Utilities for Maintaining a healthy Materials Module

Challenge:

During the course of using the Mainsaver Materials module, it is not unusual that actions are performed such as manual quantity adjustments, part reservation cancellations, frequent order point changes, etc.   Depending on when and how these functions are performed, it is potentially possible that to produce some inconsistencies in materials data with such things as “due in” quantities, incorrect order point items, and problematic part descriptions.   In order to correct these potential issues, Mainsaver has 2 built in utility programs that should be run on a periodic basis.

Solution:

Utility 1 – Order Point Maintenance Utility

This utility analyzes the inventory from a perspective of on hand quantity, on order quantity, order point, maximum levels, and parts on reservation, then corrects any inconsistencies it may find.  It also analyzes the relationship and conversion factor between “issue UOM” and “receive UOM”.   It is recommended this utility be run once per quarter for heavy users of the Materials Module.  Use the following steps to run this utility:

1.       Open the Materials Module and the click on the Parts Master button

2.       Under the Options menu, select “Order Point Maintenance Utility”

3.       Click on the “OK” button and allow the utility to run

Monitor the utility progress and enter any Unit of Measure conversion factors that may not be defined.

Utility 2 – Remove Quote Utility

This utility removes/replaces undesirable characters from the part description field that may be “database unfriendly” and can potentially can system errors in the purchasing / receiving process.  These are characters such as single and double quotes, slashes, back slashes, etc.   It is recommended that this utility be run at least once per year to maintain the integrity of part descriptions.   Steps to run the Remove Quote Utility are as follows:

1.       Enter the System Administration Module of Mainsaver

2.       Under the Maintenance Menu item, select the “Remove Quote Utility” option

3.       In the “replace” field, enter the character to be replaced (example – double quote symbol)

4.       In the “with” field, enter the value that will replace the special character (note a blank or space can be used for just removing the character)

5.       Click on the OK button

6.       Repeat as desired for any unwanted character.

Benefit:

Running these utilities on a periodic basis will help insure the integrity of the Mainsaver Materials Module data and result in better accuracy and performance of the application.