Catalog Inventory Overview

 

Introduction

Catalog Inventory provides the ability to create groups of items that can be used like inventory for creating orders or invoices.

Catalog Inventory is different from standard inventory in several ways. First it is not an inventory counting feature. It is an item separation feature. Unlike regular inventory multiple records for the same item can exist on different lists. This lets you to keep separate lists of items to be used for different purposes. You could have a Retail availability and a Wholesale availability catalog and a fall wholesale catalog and spring retail catalog and so on.

The catalog inventory has a field called available quantity. This lets you set quantities that are available but it does not use this quantity during the order/invoice process. The system can display the available quantity but it has no effect on the inventory accounting process. The available quantity is not reduced as the item is sold. This means the person responsible for catalog inventory availability is responsible for maintaining this number. Either frequent updates are necessary to the catalog inventory or it cannot be used as an approximate availability. Even if frequent updates are made to this table it will be out of date as soon as anything is sold from the real inventory.

This feature adds flexibility not accountability. If an item’s catalog availability is defined in the catalog inventory table it is your responsibility to make sure the item is available when ordering through regular inventory methods. The item could be available through regular inventory, on a purchase order or through production planning but it must be available during the order entry process in order to confirm the quantity ordered.

The price of an item can be placed in the Catalog Inventory but the system will use standard pricing methods to determine an items price. If a “Clearance” catalog is created the price must be in inventory or the system will determine the regular price. You will have to then change the price manually to match the catalog price if it is not.

We see this feature being a good benefit in many business processes. If you fax weekly availability to your customers this could be used as the source information. If you have clearance items this could be your information source.

If you want to maintain several supplier catalogs this could be your source. The item will have to be created before it can be used in ActiveApplications but that process is simplified because a Catalog Item can be dropped on a new item when creating the item record. When you are finished with a catalog it is easy to erase from the computer, too.

Plan now to take advantage of the added flexibility. Think through your business processes to see where it might have an affect. If you need to discuss it further consult UDS Support Services.

 

Using Catalog Inventory

After the update you have available a new Icon for your tool bars. It is the Catalog Inventory Icon. Put it on your tool bar and click it to display the Catalog Inventory View an example of which is Fig. 1.  The Menu System has been enhanced to accommodate the Catalog Inventory table.  Selecting from the main menu- File/View/Inventory/Catalog Inventory will also present the Catalog Inventory View form.

 

Catalog Inventory View Form fig. 1

 

The Catalog Inventory is a subset of the “real” inventory. This subset of inventory has several interesting properties. First is that an item can be used on orders like it was from the Item View window. That means you can drag it, double click it, click the Add To button or scroll and use the Enter key just like on the item view. It can also have limits like the item view.

Several Sequences are available as shown in Fig. 2.

 

Catalog Inventory View fig. 2

 

The Catalog Inventory View window has all the properties of the Item View except it can be separately maintained and modified. The purpose of this table is to provide a substitute for the Item View window when an application uses inventory to create an entity. Examples of the entities are orders, estimates, invoices, and purchase orders.

This allows the catalog inventory to be maintained separately from the inventory quantities. Examples could be Spring Catalog, Fall Catalog, Available Catalog, Vendor XXX Catalog, Home Depot Catalog and many other possibilities.

A filter can be placed on the table to limit the Catalog Inventory View to the desired catalogs as shown in Fig. 3

 

Catalog Inventory View Filter fig. 3

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The Main Control File/Inventory defaults tab has been modified to accommodate the definition of the catalogs. This will reduce the number of misspellings and provide control of catalog creation.

 

Catalog Inventory Main Control File fig. 4

 

Security has been enhanced to include the table options, too.

 

Catalog Inventory Security Settings fig. 5

 

You can also Import directly into the Catalog Inventory from outside Excel files through Sys020. This allows you to have a place to put your vendor catalogs without having lines in your inventory and keep them together.

 

Catalog Inventory Importing fig. 6

 

 

Updates to the Catalog Inventory table can be made manually just like any other ActiveApplications table using the F/M Change Mode form.

Catalog Inventory F/M Change Mode Form fig. 7

 

The Catalog Inventory Maintenance Program

In addition to the added Catalog Inventory table and added ActiveApplications functions, we have added a program to make the creation and maintenance of the Catalog Inventory easier. This program lets you easily update and add groups of items to the Catalog Inventory table.  Select the Catalog Inventory Maintenance program from the Reports/Inventory menu option.

Catalog Inventory Maintenance Program selection fig. 8

 

Displayed below is the Catalog Inventory Maintenance Program window:

Catalog Inventory Maintenance Program fig. 9

 

Select a catalog name.

Catalog Inventory Maintenance Program fig. 10

 

Select the Load Items button.  Displayed are the records in the catalog.

Catalog Inventory Maintenance Program fig. 11

 

Right Click a line in the catalog to change it.

Catalog Inventory Maintenance Program fig. 12

 

Right mouse click on an item to display the maintenance menu for this item.

Catalog Inventory Maintenance Program fig. 13

 

Items can be added to the Catalog Inventory in several ways. The first is to drag an item to the Catalog list and drop it. Remember that the Item View list can be limited by selecting the criteria you wish to use by selecting the Sequence and Filter option from the menu.

Catalog Inventory Maintenance Program fig. 14

 

The line dropped is added at the end of the list. The other ActiveApplications system functions of Add To, Highlight and press Enter and double click also work.

Click the Record button to replace the existing catalog with the new one. If no items are on the Catalog List when the Record button is clicked, no items will be in that catalog

The Auto Update button will allow the automatic updating of the existing catalog with current inventory information if the Auto Update question is answered Y on the Catalog Inventory F/M Change or Add Mode forms.

Inquisitor can be used to print a list of catalog inventory items.

When using the Catalog Inventory Table during order entry, invoicing, estimating and other ActiveApplications system functions it is easy to limit your view to different catalogs. This allows you to see the items assigned to that customer classification easily. This works in conjunction with and as a replacement for the Customer Item table that is limited to items that have been assigned to a customer. This type of catalog is not dependant on the creation of the more complex and specific customer item table. Using the Catalog Inventory table can significantly reduce the amount of work that must be done before creating orders.

 

End of Catalog Inventory Overview Help Topic