The Restock Rules can work in conjunction with Add Products to Buying List for Review section on the Buying Manager screen.

This section of the work screen consists of three tabs.

If you have the following Restock Rules set up:

• Period Start = 2/06/18,
• Period End = 3/06/18
• Transactions = Sale

Each Tab will work as follows:

Select products from the Product list: If Selected the Period Start and Period End fields and the Transactions field will NOT determine which products display on the Buying List.

• The program will not pay attention to the Restock Rules criteria to determine which products appear in the Buying List.
• It will look only to the query itself.  
• Say you choose to run the query for all books in your Gardening Department.
• When you run the query,
• ALL books in your Gardening Department will appear in the Buying List, including ones that did not sell between 2/06/18 and 3/06/18.

Select products based on changes in inventory: If Selected the Restock Rules criteria directly determine which products will display in the Buying List

• The program will select the products to display on the Buying List that appear on the query but which also match the Restock Rules criteria.
• When you run the query, ONLY those books that fit this criteria will appear in the Buying List.

Select products currently in TBO list: If Selected the Period Start and Period End fields and the Transactions field will NOT determine which products display on the Buying List.

• The program will only look at the query itself (not the Restock Rules) to determine which products appear on the Buying List.

When you select any of the three tabs:

• Select Products from the Products list
• Select Products Based on Changes in Inventory
• Select Products Currently in TBO list

The Query window appears.

Here you select which products should display in the Buying List

You can either select to run an existing query or create a new query.

To create a new query first:

• Click on the Manage Saved Queries button at the top right of the query window.
• A drop down menu appears.
• Select Create a New Query to Save
• A small window appears, prompting you to name the query you are about to create.
• Key in the name of your new query in the blank line where the cursor displays, then click on the OK button.
• The name you just keyed in will display in the Select Saved Query field back in the Query window.

Now select the criteria for the new query

• Choose the Category you want to define your query by in the Select Field by clicking on the down arrow at the right of the field.
• A pull down list of categories appears.
• Click on the one you want.
• It now displays in the Select Field
  • lets say you selected Department Category.
• In Select Operation
• Choose Like, equal to, From, To, between, NULL, Not =, or Not NULL.
  • say you chose equal to
• In Choose Value, choose the value or values that define the selection criteria.
  • With the Department Category example,
    • say you then select FD/Food
• The query will be run for all products with a Department Category of FD/Food (FD being the code, "Food" being the description).
  • For applicable categories (such as Department Category), there will be a binoculars icon at the right of the Choose Value field.
  • If you select between in the Select Operation field, two fields will display under Choose Value.
  • In the top field, choose the start value. In the bottom field, select the ending value.
  • For Date categories (such as Publication Date), a calendar will display if you click on the down arrow at the right of the Choose Value field(s).
• Once you have set the query fields the way you want
• Click on the Add button at the right of the Query window.
• The query criteria you just set will display in the Selected Ranges box.
  • If you want to blank out the query fields and begin again prior to clicking on Add
    • Click on the Cancel button.
    • The query fields are blanked out.
• Repeat the above process as many times as you want to define the criteria for your query.
• Each time you establish a new set of criteria and click on the Add button
  • The new criteria will display in the Selected Ranges box.
  • The more sets of criteria you select, the more specific the parameters of the query will be.

After creating the criteria for this new query

Click on the Manage saved queries button and select Save the current query.

At this point, you can run the query in Buying Manager immediately, or you can exit the query without running it.

Let's take a closer look at the other selections under the Manage Saved Queries button.

Two choices allow you either to view the list of queries saved only by you or the list of queries saved by everyone on the system.

This is user-definable and up to you.

Choose whichever makes the most sense.

You can switch back and forth anytime you like, but the system will always default to the way you left it the last time you were in the Query program.

These two selections have a direct impact on the Select saved query field to the left.

This field has a pull down arrow.

Click on the arrow and a drop down menu displays, listing all of the saved (existing) queries you can choose from.

When you select one, that query's criteria will display in the window.

At that point, you can run the query.

The last choice under the Manage saved queries button is a Delete the Current Query

• Click on Delete Current Query
• This will call up a dialogue box that asks you if you want to delete the query that's displayed.
• If you do, click Yes
• The query will be deleted.

Pay attention to one more field in the Query window:

Include inactive (deleted) records that meet the selection criteria

• Checked = records that have been deleted from iMerchant will be included in the query.
• Unchecked = these records will not be included, even if they fall under the query's criteria ranges.

To run the query

• Click on the Run the Query button at the bottom of the Query window.
• Click on Exit without running the query if you do not wish to run the query

If you do Run the Query,

You will be returned to the Buying Manager screen

A message box will display letting you know that the query is being run.

The number of records the query turned up will also display.

Once the query has been completed, all of the applicable items appear in the Buying List at the bottom of the Buying Manager screen.

• Up to 1,000 records can appear on the Buying List at one time.
• If more records are called up by the query than can display at one time, a scroll bar will be present at the right of the List

Some of the fields under the Buying List are color coded when the records first appear.

GREEN = Any record that has an onhand amount greater than zero

• Any record that the system has suggested to be reordered, regardless of quantity (i.e., a value of 1 or greater), either under the Restock column or the Auto-Buy column, will be coded green.
• Under the Restock column if a value of 1 or greater is present
• Under Auto-Buy if a value of 1 or greater is present
• It will be coded green in both columns if a value of 1 or greater is present in both columns.

RED = Any record that has a problem concerning its onhand amount (such as a negative onhand amount)

Keep in mind, the purpose of the Buying Manager program is to suggest reorder quantities, and enable you to apply these suggested amounts to the TBO.

The values under the Restock column are suggested reorder quantities.

The values under the Auto-Buy column are also suggested reorder quantities.

Many times, these values will differ.

You can choose to apply the Restock quantity or the Auto-Buy quantity to the TBO screen, or you can still manually choose a different quantity altogether, or no quantity at all. The decision is yours

RESTOCK: as mentioned earlier represents a 1-for-1 reordering dependent on the transaction type you chose in the Transactions field.

• If a product displayed on the Buying List has sold 10 times in the date range selected under the Restock Rules, and you chose "Sale" in the Transactions field, then a quantity of 10 will appear under the Restock column for that product.

Auto-Buy: only looks at sales, regardless of the transaction type selected in the Transactions field.

• it is controlled by the Reorder Rule defined for each product in Product Properties

By clicking on the Session Reorder button in the Task Bar, you can either apply the Restock-suggested quantity or the Auto-Buy-suggested quantity to all (or a group of, or just one of) the records in your Buying List right on the Buying Manager screen

• Or you can navigate through the Buying List one product at a time and go through the reordering process on a product-by-product basis.

Your preference will be determined by how much information you want to see when you schedule the reorder.

Selecting Restock or Auto-Buy right at the Buying Manager screen is a quick process, but you won't see the in-depth inventory details for the products as you would if you schedule the reorders on a product-by-product basis.

Mass reordering at the Buying Manager screen:

If you want to add the Restock column's value to the TBO screen for all products on the Buying List:

• Go to Options > Restock (CTRL+R)
• The Proceed with Restock dialogue box appears.
  • It will ask you if you want to apply the Restock values to all the products on the List
    • some of the products on the Buying List likely will have a Restock value of 0
    • for these products, no reorder quantity will be added to the TBO screen
  • Select Yes if you want to proceed
    • No if you do not.
  • If Yes, the following will happen.
    • Once the process has been run, the Add to TBO column in the Buying List will fill in with the value from the Restock column for each product in the List.
    • This tells you that the Restock value will be applied to the TBO screen.
      • However, nothing has been added to the TBO screen yet.
    • Notice that the Restock value has been placed in the Add to TBO column, but it has NOT yet been added to the Current TBO column. One step still remains.
  • To finalize the process and place the Add to TBO column amounts to the Current TBO column
    • Click on Save in the toolbar at the top of the Buying Manager screen.
      • A Save changes dialogue box appears.
      • To save the changes and actually place the order quantities onto the TBO screen,
      • Click on Yes
      • To back out without saving the changes
        • Click on No
          • If you select No, you are returned to the Buying Manager screen, and the Add to TBO column still has the Restock values in it.
          • You can either proceed with this Buying Manager session using a different tool (such as Auto-Buy) or back out.
      • If you select Yes, the values in the Add to TBO column are transferred to the Current TBO column
      • The quantities are saved now reside on the TBO screen.
      • The Add to TBO column's figures are returned to 0.
  • Congratulations! You have scheduled these products to be reordered using the Restock values.

To add either the Restock value or the Auto-Buy value to the TBO screen for a group of products or a single product (but not all of the products) on the Buying List:

• Scroll through the Buying List and, using standard Windows techniques
• Select the record or records you want to place onto the TBO screen.
• Select either Restock or Auto-Buy in Options

We've just detailed how to place an entire list of products or a partial list of products (or one product) onto the TBO screen straight from the Buying Manager screen.

The top right portion of the Buying Manager screen tells the system which vendor should be used for the products in the Buying List, once transferred to the TBO screen, as well as what type of order to be used.

Under Default Vendor for items to order, there are two choices:

Use vendor of record for each product: the vendor to be selected at the TBO screen will be the vendor of record for each applicable product, based on each product's vendor of record as defined in Product Properties

Use selected vendor: allows you to use one vendor for all products scheduled to be reordered during a Buying Manager session.

• It consolidates all scheduled reorders in the Buying Manager session to go through one vendor.
• The Selected Vendor field only applies if you select Use selected vendor
  • Click on the binoculars icon at the right of the field and choose the vendor you want to use via the Find Vendor program.
  • This will be the vendor each scheduled-to-be-reordered product in this Buying Manager session will be ordered from.

Default Type of Order: Click on the binoculars and choose the TBO Type to be used for all products scheduled to be ordered through this Buying Manager session.

If you want to see more in-depth inventory detail or select the quantity to be reordered manually, independent of Restock or Auto-Buy

You can schedule products to be reordered on a detailed product-by-product basis in the Buying Manager.

To do so:

• From the Buying List
• Highlight one record or a group of records (or all of the records) and then select Edit > Edit Items (CTRL+E)
  • If you are selecting a single item, you can just double click on it
• This opens the Buying Detail screen for the first selected record from the Buying List.

• The top portion of the Buying Detail screen is a collection of information (it cannot be changed).
  • The product title, number, and vendor of record (among other things) are displayed, as well as the Restock and Auto-Buy values the Buying Manager is recommending.
• The Sales field lists the number of copies sold for this product between the Period Start and Period End dates as defined in the restock rules

To the left of the TBO box, there is the Inventory Summary By Item section (informational)

• this is meant to aid you in the reordering process.
• The last field in the Inventory Summary is Projected on Hand, which factors current on hand with other factors (Customer Orders, Copies already on TBO screen, PO's, etc.)

The bottom of the Buying Detail screen is user-definable, and you can set it any way you like via the Screen Designer

This portion of the screen is informational. It's for your benefit.

• To access the Buying Detail user-definable section in the Screen Designer:
  • From the iMerchant Desktop
  • Select Tools > Screen Designer
  • When the Screen Designer opens
  • Choose File > Open from Database > Product Viewer > Buying Detail
  • Then design the screen the way you want it.

After viewing the information on the Buying Detail screen for the product, you now need to make the reordering decision.

If you want to reorder the product using the Restock value:

• Click on the Restock button in the Task Bar
• In the TBO box, a new row will be added underneath rows already present.
  • The rows already present reflect orders currently on the TBO screen
• If there were no rows filled in, then the first row's blank fields will fill in with the applicable information.
• Under TBO_Quantity: the value will match what was in the Restock field.
• The TBO_TypeOfOrder and TBO_Vendor_ID fields will fill in based on how you set them back at the Buying Manager screen
  • These fields are required make sure they are filled in
  • You can also change these fields from the values set back at the Buying Manager screen, if desired.
• Under the TBO_Comment (optional): key in any relevant comment, if you wish.

At this point, you can cancel the update if you decide you don't want to reorder the product using the method you just selected.

To Cancel:

• Click on the Cancel button in the Task Bar
• The row that had been added within the TBO box is deleted.
• If you want, you can schedule a reorder using a different reordering method (such as Auto-Buy)
• or you can back out of the Buying Detail screen for this product without suggesting any reorder.

To Apply the update:

• Click on the Close button in the Task Bar
• This returns you to the Buying Manager screen, and the Restock value for this product is now also listed under the Add to TBO column.
• At this point, to save the change and move the Add to TBO amount to the Current TBO amount,
• Click on Save at the toolbar at the top of the Buying Manager screen.

If you want to apply the Auto-Buy quantity for a product via the Buying Detail screen:

• Repeat the just-mentioned steps above, except select the Auto-Buy button in the Task Bar, rather than Restock.

If you want to ignore the Reorder and Auto-Buy suggestions and decide to schedule a reorder manually in the Buying Detail screen for a product:

• Click on the Add TBO button within the TBO box.
• The Quantity column defaults to a 1, and the Type and Vendor fields fill in to match the defaults you set back on the Buying Manager screen.
• You can change any of the values in these fields
• Once you have them set the way you want (including the Quantity to be reordered)
• Click on the Close button and follow the same steps just outlined above

There are a few other Task Bar buttons on the Buying Detail screen that you should be aware of.

LINK: has an arrow at the right of it.

• Click on the arrow, and a menu appears with a list of programs.
• If you click on any of the programs listed, you will be taken to that program for the product selected.
• For example, if you click on Properties, you will be taken to that product's Product Properties page.
• This icon is here for your navigational convenience.

NOTES: lists the Notes, if any exist, for the highlighted product. Buying Detail Notes also can be maintained here.

NEXT and PRIOR: only display if you selected more than one record back on the Buying Manager screen

• They also help you navigate through the records you selected from the Buying Manager's Buying List.
• Click on Next to navigate directly to the next selected record under the Buying List from Buying Manager without having to exit the Buying Detail screen.
• Likewise, to go back to the previous selected record on the List, click on Prior.

 If you have a group of records to scroll through in Buying Detail,

• Schedule the products to be reordered using Restock, Auto-Buy, or manually keying in a reorder quantity yourself.
• BUT, do NOT Apply until you are finished going through the entire list of products.
• Once you've gone through the entire list, click on Close to Apply
• You will be returned to the Buying Manager screen.
• All of the reorder amounts will now be reflected in the Add to TBO column for every product you scheduled a reorder quantity for.

If you had clicked on Close while in the Buying Detail screen for the first product in your List, you would have been kicked out of Buying Detail and returned to Buying Manager.

• Then you would need to reselect the desired records on the Buying List and go back into Buying Detail.
• Holding off on clicking Close allows you to scroll through every record in Buying Detail before having to return to Buying Manager.

Back at the Buying Manager screen:

If you want to delete a selected record or records from the Buying List at the bottom of the screen:

• Highlight the record(s) you want deleted from the List
• Go To Edit > Delete Items
• The selected record(s) are removed from the Buying List.

If you want to add some or all of the records from the Buying List at the bottom of the screen to an existing Product List or create a new Product List:

• Highlight the appropriate record(s)
• Select Options > Product List
• You will be taken to the Product List Find window.
• Choose your selection criteria
• Then double click on the list you want to add the products to
• You will be notified of the additions
• Click on the Ok button

If you want to clear the entire Buying List (remove every record from the List and start over):

• Click on the Clear All button in Task Bar.
• A dialogue box pops up, asking if you want to clear all the records from the List.
• Clicking on Yes removes all records from the Buying List.
  • However, if you have already made changes to any records on the List, but have not yet saved the changes to the database (i.e., updated the Add to TBO column by clicking on Apply but not yet updated the Current TBO column by clicking on Save)
  • The system will first ask if you want to save these changes before clearing the List.
  • Click on Yes or No.
• The List will now be cleared of all records.

If you want to turn on Grouping:

• Click on the Grouping icon in the toolbar at the top of the screen.
• This turns on Grouping for the list of records.

Under the Reports on the Menu Bar, there is a Print Labels option.

• Selecting this will call up the Label Printer Selections window:
• Here you can print the barcode label for the selected product(s).
• Create your store's barcode label using the Label Designer.
• Review the information in the Printer Selections window.
• Make any necessary changes.
• You can preview what the barcode label will look like by selecting the Preview button.
• When you are ready to print the label
• Click on the Print button.

Quick Report is also an option underneath the Reports menu.

If you wish to create a .csv file for the Buying Manager session you are running

• Select File > Create .csv File from the Menu Bar.