| Real Time Inventory |
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The Real Time Inventory Feature is found in the Level 5 (or higher) program. Real Time Inventory Processing is a major new feature built into the Level 5 (or higher) program that provides up-to-the-second data on your inventory levels. Additionally, it will warn you if the inventory level has dropped to a critically low level -- and it will warn you when you've run out of inventory. These warning messages are automatically triggered at the best possible time: while you are entering products on the Main Invoice Screen. If you have low inventory, you'll know right away. And if you are out of inventory, you'll know that right away. The way Real Time Processing works is that it begins with data from the "Sales Activity and Inventory Report." (That's reached by selecting PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS and clicking on the "Current Inventory" button.) When you create the report, a report file is created at the same time. (The report file is named Invent.dbf.) Using the data in the report file as a starting point, the Real Time process quickly runs through all invoices issued since when the report file was created to provide you with the latest information on any given product. Batch Processing: For Imported Invoices In the Level 6 - 7 program, you can extend Real Time processing to imported invoices (such as importing orders from your shopping cart). For more information, see Real Time Batch Processing. Real Time Settings To turn the feature on, start at the Main Invoice Screen and select PRODUCT TOOLS >> REAL TIME INVENTORY SETTINGS. The following dialog box appears:
To turn it on, place a checkmark beside: "Turn ON Real Time Inventory Processing." If you want to turn it off, remove the checkmark. Once it turned on, you have two options: 1. Trigger a warning message when a product's inventory reaches a low level (Default: Checked) When Real Time Inventory Processing is turned on, AnyOrder will internally flag products when their inventory reaches a pre-designated "low level." You can designate what that low level is by entering a number in the Product Information Database (PRODUCT TOOLS >> PRODUCT INFORMATION AND CATALOG NUMBERS). The flag shows up as a red "L" beside the product's listing in the Product Pop-up List. In addition to this internal marking, you can also instruct AnyOrder warn you with a message. That's done by selecting this option. The warning message will be automatically triggered when you attempt to enter a product with an inventory level at or below the designated low level. The warning message is triggered just once. 2. Trigger a warning message when a product's inventory reaches zero (0) (Default: Checked) When Real Time Inventory Processing is turned on, AnyOrder will internally flag products as "out-of-stock" when their inventory reaches zero (0). The marking shows up as a red "B" beside the product's listing in the Product Pop-up List. In addition to this internal marking, you can also have AnyOrder warn you with a message by selecting this option. The warning message will be automatically triggered when you attempt to enter a product when its inventory level falls to zero (0). The warning message is triggered just once. Since Real Time Processing depends on the Sales Activity and Inventory Report, you'll want to run an inventory report whenever you make additions to inventory. That provides the Real Time Processor with the proper starting levels to do its job.
Product Database: Additional Setting Available Real Time settings are primarily handled in the dialog box (above). However, there is one additional setting that is available in the Product Information Database. Normally, when you enter items in the Product Database, you'll also enter an inventory level. As long as a product has inventory, Real Time processing will track it. If an item doesn't have inventory (inventory of zero), then it's not tracked. That's quite handy if one or more of your products involve services. For example, you may be a graphic artist and you may charged by project. Or you may sell advertising. These are intangible items where inventory is not applicable -- and, of course, it's not necessary for the inventory levels of these items to be tracked. There is, however, another situation. You may have entered items in the product database which, as of yet, have no inventory. Consumers may order these items before you have inventory. Normally, Real Time Processing will not track these items, but, if desired, you can change this behavior and tell AnyOrder to track the non-inventory items too. That's done in Product Database. To reach the Product Database, start at the Main Invoice Screen and select PRODUCT TOOLS >> PRODUCT INFORMATION & CATALOG NUMBERS. Once at the Product Database, select TOOLS >> REAL TIME INVENTORY PROCESSING. The following dialog box appears: To turn this feature on, place a checkmark beside: "Include this Product in Real Time Inventory Processing Even if There's No Starting Inventory."
General Information As mentioned above, Real Time processing has the ability to warn you when the inventory reaches a low level. To take advantage of it, you need to enter a number in the "Low Inventory Warning" field. The "Low Inventory Warning" field is found in the Product Information Database (PRODUCT TOOLS >> PRODUCT INFORMATION & CATALOG NUMBERS)" You find the field where you enter the low level near the bottom of the screen:
Be sure to run at least one "Current" inventory (PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS >> "Current Inventory") whenever you add inventory. That creates the Inventory Report and provides the Real Time processor with the latest data. Once you run one inventory, you're fine. Unlike the Level 4 program, you don't have to run it on a regular basis. The only time you need to run it is after you enter new inventory. The Real Time processor will use the inventory level found in the Inventory Report. Using this level as a starting point, it will automatically deduct from it as you enter products on the invoice. If one of your product's inventory reaches the designated low inventory level, a message will pop-up while you are entering products. It will also automatically place a red "L" beside the item in the product pop-up list. That gives you a visual reminder that you're getting low on that product. When the product inventory reaches zero, another message will be activated while you are entering products, telling you that you've reached zero. It will automatically place a "B" alongside the product in the Product Pop-up List, and from that point on, if you add the product, the invoice will indicate it as back-ordered.
Current Status One of the other functions of the "Real Time Settings" dialog box is to provide information on the status of the inventory report file. The inventory report file is created when you run a "Current" inventory (PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS >> "Current Inventory"). To reach the "Current Status" information, start at the and select PRODUCT TOOLS >> REAL TIME INVENTORY SETTINGS. On lower part of the dialog box, you'll see:
The "Current Status" area (circled above) tells you whether the proper inventory report file is available. (If it's not available, it will tell you and remind you to create it.) It also provides some other information: When you run a Current Inventory, the inventory report file will be updated to, and including, the most recent invoice (the last invoice in your invoice file). The last invoice is called the "marking" invoice. You'll eventually create more invoices, but AnyOrder keeps track of the "marking" invoice. The "marking" invoice and its date are found in the "Current Status" area beside the heading: "Inventory Levels Update to Invoice #" Real Time Inventory Processing actually starts at the next invoice beyond the marking invoice. From there, it looks at all new invoices issued since then. It calculates how much has been sold (or returned). From those calculations, it knows when the inventory of a product reaches a low level or is out-of-stock. The invoice number at which the processing begins is also indicated in the "Current Status" area. It's found beside the heading: "Processing Starts at This Invoice."
What If You Need to Revise the Inventory? Let's take a look at possible situation that you may run into. Let's say that you have Real Time Inventory processing turned on, and it notifies you that one of your products is running low in inventory. It will flag the item in the Product Pop-up List with an "L." Here's what it looks like:
Eventually, it will notify you that inventory has reached zero (0). At that point, it will flag the product on pop-up list with a red "B." So far, so good. But, let's say that you discover that you have extra products in stock. If that situation arises, you can revise your inventory counts by using the new Inventory Reconciliation feature (PRODUCT TOOLS >> RECONCILIATION OF INVENTORY. The reconciliation feature makes updating current inventory figures much easier. Once you revise the inventory, you'll need to re-set the "L" or "B" flags which appear in the Product Pop-up list. There are two ways of doing it. 1. The first way is to go the product information database (PRODUCT TOOLS >> PRODUCT INFORMATION & CATALOG NUMBERS). In the lower part of the Product Database Screen, you'll see:
To remove the Low Inventory indicator (the "L" flag), remove the checkmark from "Low Flag." To remove the "B" flag, remove the checkmark from "Temporarily Out-of-stock" 2. The second way of removing the flag, and the easiest way, is to activate the Product Pop-up List (by clicking on the "Add" button just above the Item Area.) Then RIGHT double-click on the desired item on the list. Reminder: this is a RIGHT double-click, not a left double-click. The flag will be removed. Finally, you'll need to run a "Current Inventory" once again. That's done by selecting (PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS >> "Current Inventory." (Note: if you've used the Reconciliation feature, this last step is not necessary. The Reconciliation feature does this for you automatically. )
Making Changes to Quantities If you make changes to the quantities on new invoices, the Real Time processor will keep track of those changes. However, it may not be able to track changes on older invoices. What determines whether it can or can not is when the last "Current Inventory" report was generated. You can change any invoice after the last inventory report. However, if you change an invoice issued before the last inventory report, the changes will not be taken into consideration. If that situation occurs, it's easy to bring things back into synch. After making a change to an invoice issued before the last inventory, run a current inventory (PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS >> "Current Inventory"). That updates the data that the Real Time processor uses, and all subsequent inventory tracking will be accurate. (Note: there is one exception to this. If you make changes to old invoices issued in a previous year, you'll need to use "Automatic Update" in Inventory Functions and update the inventory file used when the report is generated. For more information, see Automatic Update in Inventory Functions.)
Real Time Processing Speed On most systems, you should not notice any speed difference as you enter products into the Item Area on the Main Invoice Screen. If you have a particularly large number of products in your Product Database, or if you have a sluggish network, you may notice a slowdown. One thing that helps considerably is to run a "Current Inventory" on a frequent basis. If speed becomes an issue, you can always turn off Real Time processing.
When to Run a "Current" Inventory It is a good practice to update your inventory counts from time to time. That's done by running a current inventory (PRODUCT TOOLS >> INVENTORY FUNCTIONS >> "Current Inventory"). In order for the Real Time processor to do its job properly, it must have an updated inventory from which to work. That means . . . 1. If you add or remove inventory, you should run a current inventory. If you don't run a current inventory, the Real Time processor will not have access to the new inventory levels. 2. If you make changes to "Low Level" values (found in PRODUCT TOOLS >> PRODUCT INFORMATION AND CATALOG NUMBERS), you should also run a current inventory. The Real Time processor obtains the Low Level values from the file created when you run a current inventory.
Additional information about inventory: How Starting Inventory is Recorded in an Inventory File.
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