Normalizing Inventory Locations

Product Management (PM) > Product Management Procedures

Normalizing Inventory Locations

This section describes how the information in existing inventory items can be normalized or synchronized after the items have been created. This normalization process is different than the one that is used when new items are created from the Catalog Master, or existing Catalog records are edited and inventory items exist for the Catalog record.

If inventory items exist in more than one of your inventory locations and you edit the inventory records, the information about the items in each location can become desynchronized. For example, if you edit a field such as the description in an item in one location and you do not update the description of the item in the other locations in which it exists, the description for the item can differ in each inventory location.

Normally, the fields to be synchronized in each Inventory record are defined in advance, and this procedure is not required. In some cases, however, the normalization par files may be improperly set up when items are created or the fields to be normalized may change over time.

This procedure describes how to normalize or synchronize inventory information after the items have been created. Stream V provides you with a Normalization program (FV070P09) which can be used to synchronize the information for each inventory item when it exists in multiple locations. The program allows you to select a base location and to use the information in the base location to update a single target location or to update all locations in which the item exists. The fields normalized in each location are based upon a par file (FV070p21.par) which is stored in the same directory as the program files on your system. The par file contains a list of all of the fields in the Inventory Master file and the fields which are normalized are identified with a , (comma) and a Y (capital Y) after the field name. To normalize inventory locations you should perform the following procedures.

3. Determine the Base location to be used for normalization. This is normally your primary warehouse location and should be the location in which most of the editing of inventory data takes place.

4. Check the Par file used by the Normalize Inventory Locations program (FV070P09) to make sure the fields to be normalized are properly identified. The Par file used by FV070P09 is named FV070p21.PAR and this file should be located in the same directory in which your flex files are located.

5. Note: This par file must be set up properly any time you are processing more than one inventory location. The par FV070M02.PAR file is used when the Create New Location program (FV070P05) is run and when items are created in a new location using the option available from the Inventory Master. If these par files are not properly set up, then running either the Create New Location or the Normalize Inventory Locations program can cause invalid data to be written to the inventory items in your Inventory Master file. For example: If you were to identify the QTY_OH field or any of the sales statistics fields (MTD,QTD,YTD Sales) in the Inventory Master as a field to be normalized, the system would write the information from the base location inventory item to these fields in all of the inventory locations being processed. Since each item in each location stores its own on hand quantity and sales history, this procedure would move invalid data into these fields. You should be extremely careful when determining the fields to be normalized so that you avoid these types of errors.

FV070M02.PAR and FV070P21.PAR Par File Format

The par file is an ASCII text file, which lists each field in the Inventory Master file on a separate line with a carriage return at the end of each line. The fields to be normalized are identified with a , (comma) and a Y (capital Y) immediately after the name of the field. The fields which are not to be normalized are not followed by a comma or they may be followed by a , (comma) and a N (capital N). The following is an illustration of the par file structure

Sample FV070M02.PAR

                                                                   REV_DATE

                                                INITIALS

                                                ENTERED_BY

                                                ENTERED_ON

                                                DATE_ADDED

                                                ABC_CODE

                                                LOC

                                                ITEM_NO,Y

                                                LOCITEM

                                                BIN

                                                ALT_ITEM

                                                EXCHANGE

                                                DESCRIPTION,Y

                                                DESCRIPTION2

                                                VENDOR_NAME,Y

                                                MANU_ITEM_NO,

                                                PRODLINE,Y

                                                UNIT

                                                QTY_PENDING

                                                QTY_WIP

                                                QTY_OH

                                                QTY_ORD

                                                QTY_RSV

                                                TOT_RSV

                                                REORDPT,Y

                                                REORDQTY,Y

                                                COUNT_QTY



Once you have confirmed that the Par file used by the Normalize Inventory Locations is set up properly, you may select the Normalize Inventory Locations program from the menu and run it. The program will prompt you for the Base Inventory Location to be used for normalization and it allows you to select a single target inventory location, or to process all other locations. Once you have run the Normalize Inventory Locations program, you should also check the other normalization par file which is used by the Inventory Master Program. The Inventory Master program allows you to normalize inventory items and it also allows you to create an existing item in another location from within the program.

When an inventory item is edited in the Inventory Master program (FV070S03), the program will update the item in each of the locations in which it exists. The fields which are updated are determined by the same par file FV070M01.par that is used by the Create New Location (FV070P05) and Normalize Inventory Locations (FV070P09) programs.

You may create an inventory item in a different inventory location than it currently exists in by selecting the item in the Inventory Master program and by using the Create Location feature which is available in the program. When the Create Location procedure is performed, the system checks a different par file FV070M02.PAR to determine the information which should be copied from the existing record into the new records as they are created in the new location. This par file has the same format as the other par file discussed in this document, and it should also be carefully checked before any items are created in multiple locations.

Item Maintenance/Setup Procedures

Adding an Inventory Item - This section describes how to create a new inventory item in the Inventory Master file. For information about how to copy

Editing an Inventory Item

Normalizing Inventory Locations - If inventory items exist in more than one of your inventory locations and you edit the inventory records, the information about the items in each location can become desynchronized. For example, if you edit a field such as the description in an item in one location and you do not update the description of the item in the other locations in which it exists, the description for the item can differ in each inventory location. Stream II provides you with a program FV070P09 which you can use to Normalize the information for each inventory item when it exists in multiple locations. The program allows you to select a base location and to use the information in the base location to update a single target location or to update all locations in which the item exists. The fields which are normalized in each location are based upon a par file FV070M01.par which is stored in the same directory as the flex files on your system. The par file contains a list of all of the fields in the Inventory Master file and the fields which are normalized are identified with a , (comma) and a Y (capital Y) after the field name. To normalize inventory locations you should perform the following procedures.

Determine the Base location to be used for normalization. This is normally your primary warehouse location and should be the location in which most of the editing of inventory records takes place.

Check the Par file used by the Normalize Inventory Locations program (FV070P09) to make sure the fields to be normalized are properly identified. The Par file used by FV070P09 is named FV070M01.PAR and this file should be located in the same directory in which your flex files are located (normally Y:). Note: This par file must be set up properly any time you are processing more than one inventory location. The par FV710M01.PAR file is used when the Create New Location program (FV070P05) is run and when the Normalize Inventory Locations program (FV070P09) is run. If the par file is not properly set up, then running either the Create New Location or the Normalize Inventory Locations program can cause invalid data to be written to the inventory items in your Inventory Master file. For example: If you were to identify the QTY_OH field or any of the sales statistics fields (MTD,QTD,YTD Sales) in the Inventory Master as a field to be normalized, the system would write the information from the base location inventory item to these fields in all of the inventory locations being processed. Since each item in each location stores its own on hand quantity and sales history, this procedure would move invalid data into these fields. You should be extremely careful when determining the fields to be normalized so that you avoid these types of errors.

FV070M01.PAR Par File Format

The file is an ASCII text file which lists each field in the Inventory Master file on a separate line with a carriage return at the end of each line. The fields to be normalized are identified with a , (comma) and a Y (capital Y) immediately after the name of the field. The fields which are not to be normalized are not followed by a comma or they may be followed by a , (comma) and an N (capital N). The following is an illustration of the par file structure

Sample FV070M01.PAR

Once you have confirmed that the Par file used by the Normalize Inventory Locations is set up properly, you may select the Normalize Inventory Locations program from the menu and run it. The program will prompt you for the Base Inventory Location to be used for normalization and it allows you to select a single target inventory location, or to process all other locations. Once you have run the Normalize Inventory Locations program, you should also check the other normalization par file which is used by the Inventory Master Program. The Inventory Master program allows you to normalize inventory items and it also allows you to create an existing item in another location from within the program.

Creating items in a new location based on an existing location

Product Management End of Period Procedures