"Data Snapshot" function

Mark HHP

Is there a way to do a snapshot of a group of items? Say I have a bunch of quotes and at a certain point, I need to be able to push a button and make a static version of that group. Basically, the idea is that on a certain date we "close off" the quotes and after that we need to see any differences. So we'd display side by side so you could see any differences.

Unless someone else has a better way to do it?

hpl123

Mark,
I guess the simplest way would be to create an BO called BOSnapShot and then use DUPLICATE to duplicate the original instances and INSERT them into separate BOSnapshot instances. A variation of this would be to also create another BO which would be the duplicated instance (s) (i.e. DUPLICATE OriginalBo TO SeperateBo) and this depends if you use the original BO in statistics or other operations where the number of instances is important.

You should also ideally use protection rules to protect the snapshot instances from being changed.

hpl123

hpl123 wrote
Mark,
I guess the simplest way would be to create an BO called BOSnapShot and then use DUPLICATE to duplicate the original instances and INSERT them into separate BOSnapshot instances. A variation of this would be to also create another BO which would be the duplicated instance (s) (i.e. DUPLICATE OriginalBo TO SeperateBo) and this depends if you use the original BO in statistics or other operations where the number of instances is important.

You should also ideally use protection rules to protect the snapshot instances from being changed.

To clarify:

Alternative 1:
Create SnapshotBo
Create SeperateBo
Duplicate OriginalBo and insert the copies (SeperateBo) into the SnapshotBo.

Alternative 2:
Create SnapshotBo
Duplicate OriginalBo and insert the copies (OriginalBo copy) into the SnapshotBo.

Mark HHP

Thanks, Henrik. Thats what I was thinking as I typed my question. I'll give it a go, should be good.

Thanks again.

Mark HHP

So what if I added another field called QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumberBalance to match my QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumber field?

What I need then is a process that runs daily, takes QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumber (left value) and places that value in the QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumberBalance field (right value). Then I can set them next to each other in the query with both totalled up. That would allow me to see a difference between the two (if I could mark the SizeAsNumberBalance in another colour if it were higher or lower than the original, that'd be great)

I just can't figure out the process to reproduce the value into the second field. The object is QuoteLineItem. It would run daily for a morning check through to make sure everything balances.

hpl123

Hi Mark,
Here are some comments.

You could use a scheduled process that runs every morning but that is IMO not ideal because the FIND action for example used as part of the scheduled process would find multiple instances and updating each individual instance would in that case be difficult.

I would instead add a BO rule to the QuoteLineItem updating QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumberBalance when QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumber was changed (If I understood you correctly and these are related?):

If QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumber WAS CHANGED Then
QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumberBalance=QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumber

The rule example above just copies the value of the QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumber to QuoteLineItem.SizeAsNumberBalance and I guess you want to do some other calculation here because you write about comparing the two and that can easily be included in the rule.

When it comes to the color of the row field, take a look at "Styles" in attribute (and check Use attribute Style" in query attribute) or "Item Display Rules" in query settings.