Axway accounting integration suite: the latest features of AI Suite 2.4 Plus

Major developments in Axway’s AI Suite 2.4+ include

This new AI Suite is entirely designed in HTML5, which makes it possible to avoid the disappearance of Flash Player. Its database management system is MicroSoft SQL Server 2016. The Rule Engine Server can translate files in CSV format.

Starting in 2021, the InterPlay Designer will be replaced by AIS Studio, which will also replace the Composer (tool for defining, testing and deploying settings) in 2022. The customer experience is enhanced with this centralized design tool that quickly interacts with other components.

Finally, PassPort, which manages access and identities, is replaced by AIS Portal in all components of the AIS 2.4+ Suite: Designer, DataStore, Ruler Server, InterPlay and Composer (starting with SP30). AIS Portal natively supports SAML 2.0 (Security Assertion Markup Language, to manage authentication and access) and LDAP (for directory management).

What’s new in Composer, the configuration interface

Various functionalities have been added concerning data processing:

• management of calculations in decimal mode (fixed or dynamic format) ;
• string processing in pre-calculation ;
• 10-character date format (YYYY-MM-DD);
• formatting and concatenation of fields ;
• value replacement ;
• retrieving the value of an environment variable with the SENV function;
• Direct access to MEs (transactions generated by the interpretation of a CRE record that are intended to feed an accounting or financial system) from the Dictionary view;
• retrieval of a CRE field from a variable ;
• the possibility to call an internal table if its name is contained in a variable.

A new module RDJCSV is used to convert CSV files to flat files and vice versa. The Composer is now compatible with JRE 1.8 in 64 (Java Runtime Environment). The Topography part has multi-engine compatibility: the settings can be exchanged with engines, regardless of their version (latest or previous).

The customer experience has also been enhanced, including custom features that make complex business language operations more readable.

Just like standard data manipulation functions, reusable functions can be defined. In addition, SFA functions have been added to the predefined ones accessible via the LMD browser.

Finally, windows are easier to manage: multiple openings possible, quick closing, simultaneous work on several objects, etc.

Rule Engine Server modifications for the generation of postings

Using the accounting and financial rules defined in the AI Suite, the Rule Engine Server, a component of Accounting Integration, is responsible for transforming events into accounting entries, generating files containing new entries, as well as reject, audit and log files.

Several improvements have been made to the Rule Engine Server regarding output files. On Windows and Linux, output files are no longer generated if they are empty. A new log file is created, named RuleEngine.log or LOGRDJ (MVS). The temporary ME file before aggregation can be kept. In addition to the audit of the CREs in phase anomaly and in rejection, the audit of the CREs in error can be obtained.

Concerning the zones and the calculations, new functionalities are available:

• calculations in decimal mode (fixed or dynamic decimal format) are supported;
• the size of the label area of the ITR501 has been increased;
• the date can be up to 10 characters in the audit file (SSAA-MM-DD);
• strings are processed in pre-calculation ;
• more table items can be stored;
• the return codes of the different steps are memorized.

Technical changes have also been made: change of the exchange zones between Rule Engine and API/Exit Cobol and modification of the RDJEXP script call (under Unix and Windows).

To facilitate the work of users, it is now possible to call tables with the name in the variables. The functions EXTTAB (to return a part of the “value” column of a given table) and EXTTABD (to return a part of the “value” column of a table at a given date) can thus be used with a variable instead of the table name for short and long tables. In addition, referential data can be saved independently of rules, which is in line with DevOps methodology. Finally, the management of the treatment configuration has been added.

Improvements to InterPlay for Discharge Management

In the AI Suite, InterPlay allows you to create, modify and enrich data in a structured way via a web interface. The objective of InterPlay is to manage manual data entry and error correction in a secure and authenticated way, to recycle incorrect data flows regardless of their source (specific applications, ERP, etc.), to launch and verify recycling processes, to create entries for all types of events or transactions.

Several new features have been implemented in InterPlay. First of all, the interface is in HTML5: it keeps all the features of the previous versions while offering an improved user experience. Most of the use cases have been redesigned to be more simple and user-friendly. The transition of the client interface to HTML 5 also makes it possible to replace Flash Player, which has become obsolete. On the communication side, InterPlay now works with a lightweight, efficient, HTTP-based REST (Representative State Transfer) API.

In order to improve the customer experience, the ergonomics of InterPlay has been redesigned: a new possibility of mass update is available and the display performance of collections has been increased.

With this set of enhancements, Axway accounting Suite 2.4 is definitely a must-have finance strategy tool on the market.

Also read in our "tools to manage your finance strategy" file:

• How can Axway's solution help finance departments optimise their accounting schemes?
• Axway accounting integration suite: the latest features of AI Suite 2.4 Plus
• ERP Accounting: How can you optimize accounting interpretation with Axway's solution?
• Cloud Migration: Discover Axway's Digital Finance Module
• Axway's AI Suite: on premise vs. cloud?
• Axway sentinel: what are its applications for finance?
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• Finance: Everything you need to know about Oracle ERP Cloud
• Oracle ERP cloud: what are the latest developments?
• Integrating Oracle ERP Cloud: What you need to know!
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