Ostendo Update Notes from 27 August 2008 – What’s New

Ostendo Update Notes from 27 August 2008 – What’s New

Lost Quote Re-Display & Activation

We have added the ability to select Lost quotes in the opening lists for both Jobs and Sales Orders. On selecting the Lost Quote you have the ability to click the convert button to change the status back to an active Quote status.

Job & Assembly Order Mass Closing Screens

We have added 2 new screens for the mass closing of Job and Assembly Orders (found in the Jobs & Assembly main menus). These screens allow for mass selection of specific orders and then a single button click to close those selected off (Only orders in the ‘InProgress’ or ‘Finished’ will be displayed). There are rules that are followed before allowing orders to be closed.

Job Orders

1.       A Job Order can’t be closed if there are linked outstanding purchase orders

2.       If there is an outstanding To Be Invoiced value for the Job, the user will have to confirm they wish to close the order by clicking on the ‘Allow Close’ check box

Assembly Orders

1.       An Assembly Order can’t be closed if there are linked outstanding purchase orders

2.        If the Completed Qty < Ordered Qty then the user will have to confirm they wish to close the order by clicking on the ‘Allow Close’ check box

Archiving Printed Reports

We have added the ability for companies to have pre-determined reports automatically archived. Basically this takes a snapshot of the printed output and copies it to a folder in the Ostendo Archive directory. This snapshot can then be re-printed or viewed at any time in the future via the Archive Viewer found in the main File menu. The archiving is activated by report in the Report & View Developer (File-Report Configuration menu). This feature would be most commonly used for such documents as Invoices & Statements.

Displaying and Overriding Standard Prices in Sales, Job & Direct Invoice Lines

We have added the ability to display, and if the user has been given the security rights (File-System Configuration-User Security & Options), the ability to modify the calculated standard price for the line. Previously if the Order Unit Price was changed, the discount was altered to reflect that change. In other words, we had stored what the calculated unit price was, based on the Customer price level; and then compared that stored price with actual order unit price to determine the discount (conversely, if we changed the discount percentage the order unit price changed). This basically meant that any deviations from pricing rules could be tracked. This new feature will allow that calculated standard price to be overridden, therefore allowing the user to set the Order Price & Discount to suit.

Order History Tabs for Sales, Jobs & Purchase Lines

We included an extra Order Line tab called ‘Order History’. For Sales & Job Orders this tab displays the last prices by order for that customer, for Purchases it displays all buy prices for that code from all suppliers.

Discount Matrix – Effectivity Dates & Pricing Group

We have added the ability to include Effectivity Dates against each of the discount matrix records. This allows for special or promotional discounting to be allocated to the customers price level (whereas our Special Pricing screen effectively sets a fixed price independent of the customers price level).

We have also included the extra option of ‘Pricing Group’ in the Product Level drop down.

Customer Payments – Prompt Payment Discount

We have added the ability to automatically calculate and apply prompt or early payment discounts. The terms for the discount are defined against the Credit Terms screen. There is a new drop down in the Detail tab of the Customer Payments (titled Payment Discount) that allows selection of the following:

Terms Percentage: Uses the pre-defined discount and logic from the Credit Terms settings

Fixed Percentage: Allow a fixed discount to be defaulted to all invoices

No Discount: No discount is automatically applied (you are still able to manually enter a discount amount)

Email FTP

We have added a new screen (File-Reporting Configuration-Email FTP) to allow email attachments to be sent via FTP. The reason for this, is that attachments can be blocked by a companies ISP or by their own security software. When this option is activated, whoever receives an email with an attachment will receive an HTTP link in the email body, so that they only need to click on that link to retrieve their file. Please see your computer support company for more information on how to set-up an FTP host.

Aging & Statement Periods – New Monthly Option Included

We have added an extra option to the Aging & Statement Period screens. You now have the ability to age customer invoices by the calendar month they were raised, rather than the terms or net days.

Mass Rental Availability

We have added a new screen in the main Inventory menu called Mass Rental Availability. This screen displays rental availability for all items for a specified category and specified date range (can also be run from the Sales Order screen if the Sales Type has been flagged as a Rental Order).

Rental Order Enhancements

We have improved the functionality for entering lines by:

1.       Item Codes can be swapped for the Rental Descriptor at the line level (applicable where there is not a 1 to many relationship between the charge out and items).

2.       There is a new rental line availability button that will appear for rental codes that dynamically displays the projected rental availability for the date range of the rental order.

Create Required Orders – Splitting Requirements and Fixing negotiated Buy Prices

We have added 2 new features to the Create Required Orders screen:

Split Requirements (Only applicable to Requirements generated from Replenishment)

This allows (via the Related Button) the requirement to be split across multiple Suppliers. Applicable where one supplier can’t supply the total quantity required.

Fixed Buy Price

This allows for fixed negotiated buy prices to be entered, and therefore passed through to the Purchase Order

Serial Kits

We have added a new screen called ‘Serial Kits’ found in the main Inventory menu. The idea behind this screen is to allow for the capture of components that are held against a serial controlled item. An example of this might be that a Computer system is purchased directly from a supplier and then sold on to a customer, however that computer system might be made up of several components, each having their own serial numbers and warranties etc. If a serial controlled Item Code is flagged as a serial kit (optionally a List can be defined, so that the contents can be populated automatically when receipted), a new record is automatically created in the Serial Kits screen when the Item Code is receipted, after which specific serial numbers etc can be keyed in against the components if applicable. You also have a flag against that serial kit indicating whether warranties should be created for the components.

Sales Deliveries – Process Enhancements & Scanning Mode

We have added several new fields (including employee, date & time) for capturing the delivery activities through the picking, packing and shipping process. There are also new rules defined in the Sales Rules screen to allow for alteration to that process (see Help).

To support the use of scanning (or speed keyboard entry) we have provided an additional rule in Sales Rules called ‘Delivery Line Entry Mode’. This has a drop down with 3 options:

Standard: This sets the mode of operation to how it works currently – All delivery lines are displayed in the top grid, and each have to be selected for picked lines to be keyed in.

Scanning: This sets the entry grid at the top and allows the user to scan/enter the code, serial number or barcode in any order (like POS entry), so long as the line is valid for that delivery and the quantity picked is within the customer delivery tolerance.

SingleScan: This is the same as the Scanning mode except for the fact the quantity is pre-filled with 1 and then automatically saves the line.

Inventory Availability – Free Stock Option

We have added the ability to display the Free Stock available, in the caption of the Inventory Availability button for each Order Line. This figure is dynamically calculated, and the logic comes from a new setting in the Item Rules screen called ‘Free Stock Option’ – the options are:

Not in Use:

The Free Stock is not activated

By Required Date:

The Free Stock is dynamically calculated based on the Required Date of the Order Line and the time the line was actually entered. In other words all order demands that have a required date on or before the current lines required date, are subtracted from the quantity on hand to give the quantity that is freely available to promise.

By Order Date:

The Free Stock is dynamically calculated based on the Order Date of the Order Line and the time the line was actually entered. In other words all order demands that have an order date and creation time before the current lines required date, are subtracted from the quantity on hand to give the quantity that is freely available to promise.

Colour Coding for Order Statuses in Opening Lists

We have added a new field into the Sales, Jobs, Assemblies and Purchase tables called ‘STATUSCOLOUR’, which if displayed in the opening lists (via the List Customisation) will display a pre-defined colour representing the order status (much the same as the tracking colours).

Job Task Bill – Price Changes based on Content Changes

We have changed the manner in which the option ‘Price is changed with Cost, Mark-up or Margin’ is treated when the task bill line contents are altered. Previously if any changes were made (new content lines added, deleted etc) the unit price for the task bill line would remain the same, but mark-up & margin would change; now we keep the mark-up & margin constant but change the Line unit price.

Job Calendar – Enhancements

We have added a few new features to the Job Calendar; following is some detail of each of the features:

Saving Filtered Settings

If the calendar is filtered via the various filtering options, these settings are retained when closed and re-opened later.

User Defined Info Hint

Against each Job Type (In the Job Types screen) we allow the definition of the hint text (with the ability to use merged database fields) that will appear in the calendar as you move your mouse across each job task. So this means that any information held in the Job can be displayed dynamically (eg: Phone, Contact & Address Details). See help for how to format the hint field.

Non-Scheduled Job Tasks

We have included a new field for Template Tasks and Job Tasks called ‘No Scheduling’. This option if selected, sets the duration of task to zero and also means the task won’t be displayed in the Job Calendar. The idea behind this is, there maybe many tasks in a Job, but say only 1 that is used for scheduling.

The other reason for this setting; is to allow Templates to be used when creating a Job from the Calendar, via selecting a time and then right clicking to create the Job (only templates that have 1 scheduled task will be available for selection).

Order Inventory Availability Screen

When companies stock, sell and use inventory, one of the biggest challenges and constraints is the prioritisation of that inventory – This is particularly relevant in Distribution or Manufacturing environments.

Some of the common questions are:

Which Sales Orders/Deliveries can be picked and shipped today?

Which Assembly Orders or Job Orders can be started today?

What shortages do we have if we were to meet the customer requirements?

Put simply this new screen addresses those questions and a few more.

This new screen can be found in the main ‘Requirements’ menu, with defaults for running the screen in the Requirement Rules.

When running the screen you are presented with several options:

Priority Sequencing

This allows you to define 3 levels of hierarchal rules when prioritising demands. You’ll notice that there is a Customer and Order Priority selection (Both the Customer and Order screens allow for entry of a priority number – the smaller the number the higher the priority).

How Stock is Allocated by Order

This drop down provides for 3 options (Determined by Order Full Delivery Flag, Only Full Order Fulfilment Allowed, Partial Order Fulfilment Allowed):

1.       Determined by Order Full Delivery Flag: Each order has a new field for setting whether or not the order needs to be fully picked or can be partially picked. The default when creating new Sales Orders comes from the Customer screen, for Assembly & Job Orders the default comes from the Requirement Rules.

2.       Only Full Order Fulfilment Allowed: If this option is selected only orders that can be fully supplied will be flagged as available (to pick or start)

3.       Partial Order Fulfilment Allowed: If this option is selected any order that can be partially allocated will be flagged as available.

Order Classes & Statuses

Allows the selection of the type of demand order to include and the status of each.

Demand Up to Required Date

This defines the demand order horizon date.

Future Supply Order Settings

This allows the selection of any future supply orders to be included in the shortages list. In other words what supply orders need to be followed-up / expedited for shortages.

Restrict Options

This allows the restriction of the run to either a specific site (this will only select demand orders for that site, and only warehouse for that site) or for a specific purchase receipt (this is pre-filled if run from the Related button in the Purchase Receipts screen). If a specific purchase receipt is entered only stock items on the receipt will be included in the run.

After selecting the appropriate options and clicking the OK button you will be presented with the Results screen. From this screen you are able to edit and perform various actions:

What can be modified in the results grid?

1.       Priority: This is actually the order priority, and if changed here will set the actual order priority to that value

2.       Available: This flag indicates whether this order can be picked or started based on the rules defined, but can be overridden. Remember this field is used when performing the various actions that are available from the toolbar (eg: Releasing orders, creating Deliveries & mass printing of order sheets)

3.       No Shortages Allowed: This flag indicates whether the order can be partially picked or not (comes from the actual order). If changed this will update the actual order.

Actions that can be undertaken

1.       Releasing Orders: If the order is a Job, Assembly or Counter style Sales Order, then the status will be changed to ‘InProgress’ if ‘Open’. If the Sales Order is a delivery style then Sales Deliveries can be created in mass assuming that there isn’t an existing delivery.

2.       Printing Documents: Order sheets and pick lists can be printed in mass for all Orders flagged as Available.

There is a shortages tab and report that provides a list of inventory items that were short for the demand horizon selected, and if supply orders were included, a list of purchases.

Order Creation – Improvements

We have added a couple of small speed improvements for order entry:

• We now automatically insert a new order line when a new order is created
• When in the Lines Tab of an order you are able to create a new order by using the Ctl-F5 key (rather than having to use the mouse to change tabs before creating a new order)

New Help Files

We have included 3 new Online Help Files in this version; they are as follows:

FAQ: Numerous Frequently Asked Questions that relate to all areas of Ostendo

Training: Various topics on working through operational processes

Tutorials: Short tutorials on functional areas of Ostendo

Various Small Fixes & Improvements

Various other smaller issues and enhancements that have been reported to us have also been fixed in this update.

Ostendo Update Notes from 19 October 2007 – What’s New

Ostendo Update Notes from 19 October 2007 – What’s New

Discount Matrix (New Screen)

We have added a new screen (found in the Pricing Menu) for defining discounting rules to be used either in conjunction with price levels, or to be used as the sole means of calculating sell prices. The discounting rules apply to Items, Descriptors, Catalogue Codes & Labour Codes. Please refer to the reference help for more information on this new functionality.

Job Orders – Alter Mark-Up Percentages (New Screen)

We have added a new screen available from within the Job Lines tab for changing the Mark-up percentage for the entire Job, by Job Task, by Code Type or by Analysis Group. This screen also provides the ability to view the Existing and Revised Gross Profit by the various levels available. Please note that this will only be available if the Job Type has the Values Bar switched on, which is defined in Job Types screen.

Service Level Agreements in Call Centre

We have added the service level agreement logic into the Call Centre screen (If switched on in the CRM Rules screen). Previously we had added the ability to define Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) and their measures in the CRM Settings menu (A default SLA can be defined for the whole system – but a specific SLA’s can then be defined against each customer).

The concept is that you may wish to track and measure planned and actual responses to specific steps involved with that call (eg: Initial Follow-up & then the Resolution). Each step may have a planned response time (in Minutes, Hours or Days); the system then automatically determines the planned response Date & Time based on the Call Start Date & Time. In determining the planned response dates & times the Work Times (Defined in the General-Settings menu) and new Holiday dates are used. When entering the Actual Response Date & Time for each step – the system then back calculates the true time it took to respond.

Transferring CRM Contacts to Outlook

We have added the ability to transfer Contacts from the Contact screen directly to MS Outlook (A new button appears in the Contact screen). The idea is that you are able to filter the list of contacts (using the standard Filtering & Sorting capability) and then send the contacts in that filtered list.

Analysis View Mail Merge

We have added the ability to perform MS Word mail merging from within any Analysis view within Ostendo. For more information on how this works please refer to the reference help.

Exporting & Importing Reports & Views

We have added the ability to export & import specific reports and views from within the Report & View Developer. This means that if a report is developed in one database it can be exported (creates single output file which contains the queries and conditions) and then imported into a new database (if it is a report the report layout file also needs to be copied).

Customer Asset Hierarchy (New Screen)

We have added a new screen for defining Customer Asset Hierarchies (parent-child relationships between assets). We have also provided a tree view for displaying multiple levels of assets (this can also be found in the Customer Asset screen).

Desktop Dashboard Views

We have added the ability to define up to 4 independent dashboard type views (Analysis, Charts, Pivot Views) within the background of a users desktop. This is defined against each user in the ‘System Configuration-User Security & Options’ screen. Each quadrant can have its own auto-refresh rate (eg: You may wish to monitor Key Business Indicators and therefore set the refresh rate to say 5 minutes) which then automatically refreshes the view for that quadrant.

The uses for this style of interface are varied, but the most common use would be providing a big picture view of key information for the particular business (eg: Sales Trends, Open Order Values, Late Purchases or Deliveries, Orders Due Out Today, Open Calls, etc…).

We will be providing standard examples of views for Sales, Purchasing, Jobbing and Manufacturing in the next update.

Navigation Bars in Key Screens

We have added navigation bars into key master and operational screens to facilitate the moving through records without having to go back to the opening list. The navigation is also based on what has been filtered in the opening list (eg: If you were altering all Item Codes in a particular category, you would filter on that category in the opening list and move to the Detail Tab, where the navigation bar will take you through only those items for that category).

This feature is ideal for mass maintenance of records.

Item Receipting in the Job Order Screen

We have added the ability to receive a serial controlled Item into Stock from a ‘No Invoice’ style of Job (The set-up for this defined against the Job Type). The concept behind this is to allow for work, refurbishment or accessorising of a large ticket item to be carried out and then put back into stock. One of the key differences between using this method rather than an Assembly Order is the optional ability to cost all the parts and labour that goes into that Job at sell prices rather than pure cost (with the difference between the actual Cost and the Price of the Item is going to stock at, posted to a nominated cost centre – typically an inter-department income account). This is commonly used in the marine industry where the Sales & Service departments are treated as separate profit/cost centres.

Once the Job is closed the Item is automatically receipted into stock (based on the rules defined against the Job Type).

Holiday Dates (New Screen)

We have added a new screen for defining holiday dates that are then used for exclusion purposes when calculating duration for Jobs, Assembly Orders and SLA planned & actual response times.

Customer Assets – Manually Add Warranties

We have added the ability to manually add warranties to existing customer assets. You simply define the new warranty in the Warranty definition screen and then add the warranty from with-in the Customer Asset screen.

Bills of Material & Where Used Inquiry Tree Views

We have added the capability to view Bills of Material and the Where Used Inquiry screen via a multi-level tree view style. To expand or collapse all levels you are able to right-click from within the tree view grid.

Audit Logging of User Created & Modified for All Tables

We have added to automatic logging of User Created & User Last modified to all tables within the system. These fields will now be available to add to opening lists and any reports or views as needed.

Customer Statistics – Additional Outstanding Invoice Tab

We have added an additional tab to the Customer Statistics screen for displaying only outstanding customer invoices. Please note you are able to right click on this new grid to ‘Go To Invoice’ which will take you directly to the invoice (also available in the Invoice History, Payments & Deposits tab)

Point of Sale Functionality

We are in the process of finalising this, and there will be a specific update solely for this new module in the very near future.

Various Small Fixes & Improvements

Various other smaller issues and enhancements that have been reported to us have also been fixed in this update.

Ostendo Update Notes from 24 July 2007 – What’s New

Ostendo Update Notes from 24 July 2007 – What’s New

Project & Asset Split in Job Orders

We have added the ability to split out the Project and either the Customer Asset or Company Asset (dependant on Job Style). Previously if you had created a Job Style for ‘Customer Asset’, ‘Company Asset’ or ‘Rental’, you were unable to link the Job to a Project. This change means that no matter what style of Job it can be linked to a Project.

Recurring Invoices

We have added the ability to define both the Recurring Customer and the Billing Customer for the Recurring Invoice. This is important if the contract is for a Customer Asset, but the billing customer is a separate entity (common where there is a head office billing arrangement).

Override Default Warehouse & Location in Picking & Issuing Screens

We have added the ability to override the default Warehouse & Location pre-filled when issuing for Sales, Jobs & Assemblies. Previously this could have been done line by line, whereas with this update you can set the default warehouse & location for that session. Commonly used when picking from either different Branches in a distribution environment, or from different Vans in a contracting environment.

Changing Customer in Sales Order

We have added the ability to change the primary customer for a Sales Order up to the point that the first issue is made, or a Sales Delivery is created. On changing the Customer you will be prompted to either re-price the order/quote based on the new customers pricing rules, or leave it as is.

Weights, Volumes & Surface Areas for Jobs & Assemblies

We have added the ability to display the weights, volumes and surface areas against Assembly Orders and Job Orders. If this feature is turned on in either the Assembly Rules or Job Rules screen, the default unit weights, volumes & areas will be pre-filled automatically based on the Item, Descriptor or Catalogue values. You will then have the ability to edit the unit dimensions, from which totals for each dimension will be calculated. The header for both the Job and Assembly Order will also display the order totals for each dimension.

Actual weights, volumes & areas are also calculated automatically when any issuing occurs.

Various Small Fixes & Improvements

Various issues and enhancements that have been reported to us over the last few weeks have been fixed in this update.

Ostendo Update Notes from 5 June 2007 – What’s New

Ostendo Update Notes from 5 June 2007 – What’s New

Customer Items

We have added a new screen (In the Related Menu for Items) to define Customers Code, Description, Unit & Conversion for Item Code’s. Once defined this information is then automatically printed on: (Invoices, Delivery Documents, Quotes & Order Acknowledgements). The Customers Code will also be available when searching in the Item List and Item Lookup screens (assuming the Advanced Search flag is set in the System Settings Screen).

NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo and want the new addition of Customer Codes on printed documents, you will need to copy the following files (‘JobQuoteSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesQuoteSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesInvoiceSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesProformaInvoiceSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesDeliverySheet’ & ‘SalesOrderSheet.fr3’) from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.

Supplier Product Description

We have added the Suppliers Description for Products that are defined in the Buy Price Screens for both Items & Descriptors. This will also print on the Purchase Order as does the Code and Unit currently.

NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo and want the new addition of Supplier Description on printed documents, you will need to copy the following file (‘PurchaseOrderSheet.fr3’) from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.

Bills of Material Batch Size

We have added the ability to define the Batch Size against a Bill of Material. This then allows the entry of quantities for components and output products to relate specifically to that batch size.

Assembly Order Copy

We have added the ability to change the Parent Item Code when copying from an existing Assembly Order. The idea is allow for like products to be manufactured without having to create a new Bill of Material every time.

Job Orders – Job Type Changing

You are now able to change the Job Type up to the creation of the first invoice or entry of any issuing to the Job (which ever comes first).

Job Value Bar – With Actuals

If the Value Bar option has been flagged against the Job Type, you now also have the option of selecting either ‘Order Values’ or ‘Actual Values’ for displaying the Job Rolled Up Price, Cost, Margin % & Mark-up %.

Job Types – Extra Settings

We have added 2 additional settings available against the Job Type.

Stop Invoicing if receipts are Due: This prevents creating a Job Invoice if there are any outstanding Purchase Receipts for that Job Order.

Simplified Scheduling: This hides most of the Job Scheduling information if that Job Type doesn’t require those features (Estimated Duration, Booking Status, Planned Start & End Dates).

Fixed Price Jobs

We have added to the ability to fix the Job Price when the Invoice Style is set to ‘From Schedule’. This is then used for the value when Invoicing or Quoting. The other new feature that fits with this is the ‘Free Form Print Lines for Invoicing & Quoting’ – see below for explanation.

Job Free Form Print Lines for Invoicing & Quoting

We have added the ability to independently define descriptive lines to print on the Quote/Invoice for where the Invoice Style has been set to ‘From Schedule’, either based on Planned Values or Fixed Price (Another new Feature added). This effectively allows for completely different lines to be printed on the Quote/Invoice than on the Job itself. The user has 3 Options:

1)       Print a Single Priced Line

2)       Print a Single Priced Line with a multi-line non-priced breakdown

3)       Print multiple priced lines

NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo and want the new addition of Free Form Lines on printed documents, you will need to copy the following files (‘JobQuoteSheet.fr3’,  ‘SalesInvoiceSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesProformaInvoiceSheet.fr3’) from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.

Analysis Grouping – Defining Grouping for Quotes, Orders & Invoices

We have added the ability to define against the Analysis Groups (In General-Settings) grouping and sub total options for Quotes, Orders & Invoice printing. Although primarily added for the jobbing/engineering environments it has application in other industries. The grouping options are (‘No Grouping’, ‘Header and Footer’, ‘Group Totals Only’):

1)       No Grouping: Print lines normally and doesn’t print a Group Header or Footer for lines linked to this Analysis Group.

2)       Header and Footer: Prints lines and prints a Group Header and Footer for all lines linked to this Analysis Group (there is a sub-total printed in the Footer)

3)       Group Totals Only: Prints only a footer (no lines are printed) using the description of the Analysis Group and the subtotal as the extended line price for all lines linked to this Analysis Group.

NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo and want the new addition of Analysis Grouping on printed documents, you will need to copy the following files (‘JobQuoteSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesQuoteSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesInvoiceSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesProformaInvoiceSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesDeliverySheet’ & ‘SalesOrderSheet.fr3’) from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.

Timesheets – Extra Entry Option

We have added the ability to select ‘Any’ in the ‘Entries by’ drop down in the header of the Timesheet. This option allows for any combination of Employee, Order and Charge-Code to be entered for that batch.

Labour Codes – New Add Lines flag

We have added a new flag against Labour Codes to enable all timesheet entries to create new Job or Assembly Lines. This will if set, create new Job or Assembly lines for every timesheet entry (primarily added for the service environments).

Descriptor Codes – Free Form Style

We have added a new setting against Descriptor Codes (Only for General Purpose classification), called ‘Free Form’. This is designed for where one-off products or services are purchased directly to a Job/Assembly Orders. The concept is that the description is overtyped at the time of ordering or receipting and a new line is created for the Job/Assembly Order with that code and the new description. The other new feature that works well with this, is the ‘Calculating Sell Price from Receipted Cost’ – see below for explanation.

Descriptors & Items – Calculating Sell Price from Receipted Cost

We have added a new setting against both Items & Descriptors called ‘Calculate Sell Price from Receipt Cost for Jobs’. This if set, allows the Unit Sell price to be based on the Receipt Cost plus a Mark-up percentage defined against that code. The common use for this would be in conjunction with the previous new feature ‘Free Form Descriptor Codes’; where a one-off product or service is purchased directly to the Job and the description and price is determined from the receipt. This feature is also available for Items, where your dealing with an item that has large variations in cost (maybe commodity products), and therefore pegging the price to the receipt cost makes sense.

Service Level Agreements

We have added a number of new screens (Service Agreements, Service Agreement Levels, Service Agreement Steps & Service Agreement Measures – in the CRM-Settings menu). These allow for definition of Service Level Agreements to be linked to Customers, and managed and monitored through the Call Centre. We will be completing the functionality for this area in the next update.

Sales Orders – New Sales Order Picking for Counter Order Style

We have added a new screen for high speed picking of lines in a Counter Style of Sales Order (called ‘Sales Order Picking’ and found as a button in the Batch Entry toolbar in the Sales lines tab). This screen is very similar to the Job Order issues screen and allows either pre-filling based on the current order lines, or creation of new lines (this features means that the sales lines can be created and picked in 1 step – more likely to occur in an over the counter type of environment). There are 2 new reports (Sales Order Pick List & Sales Order Delivery Sheet – see New Reports section at the end of this document) that have been added which also support using the Counter Style of Order.

Inventory Availability – Additional Information

We have added an additional tab to display the orders that make up the projected balances for the ‘Projected Availability’ tab.

Images Printing on Documents

We have upgraded the ‘Sales Quote’, ‘Sales Acknowledgement’, ‘Purchase Order’ & ‘Job Quote’ to automatically print any linked images against lines. Also there is an extra selection option when printing the ‘Standard Item Price List’ to include Item Images (Only images held against Items that have been flagged to ‘Display on Price List’ will print.

NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo and want the Images on printed documents, you will need to copy the appropriate files (‘JobQuoteSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesQuoteSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesOrderSheet.fr3’, ‘PurchaseOrderSheet.fr3’ & ‘StandardItemPriceList.fr3’) from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.

Sales Invoices & Customer Statements – Remittance Advice

We have enhanced the Invoice & Statement layouts to include remittance options (If the flag for each has been checked in the System Setting screen) – Previously they were separate layout files.

NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo and want the Optional Remittance slip on either the Invoice or Statement documents, you will need to copy the appropriate files (‘SalesInvoiceSheet.fr3’ & ‘CustomerStatementReport.fr3’) from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.

New Searching Options for Screens & Lookups

We have further enhanced the searching facility in all main screens and lookups (the search option in the bottom right hand corner of the opening lists). Enhancements are:

1)       If multiple words are entered with spaces between each word (eg: Steel Tube) then the search will search on each of those words independently (‘Steel’ or ‘Tube’)

2)       To search for multiple words that need to appear exactly (in other words you don’t want the previous ‘or’ functionality to apply), you can surround the words with double quotes (eg: “12 mm” – will search for where any of the searched fields have those exact characters).

3)       The searching is case insensitive in all fields – including note fields (remember that searching will only occur for fields added to the opening list by using the list customise function)

4)       Previously the characters ‘%’ and ‘_’ were treated as wild card characters, this is no longer the case and these are now treated as standard characters and can be searched on.

5)       If advanced searching is turned on (In the System-Settings screen) and you have defined ‘Customer Item Codes’ (A new feature) then the search for Item Codes will also match values in that table (exactly like it will for Supplier Item Codes & Item Properties)

Labour Mapping Matrix

We have added a new screen (In the Financial Configuration Menu) to enable Labour postings (Direct Labour, Fixed Overhead & Variable Overhead) to be specifically mapped to Cost Centres via any combination of: Labour Code Category, Labour Code Department, Employee Department & Employee Name. This breakdown is typically used were cost recoveries by Department are required.

Active Connections

We have added a new screen (In the File Menu) to enable viewing of the active connections for Ostendo. This screen is likely to be required when preforming administrative type functions (eg: Global Name Change, Global Data Merge, or Updating Ostendo with the latest upgrade).

Note: This will show all connections to the Ostendo Database including any external connections.

Custom Products – Creating New Items and BOM’s from a single Custom Product

We have added in the ability to swap a Custom Product Code from within the Custom Product Script to a completely new code; which then replaces the code in the Sales or Job line you’re in. This Item Code doesn’t need to be a custom product nor does it need to exist; this means that a single custom product (used only to store the rules) can be used to create a new Item Code, and optionally, a Bill of Materials for the specific answers given. There are numerous uses for this feature in the manufacturing or engineering environments, but a less obvious one would be; as a way to enter Sales Order lines based on a series of questions.

A working example of this (use Custom Product OD-7002) is available in the latest Demonstration database.

Note: For those upgrading you can download it from: http://www.ostendo.info/downloads/ostendo/DemonstrationDatabase.zip

System Alerts – 2 New Alerts have been added

We have added 2 new System Alerts (In the System Configuration menu). Remember all alerts can be activated and then specifically linked to one or more users of the system. Another point to note is that some of the alerts have modifiable tolerances that can be adjusted to suit their sensitivity. The new alerts are:

1)       ItemsNotMoving: This alert flags any Item Codes that have a quantity in stock but haven’t moved for a specified (tolerance) number of days. Designed to highlight slow moving product lines giving both their current inventory value and the last date issued or sold.

2)       InvoicePriceTolerance: This alert flags any purchase invoice lines that have an invoice unit price that varies more than the specified tolerance against the receipt price for that product or service.

Analysis Views – New Assembly & Job Schedule Views (see the new Reporting Help for explanation of Analysis Views)

We have added 2 new Analysis Views that display the Order Schedules for either Assembly Orders or Job Orders. They display down to Labour Code level by either Assembly Step or Job Task. These Analysis Views can be found in either the Assembly-Views menu or the Jobs-Views menu. 

Please Note: See the New Reporting help for explanation on what is available when displaying and manipulating the Analysis views.

Pivot Views – 3 New Pivot Views have been added (see the new Reporting Help for explanation of Pivot Views)

We have added 3 new Pivot Views; these are: ‘Loading & Capacity’ (Labour-Views menu), ‘Job Orders’ (Jobs-Views menu) and ‘Assembly Orders’ (Assembly-Views menu). Pivot Views in general are an extremely powerful method of analysing and reporting on information in a cross tab or OLAP style of view. The most common use of the Pivot View would be for Sales & Purchasing analysis. The new Pivot Views are as follows:

1)       Loading & Capacity: This Pivot view allows you to analyse the loading, capacity and available hours by groupings such as Department and Labour Codes. The maximum horizon for this is out 365 days – however you can define your own horizon when running the view (Note: There is also a Chart view of this information).

2)       Assembly Orders: This Pivot view allows you to analyse the current assembly orders at an order level

3)       Job Orders: This Pivot view allows you to analyse the current job orders at an order level

Please Note: See the New Reporting help for explanation on what is available when displaying and manipulating the Pivot views.

Chart Views – New Loading & Capacity Chart (see the new Reporting Help for explanation of Chart Views)

We have added a new Loading & Capacity Chart allowing you to graph the loading, capacity and available hours by groupings such as Department and Labour Codes.

Please Note: See the New Reporting help for explanation on what is available when displaying and manipulating the Chart views.

New Help Files

We have added 3 new Help files under the main Help menu. These cover the following:

1)       Reporting Help: Explanation and help on using and editing Reports, Analysis Views, Pivot Views & Chart Views

2)       Functionality Help: Explanation and help on the process flows and logic within Ostendo

3)       Accounting Help: Explanation and help on the accounting Link to MYOB

Reports. A few new reports have been added and some old ones upgraded. These are:

Please Note: The Latest report formats can always be found in the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.

• Customer Order Transaction Listing: This report is available from the ‘Reports’ menu against the Customer. It allows for selection of a date range and then displays a detailed listing of Sales Orders with-in that range (including a summary of the average order values for that Customer, and compared to other Customers)

• Supplier Order Transaction Listing: This report is available from the ‘Reports’ menu against the Supplier. It allows for selection of a date range and then displays a detailed listing of Purchase Orders with-in that range (including a summary of the average order values for that Supplier, and compared to other Suppliers)

• Sales Order Pick List & Sales Order Delivery Sheet: These 2 reports are available from the ‘Reports’ menu against in the Sales Order Screen. They have been specifically developed for printing Pick Lists and Delivery Documents for the Counter Style of Sales Order.

Job Order Pick & Job Consolidate Pick: These 2 reports are available from the ‘Reports’ menu in the Job Order Screen. The Job Order Pick groups all items that require picking by Job Task, whereas the Job Consolidate Pick prints a consolidated list by item for the entire Job.

Ostendo Update Notes from 9 May 2007 – What’s New

Ostendo Update Notes from 9 May 2007 – What’s New

Colour Tracking in Order Screens

We have added the ability to define tracking colours for all order tracking codes. This colour can then be displayed in the opening lists for Job Orders, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders & Assembly Orders.

Expanded Job & Sales Quoting Options

We have added the ability to select 3 different styles of quotes (Formal, Letter & User) and have included an additional quotation options screen for defining the contents of the layout (eg: Letter body) and the amount of detail to print.

NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo the new Quoting functionality will only be available to you if you copy the ‘JobQuoteSheet.fr3’ and the ‘SalesQuoteSheet.fr3’ from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.

Displaying Task Bill Contents on Invoices & Quotes

There is now an additional option in Job Orders (for Task Bill types of Job Lines) to select whether the planned or actual contents of the task bill is printed on the quote and/or invoice. Useful for where a fixed price is quoted for a task, but the customer still requires the material & labour breakdown (no prices for the content details).

NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo the new Quoting & Invoicing functionality will only be available to you if you copy the (‘JobQuoteSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesQuoteSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesInvoiceSheet.fr3’, ‘SalesProformaInvoiceSheet.fr3’) from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.

New Job Issues Screen

We have added a simple issues screen (located in the batch toolbar of the lines tab) for high speed issuing while in a Job Order. This provides a fast method of creating both the job lines & actuals issues in a single entry.

Improved Inventory Replenishment

The speed of running the inventory replenishment for a large number of products has been significantly improved.

Setting Currency Decimal Places

There is now the ability to define the number of decimal places allowable for currency type fields (eg: Unit Costs & Prices) from 2 to 6. The default is set to 2, but can be altered in the System Setting screen (System Configuration menu).

Screen Sensitive Help

We have added the ability to display the specific screen help while in that screen by pressing the function key (F1).

Running Ostendo in a Scheduled Command Line Mode on a Server/Workstation

The Ostendo executable will now run in command line mode (non-graphical) if a script name is passed as the final parameter (eg: “C:\Program Files\Ostendo\ostendo.exe” SCRIPT=CallCentreEmailScript). See the ‘Scripting Enhancements’ for examples of how this can be used in a business.

Scripting Enhancements

We have added approximately 50 new functions to the Ostendo scripting engine. We are in the process of documenting and developing working examples. To provide an insight into what will be possible here are some typical uses:

• Importing Orders such as Sales, Purchases, Jobs and Assemblies into Ostendo from emails/web sites
• Importing Supplier Catalogues either manually or automated
• Automatically running reports at pre-scheduled times, and then emailing these to specific staff (an example of this will be provided)
• The ability for your customers to request copies of documents; such as invoices, quotes or delivery notes via an automated web/email solution (an example of this will be provided)
• The ability to capture requests such as: service or quote requests via a simple web form, and then have them feed automatically into the Call Centre Ticketing system within Ostendo (an example of this will be provided)
• The ability to automatically update web sites with new price lists etc (an example of this will be provided)
• Automatically create timesheet entries based on employees emailing timesheets in excel (an example of this will be provided)
• Provide the ability to automatically feed information into Ostendo from external sources (such as PDA’s and Data capture devices)

Reports. A few new reports have been added and some old ones upgraded. These are:

• Sales Invoices – We have modified the layout to include the additional Task Bill functionality (as covered above). NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo, to use the additional functionality you will need to copy the new form ‘SalesInvoiceSheet.fr3’ and the ‘SalesProformaInvoiceSheet.fr3’ from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.
• Job & Sales Quotes – We have modified the layout significantly for these forms for the new Quoting functionality (as covered above). NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo, to use the additional functionality you will need to copy the new form ‘JobQuoteSheet.fr3’ and the ‘SalesQuoteSheet.fr3’ from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.
• Delivery Pick List & Delivery Document – We have modified these layouts to display the contents of Kitsets. NOTE: If you are upgrading Ostendo, to use the additional functionality you will have to copy the new form ‘SalesPickSheet.fr3’ and the ‘SalesDeliverySheet.fr3’ from the ‘Reports_Backup’ folder in the Ostendo ‘Reports’ directory.
• Invoice & Statement Remittance Forms – We have included a remittance style of invoice & statement layout (CustomerStatementReportRemit.fr3 & SalesInvoiceSheetRemit)
• Purchase Receipts Not Invoiced – We have included 2 different styles of this report.

Various Small Fixes & Improvements

Various issues and enhancements that have been reported to us over the last few weeks have been fixed in this update.

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