Past Tips

Recommended Reorders in Sage Pro

The following info describes the "Recommended Reorder Report" and shows how each field in your inventory item is used in the report.

To see a listing of items that need to be re-ordered, grouped either by supplier or inventory location, in inventory control, select Print,Status Reports, Recommended Reorders. Projected stock level and recommended reorder quantity are determined as follows:

Projected Stock Level=On-Hand Quantity + On Order(from po's) - Allocated(from so's)

Recommended Reorder Point = the greater of the following two: Order Quantity or Quantity needed to get Projected Stock Level to Order Point

You can include or exclude "Zero Order Point Items" (Special orders would not be included if they had a reorder point of 0 and zero order point items were excluded). Also you can include All Items or just items that are Below Reorder Point. Items below the reorder point is when the on-hand quantity is below the reorder point.

Inventory Types in Sage Pro

Under the item settings screen there is a selection box that defaults to "inventory". The other options you can choose are asset, expense or service.

Of course, you select "inventory" if it is an item for resale (both stock and non-stock).

You can select "asset" if the item is of significant value used for your company's own purposes, and should be included among your company's fixed assets. These item are not to be resold,and therefore the resellable setting is automatically set to "no".

Select "expense" if the item represents an operating expense, such as office supplies. This item will not be included in the total inventory value. You cannot resell expense items, so the resellable setting is also automatically set to "no".

And lastly, select "service" if the item represents a service purchased or provided by your company, such as consulting or labor fees. Service item are non-stock.

Once you add an inventory item, you can only change its inventory type if its on-hand, allocated and on-order quantities are set to zero.

Why is this helpful? Reports Reports Reports! Some reports can be ran with only certain "types" showing. For example, "asset" items can be set up, purchased with a purchase order, and the gl accounts can be directed to fixed assets rather than inventory. Then there is no more keeping separate figures for assets outside of Sage Pro.

Tip #4
When dealing with retainage on an invoice, these few steps can save a lot of time:

• Set up a non-stock, non-taxable and non-commissionable item called “retainage”. Have the transaction category set up to go to a sales clearing account. There will be no costs involved.

• On a salesorder prior to shipment, put the retainage item on it 2 times with quantities of one, and amounts of the retainage once a positive amount and once a negative amount. (on a salesorder, a non-stock item can be entered with a negative dollar value (not quantity) as long as it doesn’t bring the entire balance of the order negative)

     For example:
     1 oven @ $10,000.00
     1 retainage @ $1,000.00
     1 retainage @ -$1,000.00

• Ship the oven item and the negative retainage item. This will leave an invoice with a balance due of $9,000.00, and a back-ordered open salesorder with the retainage due and can be billed at the appropriate time. By handling retainage this way, your selling prices are not distorted, commissions are not influenced, receivable balances stay intact and the retainage can be tracked since it is still on a back-ordered open salesorder. On the same note, an item called “restockingfee” can be used on a return salesorder to lessen the amount of the credit.

     For example:
     -1 oven @ $10,000.00
     -1 restockingfee @ -$500.00
     nets out to be a total credit for $9,500.00


Tip #3
Pressing “F9” brings up a calculator that works with the number pad on your keyboard.

Tip #2
Pressing “F7” will take you into the file maintenance record for customers, vendors and inventory items. (it is a hotkey for the magnifying glass)

Tip #1
When the cursor is on a date field, you can press “C” to display a month-at-a-glance calendar.

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