Product Catalog File (108)

The Product Catalog file or Catalog Master File stores all of the product or item numbers that are available on your system.  Each Catalog record contains a large amount of information about each product that you maintain on the system.  Most of this information, including the item number, description, product line, tracking flag, and serialized inventory flag, applies to the item in any inventory location where the item is maintained.  A small number of the fields in each Catalog record – such as the assembly code, and the reorder point for the item, are normally defaulted into the Catalog record and then set as appropriate in each warehouse or Inventory record that is created for the Catalog record.

An item must be created in the Product Catalog file before any Inventory (Warehouse) records can be created for the item and an inventory item must be created for a catalog record before it can be used during transaction processing (i.e. included on a sales order, purchase order, etc).  As Inventory items are created for a Catalog record, the system normalizes, or copies the information from the Catalog record into the appropriate fields of the inventory item. 

The fields that are used by the Serialized Inventory programs that are maintained in the Product Catalog File include:

Serial Flag:  The Serial Flag is used to identify if the item is serialized, not serialized, or sales track only.  Valid entries for the field include Y – item serialized and serial numbers are tracked during all transaction processing, N – item is not serialized, or S – serial numbers for the item are recorded only when item is sold or returned.  The S option is not recommended as it does not provide the same level of accuracy and control that the Y option does. 

Serial Receipt: No Longer used.  The Serial Receipt flag was used along with the Serial flag to determine how serial numbers for the item should be tracked in revisions of the software prior to 278C.  If the item Serial Flag was set to Y for the item, the Serial Receipt flag was checked to determine if the serial numbers were recorded at receipt or when the item was first sold. 

The Serial Receipt flag is no longer used.  Items that were identified as Serial=Y, Serial Receipt = Y, prior to 278C are now identified as Serial = Y in the Catalog file.  Items that were identified as Serial = Y, Serial Receipt = N in the Catalog file are now identified as Serial = S.

Serial Prefix:  The Serial Prefix field is an ASCII field that is normally maintained at the Inventory Level.  The Serial Prefix and the Serial Number field are used to auto-assign serial numbers as items are assembled in the shop order system or as Sales Track Only items are invoiced to customers and serial master records are created for the items.    The Serial Prefix and Serial Number fields should not be loaded at the Catalog Level as the fields must be set to produce unique serial numbers in each inventory location in which the item is processed (only one instance of a specific serial number/item number can exist on the system).

Serial Number:  The Serial Number field is a numeric field that is normally maintained at the Inventory Level and should not be loaded at the Catalog Level. The Serial Prefix and the Serial Number field are used to auto-assign serial numbers as items are assembled in the shop order system or as Sales Track Only items are invoiced to customers and serial master records are created for the items.    The Serial Prefix and Serial Number fields should not be loaded at the Catalog Level as the fields must be set to produce unique serial numbers in each inventory location in which the item is processed (only one instance of a specific serial number/item number can exist on the system).

Stock/Track:  The Stocking flag is used to identify if the item is tracked by the Inventory control system.  The StreamV system will not allow you to track the serial numbers for an item (flag it as Serial = Y or Serial = S), unless the Stock flag for the item is set to Y (Checked in the Catalog Manager).  You may not track the serial numbers for an item unless the on hand quantity of the item is being tracked.

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Inventory Master File (70)