MIS Systems

If you are integrating MarketDirect StoreFront with Monarch, follow these steps to configure and register the MIS.

1         Log in as an administrator and go to Administration > MIS CONFIGURATION > MIS Systems. The MIS Systems page opens.

2         Click Add New MIS.

3         Complete the Connectivity tab:

●        In the MIS Type field, select ePS Monarch.

●        In the Name field, enter a name to uniquely identify this MIS in MarketDirect StoreFront.

●        Ignore the Parent MIS field for now; this field will be populated later with information from Monarch Foundation after you register the MIS. See step 6 below.

●        Enter an optional Description.

●        Select the Communication Channel you established earlier.

●        In the Routing Identifier field, enter the name of the company as it is defined in Monarch, for example, Train/SuperPrints.

●        Ignore the Transaction Node Name field.

4         Complete the Settings tab as applicable.

The Parent MIS field on the Connectivity tab along with the Accepts Single Order check box on the Settings tab will be set later automatically (after you register the MIS and click Request System Capabilities in step 6) with information obtained from the MIS.

5         Click Save and then Register.

6         After you register the MIS, click Request System Capabilities at the bottom of the MIS Systems page. MarketDirect StoreFront will then receive the Parent MIS from Monarch, as well as information to set the Accepts Single Order check box on the Settings tab correctly.

The Parent MIS is the parent company that is established during Monarch Foundation setup. Each MIS that shares the same parent MIS also shares the same customer list and delivery methods. (Inventory – for fulfillment – is never shared, however; it is unique to an MIS.)

If you are licensed to add ePS extended applications, the Configure Extended Applications button is displayed at the bottom of the MIS Systems page. Click this button to go to the Manage Extended Application Configuration page where you can add an extended application or manage one that is already set up.

7         Associate the MIS you registered with a Print Shop.

If you are integrating MarketDirect StoreFront with Pace, follow these steps to configure and register the MIS.

1         Log in as an administrator and go to Administration > MIS CONFIGURATION > MIS Systems. The MIS Systems page opens.

2         Click Add New MIS.

3         Complete the Connectivity tab:

●        In the MIS Type field, select ePS Pace.  

●        Enter a Name and optional Description. Avoid entering just Pace in the Name field; ePS recommends a more descriptive name such as one that includes the client name, for example, Smith-Pace.

●        Select the Communication Channel you established earlier.

●        In the Routing Identifier field, enter the same information as in the Name field. (Note that the routing identifier must be unique.)

If you select the Enable Company Bypass check box on the Settings tab, the information in the Routing Identifier field must also be entered in Pace (in the Manufacturing Location on the Mapping tab in PaceConnect). In addition, you must configure the DSF Default Customer (on the DSF Connect Setup tab) or the Print Shop Defaults tab for the manufacturing location.

●        Ignore the Transaction Node Name field.

4         Complete the Settings tab as applicable.

5         Note that a Password (it can be anything initially) on the Settings tab is required before you can save the MIS, but to access the company order history you must configure the URL, User Name, and Password on the Settings tab as follows:

●        In the URL field provide the URL to the Pace machine.

●        In a single-company installation:
http://machine/rpc/company:public/internal
where machine is the domain name of the Pace machine. (A domain name is preferable, but an IP address can be used.)

●        In a multi-company installation:
Replace public with the name of the company. You can obtain this name from the Company field on the Pace login page. For example, if the company is identified as Second Company (sec), use the name in parentheses instead of public:
http://machine/rpc/company:sec/internal
machine is the domain name of the Pace machine. (A domain name is preferable, but an IP address can be used.)

●        In the User Name and Password fields, enter the user name and password that are used to log into Pace. This can be the Administrator login or the login of a user with full access to Pace. (If this password is changed in Pace, it must also be changed in MarketDirect StoreFront. The login credentials must match.)

The area below the Password field is for giving buyers access to job details on the site (My Account > Company Order History). You typically give buyers access to company order history after a company (customer) is sent from Pace to MarketDirect StoreFront, and buyers (users) are added to the company in MarketDirect StoreFront.

6         Click Save and then Register.

If you are licensed to add ePS extended applications, the Configure Extended Applications button is displayed at the bottom of the MIS Systems page. Click this button to go to the Manage Extended Application Configuration page where you can add an extended application or manage one that is already set up.

7         Associate the MIS you registered with a Print Shop.

You can give specific users access to company order history on the site (My Account > Company Order History). This history includes job details, billing information, job parts, and shipping information. Those who have permission to access company order history can track the status of all jobs in their company, no matter who placed the orders or how they were placed. (The jobs do not have to originate in MarketDirect StoreFront.)

● Access to company order history gives someone access to all orders so you may want to be careful about assigning this permission.

● Only orders that were placed are displayed in company order history; an order must be at least user approved or approved.

You can give specific buyers access to company information on the MIS Systems page after a company (customer) is sent from Pace to MarketDirect StoreFront, and after you have added buyers (users) to the company in MarketDirect StoreFront.

1         At the bottom of the Settings tab on the MIS Systems page, an Owner is automatically established for the administrator who is logged in when the MIS is registered. If you need to change the owner, click Change and then complete the Select Owner window.

2         To give permission to view the company order history:

●        Click Add User, Group, Company, or Department.

●        In the first drop-down field, select the level (Built-in Groups, Users, Groups, Companies, or Departments) at which you want to assign permission to company order history. (You can use the search field to find a specific user, group, and so on.)

● Selecting individual users gives you the greatest control over who can review company orders.

● A group offers a convenient way of giving all members of the group access to the company order history. You can set up the group ahead of time and give it permission to view order history. As you later add users to the group, they will automatically have access to company order history.

● A user must be part of a company in order to view its orders.

●        Select the user, group, company, or department you want.

●        Back on the MIS Systems Settings tab, select the View Only check box for the user, group, company, or department you just selected. (If this check box is left cleared, the company order history cannot be viewed.)

The Check Permissions For button gives you another way to see who has view only permission for company order history.

●        Click Save.

3         Make sure access to the Company Order History page is also defined correctly (Users/Access > Page Access). For example, if JohnDoe1 is part of the Operators group, that group must be given access to the Company Order History page, or JohnDoe1 will not be able to view that page.

4         Click Save.

5         Associate the MIS you registered with a Print Shop.

If you are integrating MarketDirect StoreFront with PrintSmith Vision (v 3.4 or higher), follow these steps to configure and register the MIS.

The steps are the same except when MarketDirect StoreFront is ePS-hosted and PrintSmith Vision is customer-hosted. In this case you have one additional field to complete, for which you must obtain a client ID from your eFlow installation as described in step 4 below.

To set up and register the MIS

1          Log in as an administrator and go to Administration > MIS CONFIGURATION > MIS Systems. The MIS Systems page opens.

2         Click Add New MIS.

3         Complete the Connectivity tab:

●        In the MIS Type field, select ePS PrintSmith Vision.  

●        Enter a Name (up to 50 characters) for the MIS and optional Description.

●        Select the Communication Channel you established earlier (eFlow or Super eFlow).

●        In the Routing Identifier field, enter a unique identifier. For tracking reasons, ePS recommends that the Routing Identifier is the same as the Communication Channel.

●        Ignore the Transaction Node Name field; it will automatically get filled in with MIS after you click Save.

4          If MarketDirect StoreFront is ePS-hosted and PrintSmith is customer-hosted:

●        On the computer where you installed eFlow, go to the C:\eFlow folder.

●        Open the instance.properties file with a text editor like Notepad.

●        Look for instance id and copy the ID.

●        On the Connectivity tab on the MIS Systems page in MarketDirect StoreFront, click Associate eFlow Client (to the right of the Client eFlow Instance ID field).

●        Paste the ID you copied from the properties file and click Assign. The ID is now displayed in the Client eFlow Instance ID field

5         Complete the Settings tab as applicable and then click Save.

For PrintSmith Vision integrations, under Order Settings, select Asynchronous Order Submission and Accepts Single Order; under Invoice Settings, select Transmits Invoice PDF and Update Order with Final Invoice, and set Credit Cards to Charge on MIS Request; under Other Settings, clear the two check boxes and leave Number of Decimals through Job Cancelled Statuses set as they are.

1         Log in as an administrator and go to Administration > MIS CONFIGURATION > MIS Systems. The MIS Systems page opens.

2         Click Add New MIS.

3         Complete the Connectivity tab:

●        In the MIS Type field, select ePS Radius.  

●        Enter a Name (up to 50 characters) for the MIS and optional Description.

●        Select the Communication Channel you established earlier (eFlow or Super eFlow).

●        In the Routing Identifier field, enter a unique identifier. For tracking reasons, ePS recommends that the Routing Identifier is the same as the Communication Channel.

●        Ignore the Transaction Node Name field; it will automatically get filled in with MIS after you click Save.

4         Complete the Settings tab as applicable and then click Save.

 

The Settings tab on the MIS Systems page includes settings that control some aspects of the exchange of information between MarketDirect StoreFront and the MIS. These settings fall into three groups: Order Settings, Invoice Settings, and Other Settings.

● In some cases, information related to these settings is sent from the MIS after you click Request System Capabilities at the bottom of the MIS Systems page. Currently Monarch integrations obtain some information this way. The Request System Capabilities button does not apply to Pace or PrintSmith Vision integrations.

● The BOD Message Versions section is informational and applies only to integrations using an eFlow communications channel. (BOD stands for Business Object Definition, a standard for data created by an independent organization.)

● If you have the Fulfillment module, then there will be two additional groups: Fulfillment Rules and Order Import Settings.

●         Asynchronous Order Submission

When the Asynchronous Order Submission check box is selected, buyers receive an order confirmation immediately (with no delay during checkout), but are not informed of any communication or data errors. When the Asynchronous Order Submission check box is cleared, the order confirmation is delayed until a successful response is received from the MIS and buyers are informed of any communication or data errors.  Note that the site administrator is always notified of communication errors even if buyers are not.

●         Accepts Single Order

In Monarch integrations, this check box is set automatically with information that comes from the MIS when Request System Capabilities is clicked on the MIS Systems page.

When the Accepts Single Order check box is selected, MarketDirect StoreFront sends a single XML file to the MIS for the entire order (instead of separate XML files for each line item in multiple-item order). When the Accepts Single Order check box is cleared, MarketDirect StoreFront splits a multi-line order into separate items (jobs) and submits each line item to the MIS separately.

●         Include Print Preview Thumbnail

When the Include Print Preview Thumbnail check box is selected, a thumbnail of the first page of the print job is sent to the MIS so it can be included in documents. Note the following:

●         The thumbnail that is sent is not the thumbnail of a product on the storefront, but of the first page of the content PDF file in a print product.

●         No thumbnails are sent for the following:

●         Print products that have only offline files or files in native (non-PDF) format.

●         Print products where the first file to be printed is in native format.

●         VDP products (FusionPro®).

●         Non-print products.

●         When a print product consists of a mix of offline files and PDFs, a thumbnail is sent for the first page of the first PDF in the job.

●         For kits, a thumbnail is sent for every print product in the kit that meets the criteria above.

●         A thumbnail is sent only when the order is created (not when it is canceled or updated).

●         If MarketDirect StoreFront cannot find a thumbnail, the order information is sent to the MIS without a thumbnail.

●         Show Inventory for Buyer by Default

When the Show Inventory for Buyer by Default check box is selected (which is the default setting), the Show Inventory to Buyer check box is automatically selected in the Company settings for all the companies imported from the MIS. This saves you from editing the settings for each company one by one. When the Show Inventory for Buyer by Default check box is cleared, you must manually set the Show Inventory to Buyer check box in the Company settings for each company (the Show Inventory to Buyer check box is cleared by default).

If you upgrade to MarketDirect StoreFront from a version that did not include the Show Inventory for Buyer by Default feature, the setting of the Show Inventory to Buyer check box in the Company settings remains as it was; only new companies that you import will be affected.

●         Allow Multiple Delivery Address

(PrintSmith Vision only) When the Allow Multiple Delivery Address check box is selected, buyers can specify multiple recipients during order checkout in MarketDirect StoreFront. When the Allow Multiple Delivery Address check box is cleared, multiple recipients are not allowed.

●       Transmits Invoice PDF

Transmits Invoice PDF is designed to work in conjunction with the Update Order with Final Invoice setting (see below).

When the Transmits Invoice PDF check box is selected, MarketDirect StoreFront stores summary invoice amounts and displays links to detailed PDFs of MIS invoices (if supplied by the MIS). Buyers can view the invoices as part of their order history. Until a "final" invoice is sent, the MIS can send the same invoice multiple times, and it will be updated in MarketDirect StoreFront. After a final invoice is sent, no further updates to the order will be accepted by MarketDirect StoreFront.

When the Transmits Invoice PDF and Update Order with Final Invoice check boxes are both selected, and the MIS sends a final invoice, the status of the order in MarketDirect StoreFront changes to Completed and Invoiced.

When the Transmits Invoice PDF check box is cleared, MarketDirect StoreFront rejects the invoice message. In this case, the MarketDirect StoreFront shipping amount is updated when the order status is set to Shipped, as long as the Update Order with Final Invoice check box is selected, the Perform Shipping Calculations check box (in the MarketDirect StoreFront Price Settings) is selected, and the MIS supplies shipping information.

●         Update Order with Final Invoice

The Update Order with Final Invoice setting is designed to work in conjunction with the Transmits Invoice PDF setting.

When the Update Order with Final Invoice check box is selected, the order amounts are updated in MarketDirect StoreFront (based either on the MIS invoice or shipment messages, depending on the setting of the Transmits Invoice PDF check box). If the Update Order with Final Invoice check box is selected, you can also use job synchronization to make a single adjustment to the order based on the MIS total invoice amount, as long as a final invoice was not already sent.  

When the Update Order with Final Invoice check box is cleared, the order amount is not updated in MarketDirect StoreFront and job synchronization is unavailable. Credit card orders are the exception: in this case the order amount is updated in MarketDirect StoreFront based on the what is calculated in the MIS and charged to the credit card.

●         Credit Cards

When a credit card is used for an order, MarketDirect StoreFront goes to the payment gateway to obtain authorization for the payment. The gateway returns an authorization reference number, but the credit card is not charged at this time. There are three options for controlling when the credit card is charged:

●         Charge on Shipped Status: MarketDirect StoreFront charges the card, based on the web order amount, when the order ships (its status is set to Shipped).

●         Charge on MIS request: Credit cards are charged by MarketDirect StoreFront when a request to do so is received from the MIS. The amount charged is the final invoice amount provided by the MIS.

After it receives the request from the MIS, MarketDirect StoreFront attempts the delayed capture on the credit card and sends a message to the MIS to indicate whether the capture was successful or not.

●         Charge in the MIS: The MIS charges the card, having received the authorization reference number from MarketDirect StoreFront.

●       Display MIS Shipping Amounts to Buyer

When the Display MIS Shipping Amounts to Buyer check box is selected, if the MIS sends shipping and tracking information, the shipping charges are displayed next to the tracking number at the bottom of the buyer order summary. If the Display MIS Shipping Amounts to Buyer check box is cleared, and the MIS sends shipping and tracking information, the shipping charges are not displayed next to the tracking number.

●         Enable Company Bypass

Enable Company Bypass check box is selected, buyers can belong to any company and place orders that are sent to this MIS. For companies to be bypassed, the Routing Identifier on the MIS Systems page is used instead of the buyer's company to route orders to the correct Print Shop/manufacturing facility. This Routing Identifier must be entered in Pace (in the Manufacturing Location field on the Mapping tab in PaceConnect). In addition, you must configure the DSF Default Customer (on the DSF Connect Setup tab) or the Print Shop Defaults tab for the manufacturing location.

●        Allow MIS Company/user creation from self registration

If the Allow MIS Company/user creation from self registration check box is selected, when buyers register themselves on the site and include their company name and tax ID, when they place their first order, the company information the buyer provided can be used to create a company in the MIS. Initially, the buyer is placed in the default registration company; it is up to the MIS to create a company or add the buyer to an existing company. When MarketDirect StoreFront receives this information from the MIS, the company becomes an MIS company in MarketDirect StoreFront and the buyer is mapped to the company as an MIS contact.

To use this feature, in Site Settings > User Profile Fields, the Company and Custom Field 5 (for Tax ID) fields must be set to Visible and Required.

●        Number of Decimals

This field specifies the number of decimal places allowed in numerical values sent to the MIS. When the MIS specifies the number of decimals in a transaction, this overrides the MarketDirect StoreFront default number of decimals, thus avoiding the scenario where a value set in MarketDirect StoreFront and communicated to the MIS could exceed the maximum value set in the MIS (and possibly result in overflow errors in the MIS, truncation of data, and so on).

Sometimes the unit price and price components may have more decimals to make everything add up. You would see this in the OrderInformation.xml.

●       PO Max Number Length

This field specifies the maximum number of characters (up to 50) that a purchase order number can include. When the MIS specifies the maximum length for PO numbers, this overrides the MarketDirect StoreFront maximum length, thus avoiding the scenario where a value set in MarketDirect StoreFront and communicated to the MIS could exceed the maximum value set in the MIS (and possibly result in overflow errors in the MIS, truncation of data, and so on).

●       Job Completed Statuses

This field specifies the statuses that indicate that a job is complete.

●       Job Cancelled Statuses

This field specifies the statuses that indicate that a job is canceled.

●       Default Pick Location

Enable this setting to assign the Default Pick Location to Fulfillment products that are created in an MIS then sent to MarketDirect StoreFront. Click the Warehouse Location link to open the Warehouse Location page.

●       Allow Back Order

Enable this setting to Allow Back Order for Fulfillment products that are created in an MIS then sent to MarketDirect StoreFront.

●       Show Inventory when back order is allowed

Enable this setting to Show Inventory when back order is allowed for Fulfillment products that are created in an MIS then sent to MarketDirect StoreFront.

The Show Inventory when back is allowed setting will only work if the Allow Back Order setting is also enabled.

These settings allow administrators with the Fulfillment module to import sales order requests from the Pace MIS. The fields below contain the information needed to place an order in MarketDirect StoreFront.

●       Import User Name

Enter a User Name for the imported order. If the field is left blank, then the Pace administrator will need to specify a user for the order.

●       Delivery Method

Choose the Delivery Method for imported orders. If the field is left blank, then the Pace administrator will need to specify a Delivery Method for the order.

●       Payment Method

The Payment Method will always be Pay at Store, because it is the only supported Payment Method for orders coming from an MIS.

For eFlow-integrated instances of MarketDirect StoreFront only.

eFlow-integrated instances of MarketDirect StoreFront support the XML message structure BOD (Business Object Document). BOD is a message architecture (XML schema) that enables communication between MarketDirect StoreFront and third-party MIS and other business productivity systems (e.g., eCommerce APIs).  

In the fields below, specify the version of BOD that your MIS supports for the listed messages (in MIS configurations).

Important Note: You must select the same version for all messages (i.e., you cannot specify v. 2 for Catalog BOD and v. 3 for ItemMast BOD). 

Supported BOD message versions for MIS systems: 
-- Monarch: v. 3
-- PrintSmith Vision: v. 2
-- Radius: v. 2

●        Catalog BOD: Enter the appropriate version MIS currently supports.

This message is used to represent a group products/items for sale.

●        CustomerPartyMaster BOD: Enter the appropriate version MIS currently supports.

This message is used to transfer the customer and the contact object and associated child elements, including customer sales region, sales rep, CSR, shipping addresses, and customer contacts.

●        Field BOD: Enter the appropriate version MIS currently supports.

This is a generic message that can be used to send setup data for objects that only require a small amount of additional information along with an ID and a description.

●        Invoice BOD: Enter the appropriate version MIS currently supports.

This message is used to transmit a customer's invoice information between ePS systems.

●        ItemMaster BOD: Enter the appropriate version MIS currently supports.

This message is for finished goods items to be shared between systems.  

●        PaymentStatus BOD: Enter the appropriate version MIS currently supports.

This message is used to pass payment status or request action on a payment status.

●        SalesOrder BOD: Enter the appropriate version MIS currently supports.

This used to provide sales order details or create a sales order in a receiving system.  

(PrintSmith Vision only) Use the Synchronize Products, Synchronize Contacts, and Synchronize Print Services buttons to transmit information about product, contacts, and print services to PrintSmith Vision. For information about when you should use these buttons, see the PrintSmith Vision - MarketDirect StoreFront Integration Guide.

After you register the MIS on the MIS Systems page, you must associate the MIS with a Print Shop in MarketDirect StoreFront.

In addition, if you plan to offer digital downloads of products or direct mail products on your site, you must configure some default shipping methods for the Print Shop. When buyers order a digital download or direct mail product, no shipping information is required in the cart. When the order is sent to the MIS, however, a delivery method is required (even if it does not apply to the type of product being ordered). To support this, you must map three default shipping methods to delivery methods. Depending on how your MIS handles delivery methods, these can either be delivery methods defined in the MIS (and transmitted to MarketDirect StoreFront) or delivery methods that are available for this purpose in MarketDirect StoreFront.

1         Go to Administration > Print Shops.

2         Double-click the Print Shop you want to associate with the MIS (or add a new Print Shop).

3         Scroll down to the MIS System section and select the MIS to associate with the print shop.

4         If you plan to offer digital downloads or direct mail products on the site:

●        Select the delivery methods to be used for digital download or direct mail orders by clicking Assign/Update Delivery Methods. These can be delivery methods defined in the MIS or the following delivery methods built into MarketDirect StoreFront: Digital Delivery, USPS First Class, and USPS Standard Mail.

●        For Default Shipping Method for Digital Download, select Digital Delivery (or the comparable delivery method that was defined in the MIS).

●        For Default Shipping Method for Direct Mail (Standard), select USPS Standard Mail (or the comparable delivery method that was defined in the MIS).

●        For Default Shipping Method for Direct Mail (First Class), select USPS First Class (or the comparable delivery method that was defined in the MIS).

These three default shipping methods will never be available as selections in the cart; they are used “behind the scenes” to support the MIS order workflow for digital downloads and direct mail.

5         Click Save to save the Print Shop settings.