Process Design

With the above framework to POP processing we can now outline the factors to consider and the options within the design process you must set. The major processing factors include:

Automatic or manual processing?

Can several orders be combined in a single process?

What types of order to process and what details to include?

What identifying numbers to use on documents?

What discount facilities are used?

What additional data items need to be input at run-time?

What items need to be confirmed at run-time?

What closing procedures to do?

What files to update, and when?

What data items to copy between files?

How are payments with orders handled?

Audit considerations

Automatic or Manual Processing?

For any type of document (acknowledgement, delivery note, invoice) you have the option to process them one by one by choosing the orders from the keyboard; or you can ask for a batch run to process a selection based on some pre-defined or run-time criteria.

Some company’s work best by taking each order in turn for processing, and here you would choose the manual approach. In other circumstances, however, it can be easier to process a batch of orders daily, hourly, or whatever. In this case you need to think through what orders to include in a batch run. Many companies will need facilities to do both.

The parameters you need to review for batch runs include:

Which orders, which order details, and which quantities (parameter screen 1)

Search criteria for order headers and order details (parameter screen 18)

Auto-run facility itself (also parameter screen 18)

Combine Several Orders on One Document?

Certain companies may place many orders on the same supplier, and want to try to combine them where possible, particularly if importing from overseas. You achieve this with an affirmative answer to a single question in document parameter screen 1.

What Orders to Process and What Details to Include?

Whether for manually-initiated or batch run processes, you can determine which orders and details are to be looked via three questions in parameter screen 1:

Select which orders to process. You can elect to choose each order number you want to process in turn (this option is ignored for batch runs); to ask for just outstanding orders (those with status "A”); or for all orders, regardless of status.You are likely to choose the first for manually initiated processing, and the second for auto-run processing.There may be occasions when you want to take the third choice — perhaps when confirming quotations (status "Q”) in a batch with selection criteria that include only "Q” status orders entered today.

Select which order details within order. You can elect to process all order detail lines; just those still outstanding (not complete, on hold or deleted); those which have been received; those lines for which receipts have yet to be matched to invoices; or those which are back-ordered.

Default to which order detail quantities. The options here are the outstanding quantity (not yet received); the original order quantity; the last received quantity; the quantity received but not yet invoiced; the quantity not yet received; or zero — you must type in quantities. The difference between this and the previous question is that the previous only determined which order detail lines to consider for a process, whereas this present question determines which quantity to use or offer.

In addition to the above choices you can use the selection criteria facility (defined in parameter screen 18) on orders and details to refine the choice of orders processed.

What Identifying Numbers to Use?

It is possible to become bogged down with order numbers, goods received note numbers, invoice numbers and so on. There is much to be said for keeping to a single sequence of numbers for all invoices, regardless of how produced, and to keep to a separate sequence of order numbers, used for all other documents. You need to make decisions on which numbering sequences to use, and when — see also Audit Considerations below.

Datafile Software lets you maintain 18 separate sequence numbers within the purchase order processing system, and 24 separate sequence numbers within the invoicing system (some suppliers may use both the purchase order processing and invoicing systems).In addition to these are four sequence numbers which are common to purchase order processing, invoicing and the sales and purchase ledgers. These choices are made in document parameter screen 2.

Discount Facilities

You can use several discount facilities, individually and together. These include line-by-line discounts (the supplier discount is used unless you override this at order entry time) an overall discount and settlement discounts. The parameters that decide the discounts to use all occur during order entry. For the purposes of printing documents you must give the co-ordinates of where to print discount values (screens 3–6 all have questions on discounts).

Additional Data Items Input at Run-time

For manually controlled processes you have considerable scope to specify items of data to display and verify from order detail and purchase accounts for printing on a document.In addition a further twelve items can be input from the keyboard, for printing on a document as well as for adding into the purchase and stock transactions which result when files are updated. These are all specified through the parameter screens 7, 8 and 9.

Items to Confirm at Run-time

A special option allows you to enter up to two further values for each detail line that you are going to print. You can use this for final confirmation of price or discount, or for data such as the serial number of an item, which would only be known at receipt. These questions are controlled by parameter screen 11.

Closing Procedures

Once you have made up the body of the document with the items you wish to include, then there may be some closing information to enter or confirm, such as a delivery address or shipping instructions. Up to six items can be confirmed, all defined on parameter screen 9.

What Files to Update, and When?

You can choose whether or not to update files after a process is complete. Each of the order, stock and purchase ledger files are updated independently, and you can even choose to update stock but not write stock transactions.

Although you may have specified that certain system files are to be updated (parameter screen 1) you can decide at run-time (manual operation only) not to update the files — although you can force file update if you wish (parameter screen 12). The purpose of forcing an update is to eliminate accidents, and discourage the possibility of negligent use.

What Data Items to Copy from File to File

This feature is one of the most powerful facilities of Datafile Software when it comes to building a fully integrated management information system around the standard applications. It lets you determine what items of data are to be copied between files, so that the information you may need subsequently is available where you want it. Since you can control what information is created in the first place, there is little in the way of enquiry and reporting that you cannot do.

You specify the items to copy between files in parameter screens 15 and 16. With Datafile Diamond and Premier you can predefine some copy item facilities under the Database Profiles of the Installation options, and these will always occur. Process Copy Item parameters are in addition to those, therefore.

Stock Update Detail; Detail Update Stock

A useful extra facility of Datafile Diamond and Premier is the copy items defined in the Database Profiles as "Stock Update Detail” and "Detail Update Stock”. The items that you specify here are not only copied when an order detail line is added, but also when the order detail line is updated.

Optionally you can use this facility again when the order is matched against an invoice — depending on the setting in System Profiles.

Copying from the stock master to the order detail file takes place once the stock code is entered.This data is thus available for the rest of the process. Copying of data from the order detail back to the stock file is then done at the end of processing this order, provided the order detail file is updated. On invoicing the copying back to the stock file only occurs if the stock file is actually updated.

This feature could be used in a number of situations. For example:

to update a stock value such as "last receipt” date

to make sure the current buying price is used, regardless of the price which was keyed when the order was entered

Payments with Order

The system can cater for payments made with orders. If a payment is made, then a payment transaction can be written to the purchase ledger at the time the invoice is raised.

Audit Considerations

Customs and Excise, the Inland Revenue and your auditors may all have views on how you number invoices and credit notes, particularly with regard to security and completeness.Your audit trail needs to consider and cater for the possibility that a document number is duplicated for some reason, to avoid the possibility of an extra assessment being made.