ECC Log format (warning: rant)

[Keohan, Susan]

Hi Mike,

I too have felt this pain, with our upgrade to SRM 5.0 though.
One thing I know is that I've never spent that much time with the new log.  I click on the log icon, and get the new view, and then hit Control-P which gives me the 'old technical view'.
Yes, I've tried various WLC parameter settings, but none of them brings me to the technical view, so CTRL-P and I are now good friends (although sometimes it wants to print the log instead).

One area where we might have some recourse with SAP is via the ASUG Influence Council, specifically the one taking place this May at the ASUG Annual Conference.  The WF/BPM luminaries will be there, and it's an opportunity to help them feel our pain.  Those of you in other geographies may have similar 'Influence Councils' in your user groups, and I encourage you to make use of them.

I don't think it's just a matter of teaching an old dog new tricks, as Mike is a very much younger dog than I.  Perhaps someday we will understand the reasoning behind this 'enhancement'.

Glad your mouse has a cord,
Sue



----
Susan R. Keohan
SAP Workflow Specialist
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood Street, LI-200
Lexington, MA.  02420
Ph:   781-981-3561
Fax: 781-981-1607
keohan at LL.MIT.EDU


-----Original Message-----
From: sap-wug-bounces at mit.edu [mailto:sap-wug-bounces at mit.edu] On Behalf Of Mike Pokraka
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 6:35 AM
To: sap-wug at mit.edu
Subject: ECC Log format (warning: rant)

Hello wuggers,

Am I the only one who gets the same feeling from the new ECC workflow log
as sitting in a traffic jam?

<rant>
I've tried to get used to it for over a year and I think at one point I
actually managed to discover a useful feature somewhere (though I've
forgotten what it was), but for most part it's just stupid. Yes, stupid.
I'm sorry if this upsets some people who have invested significant time
into this as it's a fairly complex tool and looks very pretty, but it just
doesn't cut it in the real world.

Let's take looking at a container element for a step in the WF as an example:

Old style:
1. Click log icon to display workflow log.
2. Click on container icon next to step in question.
3. See container element of interest.
4. Feel a sense of calm and wellbeing.


ECC log:
1. Click log icon to display workflow log

2. Click to expand first fork.

3. See 'Branch 1' 'Branch 2', click on one at random.

4. Resist urge to use foul language in front of client because it's the
wrong one.

5. Click to expand other one, realize you need a SECOND click to expand
branch itself (what's the point of the 'Branch n' tree level?).

6. Click twice to switch to Chronological view when you realize there are
more forks further down.

7. Think how nice it would be to sit in a traffic jam on a Friday afternoon.

8. Click to select step of interest.

9. Click on Container tab.

10. Attempt to throw mouse out of window because scroll wheel doesn't work
in container tab sub-window, which is horizontal and and thus far too
small, and all the system elements are of course at the top, blocking out
the ones you're interested in. Luckily mouse is attached by a cable (at
least mine is) and can easily be retrieved.

11. Click several times to scroll down the container list to find the one
you want.
(If it's a mulitline element then clicking it causes it to expand and
cover the entire container in a way that is also really annoying, but
that's a whole different topic.)


Ummm... "New and improved"? Surely someone's been overdoing the happy
pills a little?
</rant>


So, back to my original question: what are our options of pressuring SAP
to re-design it or at least in the meantime give us our old log back as a
*default* option?

I can't help thinking one or two development requests are not going to cut
it, and even if they respond via that route then the thought of waiting
two years to see the result in ECC7 is just a bit much.

Any opinions?
Cheers,
Mike



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