Item

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The main record of all item information. Products in inventory and/or E-commerce will need to be unique and detailed; otherwise, these records may be as general or specific as you would like. A major factor in deciding is the level of sales reporting you expect to have access to. To take a closer look at the product information, page to the next record (Commands>Next, CTRL+N or the Next Icon ).

item record

You are now viewing the Item Record Dialog.

Item Code (30 characters/alphanumeric) – A unique code used within your organization to represent a product.
Description (30 characters per line/alphanumeric) – Two lines are provided for a short description of the product that will appear on documents, reports and in Order Entry itself. When space is at a premium only the first description line will be used.
Long Description and Instructions (dynamic/alphanumeric)– Used for more complete information regarding the product. Flagging this option will initiate the Long Description and Instructions dialog. This dialog is divided into three sections: Long Description, used for details meant to appear on all customer documents (i.e. Quotes and Invoices); Vendor Instructions required on all vendor documents (i.e. Quote Requests and Purchase Orders); and Warehouse Instructions for notes on all warehouse documents (i.e. Packing Slips and Warehouse Release Requests). Xebra does support basic Windows functions so you are able to copy and paste, rather than retype, information that is to appear in multiple sections. When an item containing Long Description and Instructions is added to a job, they will carry over to the Line Item screen.
Ordering Instructions (dynamic/alphanumeric) – Used for internal purposes only, Ordering Instructions is perfect for any important details staff may need to be aware of when ordering a product.  When an item containing Ordering Instructions is added to a job, they will appear on the Item Data screen.
Product Category – Used to group related products together to increase sales management and marketing reporting capabilities.
Size Code – Generally used only in the Printing and Forms industry to group items for combination order to reduce printing costs.
Group (14 characters/alphanumeric) – Used to group similar items together (i.e. identical polo shirts of different sizes) for efficiency during the ordering process. These groups are integral in using the Automatic Multi-Line feature when creating line items. Groups are entered manually and MUST be identical to be recognized as the same.
Customer – Is this product specific to one customer only? If the answer to this question is “no” this field will never be used. If this is a customer specific item, enter the Customer Shipping Code. For customers with multiple shipping codes enter the main office code or the Master Customer Code.
Customer Item Number (15 characters/alphanumeric) – Again, ONLY used when the product is specific to one customer. If the customer has provided a unique code they use to refer to the product, this code will be used on all customer documents rather than any code you have assigned internally.
Vendor Item Number (15 characters/alphanumeric) – Before using this field you must ask two questions. Is this product only ever ordered from one specific vendor? Does this product have an industry wide, standard number? If the answer to both of these questions is “no” this field will not be used. Any number entered in this field will replace your internal item code on all vendor documents.
Packing Information - The packing information entered here serves two purposes.  First, it provides information to operators entering orders.  Second, it is used to provide the program with information to convert from one unit of measure to another when the buy and sell units of measure are different. Though this is an important part of inventory and E-Commerce products, you should be sure to complete these fields for ALL product records regardless of the simplicity.
oPacked – The product’s basic packaging information. This should represent the lowest unit of measure you will deal in this product. The quantity and unit of measure and how the stated quantity is packaged together (i.e. for widgets packed 12 per case you would enter: 12 EA per CS). Unit of measure (UOM) abbreviations can be self determined though the system will recognize one. “LT” will be recognized as “lot” and will impact calculations in Order Entry so be sure to only use this abbreviation when necessary.
oSell Unit of Measure – The UOM in which you most regularly deal in this product regardless of the UOM you are required to buy in from the vendor.
oBuy Unit of Measure - The UOM in which you most regularly buy this product from a vendor regardless of the UOM in which you require your customer to purchase.
Suggested Vendors – You may list up to three vendors you prefer to use for a product. All three vendors will be listed as visual references when creating Requests for Quotes.  The Suggested Vendor 1 will be the default vendor when ordering a product though you can change this choice when creating the line item.
Inactive – Will note when a product has become inactive or discontinued. Flagging a product as inactive will help remove clutter from searches and reports.  It will also prevent inactive items from being added to E-Commerce catalogs and new CSI control records.
General Inventory Item – ONLY used with General Inventory functions. Products flagged as inventory will require additional information.
oInventory Unit of Measure – The UOM the product is general dealt in. How is this product stored? How is this product released?
oMinimum Stock Quantity – The least quantity of product deemed acceptable. This quantity will be used when constructing the Inventory Status and Reorder Report.
Customer Specific Inventory Item – ONLY used with Customer Specific Inventory (CSI) functions. When flagged, you will be asked to provide CS Inventory Unit of Measure. This UOM represents how this product is generally stored and released.
Specifications – Specifications Masks are used in cases where there is a significant amount of data needing to be gathered for a product. Masks can help in laying out all required data needs and offer standard available options. When choosing to use Specifications, you will be asked to either create a new mask or to copy one from an existing item record or line item. The creation of Specification Masks will be covered later in this Chapter.
Image – You may choose to include a small image of the product on various documents. Flagging the Image option will enable you to open a desktop browser through which you may choose any *JPG, *PNG or *BMP file to represent the product. Only one image file may be associated with an item record at a time.
Price Information – This is used to record either single-level or multi-level pricing for a product to be  used when creating future jobs.  When selecting this option, you will first be asked "Would you like to create a multi-level pricing structure?".  Choosing "Yes" will initiate the Multi-Level Pricing dialog box, allowing for the creation of up to 5 volume-driven price levels.  Choosing "No" will initiate the Single-Level Pricing dialog box, allowing for just one cost and one price, unaffected by volume, to be associated with  the item record.  Select "Cancel" to exit from this option without entering pricing information. Most often used in conjunction with General Inventory and/or Customer Specific Inventory.  For further details, refer to either of those chapters of the manual.
Tax – Some products may require alternate tax information; perhaps the item is taxed at a different rate or it may be altogether tax exempt. Once flagged, the Xebra will allow you to designate the item as tax exempt, asking for a tax exempt reason, or to choose an alternate sales tax code. If left unchecked, tax rates from the Customer Shipping record on the job will apply.
Imprint Template - This is used to create, store, and edit a variable imprint template for the item (business cards, letterhead, envelopes, etc.).  The templates will work in both Order Entry and E-Commerce.
File Attachments – Providing the means to attach ANY file type to an item record, line item or a job itself, File Attachments are an invaluable tool in organization, sharing and record keeping. There is no limit to the number of files that can be attached and these attachments will carry forward as items are ordered (i.e. File Attachments on an Item Record will automatically be carried to a Line Item when ordered).
oOnce flagged, the File Attachments dialog will open and you will be prompted to add new files. Clicking Add will open a desktop browser allowing you to search for and choose desired files. Any files added are then available to all those with access to your system and anyone may update them at anytime. Additional functionality allows for an individual file to be attached to emails of certain document types. If including an attachment with an email, you may choose to have the Xebra automatically zip the file if it is significantly large.
oFile attachments have been used for various purposes including, but not limited to, artwork (drafts and final copy), PDFs of email correspondence regarding products or jobs, and meeting notes covering important related details. Add File Attachments
Kit – ONLY used in conjunction with the Customer Specific Inventory module to initially create a kit item including labor cost and price and all components. For further details refer to the Kits section of the Customer Specific Inventory chapter.
Production Definition – ONLY used in conjunction with the Xebra Production Module.

 

Please see the Vendor Remittance section of this chapter for information on how to use the Commands > Print List function.