Micros Point Of Sale Usefull Information

Welcome to my Micros Point of sale Help Blog

2011-04-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Micros Point of sale Help Blog

Use the search feature on the left to find what your looking for.

Below are 5 most visited blog posts for March 2011:

1) RES 3700 "SYSTEM CLOSED"

2) RES 3700 - Understanding DBISQL

3) How to configure a WindowsCE based workstation using CAL WS4/WS4LX/WS5/WS5a

4) RES 3700 - How to recover a POS login from the database

5) LES 9700 - Install Winstation or SARops on desktop pc.

Remember drop me an email if you have a question that i have not covered.

**If you find my information has helped you and saved you an expensive call to Micros support please feel free to use the donate button in the top left, Thanks **

E7 - Micros E7 POS Password ID recovery.

2011-03-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

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Have you lost, forgotten or never had your managers access password ID? Don't worry it can be recovered.

Unfortunately its very difficult compared to Micros 3700 and 9700 and unless you know how to decode binary files using a hex editor im not going to get into it.

If you wish to recover your access I will perform this for a nominal fee of €30 (around 42USD).

For this price you will receive full administrative access to your micros POS system.

If for whatever reason there is no administrative user account in your system ie someone deleted it and then downgraded their own access rights. (Ive seen it done!) I can create an administrative user for you. This will be charged at €100 (around 140USD) because its significantly more work.

I do not need access to your system to perform these tasks but i will need a single file from your database which has the encoded password ID's. Please contact me via email for further information regarding this service. micros.pos.info@gmail.com.

RES 3700 - Cannot delete menu items from Pos Configurator

2011-03-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

When you try and delete some menu items from the Pos Configurator menu item list you get the following error:

Key violation.
[Sybase][ODBC Driver][Adaptive Server Anywhere]Integrity constraint violation: Primary key for row in table 'mi_def' is referenced by foreign key 'CFK2MI_DTL'
General SQL error.
in table mi_dtl.

First thing is not to be worried. This is normal behavior.

The reason you are getting this error is because micros keeps records of sales compared to menu items. So basically you cannot delete menu items which have been sold until those historical totals are purged.
See the Pos Configurator -> Reporting -> Historical Totals. This will show you how long each report hold data before they are purged.

If you don't want to use this menu item anymore you have a few options.
1) Reuse the menu item. Just rename it and edit all the options for a new item.
2) Clear all options including the name so its a blank menu item.
3) Renumber the menu item so that it remains in your system but is just out of the way. See the below pictures as an example. Most people don't have millions of menu items in their database so usually the 9000000 number range is blank.
When you double click on the number beside the menu item you can change the number. Change it to something in the 9000000 range or whatever you want and put it in that part of the list.

...

E7 - Managing and configuring your employees privileges.

2011-03-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

E7's employee privilege management is messy but here is how its done.
First you need to enter the Configuration and select Jobs (1).

2 This is the where you can add a new job or a new job category. Select the down arrow and choose the appropriate option.
3 A job category is nothing more than a label. It has no effect on anything.
4 A job is very important. It defines all of the jobs privileges and access rights. See below image.

To make things easily managed i suggest you create a "Job Category" for your different types of staff. Eg Managers, Employees, Temporary staff etc.

Within the "Job Category" you should have the breakdown of each employee class where you plan on making their configuration slightly different. EG. Duty Manager has the rights to perform voids but a Bartender does not.

Each of the "Jobs" ie Bartender has 6 tabs containing different options and access rights. Configure them so they are appropriate for the Job type.

Once completed from the Drop down list at 1 select "Employees".

2 You can add a new "Employee Category" or "Employee".
3 "Employee Category" is nothing more than a label. I suggest you create the same categories as you created for "Jobs". It just makes for easier management of your staff.
4 "Employee" is important. Its a unique identification for each employee you have. You can define their name, address, login id's etc.
When you create a new employee on the "Job Information" tab you need to select the "Default Job" which you previously created. This links the privileges created to that particular employee. See below Image.

And your done.

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RES 3700 - Incorrect server name in MDSHOSTS.XML

2011-03-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

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If you are seeing this error message in your 3700d.log then either someone has changed the name of your servers hostname or someone changed the name of the server in the pos configurator.

Micros RES relies on the server name remaining unchanged.

Step 1) Find out what your server name should be.
To do this open Services.msc. You will have a service called "sqlSERVERNAME" where servername is the name that your server should be.

Step 2) Next check what your servers name actually is. Open a command prompt and type in "hostname". This will return to you your servers name.

If the servers name is incorrect then change the name back to what you found in step 1. Right click on My Computer -> Properties -> Computer Name tab and click change.

---------------------------------------------

Do you need to change your server name?

There are some reasons why you need to change your servers name whether it be changing your companys name and your server name reflects the old one, moving your server onto a domain etc.

Micros supplies a handy little tool which does all the work for you. This tool is compatible with RES 4.9 and below. Click here to download it.
Email me if the download link stops working.

Usage:

Within the ZIP file you have the following files:
- setname.exe
- setname.cfg
- mfc70.dll
- msvci70.dll
- msvcr70.dll

Copy all 5 files to D:\Micros\Res\Pos\Etc

Note: This tool changes your computer name as well as any necessary registry settings.

Before starting turn your database off from the Micros Control panel.

Run setname.exe and you will be shown the same as the below image.

Enter your new server name in the text box provided and press OK. You will be informed when the program has completed. It shouldn't take too long.

Restart the server.

Once the server is restarted open the Pos Configurator -> Devices -> Network nodes.

Select your server from the list and change the computer name to your new name.
Press the green tick to save.
Reload the database from the Micros Control Panel.

And your done!.

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LES 9700 - Installing Winstation or SAR OPS on Desktop PC Win32 environment.

2011-03-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

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This guide is for people who want to install Micros LES 9700 Winstation or SAR OPS on a Windows based PC.

These are instructions on how to install the workstation but not how to configure the workstation in the EMC. I might create instructions on this at a later stage.

NOTE: From this point on i will refer to the computer you want to install micros on as a workstation.

Step 1) On your workstation map a network drive to your micros server. To do this press Start -> Run and type "\\SERVERNAME" where SERVERNAME is the IP address or Hostname of the micros server.

You may be prompted to enter a username and password.

Either way you will be brought to a share drive where you should have a folder called "MicrosClient" or "ClientInstalls".

If you wish to install a Winstation client proceed to step 2. If you wish to install a SAR client proceed to step 3.

Step 2) Double click on the Winstation.exe. The installation will begin. Keep pressing Next until you come to a screen to choose Administrator or Workstation mode. Choose Administrator mode. As the name suggests you must be loggin in as an administrator.

Keep pressing next and finally Finish and then the installation will begin.
Once finished you will need to reboot the workstation.

After reboot you will have a Winstation.exe on you desktop where you will be able to launch the client from.

Step 3) Open the SarClient folder and double click on the setup.exe. When the installer asks you to enter your Primary server name enter the IP address of the micros server. Enter the workstation name and complete the install.

After reboot you will have a SAROPS.exe on the desktop of your workstation.

RES/LES/SIM/E7 - How to configure a WindowsCE based workstation using CAL. WS4/WS4lx/WS5/WS5a

2011-03-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

All Micros POS workstations come preloaded with the Micros CAL software.
The CAL instructions are the same regardless of what version of POS you are running whether it be RES 3700, LES 9700, Simphony or E7.

Step 1) This is not a necessary step but i recommend it anyway. We want to wipe any traces of previous installations off the workstation. Skip this step if you have information and files on the workstation you want to retain.

On all WS4, WS4LX, WS5 and WS5a workstations there are two drives called CF and DOC. To access these open the "My Device" or "My Computer" folder which is on the Desktop of your workstation.

The DOC is a storage space on the workstation which is not on the Compact Flash card.
In the DOC drive you will have a folder called Utilities and inside this folder there is an executable called WCF.exe. This executable is basically used to reset the workstation back to factory settings.

Once launched you will be given three options:
- Clear Registry Settings
- Erase Compact Flash
- Format Compact Flash

All options are self explanatory. One note however Format Compact Flash automatically performs option 1&2 as well as formatting the flash.
I recommend selecting option 1&2. Once any of the options are selected you will be asked to confirm and then the workstation shuts down. You will need to press the power button to turn it back on.
When the workstation turns back on it will automatically start searching for your micros server.

Step 2) If you have performed step 1 skip this step.

Press the Windows Start button -> Programs -> CAL -> Reconfigure CAL.

When you select this you will see a program popup which a blue progression bar. This program is searching for your micros server. See below image.

Step 3) Once the search is complete you will be displayed a list of your available Micros Servers.
See below image.

You will likely be returned only one server but im using a test system which has lots of servers as you can see.
In the "Available Servers" section you will have two columns. Server Name and Pos Type. I have greyed out my server names. From this list select your server and you will see the Server Name, Server IP and Pos Type fields will be automatically populated.

You also have an option called "CAL Enabled". Make sure this box is ticked.

If no server is found make sure your network cable is securely plugged in and that the micros server is running.

Step 4) Select Next. You will be displayed a list of available workstations. See below Image.

I have cleared the fields in the above image.

In the "Available Workstation List" you should have all of your workstations listed.
Select the workstation you wish to configure. When you select the workstation name all of the information fields will automatically populate. Once done select SAVE and the installation will begin.

The workstation will likely reboot multiple times during the install but will eventually complete.

NOTE: If you reach this step and the workstation list is blank you have two options:
1) Go to your micros server and find the workstation detail and enter them manually. Will will likely have to connect a USB keyboard to do this.
2) Save anyway and it will install the software without linking it to any particular workstation. Go to the micros server and restart the "Micros CAL Service" from services.msc and repeat steps 2 and 3.
3) You did not select "CAL Enabled" resulting in no workstations displayed in which case see option 2.

And your done.

If you wish to learn how to install LES 9700 Winstation or SAR Client on a Desktop PC click here.
If you wish to learn how to install RES on a Desktop PC click here.

RES 3700 - How to clear system financial totals from the database.

2011-02-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

So for whatever reason you want to clear all of the financial totals from the database. Here is how its done.

Open the Micros Control Panel and bring the system to database level.

Open the Micros Pos Configurator -> Totals -> Clear All Totals or you can clear each set of totals individually.

Depending on how many totals you have in the database this can take a few seconds to about 15 minutes.

After it is successfull you will get a popup advising you of this.You will be unable to use the pos configurator untill this has been completed.

After completion you will need to reboot the micros database.

RES 3700 - How to configure an Autosequence.

2011-02-27T07:51:00.000-08:00

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An autosequence is basically some group of tasks that can be set to run automatically or manually. They are similar to a macro.

Login to the Pos Configurator -> Reporting

Select Autosequences. Scroll down to the bottom and press the blue + button to create a new Autosequence and enter a name.

Here you can set the autosequence to run as part of a schedule. From the drop down list select a schedule or press the yellow folder symbol to create a new schedule.
If you want the Autosequence to appear on the run screen of "Autosequences and Reports" make sure the "Hide on run screen" is not selected.

Save and now select "Autosequence Steps" from the Pos Configurator. From the drop down list select the autosequence you created.

Press the blue + to create a new step and double click on the Type field to select what sort of step you want to create.

From here on its fairly self explanatory.

Types:
Call Autosequence - Calls a previously created autosequence.
Report - Allows you to print a report as part of the autosequence (you can also print to a file from here)
Stored Procedure - Allows you to call stored procedures eg Set Business Date.
External Program - Allows you call an external program configured in the Pos Configurator -> System -> External Programs.

RES 3700 - Recover Micros login ID from database

2011-02-27T07:29:00.000-08:00

Due to the nature of the restaurant business there is generally a large amount of staff turnover. This can sometimes lead to senior level access to the Micros POS system being lost of just not passed from one person to another.

Thankfully its easy to get back through some SQL commands.

NOTE: If you are uncomfortable with performing any of these tasks contact someone who will be able to follow these instructions or I may be able to perform these tasks remotely for a fee. See my email address at the top of this page if you need to contact me.

Classic Security:

For this we need access to DBISQL. If you don't know what this is read my quick overview of it here.

After logging in run the following statement:

Select first_name, last_name, pc_appl_id, id, effective_to from micros.emp_def

This will return to you all of the employees in the database with their login information. Select the appropriate information for the previous person with full system access.

PC_APPL_ID = Login ID for the micros applications on the server eg Pos Configurator

ID = Login ID for the till system. Usually their employee card number.

EFFECTIVE_TO = If the employee was setup to expire at a particular date then this is the date. If it is before today then you will not be able to login using this ID.

Enhanced Security:

If you have enhanced security which requires a username and password to login to the micros applications follow the below steps.

First you will need to perform the above steps for Classic Security and get a valid PC_APPL_ID.

Next you want to disable the Enhanced Security so that you can login using just the PC_APPL_ID number.

Execute the following update in DBISQL to disable the enhanced security.

update micros.rest_def set ob_classic_security = 'T'

Commit

Now open the Pos Configurator and it will allow you to login with just the pc_appl_id number.

As soon as you login execute the following statement to re-enable the enhanced security.

update micros.rest_def set ob_classic_security = 'F'

Commit

Now open the employee list and you can now set yourself a new Username and Password.

Hope this helps you out.

Erasing contents of a Micros WS4, WS4LX, WS5(a)

2011-02-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you want to wipe the contents of a workstation for whatever reason. These instructions are identical regardless of workstation and POS type. This is how its done:

On all WS4, WS4LX, WS5 and WS5a workstations there are two drives called CF and DOC.

The DOC is a storage space on the workstation which is not on the Compact Flash card.
In the DOC drive you will have a folder called Utilities and inside this folder there is an executable called WCF.exe. This executable is basically used to reset the workstation back to factory settings.

Once launched you will be given three options:
- Clear Registry Settings
- Erase Compact Flash
- Format Compact Flash

All options are self explanatory. One note however Format Compact Flash automatically performs option 1&2. Once any of the options are selected the workstation shuts down. You will need to press the power button to turn it back on. Once it turns back on you will be requested to install micros again using CAL.

RES 3700 - Log files for Micros RES 3700

2011-02-27T06:33:00.000-08:00

3700d.log - Located in D:\Micros\Res\Pos\Etc

The 3700d.log contains the general day to day logs of the micros pos system.

The logs are rotated every day as part of the end of day or whenever the executable "rotatelog.exe" is executed.
Each rotation appends a number to the end of the file name eg. 3700d.log.0
A maximum of 7 days logs is kept at any one time.

The verbosity level of the log file defines how much detail is logged. By default it is at level 0.
To change the verbosity open the micros control panel via the run prompt "cpanel.exe /verbosity" and in the control panel you will have a new verbosity tab where you can set the logging level. See the below screenshot.

If you select your Server name and select the verbosity tab you will see a list of modules where you can increase the verbosity level using the slider along the bottom for a particular module.

This becomes very useful if you notice a problem with a certain part of micros and to help diagnose this you increase the verbosity.

NOTE: If the verbosity level is left too high the log files can become very large very fast.

DM.log Located in D:\Micros\Common\Etc

This log contains information from the usage of the Database Manager. ie. backups, backup validation etc.

CLCONTROL_SERVERNAME.log Located in D:\Micros\Res\Pos\Etc

This log contains the logs when the CLCONTROL command line database control program us used.

RES 3700 - Remote reboot of workstations in Micros RES 3700 POS command line

2011-02-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

As you may have already noticed in RES 4.x they introduced a reboot feature in the Micros Control Panel which lets you reboot an individual workstation or all of the workstations at once.

What you probably didn't know was that this functionality has always been available since the first Micros 3700 Pos system. It is a command line program called REMOTEREBOOT.exe and is located in D:\Micros\Common\Bin

If you type REMOTEREBOOT /? into the command prompt you get the below user information but simply if you type "remotereboot WS01" it reboots the workstation called WS01. Simple and useful.

MICROS RES RemoteReboot version 4.1
usage: RemoteReboot [/?] [-h] [/allclients] [<nodenames>]+

   /? or -h prints this help message.

   /allclients reboots all configured clients. Will not reboot the server.

   Specifying one or more computer nodenames on the command line will cause
      a message to be sent to reboot only those client workstations

RES 3700 - Command line database control for Micros RES 3700 POS.

2011-02-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

A little known fact is that Micros RES 3700 POS comes with a nifty little command line tool which lets you replicate the functionality of the Micros Control Panel.

The tool is called CLCONTROL and is located in D:\Micros\Res\Pos\Bin

open the command prompt and type CLCONTROL /? and it will display the below help on how to use it.
It is fairly straight forward and if you don't understand it then you should'nt be using it.

There is also a log file for the tool kept in D:\Micros\Res\Pos\Etc called CLCONTROL_SERVERNAME.log

0000000 02/26/2011 16:15:43 Sat Feb 26 16:15:43 2011
Usage:
-----
CLControl /SYSTEM FOH    ( Front Of House )
CLControl /SYSTEM BOH    ( Back Of House )
CLControl /SYSTEM DB     ( Database )
CLControl /SYSTEM IDLE   ( System Shutdown )
CLControl /SYSTEM STATUS ( System Status )
          Possible System Status Return Code
          -----------------------------------
          0    ( FAULT )
          1    ( IDLE )
          2    ( DB    )
          3    ( BOH   )
          4    ( FOH   )
          5    ( BUSY )

CLControl /NODE <NNN> /PROCESS <PPP> ON     ( Start process <PPP> on node <NN
N> )
CLControl /NODE <NNN> /PROCESS <PPP> OFF    ( Stop   process <PPP> on node <NN
N> )
CLControl /NODE <NNN> /PROCESS <PPP> RELOAD ( Reload process <PPP> on node <NN
N> )
CLControl /NODE <NNN> /PROCESS <PPP> STATUS ( STATUS of process <PPP> on node
<NNN> )
          Possible Process Status Return Code
          -----------------------------------
          0    ( FAULT     )
          1    ( OFF       )
          2    ( ON        )
          3    ( RELOADING )
          4    ( BUSY      )

CLControl /M <text>                        ( Insert <text> in 3700d log file )

CLControl /CLEAR                           ( Clear the 3700d log file )
CLControl /LIST <path> NODES               ( List nodes in file <path> )
CLControl /LIST <path> /NODE <NNN> PROCESS ( List node <NNN> processes in <pat
h> )

Note that the /SYSTEM commands can have SYNC appended to indicate
       that the request should be issued to all nodes at once.

RES 3700 - Understanding DBISQL for Micros POS.

2011-02-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

DBISQL is a program which is used to query the Micros 3700 POS database.

It can be launched on the micros server by typing DBISQL into the run prompt and pressing OK. See below screenshots.

Micros POS installs usually have then following passwords by default. You may also have been given a DBA password by your micros installer.

Username: custom
Password: custom

or

Username: installer
Password: installer

You may also need to select the ODBC data source name which will be called "Micros" but 99% of the time you wont need to do this. See the image above.

----------------------------------------------

An example of what you expect to be able to see after logging in is shown in the image below.

An example what what an actual query in dbisql looks like is shown in the image below. This query returns the data for all checks in the database.

To search how select, update, inserts and everything to do with SQL works I suggest you google some tutorials so you can get the most out of your micros database.

E7 - Error: Current Business Date is Incorrect

2010-11-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

All Micros POS systems work on the principal that the current sales get saved into the database under the current business date.

The business date does not always match the current date.
Example the business date might be 1st November 2010 but its just past midnight in your bar or restaurant and you dont exactly want the system to suddenly start saving data under the 2nd November because at the end of your night you want all your sales in one place so you can balance your finances.

So you might ask how does the business date update and when?

Well there are two ways. You can set the business date to automatically change at a certain time eg 4am when you close your bar.

But the most common way to update the business date is to have the End of Day procedure do it for you. When you finish your days work the End of Day does things like print reports, backup the database, check for any open checks that someone might have missed and last but not least update the business date.

Honestly you can configure the End of Day to do whatever you want but this is the most common.

So for whatever reason the business date has not updated follow the below steps to get things back in order:

Step 1) Find out if any of the workstations have the correct business date. You can do this by pressing the E7 Info button on the POS screen. This is usually just an E7 icon. Once pressed you will get a little popup which gives some info and the first line will give the business date. If you find one or more workstations with the correct business date then proceed to Step 1a. If they are all on the wrong business date then proceed to Step 1b and if they are all on the wrong date but not all the same wrong date then move to Step 1c.

Step 1a) Ok so say we have the E7 PC on the correct date and all the workstations on the same wrong date. Easy fix but requires you to go to each workstation and perform the same task.
Process: Go to your workstation with the incorrect date. Sign in and go to the managers screen and select workstations. You should now have a list of your workstations including your PC. Select the PC (or whatever workstation has the correct date) and on the right hand side you have an option to "Retrieve all Definitions". Select this and press ok. It will sync the definitions and update the business date. Sign out and press the E7 Info button on the sign in screen to confirm.
Repeat until all workstations are synced.

Step 2) If they are all on the wrong business date then you have not run your End of Day to update the business date. Sign into your system on the PC or workstations (doesnt matter which) and go to your touchscreen with the End of Day option. Select this and after a while it will do what it needs to do and update your business date.

Step 3) So your business dates are all over the place but none of them are correct. Find the workstation with the most recent business date and perform Step 1a above.
Once all your workstations have the same date perform Step 2 above.

All done.

9700 3.0 + - Info: Understanding Winstation and SarOps

2010-11-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

In Micros 9700 Point of Sale above 3.0 there are two types of point of sale terminals that can be configured. Below 3.0 its all Winstation. There is nothing different in hardware its all software difference.

Overview:

Winstation: The winstation workstations setup requires constant network communication with the server. Each winstation configured has a dedicated process on the server called ops.exe which is responsible for facilitating the communication between the workstation and the database.

SarOps: This stands for Stand-Alone Resiliency. As the name suggests it has the ability to stand alone in the event of the server or network failure. There is a process on the server called Possrv.exe which manages multiple workstations.

Further Information:

Winstation: As mentioned above these workstations require constant communication with the server. If at any point the server or network fails then the pos system will be unusable. All workstations will revert to the default "Contrast up | Contrast Down" display and will show a communication error in a grey box in the middle of the display.

SarOps: If the server or network fails and you have a SarOps configuration then the workstations will advise you of the communications failure and enter offline mode. In offline mode you can process orders and take payments as usual. You will obviously not be able to perform tasks which require communication across the network but you can access the menu, print local orders and take payments. Once the server or network has been restored you can bring the workstations back online and it will upload the sales to the main database.

In theory the operations of Winstation's is much simpler and easier to configure but SarOps offers more stability.

RES 3700 - Error: XXXX number of checks have not been purged.

2010-11-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

This is an error which indicates that old closed checks have not been purged from the database.
Two tables contain check details which need to be purged:

micros.chk_dtl and micros.trans_dtl

Micros 3700 is hard coded to keep check detail for 14 days. If the database fails to purge this data after 14 days it starts to give the "XXXX checks have not been purged" where XXXX is the number of check detail.

There is a stored procedure that should be in the End of Day/Night Audit steps called Purge History. This calls a stored procedure:

micros.sp_purgehistory();

Steps to resolve:

Step 1) Make sure the End of Day is being run at the end of your business date. If it is not being run then it wont be able to run the necessary stored procedure. As part of your end of day there should be a step configured which is a stored procedure called Purge Historical Totals.

Step 2) If the End of Day is being run then something is not working as it should.

Things to check:

a) Make sure you don't have loads of open checks from weeks ago on the system. If you do then close them off. After the end of day runs again it should purge the necessary data.

b) Make sure the purge step is part of the end of day.

Step 3) If still having problems open DBISQL. If you dont know what DBISQL is then click here for a quick tutorial on what it is.

Run the following query:

Select min(business_date) from micros.trans_dtl

This will return to you a date. If the purge is running correctly this date should be no more than 14 days before the current business date. In your case it may be out by a few days or weeks depending on how long you have been seeing the error message. Make a note of this date.

Run the following in dbisql:

call micros.sp_purgehistory();

Depending on how many days out your purge is this can take from a few seconds up to 10-15 minutes. (Ive seen it take an hour on an old system where the purge didn't run for months.)

After the procedure completes in the result section of dbisql it will say Procedure Completed.

Now run this statement again:

Select min(business_date) from micros.trans_dtl

The date should have changed to a more recent date. Keep running the "call micros.sp_purgehistory();" procedure until the date is to 14 days from the current business date.

You should now find that the errors on your tills have gone.

If your still having problems then contact your micros support as there may be some issues with the micros.chk_dtl or micros.trans_dtl database tables.

Im not going to get into diagnosing these problems here yet. If you believe you have a strong grasp of SQL and are comfortable updating and deleting rows from the SQL database then drop me an email and ill tell you what to look for.

RES 3700 - Error: Waiting on MDSHosts.xml

2010-11-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

When ops is starting on all versions of micros workstations it loads a number of different modules.
The essential ones are as follows for correct operation of the workstations.
MDSHosts.xml
MDSServices.xml
MDSPrinters.xml
Ops.exe

You may also find KDS Display loading depending on your setup.

You may find that the Application Loader will stall on any one of these, the most common being MDSHosts.xml.

MDSHosts.xml contains IP address and Hostname information for the server and all workstations so its essential for operation.
On WS4, WS4LX, WS5 model workstations its located on the compact flash drive in cf\micros\etc
On Win32 workstations its located in c:\micros\common\etc.
Same applies for all the .xml files above.

Workstations should be kept up to date automatically with these files and should be downloaded upon installing ops using CAL.

If you find the Application Loader stalling there are a few simple steps you need to take.

Quick Fix: Transfer a copy of the MDSHosts.xml to the workstation. It is located on the server under D:\micros\common\etc and needs to be copied to the workstation. See above for the correct directory.

Long Term Fix:

Step 1) Make sure the MDSHosts.xml has a good copy on the server. It should be located in D:\micros\common\etc
Check the last modified date. It should be fairly recent ie. a few days. Reload the database via the Micros Control Panel (reload not restart). If the modified date has not updated and the workstation still not starting then proceed to step 2.

Step 2) Force the database to create a new copy. Open services.msc and restart the following services:

Micros Distributed Services Manager

Micros DB Update Service

Step 3) Reload the database via the Micros Control Panel. ( reload not restart ). The last modified date of the file should have updated to the current date/time.

RES 3700 - Low Disk Space Common Causes.

2010-11-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

From time to time it is possible that the micros drives can run out of space. Below i will list the usual suspects.

Database backups:

If your backing up the micros database on the server you should be running database validation. If the validation fails it will create a .bad extension backup in the "%Database Dir%\micros\database\data" directory where %Database Dir% is the drive the database is stored on.

For reasons i dont know why if a .bad file is created the archived backups will no longer rotate and it will store backups in the "%Database Dir%\micros\database\data\archives" until the hard drive runs out of space.

Solution: Delete the .bad file and delete any unnecessary backups in the archives directory.

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3700d.log Verbosity:

In the D:\Micros\Res\Pos\Etc directory there are 7 days worth of 3700d.log files.
If the verbosity is turned up high in the logs and left like that it can eat up disk space very quickly.
To change the verbosity open the Micros Control panel via the command line.

cpanel.exe /verbosity

The Micros Control Panel will now open with a verbosity tab where you can change the verbosity for the services and workstations between 0 and 10. Normal use should all be 0.

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Database Log File size:

All RES 3700 databases have a file called micros.log kept in the "%Database Dir%\micros\database\data" directory along with the micros.db which is the database.

The micros.log file is essential for the database to run but on occasion this file has been known to vastly increase in size into the gigabytes. Usually they are less than a few meg if not less than a meg.

Version 3.2 and below:

Step 1) Stop the database.

Step 2) Start -> Run and type in "scview" without the quotes and press ok.

Step 3) Select utilities and select "Change log file information". You may need to add the adaptive server anywhere plugin to get these options.

Step 4) Browse to the micros.db file and press next.

Step 5) Use all the default options here except the step where it asks you to create a mirror log file, here select "no change"

Step 6) Tick the box to delete the old log file information and press finish.

Step 7) Once you press finish you will be given a summary of your settings, just press ok to this.

Step 8) Open a command prompt and change the directory to the micros database directory which contains the micros.db file and execute the following command.

dbsrv6.exe micros.db -f

The SQL adaptive server anywhere program should have opened and now shrank down to the system tray. Double click on the icon and select shutdown.

Now start the database via the Micros Control Panel and shazam you should have a started database and a brand new small micros.log file.

Version 4.0 and above:

Thankfully much easier than 3.2 and much less frequently needed.

Step 1) Stop the database

Step 2) Delete the micros.log file

Step 3) Run the following command from the run prompt where D:\ is the drive of your database. You might notice something flash up for a split second but will most likely go unnoticed. (Capital F is important)

DM.exe -F D:\micros\database\data\micros.db

Step 4) Start the database via Micros Control Panel, you should now have a new micros.log file.

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RES 3700 - Error: No communication with autosequence pc.

2010-11-16T11:47:00.000-08:00

The service Autoseqserv.exe is responsible for managing scheduled autosequences as well as allowing autosequences such as end of shift reports, to be executed from the pos operations.
If this service is frozen or simply not running you will get an error indicating that there was a failure communicating with the autosequence pc.
A lot of the time if the service is frozen you will simply have the pos operations hang for a few minutes before the error displays, if the service is not running you should get the error almost instantly.

RES 3.2 and below:
The autosequence service is located in the Micros Control Panel and can be turned on or off.

RES 4.0 and above
The autosequence service is located in windows services and is called "Micros Autosequence Service". If it is stopped start it, if it is started then restart it.

If you are unable to restart the service you will need to kill the executable via task manager or 3rd party program such as pskill.exe which can be downloaded from microsoft.com.

RES 3700 - System Closed

2010-11-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

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System Closed is an error that you will get on the micros workstations when the system is set to "Back of House".

To resolve this open the Micros Control Panel. Start -> Programs -> Micros Applications -> Micros Control Panel.

Select Restaurant. On the right hand side you should have the option to press "Front of House" and then press ok.

All should be ok now.

9700 - Error: Printer System error / IP printer error

2010-11-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

If you have IP network based printers tm-u220b M188B or similar which are setup on IPCC's then there is a process called ipcc.exe which is required for these to work.

Step 1) First we need to get to a micros prompt. In Version 3.00+ Type "micros" and press enter without the quotes. Go to step 2.
In versions less than 3.00 "Start -> Programs -> Micros Systems 9700 -> Nut Cracker". At the $ prompt type in "micros" and press enter. Go to step 2.

Step 2) At the micros prompt then type in "ps ipcc" without the quotes and press enter. If you are returned an ipcc process then this is not the problem. If you are not returned a process type in "reload" and press enter and then type "ps ipcc" and press enter. You should now be able to print.

RES 3700 - Licence is in Grace Period or has Expired

2010-11-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

Micros RES requires a licence in order to operate.

If you dont have a licence you can put the product into Demo mode where it will operate with a reduced capacity.
To put it into demo mode "Start -> Programs -> Micros Applications -> Utilities -> Licence Manager" and enable DEMO.

If you have a licence but its still reporting as in grace period or has expired follow the below steps.

Step 1) Open the licence manager. See above. Make sure its not in demo mode.

Step 2) Open the Services list by typing services.msc into the run prompt. Restart the Micros Distributed Services Manager. If it fails to restart or freezes you will need to kill the process from the taskmanager. The service name is dsm.exe. Once killed start it from the services list.
Open the licence manager and press reload. If the licence now says "Key Present" you should be good to go.
NOTE: This problem is very frequent in 4.1 HF3. Look into upgrading if you have this version.

Step 3) If its still not working chances are the licence key is unplugged. It is a physical USB Key plugged into a USB port on the server. Very old micros versions will have a serial licence key plugged into the LPT1 port.

If you have a USB, reseat they key and Perform step 2. If you have a serial key reseat the key and reboot the server.

Step 4) If you cant find a USB licence key plugged into the server then contact your Micros Dealer. If you are part of a large chain you might have a MAL licence which is a software licence and you will need to contact your support.

RES 3700 - Error: No communication with Database server, Enter Stand Alone Mode

2010-11-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

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Stand Alone Mode - is a status where the tills can operate by themselves without any communication with the micros server. All checks will be stored on the workstation and any checks created on the other workstations will not be accessible from anywhere except the workstation it was created on.

A requirement for this to be successful in closing off checks and giving customer receipts is to have payment types designed for Stand alone mode. These payment types are usually denoted by "O/L" before the payment type.OL = Off Line.

This is only a requirement if the Micros is integrated with a PMS system as to prevent the offline still attempting to communicate with the PMS system.

Troubleshooting

Step 1) Make sure the Micros server is turned on.

Step 2) Make sure the database is running. Open the Micros Control Panel "Start -> Programs -> Micros Applications -> Micros Control Panel". Select Restaurant and make sure that the system is set to "Front Of House".

Step 3) If the system is set to Front of House next thing to check is if the workstations are showing as green arrows in the control panel. If all the workstations are Red arrows then the problem is with the network communication between the server and the workstations.
If you dont see any workstations green or red then select View -> Show All Clients.
You should now be able to see whether they are Green or Red.

Step 4) Check the free diskspace on the database drive. If the drive has no space the system wont work.

Step 5) If all of the above is ok then your next step is to check the status of the MICROS MDS HTTP SERVICE.
Open services list by typing Services.msc into the run prompt. Scroll down to the Micros mds http service and make sure its started. After it is started reload the database via the control panel. This service is required for communication between the workstations and the database.

Step 6) If all above has failed then restarting the server couldnt hurt.

Step 7) Further investigation into the logs would be needed.

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RES 3700 - Error: Timeout while sending message, check fo server, ifc or cables.

2010-11-15T12:49:00.000-08:00

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This error is received when Micros point of sale is interfaced with another application. Most common application that micros interfaces with would be the Opera Property Management System. This application is used for managing the Hotel side of things.

Below are a list of things that you need to check in order to resolve this issue.

Step 1) Make sure the Micros Interface service is running. This can be in two locations depending on the version of RES 3700 installed.

Version 3700 3.2 and below

In 3.2 and below the interface service is located in the Micros Control panel. Open the control panel "Start -> Programs -> Micros Applications -> Micros Control Panel" and make sure there is a green tick beside the interface service.

Version 4.0 and above

In 4.0 and above all micros services except the "SQL Database Service" were moved from the Micros Control Panel to the windows services list. This services list can be accessed by typing Services.msc into the run prompt. Make sure the "Micros Interface Service" is started.

Step 2) Make sure the interface is running. The interface is generally located on another server/pc which is not the Micros server. This program acts as the middle man between Micros and the end product for example Opera PMS.

Step 3) Once you have confirmed that Step 1 and Step 2 are ok the next thing is making sure there is network communication between Micros and the Interface pc. Im not going to get into COM connections and am only going to focus on TCPIP connections.

Open the "Pos Configurator -> Devices -> Interfaces" and select the interface which you are having trouble with. Select the interface tab on the right and you will see an ip address and port number. Make a note of these.

Open a command prompt and type in "Ping x.x.x.x" where x.x.x.x is the ip address without the quotes and press enter. If you get a reply then the network connection is active.

Next is to test the port number. Open a command prompt and type "telnet x.x.x.x yyyy" where x.x.x.x is the ip address and yyyy is the port number and press enter. If the command prompt goes blank with the blinking cursor in the top left then everything is ok and working, if it does not connect then there is a problem with the port. Consult the supplier of the interface for more info.

Step 4) If step 3 is successful then the problem is going to be with the end product eg Opera or with the connection between the Interface pc and the Opera server.

9700 - Error: Check Detail Read Failed

2010-11-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

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The error "Check Detail Read Failed" while trying to open a check/table on the micros 9700 point of sale system. This error is present is all versions of 9700.

This error is an indication that the check has become unreadable in the database. It can occur if the check is being accessed during a power failure or some other interruption to the operation of the micros system.

These checks are unrecoverable and can only be closed in the database.

Due to the nature of the databases used in Micros 9700 SQL 2000,2005,Oracle 9i and 10g; there are many ways to execute the necessary commands. Im going to assume that you know how to execute an SQL statement and just give the command.
Replace XXXX with the micros check number.

update microsdb.checks set checkclose=checkopen where checknumber=XXXX and checkclose is null

This command will close off any checks which are open and have the number you entered.

If you want to be more exact or if there are more than one check open with the same check number then follow the below steps.

Execute command where XXXX is the check number:

Select * from microsdb.checks where checknumber =XXXX and checkclose is null;

Make a note of the CHECKID number and execute the following where XXXXX is the CHECKID:

Update microsdb.checks set checkclose=checkopen where checkid=XXXXX;

And your check is closed.

RES 3700 - Error : Check Detail Read Failed

2010-11-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

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The error "Check Detail Read Failed" while trying to open a check/table on the micros RES 3700 point of sale system. This error is present is all versions of RES but occurs much less frequently since RES 4.0

This error is an indication that the check has become unreadable in the database. It can occur if the check is being accessed during a power failure or some other interruption to the operation of the micros system.

These checks are unrecoverable and can only be closed in the database.

To proceed you will need to know the check number which is currently causing the error.

Step 1) On the Micros POS server open DBISQL. To do this press Start -> Run -> Type "dbisql" without the quotes.

Step 2) Enter the username and password:

Username: custom

Password: custom

Username: installer

Password: installer

Step 3) Type the following command and replace XXXX with your check number and execute:

Select chk_seq, chk_num, chk_open from micros.chk_dtl where chk_num = XXXX;

chk_seq = Check Sequence number is a unique number

chk_num = Four digit check number used to identify a transaction.

chk_open = True or False. True means the check is open, False means its closed.

Step 4) Make a note of the number in the chk_seq column and type in the following command and replace XXXXXX with the chk_seq number and execute:

call micros.sp_forcechkclose(XXXXXX);

The check should now be closed.

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