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Quantum VS Help: Sales Desk |
The old concept of defining whole 'Forward' Sales Orders was replaced by the ability to define individual 'Forward' lines in Quantum VS 9. The following outlines the main differences between the old and new systems, and the advantages of the new system.
Before Quantum VS 9, the whole Sales Order was specified as a Forward Order if the Release Date entered in the Sales Order header was 30 days (by default; see note) after the Order Date. Therefore stock would not be allowed to be released to all lines on the Sales Order - subject to stock availability - until this 30 days had passed.
Note: The default value, held in the Forward Days field in the Selling tab of the Price Book General control record, was 30 days. However, an alternative value could be entered.
From Quantum VS 9, Forward Ordering is line-based rather than order-based, meaning the User can potentially enter either of the following line types on a Sales Order:
Forward Order lines (i.e. whereby stock - if available - is not allocated to the line until its Allocation Date); and
Normal lines (i.e. where stock - if available - is allocated to the line on Sales Order Completion).
The User must have certain User Permissions enabled to be able to add Forward Order lines to a Sales Order - see Enabling Forward Ordering In Quantum VS. Users may also convert a Forward Order line to a Normal line, which allocates stock to the line. See Changing Forward Order Lines into Normal Lines.
When a Forward line is entered, its Required and Allocation dates default to those entered in the Sales Order header. However, the User may edit these as necessary - and also 'split' the line quantity to create a delivery schedule with different Required and Allocation dates (see below).
On behalf of the Customer, the User may define a delivery schedule for a product by entering a single 'Forward' line on one Sales Order, then splitting the line's total Quantity into a series of smaller quantities with their own Required and Allocation date. This might be a 'regular' - daily, weekly, monthly or yearly - schedule, as in Example A, or an 'irregular' schedule, as in Example B:
Example A: Customer requires a regular monthly delivery of 100 units of Product X per month (or day, week or year).
Previously, a separate Sales Order would have been required to order each 100 units. Each Sales Order would have needed a different Required and Release date entering in the header, and each would require a Product line entry for Product X. Now, the User can create this ordering schedule on one Sales Order: by entering Product X as a single 'Forward' line on the Sales Order, a window displays options for creating a delivery schedule for the line. Once the options have been selected, a series of lines are generated on the Sales Order automatically, each with the required quantity and Required/Allocation date.
Example B: A Customer requires 1000 units of Product Z today, a further 500 units in two months, and a further 750 units six months after that.
Again, the User would previously have had to create a series of Sales Orders - with different Required/Release dates in the header - to set up this schedule. The new system enables the User to order all of the above on one Sales Order. From entering Product Z as a single 'Forward' line on the Sales Order, the user can create an 'irregular' delivery schedule by manually entering/editing Required and Allocation dates.
In the old system, the Release Date entered in the Sales Order header defined when stock could be allocated to the whole Sales Order. Stock could then be allocated to Sales Orders - subject to availability - by running the 'Forward Order Release' process (see note) or via a manual procedure (i.e. by opening the Sales Order, selecting Amend, then selecting Release Forward Order on the Toolbar - Sub Menu). A Picking Note would then be generated for the Sales Order, which could then proceed through the Picking, Delivery and Invoicing procedure.
Note: The Forward Order Stock Allocation process was formerly known as the Bulk Forward Order Allocation process. Prior to this it was known as the Bulk Forward Order Release process.
In the new system, a 'Forward' line's Allocation Date defines when stock can be allocated to the line. Stock is allocated to Forward Order lines which have reached their Allocation Date by running the Forward Order Stock Allocation process (although stock may be allocated on Sales Order Completion if the Allocation Date is 'today'). If a Picking Note has not been generated on Sales Order Completion or by running the Forward Order Stock Allocation process (as defined by the line's Required Date - and also on the Process Days Prior To Required Date value in the Selling tab of the Price Book General control record), it is necessary to run the Forward Order Document Release process.
Once the Forward Order line has been 'released' - i.e. stock has been allocated to the line - the line will proceed through the Picking and Despatch process in the same way as for whole orders in the old system. Each Picking Note and Despatch Note relating to a Forward Order line is listed in the Sales Order's Tracking tab after Sales Order Completion.
For further details see Forward Order Lines: Allocating Stock And Releasing Lines For Picking/Despatch.
Quantum VS now has the following tools for 'finding' Forward Orders/Forward Order Lines:
The Forward Order Lines Finder lists Forward Order Lines.
The Sales Orders Finder has a filter for Forward Orders.
Note: The Sales Orders Report may also be used to list Forward Orders.
Under the old system of Forward Ordering it was possible to list only 'Forward' Sales Orders in the Finder as follows: (1) make Sales Orders active in the Finder; (2) click Advanced on the Finder toolbar to display the Search filter fields; (3) uncheck all the Order Type fields except Forward, then (4) click the Search icon. On opening the Sales Order the Status field in the header would indicate 'Forward' (i.e. this is a Forward order).