Customer Cross Reference Item Management

The Customer Cross Reference Item System allows you to handle unique customer requirements such as tracking one or more customer item numbers for each of your internal or house item numbers.

In a simple example you might have an item number 100235 – which might be a computer monitor from a specific manufacturer.  You might also have a customer that wishes to order this item from you using their own internal item number such as MN352.  When they order an MN352, the system can automatically cross reference this item to your own item number which is 100235.  This cross reference process is typically done during sales order or quote creation as you are entering the items that the customer wishes to purchase.   Cross reference items can also be set up for buying groups (groups of customers), vendors, manufacturers, and for internal alternate item numbers (to point one internal item number to another).

Cross Reference items are set up and maintained in the Cross Reference Table or XREF file (File 79).  This file can contain one or more items for each combination of customer and house item number (to support customers who wish to identify multiple customer items with a single one of your internal item numbers).  The XREF records

Record Format

The XREF file stores each pair of crossref and house item numbers in a separate record.  The XREF record consists of a field that stores the Company name, a field that stores the customer item number, and a field that stores the internal item number (your item number).  There is also a field that identifies the record type (this allows the file to be used to store cross reference items for multiple types of companies (i.e. customers, vendors, and manufacturer).  Each cross reference record also contains a field that is used to store the alternate or customer description for the item.

In addition to these fields, there is also an alphanumeric 20 character, Contract field, and a field that can be used to store an EDI code in each record.  The CONTRACT field is used by the system to optionally tie the XREF record to a special pricing record in the Special Pricing file. The EDI_CODE code field (edi_code) is used to determine which records from the XREF file are sent to the customer as part of an EDI catalog (EDI 832)

Processing Flow

Once a cross reference item has been set up for a given customer, the record, the operator can use the record during Order Processing.  This is done by selecting the Xref option in the Order Entry program which displays a list of all cross reference items for the customer that the order is being entered for.

When an order is received by EDI or an item is selected from the XREF table during order entry the system searches for the customer item number in the XREF file.  When the customer item number is found the system uses the house item number to calculate the target price for the item (please see the Special Pricing system for more information about target prices and other pricing options).  If a contract number is present in the XREF record, the Contract_Property of the FVPrice object is set to force the system to first check for a specific special pricing record before looking at other price sources.

If a special price record is found that is valid for the given customer and house item combination, this price record is used to calculate the correct price for the order line (again based on the configuration and behavior of the special pricing system).

In order for this process to work the following must be setup.

•    A record must exist in the Cross Reference file linking the customer item number with the house item number.  This record must also contain the valid contract number that is to be used for special pricing.

•    A record must exist in the special pricing file with the same contract number and it must be valid or available for the customer, item and quantity being processed.

Supported Modules

The code to handle XREF items and contract pricing is present in the following modules:

1.  FVPRICE.PKG - the pricing routines in the FVPrice object that calculate the target price can be instructed to first check a specific contract when calculating the target price.  This is done by setting the Contract_Property of the FVPrice object to the contract number.  If the contract record in the special pricing file has the Force flag set the pricing routine will return the contract price without checking any other price sources.

2.  EDI850IN - The program that processes inbound EDI orders uses the FVPrice object to calculate the target price.

3.  SOEPANEL.PKG - This package is used in FV710S05 (Order Entry) to allow the operator to enter and edit sales order line items.  The FVPrice object is used in this package to calculate the target price as required.

4.  FV710S05 - Order Entry uses the SOEPANEL package.

5.  Standard and offline editors for the XREF file.

More:

Opportunity Management