SpendMap User Guide (v14.8)

Field

Description

Item Code

•Used to reference the item on screens and reports in SpendMap.

•May or may not print on POs and other documents for your suppliers' reference (see references to "supplier's item code", below).

•Once the item information is saved, you will not have access to this field. To modify an existing Item Code, use the Rename Utility.

•Can be 12 characters in length and any combination of letters and/or numbers but cannot contain the following: (. , / \ * ? < > + = | : ; " [ ] # % @ ( ) spaces or high-level ASCII characters).

•This is a mandatory field.

•This "internal" item code does not have to be the same as your supplier’s item code. A separate supplier's item code can be entered for each supplier in the [SUPPLIER] Folder.

Auto assigned item numbers

Description

•A basic/short Description of the item, used to reference the item on screens and reports.

•May print on forms and can be searched when searching for items throughout the system.

•This is a mandatory field.

•Additional/long description for the item can be entered in the [EXTENDED DESCRIPTION] Folder.

•To enter internal notes for your reference that will NOT be printed on POs and other documents, use the [NOTES] button at the bottom of the screen instead.

Global Note

•A reminder note that will be displayed (pop-up) throughout the system when the item is selected.

TIP: If more space is needed, consider using the [NOTES] button (which supports unlimited internal notes for the item), and enter “See internal notes” in this field..

Standard Cost

•IMPORTANT: This is not where you enter your suppliers' pricing information.  You can enter pricing in the Standard Price field, below, or in the [SUPPLIER] folder.
 

•The Standard Cost is used when calculating the Standard value of the item throughout the system, such as for the Inventory Valuation Report and for determining the value of inventory usages (if specified in Inventory Options).

•Typically this value includes all costs associated with the item (freight, duty, etc.) and excludes all recoverable costs but any value can be used depending on your specific organization's policies.

•If no Standard Cost is entered for the item, SpendMap will calculate the Standard Cost based on the information specified for the primary supplier in the [SUPPLIER] folder, when required.

•Can be up to 6 decimal places in length. To set the number of decimal places, see User Defined Field Settings.

Standard Price

•The Standard Price will carry over to the Unit Price field on POs and other documents, only if no suppliers are defined for the item in the [SUPPLIER] folder.

•The Standard Price may also be used for valuing inventory usages (if specified in Inventory Options).

•Can be up to 6 decimal places in length. To set the number of decimal places, see User Defined Field Settings.

G/L Account

•The item's default G/L Account Code.

•Will carry over to POs and other documents when the item is selected.

Cost Center

•The item's default Cost Center Code.

•Will carry over to POs and other documents when the item is selected.

•TIP: It is more common to default the Cost Center on POs and other documents based on the user who is creating the document, rather than based on the item, since different users/cost centers may use the item.  A default Cost Center can be specified for each user in the [Settings] Folder of the User Master File.

Stock (inventory) items

Base Units

•The Standard/Base units of measure for the item.

•This is a mandatory field.

•The base unit of measure will default when entering transactions for the item, but for most transactions, users will be able to select a different unit of measure  if they wish.  Transactions processed using other units will be converted back to the base units for consistent reporting.  For example, the item's history will show in the base unit, regardless of what other units of measure you might use on Purchase Orders or other transactions in SpendMap.

•If you typically order this item using a different unit of measure, you can also enter a PO Units in the applicable field, below.

•If your suppliers’ prices for the item are in a different unit of measure, you can also specify the pricing units for each supplier in the [SUPPLIER] folder.

•If you are using the Inventory Control Module, this is also the Stocking Units for the item.  That is, the base/stocking units of measure will be used when displaying in-stock balances on screens and reports, and the base/stocking units will be used by default when performing inventory-related transactions such as usages, transfers, etc. (but, again, you may manually enter/override the default unit of measure when entering most transactions for the item, if you like).
 
Usage example:  You might buy an item by the CASE, but take individual items out of stock (i.e. by  EACH).  In this case, the base/stocking unit of measure would be EACH, and you might optionally set up the PO Units as CASE, using the field, below (or you can manually change EACH to CASE at the time of entering the PO, if you prefer).

PO Units

•If entered, the PO Units will override the Base Units when adding this item to POs and other documents.  

Tax Codes

•Used to default the taxes on POs and other documents for the item, if the taxes are determined by the item that is selected.

•Taxes can also default on documents based on many other fields and there is a priority/hierarchy. For details, see Tax and Exchange Rate Master File.

Tax Category

•Used to default the taxes on POs and other documents for the item, if the taxes are determined by the category of item that is selected.

•Taxes can also default on documents based on many other fields and there is a priority/hierarchy. For details, see Tax and Exchange Rate Master File.

Category A and B

•Category Codes are used to group similar items together for report sorting and filtering. You can also search for items by category when using Lookup.

Button

Description

[ADD]

•Add a new supplier for the item. This will take you to a blank Item/Supplier Details Screen.

[MODIFY]

•Modify the currently selected supplier. This will take you to the Item/Supplier Details Screen.

[DELETE]

•Delete the currently selected supplier. Deleting the supplier information for an item does NOT remove the supplier from the Supplier Master File or other items.

[SELECT PRIMARY SUPPLIER]

•Makes the currently selected supplier the Primary Supplier.

•If more than one supplier is setup for the item, SpendMap will recommend the primary supplier when users enter POs, Requisitions and other transactions for the item (but users can choose another supplier if needed).

[PRICE BREAKS]

•Used to enter price breaks (volume discounts) for the selected supplier. This will take you to the Price Breaks Screen.

•If price breaks have been defined for the supplier, a "v" (for Volume discount) will show in the Price Column on this screen.

[VIEW WEB SITE]

•Launches your web browser and takes you to the applicable web page for the supplier's item catalog, if you have entered a URL in the Web Site field on the Item/Supplier Details Screen.  If no URL has been entered for the item on the Item/Supplier Details Screen, you'll be brought to the supplier's main website (as specified in the Supplier Master File).

Field

Description

Supplier

•Select a supplier that supplies the item, or enter "*" (and asterisk) to use the pricing and other information, below, on all new POs and other transactions, regardless of the actual supplier used.  

•This is a mandatory field.

For more details and related options, please see the notes under "Pricing the same for all suppliers?" in the description of the List Price field, below.

Supplier’s Item Code

•This is the item code (part number) that your supplier uses to identify the item, which may be different than your internal item code, and may be different for each supplier.

•The supplier's Item Code will be inserted in the description of the item on POs and other documents for the supplier’s reference.

•You can search for items throughout the system by your internal item code OR the supplier’s item code.

•The Supplier’s Item Code can be up to 20 characters in length.

List Price

•The list price for ONE unit of the item.

•The price will default when creating POs and other documents for this supplier.

•Prices can be up to 6 decimal places in length. For details on setting the number of decimal places, see User-Defined Field Settings.

       Pricing the same for all suppliers?

       Updating pricing when ordering

       Using foreign currencies

       Freight charges

       Price Breaks

Price Units

•The units of measure for prices from this supplier. The item may be purchased in one UOM but priced in a different UOM (e.g. you buy 100 EACH at a price of $10/BOX).

Discount

•The Percentage (%) discount that is available from this supplier.

•If a discount is entered, prices for the supplier will be discounted by the applicable amount and the discounted price will be printed on POs automatically.

•Users may be able to modify the % discount when entering POs and other documents, but only if the discount field is included on your PO Form.

Freight

•If set up here, freight charges will be added as a separate line item on POs and other documents when the item is purchased from this supplier. Use this when you know the freight charges in advance, to save you from having to enter a freight charge manually on each PO for the item.

•Enter the freight charges, either as a percentage of the purchase price or a fixed dollar amount per order. Then select "percent" or "dollar amount" in the drop-list to qualify the freight charges

•If you know that freight applies to the item but you won't know the amount until later, you can enter <0> (zero) for the freight and select "as dollar" in the drop-list. Then when a PO is created for the item, a line will be added to the PO with a zero dollar amount and the description "FREIGHT CHARGE (PENDING)". The dollar amount for the freight charge can then be added manually when you create a PO or other document for the item or when approving the invoice with the Invoice Approval Module. Alternatively, freight can be left off the PO altogether and added during invoice approval, using the applicable button in the Invoice Work Area.

Related Settings

Cost/order

•This is a flat rate charge per order that is added to the order REGARDLESS of the quantity purchased (e.g. set up charge).

•Like freight, above, the per-order charge will be added as a separate line item on POs and other documents when the item is purchased from this supplier.

•You can customize the text/description to use for these new line items, in User Defined Field Defaults.

Effective

•The effective date for this item/supplier price. The date will print on various reports.

Expires

•The expiry date for this item/supplier price. Users will be stopped from purchasing the item from this supplier after the date entered.

MOQ

•The Minimum Order Quantity which must be purchased from the supplier at one time. SpendMap will not allow you to purchase less than the MOQ.

Lead-Time

•The supplier's lead time for the item, entered as the number of days that are required to receive the item after an order is placed.  This can be either in calendar days or business days (i.e. excluding weekends), based on the applicable setting in PO Entry Settings.

•The lead time will be used to automatically calculate delivery dates when entering POs and other documents for the item.

•Also used for forecasting in various areas of the system (e.g. when to place orders to avoid stock-outs).

•This can be updated automatically by the system when items are received, based on the setting in Receiving Options.

Web Site

•The web site address of the supplier's item catalog for this item. To launch your browser and go to the URL entered, simply click on the [GO] button.

•TIP: You can view this screen (and link to the web site) from most areas of SpendMap (PO entry, Requisition entry, etc.) by selecting the [VIEW] button on any item Lookup list.

•You can also store your suppliers' main web site addresses in the Supplier Master File.

Specification File

•Specification Files can be viewed when searching for Item Codes using Lookup.

•Specification Files are located in the ...\SPECS folder and typically contain detailed item information/specs.

•TIP: You may prefer to use the [NOTES] button at the bottom of the main Item Master File screen to store Internal Notes and/or file attachments for the item, which can also be viewed/referenced when selecting items throughout the system.

Button

Description

[BOILERPLATE]

•Drop a “Boilerplate” (standard clause) into the description. The Boilerplate content/text will be inserted at the current position of the cursor.

Field

Description

Maintain Stock?

•Indicates whether this is a stock or non-stock item. For non-stock items, the in-stock balance will always be zero, the item will not show on inventory-related reports (e.g. Re-order Report, etc.) and you will not be able to perform inventory-related transactions (e.g. inventory usages, etc.).

•Even if you don’t keep an item in stock, you may choose to add it to the Item Master File if you purchase the item often (i.e. so that the description, pricing, etc. defaults onto POs and other documents) and/or if you want to track the history of the item.

•You will only have access to this field if the module has been enabled in Inventory Options.

•Also, this field can default on or off for new items based on the applicable setting in Inventory Options.

Charge direct/Stock at $0.00

•This setting overrides the normal/typical use of the Stock Cost Center.

•Typically stock items are charged to a “Stock” cost center and then only charged to an end-user (non-stock) cost center when the items are removed from stock (i.e. when usages are processed). If this setting is enabled, you will be able to charge this item directly to end-user Cost Centers on Purchase Orders, receipts and related documents while maintaining the item in stock at zero dollar value.

•For details, see the “Direct Charge Stock Items” sub-section in The Use of the Stock Cost Center.

•To have access to this field, you must enable this feature in Inventory Options.

•You will not have access to this field if there is an in-stock balance for the item or if there are any open POs or other transactions for the item.

Re-order
(units)

•The re-order level for the item (sometimes referred to as “minimum stock level” or “PAR level”).  This indicates when the item should be re-ordered.

•When the available (in-stock) balance plus the on-order balance of the item is at or below the re-order level, it will be flagged for re-order in various areas of the system, such as the Re-Order Report.

•A re-order level of zero (0) means that the item will not be flagged for re-order until stock has been completely depleted.

•If you maintain multiple stock locations, you can also specify the re-order level separately for each location using the [LOCATIONS/BINS] button.

Re-order (weeks)

•Similar to the Re-Order level, above, but expressed as a number of weeks worth of stock rather than a fixed quantity.

•This is an optional field and may be used in conjunction with the fixed re-order level. While the fixed re-order level does not consider the usage history (i.e. consumption rate) in determining if an item should be flagged for re-order, the number of weeks supply for re-order does. SpendMap will forecast how long the available stock will last based on the usage history of the item and may determine that the item should be re-ordered, even if stock has not dropped to the fixed re-order level.

How is the forecast calculated?

•If you maintain multiple stock locations, you can also specify the re-order level separately for each location using the [LOCATIONS/BINS] button.

Maximum

•The Maximum Inventory Level for the item, used to prevent the inventory level from exceeding a predetermined amount, thereby eliminating excess inventory and reducing carrying costs.

•You will be prohibited from creating POs if the available balance plus the on-order balance plus the amount of the PO exceeds the maximum inventory level.

•If you maintain multiple stock locations, you can also specify a Maximum Inventory Level separately for each location using the [LOCATIONS/BINS] button.

EOQ

•The item’s Economic Order Quantity, that is, the most economic quantity to purchase.

•When creating POs for this item, the quantity will default to the EOQ or MOQ (specified for each supplier in the [SUPPLIER] folder), whichever is greater.

•This field may also be used for non-stock items.

•You can either manually enter an EOQ or SpendMap can calculate the EOQ for you by entering zero (0), and then following the steps below.

Automatic EOQ calculation/steps

•Once the EOQ has been established, from time to time you may want to re-calculate the EOQ if conditions change, such as interest rates.

Annual purchases

•The Annual Purchases for the item, used to help forecast consumption rates for the item in various areas of the system, such as when determining when the item should be re-ordered, when displaying how long the amount in-stock will last, etc.

•When a new item is created, SpendMap is not able to forecast the usage/consumption rate since there is no history for the item. Only after several transactions have been posted will the system be able to forecast usage volume for the item. By entering the annual purchases here, SpendMap will be able to forecast sooner.

•This field can also be updated automatically based on actual purchase history when Item History is purged.

Substitute item

•The Substitute Item Code is used in some areas of the system when posting inventory usages should the original item be unavailable.

ABC inventory Class

•The ABC classification for the item, which indicates the importance of the item and can help determine how closely to monitor the item.

•An item can be either Critical "A", Important "B", or Standard "C".

•Many item, inventory and PO-related reports can be sorted and filtered by ABC class.

•On reports, "A" class items are printed in bold, "B" class items are underlined and "C" class items are printed in standard text.

•This field may also be used for non-stock items.

•Also, the ABC Class can determine how often items need to be Cycle Counted.

Multiple locations?

•Indicates that the item is kept in multiple Stock Locations.

•Separate inventory levels can be maintained for the item at each location and many inventory related reports can be sorted and filtered by location. Items can also be transferred from location to location.

•Use the [LOCATIONS/BINS] button to enter location-specific information for the item, including bin numbers, re-order levels and maximum inventory levels for each location. This takes you to the Locations/Bins Summary Screen.

•NOTE: If you turn multiple locations ON for this item AFTER transactions have already been processed in the system, you must run Replace Empty Locations in Item History.

Single location

•If you are using multiple stock locations and this particular item is always kept in a single location only, you can enter the single location for the item here to default the location field for inventory transactions for this item to save time.

Button

Description

[DONE]

•Save your changes and exit to the [INVENTORY/LOCATIONS] Folder.

[CANCEL]

•Exit to the [INVENTORY/LOCATIONS] Folder without saving your changes.

[ADD]

•Add a new location for the item. This will take you to a blank Location/Bin Details Screen.

[MODIFY]

•Modify the currently selected location. This will take you to the Location/Bin Details Screen.

[DELETE]

•Delete the currently selected location. Deleting the location information for an item does NOT remove the location from the Location Master File or other items.

[NEW]

•Delete all location information for the item.

Field

Description

Location

•The location that the item is stocked in.

Bin

•This is the Bin number for the item at this location.

•Bin Codes identify where an item is located within a location, such as a shelf or a rack number. When removing items from stock, the bin number will be displayed on screens and reports to make it easier for you to find items in the stockroom/warehouse. You can also sort Pick Lists by Bin.

•Bin Codes can be 10 characters in length and any combination of letters, numbers, or spaces.

•Even if you are not using multiple inventory/stock locations, the Bin Field will be available as you may use a single bin number for an item (i.e. a single bin number, as opposed to multiple bin numbers, one for each location).

Re-order
(fixed, in units)

•The re-order level for the item AT THIS LOCATION (sometimes referred to as “minimum stock level” or “PAR level”).  This indicates when the item should be re-ordered.

•When the available (in-stock) balance at this location plus the on-order balance of the item at this location is at or below the re-order level, it will be flagged for re-order in various areas of the system, such as the Re-Order Report.

•A re-order level of zero (0) means that the item will not be flagged for re-order until stock has been completely depleted.

•Enter -1 to use item’s re-order level, as specified in the [INVENTORY/LOCATIONS] Folder.  This saves you from having to specify the re-order level for each of your locations separately, if it is the same for all locations.  For example, if ever you need to change the re-order level, you can change it in one place rather than having to update each location separately.

Re-order (weeks)

•Similar to the Re-Order level, above, but expressed as a number of weeks worth of stock rather than a fixed quantity.

•This is an optional field and may be used in conjunction with the fixed re-order level.

•While the fixed re-order level does not consider the usage history in determining if an item should be flagged for re-order, the number of weeks supply for re-order does. SpendMap will forecast how long the available stock will last based on the usage history of the item and may determine that the item should be re-ordered, even if stock has not dropped to the fixed re-order level.

•Like the Re-Order level field, above, this field supports entries of “0” and "-1".

How is the forecast calculated?

Maximum

•The Maximum Inventory Level for the item AT THIS LOCATION, used to prevent the inventory level from exceeding a predetermined amount, thereby eliminating excess inventory and reducing carrying costs.

•You will be prohibited from creating POs if the available balance plus the on-order balance plus the amount of the PO exceeds the maximum inventory level.

•Enter -1 to use item’s max inventory level, as specified in the [INVENTORY/LOCATIONS] Folder. This saves you from having to specify the max inventory level for each of your locations separately, if it is the same for all locations.  For example, if ever you need to change the max inventory level, you can change it in one place rather than having to update each location separately.

Field

Description

Must create RFQ

•Indicates that this is a Must-Bid item, for use with the Request for Quotation (RFQ) Module.

•Various areas of the system will either force or recommend the creation of an RFQ rather than a PO for this item.

Asset Item?

•Indicates that this is an Asset Item, for use with the Asset Management Module.

•Checking this box will default the applicable “Asset item” check box on the PO Line Item Detail Screen, which indicates that the item will be added to the Asset Master File when the order is received.

•This is simply a default for the item. You can still modify the applicable check box on the PO Line Item Detail Screen on an order by order basis.

Button

Description

[ADD]

•Add a new UPC for the item. This will take you to a blank Item to Barcode Association Screen.

[MODIFY]

•Modify the currently selected UPC. This will take you to the Item to Barcode Association Screen.

[DELETE]

•Delete the currently selected UPC.

[NEW]

•Delete all UPC codes for the item.

Field

Description

UPC Barcode Number

•Enter the supplier’s UPC number or scan the barcode label itself to populate the field.

Only use for Supplier

•Enter the supplier to associate with this UPC number or, if this UPC is used by all suppliers, enter “*” (an asterisk).

•The supplier-to-UPC association is used during the receiving process to locate the applicable POs in the system when this UPC is scanned. That is, if the UPC is associated with a specific supplier, when the UPC barcode is scanned during the receipt process, ONLY those POs for the applicable supplier will be displayed to select from. If the UPC is not associated with a specific supplier, then ALL open POs for the applicable item will be displayed when the UPC number is scanned, and therefore the list of POs to select from will likely be longer.

•This is a time saving (convenience) feature only. Regardless of whether or not you associate the UPC with one or all suppliers, you will still be able to scan the UPC during the receiving process.