ROB-EX Scheduler Connector

As a IT Manager (IT-chef)
I want to activate the ROB-EX Scheduler Connector through the assisted setup wizard
So that the app is licensed and ready to expose Business Central data to ROB-EX Scheduler

Setup:

1. In Business Central, search for Assisted Setup and open it.
2. Find Abakion ROB-EX Scheduler Connector in the list and launch the setup guide.
3. On the welcome step, review the instructional text about the 30-day free trial.
4. Enter your Email Address in the field provided. If you are a partner activating on behalf of a client, enable I am a partner activating this on behalf of a client — the caption will change to "Partner Email Address".
5. Click Activate Trial to register and enable the app.
6. Click Finish to complete the wizard.

Note: Activation does not commit to a paid subscription. The 30-day trial can be used to evaluate the app before purchasing.

As a IT Manager (IT-chef)
I want to find the API connection parameters that ROB-EX needs to connect to Business Central
So that the ROB-EX consultant can configure the data source on the ROB-EX side

Setup:

1. Search for and open ROB-EX Scheduler Connector Setup.
2. Note the following read-only values on the page:
   • API publisher — always abakion
   • API group — always robex
   • Azure AD Tenant — the tenant ID for your Microsoft 365 / Azure AD
   • Azure AD Domain Name — the tenant domain (SaaS only)
   • Environment Name — the name of your Business Central environment
   • Company Id — the GUID of the current company
   • SaaS Deployment / OnPremises Deployment / Sandbox — deployment type indicators
3. Share these values with the ROB-EX system integrator to configure the API connection.

Note: All values on this page are populated automatically when the app is first activated. They cannot be edited manually.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to pull current production orders from Business Central into ROB-EX Scheduler
So that ROB-EX has up-to-date order data to schedule on the Gantt chart

Setup:

1. From within ROB-EX Scheduler, initiate a data refresh / pull from the Business Central data source.
2. ROB-EX calls the getProdOrders API endpoint, which returns all production orders with status Planned, Firm Planned, Released, or Finished.
3. Each production order record includes: order number, description, quantity, location, starting date/time, ending date/time, due date, dimensions, source type, source number, and links to planned/firm planned predecessor orders.
4. ROB-EX displays the orders in the Gantt planning view for scheduling.

Note: Finished production orders are included in the read feed. Only Planned through Released are supported for write-back of status changes.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to pull production order lines with item and customer context into ROB-EX
So that I can see item details, quantities, and which sales orders drive demand during scheduling

Setup:

1. ROB-EX calls the getProdOrderLines API endpoint, which returns lines for Planned and Released production orders.
2. Each line includes: item number, description, quantities (total, remaining, finished), unit of measure, variant, location, BOM, starting/ending dates, due date, dimensions, and the parent production order's description and source.
3. Additionally, if a production order line is reserved against a sales order, the line includes: sales order number, customer name, and shipment date.
4. The Reserved For field provides a combined text description of all reservation entries for the line, useful for understanding downstream demand.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to pull routing operations for all open production orders into ROB-EX
So that ROB-EX can schedule each individual operation on the correct work center or machine center

Setup:

1. ROB-EX calls the getProdOrderRoutings API endpoint, which returns routing lines for Planned and Released production orders.
2. Each routing line includes: operation number, work center / machine center, type, setup time, run time, move time, wait time, starting date/time, routing status, scrap factor, send-ahead quantity, concurrent capacities, and routing link code.
3. The operation sequence is defined by Previous Operation No. and Next Operation No. fields, which ROB-EX uses to build the operation chain for each production order line.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to pull work center and machine center master data into ROB-EX
So that ROB-EX knows the available capacity resources and can assign operations to them correctly

Setup:

1. ROB-EX calls the getWorkCenters API endpoint to retrieve all work centers, including: number, name, efficiency, queue time, shop calendar code, work center group, and dimensions.
2. ROB-EX calls the getMachineCenters API endpoint to retrieve all machine centers, including: number, name, efficiency, queue time, and the parent work center number.
3. ROB-EX uses this master data to populate its resource list in the Gantt view.

Note: Blocked work centers and machine centers are included in the API response; ROB-EX should be configured to handle or exclude blocked resources as appropriate.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to pull work center and machine center calendar entries into ROB-EX
So that ROB-EX can respect shift patterns and available working hours when scheduling operations

Setup:

1. ROB-EX calls the getCalendarEntries API endpoint, which returns all calendar entries for both work centers and machine centers.
2. Each entry includes: capacity type, resource number, date, work shift code, starting time, ending time, capacity (total and effective), efficiency, and absence information.
3. ROB-EX uses these entries to determine available windows for scheduling each operation, respecting shift boundaries and capacity constraints.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to pull inventory item master data into ROB-EX
So that items referenced in production orders are available in the ROB-EX planning environment

Setup:

1. ROB-EX calls the getItems API endpoint, which returns all items of type Inventory.
2. Each item record includes: item number, description, blocked status, replenishment system, item category code, base unit of measure, and dimensions.
3. This data allows ROB-EX to display item descriptions and categorizations alongside production order information.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to pull open sales orders into ROB-EX
So that I can see customer demand and shipment deadlines while scheduling production

Setup:

1. ROB-EX calls the getSalesOrders API endpoint, which returns all sales orders.
2. Each record includes: document number, customer number, customer name, salesperson code, posting date, and shipment date.
3. ROB-EX can correlate production order lines (which include sales order references when reserved) with the corresponding sales orders to visualize customer deadlines in the Gantt view.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to pull open purchase orders into ROB-EX
So that I can see incoming material supply alongside production schedules

Setup:

1. ROB-EX calls the getPurchaseOrders API endpoint, which returns all purchase orders.
2. Each record includes: document number, vendor number, vendor name, and order date.
3. This data provides supply-side context in ROB-EX when planning production timelines.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to push the optimized start and end times for routing operations from ROB-EX back into Business Central
So that the production order routing lines in Business Central reflect the schedule approved in ROB-EX

Setup:

1. After scheduling in ROB-EX, initiate a write-back of updated routing line times to Business Central.
2. ROB-EX calls the insertDataLines API endpoint, posting a dataset (identified by a Data Set Reference code) containing one entry per routing operation, with updated starting date/time, ending date/time, setup ending date/time, operation number, and optionally a new work center or machine center assignment.
3. Business Central stores the submitted entries in the ROB-EX Routing Line Entries log, grouped by data set reference.
4. Business Central then processes each entry:
   • Sets Schedule Manually to true on all routing lines in the affected production order line (to prevent MRP from overwriting the ROB-EX schedule).
   • Writes the new starting and ending date/time values to the routing line.
   • Recalculates capacity needs (setup time and run time entries) based on the new time window.
   • Adjusts starting and ending times to account for UTC offset differences from the work center calendar.
5. After all routing lines for a production order line are updated, the connector recalculates the production order line's starting and ending dates from the first and last routing line respectively, and updates the production order header dates accordingly.
6. Open ROB-EX Routing Line Entries in Business Central and filter by the data set reference to review the update status of each entry.

Note: The write-back only applies to Planned and Released production orders. If the production order has status Finished when the write-back is processed, the entry is marked as an error.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to check whether a write-back from ROB-EX was processed successfully in Business Central
So that I can identify and investigate any routing lines that failed to update

Setup:

1. Search for and open ROB-EX Routing Line Entries.
2. Filter the list by Data Set Reference to see all entries belonging to the most recent write-back batch from ROB-EX.
3. Review the following status columns for each entry:
   • Operation Update Status: None / In Process / Success / Error — indicates whether the individual routing line was updated.
   • Operation Update Message: Error description if the operation update failed.
   • Prod. Order Line Update Status: None / Success / Error — indicates whether the production order line dates were recalculated after the routing updates.
   • Prod. Order Line Update Message: Error description if the production order line update failed.
   • Updated: Flag indicating whether this entry has been fully processed.
4. For entries with Error status, read the message to determine the cause (e.g. production order not found, production order already finished, routing operation not found).
5. Use the Show Production Order action to navigate directly from a routing line entry to the related production order.

As a IT Manager (IT-chef)
I want to manually re-trigger the processing of routing line entries for a specific data set reference
So that I can retry failed entries or reprocess a dataset after correcting an issue in Business Central

Setup:

1. Open ROB-EX Routing Line Entries.
2. Select any entry belonging to the data set reference you want to reprocess.
3. In the action bar, click Update related Routing Line Entries.
4. Confirm the action when prompted — it will reprocess all unprocessed entries for the same data set reference.
5. Review the updated status columns after processing completes.

Note: Only entries where Updated is false are reprocessed. Entries already marked as updated (whether Success or Error with Updated = true) are skipped unless manually reset.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to advance a production order's status from ROB-EX (e.g. from Planned to Released, or Released to Finished)
So that I can progress production orders in Business Central without leaving the scheduling tool

Setup:

1. In ROB-EX, trigger a status change for a production order.
2. ROB-EX calls the insertProdStatusRequests API endpoint, passing the production order number and the target status value (as an integer: Planned = 0, Firm Planned = 1, Released = 2, Finished = 3).
3. Business Central looks up the production order and verifies it exists with a status of Planned or Released.
4. If the requested status is higher than the current status, Business Central executes the standard production order status change (using Prod. Order Status Management), including output verification logic based on the Finish Order without Output setting in Manufacturing Setup.
5. The posting date used for the status change defaults to the current Work Date.

Note: The status change only moves forward. If the production order is already at or beyond the requested status, no action is taken. Finished production orders cannot be changed via this API.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to reassign a routing operation to a different work center or machine center in ROB-EX and have that change reflected in Business Central
So that I can handle capacity overloads by rerouting operations without manually editing production orders in Business Central

Setup:

1. In ROB-EX, change the resource assignment for a routing operation and push the update back to Business Central as part of a write-back dataset.
2. In the insert payload, include the updated Type (Work Center or Machine Center) and No. (the resource number).
3. Business Central detects that the resource number differs from what is currently on the routing line.
4. The connector updates the routing line's type and number, and transfers all relevant fields from the new work center (or machine center) — including work center group, unit of measure codes, flushing method, cost fields, and location/bin settings.
5. If the new resource is a machine center, the parent work center is also resolved and its fields are applied as the base.
6. If the changed operation is the last in the routing sequence (no next operation), the production order line's bin code is also recalculated.

Note: Blocked work centers and machine centers will cause a validation error during the write-back, and the entry will be marked with an Error status.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to understand what happens to routing lines after a ROB-EX write-back in relation to MRP replanning
So that I avoid accidental overwriting of ROB-EX-optimized schedules when running planning in Business Central

Setup:

1. After a successful write-back from ROB-EX, open the affected production order and go to the routing lines.
2. Verify that Schedule Manually is set to true on all routing lines for the affected production order line. This flag is set automatically by the connector before applying ROB-EX's timestamps.
3. When MRP or capacity planning runs in Business Central, routing lines with Schedule Manually = true are not rescheduled by the planning engine — the ROB-EX dates are preserved.
4. To allow Business Central to reschedule a routing line again (e.g. if ROB-EX scheduling is no longer used for that order), manually set Schedule Manually to false on the relevant routing lines.

Note: This behavior is standard Business Central functionality. The connector deliberately sets Schedule Manually to protect the ROB-EX schedule from being overwritten by automatic planning.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to confirm that production order capacity needs are updated when ROB-EX pushes new operation times
So that the capacity load view in Business Central reflects the scheduled times from ROB-EX, not the original planned times

Setup:

1. After a successful write-back, open the production order routing line that was updated by ROB-EX.
2. Navigate to the capacity need entries for the routing line (via Capacity Need from the routing line).
3. Verify that the capacity need entries reflect the new start/end times from ROB-EX.
4. The connector deletes the old capacity need entries and creates new ones based on the new time window, split across work calendar entries. Setup time and run time are calculated separately and broken across day boundaries using the work center's shop calendar.

Note: If the setup ending date/time is not provided in the ROB-EX payload, it defaults to the operation's starting date/time (i.e. no setup time is booked separately).

As a IT Manager (IT-chef)
I want to understand what happens when ROB-EX tries to update a production order that has been deleted or finished in Business Central
So that I can handle exceptions correctly without data inconsistency

Setup:

1. If a production order referenced in the write-back payload does not exist in Business Central (e.g. it was deleted), the connector marks the routing line entry with Operation Update Status = Error and records the message "Prod. Order Line does not exist."
2. If the production order exists but has status Finished, the entry is marked as Error with the message "[Prod. Order No.] has been finished."
3. In both cases, the Updated flag is set to true (the entry is considered processed, even though it could not be applied).
4. Open ROB-EX Routing Line Entries, review the error messages, and communicate the discrepancy back to the ROB-EX operator so they can refresh their data and reschedule.

As a Production Planner (Produktionsplanlægger)
I want to ensure that planned absences and capacity reductions from Business Central calendar entries are visible in ROB-EX
So that ROB-EX does not schedule operations during times when work centers are unavailable

Setup:

1. In Business Central, register capacity absences or adjust shop calendars as usual (this is standard Business Central functionality).
2. When ROB-EX performs a data refresh, the getCalendarEntries API returns all calendar entries including reduced capacity and absence information via the Absence Efficiency and Absence Capacity fields.
3. ROB-EX can use these values to exclude or reduce available scheduling windows accordingly.

As a IT Manager (IT-chef)
I want to verify that the connector correctly identifies a sandbox environment
So that the ROB-EX consultant can configure separate sandbox and production connections without confusion

Setup:

1. Open ROB-EX Scheduler Connector Setup in the sandbox environment.
2. Check the Sandbox field — it will show true if the Business Central environment is a sandbox.
3. Share this information with the ROB-EX consultant so they can configure a separate sandbox data source in ROB-EX, using the sandbox environment's Environment Name value.
4. This allows safe testing of write-backs in the sandbox without affecting production data.