Siemens Opcenter Advanced Plan-

ning and Scheduling (Opcenter APS)

18.5
Release Notes
Website
Copyright© Siemens AG 2021
Revision 74920
Table of Contents
Siemens Opcenter Advanced Planning and Scheduling (Opcenter APS) 18.5 1
Release Notes 1
Table of Contents 2
Overview 4
Schema Change Warning 4
Language Support 4
Platform Support 4
What's New 5
Secondary Constraints Over Offshift Periods 5
Extension of the Save Schedule Analysis Data PESP Script 5
Integration with Opcenter Execution Process (Openter EX PR) 5
Update to the Opcenter Scheduling SMT Branding 5
Detailed Change Notes 6
Stories 6
Defects 6
Known Problems 8
Deployment 8
Upgrades and Side-by-side 8
Sequencer 8
Backward Scheduling with Constraints 8
Rounding Issue Causing SMC shortages 8
Increment for Setup and Backwards Sequencing 8
MATCH FIELD and Backward Sequencing 8
DISPLAY SEQUENCE Field and Editor 8
Operation Properties Panel 8
Comparative Schedules 8
Schedule Repair Parameters Dialog 9
BATCH TIME Classification 9
Standard Scheduling Rules and Aggregation Groups 9
Planner 9
Out of Life Production in Constrained Mode 9
Minimum Reorder Quantities and Reorder Multiples with Make to Order Items 9
Reporting 9
Report Builder 3 Reports 9
Problem Installing .NET Framework 4.8 on Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 10
Updating to .NET Framework 4.8 10
End Of Life Notices 11

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 Schedule Analysis 11
COM Tools and Rules 11
ASSOCIATE Classification 11
Utilization/Custom Plots 11
Legacy Products 11
Language Support 11
Security Information 13
Data Protection by Design Aspects of DI SW MOM Products and Solutions 14

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 Schema Change Warning

Overview
This document describes the new features and enhancements in Opcenter Advanced Planning and Scheduling (Opcenter APS)
18.5, as well as detailing any defect fixes and considerations for upgrade scenarios.
It is recommended that you read this document before upgrading to Opcenter APS 18.5. As always, it is important to plan any
deployment and take steps to ensure that you are able to recover from any unforeseen issues. It is recommended that a backup
of the database and configuration is taken prior to attempting any upgrade. While every effort is made to ensure that upgrading
from one version of Opcenter APS to another is as seamless as possible, it is nevertheless sensible to take such precautions.

Schema Change Warning

This warning is only applicable when upgrading an existing Opcenter APS configuration from a previous release. This does not
apply to new deployments; the configurations that ship with Opcenter APS 18.5 require no changes to the database schema and
are ready for use.
When upgrading from a previous release, Opcenter APS 18.5 requires some changes are made to the database schema.
Opcenter APS will detect that changes are required and prompt you to update your schema. Changes to the database schema
are irreversible and previous versions of Opcenter APS will not open a database with a later schema version. For this reason
you should always take a backup before upgrading Opcenter APS. The best way to take a backup is to initiate the Configuration
Manager from within your configuration by selecting Generate Support File from within the Help and Support category.

Language Support
There are a number of languages officially supported for Opcenter APS, which are: 

l French
l German
l Spanish (Spain)
l Portuguese (Brazilian)
l Russian
l Dutch
l Simplified Chinese
l Japanese
l Polish
l Hungarian
l Italian
l Korean
l Czech

Platform Support
Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 are no longer supported.

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 Secondary Constraints Over Offshift Periods

What's New
This section describes the major new features and enhancements introduced with this release of Opcenter Advanced Planning
and Scheduling (Opcenter APS). This is not an exhaustive description, but covers the most significant changes. For a more
complete list, please refer to the detailed change notes included in the release notes.

Secondary Constraints Over Offshift Peri-

ods
New to this release, it is now possible to span operations over periods where the Secondary Constraint becomes unavailable.
While the operation process won't process, it will be suspended until the Secondary Resource becomes available again.

Extension of the Save Schedule Analysis

Data PESP Script
The Save Schedule Analysis Data PESP Script has been extended in this release to incorporate three new parameters:

l One to define a reference date (a start date-time) for report creation

l One to pass bucket size either in Hours, Days or Weeks
l One for the quantity - bucket size for the given interval

A new API method SaveCustomScheduleAnalysisData(referenceDate, interval, quantity) has been added to support this.

Integration with Opcenter Execution Pro-

cess (Openter EX PR)
It is now possible to use the MES Integration in Opcenter Scheduling (Opcenter SC) Ultimate with Opcenter Execution Process
(Openter EX PR).

Update to the Opcenter Scheduling SMT

Branding
Formally known as Opcenter Scheduling Electronics (Opcenter SC EL), this application has been rebranded to Opcenter
Scheduling SMT.

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 Stories

Detailed Change Notes

Stories
l Added a feature to enable the ability to span operations across zero efficiency periods on Secondary Constraints.
l Opcenter SC Anywhere is now available in SC Standard, SC Professional and SC Ultimate by default.
l The Planner will reimport the Actual Schedule and lock up only records in the plan that match the records in the Actual
Schedule Table.
l Updated product branding from Opcenter Scheduling Electronics to Opcenter Scheduling SMT
l Added template name to the GetCurrentCalendarState, GetNextCalendarState and GetPreviousCalendarState Planning
Board API methods. If you are using an earlier version of Preactor the template name will be empty
l Sometimes when the Planner Constrain calculation was running, a message appeared stating that the calculation was
running in an infinite loop and asking the user to either abort the calculation or continue with undefined results. The
calculation has been corrected so that this situation will not arise. The message will therefore no longer appear.
l Added 3 parameters to the existing PESP Script "Save Schedule Analysis Report Data" (similar to Bucket Settings for
Utilization Window):
1. Reference Date : start date-time for report creation
2. Interval : Can be "Hours" , "Day" or "Week"
3. Quantity : Bucket size for the given Interval
Added API "SaveCustomScheduleAnalysisData(referenceDate, interval, quantity) - the 3 parameters described as
above.

l To improve usability in the capacity chart in the Opcenter PL, we reintroduced the borderlines to delimit elements in
capacity charts.

Defects
l Resolved an issue where changes to the Calendars Templates were not being saved.
l Fixed a cultural issue in the Schedule Statistics window where numbers in y-axis and tool tips are not correctly presented.
l Fixed a memory leak causing the application to crash after a couple of minutes of scrolling the sequencer overview pane
l Fixed an issue where the mouse wheel could not perform scrolling or zooming in the Plots window
l Fixed the issue where APS was crashing while opening dialog of input parameter of type "Constant" for PESP Actions
"FindMatchingRecordByExpression" and "SetScriptVariable (Address Book Entry) " .
l Fixed the validation error for ALLOW NEW for previously selected dropdown value in wpf dialog
l Fixed issue of Trace Chart the rendering of text fall outside of the operation bar bounds
l Fixed issue when there is a dialog level defined that is one more than the current dialog level, a more button exists on a
dialog , which was missing in WPF dialogs.
l Fix an issue where Operation Aggregation was not working when Parent Operations were included

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 Defects

l Uploading schedule to MES like EX DS or EX FN in Integration scenario with unscheduled operations now has null
values for start and end times for such operations
l Fixed issue where Operation Properties was not supporting disabled "Show Outline" option.
l Fixed application crash which is caused by Aggregate record selection under same parent
l Fixed application crash whereby if the number of tracking occurrences to a secondary constraint related field is fewer
than the tracking references to the secondary constraint itself.
l Resolved an issue where the validation message displayed on drag and drop can present the user with incorrect values
for the Secondary Constraint being violated.
l Fixed an issue which could cause clearing shortages taking too long time in Material Explorer view.
l Fixed a issue where Gantt chart with Direct2D renderer was crashing on zooming vertically too far.
l Resolved an issue where Opcenter APS was throwing error when attempting to open an existing plan.
l Fixed an issue where copying value from read only fields were not possible.
l Resolved an issue where the Schedule Repair parameter dialog opened in the background.
l Fixed an issue where lines of text could overlap the operation bars in the Gantt chart when using the default Direct2D
renderer

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 Deployment

Known Problems
Deployment
Upgrades and Side-by-side
If older versions of Opcenter APS are installed after Opcenter APS 18.5 a number of ActiveX related issues will arise, such as
GetTypeInfoCount messages and errors when running certain Opcenter APS modules. To resolve this uninstall all versions of
Opcenter APS and then re-install in chronological order (e.g. 17.1 then 18.5).

Sequencer
Backward Scheduling with Constraints
Backward Scheduling an infinite capacity resource with a secondary constraint on setup time only, does not work as expected. It
works like a finite resource.

Rounding Issue Causing SMC shortages

An issue exists in Opcenter APS where Date/Time values can lose accuracy after a round trip to the database. This can
manifest in a number of ways and typically causes operation sequences that were valid on commit to become invalid on load. To
work around this issue on SQL Server 2008 or later, the data type for DateTime columns should be changed to DateTime2.

Increment for Setup and Backwards Sequencing

This is an incompatibility between the two features. The problem causes the setup time to be applied twice.

MATCH FIELD and Backward Sequencing

This is an incompatibility between two features. The use of MATCH FIELD only works with forward sequencing.

DISPLAY SEQUENCE Field and Editor

Using the up-to-date Editor in a configuration without a DISPLAY SEQUENCE field may cause issues such as corruption. This
issue can be resolved by adding a DISPLAY SEQUENCE field.

Operation Properties Panel

When a field is selected that is a database reference to a non-unique field, multiple entries with the same name can occur. This
is due to the primary key entries in the orders table referencing the same value on different records in the target table.

Comparative Schedules
If a Comparative schedule is opened which has unallocated operations, the timeline on the Trace and Gantt starts in 1899. To
view the comparison, the window will need to be zoomed in and navigated to by scrolling.

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 Planner

Schedule Repair Parameters Dialog

Schedule Repair Parameters dialog will load in the background. The dialog will then need to be selected from the taskbar (or
similar) in order for it to appear.

BATCH TIME Classification

The BATCH TIME classification is used for the Opcenter SC SMT Integration. It is now also used for forcing Aggregated
Records to use a Real Batch Time field instead of the Batch Time field. It is recommended to not use the Aggregated Records
feature alongside the Opcenter SC SMT Integration.

Standard Scheduling Rules and Aggregation Groups

When Aggregation Group members are PARENT records of Orders which contain multiple child records, the child records will
not be scheduled when using Standard Scheduling Rules. Using APS Rules does not cause this.

Planner
Out of Life Production in Constrained Mode
In a Make to Order Opcenter Planning (Opcenter PL) configuration in Constrained Mode, when planning in Hours, Update Out of
Life production needs to be called to refresh the values to state if any production goes out of life.

Minimum Reorder Quantities and Reorder Multiples

with Make to Order Items
Using minimum reorder quantities and reorder multiples in combination with make-to-order items can lead to unexpected results
when the demand quantities do not match the multiples defined. This usually manifests as an unexpected building of stock of
these make-to-order items.

Reporting
Report Builder 3 Reports
Reports authored in Report Builder 3 and rendered in Opcenter APS will depend on SQLSysClrTypes.msi from the SQL Server
2014 feature pack. Problem is resolved by installing a 2014 version of SQLSysClrTypes.msi.

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 Problem Installing .NET Framework 4.8 on Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2

Problem Installing .NET Framework 4.8 on

Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012
R2
An issue can occur when attempting to install .NET 4.8 on Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2, resulting in the following
error while installing Opcenter APS:
"An error occurred while downloading a required file. You may retry downloading the file or cancel setup."
To resolve this issue, please ensure that the following update is installed:
Microsoft Website: Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 update: April 2014
For more information on troubleshooting .NET Framework installations, please see Microsoft .NET Documentation:
Troubleshoot blocked .NET Framework installations and uninstallations

Updating to .NET Framework 4.8

Opcenter APS 18.5 uses a later version of Microsoft's .NET Framework, compared to earlier releases on Opcenter APS.
Custom Code projects should be retargeted to use Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8.

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 Schedule Analysis

End Of Life Notices

Schedule Analysis
The Schedule Analysis sequencer window has been superseded by the SQL Schedule Analysis Reports. Currently this feature
exists, but has to be explicitly enabled through configuration and therefore is only available in AS Ultimate. The feature will be
removed completely in a future version of the software.

COM Tools and Rules

The COM interface has been deprecated and will be replaced by a new API in a future release.
We recommend all developers to reduce their dependency on the COM objects (PreactorObj and OpenPlanningBoard) and
instead use the interfaces IPreactor and IPlanningBoard.

ASSOCIATE Classification
This classification will be modified to behave in the same way that the DIRECT ASSOCIATE classification in a future release.

Utilization/Custom Plots
In Opcenter SC the functionality around Custom Plots has been removed. Before removal, Custom Plots could have been
added to the Plot Window of the Sequencer to display utilization values for Primary Resources and Resource Groups. In some
older configurations with Static Material Control, they can be used to show Material Plots. This functionality has been
superseded by the Utilization Window, which displays the utilization for Primary and Secondary Resources and Resource
Groups. The Material Explorer contains a plot which shows the material availability over time.

Legacy Products
This release no longer supports the following legacy licenses. These licenses have reached their End of Life:

l Preactor 200FCS
l Preactor 300FCS
l Preactor 400APS
l Preactor 500APS
l Preactor GMPS
l Preactor Enterprise (+ Runtimes)
l Preactor Viewers (+ GMPS Viewers)

Language Support
The following 3rd party languages are no longer supported:

l Spanish (Mexican)
l Spanish (Argentinian)
l Spanish (Colombian)
l Portuguese (Iberian)

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 Language Support

l Chinese (Traditional)
l Bulgarian
l Croatian
l Lithuanian
l Slovak
l Slovenian
l Turkish

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 Language Support

Security Information
Siemens provides products and solutions with industrial security functions that support the secure operation of plants, systems,
machines and networks.
In order to protect plants, systems, machines and networks against cyber threats, it is necessary to implement - and
continuously maintain - a holistic, state-of-the-art industrial security concept. Siemens’ products and solutions only form one
element of such a concept.
Customer is responsible to prevent unauthorized access to its plants, systems, machines and networks. Systems, machines
and components should only be connected to the enterprise network or the internet if and to the extent necessary and with
appropriate security measures (e.g. use of firewalls and network segmentation) in place.
Additionally, Siemens’ guidance on appropriate security measures should be taken into account. For more information about
industrial security, please visit https://www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity.
Siemens’ products and solutions undergo continuous development to make them more secure. Siemens strongly recommends
to apply product updates as soon as available and to always use the latest product versions. Use of product versions that are no
longer supported, and failure to apply latest updates may increase customer’s exposure to cyber threats.
To stay informed about product updates, subscribe to the Siemens Industrial Security RSS Feed under https://www.siemens.-
com/industrialsecurity.
Version 4.5 - 17-04-2019- Siemens AG, I IA L CG, Nuremberg

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 Language Support

Data Protection by Design Aspects of

DI SW MOM Products and Solutions
In the course of development of DI SW MOM Products and Solutions, DI SW MOM follows the
“Data protection by design” as foreseen in Article 25 of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). This means that data
protection and privacy issues are taken into account starting from the commencement of product development or solution
engineering.
In general, within Siemens, the following processes are implemented:

l Data Protection by Design approach is a part of the principles actively adopted by Siemens and integrated in the secure
lifecycle development of products.
l Siemens solutions adopt Threat and Risk Analysis (TRA), a Siemens-wide standardized methodology that is used for
product, solution and service business during product development, engineering or service projects. This methodology is
intended to support Siemens teams in identifying typical security weaknesses and vulnerabilities, analyzing any threats
that might exploit these weaknesses or vulnerabilities and evaluating any resulting risks.

Specifically for DI SW MOM products and solutions, in all data collection and processing activities that potentially involve
personal data in the intended customer use case, DI SW MOM considers appropriate technical and/or organizational measures,
with the goal of adequately addressing the data protection principles and safeguarding individual rights.
For Opcenter APS, the following applies:

l Opcenter APS has obtained the TÜV SÜD certification of security in the development process (based on IEC 62443-4-1).
This standard specifies process requirements for the secure lifecycle development of products used in an Industrial Auto-
mation and Control System (IACS). The lifecycle includes:
l the definition of security requirements;

l secure design,

l secure implementation (including coding guidelines), verification and validation,

l secure defect management, patch management, and product end-of-life.

l The following personal data is processed by the Opcenter APS solution:

l Usernames

l Windows Security Identifiers

Specific attention is dedicated to the processing of personal data belonging to special categories, relevant for the purpose of
detecting the racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data,
health, sexual orientation or conduct, criminal convictions and offenses or related security measures of the persons concerned.
No such personal data is processed by Opcenter APS.

l The personal data processed by Opcenter APS is required for authorization, logging, and personalization purposes.
Therefore, such personal data processed by Opcenter APS cannot be anonymized or pseudonymized. Such data is
stored solely for these reasons, as it is necessary to provide a mechanism to control access to application data.

l Opcenter APS adopts hashing and encrypting (at rest and in transit).

l In Opcenter APS, personal data can be deleted when no longer necessary for the designated purpose. In detail, the
Opcenter APS Security Module can be used to remove users from the application.
On the other hand, personal data may appear in the solution’s data repositories as database’s records, product file and
log files, which are necessary for diagnostic or logging purposes. This information generated by Opcenter APS has
different retention periods based on their different purposes: Dataset ‘last saved by’ information can be removed by
deleting that dataset. Personalization data can be removed with the assistance of Customer Support.

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 Language Support

l Opcenter APS Solution makes use of least privilege access control and policies and using appropriate roles and
authorization concepts as individual user Read/Write permission.

l Regular review is performed to validate necessity for the purposes for which the personal data was collected and test the
design against purpose limitation.

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