Selecting the item management mode

OBJECTIVE

When creating a catalogue item, maestro* allows the user to determine how the quantity of the item will be managed in inventory through the Item Management Mode. This option is located in the Unit section of the Catalogue Management window.

This document explains how to identify the item management mode. To create a catalogue item, please refer to the online help on Catalogue Management.

PREREQUISITE

Define Units of Measure

Steps

One of the steps in creating a catalogue item consists of identifying how this item will be counted in the inventory. The user can establish the appropriate management mode by taking into account different properties, such as weight, item value or the format in which it is sold.

In some cases, it may be necessary to provide additional information to determine a price conversion. This happens when the item is bought in a certain format but maintained in the inventory in a different one.

Each mode applies to a specific situation; a brief description as well as an example are presented below. Click the hyperlink for more information.

Mode	Description
U-Unit	Most commonly used management mode. As its name suggests, the in-stock quantity of these items is measured individually. Ex.: electrical box
A-None	Mode used when the item should not be managed in the inventory, just sold. It can be virtual items used solely for invoicing purposes. Ex.: technician time
2-Technical batch	Mode used when an item’s format must be converted. It can be received as a unit but counted in the inventory under a different format. The conversion factor cannot be modified. Ex.: Freon
3-Serial Number	Mode used for items that must be managed by serial number. Ex.: generator
4-Variable Size	Preferred mode for items that are calculated by area. The item is sold or used in a format different from the original. Ex.: geotextile fabric

To access the Unit section:

maestro* > Purchasing > Maintenance > Catalogue > Catalogue Management

The Unit section is displayed under the Item Description tab, right next to the Identification section.

U-Unit

In most cases, the U-Unit mode represents a single item. During a physical inventory count, each item will be counted individually. No other information is required. The fields must be completed as indicated below:

Field	Enter/Select
Item Management Mode	U-Unit
Default Size	Field must remain empty
Unit	Defaults to «U » in each column
Factor	Defaults to «1 » in each column
Precision	Defaults to «0 » in each column

Occasionally, an item may be purchased in a specific format, but managed or sold in a different one, for example, a 500-feet roll of electrical wire. The supplier's roll (sold per unit) will be managed in the inventory in feet. A conversion is required; it can be changed to meet specific needs. In this case, fields must be completed as indicated below:

Field	Enter/Select
Item Management Mode	U-Unit
Default Size	Field must remain empty
Unit – Inventory	Item’s unit based on the format in which it is managed in the inventory. For the example, enter ft. (foot).
Unit – Supplier	Item’s unit based on the format in which it is purchased from the supplier. For the example, enter U (unit).
Unit – Project	Item’s unit based on the format in which it is used on a project. For the example, enter ft. (foot).
Unit – Customer	Item’s unit based on the format in which it is sold to a customer. For the example, enter ft. (foot).
Factor – Inventory	Value used to calculate quantity and unit price conversions. The Inventory factor is always 1 as the item is managed per unit. For the example, enter 1.
Factor – Supplier	The Supplier factor is calculated by the dividing the Factor – Inventory by the Default Size. It is the amount of inventory units in the supplier’ unit. For the example, 1 is divided by 500; enter 0.002.
Factor – Project	Same value as the Factor – Inventory because the item is also used in feet on a project. For the example, enter 1.
Factor – Customer	Same value as the Factor – Inventory because the item is also sold by foot to the customer. For the example, enter 1.
Precision	Value which indicates how decimals are used when displaying quantities and prices. If no precision is entered, maestro* defaults to “0” and the number of decimals can reach the field’s capacity. If “1” is entered, maestro* will round up to the next highest number. Note: The precision must always end with the number “1”. For the example, enter 0.001 because the Factor – Supplier has three decimals.

A-None

The A-None mode is used occasionally for items that are only sold; as such, they are not managed in the inventory. Since no information is required, most of the fields are either empty or set to the default value, as shown in the table below:

Field	Enter / Select
Item Management Mode	A-None
Default Size	Field must remain empty
Unit	Defaults to “U” in each column
Factor	Defaults to “1” in each column
Precision	Defaults to “0” in each column

2-Technical Batch

The 2-Technical Batch mode allows the user to identify items for which the format used to measure the ordered quantity is different from the format used to manage. In this case, however, the conversion is always the same and cannot be modified, even if the original quantity changes.

The technical batch is generally used for items sold by weight or volume, but whose specified quantity can slightly vary. A good example of this situation is Freon; the supplier sells it in 250 gallons cylinders. The order indicates 10 cylinders (units), but the in-stock quantity will be managed in gallons. Even if the nominal quantity says 250, the cylinder may contain 252 or 247 gallons, however, the quantity indicated in the Default Size field must still be 250. This example is described in the table below.

Field	Enter / Select
Item Management Mode	2-Technical Batch
Default Size	The quantity of the item based on its in-stock format. For the example, 250.
Unit – Inventory	Unit of the item based on the format used to manage it in the inventory. For the example, Gal (Gallon).
Unit – Supplier	Unit of the item based on the format used to order it from the supplier. For the example, U (Unit).
Unit – Project	Unit of the item based on the format it will be used on a project. For the example, Gal (Gallon).
Unit – Customer	Unit of the item based on the format used to sell it to a customer. For the example, Gal (Gallon).
Factor – Inventory	Number used to calculate quantity and unit price conversions. The Inventory factor is always 1 as the item is managed as a unit. For the example, 1.
Factor – Supplier	The Supplier factor is the result of the Factor – Inventory divided by the Default Size. It represents the amount of units-inventory found in the unit-supplier. For the example, 1 is divided by 250, which is 0.004.
Factor – Project	Same number as the Factor – Inventory because the item is also used in gallons on the project site. For the example, 1.
Factor – Customer	Same number as the Factor – Inventory because the item is also sold to the customer in gallons. For the example, 1.
Precision	Number that specifies the use of decimals when displaying price and quantities. If no precision is entered, maestro* displays “0” as default value and the amount of decimals may equal the field’s capacity. If “1” is entered, maestro* rounds up to the next highest number. Note: The precision must always end with a “1”. For the example, 0.001 because the Factor – Supplier has three decimals.

3-Serial Number

The 3-Serial Number mode is selected for items traditionally linked to a serial number because of their high cost, such as generators, air-conditioning units or transformers. The serial number is not immediately associated to the item when it is created; this step occurs when the goods are received. When the item is finally used (Inventory Issue), the serial number must always be specified.

Field	Enter / Select
Item Management Mode	3-Serial Number
Default Size	Field must remain empty
Unit	Defaults to “U” in each column
Factor	Defaults to “1” in each column
Precision	Defaults to “0” in each column

At the time of the goods receipt, whether the item is sent to inventory or directly to a project, the Serial Number is displayed. It allows the user to enter a serial number for each received item.

Later on, it will be possible to view each item’s serial number on several screens, in the Identification field:

In the Inventory to Project Transfer screen, by clicking in the Identification field to select the item that needs to be transferred
In the Catalogue Inquiry screen, by double-clicking in the Qty available field.

4-Variable size

The 4-Variable Size mode is mostly used for items managed by surface area. They can be divided to create new sizes, like in the case of a roll of geotextile fabric. A conversion is also required as the product is often sold per unit (roll) but managed as square meters (m²) or square footage (sq. ft.) in the inventory. The original item provides pieces of various size. For example, a geotextile roll measuring 30 feet by 100 feet – for a total surface area of 3,000 square feet – can be cut into smaller fabric pieces such as 4’x8’, 10’x20’, etc. The surface area of these pieces is gradually deducted from that of the larger fabric piece. Furthermore, with this mode, the item’s value doesn’t change, even as the inventory quantity decreases. The cost price per square foot remains the same whatever the size of the cut up fabric.

Fields should be completed according to the table below.

Field	Enter / Select
Item Management Mode	4-Variable Size
Default Size	The item’s quantity based on its format in the inventory. For the example, 300.
Unit – Inventory	Unit of the item based on the format used to manage it in the inventory. For the example, sq. ft. (Square footage).
Unit – Supplier	Unit of the item based on the format used to order it from the supplier. For the example, U (Unit).
Unit – Project	Unit of the item based on the format it will be used on a project. For the example, sq. ft. Unit).
Unit – Customer	Unit of the item based on the format used to sell it to a customer. For the example, sq. ft. (Unit).
Factor – Inventory	Number used to calculate quantity and unit price conversions. The Inventory factor is always 1 as the item is managed as a unit. For the example, 1.
Factor – Supplier	The Supplier factor is the result of the Factor – Inventory divided by the Default Size. It represents the amount of units-inventory found in the unit-supplier. For the example, 1 is divided by 300, which is 0.0033.
Factor – Project	Same number as the Factor – Inventory because the item is also used in square footage on the project site. For the example, 1.
Factor – Customer	Same number as the Factor – Inventory because the item is also sold to the customer in square footage. For the example, 1.
Precision	Number that specifies the use of decimals when displaying price and quantities. If no precision is entered, maestro* displays “0” as default value and the amount of decimals may equal the field’s capacity. If “1” is entered, maestro* rounds up to the next highest number. Note: the precision must always end with a “1”. For the example, 0.0001 because the Factor – Supplier has four decimals.

Formerly, How-to no. 21

Last modification: September 20, 2024