Custom Processor Applet

Purpose and Overview

The Custom Processor Applet is an automation engine designed to handle the background processing of internal documents within the ecosystem. Rather than requiring staff to manually “push” every document through its lifecycle, this applet uses customizable filters to identify documents (such as Internal Sales Orders or Invoices) and process them automatically in batches.

ℹ️
Core Concept: The applet works as a “listening service.” It monitors your system for specific document types and statuses (e.g., INTERNAL_SALES_ORDER in DRAFT status) and adds them to a processing queue for automated execution.

What is the Custom Processor Applet? (Explained Simply)

Imagine you have a warehouse that receives 1,000 internal stock transfer orders every day.

  • Without the Applet: A clerk has to manually open each order, check it, and click “Process” to move it to the next stage.
  • With the Custom Processor: You create a “Filter” that says: “Every time an Internal Sales Order is created by Company X in Branch Y, process it immediately.”

The applet automatically gathers these orders in a Queue, processes them in the background, and keeps a detailed History of everything it did.

Relationship to Other Applets

This applet acts as the “automation layer” for your core workflows:

  • Internal Sales Order / Invoice Applets: These applets generate the source documents that the Custom Processor handles.
  • Price Tag Applet: The processor includes specialized history tracking for price tags, often used to automate label printing or pricing updates.
  • General Ledger Applet: Once documents are processed (e.g., converted from DRAFT to FINAL), they flow into the audit trails and ledgers verified by this applet.

Who Benefits from This Applet?

Operations & Logistics Teams:

  • Automate the high-volume processing of internal stock and sales orders.
  • Reduce bottlenecking caused by manual document approval.
  • Ensure that “Price Tags” and document labels are generated consistently in the background.

IT & System Administrators:

  • Configure complex “Processing Filters” to determine which documents are automated vs. manual.
  • Monitor the health of background tasks via the Processing Queue.
  • Troubleshoot failed processing attempts through detailed history logs.

Finance & Audit Teams:

  • Maintain a complete “History” of automated actions for compliance.
  • Ensure that “Posting Status” transitions (e.g., DRAFT to FINAL) follow pre-defined rules.
  • Reduce human error in document status management.

What Problems Does This Solve?

The “Manual Bottleneck” Problem: In high-volume environments, requiring a human to click “OK” on every single document creates a massive delay. The Custom Processor removes this bottleneck by automating repetitive tasks.

The “Human Error” Problem: Manual processing often leads to documents being missed or processed with incorrect statuses. The processor uses fixed filtering criteria to ensure 100% consistency.

Delayed Documentation (Price Tags): In retail, price tags need to be updated instantly when prices change. This applet automates the “Processor” that handles these updates, ensuring tags are always ready and historical changes are tracked.

Lack of Background Traceability: Background tasks are often “invisible.” This applet provides a dedicated Queue and History interface so you can see exactly what the robot is doing in real-time.

Key Features Overview

Custom Processing Filters
Define exact criteria for automated document triggers
Real-Time Processing Queue
Monitor active documents awaiting automated actions
Automated Posting Management
Automatically move documents from DRAFT to FINAL status
Detailed Audit History
Trace every automated process across multiple doc types
Specialized Price Tag Tracking
Dedicated history for pricing updates and tag generation
Company & Branch Scoping
Control automation rules by specific business units

Key Concepts

Document Triggers & Filters

The “Brain” of the applet. You define a Filter Code that specifies:

  1. Server Doc Type: The specific category (e.g., INTERNAL_SALES_ORDER).
  2. Posting Status: The state a document must be in to trigger (e.g., DRAFT).
  3. Tenant & Company: The specific organizational context.

The Lifecycle of a Processed Document

  1. Creation: A document is created in another applet.
  2. Queueing: The Custom Processor identifies the document based on your active filters and adds it to the Queue.
  3. Consumption: The backend processor “consumes” the task and performs the action.
  4. Logging: The result (Success/Fail) is recorded in Processing History.

Quick Start Guide

For IT Admins: Setting Up an Automation

Goal: Automatically process all “Internal Sales Returns” to a finalized status.

  1. Navigate: Go to Processing Filter > Add (+).
  2. Define Filter:
    • Enter a unique Filter Code (e.g., ISR_AUTO_FINALIZE).
    • Select INTERNAL_SALES_RETURN as the Server Doc Type.
    • Set the Posting Status to DRAFT.
  3. Active Status: Ensure the Status is set to ACTIVE.
  4. Save: Click Save. The system will now begin monitor for all internal returns that match this criteria.

For Operations: Monitoring the Workload

Goal: Check why a batch of documents hasn’t been processed yet.

  1. Check Queue: Go to the Processing Queue tab.
  2. Search: Use the Advanced Search to find specific documents by date or ID.
  3. Observe: If documents are “stuck” in the queue, it may indicate that the filter settings are too broad or the backend service is currently busy.
  4. Verify History: Go to Processing History to see if past attempts on these documents failed.

For Retail Managers: Price Tag Auditing

Goal: Verify recent pricing updates and tag generation.

  1. Navigate: Go to the Price Tag History tab.
  2. Review: Filter by Company and Date.
  3. Trace: Click on individual rows to see which pricing set was processed and when the labels were generated.

Document Tabs Overview

The Custom Processor Applet uses a modular tab system to separate configuration from auditing.

Processing Filter Tab

Where the rules are defined.

  • Filter Listing: A grid of all automated rules currently in the system.
  • Form Deep Dive:
    • Filter Code: A human-readable identifier for your automated rule.
    • Server Doc Type: Supports various internal documents like INTERNAL_SALES_ORDER, INTERNAL_SALES_RETURN, and INTERNAL_SALES_INVOICE.
    • Posting Status: The trigger point (typically DRAFT or FINAL).
    • Status (ACTIVE/INACTIVE): A master switch to enable or disable the automation without deleting the filter.

Processing Queue Tab

The “Waiting Room” for documents.

  • Queue Listing: Shows documents that have been picked up by the filters but are still “waiting” for the backend to finish processing.
  • Grid Features: includes columns for Doc ID, Creation Date, and Target Company.

Processing History Tab

The audit log for all generic documents.

  • Searchable Database: Look up any document that has ever been handled by the processor.
  • Outcome Tracking: Verifies whether the background action was successful.

Price Tag History Tab

A specialized auditing view.

  • Dedicated Logging: Tracks the “Price Tag” document sets specifically.
  • Batch Visibility: Allows users to see the processing of multiple pricing updates within a single batch.

Configuration & Settings

Default Selections (Settings > Defaults)

Configure the baseline environment for the applet.

  • Company & Branch: Ensure the applet is focused on the correct business scope.
  • Default Page Count: Adjust the density of the Queue and History grids for high-volume monitoring.

Permission Set Listing (Settings)

Control access to sensitive automation rules.

  • Role Permissions: Limit who can Delete or Modify Processing Filters, as incorrect changes here can disrupt entire document lifecycles.

FAQ

Q: Can I process documents other than “Sales” types?
A: Currently, the applet supports INTERNAL_SALES_ORDER, INTERNAL_SALES_RETURN, INTERNAL_SALES_DEBIT_NOTE, INTERNAL_SALES_CREDIT_NOTE, and INTERNAL_SALES_INVOICE. Support for further document types can be added through system-wide updates.

Q: Does “Active” mean the process runs immediately?
A: Yes. Once a filter is set to ACTIVE, any document created that matches those criteria will be intercepted and added to the processing queue.

Q: What happens if a document fails to process?
A: If an error occurs, the document will remain in the system. You can check the Processing History for error logs (if available) or manually process the document in its native applet to resolve any validation errors (like missing line items).

Q: Can I create multiple filters for the same document type?
A: Yes, provided they have different Company or Branch criteria. This allows you to have different automation rules for different regions.

Related Applets

Internal Sales Order / Invoice Applets

Purpose: The source apps where the items being processed are originally created.

Price Tag Applet

Purpose: Manages the visual layout and data for pricing labels. The Custom Processor handles the background generation tasks for these tags.

General Ledger Applet

Purpose: Records the final financial impact of documents that have been processed from “Draft” into “Final.”