This window provides you with tools for regularly monitoring the performance of the system and each terminal on it.

There are two tests available. The traditional is a simple overall performance test. The advanced is for large datafiles where there are internal file slots with more than 10,000 records. The advanced test is more sophisticated and seeks to find an average randomised record access performance.

File Path

File > System Manager > System Timing Test

This file path takes you to the System Performance window.

The window has 2 tab panes.

Traditional Timing Test

To run a test, click on the button. The test may take some time. The test is in two parts that run concurrently. All times are in seconds.

Firstly, 50 records of each of the major master files are accessed and timings measured. The results are displayed in the Data access performance box. Because of the DBMS index caching system, if you repeat the test, the results may improve, especially when operating in multi-user mode. You should therefore only ever test once to get consistent and comparable results.

Secondly, four CPU/RAM processes are timed. The results of this are displayed in the Terminal processing performance box.

In normal use, the general performance of the system is affected by a mixture of internal terminal CPU speed and external disk access performance. Drawing to the display, list activity and calculations are all terminal activities, whereas reading and writing data is a disk activity, and in multi-user situations subject to network activity and quality.

The critical measure of data access performance is the average time. This is the average time to access a single record of the tested file. For some files, in practice, records from related files also need to be read but this testing does not measure this. The test results can be regarded as the average time to read a random record. There are many factors that affect the average time for a record access. Data file fragmentation, disk performance, server software and machine speed, network quality, throughput rate and traffic, and the average size of a record, particularly the extent of text is stored. For single-user systems the extent of disk cache used may also be significant.
Terminal performance is simply related to the type of machine in use.

TIP: It is recommended that the test is run routinely, say once a month, and always on the same terminal type. Print and keep the results and use that to monitor trends. Adopting this policy will give good warning of any need to improve the network/server configuration, as activity grows on the system.

Perform Test Run button

The results can be printed, using this button, for future reference and comparison. You will be presented with the Systems Test Results Report window in which comments about the test circumstances can be entered. These comments will be printed on the report. The printed report gives a full list of the number of records in each of the files. An Activity Log record is saved when this report is printed.

Print Results button

To print a report of the test and a listing of the number of records in every file within the system. 

Method Performance button

To measure method performance. Opens the Method Performance Analysis window.

Advanced Data Access Performance Test

When you switch to this tab pane the system looks at the datafile and chooses file slots which have more than 10,000 records only. Of those it can only choose certain ones that it is designed to test. If you have other large data slots, they will be listed in a message. The resulting files will be tested on one or more index, as shown in the list. The first and last record index value is shown in the list.

When you operate the Perform Advanced Test button, the process first collects together a randomised list of values for the indexes. In date and number indexes these values are mathematically derived from within the range limits of the index. For parts, customers, suppliers and G/L accounts a randomised list of actual values is collected.

These randomised lists provide the best approach to test the ability of the system to access records in a deliberately haphazard manner and so simulate jumping around the database, as in normal day-to-day operation.

TIP: Look at the first and last values as there may be extremes that distort the random nature of the values used. To ensure that extremes are ignored the date range is limited to a first of 1 JAN 2000 and a last of today’s date. Numbers are a minimum of 1.

After the generation of randomised lists the process then works through the files and indexes finding 1000 records based on the random values. Firstly a simple find scan is performed and then a scan with a join to a related record. This process is carried out twice.

The first pass produces timings for Simple 1 and Join 1, the second for Simple 2 and Join 2.

The Simple 1 is always largest as on this pass no file data is cached by the operating system and all has to be extracted from disk. Typically the Join 1 is faster because the data is coming from memory rather than disk and progressively does so. Normally it will race through the second pass to produce Simple 2 and Join 2 values for the same reason.

TIP: Because of data file and index caching it is a good idea to perform this test before any other activity in a Caliach Vision session. If you have already been working with data some will have already been cached and this will artificially improve the measurement of performance.

The result is the average time in seconds it takes to perform the 4 scan operations on an index. This is equivalent to 6000 find operations on random records throughout the file.

After running the test, print the list of results using the list context menu.

Perform Advanced Test button

To perform and advanced data performance test. It will pass through the list twice.

Compiled in Program Version 6.00.  Help date last modified on 11 January 2024

Class wsysperform (System Performance) last modified 25 May 2022 FP: File > System Manager > System Timing Test

The post Manager Controls: System Performance     appeared first on Caliach.

This window shows current user and document status and in real time identifies user activity in creating documents, transactions and when they log on or off. It is designed for system manager administration.

You can set the Refresh Rate and, if needs be, view the logged-in users passwords. Because of this, only trusted users should have access to this window.

NOTE: Data will only be refreshed when this window is in front of all others.

File Path

File > System Manager > Monitor…

This file path takes you to the System Monitor window

Company

Name of the company

Database

The name of the database currently in use.

Clock

The current server time is stated here.

Monitor Started

The server date and time the monitor was opened.

Current time

The current server date and time.

Minutes a token can remain idle before it expires

The length of time a token can remain idle before it expires can be changed with optSessionIdleMaxMins, Default: 240 minutes, Minimum: 5 minutes, Maximum: 720 minutes.

Last Document Numbers and Transactions

Shows the last document numbers when the Monitor window was opened together with the date and time it was opened.

System Mb Received/Sent

The amount of Mb received and sent in this session.

Refresh rate

Select your preferred refresh rate.

Selected User

Token Status

The current rate of the selected user token. Active, Idle or Expired.

User ID

The user ID and name of the selected token.

Token ID

The unique token ID number.

Idle timeout due

The time the token is due to timeout if no activity. The timer will stop if the token becomes idle.

Seconds

Remaining seconds until the selected token becomes idle. If the timer is at 0 or less, the token is idle.

Token expiry due

The time the selected token is due to expire if no activity. The timer will stop if the token expires.

View Passwords button

Click to redraw the list showing passwords. This will only last until the next refresh. This is only enabled if your user ID is listed in the optMonitorShowPassUsers system option.

View User Session Log button

Click to review log data for user logon and logoff. 

File Path Status button

Click to view all file and folder paths and their status.

Delete All Expired Tokens button

Click to delete all expired tokens. When any user logs onto the system, all expired tokens will automatically be removed. Expired user tokens have gone beyond the maximum allowed idle time and have already been logged out of the system. Any expired tokens on this list can safely be removed.

Advanced Option button

Click to open advanced token options (see images below). If your user ID is not listed in the optUserTokenAdvSet you will require an administrator log on to access.

Advanced Options

Once the Advanced Options button has been selected, you will be presented with the Administrator Logon box.

Once logged in successfully, the buttons change and are highlighted in red.

Delete Selected Token

Select a user from the token list below then click to delete that users token.

WARNING: This will force the user out of the system. This method should only be used under extreme circumstances for example when a user is locked in.

Delete All Idle Tokens button

Click to delete all idle user tokens.

WARNING: This will force all idle users out of the system. This method should only be used under extreme circumstances when a user is locked in for example if you have a power cut.

Delete All Active Tokens button

Click to delete all active user tokens.

WARNING: This will force all idle users out of the system. This method should only be used under extreme circumstances when a user is locked in for example if you have a power cut.

Close Advanced Actions button

Click to close the advanced tokens option.

Current User List

The Current User List shown at the bottom right will contain all current user tokens that have been granted and their status. Users are identified by their User ID and a unique number. The latter is needed in case two users logon using the same User ID, which, while not recommended, is permitted. When a user logon is performed, that session is granted a token. When the user logoff is performed (when there is a clean exit) the token is removed.

However, the token has a lease-life typically of 15 minutes. During normal user activity in the program this is regularly refreshed with the lease-life extended automatically. However, if a user becomes inactive and the lease-life is passed, the token and user are considered idle.

An idle user becoming active again can re-activate that token, unless in doing so would exceed the licensed user limit, or a single-user session is waiting or in progress.

If, on a user logon, the user finds ALL tokens are idle then all tokens are deleted before the logon user is granted a new token. In this way rogue user entries, where no clean logoff was performed, can be cleaned out of the system. (Note: When this happens, a comment is placed on the User Session Log.)

For an extreme example, say you were running with 12 users on a 12-user license and the entire factory power fails for a minute or so with all user computers affected. Immediately you will not be able to logon as you would be the 13th user. If you wait for over 15 minutes before logging on however, all the rogue tokens will be removed. For a deeper explanation of the multi-user control mechanism see the IntroSQL Introduction to Client-Server SQL help.

There are several options that effect this system:

Sessions

Summarises how many users are active, idle an expired.

Single User requested

Shows if Single user has been requested.

Sound tick box

If checked, the system bell will sound after each refresh.

No Token Refresh tick box

Normally your user token is refreshed with its expiry extended each time the window refresh takes place, ensuring that you stay active indefinitely. If you check this checkbox, your token is not refreshed, and it will ultimately go into an idle state. This can be useful for testing.

Test For Only One User tick box

Check to perform a server test each refresh to check whether you are the only workstation attached to the datafile.

NOTE: This is not the same as seeing a single user listed in the user list. The current user list is the contents of the User Token table. A token is awarded to a user when they logon to the database, removed when they logoff and regularly updated as the user works in the program. It has an expiry of initially 15 minutes. If the expiry is passed the user is considered idle. This test views the tokens on the server to establish if you are the only active (non-idle) user. If this test gets a positive result, it is normally the case that a single-user operation can be performed. 

No Test being made button

Result of the test for only one user.

Compiled in Program Version 6.00.  Help date last modified on 9 January 2024

Class wMonitor last modified 25 May 2022 FP: File > System Manager > Monitor…

The post Manager Controls: System Monitor   appeared first on Caliach.

Gives access to centrally controlled settings and data for the manufacturing management system. (Not to be confused with the Ledger Manager section found under the Ledgers menu).

File Path

File > System Manager

This file path takes you to the System Manager menu.

Company Details…

Enables you to set up and maintain the basic information and characteristics of the system such as name and address of your company, tax rates and various other parameters. This function opens the Company Details Maintenance window.

System Preferences…

Allows you to set up a variety of values and switches that control the operation of the system as a whole for all users. This function opens the System Preferences window.

Calendars…

Provides maintenance of the Buy and Make calendars. The Make calendar shows when production facilities are active. The Buy calendar shows when the community of suppliers is active and over which deliveries can be relied upon to occur. This function opens the Make and Buy Calendar Maintenance window.

Index Codes…

Provides for maintenance of the list of permissible index codes. Parts, customers, and suppliers all are required to be entered on the system with two index codes assigned to them. This function opens the Index and Other Code Maintenance window.

Delivery Details…             

Provides maintenance of information relating to delivery points. Suppliers can be asked to deliver goods ordered through the purchasing system to any number of delivery destinations. This function opens the Goods-Inwards Delivery Details Maintenance window.

Employees…

Employees need to be defined here if they are to be referenced in works performance history. This function opens the Employee Maintenance window.

Countries…

To maintain the list of valid countries. All customers and suppliers are identified to specific countries. This function opens the Country Maintenance window.

Currencies…

To maintain foreign currencies, used in orders and ledgers. This function opens the Currency Control window.

Taxes…

To setup and maintain the sales and purchase taxes, classes and regimes. This function opens the Tax Maintenance window.

Commissioned Agents…

To setup and maintain the commission classes and commissioning agents for sales orders and jobs. This function opens the Commissioned Sales Agents Maintenance window.

Sales item Configuration…

To setup and maintain the component and route option lists for SO or Job Item Configuration (not to be confused with Sales Document Configuration). This function opens the Sales Item Configuration Options window.

Sales Document configuration…

To setup and maintain the Quote, SO, Estimate or Job document Configuration (not to be confused with Sales Item Configuration). This function opens the Sales Document Configuration Maintenance window.

Email Message Texts…

To set up default message texts for printing to emails. This function opens the Email Default Messages for Reports window.

Email Copy Addresses…

To set up default carbon copy and blind carbon copy addresses for printing to emails. This function opens the Email Address List Maintenance window.

Team Calendar…

To set up and maintain the team calendar types and resources. The team calendar enables you to manage your time efficiently. This function opens the Team Calendar Type and Resource Maintenance window.

Workflow Alert Triggers…

To set up and maintain automated workflow alert triggers that can inform users of events via the Message Box or by Email. This function opens the Workflow Trigger Alert Maintenance window.

Graphs (Second Generation)…

To view or design a Second-Generation Graph of data. For information on this feature see the Introduction to Graphs 2 topic.

Data Views Design…

You can design an encapsulated Data View of data for use in Graphing, listing and reports. For information on this feature see the Introduction to Data Views topic.

Key Performance indicators…

To set up and maintain the Key Performance Indicators for users and groups. This enables you to exploit Data Views and Graphs to provide automatic presentation of data. This function opens the Key Performance Indicator Maintenance window. KPI display is made on the Key Performance Indicators window.

Period Routines…

Controlled deletion of historical information. Regularly, you need to be able to clean the system of unwanted excessive history. This function opens the Period File Update window.

Privileges and Settings…

Allows a system manager to set up users and groups, access privileges for menu lines and window tab panes. It also allows you to maintain user, group, and system settings. This function opens the Privileges window.

System Timing Test…

Provides a system of performance analysis for the network operating under characteristic conditions of the program. In addition, a report can be produced that lists the size of all data files within the system. This function opens the System Performance window.

Monitor…

Provides a monitor of system activity. This function opens the System Monitor window.

Compiled in Program Version 6.00.  Help date last modified on 20 November 2023

Class mManager (System Manager Menu) last modified 26 December 2012 FP: File > System Manager

The post Manager Controls: – System Manager Menu         appeared first on Caliach.

The System Preferences window comprises of seven tabs and set the business wide controls that are held centrally with the Company Details. They contain the controls that will apply to all users of the system as opposed to Options and Settings that may apply only to the operation of a particular terminal, user, or group of users.

This article is part of the Vision Setup Guide. Click Here to return to the Setup Guide.

File Path

File > System Manager > System Preferences…

This file path takes you to the System Preferences window. This window has seven tabs.

History Tab

Changes you make in this tab are linked to the Period File Update window (File > System Manager > Period Routines).

In this tab you can choose to turn on or off the following options:

Record sales history (No Invoicing if off)

If the box is ticked, Sales History is maintained for each dispatch and return of a Sales Order line item and is used to create Sales Invoices after dispatch. History is recorded for both part and non-part P.O line items.

If this box is unticked, the sales invoicing capabilities are not available.

NOTE: If you are licenced with Ledgers, you will not have the option to untick the Record Sales History box.

Record purchase history

If this box is ticked, purchase history will be maintained for each receipt of a Purchase Order line item. The history is recorded for both part and non-part P.O line items.

If this box is unticked, it will not affect the updating of Purchase Parts record.

Record works history

If this box is ticked, work history is maintained for each completed batch process route operation of a Work Order. If an assembly has 6 process route operations and a Work Order is completed in 2 batches, 12 history records will be created for the WO.

If the box is not ticked, the work history will not be maintained.

Record inventory movement history

If this box is ticked, the Inventory (stock) movement history will be maintained. Inventory movement history is a part-specific history of every activity relating to the part and includes all stores movements. It is in effect, an audit trail of part movements and only has chronological relevance and therefore has no minimum retention records.

If the box is not ticked, no inventory movement history will be recorded, and the Record order preparation history box will automatically untick.

Record order preparation history

If the box is ticked, the Order Preparation History records (for Sales Orders, Purchase Orders and Works Orders) will be maintained. These are additional inventory records created during order processing. They show creation of order items and changes to them.

Valid part number items are recorded in this way but not non-part Purchase and Sales Order line items.

Inventory movement history retention days applies to order preparation history.

NOTE: You will need to be the only user active on the system to save any of the above changes.

Minimum retention field

In this field you set the minimum number of days and records you would like the system to retain. The extent of history retention is used when processing the Period Routines clear-out of old history. Retention is by both number of days and the number of records retained for each part regardless of age. This means if you enter 1825 days (5 years) and 5 records, a part history record will only be deleted if it is more than 1825 days old or five later records remain on file for the part. This approach ensures that both fast and slow moving items retain appropriate and sufficient history.

Sales Order Tab

This group of controls affect the operation of Sales Order processing and associated activities. They also generally apply to Jobs.

Serial Numbering flagged parts mandatory on dispatch

If this box is ticked, all parts that are marked as serial numbered on dispatch in the part maintenance window will have to be provided with a serial number before they can be dispatched.

If you require serial numbers to be printed on Dispatch Notes and Invoices, this control should be checked.

If the box is unticked, a warning is made on dispatch, when the part is appropriately marked as requiring a serial number, which you could choose to override by selecting No.

Warn user during normal Sales Order item entry of low stock part

If this box is ticked, you will receive a warning message of low stock when a sales order line item is created or amended. The low-stock message appears when, as a result of the entered quantity being sold, the part’s projected demand quantity falls below the part minimum stock.

This control does not apply to a Cash or Dispatch Sales Order.

If this box is unticked, no warning message will appear.

Record sales intra-EC trade statistics in history

Ticking this box will enable the Sales Intra-EC trade statistics to be recorded in history.

When this control is checked, an additional window will be brought forward during dispatch processing in which you can record the extra data for maintaining and producing Intra-EC Trade Statistics.

Quantity discount calculated compound rather than additive

If this box is ticked, quantity discounts will be calculated compound. EG. If the part discount class is 1, and the customer discount for class 1 parts is 15.00%, and the quantity additional discount rate for 1,000 items is 4.00%, with this preference checked the two discounts will be arithmetically applied resulting in the discount rate being 100 – (0.85 * 0.96 * 100) = 18.40%.

If the box is unticked, the sales order discount will be 19.00% as it is calculated additively EG. 15% plus 4%.

Automatically reduce active production plan items on dispatching, bonding or job issue

If this box is ticked, active production plan entries for sales order dispatch, bonding or job issue are reduced or deleted in date order regardless of the date of the activity and the date of the production item, first for the part itself and secondly for its alias, if it has one.

It can be useful to automatically reduce the active production plan for the part in these circumstances to avoid the need to manually do this before running MRP again.

WARNING: No adjustment is made when parts are returned from customers, un-bonded or returned from a job, so in most circumstances you are wise to review production plan items before running MRP even with this preference set.

If this box is unticked, no reference or adjustment is made to any production plan entries for sales order dispatch, bonding or job issue that may have been set for the part or its alias.

Purchase Order Tab

This group of controls affect the operation of Purchase Order processing and associated activities

GRN numbers for each receipt rather than session

If this box is ticked, when Purchase Orders are received from a given supplier and Purchase Order, history records are stamped with a Goods Received Note number and each individual item receipt will receive a new GRN number.

If this box is unticked, all items received at one time by a user receiving from a given purchase order will all be combined under one GRN number.

Update or create Purchase Part record on receipt of Purchase Order items

If this box is ticked, when Purchase Order part line items are received, the line item details are saved in a Purchase Parts record which acts as a default set of PO line item data on the next occasion the part is purchased from this supplier. Each line item can be individually controlled when this box is ticked.

If the box is not ticked, the Purchase Part data will have to be manually maintained.

Update part current cost when Purchase Order prices are confirmed

If this box is ticked, the current cost of a part will be updated when the purchase order prices are confirmed or when you perform an Invoice Validation in the Ledgers.

If this box is not ticked, in both cases above, current costs will only be updated during Roll-up assembly current costs in Product Costing or following an Update Costs review in a maintenance window. In both cases only the purchase history is updated with any revised costs.

Make part primary supplier the last received supplier

If this box is ticked, this will set the part primary supplier to that of the latest Purchase Order receipt.

The primary supplier is most useful in organising the results of MRP and automatically generating Purchase Orders from MRP results.

If this box is not ticked, the primary supplier must be manually set in parts maintenance or through purchase parts global changes.

Tracked parts must be given a unique history reference

This control only applies to parts that have been flagged as batch tracked. (Masters > Parts > View – Storage Tab. Batch Tracked tick box)

If this box is ticked, during the goods receipt process, for batch-tracked parts only, you will be forced to enter a unique value for the purchase history reference. This helps to ensure that you can track back to the supplier’s certification batch number.

Record purchases intra-EC trade statistics in history

Purchase trade statistics are, in effect, purchase history records extracted for all overseas purchases.

If this box is ticked, an additional window will be brought forward during goods receipt processing in which you can record the extra data for maintaining and producing Intra-EC Trade Statistics.

Parts Tab

In this tab you can choose options relating to the creation and manipulation of parts.

Part price-to-cost as Gross Margin rather than Markup

This controls whether you seek to calculate and display the relationship between part cost and selling price using a Markup or Gross Margin.

If this box is ticked, Gross Margin will apply: the calculation then makes the Selling Price = Total Cost * 100 divided by (100 – Gross Margin) where Gross margin cannot be greater than 99%.

If this box is NOT ticked Mark-up will apply: the calculation then makes the Selling Price = Total Cost * (100 + Auto price mark-up) / 100.

WARNING: If you change this setting, you must be prepared to change the value of all parts Auto. Price percentages, as this value changes its significance on pricing and profits. For example, a part with a cost of £100.00 and a Markup of 50% will calculate to a selling price of £150.00. With a Gross Margin of 50% the selling price will be £200.00.

Part Yield in lost units per batch rather than percent rate

If this box is ticked, the normal rate is 0.00 units. A yield unit loss of 1.00 means that when ordering 100 units of the part will result in 99 being received into inventory, when ordering 10, 9 will be received. Costing will be calculated on minimum order quantity to determine the yield loss.

If the box is unticked, the normal rate is 100.00%. A 90.00% rate means that when ordering 100 units of the part will result in 90 being received into inventory.

The yield rates are set in Masters > parts > View – planning tab – yield field

WARNING: If you change this option, you must adjust all part yield values otherwise strange net usage and costs will result.

If you untick this box, the below warning box will appear.

Part yield rate is used when calculating costs

If this box is ticked, Product Costing and other Update Costs functions on Part costs will use any non-100% yield rate to compute a loaded cost based on the assumption that only the yield rate of parts ordered and paid for will ultimately go into inventory.

For a purchased part, the cost of the part will be calculated as the actual cost divided by the yield rate. This has the effect of uplifting the cost and can be seen as taking into account losses in the transport, quality inspection or other receiving processes.

For parts with a BoM that are manufactured or for outwork assemblies, the yield will similarly uplift the cost because it assumes that only the yield rate of the finished part will be useful inventory, even though the full kit quantity and process cost was consumed.

Use work history to cost assemblies where available

Normally, assembly costing of Automatic or Make parts uses the Bill of Material and Process Route to calculate the various cost elements. If this box is ticked, work history will be used where it is available depending on the Material Costing Method set in Company Details (File > System Manager > Company Details).

TIP: If you want your manufactured items to be costed on a FIFO or other basis you should tick this box.

Do not change labour and overhead cost if no process route

If this box is ticked, the parts which are Automatic type with a Bill of Materials or Manufactured type will leave the Labour and Labour Overhead values unchanged.

If this box is not ticked, the above part types, will have the Labour and Labour Overhead current cost values set to zero if there are no process route operations.

TIP: If you have not set up Process Routes and wish to manually set labour and overhead costs for assemblies, you should check this option to prevent your labour and overhead values being cleared when cost roll-ups are processed.

WARNING: With this preference checked, labour and overheads are not rolled up from lower sub-assemblies under the above conditions.

Use automatic by-product recording and costing

This program has the ability to handle single by-products in a manufacturing operation. The by-product is identified in the parent’s part record (Masters > Parts > View – Planning tab) and the quantity produced, and cost implications are calculated from the parent and BoM mass values. The system is most useful in instances such as accounting for swarf. For this system to be effective, this preference must be checked.

Log changes to part current costs

If this box is ticked, the program will log any changes to part current costs during normal processing. See the Part Costs History Log Listing window for details.

Part batch numbers generated as Year-Date-Serial

This controls the style of batch numbers the system automatically assigns to receipts of batch tracked parts.

If this control is checked, batch numbers are constructed numbers based on the date processing took place for the receipt of the batch. The batch number will take the form of XYDDDNN, where X is the batch number prefix, as above, Y is the Year, DDD is the day of the year (001 through 357) and NN is a numeric sequence (01 through 99). With this system you can, in effect, date the batch so that shelf life can be controlled. For example, for batches produced on 16th August 1993 (and a prefix of 9), numbers would be 9322801, 9322802, 9322803, etc., the next day’s receipts will be numbered 9322901, 9322902, 9322903, etc..

If unchecked the batch numbers will be numerically sequenced X000001, X000002, X000003, etc., where X is the batch number prefix set in the Company Details. The sequence number can be advanced in the Document Numbers pane (File > System Manager > Company Details Maintenance – Document Numbers tab)

NOTE: If you use this technique, you should make sure you change the prefix at the start of the new year.

Do not auto-delete empty multi-stock locations

If this box is ticked, it will prevent any deletion of multi-location records when they reach zero quantity, which is the normal situation.

When this box is unticked, the below window will pop up and you will be given the option of deleting all zero (and negative) quantity location records.

You may enter a value for the number of zero quantity stock locations you want to retain for each part, if more than that many exist. If you click cancel, no deletions will take place but from then on any locations falling to zero quantity will auto-delete. If you click Ok, the system will delete zero quantity locations until there remains the quantity you entered. It will delete the oldest created locations first.

Maintain multi-stock location extended information

When this box is ticked, extended information can be entered and seen for multi-stock location records. This can be used to record additional quantities or attributes associated with a batch of parts or material.

If this box is unticked, locations of inventory simply contain stock quantity, batch number and a flag indicating quarantine status.

Extended data includes three dimensions, a unit quantity, the location creation date, and comments. See Inventory, Multi-Stock Location Extended Information for full details.

TIP: Extended Information can be used to broaden the definition of a part. For example, you could use it to have a part definition for a particular grade of steel plate of 20mm thickness. The stock unit would be Kilos. Each batch of this steel plate can be given an independent width, length, number of plates of these dimensions, the date they went of stock and some comments on their condition or use. These extra characteristics are automatically added to any tracking data.

WARNING: This option, if turned off, will stop the collection of extended information for the duration it is off. If this happens temporarily, you will subsequently have some stock location data with missing extended characteristics.

Bills Of Material Tab

In this tab you can select options relating to the creation and kitting of bills of material.

BoM Changes Log to record quantity changes

If this box is ticked, the BoM Changes Log will be enabled for any changes to BoM component quantities. These include component addition, deletion, and quantity change.

BoM Changes Log to record component issue-only changes

If this box is ticked, it enables the BoM Changes Log for any changes to BoM component engineering issue changes. Records are created for any component issue change. It will increase processing during BoM maintenance and when updating part engineering issue. This control operates independently to the quantity log.

BoMs can be changed when parent has a Work Order

BoM edit processes are normally prevented when a Work Order exists for the parent part. This also applies to Purchase Orders when the parent is an Outwork part and a Sales Order when the parent is a Phantom part. In the case of Phantom parents, parents with orders higher up the structure will also be considered as active orders and so normally prevent BoM changes. If this option is checked, only a warning is given when the parent is selected for BoM maintenance. This can override the normal protection against engineers changing structures while products are being manufactured. If this option is checked, any parents with active orders will lead to process quantity adjustments when BoM structural changes take place.

BoM structure comment shown on Work Order component list

Work Orders can optionally contain a listing of BoM components. The control for the printing of this list is on the WO itself. This tick box controls whether, when printed, the component listing also includes any structure comment text in the BoM.

TIP: The BoM structure comments can be used for such purposes as PCB component identifiers, material cutting instructions, handling warnings, etc. Using this option, the WO can contain such engineering information relating to components use in the production process.

BoM may contain multiple common components

Normally Bills of Material are a consolidated list of ingredients that make up the assembly parent part. However, it can sometimes be useful to list the same component more than once in the BoM. If this box is ticked, you will be permitted to enter the same part number as a component in a single structure more than once.

TIP: This feature is useful if you wish to permit the use of batch tracked parts from more than one source batch. For example, if 10 components are required for an assembly and a batch of 20 are being manufactured on a Work Order, you would be required to issue 200 from a single batch of components. However, you may not have one batch with 200 or more in stock to draw from and therefore cannot kit the WO. If you had one batch of 150 and another of 120, you could change the BoM to show two entries for the component, both with a quantity of 5. Then, when kitting, you will be able to issue 100 from the batch of 150 and 100 from the batch of 120.

This method increases your flexibility in kitting but breaks the batch traceability of the component. You will not be able to subsequently identify which specific assemblies are made from which batch of components. However, you will be able to say that the component used came from one or other of two specific batches.

Do not consolidate common BoM components on kit lists

This control will affect the way component lists are presented on Work Order Picking Lists and Work Orders. If you use Phantom parts as components of an assembly, where components of the phantoms are the same as components in the main assembly or another phantom, these normally will be shown on lists as one item with a total quantity and only one BoM structure comment and reference.

With this control option set ON, items will not be consolidated together, and any structure comments and BoM references will be separately shown.

BoM Lowest Level Numbers automatically adjust

If this box is unticked, it will speed up Bill of Material maintenance processing. Once it is turned off, and you have confirmed the change with an OK on the pop-up window, you cannot switch automatic adjustment back on.

It can only be set back on by running Re-organise Bills of Material (File > Advanced > Re-set Data Files functions). “MRP processing” and the “Roll-up assembly current costs” routine cannot be run when this system preference control is off.

The BoM component parts listing report will also not be accurate.

Customer and Purchase Parts Tab

In this tab you choose options for Customer parts and Purchase parts.

Customer Parts – record changes log

If this box is ticked, changes to date in the Customer-Parts file will be logged. The changes log records the new values of any field amended. It does not record the old value.

For a full log, you need to set the/this changes log feature on before any customer parts are added otherwise the full history of a record will not be maintained. When you turn the Record Changes Log on you will be asked if you would like to initialise the log.

If you answer Yes, all customer part records will be scanned and any that have no log entry will be given a ‘Created’ entry in the log. This feature is useful after importing data.

NOTE: Importing customer-parts data using the Data Transfer Utility or any other importing means will not create log entries. You can, however, use this System Preference to set all Customer-Part records without log entries to have an initial log entry. To do this, turn off the Record changes log system preference and then turn it back on. You will then be offered the initialisation option and can select Yes.

Purchase Parts – delivery speed performance on last delivery/ delivery reliability performance on last delivery/ price performance on last delivery/ quality performance in last delivery

When these boxes are ticked for the above four settings, the respective performance indicators are calculated on the last supplier’s delivery.

If the boxes are not ticked, all the suppliers’ deliveries held in purchase history will be averaged and the results used.

The calculating controls are applied within the Masters menu (Masters > Global Changes > Purchase Parts > Recalculate Performance Indicators)

Purchase Parts – quality performance never calculated

If this box is ticked, it prevents update of the quality indicator during global change or when the “Update Performance Indicator” menu command is used. This may be useful to businesses that want to judge quality on factors other than historic return of supplied goods. This means that quality ratings must be manually entered in Purchase Part maintenance.

BUTTONS AND FIELDS

Last Modified

This field shows the last date and time a modification took place.

Print

Selecting this button will print to screen a report of the company details. You can then choose how you would like to print or save this report.

Revert to Saved

Selecting this button will revert data to the last saved details

Save Changes

This button will save changes made.

This article is part of the Vision Setup Guide. Click Here to return to the Setup Guide.

Compiled in Program Version 6.00.

Class wSystemPrefs (System Preferences) FP: File > System Manager > System Preferences…

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