pRODUCTS eNTRY tRAINING sCHEDULE
1 Introduction
Following is an outline of the training schedule and what will be covered:
ü Basic product set up
ü Product attributes
ü Image
ü Pricing
ü Barcodes
ü Product Locking
ü Product – Stock, Query & Audit
2 Setup
When entering products, basic information must be stored. This section explains the base information required before saving a product (i.e. creating a product shell).
§ Product Code / Description / Notes – this is the unique code assigned to each product (style and component). The value can be alpha, numeric or a combination of both.
For version 2014 and later, product codes will be rejected if they contain the following characters:
Restricted Character / Comment /. / Product codes cannot contain a full stop anywhere in the code (leading/trailing/middle) as full stop is used in Apparel21 as a style, colour and size separator. /
+ / Product codes cannot contain a leading (+) as this is used in Apparel21 to search for a barcode. /
- / Product codes cannot contain a leading (-) as this is used in Apparel21 to search for comments. /
Spaces / Product codes cannot contain leading/trailing spaces. All leading/trailing spaces will be trimmed during save. /
/ \ : * ? “ < > | / Product codes cannot contain any windows restricted characters. Apparel21 SalesNet requires all image files to be named after the product code. Windows does not allow the following characters to be used as filenames.
/
§ Product Attributes – used to define the usage of the product (whether it is purchased, used in production, sold, produced, stocked, or an extra)
§ Product Colours – used to assign colours against a style. Note a style may be set up as not coloured (therefore the Add Colour / Delete Colour buttons are not available)
§ Product Sizes – used to define the size values on a style. Note a style maybe set up as coloured but non-sized. A style cannot be set up as sized with no colour.
§ Product Dimensions (optional) – used to define a further level of sizing such as widths, length or cup size.
§ Product References – categories into which products are placed so that they can be reported on or grouped together. References are also used to translate to General Ledger postings
§ Product Active flags – used to define which SKUs are set to be available in different modules (linked to the Product Attributes).
3 Product Attributes
The Product Usage flags define the attributes stored on a product (i.e. whether the item is a finished good, a component or a service).
Product Attribute check boxes
Attributes / Comment /Purchased / Used to nominate that the product is purchased whole from an external supplier.
If this flag is ticked, the Pur & Suppler tab is used to enter specific purchasing information. /
Used in production / Used to nominate that the product is used to make another product. I.e. Is part of the bill of materials of another product. E.g. Fabric.
If this flag is ticked, the Production tab is used to enter specific production information. /
Produced / Used to nominate that the product is produced in Apparel 21 Production Maintenance rather than being purchased using Apparel 21 Purchase Orders.
If this flag is ticked, the Production tab is used to enter specific production information and the product will become active for bill of material entry (BOM & Costing tab). /
Sold / Used to nominate that the product is sold to customers.
If this flag is ticked, the Sales tab is used to enter specific sales information such as selling prices and EAN barcode numbers. /
Stocked / Used to nominate whether the product is a physical item. This is normally ticked.
If this flag is not ticked, no stock records are maintained in Apparel 21. The types of products that are not ticked are services or additional sales surcharges.
E.g. Freight charges to a customer, cutting charges, etc would be created as non-stocked products. /
Concept / A Concept product is something like a "Freight charge" or a general costing product called “FABRIC”. Production services where each product using the service has a different value would also be set up as "concept" type products. E.g. Making service
A concept component is normally used on another product’s bill of materials for initial basic costing. At the start of a product’s life, when the final component details have not yet been confirmed, concept product codes may be used to enter rough costs.
If a product is flagged as a Concept product, when it is entered on a product bill of materials, cost group, size, supplier and cost of the component can be manually entered. If a product is not flagged as a concept, these fields are automatically read from the entered product and cannot be changed. /
Incurs Freight (optional) / Used in conjunction with the automatic freight calculation functions of Apparel 21. If this feature is active, freight charges are automatically added to all invoices sent to customers. The Incurs Freight checkbox is used to nominate if the product is included in the freight charge calculation or not. /
Extra / Used by the sales order entry and invoicing functions. Any products that are ticked as “extras” are not included in unit totals printed on invoices and picking slips.
This flag is normally ticked on items such as freight charges or other non-stocked items.
E.g. Product A (NOT an extra Qty 50
Product B (NOT an extra) Qty 50
Freight (is an extra) Qty 1
Sales order total quantity = 50 + 50 = 100 /
4 Assigning product attributes
The following outlines the standard attribute set up for different product types.
Product Type / Usage flagsComponents / Purchased, Used In Production, Stock
Services / Purchased, Used In Production
Finished Goods – Purchased fully / Purchased, Sold, Stocked
Finished Goods – Produced Locally / Produced, Sold Stocked
Finished Goods – Produced overseas / Produced, Sold, Stocked
5 Product Image
Product images are created outside of Apparel21. Once the image is completed, it is imported into the system. The image file types can be imported: *.AI, *.BMP,*.JPG,*.JPEG,*.GIF,*.TIF,*.TIFF, *.PNG, *.WMF and *.EMF.
Three internal images types Concept, Grading and Default can be stored against each product. Additional image types can be created as required.
Image Type / Used for /Default / The Default image is the main product image. Displays on most Apparel21 screens and reports. /
Concept / The Concept image is a sketch or initial design of a product Prints on a few specific reports /
Grading / The Grading image usually includes grading reference points identified for measuring purposes. Displays on the Grading Rules screen and prints on the Grading Rule report /
5.1 Importing images
Images are imported into the Apparel21 database using the Product Image Maintenance screen, Import button.
To import an image into Apparel 21, go to
§ Product tab
§ Click the Manage Image button
§ Select the relevant Set Part – this is optional and only applies to products that contain more than one physical component, i.e. a Suit product consists of a Coat and a Trouser.
§ Select the Image Type to imported
§ Select the Import button
§ Browse to the network path where images are stored and select the appropriate image
§ Click the Open button
§ The image displays on the right side of screen.
Default image stored on product
The Linked to field displays the file path of the source image that was imported. The system will maintain an ongoing link with this source file, so that when the file is modified, the Apparel21 system automatically re-imports the file so that the system stays in sync.
Please note allowable image file types are *.AI;*.BMP;*.JPG;*.JPEG;*.GIF;*.TIF;*.TIFF;*.PNG;*.WMF;*.EMF. If a different file type is used, a message is displayed:
5.2 Keeping images in sync
The images are kept in sync, either by the background task, or by opening the product record, or by clicking the ReSync button, whichever occurs first.
Viewing details of the sync is possible in the Product Image Maintenance screen:
The Last Synchronised field displays the date and time that the image was most recently kept in sync.
The field Source File Modified can be used to verify that the image in the system is using the last version of the source file, based on the source file date and time stamp.
5.3 EDITING images FROM AP21
The Edit button can be used to launch the software normally used to create the image, based on the image file extension.
The program that is associated with the file type of the image on your computer will be opened and display the image:
For example, the file association for .ai files is Adobe Illustrator.
If the default program associated with your file type allows edits to the image, then any edits saved will be automatically reflected in the Product Image Maintenance screen, because the image is linked.
5.4 Deleting images
Images are removed by selecting the image and clicking the Delete button. A confirmation message is displayed:
Please note the source image file is not deleted.
Help FileContent / Help Topics / Products
> Product Maintenance
> Screens and Fields
> Products – Images
6 Products - Pricing
Product prices can be entered in a number of different ways depending on how the system has been configured to meet current requirements.
To set up prices on a product go to
§ Product Maintenance
§ Sales tab
Pricing button to access price schemes on product
§ Select the Pricing button
§ Using the Search/Insert Sales Price Scheme field, search for the price scheme to be stored on the product.
§ Select the OK button to confirm the price scheme selected
§ The newly selected price scheme will display on the Sell Prices screen. Enter the price in the Price field. Prices can be stored at the Style, Colour or SKU level.
§ The changes are saved by closing the dialog box and accepting to save.
Price scheme set up
To delete a price scheme
§ Highlight the price scheme to be deleted
§ Select the delete button – the price scheme will be deleted.
§ To copy a price scheme
§ Highlight the price scheme to be copied
§ Select the copy button – the price scheme will be copied. This would be used if a different date range for a new price is required for the same price scheme. E.g. a special price is being offered for 2 weeks on the Wholesale AUD.
6.5 Bulk Change
The Bulk Change enables a bulk update on all price schemes stored on the product. Options for bulk updating are
§ Price By
§ Price
§ Date From
§ Date To
Any changes will affect all price schemes stored on the product.
Bulk Change screen
Help FileContent / Help Topics / Products
> Product Maintenance
> Screens and Fields
> Products – Sales
> Products – Sales - Pricing
7 Products – barcodes
The Barcodes button is used to enter or generate a Barcode for each SKU. A unique Barcode is assigned to each SKU within Apparel 21. An SKU may have more than one barcode as long as its unique. Any 13 digit barcode is treated as an EAN barcode and the check digit is verified, UPC barcodes are entered as 13 digits with a 0 at the beginning. The system will also accept any barcode using the Other option. The EAN barcode can be assigned based on a preconfigured manufacturer number or can be manually entered by the user.
To create Barcodes go to
§ Product Maintenance
§ Sales tab (or can be accessed via the Stock tab)
§ Select the Barcodes button
EAN auto generate barcode set up
§ Select the SKUs that are to have EANs Barcodes assigned by highlighting the lines
§ Click on Generate button for the system to automatically default the barcode
§ Select the EAN Manufacturer code and press OK
For manual entry of barcodes
§ To add a EAN or UPS barcode Click on New EAN for other barcodes click on New Non EAN
§ Manually enter the EANs, UPS o barcodes as required
§ Repeat the process if additional barcodes are required for the same SKU.
§ Save the changes once completed
7.6 Bulk assigning Barcodes
Rather than assigning barcodes to a product individually, the barcodes can be assigned in bulk. To assign barcodes for a batch/group of products, go to
§ Product Maintenance
§ Query on the required group of products (using product references)
§ Under the Utilities menu select the Generate Barcodes in bulk option
§ If more than one manufacturer number is stored, the user will be able to select which manufacturer code to use to generate the barcodes.
Only products that do not have an existing barcode will have a new barcode generated against them.
Note if different manufacturer numbers are used for different labels, ensure the query for products is performed for one label at a time. The system will then allow the user to choose which manufacturer code is to be used to generate the barcodes in bulk.