From the Maximo Support Desk - How To Actually Apply The Configuration Changes

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I clicked "Apply Configuration Changes"... now what?  Nothing's happening!

I periodically hear from a client who has the need to change a field configuration in Maximo for a business or reporting requirement, such as making a more precise Unit Cost display that shows 4 places to the right of the decimal point.  One of the most robust functionalities in Maximo is that you are able to dynamically update the configuration of the database right there in the interface, in the Database Configuration module.  No need to bother those moody DBAs.  However, without any research into this, a User will encounter the "Apply Configuration Changes" menu item in the application's Select Action menu and discover that nothing will happen if you just click this.  There's more to it, but it's fairly simple to perform the necessary steps to make the "Apply Configuration Changes" action go ahead and apply the configuration changes... you don't have to be a DBA to make many types of configuration changes to the Maximo database.

In order to make the intended updates to the database, such as a change in an attribute's length and scale, the application must be put into Admin Mode to allow the Apply Configuration Changes menu item to work.  Below is a set of example Steps that demonstrate how to use the Admin Mode to apply the configuration changes.  In the real-world customer example here, the size of the Unit Cost field on the PO Line and the Invoice Line is being expanded to display 4 digits to the right of the decimal. This scenario dictates that we change the Length and Scale values for attributes POLINE.UNITCOST and INVOICELINE.UNITCOST to 14 and 4.  This will allow a more precise display of the Unit Cost, such as 23.2379, on the PO Line and the Invoice Line in the application.  Your snarky DBA already knows this, but please be aware that in a relational database, when you change a value like this, there are typically several more values that need to be changed to avoid an unexpected cascading update, or a rounded value if some of the related fields don't get updated as well.

One last comment before I list the steps... I would be doing less than a complete job with this article if I don't take the extra minute to let you know about this related knowledge base document which describes how to completely configure all attributes in the maximo database that would be affected by a Unit Cost change, according to each application:

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21962935

How to Change Length and Scale of an Attribute in Maximo

-Go To System Configuration | Platform Configuration | Database Configuration
-In the Object field enter "poline" and press Enter
-Click POLINE
-On the Attributes tab click Filter
-In the Attribute field enter "unitcost" and press Enter
-Highlight the row for UNITCOST and expand the details
-In the Length field enter 14
-In the Scale field enter 4
-Save the record
-Repeat these steps to change the Length and Scale values for the INVOICELINE.UNITCOST field
-On the List tab | Select Action | Manage Admin Mode
-Click the Turn Admin Mode ON button
-In the Password field enter the administrator password (for the User Name shown)
-In the Reason for Change field enter "Update Length and Scale for POLINE.UNITCOST and INVOICELINE.UNITCOST
-Click OK
-Click OK at the System Message
-Periodically click the Refresh Status button until the System Message appears indicating that Administration mode is on, then click OK
-Click Close
-Select Action | Apply Configuration Changes
-Click the "Start Configuring the Database" button
-In the Password field enter the administrator password (for the User Name shown)
-In the Reason for Change field enter "Update Length and Scale for POLINE.UNITCOST and INVOICELINE.UNITCOST
-Click OK
-Click OK at the System Message
-Periodically click the Refresh Status button until the System Message appears indicating that the database configuration is complete, then click OK
-Click OK
-Select Action | Turn Admin Mode OFF
-In the Password field enter the administrator password (for the User Name shown)
-In the Reason for Change field enter "Update Length and Scale for POLINE.UNITCOST and INVOICELINE.UNITCOST
-Click OK
-Click OK at the System Message
-Periodically click the Refresh Status button until the System Message appears indicating that Administration mode is off, then click the Close button

The application is now ready for use.

Tom Richardson is an IBM Maximo Support Engineer and frequent contributor to the Asset Management Blog community.  For a complete index of links to his articles, visit
Index of articles by Tom Richardson, Support Engineer