Specials Fields Definitions

From the Master Menu, double-click . From the Keyop Menu, double-click . The text-based (+) Special Programs screen opens. In the Enter Program Request field, type E. The (+E) Special Item Screen opens. In this screen, you can make changes or deletions to items. You can also perform mass inquiries.

 

Items are typically created using an external item source. The external item source loads things such as the item number, company, cost, etc. After you load the items, however, you may find that you need to make changes. If the changes are only in a few items, this can be done quickly and easily using the Item window tabs. However, if you need to make changes to a large number of items, this can be a very time consuming task. This is exactly why the (+E) screen options were created.

 

If you do not need to make changes to all items at once, you can limit your changes to only specified items. Limits are set by specifying a range of items. Only the items within the range are included in the changes. There are a number of ways to set limits. For example, you can limit by the item number, manufacturer, stock class, or department, to name only a few.

 

You can make mass changes to the inventory database through the (+E) Special Item and (+F) Reset Inventory Records screens.

 

An inventory database is typically created using an external item file source. The file source loads things such as the item number, company, cost, and so forth. After you load the file, however, you may find that you need to make additions or changes to records. If the additions or changes are only in a few records, this can be done quickly and easily in the Vendor window. However, if you need to make additions or changes to a large number of records, this can be a very time consuming task. This is exactly why the (+E) and the (+F) screens were created.

 

These screens let you make changes to all of your inventory records at once, or limit to only a specified few. Limits are set in these screens by specifying a range of records. Only the records within the specified range are included in the changes. These screens offer a number of ways to set limits. For example, you can limit by the item number, manufacturer, stock class, or department, to name only a few.

 

You can quickly complete the changes that make your database unique. For example, the information for the Direct Buy Record is not loaded when you load your item file. You can copy the information from the Wholesaler Record to the Direct Buy Record for multiple items in your database. This can be done in the (+E) screen using the [C] Copy Whl to Dir function. For detailed instructions, see Copying the Primary Direct Buy Record to the Primary Wholesaler Record.

 

You may also need to change the price on multiple items in your database. Go to Setting Costs and Prices for instructions on moving the cost or price of an item from one field to another, and at the same time raise or lower that cost or price by a specified percentage.

 

Through the (+E) screen, you can also make changes to particular fields in multiple records in the (E) screen. For example, you can change all records with a particular company, ABC for example, to stock class A. After you make the changes to the stock classes, you can view the records using the [L] Mass Inquire function. Or you can delete item records with a particular feature. For example, you might delete all records with a particular vendor. Go to Item Mass Changes for instructions for each of these functions.

 

When you are setting up your database, you can make sure that you are maintaining a certain standard on gross profit percentages. Using the [N] Set Maximum Discount function in the (+E) screen, you can set the minimum gross profit percentage to make for all items or for specified items. Go to Setting Maximum Discounts for instructions on how to set maximum discounts for items.

 

After your database has been established for a few months, you can set the minimum and maximum stock levels for your items according to the last three month's sales. Instructions for this procedure are found in Setting Minimum and Maximum Quantities.

 

You can also set up specialized contracts, quotes, or laundry lists for your customers. The conversion option in the (+ES) Customer Item List Conversion screen lets you convert one type of item list to another type of item list. For example, you can create a contract that contains many or all of the same items as an existing quote. Or create a laundry list for your customer with the items that they purchase most often. For instructions on creating customer item lists, go to Item Mass Changes.

 

If you ever need to make quick changes to inventory records, you can do so in the (+EV) Quick Item Change screen. You can change or enter the following information in this screen:

You choose one of these three groups when making changes. However, with any of these choices, you can also change the following: prefix, page, department, and stock class. Also, when you choose onhand quantities and bin locations, you can change the cost and list price. When you change information in this screen, the system takes the same actions that occur when you change information through the (E) screen. Changing a cost in the Direct Buy Record updates the L Update field, for example, and the CHANGES file is updated if the Save Manual Changes parameter in the (LE) Inventory Parameters screen is set to Y. For instructions, go to Quick Item Change.

 

If you decide to use the multiple units of measure feature, you must convert the items through the (+EW) conversion program. However, if you are going to convert your items, you must call ECI for authorization. For instructions, go to Converting Multiple Units of Measure.

 

The special functions in the (+E) and (+F) screens are also designed to help you maintain your inventory database files. These are functions that need to be performed periodically. For example, you should delete the I-AUX record for any items that do not have any history, bin locations, or minimum or maximums. You can perform this function in the (+E) screen, using the [H] Clean Aux function. This should be done about once a year to free storage space on the disk. Using the [F] Zero On Hand Quantities function, you can set the on-hand quantities to zero in the (E) screen. This can be useful when taking inventory counts and loading them into the system. With the [T] UPC Update function, you can copy the UPC item number from the file I-ALIAS to the file I-MFG. Once the barcode number is copied to the I-MFG file, you can sort and limit reports by UPC number through Report Writer. Also, you can use the UPC Maintenance screen to change, delete, or inquire on UPC barcodes for all the items in your database. For instructions on the functions needed to maintain your inventory database using the (+E) and (+F) screens, go to Maintaining the Item Database.

Note: You should perform a backup before any mass changes or deletions are performed.

If you use multiple bin items and something unusual happens to throw off your system's on-hand and allocated quantities, you can quickly reset the quantities. Go to Resetting the On-Hand and Allocated Quantities for instructions.

 

Return to:

Additional (+E) Screens