client/Organization filtering: all data in Openbravo belongs to a client and an organization. for each Openbravo role is defined the clients and organization in the system the role can use. Info is filtered to show info just from the allowed clients/organizations.
Can Openbravo be integrated to active directory for list/authentication?
From R2.30 ahead, Openbravo supports pluggable authentication for integration with central authentication services. So it is possible to integrate Openbravo with active directory to authenticate users but you will need to develop a plugin in java to achieve this integration.
If you wanted to develop this plugin, you have to create first a new authentication java class that implements the interface "org.openbravo.authentication.AuthenticationManager". An example is the default authentication manager that is implemented in the java class "org.openbravo.authentication.basic.DefaultAuthenticationManager". And second add a new context param in the file web.xml to use this authentication manager. For example if your authentication class is "org.yourorganization.YourAuthenticationManager" then add:
<context-param>
<param-name>AuthenticationManager</param-name>
<param-value>org.yourorganization.YourAuthenticationManager</param-value>
</context-param>
How difficult is the migration to a new version of Openbravo
It should not be difficult and many users do upgrade their installations after a version is released. Every time that a new stable version is released:
- A release notes document is published documenting the new features and bug fixes.
- An update script that updates from the previous version to the new one.
- An updated migration document is published. It explains changes to be done in custom developed modules.
- The translations need to be updated to cover new modules and changes.
How can I see my Postgresql database?
PostgreSQL has an admin tool called, pgAdmin III. It is very useful to introduce, see, update data in your Openbravo database. You can download in: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=162271&package_id=192201
Installation issues
What is the recommended hardware configuration for Openbravo?
Suggested configurations are:
Small size installation (up to 20 concurrent users)
- 1 server (database and application)
- Processor Intel Xeon or Pentium IV
- 3 GB RAM (with 2 GB RAM, up to 10+ concurrent users)
- RAID SCSI discs, 60 GB
Medium size installation (up 40 concurrent users)
- 1 server (application)
- Processor Intel Xeon or Pentium IV
- 2 GB RAM
- 1 server (database)
- Processor Intel Xeon or Pentium IV
- 2 GB RAM
- RAID SCSI discs, 60 GB
It is possible to install Openbravo without the default demo data?
It is not possible to install Openbravo without data. You can clean the data from General Rules > Client Rules > Delete Client menu. You can also delete the client which contains all data using ad_delete_client stored procedure. To do it, edit that procedure and replace line 77 where appears p_AD_Client_ID := 1000003; should be p_AD_Client_ID := 1000000; Then run the procedure and you will have a clean installation.
How do I install Openbravo with no admin password for PostgreSQL in Ubuntu/Debian?
Openbravo installer asks for an admin password for PostgreSQL, however Ubuntu/Debian and probably other distributions do not provide a default password.
A possible workaround is:
1) Edit pg_hba.conf (located in /var/lib/postgresql/data or similar) and replace all the password or md5 strings by trust. For example, converting:
local all all md5
into:
local all all trust
2) Restart PostgreSQL (doing /etc/init.d/postgresql restart).
3) Change postgres user password:
psql -d postgres -U postgres alter role postgres with password 'new_password'; \q
4) Open pg_hba.conf again and replace all the trust strings by md5.
5) Restart PostgreSQL again
Avoiding java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space
In order to avoid HTTP Status 500 - java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space, give more memory space to Apache Tomcat.
HTTP Status 500 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- type Exception report message description The server encountered an internal error () that prevented it from fulfilling this request. exception javax.servlet.ServletException: Java heap space org.apache.catalina.security.SecurityUtil.execute(SecurityUtil.java:294) org.apache.catalina.security.SecurityUtil.doAsPrivilege(SecurityUtil.java:162) java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) org.openbravo.utils.CharsetFilter.doFilter(Unknown Source) sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor51.invoke(Unknown Source) sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25) java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585) org.apache.catalina.security.SecurityUtil$1.run(SecurityUtil.java:244) java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) javax.security.auth.Subject.doAsPrivileged(Subject.java:517) org.apache.catalina.security.SecurityUtil.execute(SecurityUtil.java:276) org.apache.catalina.security.SecurityUtil.doAsPrivilege(SecurityUtil.java:218) root cause java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space note The full stack trace of the root cause is available in the Apache Tomcat/5.5 logs.
Configuration issues
What is the utility for Application Element?
Every field in the application, has a database column behind it.
For example, the field NAME in many windows in the application. Every single field called NAME has a column in those tables, called NAME ,also. Behind all those columns, there is an application element which "controls" all the fields.
If you change the name of a field NAME in a window and rename it to XXXX, for example. You compile the application, and you will see that field name changed. But then if you click on "Synchronize terminology", the application element NAME (owner of all the fields called name) will overwrite all the NAMEs in the application, and change the NAME of the window you edited by the original NAME.
This is done to make easier the work of the person who parametrizes. So when you create a new window, you create the columns CREATED, CREATEDBY, NAME, ... The application takes them into the group of existing elements, and gives them same name, translation, ...
If you create fields from columns of tables that didnt exist before, it is necessary to click on "Synchronize terminology" in order to create the application element for those new fields that didnt exist before.
Is there a way to display order names in English instead of Spanish?
At the moment the fastest and easiest way to do this is go to Target Document Type directly from the Sales Order window. In Translation tab you can change the name for each Document Type and mark the checkbox Translated.
The document types are also defined in the Initial Client Setup...
How can I change the Openbravo logo that appears on the invoices and delivery notes
Prior to Openbravo Version 2.3
You have two options:
- Overwrite the Openbravo_replace_report.gif file with the new logo, saving it with the same name.
- Modify the foo files indicating the new gif file where Openbravo_replace_report.gif appears.
For Openbravo 2.3 onwards
No information currently available
How can I change the default currency?
When creating a new order, the currencies are dictated by the price list you created (and the product you associate with that price list). Check out Product Management|Product Management Rules|Price List and set the Currency there.
How can I configure the log4j file?
Log4j is the way Openbravo saves logs (errors or information about the application data). Logs are very useful in order to know where and why the application crashed.
Log4j configuration is managed with /tomcat/webapps/openbravo/WEB-INF/log4j.lcf file, here is defined where the log will be stored, this is done in a line that looks like:
log4j.appender.R.File=/tomcat/logs/log4j_TAD.log
The previous line means that the log is stored in /tomcat/logs/log4j_TAD.log file. Note that if your OS is Windows the directory separator is slash (/, like linux) or two backslashes (\\), if you use only a backslash (\) it will not work.
If the $CATALINA_BASE/webapps/openbravo context owner and the $CATALINA_BASE/logs owners do not match, then there's no log. To correct this, if $CATALINA_BASE/logs has the tomca:tomcat ownership be consequent and assign this same permissions to the context.
If you modify the log4j.lcf file you will have to restart Tomcat in order to apply changes.
How do I increase the verbosity of the log4j file?
Messages shown in log files have different categories (debug, info, warn, error and fatal). By default the messages shown are from error to fatal but this can be customized. When you select a category all messages which belong to this category or to a higher one will be displayed. To do this there are two ways:
- From application Go to General Setup > Application > Session Information > Change logs. This will show every Java class used till now. You can check the one you want to modify and in the box select the level you want to set.
- From log4j.lcf file In log4j.lcf file you can add the class or package you want to modify and the level of verbosity for it to a line like log4j.category.org.openbravo.erpCommon.ad_process=DEBUG. Note that if you use this way you will have to restart tomcat afterwards.
How can I customize Openbravo Workflow?
You can define new Workflows or customize the existing ones at General Rules -> System rules -> Workflow. There are tabs to define the workflow, access grants and the nodes of the workflow.
I am not able to see the grids. How should I configure Openbravo in this case?
It can happen that you are able to log in the application but you are not able to see any grid. The problem is that you are trying to access to the application from a direction different that the one you specify on install process. In this case, the dojo library (the javascript that is behind the grid object) interprets that you are trying to access to a context that you are not able to for security reasons, so it does not let you enter and the grid is not displayed.
That is the reason why you have to access to the application with the same host name (machine name or IP direction) that you set in the installation (synonyms do not work): if you entered the machine name on install, then use the machine name in your browser location to access to the application; if you entered 'localhost', then access with 'localhost'; if you entered '127.0.0.1', then access with '127.0.0.1'.
How can I increase my Oracle connection numbers?
In /AppsOpenbravo/config/XmlPool.xml file you have to increase maxConns parameter.
I forgot my password. How do I get it back?
Connect to the database with a client (sqlplus for Oracle, psql for PostgreSQL) and type the following SQL sentence:
UPDATE ad_user SET password = 'PwOd6SgWF74HY4u51bfrUxjtB9g=' WHERE name = 'Openbravo';
This will restore the 'Openbravo' user's password to 'openbravo'.
Can I force a view for a generated window
Yes you can, for each tab you can define if it is edit view or grid view by default. You must use the Default Default Edit Mode
What is the difference between the system and application roles
Openbravo manages two different role types:
-System: Can just see application dictionary data. Suppose someones is maintaining the application, but you do not want to have access the company activity information.
-Activity: Can just see activity data, but not application dictionary data.
If you want a user to join the application with both roles, the user has to be from organization "0".
How can I change number's format
The numbers can be customized through config/Format.xml file. It is possible to decide between "," and ".", between "10,50" and "10,5", etc.
Functional issues
Is there a file in which all the logged in users along with the time in and out is saved?
There are no files containing this information in the application, but you can get this information from the ad_session table. There is also a window on the application showing this information: General Rules -> Client Rules -> Security -> Session
Does Openbravo support Multi-tenancy (One instance for multiple companies with multiple organizations within each company) ?
Yes, we have implemented the same structure as Compiere. Every table has the columns AD_Client_ID (company ID) and AD_Org_ID (organization ID). It allows to have multiple companies (we say entities) with multiple organizations (related in a hierarchical structure) within the same Openbravo instance.
What kind of Open Source Web Single Sign-On does/can Openbravo support?
For identity management we use our own user/password authentication system, and for session management we use HttpSession. Currently no Open Source Web Single Sign-On nor other Identity management systems are in our development plan.
Is there any functionality within Openbravo to audit user's actions?
We have developed some prototypes for scientific articles (IEEE software), but we have never used it in a real environment.
Is there any future support for Geronimo+Tomcat as the application server?
Actually we think it is not worth to move our system to EJB architecture. Our architecture has been tested in many environments and it is quite scalable and secure and, of course, simpler than EJB's based ones.
How can I cluster Openbravo? (besides application server or database server clustering)?
We do not have clustering tools apart from application server and database server clustering. We think the best way to scale Openbravo is using one instance per company, and one (or more) servers per instance. So, usually, there is no need of clustering.
Can I setup a default value for each field depending on the user?
This can be managed with preferences:
General Rules -> Data -> Utility -> Preferences
Allows you to setup a value for each field. If you don't select a user, this default value will apply to all users.
How can I generate an incremental value for a field?
Do it through Openbravo ERP, not in your database.
Logged as System Administrator:
- Go to Application Dictionary > Tables and Columns.
- Select the desired table (e.g., C_ORDERLINE)
- Go to 'Column' tab and select the desired column (e.g., LineNo)
- In Default Value text box write the SQL (e.g., @SQL=SELECT COALESCE(MAX(Line),0)+10 AS DefaultValue FROM C_OrderLine WHERE C_Order_ID=@C_Order_ID@)
Is it possible to define different UOMs for invoices and orders?
Yes, it is possible. You can configure your invoicing unit at Products window, on Products tab. Then, you can add as much ordering units as you want on the units tab on the same window. Ordering units and invoicing unit can have a fixed relation or a flexible relation. You can define the fixed relation on the Units window. At every orders, shipments and invoices, you now can include two quantities, one for each unit of measure. The warehouse is registered with both units of measure.
How can I migrate a test environment, with all the implementations, translations and adaptations to a full production environment?
It's very important if it exists a production environment or not. If you have not a production environment. You can just create another entity at the same application an your developments will be included. Not your customizations. I mean you will keep your window structures, processes, menus, etc. but not your tax, accounting, etc. configuration. If you have a production environment. You must redo your changes on your production environment. You can do it manually or automatically. The new releases do it automatically. How? Not all application dictionary records have the same identifier range. So standard developments have a range, particular dictionary developments have another range and so on. This way, the update script knows what must keep and what not.
Please find technical information at How to move Openbravo ERP article.
What does “error 0” mean?
The error 0 message is a postgreSQL bug that makes all the errors to have the same message. For detailed error message check the log file.
How can I obtain more information if anything goes wrong?
If anything goes wrong executing the application and you need more information you can review the log files.
Openbravo creates its own log file into the Tomcat logs folder. It is usually located in the $CATALINA_BASE/logs folder. To configure application log file see How can I configure the log4j file?
Also, if you are using PostgreSQL you can configure it (see postgresql.conf file) to obtain more information related to the executed queries.
In Windows it is inside the Program Files/PostgreSQL/8.x/data/pg_log folder, but it can be configured since postgresql.conf file. Location can vary for each Linux distribution, but there is also the postgresql.conf file to configure it.
Once configured, restart the database service to apply changes.
Does Openbravo support electronic (EDI) invoices?
It does not directly but they can be generated by producing an XML file using the reports infrastructure.
Can I use Openbravo to run several companies in the same server?
Openbravo supports multiple companies and different roles and users that can help you to setup this kind of scenario. However all the companies should share the same configuration. Openbravo R2.4 will introduce security enhancements for companies working on this scenario.
Can different roles see different fields on the same window
Yes, it is possible. You can manage it on different ways:
-Use display logic to show or hide a field depending on the user's role.
-Create two different, but similar, windows. Show what you want on each of the windows. Assign a window to each role.
How can I set an image for each one of my products ?
These are the steps:
- First of all, you have to manually copy the images to the openbravo/web/images folder.
- Then, register them in the application into the Application window.
- Finally, select the desired image for each one of your products.
Does Openbravo ERP have human resources functionally?
Currently Openbravo ERP does not have any human resources functionally included in the core product. If you have this need, it can be developed as a custom developed module or an integration with a third party application can be develop using web services.
I cannot see business options
Notice that first log in is done with System Administrator role so you will not be able to see business options (message AccessTableNoView will display instead) but only administration tasks. In order to access business partners, products, sales and procurement orders and so on, change your role to BigBazaar Admin (or Openbravo Admin) by clicking on Openbravo link (left up)
and selecting it in Role information pop-up window. You can also set this role as default by checking Set as default check box.
Can I use Openbravo ERP for SaaS?
Openbravo is a web based application and can work out of the box as a hosted application, also called ASP applications.
SaaS is based on the idea of providing the same software to a large community of users. This is currently difficult to accomplish using Openbravo ERP since most of the implementations need custom development.
However, it is possible to provide a SaaS services for a group of customers with very similar business requirements. Openbravo R2.40 introduces improvements in security and multitenant areas that are key for anyone considering using SaaS.
Development issues
What is the minimum Java expertise required for being able to develop our own extensions of Openbravo?
Developing extensions of Openbravo within the model (without changing the model nor WAD) can be done without a great expertise, having into account Openbravo is a platform of development of information systems within we have built an ERP. Changing the model is by far much more complicated, and shouldn't be done by now (we plan to refactor WAD to make easy external enhancements)
In Openbravo, is the primary key for tables generated automatically or by the application ?
You have to setup a the column as primary key and then, the application dictionary takes the configuration and sets it on the application dictionary configuration.
Which files code a certain functionality?
There are 2 ways of finding which files code a certain functionality (i.e., a process or a report):
- Using the Application Dictionary (the correct but longest way):
- Logged in as System Administrator, go to General Setup || Application || Menu and select the item (functionality) you are looking for. Search, for example, Sales Dimensional Report.
- In this case, it is a report so navigate through Process link to Application Dictionary || Report and Process.
- Go to Process Class tab and you will see the Java class name implementing this process. In this case: org.openbravo.erpCommon.ad_reports.ReportSalesDimensionalAnalyzeJR
- Go to Process Mapping file and you will see the HTML file used for filtering (Sales Management || Analysis Tools || Sales Dimensional Report). In this case: /ad_reports/ReportSalesDimensionalAnalyzeJRFilter.html
- This step also gives you the entire path to the report: src/org/openbravo/erpCommon/ + ad_reports/
- Using Web browser capabilities (the dirty but fastest way):
- Logged as a normal user, go to Sales Management || Analysis Tools || Sales Dimensional Report
- Right click on the report, select This Frame > View Frame Info and you will get ad_reports/ReportSalesDimensionalAnalyzeJRFilter.html that, combined with src/org/openbravo/erpCommon/ will give you the path to files coding Sales Dimensional Report :)
Find more information on MVC (Model-View-Controller) structure files at Openbravo developer's manual.
Can you recommend a good manual for Subversion?
There are many tutorials and manuals for Subversion source control system. However, we recommend Version Control with Subversion that is a free manual that covers all Subversion functionality.
Is there a published WSDL for Openbravo?
Yes, there is, Openbravo generates it. First, you need to activate Openbravo web services. There is a description of how to do it in the following document: OpenbravoPOS integration.
Once you have the service activated, you can get the WSDL by pointing your browser to:
http://openbravo:8080/openbravo/services/ExternalSales?wsdl
How do I create a Combobox in an Openbravo window?
For example, have a look on how Price list version drop-down list is displayed in Product Selector window with the new combo system.
First, add the new field to Product_F1.html file inside info folder (View). Then create ProductCategoryCombo_data.xsql file with the query inside ad_combo folder (Model). Then link html and xsql files through Product_F1.xml file inside info folder. Finally, add a new method to Product.java file inside info folder (Controller).
There is more information on how to create (or modify) manual windows in Openbravo ERP at Openbravo developers Manual.
How can I generate an HTML file using XmlEngine ?
PDF tutorials for XMLEngine and Sqlc are available in the Openbravo documentation folder in Sourceforge.
Those tutorials will show to the reader how these tools work and how to develop code using them.
I can't run the export.database ant task because XMLOutputFactoryBase is not found
DBSourceManager uses these XML parsers in the export.database Ant task. Download and copy stax-api-1.0.1.jar and wstx-asl-3.0.2.jar to the ant library path. For example: /usr/share/ant/lib.
How to change the values of a closed drop-down list
For instance, inside Service Project tab (Project & Service Management >> Transactions >> Service Project) there is a drop-down list with a close list of values: Reinforcement, Road and Wall. If this list, or any other, does not match your needs, do the following:
- Logged as System Administrator, go to Application Dictionary >> Windows, Tabs, and Fields >> Window.
- Then go to Service Project tab and to Work Type field.
- Inside Work Type field, navigate to Projectkind column.
- From Projectkind column, navigate to Projectkind Reference Search Key.
- In Reference Search key, select List Reference tab en grid view and you will be able to see and edit/delete/add all the Work Types.
Et voilà since you will not need to compile in order to see these type of changes :)
Localization issues
General questions about localization
Who is responsible for localizing Openbravo?
We are grateful that the active Openbravo community is leading the localization projects. If you are interested in contributing to an existing one see our on-going localization efforts and offer your help in the appropriate forum. If you want to lead a new localization project post your project in our Translations & Localizations forum or write us.
How can I install an already existent translation?
This is explained in the detail in our translation tutorial.
What is necessary to localize Openbravo to a new country with a new language?
Required steps
- Translate the user interface
- Create a local Chart of Accounts file
- Upload the local Chart of Accounts file and set-up the local taxes for a specific entity.
Optional steps:
- Create dedicated reports to facilitate the filing of official reports
- Create export files to facilitate the electronic data interchange with official bodies (banks, the taxman, …)
See the document how to localize Openbravo for a detailed description.
How much work is involved in translating the Openbravo interface into a new language?
There are around 400.000 words to translate and it usually takes a month from a full time translator to do a basic translation.
How much work is involved in creating a chart of accounts?
To create a chart of accounts for Openbravo usually takes a week. The persons developing this tasks need to know Openbravo very well and have a deep understanding of the accounting system of their country.
What if my company has operations in two locations that have different accounting rules?
They can upload a different Chart of Accounts for each region and assign to different entities.
Can I test an Openbravo translation without recompiling the whole application?
Unfortunately, this is not possible. To test a translation you must import the translations and do a compilation as described in the translation tutorial.
Can Openbravo be translated to Arabic or Hebrew?
Right now we do not have support for languages written from right to left (RTL) like Arabic or Hebrew. To develop such support represents a very important investment on resources and requires a very close coordination with the Openbravo development team to integrate these enhancements in the core product. Currently, we see two scenarios:
- Someone provides qualified software engineers (from his or a third party company) to work on the project, under our direction, as an extend part of Openbravo team for a number of months. The exact number of the needed engineers and the length of the project is unknown to us.
- A company interested in pushing this feature sponsors the its development using the Openbravo custom development service.
Issue 4402 tracks the progress of adding RTL support to Openbravo ERP.
Do I lose the translations when I update to a new version?
When an Openbravo installation is updated to a new version, the texts that have not changed remain translated and the ones that have been modified or are new (for example, new options) will appear in English and need to be translated.
To upgrade the translation from an old version to a new version just import the old translations into the new version of Openbravo and export translations again. A new set of XML files with the new strings is created.
How can I check if a translation has been correctly imported?
Login into Openbravo and select the new imported language as the language for the user to login in.
How can I fix the application text and commit the changes back?
The standard way to edit metadata in Openbravo is using Openbravo UI. Broadly speaking metadata should not be directly edited in the xml files because it is error prone.
If you have found a mistake in the application text in English and you want to fix it and give us back your fixes, the best procedure to follow is:
- Checkout the latest revision of the product using Subversion.
- Build Openbravo using your development environment.
- Fix the text by editing metadata using Openbravo UI -application dictionary.
- Rebuild the system and test it to ensure that the fix is right.
- Export your database using dbsourcemanager (ant export.database)
- Build a Subversion patch and make sure that only intended changes are included
At the Development with Eclipse document there is an explanation for each of this steps.
Any tool that you recommend to do the translation process?
If you translate Openbravo using XML files many translators are reporting that the tools from Multilizer are very useful when doing the translation in Windows environments. Other translators are using the multiplatform IDE Eclipse as an editor to translate the XML files.Also There are many other translation tools for linux user like [1] OmegaT is Free cross-platform computer assisted translation tool and another editor to translate po files it is called poEdit
Why some characters are not displayed correctly when the translation is installed?
Openbravo supports UTF-8 and the displaying of any character supported in UNICODE. If you are experiencing problems displaying some characters please make sure that:
- The character set for the database holding Openbravo is UTF-8.
- The XML files that store the translations are saved in UTF-8 encoding.
After changing the language of the default user I cannot login into the application. How can I setup it back to English?
To set English as the default language you have to change the database performing the following steps:
- Go to the command-line (cmd).
- Type "sqlplus tad/tad" if you are using Oracle or "psql -d openbravo -U tad" if you're using PostgreSQL. Replace tad/tad with the user/pass you chose in the installation.
- Type "update ad_user set default_ad_language='en_US' where name like 'Openbravo';"
- Exit with the "exit" command in sqlplus, or "\q" in psql.
How can I change the way the Location/Address is stored, displayed and printed?
The functions in the Openbravo database C_LOCATION_DESCRIPTION, C_LOCATION_IDENTIFIER and C_LOCATION_NAME accomplish this function.
Questions about localizing the chart of accounts file
I have noticed that some Accounting Scheme (ES and US) files include more columns. What is their purpose?
The only columns that are used are the ones from A to I that are the ones explained in our documentation. Some account of charts files may contain additional columns for additional reports or to built the actual file. Just ignore them.
If I import a new set of accounts, can I simply associate the current defaults with the new accounts?
Yes, just associate the defaults to the new accounts and those will be replaced. We recommend that you first flag the old accounts to be able to delete them afterwards. We usually do an update to those accounts setting for example xx before the value, that is, account 10 will become xx10. After the import of accounts just execute a delete sentence to remove only the accounts which value starts with xx ('xx%').
Accounting issues
General questions about accounting
Is it mandatory to create a budget through a spreadsheet?
No. Budget lines can be added manually, but Openbravo provides a tool to help in this task. It creates a spreadsheet with a budget template. With an external tool, budget amounts are fulfilled, and the spreadsheet imported into the application.
How does the budget spreadsheet work?
The process is to go to Financial Management > Accounting > Transactions > Create Budget Reports in Excel. Choose the filters that will be applied to the budget (business partner, products, periods, etc). Run the Generate Excel process. A .xls file will be generated. With a spreadsheet application, open the file, and fill in the amounts budgeted for each row. Create in Master Data Management > Import Data > Import Loader Format > Import Format a new format according to the spreadsheet columns (will be different depending on the filters choosed when generating it). Run the import file loader with the spreadsheet (saved in a .csv format, using "," and not ";" as excel does). Run the "Import Budget" process in the Master Data Management > Import Data > Import Budget > Import Budget window. You can have a look to the imported data in Financial Management > Accounting > Transactions > Budget.
Are the initial client setup and import accounts equivalent process to load a chart of accounts?
No. the import accounts process is more complete . For example, Initial Client Setup do not import the operands of the chart of accounts. Nevertheless, operands can be set manually.
How are the average cost prices calculated?
The Calculate Average Costs process tries to find the purchase invoices of the products. If not available, then looks for the purchase order. If it is, also, not available, then finally obtains the pice from the price list. Once the purchase prices are obtained, the weighted average of all of them is calculated.
How do I configure the initial accounting setup of a new client?
The main accounting data needed for a new client is:
- Bank accounts initial balance
- Initial balance data (accounts balance)
- Create a new manual settlement dated the last day of the previous period (ie if our first year is going to be 2008, then the manual settlement's date will be 31st Dec. 2007):
- Create Payment:
- Amount: initial balance of the bank account.
- BP: any.
- Form of payment: bank deposit.
- Balance Payment:
- G/L Item: any
- Credit amount: initial balance of the bank account.
- Create Payment:
Create a bank statement that includes the payment created in the manual settlement, and with the same date. Complete the bank statement, and DO NOT POST IT.
In order to create the initial balance of the accounts, create the year in which accounting is going to start, and the periods of that year, and open the first period. Create then a G/L Journal, and add lines to create manually the opening entry for the year (this will be done authomatically for the rest of the years. Only the starting year will be done manually). Post this entry, and that's it.
Why can't I see the accounting tabs?
Each user can configure (if has access to General Setup -> Application -> Session Information) if they want to see the accounting and translating tabs. Make sure you have checked the correct option.
Does material receipts and material shipment generate accounting?
By default, it is not activated, but Openbravo can generate accounting through the material receipt and shipment documents. In Financial Management > Accounting > Setup > Accounting Schema > Accounting Schema > Account Schema Tables, double click the row M_InOut, activate the "Active" checkbox, and save. This way, material receipts and material shipment will be able to be posted.
In some accounting systems it has no sense to post the receipts/shipments, but in some others the stock is updated according to these document's information.
Is there any documentation about the accounting generated for each document?
Yes, in sourceforge http://downloads.sourceforge.net/openbravo/Accounting_Entries.pdf
What is a G/L Item?
G/L items are accounting reasons for the creation of a payment. For example, if you have to pay something that doesn't come from an invoice, you will have to generate a payment through manual settlement window. In this window, you will create a payment, with an amount and a G/L item that explains for the accounting which is the reason of that payment.
How is it calculated the amount of an account to show in an accounting report?
Depending on the characteristics of the node, one of this actions will be taken:
- If any amount has been assigned to this account in any entry, then the account value will be the sum of all the entry line's amounts. This is the most common case.
- If it is a summary account, then the sum of the amounts of the child accounts will be the value of the account.
- If the account has got operands (Customized Elements), then the sum of the amounts of the operands values, will be the value of the account.
How can I create or modify the entry built by a document when posting it?
Under the src/org/openbravo/erpCommon/ad_forms path, you can find every document type, such us DocInvoice, and their entry build process implemented.
It may be useful to have a look at the documentation about the entries created by each document type, at http://downloads.sourceforge.net/openbravo/Accounting_Entries.pdf
When posting a document, an error ocurred, and now the document appears as "posted". If I try to unpost it, it throws an Error, and I am blocked. What can I do?
Go to Financial Management > Accounting > Transactions > Reset Accounting. UNCHECK the "Delete existing Accounting Entries" option, and press Ok.
Which different types of entries exists in the Fact_Acct table?
In the Fact_Acct table, there exists four different types of entries:
- Regularization entry
- Closing entry
- Openning entry
- Normal entry
How can I create volume discounts (Rappels)?
A) Create a Volume Discount for a certain Business Partner:
- Master Data Management > Business Partner Setup > Volume Discount
- Create a new Volume Discount taking special care of drop-down lists 'Included Product' and 'Included Product Categories'.
- Go to tab 'Product category' or 'Product' and select desired ones.
- Go to 'Volume Discount Parameters' tab to apply discount (%) and minimum amount.
- Go to 'Business Partners' tab and select to which business partners rappel will be applied to.
B) To apply a Volume Discount to a Business Partner you must first create new invoice for him:
- Sales Management > Transactions > Sales Order
- Create a new standard sale order for the business partner.
- Add some lines to it (including the products of the volume discount).
- Click on 'Complete' button.
- Sales Management > Transactions > Sales Invoice
- Create a new sale AR invoice for the same business partner.
- Click on 'Create Lines From' button.
- Select the previously created sale order then click 'OK' button.
- Click on 'Complete' button.
C) Process the Volume Discount
- Master Data Management > Business Partner
- Select the same business partner.
- Go to 'Volume Discount' tab.
- Create a new 'Volume Discount' for this business partner.
- Click on 'Create Invoice' button.
- Go to 'Volume Discount Settlement' tab.
- Select the created rappel invoice (negative amount) then navigate to it trough 'Invoice' link.
- Click on 'Complete' button to complete the rappel invoice.
Thanks to all the users and developers that have contributed to this answers in the Openbravo forums at SourceForge.
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