Before entering (or loading) products into your Online Advantage system, you must first define your products’ ‘format’ i.e. will your product ‘code’ represent a single inventory unit with multiple variations or will your product ‘code’ represent each variation.
For example, if your inventory item is a ‘shirt’ that comes in colours ‘red’ and ‘blue’ and sizes ’10’, ’12’ and ’14’ then you can either have:
1 Product code: SHIRT with colour variations = RED/BLUE and size variations = 10/12/14
or
6 Product codes: SHIRTRED10, SHIRTRED12, SHIRTRED14, SHIRTBLU10, SHIRTBLU12, SHIRTBLU14
Notes on the use of Sizes and/or Colour:
In the set up of Products, the use of Size and/or Colour is optional. A wrong decision to use Size and/or Colour can be troublesome to reverse. General guidelines are:
- Avoid the use of Size and/or Colour initially and add them later if required, rather than add them initially and try to remove them later
- An alternative to Size/Colour is linking separate products using the “Model” concept in Online
- Often the use of Size/Colour results in short term gain, long term pain so consider the choices carefully
Length constraints on product code and description that existed in previous versions of Online Advantage are deprecated.
Size and Colour Options
If a format has already been established then a warning message is displayed. Changing these formats once transaction processing has begun can cause problems in the accuracy and completeness of the data already established in the Online Advantage account. EXTREME care should be taken when adjusting an existing format and pending transactions or completed transactions have already been entered.
Multiple Sizes Option
Choose “Yes” to allow multiple sizes to be processed and reported on for one product. If sizes are not required, choose “No”. Read more about Sizes here.
The term ‘size’ is configurable (see below). It is important to note that costs and prices are recorded per size, so that a ‘small’ size might be priced at $10 whereas a large size might be priced at $15.
Multiple Colours Option
Choose “Yes” to allow a range of colours for a particular product. Read more about Colours here.
The term ‘colour’ is configurable (see below). Cost and price is not determined by colour.
Field Names
You can enter your own terminology for “Size”, “Colour” and Units of Measure. If you do not enter anything here the default terminology is used.
“Product”
Enter your preferred description for a product code e.g. SKU. The default term is “Product”.
“Product Name”
Enter your preferred description for product name e.g. ‘name’, ‘description’, ‘style’. The default term is “Name”.
“Size”
Enter the short and long term for “Size”. This term is used on screens and in reports wherever the “Size” data appears. The default term is “Size”. Read more about Sizes here.
“Colour”
Enter the short and long term for “Colour”. This term is used on screens and in reports wherever the “Colour” data appears. The default term is “Colour”. Read more about Colours here.
“Stock Unit”
Enter the short and long term for Stocking units. E.g. “Store”. This term is used in product master. The default term is “Stock”.
“Purchase Unit”
Enter the short and long term for Purchasing units. E.g. “Outer”. This term is used in product master. The default term is “Purchase”.
“Sales Unit”
Enter the short and long term for Sales units. E.g. “Inner”. This term is used in product master. The default term is “Sales”.
“Warehouse Unit”
Enter the short and long term for Warehouse unit. E.g. “Pallet”. This term is used in product master. The default term is “Warehouse”.
Reset to Use Default descriptions
Ticking this option “resets” the entered descriptions to the default descriptions: Product, Product Name, Size, Colour, Stock, Purchase, Sales, Warehouse. This is a screen only reset – you need to save changes to commit to them.
Sort Sequence
Use the mouse to drag the sort options to the required sort sequence. This sort sequence is used in all product related reports. This sequence only applies to sorts within Product Groups i.e. most reports are sorted by Product Category and Product Group first and then by whatever sequence you nominate here.
When sorting by product ‘code’, bear in mind that numbers sort before letters in ascending sequence. Codes that are expected to be alpha usually sort in a ‘left justified’ manor – for left justified sorting, numbers sort in sequence 1, 10, 100, 1000, 11, 12, 2, 200, 21, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. If you don’t want this to happen, it may be best to sort by product name before code, or consider using the sort key field.