Tips & Tricks: EcoSys Advanced Commands (Advanced Configuration)

Advanced Commands are a set of tools that can be utilized in EcoSys configurations to assist troubleshooting or to override a variety of system settings that control the data that EcoSys generates. The Advanced Commands box can be found in the Options tab of configuration screens for actions, action batches, charts, reports, spreadsheets, and mobile views.

Advanced Commands may be used for the purpose of troubleshooting or setting up advanced behavior. The available Advanced Commands are listed in the appendix of any of our course manuals.

To understand what Advanced Commands do and how they are configured, let us take a look at a few examples of Advanced Commands.

Examples of EcoSys Advanced Commands

Example 1: debugActionsInBatch. Default setting: false. 

When this Advanced Command is set to “true”, EcoSys generates an Excel file for every Update Action in the Action Batch.

Snapshots of the data before and after the Action Batch was run, as well as the differences between those snapshots, are captured in an Excel file.

The resulting log file can then be retrieved in the Admin > System Status & Logs > Download Log screen in the Download Action Batch Debug Logs. This file contains 3 Excel sheets: the first sheet displays the original data, the second sheet reviews the updated data, and the third sheet denotes what changed.

When running long and complicated Action Batches, this command enables you to more easily identify how Actions are impacting the data. However, it is important to note that it should not be used for purposes outside of troubleshooting. Although it is a powerful audit functionality, activating it creates a strain on the system resources and should never be used in a production environment.

Actions can be configured to include a recording of their success or failure via log entries for further examination and testing.  The TECO3000 – EcoSys System Administration course covers the functional administration of EcoSys and discusses system logs and reports in detail.

Example 2: ExpandFormulas. Default setting: false. 

The ExpandFormulas Advanced Command, when enabled, adds an additional column for each of the data fields comprising the formula in the spreadsheet, report, or report preview.

This command is especially useful for troubleshooting complex formulas that include a plurality of data fields and complex calculations in its logic. The troubleshooting process for complex formulas, with its several fields associated or logic, requires the identification of its components, which is easily accomplished with ExpandFormulas.

When a formula is evaluating in an unexpected way, ExpandFormulas enables the visualization of the formula’s various data field components. Before this command was available, in order to view the data fields that comprised the formula, first the underlying data fields had to be determined and then each data field had to be added to the spreadsheet or report configuration. The ExpandFormulas command performs this by simply adding its syntax to the configuration Advanced Commands box and setting it to “true”.  As with most of the other commands, this feature creates a strain on system resources and should only be used when troubleshooting, and therefore should be disabled once the issue has been resolved.

Advanced formula creation, decoding, and troubleshooting are covered in detail in the training courses TECO2100 – EcoSys Report & Chart Builder Workshop and TECO2200 – Advanced EcoSys Configuration.

Example 3: debugSaveAction. Default setting: false. 

This Advanced Command is a debug command that functions similarly to the debugActionsInBatch command, but for Save Actions on spreadsheets.

When this command is set to “true”, EcoSys generates an Excel file for every Save Action in the Action Batch.

Similarly, before and after snapshots, as well as the differences between those snapshots are captured in an Excel file and the resulting log file can be retrieved from the Download Log screen. This command should be used for troubleshooting only.

Example 4: DefaultCurrencyforNewRecords. Default setting: Enterprise

This is one of the few Advanced Commands that may be used in production, while other commands are geared towards troubleshooting or performance tuning.

This command controls the data that is created by determining the currency that new transactions will receive by default if a currency was not provided. The options for the DefaultCurrencyforNewRecords command are Enterprise, RootCostObject and CostObject.

DefaultCurrencyforNewRecords=Enterprise

DefaultCurrencyforNewRecords=RootCostObject

DefaultCurrencyforNewRecords=CostObject

Business requirements may vary across an organization, as well as in the management and assignment of currency. New transactions’ currencies may need to be set to the project currency or the work breakdown structure (WBS) currency.

For environments that do not utilize multi-currency, it is not necessary for this command to be used, as the default server setting is set to Enterprise.

In cases where the same setting applies to all transactions, for example when transactions should always utilize project currency, there is no need to enter this Advanced Command in all of your configurations. The setting can be setup in the Server Settings file by simply searching for “default currency for new records” and entering the appropriate option.  This command should only be used in Advanced Commands for exceptions to this rule.

The TECO3000 – EcoSys System Administration course focuses on the role of an administrator within EcoSys and includes a discussion of multi-currency and currency management, including default currencies.

Conclusion

Though you now have a better understanding of Advanced Commands and their purpose, please remember that prior to utilizing an Advanced Command, always consult with an EcoSys representative. Our consultant and support teams are available to help you determine your needs for Advanced Commands. Advanced Commands should only be utilized in cooperation with an EcoSys representative.

Advanced Commands and other advanced configuration are covered in the advanced EcoSys Training Program courses, including the TECO2100 – EcoSys Report & Chart Builder Workshop, TECO2200 – Advanced EcoSys Configuration, and TECO3000 – EcoSys System Administration. For detailed information on the EcoSys Training Program, including course descriptions, class schedule, and registration, please visit the EcoSys training webpage.