Viewpoint/Vista Connection Requirements

Overview

Thank you for your interest in FieldConnect. This document will outline the specific requirements, overall architecture, and general process of preparing an environment for setup of the FieldConnect suite of applications including: FieldAccess, FieldTime, FieldGateway, FieldDirect, and FieldQuotes.

Requirements

Our product requires a direct connection to your existing ERP database where all transactional data will be stored. Therefore, below are some further specifics on what is needed.

ERP Connectivity Requirements

Remote Access	In order to perform the installation and maintenance of the FieldConnect software, our team will need direct remote login access ViewPoint data server. VPN connections (Cisco, Citrix, Juniper, etc.) are fine as long as the client tool is made available. Please note that if we do not have consistent, spontaneous access to the server this will inhibit our ability to provide real-time support should any issues arise that you need assistance with. Failure to provide this access will both slow down your support response times and may be subject to additional fees. Tools such as GoToMeeting screen sharing are not considered adequate access.
Internet Connectivity	Server must be able to connect to the internet.
SMTP Relay	In order to make use of email capabilities, the web server will need to be set up in your Exchange transport rules (or other system) to be allowed to send SMTP messages to your mail server. Custom ports for connecting to your mail server (other than 25) are supported.
ERP Connectivity – IP Address, Port/VPN	FieldConnect must be able to communicate directly with the ERP database. Options include an IP address with SQL traffic allowed/enabled or VPN connectivity between the ERP and FieldConnect servers. Your implementation specialist can discuss these options in further detail.

Access Requirements

Administrative Rights	In order to setup and test the connection to the ERP database , our team will need local administrator credentials the Viewpoint data server. Because this account may be used to set up some crucial services, it is best if there is no recurring expiration for this account.
SMTP Credentials	We will need the IP/name of your SMTP server and credentials which can be used to send emails such as service reports to your customers. We recommend setting up a specific email address to use for this such as service@mycompany.com if you don’t already have one available.
ERP Credentials	In order to properly connect to the ERP data we will need Viewpoint user credentials. Administrator credentials are preferred as this will help us to troubleshoot any issues by allowing us to go through the ERP user interface rather than just through the database.

Procedure

1. Setup

Setup of the infrastructure as defined above will be the responsibility of the client and must be completed before configuration of our software can begin.

2. Configuration

Once the ERP connection is established, your assigned implementation specialist will schedule a configuration session with your team where we will go through the various options and settings available in order to create a workflow the suits your business needs.

3. Implementation

Following the initial configuration, an implementation specialist will coordinate with your team to create a testing and rollout schedule based on your needs which will allow both your office staff and field staff to review and adjust the workflows and settings of our applications and begin implementing the software in a “live” production environment.