GNOMAE by IMI

Creating a network model is the first step leading to a model network.

Test Procedure

Introduction

Integrated Management Information (IMI) makes available its product called GNOMAE (pronounced gnomes).  Its purpose is to model and optimize a variety of business processes.  Here is a limited set of examples:


  • Site Selection
  • Shop Scheduling
  • Facility Design
  • Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization
  • Vehicle Routing


It is primarily used by (1) consultants, (2) independent software vendors (ISVs), (3) engineering departments in large organizations and (4) small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) in the design, warehousing, transportation, distribution, delivery, and manufacturing arenas.

One of its features is its ability to interface with and provide added services to supply chain applications such as:


  • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
  • Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
  • Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
  • Electronic Scheduling Board (ESB)


Bottom-line, GNOMAE can model and optimize any business process that can be described as a network through which PRODUCTs flow. An introductory slide presentation (GNOMAE.pdf) describing this product may be downloaded or is included in the ‘Extras’ directory of a requested CD-ROM.  It is suggested that you first review this presentation.  If you have questions, please call me on the phone and I will walk you through the presentation slide-by-slide.  You can also read about GNOMAE at http://gnomae.com/.  This Test Procedure document is also included on a requested CD-ROM.  If you have questions while working through this document, please call me on the phone.  Contact information is at the end of this document.


Test Procedure


I need your help in answering several questions.  As you answer the following questions, it is assumed that you have reviewed the presentation and possess a basic overview of GNOMAE and its terminology (slides towards the end of the presentation).  My suggestion is that you launch and minimize an e-mail message ready to be sent to the address: ancel.buchanan@gnomae.com.  If you find problems, add them to the message and send it at the end of each test session.  It should be rare, but you may get an exception dialog box like the following:


If you do, record where you are and what you are doing in the User Note box and then click either Abort or Continue.  Later when you are finished testing, we can talk on the phone, and I will walk you through attaching a file named "Log.IMI" to an e-mail message and sending it to ancel.buchanan@gnomae.com.


Eventually, this Test Procedure will morph into a tutorial for use by first-time, newcomer Analyst.  It would be immensely helpful, as you use this document, if you would note your editorial comments, and mail this document back to me after you have completed testing. Do not be timid about using GNOMAE's Modeler.  Your task is to find missing features, inconsistencies, and errors.  While your efforts are appreciated, they are only helpful if you report your findings back to me.  Please, feel free to call me on the phone or send an e-mail if you have any questions.  It has been a while since I have talked to some of you, and I am interested in becoming reacquainted.


Questions


  1. Will it install – The executable is designed to install a copy of GNOMAE’s Modeler on your personal computer. It is made to install automatically once you place it in your CD-ROM reader – nominally, your drive (D:).However, some Windows operating systems are configured so that this will not happen. If so, use Windows Explorer to browse the download or CD-ROM finding and double-click on a file called "setup.exe" in the root directory. After following the installation windows, you should have both an icon on your desktop and an entry in your All Programs section of your desktop (Start/All Programs).
  2. NOTE: Launch GNOMAE's Modeler by double-clicking its icon on your desktop.  In this application, there is one parent window and many child windows.  The parent window has three rows at the top named in order: TitleBar (blue with white letters), MenuBar (DropDown controls), and ToolBar (button controls).  At startup, the NETWORK child window is shown.  It allows you to create and manage multiple NETWORKs, one at a time.  That is, only one NETWORK is current at any point in time.  Its ListBox initially contains provided Sample NETWORKs with the first entry highlighted.  On the NETWORK child window, click the Open button (located at the bottom) and the NETWORK highlighted in the ListBox is opened available for updating or deleting.  It is shown as the Current NETWORK in the StatusBar on the left at the bottom of the parent window.
  3. How long do you want to view the Splash window? – After launching GNOMAE Modeler, you will first see a Splash window for ten seconds followed by a main window (parent) containing one sub-window (child) titled “NETWORK: Set of Nodes and ARCs to optimize.”  Click the View item on the MenuBar of the parent window then click Preference (View/Preference) to show its window.  Push the up and down buttons in the first control on the left to change the ten (10) to another value such as zero (0).  This dictates the amount of time the Splash window is displayed each time GNOMAE Modeler is launched.  Now, close the Preference child window by clicking its red button in its upper right-hand corner.
  4. Do all the buttons have ToolTips? – The ToolBar consists of a row of buttons with the left six being standard ones and those on the right being marked with red capital letters. .  If you hover your mouse pointer over a button, a little text box will appear called a ToolTip – all buttons should have ToolTips.4.      Do all red ToolBar buttons work? – The purpose of the red buttons is to allow an Analyst to create and optimize a model of a business process.  In general, the red buttons have been arranged in the left-to-right order that an Analyst will use to generate a new NETWORK.  Click each of the red buttons in turn to test whether the correct child window is shown.  The last two buttons (A for ARC and O for OPTIMA) are actually DropDown buttons.  Click each item on both DropDown buttons to show corresponding child windows.
  5. NOTE: If multiple child windows are visible in the parent window’s workspace, only one of them has the focus, e.g., data can be entered into its controls.  Clicking anywhere on a child window will give it the focus.  The rules for red ToolBar buttons on the parent window are as follows:
  6. If its child window is not showing, make it visible.
  7. If its child window is visible but does not have the focus, give it the focus.
  8. If its child window is visible and is on top, make it disappear.
  9. If its child window is visible but covered by one or more other child windows, bring it to the top and give it the focus. Parenthetically, when a child window is hidden, it is not cleared of its data (reset).  This only happens when the Current NETWORK is changed or the GNOMAE Modeler application is exited (closed).  The name of the Current NETWORK is the first entry on the StatusBar found at the bottom of the parent window.  If there is no Current NETWORK, then “<NONE>” is displayed.
  10. Does the New button work? – Now, close all child windows except the one named NETWORK.  Use your mouse to move the NETWORK child window to the side then click the "New" button on the ToolBar (first button on the left on the parent window).  The child window will be centered on the parent window’s workspace and a flashing red exception icon will appear next to the "New" button on the NETWORK child window. (After a few moments, the red exception icon will stop flashing.)  Hover your mouse pointer over the red exception icon and a ToolTip will appear with an explanation of the error.  That is, clicking the "New" button on the ToolBar is the same as clicking the "New" button on the NETWORK child window.  Now, enter the word Empty in the TextBox above the New button on the NETWORK child window and click the "New" button on the parent window’s ToolBar.  Empty highlighted with a blue bar appears in the ListBox of NETWORKs and you have created your first NETWORK.  Also, the Current NETWORK display in the StatusBar is now Empty.  The other entries in the ListBox on the NETWORK window are Sample NETWORKS and got there via the installation process.  For experimentation purposes, they can be viewed and changed but these added entries will not be saved and survive.  Also, you should hear a sound.
  11. Note: A chimes-like sound is generated anytime a NETWORK operation is successful.  Of course, you must have a sound board, speakers, all connected, and powered up.
  12. Note: On the NETWORK child window, notice that the red exception icon next to the Newbutton has disappeared.  Clicking another control or child window will cause a red exception icon to disappear.  Also, only one red exception icon should be extant at any point in time, i.e., you should never see two or more.
  13. Does the Open button work? – In the ListBox of NETWORKs, click on one of the other entries.  Notice that the blue bar changes from the Empty entry to your new selection.  Now click on the Open (second from the left) button on the ToolBar.  You have now opened an existing NETWORK for editing and the Current NETWORK display in the StatusBar at the bottom of the parent window has also changed.  You should also hear a sound.
  14. Does the Save button work? – Double-click the Empty item and click the Save (third from the left) button on the ToolBar and nothing happens because changes have not been made to the Current NETWORK.  Click the F for FACTOR button on the ToolBar of the parent window, enter data in the first two TextBox controls, and click the Add button.  Now click the Save button and the entered FACTOR will be saved.  You should also hear a sound.
  15. Does the Save As button work? – Click the Save As (fourth from the left) ToolBar button.  Now, enter Clone in the TextBox at the top of the NETWORK child window and click the Save As button on the ToolBar again.  A new NETWORK is created and saved with a copy of the data from the Empty one.  You should also hear a sound.
  16. Does the Move button work? – Select the Empty item in the ListBox on the NETWORK window.  Now click the Move button (fifth from the left) on the ToolBar and answer OK.  Note the effect on the ListBox and in the StatusBar.  Now select one of the Sample NETWORKS items in the ListBox and click the Move button.  Note the error message on the flashing red exception icon.  You should also hear sounds.
  17. NOTE: To summarize, the first five of the six standard buttons on the ToolBar merely activate matching buttons on the NETWORK child window.10.  Does the Help button work? – The Help facility has not been finished and when it is it will be located on www.gnomae.com.  Therefore, for demonstration purposes, when you click the Help button or any of the Help MenuBar items, a child window connected to the Internet is shown that displays one page of a live session of www.gnomae.com.
  18. Does the File DropDown menu item work? – Now focus your attention on the MenuBar in the parent window.  Click the File menu (first entry on the left) and DropDown a list of items.  The first five items on this list are the same as the first five ToolBar buttons and work the same, i.e., they mimic buttons on the NETWORK child window.  The last item closes the current session of GNOMAE Modeler as does the small, red button on the upper-right portion of the parent window.  All DropDown menu items across the MenuBar (except items of the MenuBar itself – this is an unresolved Microsoft error) should have a ToolTip.  Sometimes, in some Windows versions, with complex menu arrangements; the ToolTip will be hidden under a menu.  This is a problem acknowledged by Microsoft which is to be fixed in the Vista operating system and following.  Does every item of every DropDown on the MenuBar have a ToolTip?
  19. Does the Help DropDown menu item work? – Click the last entry on the right of the MenuBar.  In the DropDown menu, the first three items yield different views of the help facility that is still in development.  Clicking any one of them will display a different page of www.gnomae.com.  The last two items follow the standard Microsoft design pattern and are informational in nature.  Does every item have a ToolTip?
  20. Does the Entity DropDown menu item work? – The last slide of the Presentation is an indented, exhaustive list of keywords for GNOMAE Modeler.  The root of this hierarchical lexicon is the keyword Entity.  Indented under the root is the keyword Element which refers to the elements of a NETWORK with the next level of indention being Nodes and ARCs.  Clicking one of these items either drops down another menu or is the same as clicking a matching button on the ToolBar.  Therefore, clicking Entity/Element/Node/Source is the same as clicking the red S for SOURCE button on the ToolBar.  Does every menu item have a ToolTip?
  21. Does the View DropDown menu item work? – The first two items on this DropDown menu toggle (turn on and off) the ToolBar and StatusBar.  We have already looked at the Preference and www.gnomae.comchild windows.  Does every item have a ToolTip?
  22. Do the Windows DropDown menu items work? – This is standard Microsoft design that manipulates child windows and shows those that are open.  Does every item have a ToolTip?
  23. Does the List DropDown menu item work? – GNOMAE Modeler has a full facility for listing on the standard output device (printer) every Entity and some combinations such as: all Elements, all Nodes, and all ARCs.  Remember from the Presentation that there are two kinds of models: (1) NETWORK (an Analyst’s description of a real-world business process) and (2) OPTIMA (the optimum solution of a NETWORK model).  The List menu items document Entities from both types of models.  You are not being asked to test print every menu item since this would burn up a lot of paper and toner.  Below, when you create a NETWORK of your own, test-print a few listings.  Does every item have a ToolTip?
  24. NOTE: The child windows used to create and describe a NETWORK (NETWORK, FACTOR, PRODUCT, COMPONENT, SOURCE, MAKE, INNER, USER, RESOURCE, and ARC) all have the same basic design.  Overall, they are organized into three columns (See the figure at the end of this note.) and a variable number of rows.  On a row: (1) the first column is a characterization of the control in the third column, (2) the second column describes the purpose of the control in the third column, and (3) the third column contains one of four controls:
  25. TextBox – Data from the keyboard is entered into this control.  (Color: Light Yellow).
  26. DropDown box – Data entered in a previous child window is available to select in this control.  For example, FACTORs created with its child window are available for selection from a DropDown box on the PRODUCT child window.  The blue button to the left of every DropDown box is used after a selection is made to reset to no selection.  (Color: Thistle)
  27. Button – This control triggers actions.  The bottom control in the third column is one of two kinds of ListBox (single-column or multi-column).  Associated with each multi-column ListBox is a group of four buttons (Reset, Add, Edit, and Delete). For example, clicking the Add button on the FACTOR child window causes the data entered in the two controls at the top of the third column to be stored and saved in its multi-column ListBox.  The Edit button is used to move a block (row) of data from a multi-column ListBox back up to the data area to be Updated then moved back for storage.  The Reset button changes to the status existing prior to clicking the Edit button.  (Color: Gainesboro)
  28. ListBox – This control is used to store, display, and delete blocks of data created in the upper controls of the third column.  (Color: Light Salmon)
  29. Two of these child windows (MAKE and USER) have a left and right side, both of which use the three-column design.  In actuality, the left side is the same as other child windows (e.g., SOURCE and INNER) with the right side being a child to the left.  Clicking a row in the left ListBox changes the content of the ListBox on the right.  These two screens are divided by a vertical splitter bar which can be captured with your mouse and moved both left and right.17.  Do all the Add buttons work? – On the NETWORK child window, select the Clone item and click the Open: button at the bottom.  On the ToolBar, click the first red button on the left – FACTOR.  On the resulting child window, enter data at the top of the third column and click the Add button to create a row in the ListBox at the bottom of the third column.  Repeat this process producing as many Entities as you wish.  Continue clicking on red buttons on the ToolBar and using the Add button on succeeding child window.
  30. Do all the Edit buttons work? – On the ToolBar, click the first red button on the left – FACTOR.  Select an item in the ListBox at the bottom and click the Edit button.  The data entry area at the top of the third column is filled with the data from this item and the Edit button changes to Update.  Change some of the data and click the Update button.  The item being edited changes and the Update button switches back to Edit.  Continue this process for all the red ToolBar buttons and the resulting child windows.
  31. Do all the Delete buttons work? – Repeat the above process showing child windows successively and using the Delete button to remove rows you previously created.
  32. NOTE: The last two buttons on the ToolBar (A for ARC and O for OPTIMA) are actually DropDown buttons.  The former has seven items, one for each of the seven types of ARCs as outlined in the Presentation.  On ARC child windows, the three-column design is preserved but the third column is headed by DropDown not TextBox controls.  The first item (SOURCE-to-MAKE) is headed by four DropDown boxes while the remaining six are topped by two.
  33. The OPTIMA (Upload and Download) child windows do not conform to the three-column design scheme.  The purpose of the Upload child window is to deposit a copy of an Analyst developed Current NETWORK on the GNOMAE web service to be optimized – converting it into an OPTIMA.  The purpose of the Download child window is to fetch and display the OPTIMAs from the web service.  The Sample NETWORKs are available both as NETWORKs and OPTIMAs without connecting to the web service.
  34. Is the ToolTip explanation facility complete on every child window? – Close all but the NETWORK child window.  Hover your mouse pointer over the first control in the third column and a ToolTip text box will appear explaining its function.  Open and repeat this process for every control on every child window.  Each time you should get a ToolTip.  As you click, read the ToolTips to see if they make sense.  Remember, the Preference child window is only reached via a menu item (View/Preference).


Sample NETWORKs


Next you need to review the Sample NETWORKs.  The Presentation represents each one as a graphical drawing.  In GNOMAE Modeler, open each one and look at the data in its child windows.  Notice that for some Sample NETWORKS, some child windows are empty.  You can make changes to the data, but they will not be saved.


Build a NETWORK


Now it is time to build a model of some simple household task such as getting your car lubricated and tires rotated.  Some locations can do both jobs while others can only do one.  Of course, they each charge different prices and vary distances from your house but the cost per mile is the same.  Remember that the model you build using GNOMAE's Modeler is only half the process.  The other half is submitting your NETWORK to the web service to be solved and the OPTIMA (the optimum solution) returned.  Since this part of http://gnomae.com is not complete, call me on the phone and I will tell you how to find your file, attach it to an e-mail, and send it to me to be optimized and returned to you.


This testing business can be a lot of work.  If you have worked through all the steps and reported your findings to me then—thank you!  You may reach me at the following.


Contact


Ancel Buchanan

Integrated Management Information, Inc. (IMI)

   Voice: (770) 432.2931

  Mobile: (404) 936-4455

  E-Mail: ancel.buchanan@gnomae.com

Web Site: http://gnomae.com/


Thanks,

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