Inventory

From PERPWiki

Contents 1 Overview 2 WORKING WITH STOCK ITEMS 2.1 Using Filters to Limit the Number of Items Shown 2.2 Searching for Stock Items 2.3 Using the Select Columns Control 2.4 Types of Stock 2.5 ENTERING A NEW STOCK ITEM 2.6 CREATING A NEW STOCK ITEM BY CLONING 2.7 EDIT STOCK ITEM 2.7.1 A. DETAILS TAB 2.7.2 B. SHIPPING TAB 2.7.3 C. SUPPLIERS TAB 2.7.4 D. LINKS TAB 2.7.5 E. BILL OF MATERIALS TAB 2.7.6 F. FINANCIAL TAB 2.7.7 F. INVENTORY TAB 2.7.8 G. PRICING TAB 2.8 CLONE 3 WORKING WITH LOCATIONS 3.1 ENTERING A NEW LOCATION 3.2 WORK CENTERS 4 MOVE STOCK 5 CONTROLLED STOCK 6 INVENTORY REPORTS

Overview

The INVENTORY application works closely with Suppliers in the A/P application and with the Manufacturing application. As of the date in the footnote of this document, the Inventory application was not complete or totally functional.

Figure 5-1 The start screen of the Inventory Application.

The Inventory section lets you enter and edit information about Stock Items Locations Stock Transfers Controlled (serialized?) stock (under development).

Stock catalogs the parts a manufacturer uses to build its products. It is the essence and basis of the entire inventory module and so must be well thought out and organized. Locations handles multiple factories, warehouses, or distribution centers. Move Stock is a function for stock transfer from one location to another Controlled Stock is serialized stock, stock items with a serial number to identify each individual unit; this section is for tracking one particular part (such as a motor) or finished product (such as a spa).

Depending on your level of permission, you may not be able to access the Inventory section or you may not be able to do more than view (read) some sections or reports. This description is for the person with full access.

SCREENS SHOTS SHOWN MAY BE FROM VARIOUS DRAFTS; WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN MAY DIFFER. DIFFERENT BROWSERS MAY HAVE DIFFERENT SHAPED BUTTONS. THESE DIFFERENCES ARE NOT BUGS OR ERRORS AND DO NOT NEED TO BE REPORTED TO THE IT TEAM.

The Inventory section is accessed from the Inventory icon in the top menu bar. If you do not have this icon, and your job requires you to work in this section, contact your supervisor. Please do NOT go to the IT department with a request for access.

Figure 5-2 The Inventory Side Menu lets you access useful links quickly

WORKING WITH STOCK ITEMS

The Stock section catalogs the parts a manufacturer uses to build its products. It is the essence and basis of the entire inventory module and so must be well thought out and organized.

A CASE HISTORY:
One company used a U (for United States) or I (for International) as part of their stock code system to distinguish pricing for those markets (no letter meant Canadian pricing). Confusion about where the letter went resulted in MAR-110008, MAR-110008U, MAR-11008I, and MAU-110008--four codes for the same item. In pERP, this old method of using a U or I to designate a sales area is unnecessary, because pERP matches pricing to the dealer's sales area. pERP reduced the number of codes this company required. One stock item, one stock code.

Using pERP may require getting your mind over an old way of doing things.

Access the stock functions either through the Sidebar from anywhere in the Inventory application (see above) or the Stock Icon at the main Inventory screen.

Figure 5-3 The Stock icon on the main Inventory Window

The Stock List will eventually show the 7,000-odd stock items carried by BFM. Note that this is only the list to which we have given SKUs (Stock Keeping Units or stock numbers or stock codes).

The Purchasing department can also keep supplier catalogs with thousands of items that we may use on a once-in-a-while basis but which do not have (or require) a SKU in our system. Supplier catalogs are discussed in the Accounts Payable documentation.

Figure 5-4 The Stock List. Note that some filters are on for both Category and Status, and that some specific columns have been selected. Your screen may not look like this.

Using Filters to Limit the Number of Items Shown

The stock list, like most lists in pERP, allows a number of filters that help you narrow down what is shown on the screen. The filters available are:

• Category - You can restrict the list to one specific category or show All categories.
• Status - Choose from All, Experimental, In Production, Discontinued, or Retired. The meaning of these is discussed below.
• Search field -
• Screen length -
• Alphabet filter -
• Total Inventory by Location -

<Image>

The figure above shows a sample stock list screen. Only 685 items are shown because there are two filters on - the Category is set to Misc and the Status is set to In Production. Changing these to "All" will expand the list considerably.

THE AVERAGE USER IS ENCOURAGED TO SET THE STATUS TO "IN PRODUCTION" RATHER THAN "ALL" FOR FASTEST SYSTEM PERFORMANCE.

The number of lines is set to 12--a good size for seeing a screen at a time, though you can set this for more lines. This can be set permanently in your Common Preferences or set temporarily in the box on the Search Bar. The list is currently sorted ascending by SKU.

Searching for Stock Items

<image>

Figure 5-5 The Stock List search bar has an alphabet filter that pulls out only items in the list beginning with the selected letter. To turn off an alphabet selection, click the ALL button at the far right of the alphabet list.

To find a particular part or stock item:

1. Inventory -> Stock List
2. Check your filters as described above
3. Type part of what you're looking for into the Search box.
4. Click Search.

For more information, see Using the Search Bar.

IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A PART NUMBER, BE SURE TO CHECK THE FILTERS.

1. Set Categories to All
2. Check that Status is set to All in case the part has been discontinued (reset it to In Production after your search)
3. Erase anything in the search field (Click Search again to find All)
4. Be sure the Alphabet filter is set to ALL as described above.

Using the Select Columns Control

You can use the select column control to choose what is displayed in the Stock List. Once you have set your columns, you can sort by them.

Figure 5-6 The Select Columns menu; checked items will be displayed on the stock list

From top to bottom, the columns are

• Stock ID - a number the computer uses to keep track of the stock items. This is of no use to you, and you should leave it off. This may be removed in the future.
• Type - A quick way to distinguish between Assemblies, Raw materials, and Stock Kits. See Admin for details.
• Stock Code - a Stock Keeping Unit or SKU, which in this documentation is commonly called a Stock Code. It's generated automatically according to set rules whenever you enter a new part. It doesn't really have to start with a three-letter prefix.
• Description - this is a short description of the part. Please try to make it meaningful and clear.
• Stock Category - this is used for reporting purposes, and as shown in the illustration are not accurate.
• Status - You can filter between All, Experimental, In Production, Discontinued, and Retired.
• Total On Hand - The total count of this stock item available for use or customer order in all Locations (excludes stock on Reserve).
• Total Reserved - the total count of this stock item that is Reserved in all locations for manufacturing or because a customer has ordered some and stock has been reserved for the customer order.
• Total Inventory - The total of Stock On Hand and Stock In Reserve.

IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU CAN FILTER TOTAL INVENTORY BY LOCATION. IF YOU DO SO, AND LATER HIDE THE TOTAL INVENTORY COLUMN, THE FILTER WILL STILL BE IN EFFECT AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO VIEW ALL STOCK ITEMS.

IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A PART NUMBER, BE SURE THAT ALL FILTERS ARE TURNED OFF. THIS INCLUDES

1. ERASE ANYTHING IN THE SEARCH FIELD (Click Search again to find All)
2. BE SURE THE ALPHABET FILTER IS SET TO ALL
3. SET THE TOTAL INVENTORY FILTER TO ALL

• Unit of Measure - The unit by which we USE this item, as set on the Details Tab. Abbreviated UOM.
• Added - The date this item was added to the stock list
• Last Modified - The date on which this item was last edited or updated.
• Has Attachments - This is a yes/no field that indicates whether the stock item has an image or file attached to it.
• New Stock Item - Click to add a new stock item to the list
• Cancel - exit screen without saving any changes

In addition to the selectable columns, each line in the stock list contains Action Icons - in the figure above, Edit and Delete icons are shown. Your screen may show other icons.

Each column header that is shown in blue can be sorted either ascending or descending. For directions on the use of this feature, see Getting Started in pERP.

Types of Stock

pERP recognizes three different stock types: raw parts, assemblies, and stock kits. In addition, any of the stock types can be flagged as pseudo-stock.

• Raw Part - this is a stock item that is used in making something else or that is sold as is to a dealer or service department. Examples are clear airline, or red PVC glue, or a 2" PVC right elbow, or a 1/4" x 1" round-head bolt.
• Assembly - A stock item that is made (assembled) from other things. Examples include a wood cabinet, a billiard table, a particular model of spa, or even a particular jetting arrangement such as Fox Ultra. Assemblies can be made up of just raw parts, other subassemblies, or a combination of both.
• Stock Kit - this is another way of organizing materials that will be useful for some businesses. It is a shortcut method for providing a single SKU for a group of items. Suppose you are a backyard retail store offering standard packages. Your SKU or one package, BYD01, would include a cedar bar with two stools, a robe rack, and a 2-tier cedar step. BYD02 might include a storage bar with two stools, a three-tier step, a corner step, and a cedar planter. A
• Pseudo Stock - Some stock items used in a BOM will be pseudo stock. We can't order it from a supplier; we don't actually build the pseudo item. It's just a list of parts grouped together for convenience as this will often save time. Stock Kits and Assemblies can be flagged as pseudo stock. Some parts of a BOM will be pseudostock

It is possible to flag a raw part as pseudo stock, but the meaning of this is usually unclear and may have unforeseen consequences, so take great care in doing so. Just because a thing can be done is not a good and sufficient reason to do it.

A good example of a pseudo assembly used by a hot tub manufacturer is JET-112125 3" SINGLE PULSE TRI-FACE COMPLETE, which consists of one each of

• JET-112120 (3" TRI-FACE SINGLE PULSE JET INTERNAL PC),
• JET-112121 (3" SPINNING MICROJET BODY), and
• JET-112123 (3" JET/AIR CONTROL NUT).

You can't order this SKU from any supplier. A spa dealer can order a complete jet, but they aren't in a box together. In the warehouse, nobody picks a JET-112125; they go and pick a 112120, 112121, and 112123. So you can see why it is called "pseudo stock"!

This could equally be a stock kit, because a customer can order it. In fact, it might be better classed as a kit, because a stock kit will explode into its component parts on a shipment list [reference needed], while an assembly will not.

However, it is also a subassembly because whenever the manufacturer puts a 3" jet into a hot tub, they use one of each of the three items. It is part of a larger assembly that includes sealer, and perhaps hose. The benefits of doing this are:

• This group of 3" jet pieces is used over and over again, and when setting up bills of materials for hot tubs, this grouping will cut down data entry for these parts by two thirds!
• Any change to the pseudo grouping (say the manufacturer replaces JET-112121 with JET-076492) needs to be done only once and the change will automatically be updated into all hot tub versions that use this grouping, reducing data entry and the chance of entry errors enormously.

DECISIONS ABOUT CLASSIFYING A BUILT ITEM AS A STOCK KIT OR AN ASSEMBLY MUST BE CAREFULLY MADE.

• A STOCK KIT MUST ALWAYS BE PSEUDO
• AN ASSEMBLY GENERALLY WILL NOT BE PSEUDO
• Any finished product is real stock and should NOT be flagged as pseudo stock. A spa, a BBQ, a gazebo, a set of steps - each is an assembly that dealers order.

If a dealer orders a stock kit of JET-112125, the parts department will ship one each of the component parts. Assemblies do not do this. So some care must be taken in labeling any item as stock kit or assembly; warehouse staff must know that this SKU is made of three other items.

NOTE: Stock Kits will "explode" into their component parts on a shipment list or Sales Order [and perhaps a pick list or bill of lading?]. Assemblies will not.

A stock kit is a group of items that are listed as one, but explode onto the Sales Order as their components. (For example, a spa kit would actually contain a spa and a cover. We would sell spa kits to non-Apollo dealers, but spas to Apollo who buy their covers elsewhere)

The different components can have different prices than if they were sold separately.

The exploding currently only works at the top level. If a spa has another kit deep inside it's bill of materials or options, those components need to be brought out as well.

Modify stock kit pricing so a kit's full bill of materials and options are checked for kits hidden inside, and include those kits' components for pricing. If they get priced, they should show up on a Sales Order.

-->

Figure 5-7 The bill of materials for an assembly (or stock kit). For details of making, editing, and using bills of materials, see the Manufacturing manual.

Note that all levels - raw parts, sub assemblies, stock kits, pseudo stock, and final assemblies (finished products) are all stock items and all require a SKU. This may represent a change from what was previously done.

ENTERING A NEW STOCK ITEM

NOTE: One company had MAR-110008, MAR-11008U, MAR-1108I and MAU-110008--four codes for the same item. This old method of using a U or I to designate a sales area will no longer be necessary, because pERP matches pricing to the dealer's sales area. pERP reduced the number of codes this company required. One stock item, one stock code.

Using pERP may require getting your mind over the old way of doing things.

From the Stock List screen, click the New Stock Item button. (You can also access this from the Sidebar)

Figure 5-8 Ready to add a new stock item

DO NOT TYPE IN THE STOCK CODE FIELD. DOING SO WILL OVER-RIDE THE SYSTEM-GENERATED PART NUMBER. UNDOING THIS MAY REQUIRE ADMINISTRATOR INTERVENTION.

Begin by setting the category. Inventory Administration sets the parameters for the auto-generated SKU (stock code) and if this involves the category as part of the name, the system needs the category in order to create the part number.

Stock Code - Do not type into this field unless you are deliberately over-riding or changing a stock number. Handle with caution. Description - the short description we commonly use in the department involved. Category - The user is advised to begin here by setting the stock category of the new part. New categories are created in Admin > Inventory > Categories and require administrative access. Long Description - take up to 250 characters to describe this part in detail

RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO TREAT THIS AS A COMMENTS FIELD! THE LONG DESCRIPTION WILL IN THE FUTURE BE USED WHEN WE GENERATE CATLOGS.

Unit of Measure - set the unit of measure in which this part is consumed in production. (This list is set in Admin > pERP > Units of Measure, so adding or editing a unit requires Admin intervention.) Status - Choose from the following: All - show all stock items, regardless of status Experimental - this stock has been brought in for testing or examination, by the mould shop or R&D, but the items are shown in stock because they will be used as part of an experimental build In Production - the SKU is currently used in the production of one or more bills of materials Discontinued - the SKU is no longer used in production, but parts are maintained for repairs, warranty work, parts orders, factory refurbish, etc. Retired - the SKU is no longer available from the supplier, or is no longer needed for any purpose, although a few may still be hanging around in stock.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Old unused stock items MUST be Retired rather than deleted. Deleting a SKU will really screw up any PO, sales order, BOM or other record that used that SKU.

Stock Type - Select the stock type for this new part, whether Raw, Assembly, or Stock Kit. These terms are described earlier in this manual and also in the Manufacturing manual. (This list is hard coded and changes require intervention by a programmer.) Controlled - Check this box if - what?? Serialized- Check this box if the new stock item has a unique serial ID for each unit. Examples include: motherboard, TSC, pump motors, blower motor. Pseudo - Check this box if the item is an assembly not actually manufactured but used as a holding level in a Bill of Materials (see Manufacturing and particularly the Appendices to that application manual for further specific examples) Bar Code - Currently unused; in future development, this will contain a scannable bar code for the item.

Save - Click here to save the first step of entering the new stock item and go on to the next step (Edit Stock Item) Clone - A short cut for entering a series of similar parts. Use of the Clone function is discussed in detail below. Cancel - Exit without saving

CREATING A NEW STOCK ITEM BY CLONING

If you are creating a new stock item that is highly similar to an existing item, you can use the Clone function to copy over much of the information.

An excellent example is MAR-130027, the 2007 Arctic Warranty Page in English. The 2008 edition will be from the same supplier, the same dimensions, and so forth. So rather than re-enter all the data, the old item can be cloned.

On Mon Apr 14 08:23:44 2008, nathan wrote: I cloned a stock item, saved, then removed the link to the original stock item. Removing the link caused the stock number to disappear.

Happens when the user isn't allowed to change the stock code, but the stock code changes automatically. The link code doesn't return to the ui_stock code, so the number can't be put back in.

If I clone an original stock item assy, the BOM also clones. For example, if I clone 00341, the BOM clones (which is good, since all the bathtubs use the same BOM; only the mold shape differs). However, if I try to clone one of the clones, the BOM is not duplicated.

Check the effective date of the new BOM for the first clone. If there is no current BOM, it won't be cloned.

Figure 5-9 Click the Clone button to create a copy of an existing stock item.

Confirm the clone action by clicking OK in the dialog box.

Creating a clone will perform the following actions:

• A duplicate stock item will be created
• A unique SKU (stock code) will be created for the item according to the rules set for such codes
• The word "copy" will be added to the end of the short description
• Information from certain tabs will be copied over (Details, Shipping, and Pricing)
• A link will be created to the original item will be placed in the Links tab (and on the original, a link to the clone)

Figure 5-10 The cloned item - note the new number and the "copy" at the end of the description.

You will want to review and edit the information on all tabs to ensure that it is correct. See Edit a Stock Item on the following page.

NOTE: As of the date at the bottom of the page, supplier information is not cloned. If experience determines that most cloned items are from the same supplier as the original, submit a Feature Request to <removed> to suggest that this information be copied as part of the clone action. In the meantime, setting up a supplier takes less than a minute.

EDIT STOCK ITEM

Figure 5-11 Edit Stock Item for a raw part.

Figure 5-12 Edit Stock Item for an existing assembly.

Once a stock item has been created, and at any time after that, it can be edited. Note that the tabs are different for raw materials compared to assemblies and stock items.

Details - This is the basic information completed at the New Stock Item screen. Shipping - Information about how this item is shipped Suppliers - lists suppliers of this item with cost and lead time; available for Raw Materials only Links - Mainly intended to link to a photo or technical drawing of the item. For assemblies, this might be an exploded view; for stock kits, a text file with a list of parts. Financial - Indicates the value of stock on hand. Shows for raw parts and for stock kits and assemblies that are actual stock (not flagged as pseudo stock) Inventory - a count of the item in various locations, whether in storage or reserved for production. Shows for raw parts and for stock kits and assemblies that are actual stock (not flagged as pseudo stock) Pricing - the pricing of this item if sold (price lists must be set up first - see Sales Orders). Shows for all stock items.

A. DETAILS TAB

This basic information is filled in when a new stock item is entered, but it can also be edited at any time.

The contents of this tab may vary depending on some settings in Preferences and elsewhere.

Figure 5-13 The details tab for a pseudo assembly.

Stock Code - Do not edit this field unless you are deliberately over-riding or changing a SKU. Few users should have this level of access, and it might not be permitted except to administrators. Handle with caution.

Figure 5-14 Shows the Stock Code field when it is set to allow over-rides and edits.

Figure 5-15 Showing the Stock Code field when edits are not permitted.

Description - the short description can be edited at any time. Users are advised to keep this short so it will not be truncated (cut off) in reports and other screens that use the short description. Category - Changing the category may also require a change of the SKU, which may require Admin intervention. A category change should not be required often. Changing the category will also affect historical reports. Long Description - this field can safely be edited at any time. Unit of Measure - set the unit of measure in which this part is consumed in production. (This list is set in Admin > pERP > Units of Measure, so adding or editing a unit requires Admin intervention.) Status - One of In Production, Experimental, Discontinued, or Retired. In production - the stock item is current Experimental - the item is in the system and being prototyped but not yet in production Discontinued - The item is no longer used in production, but some stocks are available for work currently in production or for parts and warranty work Retired - The item is either no longer available from our supplier or is no longer used in any of our products. Some stock may still be on hand.

Only Experimental and In Production stock can be purchased or sold. Anything on a price list can be sold; retired stock will not show on a price list. Once a discontinued sku runs out of inventory (sold or garbaged), it will be retired and should no longer show on the price list

Discontinued stock should be: - Not allowed to be ordered (no Purchase Order allowed) - Sold as long as there is inventory - Retired when inventory drops to 0 - Not allowed to be built or used in a Bill of Materials See ticket #80788

Decimals - you can set the number of decimals associated with the unit of measure. "Each" normally is set to zero. However, if there is a problem with 1.666 being rounded up to 2, you can show up to three decimals. Stock Type - This can be changed at any time, but please note that Bills of Materials will be affected.

SETTING A SKU TO "RETIRED" IS SAFER THAN DELETING THE ITEM

Controlled - Serialized- EDIT this box if the stock item is changed to require a unique serial ID for each unit or if this requirement is dropped. Pseudo - If this was properly set up initially, edits should not be required.

CHANGING THE PSEUDO FIELD WILL AFFECT THE BILL OF MATERIALS AND MAY HAVE UNFORSEEN CONSEQUENCES.

Bar Code - Currently unused; in future development, this will contain a scannable bar code for the item.

Save - Click here to save the first step of entering the new stock item and go on to the next step (Edit Stock Item) Clone - Discussed later in this section. Cancel - Exit without saving

B. SHIPPING TAB

Figure 5-16 The shipping tab MAY HAVE CHANGED - UPDATE.

Dimensions - On this screen, this refers to the size of the package as shipped from our factory. This would be most applicable to parts orders. The first three are self-evident. Length Width Height Volume - the volume is calculated automatically after the LWH measures are entered. The amount is automatically converted from cubic meters to cubic feet. Mass - enter the mass in kilograms.

HS Codes refers to import/export requirements. Country of Origin - What country does this item come from when originally manufactured?

TIP: click in the field and type the first three or four letters of the country. For example, use "can" for Canada or "unit" for "United" and then select United States from the list. This is much faster than scrolling down the list!

Enter the following HS Codes as appropriate, or edit them if necessary. International Canadian Inbound USA Outbound USA Returning Canadian Returning

NOTE: Some HS codes were entered as "N/A" (not applicable). This may generate an error. Simply delete the N/A text and save the record to remove the record.

NOTE: SOME CANADIAN HS CODES WERE ENTERED WITHOUT A TRAILING ZERO. THIS MAY GENERATE AN ERROR. Shipping Quantity - the shipping amount per container. The example above shows 100 units per box. This field is reported in the Supplier information and on Purchase orders, but changing this field does not affect historical reports such as previous POs.

Shipping Notes - Add or edit information about the shipping of this item. Anticipated delays, known issues etc. would go here. This field can be edited at any time.

C. SUPPLIERS TAB

Figure 5-17 The suppliers tab

This tab will only appear if certain settings and permissions are met. You must have access permission to at least view supplier records. There will be no supplier tab for assemblies or pseudo stock. You may want to check Preferences > Inventory > Site configuration for Default Stock Status (set it to In Production)

In the figure above, two suppliers are shown for this item, House of Bolts (HOB001) and Chela Hardware (CHELA). For each, the suppler code, supplier description. Cost, and lead time are shown.

Preferred Supplier - The final field indicates that at the moment, HOB is our preferred supplier. You can change this by clicking another supplier, then clicking Save.

Supplier - You can go directly to the supplier card by clicking the hyperlink in the Supplier column. For example, clicking HOB001 will open the card for that supplier. You could then edit that supplier card or catalog.

TIP: Right click on the supplier ID and open the supplier card in a new tab. When you finish, close the tab. That will leave your original stock item in place so it's easy to return to it.

Supplier Code - You can also edit the supplier catalog information for the stock item shown (in the figure above, it's 10-00151) by clicking on the supplier code. For example, clicking on 4-40-08 opens a pop-up dialog box as shown below. This is the same dialog box that you open by creating a new catalog item for a supplier (see Accounts Payable > Suppliers > Catalog Tab).

TIP: If you click the supplier code and the dialog box does not open, you may have to set your web browser to allow popups for pERP. The process for doing this is detailed in Getting Started in Perp.

After you have entered or edited information in the popup, click Save. If you opened the popup by mistake or do not want to make changes, click Cancel.

Figure 5-18 The supplier catalog pop-up window

New Supplier - You can also indicate a new supplier for this item. This field is a Stock Lookup Widget, so you can type a few letters in or backspace to see a short list. Once you have selected the correct supplier, a new blank supplier catalog dialog will pop up, as shown and discussed above.

BONUS: Adding a new suppler for a SKU also automatically creates that stock item in the supplier catalog. This is NOT the case going the other way (creating a catalog item does not automatically create a SKU)

D. LINKS TAB

Figure 5-19

The main intended use of this tab is to attach an image or specification sheet for the stock item. However, it can conceivably be used to set calendar events.

Section dropdown - Only the Calendar should be relevant here; the rest should be left alone?????? Search Field - Type a few letters of the search item here Search Control [>] - click this to initiate a search of the section shown in the dropdown using the contents of the search field.

Attach File - Type the complete path of the file you want to link, or click Browse and search Browse - Click this control to open a pop-up browse dialog. Navigate to the file you want to link, then either select it and click Open (or OK) on the dialog box, or simply double-click the file you want to open it Check Box [ ] - This opens a Comments field. You must do this before you attach the file. Comments - Click the check box to the right of the Attach button to open this field. Enter a brief comment about the file or image. This comment will be added to the file name hyperlink after you click Attach. Attach - After you open the file you want, and after you open the comment box and type in a comment if desired, click this control to attach the file and comment to the SKU.

NOTE: YOU MUST CLICK 'ATTACH'. SELECTING THE FILE THEN CLICKING 'SAVE' WILL NOT ATTACH THE FILE.

Delete - If you have access, you will be allowed to delete a link using the Delete icon [x]. Deleting the link will also delete its attached comment.

WARNING: THERE IS NO CONFIRMATION DIALOG. IF YOU CLICK THE DELETE ICON, THAT LINK IS DELETED IMMEDIATELY.

Figure 5-20 A Links Tab showing two linked files, one with a comment.

VIEWING A LINKED FILE

To view a linked file, click on its name (the blue name is a hyperlink). There will be a dialog box asking if you want to open or save the file.

What if the link is broken? If the original document has been deleted or moved? No fear, it's still in pERP/

QUERY: THE FILE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN COPIED INTO THE PERP SYSTEM. THE LINK IS TO THE REPLICA, SO THAT EVEN IF THE ORIGINAL FILE IS MOVED OR DELETED, IT REMAINS IN PERP.

E. BILL OF MATERIALS TAB

The BOM tab will only appear for stock items that are Assemblies [or Stock Kits??]

The tab in Inventory is intended to give a quick glance at the build history of an assembly, indicate when changes in a build were made, and so on.

Figure 5-21 Current Bill of Materials - This hyperlink (like the edit button and the hyperlink at the bottom of the screen) will open the actual Bill of Materials list in the Manufacturing application. Effective After - This is the date when the bill will come into effect, or when it did come into effect. Future, experimental, or proposed BOMs will be ignored on production orders. Effective To - A BOM can be given a limited span for production or evaluation. This might be used with an experimental assembly, for example. Comments - An extensive comments section can be used to document changes, authorizations, or alternatives. The Comment for the current BOM is shown both in the main section on the tab and in the list at the bottom. Comments for previous BOMs will show only in the list, but will show in full in the Edit BOM screen Bills of Materials for this Stock Item - This is a list of current, future, and past BOMs for the assembly. The blue ID number (54 in the illustration) is a hyperlink that will open the BOM in edit mode. Edit - This button will open the current BOM in edit mode.

For full details of creating, editing, and maintaining Bills of Materials, see the Manufacturing application.

Removed the BOM tree from the BOM tab. It's now only in Manufacturing. The current BOM details (dates, comments) are still there, just the tree of parts has been removed. Also, the list of other BOMs for that part is always there now.

F. FINANCIAL TAB

Figure 5-22

As we work with stock, ordering and using parts and producing finished goods, financial transactions related to the SKU will be listed here.

Where stock has been purchased at different prices, the quantity and value of stock at each price should be shown.

The meaning of each field should be clear, except perhaps for the following: Direct Cost - What is this? Indirect Cost - what is this? Total Cost - The value of the quantity on hand

F. INVENTORY TAB

Figure 5-23

This tab will only appear for raw stock items, and will not show for assemblies or pseudo items.

It shows the number of the SKU at each location, on hand and reserved for production or sales orders. The total of all locations (whether on hand or reserved??) is at bottom.

Further details are in the next section, Locations.

Location - this is a hyperlink; click on the location name to open up the card for that location. Quantity on Hand - the nominal count of this SKU. Should there not be a way to make an inventory adjustment? How is shrinkage counted and recorded? History Log - Shows a record of stock moves for this part with the date, time, and type of move (Moved, Reserved, Received, Shipped, Consumed, or Garbaged). As the list fills, you can filter for category, From, To, and Type

Figure 5-24 The ledger of stock moves for a given item

STOCK ON HAND (QUANTITY ON HAND) = TOTAL STOCK MINUS RESERVE

G. PRICING TAB

Figure 5-25 The pricing for this SKU has not yet been completed.

THE PRICING STRUCTURE MUST BE IN PLACE BEFORE THIS TAB CAN BE COMPLETED. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT USING THIS TAB, PLEASE SEE SALES ORDERS, PART 1: PRICE LISTS

Tax Authority/Category - The default tax category is general; the alternative is luxury. The authorities and categories are created and maintained by user with Admin level access. Sales Category - The dropdown menu shows available categories, as set under Sales Orders > Pricing. Select the appropriate category (in this case, Widget Parts) and click the Add button. Price lists that are approved for this category will then be displayed, showing Sales Category, Area, and type; the Price List Name (Internal, not Public), the price for this item, and the currency.

Price - The next line should autofill, and you can enter or edit the price as required.

OPTIONS PRICING (Future development)

The next section is an Options search bar, and its purpose will become clearer once there are some options with pricing. This will not apply to Parts, for example, but might to finished goods.

You will be able to filter by effective date, or by price list, and you can search for price lists using the search field. For full details on the search bar, see Getting Started in pERP.

CLONE

Suppose you are entering a series of bolts from the same supplier.  The bolts differ only in minor details - say all are 1/2" SAE 80 and you are entering 1", 1.5", 2", 2.5", 3" etc. lengths.  You would create one complete record for the 1" bolt, then clone it and edit the clone, changing the length to 1.5" and making other changes as required. This feature is intended to save effort in stock item entry 

Figure 5-26 A clone of stock item 10-00151

Here, the user has created a clone of SKU 10-00151. Note that

• the new SKU has automatically been renumbered (100-00152). (You are allowed to edit the SKU but be careful).
• The word "copy" has been added to the description.

Some other information - shipping info and links, for example, should be copied over. Notes should be added indicating that this is a copy.

SUPPLIERS SHOULD BE COPIED OVER, BUT AREN'T??

Other information - financial, inventory, and pricing - will not be copied and must be built up from scratch.

Another excellent example of when a part should be cloned is a brochure that is updated annually. The way this used to be done in AccPac was to simply reuse a part number by editing the information in it.

In pERP, the proper practice is for the old part to be cloned (with a new number) and edited appropriately; the old part is then retired (retiring the old part can be done first and takes only a second). Yes, that's two steps where we used to have only one - what's the benefit?

Remember, pERP keeps records. You need to keep the old part so that historical records such as dealer orders and purchase orders will maintain their integrity. Using the old number for a new part would cause issues such as showing that dealers ordered 2008 warranty sheets in 2006.

WORKING WITH LOCATIONS

Because pERP is internet accessible, it can be available (with appropriate security codes) to anyone in a world-wide organization.

pERP is intended to be able to handle multiple locations for a single business entity. Warehouses, retail outlets, factories, distribution centers and the like. For Blue Falls Manufacturing, this will ultimately mean Factories - Thorsby, Breton, Coleman Distributors - France, England, Estonia, Quebec, Boston Warehouses - Thorsby, Coleman, Breton Retail Outlets - Oakland Group, Calgary, etc.

Figure 5-27 The Locations control from the Inventory screen

Clicking the Locations control as shown above will open the Location List. (This screen can also be accessed by clicking Location List on the Sidebar from anywhere in Inventory).

Figure 5-28 The Location List

The Location list can show locations and several levels of sublocations, right down to individual bins in a warehouse. This level of detail will require considerable advance planning.

In a more complex location list, the search bar can be used to filter by status, to search by location, or to page through the list as described in Getting Started with pERP.

Any location or sublocation can be edited by clicking on its name.

ENTERING A NEW LOCATION

Figure 5-29 New Location Screen

The first screen is the Details for the new location.

Parent Location - if this is a sublocation set the parent from the drop down. If the parent isn't in the list, you must create it first. This is a top-down structure, so larger (parent) locations must be set up first. So Main Warehouse, then Aisle 1, then Bin 1-A, in that order. Name - Enter a relatively short name for the location

Figure 5-30 A disabled location - shut down? Out of service?

Figure 5-31

Coming Up: Create an inventory ledger that is added to every time inventory is received, reserved, moved, consumed, created, or destroyed. The ability to add a {clickable | human} reference would be good. Ticket 75981

WORK CENTERS

WTF is a work center, and why do we have them?

MOVE STOCK

CONTROLLED STOCK

pERP tracks the history of controlled (serialized or batched) items. These are any stock item where there is a unique reference to a [bunch of] item(s), which includes things like electric motors, and serialized products.

Currently, these records are accessed through Inventory -> Controlled Stock, but the actual functionality is part of manufacturing, and pERP only handles the history of manufactured controlled items. Things we buy and sell with no manufacturing cannot get tracked. The structure of perp_stock_history limits it to only manufactured goods.

Changes needed: - Rename the perp_stock_history table to perp_work_order_history - Add a "new" perp_stock_history table to perp_inventory - Modify the new table to be able to record history of goods not manufactured. Replace work_order_id & detail_id with stock_id & serial_number - Work in progress should record history to work_order_history, and if the work order is for a controlled product, the history should be copied or moved to perp_stock_history when the work order is completed. - Copy / move old data from table to table when setup updates - Change all the references everywhere so it works pretty much the same as before.-->

INVENTORY REPORTS

Inventory reports have been moved: Inventory Reports