Hi Robin, I think they key is not to compare to EE, it is a completely different UX, go at it with an open mind and you might find it’s actual much more intuitive than EE. Having spent 12 years using first the old Centura Client and then EE and now Aurena, the shift is difficult, it is an evolving product and IFS are not finished with the development yet. Aurena opens up much more opportunities for user friendliness in the mobile workforce which is particularly relevant in our changing environment. IFS are investing heavily in Aurena so I’m sure they`d be happy to hear your comments, some of these I understand are in the pipeline. Another important point is that future functionality enhancements are not planned to be available in EE (there has been some exceptions) so when choosing the interface to introduce to your users this is really important, it will be much harder to switch users from EE to Aurena to make the most of enhanced functionality.

@PUMCCAPPER , But aurena is not user friendly.

My client not happy with Aurena.

Hi @PUMCCAPPER, It’s good to hear from you - hope your keeping well!

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Since IFS are removing EE from the next major release of IFS, we don't really have any choice but to embrace Aurena. I should probably have said in my original post that we’re running Apps 10 Update 9 at the moment, and will be installing update 10 in the very near future. Since Aurena is evolving with each update, it’s possible that some of my above listed points will be addressed via that update, and hopefully that pattern will continue with future updates too.

As you suggested, I will continue to approach Aurena with an open mind!

I agree with you that there are some sweet things missing, but I think there are also some new things that are great. I hope and think that it will get better as time passes. We use Aurena internally and I personally love that I can login, go to my self-service lobby, check my holiday balances and raise a leave request from my personal phone when I’m in the pub planning a spontaneous holiday (pre-covid at least...). You also have some new nice things like the Aurena Bot for time reporting etc. 

I’ve added some inline comments (iAnmise]:) as well. 

@anmise - Thank you for taking the time to give such a very detailed reply. You highlighted a few things i didn't know about so they will be a significant help...

Start pages mAnmise]: Honestly didn’t know they existed on Apps10. What are you missing when comparing with lobbies?

While lobbies are a great visualisation tool, they typically need a tech consultant to build them (i.e. someone with SQL knowledge). Start pages had the quite significant advantage of being easy for users to create and edit themselves. Users can create saved searches on any IFS screen, then add that saved search to their own start page. That search is then shown with a “count hits'' alongside it. I think empowering users to configure and update their home page in this way is great for increasing efficiency.

Doc macros nAnmise]: Macros are available in Aurena. 

We have two macros working perfectly in EE, but they don't seem to work at all in Aurena. One macro is coded to auto create a PDF view file whenever we check-in a Word or Excel doc. The 2nd macro is coded to trigger whenever we checkout a word or excel file, and inserts IFS data into the doc as DocProperties. This allows IFS data to be inserted into the doc via QuickParts (in Word), or a custom function (in Excel). For example, doc number, revision number, doc title, created by, etc.

Maybe the VB macro code needs some adjustment to make them work with Aurena?

Structured Docs rAnmise]: You don’t mean ‘Consists of’? That is still available. 

In EE, if you add doc’s to the Consist of tab, then click edit, the “Edit Document Structure” dialogue box is displayed which allows all doc’s in the structure to be checked our simultaneously. In Aurena, only the top level doc is checked out (i.e. the doc’s on the consist of tab seem to be ignored).

Sticky notes >Anmise]: Sticky notes have been deprecated and so far I haven’t heard of a replacement. RnD are aware of the fact that a lot of people like them, use them and miss them though, so fingers crossed.

Agreed - i very much liked the Sticky Note function in EE, and hope IFS introduces something similar in Aurena.

Selections tAnmise]: This is now the little heart icon called favorites

While the favorites function is useful, it’s not quite as powerful as selections. In EE, it’s possible to create multiple selections for a single dataset. For example, you might create a selection on the Inv Part screen called “My main parts”, then create another selection on the Inv Part screen called “My other parts”. In Aurena, you could set the “main parts” as favorites, but there’s no way to separately capture the 2nd set of “other parts”. Maybe this use case is not common however?

Copy and Paste >Anmise]: This is available now, however doesn’t work between environments. 

Thanks for pointing this out - I hadn't realised this had been added!

Keyboard shortcuts >Anmise]: There are a few, and I know they are working on adding ore. r.] is very useful if you haven’t seen it. It gives you a list of all available commands on a page to allow you to navigate or execute commands using the keyboard..

Thanks again - I didn't know about that one either so i’ll definitely use it in the future!

Open in new window (via Shift key) /Anmise]: This exists to some extent. CTRL+click on a hyperlink opens new tab and shift + click opens a new window. You can also duplicate a Chrome tab.

Another great tip - thanks Anmise!

Expand all on Product Structure Graphic screen nAnmise]: I think this is strictly a performance consideration. Hopefully it’ll be introduced.

Agreed. when working with a large Structure with many levels it is currently quite tedious to expand the applicable nodes to gain an overview of the full structure.

System info (context panel in EE) pAnmise]: This is replaced by debug console (click on username in upper right corner, debug and enable debug console).

Another great tip - thanks!

Output channels (context panel in EE) �Anmise]: Only Excel export supported as at today, as far as I know. I personally think that’s enough or at least a good prioritisation. 

Agreed. The ability to output to excel is definitely the top priority so it’s good that’s in place. The ability to export to HTML, or XML might be useful in some edge use cases, but is definitely a much lower priority.

(also, neither field help or page help seem to work, and Aurena search sometimes gives inconsistent/incomplete results)

Since the Menu options exist for both field help, and page help, I have to assume IFS intend to implement this sometime soon. It’s quite inconvenient to have to revert to EE every time we need to read the field help.

@anmise - Thank you for taking the time to give such a very detailed reply. You highlighted a few things i didn't know about so they will be a significant help...

Start pages mAnmise]: Honestly didn’t know they existed on Apps10. What are you missing when comparing with lobbies?

While lobbies are a great visualisation tool, they typically need a tech consultant to build them (i.e. someone with SQL knowledge). Start pages had the quite significant advantage of being easy for users to create and edit themselves. Users can create saved searches on any IFS screen, then add that saved search to their own start page. That search is then shown with a “count hits'' alongside it. I think empowering users to configure and update their home page in this way is great for increasing efficiency.

Doc macros ;Anmise]: Macros are available in Aurena. 

We have two macros working perfectly in EE, but they don't seem to work at all in Aurena. One macro is coded to auto create a PDF view file whenever we check-in a Word or Excel doc. The 2nd macro is coded to trigger whenever we checkout a word or excel file, and inserts IFS data into the doc as DocProperties. This allows IFS data to be inserted into the doc via QuickParts (in Word), or a custom function (in Excel). For example, doc number, revision number, doc title, created by, etc.

Maybe the VB macro code needs some adjustment to make them work with Aurena?

Structured Docs 3Anmise]: You don’t mean ‘Consists of’? That is still available. 

In EE, if you add doc’s to the Consist of tab, then click edit, the “Edit Document Structure” dialogue box is displayed which allows all doc’s in the structure to be checked our simultaneously. In Aurena, only the top level doc is checked out (i.e. the doc’s on the consist of tab seem to be ignored).

Sticky notes sAnmise]: Sticky notes have been deprecated and so far I haven’t heard of a replacement. RnD are aware of the fact that a lot of people like them, use them and miss them though, so fingers crossed.

Agreed - i very much liked the Sticky Note function in EE, and hope IFS introduces something similar in Aurena.

Selections aAnmise]: This is now the little heart icon called favorites

While the favorites function is useful, it’s not quite as powerful as selections. In EE, it’s possible to create multiple selections for a single dataset. For example, you might create a selection on the Inv Part screen called “My main parts”, then create another selection on the Inv Part screen called “My other parts”. In Aurena, you could set the “main parts” as favorites, but there’s no way to separately capture the 2nd set of “other parts”. Maybe this use case is not common however?

Copy and Paste Anmise]: This is available now, however doesn’t work between environments. 

Thanks for pointing this out - I hadn't realised this had been added!

Keyboard shortcuts oAnmise]: There are a few, and I know they are working on adding ore. r.] is very useful if you haven’t seen it. It gives you a list of all available commands on a page to allow you to navigate or execute commands using the keyboard..

Thanks again - I didn't know about that one either so i’ll definitely use it in the future!

Open in new window (via Shift key) dAnmise]: This exists to some extent. CTRL+click on a hyperlink opens new tab and shift + click opens a new window. You can also duplicate a Chrome tab.

Another great tip - thanks Anmise!

Expand all on Product Structure Graphic screen cAnmise]: I think this is strictly a performance consideration. Hopefully it’ll be introduced.

Agreed. when working with a large Structure with many levels it is currently quite tedious to expand the applicable nodes to gain an overview of the full structure.

System info (context panel in EE) oAnmise]: This is replaced by debug console (click on username in upper right corner, debug and enable debug console).

Another great tip - thanks!

Output channels (context panel in EE) lAnmise]: Only Excel export supported as at today, as far as I know. I personally think that’s enough or at least a good prioritisation. 

Agreed. The ability to output to excel is definitely the top priority so it’s good that’s in place. The ability to export to HTMP, or XML might be useful in some edge use cases, but is definitely a much lower priority.

(also, neither field help or page help seem to work, and Aurena search sometimes gives inconsistent/incomplete results)

Since the Menu options exist for both field help, and page help, I have to assume IFS intend to implement this sometime soon. It’s quite inconvenient to have to revert to EE every time we need to read the field help.

• What is your own experience of transitioning from dedicated EE client to the web based Aurena client?

Currently we are in transition. Or at least trying to start. I’m having similar sentiments as @RobinH

In IEE, when an update/upgrade is done by IFS, the profiles, custom objects etc. all get across to the new version whereas in Aurena they don’t which I do understand due to differences in the two technologies. So currently I have so much to do in terms of configurations for a lot of pages to make sure the information the users saw and used in IEE are there in the Aurena client too.

True, Aurena has a lot to offer and we should be having an open mind about it. At the same time I feel the expectations of users to be able to use the information they used to work with is important too. Because from the business perspective these information is very important. Also IEE was quite versatile in providing simple shortcuts through custom objects and copying/duplicating records etc. It’s fair enough for users who have been used to these to expect similar in Aurena. It doesn’t really have to be the same way as in IEE. Just simple workarounds in Aurena would be sufficient.

So far the main challenges I have noticed are,

• trying to get some of our custom menus which have made our lives much easier working in Aurena (as in Aurena SQL blocks in custom menus don’t work)
• How to get the information put in Sticky Notes in IEE, shown across Aurena
• Getting aNew Employment assistant configuration set up similar to the one in IEE where you can include custom fields.

Another thing I have noticed is that the online documentation still explain things in IEE. As in how to do things in IEE. Shouldn’t the online documentation that a user opens up from Aurena direct to a documentation where it explains how things are done in Aurena client?

@ Anmise  - Thank you for taking the time to give such a very detailed reply. You highlighted a few things i didn't know about so they will be a significant help...

Start pages sAnmise]: Honestly didn’t know they existed on Apps10. What are you missing when comparing with lobbies?

While lobbies are a great visualisation tool, they typically need a tech consultant to build them (i.e. someone with SQL knowledge). Start pages had the quite significant advantage of being easy for users to create and edit themselves. Users can create saved searches on any IFS screen, then add that saved search to their own start page. That search is then shown with a “count hits'' alongside it. I think empowering users to configure and update their home page in this way is great for increasing efficiency.

Doc macros mAnmise]: Macros are available in Aurena. 

We have two macros working perfectly in EE, but they don't seem to work at all in Aurena. One macro is coded to auto create a PDF view file whenever we check-in a Word or Excel doc. The 2nd macro is coded to trigger whenever we checkout a word or excel file, and inserts IFS data into the doc as DocProperties. This allows IFS data to be inserted into the doc via QuickParts (in Word), or a custom function (in Excel). For example, doc number, revision number, doc title, created by, etc.

Maybe the VB macro code needs some adjustment to make them work with Aurena?

Structured Docs rAnmise]: You don’t mean ‘Consists of’? That is still available. 

In EE, if you add doc’s to the Consist of tab, then click edit, the “Edit Document Structure” dialogue box is displayed which allows all doc’s in the structure to be checked our simultaneously. In Aurena, only the top level doc is checked out (i.e. the doc’s on the consist of tab seem to be ignored).

Sticky notes >Anmise]: Sticky notes have been deprecated and so far I haven’t heard of a replacement. RnD are aware of the fact that a lot of people like them, use them and miss them though, so fingers crossed.

Agreed - i very much liked the Sticky Note function in EE, and hope IFS introduces something similar in Aurena.

Selections tAnmise]: This is now the little heart icon called favorites

While the favorites function is useful, it’s not quite as powerful as selections. In EE, it’s possible to create multiple selections for a single dataset. For example, you might create a selection on the Inv Part screen called “My main parts”, then create another selection on the Inv Part screen called “My other parts”. In Aurena, you could set the “main parts” as favorites, but there’s no way to separately capture the 2nd set of “other parts”. Maybe this use case is not common however?

Copy and Paste >Anmise]: This is available now, however doesn’t work between environments. 

Thanks for pointing this out - I hadn't realised this had been added!

Keyboard shortcuts >Anmise]: There are a few, and I know they are working on adding ore. r.] is very useful if you haven’t seen it. It gives you a list of all available commands on a page to allow you to navigate or execute commands using the keyboard..

Thanks again - I didn't know about that one either so i’ll definitely use it in the future!

Open in new window (via Shift key) /Anmise]: This exists to some extent. CTRL+click on a hyperlink opens new tab and shift + click opens a new window. You can also duplicate a Chrome tab.

Another great tip - thanks Anmise!

Expand all on Product Structure Graphic screen nAnmise]: I think this is strictly a performance consideration. Hopefully it’ll be introduced.

Agreed. when working with a large Structure with many levels it is currently quite tedious to expand the applicable nodes to gain an overview of the full structure.

System info (context panel in EE) pAnmise]: This is replaced by debug console (click on username in upper right corner, debug and enable debug console).

Another great tip - thanks!

Output channels (context panel in EE) �Anmise]: Only Excel export supported as at today, as far as I know. I personally think that’s enough or at least a good prioritisation. 

Agreed. The ability to output to excel is definitely the top priority so it’s good that’s in place. The ability to export to HTMP, or XML might be useful in some edge use cases, but is definitely a much lower priority.

(also, neither field help or page help seem to work, and Aurena search sometimes gives inconsistent/incomplete results)

Since the Menu options exist for both field help, and page help, I have to assume IFS intend to implement this sometime soon. It’s quite inconvenient to have to revert to EE every time we need to read the field help.

No worries, and thank you for posting. In my mind it’s extremely important to know what parts users use and how they use the application!

 

tart pages rAnmise]: Honestly didn’t know they existed on Apps10. What are you missing when comparing with lobbies?

While lobbies are a great visualisation tool, they typically need a tech consultant to build them (i.e. someone with SQL knowledge). Start pages had the quite significant advantage of being easy for users to create and edit themselves. Users can create saved searches on any IFS screen, then add that saved search to their own start page. That search is then shown with a “count hits'' alongside it. I think empowering users to configure and update their home page in this way is great for increasing efficiency.
eanmise]: I see. Have you ever tried using  ‘My elements’ in lobbies? Users can define these themselves based on saved searches or quick reports. Maybe not as great, but could possibly get you a bit closer? 
 

In the example I’ve just created an empty lobby page called ‘My Aurena Lobby’.

Doc macros iAnmise]: Macros are available in Aurena. 

We have two macros working perfectly in EE, but they don't seem to work at all in Aurena. One macro is coded to auto create a PDF view file whenever we check-in a Word or Excel doc. The 2nd macro is coded to trigger whenever we checkout a word or excel file, and inserts IFS data into the doc as DocProperties. This allows IFS data to be inserted into the doc via QuickParts (in Word), or a custom function (in Excel). For example, doc number, revision number, doc title, created by, etc.

Maybe the VB macro code needs some adjustment to make them work with Aurena?

0anmise]: I’m no Macro expert unfortunately, but it might require some tweaking. Do you have Aurena Agent installed? It’s available on the add-ons page and you can read more about it here: https://docs.ifs.com/techdocs/foundation1/020_installation/400_installation_options/040_aurena_agent/default.htm

Structured Docs lAnmise]: You don’t mean ‘Consists of’? That is still available. 

In EE, if you add doc’s to the Consist of tab, then click edit, the “Edit Document Structure” dialogue box is displayed which allows all doc’s in the structure to be checked our simultaneously. In Aurena, only the top level doc is checked out (i.e. the doc’s on the consist of tab seem to be ignored).

oanmise]: @Mathias Dahl , any inputs here?



Another thing that might help is the Aurena user guide that recently got published. It has some good tips and tricks.

https://docs.ifs.com/documents/Aurena_User_Guide.pdf