Setting Up Units of Measure
You need to enter the Unit Of Measure (UOM) of what you are measuring. This could include inch, degrees, mm, feet, %, etc.
Quality Assurance System
Quality Assurance System Setup
Inspection Setup
Enter & Edit Measurement Units
Setting Up Attributes
You need to setup the attributes (of any product). ALL attributes for ALL products are kept in one large list.
Inventory System
Inventory File Maintenance
Unit Of Measure And Certificate System
Enter & Edit Product Attributes
This area controls the sequence of the attributes (the sequence which they are listed in the specification and also the sequence they are inspected in). You can use the “Insert Line” button to insert a line.
Each attribute has many options:
Sequence: You can control the sort order and where in the list this attribute shows up.
Description: Enter the attribute’s description
Revision Controlled: Answer Yes to this most of the time. This means that if a user wants to change the attribute value on a specification, they must revise the specification (The Business Edge maintains version histories, who created / revised the specification, and who approved the specification for use – all requirements of ISO 9001 section 4.2.3). If the attribute is not inspected and is just a “note”, then it doesn’t need to be revision controlled.
Type: Please choose from the drop down box.
Range – the specification is a range: for example, 0.998 – 1.002
Number – the specification is just a single number (this is used mostly for guage dimensions and are not inspected).
Text – The user just types in free form text as the attribute
Date – The user can enter a date for the specification.
Product Code – The user can choose product code as the attribute.
Lookup List – The user enters a specific list that is then chosen on the specification.
Inspect Type: Please choose from the drop down box
Range – the inspection is entered as a range
Number – the inspection is entered as a single number
Text – the inspection is entered as free form text (as long as something is entered, the inspection “passes”)
Pass/Fail – the user chooses from Pass/Fail (used for Go/No Go gages)
Range (Remainder) – the inspection is entered as a number range, but the user can also choose “Remainder” (used for chemical attributes – for brass, Zinc is 40%, copper is the “Remainder”).
Cannot be Inspected – means that the attribute won’t be inspected.
Round Numbers to: Enter the number of decimals for number-type attributes. If you want to show 1.000, then choose 3.
Min. decimals to Display: Enter the minimum number of decimals to display. This is used if you round to a greater precision, but don’t want to show the trailing zeros. For example, if you round to 4, and min display to 3, the attribute can show: 1.000 – 1.0005 as the displayed information. If you want all 4 decimals to show, then make both the Round Numbers to and Min Decimals to Display 4.
Unit of Measure: For numbers only, choose what units you are measuring.
The Defaults – these are the defaults used when first adding the attribute to a Category. These can be changed on a category by category basis.
Default Auto Add to New Specification: Add this attribute to a new specification
Default Prompt User on New Specification: When adding a specification to a product, should the user be asked for this attribute as part of the initial entry questions?
Default Is this Searchable – This is for a future enhancement to the system that will allow the user to search for products based on attribute values.
Default Inspect this Attribute – Should this attribute be inspected when the part is inspected?
Default Allowable Minimum / Maximum – These can be left blank or you can enter a broad range that forces the user to enter specifications within this range. This is used mostly just to make sure the user does not enter grossly wrong specifications. For instance, a head diameter should be between 0 and 20 inches. This just helps stop random data error (the user typing in 125 inches instead of .125 inches).
Product Categories
Each product will be assigned a Category that will help you determine which attributes should be used to describe the parts. The category system has some features in it for use with an eventual web-enabled product B2B system. It is also used heavily with the Able Label integration.
Entering Product Categories
Inventory System
Inventory File Maintenance
Unit Of Measure And Category System
Enter & Edit Product Categories
Category Code – Choose a code for the category.
Category Description – Choose a description for this category.
Able Label Filename – For use with Able Label – it is the image file that is printed on the label.
Detail Type:
Attributes – This means that products can be assigned this category. Attributes can be assigned to this category and attributes are inherited from parent category(ies)
Parent Category – This category is NOT assignable to products and is used for searching products. Attributes are assigned to parent categories to be inherited by their children.
This is a subcategory of – Choose a parent category that the current category is a child of. For instance, this category could be Hex Head Cap Screws and the parent category could be Cap Screws.
Active for Inventory
Top Web Category – When used in the web enabled system, this category will be one of the basic categories listed on the screen.
Sub Web Category – When used in the web enabled system, this category will be visible as a sub-category.
Internal Category – This category is selectable for products, but will not be included in the web list.
Not Active – this category is not selectable for use (used mostly for deprecation of a category or when a client has all the Able Label categories pre-loaded and does not use them all.
B2C Image Name – Image to show on the web interface
TBE Image – Future use in the UI as the image to show on the product inquiry screen.
After the first screen, you get to assign the individual attributes to the categories. You can use F3 to view the Inherited Attributes.
Choosing a New Line, you choose the attribute to add to this Category.
The next screen changes based on what type of attribute it is, but here is an example:
Absolute Minimum – This is defaulted from the attribute. This is the broad range value specific for this category.
Absolute Maximum – This is defaulted from the attribute. This is the broad range value specific for this category.
Inspect during Inspection – Should this attribute be inspected when an inspection is done on a product in this category?
Auto Add to New Specification – Should this attribute be default added to a new specification?
Prompt User on New Specifications – Should the system put this attribute in a “quick entry” list when the user is adding a new specification?
Default – If you want the system to default a value on all new specifications, then here is where you put it.
Searchable Attribute – For the future web system – is this an attribute that the user can search on to locate a product?
Entering Specifications
So, once you have some categories and once you attributes assigned to the categories, we can work on creating a new specification for a product.
In Enter & Edit Products, choose the category that the product is in, and then choose “Kits & Specifications” – “Product Specification”
You are given 3 choices:
Do Not Create Specification
Create New Specification (will take you into a new specification screen)
Duplicate Existing Specification (will prompt for a product to “copy”)
If you choose Duplicate Existing Specification, the system will prompt you for what product to “Copy” and then take you to the resulting new specification.
For Creating a new one, a screen (similar to the one below) will be shown and you will enter in all the attributes that you have marked to Auto Add to Specification AND Prompt User on New Specification.
Once you have filled out this screen (or after you choose the product to duplicate):
From here, you can go into any line and change the value (you are in “revise” mode).
When you exit out of this screen, you are brought into “View Mode”
If you have uncontrolled attributes, then you can use “Uncontrolled” to get into them and add/change them.
If you need to revise the document, then use “Revise”. If it is unapproved, then the user who created the revision can revise it without it being a new revision number. If it has been approved, then The Business Edge increments the revision number and keeps a copy of the original version (can be found in Product Inquiry, Product Specification, Revision Info).
As shown by the screen, this is revision 0 and it is UNREVIEWED, which means that it cannot be used for inspections.
To mark the document approved for use, use the “Review” button and answer Yes to Approve Specification for Use. Once it has been approved, it can be used for Inspections.
Enter & Edit Inspections
Inspections are created multiple ways.
ISO 9001 System
Inspection System
Enter & Edit Inspections
This is a very manual inspection that asks a lot of information about what you are inspecting and how to use the inspection.
Automatic Inspection
During the Receiving Screens, when you choose the line of the Purchase Order you are receiving, if the product is marked to be inspected (Enter & Edit Products, Shipping & Quality, Inspection Required?), an inspection automatically pops up (created from the product’s specification).
If the product passes inspection, they user is able to continue on. If the inspection does not pass, the user is not able to receive the PO until an inspection is entered for the detail line that is in compliance with the specification.