Windchill and JD Edwards Inspection Sheet Portal on ThingWorx
By PSPTechHub ·
Summary
PSPTechHub built a ThingWorx portal that lets shop-floor and quality teams find the right Measurement Inspection Sheet (MIS) or Instruction Inspection Sheet (IIS) by work order, part number, operation or document number. Each search reads released documents from Windchill, checks the part, operation and work order against JD Edwards, and sends the selected sheets to a bulk print agent with duplex, staple and punch options.
The Challenge: Inspection Sheets Split Across Windchill and JDE
Inspection sheets were released in Windchill, but the work orders, routings and operations that decide which sheet applies lived in JD Edwards. Operators had to connect the two systems by hand before every inspection.
Two systems, one answer
The right sheet depended on Windchill release state and on JDE work order, routing and operation data at the same time.
Cross-referenced parts
Some parts had no routing of their own and only resolved through a parent part cross-reference, which was easy to miss manually.
Risk of the wrong revision
Only released MIS and IIS documents could be used on the floor, and only for active work orders.
Slow printing
Sheets were opened and printed one at a time, with print layouts that differed between sites.
The Solution: MIS and IIS Search Apps on ThingWorx
PSPTechHub delivered two ThingWorx applications — MIS and IIS — behind one landing page. Every dashboard follows the same pattern: a validation service stops bad input first, then a search service joins Windchill and JD Edwards data into one result table.
Work order search
Enter site and work order. The work order is checked for existence, site, active status (29–91) and routing type M, ITP or ALT.
Part and operation search
Enter site and part, with operation number optional, to list released MIS documents linked to that part's OpDocs.
Document number search
Search by MIS or IIS number and see the document, its product specifications and linked part-operation pairs.
JDE cross-reference resolution
If no master routing exists for a part, the service finds the parent part through the JDE cross-reference and searches again.
Released-only filtering
Only RELEASED OpDocs and linked documents of the MIS or IIS subtype are returned, and IIS is limited to configured inspection operations.
Clear error messages
Each failed check returns a specific message, such as work order not active or no MIS for this part and operation.
Add to Print Box
Selected rows from any dashboard are added to a print box, de-duplicated and removed by row ID when needed.
Bulk print agent
One Print button sends every sheet to a local print agent with one-sided, two-sided long or short edge, staple and punch options.
Site-based print layouts
Each site gets its own HTML print layout for MIS and variable-data sheets, picked automatically when none is chosen.
How It Works: From Work Order to Printed Sheet
- 1
Choose a dashboard
From the landing page the user opens MIS or IIS and picks work order, part and operation, or document number search.
- 2
Validate input
A validation service checks required fields and maps the site name to its JDE and Windchill site codes.
- 3
Check JD Edwards
Work order status, routing type and operations are read from JDE, with a parent cross-reference lookup when needed.
- 4
Find released documents
Windchill returns the released OpDocs for the part and their linked MIS or IIS documents.
- 5
Match and clean up
Document operations are matched to JDE operations, descriptions are added and duplicates removed.
- 6
Add to Print Box
The user selects the sheets they need across searches and builds one print list.
- 7
Bulk print
ThingWorx builds the print agent request with duplex and finishing options and the site's layout.
Solution Architecture
ThingWorx joins the two systems: Windchill supplies the released sheets and JD Edwards supplies the live work order data.
- Landing page & mashupsMIS, IIS and Cell Portal tiles; search, results and print box screens
- Validation servicesRequired fields, site mapping and work order checks before any search
- Search servicesJoin Windchill documents with JDE work order and operation data
- Windchill DocMgmt & JD EdwardsReleased inspection sheets and live manufacturing context
- Print agentLocal service that renders site layouts and bulk-prints the sheets
ThingWorx services built
| Service | Purpose |
|---|---|
| MISWOValidation | Checks work order, site, active status and routing type |
| MISWOSearchData | Builds parts and operations for a work order, with cross-references |
| validatorPartSearch | Checks site and part before a part search |
| getPartAndOperationSearchData | Finds released MIS for a part and operation, checked against JDE |
| getMISSearchData / getIISSearchData | Look up documents by MIS or IIS number |
| getProductSpecifications | Returns the part-operation pairs linked to a document for a site |
| addToPrintBox / printLink | Manage the print box and build the bulk print request |
Design decisions
- Validation runs before search on every dashboard, so bad input never reaches Windchill or JDE
- MIS and IIS share the same print box, print service and layouts, so a fix in one helps both
- Environment-specific URLs and integrator names live in one Environment Thing, updated once per deployment
- Print box rows are removed by a unique row ID, not by part or document number
- Print options are translated into print-agent commands in one service
- Tested against site, document number and operation combinations for every dashboard before go-live
Outcomes
One search instead of two systems
Operators get the right sheet without cross-checking Windchill and JD Edwards by hand.
Only released, valid sheets
Release state, document subtype, active work order and operation match are all checked.
Cross-referenced parts covered
Parts without their own routing still return the correct sheets through the parent part.
Bulk printing
Many sheets print in one job with duplex, staple and punch settings.
Consistent across sites
Each site gets its own layout and the same business rules.
Easy to move between environments
Deployment changes are limited to one set of environment properties.
This solution fits if you need to…
- Find the released inspection sheet for a JD Edwards work order
- Connect Windchill documents to JDE routings and operations in ThingWorx
- Bulk print Windchill inspection sheets with duplex and staple options
- Show only released MIS or IIS documents on the shop floor
- Resolve parent part cross-references from JD Edwards before a document search
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you find the right inspection sheet for a JD Edwards work order?
The portal checks the work order in JDE for site, active status and routing type, reads its parts and operations, and returns the released Windchill inspection sheets linked to those operations.
What are MIS and IIS documents?
A Measurement Inspection Sheet (MIS) lists the measurements to record for an operation. An Instruction Inspection Sheet (IIS) gives the inspection instructions. Both are released in Windchill and linked to OpDocs for a part.
Can ThingWorx combine Windchill and JD Edwards data?
Yes. ThingWorx services read released documents from Windchill and work order, routing and operation data from JDE, then join them into one result table.
What happens if a part has no routing in JD Edwards?
The service looks up the parent part through the JDE cross-reference, removes spaces from the number and runs the routing search again for the parent.
How does the portal stop unreleased sheets from being used?
Only RELEASED OpDocs and linked documents of the MIS or IIS subtype are returned, and the work order must be in an active status.
Can inspection sheets be printed in bulk?
Yes. Users add sheets to a print box from any search, then one Print button sends them to a local print agent with one- or two-sided printing, staple and punch options.
Do different sites get different print layouts?
Yes. Each site has its own HTML layout, and the layout is chosen from the site automatically when the user does not pick one.