PlanetTogether

Service & Support

Guide
Table of Contents
1 Service Support Components

2 Support Component - Descriptions

2.1 Service Updates and Upgrades
2.1.1 Service Upgrade
2.2 Number of Support Contacts
2.3 Additional Support Contacts
2.4 Unlimited Case Logging
2.5 PlanetTogether Knowledgebase
2.6 Participation in Early Access Programs
2.7 Product Training
2.8 Data Model Changes
2.9 Database Refresh

3 Obtaining Assistance

4 Case Life-Cycle – Problem Tickets

4.1 Before Logging a Case
4.2 Logging a Case
4.3 Case Severity & Initial Response Times
4.4 Case Resolution
4.4.1 Workarounds
4.4.2 Service Defects
4.4.3 Product Enhancement Program
4.5 Case Escalation
4.5.1 Escalation to Professional Services
4.6 Service Disruptions
4.7 Case Closure Policy
4.7.1 What a closed support case means for you

5 PlanetTogether Support Service Lifecycle

5.1 General Availability
5.2 Early Access
5.3 Maintenance
5.4 End of Life
5.5 Service Upgrades

6 Professional services
6.1 Solution Architecting
6.2 Extension Development and Assistance
6.3 Integration Development and Assistance

7 Software Enhancement Requests

8 Confidential Data Access Requirements

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1 Service Support Components
The PlanetTogether support plan offers a range of services designed to meet the needs of all
PlanetTogether customers. The primary components of the plan include access to PlanetTogether
Knowledgebase ​website, emergency telephone support, telephone or email support during business hours
and Service Updates of PlanetTogether APS Software.

Consult the table below for a complete list of Standard and Optional support components.

Service Updates and Upgrades ✔

2
Number of support contacts

Optional
Additional Support Contacts

Unlimited Case Logging ✔

Access to PlanetTogether ​Knowledgebase ​for logging issues and ✔

complimentary content

Participation in Beta Programs ✔

Training Service Optional

2 Support Component - Descriptions

At PlanetTogether, our support team is ready to help when you need them, whether you have a
high-priority issue, service request or a question about functionality. The PlanetTogether support team
provides technical support of the PlanetTogether APS Software as well as the system administration
services for PlanetTogether. The PlanetTogether support team is there to help respond to technical
questions such as but not limited to:

• Service Requests
• Administration best practices
• Explanation of technical errors and warnings
• System performance analysis
• Analytic results clarification
• Clarification on how-to feature questions

PlanetTogether support does not provide services on custom integrations, or custom Add-ins, nor in-depth

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consulting services or training. These additional services are available through the PlanetTogether’s
professional services organization or through PlanetTogether partners.

To ensure we provide more than just emergency assistance, our support plan is designed to include a
comprehensive package of services, enabling you to maximize the investment you have made. The
following section outlines the standard and optional support components we provide.

2.1 Service Updates and Upgrades

The Research and Development team at PlanetTogether is always working to improve the capabilities
and performance of our service. New versions of our service can contain feature changes, performance
enhancements, corrective content, and security fixes. PlanetTogether provides updates in the form of
Service Upgrades.

2.1.1 Service Upgrade

PlanetTogether major Service Upgrades contain new features and enhancements to existing
functionality that have the potential to require adjustments to the service or solution design.

For a major service upgrade, PlanetTogether Support will co-manage an upgrade project with you to
ensure expectation and change impact is understood. As part of the service, PlanetTogether Support will
provide the following for each production upgrade:

• Upgrade installation files

• Test license to validate upgrade
• Data connection tests

Testing results are documented and presented to you in an upgrade report meeting. Upon delivery of the
report, a temporary Preview instance will be provided for business process validation and to familiarize
your end users with the updated environment. Service Upgrades are applied during a mutually agreed
schedule.

2.2 Number of Support Contacts

Designated contacts can log cases or report service incidents via the Knowledgebase website, or via
telephone. You can designate up to two primary support contacts and two backups support contacts. All
support incidents and service related questions submitted to PlanetTogether must be channeled through
one of these contacts in order to streamline communications and build expertise in your organization.

Designated contacts are usually senior business leaders, subject matter experts, or corporate help desk
personnel who are knowledgeable about PlanetTogether’s Software and your data source or user
environments. Your chosen contacts will have access to Knowledgebase articles on the Knowledgebase
website.

Key contacts are also responsible for reviewing ​data access requests ​and ​submitting or approving
change requests ​for the service. Only key contacts are authorized to request changes to be applied to the
service.

2.3 Additional Support Contacts

If you want to have more designated key contacts that can log cases or report service incidents, or

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request changes, they can be added for an additional fee. For further information, ​please contact your
Account Executive.

2.4 Unlimited Case Logging

As a PlanetTogether customer, your designated key contacts can log an unlimited number of cases for
each technical or service issue that might arise.

2.5 PlanetTogether Knowledgebase

The PlanetTogether Knowledgebase serves as a resource for supply chain professionals, industry
analysts, consultants, media, and others who want to tap the vast knowledge base of their peers.

Through our ​Knowledgebase ​website, ​authorized individuals can log cases, verify contact roles, as well as
access a variety of support resources; including documentation, quality alerts, a searchable
knowledgebase, new feature videos, and more.

2.6 Participation in Early Access Programs

Periodically, at the discretion of PlanetTogether, you may be invited to participate in PlanetTogether’s Early
Access Program to evaluate and contribute to the definition of new features.

2.7 Product Training

For customers we offer subscription based learning that includes a blend of self-paced learning &
instructor-led virtual classroom training, as well as regularly scheduled public classroom training for
purchase. These training courses will help ensure a successful implementation and that your users
understand best-practices in the use of PlanetTogether.

2.8 Data Model Changes

The PlanetTogether data model periodically requires maintenance to align with host system changes or
additional business requirements. All Production data model changes follow a standard change request
process that can be initiated by contacting PlanetTogether Support. The process to implement a data
model change will require the service to become temporarily unavailable to users. Data model changes
on Production servers can be applied at a time that is convenient for the customer. PlanetTogether allows
the ability for a customer to perform data model changes on Non-production servers as required.

2.9 Database Refresh

Periodically there may be a requirement to refresh an environment from another instance or roll the
database back to an earlier point in time. This may be required on a test environment before the start of a
major change or to reset after a major development project has been promoted into production. These
refreshes will need to be handled by the customer, but PlanetTogether support personnel can be available
to oversee at the customer's request.

3 Obtaining Assistance

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PlanetTogether Support Centers around the world provide global support coverage. The Corporate head office
in SanDiego, CA, is the North American Support Center and is the point of escalation for incidents from other
PlanetTogether Support Centers.

Emergency support for a ​Severity 1 ​issue is available on a 24x5 basis, by telephone or by submitting a support
case online and setting the severity status as “1 – critical impact - production service”. To obtain emergency
assistance by phone, please call 888-317-8807

PlanetTogether Support standard business hours extend from ​Monday 8:00 AM through to Friday 4:00 pm
Pacific Standard Time ​excluding regional support office holidays.

Note: Support is provided in English with local language accommodated when possible. Support calls will be
handled by regional support teams during local business hours and managed by the global support team
outside those hours.

4 Case Life-Cycle – Problem Tickets

If you encounter a technical issue that you are unable to resolve or if you need to report any security
failures, incidents, concerns or other issues, the PlanetTogether Support team can help. Only a key support
contact can log a support case. The following section describes the different stages in the evolution of a
case and our approach towards handling each stage.

4.1 Before Logging a Case

These guidelines will help you make the most effective use of PlanetTogether Support and help us resolve
your problem as efficiently as possible.

• Verify that the problem is not related to another software application, hardware or network issue in your
corporate environment, in which case you would need to contact another vendor or someone in your IT
organization.
• Determine if the problem has occurred before by conducting a keyword search in the Knowledgebase.
• Attempt to reproduce the problem to ensure it is not an error or misstep.
• Determine if the problem occurs on one, or more than one of your environments.
• Determine if the problem occurs randomly or consistently.
• Review the system and document if there have been any new processes or data change that could have
caused the issue.
• Review all relevant documentation, including any release notes, as well as the online manuals
and online help.

4.2 Logging a Case

If you still have not solved the problem using the steps above, it is time to contact PlanetTogether
Support. When doing so, please be prepared to provide the following information via the ​Support
Form​:

• Description of problem:
• Business Impact:

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• Information related to the priority or ​time sensitivity ​of the case
• Steps to reproduce (include screenshots):
• Is there a workaround?:
• Desired Results:
• Screenshots/Attachments:
• What environment is this happening on:
• User/Users (note if one or many including IDs):
• Date/Time of occurrence (including the user’s time zone):
• If this is an end-user problem:
• PlanetTogether version – this can be found at the bottom of the PlanetTogether software window, or in
the Instance Manager
• The exact wording of any error messages that were displayed.
• Relevant Recordings and Scenarios.dat files

4.3 Case Severity & Initial Response Times

Once your case is logged, the following section explains our approach for prioritizing and handling the issue.

When you report a problem through the Knowledgebase, you have the opportunity to set the initial severity of
the case. The following table details the severity level, a definition of the severity, and the associated response
time that PlanetTogether Support adheres to when responding to issues.

All times noted to serve as a guideline only. In most cases, the initial response time for all issues is no more
than one hour.

Support for Severity 1 issues is available on a 24x5 basis, by telephone or by logging a Severity 1 case online.
Support for Severity 2, 3 & 4 issues is available during standard business hours. Please see the ​Obtaining
Assistance​ ​section for details and contact information.

Note: PlanetTogether Support Personnel​ ​will discuss the nature of your issue and determine the severity level,
which is used to prioritize our response, ensuring that the most critical problems are resolved first.

Severity Definition Response Time

Level
and Coverage

1 Critical (A production problem that makes the Within 1 hour

Impact PlanetTogether service unavailable or unusable) (24x5)

• Users are unable to connect to PlanetTogether Restoration target

service < 4 hours

• Users are unable to sign-in

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 • Users can sign-in but the application won’t start

• Mass data integrity or transmission issue

2 Major (Major functionality is impacted) Within 4 hours

Impact (*24x5)
• ​Significant performance degradation

• A persistent issue affecting many users

• Data synchronization issue

• Key functionality seems very slow or

unresponsive

• Repeated Internal Server Error

3 Minor (The service is not seriously affected) Within 12 hours

Impact (*24x5)
• Formatting problems on a report or incorrect
report results

• User-initiated exporting or importing data issue

• Minor performance degradation

• General service request

4 No (Shortcoming, question for guidance or advice, Within 24 hours

Impact enhancement desired) (*24x5)

• Tips & techniques

• Report design assistance

• Documentation use

• Website use

• Enhancement request

*Hours of operation indicate normal business hours per support center and exclude national holidays. For
support center hours and holiday schedule, please ​click here​.

4.4 Case Resolution

Each case is triaged based on its severity and assigned to a designated PlanetTogether Support Personnel

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who is the prime contact through the life of the case. Our support representatives have various tools at their
disposal to assist in troubleshooting issues including an escalation process to the PlanetTogether
development management team that ensures the fastest possible resolution times. Our management team is
alerted to key support issues and receives support metric reports on a regular basis to ensure adherence to
our service level agreement. Issues that cannot be resolved within the confines of the current Service version
will have one of the following outcomes:

4.4.1 Workarounds
When a customer reports a problem, PlanetTogether Support’s primary objective is to determine a
satisfactory solution immediately. If possible, a workaround is provided as a temporary solution to
complete a task that would not otherwise be possible, due to a service problem or limitation.

4.4.2 Service Defects

If it is determined that the problem you have reported is related to a defect, it is recorded in the
PlanetTogether defect tracking system and escalated to the PlanetTogether development team. If you
encounter a critical defect, you can request a Service Update. PlanetTogether Support Personnel​ ​will
request you provide the business impact of the defect within your environment. Service update requests are
reviewed by PlanetTogether’s development team, who meet daily to review and approve content for inclusion
in a future release of our software. Although PlanetTogether endeavors to respond to all customer situations
using commercial best efforts, the timing and incorporation of a particular defect remedy are solely at the
discretion of PlanetTogether.

4.4.3 Product Enhancement Program

Enhancement requests may be submitted directly on our ​Support Form​. These are submitted to our Product
Management group, collected in our Enhancement Database, and reviewed by Product Management during
the planning stage of each new service release. When an update is available the submitter will be notified.

It should be noted that PlanetTogether does not guarantee that any submitted enhancement request
will be included in a future release of PlanetTogether APS. Any enhancement requests submitted will
automatically become the property of PlanetTogether without any compensation to Customer and shall
be considered as non-confidential.

4.5 Case Escalation

The PlanetTogether goal is to resolve all Support Cases in a satisfactory and timely manner; however,
we realize that some cases may require increased attention and effort within the Support team. To raise
the severity of a Support Case, call us and request to speak with a Support Manager.

Upon receiving your request, the Support Manager will assess the Support Case and create a go forward
plan. If you are not satisfied with the plan or with the progress of the case after the plan has been
executed, PlanetTogether’s management team will review the Support Case with the Support Manager
and identify if a different or additional action is required from the team.

4.5.1 Escalation to Professional Services

For support that is outside the scope of standard support as described above escalation to
PlanetTogether’s ​Professional Services​ may be required. Notification will be given that the specific
issue will need to be escalated to another department and that subsequent interaction such as meeting

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with and support from Professional Services may be billable. Once an agreement with Professional
Services has been formalized, the issue will be removed from standard support as an issue. Interaction
on the issue will be directly through Professional Services and not through Support.

4.6 Service Disruptions

The PlanetTogether service is designed to be highly resilient to most error conditions; however, it is
possible that a series of events will lead to a disruption in service. In the event the PlanetTogether
service is unavailable due to an unplanned event, the following process is initiated:

• PlanetTogether Support is alerted by a customer

• If not already existing, PlanetTogether Support logs Severity 1 case within the customer portal which
alerts designated key support contacts and documents the event.
• PlanetTogether Support investigates the issue and takes corrective action to restore service
availability updating the incident case as to the status of the recovery process.

• Once the service is restored, the Case is linked to an existing or new problem case that tracks the issue
through to resolution and incident case closed.

• For recognized contractual outage events on Production servers, PlanetTogether will issue a Reason for
Outage (RFO) report including:
• Event Details: Start time of the event(s) and outage duration, problem statement
• Corrective Actions: Current Status, Root Cause, Preventative Measures Implemented

• PlanetTogether Support will review RFO documents with the customers defined Key support contact
for awareness and comprehension of the event. Once reviewed with the customer, the RFO
documents are posted on our customer portal and linked to the open case tracking the problem.

4.7 Case Closure Policy

PlanetTogether support agents work diligently to provide the best customer service possible and part of
this process is managing cases.

Support cases will be closed when the following criteria have been met:

• A case resolution has been provided that addresses the original request

• A service request has been implemented or canceled

• An enhancement request has been logged with our Product Management team to determine eligibility
for inclusion in a future release

• The issue can best be solved by a Professional Services consultant and has been assigned

• A PlanetTogether support agent has attempted to contact you three times via support portal posting
and email with no response over five consecutive business days.

4.7.1 What a closed support case means for you

If you wish to continue working a case after it has been closed, we recommend simply opening a new
case and referencing the original case number. To create a new case please submit a Case to

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PlanetTogether Support via our​ ​support form​, or by emailing [email protected].

5 PlanetTogether Support Service Lifecycle

PlanetTogether service support is tied to the PlanetTogether software maintenance period determined.

5.1 General Availability

General Availability (GA) releases are versions of PlanetTogether software available to all customers on a
valid maintenance license. GA releases are typically every 3 months and can be installed through the
PlanetTogether web-installer or through an offline installer provided by PlanetTogether support. Release
notes for GA versions will be available at: ​https://www.planettogether.com/knowledge/release-notes

5.2 Early Access

Early Access (EA) releases of PlanetTogether software are available for customers on a valid
maintenance license and opt-in to use them. EA versions contain new features and bug fixes and may
be made available in between GA releases. EA versions may not be tested with the same meticulous
process as a GA version and are meant to demo new features or fix critical issues that need a quick
solution. New features in EA versions are intended for feedback and preview but may not be fully
functional. EA versions may not be available after the next GA version is released.

5.3 Maintenance
Maintenance extends 12 months from the release of each GA release and 3 months from the release
of an EA version. During the maintenance phase, all forms of customer support and services are
provided including software defect fixes and minor product enhancements that are released in the
form of service updates. We will also, where feasible, determine a workaround to an issue that can
be used until the next EA or GA version is available to solve the issue. The PlanetTogether Support
team will work with customers to plan and implement service upgrades.

5.4 End of Life

After the maintenance period expires, PlanetTogether will no longer fully support the release.
PlanetTogether support will assist in testing the most recent GA or EA version to see if an issue is fixed or
a feature is available. PlanetTogether support will assist the customer in upgrading to the current version
prior to the end of life date.

5.5 Service Upgrades

All GA and EA software updates will be provided in the form of a Service Upgrade. Service upgrades will be
installed first as a new instance side-by-side with the current production instance. This new instance can be
installed on the same server or a new server. The new instance with the upgraded version can be fully
tested and used for training before taking the place of the existing production instance. Previous production
instances can be retained in case a rollback is required. The service upgrade will be supported with
Maintenance.

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6 Professional services
PlanetTogether’s professional services are a set of services that go above and beyond the support
documented above. This includes coordination with PlanetTogether Business Analysts, Solutions
Architects, Developers, and more. These services are organized around specific projects and will be
billable. To directly request professional services, start by contacting support so your request can be routed
to the appropriate department or person.

Generally these services are provided through a PlanetTogether Partner. Please check with your partner, if
applicable, to request these services.

6.1 Solution Architecting

PlanetTogether can assist in creating a detailed model, integration strategy, and a detailed solution
around complicated customer requirements. A business analyst or software expert can work with you
on a project to help deliver a solution. Whenever PlanetTogether needs to gather requirements, provide
software expertise, or create data models, these tasks will be under a Solution Architecting project and
are not covered by support services documented above.

6.2 Extension Development and Assistance

PlanetTogether maintains documentation and sample extensions on our knowledge base. Issues
escalated from Support will be routed to an extension specialist. Quick questions will be answered by
email. Any issues that require in person assistance, such as working sessions, solution guidance, or
meetings with a developer, will be coordinated on a case by case basis.

6.3 Integration Development and Assistance

PlanetTogether can assist with integrating systems in the following areas:

Adjustments to the standard integration to resolve client specific issues. We have many "standard"
integrations which can be adjusted as needed.

Creation of a custom integration based on a client's specific needs. Since most ERPs and Planning
systems have the master data that we need for scheduling, the process of building a new integration is
fairly straightforward.

Requirements gathering and model definition. We have extensive experience in manufacturing and in
particular modeling scheduling scenarios for various industries. With this knowledge and experience we
can quickly ask the right questions to get to the correct design for an optimal solution.

7 Software Enhancement Requests

Requests to enhance or add features to PlanetTogether software will follow a process depending on its
scope and software subscription status.

All requests that do not affect the outcome of the project can be recorded on our ​ideas portal​. This
includes nice to have usability requests, new calculated fields, etc.

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If the requester is currently subscribed to PlanetTogether software, the enhancement may be added to
PlanetTogether’s development roadmap. This will be at PlanetTogether’s discretion. If a requirement is
urgent, an expedite fee can be paid to prioritize the development and delivery.

If the requester is not currently subscribed, or PlanetTogether is not able to accommodate the request
on the development roadmap, then the following process is used.

● Full requirements should be defined and provided to PlanetTogether or the associated partner.
PlanetTogether may assist in developing these requirements as part of a Solution Architecting
service.
● PlanetTogether will review the requirements for feasibility. Core software enhancements may
require PlanetTogether to develop the solution. Otherwise they can be solved as an extension
developed by the customer or a partner.
● Some or all parts of a request may require a software subscription for PlanetTogether to start
development of the enhancement. Complex requirements may need to be further detailed in a
formal enhancement request document.

8 Confidential Data Access Requirements

In order to support and administer your PlanetTogether environment, PlanetTogether may occasionally
require access to your confidential data. Your data will be treated confidentially as per the provisions of our
agreement.

PlanetTogether may require access to Customer Data in

order to:
▪ reproduce and diagnose a reported problem,
▪ perform upgrade testing of a new release,
▪ complete integration projects, and,
▪ perform custom application development. We highly recommend that your confidential data be
made available to PlanetTogether using a secure, encrypted transmission technology.

9 General Notes
The details in this guide are accurate as of the revision date indicated in the document footer. The
support policies described herein replace all previous support guides and policy documents.
PlanetTogether reserves the right to change its support policies and their content at any time and shall
advise its customers of any changes when they occur.

10 The PlanetTogether Commitment to

Support
PlanetTogether is dedicated to helping our customers achieve and maintain their competitive
advantage by providing a reliable, comprehensive support program. Our highly skilled staff are here to
ensure the success of every PlanetTogether implementation by answering day-to-day operational

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questions or helping you find ways to leverage your investment, ensuring your unique business
challenges are addressed.

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