How do I manage my EDI projects and especially if I have more than one trading partner? The best advice I can give you is micro-manage the whole process from start to finish.
Get to know your documents. I like to use this fun screenshot to show you some common EDI on the sales or customer side.
Understand the EDI transactions.
Keep track of the trading partner and each document required.
Who is the representative for each of your documents? It is common within one trading partner to have several different staff members assigned to other documents. For example, Susan might not be responsible for 850,856 and 810; ask the trading partner upfront about the best person to contact and who will be reviewing documents.
Ask for sample testing files upfront, even outgoing documents, and match them with the mapping guide. This is helpful in testing and making sure you have accounted for all the different data types.
Embedding your reports into your presentations is a great way to keep all the data and reports refreshed in all your presentations. Let’s say you do a slide document monthly with several different Power BI reports, you can embed the report into the slide deck and every month just refresh the data, so you have real-time data. The report is completely interactive and in the bottom left corner you will see when the report was last refreshed
Install Microsoft Power BI Add-in. On the ribbon-Select Insert-Get Add-ins-Search for Microsoft Power BI -Add-Continue
I am often asked about the differences between all the settings on the location card and have been engaged in making changes after a client has gone live with Business Central.
We have three levels: the first one with no dedicated warehouse activities. This is the simplest of the three, and all the receiving and shipping happens on the purchase order, sales order, and transfer orders; you can have bins turned on, and the user would need to specify the bin on the order before posting. This option is excellent if you have a simple warehouse and minimal staff or the person entering orders is the same as the person receiving and shipping.
The second level is basic, and you have a couple of options, require receipt and/or require ship, the process creates a separate document, and it allows the warehouse staff to avoid having to open or be in the orders for receiving and shipping. This also provides the option to use bins. You can use this one to consolidate receiving and shipping for posting multiple orders simultaneously. This is helpful for the segregation of duties. Basic order by order, and you can require a Putaway and Pick; this one matches the warehouse and system processes. You would also do what you physically do in the warehouse in the system.
The last option is advanced. This option comes with several different settings and processes. On the location card, you set the required receipt and Putaway and need to ship and pick. You don’t have to select all four options, but it is usually all or nothing when using this setting. The other option to consider is directed Pick and Putaway; when you use this complexity, the system can suggest bins to put the product into when receiving and where to pick. The system will require additional documents on the production order and consumption journal if you manufacture and use production orders. This option is usually used in combination with barcoding and handheld devices.
The cross-dock functionality is another area to discuss. If you have a short turnaround and receive a product that needs to be shipped that day, consider using the cross-dock. This process will save you time in the warehouse.
It started about six years ago when my dad asked if I could install the Angus App on his tablet. So, of course, I said yes, not realizing at the time this would become a part-time job for me. My daughter and I went to the farm that summer to visit and help work the cattle, and it brought back memories of my childhood in Kansas. As a child we lived in town but spent as much time as we could on the farm, I loved spending time in the house with grandma and was always the kitchen helper. Grandma was an amazing cook and I loved to help. When I got old enough to drive, I would volunteer to take tea & sandwiches to the guys working in the field. Guess my point is, I spent all my time being a cook & Uber delivery driver, not actually outdoors doing physical work with the cows. Our favorite time of year was the calving season, they were so fun to watch play around, and we would laugh as we watched them play king of the mountain. So, this time coming back to the farm with my daughter for our trip, I found that dad had two tablets, he thought one was broken, however, it just needed to be charged, but he had bought a second one because of this. I got both charged and running, and away I went with my task at hand. I installed Angus’s App on all his devices. I am sure you see where I am going with this, it was a hot mess express. So, when I left him and traveled back to California, I started the process. As the months went by, he needed help to get his Angus cows entered and registered. What that meant was the computer lady needed to get them registered. I quickly made friends with a customer support woman at Angus, and she helped me figure out the mess. Next was the task of keeping it updated.
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This cattleman has spent his life farming and working cattle and is responsible for raising great, genital cows. He writes everything down on paper in his calving book and has no issues using his iPhone to easily see that the needed information is correct. Stay tuned to future blogs as I go through the process of becoming the computer lady and working with an old farmer who has become a well-known Angus cattleman in Kansas.
