Customer Demand Management

Forecast Orders

The intended use for the Customer Demand Management (Planning) system is to handle all Forecast information sent in through EDI from customers. This forecast information can be used for material and/or production planning. You can use information found in the TrueAuto Planning file by printing reports, creating exports, or if needed, preparing ASNs. When Trading Partners send forecast data via EDI, TrueAuto generally separates orders into Forecasted Orders and Firm Orders.

As releases from Trading Partners are processed, forecasted orders are transferred to the Planning file, and firm orders are transferred to the Firm Orders file. In general, you cannot ship against forecasted orders, however, Firm Orders must be shipped. Each Trading Partner has a preset way of handling orders: whether they are routed to the Planning file or routed to the Firm Orders file. You can choose to make modifications to this routing based on your needs. Contact the TrueAuto Support team if you are interested in changing the way that data is routed.

Work with Forecast Orders

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Forecast Orders.

 TIP   Use the Filter panel to search for forecast orders.

2.    On the Customer Forecast Orders screen, click the forecast that you want to view.

3.    Select the General, SHIP/DELV DATE REVIEW, MISCELLANEOUS, or History tabs to view the corresponding details.

General tab

SHIP/DELV DATE REVIEW tab

MISCELLANEOUS tab

HISTORY tab

Work with MISCELLANEOUS

To view and print an incoming EDI document 

1.    Click the Document Ref Number link.

2.    On the Incoming Document window, click the EDI button.

The EDI window displays the raw EDI for the selected incoming document.

3.    On the Incoming Document window, click the Print icon.

The Incoming Document is displayed in a new window.

 Note   For more information, refer to Incoming Documents.

Work with History

To view Planning History

This feature displays all the processing that has occurred to a forecast order. After you save the changes made to a forecast order, the previous forecast order will be stored on the History tab.

1.    On the History tab, click the order whose history records you want to view.

2.    On the Planning History window, select the General, General (Cont.), or Other Info tabs to view the corresponding details.

General tab

General (Cont.) tab

Other Info tab

  TIP   You can view and print an incoming EDI document on the Other Info tab by referring to steps on the MISCELLANEOUS tab.

Build Labels for a Forecast

1.    On the Customer Forecast Orders screen, select the forecast for which you want to build labels.

2.    Click the Build Labels button.

3.    On the completed labels message, click OK.

Forecast Reports

You can manipulate the views of forecast data into multiple formats. You can also export forecast reports to a file or an Excel spreadsheet for external use.

Print a Report

1.    On the Customer Forecast Orders screen, click Print.

2.    On the Choose Reports to Print window, do the following:

a.    Select the Trading Partner and Ship To in the dropdown list.

b.    Select the Start Date and End Date from the calendars.

c.    In the left pane, select the report that you want to print. Use the following Field Definitions.

d.    In the right pane, select one or more options, and then click OK to preview the report.

Field Definitions

Export a Report

Two of the checkboxes in the Choose Reports to Print window are used to export data to either an Excel spreadsheet or a comma-separated plain text file (.csv).

Once the files are exported, you can bring meaning to the data using the functions in Excel or other external program. If the data does not appear to have exported correctly, contact the TrueAuto Support team. If you are having trouble manipulating the data after it has been successfully exported to Excel or .csv file, contact your IT Dept. for help.

Export a Planning Report to an Excel Spreadsheet

With the Long Term Forecast (Excel) checkbox selected, TrueAuto opens a new Excel spreadsheet and begins to populate a worksheet with the parameters that were entered in the Forecast Reports window.

The export process omits all dates without forecast data. Select the Include Dates without Data checkbox to override the omission and show one column for all dates in the range that was specified.

The Long-Term Forecast Excel file is downloaded.

Create a Forecast

Unless you are working with a non-EDI Trading Partner or are replacing an order that was accidentally removed, there should be little to no reason to manually add a new record.

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Forecast Orders.

2.    On the Customer Forecast Orders screen, click New.

3.    On the next screen, fill out the details of the new plan on the General, SHIP/DELV DATE REVIEW, or MISCELLANEOUS tabs. Use the following Field Definitions.

4.    When you’re finished, click Save.

Field Definitions-General

Field Definitions-SHIP/DELV DATE REVIEW

Duplicate a Forecast Order

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Forecast Orders.

2.    On the Customer Forecast Orders screen, select the order that you want to duplicate.

3.    Click the Duplicate button.

4.    On the confirmation message, click OK.

5.    On the Customer Forecast Order window, make changes as needed for the duplicated order.

6.    When you’re finished, click Save.

The Forecast Order is duplicated.

Delete a Forecast

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Forecast Orders.

2.    On the Customer Forecast Orders screen, select the forecast file that you want to remove, and then click the Delete icon.

3.    On the confirmation message, click OK.

Hide Alert Display

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Forecast Orders.

2.    On the Customer Forecast Orders screen, select the Hide Alert Display checkbox.

The color status (Red) will be hidden.

Firm Orders

The Firm Orders file contains all “firmed” shipment requests from the Trading Partner based on incoming EDI data. Each Firm Order is defined by the Trading Partner specifications as some combination of part number, ship date, ship to, and reference number from the incoming document. Although the definition of Firm Order may differ between Trading Partners, each of their specifications are preloaded into TrueAuto. Firm Orders are always displayed as unique records in the Firm Orders file. When they are ready to ship, Firm Orders are then attached to user-created shipments called ASNs through a process called assignment.

Work with Firm Orders

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Firm Orders.

2.    On the Customer Firm Orders screen, click the order that you want to view.

 Note   For a full description of each field, refer to the Field Definitions in the next section.

 TIP   You can scroll right to view more fields.

3.    On the Firm Order Detail screen, select the General, Inner Containers, Allowance Charge, Other Info, and History tabs to view the corresponding details.

General tab

  TIP   Click the View more link to expand the details.

Inner Containers tab

Allowance Charge tab

Other Info tab

History tab

Field Definitions

Work with Inner Containers

To view the inner container details

1.    On the Inner Containers tab, click the container that you want to view.

2.    On the Inner Container window, select the General, Dates/Shipping, IPP Tag, or Other tabs to view the corresponding details.

To add an inner container to a firm order

1.    On the Inner Containers tab, click New.

2.    On the Inner Container window, fill out the details of the new serial on the General, Dates/Shipping, or Other tabs.

To assign an inner container to a firm order

1.    On the Inner Containers tab, click the Assign icon.

2.    On the Choose How to Assign window, select one of the following options and click OK:

·         By Unassigned Serial: Shows all available serials from inventory for that part.

·         By Unassigned Pallet: Shows mixed master serials from inventory for that part.

3.    If you select the By Unassigned Serial option, choose the serials that you want to assign on the Choose Serials to Assign window.

4.    If you select the By Unassigned Pallets option, choose the pallets that you want to assign on the Choose Pallets to Assign window.

To unassign an inner container from a firm order

ð  On the Inner Containers tab, select the container that you want to unassign, and then click the Unassign icon.

To delete an inner container from a firm order

ð  On the Inner Containers tab, select the container that you want to remove, and then click the Delete icon.

Work with Allowance Charge

To add a new allowance or charge to a firm order

1.    On the Customer Firm Order screen, switch to the Allowance Charge tab.

2.    On the Allowance Charge tab, click New.

3.    On the Adding Allowance Charge Line Items window, do the following:

a.    Select a Code.

                      i.        Click the Search icon in the Code field.

                     ii.        On the Select Allowance Code window, select the Allowance or Charge Code.

                    iii.        Click Select.

The selected Allowance or Charge Code is displayed in the Code field. The Description is loaded according to the Allowance or Charge Code.

 TIP   You can add more allowance or charge options to the Code dropdown list by referring to steps in Cross Reference Library. 

b.    Select Allowance or Charge in the Type dropdown list.

c.    Enter the Percent, Percent Qualifier, Amount, Unit Rate, Unit of Measure, Quantity, and Handling Code in the boxes.

4.    Click Save.

A new Allowance or Charge is added to a Firm Order.

Work with Other Info

To view and print an incoming EDI document 

1.    On the Customer Firm Order screen, switch to the Other Info tab.

2.    On the Other Info screen, click the Document Ref Number link.

3.    On the Incoming Document window, click the EDI button.

The EDI window displays the raw EDI for the selected incoming document.

4.    On the Incoming Document window, click the Print icon.

The Incoming Document is displayed in a new window.

  Note   For more information, refer to Incoming Documents.

Work with History

To view Firm Order Detail History

This feature displays all the processing that has occurred to a firm order. After you save the changes made to a firm order, the previous firm order will be stored on the History tab.

For instance, if you save the deletion of a ship serial from a firm order on the Firm Order Detail page, you can then view the previous Shipped Quantity for this firm order in the history.

1.    On the Customer Firm Order screen, switch to the History tab.

2.    On the History tab, click the order whose history records you want to view.

3.    On the Firm Order Detail History window, select the General, General (Cont.), or Other Info tabs to view the corresponding details.

General tab

General (Cont.) tab

Other Info tab

  Note   You can view and print an incoming EDI document on the Other Info tab by referring to the steps in working with the Other Info tab.

Customer Firm Orders File: Use of Colors

TrueAuto makes the use of the colors to show you something that may need attention. The following shows how they are used in the Customer Firm Orders file.

·         Red Ship Date Text:

The firm order is overdue and unshipped. Requires attention. Decide if it is still a valid firm order, and then postpone the ship date, ship the order, or delete it.

·         Red Ship Date Highlighted:

There is no TP requested ship date or our ship date. Because this order’s ship date is unknown, attention from the user is required to add it, or contact TrueAuto Support if there are problems with the EDI transfer process.

·         Red Shipped Quantity and Part Number:

The shipped quantity is higher than 0 and does not match the requested quantity.

·         Yellow Highlight over Part Number:

A warning flag has been turned on. You cannot ship this order until the flag is removed. The most common cause for a yellow firm order is: During processing, TrueAuto found that the firm order is a replacement for another order that has already been assigned to an ASN. In terms of replacement logic, TrueAuto considers any order assigned to an ASN as shipped, and therefore unchangeable. Hence, the original firm order remains unchanged and the new firm order is added to the Firm Order file in yellow, and cannot be shipped against. This behavior can be altered.

Work with Serials

The View Serials icon will display a pop-up window showing all the Serial Numbers that have been assigned to the highlighted Order. If labels have not been printed or serials have not been assigned, this window will be blank. You can use this window to either verify accuracy, adjust serial record information, or reprint labels as needed. An example would be to change returnable types or lot numbers. Be careful not to make changes here that will create inconsistencies between TrueAuto records and the printed labels. It is possible to create serial records here when troubleshooting special cases of missing serials.

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Firm Orders.

2.    On the Customer Firm Orders screen, select the order that you want to view.

3.    Click the View Serials icon.

4.    On the Inner Containers window, click the serial that you want to view.

5.    On the Inner Container window, select the General, Dates/Shipping, IPP Tag, or Other tabs to view the corresponding details.

General tab

Dates/Shipping tab

Other tab

IPP Tag tab

IPP tags help you track parts throughout the entire transportation process. You can issue IPP tags for initial prototype parts or to trace where problems may occur during shipping.

Field Definitions-General

Field Definitions-Dates/Shipping

Field Definitions-Other

Build Labels

Though it is seldom used, it is possible to print labels from the Firm Order file before the orders have been assigned to ASNs. By clicking the Build Labels button, TrueAuto prepares the labels for printing.

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Firm Orders.

2.    On the Customer Firm Orders screen, select the order for which you want to build labels.

3.    Click the Build Labels button.

4.    On the completed labels message, click OK.

 Note   If the Firm Order already has labels for printing, the Review Labels message will appear. Then, select one of the options:

·         OK: Creates new serials for the selected part.

·         Cancel: Cancels this printing.

Print a Firm Order Report

The Firm Orders file shows you a list of shipment requests from your Trading Partners. It is the file that contains information for parts orders, quantities, and the date when they are requested. You can analyze Firm Orders at a higher level by manipulating the data into different views through TrueAuto reports. To print a report or export data from the Firm Order file, click the Print icon.

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Firm Orders.

2.    On the Customer Firm Orders screen, select the order that you want to print.

3.    Click the Print icon.

4.     On the Choose Reports to Print window, do the following:

a.    Select the Trading Partner in the dropdown list.

b.    Select the Ship To.

                      i.        Click the Search icon in the Ship To field.

                     ii.        On the Browse Ship To window, choose the Ship To and click Select.

The selected Ship To is loaded.

c.    Select the Start Date and End Date from the calendars.

d.    In the left pane, select the reports that you want to print.

·         Firm Orders by Part: Creates a report with the part numbers grouped together.

·         Firm Orders by Date: Creates a report with the orders grouped by date.

·         Short Term Forecast (Excel): Creates Excel-based Firm Orders.

·         Export Firm Orders: Creates a .csv file with date, time, part, reference, quantity, ship to, description, and unit price.

·         Daily Schedule (Excel): Exports data to Excel and includes all parts for the Trading Partner, the LineSide work center (if appropriate), and the details of each order for the date range.

·         Order Summary: Prints a list of shippers with orders showing either the balance remaining, or all orders if you select the Include Zero option.

·         Order Change History: Prints a report with the historical changes made to the order.

e.    In the right pane, select one or more of the following options:

·         Include Zero: Includes zero-quantity orders.

·         Unshipped Only: Includes only unshipped orders.

·         Shipped Only: Displays shipped Orders.

·         Make CSV: Creates a Comma-Separated Value file for this report.

f.     Click OK to print or review the report.

g.    On the Print Preview message, click OK to continue.

The report is displayed accordingly.

Create a Firm Order

Firm Orders are added automatically as data is received from Trading Partners. For Trading Partners that send and receive EDI, manually creating a Firm Order runs the risk of being rejected due to missing system-specific information which you may not have. If the Trading Partner sends EDI and you suspect a Firm Order should be manually added, contact the TrueAuto Support team to evaluate if inserting a Firm Order can be avoided, or if it is possible to duplicate an existing Firm Order instead.

For non-EDI Trading Partners, it may be a common occurrence to manually create Firm Orders. TrueAuto suggests that you create a master list of Firm Orders: one per part number, Ship To number, and order number.

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Firm Orders.

2.    On the Customer Firm Orders screen, click New.

3.    On the Customer Firm Order screen, select the Trading Partner in the dropdown list.

4.    Fill out the details of the new Firm Order on the General tab. Use the following Field Definitions.

5.    When you’re finished, click Save.

Field Definitions

To select a Part

1.    On the General tab of the Firm Order Details screen, click the Search icon in the Part Number field.

2.    On the Browse Parts window, choose the Part file and click Select.

The selected part is loaded in the Part Number field.

To select a Ship To

1.    Click the Search icon in the Ship To field.

2.    On the Browse Ship To window, choose the Ship To and click Select.

The selected Ship To is loaded in the Ship To field.

To select a Currency

1.    Click the Search icon in the Currency field.

2.    On the Select Currency Code window, choose the Currency and click Select.

The selected Currency is loaded in the Currency field.

Duplicate a Firm Order

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Firm Orders.

2.    On the Customer Firm Orders screen, do one of the following:

·         To duplicate a Firm Order: Select the order that you want to duplicate, click the Duplicate button, and then choose the Highlighted Firm Orders option.

a.    On the confirmation message, click OK.

b.    On the Customer Firm Order window, make changes as needed for the duplicated order.

c.    When you’re finished, click Save.

The Firm Order is duplicated.

·         To duplicate a Planning Order: Click the Duplicate button, and then choose the Select Planning Orders option.

a.    On the Browse Forecast window, choose the planned orders for this Trading Partner.

b.    Click OK.

c.    On the confirmation message, click OK.

d.    On the Customer Firm Order window, make changes as needed for the planned order.

e.    When you’re finished, click Save.

The Firm Order is duplicated.

Delete a Firm Order

Only delete Firm Orders that are definitely no longer scheduled to ship. Deleting live orders will result in missed shipments.

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Firm Orders.

2.    On the Customer Firm Orders screen, select the order that you want to remove, and then click the Delete icon.

3.    On the confirmation message, click OK.

Hide Alert Display

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Firm Orders.

2.    On the Customer Firm Orders screen, select the Hide Alert Display checkbox.

The color statuses (Red & Yellow) will be hidden.

Export Firm Orders

With the Export feature, you can send Firm Order documents to Trading Partners that do not use an EDI system. The following sections describe how to export single or multiple Firm Orders on the Customer Demand Mgt screen.

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Firm Orders.

 TIP   Use the Filter panel to search for firm orders.

2.    On the Customer Firm Orders screen, select the order that you want to export.

 Note   Refer to the Field Definitions at the end of this section.

3.    Next, click the Export File button.

 Note   To export multiple orders, select the orders that you want to export and click the Export File button.

4.    On the confirmation message, there are two options, do one of the following:

·         Click Yes to export the selected record. 

The notification window shows that the record has been processed successfully.

 Note   The notification pop-up window will show the number of records that have been processed successfully, out of those selected.

·         Click No to cancel the export of the selected record. 

The notification window will show if an exception occurred during the export process.

Field Definitions

PO Acknowledgements

This section describes the EDI transaction sets that are sent in response to a Purchase Order. These transaction sets are as follows:

Purchase Order Acknowledgement

The Purchase Order Acknowledgement (PO ACK), known in X12 as an 855 and in EDIFACT as an ORDRSP, is sent after a Purchase Order is received to confirm the goods are available to be sold. It can be used to tell the buyers who sent you a Purchase Order (PO) that you will be either filling the PO as requested or will not be able to fill the order for some reason.

Purchase Order Change Request - Buyer Initiated

The Purchase Order Change Request, known in X12 as an 860 and in EDIFACT as an ORDCHG, is used to provide the information required for the customary and established business and industry practice relative to a purchase order change. This transaction can be used: (1) by a buyer to request a change to a previously-submitted purchase order or (2) by a buyer to confirm the acceptance of a purchase order change initiated by the seller or by mutual agreement of the two parties.

Purchase Order Change Acknowledgement/Request - Seller Initiated

The Purchase Order Change Acknowledgement, known in X12 as an 865 and in EDIFACT as an ORDRSP, is used by the seller to convey acceptance or rejection of changes to a previously-submitted purchase order from the buyer. The transaction set is used by the seller to accept, reject, or modify a purchase order. Also, the transaction set can be seller-initiated to change a purchase order.

Application Advice

The Application Advice, known in X12 as an 824 and in EDIFACT as an APERAK, is used to report the results of an application system's data content edits. The results of editing transaction sets can be reported at the functional group, an entire transaction set, or any portion of a transaction set, in either coded or free-form format. It is designed to accommodate the business need of reporting the acceptance, rejection, acceptance with change, or partial acceptance or rejection of any transaction set.

Order Status Report

Order Status Report, known in X12 as an 870 and in EDIFACT as an ORDREP, is used to report on the current status of a requirement forecast, an entire purchase order, selected line items on a purchase order, selected products/services on a purchase order, or purchase orders for a specific customer in their entirety or on a selection basis. The transaction set can also be used to report on the current status of single or multiple requisitions. The report format allows for the inclusion of "reasons" relative to the status. This transaction set may also be used to update the supplier's scheduled shipment or delivery dates. This transaction set can result from either an inquiry or a prearranged schedule agreed to by the trading partners.

Work with an Acknowledgement

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click PO Acknowledgements.

2.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, click the record that you want to work with.

3.    On the General tab, view the general information and make the changes as needed.

a.    To change the Purpose Code, do the following:

                      i.        Click the Search icon.

                     ii.        On the next screen, choose an option, and then click Select.

b.    To change the date when the Acknowledgement was created, enter the new date in the Acknowledgement Created field.

 Note    By default, the Acknowledgement Created Date takes the current date.

c.    To change the Acknowledgement Type, do the following:

                      i.        Click the Search icon.

                     ii.        On the next screen, choose an option, and then click Select.

4.    Switch to the Firm Orders tab, which includes details of the firm order lines cloned into the Acknowledgement.

5.    On the Firm Orders tab, click the line whose details you want to view.

6.    On the PO Acknowledgement Line window, do the following:

a.    To change the quantity to be acknowledged, enter the new number in the Acknowledged Qty field.

b.    To change the Order Status, follow these steps:

                      i.        Click the Search icon.

                     ii.        On the next screen, choose an option, and then click Select.

c.    To change the Response Type, do the following:

                      i.        Click the Search icon.

                     ii.        On the next screen, choose an option, and then click Select.

d.    Next, click the View more link, and then modify the Substitute TP Part and Substitute Supplier Part, if needed.

 Note   The substitute part codes are used for reference, as agreed by the vendor and the hub.

e.    Next, switch to the Other Info tab, which includes the information cloned from the Firm Order’s Other Info.

f.     Switch to the Additional Information tab, and then insert new fields within the PO Acknowledgement Line as needed.

g.    When you’re finished, click Save.

7.    On the PO Acknowledgement window, switch to the Additional Information tab, and then insert new fields within the PO Acknowledgement as needed.

8.    When you’re finished, click Save.

Field Definitions – General

Field Definitions – PO Acknowledgement Line

Send an Acknowledgement

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click PO Acknowledgements.

2.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, select the record that you want to send.

3.    Click the Send Document button.

A notification window displays that the document was successfully sent. Then, the Status of the PO Acknowledgement becomes Sent. On the Outgoing Documents screen, the corresponding 855 document is in the Sent status.

Work with Transaction Sets

Purchase Order Change Acknowledgement

Note   Sellers might send an 865 Purchase Order Change Acknowledgement in response to an 850 PO when they want to adjust individual item components like quantity, parts, etc., or reject individual items.

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click PO Acknowledgements.

2.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, open the record that you want to update.

3.    On the PO Acknowledgement screen, switch to the Firm Orders tab.

4.    On the Firm Orders tab, select the line whose components you want to update.

5.    On the PO Acknowledgement Line window, make the changes, and then click Save.

In this example, the Supplier Part Number is changed.

6.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, select the 865 record, and then click the Send Document button.

In this example, the 865 Purchase Order Change Acknowledgement is sent to demand changes to the item’s Part. The buyer will need to update the system to reflect the order change request initiated by the seller.

Application Advice

 Note   For some businesses, an 824 Application Service can be used as a response to cancel the entire purchase order. In this case, partial PO cancellation is not supported. 

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click PO Acknowledgements.

2.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, click the record that you want to update.

3.    On the General tab, select 824 in the Transaction Set dropdown list.

4.    Click Save.

All the lines on the Firm Orders tab are unassigned/cancelled.

5.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, select the 824 record, and then click the Send Document button.

In this case, the 824 Application Advice is sent to inform the buyer of the entire PO cancellation.

Order Status Report

 Note   For some businesses, an 870 Order Status Report can be used as a response to indicate a change to firm order lines such as Ship Date, Shipped Quantity, etc.

Example cases

The following table describes common cases and steps to use an 870 Order Status Report as a response to indicate a change to the Ship Date:

To work with the Order Status Report

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click PO Acknowledgements.

2.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, click the record that you want to update.

3.    On the General tab, select 870 in the Transaction Set dropdown list.

4.    Click Save.

5.    Next, switch to the Firm Orders tab, and open the line that you want to update.

6.    On the PO Acknowledgement Line window, make the changes, and then click Save.

In this example, the Our Ship Date field is updated.

7.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, select the 870 record, and then click the Send Document button.

In this example, the 870 Order Status Report is sent to inform the buyer of a change to the Ship Date. The buyer will recognize the delayed/missed Ship Date adjustment.

Duplicate an Acknowledgment

With this feature, you can duplicate an Acknowledgment from an original document. Note that only the information on the General tab is duplicated whereas the firm order lines will not be copied. Then, you might need to manually assign the firm order lines to the duplicated Acknowledgement.

The following section describes the steps on how to duplicate an Acknowledgment.

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click PO Acknowledgements.

2.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, select the record that you want to duplicate.

3.    Click the Duplicate button.

4.    On the General tab, select the Transaction Set in the dropdown list, and then click Save.

In this example, the Transaction Set is changed from 865 to 870.

After you save the duplicated Acknowledgement, the Firm Orders and the Additional Information tabs are displayed.

The duplicated Acknowledgement includes the fields copied from the original Acknowledgement, except the firm order lines.

 tip   For more information, refer to the Assign firm order lines section.

Move, Assign, or Unassign Firm Order Lines

On the PO Acknowledgement > Firm Orders tab, there are three buttons, as follows:

1)    Move: Move firm order lines from one transaction to another transaction that corresponds to the same original Purchase Order number.

2)    Assign: Assign firm order lines to an acknowledgement.

3)    Unassign: Unassign firm order lines from an acknowledgement.

To move firm order lines

1.    On the Customer PO Acknowledgements screen, open a PO record.

2.    On the PO Acknowledgement screen, switch to the Firm Orders tab.

3.    On the Firm Orders tab, select the firm order lines, and then click the Move button.

4.    On the Select PO Response to Move to window, select the target Acknowledgement to which you want to move the firm order lines, and then click OK.

In this example, the firm order lines are moved from the 865 to the 870 transactions.

5.    Open the Acknowledgement, which includes the moved firm order lines.

 tip   Find the corresponding record by the original Purchase Order number.

6.    On the PO Acknowledgement window, switch to the Firm Orders tab to view the moved firm order lines.

To assign firm order lines

1.    On the PO Acknowledgement screen, switch to the Firm Orders tab.

2.    On the Firm Orders tab, click the Assign button.

3.    On the Select and Assign Firm Orders window, choose the lines that you want to assign to the Acknowledgement, and then click OK.

The firm order lines are assigned.

To unassign firm order lines

1.    On the PO Acknowledgement screen, switch to the Firm Orders tab.

2.    On the Firm Orders tab, select the line that you want to unassign.

3.    Click the Unassign button.

The firm order lines are unassigned from the list.

Customer Inventory Advices

The EDI 846/INVRPT Inventory Inquiry/Advice transaction set is used to communicate inventory information between manufacturers, their suppliers, and resellers. It is used in a number of ways, including:

·         By sellers of goods and services to provide inventory information to a potential customer

·         By a seller’s representatives to supply the seller with inventory information

·         By one seller’s location to supply another location with inventory information

·         By a seller to inquire on the availability of inventory

Manufacturers and suppliers often use 846/INVRPT transactions to notify trading partners of on-hand inventory in various inventory holding locations, such as warehouses, outlets, stores, distribution centers, etc. One common situation is where a manufacturer uses an 846/INVRPT to advise a trading partner of overstocked inventories available at discounted prices. Information included in the 846/INVRPT transaction set includes inventory location identification, item or part description, and quantities. The quantity of an item may be presented in a number of ways, including:

·         Quantity in float

·         Quantity on hand

·         Committed quantity

·         On order quantity

·         Returns

·         Backorder quantity

·         Quantity in transit

Create a Customer Inventory Advice

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Inventory Advices.

2.    On the Customer Inventory Advices screen, click the New button.

3.    On the General tab, fill out the details of the Inventory Advice, as follows.

  Note   For a full description of each field, refer to the Field Definitions - General in the next section.

a.    Select the Trading Partner in the dropdown list.

b.    Select the purpose code in the Purpose dropdown list.

c.    Enter the Reference Number in the text box.

d.    Set the Created Date and Due Date in the calendars.

e.    For Supplier Code, click the Search icon. On the Browse Supplier Code window, choose an option, and then click Select.

 Note   The supplier codes are loaded from the Addresses module of the trading partner.

f.     For Plant Code, click the Search icon. On the Browse Address Code window, choose an option, and then click Select.

g.    Type the Supplier Name in the text box.

h.    Type the Plant Name in the text box.

4.    When you’re finished, click Save.

After you save the information on the General tab, the Parts tab is displayed.

5.    Switch to the Parts tab.

6.    On the Parts tab, click the New icon to create a new part number.

7.    On the Inventory Advices Detail window, fill out the details of the part, as follows.

 Note   For a full description of each field, refer to the Field Definitions – Parts in the next section.

a.    For Part Number, click the Search icon. On the Browse Parts window, choose an option, and then click Select.

b.    Type the Description in the text box.

c.    Select the Advice Type in the dropdown list.

d.    Set the Due Date, Cycle Count Date, and Last Received Date in the calendars.

e.    Enter the Engineering Change Level in the text box.

f.     Type in the Promise Code in the text box.

g.    Next, click the View more link to expand the details.

h.    Fill out the Last Ship ID, Manufacturer, Last PO Number, Last Ship Scheduled, Original Document, and PC Number in the text boxes.

8.    When you’re finished, click Save.

The part is created.

9.    On the Inventory Advices window, click to open the part that you created.

 TIP   You can use the Delete icon to remove a record.

On the Inventory Advices Detail window, the Quantities and Other Info tabs are displayed.

10. Switch to the Quantities tab, and then add the quantity information about the part by doing the following:

a.    Click the New button.

b.    On the Inventory Advices Detail Quantity window, fill out the form. 

c.    Click Save.

The part quantity is added.

11. Switch to the Other Info tab, and then add the other information about the part.

12. When you’re finished, click Save.

Field Definitions

Customer Inventory Advice > General

Customer Inventory Advice > Parts

Edit a Customer Inventory Advice

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Inventory Advices.

2.    On the Customer Inventory Advices screen, click the record that you want to change.

3.    On the Inventory Advices window, make the changes on the General and the Parts tabs as needed.

  Note   For a full description of each field, refer to the Field Definitions in the previous section.

General tab

Parts tab

4.    When you are finished, click Save.

Send a Customer Inventory Advice

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Inventory Advices.

2.    On the Customer Inventory Advices screen, select the record that you want to send.

3.    Click the Send Document button.

4.    On the notification window, click OK.

The Status of the Inventory Advice becomes Inventory Advice EDI Sent.

Delete a Customer Inventory Advice

1.    On the Customer Demand Mgt menu, click Inventory Advices.

2.    On the Customer Inventory Advices screen, select the inventory advice that you want to remove, and then click the Delete icon.

3.    On the confirmation window, click OK.