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P C M E C H A N I C Version 2.0 USERS MANUAL Copyright (C) 1986-1991 Michael R. Busman C O N T E N T S --------------- PAGE LIST OF FILES ON THIS DISK ....................... 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................... 2 INSTALLATION & HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ............. 4 GETTING STARTED .................................. 6 UTILITIES SYSTEM ................................. 7 INVENTORY SYSTEM ................................. 8 WORK ORDER SYSTEM ................................ 12 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SYSTEM .................... 14 EQUIPMENT DATABASE SYSTEM ........................ 17 EMPLOYEE DATABASE SYSTEM ......................... 18 TIPS & POINTERS .................................. 19 GETTING HELP ..................................... 20 HOW TO REGISTER PC MECHANIC ...................... 22 REGISTRATION FORM ................................ 23 HISTORY OF PC MECHANIC ........................... 24 DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUAL ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. GOOD DATA PROCESSING PROCEDURE DICTATES THAT ANY PROGRAM BE THOROUGHLY TESTED WITH NON-CRITICAL DATA BEFORE RELYING ON IT. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE. PC MECHANIC Page 1 LIST OF FILES ON THIS DISK -------------------------- To insure that you are working with the complete PC MECHANIC package, the following files should be included on the program disk: FILENAME FUNCTION -------- -------- INSTALL.BAT Installation batch file PCMECH.EXE Main PC MECHANIC executable file READ.ME Explains how to print out documentation manual Display using the DOS TYPE command PCMECH.DOC This file, the users manual INV.OVL Inventory system overlay file UTILITY.OVL Utilities subsystem overlay file WORK.OVL Work order system overlay file PM.OVL Preventive maintenance system overlay file EQUIP.OVL Equipment database system overlay file EMPL.OVL Employee database system overlay file PMMASLST.FRM Report format file TRADERPT.FRM Report format file LOCAT.FRM Report format file EQUIPRPT.FRM Report format file WOHEQUIP.FRM Report format file WOHLOC.FRM Report format file PMDONE.FRM Report format file PMBAKLOG.FRM Report format file PERFREVU.FRM Report format file EMPLIST.FRM Report format file SENIORITY.FRM Report format file EQUIP.FRM Report format file EMPHIST.FRM Report format file PC MECHANIC Page 2 INTRODUCTION ------------ Why computerize the preventive maintenance and work order system? If your operation handles more than a couple of hundred work requests per week, it is very easy for many to "fall through the crack" or get lost in a paperwork system. Once a work request arrives and is passed on to the appropriate trade supervisor, you have no immediate record of the request or control over the prioritization or scheduling. Have you ever wondered how much output you are getting from your employees? Does it take an inordinate amount of time to dig up information on how much was spent on repairs for a particular piece of equipment? Can you easily document how much was spent on repairs for a certain department due to the department's neglect or abuse of equipment? Once set up does your preventive maintenance system keep an employee occupied pulling cards or writing up preventive maintenance work orders? Do you know what your corrective and preventive maintenance backlogs are? Have you ever had to hunt through file drawers to find a part number or lubricant type for a piece of equipment? Do you know how many of the outstanding work requests are 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, or 2 months old? Do you know how much spare parts inventory is sitting on the shelf? Do you have too many last minute parts purchases because someone forgot to tell you when the supply got low? Do you have $3000-$15,000 to spend on a commercial maintenance software package? If you honestly answered the above questions, then you should begin to think about how the PC MECHANIC MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM may be an organizational tool to help you. How? Because a computerized work order and preventive maintenance system can do the necessary number crunching and menial tasks such as retrieving records, printing work assignments, posting to records, and report generation that may be too much for your present staff. The PC MECHANIC is an application written in the dBASE programming language. Although dBASE is a very powerful database management program, it can be very difficult for people to use. To use the PC MECHANIC, you don't have to know the first thing about dBASE. I've done the hard work writing a totally menu- driven system that is E A S Y to use. The menus and input screens almost make these instructions unnecessary. Depending on how most people will need information in reports, I've built in a lot of flexibility to search based on different criteria. Since we touched on the subject of programming, let me tell you a little about myself. I don't claim to be a programmer as can be evidenced by a look at some of my source code. It might PC MECHANIC Page 3 not be pretty, but it somehow manages to work. I do think I know a little about maintenance and computerized maintenance systems. My full-time employment is in the area of energy management and maintenance for a major U.S. hospitality company. I am involved every day with building maintenance personnel and have been exposed to a number of maintenance software packages over the past few years. My two main gripes about most maintenance software are the high cost and complexity for the typical user. Armed with a rebellious spirit to stick it to the greed- mongers charging thousands, a desire to better learn dBASE programming, and a wild fantasy that I might actually be able to keep my wife in mink and diamonds, I set out to write a shareware maintenance management program that would be easy to use. What is shareware? I like to think of it as "test drive before you buy". Try it. If you don't like it, throw it away or burn it. You haven't lost anything. If you do find you like it and it benefits your operation, then most shareware authors request that you send in a registration payment to the author to reward him for his efforts. Most shareware authors urge you to spread copies of their program around to friends, associates, user groups, or bulletin boards. Some authors warn that if you continue to use their program and don't send in the registration payment, you will suffer from bad Karma, guilt trips, or swarms of locusts. I think I am a little more reasonable and to the point. I hold the copyright to this program. If you think it is lousy, don't use it. Better yet, drop me a note telling me your beef and I will do my best to incorporate your suggestions into the program. If you do like it and use it, I would suggest a registration payment of $50.00 or whatever amount you would like to contribute to my wife's mink and diamonds fund. In all seriousness, let me say that I have invested many, many hours of my free time writing the PC MECHANIC. I would like to think that someone appreciates it enough to register, or at least enough to send a note with comments. Registered users will be notified of future updates, which will be available at minimal cost. For everyone, I will be available for help and questions. My home telephone number is (914) 683-5191. I can also be reached on Compuserve, user ID# 71121,2014. If it is during the day and it is an emergency, my wife can give out my office number, but I prefer to keep this to a minimum. Registration payments or questions can be sent to: Michael R. Busman 23 Old Mamaroneck Rd., #5-O White Plains, NY 10605 PC MECHANIC Page 4 Whether you become a registered user or not, I hope you find that the PC MECHANIC provides many of the functions of commercial maintenance management software in an easy-to-use, inexpensive package. At some point in the documentation, most folks usually put some sort of legal disclaimer stating that they are not responsible for anything. Upon strong legal recommendation, I have included similar wording at the beginning of this manual. I have spent a lot of time trying to find all of the bugs in the PC MECHANIC. It should be relatively bug-free, however, I can't give a 100% guarantee. What I will promise is that if you find a bug and notify me, I will do my best to correct it. As far as liability is concerned, if you manage to blow up a boiler or eat through the condenser tubes in a chiller, then it's your own damn fault. INSTALLATION & HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ------------------------------------ Hardware & Software: -IBM or compatible PC, 640K ram memory recommended -Hard disk drive -Color monitor recommended -Dot matrix printer for work orders, reports, listings, etc. -DOS 2.0 or above -Backup and restore programs (filenames BACKUP.COM and RESTORE.COM), also from your DOS disk Forms Requirements: -3.5 inch high continuous feed paper is recommended for printing of work orders and preventive maintenance work orders. This is a convenient size as work orders printed in condensed print easily fit in a maintenance engineer's shirt pocket. There are probably many possible sources for this paper, however, 2 that I know of are: Visible Computer Supply, St. Charles, IL tel. 312-377-0990 3.5 inch by 5 inch continuous file cards(index card size), catalog # DP325 TFC, 5000/carton Moore Business Forms,3.5 inch by 8.5 inch, 2 part continuous feed paper, 3700 sheets/box, mfg.# FO-450 PC MECHANIC Page 5 Installation: Beginning with the version 1.2 of PC MECHANIC it is no longer necessary to use dBASE III Plus or dBASE IV. PC MECHANIC now runs stand-alone, so you don't need anything else. Additionally, it runs much faster now than under the dBASE interpreter. The first time installation of PC MECHANIC should follow the steps below. If you already have PC MECHANIC running on your PC, go to step 4 below. 1. Turn on your PC and wait until you have the C> prompt, or whatever hard disk drive you want to use. During these instructions I will refer to the C> prompt or the "C" drive for your hard disk. You could be set up with a different drive letter so substitute yours accordingly. 2. Place the PC MECHANIC disk in the "A" diskette drive. Type in "A:INSTALL" (without the quotes) and hit the enter key. 3. Place the DOS disk in the "A" diskette drive, type in without the quote marks, "COPY A:BACKUP.COM", and hit the enter key. Next type in without the quote marks, "COPY A:RESTORE.COM", and hit enter. 4. You have just finished the installation process. You now have a subdirectory on your hard drive called \PCMECH. The PC MECHANIC executable program and report format files have been transferred to this subdirectory. Also, you have copied two files from your DOS disk to this subdirectory. 5. If you already have an earlier version of PC MECHANIC running on your PC, you just need to copy the PC MECHANIC disk to the proper subdirectory. Type in without the quote marks, "CD PCMECH" and hit enter. Put the PC MECHANIC disk in the "A" drive and type in "COPY A:*.* and hit enter. IMPORTANT NOTE: --------------- Make sure you have a CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory with at least two lines such as "FILES = 20" and "BUFFERS = 15" contained in the file. If you don't have such a configuration file present at boot-up, the system will crash when running PC MECHAHNIC. If this all sounds like Greek, consult your DOS manual, your local PC guru, or give me a call. PC MECHANIC Page 6 GETTING STARTED --------------- That's all there is to it. To fire up PC MECHANIC, you must be at the C> prompt and in the PC MECHANIC subdirectory. To make sure you are in the correct subdirectory, type in without the quote marks, "CD PCMECH" and hit the enter key. Then type "PCMECH" and hit enter. You will soon see the PC MECHANIC title screen for a few seconds, next the shareware message (otherwise known as a commercial message from the sponsors), next a prompt to make sure that you have set the caps lock on, and finally, the main menu will be displayed. In basic usage, menu selection is made by highlighting the item with the up and down arrow cursor keys and hitting enter or by hitting the number key corresponding to the desired choice, ie: hit 6 to enter the UTILITIES SYSTEM. If you are using an earlier version of PC MECHANIC, select option 4 to convert from an earlier version. The other menu options will be explained later. When the conversion process has finished, you will be shown the UTILITIES SYSTEM menu again. Select option 6, which will return you to the main menu. Most menus and data entry screens are fairly intuitive as to what you should type in. When filling in the data entry screens, if a piece of information is not known, leave the field blank. If you are ever unsure of an entry or menu option, one of the enhancements to this version of PC MECHANIC is context sensitive help. You access this by hitting the F1 function key. Remember, HELP IS ACCESSED BY HITTING F1. When you complete a field, hit enter or the down arrow key to position the cursor at the start of the next field. If you make a mistake and haven't left a field yet, you have the left & right arrows, backspace, delete, and insert keys available for editing the data field. Sometimes, you can move back one field by hitting the up arrowkey. This will vary due to the usage of dBASE READ commands. Finally, if you make a mistake, continue entering data in the remaining fields. When you get to the bottom of the screen, you will be asked if everything is OK. The normal response is Y for yes or N for no. By hitting N, or just enter since the default is no, you can step back through the data fields and make corrections where necessary. If a field is OK, just hit enter to move on to the next field. In these instructions, there will be many instances where you will be told to type in something. The proper keystroke or keystrokes will be shown within quotation marks, such as these "". What you type in should be the keystrokes contained within the quote marks, but not including the quote marks. PC MECHANIC Page 7 Beginning with version 1.4, various look-up table functions have been added to the program to increase the ease of use. Examples of these are when the user is creating a part record and is at the fields for entering vendor identification numbers or closing out a work order and the user is at the fields for entering part numbers or employee identification numbers. By hitting the enter key at the appropriate prompt or blank field, a look-up window will open up on the display. Hitting the Home key will display the pertinent information for the first record in the database (arranged in alphabetical order). Hitting the End key will go to the last record in the database. The up and down arrow keys will step the user through the database one record at a time. The PgUp and PgDn keys will step the user through the database 10 records at a time. To avoid opening the look-up window or to exit from one, just hit the escape key. When the desired record is displayed in the look-up window, just hit the enter key to select the item. You will be returned to the appropriate input screen with the selected item already shown in the highlighted field. Hit enter again to verify the selection and to continue. UTILITIES SYSTEM ---------------- The UTILITIES SYSTEM is accessed by selecting option 6 from the PC MECHANIC main menu. When you enter the system, you will be presented with the utilities menu. The options to select are as follows: 1. BACKUP DATABASE FILES 2. RESTORE DATABASE FILES 3. REBUILD INDEXES 4. CONVERT FROM PREVIOUS VERSION 5. CHANGE PRINTER CONTROL CODES 6. RETURN TO MAIN MENU Option 1 will perform a DOS backup of all the database files. You should have several blank formatted diskettes available to do this. As the size of the databases grow, you will need additional diskettes. The disks should be labelled in sequence, ie:Backup #1, Backup #2, Backup #3, etc. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you keep the disks in sequence. YOU should also do the backup operation EVERY DAY. It doesn't take very long and will save your skin one day when your hard disk decides to go off to never-never land. It should be noted that the program is hard coded to backup to the "A" diskette drive. If you have violent problems with this, perhaps, I can re-compile a modified version for you which will backup to a different drive. PC MECHANIC Page 8 Option 2 performs a DOS restore of all the database files in the PC MECHANIC subdirectory. If you ever lose your hard disk, or buy a new computer and want to set everything up on the new machine, you will be glad to have this option. Option 3 rebuilds all of the indexes. I won't try to explain what indexes are-only that they help the system keep records in order. If the indexes should get corrupted by a power failure or other misfortune, this option should rebuild them cleanly. Option 4 allows the user to convert from an earlier version of PC MECHANIC. Before using this version for the first time, select the conversion option. When it has finished, you will be returned to the utilities menu and you will be ready to go. Option 5 should be used if your printer does not support basic emulation of a generic EPSON printer, such as IBM or Okidata. If your printer is an EPSON, or compatible, you will probably not have to wade through this area. The program is set up with printer control codes to program printer operation for condensed print/3.5" form length for work orders, condensed print/11" form length for reports, and to reset all settings to default (10 characters/inch/11" form length). If your printer is not an EPSON or compatible, consult your printer manual for the correct control codes. For example, the control codes to set form length to 3.5" with an EPSON printer are Esc, C, n (where n is the number of lines per page). This would equate to sending a string represented as CHR(27)+CHR(67)+CHR(21). If all of this sounds like Greek, take another look at your printer manual, seek out the resident computer guru at your company, or if you are really desperate, give me a call. Either I'll straighten things out or hopelessly foul everything up. Option 6 returns the user to the PC MECHANIC main menu. INVENTORY SYSTEM ---------------- To enter the inventory system, select #1 at the main menu. The menu selection items you will be shown are: 1. Enter/Modify/Delete Parts Records 2. Issues/Returns Transactions 3. Vendors Database 4. Purchases Records 5. Reports Menu 6. Return to Main Menu PC MECHANIC Page 9 Enter/Modify/Delete Parts Records: If you want to set up the inventory system, probably the first area to enter is the Vendors Database. The reason for this is that the vendor identification number will be needed for the parts records. The vendor data to enter is pretty much self- explanatory. The vendor identification # is generated by the computer and will be needed in other parts of the program. When all data inputs have been made,you will be prompted if everything is OK or not. The response should be "Y" for yes or "N" for no. When you are satisfied with the inputs and answer "Y" to everything OK, the next prompt will be a blinking "MORE". This is asking if you have more entries to make. Again, the proper response is "Y" for yes or "N" for no. Assuming the vendors database has been set up, you will want to set up the parts records. Select item #1 at the inventory system menu. You will then be given the options to enter, modify, delete, or return to the previous menu. Some notes about entering parts records are in order. The Item # is a part number which YOU assign to each part. You may want to start at 1 and sequentially number every item, or you may want to devise a letter and number code to describe the part. Mfg., is the manufacturer. Cat. # is the manufacturer's catalog or ordering number. Location is described by storeroom (Strm.), row in the storeroom, shelf in the row, and bin number on the shelf. The program allows for two storeroom locations. Desc. is for a description of the part, and can be 2 lines of 40 characters each. Value is the total opening value of the item stocked. This will be updated automatically as you issue material or receive purchases. Qty.on Hand is the quantity on hand. Reorder at is the level of inventory the part quantity must fall to before it is reordered. Reorder Qty. is the amount that should be reordered based on previous experience. Unit price is the quoted price the last time the item was ordered. This should be updated each order. In the section for vendors, you only need to enter the vendor ID# and the system will bring up the company name of the vendor. There is space to enter 3 vendors who carry the particular part. At the fields for entering the vendor numbers, the use of the look-up window function is active. If you don't have a listing of the vendors by vendor number handy, just hit the enter key to open up the window, step through the vendors database until the correct vendor is listed, and hit enter to select. The look-up window will display the vendor company names in alphabetical order along with the vendor numbers. At the end, you will be prompted if everything is OK and if there are more entries to be made. PC MECHANIC Page 10 Issues/Returns Transactions: The second selection choice is for transactions such as issues and receipts of items ordered, and also returns to the storeroom. To handle receipts, a record must be set up previously in the purchases section of the inventory system. When the transactions choice is made, a sub-menu will be shown. The choices on this menu are parts issued, parts returned, receipts of items ordered, delete old transactions, and return to the inventory system menu. Issues and returns are identical in the data input screen. The first field is date, which defaults to the current date. Type over this date or hit enter to accept the date. The next field is item, where you should enter the part number of the item. Hitting enter at the part number field will open up a look-up window to select the appropriate part number. Description is system generated. If you want to track the transaction to a work order or preventive maintenance work order, enter the appropriate work order number or PM work order number. Next, enter the quantity of the part issued or returned to stock. After the prompt asking if everything is OK, the average cost and value of the part will be displayed. The quantity on hand and value of the part will be automatically updated to account for the transaction. To enter parts received, the data fields to input are date, purchase order number (PO#), part #, vendor ID#, and quantity received. At the input for part #, the look-up window function is active. The part description and vendor company name are generated by the computer. If everything is OK, the value and updated quantity backordered will be displayed. To delete old transactions, you will be prompted to enter a cut-off date. All transactions before this date will be deleted from the database. Only use this option when you are sure you will not need to access the transaction information again. Vendors Database: The vendors database is used to set up information about the various vendors that you deal with. Basic information includes vendor number, company name, address, phone number, contact, and principal product line. When updating or deleting vendors from the database, the user is prompted to enter the vendor number. Either enter the number or hit enter to open the look-up window for selection of the appropriate vendor. PC MECHANIC Page 11 Purchases Records: The purchases database is used to track items ordered and purchases by vendor. The data input fields are discussed below. Date defaults to the current system date. Type over this or hit enter to accept the date. P.O. # is the purchase order number. Part # is the part identification number you set up previously. Vendor ID is the vendor identification number. Both the Part # and Vendor ID fields support look-up windows and these can be opened by just hitting enter at the appropriate fields. Description and vendor name are generated by the system. The next inputs are for the quantity ordered and unit price to pay. Ext. Cost is the extended cost and is system generated. The Qty. Backordered is is the quantity back ordered and is initially set equal to the quantity ordered. The reports menu contains selections for a number of inventory system reports. The parts listing is a basic list of all parts by part number, description and other information. The vendor listing is an alphabetic listing of vendors, identification numbers, contacts, and phone numbers. The reorder report is a listing of all parts where the quantity on hand has fallen below or is equal to the reorder level. The consumption report is a listing of usage over a user specified period of time, which also includes value of parts used. The purchases by vendor report gives the breakdown over a period of time of purchases from each vendor. It could be very useful to see if any favoritism is being shown to a particular vendor. The backorder report lists those items where the date promised has passed and the item has not been received yet. The final menu choice is to return to the inventory system main menu. Beginning with version 2.0 of PC MECHANIC, you can display most reports (some in condensed form) in addition to printer reports. The display or print option uses a "Lotus" style menu to select the various menu choices. Use the left & right arrow keys to highlight the choice and hit enter, or just hit the first letter of the choice. The general options are: 1. Forward-page forward 10 records in the database 2. Backward-page backward 10 records in the database 3. Top-Display from the beginning of the database 4. End-Display from the end of the database 5. Print-Print the report on your printer PC MECHANIC Page 12 WORK ORDER SYSTEM ----------------- To enter the work order system, select item #2 from the main menu. The work order system menu will then display the following choices: 1. Enter New Work Orders 2. Edit/Display/Reissue Work Orders 3. Close Out Completed Work Orders 4. Reports Menu 5. Delete Old Work Orders 6. Return to Main Menu To enter new work orders into the system, select item # 1. The first thing to happen is that the menu for setting up your printer will be displayed. To print work orders in condensed mode and set the form length to 3.5 inches, select option #1 "SET UP PRINTER FOR WORK ORDERS" and hit enter. Make sure your printer is turned on to avoid time out errors. You will then see displayed the data input screen for entering work orders. The work order number is generated by the computer and is the reference number you will use later to track the work order. The current date is the default, so you can accept it by hitting enter or change it by typing over the date. The other fields to input are the equipment identification number, department making the work request or reporting the problem, location, person requesting the work, and responsible trade for the job. Priority can be input, as 1,2,3 or A,B,C or whatever system you may want to use. The work description fields allow you to enter up to 3 lines, each 40 characters long, which should be sufficient for most jobs. When you are finished, you will be prompted if everything is ok. The response should be "Y" for yes or "N" for no. You will then be prompted if you want to print out the work order. Again, the response to the prompt is "Y" or "N", without the quote marks. Next, will be displayed a flashing prompt with the word "MORE". This is the prompt asking if you have more work orders to input or if you are finished. The proper response is "Y" or "N". When you are finished, the BASIC printer control program will again be loaded into memory. You can select option #3 to reset the printer to normal printing and form length. A word of advice is offered here to avoid future headaches. Make up a list of standard codes for the various trades you employ and another list of standard location names or abbreviations. These should be used to develop consistency in data input and will be necessary later on when you want to request a report for a specific trade or location. If an exact match is not made to what you request, there will be no report or records will be missed. For example, if part of the time you enter "CA" as a trade code for carpenter, and part of the time PC MECHANIC Page 13 you enter "CARP", the system will interpret these as 2 separate trades. If you request a report for all backlogged work belonging to the trade "CA", all work orders entered for "CARP" will be overlooked. Be careful. To edit, display, or reissue (reprint) a work order, select item #2 at the work order system menu. The input screen is identical to the new work order entry screen, so there is no further discussion of this item needed. To close out completed work orders, select item # 3 from the work order system menu. Enter the work order # when prompted to do so. You will then see the original work order data entry screen,however, there are some additional input fields. Status should be updated to complete by entering "C" (without the quote marks) in the status field. Date complete and remarks, for any appropriate comments are self explanatory. There are fields to enter the identification numbers of up to 3 employees who participated in doing the job. These are entered one at a time. You enter the employee's ID# and the system displays the employee's last name. If you don't have the employee's identification number handy, just hit enter to open the look-up window which displays employee last names in alphabetical order and the associated I.D. #. Enter the number of hours the employee devoted to the job and the system calculates and displays the labor cost associated with that particular employee. The system then totals up the labor cost for the job. You can also enter up to 3 parts used also. This operates in a similar manner. Enter the part number, and the system displays a shortened part description. The use of a look-up window for these inputs is also supported at this point of the program. Enter the quantity used, and the system calculates and displays the part cost. After entering up to 3 parts used, the system totals the parts cost. You will then get the familiar prompt asking if everything is OK or not. Answer with "Y" or "N". A new prompt will then be displayed asking if you want to automatically update the inventory files. In a large operation with a full-time storeroom clerk, you would most likely answer "N" for no to this prompt as issues will probably be handled from the storeroom and tracked there. For a smaller operation, I have added this option so that the inventory quantity and value can be reduced by the proper amounts without requiring the user to exit from the work order screen and enter the inventory system. If you want to update the inventory files, enter a "Y" for yes. Use a little caution here to avoid "double dipping" or deducting from inventory at the storeroom and when closing out the work order. The next prompt will be the flashing MORE?, asking if you have more to close out. The familiar response is "Y" for yes or "N" for no. Selection of item #4 from the work order system menu will bring up the menu of available reports. Item #1 of this menu is PC MECHANIC Page 14 for a backlog listing of all work orders, sorted by trade. Items #2,3, or 4 will generate a backlog report for a specific trade, location, or piece of equipment. The user is prompted to enter the search string. Item #4, the backlog report for a specific piece of equipment now supports the use of the look-up window function for selecting the appropriate equipment. Item # 5 is for the work order aging report. By trade, this will list the number of work orders of different ages, ie: 0-7 days, 8-14 days, etc. Items #6&7 are for work history reports sorted by a specific location or piece of equipment. The user again is prompted to enter the search string. Item #7 now supports the look-up window function to select the equipment. Item #8 returns the user to the work order system main menu. After a period of time, the size of the work history database will probably get quite sizeable. You may determine that you don't need to keep this information for longer than 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year. To delete old work orders from the history database, select item #5 from the work order system main menu. You will be prompted to enter a cutoff date. All work orders with a completion date before the cutoff date will be purged from the database. Use this option with CAUTION. Menu item # 6 will return the user to the PC MECHANIC main menu. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SYSTEM ----------------------------- To enter the preventive maintenance system, select item # 3 from the maintenance system main menu. The preventive maintenance system menu will then display the following options. 1. Generic Maintenance Tasks 2. Define PM Requirements 3. Modify/Delete PM Requirements 4. Print Scheduled PM Work Orders 5. Update Completed PM/Transfer to History 6. PM Reports Menu 7. Return to Main Menu Selecting item #1 will take the user to the area for entering, deleting, or printing a listing of generic maintenance tasks. I call this generic because this is where the user can create a look-up table of common maintenance tasks for equipment. For example, with few differences, a 90 day inspection for an air handling unit will probably be the same regardless of the manufacturer. By filling in the maintenance tasks in this section and assigning a code, the user only needs to enter the code later when defining PM requirements. If a particular piece of equipment has additional or different requirements, these can PC MECHANIC Page 15 be added. The data input screen for defining the PM requirements will automatically pull in the list of maintenance tasks, which should save a great deal of typing. When you make the selection to enter a generic maintenance task, you will be prompted to enter the code. It is suggested to make a letter/number combination based on the equipment and frequency of maintenance. For example, a 6 month inspection for a chilled water pump might be coded as CHWP180, meaning chilled water pump and 180 days as the frequency. Use whatever coding system is easiest for you. When the input screen is displayed, the other data fields are for a short name or description of the maintenance inspection,frequency in days, and 5 lines of 40 characters each to enter the maintenance tasks to be performed. For editing or deleting generic maintenance tasks, the user is requested to enter the maintenance code after selecting the appropriate menu option. The look-up window function is also supported in this part of the program. At the prompt to enter the maintenance code, hit the enter key if the code is not known. The look-up window will be opened on the screen for the user to step through the database and select the appropriate code. Menu item #2 is for defining the PM requirements. The first prompt is for the user to enter a generic maintenance code or hit enter if this is a custom or different type of PM. The use of a look-up window is supported here. Hit the enter key to open a window which will display the maintenance codes alphabetically. The user can use the up/down arrow keys, PgUp/PgDn keys, Home, or End keys to step through the database of maintenance codes. Hit enter to select the appropriate maintenance code. The other input fields are for equipment identification number, equipment name or description,INITIAL DUE DATE, location,responsible trade, frequency of maintenance in days, and the 5 lines of tasks to be performed. The use of look-up windows is supported for the equipment identification number window. Hit enter to open the window, and select the desird equipment from the description displayed. The ID#, description, and location will automatically be inserted into the PM input screen. A short explanation about the initial due date. This is the date for the first time to do the required PM. Once this has been completed, the program will change the due date to a due date in the future, based on the frequency in days. Again, remember that if you entered a generic maintenance code, the frequency and 5 maintenance task fields will automatically be filled in by the program. Additionally, the PM reference number displayed on the monitor is generated by the computer and will be used later to call up specific records. Menu item #3 is for modifying or deleting PM requirements. The user is prompted to enter the appropriate PM reference PC MECHANIC Page 16 number. The next prompt asks the user to decide to delete or modify the associated PM record. If the selection is to modify, the same data input screen is shown to the user as in item #2. To print out the scheduled PM work orders, select item #4 from the preventive maintenance system menu. The user will then be prompted to enter a start date and end date. Typically, the user will want to print out all of the scheduled maintenance for the coming week. So, he would enter today's date as the start date and a week from today or yesterday as the ending date. Remember that the program is designed to print out on 3.5" high paper and that the program will set the printer for this size paper and condensed print. Many data field names will print out on the PM work order with a space after the name. This is for the maintenance worker to fill in any appropriate information, such as parts used, hours spent, employee identification number,remarks, etc. This information will be input later when the completed PM work order is updated. Menu item #5 allows the user to update completed work orders and transfer the information to the PM history file. The user is initially prompted to enter the PM reference number. The record is called up with the same data entry screen, however, there are additional input fields to enter information such as status, parts used, hours spent, remarks, etc. The status field should be filled with a "C" to indicate that it has been completed. This will flag the program to transfer the record to history and update the due date to a future date. The user will be asked if he wants to update the inventory system from the update completed PM screen. For a larger operation with a full time storeroom clerk, all transactions will probably be logged there. For smaller operations, the user can input the part number and quantity of parts used to automatically subtract these from inventory and charge the cost to the PM work order. The input of employee ID# and hours spent on the PM job is like the work order system and needs no further detailed explanation. There are fields to enter the identification numbers of up to 3 employees who participated in doing the job. These are entered one at a time. You enter the employee's ID# and the system displays the employee's last name. If you don't have the employee's identification number handy, just hit enter to open the look-up window which displays employee last names in alphabetical order and the associated I.D. #. Enter the number of hours the employee devoted to the job and the system calculates and displays the labor cost associated with that particular employee. The system then totals up the labor cost for the job. You can also enter up to 3 parts used also. This operates in a similar manner. Enter the part number, and the system displays a shortened part description. The use of a look- up window for these inputs is also supported at this point of the PC MECHANIC Page 17 program. Enter the quantity used, and the system calculates and displays the part cost. After entering up to 3 parts used, the system totals the parts cost. Menu item #6 will display the submenu of available PM reports. These are: 1. Work completed in the last week 2. PM backlog by trade 3. PM backlog by equipment 4. PM backlog by due date 5. History for specific equipment (look-up window supported) 6. History for all equipment 7. History detailed record 8. PM summary list (type of PM denoted by trade & frequency) 9. Exit to PM menu Menu item #7 returns the user to the preventive maintenance system menu. EQUIPMENT DATABASE SYSTEM ------------------------- To enter the equipment database system, select choice 4 from the main menu. The equipment database takes the place of a card system for recording nameplate and rating information on equipment. The choices available from the equipment database system menu are as follows: 1. Enter Equipment Records 2. Update Equipment Records 3. Delete Equipment Records 4. Print Hard Copy 5. Print Master Equipment List 6. Return to Main Menu Selecting choice 1 or 2 will allow the user to enter new equipment records or to update existing records. Most of the data field names are self-explanatory. Please note that not all fields are applicable to every piece of equipment, so leave them blank where appropriate. When the input or update screen has been filled in, the user will get a prompt at the bottom of the screen asking if everything is ok. The correct responses are "Y" for yes or "N" for no. If "N" is entered, the user can edit any incorrect entries. When "Y" is finally entered, the next prompt will be be a flashing "MORE" also at the bottom of the screen. Again, the correct responses are "Y" for yes or "N" for no. To delete equipment records, such as when an old piece of equipment is removed, select choice 3 from the equipment database PC MECHANIC Page 18 system menu. The user is then prompted to enter the equipment identification number. After deleting a record, the user is prompted if he desires to delete more records. Answer "Y" or "N" to the flashing "MORE" prompt. Selection of choice 4 will allow the user to print out a copy of a specific equipment record. The user is prompted to enter the equipment identification number. After printing, he is again given the "MORE" prompt. Answer "Y" or "N". For menu choices 2, 3, or 4, (update, delete, print hard copy) the look-up window feature is active. At the prompt to enter an equipment identification number, enter the I.D. # if it is known, or hit enter to open the window. You can step forward or backward through the database of equipment descriptions displayed in alphabetical order. When the desired piece of equipment is displayed in the window, hit enter to select. Choice 5 prints a master summary listing of all equipment. To return to the maintenance system main menu, select choice 6 from the equipment database system menu. EMPLOYEE DATABASE SYSTEM ------------------------ To enter the employee database system, select choice 5 from the maintenance system main menu. The next set of menu choices presented to the user are as follows: 1. Enter Employee Records 2. Modify Employee Records 3. Delete Employee Records 4. Display/Print Employee Listing 5. Display/Print Seniority Report 6. Display/Print Coming Review Dates Report 7. Display/Print Employee Work History Report 8. Exit to Main Menu To enter new employee records or modify existing records, select menu choice 1 or 2. The input data fields are for employee last name, first name, middle initial,employee identification number, social security number, date of birth, hire date, trade, hourly pay rate, date last performance review was done, home telephone number, name of a person to contact in an emergency, and telephone number of the emergency contact person. After filling in all of the fields, the user is prompted if everything is ok. Enter "Y" for yes or "N" for no. The next prompt is the flashing word "MORE", asking if the user has more records to enter or modify. The correct response to this prompt is "Y" or "N". PC MECHANIC Page 19 To delete an employee record, select menu item 3. The user is next prompted to enter the employee's identification number. If the user selects menu option 2 or 3 (modify or delete), he will be prompted to enter the employee I.D. #. If this is not known, hit enter to open the look-up window which lists employees in alphabetical order along with the corresponding identification numbers. Hit enter to select the desired employee. To print an alphabetical listing of all employees, select choice 4 from the menu. This lists most important information about the employee. This includes the identification number, which is needed for closing out work orders and preventive maintenance work orders. The seniority report can be printed out by selecting choice 5 from the menu. This lists employees based on date of hire, starting from the employee with the most time up to the most recent hire. The coming review dates report can be printed out by selecting choice 6 from the menu. This prints a listing of all employees who had their last annual performance review 11 months ago or later. This can be useful so that the supervisor or department head can adequately prepare for a meaningful review of his employees. Choice 7 from the menu lists the work history for a specific employee during the past 365 days. The use of the look-up window function is supported here for selecting the employee identification number. In the listing, the single character column heading with an asterisk "*" is for the type of maintenance work done. A "P" stands for preventive maintenance. A "C" stands for corrective maintenance. To exit from the employee database system and return to the maintenance system main menu, select choice 8. TIPS & POINTERS --------------- The following is a list of miscellaneous suggestions which you might find helpful. 1. On a daily or weekly basis, print a history listing by location and send to the originating department to indicate what work was performed for that period of time. 2. On a daily or weekly basis, print a listing of the outstanding work orders for review with the respective trade supervisors or foreman. 3. Enter work orders as received and update as completed. 4. At the end of E A C H D A Y, that's right, each day, do PC MECHANIC Page 20 a backup of the PC MECHANIC subdirectory containing the database and index files. I can guarantee you now that someday, you are going to have hard disk problems. It is not a question of if, only when. When the day arrives that your hard disk decides to go off to "Never-Never Land", you will have a backup on hand that is no less current than yesterday. 5. On a weekly basis, print the aging report to see where you stand on completing the backlog. There should be very few old work orders unless there is a good reason for scheduling the work or you are waiting on parts. 6. On a weekly basis, print the PM jobs for the coming week. This could be done Friday afternoon or Monday morning. 7. It is suggested that you always work with the caps lock key on. I have tried to filter all keyboard input to uppercase, however, it is possible I may have missed a few here or there. This will lead to consistent input of your data. 8. Standard location names and trade codes should be developed. I discussed this earlier as a means to develop consistent data inputs. You will save some grief later on if you make a small effort to do this at the beginning. 9. Backup your data files daily. I will probably mention this again because I know what it's like to wipe out a hard disk. GETTING HELP ------------ As I mentioned at the outset, I am available to assist any user of the PC MECHANIC, whether registered or not. My home telephone number is (914) 683-5191. If there is a real emergency, my wife can give out my work number, but I prefer to minimize this. I can also be reached through Compuserve, where I maintain an account. My user number is 71121,2014. Leave me a message on Easy Plex. Finally, if you would like to write, send any correspondence to: Michael R. Busman 23 Old Mamaroneck Rd., #5-O White Plains, NY 10605 PC MECHANIC Page 21 One last commercial message from the sponsors. Please remember that the PC MECHANIC is available as a low-cost, shareware alternative to expensive, complex maintenance management software. If you find it of use in your operation, do my wife a favor(remember the mink & diamonds fund) and register your copy. Lastly, I am always looking for comments-both favorable and downright nasty. Also, I appreciate suggested enhancements. Have fun you grease monkeys. PC MECHANIC Page 22 You can order directly from me using the registration form on the next page or from the Public (Software) Library (PSL) by calling 1-800-2424-PSL or 713-524-6394 for orders only (call 713-665-7017 for questions about orders) or by writing: PSL P.O. Box 35705 Houston, TX 77235-5705 MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express accepted. For technical support, contact Michael Busman at the sources listed above. PC MECHANIC Page 23 REGISTRATION FORM ----------------- Name ____________________________ Title ___________________________ Company _________________________ Address _________________________ _________________________ City ____________________________ State ____ Zip _________ Telephone _______________________ Please register ____ copies of PC MECHANIC @ $50.00/copy for me. Total enclosed: $__________ Make checks payable to: Michael R. Busman PC MECHANIC Page 24 HISTORY OF PC MECHANIC ---------------------- Version 1.0 - Original dBASE III+/IV source code version Version 1.1 - Initial compiled dBASE version Version 1.2 - Minor bug fixes and non-cosmetic enhancements Version 1.3 - Added error checking, simplified installation, eliminated BASIC printer program to alleviate memory problems with TANDY 1000 equipment, some minor bug fixes Version 1.4 - Added look-up table functions to various parts of the program where the user is prompted or there is an input field to enter data such as Employee I.D.#, Vendor number, maintenance code number, part number, or Equipment I.D. #. Version 2.0 - Added the Employee Work History Report, which was requested by a user. - Added the ability to display most reports, which was requested by many users. - Added Master Equipment List. - Expanded use of look-up windows for input fields and searches. - Added a simple bar graph to the Work Order Aging report to graphically depict the work order quantities over time.