Infor VISUAL query tool and shop resource maintenance
infor visual query tool
Also searched as
- infor visual shop resource maintenance
- infor visual sql query
- visual manufacturing shop resource setup
Short answer
To query VISUAL data, use a read-only SQL login in SQL Server Management Studio or a reporting tool against the VISUAL database, or the in-application query and reporting options your build provides. Shop resources, the machines and work centers that operations are scheduled on, are maintained in the Shop Resource area and drive scheduling, load and costing.
Applies to: Infor VISUAL on SQL Server. Menu labels differ by version, so confirm them in your client.
Query VISUAL data and maintain shop resources
- 1Ask your DBA for a read-only SQL login, ideally against a restored copy or replica.
- 2Open SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the VISUAL database.
- 3Start with the small tables: SHOP_RESOURCE, PART, WORK_ORDER, OPERATION.
- 4Join operation rows to shop resources on the resource ID to see load by machine.
- 5Always filter by status and date to avoid scanning large history tables.
- 6To change a resource, open Shop Resource Maintenance in VISUAL, not the table.
- 7After changes, re-run scheduling or confirm how the change affects open operations.
- 8Document every saved query so it can be reused and checked.
Querying with SQL
The VISUAL database is standard SQL Server, so any SQL tool works. The key tables for shop floor questions are WORK_ORDER for the header, OPERATION for each routing step, REQUIREMENT for materials, LABOR_TICKET for reported time, and SHOP_RESOURCE for machines and work centers. Column names should be confirmed by browsing the schema in your version.
Use NOLOCK carefully. It avoids blocking the shop floor but can return inconsistent reads. For reporting copies it is not needed at all.
SELECT o.WORKORDER_BASE_ID, o.SEQUENCE_NO, o.RESOURCE_ID, r.DESCRIPTION,
o.SETUP_HRS, o.RUN_HRS, o.STATUS
FROM OPERATION o
JOIN SHOP_RESOURCE r ON r.ID = o.RESOURCE_ID
WHERE o.STATUS = 'R'
ORDER BY o.RESOURCE_ID, o.WORKORDER_BASE_ID;What a shop resource defines
A shop resource represents a machine, work center, or labor pool. It carries a description, a calendar or shift pattern that sets available hours, capacity, and rates used for costing such as labor and burden. Operations on a routing point to a resource, so changing the resource's rates or calendar changes scheduling and costing for open and future work orders.
Confirm the exact fields in the Shop Resource Maintenance window in your version. Treat changes to rates and calendars as controlled changes, because they affect standard cost and promise dates.
Safe habits for production data
Never run UPDATE or DELETE against VISUAL tables to fix a data issue. Use the application, or the API Toolkit for bulk changes, so validations run. Keep a test database restored from backup for experiments, and refresh it on a schedule.
Long-running queries on a busy server hurt users. Query a replica, add date filters, and review the execution plan if a query takes more than a few seconds.
Try it here, free
VISUAL Shop Resource Capacity and Load Calculator
Find available capacity hours, load percentage and the number of machines needed for a work center, plus an efficiency sweep.
Common pitfalls
- !Using a shared admin login for ad hoc queries.
- !Running unfiltered queries against transaction history on the live server.
- !Editing SHOP_RESOURCE rows directly.
- !Changing resource rates without understanding the cost roll-up impact.
- !Assuming column names from a different VISUAL version.
How an ERP-grounded AI assistant handles this
A natural-language layer over VISUAL can generate and show the read-only SQL for questions such as which machines are overloaded next week. Netray builds this on-prem so the schema, queries and results never leave your network, and the AI user is a read-only login.
Frequently asked questions
Does VISUAL have a built-in query tool?
Most teams query with SQL Server tools or a reporting product. The application also offers reporting and lookup options that vary by version, so check yours.
What table holds machines and work centers?
Shop resources are held in the SHOP_RESOURCE table, maintained through Shop Resource Maintenance in the application.
Can I update resources with SQL?
It is not advisable. Use the application or the API Toolkit so validations and dependent data stay consistent.
Related
Infor VISUAL REST API: what exists, the API Toolkit and how to wrap it
Classic Infor VISUAL integrates through the VISUAL API Toolkit (COM objects that apply business logic), direct SQL access for reads, and flat-file or EDI imports. A native REST API is not the traditional route. Most teams expose REST themselves by wrapping the Toolkit or SQL reads in a small service, or use Infor ION where their version and licence support it.
How-toInfor VISUAL report builder: build a custom work order report
VISUAL reports are commonly built in Crystal Reports connected to the VISUAL SQL Server database, and then added to the application so users can run them. A work order report joins WORK_ORDER, OPERATION and optionally REQUIREMENT and PART, filters by work order, and formats it for the shop floor.
How-toInfor VISUAL system requirements: server, SQL Server, client and network
VISUAL runs on Windows with Microsoft SQL Server, using Windows client workstations. The exact supported Windows and SQL Server versions depend on the VISUAL release, so take them from Infor's release documentation, not from memory. This page lists what to verify, how to size, and where upgrades commonly break.
Error fixInfor VISUAL error 19005: causes and step-by-step fix
Error 19005 is not a code we can tie to a single documented meaning, and published answers vary. In practice, numbered errors in VISUAL usually come from the database layer: a lost or failing SQL Server connection, an ODBC or client mismatch, or a permissions problem. The reliable way to fix it is to capture the full message text, test the connection outside VISUAL, and check the SQL Server error log.
How-toInfor VISUAL Price Book: How Customer Pricing and Price Breaks Are Set Up
In Infor VISUAL, a selling price reaches an order line from a hierarchy of sources: the part's list price and quantity breaks, any customer-specific pricing, and manual override on the line. A price book approach means maintaining those sources deliberately and in one place, then testing the result on order entry. Exact window names depend on your version.
AdvancedPrivate AI Layer for Infor VISUAL On-Prem: Reference Architecture
Infor VISUAL runs on SQL Server (or Oracle), so the quickest private AI path is a read-only reporting copy plus a local document index, a tool server with named read actions, and an open-weight model on your own GPUs. Use the VISUAL API Toolkit for writes only, with human approval, and mirror VISUAL user security in the tool server.
AI for ERPAI for Infor VISUAL ERP: Answers and Agents for Job Shops
Add AI to Infor VISUAL ERP for make-to-order and job shop manufacturers: quoting, scheduling, and shop floor answers grounded in live VISUAL data, on-prem.
Stuck on Infor VISUAL (VISUAL Manufacturing)?
Talk to engineers who work inside Infor VISUAL (VISUAL Manufacturing) every week, and who build private AI that answers these questions from your own ERP data.
Keep exploring
Free tools
- VISUAL Shop Resource Capacity and Load CalculatorFind available capacity hours, load percentage and the number of machines needed for a work center, plus an efficiency sweep.
- Infor VISUAL SQL Query Generator for Work OrdersBuild a SQL Server query for open or late VISUAL work orders by filling a few fields, then copy it into your query tool.
- Infor VISUAL Manufacturing Scheduling ChecklistA practical checklist for finding why VISUAL schedules do not match the floor: calendars, resource data, routings, lead times and release habits.
ERP fixes and how-tos
- Infor VISUAL report builder: build a custom work order reportHow to build and customise reports for Infor VISUAL using Crystal Reports and SQL, with a worked work order report example and the common tables involved.
- Private AI Layer for Infor VISUAL On-Prem: Reference ArchitectureReference architecture to add a private AI assistant to Infor VISUAL on-prem: data access paths, retrieval, permissions, sizing and rollout, no cloud needed.
- Infor VISUAL REST API: what exists, the API Toolkit and how to wrap itWhat integration options Infor VISUAL really offers: the VISUAL API Toolkit, SQL access, ION and building your own REST wrapper, plus where to find documentation.
Runs with your ERP
- Infor VISUAL Shop Floor Mobile for Labor TrackingHow Infor VISUAL Shop Floor Mobile captures clock-ins and labor data from shop-floor devices directly into VISUAL: data flow, setup, pitfalls and private AI.
- MachineMetrics with Infor VISUAL: Machine Data and Work OrdersHow MachineMetrics machine monitoring syncs work orders, schedules and labor with Infor VISUAL through an edge connector. Setup, pitfalls, alternatives, FAQ.
- VISUAL Time & Attendance and Infor VISUAL: labor, job costing and payrollHow VISUAL Time & Attendance captures clock-ins and job labor, feeds VISUAL job costing and exports earnings to payroll, with setup, pitfalls and AI ideas.
Integrations
- How to add AI agents to Infor VISUALHow to add AI agents to Infor VISUAL: a read-first tool layer over the SQL Server database and API toolkit, with human approval before any write-back.
- How to add an AI chatbot to Infor VISUALHow to build an AI chatbot on Infor VISUAL data for planners, buyers and customers, grounded in the SQL Server database and able to run fully on-prem.