Introduction to Prophet 21. version 12.12

Transcription

1 version 12.12

2 This manual contains information about software products from Epicor Software Corporation. The software described in this manual and the manual itself are furnished under the terms and conditions of a license agreement. The software consists of software options that are separately licensed. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium, or to enable any software options, except as specifically permitted under the license agreement. In addition, no part of this manual may be copied or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Epicor Software Corporation. From time to time, Epicor Software Corporation makes changes to its software products. Therefore, information in this manual is subject to change, and the illustrations and screens that appear in the manual may differ somewhat from the version of the software provided to you. Created by: Yardley Technical Communication 2013, Epicor Software Corporation. All rights reserved. Epicor and the Epicor logo are registered trademarks and Epicor Prophet 21 is a trademark of the Epicor Software Corporation. All other company or product names are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epicor Software Corporation 7683 Southfront Road Livermore, CA Version Publication Date: 9/24/

3 Table of Contents 1 Introduction 6 Manual Organization 6 Setting the Stage: The Workspace 7 The Menu Bar 7 The Tool Bar 9 Prophet 21 Navigation 11 Windows, Tabs, and Fields 13 The Mouse Pointer 16 Logging In and Out of Prophet How Do I Log In? 19 How Do I Log Out? 20 2 Accessing Help 21 How Do I Access Help? 21 Help Topic Format 23 Beyond the Help Files 25 3 Customizing Prophet My Menu 27 My Tasks 28 4 Making It Easy 31 Print Preview 31 Notepads 31 Entering Notes 32 Viewing Notes 33 Notepad Entry Window 34 Fast Edit Windows 35 How It Works 36 Available Fast Edits 37 Using Operands 38 Using AND and OR in Fast Edits 38 Performing a Fast Edit 39 Query by Example

4 Using QBEs 40 Typical QBE Window 41 Retrieving Information from the Database 42 SQL Statements 42 Available QBEs 43 Timestamps 44 Windows with Two Timestamps 45 Approvals 45 Audit Trails

5 Revision History Build Description of Update Page (6/20/11) Rebranding for Epicor - 5 -

6 Manual Organization 1 Introduction This manual serves as an orientation to Prophet 21. It gives you general information about the interface, organization, basic functions, and how to find help for more specific information. Manual Organization This manual is divided into the following chapters: Setting the Stage - An overview of the Prophet 21 interface Accessing Help - How to use the Prophet 21 help files and beyond Customizing Prophet 21 - How to make the Prophet 21 interface work best for you Making it Easy - Tools to make your tasks easier - 6 -

7 Setting the Stage: The Workspace Setting the Stage: The Workspace Here is a tour of the basic Prophet 21 workspace: At the top of the screen, you will find familiar Windows menus and tool icons, although these have specialized functions in Prophet 21. The lower left side of the screen contains the modules available to you. As you click on a module, the module menu tree changes to show the Windows available to you. These windows display in the main workspace and consist of multiple tabs. Each tab is split into a top and bottom area, and contain many fields. Let's look at each of these sections individually. The Menu Bar At the top of the screen, you will find a menu bar: - 7 -

8 Setting the Stage: The Workspace It contains the following options: Menu: Use: File Edit View The File menu is context-sensitive, which means that the commands change depending on the function you are performing in the system; however, common functions are: Save (saves the information on the active window) Clear (removes entered information) Close (closes the active window) Printer Set Up Print Preview A list of most recently open windows Exit (exits Prophet 21) The Edit menu contains options for editing text such as: Undo Cut Copy Paste Delete The View menu allows options for you to customize your interface: Open Portal View (multi-pane windows that contain summaries of information important to your job) Theme (determines application color schema) Style (determines highlight color schema) Enable Transparency (set popup search windows to appear transparent instead of opaque) Show Status Bar (toggles the status bar at the bottom of the screen) Auto-Hide Sidebar (collapses the navigation bar when not in use Restore Sidebar (opens the navigation bar if it's closed) - 8 -

9 Setting the Stage: The Workspace Menu: Use: Inquire Tools Windows Help The Inquire menu contains the windows used to look up, but for the most part not change: Item Master Inquiry (F2) Item Mast Inquiry Full Screen (opens IMI as a separate application) Customer Master Inquiry (F8) Customer Master Inquiry Full Screen (opens CMI as a separate application) Transaction Master Inquiry Transaction Master Inquiry Full Screen (opens TMI as a separate application) The Tools menu is also dynamic, based on the window that you are using. It contains additional functions that are useful for that window such as: Menu Designer (opens Dynachange menu designer) Options (displays RMB options) The Window menu allows you to rearrange and switch among the windows that are open in the following ways: Tile Layer Cascade Arrange Icons All open Prophet 21 windows The Help menu provides conceptual information about system features, window, tab, and field-level explanations as well as step-bystep instructions for procedures. Options include: Search Prophet 21 on the Web About Epicor Prophet 21 The Tool Bar The toolbar, located under the menu bar, contains buttons that provide quick access to frequently used options within the system

10 Setting the Stage: The Workspace You can use the buttons on the toolbar in place of some menu commands. For example, you can use the Exit button to exit the application in place of selecting the File menu and then the Exit command. Commonly found buttons also include the Help button and the Close button. Tip! If you do not know what a button is used for, roll your mouse over it and an explanation displays. Here is a list of the more common buttons: Button Button Name Save Action This button saves the information entered in a window. Close Exit Sweep Fax, E- mail, Print Print Preview Retrieve Query Help This button closes the active window. If you have made changes to the current window, you will be prompted to save them. This button closes all windows in the active module. If you have made changes to any open windows, you will be prompted to save them. This button clears the data entered in a window, without closing the window. If you have made changes to the current window, you will not be prompted to save them. These buttons fax, , or print a report or form. If the window includes the Print Preview option, this button is available. This button retrieves a query entered on the window. This button opens the Prophet 21 help application. Inquiries Windows Buttons such as these open Contact Inquiry, Item Master Inquiry and Customer Master Inquiry (as shown here.) Buttons such as these open other windows such as Order Entry and Vendor Maintenance. Icons that display as the Epicor logo are windows that have been added to My Menu. (Roll the mouse over these icons to identify the window.)

11 Setting the Stage: The Workspace Prophet 21 Navigation To the left of the screen, you'll see the navigation options offered by Prophet 21.The navigation bar, along with the naming convention uses when referring to levels of navigation, is shown below. Menu items that contain additional options can expand one level deeper. This is where you will find the sub-menu options of earlier versions of the system

12 Setting the Stage: The Workspace Tip! You can adjust the width of the entire bar and the height of the band area with the two dotted areas on their borders. Window Keyword Search You can also search for system windows using keywords and navigate to them directly without using the standard menu paths. Below the band list is a field where you can enter keywords. As you type in this field, the system displays a list of possible results above the field

13 Setting the Stage: The Workspace This list updates as you type, with the results becoming more refined the more you enter in the field. You can open any of the windows appearing in this list by double-clicking its name. Alt + D brings back your previous search. Important! You can edit the keyword associated with a window using the Search Text field in the DynaChange Menu Designer. See the Prophet 21 help files for more details. Windows, Tabs, and Fields In the organization of Prophet 21 modules contain windows, in which there are often many tabs. Each tab contains many fields. You enter information in some fields, and obtain information in other fields. The function of any given window can vary. Windows can be: General system inquiries (such as Customer Master Inquiry) Popups that suggest inputs specific to a field (such as listing customers available for a customer ID field) Places to enter transactions (such as Order Entry) Queries and reports on information stored in the system (such as Query by Example or the AP Trial Balance Report) Wizards to quickly perform a specific function (such as the Data Entry Wizard) Prophet 21windows open in a single space in the task bar. You can navigate between different system screens by pressing Ctrl + Tab or with the Window drop down menu. If you want to open different areas of Prophet 21 in different windows, you can do so. Right clicking on any of the bands produces an option called "Open in New Window"

14 Setting the Stage: The Workspace This command opens the band in a new window. This new window has its own space on the task bar and can be reached by using Alt + Tab. However, any system screens you open here only appear on this instance's Window menu; they will not appear in any other instance of the application, and vice versa. Note: Opening modules in a new window does not require an additional license. This is particularly helpful for those that work in a dual monitor environment. Tabs Each window contains many tabs, which server to organize the information. By default, windows present a single line of tabs, or one in the header and one in the footer, if applicable. You can browse this line with a pair of scroll buttons. Tabs in both the header and footer panes appear at the top of the pane by default, but you can adjust this by using the Tab Position right mouse button menu option

15 Setting the Stage: The Workspace Inaccessible Tabs Often, you will open a window and find that many of the back tabs are inaccessible or grayed out. Therefore, when you click the tab, nothing happens. There are several reasons for this: You must enter some information in the front tab to access the back tab. For instance, you must enter an Order Number on the front tab in Order Processing before the system displays information about that order on the back tabs. The tabs are not necessary for the task on which you are currently working. For example, if you enter an Item Adjustment for an item that does not track bins, you will not have access to the Bin tab because you will not be using it. You do not have the security clearance to view the information on a tab. Security clearances are determined by your company s System Administrator. Tip! You do not have to return to the front tab to save the changes you made to data. You can press the Save button regardless of what tab you are currently using. Fields A field is an area on a window or tab where you enter, edit, or view data. In fact, a field is any place in a window where you can type information or select an option. Prophet 21 uses several different types of fields: text fields, checkboxes, drop-down lists, and radio buttons

16 Setting the Stage: The Workspace Field type Text field Type text into the field How you use it Example Checkbox Drop down list Turn the option on or off by clicking the field. Tip! An enabled checkbox shows a checkmark in the box. A checkbox that is not enabled is empty. Select from the list of choices that drops down when you click the button to the right of the box. If you are using the keyboard, use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the choices. Radio button Select one of the available choices by clicking the circle to the left of the choice. If you are using the keyboard, use the left and right arrow keys to select the choice. Tip! A radio button that has been selected shows a solid circle. Those that are not selected are empty. To access a field, click it with the mouse. If you need to use the keyboard to access a field, try pressing the [Tab] key until the field you want has focus. Tip! Remember that your mouse has both a left-click and right-click button. In our documentation and help files, clicks are with the left-mouse button. Right mouse clicks (usually done to access a menu) are indicated by specifying the right mouse button or the initials RMB. The Mouse Pointer The mouse pointer is an important element of Prophet 21. When you use the mouse to point to any location on the screen, the pointer takes on different shapes depending on the location you select. The mouse pointer can assume the following shapes:

17 Logging In and Out of Prophet 21 Pointer Name Description Arrow Double arrow The arrow appears over menus, scroll bars, toolbars, and fields. You use this pointer to choose menu commands, select toolbar buttons, use scroll bars, as well as various other tasks. The double arrow appears over the border of a window. You use this pointer to resize a window by clicking and dragging the mouse. Drill down hand I -beam Fourheaded arrow The drill down hand appears over a field in a Drill Down window where you can click for more information. The I-beam appears in a text area, such as a note. You use this pointer to select the proper insertion point. The small four-headed arrow appears over a table gridline where you can size table cells. You use this pointer to manually resize the columns in a table. Logging In and Out of Prophet 21 The login screen contains two tabs. The first, Connect, is where you enter your basic login information. It also has a section that shows the system processes in progress as the system initializes

18 Logging In and Out of Prophet 21 The other tab, Profiles, is where you'll find all the database options. The selected database is the one listed on the Connect tab. Note: Depending on your system configuration, you may not have access to the Profiles tab. The Profile will be set for you by your system administrator

19 Logging In and Out of Prophet 21 How Do I Log In? To log in based on your network ID and password (using the Windows authentication) you just have to choose Use Window Authentication, and click OK when you are on the Connect screen. If you need to use a login ID and password that is not the network ID and password, choose Use Standard Authentication, enter your user ID and password, and click OK

20 Logging In and Out of Prophet 21 How Do I Log Out? To log out of Prophet 21, close your windows, saving information when necessary. Then choose the Exit command from the File menu or the Exit icon ( )from the menu bar

21 How Do I Access Help? 2 Accessing Help Helpful information about how to use Prophet 21 is just a few clicks away. We offer help through the application help files, although you can also access to the Epicor Prophet 21 Customer Web site for additional support and educational opportunities. Use the application help files whenever you need information about: Concepts and features of Prophet 21 How a window and its tabs are used What a field means How to perform a specific task How to best locate the information often depends on the type of information you are looking for. If the file were a book you might: Open up to the Table of Contents to see how the book is organized Go straight to the Index to look up a concept alphabetically Flip through the pages to see if a word jumps out at you by searching Use a bookmark to save a favorite page you think you will use often The four tabs in the help window work in much the same way: Contents - to find information by modules and windows Index - to browse an alphabetical list of topics by key word Search - to list topics that include a specified key word Favorites - to add a list of topics for easier access later How Do I Access Help? There are several ways to access the help window. You can search the Prophet 21 help file by using the Search command on the Help menu, the Help command on the right mouse button menu, or the Help button

22 How Do I Access Help? You can access context-sensitive help topics by pressing the [F1] key in a particular field. Tip! If a field is grayed out, or if it is an information-only field, that is you cannot put your cursor on it, you must access help for that field using the Help menu or shortcut menu. You can also use the Help for This Column, Help for This Tab, or Help for This Window commands on the right mouse button shortcut menu on any window

23 How Do I Access Help? Help Topic Format Help topics display in a small window similar to this one: If you accessed the help file by using the [F1] key, or Help for this Window, Help for this Tab or Help for this Column (field), the help file opens to the information about the window, tab or field you are on. If you accessed the help file using the Search... command, the help file opens to the Welcome screen with four tabs (Contents, Index, Search, Favorites) to the left of this screen. Tip! The Concepts and Features book in the Table of Contents contains overviews of features that span across multiple windows. The Procedures book contains step by step instructions for commonly used procedures. Check these out, especially if you haven't in a while, as new topics are added with each new version

24 How Do I Access Help? At the bottom of each help page, there are additional links that allow you to contact Epicor Prophet 21 Software Support to enter a case for additional assistance and to contact the Documentation team to report a problem with the help file

25 Beyond the Help Files Beyond the Help Files While the help files are the "front line" of assistance, they are not the only resource available from the Help command. When you choose Prophet 21 on the Web, a wealth of information is available to you as a Prophet 21 customer by using the Epicor Customer Web Site. Important!: You must be an Epicor customer with a support program subscription to access the Customer Web Site. If you do not currently have a support program subscription and would like information on how to become a member, please contact Epicor Distribution Business Operations by calling or by ing distbusinessops@epicor.com. Once you enter the Customer Web site, use the Support link to access additional documentation such as the New Features Guide Compendium (a searchable file with more information about each of Prophet 21's features), manuals for complementary and optional products (such as B2B Seller or Light Manufacturing), and the support database for solutions

26 Beyond the Help Files Notice also that you have links to Education, Consulting, and the Prophet 21 forums where you can find additional information on services available to you as an Epicor customer

27 My Menu 3 Customizing Prophet 21 This section contains information about how both users and administrators can customize Prophet 21 to best meet your needs. My Menu MyMenu is a menu option located on the menu bar of every module in the Prophet 21 application. The menu options available are manually entered. For example, if you are a warehouse manager, Item Maintenance, Shipping, and Purchase Order Receipts are three windows you will use often. You can put all three of them in MyMenu and go right to these windows, rather than going through several menus (e.g., Module/Inventory/Maintenance/Item Maintenance) MyMenu opens the window in the module from which you are trying to recall. To add a window to MyMenu, simply open the window you want to add to MyMenu, right click your mouse button, and choose MyMenu. For each window you add to My Menu, the system displays a shortcut icon in its toolbar. The default picture for these icons is the picture used in the navigation bar. However, you can change these to any image on your computer or network using the My Menu tab in the Menu Designer

28 My Tasks Valid image types include:.bmp,.gif,.jpg, and.jpeg. To ensure that the icons fit properly with the application, Epicor recommends that you make your graphics standard Windows icon sizes (i.e., 16 pixels wide by 16 pixels tall, 32 wide by 32 tall, etc.). My Tasks The My Tasks section of the navigation bar displays a summary of Customer Relationship Management tasks assigned to you broken out by timeframe. The system groups incomplete tasks by those due today, tomorrow, within the next 7 days, and within the next 28 days. Tip! You can also access My Tasks from the right mouse button menu. If you have no tasks within a particular timeframe, the system does not display that section. You can view the detailed task record by double clicking the summary section in the navigation bar. A new right mouse button command from the Portal View or My Tasks View allows you to access your assigned tasks within a special Task Processing mode of Customer Master Inquiry (CMI)

29 My Tasks A window displays with your company ID, and a choice of Activity ID and date range. Field: Company ID Activity ID Date Range For information purposes only. Description: Limits tasks displayed to a specific activity. To view tasks for all activities, leave this field blank. Limits tasks displayed to a specified date range. The default is from the earliest date in the system to today. Click OK to enter Process Tasks mode in CMI with the appropriate customers for your tasks displayed. Note: If you use the right mouse button to enter Process Tasks while you are already in Process Task mode, the current list of customers will be replaced with a new list based on the new criteria entered

30 My Tasks From this mode, you can step forward and backward through the tasks assigned to you, just as if you were stepping through the customer list in CMI. You'll notice other changes in CMI when you are in Task Processing mode. These changes make sure you have access to information you need to complete your task. The top portion of the screen has the following changes when used for Task Processing: VCR buttons navigate through the list of tasks; the Stop button returns you to the usual CMI window The task bar indicates the activity type, the complete by date, the total number of tasks in the list and where this task is in the list. Date, Assigned To, Activity ID, Subject and Comments fields have been added. When you double-click the Comments field, it pops up to display all the information that has been entered regarding this task. The contact information row for the current task is highlighted and information in this row can be edited. If you press the Enter button while on the address field, a blank contact row displays, and you can enter information on it for a new contact

31 Print Preview 4 Making It Easy This chapter shows you handy tools for making tasks easier when using Prophet 21. Print Preview Print Preview is an option that shows you reports and some forms before they are printed. It allows you to view the report without having to print it to paper and may save you from having to print it at all. This option is available from the File menu in many reporting windows. You must enter the parameters for printing before you select the Print Preview option. When you choose Print Preview, the program shows the report on the screen as it will look when it is printed on paper. The margins of the report are shown as blue lines. The text on the preview screen may or may not be readable, depending on the current Zoom setting. If the document you are viewing is multiple pages in length, use the Page Up and Page Down options to move through the pages. To quit the preview and return to the report parameter screen, select Print Preview again from the File menu. To print the report to a printer, select Print and choose the appropriate printer. Notepads A note is like an electronic "sticky" note that can be attached to an object such as a customer, an item, an order, or a customer part number, and then read by other users of the system at specified times or printed on forms. The person who creates the note decides where each note displays and whether other users should be required to view the note. You can use notes for many different tasks, for example: Displaying special information about suppliers during purchasing Recording promotional information for specific items Listing discount information for special customers during order entry Printing detailed, item-specific instructions on a packing list

32 Notepads Entering Notes Notes are typed into the system through Notepad Maintenance windows. The system offers four Notepad Maintenance options: Customer Notepad Maintenance Item Notepad Maintenance Customer Part Number Notepad Maintenance Supplier Notepad Maintenance With these options, you can create notes that attach to different objects. For example, using Item Notepad Maintenance you can create item notes that display whenever the item is used. For example: Your location is out of a particular item and you want to tell your order clerks to fill orders for that item from your other locations and notify the customer to add two days to the normal delivery of that item. Using Item Notepad Maintenance, you create a note that the order clerk sees any time an order is placed for that item. The following is an example of the note you might enter to tell your sales clerks how to handle an order for the out-of-stock item:

33 Notepads In Item Notepad Maintenance, enter the item to which the note applies. Enter a Topic, or summary line, for the note, then enter the instructions in the Note field. Choose one or more display areas (areas in the system where the note appears) from the list at the bottom. In this example, the item note is serving as a reminder to order clerks. The best place to display a note meant for order clerks is in Order Entry. There are several other things that you can do in this window, such as enter an Activation Date (the first date the note can be viewed) and an Expiration Date (the date the note will stop being displayed). If you desire, you can assign the note to a Notepad Class. Notepad classes are userdefined, and are generally used to signal users regarding the importance of the note (e.g., URGENT) or as a parameter for printing a report (e.g., print a report showing all items with URGENT notes attached to them). Notes can be viewed, for example in the Order Entry Window, on the Item Notes Tab. This tab will only be accessible if there is a note associated with a particular item on an order. If you want to make sure that anyone entering an order for this item sees the note, select the Mandatory checkbox, which is located below the Notepad Class list. When this checkbox is active, the note displays as soon as the item ID is entered on an order or anywhere else in the system you have designated the note to appear. If the available display area chosen is a report (e.g., Order Report) or form (e.g., Invoice or Pick Ticket) the note will print on the report or form. Viewing Notes The previous section described how to create an item note using Item Notepad Maintenance. This section continues the same example. A customer places an order for 35 boxes of cookie cutter sets. When you enter the item ID for the cookie cutter sets, you notice that the Item Notes tab is available. You click the tab, read the note, and know that you need to order the item from one of your other locations. You tell the customer that since the item will be coming from another location, it will take two extra days to receive the order. The following shows how the note would display during Order Entry: You can continue entering the order by clicking the Items tab

34 Notepads The other Notepad Maintenance options work in a similar manner, for customers, suppliers, and customer part numbers. Tip! Notes can be entered on-the-fly during order entry, when creating purchase orders, and when transferring inventory. These notes are attached to the transaction only, not to the specific maintenance record. For instance, you can enter a line item note to a particular note on the Order Line Notes tab. Notepad Entry Window Notepad Entry windows are available in transaction windows such as Order Processing, Purchasing, Transfer Entry, and Shipping. They allow you to create and attach notes to orders, items, transfers, etc. These notes follow the transaction through the system and appear whenever the transaction is accessed. The Notepad Entry window is accessible by clicking the Add Note button on the Line Notes tab in any of the previously mentioned windows. Existing notes can be edited by clicking on Edit Note. Clicking the Add Note or Edit Note button invokes the Notepad Entry Window, as seen in the following window: This window allows you to select the Available Areas in which you want your note to appear

35 Fast Edit Windows The Select and Deselect buttons allow you to move one area at a time from the Available Areas list to the Selected Areas list. The Select All and Deselect All buttons allow you to move all areas from the Available Areas list to the Selected Areas list and vice versa. Once you select an Available Area, it no longer appears on the Available Areas list. You can also select and deselect areas by double-clicking them or by clicking and dragging them. You can highlight non-adjacent areas by pressing the [Ctrl] key and then clicking the desired areas simultaneously. This procedure will select those particular areas without including other areas that may be in between them. You can highlight adjacent areas by pressing the [Shift] key and then clicking the desired areas simultaneously. This procedure selects a consecutive range of areas. Fast Edit Windows A Fast Edit is a tool used to retrieve multiple records (items, customers, or vendors) from the database, so that you can edit the data within those records as a group rather than individually. The fast edit windows are an excellent way to pull records from your system that fall within established criteria, especially when you think there will be a large amount of information retrieved so that editing the information could prove to be a cumbersome task

36 Fast Edit Windows For example, your company makes a change to its policy of printing statements. The old policy was to print open item statements for customers (Statement Type is Open Item). The new policy is to print statements for customers in balance forward format (Statement Type is Balance Forward). If your company has 4,000 customers, you might think you would have to open all 4,000 customer records in Customer Maintenance to change the Statement Type from Open Item to Balance Forward. This process would be extremely time-consuming. The Customer Fast Edit window allows you to retrieve all the records into the fast edit table, and then change the Statement Types for each customer. Note: Many fast edit windows have different tabs depending on where they are in the system. However, all the tabs serve the same general purpose: displaying columns that are specific to that tab. For example, the Item Fast Edit window has a Lot tab. It is in this tab that you ll be able to access columns dealing with items lots. How It Works To retrieve records in a Fast Edit window, you begin by creating a model of the records you want to retrieve on the Query tab. To retrieve: Customers from company 01 Items from supplier Vendors from company 01 Enter the following criteria 01 as the Company ID in the Customer Fast Edit window as the Supplier ID in the Inventory Fast Edit window 01 as the Company ID in the Vendor Fast Edit window You can narrow your selection of data even further by specifying conditional tests using the operands <, >, <=, and >=. For example: To retrieve: Customers with IDs greater than Items with IDs less than or equal to Bolt - ¼ Enter the following criteria > as the Customer ID in the Customer Fast Edit window <= Bolt - ¼ as the Item ID in the Inventory Fast Edit window As you enter criteria on the query, the system builds an SQL statement and displays it on the SQL Statement tab. It looks something like: SELECT inv_loc.item_id, company.company_name, address_a.name, inv_loc.product_group_id, inv_loc.qty_allocated, inv_loc.qty_backordered, inv_loc.qty_in_transit, WHERE (inv_loc.company_ id=company.company_id) and (((inv_loc.item_id= COP50 )) or ((inv_loc.item_id= COP60 ))))

37 Fast Edit Windows The SQL statement is executed when you choose the Retrieve option from the File menu. The data that matches the criteria entered on the Query tab is retrieved and displayed. Each record the system retrieves is displayed in its own row on the Query tab, and the total number of Rows Retrieved displays at the top of the tab. Note: Not all fast edit windows have an SQL Statement tab, and in fact many fast edit windows have different tabs depending on where they are in the system. However, all the tabs serve the same general purpose: displaying columns that are specific to that tab. For example, the Item Fast Edit window has a lot tab. It is in this tab that you ll be able to access columns dealing with items lots. Available Fast Edits There are a number of Fast Edit options throughout the system. This chart shows some of the areas where they are located and for what each is used: Fast Edit name: Found in: Used for: Item Inventory editing all item information Customer Ship-To Accounts Receivable Accounts Receivable editing general customer information editing general ship-to information Vendor Accounts Payable editing general vendor information Sales Pricing Page Order Entry editing sales pricing page information Purchase Pricing Page Purchase Order editing purchase pricing page information Vendor RFQ Purchasing editing vendor quotes Update Disputed Voucher Lines Accounts Payable editing disputed voucher lines Matching Against Specific Field Values If you enter a specific name or value in a QBE field, the system will search for an exact match. For example:

38 Fast Edit Windows If you enter: in the Customer ID field in the Customer Fast Edit Screws in the Product ID field in the Inventory Fast Edit OEM in the Class 1 field in the Vendor Fast Edit The selection is limited to: only customer only those items assigned to the Screws product group only those vendors assigned to the OEM vendor class 1 Using Operands There are two operands you can use in data retrieval: > (greater than) and < (less than). For example, using these operands, you can retrieve all items in a company based on the Item ID. The following table shows what data is retrieved when each operand is used: Operand: >Fuse <Fuse What is retrieved: All items with Item IDs that fall after Fuse alphabetically. All items with Item IDs that fall before Fuse alphabetically. Using AND and OR in Fast Edits Using AND and OR, you can query for matches against multiple criterion and in an "either/or" situation. This data is used in the examples explaining AND and OR: Companies on the systems Product Groups within the company Bill s Sports World SKI SCUBA TENTS SLEEP BAGS Frank s Baseball Shop BASEBALL

39 Fast Edit Windows Using AND To query for matches against multiple criterion, you would enter all the criteria in the same row. For example, to find all items in the SKI product group AND in the company Bill s Sports World, you would enter the text SKI in the Product Group field and Bill s Sports World in the Company Name field on the same row. Using OR To query for matches against one criterion or another, you would enter the criteria on different rows. For example, to find all items in the SLEEP BAGS product group OR the TENTS product group, you would enter the text SLEEP BAGS in the Product Group field on the first row and the text TENTS in the Product Group field on the second row. Using AND and OR Together To query for matches in an "either/or" situation (i.e., items in the SLEEP BAGS product group OR the TENTS product group, AND in Bill s Sports World), enter the criteria in different rows. In this case, enter the text SLEEP BAGS in the Product Group field on the first row, TENTS in the Product Group field on the second row, and Bill s Sports World in the Company Name field on both rows. This is like running two queries at once, one for Sports World AND the SLEEP BAGS product group, and the other for Sports World AND the TENTS product group. Performing a Fast Edit Use these instructions to perform a fast edit. 1. Select the module you would like to perform a fast edit in. Fast edit windows are available in the Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Inventory, and Order Entry modules. 2. From the Maintenance menu, select Fast Edit. Note: Most fast edit options will have a more specific title, such as Vendor Fast Edit. 3. The Fast Edit window opens, and presents you with a Query tab that displays a blank list. Enter the criteria to retrieve the records you wish to edit in this tab

40 Query by Example Query by Example A Query By Example (QBE) is a tool used to retrieve information from the rows and columns of a SQL database. This tool is called a query by example because it allows you to search, or query, the database by setting up an example of the data for which you are looking. The system searches the database for rows that match the example, and retrieves the data in those rows.. The Prophet 21 database is relational, which means that all the information stored within it is organized into tables that maintain specific relationships to ease your data extraction. A query is an operation that is performed against one or more tables in the database, to extract data and to create a result set that contains the selected rows and columns. There are two different types of QBEs in the system; one type includes an SQL Statement tab in the window, the other does not. Using QBEs QBEs help you to find the information you need very quickly. Because QBEs are so simple to use and so flexible, they can also be used to gather and filter data for reports. In fact, this is the most common use of the Prophet 21 QBEs. Take a look at the sample data table below from Cooper s Auto Repair shop. It shows the work orders received during two business days. The table shows the work order number; the ID of the customer who brought the car in for service; the date, the make, model, and year of the car; and a comment on the work that needs to be done: Work Order Date Customer ID Make Model Auto Year Description Toyota Camry 2007 Brakes - shake Honda CRV new tires GM Impala 2006 Check fluids Saturn Vue 2006 Check fluids Cooper s could use QBEs to print reports on the work order records that have certain criteria, such as the make of car, or the type of service performed. For instance, if you query the database to look for cars that were made in 2006, the following rows would be retrieved: Honda CRV new tires GM Impala 2006 Check fluids Saturn Vue 2006 Check fluids

41 Query by Example Cooper s could even take the query a step further, by adding another criterion: service date. The following are the results of a query for cars made in 2006 that were serviced on May 15th: GM Impala 2006 Check fluids Saturn Vue 2006 Check fluids You can view data that has been retrieved from the database on screen, printed in reports, or exported to other applications on your PC, such as Excel. You can then manipulate the data as desired, or create graphical representations of the data (such as a pie chart or bar graph). Typical QBE Window All of the QBE windows in Prophet 21 have at least one thing in common: they each look like an empty table when you open the window. This is precisely what a QBE window is when you first open it an empty table with no data in it. The sample window shown here is an Order Processing QBE, used to look up information on orders that have been entered into the system. Notice that the window is set up in rows and columns: Most QBE windows (like this one) have a horizontal scroll bar at the bottom, allowing you to scroll to the right to see more of the columns in the table. Typically, there are so many columns in a QBE window that they cannot be shown all at one time. You can re-arrange the order of the columns in the QBE window by dragging and dropping them. This allows you to see the columns of data that are most important to you

42 Query by Example Retrieving Information from the Database To retrieve information from the database, you must first enter some criteria for the search as Cooper s did when he was searching for cars manufactured during a certain year. Enter the criteria in the first row of the QBE table, in the appropriate column. For instance, to search for orders created on July 1st, 2009, you would enter in the first row of the Date Created column: Once you enter the criterion (in this case, you told the window to only show orders entered on July 1st, 2009), you must tell Prophet 21 to go find the data that matches it. To do this, either click the retrieve icon on the Prophet 21 Toolbar ( ) or select the Retrieve option from the File menu: Prophet 21 retrieves the rows holding orders that were entered on July 1st, filling the once-empty table with data. Keep in mind that when you enter a specific name or value in a QBE field, the system searches for and retrieves only exact matches. You can also use greater than, less than signs (>, <), etc. to get a range. For example, >01/01/09 would give you all dates after January 1, Each row represents a record in the Prophet 21 database, and contains pertinent information about one order. For example, the retrieved rows show information about complete, approved, and deleted orders that were entered on 07/01/09. For your convenience, the QBE window shows the number of rows retrieved at the top. This is an exact count of the number of records that matched the criteria you entered, and may indicate if you need to fine-tune your query to find only the data you really need. SQL Statements Some windows have a second tab called SQL Statement. This is the actual SQL statement that the application writes to run the query you enter in the Query tab. The statement is there so that people

43 Query by Example who understand SQL and use it in other applications (like your System Administrator), can see what Prophet 21 is doing. Most users do not have to understand the SQL statement. Therefore, you can skip this section if you like. A SQL statement looks something like this: The SQL statement is executed (run) when you choose the Retrieve option from the File menu. Data that matches the Query is retrieved and displayed on the Query tab. Available QBEs There are a number of QBE options in the Prophet 21 application. The following chart shows where they are and how each one is used:

44 Timestamps QBE name Module Found in Best used to find Invoices Accounts Receivable Invoices that exist for a customer Orders Inventory Orders that exist for a particular item Orders by Customer Order Processing Orders that exist for a particular customer Orders by Item Order Processing Orders that exist for an item Purchase Orders Inventory Purchase orders that exist for an item Purchase Orders by Item Purchasing Purchase orders that exist for an item Purchase Orders by Supplier Purchasing Purchase orders that exist for a supplier Stock Status Inventory Inventory information about an item Timestamps As you work with the system, you will start to notice a familiar tab that appears in practically every window, Timestamp. Sometimes, this tab even appears twice in the same window, once on the top and once on the bottom. The Timestamp tab records three things: 1. The date and time a record was created or a transaction was saved. This date and time is taken from the server. 2. The date and time a record was last edited. This date and time is taken from the server. 3. The user ID of the person who created the record or edited it This information can prove to be very valuable. For instance, it is your job to receive transferred material into the system. You receive 100 cases of staplers from another location. Since you usually keep only 10 cases in stock, you cannot figure out why so many cases were transferred to you. Using the transfer number and the transfer paper, you look up the transfer in question and click the Timestamp tab:

45 Approvals The Timestamp tab indicates that the record was created on September 21st, 2009 at 11:30 am. It was last edited on the same day at 11:36 am. The user who edited the transfer was Jason Kim. Now you have something to go on. You can contact Jason Kim at the source location, and clarify the reason you received so many staplers. Windows with Two Timestamps Sometimes, the Timestamp tab appears twice in the same window. The tab at the top of the window applies to the header information of the transaction; the tab at the bottom of the window applies to the item that is currently selected. The Transfer window is one of the windows in Prophet 21 that has two Timestamp tabs. The one at the top of the window shows when the transfer was created, when it was last modified, and who performed the edits. The one at the bottom of the window shows the same information for each line item on the transfer. The information shown on the bottom tab is formatted exactly as it was in the Timestamp tab for the header information, only these dates, times, and User IDs apply to the line item. Approvals If the Approvals feature is enabled in your system, various procedures such as order entry and transfers can be closely monitored by supervisors or other qualified persons. The Approved checkbox, which appears on transaction windows, is a part of this approval process. When the checkbox is active, a supervisor has either approved the corresponding transaction (e.g., order, transfer, etc.) or approval is not required. When the Approved checkbox is clear, the accompanying transaction has not been approved. When the Approvals feature is active, transactions must be approved before they can continue through the system (i.e., an unapproved order cannot be shipped). For example, your warehouse supervisor reviews every transfer entered by her employees. If a transfer is correct, she approves it. If a transfer is incorrect, she makes the necessary corrections and approves it. When the warehouse clerk, enters a material transfer, she can see an Approved checkbox on the screen. She cannot check it the system will not allow it. When the warehouse supervisor opens the Transfer Entry window to view the transfer. The following window appears:

46 Audit Trails She checks the transfer to see that it is correct. If it is incorrect, she could edit it at this time. She approves the transfer and releases it for shipping by selecting the Approved checkbox and saving the transfer. Now the transfer is ready to be shipped to the destination location. Tip! The Approved checkbox also determines when a transaction is posted to the General Ledger. The exception to this rule is in the Order Processing and Front Counter windows where the Approved checkbox allows you to print forms. Audit Trails Audit trails allow you to track changes to the records in your system, allowing you to see what changes were made, when they were made, and who made them. This increases user accountability in the system and makes it easier to find the person responsible for a particular change in case you have questions. When the Audit Trail tab is available, it displays all the changes that occur within a given window. This tab shows you what changes have been made to a given record, who made them, and when

47 Audit Trails they were made. It is like a more detailed Timestamp tab with multiple entries. The Audit Trail tab appears in the following windows: Order Entry Front Counter Orders Requisition Purchase Order Entry Transfer Entry RMA Purchase Orders Customer Maintenance Customer Credit Limit Maintenance Corporate Credit Limit Maintenance Vendor Maintenance Supplier Maintenance Division Maintenance Address Maintenance Production Orders Production Order Processing Though each Audit Trail tab displays different information for each window in which it appears, there are certain fields common to all Audit Trail Tabs. The first four fields are in the tab header and display general information about the record: Field: Date Created Date Last Modified Created By Last Maintained By Description: Found in the header of the tab, this field refers to the date when the record was first created in the system. The date the last change was made. The person who created the record. The person who made the last listed change. The other fields describe particular changes that occurred throughout the history of the record. The information listed in these fields pertains to a single change. Fields common to all tabs include: Field: Column Changed The field that was changed. Description: