LEAD TIME CLASSIFICATIONREPORT

( LTCR ) Users Guide

Last Updated: January 21, 2014

IBM Corporation

LTCR Users Guide Aug 2, 2012 1

Table of Contents

Table of ContentsIntroduction..................................................................................................................................3

About this Document...............................................................................................................3User Requirements.................................................................................................................4

Creating your Lead Time Classification Report..........................................................................5Starting Lead Time Classification Report ( LTCR ).................................................................5Selecting a configuration file to report on...............................................................................5Submitting your file.................................................................................................................6

Understanding the Lead Time Classification Report..................................................................7Web Report Format................................................................................................................7Status Roll Up rules..............................................................................................................10Saving your Report...............................................................................................................11

LTCR Messages........................................................................................................................13Normal Status Messages......................................................................................................13Error Messages.....................................................................................................................13System Outage.....................................................................................................................14

Appendix A - Terms..................................................................................................................14

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IntroductionThe Lead Time Classification Report (LTCR ) application is a web based application which can be used to see the Feature or Part status for a product configuration or list of products.

Every part/feature has assigned classification code (A or B or C or D), based on the lead time of when IBM will be able to deliver those parts/features. Table1 details the classification code and its lead time information:

Table1: Classification code and description

Classification code Description on associated lead time

Readily available; up to 7 business days order to shipment

Standard availability; up to 12 business days order to shipment

Special order; up to 15 business days order to shipment

End of life; call for availability

Blank Availability is not provided or applicable

The LTCR web application accepts two formats of information to evaluate:• CFReport – this file format is produced by all current configuration tools such as SSCT , x-config

or IBM Hardware Configurator ( Blue Horizon ).• XLS spreadsheet format - ( same structure provided by the SSCT, x-config and Blue Horizon

configuration applications ).

A report giving the classification of each product, feature or option will be provided, and can be savedin a .xls spreadsheet file for future reference.

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About this Document

This document contains information about how to use the application and what results are provided bythe LTCR tool. This application is intended for persons responsible for creation and evaluation ofconfigurations status, such as Business Partners and IBM technical representatives. Capturedscreens and scenario information in this document were accurate at the time of writing. Due to toolupdates, the actual screen format and data might vary.

User Requirements

The LTCR tool can be used by any users with access to a supported Web Browser. Users must have a supported file format for use by the LTCR application (.cfr or .xls in specified format ). There are no special Web browser system requirements for getting a web report. One function the LTCR provides is a downloadable report of the Lead Time status information, which is saved in .xls format. Very large or complex configurations can take longer for the LTCR to process, depending on current systemworkload.

The following web browsers are recommended for LTCF

• Internet Explorer V7 or higher

• Firefox V3 or higher

• Chrome 5.0 or higher

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Creating your Lead Time Classification ReportThis section provides information on how to start and operate the LTCR web application.

Starting Lead Time Classification Report ( LTCR )

There are two methods which are available to get to the Lead Time Classification function on the web.

1. A link is available from the “Single Order Validation Site” (SOVA). SOVA can be invoked using thefollowing URL

➔ http://www.ibm.com/servers/sova/index.jsp

➔ On this page, find ABCD Lead Time Classification Report in the left navigation column.

2. You can use a direct link to the application in your web browser

➔ http://www.ibm.com/servers/sova/abcd/index.jsp

These links are available to anyone on the internet, and do not require any special log in or authentication information to be used.

Selecting a configuration file to report on

Once on the web page, you are presented a field to identify the configuration file for which you would like to have a Lead Time classification report.

You must select the “Browse button on the page to specify the file you wish to process. After selecting Browse:

➔ The browser will let you pick the file using your workstation file management system window.

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➔ Once you select the file, it will fill in the field name on your browser

Submitting your file

Once a file name has been specified, click the “Submit” action on the page to request your Lead TimeClassification report.

Application will only accept the .xls and .cfr input files. For any other files you will receive exception like “file extension not allowed”.

The “Submit” action will send your file to the server for processing. It will be validated to ensure it's a valid file format and structure, and then analyzed to find the appropriate status for each product, feature and/or option listed in your configuration file.

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Understanding the Lead Time Classification ReportOnce you've submitted your file, the Lead Time Classification Report will be generated reflecting the information submitted.

Web Report FormatThe web report is presented in the web browser window directly after you submit your file. The page is segmented into 3 sections:

1. Control and Messages area

2. Report Legend area

3. Report data area

1. Control and messages: this area is where you will see any informational messages generated when the report was processed, and has new actions which can be taken from this page.

• Select a new file to generate a new report. This will take you from this report page and back to the selection page where you may select another file.

• Download Report to save a spreadsheet output which has the status. The report also lists the projected status for the next 6 months.

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2. The Report Legend: gives you a reference to what each classification means in the report.

3. The Report Data area:

The Report Data lists :

1. The 'Build Date' for the lead time status data displayed

2. The files which was processed.

3. The Lead Time report table with;

◦ Classification for each product/feature/option – this displays the A B C D or blank

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classification.

◦ A description of the product, feature or option.

◦ The quantity specified in the configuration file for that product, feature or option.

◦ The last date this item can be ordered, if that has been announced as within the next two months from today.

The report information is initially collapsed, and can be expanded in two ways:

1. Select “Expand all” action just above the table to expand and see all product configurations.

2. Select a specific category which you want to expand with the arrow

Once you expand one or all of the sections, you will see the primary report information with the status for the configuration submitted:

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You can hide sections by using the arrow controls or the “Collapse All” function.

Status Roll Up rules

The following rules are utilized when computing the Status:

1. If a part is a pre-configured model ( sometimes referred to as a “SEO”, then it carries it's own status which will be displayed ( i.e. It's status is not computed).

2. If a part is an IBM Option, then it carries it's own status which will be displayed.

3. If a part is a feature, then it carries it's status for the Type Model under which it is feature, which

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will be displayed.

4. If a part is a configurable model, ( such as a Build your Own model or sometimes called TMF ), the status on the PRODUCT reflects the lowest status of any feature found on that model. For example, if a 7870AC1 had some features which were classified as “A”, some that were “B” and some that were “C”, then the status of the 7870AC1 will be presented as “C”. If there were only “A” and “B” selections, then the status of the 7870AC1 would be presented as “B”.

Saving your Report

To save a file with your configuration report, select the “Download Report” action button in the Control and Messages area on the page. This action will bring up a window letting you either open the report directly or save it to disk. You will be asked to specify the name to the report:

Specify where or how to save the file per your browser instructions ( example shown is using Firefox ):

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The spreadsheet is in Microsoft Excel format, and provides the same information as the web presented report except for the following:

• Extended Outlook - The exported format provides a 6 month outlook regarding the expected status of a Feature or Option. This may help you make planning decisions if you are anticipating orders of this configuration or similar configurations out into the future.

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LTCR MessagesNormal Status MessagesThere are several status messages which could normally be issued:

Message Text Situation & Response

The lead time could not be determined for at least one product or feature in the configuration.

This message is issued when one or more of the features in your configuration does not have a status available. This can happen frequently , as items such as manufacturing instruction features will not have a status maintained in the system.

Error MessagesThese messages indicate some problem in processing your report request:

Message Text Situation & Response

File extension not allowed This message is presented if you select a file withan unsupported file extension, such as .doc or .xls. To fix, please select either a file with extension .cfr or .xls to process.

Error generating the Lead Time Classification Report.

This message is presented if you select a file withthe correct extension, but the contents are not correct. To fix, please select a valid configuration file to process.

System Outage

In cases when the reporting system is down or not available, you will see this page presented:

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Appendix A - Terms Acronyms:

LTCR – Lead Time Classification Status

SOVA – Single Order Validation Application

TMF – Type Model Feature

SEO – Single Entity Offering

CFR – Configuration Function Report

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