ShareWare OnLine 2/ShareWare OnLine Volume 2 (CMS Software)(1993).iso/finance/cris30.zip/DOCS.TXT

Text File | 1993-02-04 | 33KB | 805 lines

*** ONLINE HELP ***

CRIS: The Cash Register and Inventory System
Version 3.0

Copyright 1993 Computech, All Rights Reserved Worldwide

by Matthew A. McCoy

Computech
13185 West Wilbur Drive
New Berlin, WI 53151
[phone]


Introduction


I feel it necessary to give you a little background
to the Cash Register and Inventory System (CRIS) software.

CRIS was conceived in 1988 and was originally part of
a system being developed for a marina, to track repair costs,
repairmen's times, and inventory.

CRIS 1.0 was a subset of these routines, with certain
modifications made towards point-of-sale transactions.

CRIS 1.0 had many fine points, which I've tried to carry
throughout the series: easy to use function keys, simple menu
system (most options are only a layer deep), and a simple 1,2,3
approach to completing a transaction.

The original CRIS 1.0 software had a few faults, however.
Tax exemption numbers were only allowed seven digits (not
alphanumeric). Zip codes were numeric only, which didn't help
Canadian companies using the software.  Also, phone numbers
were accepted in a format most people didn't want to use:
(area code) phone-number. For many small businesses, they
already know the area code of their customers, so typing it in
is rather redundant. Similarly, foreign users of the software
didn't use the same phone number format as we do in the states,
so this field was not being effectively used.

Many of these bugs (or features, you might call them) were
corrected in several versions of the software (2.1-2.9). Most
of these versions of CRIS were customized for a particular
company, however, and were not released to the general public.

There were also a few new developments that I felt had to be
addressed:

1. Recently, a county sales tax was implemented for Milwaukee
County, Wisconsin.  This made me realize the necessity of having
a breakdown of state, county, and city sales tax.

2. Initially, I had very little experience with purchase orders,
so the thought of adding a PO module to the system didn't really
occur to me. Since then, many companies that weren't using PO's are
starting to. So, I added a simple PO system to CRIS 3.0. I feel it
is quite adequate for most applications, but would be happy to
make modifications for a small fee.

Now, I present you with CRIS 3.0, the end result of several years
of developmental work.


A Few Notes on Registration

I have instituted a fair system of registering CRIS. I hope you
will take advantage of it to further your point-of-sale operation
and help encourage future shareware development.

You have the opportunity to use the demo system for as long as you
want; however, you have the following limitations:

a. A maximum of five records in any database, whether it's an
account, invoice, inventory item, vendor, or individual items
on an invoice.

b. As you print sample invoices, a message stating this version of
CRIS is unregistered is printed at the bottom of the invoice.

c. Technical support is limited to registered users.

Upon receiving payment for the CRIS package, you will be
notified by either phone or mail (or both) that Computech has
received payment. You will be given a password which will
automatically upgrade you to the full version.  All of your
existing data files will be preserved, so any time you've
spent setting up the system won't be wasted.


Registration, and what you get:

1. Registration fee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.00*

   This entitles the user to use the CRIS program on
   one workstation. Additional workstations will be
   an additional charge of $35.00. 1/2 hour of
   technical support is also included within continental
   48 states.

2. Typeset Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . .  10.00*

   A typeset, bound manual containing full documentation
   to the CRIS system, and information about other
   Computech products.

3. Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  45.00 / hr.**

   Maintenance contracts are available which would reduce
   these rates. We don't consider the CRIS package a high-
   maintenance product, so we don't emphasize purchasing
   additional technical support.  It is available, however.

*  Please include 5.5% sales tax in Wisconsin.
** Within continental 48 states.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that Computech provides this product
free from any warranty whatsoever.  Use of this product
is at-your-own-risk. Computech will not be held liable,
commercially or otherwise, for damage to or loss
of business as a result of using this product.

CRIS is believed to be a sound, error-free product.
However, with the complexity of a product such as this,
we cannot be 100% certain that this product will work
reliably under all circumstances.  We are most appreciative
of bug reports and "wants" lists, so any additional
correspondence is appreciated.

Installation

The CRIS 3.0 program is distributed as a self-extracting .ZIP
file.  After running this program initially, a series of files
are created. The CRIS software will install from either a
floppy or hard disk, so the example below may look somewhat
different according to your configuration.

To install CRIS on your hard drive, enter the following command:

A:\> install (drive)

(Where drive is a hard drive letter, with colon. eg., C:)

*Be aware that the directory CRIS creates is called CRIS30.

*A file called CRIS.BAT will be copied to the root directory of C:,
 so that CRIS may be accessed from any subdirectory on the hard
 drive.

*It is assumed C:\ is in your PATH statement.

*When the install program is finished, CRIS will run automatically.

*You may run CRIS subsequently by typing "CRIS" at a DOS prompt.


Opening Menu

The opening menu allows the user to select among different
companies' databases. Some businesses set-up separate
entities; e.g., a clothing store may have a separate
shoe store within the same store. This opening menu
accomodates these arrangements.

When you set up a new company, or use CRIS for the first time,
you must select option 2, "Add Company."

The "Delete Company" option allows you to remove a company
and its associated databases.  This option should be used
very carefully!


Add Company

The Add Company option facilitates the addition of new
businesses to the CRIS system.  Upon selecting this
option, the user is presented with a data screen
containing fields for company name, address, phone / fax
numbers, and other system parameters.

The user must fill in the address and name information
as they wish it to appear on an invoice or purchase order.
Please note that you are allowed two lines for an address.

The following field, "Transaction Types" will be used in
future implementations of CRIS.  This field will be
important in the future for being able to customize
certain point-of-sale features. This field may be left
blank.

The question "IBM Graphics Printer" should be answered
with a "Y" for Yes or "N" for no.  This question deals
with the type of printer being used with the system
for invoice printing.  If the printer is capable of
printing IBM extended ASCII characters, this question
should be answered with a "Y".

The "Color / Monochrome" setting applies to whether your
display monitor supports color. This is also a
Yes or No answer.

The following fields apply to state, county, and local
sales taxes. Please enter the sales tax rates for area
you live in. Please note that these fields accept
percentages.

The last field on the page, "Make Purchase Orders..."
applies to some new features to be introduced with later
versions of the software such as automatic purchase order
generation. This field may be left blank.

Upon entering all necessary data on this page, the user
may strike escape to exit and save their work.

Delete Company

The delete company option allows the removal of companies
from the CRIS system. Upon selecting this option, please
answer "Y" for Yes or "N" for No to delete a company.


CRIS Main Menu

The CRIS Main Menu is the primary menu used in the system. It
provides options for manipulating Accounts, Part Codes,
Inventory, Invoicing, Vendors, Reports, Returning to the
Opening Menu, Changing Company Settings, Various System
Utilities, and Quitting the CRIS program.

The following is a short description of these areas:

Accounts        The Accounts area allows the user to edit any
                customer's data currently on file. Typically, this
                information is entered into the system during
                a point-of-sale transaction.

Part Codes      The Part Codes Menu allows the addition,
                modification, and deletion of system part
                codes. CRIS 3.0 part codes correspond to
                the "D" for Discount, "N" for Non-Taxable,
                etc. codes in earlier versions of CRIS.
                The CRIS 3.0 structure provides the user with a
                greater deal of flexibility by allowing them to
                specify what their codes will be, and whether they
                will be taxable or non-taxable.

Inventory       The Inventory area allows the user to enter, update,
                or delete inventory data.

Invoicing       The Invoicing Submenu will be the primary area used
                in the CRIS software package. The invoicing area
                graphically represents an invoice on the screen,
                allows the user to modify it, and print it out.

Vendors         The Vendors Submenu allows the user to enter vendor
                information, and new purchase orders for parts.

Reports         The Reports Submenu allows the user to print a wide
                variety of reports from account information to
                invoices to vendor information.

Return          Returns the user to the Opening Menu.

Setup Company   The Setup Company option allows the user to change
                information previously entered in the "Add Company"
                option on the Opening Menu.

Utilities       Utilities allows the user to remove temporary files
                from the hard drive, as well as delete old
                information.

Quit            Quit allows a quick exit from the CRIS package.


Accounts

The Accounts Menu provides the user with an easy was to retrieve
various company information.

Upon selecting this option from the Main Menu, a popup window will
request "What account do you wish to find?" This question should
be answered with either a carraige return to view the whole
account list or the first several letters of a company name.
The company name retrieval option will filter out any companies'
names that do not fit the entered criteria. For example, entering
"MCCO" brings up all company names that start with "MCCO". Not
only could this include names such as McCoy, but also McCormick, etc.

After striking a return, the user is presented with a company data
screen. This data screen contains a great deal of information
which will allow the user to setup and maintain a client list.
This database is appended to as new names are entered in the
point-of-sale portion of the system.

At this point, the user has several options depending on the
number of users found either in this search or in the database
itself. The user may stike Alt-A to Add an Account, Alt-E to Edit
an Account, or the Delete key to remove the company from the system.
Escape returns the user to the Main Menu.

The Account data screen allows the user to add or change any
information pertaining to a customer's address, phone number,
tax exemption number, In-House charges, and credit card
information.

You may use the arrow or enter/return keys to move through the
fields. When you are finished adding data, you may hit carraige
returns to the bottom of the screen, or the escape key.

Part Codes

The Part Codes submenu provides the user with a screen to
modify the part codes database.  The part codes database gives
users the ability to group certain items together.  For example,
a drug store may have a pharmacy section, and a greeting cards
area.  A part code could be created for both "Pharmacy" and
"Greeting" cards.  If one of these new categories happened to
be tax exempt, a "N" could be entered for the taxable item area.

The three fields in this database are: "Part Code", "Description",
and "Taxable Item".

Part Codes is a one character field which contains the shorthand
code used for this item on an invoice.  In our earlier example,
a shorthand code for the "Pharmacy" field may be a "P", as long
as there aren't any other areas which use a "P" as their code.

Description is a short field which contains a description of this
Part Code.  This information will be printed on an invoice form.

Lastly, Taxable Item refers to whether sales tax should be
calculated upon the sale of items within this part code.

As in the Accounts area, the user may hit Alt-A to Add, Alt-E or
Return/Enter to Edit, or the Delete key to delete a code.
When the user is finished editing the database, they may hit
Escape to return to the Main Menu.

Inventory

Inventory provides a comprehensive screen for adding and keeping track
of parts.

The keystrokes for modifying the inventory database are the same as
the first two areas: Alt-A to Add new items, Alt-E or Return to Edit
existing items, or the Delete key to Delete a part from inventory.
The Escape key returns the user to the Main Menu.

How the Inventory Screen works:

The Part Number field provides a link between the invoice database
and inventory.  This part number field should correspond to any
bar coding (such as UPC codes) on the particular item, for it is
the field used to retrieve parts from inventory.

The Vendor field is an abbreviation of the Vendor's name that
replacement items will be ordered from. This field is important if
you plan to use the purchase order system within CRIS.

The List field provides an area for list price to be entered.  This
is the amount that a customer will be charged for an item.

The Description field will be used on invoice forms to describe the
part number. On the invoice form, as the part numbers are entered,
the description field will be filled in automatically.

The Location field provides the store owner with information as to
the item's shelf location. This could be especially useful if you
run a hardware store or repair business with many small parts.

The Minimum Order field will be implemented more extensively in
future releases of the product.  It will indicate to the system
how automatic purchase orders will be created.

The first Net Price field corresponds to the minimum order area. This
is the price that will be charged when the minimum order is placed.

The Current Stock Quantity field should be edited as new parts are
received.  This field is automatically subtracted from as parts are
purchased.

The Bulk Order 1 / Net Price fields correspond to large orders.
Bulk Order 1 designates a quantity of items that would qualify an order
for a bulk price.

The Back Ordered Qty. field may be changed as items are placed on
Back Order.  Like earlier fields, this area will be implemented more
extensively in future releases of CRIS.

The Bulk Order 2 / Net Price fields correspond to large orders.
Bulk Order 2 designates a quantity of items that would qualify an order
for a bulk price.

The On Order field provides a reminder to the user as to how many parts
are currently on order.

The Weight field in future releases of CRIS will be used as a guideline
to automatically calculating weights for products. For countries using
the English system of weight measure, any number may be entered. For
countries on the metric system, a "K" should follow any data in this
field to indicate that the weight is measured in kilograms, not pounds.

The Oz field only applies to countries utilizing the English system of
measure.  This provides an area to enter the ounce portion of the
weight.

The Suggested Quantity area provides the user with a method of
monitoring items that need to be ordered.  As the Current Stock falls
below the Suggested Stock, a report in the Reports Menu will provide
the user with information as to which parts need to be ordered.

The Alt. P/N 1 & 2 fields provide the user with a means of tracking
equivalent parts from other manufacturers. The user may enter
another manufacturer's part number, where to buy it from (vendor),
and the cost from the other vendor.

The By: field provides the user with a comment area that may receive
information as to who the last person to purchase this part was,
along with the purchase order number, date, and the last purchased
quantity.

The last set of fields contain total sales information for previous
years.  This information will be useful to enter into spreadsheets
to graphically show sales for previous years.


As in other data areas, the user may enter any information they
wish in the screen. When they are finished, they may either hit Return
through the fields, or Escape.

Invoicing

The next option from the Main Menu is invoicing, which will be
the primary area used by most people.  Invoicing provides an easy, yet
powerful, system for billing customers.  We have tried to give the user
as much flexibility in the system as possible, while minimizing their
learning curve.

The following is a list of functions within the invoicing window,
and how a typical transaction is carried out:

F1 key - Help

As in other parts of the system, online help is available in the
invoicing area.

F2 key - New Invoice (abbreviated "NewInv")

The New Invoice function allows the user to enter a new invoice. Upon
striking the "F2" key, a popup window appears prompting the user for
an Account Number.  In the future, CRIS will provide a feature for
printing account cards for customers with barcodes.  Their account
number will then be scanned from their card, and name, address, etc.
will be filled in automatically.  If the customer does not know their
account number, or is a new customer, the user may enter their name,
address, etc., in the following fields. This information will then
be added to the Accounts database, which will be useful for
printing mailing lists or other information later on.  The Tax
Exemption Number is one of the most important fields within this
window. Entering a number here will designate this invoice as a
sales tax-free invoice. The Terms field may or may not be filled in,
depending on your particular uses of the CRIS program. The Credit
Card information area may be useful in the event of a returned item.
The In-House charge area allows the user to have invoices billed to
a house account.  This account information may be tracked be running
reports, and will be added to in later releases of the software.
The last feature of this window is the "F2 - Accounts" key. By hitting
the F2 key, the user is instantly able to pick out an account from the
accounts list and fill in the entire screen. This windows, of course,
applies only to previous customers.  Hitting Return or Escape will
return the user to the invoicing screen. Upon returning to the
invoicing screen, the user is able to enter comments, salesperson
initials (or numbers), and an invoice date.  After entering this
information, the first part of creating an invoice is complete!

F3 key - Edit Invoice (abbreviated "EdInv")

The Edit Invoice command allows the user to edit most information
entered in the New Invoice screen, including Name, Address, Tax
Exemption Number, Terms, Charge Account information, Comments,
Invoice Date, and Salesperson data.

F4 key - Delete Invoice (abbreviated "DelInv")

The Delete Invoice command will delete an invoice and all its parts
from the system.  These items WILL NOT be put back into inventory.

F5 key - Find Invoice (abbreviated "Find")

The Find Invoice command allows the user to quickly jump to a
particular invoice number.  This command assumes you are done
with the current invoice, so it will not let you edit it if you
return later.

F6 key - Tender

The Tender command should be the last command used (before printing)
of the invoicing process.  The tender command tells the CRIS system how
the customer paid (Cash, Check, Charge, or In-House Charge), the
Amount they paid, and any discount they may receive from the purchase
price.  The tender command will also tell the salesperson what the
correct change should be from the cash drawer. After running the tender
command, NO ITEMS ON THE INVOICE MAY BE ALTERED.


F7 key - Print Invoice (abbreviated "Print")

The Print Invoice command should be the final phase of the invoicing
process. This command looks at settings you have made in your
Company Setup Screen, such as printer type and transaction type, and
prints your invoice accordingly.  For people experiencing slow
printing, they may wish to shut off the "shading" option in the
Company Setup Screen. This will remove the pretty (but slow) shading
from your invoices.

F8 key - Add Part (abbreviated "AdPt")

The Add Part command allows the user to enter a new item on the invoice
form.  Upon hitting the "F8" key, a new line appears on the invoice.
At this time, the user must enter a quantity and part number of an
item. If this item is found in stock, the remaining fields will be
filled in automatically. If it is not, the item is assumed to be a
special order item, so the Code, Description, and Unit Price must be
entered manually.

F9 key - Edit Part (abbreviated "EdPt")

The Edit Part command allows the user to change any information on a
previously entered item.  The Edit Part command will affect the field
the cursor is currently positioned over.  On occasion, the user may
notice a popup window requesting clarification as to which part they
are editing. This is important for some stores which have many
different parts with the same part number. It is important the system
knows which part is currently being edited.  In the event this window
appears, highlight the vendor's name and description that correspond
to the part in question.

F10 key - Delete Part (abbreviated "DlPt")

The Delete Part command removes a line item from the invoice. It is
important to note that this item is not automatically returned to
inventory.

Alt-P key - Previous Invoice (abbreviated "Prv")

The Previous Invoice command, accessed with the Alt-P key combination,
allows the salesperson to jump to the previous invoice in the system.
For example, if the current invoice is number ten, the salesperson
jumps to number nine, as long as number nine hasn't been deleted.
It is important to note that this command assumes you are finished
with the current invoice; the current invoice may not be edited if
you return to it at a later time.

Alt-N key - Next Invoice (abbreviated "Nxt")

The Next Invoice command allows the user to jump to the next invoice
in the CRIS system. This command is usually used with the "F5 - Find"
command and the "Alt-P Previous Invoice" command to view earlier
invoices. It is important to note that the Next Invoice command
assumes you are done with the current one, and will not let you
make changes if you return to it.

Esc-Return

As in other parts of the CRIS system, the Escape key returns the
user to the previous menu.


The Invoicing Process:

Generally, there are 6 steps to creating an invoice:

1) F2 - New Invoice:    The allows the user to add the next invoice
                        form.

2) F3 - Edit Invoice:   This allows the user to change any mistakes
                        they may have made in step one.

3) F8 - Add Part:       This allows the user to add an item a customer
                        wishes to purchase. This step may be repeated
                        several times.

4) F9 - Edit Part:      This step allows the user to correct any
                        mistakes they may have made in step 3.

5) F6 - Tender:         This step requires that the salesperson take
                        payment from the customer, and record any
                        discounts.

6) F7 - Print:          This step involves printing the finished
                        invoice.


Vendors

The CRIS system provides a simple method of entering purchase
orders and vendor information. It is our intention of increasing the
features of this area should demand dictate.

The Vendors submenu from the Main Menu provides an easy way of
keeping track of vendors.  The user will feel comfortable using this area,
for its closely resembles the Accounts submenu.

Upon selecting this option from the Main Menu, a popup window will
request "What vendor do you wish to find?" This question should be answered
with either a carraige return to view the whole account list or the first
several letters of a company name.  The company name retrieval option will
filter out any companies' names that do not fit the entered criteria.

After striking a return, the user is presented with a vendor data
screen. This data screen contains a great deal of information which will
allow the user to setup and maintain a vendor list.

At this point, the user has several options depending on the
number of vendors found either in this search or in the database itself.
The user may stike Alt-A to Add a Vendor, Alt-E to Edit a Vendor, or the
Delete key to remove the company from the system. The Return key brings the
user into the purchase order area for that particular company. Escape
returns the user to the Main Menu.

The Vendors data screen requests the Vendor's name, address, phone
and fax numbers, a contact name, and terms.

You may use the arrow or enter/return keys to move through the fields.
When you are finished adding data, you may hit carraige returns to the
bottom of the screen, or the Escape key.

Purchase Orders

The Purchase Orders screen closely resembles the looks and
functionality of the Invoicing screen.

The following is a list of functions within the purchasing window,
and how a typical purchase order is generated:

F1 key - Help

As in other parts of the system, online help is available in the
purchase orders area.

F2 key - New Purchase Order (abbreviated "NewPO")

The New Invoice function allows the user to enter a new purchase order.
Unlike the invoicing screen, the user has already selected the company
the items will be purchased from. So, there is no popup window. The
user may enter enter comments, a purchase order date, modify their
default terms, give special shipping instructions, or enter the cost
of shipping the order. After entering this information, the first part
of creating an invoice is complete!

F3 key - Edit Purchase Order (abbreviated "EdPO")

The Edit Purchase Order command allows the user to edit the information
entered in the New PO screen.

F4 key - Delete Purchase Order (abbreviated "DelPO")

The Delete Purchase Order command will delete a PO and all its items.

F5 key - Find Purchase Order (abbreviated "Find")

The Find Invoice command allows the user to quickly jump to a
particular PO number.

F6 key - Print Purchase Order (abbreviated "Print")

The Print Purchase Order command should be the final phase of the PO
process. This command looks at settings you have made in your
Company Setup Screen, such as printer type and transaction type, and
prints your PO accordingly.  For people experiencing slow
printing, they may wish to shut off the "shading" option in the
Company Setup Screen. This will remove the pretty (but slow) shading
from your purchase orders.

F7 key - Add Part (abbreviated "AdPt")

The Add Part command allows the user to enter a new item on the PO
form.  Upon hitting the "F7" key, a new line appears on the PO.
At this time, the user must enter a quantity, part number, description,
and unit price of an item.

F8 key - Edit Part (abbreviated "EdPt")

The Edit Part command allows the user to change any information on a
previously entered item.  The Edit Part command will affect the field
the cursor is currently positioned over.

F9 key - Delete Part (abbreviated "DlPt")

The Delete Part command removes a line item from the purchase order.

Alt-P key - Previous Purchase Order (abbreviated "Prv")

The Previous PO command, accessed with the Alt-P key combination,
allows the user to jump to the previous PO for that company in the
system.

Alt-N key - Next Invoice (abbreviated "Nxt")

The Next PO command allows the user to jump to the next PO for the
current company in the CRIS system. This command is usually used
with the "F5 - Find"  command and the "Alt-P Previous PO" command to
view earlier purchase orders.

Esc-Return

As in other parts of the CRIS system, the Escape key returns the
user to the previous menu.


The Purchasing Process:

Generally, there are 5 steps to creating a Purchase Order:

1) F2 - New PO:         The allows the user to add the next PO
                        form.

2) F3 - Edit PO:        This allows the user to change any mistakes
                        they may have made in step one.

3) F8 - Add Part:       This allows the user to add an item the user
                        wishes to purchase. This step may be repeated
                        several times.

4) F9 - Edit Part:      This step allows the user to correct any
                        mistakes they may have made in step 3.

5) F7 - Print:          This step involves printing the finished
                        PO.

Setup Company

The Setup Company command from the CRIS Main Menu allows the
user to modify information they entered when originally installing
the package. This includes Company Name, Address, Phone Numbers,
Tax Rates, and other options.  You may wish to review the section
marked "Add Company" for more information about this area.

Utilities

The Utilities submenu allows the user to do various maintenance work
on the CRIS system. This includes packing databases (which doesn't always
get done on a network), deleting temporary files, and year-old invoices.

Pack Databases

This command removes records marked for deletion from the CRIS database
system.

Delete Temporary Files

This command removes all TM*.* files from the CRIS subdirectory. This
command should be used sparingly in a networked environment.

Delete Year-Old Records

This command will remove all old invoices (greater than 1 year old) from
the database system.

Networking

The CRIS software package was programmed in Clipper Release 5.01.
Clipper provides extensive record and file locking features which
have been implemented in this system.

The following are a few notes I have on networking the CRIS product:

The MAIN.EXE file must be marked as Read Only in a Netbios network
such as Lantastic, or Read-Only/Sharable in a Novell environment.

The CRIS system will try to perform a file lock on databases when
any type of delete transaction is performed.  It is important to
do most of your deletions in off-times so that the pack sequences
may be processed successfully.

Many of the networking features of CRIS were used from other
networkable software developed for our wide customer base (many
of whom use networks daily).  However, CRIS 3.0 specifically has not
been fully tested in a networked environment. If you decide to
network the CRIS system, and have problems with it, please contact
us with the particular area the error took place.

It is important to remember that being networkable does not necessarily
give you the right to let everyone use the software on their
workstation.  It is necessary to contact Computech to obtain a site
license for this product.

If you have any other networking questions, or need to purchase a
network, please contact us.  We are Novell Authorized Resellers, and
pride ourselves on unique solutions to customer's needs.


For the Record

Company Names used within the system are trademarks of their
respective owners.  Computech is a registered tradename in the State of
Wisconsin.