Using the Sales Calendar

The primary method for scheduling Sales Orders, the Sales and Sales Inventory calendars are displayed when running the calendar selection pre-filter with a report type of "Sales" or "Sales Inventory". The form shows a single box per Sales Order and display the order on the calendar based on the selection made in the "Date Based On" field of the Calendar Selection pre-filter (typically the "Due to Ship" date). Both calendars may be used to reserve and un-reserve material, schedule orders for shipment, ship orders, and print documents. User Calculations may be added and displayed on the Calendar. One benefit of this feature is the ability to use calcs to display specific part number and description information.

The calendar is displayed at the top of the form with unscheduled orders on the bottom. Users may drag and drop orders from the list to the appropriate date on the calendar as necessary. In order to view the details for a particular order, users have two options: If the order is located on the list at the bottom of the Sales Calendar form, they may select an order and double click to view the order detail. If the order is displayed on the calendar at the top of the form, users may right click on the order to view the order detail.

In addition, the Daily Sales Calendar form is available on both the Sales and Sales Inventory calendar. This form allows users to reserve and un-reserve materials to Sales Orders, modify Sales Orders, close Sales Orders, and print sales and shipping documents such as picking lists and bills of lading.

More information on the general form layout and status color indicators is available on the Sales Inventory Calendar page.

Configuration

Sales Order Fields and any desired User Calculations will need to be setup prior to using the Sales Calendar. Five lines of text may be displayed in the box on the Sales Calendar, dictated by the "Sales Field 1-5" pick list selections made in System > Options > Calendar 1 tab. Also, Sales Order calcs, via Tools > Edit User Calculations, are available as options in the Sales Calendar display fields on the Calendar 1 tab via System > Options.

Process

The Sales and Sales Inventory Calendars present information in the same format and contain the same information. The only difference is that the Sales Inventory Calendar highlights the Sales Order based on the inventory status. The process for using the calendars remains the same and is detailed in the steps below.

  1. Navigate to Sales > Calendar.
  2. Select a "Report Type" of Sales or Sales Inventory.
  3. Ensure the correct selection is chosen in the "Capacity Calculation" field. The default calculation is specified on the Calendar 1 tab in System > Options and is not generally changed, but may be when necessary.
  4. Choose an appropriate "Date Based On" value. Options are Sales Date 1-5 and Expires. The captions for Sales Dates 1-5 are defined on the "Sales Captions" tab via System > Options. Note that Sales Date 3 is used as the Due to Ship Date by the MRP component of DEACOM.
  5. Select the appropriate "Schedule Type". Choices are: Week or Month.
  6. Fill in any additional fields as desired. Several fields such as Part Number, Ship Via, Facility, Bill to Company, and Ship to Company may be used for additional filtering.
  7. Once all the appropriate selections have been made click the "View" button to display the Calendar.
  8. Unscheduled Sales Orders will be displayed in the list at the bottom. Users may drag and drop individual Sales Orders from this list to the appropriate day on the Calendar to begin the scheduling process. In addition, users may change the Calendar time frame by using the arrow keys at the top of the form. Additional information regarding the options and features available to the Sales Calendar are detailed further down on this page.
  9. If printing sales documents or reserving material to Sales Orders, users may click the "Schedule" button on the Calendar toolbar or double-click a scheduled Sales Order to display the Daily Sales Calendar form where these functions are performed. Note that security exists to control which users may reserve or un-reserve material in the system.
  10. When all changes to the Calendar have been made, click on the "Save" button at the top of the screen. Changes are reflected in the Date fields on the appropriate Sales Orders.

FAQ and Diagnostic Tips

Is staged inventory considered when determining Sales Order colors on the Sales Inventory Calendar?

Yes. The system will consider inventory staged directly to a Sales Order as reserved inventory when calculating colors. When inventory is staged to multiple Sales Orders or in a generic staging bucket, the inventory is considered as available inventory.

How does the "Do Not Post Inventory" flag affect an item's requirements on the Sales Inventory Calendar?

The "Do Not Post Inventory" flag on the Sales Order line will now determine if requirements will be displayed in Inventory Details on the Sales Inventory calendar. If the flag is checked, the item's inventory requirements will be set to "0."