Term Creation and Control Files

Transcription

1 MBS ARC (TEXTBOOK) MANUAL Term Creation and Control Files This chapter will assist users with the options on the Control Files menu. Control Files allow the text staff to maintain a term through initial steps like course creation and adoptions to end-of-term processes like resetting inventory for returns and preparing a future term. Control Files provide price recalculation options as well as store settings displayed for inquiry purposes. This manual covers the following aspects of control files: Maintain Term Options... 3 Create a Term... 4 Additional Options for Terms... 6 Update POS Options... 7 Update POS Options at the end of a term... 8 Prior Terms... 8 Reset Reserved Inventory... 9 Global Retail Price Recalc Define Customize Options Store Specific Defaults Communications Options Address Information Purchase Order/Receiving Pricing Options Shelf Tag Options Chargeback Options Term Options Buyback Options Miscellaneous Options... 15

2 Bar Code Ticket Options Bar Code Printer Options Define Customize Options Display General System Defaults MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 2 OF 16

3 Maintain Term Options Term maintenance involves the timing of the following processes: Creating terms Activating a term for price lookup Activating a term for POS sales posting Prioritizing a term for POS sales posting Resetting reserved inventory Deactivating a term for POS sales posting The first step in preparation for creating courses and adopting titles is to create the term. Creating a term also sets up POS options for the term. Please Note that the POS options will need to be edited before, during, and after the term to ensure that sales are posting as close as possible to the proper terms. Posting sales to the correct term in ARC ensures correct returns extracts and sales information. Control Files > Maintain Term Options MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 3 OF 16

4 Descriptions of term settings are as follows: Term Type in the Term designation (for example, F for Fall or S for Spring these designation codes can be set up your Client Representative). Description Descriptions can be Fall, August, Hands on Workshop, or any other phrase that elaborates on the one-letter term code. Price Lookup Active This field displays if the POS controller will recognize sales at the register for the term. POS Posting Active This field displays if a term is set for sales to be posted against it. POS Priority Term This field displays if a term has priority for sales posting. This is a factor when term dates overlap. Buyback This field displays if end of term buyback is complete. Returns This field displays if returns are complete. Reset Reserve This field is informational only. Users may insert a date to remind them to reset reserved inventory, which will display on the Maintain Term Options screen. Final Column This column shows when the reserve was reset. Create a Term Terms must be created before adoptions can be entered and sales correctly posted to that term. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 4 OF 16

5 1. Click Add Term. The New Term Options screen appears. Enter the following parameters: Term Designation Enter the one-letter Term designation (for example, F for Fall or S for Spring). Term Year Enter term year to assign to this term. Date Term Starts The date the term starts is an optional informational field. Date Faculty Requisitions are due The date faculty requisitions are due is an optional informational field. Order Quantity Display Status This option allows users to choose which tab is displayed when viewing the Order Quantity Edit screen. When a term is initially activated, the default should be set at Open to Buy. This is useful when adopting books and making buying and ordering decisions. The End of Term option can be used later after term sales are completed, and it is useful for displaying ending inventory numbers and returns figures. This term is active for editing Leave the flag set to Yes to edit adoptions. No will restrict the ability to make changes, like new adoptions, to the selected term. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 5 OF 16

6 Returns are complete for this term This field is informational only. Flip the flag to Yes when returns are complete and the Maintain Term Options table will reflect the change. Date to reset Reserved Inventory This field is informational only. Users may insert a date to remind them to reset reserved inventory; this will display on the Maintain Term Options screen. 2. Select Save to complete the creation of the term information. A message appears, stating Data was inserted. Select Save. Enter another term or select Go Back to view all terms. Once a term is created, it can be worked with from the Option list to the right of the term table. Additional Options for Terms These options perform the following functions: Update This option allows users to edit the Term Options. Update POS Options This option opens the Update POS Options window, which contains crucial Point of Sale information. Prior Terms This option allows users to select previous terms and connect them to the term they are working with. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 6 OF 16

7 Reset Reserved Inventory This option is used to begin the returns process and will be reviewed in the Returns chapter. This process should only be done once per term and only prior to term returns. Update POS Options To work with the POS Options for a term, highlight and click Update POS Options. Available for Sales Posting? Choose Yes for this option if the store is ready for sales to be posted against this term. Leave the flag set to No if the term has not yet been open for sales. This will avoid sales posting to the new term instead of another term that may already be active. Change the flag back to No after the end of the term when there is no longer a need to post sales to the term. Priority Term for Sales Posting? There should be only one priority term in the system. When a term is designated as the priority term, priority is taken away from other term(s) if the terms overlap chronologically. Designate the upcoming term as a priority when you are ready to start selling books for that term. Thus, sales will properly post to the correct term. Include for Price Lookup? This flag indicates to the POS controller if this term s book prices are to be included in the PLU. Setting the flag to Yes enables the registers to recognize the title and its price when scanned. The PLU also includes Rental indicator flags if a book has been set up to rent in that term. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 7 OF 16

8 3. Enter your choices, and click Save. The table columns will update to display Yes or No based on your selections. Update POS Options at the end of a term At the end of a term, Available for Sales Posting? should be reset to No so further sales will post to the next term, and the next term should have Available for Sales Posting? set to Yes. Prior Terms Setting a Prior Term allows users to connect a previous term with the current term. This option allows the Textbook program to search for titles used in previous terms that are also adopted in the new term. The system then automatically flips the Book Used Next Term flag on the Order Quantity Edit/Open to Buy screen in the previous term. This flag tells the system not to include books used next term when creating return documents automatically (i.e. when using Extractions). This function is explained in more detail in the Returns chapter. 1. Highlight a term and click Prior Terms. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 8 OF 16

9 2. Highlight the term prior to the term being worked with and click Save. Reset Reserved Inventory When quantities are no longer needed to cover sales in the current term, Reset Reserved Inventory will make remaining inventory available for all titles adopted to the term. What happens next to that inventory is up to the bookstore. Inventory needed for the next term may be reserved to that term. Inventory that is no longer needed may be returned. Note that this resets inventory for all textbooks reserved for the term. It is also possible to reset reserve on a single title on the book s individual Inventory screen. More details regarding how reserve and available inventory work are discussed in the Inventory chapter. Steps to reset reserve are as follows: 1. Highlight the term that needs to be reset and click Reset Reserved Inventory. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 9 OF 16

10 2. A confirmation pop up box displays with an alert verifying This function should be performed only if you are ready to run returns. It can also be done if you are ready to move inventory to a different term. Click Confirm Reset Reserve to complete the reset. 3. Return to the term list and click Save to refresh the term listing table. The Performed on XX/XX/XX displays with the current date. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 10 OF 16

11 The following book screens are updated when the reset of reserved inventory is completed: Inventory: Quantities that had been in Reserve for the term are now displayed as Available. o Once inventory is reset, manual changes to reserve are no longer available Order Quantity Edit: Reserved for term still displays as history information ONLY. Open to buy does not change. With inventory now in Available status, Reserve Available Inventory can be completed to move quantities into another term and Extractions can move quantities to a return file. These topics are discussed further in the Inventory chapter and Returns chapter. Global Retail Price Recalc Global Retail Price Recalculation is another option available within the Control Files Menu. It configures prices store-wide in ARC and creates a price change batch to update prices in the Stockledger. Generally, Global Retail Price Recalculation is used for one of two reasons: The store decides to change its general pricing structure. These changes do not automatically update ARC, so a Global Retail Price Recalculation should be run to update ARC prices. Following the Recalculation, users must verify and post the price change batch to update the Stockledger. The store elects not to update shelf prices during a database update and/or during receiving (in order to keep prices static during a term). At the end of the term, the store can run a Global Retail Price Recalculation to process price updates that have come in from these areas. The global price recalculation feature does not allow shelf price updates if a book has a competitive price in effect. Competitive pricing is handled through the affiliate program on MBS Systems or through third-party software options designed to work with the Textbook application. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 11 OF 16

12 Following the Recalculation, users must verify and post the price change batch (Adoptions > Maintain Price Changes) to update the Stockledger. Control Files > Global Price Recalculation 1. Select the desired store and, if desired, select specific vendor. Click Confirm Request. 2. A confirm types of prices to update screen will appear. Select Y or N to update Used Prices and Rental Prices. New Shelf Price will update automatically. 3. Click Save to complete the global price recalculation. There is not an automatic report that prints, so it is suggested to review pricing in your inventory reports. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 12 OF 16

13 Define Customize Options Store Specific Defaults Control Files > Define Customize Options > Store Specific Defaults Customize Options are maintained by MBS Client Services team. These are set up when initially customizing a store, and settings can be changed as needed by contacting your Client Representative. These options can be reviewed at any time in a Display Only aspect. Communications Options These settings define DirectLink, EasyLink, and PubNet information. This information is used to send want lists, retrieve want list responses, and send PubNet purchase orders electronically. Address Information These settings define the store mailing and billing addresses as well as address other details. Purchase Order/Receiving These settings define how purchase order numbers are automatically assigned by ARC, how order information is displayed in receiving, and how prices are updated in receiving. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 13 OF 16

14 Pricing Options These settings define the general pricing structure that can be overridden by both vendor and title. Pricing at the store level typically uses a Minimum Margin. This margin refers to what percentage of the Retail price is profit. The inverse of the Margin is what percent of the Retail price is cost (this is also refered to as the Cost Complement). The system uses the margin and the Publisher cost to calculate retail automatically when using a Minimum Margin. The equation for retail is: Retail = Cost/1-Margin For example, a textbook cost $100. I would like to have my profit margin be 25% of my retail price. This equation would then look like: Retail = $100/ Retail = $100/.75 Retail = $ Keep in mind Margin differs from Mark-up, as the Mark-up on this title is 33.33% (percentage of cost added to cost for retail, or (33.33% * $100) + $100). Also, be sure when working with MBS Client Services for changes to margin that you provide what percent of Retail (profit %) you would like to maintain, not the mark-up percent. Other default pricing settings exist as well. One can determine not to use a margin and therefore set pricing manually. Pricing can also be set to the publisher s list price. A threshold option is also available to automatically use the publisher s list price if the publisher provides a discount over a certain percent. This percent is called a discount ceiling. For example, setting a discount ceiling of 19%, then any discount over 19% on a title would use publisher s list price as my retail shelf price (if the publisher charges $100 for a title but offers me a 20% discount, I would pay $80 to buy from the publisher and would use $100 as my retail shelf price in this example). MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 14 OF 16

15 Again, Pricing Options are set up by MBS Client Services. Questions about your pricing, or change requests will be made through our Client Services team. You can still modify prices even when using a minimum margin from the Vendor, manual edit on the item itself, competitive pricing, and at the register. Shelf Tag Options These settings define the type of shelf tags to print. Chargeback Options These settings define how ARC sends chargeback information to MBS Accounts Payable, if the store has the AP module, as well as setting what type of chargeback form to print. Term Options This displays abbreviations for terms. Buyback Options These settings define the default buyback initialization options. These include general options, receipt options, audit options, pricing options, and rounding options. Miscellaneous Options These settings display how the store name will be printed in the header of reports. Bar Code Ticket Options In addition to book title and ISBN, these settings define what is printed on a default barcode ticket. Bar Code Printer Options These settings define the type of barcode printer the store uses. Define Customize Options Display General System Defaults Control Files > Define Customize Options > Display General System Defaults MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 15 OF 16

16 This displays options that are set up for the Company as a whole. Some multi-store functions are set here as well. Like the customize options for a store, the General System Defaults are also maintained by MBS Client Services. The options on this display include company name, default store number, and Merchandise Company number as well as information on how purchase orders are automatically generated, currency code defaults, and if the company is set to be a multiple store system. Multiple store system options include the following feature options: Order Consolidation A Yes setting means that users are allowed to place open-to-buy figures for multiple stores onto the same purchase order or want list at the same time. When received (if all received at one store), items are received based on priority level of stores. Transfer batches are created to send units to other stores (again if received at one store) once receiving is completed. Returns Consolidation: A Yes setting means that users are allowed to extract available inventory for multiple stores into one returns file. This is helpful if all returns are being shipped from one store as opposed to from individual stores. Change Prices in All Stores A Yes setting means that the prices of a certain item in all stores will change if the price for that item is changed in one store Multi-Store Invoice Selection A Yes setting means that users are allowed to match available inventory to invoices available in multiple stores. This is especially helpful for stores that transfer inventory frequently from the receiving store to other stores. Again, these setting are set up and maintained by your MBS Client Representative. MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. PAGE 16 OF 16