Item Control Setup Guide

Overview

This guide covers the setup of Item Control application.

The Item Control system covers the setup and maintenance of inventory item codes, including stock, non-stock, miscellaneous, and production items. Item Codes are used throughout Adjutant in most of the application areas. The Item Control system is deeply integrated with the Order Entry, Production, Shipping and Logistics, Purchase Order (PO), Asset Management, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Task Management, and Accounting applications. The Item Control application setup involves some steps that must be completed during the System Manager setup in order to proceed with further setup. The remaining Item Control setup steps should be completed prior to setting up the Purchase Order Setup Guide, the Order Entry and Quoting Setup Guide, and the Production Setup Guide to avoid running into any roadblocks.

A solid understanding of the client's inventory accounting model is required to accurately set up Item Warehouse and Owner/Heldfor records.

Initial Setup

Verify/Create Warehouse Records

The default Warehouse and default Holder should be created during the initial CID setup process. Those steps are included in the System Manager Setup Guide and the MASTER CID Copy Guide.

Review the Warehouses screen and add any additional Warehouse locations. If the CID only requires a single Warehouse, review all tabs in the Warehouses screen and confirm the accounting setups and Warehouse flags are correct.

• The default Warehouse name should match the CID name. In most cases, the ‘Default Location’, ‘Active’, and ‘Production Plant’ checkboxes should be checked.
• The add process will create a new Organization with a ‘Warehouse Location’ attribute.
• You must complete the blank GL accounts in the ‘Account’ tab in order to save the record.
• If creating multiple 'Production Plant' Warehouses, review and update the Production Plant Priority tab as needed.
• Review the Sales Tax Calculations Wiki information on Tax Table Overlay logic to determine if an overlay is appropriate. It is generally only required for Texas warehouses.
• After a successful add, the 'ID=' value will display with the internal keyno for the Warehouse. This is the loctid value in many item-related data tables and will be important to note when dealing with multiple Warehouses.

Verify/Create Inventory Holder Records

• Review the ‘Item Held For Codes’ (HOLDER) Rule Maintenance record and verify that the default inventory holder (log1 is checked) is set up and marked as active (log2 is checked).
• Add any additional inventory holders as needed. Additional inventory holders are a rare setup.

Import the CID Items

The CID Items file contains all of the system default item codes required by the different applications. If the CID Items are not set up, several basic functions in Accounts Receivable, AP, Tasks, and Data Imports will not work.

• A copy of the ‘cid_items_new.xls’ file can be found in the \Data Files\Items folder of the Adjutant directory (if copied from MASTER), or a copy can be found in the Implementation Files folder on the FTP.
• Edit the file and update the HeldFor, WHSE, and OwnerID values so they match your environment. Save the file as a Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook.
• Import the file as-is using the ‘Import Item Master’ screen. No special attributes are needed.

Set up BIN Controls

At a minimum, verify that the 'PUTAWAY' bin has been created. There are several areas where Adjutant relies on a PUTAWAY bin to complete certain transactions. If the PUTAWAY bin was not copied/created during the CID setup process, add the PUTAWAY bin in the Bin Control screen and flag it as 'Active' and to 'Allow Multiple Items'.

Controlling inventory location with bins is an advanced setup, and not all customers will need the additional control and maintenance of bins. If the customer will be using bins to control inventory location, use the Bin Import template to create all the required bin names. Bins can also added one by one in the Bin Control screen.

Review and Update Rule Maintenance Records

Item Attributes (ITEMATTRIB)

Item Attributes can define item types, assign special reflexes or provide additional details about item codes. The MASTER CID is updated with the most common item attributes and their corresponding form/jump screen where appropriate. Review the Item Attributes rule and add any attributes that are needed.

• Most Item Attributes are hard-coded based on the 'Name' value in the rule, but the Description value can be customized.
• The 'Group' value controls how the item attribute list is displayed in the Item Master screen. Attributes with the same Group value will display together in alphabetical order.
• At a minimum, review and customize the Department attributes to match the customer's setup. The MASTER departments are examples, and will not work for all customers.
  • The 'Name' value for department attributes should be the unique two-character department code that matches the code in the Departments (DEPT) rule
  • The two-character department code should also be entered in the Dept Code (text8) field
  • Production department items that require profile details (such as panel and purlin) should have the 'PROFILE' form associated with the department attribute

Item Commodity Codes (COMMCODE)

Commodity Codes are designed for the procurement system to work with commodity groups and to generate vendor inquiries based on the code setups. Commodity Codes are also a filter on several Item Master reports and they can be used to create another layer of item grouping for inventory reporting.

Commodity Codes are an optional setup, but can be a useful filter or grouping option for standard and custom reports.

Review and update the Item Commodity Codes rule as needed. The MASTER codes are examples and will not work for all customers.

Item Price Group Codes (ITEMGRP)

Item Price Groups are used to define pricing tiers in the Customer Pricing screen. Item Price Groups should be aligned the customer's desired pricing scheme.

Review the Item Price Group rule and set up all needed price group codes. The MASTER codes are examples and will not work for all customers.

Item Transaction Categories (ITEMCAT)

Item Transaction Categories are used together with Customer Transaction Categories to define which revenue and cost accounts are used for different transaction types. Item Categories are defined in the rule, and tied to individual item records in the Item Master Settings tab, or the Item Master OHF record. The Item Category in the OHF record overrides the entry in the Item Master Setting tab, but should generally be the same value.

An Item Category code of 'DEF' should exist for all customers. Set up any additional categories needed based on the customer's revenue and cost accounts that should be hit for certain items. Review the [Journal Entry Architecture] wiki for additional information on how GL Groups can affect the default accounting setups.

The MASTER codes are examples and will not work for all customers.

http://www.abiscorp.com/adjwiki/rule-itemcat.ashx

Departments (DEPT)

Department codes are used in several other applications in addition to Item Control. Their primary function in Item Control is to route production work orders and control profile information for certain item types. Departments can also be used to sort and group items on certain reports.

For Item Control, the two-character department code must match the 'Name' and the 'Dept Code' values for the related department attribute in the ITEMATTRIB rule.

Review the Departments rule and set up all needed departments based on the customer's production routing and inventory grouping needs. The MASTER codes are examples and will not work for all customers.

Units of Measure (UNITS)

The Units of Measure rule is a large and powerful rule that control item unit conversions between different unit types. The rule uses two factors to calculate the equivalent units for different unit measurements.

• For each defined base unit, a 1:1 entry should be created. For example, Each to Each should have a Factor 1 of '1.00' and a Factor2 of '1.00'
• The 'Group' value controls the available Unit Group entries in the Item Master screen and helps organize details in the rule
• The 'Group' value can also define different 'Name' to 'Base Unit' conversions based on the unique 'Group' name
• Factor1 defines how many unit names are equivalent to a single base unit. For example, if DAY is the unit name and HOUR is the base unit, Facor1 would be 1/24th or .041666. You would have to divide a day by 24 to get a single hour, or 1 hour is 1/24th of a day.
• Factor2 defines how many base units are equiavlent to a single unit name. For example, if DAY is the unit name and HOUR is the base unit, Factor2 would be 24.000. You would have to multiply hours by 24 to get a single day, or 1 day is equivalent to 24 hours.

The MASTER rule has a large default set of units, and is updated occasionally with common units. Review the Units of Measure rule and add any units needed for your customer. If you add unit entries that may be useful for other customers, send the details to the MASTER CID Administrator to include in the MASTER rule.

http://www.abiscorp.com/AdjWiki/Units%20of%20Measure.ashx

Item Usage Buckets (INVBUCKET)

The Item Usage Buckets rule defines up to five lookback periods for analyzing usage in the Usage tab of Item Master. The default rule values from MASTER are generally acceptable.

Review the rule and make any adjustments needed based on the customer's request.

Inventory vs GL Dump Accounts (INVDUMP)

The Inventory vs GL Dump Accounts rule should be set up with all inventory GL accounts that should produce a nightly XLS file that shows the difference between inventory value based on inventory on hand compared to the GL value.

• The GL Acct (text1) and a Type (text4) of 'INV' should be entered for all inventory accounts you wish to track. Set the Acct flag (log1) for each entry.
• Enter the Warehouse Name (text2) for each account if the customer splits inventory according to warehouse
• The Email Address (text3) can be used with the Email flag (log2) to send the XLS file to a specific email account

GL Accts for Inventory (INVGLACCTS)

The GL Accounts for Inventory rule controls which GL accounts should be reported night. This nightly routine is a dump of the GL balance for each indicated inventory GL account.

Review the rule and set up any inventory GL accounts that should be reported. The INVDUMP rule is a more robust tool and should generally be used instead. This rule can be set up for comparison if the customer is experiencing any inventory value issues.

Review and Update Production-Related Rule Maintenance Records

The following rules are associated with the Production module, but are required to be set up in order to complete the Item data conversions for production items.

The profile detail rules (COLOR, MATERIAL, GAUGE, and WIDTH) have hidden logic that attempts to match the related item description in order to narrow the list of valid options in each drop-down. The description linking is based on hard-coded description values like PANEL, SSR, CEE, ZEE, EAVE STRUT, PRESS BRAKE, and CHANNEL. For example, if your item has the word 'panel' or 'SSR' in the description, then the drop-down list for profile color on that item will only show colors that are in the PCOLORONE rule. If your items have a description with 'cee' or 'zee', then the drop-down will show values from PCOLORTWO. If your item does not have any of the hard-coded descriptions, it will display all possible colors from all rules.

Working with this setup can be confusing for customers, especially if their item descriptions don't match the hard-coded profile descriptions. A common solution is to update each version of each rule with all possible entries, and leave the descriptions blank. This type of setup makes all colors, gauges, materials, etc. show up in each drop-down, regardless of the profile type. This solution also can display duplicate values for items with description that don't match any of the hard-coded rules.

A new solution is in development as of August 2018 that will rebuild the profile logic by linking the profile names to the valid profile details. Until that development is available, continue to set up the profile details according the the customer's best interests.

Profile (PROFILE)

The Profile rule determines the valid profile entries in the Profile drop-down list on the profile jump screen attached to production departments. Update the rule with all required profiles. The MASTER provides are an example and will not work for all customers.

Profile Color One and Two (PCOLORONE, PCOLORTWO)

The Profile Color rules determines the valid entries in the Profile Color drop-down list on the profile jump screen attached to production departments. Update the rule with all required profiles. The MASTER provides are an example and will not work for all customers.

Profile Gauge One and Two (PGAUGEONE, PGAUGETWO)

The Profile Gauge rules determines the valid entries in the Profile Gauge drop-down list on the profile jump screen attached to production departments. Update the rule with all required profiles. The MASTER provides are an example and will not work for all customers.

Profile Girth (PGIRTH)

No longer used

Profile MACHINE (PMACHINE)

The Profile Machine rule determines the valid entries in the Profile Machine drop-down list on the profile jump screen attached to production departments. Update the rule with all required profiles. The MASTER provides are an example and will not work for all customers.

Profile Materials One and Two (PMATONE, PMATTWO)

The Profile Materials rules determines the valid entries in the Materials Color drop-down list on the profile jump screen attached to production departments. Update the rule with all required profiles. The MASTER provides are an example and will not work for all customers.

Profile Width One, Two, and Three (PWIDTHONE, PWIDTHTWO, PWIDTHREE)

The Profile Width rules determines the valid entries in the Profile Width drop-down list on the profile jump screen attached to production departments. Update the rule with all required profiles. The MASTER provides are an example and will not work for all customers.

Optional Setup

The following setup items can add value to customers that want additional levels of control. These are typically set up as the implementation progresses, after the item data has been imported.

Set up ABC Controls

The Item ABC Codes Update screen can assign codes that group inventory items based on a combination of cost, on hand value, and usage. Run the code update process with the desired criteria to assign ABC codes to inventory items.

http://abiscorp.com/adjwiki/abcitem.ashx 

Set up Cycle Count Code Controls

Items can be assigned with a cycle count (CC) code in the OHF tab to define cycle count groups. The CC code is used in the Cycle COunt Control tab to determine which items are added to the count.

http://abiscorp.com/adjwiki/CycleCount.ashx 

Set up Search Code Controls

Items can be assigned with a Search Code value in the Item Master screen. The Search Code field is unedited and accepts any text. Double-clicking on the Search Code value will bring up a search results window listing key details about all items that share the same Search Code. This can be useful for quickly jumping to a list of items that are in the same product type.

The Search Codes value is not included in the Item Import and is commonly set using SQL statements.

Set up Misc Code Controls

The Misc Code field is a customizable open-entry, unedited field that can be used to store additional data about an item. It is commonly repurposed to record item details that don't neatly fit into another existing field. The field label (lmisccode) can be edited and renamed as needed.

Complete all Required Item Control Data Conversions

Detailed information on procedures and best practices for each conversion can be found in the related conversion guide. (COMING SOON)

Item Master Data

This import creates the base Item Master records.

Item Master SOC Data

This import creates an SOC attribute and the related configuration questions for each imported record. Common practice is to use a similar existing SOC import and replace the item codes for your customer.

Item Master CV Part Data

This import creates the details for the C/V Part tab in Item Master. The Vendor part number and last cost information is useful for quality purchasing.

Item Master Min/Max Data

This import creates the min/max and order calculation details in the Item Master OHF tab. The Min/Max data is used for the Quick Buy screen.

Item Quantity/On-Hand Data

This import sets the on hand quantity for each imported record.

Coil/Lot Controlled Items Data

This import creates lot controlled items and set the on hand value and cost information for each imported record.

Item Master Notes Data

This import populates note data in the Item Master Notes tab. Notes can be imported to show on POs, SOs, Quotes, PWOs, or invoices - or any combination of all of those records.

Item Master Price Data

This import can set the base cost and list price details for each imported record.

Item Master Cost Tier Data

This import creates cost tier records for tracking different average cost calculations. This import is not commonly required during an implementation. Make sure you fully understand the reflexes before attempting.

Item Master Usage Data

This import creates item usage history for procurement calculations. This import is not commonly used during an implementation due to the complexity of obtaining reliable, comparable data from the legacy system. Make sure you understand the reflexes before attempting.

Item BIN Data

This import will create BIN locations for use in Advanced Inventory Management. Utilizing BIN controls requires an additional level of inventory management oversight and will require additional inputs on several transactions, Make sure the customer understands how using BINS will affect their day-to-day procedures before attempting.

Complete all Required Production Item Control Data Conversions

Item Master BOM Data

Bill of Material data is required for automating assemblies in the Production application. This import creates the BOM attribute and the associated material items and quantities required to produce each imported item.

Item Master Profile Data

Profile Data is used to provide additional details on production forms and to group produced items. This import populates the profile details for each imported item.