Master Files

Jeff was great -- only problem with Jeff was that we didn't have him until after we started... and the rep. we had first off was just TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-----Original Message-----
From: Babette Welch [mailto:bwelch@...]
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2003 11:13 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Master Files


Setting up
Control Accounts
Part CLASS
and Part GROUP
was tricky for us.

After some false starts we took a current budget with all GL-accounts
1) Created a CLASS to add expense to each account
(mainly important with Purchased parts)
and with most parts entered only an 'expense account'.
Few CLASSES use Inspection, DMR or Write-off account

2) Created GROUPS to group sales income to desired area
(mostly used with sold / manufacturing parts)
We set-up VB-Forms to help track all tasks RE: maintenance of the plant.
Thus we have parts like 'mnt-b1 - maintenance of buling B1'
The accounts with this part put cost into our maintenance accounts
this allows for tracking of monthly expenses for maintenance

3) We created an account 99999-00
As an exception account then put that in the Control accounts
When entries hit that account it indicates an error.
We track it down and find the:
1) part with out a CLASS
2) the part without a GROUP
3) other errors

Epicor consultant - Jeff Pagano was excellent and very cost-effective for us
to bring on-site for assistance with set-up of accounting control accounts etc.

BW





=============================================
Babette Welch
IT Director
Argonics
1110 Wright
Marquette MI 49855
906.226.9747 ext 235
906.228.0951 fax



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hello,

I'm new to Vantage and this group. We will be switching from Visual to Vantage. I think this user group is a wonderful idea and am looking forward to benefiting and hopefully contributing.
I want to keep the consulting costs as low as possible, we are a small company and I have several years of experience with Vista. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips for setting up the master files?


Abe Klassen
Master Conveyors Inc.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
One tip that has helped us has been to set as many as possible up in such a way as to have the descriptions sorted from most likely to be used to least likely. Because many of the drop down lists are presented as the sorted description (rather than the code) it makes selection a lot faster if the most likely to be used is at the top. Also, try to avoid duplicating the first letter in descriptions so that if the user drops the list down they can simply press the first letter to go right to the one they want. In a few cases - in order to get the most likely selection on the top we have the description have a space at the start.

Often people put a lot of thought into the master file codes when these are often not visible to the users anyway. If it is a case where the users already know a code (such as work center or machine) then we made the code the first part of the description. This way they can rapidly select an item. It also helps streamline reports by not having to display both the code field and the description.

One peculiarity to our operation was to make the part descriptions start with the tool set number. The shop knows parts by tooling number more than by the customer's part number (which we use as our part number). Making it the first of the description also makes it the part search word. This type of dual identity for a part could have usefulness in other companies.

In general (but there are a lot of viewpoints on this) using alpha/inteligible codes is better unless there will be need for rapid entry by people who know how to use a 10-key pad. If you might be doing a lot of labor editing or manual labor entry (rather than data collection on shop floor) then numeric work centers and operations would be better for clerical person pounding the data in. But for master file codes used on reports then alpha type human readable codes would be better.

The main thing is to put a lot of thought up front into how you do things and then match the codes to whatever would be most efficient or least prone to errors. Some of the tips above are contradictory so it can sometimes be a balancing act.

Just couple thoughts on a Monday morning.

-Todd C.



-----Original Message-----
From: Abe Klassen [mailto:ak@...]
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2003 2:37 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Master Files



Hello,

I'm new to Vantage and this group. We will be switching from Visual to Vantage. I think this user group is a wonderful idea and am looking forward to benefiting and hopefully contributing.
I want to keep the consulting costs as low as possible, we are a small company and I have several years of experience with Vista. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips for setting up the master files?


Abe Klassen
Master Conveyors Inc.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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ADVERTISEMENT
<http://rd.yahoo.com/M=194081.4074964.5287182.1261774/D=egroupweb/S=1705007183:HM/A=1732161/R=0/SIG=11p5b9ris/*http://www.ediets.com/start.cfm?code=30509&media=atkins> click here
<http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=194081.4074964.5287182.1261774/D=egroupmail/S=:HM/A=1732161/rand=648042954>

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Setting up
Control Accounts
Part CLASS
and Part GROUP
was tricky for us.

After some false starts we took a current budget with all GL-accounts
1) Created a CLASS to add expense to each account
(mainly important with Purchased parts)
and with most parts entered only an 'expense account'.
Few CLASSES use Inspection, DMR or Write-off account

2) Created GROUPS to group sales income to desired area
(mostly used with sold / manufacturing parts)
We set-up VB-Forms to help track all tasks RE: maintenance of the plant.
Thus we have parts like 'mnt-b1 - maintenance of buling B1'
The accounts with this part put cost into our maintenance accounts
this allows for tracking of monthly expenses for maintenance

3) We created an account 99999-00
As an exception account then put that in the Control accounts
When entries hit that account it indicates an error.
We track it down and find the:
1) part with out a CLASS
2) the part without a GROUP
3) other errors

Epicor consultant - Jeff Pagano was excellent and very cost-effective for us
to bring on-site for assistance with set-up of accounting control accounts etc.

BW





=============================================
Babette Welch
IT Director
Argonics
1110 Wright
Marquette MI 49855
906.226.9747 ext 235
906.228.0951 fax



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]