Monster Media 1994 #2

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The Parts Manager(tm) Point of Sale, Inventory Control, and Billing Shareware For the Auto Parts Industry Everything Else is Just Overpriced!!! Copyright(c) 1989-1992 D and S Software 6465 NE Bell Street Suquamish, Washington 98392 Sales (800)788-8131 Tech (206)598-5401 Shareware: WE BELIEVE IN SHAREWARE ! ! ! ===================================================== Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT Users of The Parts Manager(tm) must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "The Parts Manager(tm) is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or conse-quential, which may result from the use of The Parts Manager(tm)." This applies equally to registered and non-registered users of The Parts Manager(tm), and by using The Parts Manager(tm), you are consenting to this agreement. The Parts Manager(tm) is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using The Parts Manager(tm) and continue to use The Parts Manager(tm) after a 30 day trial period, you must make a registration payment of $99.00 to D and S Software. The $99.00 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Anyone distributing The Parts Manager(tm) for any kind of remuneration must first contact D and S Software at the address above for authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering The Parts Manager(tm) immediately (However D and S Software must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of The Parts Manager(tm).). You are encouraged to pass a copy of The Parts Manager(tm) along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it. All registered users will receive a copy of the latest version of the The Parts Manager(tm) system. The shareware version you have received is not limited as to records, transactions or any other figure in keeping with proper shareware guidelines. A registered shareware version, for the sinfully low price of $99.00 plus shipping, will net you good karma and 6 months of support time by phone. The commercial version is also available for any Novell or NetBios compatible network software, and includes other goodies such as hold and will call tickets, more pricing options, 12 months of support, and free updates. Both systems (shareware and commercial) are designed to run on a PC/AT/PS2 or clone with 480k free RAM, DOS 3.1 or above (although several users have tried it on 4.01, it has conflicts with 4.01 internal share) and at least a 20 meg hard disk. The software was written in Borland Pascal, using the 'Topaz' dBase file access toolkit and is the product of approx. 18 months of everyday development in the middle of an operating store. As this package is shareware, not public domain, I must emphasize that this is not free software, if you are going to use it, register it ( have I said that enough yet? Sorry, but this is what feeds the cats and pays the mortgage). See the enclosed file called ORDER.ME for a handy preprinted order form. Introduction: Thank you very much for your purchase of The Parts Manager POS Software. This software was developed in an operating Auto Parts store, by the store owner (a degreed programmer), and continues to evolve by the suggestions of it's users. You can add your input by filling out one of the user input forms available from D and S, and your suggestion will be added to the wish and weighed along with suggestions from other users in order to keep the Parts Manager at the forefront of PC- based systems. Operational problems - Tech Support: If this file is included in the unregistered shareware version , your Tech Support is limited to getting you on-line so that you may evaluate this package as being suitable for your business. Registered users receive full Tech Support. Most simple operational problems can be solved by reading this manual, but in the case of something not documented here, or something unusual, Tech Support is only a phone call away. You will find occasionally that this manual is out of date after the release of an upgrade. That is very simply because we write upgrades faster than we write manuals. We pride ourselves on the quality of Tech Support, as the person who runs Tech Support is the person who wrote the program (no fishing for answers here!). If you experience problems with The Parts Manager, the first thing to do is DON'T PANIC - very few problems encountered here are fatal. Please, please read the manual before calling tech support, as we get quite busy at times with questions that can mostly be answered by just reading the book, and it keeps us from tackling the REAL problems. Work with us on this one, and we will not have to go to a pay-per-call basis like other software vendors. If you need to call for tech support, please have your problem documented (what you were doing when it occurred, conditions, etc), along with a description of your computer system (brand, type, etc), the version of DOS you are using, the brand and model of printers, and the contents of CONFIG.SYS & AUTOEXEC.BAT files. For the novice, these files are found in the 'root' directory and control lots of very important things relating to the operation of your computer and The Parts Manager. Tech Support hours and policies: Phone number is (206)598-5401 (please don't abuse the 800 line by using it for tech support - that will cause us to start charging for each tech call as that line costs plenty of money - too much for the price that we charge) Hours of operation - 8:00(am) - 2:00(pm) Pacific Time M-F. If the lines are busy, or it is off-hours, there is voice mail on this number, so please leave a message describing your problem, and we will return your call at the earliest possible time. Warranty disclaimer: Users of The Parts Manager(tm) must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "The Parts Manager(tm) is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of The Parts Manager(tm)." This applies equally to registered and non-registered users of The Parts Manager(tm), and by using The Parts Manager(tm), you are consenting to this agreement. Copyrights: The Parts Manager is a copyrighted package, D and S Software owns the trademark to the title. This package cannot under federal law, be copied (other than for archive purposes), shared, given away, or run on more than one machine at one time (network version, by definition, can be run on an unlimited number of machines at ONE business location only). The Parts Manager is also protected by the fact that a number is generated (known hereafter as the load code) from character combinations in the name, address, and city fields of the Master File. This method of protection is the least intrusive way I know of to insure that only the registered user is operating the system. This way, you can make all the backups you want, install The Parts Manager on a new computer, and all the other things a licensed user should have the ability to do, but if you give a copy to someone else, two things will happen. First, the software will not load after being changed, and second, you will be violating federal copyright laws (you may even hear from a lawyer..). Commissions: If you call us with a friend's name, and he/she buys a software package from D and S, it is worth a lot to us. It can also be worth a lot to you.....like $50.00!!!! After 30 days have passed, we will mail you a $50.00 check to show our appreciation. Dealers/Distributors: D and S Software does not generally deal with computer retailers for the sales of this package, but prefers to deal with existing customers and warehouses who choose to market the system as an added source of profit for their business. The reason for this is that this package is designed for a specific business (auto parts), and for a specific piece of the auto parts market (small to mid size jobber stores). Most computer dealers have such a large amount of varying business to deal with that they do not have the full knowledge needed to service the auto parts market. So if you are well versed in computers, and would like to make a little extra money, we have the deal for you....discounts are available based on quantity purchase, and if you are interested in becoming a dealer for The Parts Manager, please call us and we will brief you on the dealer agreements needed. Basic Assumptions: We will be assuming certain things within the framework of this manual. First off, we assume you have the basic operating knowledge of running a Personal Computer. We do not expect you to be a programmer, but you need to have the basics down well enough to do things such as copy files, delete files, make directories, edit startup files, identify printer ports, identify video ports, and other common operations. The primary duty of Tech Support is to keep you going when dealing with The Parts Manager, and to that end we will attempt to help you in things not directly dealing with The Parts Manager. However, this is no substitute for basic working knowledge of your Personal Computer, and we cannot be your source of schooling on this. This applies moreso today with the amount of complex operating systems and add-ons such as Windows, DesqView, and others. D and S Software is not responsible for supporting, installing, or maintaining any other software package other than The Parts Manager. We suggest that you read all of the books that came with your system (yes, I know they are thick and hard to read....patience in this will be well rewarded!), or take one of the many Basic PC classes that are offered at most community colleges. Profit Margins: Due to the nature of the pricing structure used here, it is very important to take some time and get you oriented before you start. Profit margins are an area of great concern with anyone who runs a business, and rightly so. It's very hard to pay your bills if you aren't making any (bottom line) money! The Parts Manager operates the way your accountant operates, by calculating the REAL profit margin relative to cost. Let me give you an example. Lets say you buy a widget for $1.00 and sell it for $2.00.....most people would say that you made 100% on that sale...fair enough. But if you look at the actual profit of the sale ($2.00 - $1.00 = $1.00), and compare it to the sales amount ($2.00), you will notice that only 50% of the sale was profit. That is how the 'numbers people' (accountants, etc) see the sale. That leads to a lot of mental gyrations on your part in order to figure out what to sell an item for in order to generate a certain profit level. Working it that way is just too much work and too time consuming, so why not have the computer do that? With this system you decide what real margin you want to make, set that into the files, then the system takes over and gives you a suggested price for all levels of customers. This will become clearer later, but it should help to have an overview. Pricing Levels: This leads us to a discussion on customer pricing levels, since it ties in so closely to the question of margins and net profits. No doubt you have different levels of pricing in your store at the current time, and we will work around that as an example. The Parts Manager offers a choice of four functional price levels, along with a 'list price' . For instructions on how to set the margin levels, read the section entitled 'Line Codes' under Files. It might help to list the pricing structure that was used in my store as the system was being developed. The highest level, 'D' was used for the cash retail walk in customers (I still showed a discount relative to list in order that the cash retail customer would see an effective discount from list). Just set the margin for list higher than 'D' price, and this will be the case. In most cases, this would correspond to the 'user' or 'non stocking dealer' price sheets that are given to most walk in customers. The average wholesale customer (small garage, low volume gas station, or frequent retail customer) was given the 'C' pricing level to give him a better deal than the average walk in customer. The frequent wholesale customer, high volume installer, or fleet account was given the 'B' pricing level in order to give them a further break from the 'typical' wholesale deal. The lowest level, 'A' was reserved in my scheme of things for the wholesale customer who stocked a particular line, or otherwise did a truckload of business with me. Two other levels not mentioned anywhere but in the customer file are the special levels of 'E' and 'X'. Employees in my store purchased parts at ten percent above cost, and if that is the case in your store, enter your employees as a customer and give them 'E' pricing level. Shop vehicles, owner's accounts, or transfers to other store are the purpose for the 'X' (for 'exempt') pricing. Anything sold under the 'X' level will be priced at STRAIGHT COST, so be careful of who or what you assign this level to!! Profit Margin Displays: When entering an invoice, you will notice at the bottom of the screen a display of margin (dollars), margin (percentage), and total invoice amount. These figures are updated as you enter or change items on the invoice in order to give you an idea of how much profit is in the sale. Any changes to the ticket (see Edit and View Matrix below) will be reflected in the margin figures at the bottom of the invoice. This can be turned off from displaying during invoicing by setting the 'Show Profit' field in the Master File to 'N'. Printers: The Parts Manager is designed to use two separate printers, one using invoice forms and one using regular pin-feed paper for reports, although it will work with a single printer is you choose to print invoices on plain paper. Also, there arebasic type of printers supported (Epson Okidata, Laser), as most other printers on the market are capable of acting like one of those. If you have doubts as to whether your printer (or one you are considering) will work, do not just take the salesman's word...call tech support. That's what it is there for. The two printers are attached to separate ports on the computer, and thus require a little basic knowledge of such things as port types, locations, and cabling. If your computer dealer cannot help you with this, call Tech Support and we will give you a hand as much as possible setting them up. Printer Recommendations: We recommend several printers to work with The Parts Manager, mainly due to the fact that we have sold and used more than a few brands and models, and have (painfully, sometimes) learned a few lessons on what works and what does not work. Although we support both Epson compatible and Okidata printers, we have had the best luck with the following printers: #1 Choice - Okidata 320/380/390 Series #2 Choice - Okidata 172/182/192 Series #3 Choice - Any model Panasonic (Epson Emulation) For the report printer, the system now supports HP Laser-Jet compatible Laser Printers (invoice on plain paper). These printers are available through most local computer shops. If you have another preference, call us first to check it out. The report printer, since it uses common pinfeed paper, is not as critical as the invoice printer. The invoice printer, since it needs to line up things on the proper line, becomes quite sensitive on brand and model due to the positioning of the paper tear-off bar (the little serrated edge that does the cutting), and it's position relative to the printing head. This controls where the first line on the invoice is printed, and also all subsequent lines on the invoice. Bottom line is this.....if you want to run a different kind of printer, save yourself a headache and check it out with us before investing in it! This also means that if you run something that we have advised against, or if you run something old with no documentation, we cannot be responsible for setting it up to work for you. Navigating the menus: The first thing you will see upon loading The Parts Manager is the top half of the invoicing screen and some prompts. At the bottom of the open window is a selection of function keys to run procedures within The Parts Manager. Each of these choices runs a particular function of the system without needing to get any further into the menu system. A short explanation of the function key actions are as follows: F2 : This key is used throughout the program in order to perform a 'SCAN' of the file. You will be asked for a partial name or number match (which will put you into the file at that starting place), and then you may use the cursor keys to move through the file until you find the record you are looking for. F3 : This key takes you into the Stock Check procedure, where you may look up the pricing and stock status of any inventory item. F4 : Exit Parts Manager F5 : This key takes you into the Time Clock module in order to punch in or out onto the Time Log. F6 : This key takes you into the Find Transaction module in order to look up past transactions by Customer number or Invoice number. F7 : This key takes you into the Receive Inventory module to receive a purchase order or post stock into the Inventory File. F8 : This key takes you into the Sales Stats module in order to get an overview of sales for any date range. When asked for a date, you may press <F2> for a calendar. F10 : This key takes you into the Main Menu structure and requires a PASSWORD to be entered before proceeding. (system is shipped with password set blank - just press <enter>) Shift-F10 : Brings up a small calculator for 'on the spot' figuring of discounts, margins, etc. Daily Operations : This section contains the most frequently used operations during the course of operation and most of your day will be spent working with the options presented here. Invoicing: Selecting customer, employee numbers: Upon entering this module, you are asked for the customer number or a function key. To scan for a customer, first press <F2>, then enter the first letters of the customer's name, or press <enter> when asked for the letters to scan the entire file. Use the scan function by moving up and down through the file with the up and down arrow keys, then selecting the customer you wish by pressing <enter> when the customer you want is highlighted. After locating the customer you need, enter your employee number and your name,the customer's info, and any credit notes will be shown on screen. Entering parts to be sold: Enter the part to be sold as a 20 digit maximum length number with or without dashes, periods, etc. as The Parts Manager does not need any punctuation. You do not need to enter line code at this point as The Parts Manager does the first search based on part number alone (without punctuation). Don't worry if you originally entered the number using dashes, periods, or any other punctuation as these are stripped off internally as The Parts Manager looks for the part you requested. When the item is found and displayed, all punctuation will be intact. Example: if you entered a number into stock as 555-024, the number could be found as 555024, 55-5024, 555---024, or any combination of punctuation, as long as the primary characters (letters and numbers) are intact and in correct order. Duplicate Numbers: At this point, the question might arise, 'If no line codes are entered, what do you do about different product lines that use the same numbering sequence?'. Don't worry, we planned for that. If the number requested has duplicates in the inventory file, but with different line codes, a small window will open listing the choices available to you. Enter the number of your choice, and the full line code, number and description are displayed. Non-Stocked Items: If you are selling an item not in stock, a window opens up asking you if you want to put this item in stock or sell it as a non stocked item. If this is a one time sale, you might want to sell it as non stock, although taking the few seconds to enter it at this point will provide you with valuable movement history in the future. I selling as a non-stock, the system will then prompt you for the purchase cost for use during profit calculations. If you choose to enter the item into stock, you are asked for a few important figures such as line code, description, cost and jobber. After entering these items, the system calculates suggested price levels and displays them. Core Charges: If you have defined a core charge (in inventory file) for the item you are selling, you will be asked if you want to apply a core charge to the sale. If you reply 'yes', the core charge will appear as a seperate amount on the invoice indicating the core selling price (this can be different than the core cost so that you may make a profit on the core).. If the core in question is brought in at the time of purchase, just answer 'no' when asked about core charges. Enter more numbers or finishing ticket: The invoice may hold up to 125 lines of information on a single invoice number (the invoice will split over multiple forms). After entering all the parts for that invoice, press <esc> and you will be presented with a menu giving the choices of Add, Cancel, Edit, Hold or Print. Add : Allows you back into the invoice to add more lines (when the customer says the classic 'lemme add something else here.....'). Cancel: Cancel voids the invoice and returns you back to first prompt (the start of the invoicing screen). Edit: Edit allows you to change an item number, price, or quantity by showing you the line numbers for each item on the screen. You are shown a scanning screen with the detail lines of the invoice. You may make any changes EXCEPT part number as the system will not re- lookup the number entered during editing. If all you need to do is change the pricing on the item, position the highlight on the number (using the cursor keys), and press the grey '+' key on your numeric pad. You will be given a screen showing all the available pricing levels, then move the cursor to the one you want and press <enter>, and the price will be changed. Print: Print allows you to continue on with printing. You are then given several payment choices based on a customer's account, and you may select the payment option from there. If the customer is not set up as open account or over credit limit, you cannot charge to him. At this point you have created an invoice in the system's memory and you are given the final choice to Print or Cancel the invoice. Payment Options: Cash: If you select the Cash option, you will be asked for the amount tendered (with the invoice total given as the default response), and change will be calculated for you if you enter an amount larger that the invoice total. You will then be asked for a purchase order number, which at this point is most likely for reference only, but can be filled in if desired. If the amount you enter is smaller than the invoice total, you will be informed of the fact, and asked to reenter the amount. Check: This option will only show up on the payment menu if you have set this customer up (in Customer File under Files) as being able to write a check. This allows you to 'lock out' someone who has passed you a bad check or two in the past, and keep that event from happening again. You are prompted for the check amount and number, and again the amount is checked to verify it is enough to cover the invoice. If it is over the invoice amount, the system will calculate change for you, as in a cash sale. Credit Card: This option merely prompts you for credit card number and purchase order number. On Account: This option will only show up on the payment menu if you have set the customer up as being able to charge. The Parts Manager will not allow you to write a charge ticket to a customer who is over his credit limit (set in Customer File), so keep an eye on the opening screen when you start the invoice for the customer's credit statistics (they are shown as soon as the customer is entered to start the invoice). If the customer is set up to require a purchase order, the system will lock up until a purchase order is entered. No attempt is made to validate the purchase order as being part of a sequence, or to see if the number has been used already, just to see that something has been entered. If this customer is a slow payer, or you want to temporarily disable his charging status, do not set him to 'no charge' in the customer file. Instead, set his credit limit to a lower figure than the total you are owed (in customer file), in order that you will still see the balance information when this customer is pulled up for invoicing. Another good idea is to put a warning in the customer's message field (customer file). Credit Memo: With The Parts Manager, a credit memo is entered and built using the same steps as the invoice, with the only difference being how it is handled at this point (payment). What that means is that you will enter the parts information in the same manner as a normal invoice, including positive quantities for the parts being returned (you will enter 5 instead of -5), as the system knows that the ticket is a credit once it is finished. For The Parts Manager to write a credit memo, you will be asked for the original invoice number (the invoice that is being credited against), and the numbers (customer and invoice) are cross-checked to make sure they refer to the same sale. The system cannot write a credit on an invoice that was not produced on computer! This offers a reliable method of discouraging the most common method of POS system theft - writing a bogus credit memo. The methods of credit payment offered are the same as the payment methods for invoicing mentioned above. Check Stock: This module gives you the ability to check 20 items on the screen at the same time, either flagged by customer price level or not. This module can be entered in a variety of ways, and from several places in the program. You can select it from the front menu, under Daily Transactions, from the Invoicing screen by pressing <F3> - Stock Check, or during the invoicing process (when asked for a part number) by pressing <F3> - Stock Check. If you wish it, this module will show you the customer's price by highlighting it in brackets (example - <4.55>). If you are entering the module from within the body of the invoice (when asked for part number), the system uses the customer's number on the invoice at that time in order to determine the needed pricing level. If you are entering the module from the Menu or the opening screen of invoicing, you have several options available. To see all levels regardless of customer, enter the module by pressing <enter> when asked for the customer number. If you wish the customer's price level displayed for you, enter the customer number directly or <F2> - Scan to find it. If an item is entered and not found, the system will beep, indicate a lost sale, and give you the chance to track it. Press the <esc> key or <Enter> when asked for a part number to exit this module. If the part number asked for is a duplicate number across line codes, a window is opened showing the line codes available so you can choose the proper item. If the part number entered has an alternate number defined, you will be informed of that fact, and given the opportunity to view the Stock Check information on that alternate number. Time Clock: This provides a simple tracking of employee punch- in/punch-out times just like the old mechanical time clocks. When running this, you are only asked two questions - the first being whether to clock In or Out (or Cancel), and then what employee number is being clocked. ** NOTE ** The 'scan' function is not available here, as we only want the employee who is clocking in/out to have his/her number. This information is available on a Tiem Sheet report from the Reports menu. Find Transaction: This is a very versatile module that allows you to scan the invoices of a customer for all items purchased with a line code, or all invoices for a customer/part number combination. You are first asked to whether you wish to look this transactiion up by Invoice number (if you have the ticket number) or Scan invoices for the transaction . If you do not know the invoice or wish to scan for something in particular, choose Scan, and you can pick a customer (with scan procedure or customer number), then enter line code, then part number. If you wish to scan all invoices within a line code, press <F8> for All. Invoices are then scanned and shown on screen so you can choose the one you wish to view, then you enter the invoice number (same as if you knew the invoice number to start with). You are shown on screen a print of the invoice you were looking for, complete with PO, sales tax, etc. and at that point you have the option of voiding the invoice. Today's Sales Stats: This module gives you a quick overview of the business done so far that day (or since the last Daily Close) in all the important categories. When you enter this module, you are asked for a starting and ending date for business you wish included, in order to view a date range of your choice. Pressing <F2> will bring up a calendar to help you in choosing the dates. Receive Inventory: This module allows to you enter supplier/warehouse invoices into stock, update current cost figures, and enter invoices into the A/P system. When you enter the module, you are asked for the vendor number, which may be entered or scanned for using the <F2> function key. After you have found the vendor in question, the vendor information is displayed on screen and you are given the choice of invoice type : Invoice, Purchase Order, Return, Stock, or Quit. The terms are defined as follows: Invoice - For entering parts which are NOT part of a computer-generated purchase order, but which you want an entry to be posted into Accounts Payable system. Purchase Order - For posting of stock from a computer- generated purchase order. Return - For returns back to your vendor. Stock - For entering parts into stock that have no vendor invoice (such as initial entry of existing stock), or if you are not using the Accounts Payable system. Procedures for each choices as follows: Invoice - You first enter an invoice number (vendor invoice), then fill out the invoice cost figures, freight, order and ship dates, and PO number (if one exists). If the invoice you are entering has already been started (if you have already received parts from that vendor/invoice combo), then the cost, freight dates and PO will be filled in by the system. From this point, see operation under 'Stock' as they work the same. Purchase Order - When choosing this option, you are asked for the purchase order number (scanning is available for the open purchase orders for this vendor), then for vendor invoice number, cost figures, and dates (the figures from the original purchase order are shown). After the information is entered for the vendor invoice, you are given the choice to edit the incoming purchase order (in order to change quantities from the original, or zero any back orders, or change prices on a line item). If there are no changes to the purchase order, just choose Cancel. At this point you are asked if you wish to edit detail information on new records being added. If you choose to edit the records, you will be shown a full detail screen (just like in the inventory file) each time a NEW inventory number is added. If a difference in the jobber or cost figures is found by the system between the existing inventory and the incoming inventory, you are asked if you wish to update the pricing structure (using the information in the line code file). Stock - To enter stock, you first enter the Part Number (no line code), and the system check to see if the item exists in stock. If no number match is found, you are asked for whether to Add the number or Cancel that line. If a number match is found, you are given a window similar to the one shown during other lookup operations (giving line code changes), with one change - a line showing '** ADD NEW NUMBER **'. If the part you are entering is one of the line codes given, choose that line code, then enter the number received, number back ordered, jobber and core figures. If the jobber changes, the system will ask if you wish to update the pricing (only applies to items that are NOT flagged as 'fixed price' in inventory file). This will update the inventory pricing relative to the margins in the line code/margin file. After this, you are asked if you wish to Edit the detail information for this item (this is just like editing the inventory record in the inventory file), where you can view and change any information on that part. After editing, you are returned to the receive inventory screen. If the number you are entering is a new item, you are asked for the line code, utility code, and description along with number received, number back ordered, jobber and core. After entering this information, you are given the same choices as with entering an existing item regarding updating prices and editing detail information. Sales Stats: This module allows you to check the days business totals for a selected date range. When entering this module, you are given a chance to choose the starting and ending dates for the business scan (the default choice given is the system date from the internal clock in your computer). You may change the date by entering the new date, or by pressing <F2> to bring up a calendar. Menus: This choice takes you into the main system menus, and REQUIRES a password to go any further. Any of the three passwords defined will get you through this step. When the system is initially shipped, the passwords are set as blank, so if you do not wish to control access to the menus, leave the passwords blank and all you have to do is press <enter> at this point. Calculator: This choice runs a small pop-up calculator to help you with whatever math you may need to perform in the middle of an invoice. Main Menu: From the main menu you are given the following menus and choices: Transaction Archives: Find Transactions: This is a very versatile module that allows you to scan the invoices of a customer for all items purchased with a line code, or all invoices for a customer/part number combination. You are first asked to whether you wish to look this transactiion up by Invoice number (if you have the ticket number) or Scan invoices for the transaction . If you do not know the invoice or wish to scan for something in particular, choose Scan, and you can pick a customer (with scan procedure or customer number), then enter line code, then part number. If you wish to scan all invoices within a line code, press <F8> for All. Invoices are then scanned and shown on screen so you can choose the one you wish to view, then you enter the invoice number (same as if you knew the invoice number to start with). You are shown on screen a print of the invoice you were looking for, complete with PO, sales tax, etc. and at that point you have the option of voiding the invoice. Invoice History: This produces a report of the customer's purchasing history that is selectable by date range. You are first asked for a customer number (or scan), then for the line code you wish to see the history for. After selecting (or scanning for) a line code, you are then given the choices of starting and ending dates (or F2 to display a pop-up calendar), then you are given the choice of output - Printer or Screen. Sales Journal: This produces a report of the detail lines of invoices during the selected date range and is selectable for output choice - printer or screen. Income Summary: this produces a report of invoice totals broken out in payment categories for the selected date range and is selectable for output choice - printer or screen. Purge Archives: **** Caution **** This routine, once ran, is NOT REVERSIBLE !! Once this has been ran and the archives purged, the only way to undo this is to restore a backup set. Upon entering this module, you are asked for a cutoff date for purge...this date is INCLUSIVE (meaning that everything from that date back - including that date - is purged from archives). Before the system runs the purge, you are given one final chance to confirm that you wish to delete the tickets, and you may cancel out at this point. If you choose Purge, all tickets falling from that date back (excluding unpaid A/R tickets) will be deleted from the files. Accouts Receivable: Customer Statements: This module allows you to print the billing statements for your open account customers, and you may either print a statement for one customer or for all customers. The statement will be printed on the same form you use for invoices, and output on the invoice printer in order to save money and trouble with using two sets of forms. Statements can be printed on plain paper on the report printer, if you set the Master File choice of 'Print A/R Statements on Plain Paper' to 'yes'. It is worth noting that no posting is done during printing of customer statements - therefore the statement can be run at any time of the day or month, regardless of whether the day or month has been closed out. This is very handy for printing a statement when the customer is standing there with money in their hands (take their money!!!). You will first be asked for a choice of statements to print - All, Cancel or Individual. All : Prints statements for all of your open account customers that have a balance over zero. Individual: Prints a statement for just one customer - enter the customer number or use the <scan> procedure to find the customer. After choosing customer(s), you will be asked if you wish to include billing history on each statment. The billing history is a listing of the history of that account in summary form, showing the statement amounts and payment amounts, and is selectable by date range. This listing is very helpful in resolving any dispute over payment amounts and dates. Post Customer Payment: This module allows you to post payments received from your open account customers by invoice (chosen by you) or in bulk with invoices posted by the system (starting at the oldest invoice). Begin by entering the customer number or using the <scan> procedure to find the customer, then the customer information is displayed on the screen and you are asked for the amount of the check, the date of payment, the statement total and the interest amount. You are then asked for verification of the totals. If the totals are OK, then you are asked for invoice selection method - System or User. System : If you choose to have the system post the invoice for you, the system will start at the oldest invoice, first clear the credits, then post as many invoices as can be cleared with the total available. Any remaining amount after posting invoices will be posted to the account as 'unposted balance'. User : If you choose to pick the invoices to pay, you are presented with a screen showing the customer's open invoices along with balances and dates. To pay an invoice, select it by moving the highlited bar to the desired invoice, then press '+' (the grey '+' key on your 10 key pad - right side of most keyboards). A small window is opened on the screen showing the invoice number, and the maximum payment available to clear this invoice. In order to pay the ticket in full, just press <enter> to accept the amount shown, or enter a smaller amount to partially pay the invoice. If the invoice is paid in full, the invoice is then deleted and you are returned to the screen of invoices. The amounts of the original payment, the balance and the total applied are shown at the bottom of the screen and updated during your payment of invoices. A/R Detail : This report prints a listing of all the open invoices broken out by customer number. The invoice balances are aged according to the aging periods specified in the Master File under A/R aging periods. This report is selectable for output choice - printer or screen. A/R Summary : Prints the same listing as the A/R detail report, but only shows the total balances for each customer and the aged totals for each customer. This report is selectable for output choice - printer or screen. Load Past Balances : **** Caution **** This module should be used only at start-up time for entering past balances and not as a method of putting balances on accounts after invoicing has begun. Upon entering this module, you are given an open screen and asked for customer number, date, po number and dollar amount. This is given a ticket number and posted into the customer's A/R ledger (no printed output is given). Biling History : This is the same report that is printed at the end of the A/R statement run, and shows a history of statements and payments within the selected date range. This report is selectable for output choice - printer or screen. Accounts Payable : Post Invoice Payment : This module allows paymenbt of your A/P (vendor) invoices - for operation see 'Post Customer Payment' under Accounts Receivable. A/P Detail : Prints a report showing the open vendor invoices and giving the aged amounts on each. This report is selectable for output - printer or screen. A/P Summary : Prints a report showing the open vendor balance totals and aged amounts. This report is selectable for output - printer or screen. Load Past Balances : **** Caution **** This module should be used only at start-up time for entering past balances and not as a method of putting balances on accounts after invoicing has begun. Upon entering this module, you are given an open screen and asked for vendor number, date, po number and dollar amount. This is given a ticket number and posted into the vendor's A/P ledger (no printed output is given). File Maintenance: Inventory File: Allows you to change or edit inventory item information on any item in stock. Also shows profit margin for each of the pricing levels, and movement history. Enter the part number you wish to look at (with or without punctuation), and the same lookup rules apply as in invoicing and elsewhere in the program (if a duplicate exists, the window will open giving you the choices of line codes). Description of Fields: Line code: 3 character field showing the product line for the item in question. Part number: 20 character field that can contain any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used as the primary index to find parts, it is the single most important field in this file. Alt number: 20 character field that can contain any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used as a reference field to identify the alternate number (if any) for this part. For use of the alternate field, see reference to alternate numbers in the invoicing section. Alias # : 20 character field intended primarily for a UPC or other barcode number - the system assigns the part number to this field when the part is entered, but if you need to reference this item by a different number (as in barcoding where the barcode number is not the same as part number), this is the place to put the number. Description: 25 character field that can contain any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. The first 15 characters of this field is printed on the invoice line. Util code: 6 character fields that allows you to sub- class a line code by using a 6 character identifier to seperate this (or a group) of number(s). See Line Code file for a description of how to set up sub-classed Line Codes. S/P Code : 6 character field that is needed if the item is identified as a 'fixed price' item - one that is not affected by changing cost or running a price adjustment. This field ties the number to an entry in the Std Price file. Pop Code: 2 character field containing any combination of letters or numbers. Used for the movement code rankings given by your supplier. Bin Loaction : 8 character field containing any combination of letters and numbers. Used to identify a bin location within your store. On hand: 6 digit field containing whole numbers only. Used to show the physical quantity on hand at the current time. Pack: 6 digit field containing whole numbers only. Used for information purposes only, to show the quantity in a box, case, bag, etc so you can avoid ordering mistakes such ordering 12, unit pack is 10, so you receive 20. B/O: 6 digit field containing whole numbers only. Used to show the quantity on back order. Disc Qty : 4 digit field showing the quantity at which there is a price break on purchasing from vendor. On Order : 6 digit field showing the quantity currently on order (active purchase orders). Stk Qty: 6 digit field containing whole numbers only. Used as part of the min/max style of ordering information. This field indicates the NORMAL stock level you wish to keep on hand. Min on hand: 6 digit field containing whole numbers only. Used as the second part of the min/max ordering system. This field indicates the WARNING POINT (or lower level) for stock on hand. When stock level drops below this point, the item will be added to a purchase order. Pri vendor: 6 digit field containing whole numbers only. Used to identify the vendor number that you purchase the PRIMARY part number from. Alt vendor: 6 digit field containing whole numbers only. Used to identify the vendor number that you purchase the ALTERNATE part number from. Jobber: 6 digit field in the dollar format of 9999.99 used for the Jobber price level (blue sheet, distributor cost, etc) of the item. It is reference field, and is not used for calculations of pricing. Core Cost: 6 digit field in the dollar format of 9999.99 used for the core cost of an exchange item. Core Sell: 6 digit field in the dollar format of 9999.99 used for the core selling price of an exchange item. Pri cost: 6 digit field in the dollar format of 9999.99 used for the BOOK COST (what the price sheets say you pay) of the primary number when purchased from the primary vendor. This is the field that is used for pricing calculations and margin levels (see also Line Code File for more information on margins and pricing). Alt cost: 6 digit field in the dollar format of 9999.99 used for the BOOK COST of the alternate number (if any) when purchased from the alternate vendor. This field is only used for the profit percentage displays under alternate number. Avg cost: 6 digit field in the dollar format of 9999.99 used for the AVERAGE RUNNING COST of the primary number when purchased through ANY VENDOR. this field represents the true average cost of all of the items with this number in stock at any particular time, and is used for the margin statistics on the inventory value reports, and the profit margins on the close out reports. It is updated during receiving parts module, and weighted for qty on hand. Taxable : This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to identify whether the item is taxable. All taxable items should be set up as taxable in the inventory file, as the customer's status (resale or taxable) will determine the tax status at the point of sale. A labor item (such as a valve grind, turn rotors, etc), should be set up as a non-taxable item with this field, as it will be sold to taxable customers as a non taxable item. Fix price : This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to control whether or not this item is affected by the automatic pricing updates performed during receiving of parts. This is primarily for an item that is priced way out of the norm (high or low) with the margin structure set up in the Line Code file (see Line Code and Adjust Pricing for more information). Toxic : This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to flag an item as having toxic materials involved. If this choice is 'Y'm, then a comment box is available for entering whatever the toxic contents are. This allows an item to show up on the Toxic report (see reports section). Kit : This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used if the item is a kit composed of other items. See Kit instructions below for operational instructions. EPA Needed: this field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used if the item requires an EPA (or other) registration in order to purchase it. This ties in with the EPA number field in the customer file and will flag a warning during invoicing if the customer buying this item has no registration on file. Price and profit information: These figures shown in the box in the center of the screen reflect the pricing structure for all levels and the profit margins under primary and alternate numbers. Month to month movement: These figure reflect the movement of the item broken down by months of the current year. Also shown here are the last purchase and last sale dates. Year to date movement: These figures reflect the total movement for the current year, along with the last 3 yearly totals. After finishing the edit or pressing <esc> you will see a 'message box' with choices of next action, and these are described below. Alt - Takes you to the alternate number (if defined) Brs - Sane as pressing <F2> to scan file Edt - Enters 'edit' mode allowing you to change information Del - Deletes the item from inventory (zero on hand required before item can be deleted). Hst - Shows the purchasing history of the item (date, vendor, invoice number and cost). Nxt - Jumps to the next item (numerically) in the file Prv - Jumps to the previous item (numerically) in the file Tox - Allows you to enter or edit a 'comment' field that contains the toxic materials in the item. Quit - Just what it says...quit and return to previous menu. Customer File: Allows you to enter new customer or change information on existing customer. Enter the customer number (or scan), and if the number you entered is not on file, you will be asked if you wish to add the number. Description of fields: Class : 20 character field that will be used in a future update for label printing. Customer number: 10 character field containing any combination of numbers and letters. Name: 30 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the store name, or billing name of the customer. Contact: 20 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Used for the name of the person with whom you speak to at the customer's store. Address: 30 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the mailing address of your customer's store. City: 20 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the city in which the customer resides. State: 2 character field for letters used for the customer's state. Main, Alt and FAX phone: 14 digit fields in the phone number format of (999)999-9999 used for the phone numbers for the customer's store. Check OK: This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to set a flag during invoicing to allow or disallow a check payment for this customer. Set this field to 'N' if you wish to 'lock out' this customer from the privilege of writing a check if he/she has passed you rubber checks and the option will not be given for check payment during invoicing. Charge OK: This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to set a flag during invoicing to allow or disallow a charge to this customer. Set this field to 'N' if you wish to 'lock out' this customer from the privilege of open account billing and this option will not be given for open account billing during invoicing. Credit limit: 6 digit field in the dollar format of 9999.99 used to set the limit of the customer's credit. This limit is checked upon entering the customer number for invoice, and the flag for ability to charge is set according to the figures at this time (balance vs. limit). If the customer is over his credit limit, you are informed of this, and in order to write a charge ticket to this customer, you must return to Customer File to increase his limit or write him a cash invoice. A good suggestion to lock out a slow paying customer is just to decrease his credit limit to a very low point (as opposed to cutting off charge privileges), as this will keep the ability to look at open invoices and run statements. Warning Message : 50 character field containing anything that you wish to be displayed after the customer is found during invoicing. This field is mainly used for a warning message to be displayed to counter personnel such as 'Bad checks on file' or 'Call manager'. Acct Type : This field has only 2 possible choices that are chosen by pressing the 'space bar' to move back and forth through the choices of Balance Forward or Open Invoice. Tax Exception : This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to denote whether the customer is to treated differently than the standard tax rules. Most often applies to customers who only pay local taxes, not state taxes. If you do not know whether this applies for you, leave it at 'Y'. Tax Rate : 4 digit field in the percentage format of 99.99 that is used ONLY if the previous field is set to 'Y' and specifies the tax rate to be charged that customer. Interest rate: 2 digit field in the format of 99 used for the YEARLY interest rate you will charge for carrying past due balances on this customer. The actual interest rate charged will be this number divided by 12, to get the monthly rate. This rate is applied on all balances past due (over 30 days) at the time of running statements. 2% by 10th: Reserved for future upgrade. Stock order discount: 2 digit field in the format of 99 used for the percentage you can apply to an invoice for a stock order discount. If this field is other than zero, you will be prompted during finishing an invoice to ask if you wish to apply the stock order discount. Discount will be taken on every line of the invoice. As this method lacks a lot of control, I recommend that you do not use it for normal discounts, but rather for the occasional discount such as 10% coupons for cash retail customers, and promotional discounts such as that. PO needed: This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to set a flag during invoicing to 'lock out' the invoice from being finished until a purchase order number is entered. Standing PO : 15 character field to be used if the customer has given you a standing purchase order to be used on all tickets. Resale : This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to identify taxable or resale status during invoicing. If the customer is flagged as 'N' in this field (meaning they are taxable), sales tax will be charged on any item except the items flagged as non taxable in the inventory file. Res # : 20 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used to store the resale number, business license number, or whatever counts for a tax exemption in your state. **NOTE** In most states, just having the resale number in the billing system is not enough, and you still need to have a physical copy of the number. Salesman Ref : 10 character field used for the salesman (counterman) number if you need to track this - will be used in the future for comission reports. Normal Price level: 1 character field containing one of the following letters: A, B, C, D, E, L or X. A thru L correspond to levels set up in the inventory and line code files and identifies the primary pricing level assigned to this customer (we will deal with exceptions later). This field is 'cycled' through the available choices by pressing the 'space bar' to choose the level desired. Level X is straight cost (exempt) and is intended for owners, shop trucks, and any other place you would like to not make money! (be careful with this one...) Allow pricing exceptions: This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to flag this customer as having exceptions to his primary price level. Answering 'Y' to this question puts you into a screen that allows you to set up a custom pricing matrix for this customer. Use this matrix to set up a different price level for any and all lines codes available in order to give a more flexible deal to your 'heavy hitters'. For instructions on entering price exceptions, see instructions below. List price ref : 1 character field containing one of the following letters: A, B, C, D, E, or L. A thru L correspond to levels set up in the inventory and line code files and identifies the pricing level shown in the 'list price' column for this customer. This field is 'cycled' through the available choices by pressing the 'space bar' to choose the level desired. After finishing the edit or pressing <esc> you will see a 'message box' with choices of next action, and these are described below. A/R - Shows the customer's accounts receivable balances, and if the customer is set up as 'open invoice' the customer's open invoices are shown also. Brs - Same as <F2> - scans the customer file Com - Puts you into the memo editor to enter any comments on the customer Edt - Returns you into the record for editing Del - Deletes the customer record Nxt - Jumps to the next item (numerically) in the file Prv - Jumps to the previous item (numerically) in the file Line Code File: Allows you to enter or change information on a line code. Enter the 3 character line code and the 6 character utility code (or use the <scan> function key). If the line code/utility code combination is not found, you will be asked if you wish to add that record. After finding the line code, you will see a menu along the bottom line with the following choices: Line codes refer to the 3 character prefix used to identify the manufacturer or portion of a manufacturer line. A common practice is to use the first 3 characters of the manufacturer's name for the line code, unless you need to 'segment' this manufacturer due to different margin levels for different lines within the manufacturer. In order to 'segment' the line code, we use a feature called 'utility codes' as an addition to the line code number. Let's do an example... We stock a fictional line called 'Bogus Parts Manufacturers, Inc.', who market filtration products. If we wish to stay with the same margin structure for all filters, we could call this line 'BOG' (with a blank utility code), and set up a line code definition for the entire line called 'Bogus Filtration'. If we wish to use different margin levels for the oil, fuel, air , and transmission filters, we would 'segment' the line into 'BOG' as a line code with a variety of different utility codes to identify which portion of the line we were working with (each of these line code/utility code combinations can have a different margin structure). If you have an odd situation, or wish to try and figure out how best to set up your lines, give Tech Support a call. Description of fields: Line code abbreviation: 3 character field containing any combination of letters and numbers. Used for the 3 digit abbreviation for the line code. Utility code: 6 character field used to sub-class line codes. Line desc: 20 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Used for the full description of the manufacturer line code. Margin levels: All margin level fields are 4 digit fields containing numbers in the format of 99.99 Here we need to make a quick distinction between markup and margin. This system works off margin on sale, not markup from cost. If an item costs you $1.00, and you sell it for $2.00, by markup terms that is 100%. However, by margin terms, $1.00 out of that $2.00 is profit, so the margin is 50% on sale. Set up your margin levels for each of your customer 'break points' and enter them here. List is for reference only, shown only on the invoice. Purch disc: 4 digit field containing numbers in the format of 99.99 and used to calculate your cost. Cost is calculated as Jobber minus this figure. Apply discount pricing: This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to enable discount-based pricing on this line. Base discount from: This field has 2 preset choices that are chosen by pressing the 'space bar' to cycle through the choices of Jobber or List. Fleet/MI levels: 4 digit field in the format of 99.99 that are used to adjust the pricing of this line to fleet customers in relation to the starting point of Jobber or List (see above). To sell at a percentage above jobber to a fleet account, enter a positive number (10 for 10%, etc), and to sell at a level below jobber, enter a negative number (-5 for a 5% discount below jobber). After finishing the edit or pressing <esc> you will see a 'message box' with choices of next action, and these are described below. Adj - This allows to adjust (or re-adjust) the price levels relative to any changes put into the line code file. You are asked for a percentage to increase jobber (this is used if you wish to apply a straight increase of jobber level - for example, if your supplier tells you that the price sheet went up 3% across the board, it would be easy to take care of that with this function) - if you do not wish to change jobber pricing, leave this field at 0.00 and the system will step thru the inventory file updating all of the levels to reflect whatever is in the line code file. Brs - Same as <F2> - scans the line code file Edt - Returns you into the record for editing Del - Deletes the line code record and then asks if you wish to delete all the items for that line code. This routine does not check for quantity on hand before deleting the inventory, and is primarily used for deleting the inventory items before making a change of product line. If you run this and have secong thoughts, the deletion may be reversed if you have not ran a reindex of data files - call tech support if you have questions on how to do this. Nxt - Jumps to the next item the file Prv - Jumps to the previous item in the file Rcl - Used for recalling a line of parts as mentioned above Vendor File: Allows you to enter new vendor or change information on existing vendor. Enter the vendor number (or use the <scan> procedure), and if the number is not found, you will be asked if you wish to add the record. Description of fields: Vendor number: 6 digit field containing any combination of numbers and letters. Vendor name: 30 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the store name, or billing name of the vendor. Contact at vendor: 30 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the primary contact at the vendor. Address: 30 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the mailing address of your vendor. City: 20 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the city in which the vendor resides. State: 2 character field for letters used for the customer's state. Zip: 10 character field containing any combination of letters numbers, and punctuation. Will accept Zip + 4 codes as well as Canadian (letters and numbers) Zip codes. Phone, Alt phone and FAX: 13 digit field in the phone number format of (999)999-9999 used for the primary, alternate and FAX phone numbers for the vendor. After finishing the edit or pressing <esc> you will see a 'message box' with choices of next action, and these are described below. Brs - Same as <F2> - scans the vendor file Com - Puts you into the memo editor to enter any comments on the vendor Edt - Returns you into the record for editing Del - Deletes the vendor record Nxt - Jumps to the next item the file Prv - Jumps to the previous item in the file Employee File: Allows you to enter new employee or change information on existing employee. Enter the employee number (or scan), and if the number you entered is not on file, you will be asked if you wish to add the number. Description of fields: Employee number: 10 digit field containing any combination of numbers and letters. First name: 15 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Used for the first name of your employee. Last name: 15 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the last name of your employee. Address: 30 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the mailing address of your employee. City: 20 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers and punctuation. Used for the city in which the vendor resides. State: 2 character field for letters used for the customer's state. Driver license: 20 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Used for the driver' permit or license number of your employee. Social security number: 11 digit field containing numbers with the punctuation already in place. As you enter the social security number, you need only enter the numbers and the cursor will skip over the hyphens already in place. Zip code: 10 digit field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Used for mailing zip code of employee. Main phone and Emergency phone: 8 digit field in the phone number format of 999-9999 used for the primary and emergency contact phone numbers for the employee. Emergency contact name: 20 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Used for the name of the person with whom you speak to in case of an emergency concerning the employee. Hire date: 8 digit field in the date format of MM/DD/YY. Used for the date the employee was hired in your store. Termination date: 8 digit field in the date format of MM/DD/YY. Used for the date the employee was terminated from your employ. After finishing the edit or pressing <esc> you will see a 'message box' with choices of next action, and these are described below. Brs - Same as <F2> - scans the employee file Com - Puts you into the memo editor to enter any comments on the employee Edt - Returns you into the record for editing Del - Deletes the employee record Nxt - Jumps to the next item the file Prv - Jumps to the previous item in the file Master File: Contains all the information pertaining to your store (name, address, etc) and the locations of printers, cash drawers (to the system) and other important information. Before we get into discussing the field descriptions, there are a few cautions I need mention. The Parts Manager is not copy-protected, but it is 'branded' with a 'load code' for each purchasing customer in order to protect the amount of work that has gone into this system. If you need to enter or change your store name and address, you MUST call Tech Support first, as the load code is derived from the name and address, and if you change those fields, you will be locked out of the program until the situation is rectified. If the load code is incorrect, you will see a message displayed on screen informing you of the fact, and given a data entry screen to correct the situation. By this time, you should be in contact with Tech Support in order to receive the new load code so you can change your name, address, city or whatever. Description of fields: Store name: 30 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Used for the store name (your store) and used for the load code (as mentioned above, do not alter the contents of this field without a call to us). Address: 45 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Used for the mailing address of your store, and used as part of the load code. City: 20 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Used for the city in which your store is located, and used as part of the load code. State: 2 character field containing letters and used for the state where your store is located. Zip: 10 character field containing any combination of letters numbers, and punctuation. Will accept Zip + 4 codes as well as Canadian (letters and numbers) Zip codes. Phone: 13 digit field containing numbers only in the format of (999)999-9999 with all punctuation filled in by the system. Used for the incoming line for your store . Return policy fields: The return policy fields are printed at the top right of the invoice (depending on the invoice style chosen) and can be used for a variety of purposes. The two most common uses are to outline the policy of your store towards returned goods, and as a 'banner' area for advertising any special offer you might be running. The header field and 4 detail fields are 30 character fields containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Quote/Bid fields: The quote/bid fields are printed at the top right of the invoice when a Quote/Bid invoice is printed (depending on the invoice style chosen) and can be used for a variety of purposes. The two most common uses are to outline the policy of your store towards returned goods, and as a 'banner' area for advertising any special offer you might be running. The header field and 4 detail fields are 30 character fields containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Receipt message: 55 character field containing any combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation. Printed at the bottom of the invoice and commonly used for a 'Thank you for your business' style of message. Plain paper a/r: This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to control where the accounts receivable statements will be printed. If you select 'Y' for this option, your statements will be printed on plain paper, and come out the device defined as your report printer. If you select 'N' for this option, your statements are printed on invoice forms and come out on the device defined as your invoice printer. Post kits as: This field has 2 preset choices of 'assembly' and 'component' that are chosen by pressing the 'space bar' to cycle through the choices. This affects how any item declared as a kit will be posted upon sale. Assembly - The part number of the KIT item is posted out of stock and movement updated. Component - The part number(s) of the items that make up the kit are posted out of stock and movement updated. Tax on core: This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to tell the system whether to apply sales tax to core charges on taxable customers. Load code: 6 digit field containing the number generated by Tech Support for your particular store name, address, and city. Under no circumstances do you change this number without calling Tech Support, or The Parts Manager will no longer load. Last inv# : Contains the number of the last invoice printed - DO NOT roll this back unless you have a very good reason as it will give you Use cash drawer: This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used if there is an electronically controlled cash drawer attached. Call Tech Support if you wish to hook up a drawer to your system, and we will be happy to help. Drawer port: This field has 3 possible choices of COM1, COM2 or COM3 and is cycled through the available choices by pressing the 'space bar'. The cash drawer type supported by The Parts Manager is commonly known as SOP (signal opening package), and are the simplest type of computer-triggered drawer. They are marketed by a variety of suppliers, the most reliable of which is Indiana Cash Drawer (call us if you need phone numbers). Invoice/Report printer port: This field has 4 possible choices of NUL, LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3 and is cycled through the available choices by pressing the 'space bar'. Choose the port that your printer is attached to, and if you are on a network, make sure to enter the LOGICAL port location (as your network sees it). Printer types: The Parts Manager supports different printer emulations or types, (Okidata and Epson for invoicing - Okidata, Epson, and HP LaserJet for reports). Both of these fields are cycled through by pressing the 'space bar'. Most printers on the market are able to emulate an Epson, so check out the printer before you buy it, or if you are in doubt, call Tech Support before spending your money on it, as we cannot be responsible for trying to work with a printer we do not support. Form selection: The Parts Manager uses Moore #83515 invoices (the same invoice as TRIAD systems uses) and your choice here is whether the invoice is imprinted or not. The 2 choices available in this field can be cycled through using the 'space bar' and concern the question of imprinted - 83515(I) or not imprinted 83515(N). This invoice is the same form as the Triad short point of sale invoice (5.5" form length), and may be purchased directly from the manufacturer (see below), or from your local jobber association if they are in with Triad. It also makes it convenient if you run out of forms, you can borrow some from the guy down the street with a Triad. Supplier: Moore Business Forms Contact: Leslie Branco Phone: (415)595-8100 Tax %: 4 digit field in the format of 99.99 used for the sales tax rate you will be applying to taxable items sold to taxable customers. Show margins on screen : This field will only accept a 'Y' or 'N' response and is used to control whether or not the profit margins are displayed on screen during invoicing. A/R aging periods : These fields contain the number of days for your aging periods and are totally up to you to choose your date ranges. These date ranges are used for the aging reports and for the A/R messages (see below). After finishing the edit or pressing <esc> you will see a 'message box' with choices of next action, and these are described below. A/R Messages - This choice takes you into a screen to enter 6 fields of 65 characters each. These choices correspond to the A/R periods entered above and will be printed on the statements according to the period containing the oldest outstanding balance. Edit - Returns you into the record for editing Reports Menu: A note here is in order for all of the reports shown below - after selecting the report and answering the questions, you are asked to choose the report output - Printer or Screen. If you choose printer, the report will be directed to whatever port you have defined as report printer in your master file - if you choose screen, the report is printed to a file and then viewed using the memo editor. Inventory report: The inventory report is the main report used to tell you about stock levels, value of inventory on hand, and pricing. The first choice you are given is whether to have a report for All or Choose line code. If you choose All, the report will be printed for ALL line codes in your file (this could get VERY long). If you select Choose line code, you are asked for the line and/or utility code (or <scan> for the line/utility code combination). After selecting the line code to be printed (or choosing 'ALL' to select all line codes), you are given the option of a summary or detail report. The difference between summary and detail reports is that the detail report gives you all the information shown in the report sample, while the summary gives only the totaled amounts for each line code (this is good for an inventory valuation report). Below minimum: This report is calculated using the on hand, min on hand, and stk level fields, in order to do just what the name implies - show you what is below minimum for the line code/util code selected. When this report is run, the part is included according to the following: If the on hand is less than min on hand, on hand is subtracted from stk level to arrive at a suggested order level. Notice that this report will not be printed if the onhand qty is the same as the minimum quantity, only if it is below minimum. Zero on hand: The zero on hand report is the 'panic' report that tells you the items in stock that are at or below zero - time for action at this point. Movement report: The movement report shows all the information in the movement history section of the inventory file in a report format to allow you to look for movement patterns (seasonal, yearly, etc) while ordering for stock. This report is selectable by line/utility code. Line codes: The line codes report shows the line code abbreviations, descriptions and margin levels. Customers: The customer listing prints all important customer information, along with a listing of pricing exception. This report may be printed for all customers by selecting 'All' at the prompt, or you may print for a group of customers by choosing 'Selective' and then entering a customer classification. Vendors: The vendor listing prints all important vendor information in a report format. Count sheets: Allows you to print count sheets (selected by line/util code combination) in order to do a 'computer vs. physical' inventory count. Time cards : Prints a listing of log-in/log-out activity for the date range selected. Purchase orders: The purchase order system allows you to generate a stocking order based on the comparison of on-hand numbers with the stocking level and minimum level. Since both routines (by line code and by vendor number) work basically the same way, we will give some instructions in general terms and then outline the specifics later. The basic calculation for purchase order numbers is as follows: If on-hand is less than minimum, then order qty = stock level minus on-hand After selecting either the line/util code combination or vendor number, you are prompted to round up to unit pack multiples. What this means is that you can set unit pack quantities (such as 12 oil filter to the case), and the order quantity will be adjusted to reflect the unit pack (if you needed 10, and the unit pack is 12, the system will order 12). Note here that if the unit pack is 0 or 1, the system will not alter the order qty, and will only order what is needed by the formula above. This way you are safe in using this system with a mixed inventory of items (items that may or may not have unit pack nultiples). The system will then go thru your inventory file and calculate the order, generating a temporary file that can be edited. You are shown a browse screen containing the contents of the temporary purchase order, and you may change any of the items on the po (cost, order qty, etc), and a new item may be added by pressing the '+' key on the 10-key pad. The items added to the purchase order at this point do not have to be stocked numbers, and you are given the chance to input the line code, part number, movement code, order qty, jobber and cost figures - this item is then added to the active purchase order as entered. After the purchase order has been entered (or added to), you are given a message box with the following choices: Approve - Allows you to finalize the active purchase order, and enter the other dollar amounts for the po - freight and tax. You are then given a total value for the purchase order, and the order is posted. All on order quantities are added to the 'on order' field in the inventory file at this time and the purchase order is then considered by the system to be valid. Cancel - Quits the operation with no purchase order being posted. Edit - Lets you re-edit the purchase order. Temporary - Reserved for future upgrade. Utilities : Pack and Re-Index : This routine is run in order to keep the indexes (files used in the manner of a table of contents in a book) in good working order. The system maintains it's indexes automatically, but after entering a large amount of inventory, or after closing out each month it is a wise idea to run this procedure in order to maintain the quality of indexes. If you are on a network or a multi- user system, it is REQUIRED that the only place this module is run is from the server or host. Also you will need to take all other stations or terminals off the system (OK if they are running something else) by exiting The Parts Manager. This is to make sure that no one is trying to access the files while the system maintenance operations are being done (if all stations are not shut down, you will get an error message to that effect). ** WARNING ** Before running this procedure, it is a VERY WISE idea to make a backup of your data files as a power outage or disk failure during this operation could produce some verrrrry strange results (better safe than sorry). Correct counts: This routine allows you to correct the quantities the system has on hand after doing a physical inventory. You can do this anytime you choose, and a lot of customers use this as a 'spot check' by doing 1 line a month in order to keep a closer idea of the accuracy of their inventory. The routine asks you for a starting number, then allows you to enter the correct on hand amount, the bin number, min qty, and stock level for each item. After entering those fields, a message box will be shown giving you the following choices: Next - Jumps to the next item in the file. Prev - Jumps to the previous item in the file. Skip - Allows you to jump to another number Daily close: This routine is run at the end of every business day in order to print the daily sales reports, and to post the day's transactions to the archive files. You are given the following choices to include or not : Include transaction detail - This will print a detailed listing of all the transactions done that day, including all the detail information (sales lines on invoice) - broken down by invoice number. Include income summary - This will print a listing of the invoice totals broken down by the type of payment. Include daily re-order - This will print a listing all items sold that day in the format of a daily reorder. Useful if your supplier calls you for a daily order. Include business summaries - This will print the most important piece of information on the daily closeout - a columnar report showing a breakdown of the day's business, and a columnar report showing the counterman and store productivity totals. After selecting your report choices, the routine will print the requested report(s), then append the daily transaction files to the archives and clear the daily files. Monthly close: This routine does much the same as the daily close and should be run only after the daily close on the last day of the month. As in the daily close, you are warned about shutting down the other terminals if you have a multi user system (again, run this procedure from the host CPU). You are then prompted for the month to close or 99 to exit, and note here that the prior month has to have been closed in order to proceed. If the prior month has not been closed, you are informed of that, and you can close that prior month at this time before proceeding. The only report printed during this closeout is the cloumnar reports of business summaries (breakdown of business totals and counterman/store productivity). Yearly close This routine should only be run at the close of your fiscal year, and only after running the daily and monthly closes for the last day of the last month. This routine is what closes your year's business along with running the needed sales journals, rolling year to date totals forward and zeroing monthly sales history. Make a set of backups before closing out the year, as a lot of processing goes on here, and it is a good idea to keep a set of 'last years books' on disk in a safe place. Set/Reset Passwords : This routine allows you to set the passwords used for access to the main menu structure. Once these have been entered, you CANNOT get into the main menu structure without using one of the three. The difference between the three is that the passwords can only be changed by entering the number one password. PLEASE be careful with this one, as it will take a call to tech support to bail you out if you do not remember your passwords!!! Check Hardware : Used only for information when calling tech support - depending on the nature of your problem, we may need some of the information in this screen. Manual Pricing : This routine is used for setting the prices of part numbers that are set up as 'fixed price' items and is much quicker than stepping through the inventory file. You are asked for a part number, jobber, cost and core - then the system will ask if you wish to set levels A thru L and you are given the input fields to set these prices. After entering those fields, a message box will be shown giving you the following choices: Next - Jumps to the next item in the file. Prev - Jumps to the previous item in the file. Skip - Allows you to jump to another number Appendix A Installing The Parts Manager First off, this appendix assumes a basic working of your computer's operating system, referred to as DOS. At the very least before proceeding, you should know how to get a directory listing, make subdirectories, and copy files. If you have any questions on these, consult your DOS manuals that came with your system or contact your dealer. The following instructions assume that your hard disk is addressed as C: and that your floppy drive (the one used for transferring Parts Manager Files to the hard disk) is addressed as A:. If your system is setup differently, substitute your drive letters as required. Insert the floppy disk supplied into the working drive, then log to that drive by typing 'A:' or 'B:' as the case may be. You should then be given a changed 'prompt' showing the active drive (A or B). At this prompt, type 'INSTALL' and the system will walk you through the installation steps, creating the directories as needed - NOTE - Unless you have a good reason to install The Parts Manager in a directory other than the one specified in the installation routine, stay with the locations given as this will simplify any tech support questions (as we know where the program and data is located). The installation program will check for enough memory, hard disk space, proper DOS version, and whether or not you have proper settings in CONFIG.SYS - it will likely ask you if it can modify the contents of CONFIG.SYS, and PLEASE answer yes, as The Parts Manager needs certain things to be set. If the install program does not set them, you will need to set CONFIG.SYS to FILES=128. After installing The Parts Manager, the system can be started by typing 'PARTSMAN' at the C: prompt. Due to the fact that The Parts Manager uses standard DBase style files, and the amount of Dbase compatible products in the marketplace today, I need to caution any user about accessing, viewing or otherwise manipulating any Parts Manager file with anything other than The Parts Manager. Doing so VOIDS ANY AND ALL OBLIGATIONS we have as to the integrity of the file (just like an antique store, 'you break it in half, you own both halves'). Appendix 'B' Hardware Configurations The Parts Manager will run on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 or reasonable clone with the following requirements: MS-DOS 3.1 or above (use caution on 4.0 or 4.1 as they are both chock full of bugs) 20meg hard disk minimum 640k RAM (448k Free) All video modes supported There should not be a problem with any TSR utilities such as SideKick or things like it, but make sure that after everything is loaded that you still have at least 448k free because Parts Manager uses a LOT of memory. Due to the nature of the program, two printers are used by default and this is not alterable by the user. The reasoning behind this is to give you the convenience of not having to change paper every time you wish to print a report. Either serial or parallel printers may be used, Epson or Okidata compatible, with the following recommendations: I recommend Okidata printers for invoicing, because of the positioning of the paper tear off bar. If using another brand of printer for invoicing, make sure that the tear bar is as close as possible to the print head. Work with your dealer on this one, as it is very important to the quality of the invoices coming out. As far as the report printer goes, tear bar positioning is not critical, so I will leave that choice open. Invoices used by the system can be supplied by a variety of forms suppliers, as they are fairly standard. Appendix 'C' Network Information The Parts Manager Network version will run on any NetBios or compatible network (meaning most of the major ones on the market). If there are questions as to your chosen network's compatibility with the NetBios standard, check with your dealer. If you are purchasing The Parts Manager to run on a network, be sure to specify that fact to your dealer or D and S at purchase time, as the single user version does all manner of strange and wonderful things when hooked to a network (some are not so wonderful, but verrrry strange). Worth mentioning is the fact that even the network version uses the same copy of Master file information for all stations, so you need to be certain that the all workstation drive and printer information is setup to agree with the Master file information. This is easily accomplished with most network software and is a point to consult with your dealer about should there be any further questions, as network setup (contrary to what the network vendors would have you believe) is not for the faint of heart or for the novice. General network setup directions are not for printing here because of the complexity and should be reviewed with your dealer before installation or upgrade.