---
alias: getting-started
description: "This documentation portal provides guides and resources for deploying and using Critical Manufacturing MES"
---

# Getting Started

Critical Manufacturing Documentation Portal is organized into seven main sections:

  1. [[system-requirements-index]] - This section offers a segmented view of the necessary information to prepare for the future acquisition and installation of Critical Manufacturing MES.

  2. [[installation-guide-index]] - Here, you'll find detailed instructions on successfully deploying Critical Manufacturing MES.

  3. [[user-guide-index]] - This section mirrors the Critical Manufacturing MES graphical user interface, providing all the information needed to navigate the software effectively.

  4. [[operation-guide-index]] - Provides detailed information on system administration, application administration, and deployment strategy.

  5. [[tutorials-index]] - Acts as a gateway for accessing more detailed information about Critical Manufacturing MES.

  6. API - Lists the data dictionary that can help extend the functionalities of Critical Manufacturing MES to better suit your purposes and enhance the out-of-the-box capabilities of the system (intended for developers).

  7. Design System - Lists guidelines, components, and standards supporting best practices of user experience and user interface design (intended for developers).

## User Guide

If you're new to our MES, we recommend starting with the [[general-concepts-index]] section on the [[user-guide-index]]. Take the time to explore this section thoroughly as it will help you understand how to take full advantage of our comprehensive [[user-guide-index]]. This guide mirrors the MES graphical user interface, as shown in the images below. For every Entity (e.g., [[user-guide-calendar-index]], [[user-guide-flow-index]], [[user-guide-material-index]],...), you'll find a dedicated section in the [[user-guide-index]].

![MES GUI](images/mes_gui.png)

![User Guide](images/user_guide.png)

For every Entity (e.g., [[user-guide-transfer-order-index]]), you'll have a landing page providing an overview, connections, and dependencies with other MES Entities.

![Screenshot showing a user interface with tabs labeled "User Guide", "Materia Logistics", and others, on a transfer order landing page.](images/transfer_order_landing_page.png)

For each Entity, a list of the available pages and operations is provided, divided into three main parts:

* **Main Page**, offering a detailed explanation of everything you can do from that page, including other accessible views (e.g., [[transfer-order-page]]).
* **Generic Operations**, which are common to all entities (with particular differences for each entity);
* **Specific Operations**, which are uniquely available for that entity.

![Screenshot showing the available pages for a specific operation, including "Transfer Order" and "Get Started".](images/getting_started_transfer_order_index.png)

## Make the Search Field your Best Friend

Our Search Field is your ultimate tool for finding what you need quickly. Here are some tips to help you get the best results:

* Use *as a wildcard anywhere in the search term (e.g., autom*)
* Use + before a term to mark it as mandatory (e.g., material +defects)
* Use - before a term to exclude the word from results (e.g., maintenance activity -order)
* Enclose multiple terms with " " to search for exact phrases (e.g., "combine material")
  
## Search related information using Tags

Explore related topics by utilizing Tags found above each page. Simply click on a tag to navigate to a page with related content options.

![Search with Tags](images/search_with_tags_full.png)

These Tags will guide you to additional pages where you can access content related to your area of interest.

![Tags page](images/tags_page.png)