Frequently Asked Questions - Table of Contents:

Use the table of contents to find the question you are looking for. Then click the question to get the answer.

1. Getting Started
2. Using PMXPert
3. Technical Questions

Getting Started
Q. I had a problem requesting my free evaluation. What should I do?
Q. How can I purchase PMXpert?
Q. What payment methods are acceptable?
Q. What is included in the support package?
Q. What is included with on site training?
Q. Is there a limit to the number of units PMXpert can handle?
Q. What is a unit?

Using PMXpert
Q. How do I install PMXPert?
Q. How do I create services for my equipment?
Q. How do I add a service to an existing work order?
Q. How do I close a work order?
Q. How do I close work order services?
Q. How do I print a work order?
Q. How do I update counts on all my equipment at once?
Q. How do I automatically generate work orders?
Q. How do I create equipment items?
Q. How do I add services to equipment items?
Q. How do I view the work order service history for an equipment item?
Q. How do I review costing details for all my equipment items?

Technical Questions
Q. What are the Minimum System Requirements for PMXpert?
Q. Is PMXpert compatible with Windows 2000?
Q. How do I upgrade to the latest version of PMXpert?
Q. How do I report a bug or suggest a feature for PMXpert?

Getting Started

Q. I had a problem requesting my free evaluation. What should I do?

A: Be sure to complete the information on the request form. Fill in your name, company name, phone number, email address and company address. If the information is incomplete we cannot contact you or send you a CD. You will receive an email within 1 business day when your request has been received. Contact our sales staff by email: Sales@PMXpert.com, phone: 306-975-3737 or fax: 306-975-3739 if you have any more problems.

Q. How can I purchase PMXpert?

A: Contact our sales staff to purchase PMXpert Monday through Friday between 8:00am and 5:00pm. Email: Sales@PMXpert.com, phone: 306-975-3737 or fax: 306-975-3739. We accept P.O., Visa, Master Card, money order or cheque.

Q. What payment methods are acceptable?

A: Currently we accept cheques, money orders, purchase orders, Visa, or Master Card.

Q. What is included with on site training?

A: On site training includes: Set up of your facilities database and staff training. On site training runs between 1 - 3 days, depending on the size of the facility and the number of employees that need training on PMXPert.

Q. What is included in the support package?

A: The annual support package includes unlimited technical support plus free updates and bug fixes. The support package also allows you to log into the online support were you will find a ever growing number of resources.

Q. Is there a limit to the number of units PMXpert can handle?

A: No. However the number of units that need to be monitored by the software at your facility determines the software package you purchase.

Q. What is a unit?

A: A unit is any piece of equipment that you need to run a preventive maintenance schedule on. A unit may be a vehicle, belt, building, pump or any other equipment.

Using PMXpert

Q. How do I install PMXpert?

A: Get the complete instructions on how to install PMXpert from the Installation support page.

Q. How do I create services for my equipment?

A:

1. From the setup menu located at the very top of the screen, select the "Equipment" option to display the sub-menu. Select "Services" from the sub-menu to display the Services window.
2. Click the "New" icon.
3. Type in the service description in the "Service" field and enter an abbreviation for the service in the "Abbreviation" field. PMXpert allows you to link services to avoid having a piece of equipments services scheduled on different days. For example, if you have a 500 hour and 1000 hour service for a piece of equipment you can link the 500 hour service to the 1000 hour to have PMXPert schedule the 1000 hour service on the same day at every second 500 hour service occurs. To link an existing service to the new service click in the "Linked Service" field. Select the service to link from the drop down list.
4. Click the "Adjust for downtimes" check box if you want the service to compensate for equipment downtimes. Next click on the cycle type drop down list. Select one of the four cycle types from the drop down list.
1. If you monitor equipment by miles, hours, kilometers or a counter you would perform services by the count number. For example you may have an equipment item that needs a service every 200 hours. You would enter the name of the service, select the count cycle type and enter 200 for the count interval.
2. For equipment services that are performed on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis you will need to use the Time cycle. Now enter the number of days, months and/or years between services.
3. A service that is performed on a count interval and a time cycle can be setup to monitor both time and count. For example let's say you have an equipment item that requires a fluid replacement every 2000 miles or every three months. Select the Count/Time cycle then enter the count interval, days, months and years for the service to occur.
4. For a service that does not run on any cycle select the "None" option.
5. To exit the Services screen click the "Close" button. You must "Save" or "Cancel" first.

Q. How do I add a service to an existing work order?

A:

1. Select the Work Order you would like to edit by clicking on the "WO's" button in the middle of the screen. If the correct Work Order isn't already selected, click on the "Find" button to locate to Work Order you want to edit. A list of Work Orders will appear, select the appropriate Work Order and click the "Okay" button.
2. In the bottom portion of the screen the services are listed. To add a new service click the "New" icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. The Work Order Service Wizard will appear.
3. Next click in the Equipment field to display the drop down list. Select a piece of equipment from the list. Now click in the Service field. Select a service from the drop down list. Lastly, select the Scheduled Date. Click the "Next" button to continue.
4. PMXpert will now ask if you would like to pull detail from the equipment service. If you click the "Yes" button PMXpert will attach the procedures, parts, labor, and fluid details you defined when you set up the service.
5. You can now customize the details that are placed on the left hand side.
   
   To add a description, select one of the details given to you. Click on the "add" button placed in the right hand corner.
   
   To delete a descripton from a detail you must select the description. This description can be found under the headings "Type/Description" placed in the middle of the screen. Select the description you would like to delete. Click the "delete" button.
   
   
6. When you are "done" Click the Next button place at the bottom right hand corner.
7. The final screen will allow you to go "Back" to re-enter any information. If you are finished click the "Finished" button.

Q. How do I close a work order?

A:

1. Select the Work Order you would like to edit by clicking on the Work Order tab on the right of the screen. If the correct Work Order isn't already selected, click on the "Find" button to locate to Work Order you want. A list of Work Orders will appear, select the appropriate Work Order and click the "Okay" button.
   
   Note: You cannot close a Work Order until all services on the W.O. have been closed.
2. Click the "Close Work Order" button in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Enter a date if different than the current day then click the "Okay" button.
3. If you close parts that should go under warranty, a Part Serial Number screen will appear to enter the serial numbers for those parts.

Q. How do I close work order services?

A:

1. Select the Work Order you would like to edit by clicking on the Work Order button on the top of the screen. If the correct Work Order isn't already selected, click on the "Find" button to locate to Work Order you want. A list of Work Orders will appear, select the appropriate Work Order and click the "Okay" button.
2. Next, select the service from the list that you would like to close and click the "Close Service" button. To select multiple services hold down your control (Ctrl) key and click on each service. If you want to close all services simply click the "Close All Services" button.
3. Now the Complete Service Wizard in displayed. The first screen simply tells you that the wizard will complete all the services you selected in the previous step. Click the "Next" button to continue. This second screen is where you enter the performed date and performed count for the service. Click the "Next" button to continue. PMXpert will now ask if you would like to add service detail. Enter the quantities of the detail items you used for the service here then click the "Next" button. PMXpert will now bring up the part warranty wizard, if the part is on warranty it will automatically check the box under"warranty". Also you can enter in the serial number for each part. Click "Next". The last screen tells you that PMXpert is now ready to close the services once you click the "Finish" button. If all the services are closed PMXpert will now ask if you would like to close the Work Order. Click "Yes" to close the Work Order.

Q. How do I print a work order?

A:

1. From the Work Order screen click the "Print" button in the top right corner.
2. Read through the report options, select the options you desire then click the "Okay" button.
3. The Print window is now displayed. There are 4 different ways you can print a report:
1. To view the report on your screen click the Screen tab then click the "Print" button.
2. If you want to print a hard copy of the report on your printer select the Printer tab then click the "Print" button.
3. To create a file of the report click on the File tab. Next click in the File Name field and select the folder where you want the file to be saved. Now select the type of file you want to create from the "Save as Type" drop down list. Click the "Save" button to close the Save As window. Then click the "Print" button.
4. The fourth option for printing is to email the report. Click on the email tab. Now define the Email Attachment Format by selecting PDF or TIFF. Next click the "Print" button. An Email window will now appear allowing you to select a recipient, enter a subject and type a message. When you are finished, click the "Send" button.

Q. How do I update counts on all of my equipment at once?

A:

1. First, click on the "Update Counts" button on the top of the screen.
2. The Filter window appears. This filter allows you to select the criteria for the equipment record(s) that you want to update. If you do not select any criteria PMXpert will assume you want to update counts on all your equipment records. Make your selections then click the "Okay" button.
   
   Note: If you want to update the counts on all equipment do not select anything in the Filter window, simply click the "Next" button to move on.
3. After you click "Next" the Equipment Count Update wizard window appears. Enter the new counts for the first piece of equipment. Click the next button update the count on the next piece of equipment.
4. Repeat step #3 until you reach the last piece of equipment. Click the "Finish" button to exit the wizard.

Q. How do I automatically generate work orders?

A:

1. Click the "PM Schedule" button on the top portion of the screen. The Generate PM Schedule wizard will appear.
2. Fill in the Schedule Ending Date by typing in the required date or by clicking on the arrow to select the date from the drop down calendar.
3. PMXpert allows you to select a specific Category, Department, Services and Locations to schedule. To make multiple selections hold down your control (Ctrl) key as you click. If you want to schedule every Category, Department, Service and Location don't select anything; simply click the "Next" button.
This screen allows you to edit the Scheduled Date for each service and delete services. To change the schedule date on a service click in the Scheduled Date field and enter a new date. To delete a service, select the service and click the "Delete" icon. Click the "Next" button when you are finished making changes and you will be prompted to print the schedule.
4. When you click the "Next" button PMXpert will ask if you would like to print off the schedule list now. Click "Yes" to print your schedule or no to continue. The third screen asks how you would like the services grouped on the Work Orders. Read through the options, select the option you that best suits you then click the "Finish" button.
5. Now PMXpert will ask you if you would like to create the work orders. Click "Yes". A new will open that will show you the list of Work Orders that will be generated from the schedule. Select a work order from the list to edited it's description or assign a responsible person. You can click the "Print List" button to print a list of the Work Orders. If you want to print each work order separately click the "Print Work Orders" button. Click the "Close" button to finish.

Q. How do I create equipment items?

A:

1. In the equipment screen click the "New" icon in the top left portion of the screen. The "Equipment [New]" window appears.
2. Now enter all of the applicable information for the equipment.
3. To edit the equipment user fields click on the "User Fields" tab. When you've filled out as much of the information as possible, click the "Save" button.

Q. How do I add services to equipment items?

A:

1. From the Equipment screen select the "Services" tab if it is not already selected.
2. Next click the "New" icon in the bottom left portion of the screen. The Equipment Service Wizard window appears.
3. In the first window of the wizard click in the Service field and select a service from the drop down list. The next field is the Linked Service field. You can link an existing service from the drop down list. For a more detailed explanation of Linked Services see Equipment Services in the Setup section of the help manual. Next you can enter in who is responsible for that service. Next enter the most recent date that the service was performed in the "Last Date" field. Then enter the last count in the "Last Count" field. Check the "Adjust for downtime" box if you would like the schedule to compensate for equipment downtime.
4. Click the "Next" button to continue. This screen allows you to select the type of service detail you want to add. Simply check the radio button beside the detail type. Now click the "Add" button to add information about the selected service detail. When you are finished adding service details, click "Done".

Q. How do I view the work order service history for an equipment item?

A:

1. From the Equipment screen locate the desired piece of equipment using the "Find" button in the top right portion of the screen. The "Find Equipment" screen appears displaying a list of your equipment. Select the equipment you want to view and click the "Okay" button.
2. Next select the "Work Order Service" button.
3. The "Work Order Services" button displays a list of services previously performed on work orders. To view the service details double click on a service to display the Work Order Service [Edit] window.
4. To find a specific service click in the "Order By" field to display a drop down list. Select an option to define the order you want the historical services to be displayed. The "Find" button is also very useful for locating the service you are looking for.

Q. How do I view the review my costing details for all my equipment items?

A:

1. First click the "Costing Review"button on the top portion of the screen.
2. The "All" tab displays all posted costing entries made on all equipment. To view only Parts Costing, click on the "Parts" tab.
3. To view specific costing, click the "Filter" button. This filter allows you to select specific criteria when viewing costing.

Technical Questions

Q. What are the Minimum System Requirements for PMXpert?

A:
Processor:
   Intel 300 Pentium Processor
Operating System:
   Minimum: Windows 95, 98,
   Recommended: 2000, XP or NT
Memory:
   Minimum: 64+ Mb
   Recommended: 128+ Mb
Disk Space:
   50+ Mb
Media:
   CD-Rom Drive, Mouse or other pointing device
Video:
   800 x 600, 256 color display
Supported Networks:
   Windows 95, 98, 2000, or NT

Q. Is PMXert compatible with Windows 2000?

A: PMXpert is compatible with Windows 2000 as well as Windows 98, 95, NT, and ME.

Q. How do I upgrade to the latest version of PMXpert?

A:
a) If you purchased a support package, simply download your free Update.

b) If you do not have a support package or need to upgrade to the latest version, contact PMXpert sales to purchase the latest version.

Q. How do I report a bug or suggest a feature for PMXpert?

A: To report a bug, please use our Report a bug form. If you have a way that we can make PMXpert even better email our support staff at Support@PMXpert.com.