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Epicor ERP Course
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Disclaimer
This document is for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. This document and its
contents, including the viewpoints, dates and functional content expressed herein are believed to be accurate as of its
date of publication. However, Epicor Software Corporation makes no guarantee, representations or warranties with
regard to the enclosed information and specifically disclaims any applicable implied warranties, such as fitness for a
particular purpose, merchantability, satisfactory quality or reasonable skill and care. As each user of Epicor software is
likely to be unique in their requirements in the use of such software and their business processes, users of this document
are always advised to discuss the content of this document with their Epicor account manager. All information contained
herein is subject to change without notice and changes to this document since printing and other important information
about the software product are made or published in release notes, and you are urged to obtain the current release
notes for the software product. We welcome user comments and reserve the right to revise this publication and/or
make improvements or changes to the products or programs described in this publication at any time, without notice.
The usage of any Epicor software shall be pursuant to an Epicor end user license agreement and the performance of
any consulting services by Epicor personnel shall be pursuant to Epicor's standard services terms and conditions. Usage
of the solution(s) described in this document with other Epicor software or third party products may require the purchase
of licenses for such other products. Where any software is expressed to be compliant with local laws or requirements
in this document, such compliance is not a warranty and is based solely on Epicor's current understanding of such laws
and requirements. All laws and requirements are subject to varying interpretations as well as to change and accordingly
Epicor cannot guarantee that the software will be compliant and up to date with such changes. All statements of
platform and product compatibility in this document shall be considered individually in relation to the products referred
to in the relevant statement, i.e., where any Epicor software is stated to be compatible with one product and also
stated to be compatible with another product, it should not be interpreted that such Epicor software is compatible
with both of the products running at the same time on the same platform or environment. Additionally platform or
product compatibility may require the application of Epicor or third-party updates, patches and/or service packs and
Epicor has no responsibility for compatibility issues which may be caused by updates, patches and/or service packs
released by third parties after the date of publication of this document. Epicor is a registered trademark and/or
trademark of Epicor Software Corporation in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. All other
trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Copyright Epicor Software Corporation 2014.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of
Epicor Software Corporation.

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Contents

Contents
Epicor Information Worker for Epicor ERP Course...............................................................4
Before You Begin....................................................................................................................5
Audience.........................................................................................................................................................5
Prerequisites....................................................................................................................................................5
Environment Setup..........................................................................................................................................5

Overview.................................................................................................................................7
Architecture Overview...........................................................................................................8
IW Client Installation..............................................................................................................9
Daily Processing....................................................................................................................10
Import Menu.................................................................................................................................................10
Import and Synchronize Data..................................................................................................................11
Workshop - Import Data into Microsoft Outlook.....................................................................................13
Import Customers and Invoices........................................................................................................13
Import Sales Orders.........................................................................................................................13
Import a BAQ Data Snapshot...........................................................................................................14
Import Appointments, Tasks, and Contacts....................................................................................................15
Workshop - Import Contacts, Tasks, and Appointments..........................................................................15
Explore Menu................................................................................................................................................16
Workshop - Navigate the Explore Menu..................................................................................................17
Launch Menu.................................................................................................................................................18
Workshop - Navigate the Launch Menu..................................................................................................18
Synchronization.............................................................................................................................................19
Workshop - Synchronize Data.................................................................................................................20
Import Data into Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel....................................................................................21
Workshop - Import Data into Microsoft Word.........................................................................................21
Workshop - Import Data into Microsoft Excel..........................................................................................21
Work with Imported Data in Microsoft Word.................................................................................................22
Workshop - Work with Imported Data in Microsoft Word.......................................................................23

Assessment............................................................................................................................24
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................25

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Epicor Information Worker for Epicor ERP Course

Epicor Information Worker for Epicor ERP Course

Epicor Information Worker for Epicor ERP Course

This course introduces Epicor Information Worker, an Epicor desktop productivity application that allows Microsoft
Office users to view and update Epicor data. This enables individuals to increase productivity and improve
real-time decision-making by leveraging Epicor data.
For many information workers, Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office are integral components of desktop
productivity tools. At the same time, access to customers, products, suppliers, financial records, and employee
information from Epicor is just as critical to business management. These two areas of information merged with
Epicor Information Worker.
This course begins with a brief discussion of the application setup. The main focus of this course is to access data
from the Epicor using Microsoft Outlook and then synchronize the data back to Epicor.
The course includes presentations, demonstrations, and a series of hands-on workshops designed to create and
deploy Epicor Information Worker.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
Understand the features and functionality available in Epicor Information Worker.
Access Epicor data from within Microsoft Office.
Perform synchronization between Microsoft Office and Epicor records.

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Before You Begin

Before You Begin

Read this topic for information you should know in order to successfully complete this course.

Audience
Specific audiences will benefit from this course.
Users of Microsoft Office applications
System Administrator
IT/Technical Staff

Prerequisites
To complete the workshops in this course, the necessary modules must be licensed and operating in your training
environment. For more information on the modules available, contact your Epicor Customer Account Manager
at EpicorCAM@epicor.com. It is also important you understand the prerequisite knowledge contained in other
valuable courses.
Knowledge of Microsoft Office
Knowledge of Epicor.

Environment Setup
The environment setup steps and potential workshop constraints must be reviewed in order to successfully
complete the workshops in this course.
Your Epicor training environment, in which the Epicor demonstration database is found, enables you to experience
Epicor functionality in action but does not affect data in your live, production environment.
If IW is already in production use, you must install the IW server components on a different server in order to do
this course without affecting the production IW installation.
The following steps must be taken to successfully complete the workshops in this course.
1.

Verify the following or ask your system administrator to verify for you:
Your Epicor training icon (or web address if you are using Epicor Web Access) points to your
Epicor training environment with the Epicor demonstration database installed. Do not complete
the course workshops in your live, production environment.
Note It is recommended that multiple Epicor demonstration databases are installed. Contact
Support or Systems Consulting for billable assistance.

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The Epicor demonstration database is at the same service pack and patch as the Epicor
application. Epicor's education team updates the Epicor demonstration database for each service pack
and patch. If your system administrator upgrades your Epicor application to a new service pack or patch,
he or she must also download the corresponding Epicor demonstration database from EPICweb > Support
> Epicor > Downloads and install it. If this is not performed, unexpected results can occur when completing
the course workshops.
Your system administrator restored (refreshed) the Epicor demonstration database prior to
starting this course. The Epicor demonstration database comes standard with parts, customers, sales
orders, and so on, already defined. If the Epicor demonstration database is shared with multiple users
(that is, the database is located on a server and users access the same data, much like your live, production
environment) and is not periodically refreshed, unexpected results can occur. For example, if a course
workshop requires you to ship a sales order that came standard in the Epicor demonstration database,
but a different user already completed this workshop and the Epicor demonstration database was not
restored (refreshed), then you will not be able to ship the sales order. Epicor's education team has written
the course workshops to minimize situations like this from occurring, but Epicor cannot prevent users
from manipulating the data in your installation of the Epicor demonstration database.
2.

Install the Information Worker server using the procedures in the Epicor Installation Guide.

3.

Assign your Windows user credentials to the manager account in your Epicor application.
a.

Log into your Epicor application. For User name and Password, use epicor and epicor . These
credentials allow you the administrative rights needed for this task.

b.

Navigate to System Management > Company Maintenance > User to open the User Account
Maintenance program.

c.

On the Details sheet, type manager in the User ID field and press Tab to display the settings for the
manager user account.

d.

In the Domain and Domain User ID fields, type your Windows user name and domain name.

e.

Click File > Save.

It takes approximately five minutes for your change to be activated.

4.

From a computer with Microsoft Office 2007 or above, open a web browser and go to
http://yourIWservername/informationworker replacing yourIWservername with your Information
Worker server computer name.

5.

Follow the instructions on the client download page to download and install the Information Worker client.

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Overview

Overview
Epicor Information Worker allows Microsoft Office users to view and update Epicor data from within Microsoft
Outlook, Excel, and Word. Once Epicor data has been imported into Microsoft Office, users can keep the data
synchronized between Office and Epicor according to a schedule of their choosing. Users can work in connected
(to Epicor database) or disconnected modes.
In Microsoft Outlook, contacts, appointments, and tasks can be synchronized with Epicor Information Worker.
From there, you can update data, add calls, and later synchronize the new information back to the Epicor
application.
In Microsoft Excel, users can import application data into Microsoft Excel tables, edit data, and refresh data
brought into tables as necessary. When a document opens, it can be saved as a template that can be populated
by an Epicor Information Worker import. Application forms can be launched that relate to the currency selected
record as well.
In Microsoft Word users can launch a Microsoft Word mail merge based on imported tables, import application
data by field or by list, edit data, refresh data as necessary, and launch application forms related to a currently
selected record.
The following diagram shows an overview of an Information Worker installation, which includes Information
Worker clients, the Information Worker server with its configuration manager utility, and the Epicor server that
provides application data to the Information Worker clients.

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Architecture Overview

Epicor Information Worker for Epicor ERP Course

Architecture Overview
The Epicor Information Worker (IW) architecture is divided in two parts, the server and the client.
Server
Epicor Information Worker requires the following server applications:
The IW server
The Epicor application server
You must have the Epicor server installed and functional to correctly configure Epicor Information Worker. IW
clients who also have the Epicor client have added capabilities, but IW clients do not have to have the Epicor
client.
In Epicor, the business activity queries (BAQs) are the business entities (record types) views that supply the records
imported/synchronized by Epicor Information Worker. In Epicor, the IW BAQs are prefixed with ziw.
You can open the Epicor application from IW to add a:
CRM Call
Help Desk Case
Lead, Opportunity or Quote
RMA
Sales Order
Service Call
Client
The client components include:
Microsoft Office 2007, 2010, or 2013.
Epicor Information Worker Office add-in.
Microsoft Office
The Epicor IW client is Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010. Visual Studio Tools for Microsoft Office runtime must also
be installed. Both programs are accessible during the client installation. Individual users can have Microsoft
Outlook, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel installed or just one or two of those applications depending on
their needs.
Epicor Information Worker Office Add-ins
The Epicor Information Worker Office add-in is a separate installation. Once the add-in is installed, the next time
Outlook, Word or Excel opens, the Epicor IW menus, ribbons and toolbar items display. This also includes a Help
menu item.

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IW Client Installation

IW Client Installation
This section reviews the client installation.
Depending on which applications you want to use with Epicor Information Worker, install Microsoft Outlook,
Word, and Excel. The IW administrator provides users with a link to the client install web page, usually
http://yourIWserver/informationworker. The client install page has the instructions for installing the IW client.
You can click one button ("Run Setup") to install all prerequisites and the IW client. During the installation, you
are given the opportunity to select the Office applications (Outlook, Excel, and/or Word) that will be configured
to interact with IW.
Connectivity via http access to the Epicor Information Worker server is also required to use IW. If you plan to
launch the Epicor client from Epicor Information Worker, you must install the Epicor client.
Once you have installed the IW client, when you open Microsoft Outlook, Word or Excel, a new icon displays in
your Microsoft Windows application tray and the Epicor menu items are available in Outlook, Word and Excel.

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The following section reviews the Epicor Information Worker - Outlook functionality and provides supporting
workshop exercises.
Epicor Information Worker performs the following tasks in Microsoft Outlook:
View and update application data in custom forms within Outlook.
Add application data.
View and update application data in standard Outlook forms such as Contacts.
Add application data.
Launch Outlook forms related to a currently selected form.
Launch application forms related to a currently selected form.
The following image shows the Epicor tab in Outlook 2010 or 2013.

The following image shows the Epicor Information Worker toolbar in Outlook 2007.

Import Menu
Import on the Epicor tab (Office 2010 or 2013) or Epicor toolbar (Office 2007) allows you to import business
entities from the Epicor application to Microsoft Outlook. Clicking an entity start a wizard that gets data from
Epicor into Office.
Epicor Business Entities
The available Epicor business entities include:
Customers
Appointments
Tasks
CRM Calls
Contacts
Bills of Lading
Help Desk Cases
Invoices
Leads, Opportunities and Quotes

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Marketing Lists
Master Packs
Miscellaneous Shipments
RMA's
Sales Orders
Service Calls
Service Contracts
Ship To's
Shipments
Sales Territory
For example, if you select Import > CRM Calls and complete the Information Worker Explorer Wizard, a folder
with data rows is created in the Epicor Outlook folder CRM Calls folder. When you double-click a row, the data
opens in a custom Outlook form. These records can have child rows. In these cases, the data opens in a tree view
that allows you to drill-down into the information. Some of the data comes from configured views and allows
you to update certain form information. Business entities that are imported are by default set for synchronization
once they are imported.
My Lists
My Lists enables you to pick any BAQ for which you have access rights on your Epicor server and download its
data. The selection list is the list of shipped and user-defined BAQs you would see when you are logged into
Epicor and using the BAQ Designer. A My Lists import is a one-time snapshot of application data from the selected
BAQ. There is no subsequent synchronization of application data between the data source and Outlook. A My
Lists BAQ import overwrites any data brought down by a previous import of the same BAQ.
Advanced Import
Advanced Import performs the same process as the standard business entity import but starts the wizard with
two extra forms that allow extra configuration options that are used less frequently.

Import and Synchronize Data

Use Import > EntityName to choose an Epicor business entity and import either all, or a selection of, the available
records and apply the default data synchronization between your Microsoft Office application and the Epicor
application. Alternatively, use the Import > Advanced Import option to select an Epicor business entity plus
have more control over synchronization.
Standard Import
When the import process begins, the Information Worker Explorer wizard displays. In this window you can
enter criteria as needed (see Criteria Filters below) and click Next to display a list of records. You can either
individually select or clear a row, or use the Select All or Clear All menus to select or clear all the rows. The
selected rows are the records that will be imported.
The standard import results in the following synchronization behavior. The selected records are the only records
that ever synchronize for that entity unless you run the import for that entity again using Advanced Import
options. However, if you select to bring down related data in the Information Worker Explorer Wizard, any new
related entity records show up without any further effort.
Advanced Import

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Advanced import allows you to import all, or a selection of, records and enables more control over synchronization.
When you select an entity in Advanced Import, none of the import options on the first wizard page are selected
unless you previously imported it. Once an entity has been imported, the last used import option for that
entity is selected on the first wizard page when you select the entity from the Advanced Import menu.
Whether or not the Next button that would allow you to see the import wizard step of selecting related data
is enabled or not depends on how the business entity is configured. Certain entities, for example Customers,
make more sense to allow for related record linking.
Synchronization options are displayed when you are setting up an advanced import:
Synchronize all available data - Importing all records using this option means that when new records
subsequently are added that match the entity, those new records will come down to Information Worker
without any further effort during synchronization.
Synchronize related data - If this option is selected, it is because during a previous import for a different
entity, this entity was selected to bring down its records related to the main entity you were importing.
This is not an option you set directly. This option being selected is showing you that these entity records
are being brought down only as they relate to records in other entity imports that you previously set up
(those entities are listed). This is an informational setting, nothing happens when you click Finish unless
you choose a new import type.
Do not synchronize - This option stops any synchronization of records for this entity, whether they were
setup through related imports or other import options. Any downloaded records for the entity are deleted
when you click Finish.
Interrupting a Record Import
You cannot cancel a record import that is under way except by closing Outlook. If you close Outlook during an
import that used the Synchronize all available data option, any records not brought down because of the
interruption will be brought down during the next synchronization. If you closed Outlook during an import that
used the Manually select data to synchronize option, only those records brought down before the interruption
would be synchronized during subsequent synchronizations.
Criteria Filters
When setting up an import, the import wizard displays criteria filters that can be used to limit the number of
records that will be brought down. If you do not want to use criteria (or no criteria fields are visible), leave criteria
fields blank and proceed to the next step in wizard. The available criteria by the Epicor business entity that you
have selected for import.
Remember the following when using criteria filters.
When selecting a field as a filter, the field cannot have a space in the display name/schema name of a column.
The data must match the criteria exactly (=) in order to provide consistent results.
Entering the wildcard character * is supported. If you are entering partial criteria, use the * wildcard. For
example, for a zip code field, entering 972* would return 97221, 97224, and so on.
Enter 1 (one) and 0 (zero) for true/false parameter fields where 1 is true and 0 is false.
My List Imports
Importing business activity queries (BAQs) under the My Lists menu option removes any data brought down by
a previous import of the same BAQ under My Lists. Under My Lists, there is no checking for which records to
bring down or which records to leave on the client. Records are cleared and replaced according to the view on
which the entity is based. There is no synchronization of these records brought down by the My List running of
a BAQ.

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Workshop - Import Data into Microsoft Outlook

In this workshop, import customers, invoices, sales orders and a BAQ-based data snapshot into Microsoft Outlook.

Import Customers and Invoices

1. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Import > Customers.
In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Import > Customers.
The Information Worker Explorer - Customers window displays.
2. In the Criteria window, click Next to continue.
Leaving the criteria fields (CustomerName, Zip, and Country in this example) blank configures the import
to retrieve all available records. Entering criteria helps focus your search.
3. In the Select window, select the Import check boxes of any three customers and click Next.
The window also includes options for selecting or clearing all items.
4. In the Related business entities window, select Invoices.
This configures the import to retrieve all invoices that are related to the selected customers.
Note Only certain key business entities like Customers show the related entities screen during import.

5. Click Finish.
In the Navigation Pane Mail Folders view, under the Epicor folder, a new Customers folder and a new
Invoices folder display.
6. Open the Epicor > Customers folder.
7. In the Customer column, double-click any customer.
The Customers window opens and displays detailed information for the selected customer.
8. View the customer details and click Close.
9. Open the Epicor > Invoices folder and repeat the process to open the Customers window from that
location.
When new invoices are added for the customers you have chosen to import/sync, the new invoices will
automatically be brought down during IW synchronizations.

Import Sales Orders

1. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Import > Sales Orders.
In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Import > Sales Orders.
The Information Worker Explorer - Sales Orders window displays.
2. In the Criteria window, click Next.

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3. In the Select window, click Select All and then click Finish.
In the Navigation Pane Mail Folders view, under the Epicor folder, a new Sales Orders folder displays.
4. Select the Epicor > Sales Orders folder.
5. In the Order column, double-click any sales order number.
The Sales Orders window displays.
6. View the sales order details and click Close.

Import a BAQ Data Snapshot

You want a quick way to view the customer contacts list for your company. You are not concerned with
synchronization or update capabilities. You are told that an existing BAQ, UpdCustContacts, is designed to
extract a contact list from the Epicor database, and the Information Worker My Lists import option can be used
to display the list in Outlook.
1. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Import > My Lists.
In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Import > My Lists.
The Information Worker Explorer - My List window displays. The selection list includes the standard
(shipped with Epicor) and user-defined BAQs for which you have access rights in the Epicor application.
2. Under Filter, type Update in the Name field to focus your search.
3. From the list, select the BAQ named UpdCustContacts (in the Name column) and click Next.
The Information Worker Explorer-My List window displays a list of records retrieved by the BAQ.
4. Using the check boxes in the Import column, select several records and click Finish.
In the Navigation Pane Mail view, the imported data is displayed in the folder Epicor > My Lists >
UpdCustContacts. Keep in mind that this is a static report and there is no subsequent synchronization of
application data between the Epicor application and Outlook.
5. Rerun the import:
a. Right-click the UpdCustContacts folder and select Reimport Folder Now.
The BAQ runs again and the Information Worker Explorer - My List window opens with the record
selection list displayed. No records are selected.
b. Re-select your records or make another selection, and then click Finish.
The UpdCustContacts folder is updated to display the new import results. Keep in mind that a My Lists
BAQ import always completely overwrites any data brought down by a previous import of the same
BAQ. There is no merging of records.

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Import Appointments, Tasks, and Contacts

Importing appointments, tasks, and contacts into Microsoft Outlook from the Epicor application is slightly different
than importing business entities. These items display along with your other items in Outlook, rather than in
designated Epicor folders.
Appointments
The Appointment entity represents an Epicor task list record that is a task type of Appointment. Epicor task list
records with a task type Appointment are placed in the Microsoft Outlook calendar. Appointments are agreed
upon meeting times for specific employees when communicating with customers or prospects.
Tasks
The Task entity represents an Epicor task list record that is not the task type of Appointment. Epicor task list
records of the task type Appointment are placed in the Microsoft Outlook calendar. Tasks are follow-up items
for specific employees when communicating with customers or prospects.
Contacts
The Contacts entity represents an Epicor contact record. These records are placed in the Outlook Contacts view.
Epicor contacts are records that define multiple contacts for the main location and ship-to locations of a customer.
Note When you add an Epicor Information Worker contact record, the country portion of the address
must match the available country list in the Epicor application. For example, it would cause an error if you
enter United States of America in Microsoft Outlook while the Epicor application expects USA.
The Import > CRM Call option, available for imported contacts, can automatically create a CRM Call record for
the Epicor application as long as the To Email Address matches an email address in the imported contacts list.
When you send an email from Microsoft Outlook, you can configure Outlook to automatically add a new CRM
Call or prompt you to add one.
In Outlook 2010 or 2013:
1.

Click the File tab and then click Epicor.

2.

Under Configure Information Worker select Email Options. Under Email Options, select Log emails
sent to imported contact to enable automatic logging. Additionally select Prompt before logging if you
want to control whether or not emails are logged as they are received.

In Outlook 2007:
1.

Select Tools + Options. Click the Epicor Information Worker tab.

2.

In Outlook 2007, under Log emails sent to synchronized contact, select PromptToLog or
AutomaticallyLog. Click OK.

For more information on Epicor business entities, see the Information Worker Online Help.

Workshop - Import Contacts, Tasks, and Appointments

In this workshop, import contacts, tasks, and appointments.
1. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Import > Contacts.

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In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Import > Contacts.
The Information Worker Explorer - Contacts window displays.
2. Click Next to open the Select window and retrieve the list of available contacts.
3. In the Select window, click the Select All button.
4. Click Finish.
In Navigation pane Contacts view, the Epicor application imported contacts display.
5. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Import > Tasks.
In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Import > Tasks.
The Information Worker Explorer - Tasks window displays.
6. Click Next to open the Select window and retrieve the list of available tasks.
7. In the Select window, click the Select All button.
8. Click Finish.
In the Navigation pane, Tasks view, the Epicor application imported tasks display.
9. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Import > Appointments.
In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Import > Appointments.
The Information Worker Explorer - Appointments window displays.
10. Click Next to open the Select window and retrieve the list of available appointments.
11. In the Select window, click the Select All button.
12. Click Finish.
In the Navigation pane Calendar view, the Epicor application imported appointments display.
13. Review the imported information.

Explore Menu
Use Explore on the Epicor tab (Outlook 2010 or 2013) or Epicor toolbar (Outlook 2007) to view details relating
to a selected record and to add new records in custom Outlook forms.
For working with Epicor data records, the Explore menu enables you to use Microsoft Outlook as the Epicor
application interface in place of the Epicor client. You can view records that have already been synchronized
between the Epicor application and Microsoft Outlook as well as add new records. New records update the Epicor
application are thereafter synchronized along with other Information Worker records.
The first step to using the Explore feature is to select an Information Worker record. After selecting a record, go
to the Explore menu and select an existing item to view or select an item to add from the New submenu. To
identify Information Worker records in Outlook:
In the Navigation pane Mail view, the Epicor folder and its subfolders contain Information Worker records.

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In the Navigation pane Contacts, Tasks, and Calendar views, switch to an Information Worker view:
In Outlook 2010 or 2013, verify that the Home tab is selected. In the Current View group, select
Information Worker.
In Outlook 2007, use the Outlook Advanced toolbar (select View > Toolbars > Advanced if the toolbar
is not visible) to select the Information Worker view.
You can work with Explore in offline mode. The next time you connect with the Epicor Information Worker server,
the new records will be synchronized.
Note Data must be synchronized between the Epicor application and Microsoft Outlook in order for the
information to display.

Workshop - Navigate the Explore Menu

In this workshop, navigate the Explore menu and add a new item to synchronize back to the Epicor application.
1. In the Outlook Navigation pane Mail view, open the Epicor folder and select the Invoices folder.
Invoices display in the right grid.
2. In the Invoices column, select any invoice.
3. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Explore > Customer - Bill To.
In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Explore > Customer - Bill To.
The Customers window displays.
4. In the Customers window, review the customer bill-to information and click Close.
5. In the Invoices folder, select the invoice again.
6. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Explore > New > CRM Call.
In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Explore New > CRM Calls.
The CRM Calls window displays.
7. In the Description field, enter XXX - Customer check in (where XXX are your initials).
8. In the Text field, enter XXX - Followed up to see if customer needed additional products or services
(where XXX are your initials).
9. In the Call Type field, select Call - Sales.
10. Click OK.
Under the Epicor folder, a CRM Calls folder is added, containing your new call record.
11. Open the CRM Calls folder and double-click your call record.
The CRM Calls window displays with your call details.
12. In the CRM Calls window, review the call information and click OK to close.

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Launch Menu
Use Launch on the Epicor tab (Outlook 2010 or 2013) or Epicor toolbar (Outlook 2007) to open and create
records directly in the Epicor client. The Launch menu functionality requires that you have an Epicor client
installation that can be accessed from Outlook.
The first step to using the Launch feature is to navigate to an Epicor Information Worker record in the Outlook
Mail view. After selecting a record, go to the Launch menu and select an existing item to view or select an item
to add from the New submenu.
Selecting an item from the Launch menu causes the Epicor client to open and display the appropriate form for
the selected Epicor Information Worker record. Selecting an item from the New submenu causes the Epicor client
to open and display a new form with related data from the selected Epicor Information Worker record.
When choosing an item on the Launch menu starts the Epicor client, you are prompted to log in with your Epicor
client user credentials. When the Epicor client is already running, choosing a Launch menu item opens the
applicable Epicor form without any requirement to log in.
The first time you perform an action that attempts to start the Epicor client , you may be prompted to browse
to the Epicor.exe file in your Epicor client installation. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, the file location where Information
Worker will go by default is set in File > Epicor > Epicor Properties.

Workshop - Navigate the Launch Menu

In this workshop, use the Launch menu to open the Customer Tracker in the Epicor client and verify one the
fields in a customer record.
You just called Addison Inc. and spoke to your contact, Andrew Addisen. He told you he was recently promoted
to Vice President. You want to verify this information is correct in the Epicor application customer records.
1. In the Outlook Navigation pane Mail view, open the Epicor folder and select the Customers folder.
Customer records display in the right grid.
2. In the Customers grid, select Addison, Inc.
3. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Launch > Customers.
In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Launch > Customer Tracker.
The Epicor client opens and displays the Customer Tracker.
4. Navigate to the Contacts > Detail sheet.
5. Under Contact Information, verify that the Name field displays Andrew Addisen and the Title field
displays Vice President.
6. Exit the Customer Tracker.
When using the Launch menu at work, you may want to leave the Epicor client running.

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Daily Processing

Synchronization
Once data is imported to added to Microsoft Outlook from the Information Worker menu items, a synchronization
cycle refreshes the field (column) data mapped between Outlook and the Epicor application.
Synchronization Results
Click the Synchronize button to refresh the records brought down to the Outlook through Information Worker
as follows:
Epicor Record

Microsoft Office record

Outcome of Synchronization

Changed since last

synchronization (any field).

No change since last

synchronization.

Epicor record replaces Office record.

No change since last

synchronization.

Changed since last

synchronization (any field).

Office record replaces Epicor record.

Changed since last

synchronization (any field).

Changed since last

synchronization (any field).

Epicor record replaces Office record (Office record

changes lost). The record conflict is logged as a
warning to let you know that data entered in
Office was discarded. These warnings can be
reviewed by clicking the synch error icon. If the
warning is for an Outlook record you can navigate
to the replaced record.

There is no merging of changed fields to produce an updated record. Entire records are replaced.
As you can see by the results in the last row of the table above, the Epicor record wins if both records are edited
between a synchronization cycle. Between synchronization cycles, you must make your changes in either Epicor
or Office to avoid inadvertently losing your changes.
Enabling Automated Synchronization
Automated synchronization can be set to occur at regular intervals.
1.

In Outlook 2010 or 2013, click File. Click Epicor in list on left.

In Outlook 2007, from the Tools menu, select Options. Click the Information Worker tab.

2.

Make sure that Enable Synchronization is selected.

3.

Select Synchronize Automatically.

4.

In Outlook 2010 or 2013, select a synchronization interval option.

In Outlook 2007, move the slider control to select the interval and click OK.

Synchronization will now take place at the interval you selected.

Synchronization Errors
When errors occur during synchronization, a exclamation icon displays in your Windows system tray. Double-click
on the icon to open the Synchronization Errors form.
When severe synchronization or downloading errors occur the Information Worker client is set to offline mode.
If you are off the network (that has connectivity to your Epicor server) and start an action that requires a server
connection, Information Worker sets itself to offline mode.

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If you are in offline mode, you can still:

View and work with records that have already been brought down.
Add records to Microsoft Outlook.
The Synchronization Errors Form displays both synchronization errors and the full synchronization log depending
on how it is accessed. Conflicts are logged as errors, which are reviewed by clicking the Synch Error icon in the
Windows application tray. You can right-click the Epicor Information Worker icon in the status bar and select
Show Synchronization Log to access this log any time. Once the log displays, you can Show/Hide details or
Export the log, which is useful to the Information Worker administrator when troubleshooting issues.

Workshop - Synchronize Data

In this workshop, synchronize data and view the CRM Call created in a previous workshop.
1. In Outlook 2010 or 2013, from the Epicor tab, select Synchronize Now.
In Outlook 2007, from the Epicor Information Worker toolbar, select Synchronize.
2. Launch the Epicor application.
3. Navigate to Sales Management > Customer Relationship Management > General Operations >
Salesperson Workbench.
4. Click Refresh All.
5. Navigate to the CRM Calls > All sheet.
6. In the All grid, verify the CRM Call created in the Navigate the Explore Menu workshop displays.
7. Review the CRM Call information.
8. Exit the Salesperson Workbench.

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Daily Processing

Import Data into Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel

Data import through the Information Worker client is the starting point for working with Epicor ERP data in
Microsoft Word and Excel
The Information Worker client online help (installed with the client) includes topics about working with your
imported Epicor ERP data in Word and Excel.

Workshop - Import Data into Microsoft Word

In this workshop, import data into Microsoft Word.
Navigate to Microsoft Word.
1. On the Word ribbon, choose the Epicor tab.
2. On the Epicor tab, select Import > Customers.
The Import Data Wizard displays.
3. Without entering any criteria, click Next.
Customer records display.
4. In the Customer grid, select any three customers and click Finish.
The Epicor Information Panel displays on the right side of the application window with the selected customers
located in the Document Contents > Customers node.
If the panel does not display, click Information Panel on the Epicor tab.
5. On the Epicor tab, choose Related > Invoice - Bill To.
The Related Information panel displays.
6. In the Related Information panel, select any invoice and click Finish.
The selected invoice displays in the Document Contents > Invoices node in the Epicor Information Panel.
7. Minimize Microsoft Word.

Workshop - Import Data into Microsoft Excel

In this workshop, import data into Microsoft Excel.
Navigate to Microsoft Excel.
1. On the Excel ribbon, choose the Epicor tab.
2. On the Epicor tab, select Import > Customers.
The Import Data Wizard displays.
3. Without entering any criteria, click Next.
Customer records display.

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4. In the Customer grid, the following columns to display and click Finish.
CustNum
Cust ID
Customer
Address
CityName
Credit Limit
A new worksheet is created with the name of the imported business entity and the data is displayed in an
Excel table for the columns you selected. If there are child entities worksheets are also created for them.
5. You can Modify the Customer table layout as necessary.
6. Exit Microsoft Excel.

Work with Imported Data in Microsoft Word

Once the Epicor data is available in Microsoft Word, you can perform mail merges, use templates, and open
Epicor forms.
Start a Mail Merge Document
In the Mailings tab on the Word ribbon, choose Select Recipients > Select Epicor List and select an entity to use
as the data source for the mail merge and start the wizard for selecting records. The rows that you select will be
imported.
Save the document. Now you can use the mail merge capabilities of Microsoft Word to create and run a mail
merge. Most of the commands you need are on the Mailings tab in the Write & Insert Fields group.
You may want to start the Word mail merge wizard. On the Mailings tab, choose Start Mail Merge > Step by
Step Mail Merge Wizard. The wizard starts in the middle of the process since some steps have already been
accomplished.
Use Templates in Word with Epicor Information Worker Data
You can save a Word document into which you have imported application data as a template. IW users can make
new documents from the templates and import the same entities as are called for by the template, thus creating
a completed document with little effort. You can publish to a standard template if you want the documents
created from it to have Word content controls for displaying Epicor data. Or you can publish to a mail merge
template if you want the documents created from it to have Word bookmarks so that the Word Mailings
functionality can be used with Epicor data.
Review the Information Worker Application Help for instructions on how to distribute and use templates.
Launch an Epicor program from Epicor Information Worker Data
It is necessary to import data to Word before launching an Epicor program. Programs are always launched in the
context of a selected row of imported data. You must have the Epicor client installed. You can use information
from a selected record to add a record or open a selected record in the appropriate application program.

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Workshop - Work with Imported Data in Microsoft Word

In this workshop, work with the data imported in Microsoft Word.
1. In Microsoft Word, from the Epicor Information Panel on the right side of the application window, select
Document Contents > Customers.
2. In the Customer node, expand the first customer in the list.
The customer field list displays.
3. From the customer field list, right-click the following fields and select Insert.
Customer
Address
CityName
State/Prov
Postal Code
As each field is inserted into the document, the customer information displays.
4. From the Epicor Information Panel, select Document Contents > Invoices.
5. In the Invoices node, expand the first invoice.
The invoice field list displays below the invoice.
6. From the invoice field list, right-click Invoice and Invoice Date and select Insert.
7. From the Epicor Information Panel, select Document Contents > Customers.
8. In the Customers node, right-click the first customer in the list and select Launch > Customer Tracker.
The Customer Tracker window displays.
9. In the Customer Tracker window, review the customer information.
10. Exit the Customer Tracker.
11. Exit Microsoft Word.

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Assessment
Applying what you have learned is integral to the learning process and to understanding the content of this
course. Click the button below to test your knowledge of the content you have just reviewed.
Tip You have unlimited number of attempts to complete this Assessment successfully.

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Conclusion

Conclusion
Congratulations! You have completed the Epicor Information Worker course.

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Additional information is available at the Education and

Documentation areas of the EPICweb Customer Portal. To access
this site, you need a Site ID and an EPICweb account. To create an
account, go to http://support.epicor.com.