Infor LN & BaanGlossary

What Is Baan/LN Tools Package?

Also known as: Baan Tools, LN Tools, tt package

Definition

The Tools package is Baan and Infor LN's own development and administration layer. It holds the data dictionary, session and form definitions, the 3GL and 4GL compilers, VRC software layering, authorization management, job scheduling, company setup and the Exchange module.

Baan/LN Tools Package Explained

Unusually for an ERP, Baan and LN ship their own development platform as part of the product, and it is where the application itself is defined. The data dictionary describes every table, field, domain and index; session definitions describe every screen, report and batch program; and the compilers turn 3GL and 4GL source into the pseudo-code the bshell executes. When someone says a change is made in Tools, this is the layer they mean.

Software layering through VRCs is the Tools concept with the biggest practical consequence. Each object exists in a version, release and customer layer, and a package combination determines which layers an environment resolves and in what order. A derived VRC can contain a modified copy of a standard object that shadows the original. This is how customization worked for decades, and it is also why upgrades require careful analysis of which shadowed objects still need to exist.

Administration sits in the same package. Companies are created and typed here, users and authorizations are maintained here, devices and printers are defined here, and the job daemon that runs batch work is configured here. The Exchange module for bulk import and export also lives in this layer, which is why the same team frequently owns both technical administration and data migration tooling.

Tools has its own release cadence, separate from the application VRCs and from the porting set. That separation is deliberate and useful: platform capabilities, development tooling and administrative features can move forward without a functional application upgrade. It also means that when troubleshooting an environment you need three version facts, not one: the application release, the Tools release and the porting set version.

Why It Matters

VRC and package combination configuration determines which code actually executes, which explains many baffling environment differences.
Authorization design happens here, making Tools the control point auditors examine for segregation of duties.
Tools versions upgrade independently of the application, so platform improvements need not wait for a functional project.
Data dictionary decisions such as field lengths are effectively permanent, so they belong in design rather than in build.

In Practice

When two environments behave differently despite supposedly identical code, compare package combinations and VRC resolution before anything else. A test environment resolving one extra derived VRC will run code that production does not, producing test results that are impossible to reproduce and defects that appear only after go-live.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a VRC in Baan and Infor LN?

VRC stands for version, release and customer, and it is the layering scheme for application source and objects. Standard code sits in a standard VRC, and site-specific changes go into derived VRCs that shadow the standard objects beneath them. A package combination tells an environment which VRCs to resolve and in what order, determining which version of each object runs.

Is the Tools package the same as LN Studio?

No. Tools is the platform layer inside the application: the data dictionary, compilers, VRC layering, authorizations and administration. LN Studio is a modern development client that connects to that platform and gives developers an Eclipse-based editing, building and debugging experience. Studio changes how you work with Tools objects; it does not replace the Tools layer itself.

What is Baan LN?

Baan LN is common shorthand for Infor LN, the ERP that descends from Baan. The Tools package described on this page is the Baan-era platform layer that LN still runs on, so people say Baan LN when they mean LN with its Baan-style sessions, data dictionary and VRC layering.

Related Terms

Porting Set

A porting set is the platform-specific layer of Baan and Infor LN that adapts the application to a given operating system and database. It ships the bshell executable, the database drivers and system utilities, and is versioned and patched independently of the application software.

Exchange Scheme

An exchange scheme is the reusable definition in the Baan and Infor LN Exchange module that maps external flat-file records to LN tables field by field, in either direction, so data can be imported or exported in batches without writing custom programs.

Baan Session

A Baan session is the atomic executable unit of Baan and Infor LN - one screen, report or batch program - identified by a coded name such as tdsls4101m000, where the letters give the package and module and the digits give the session number.

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Infor LN and Baan ERP Table List by Package

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Filterable list of commonly used Infor LN and Baan tables by package, with the naming convention, key fields and where a Baan IV table differs from LN.

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Table	Package	Description	Key fields	Notes
tccom100	tc Common	Business partners	bpid	Parent of customer and supplier roles. LN only; Baan IV used tccom010 and tccom020.
tccom130	tc Common	Addresses	cadr	Referenced by business partners, warehouses, companies and orders.
tccom010	tc Common	Customers (Baan IV and 5)	cuno	Replaced by business partner model in LN.
tccom020	tc Common	Suppliers (Baan IV and 5)	suno	Replaced by business partner model in LN.
tcibd001	tc Common	Items general	item	Central item master in LN. Item code is padded with leading spaces in the project segment.
tiitm001	ti Manufacturing	Items (Baan IV and 5)	item	Predecessor of tcibd001 in older releases.
tcmcs003	tc Common	Warehouses	cwar	Linked to an address and an enterprise unit.
tcmcs023	tc Common	Item groups	citg	Used for grouping items for planning, costing and reporting.
tcmcs080	tc Common	Carriers and freight forwarders	cfrw	Referenced by shipments and orders.
tcemm030	tc Common	Enterprise units	eunt	Part of enterprise modeling; links planning, finance and warehouses.
tdsls400	td Distribution	Sales orders	orno	Header. Order type comes from tdsls094.
tdsls401	td Distribution	Sales order lines	orno, pono, sqnb	Line quantities, prices and status.
tdsls406	td Distribution	Sales order line deliveries	orno, pono, sqnb	Delivery-level data for a line. Confirm field set in your release.
tdsls094	td Distribution	Sales order types	sotp	Controls order handling, such as which activities run.
tdsls040	td Distribution	Sales orders (Baan IV and 5)	orno	Older header table. Lines are in tdsls041.
tdsls041	td Distribution	Sales order lines (Baan IV and 5)	orno, pono	Older line table.
tdpur400	td Distribution	Purchase orders	orno	Header. Order type from tdpur094.
tdpur401	td Distribution	Purchase order lines	orno, pono, sqnb	Line item, quantity, price and status.
tdpur094	td Distribution	Purchase order types	potp	Controls purchase order processing.
tdpur040	td Distribution	Purchase orders (Baan IV and 5)	orno	Older header; lines in tdpur041.
tdpur041	td Distribution	Purchase order lines (Baan IV and 5)	orno, pono	Older line table.
whinh200	wh Warehousing	Warehouse orders	oorg, orno	Header for inbound, outbound and transfer warehouse orders.
whinh210	wh Warehousing	Warehouse order lines	oorg, orno, pono, seqn	Lines link back to source order and item.
whwmd215	wh Warehousing	Item inventory by warehouse	item, cwar	On-hand and allocated quantities. Verify column names for your release.
tisfc001	ti Manufacturing	Production orders	pdno	Status field drives the shop floor control lifecycle.
tibom010	ti Manufacturing	Bill of material lines	mitm, pono	Parent item and position. Baan IV and 5 structure.
tfacr200	tf Finance	Accounts receivable invoices and transactions	ttyp, ninv	Open and paid customer documents.
tfacp200	tf Finance	Accounts payable invoices and transactions	ttyp, ninv	Open and paid supplier documents.
tfgld410	tf Finance	General ledger transaction history	year, ptyp, ttyp, docn, lino	Posted journal lines. Column set varies by release.
ttaad200	tt Tools	Companies	ccmp	Company numbers used as the suffix on every physical table.

Keys and column names can vary between Baan IV, Baan 5 and LN releases, and customizations add fields. Always check the data dictionary in your own VRC. Physical table names in the database add a leading t and the company number, so tdsls400 in company 100 is ttdsls400100.