Generating Environmental Reports

Environmental Reporting requirements can vary from industry to industry and state to state. It can range from being OSHA driven to a specific customer requirement. If your company is required to submit any form of Environmental Reporting, there are many benefits to incorporating the supporting data and required reporting in DEACOM

Today’s data sources are plagued by redundancies and duplications, lack of consistency and standardization, and missing or incomplete information. DEACOM’s Environmental Reporting solutions are designed to optimize the quality of enterprise data, to ensure consistent, timely, and accurate views from every interaction point. They can be generated based on the Jobs produced or Sales Orders shipped in a specific date range and list all the lowest level components used, including CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) level regulatory components.

This data and reporting setup in DEACOM can also help you to reduce costs by spending less time reconciling data across multiple systems, or even paying a 3rd party vendor to do this for you. Manual data reconciliation is a time sink that consumes costly resources and does not scale as you grow. You can further reduce your costs by replacing those 3rd party softwares and licenses needed to support the multi-platform approach.

Configuration

Values from the Hazardous Info fields and Hazardous flag as well as Item Master User Fields are essential as they will be added to the grids to produce Environmental Reports. User Fields can be used to enter values or conditions for emissions, hazardous contents, and related details on individual items.

Field/Flag	Path	Description
Hazard Info Field (in Parts)	Inventory > Item Master > "Modify" or "Create New Part" > General 1 tab.	Allows user to report Hazard Info for a Part, limited to a 30 character maximum and available to all grids/reports within Environmental Reporting.
Hazard Info Field (in Facilities)	Inventory > Item Master > "Modify" or "Create New Part" > Facilities tab > "Add" or "Modify".	Allows user to report Hazard Info specific to a designated Item/Facility combination. The "Use Property Flags" must be checked in the Facility form. A specific Facility may be chosen on the pre-filter form within Environmental Reporting to group hazardous item details by Facility.
Hazardous Flag	Inventory > Item Master > "Modify" or "Create New Part" > Properties tab or Item Master > "Modify" or "Create New Part" > Facilities tab > "Add" or "Modify".	Indicates item is hazardous and needs to be reported as such on sales documents such as the Bill of Lading and on reports in the Environmental Reporting area.

Process

Understanding the inputs and benefits

Data integrity and synchronization - Data integrity refers to the accuracy and consistency of data stored in a database. Why should you care about data integrity? Data is getting bigger and bigger and being accessed faster than ever. This has made data more important, but without integrity, the data is not of much use. Data is not static and maintaining integrity through human interactions and system transactions can become a tricky task. DEACOM is designed to ensure that you can configure your items and formulas is such ways that you can protect the validity and accuracy of that data

Data cleaning and maintenance - DEACOM allows for easy cleaning and maintaining of your data. Using predefined reports and configurable grids allows you to create the data checks needed to compare, measure, and upkeep the validity of your supporting data. Advanced SQL users can further access, organize and compare data by utilizing the Query Tool built directly in DEACOM.
Data entry and training - Train your users on how to enter and maintain data and make them accountable for data quality. DEACOM can aid in getting data entry started off right by:
- Utilizing User Security set ups to control who can enter what information and where
- Configure Work Flows that instruct on how to enter and how to audit data entry
- Use the DEACOM Help system to store widely accessible SOPs on how data needs to be entered for your specific business requirements
Data validation rules - No matter how careful you are, human errors are almost unavoidable. Data validation rules in DEACOM will control and restrict the values that users can enter. From field types, to configurable pick lists, to required fields, DEACOM allows you to set up rules throughout the system to support data validation at time of entry and use. The data quality tool in DEACOM can ensure only trusted data is used and give your greater confidence in your Environmental Reporting.

Real-time Reporting and Capacity - Real-time reporting refers to the ability to record and report an event the moment it happens. DEACOM is specifically designed to process data as quickly as it is received. In today’s digital era, as information moves faster than ever, it must be available on-demand, at all times. DEACOM allows for up-to-the-minute reports of jobs produced and orders shipped. DEACOM will give users a live view of inventory on hand and the Regulatory properties of that inventory. This real-time reporting is especially beneficial in Environmental Reporting as you are ensured that you are always reporting the most accurate information available at the moment you generate the required report. This immediate availability of live information allows you to not just meet your requirements but may give you that competitive edge in your ability to serve your customer’s needs as well.

Self-service Reporting - Self-service reporting is a whole lot more than just a buzz-word. It is an approach to analytics and reporting that enables organizations to increase response times, ensure data consistency, and remain scalable in their growth and reporting commitments.

Until recently, data storage and configuration could be such a complicated web that you might have had to go back to your IT department every time you wanted to ask a question about your data. You likely then had to wait a long time to get insight from your data, sometimes not ever getting it at all. DEACOM is designed so that non-technical users pull their own reports, and Environmental Reports are no exception.

Self-service reporting in DEACOM reduces the costs of the labor hours spent to run or compile reports manually. By putting report generation in the hands of users, you free up the key individuals who were required just run those reports previously and had to maintain those systems holding all the data.

Another benefit of self-service reporting in DEACOM is that it reduces the risk of error-prone reports previously compiled by individuals collecting data from multiple sources and systems. In DEACOM you can be assured everyone uses the same version of data. Self-service reporting is especially beneficial in Environmental Reporting where DEACOM has taken what was historically one of the most complicated datasets and put the reporting ability into the hands of the user. Meet your requirements faster. Serve your customers better.

User-defined Fields Role in Environmental Reporting - User-defined Fields are created against the Item Master table to identify the necessary classifications used to generate Environmental Reports. For example, when dealing with EPA reporting for HAP, a User-defined Field must be created for ‘HAP’ so that the necessary CAS items can be identified as HAP. Then, by adding these fields to the grid of your Environmental Reports you can filter and subtotal by these values.

Regulatory BOMs Role in Environmental Reporting - Regulatory BOMs will serve as the lowest level BOM in the chain that links Raw Materials through to the Finished Goods that they are used in. The presence of Regulatory BOMs within DEACOM is a required piece of configuration to utilizing the three report types within Environmental Reporting. These BOMs will let DEACOM know how many units of the various CAS items are contained in each unit of raw material. When running any of the Environmental Reports, DEACOM explodes from the produced or shipped item level down to the regulatory level.

Understanding the different report types

The "Jobs Produced" report generates a list of the lowest level items, including CAS items, and their quantity “consumed” based on the products that were produced within the parameters of the pre-filter. Start and End Date, Shop Area, Facility, Facility Group, and Item Type are the relevant parameters for limiting the produced items to be exploded. When using the Jobs Produced report you will always want to be specifying Item Type, Subassemblies is the recommended choice. This will include all the bulk product you produced but will avoid adding in additional “consumption” during Finished Goods packaging of bulk product.
The "Sales Shipment Summary" report generates a list of the lowest level items, including CAS items, and their quantity “shipped” based on the products that were shipped within the parameters of the pre-filter. Start and End Date, Shop Area, Facility, and Facility Group are the relevant parameters for limiting the shipped items to be exploded. This report also offers the ability to filter the result set by the Bill To or Ship To Company attached to Sales Orders. This report does not display the products that were shipped, that level of information will be available within the Sales Shipment Detail Report.
The "Sales Shipment Detail" report generates a list of the lowest level items, including CAS items, and their quantity “shipped” based on the products that were shipped within the parameters of the pre-filter. Start and End Date, Shop Area, Facility, and Facility Group are the relevant parameters for limiting the shipped items to be exploded. This report also offers the ability to filter the result set by the Bill To or Ship To Company attached to Sales Orders. What differentiates this detail report from its summary version, is that the report is summarized by the items shipped as opposed to being summarized by CAS item. Additional variables are available on the Sales Shipment Detail grid to show information associated to the part shipped, including the quantity shipped within the parameters of the prefilter. All the variables available to Sales Shipment Summary report will also be available here, containing the CAS level information.

Generating a report

Navigate to Production > Environmental Reporting.
Set the desired Report Type.
Set the desired Start and End dates .
Set the desired Item Type .
Click "View".

Generating a Production Emissions report

State and Federal OSHA require that manufacturers using materials that are identified as hazardous air pollutants report the quantities of those materials that are used in production and how much that is theoretically emitted. Emission permits are typically either Facility-based or vessel specific. To create Production Emissions reports, use the steps above for the "Jobs Produced" report type, set the End Date based on when material was reported as finished, and filter by Shop Area, Facility, Facility Group, and/or Item Type, if desired. Click "View" to generate the results.

Generating a Hazardous Contents of Material Shipped report

Federal OSHA requires that manufacturers using materials that are identified as hazardous report the quantities of those materials that are contained in the products that are shipped to a particular customer over a certain time frame. To create Hazardous Contents of Material Shipped reports, use the steps above for the "Sales Shipments" report type, set the dates based on when material was shipped, and filter by Bill-to/Ship-to, Facility, and/or Facility Group, if desired. Click "View" to generate the results.

Options for Further Processing and Reporting

Both types of supported Environmental Reporting in DEACOM feature the ability to:

Save pre-filters using the "Settings" button to allow repeat reporting.
Use the Advanced (funnel) filter to limit report to items of interest.
Export to Excel and multiply by permit emission percentage to calculate emissions.
Compare resulting emissions to permitted limit.
Email exported grid contents as PDF, directly from toolbar button.

Building a Custom Report Layout for Formatted Reporting

Environmental Reporting offers you the ability to easily pull the raw data required to assemble reports such as Chemical Emissions, HAP Usage, etc. But to take that raw data to the next level and produce your formatted environmental report straight out of DEACOM you will need to design a custom report layout.

Creating the Report Layout

Production > Environmental Reporting.
Select the grid report you wish to add a report layout to.
1. The same report layout can be used by multiple grids but it would have to be attached to each grid individually and those grids must share the same grid variable names used on the report for the report to work.
Click View.
Click the ‘More’ button.
Click the ‘Grid Layout’ button.
Change to the “Print Outs” tab.
Click the plus sign on the right side of the form.
1. It’s the one without the word “Add” beneath it.
Open the “Report” search field.
Click “Add New”.
Click the “Report Properties” button
Enter a value into the “Report Name” field
Save and close the Report Properties form.
Save the report layout.
Exit the Report Designer
Search for the name of the report you just created and double click it.
Enter a Report Name into the Edit Print Out form and click “Save”.
Check the “Default” checkbox if this is the only report attached to this grid.
Close the Edit Print Out form and click “Save” on the Edit Grid Layout form

Designing the Report Layout

When adding report variables onto the report layout you want to use the name of the variables from the grid layout, it can be helpful to export the grid layout to excel prior to beginning report design for a quick reference to what is on the grid. User-defined fields are added under a reference name, userfld1, userfld2, userfld3, etc. Where the number is based on where the user-defined field occurs in the grid layout, userfld1 is the first user-defined field that appears on the grid. This is very important to keep in mind as resorting the grid layout could change the number associated with your user-defined field and that would change your report layouts functionality.

Printing the Report Layout

Production > Environmental Reporting.
Select the report type that you attached the report to.
Click View.
Click the printer icon in the toolbar, directly to the left of the export excel button.
If the report is marked as default it will be selected already, if not it will have to be selected in the drop down.
Select a destination and click “Print”.