Manager Controls: System Preferences

Last Modified Data and Time

Company and System Settings. Last modified date and time. {MCDFILE.MCDMOD date datetime 8}

Print

To print a report of all company details. Right-click for report destination.

Revert to Saved

To edit the company details. No other users can be operating on the data file.

Save Changes

To edit the company details. No other users can be operating on the data file.

Serial Numbering flagged parts mandatory on dispatch

Company and System Settings. Serial number mandatory on dispatch flag. {MCDFILE.MCDSNOM boolean}

If this checkbox is checked, 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. Otherwise only a warning is made on dispatch when the part is appropriately marked. If you are wanting serial numbers to be printed on Dispatch Notes and Invoices, this control should be checked.

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

Company and System Settings. Provide message for SO item out-of-stock flag. {MCDFILE.MCDSOMS boolean}

This is a checkbox to control the warning message of low stock when a sales order line item is created or amended. This control does not apply to a Cash or Dispatch Sales Order. If set ON, you will get a low-stock message when, as a result of the entered quantity being sold the part’s projected demand quantity falls below the part minimum stock. In fact, when Physical qty. – New Order qty. – Allocated qty to WOs – Committed SO qty < Minimum stock. As this takes no account of the timing of the intended sale you should encourage the use of the Parts Available-to-sell analysis. If the part has a Planning Alias, the warning and calculations will be made with respect to the net demand of the part considered with respect to the alias part quantities. If the part (or the alias) is a Sales Order Kit item, i.e. has a ‘P’hantom part type, the Bill of Materials for the part is examined and potential shortages listed for you.

Record sales intra-EC trade statistics in history

Company and System Settings. Intra EC trade statistics maintained for sales flag. {MCDFILE.MCDIECS boolean}

Sales trade statistics are, in effect, sales history records extracted for all overseas sales. There are additional fields available in sales history that can store data specifically for reporting trade statistics. If 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

Company and System Settings. Quantity discounts calculated compound rather than additive. {MCDFILE.MCDDICO boolean}

Normally on a sales order, with this control un-checked, part or customer-part quantity discounts are added to the base customer discount for the part discount class. E.G. 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%, the sales order discount will be 19.00%. With this preference checked the two discounts will be arithmetically applied. For the above example the resulting discount rate will be 100 – (0.85 * 0.96 * 100) = 18.40%.

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

Company and System Settings. Automatically reduce active production plan items on dispatch, bonding or job issue. {MCDFILE.MCDPRDA boolean}

Normally on sales order dispatch, bonding or job issue no reference or adjustment is made to any production plan that may have been set for the part or its alias. It can be useful, however, 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. By setting this preference active plan items for the part or its alias will take place.

When this automatic process takes place active production plan entries 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.

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.

GRN numbers for each receipt rather than session

Company and System Settings. Separate GRN’s for each PO item receipt. {MCDFILE.MCDIGRN boolean}

When Purchase Orders are received from a given supplier and Purchase Order, history records are stamped with a Goods Received Note number. Without this option set, all items received at one time by a user receiving from a given purchase order will all be combined under one GRN number. If this option is set, each individual item receipt will receive a new GRN number.

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

Company and System Settings. Update purchase part records from PO receipt flag. {MCDFILE.MCDPPFL boolean}

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. This feature is controlled with this switch. If not checked Purchase Part data will have to be manually maintained. Each line item can be individually controlled when this control is checked

Update part current cost when Purchase Order prices are confirmed

Company and System Settings. Update current costs on PO receipt flag. {MCDFILE.MCDUCFL boolean}

This flag controls whether part costs are updated when you Confirm Purchase Prices or perform an Invoice Validation in the Ledgers — Accounts Payable — Invoices and Credits menu function. In both cases only the purchase history is updated with any revised costs if this flag is un-checked. Otherwise the part master material current cost is updated to reflect the confirmed Purchase Order price. If this preference is un-checked, current costs are only updated during Roll-up assembly current costs in Masters — Global Changes — Product Costing or following an Update Costs review in a maintenance window.

NOTE: Normally, part current costs are updated if you have the Update part current cost when Purchase Order prices are confirmed File — System Manager — System Preference is set. This is true even when the Part Prohibit auto-cost-update control is on. However, there is a system-level option that can extend this control. If the option optPartCostNoUpdate is set to 1, when a part has the Prohibit auto-cost-update control on, part costs are not updated during Confirm PO Prices or Invoice Verification.

Make part primary supplier the last received supplier

Company and System Settings. Update preferred supplier for part on PO receipt. {MCDFILE.MCDUPSF boolean}

If checked, this control sets the part primary supplier to that of the latest Purchase Order receipt. If not checked, the primary supplier has to be manually set in parts maintenance or through purchase parts global changes. The primary supplier is most useful in organising the results of MRP and automatically generating Purchase Orders from MRP results.

Tracked parts must be given a unique history reference

Company and System Settings. Tracked parts must have unique PUHREF entered. {MCDFILE.MCDTPUH boolean}

This control only applies to parts that have been flagged as batch-tracked. If checked, and only for batch-tracked parts, during the goods receipt process 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 suppliers certification batch number.

Record purchases intra-EC trade statistics in history

Company and System Settings. Intra EC trade statistics maintained for purchases flag. {MCDFILE.MCDIECP boolean}

Purchase trade statistics are, in effect, purchase history records extracted for all overseas purchases. There are additional fields available in purchase history that can store data specifically for reporting trade statistics. If this control is checked, 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.

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

Company and System Settings. Show price/cost relationship as Gross Margin (NO=Markup). {MCDFILE.MCDMARG boolean}

This controls whether you seek to calculate and display the relationship between part cost and selling price using a Markup or Gross Margin. If NOT checked Mark-up will apply: the calculation then makes the Selling Price = Total Cost * (100 + Auto price mark-up) / 100. If checked, Gross Margin will apply: the calculation then makes the Selling Price = Total Cost * 100 divided by (100 – Gross Margin) where Gross margin can not be greater than 99%.

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. It is not just a display option. 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

Company and System Settings. Part yield in lost units per batch rather than percent rate. {MCDFILE.MCDYIEU boolean}

WARNING: If you change this option you must adjust all part yield values otherwise strange net usage and costs will result. With the option off, 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. With the option on, 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. With the option on, costing will be calculated on minimum order quantity to determine the yield loss.

Part yield rate is used when calculating costs

Company and System Settings. Part yield rate is used in calculating costs. {MCDFILE.MCDYIEL boolean}

With this option checked, 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

Company and System Settings. Use work history to cost assemblies where available (applies costing method to assemblies). {MCDFILE.MCDWOHC boolean}

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

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

Do not change labour and overhead cost if no process route

Company and System Settings. Do not change labour and overhead cost if no process route. {MCDFILE.MCDCNLO boolean}

Normally with product costing, with this control un-checked, parts which are Automatic type with a Bill of Materials or Manufactured type, will have the Labour and Labour Overhead current cost values set to zero if there are no process route operations. With this system preference checked, under those circumstances the Labour and Labour Overhead values are left unchanged.

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 byproduct recording and costing

Company and System Settings. Use swarf recovery system. {MCDFILE.MCDSWAF boolean}

The program has the ability to handle single byproducts in a manufacturing operation. The byproduct is identified in the parent’s part record 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. See Parts Maintenance – Planning for details.

Log changes to part current costs

Company and System Settings. Log part current cost changes. {MCDFILE.MCDPTC boolean}

The program will log any changes to part current costs during normal processing. See the Part Costs History Log Listing window for details.

TIP: When you turn this preference on, it is a good idea to obtain a snapshot of all part costs as a reference to subsequent changes. This can be done when you Archive and Delete Part Costs Log in the Data File Integrity Maintenance window Archive and Delete tab pane, which can be found from File — Advanced — Re-Set Data Files.

Part batch numbers generated as Year-Date-Serial

Company and System Settings. Batch number generated from date. {MCDFILE.MCDBATD boolean}

This controls the style of batch numbers the system automatically assigns to receipts of batch tracked parts. If unchecked the batch numbers will be numerically sequenced X000001, X000002, X000003, etc., where X is the batch number prefix set in the File — System Manager — Company Details. The sequence number can be advanced in the Document Numbers pane. 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..

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

Company and System Settings. Do not auto-delete multi-stock locations. {MCDFILE.MCDSTOD boolean}

This control, if set, will prevent any deletion of multi-location records when they reach zero quantity, which is the normal situation. When you turn this preference OFF 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

Company and System Settings. Extended stock location and tracking data. {MCDFILE.MCDSTOE boolean}

With this option checked, 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. Without this option on, 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.

BoM Changes Log to record quantity changes

Company and System Settings. Log BoM Quantity Changes. {MCDFILE.MCDBOLQ boolean}

This control, if set, will enable the BoM Changes Log for any changes to BoM component quantities. Records are created for any component addition (type 1), deletion (type 2) and quantity change (type 3). It will increase processing during BoM maintenance.

BoM Changes Log to record component issue-only changes

Company and System Settings. Log BoM Component Issue-only Changes. {MCDFILE.MCDBOLI boolean}

This control, if set, will enable the BoM Changes Log for any changes to BoM component engineering issue changes. Records are created for any component issue change (type 4). 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

Company and System Settings. BoM no change allowed if WO. {MCDFILE.MCDBOMW boolean}

All 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 ‘O’utwork type part and a Sales Order when the parent is a ‘P’hantom type part. In the case of ‘P’hantom 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

Company and System Settings. Include BoM Structure Comment in WO component list flag. {MCDFILE.MCDBOMC boolean}

Work Orders can optionally contain a listing of BoM components. The control for the printing of this list is on the WO itself. This system preference 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

Company and System Settings. BoM can contain multiple common components. {MCDFILE.MCDMBOM boolean}

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 preference option is checked, you will be permitted to enter the same part number as a component in a single structure more than once.

WARNING: Multiple components in a BoM will cause increases in processing time for BoM activities and therefore should be used sparingly, if at all. It can also cause confusion for people reading reports and listings.

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 will normally 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 this requirement from and therefore can not kit the WO. If you had one batch of 150 and another of 120, you can 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

Company and System Settings. Do not consolidate common BoM components on kit lists. {MCDFILE.MCDBOMS boolean}

This control will effect the way component lists are presented on Work Order Picking Lists and Work Orders. If you use ‘P’hantom type 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 adjusted

Company and System Settings. BoM lowest level auto-adjustment in operation. {MCDFILE.MCDLLAA boolean}

You can speed up Bill of Material maintenance processing by turning OFF the control for automatic BoM lowest level adjustment. Once you have turned it off, and confirmed the change with an OK, you can not switch automatic adjustment back on. It can only be set ON by running Re-organise Bills of Material in the File — System Manager — Re-set Data Files functions. “MRP processing” and the “Roll-up assembly current costs” routine can not be run when this system preference control is OFF. In addition, the BoM component parts listing report will not be accurate.

Customer Parts – record changes log

Company and System Settings. Archive customer parts file changes. {MCDFILE.MCDCPTA boolean}

Changes to date in the Customer-Parts file can be logged. For this logging to be operational, this option must be set. The changes log records the new values of any field amended. It does not record the old value. For a full log therefore, you need to set the 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. This also applies to any custom features unless specifically designed. Log entries are only made during activities taking place from the Masters — Customer Parts menu. However, you can 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.

Purchase Parts – delivery speed performance on last delivery

Company and System Settings. Delivery speed performance on last delivery. {MCDFILE.MCDPPDL boolean}

There are five settings for Purchase Part Performance calculating controls. These controls are applied within the Masters — Global Changes –Purchase Parts and when the Masters — Purchase Parts — Update Performance Indicators function is used. For the first 4, if checked, the respective performance indicators are calculated on the last supplier’s delivery, otherwise all the supplier’s deliveries held in purchase history will be averaged and the result used.

Purchase Parts – delivery reliability performance on last delivery

Company and System Settings. Delivery reliability performance on last delivery. {MCDFILE.MCDPPRL boolean}

Purchase Parts – price performance on last delivery

Company and System Settings. Price performance on last delivery. {MCDFILE.MCDPPPL boolean}

Purchase Parts – quality performance on last delivery

Company and System Settings. Quality performance on last delivery. {MCDFILE.MCDPPQL boolean}

Purchase Parts – quality performance never calculated

Company and System Settings. Quality performance never calculated. {MCDFILE.MCDPPQM boolean}

This control, if checked, 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.

Check for new messages regularly

Company and System Settings. Check regularly for new messages flag. {MCDFILE.MCDMESC boolean}

This determines whether the system checks for new user Message Box messages at every change of main menu function the user makes. If not set, the user is only notified of new messages immediately after entering their Transaction I.D.. Besides that, the user must voluntarily check his messages by entering the Message Box. Checking for messages can reduce response performance on slow networks.

MuM Monitoring Feedback Options

This enterable list provides the ability to modify and add option parameters for additional site database control of MuM Monitoring (see below for details. It has it’s own Revert MuM and Save Mum buttons below which are independent of the Revert to Saved and Save Changes main window buttons. The MuM Monitoring Feedback data is held in an otherwise unseen XMLFILE row of XMLTYPE=MTR and XMLNAME=MuM-001.

ResetFrequency

7 or greater.

Set this to the number of calendar days you would like MuM Monitoring to be carried out. Typycally, iCaliach Support have it set for every 7 days. You can requst it is reset to a longer period, but if you ask for less, your request will be automatically ignored.

ExtraTest0 to 9

a SQL SELECT statement that returns a single row of data with up to 5 columns of values. Example may be SELECT current_timestamp

This is ued to provide the MuM Monitoring report text for the results. You place a %1 in the text location where you want the column 1 result to be substituted or %r1 when it is a money value you want redacted with ■■■■ when the message is sent to a user subject to redaction. %2 or %r2 for the second column, etc. So for the statement on the left you could have soething like “The server timestamp is %1 or redacted %r1.”

• Company Details Maintenance