The Vendor Properties program is where you set up and maintain your vendors file. It is easy to add new vendors and easy to maintain them once they are added to the system.
You can access the Vendor Properties program in several ways.
Click on the Vendor toolbar icon at the top of your [i] Merchant Desktop, if you have toolbars displayed. The Find Vendor screen appears. (At this screen, you can add a new vendor. Simply click on the New toolbar icon at the top of the Find Vendor window. The Vendor Properties window appears. If you had entered any information in the search fields, that information will carried over to the concomitant search fields on the Vendor Properties screen when enetering a new vendor.)
From the menu at the top of the [i] Merchant Desktop, select File-Open-Vendor. The Find Vendor screen appears. (At this screen, you can add a new vendor. Simply click on the New toolbar icon at the top of the Find Vendor window.)
To add a new vendor:
From the menu at the top of the [i] Merchant Desktop, select File-New-Vendor. The Vendor Properties window displays. This is where you enter the information for the vendor you are adding.
The Vendor Properties screen is layered. Three toolbar icons at the top of the screen each represent different fields, which appear in the lower portion of the screen. The three toolbar icons in question are: Address, Policy, and Accounts. The system defaults to Address, so this is the screen you will see first. A fourth toolbar icon--Accounts--enables you to set vendor account numbers and EDI trading partners on the store level. That is, you can establish different values for each store in a multistore setup.
Before delving into the fields specific to each of the toolbar icons mentioned in the above paragraph, however, let's first take a look at the top of the Vendor Properties screen. Up there, there are six fields that always appear, regardless of which toolbar icon (Address, Policy, or Accounts) you select . . .
In the Name field:
Key in the name of the vendor.
In the Short Name field:
Key in the short name. This does not need to differ from the Name, but it can. The key is that the Short Name is unique throughout the system. Look at the Short Name as a code. When in other programs, if you need to enter a specific vendor in a field, you can simply key in the vendor's Short Name, and [i] Merchant will identify the vendor automatically.
In the Accounting System ID field:
This is an optional field that only appears if you have the Accounting interface active. If so, this field lists the ID name of the vendor as it will be exported from [i] Merchant to your third-party accounting system.
In the Classification field:
Enter the Classification Code for the vendor, if desired. The Classification Code is used to identify the type, or classification, of the vendor. For example, if a vendor deals only with books, you would choose the Classification Code for books; if clothing, then clothing; if magazines, then magazines, and so on. If you need to view information on how to select a parameter in a code-driven field, please click here.
In the Typical Role field:
Enter the Typical Role Code for the vendor, if desired. The Typical Role Code is used to identify the business role of the vendor. For example, if a vendor is a publisher, you would choose the Typical Role Code for publisher; if a distributor, then distributor; if a wholesaler, then wholesaler, and so on. If you need to view information on how to select a parameter in a code-driven field, please click here.
Select the EDI (Electronic Ordering) trading partner for the vendor. This can be the same entity as the vendor itself (for example, if the vendor is Baker & Taylor, the EDI trading partner most likely will be Baker & Taylor), or it can be different (for example, if the EDI trading partner is Pubnet). For a detailed description of how to create EDI trading partners and how to set up the appropriate parameters, click here. (If you need to view information on how to select a parameter in a code-driven field, please click here.)
Key in the account number provided to you by the vendor. This account number will print on the PO form and Returns form.
Underneath this upper portion of the screen, you will find the information that is specific to the toolbar icons (Address, Policy, and Accounts) at the top of the screen. Since the system defaults to Address, let's look at what information resides under the Address icon.
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Note: |
Whichever toolbar icon you are working with (Address, Policy, or Accounts) will be color-coded blue. Each of these three icons include a colored diamond shape. When one of the icons is selected, the diamond is blue. The diamond in the remaining two icons--the ones not selected--will be colored black. |
The Vendor Address section is controlled by three tabs--Order, Returns, and Contact. The system first defaults to the Order tab--that is, information for the Order tab is what will appear when you first call up the Vendor Address information. What is the Order tab? Simple. When ordering products from the vendor, how do you contact the vendor? What is their address, phone number, etc.? This is what the Order tab deals with.
The majority of the fields in this section are self-explanatory. However, a few warrant discussion.
In the Contact field:
Does the vendor have a specific person who takes your orders? If so, enter that person's name in this field. If there is a specific contact person, you might want to tailor the other fields toward that contact person as well (for example, enter this specific person's e-mail address in the Email field, his or her phone extension in the Phone Number field, and so on).
In the San field:
The SAN only applies to book vendors. The SAN, essentially, is the vendor's account number. You will get the SAN number from the vendor.
Once you are through filling in all of the fields, you can click on the Returns tab to repeat the procedure if the vendor has a different Returns department or address, or perhaps a different contact person. If everything is the same, you can just ignore the Returns tab.
If there are even more contact persons or addresses for this vendor, click on the Contacts tab, then fill in the appropriate address information. You can actually add multiple Contacts, not just one. There are two icons located just above the Order tab. If you click on the icon on the left, a new Contact tab will appear directly to the right of the existing Contact tab. You can add as many Contact tabs as you want. Each time you add one, simply fill in the appropriate address fields for that Contact tab.
To delete a Contact tab (and by extension, the address information posted underneath it), just select it. Once selected, click on the second icon positioned above the Order tab, the one directly to the right of the icon that adds new Contact tabs. A dialogue box appears, asking if you want to delete the selected Contact tab. If you do, click on OK. The tab will disappear. If you click on Cancel, nothing will be deleted. (You cannot delete the Order tab or Returns tab from the system. You can leave the address information beneath them blank, but you cannot actually delete the tabs.)
On the right-hand side of the Address screen, there are three Vendor Code fields and three Vendor Field fields. These are optional fields.
The Vendor Code fields are, of course, code-driven fields. By assigning a code (or codes) to vendors, you can group certain vendors together, under select codes. For example, maybe you create an NW code, for Northwest. Then, you would assign this code to all vendors that have, say, an Ordering Address in the Pacific Northwest. Utilize the Custom Code fields however you wish.
The Vendor Field fields are also optional. These are free-form fields that allow you to key in basically whatever you want. Again, use as you see fit.
When you are through viewing or changing information underneath the Address toolbar icon, click on the Policy icon. The Vendor Policy information is located in the middle of the screen. The Vendor Discount Schedule established for this vendor appear in the grid at the bottom of the screen. (More on the Vendor Discount Schedule in a moment.)
There are eight fill-in fields in the Policy section of Vendor Properties . . .
In the Minimum Units for Order field, key in the minimum quantity of items suggested to order from this vendor in a single order. For example, if the suggested order amount for this vendor is 10 items, key in a 10 here. Any POs that meet this minimum, coupled with the Minimum $ for Order field below, will be highlighted in green on the Purchasing Agent screen. If an order does not meet these minimums, it will not be highlighted on the Purchasing Agent screen, but you can still cut the PO, if desired.
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If there is no suggested minimum quantity, we suggest you set this field to 1. This way, POs will be highlighted green at the Purchasing Agent screen, since all POs will meet the minimum quantity of 1. If this field is left to zero, no POs will be highlighted green at the Purchasing Agent screen. |
In the Minimum $ for Order field, key in the minimum suggested dollar amount for this vendor regarding a single order. For example, if the suggested dollar amount is at least $100.00, key in $100.00 here. If there is no minimum dollar amount, you can just leave this field set to zero.
Fill in the Restock% field with the restock percentage the vendor charges on items you return. This is an informational field.
Lead Time Days is an informational field. Key in the number of days it generally takes to receive items ordered from this vendor.
Fill in the Currency field with the standard currency this vendor uses (for example, U.S. dollars). This is just for your information.
Fill the Minimum Return Days field in with the minimum number of days the vendor requires before you can return something to them. For example, if a vendor requires you to hold an item for one week before returning it, key in 7 days in this field. If no requirement exists, leave the field blank.
Fill the Maximum Return Days field in with the maximum number of days you can hold on to an item and still be able to return it to the vendor. For example, if a vendor allows you to hold an item for no more than two months in order to return it, key in 60 days in this field. If no requirement exists, leave the field blank.
Fill the Return % field in with the percentage of cost you can get back from the vendor if you return items without a quote invoice.
The Policy checkbox options exist in a mini-box to the right of the eight Policy fill-in fields. If the box to the left of a field is checked, the field is activated. If the box is unchecked, the field does not apply to the vendor . . .
The Cancel Back Order box establishes whether or not items the vendor does not have on hand will be canceled from any PO you send to them. If checked, these items will be canceled from the PO. If unchecked, these items will be placed on backorder.
Check the Prepayment box if the vendor requires a prepayment on orders. If not required, leave unchecked.
The Free Freight box deals with free shipping. If you receive items from this vendor with no shipping costs (free shipping), check this box. If not, leave unchecked.
Check the CoOpAd box if purchases from this vendor are eligible for the CoOp Advertising dollars program. If they are not, leave the box unchecked.
Check the Return Permission box if the vendor requires you to contact them and receive their approval for items you want to return to them. If the vendor requires nothing, leave this box unchecked.
At the lower portion of the Policy screen, the Vendor Discount Schedule you have set up for the vendor will display. The Discount Schedule is where you enter the vendor's discount rates based on the quantity you are ordering. A vendor may have an across-the-board discount, regardless of quantity ordered, or a vendor may have tiered discounts between select ranges of quantity ordered, or a vendor may have no discount schedule at all. The Vendor Discount Schedule interacts with the Purchasing Agent program, which will automatically calculate the discounts on POs based on the information established here.
There are two fields in the Vendor Discount Schedule portion of the screen: Number of Units and Discount. Number of Units refers to the quantity needed to fulfill the discount. The Discount represents the percent off of the retail price.
If a vendor has a tiered discount schedule, you will need to create several rows in the Vendor Discount Schedule, with each row representing a tier in the discount schedule. If a vendor has a flat rate discount, regardless of the quanity ordered, you would only create one row in the Vendor Discount Schedule. Examples of both scenarios will be given below.
To create a Vendor Discount Schedule:
Click on the "Add to List" icon in the upper left corner of the Vendor Discount Schedule portion of the screen. A row appears, defaulting to "1" in the Number of Units field and 0 in the Discount field.
If the vendor has a flat rate discount schedule, this is the only row you will need to create. Keep the Number of Units field set to 1. This means all orders (with a quantity of 1 or greater, which, obviously, includes each and every order) will have the same discount percentage, which you will establish in the Discount field. In the Discount field, simply key in the percentage discount that the vendor will use as its flat rate discount.
If the vendor has a tiered discount schedule, you will need to create several rows. In the first row, keep the Number of Units field set to 1. In the Discount field, key in the discount percentage this vendor gives for orders with a minimum quantity of 1.
But now you need to create a second row.
Click on the "Add to List" icon again. A second row appears. In the Number of Units field, key in the minimum value for the next tiered discount. For example, let's say the vendor gives a discount of 20% for all orders with a quantity of 1-99. And it gives a 30% discount for all orders with a quantity of 100-199. In the first row, you would have left the Number of Units field set to 1 (representing the minimum quantity needed for the first discount tier), and you would key in 20% under Discount. In the second row, you would then key in the values for the second discount tier. In the Number of Units field, the minimum quantity needed for this discount tier would be 100. And the Discount field should be set to 30%.
If there are more tiers of discounts, simply repeat this process as many times as needed until all the discount tiers are represented in the Vendor Discount Schedule.
If at any time you need to delete a row, simply select it and then click on the "Remove from List" icon, which is directly to the right of the "Add to List" icon.
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If a vendor has no discount schedule, then simply do not click on the "Add to List" icon to begin with. You would have no reason to create any rows under the Vendor Discount Schedule. |
If you need or wish to create different EDI trading partners and/or account numbers for the vendor among the individual stores in a multistore setup:
Click on the Accounts toolbar icon. You are brought to the store-specific Vendor Accounts screen.
To create store-specific info here, click on the icon situated just above and to the left of the "Store" field under "Vendor Accounts." This will create a row of blank fields.
Under "Store," select the store you want to create the EDI partner and/or vendor account number for.
Under EDI, select the EDI trading partner for this vendor, specific to the store you just selected.
Under Account Number, key in the vendor account number specific to the store.
In the optional Comment field, key in any comment that makes sense to you.
Repeat this process for each applicable store in your multistore setup.
To delete a row (i.e., if you want to delete the row of info you just created for a specific store):
Click on a field within the row you wish to delete. Then click on the second icon directly above "Store"--the one to the right of the "Add To List" icon, which you used to add the row. The system will prompt you, asking if you wish to delete the record. Click on Yes to delete.
To delete a vendor from your [i] Merchant system:
From the menu at the top of the Vendor Properties screen, select Edit-Delete Vendor. A message box displays, asking if you wish to delete the vendor. If you do, choose "Yes." If not, select "No."
Once you delete a vendor, you can immediately restore it (if, for instance, you deleted it by mistake):
After deleting the vendor, you will be brought back to the Find screen, and the just-deleted vendor will have a strikethrough line running through it. Highlight the just-deleted vendor, then double-click on it, press Enter, or click on the Properties button. The system will prompt you with a message box saying the vendor has been deleted from the system, but if you want to restore the vendor, click on "Yes." If you do click on "Yes," you will be taken to the Properties screen for that vendor. It has now been restored to your [i] Merchant system.
You can even restore a deleted vendor at a later point, such as a week (just as an example) after having deleted the vendor:
At the Find Vendor screen, select View-Show Deleted Items from the menu at the top of the screen. Then run your search. Any vendors (that fall under the criteria of your search parameters) that were deleted at a previous time will appear in the grid at the bottom of the screen with a strikethrough line running through them. If you want to restore a vendor, highlight the record in question, double-click on it, press Enter, or click on the Properties button. The system will prompt you with a message box saying the vendor has been deleted from the system, but if you want to restore the vendor, click on "Yes." If you do click on "Yes," you will be taken to the Properties screen for that vendor. The vendor has now been restored to your [i] Merchant system
If you want to create a new vendor that is very similar to an existing vendor, you can use the Save As option. This works much the same as the Save As option in other applications, such as Microsoft Word.
To use the Save As option:
Locate a vendor in the Find Vendor window.
Access the Vendor Properties window for the selected vendor.
Change the field or fields you want, making sure you alter the Short Name field. Remember, the Short Name must be unique.
Once you have changed the applicable fields, select File from the menu at the top of your computer screen.
Under the File menu, select Save As. The new record is created.
Close the Vendor Properties window. The new vendor will be at the bottom of the grid within the Find Vendor window. It will also be highlighted.
You can create notes for each vendor you create, if you want. Click on the Notes icon at the top of the Vendor Properties window, or select Notes-Vendor Notes (or Notes-Vendor Address Notes) from the menu at the top of the Vendor Properties window. The Notes window opens. There are two types of Notes you can create in Vendor Properties--Vendor Notes and Vendor Address Notes.
When you are finished filling in all applicable fields for a vendor in Vendor Properties, simply select the Close toolbar icon at the top of the screen. If you need to save your information, the system will prompt you.
Anytime you want to access an existing vendor, simply use the Vendor Find program, as described at the top of this page. Once you access the Vendor Properties window for an existing vendor, make any changes you need.