General Consultant Discussion

Hi everyone

Laura Dy has proposed some questions for you all, please post your responses at your convenience.  

We are researching new features for the Sage 100 2024 release and need clarification on the requirements. 

1. Delete and Change Utilities (Delete and Change Items, Delete and Change Customers, etc.)

• On the Ideas Site, there are 13 votes requesting to change the order of the tabs; Change would be the first tab, followed by Delete.  Do you agree that the tab order should be changed?  https://www5.v1ideas.com/TheSageGroupplc/Sage100ERP/Idea/Detail/11814
• Also on the Ideas Site is a suggestion to add separate security options for the Delete and Change functions. If we add a security option to allow entry of Delete tasks and another security option to allow entry of Change tasks, would it be acceptable to only allow the user to select the Proceed button if they have permissions for both security options?   https://www5.v1ideas.com/TheSageGroupplc/Sage100ERP/Idea/Detail/15246

 

 

2. Quick Completion of Purchase Orders

• In Purchase Order Options, selecting the "Automatically Close Partially Received Purchase Orders" option will set the status of the purchase order to completed during the receipt register update based on the value entered in "Receipt Variance to Close Purchase Order Lines".  If this value is set to 100%, the purchase order will be set to completed regardless of the quantity received.
• Are customer's using this option, or would they prefer to manually set the purchase order as complete during data entry?
• A purchase order would be considered complete if the received quantity equals the invoiced quantity (regardless of the ordered quantity).  In the situation where the order is over invoiced, how would you like us to handle?  Prevent the order from being set to complete, or allow it and report a variance?
• Note: For audit purposes, we would prefer to handle this through data entry, as opposed to a utility that changes the order status to completed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Anne Sawyer
Executive Director
90 Minds Inc.
Huntington Beach CA
15626651241
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1a:  Agree it is too easy to delete, and like CHANGE First.  
1b:  Like separate security for the features, and a way to stop them from using a "range" somehow when renumbering or merging.
Overall, two separate utilities on the menu with separate security would be great.
Allowing proceed only if they have access to both does not make sense to me.  

2a - I think it is not global for the company, and better handled by allowing them to manually mark the PO as Completed.
2b - My experience is that the percent complete, to be considered complete is specific to items, maybe product lines, maybe vendors.  But not a global one size fits all for the company.  
2c - Many companies receive partials.  Order 12,000 and receive 2,000 a week on a single line item.  That would mark the line complete when the first quantity is received and the invoice received.  I'm not sure that would work for some existing clients.  More at issue is the term "backorder" for a PO that has Qty Ordered = Qty Received with Qty Invoiced not matching.  Purchasing people and Warehouse People don't consider it a backorder when the Qty Ordered = Qty Received.  We need a different term for "pending invoice"; not backorder. 

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Madeline Stefanou
RKL eSolutions, LLC
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My thoughts are similar to Madeline's:
1) Delete/Change should be two different tasks with different View/Modify/Delete security access.
2) I always felt the PO Automatically Close Partially Received Purchase Orders should be Vendor-based and then default to that setting on a PO.  It should also be available to override on an individual PO (with sufficient security right). I would never auto-complete any order where I've been Invoiced more than I've Received.

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Steve Iwanowski, NextStep Technology Advisors, aka DSD Lancaster PA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-17-2023 20:29
From: Madeline Stefanou
Subject: Questions from Sage Development Team

1a:  Agree it is too easy to delete, and like CHANGE First.
1b:  Like separate security for the features, and a way to stop them from using a "range" somehow when renumbering or merging.
Overall, two separate utilities on the menu with separate security would be great.
Allowing proceed only if they have access to both does not make sense to me.  

2a - I think it is not global for the company, and better handled by allowing them to manually mark the PO as Completed.
2b - My experience is that the percent complete, to be considered complete is specific to items, maybe product lines, maybe vendors.  But not a global one size fits all for the company.
2c - Many companies receive partials.  Order 12,000 and receive 2,000 a week on a single line item.  That would mark the line complete when the first quantity is received and the invoice received.  I'm not sure that would work for some existing clients.  More at issue is the term "backorder" for a PO that has Qty Ordered = Qty Received with Qty Invoiced not matching.  Purchasing people and Warehouse People don't consider it a backorder when the Qty Ordered = Qty Received.  We need a different term for "pending invoice"; not backorder. 

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Madeline Stefanou
RKL eSolutions, LLC
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Re the Delete/Change - OMG, yes.  That is the very first thing I stress to a client who is thinking of using the utilities - that the tabs are in the WRONG ORDER and that they need to make double-dog sure they are on the Change tab, not the Delete tab (because, really, 99% of the usage is Change, at least for my clients).

Re POs - NO ONE uses the auto-close, do they????  But they DO have multiple receipts/invoices on a particular line item, and wouldn't want the PO closed just because the first qty had been rcvd/invoiced.  Honestly, I haven't seen this whole scenario as an issue with any clients.

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Beth Bowers
(269) 358-0989
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Yes.  Switch the Delete / Change order.  My customers rarely use the Delete utility because it doesn't delete any records if there is any associated activity.  The user has to use the Change utility to merge records into a ZZZDELETE item or customer.

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Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles
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I like the idea of separating delete and change.

For the PO close, I have had customers try the percentage method and give up because of its global nature.
I was just at a customer who handles lots of metals and they have gotten in the habit of holding off receiving POs until they have the invoice because the decided to change the PO qty to match what was received/invoiced.  Having a "Close PO" button (with it's own security setting) would get my vote (and theirs!).

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Phil McIntosh
President
Friendly Systems, Inc.
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-18-2023 08:11
From: Doug Higgs
Subject: Questions from Sage Development Team

Yes.  Switch the Delete / Change order.  My customers rarely use the Delete utility because it doesn't delete any records if there is any associated activity.  The user has to use the Change utility to merge records into a ZZZDELETE item or customer.

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Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles
------------------------------

I would agree having the 'Change' tab first is better, but maybe also have a red warning appear upon going to the Delete tab.

I don't know many folks using the 'automatically close partially rec'd po's' setting.  But I would say a po should be considered 'completed' if Qty Ord = Qty Rec'd = Qty Invoiced.  And along those lines, please consider changing/adding a po status of something like "waiting for invoice".  It really doesn't make a ton of sense to consider a po backordered if it's been fully-received but just not invoiced yet.

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Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-18-2023 08:36
From: Phil McIntosh
Subject: Questions from Sage Development Team

I like the idea of separating delete and change.

For the PO close, I have had customers try the percentage method and give up because of its global nature.
I was just at a customer who handles lots of metals and they have gotten in the habit of holding off receiving POs until they have the invoice because the decided to change the PO qty to match what was received/invoiced.  Having a "Close PO" button (with it's own security setting) would get my vote (and theirs!).

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Phil McIntosh
President
Friendly Systems, Inc.
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-18-2023 08:11
From: Doug Higgs
Subject: Questions from Sage Development Team

Yes.  Switch the Delete / Change order.  My customers rarely use the Delete utility because it doesn't delete any records if there is any associated activity.  The user has to use the Change utility to merge records into a ZZZDELETE item or customer.

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Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles

Lots of great ideas here, and both of these features need improvement.  I have never used the automatically close partially completed POs feature for anyone ... it's too broad.  I would rather have a security based button in the PO, or some utility, that allows you to mark the PO complete for all those poor PO's out there that users did not receive on properly but are considered complete.  I usually have to wait a year after an implementation and then go through with them all the PO's that are actually completed so that I can mark their quantities received equal each other on Goods and Invoiced so that they won't show up on the Purchases Clearing report.  I do this through DFDM or VI - depending on the quantity.

Regarding the ever dangerous Delete and Change utility -- all the suggestions are good.   

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Jane Scanlan
Partner
Next Level Manufacturing Consulting Group
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-18-2023 09:38
From: Brett Zimmerman
Subject: Questions from Sage Development Team

I would agree having the 'Change' tab first is better, but maybe also have a red warning appear upon going to the Delete tab.

I don't know many folks using the 'automatically close partially rec'd po's' setting.  But I would say a po should be considered 'completed' if Qty Ord = Qty Rec'd = Qty Invoiced.  And along those lines, please consider changing/adding a po status of something like "waiting for invoice".  It really doesn't make a ton of sense to consider a po backordered if it's been fully-received but just not invoiced yet.

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Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 05-18-2023 08:36
From: Phil McIntosh
Subject: Questions from Sage Development Team

I like the idea of separating delete and change.

For the PO close, I have had customers try the percentage method and give up because of its global nature.
I was just at a customer who handles lots of metals and they have gotten in the habit of holding off receiving POs until they have the invoice because the decided to change the PO qty to match what was received/invoiced.  Having a "Close PO" button (with it's own security setting) would get my vote (and theirs!).

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Phil McIntosh
President
Friendly Systems, Inc.


Original Message:
Sent: 05-18-2023 08:11
From: Doug Higgs
Subject: Questions from Sage Development Team

Yes.  Switch the Delete / Change order.  My customers rarely use the Delete utility because it doesn't delete any records if there is any associated activity.  The user has to use the Change utility to merge records into a ZZZDELETE item or customer.

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Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles

And there should be a skull/crossbones warning that the delete/change is permanent, it impacts multiple files, and undo is difficult if not impossible. If a restore is needed, you will likely need to restore many files impacted by this utility. You should not proceed unless you have a complete backup of your MAS_XXX folder. You've been warned.

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Wayne Schulz
wayne@s-consult.com
Schulz Consulting
(860) 516-8990
Moodus, CT
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Hard to understand why the Delete/Change order is even being asked.  This should have been done YEARS ago.  And now they are addressing via a committee vote.  Just it.  Highly agree with @Wayne Schulz , BIG WARNING about being stupid/careless.  Soooooo easy to accidently insert a range for merging!  Literally had a client merge their customer list on 9/11 WITHOUT a backup...

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Jeff Schwenk
Bottomline Software, Inc.
(540) 221-4444
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-18-2023 10:17
From: Wayne Schulz
Subject: Questions from Sage Development Team

And there should be a skull/crossbones warning that the delete/change is permanent, it impacts multiple files, and undo is difficult if not impossible. If a restore is needed, you will likely need to restore many files impacted by this utility. You should not proceed unless you have a complete backup of your MAS_XXX folder. You've been warned.

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Wayne Schulz
wayne@s-consult.com
Schulz Consulting
(860) 516-8990
Moodus, CT
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My thoughts are pretty much the same, either change order or separate functions. both with big warnings .     Never had anyone use the auto close po.  By vendor would make it more useful.

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Bob Osborn
Consultant
ACI Consulting
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