Order Entry and Quoting Setup Guide

Overview

This guide covers the setup of the Order Entry (Sales Order (SO)) and the Quoting (Request For Quote (RFQ)) applications. The majority of the setup items are shared between the two applications.

The Order Entry system covers the creation and processing of customer sales orders for goods or services sold, submitting orders to production, as well as the shipping/invoicing process. The Order Entry system is deeply integrated with the Inventory Control, Advanced Inventory Control (Coil & Lot tracking), Production, Shipping and Logistics, Purchase Order (PO), Project Management, Task Management, Accounts Payable, and Accounting applications. The Order Entry application setup should be completed after the System Manager Setup Guide and the General Ledger Setup Guide have been completed to avoid running into any roadblocks.

A solid understanding of the client's revenue accounting model is required to accurately set up Transaction Categories and/or GL Groups tied to SO types so that orders generate the desired accounting.

Initial Setup

Review/Discuss Sales Tax Policies

Work with the client to understand how sales taxes are handled for customer sales. Most of this should be covered in the sales tax setup process. However, there are frequently special situations that come to light during the SO training process. Determine of the client has any special items or sales situations that should have unique tax handling setups. Some common Order Entry tax overrides include:

• Item Master Sales Tax flag can be turned on/off for specific items
• TAXFREIGHTSTATE setup option can set the taxability of Freight items according to the State Sales Tax Rule
• If the SoldTo customer on the order is marked as tax exempt, all ShipTo child records will automatically be exempt, and any ShipTo tax tables are ignored

Review the following setup options that can control sales order tax reflexes:

• NEWTAX - Should be enabled for all new customers
• SOREQTAXTABLE - Should be enabled for most new customers
• TAXTABLES - Should be enabled for customers subscribed to tax updates, or customers maintaining their own tax tables
• SHIPTOREQTAXTABLE - Will not allow a save of the ShipTo record without a tax table
• SOCHECKTAXRATE - Will pop up a message is tax rate used doesn't match the most current tax rate found
• RFQSHOWTAX - Allows quotes to calculate and display tax amounts

Establish Salespersons and Account Managers

Assign the 'ACCTMGR' attribute to all employee contact records that should appear in the Acc Mgr drop-down list.

Assign the 'SALES' attribute to all employee contact records that should appear in the Salesperson drop-down list.

It is common for clients to want to relabel the Account Manager and Salesperson roles to match their structure. At a minimum, update the following records:

• Rule Maintenance - Contact Attributes - SALES attribute description
• Rule Maintenance - Contact Attributes - ACCMGR attribute description
• Sales Order - Labels - lacctmang - Current Value (Should cover both SO and RFQ)
• Sales Order - Labels - lsp - Current Value (Should cover both SO and RFQ)

• ALL forms that display Salesperson or Account Manager labels will need to be customized
• ALL reports that the client uses that display Salesperson or Account Manager will need to be customized

Set Default SO/RFQ Types by User

If the client wants the default SO or RFQ type to be set per user, get a list of which users and which types should default from the client.

The SOTYPE-X attribute (where X represents the SO Type code) can be created and added to employee contacts to default the SO type for that user.

The RFQTYPE-X attribute (where X represents the RFQ Type code) can be created and added to employee contacts to default the RFQ type for that user.

Make certain that the -X matches the SO Type Code and RFQ Type Code defined in the corresponding SOTYPE and RFQTYPE rules.

Sales Order Form(s)

Work with the client to determine how many SO form layouts will be needed for their operations. SO forms are defaulted according to SO type in the SOTYPE rule.

If the customer has separate invoice forms for each SO type, the invoice form can be defaulted according to the SO type in the same SOTYPE rule.

• The default SO form from MASTER should only need minor customizations for disclaimer areas, and to confirm that the logo images scale and display correctly. Clients that have specific business needs for additional form customizations should understand that the forms were designed with best practices in mind for most customers. Additional customizations cost time and money and should only be requested if there is a clear business need for the changes.

• Make any further customizations required by the client and create additional forms as needed.

• Get client approval on all SO forms.

Customer Pricing

Customer pricing can be set up by the following combinations:

• Customer Price Code(Group) and Item Price Group
• Customer Price Code(Group) and Specific Item
• Specific Customer (Ent) and Item Price Group
• Specific Customer (Ent) and Specific Item

Set up all needed Customer Price Codes in the ENTGROUP rule.

Set up up all needed Item Price Groups in the ITEMGRP rule.

Use the Price Group Import utility to import large, custom pricing setups. If there are any errors, or mass changes needed after the import, the Customer Pricing data is held in the PRICEGROUP data table.

Set the Next SO Number

Review and update the 'Prefix' and 'Current Number' values in the CID Maintenance Counters tab for the SONO line. Establish the beginning SO number. The Prefix value can be overridden by a prefix defined in the SOTYPE rule.

Set the Next Quote Number

Review and update the 'Prefix' and 'Current Number' values in the CID Maintenance Counters tab for the RFQNO line. Establish the beginning Quote number. The Prefix value can be overridden by a prefix defined in the RFQTYPE rule.

Review and Update Rule Maintenance Records

Doc Vault Drop Folders (DROPFOLDERS)

Review the drop folder entries for Request for Quote (RFQ) and Sales Orders (SONO).

FOB (Free on Board) Codes (FOB)

FOB Codes are valid in Order Entry and Purchase Orders. Generally, FOB defines the point at which the seller is no longer responsible for the shipping cost.

The rule in MASTER has the most common entries, and should be valid for most clients. Add any additional FOB codes as needed.

Freight Terms (FREIGHT)

Freight terms are valid in Order Entry, Shipping, and Purchase Orders. Add any needed freight types to this rule to populate the list of available freight types in the associated applications.

Ship Via Codes (SHIPVIA)

The SHIPVIA rule sets the valid drop-down entries for the Ship Via field in the Order Entry, Purchase Order, and Shipping Events applications. The rule also controls several alerts and automated reflexes, like generating shipping events, or adding certain charges.

Review this rule carefully for any special options and reflexes. Add any needed ship via methods to the rule.

Sales Order Bullet Notes (SOBLIST)

Sales Order Bullet Notes are an optional feature where users can select pre-defined verbiage (saved in a text file) for printing in a custom area on Quote or Sales Order forms. The short and long descriptions are displayed for selection on the Quote or Sales Order Header screen by selecting the 'SOb' button. The 'SOb' button only shows up if the rule has been set up.

Sales Order Certs Defaults (SOCERTS)

The SOCERTS rule controls when the 'Certs' box is checked on the Sales Order Header screen. Define up to 5 item department codes that must be matched in order to automatically select the 'Certs' box. If multiple department codes are set up, items matching ALL defined department codes must be sold on the order before the 'Certs' box will be checked.

The 'Certs' box can be used as a print when on forms to drive custom procedures or requirements.

Sales Order Date Defaults (SODATES)

The SODATES rule controls how the SO Load Date, SO Required Date and the PWO Due Date set on a new SO. The rule allows you to override the default logic using offset days from the SO Date when creating new SOs. Verify the entries in this rule are what the client wants.

POS Cash Accounts (POSACCT)

This rule will automatically change the 'Cash Acct' on the POS screen to match the account tied to the selected payment method. The setup for this rule is optional, but the rule should be reviewed for valid GL accounts. Any unwanted GL accounts should be removed. This rule also allows custom GL accounts to be defined according the warehouse LOCTID. Review the settings carefully. Verify the entries in this rule are what the client wants.

Sales Order Freight Charge (SOFRTCHARGE)

Works with CID Setup Option SOFRTCHARGE to define custom freight charges based on the matched freight item code. Custom calculations can be defined per freight item to determine a freight price based on the total weight or total feet on the order.

Sales Order PDF Attachments (SOPDF)

The SOPDF rule is similar in concept to the SOBLIST rule. PDF files can be stored on the Adjutant server and tied to a specific item code or a specific payment term name. When a match is made, the linked document will automatically be included as a linked document on the Sales Order or Quote. Setting up the rule also adds a 'PDF' button where users can manually select the PDF document(s) to link to an order or quote.

Sales Order Priority (PRIORITY)

The PRIORITY rule controls the available options in the Priority drop-down field on the Sales Order Header.

Sales Order Project Complete Check (STOPSOPROJCOMP)

If a SO Type code is listed, and a sales order is added that matches the code, the user will be prevented from saving the order if the linked Project record is completed.

Sales Order SOC Columns (SOCOLUMNS)

The SOCOLUMNS rule defines which values from SOC report codes will show up as columns in the Line Item Entry and Line Item View grids in Quotes or Sales Orders.

Sales Order Sort (SOSORT)

Custom sort methods can be defined based on SO Type for the Sales Order Confirmation form or the SO Packing List form.

Sales Order Types (SOTYPE)

The SOTYPE rule controls many key behaviors, features, and functions for Order Entry. Create each required SO Type for the customer and carefully review each type for appropriate options and settings. The most common fields to review for this rule include:

• SO Type Name, Code , Default flag, and custom Prefix
• Default SO Form and default Invoice form
• GL Group
• Change Order indicator (an entry of 1 defines that SO Type as a Change Order)
• Suppress Shipping Event
• Allocate defines whether or not item quantities are considered allocated when sold as a line item

NOTE: SO Types 'S' (Sales Order/System/Special) and 'W' (Work Order) are automatically used by Adjutant for certain processes and transactions. These SO Types should be set up in the rule, and should not be used for other customer orders.

Sales Order Types (Overflow) (SOTYPE2)

The SOTYPE2 rule is a continuation of the SOTYPE rule because all available rule fields had been used on the SOTYPE rule. Additional features like the AR GL Account override and the Zero Prices feature are set up here. The SO Type Code links the additional features to the SO Type Code in the main SOTYPE rule.

Sales Order Use (SOUSE)

The SOUSE rule controls the options available in the Use drop-down field in Sales Order Line Item Entry. The SO Use field was developed to drive additional print options on the SO Form for the chemical industries, but can be used for any custom need.

Customer Comment Codes (CUSTCOMM)

Customer Comment Codes are pre-defined short notes that can be selected for printing on forms from the Comment drop-down on the Quote or Sales Order Header screens. Comment Codes are shared between the Sales Order and the Invoice record and can be changed on the Invoice Master as well.

Quote Default Date Offsets (RFQDATE)

The RFQDATE rule works like the SODATES rule to define the default dates used for Quote Expire Date and Quote Required Date, by using offset days from the Quote Date.

Quote Order Types (RFQTYPE)

The RFQTYPE rule controls many key behaviors, features, and functions for Quoting. Create each required Quote Type for the customer and carefully review each type for appropriate options and settings. The most common fields to review for this rule include:

• RFQ Type Name, Code , Default flag, and custom Prefix
• Default Quote Form
• Whether a 'won' quote creates a new SO#, or uses the same RFQ#

Quote Sorting (RFQSORT)

Custom sort methods can be defined based on RFQ Type for the Quote Confirmation form.

Terms of Payment Codes (TERMS)

The TERMS rule controls the valid terms of payment for both the AR and AP applications. Reconcile the entries against the customer questionnaire and the Open AP Invoice import data (if customer's data includes payment terms). Add any needed terms and delete any terms that are not needed. Too many TERMS options generally add user confusion and can create invoice records with unwanted terms.

Review and Complete Additional Sales Order Setup

Set up Sales Order Timed Alerts

The SOTIMER rule can generate automated email alerts for Sales Order customers based on the number of days since all linked production has been completed. This feature was developed to automatically alert and remind customers that their order is ready for pick-up (based on a CPU ShipVia) after production has been completed.

Review the Sales Order Timed Alerts Wiki and set up the custom email templates and rule options with the customer if they are interested.

Set up Templates and Recurring Orders

Discuss Sales Order Templates and Recurring Sales Orders with customer.

• Set up any templates and/or recurring orders as needed with the customer. Use the Recurring Order WIki as a reference for the recurrence codes.

Discuss Security Options Around Order Entry

Sales Order Entry has several security options that are open, or unlimited by default. Discuss any personnel security concerns around order entry or order management with the customer.

Below are some of the more common security options that customers should be aware of, and may need review:

• Open/Close - whether an employee can manually reopen or close an SO
• Hide Margin/List/Cost - Cost and overall margins are displayed in several spots on the Sales Order. Setting these options hides it in all screens.
• Delete Lines - whether an employee can delete previously added lines from an SO
• Change Terms - whether an employee can change the payment terms tied to an order.
• Pricing - Setup Option SOCHANGEPGROUP is on by default, which allows changing the price group per sales order line. There is no security on this option. When discussing pricing control security, you may need to turn this option off if Quote and Sales Order users should not be able to change pricing groups.

Scrub and Import Open Sales Order Data

Open Sales Order conversions are rare, and generally discouraged. Generally, the amount of open sales orders for any client is small enough that it is not worth going through the scrub and import process. The value of having the end-user train on the Order Entry system by entering the open orders manually usually outweighs the amount they would spend on having ABIS complete a data import for a handful of records.

If the client requires an open sales order conversion, refer to the Sales Order Conversion Guide (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) for detailed information on the import and reconciliation process.

Review System Functionality

Once all core system setup has been completed, perform the following system functionality tests. Some of these will require additional setup in other areas in order to create transactions and report data for testing. Work through each associated setup guide to complete the required setup and verify that each area below is functioning as expected in the new server setup.

• Verify that reports can be previewed
• Verify that drilldowns work, this uses an HTML viewer different than previewing a regular report
• Verify that the doc vaults are accessible
• Verify that printing is working
• Verify that both outbound/inbound emailing are working