Alt Codes
Alt Codes lets you set alternate item codes with special commments, counts, or prices.
Typical uses include:
Barcodes like UPCs can point to your items
Catalog Part Numbers you create and publish can point to your real part numbers
Customer Part Numbers can use their Price, their Unit of Measure, their Margin
Variants or Variations you create in online stores can point to your right part numbers
Vendor Part Numbers can point to your part numbers and appear on PO's
Alternate Item Codes
Alternate Item Codes make is easy to use other part numbers like Barcodes or UPCs. Customer Part Numbers let you automate Orders. Vendor Part Numbers protect from being shopped around. And creative uses like custom Catalog P/N's abound.
This Solution provides an overview of the Alternate Item Codes functionality. (6002)
• UPC and other scannable barcodes
• Vendor or Manufacturer part numbers
• Alternate, replacement, or substitute part numbers
• Customer part numbers
• Part numbers for styles/colors/configurations of common Items
Big Business maintains a separate listing of Alternate Item Codes which it checks first when an Item Code is entered on a transaction. If a match is found, the corresponding Item is selected and its regular Item Code and Descriptions are loaded.
To enable Alternate Item Codes:
1. Open the Item Prefs
2. Click the Alternate Codes checkbox
3. Save the Item Prefs
Once enabled, Alternate Item Codes places a button in the Vendor Part Number field on the Item Card for adding Alternate Item Codes. The Import tool on the Mainenance toolbar includes an Import for Alternate Item Codes.
Once Alternate Item Codes have been added, you can enter an Alternate Item Code on a transaction, such as a Sales Order, in place of the regular Item Code and the corresponding Item will be selected.
Alt Codes Search
Alt Codes search lists Alternate Codes for items with the Item Code and Descriptions.
Alt Codes Update
Alt Codes search includes an Update option to let you get set data to a common value.
First select rows with Command-Click, Shift-Click, or Command-A then click Update.
In the Update dialog choose to modify Customer, Vendor, or Customer Margin %, click OK, and click Apply Changes to change selected rows to a common value.
Alt Codes Export
Alt Codes search includes an Export option to help you get your data to a spreadsheet.
When you click Export and choose All, Big Business saves a Tab-Text file including: Item Code, Description1, Description2, Alternate Item Code, Comment, Vendor, Customer, Customer Price, Customer UoM Count, and Customer Margin %.
Alt Codes Import
Alt Codes Import lets you create Alternate Item Codes using a spreadsheet or text file.
Vendor Part Numbers
The Alternate Item Codes feature lets you specify an unlimited number of Vendor Part Numbers, which are automatically inserted on Purchase Orders and Bills. (6212)
Click the Comment button to open the Line Item Comment window to edit contents more easily, add new lines with Return, and Check Spelling.
Click the Vendor button to show the Vendor Listing, or just enter a few characters of the Vendor Name. Like the Vendor Name on the Item Card, you can also delete the name to remove the Vendor.
Alternate Item Codes can be used to add Items to any transaction. It is important that Alternate Item Codes are different than your Item Codes. If needed add the Vendor Name to their Part Number to ensure it's unique.
Alternate Vendors
Big Business lets you list Alternate Vendors and their Part Numbers for an item in the Alternate Item Codes window. This feature is updated to automate purchasing.
This is a feature you might turn on for several reasons:
• to find items by vendors' part numbers
• to find items by other part numbers like oem, manufacturer, or replacement
• to find items by scannable barcodes on packaging
Alt Codes Margins
Alt Codes includes an Update option for Customer Margin %, that then changes price.
Any time you change Margin, Price is automatically recalculated. Depending on the rounding settings in Number Formats, the new price is then used to update the Margin.
When the Cost of an item is updated, such as during purchasing, the Last Cost Update is set to the date of the change, while prices including Alt Code Customer Price are not.