Create Databases -> Inventory-> Adding an Item

Adding an Item

You can add items quickly by specifying only the most essential information. In this section, we discuss how to add items to your database.

As you learn more aboutDDMS, and employ additional features, you can add more information about each item.

1. StartDDMSby double-clicking the icon on your desktop.
2. In theDDMSLogin window, the cursor appears in the User ID box. Type 101 and click the OK button. (You do not need a password.)

The number 101 is a salesperson number we preset when building your system. During the Let's Get Started program, you create a salesperson database. After you do this, each user will have a unique number. You also have the option of assigning passwords for each user. For more information, see Salesperson Database.

3. In theDDMSMaster Menu, select the Inventory database by double-clicking the icon.
4. In the Item window, click the button to create a new record, as shown here:
   
   


5. Specify the item number in the Number box. DDMS recommends that you use butted numbers. This means leaving out spaces, dashes, and other special characters. If you do this consistently, it makes item records much easier to retrieve. Suppose your item number is ABC-153L. To enter this as a butted number, type ABC153L. If you want to use special characters in your item number, you can specify the complete version of the number in another box. Type the full number, including spaces, dashes, and special characters, in the Extended Number box. WhenDDMSprints invoices, pick tickets, and reports, it will print the extended number.
6. In the Company box, specify the manufacturer. Be sure you do this consistently. If you specify SMEAD for one item and SMD for another, for example, your system has no way to know that these are the same company. The item number and company together make up the key for the inventory database. This means that these two boxes identify each item, and must therefore be unique. You can have more than one item with the same item number, as long as they have different companies. It's the combination of item number and company that must be unique. For example, you can have item 100 with a company of ABC, and you can also have item 100 with a company of ACME.
7. You can create an item record with only a number and company, but to make it useful you need to complete a few more boxes. DDMS recommends that you complete several more boxes on the Master tab to provide basic information, shown below:
   
   

• Description: Type a description of the item in this box. Since you can retrieve items by description, you should make the descriptions consistent. If you begin your desk descriptions with the work DESK, for example, searching on DESK will display every desk in your database. The best way to keep descriptions consistent is often to follow your vendors' catalog descriptions.
• List $: Specify the list price in this box. The system begins with this price when calculating discounts, and it may also use it when calculating contract prices or column pricing.
• Cost $: Specify the replacement cost for the item in this box.After you specify a cost,DDMScalculates a gross profit percentage, and displays it in the Gross % box. The Cost $ box actually displays the average cost. Each time you receive a purchase order that includes the item, you can release the on-hand quantities. Doing this updates the on-hand quantity the system displays for this item. After you release on-hand quantities,DDMSrecalculates the average cost. It averages the cost of the items that were already on-hand with the cost of those you just received on the purchase order, providing a more accurate cost for the item.
• Sell UOM: Specify the selling unit of measure here. This is the smallest unit you sell. If customers must buy a box, for example, you can specify BX; if they can buy individual units, you can specify EA (for each).

8. Click the Vendors tab, so you can specify a vendor for your item.
9. Right-click anywhere in the open area, and select either Add Wholesaler or Add Manufacturer, depending on the kind of vendor you want to add. In this example, we choose Add Wholesaler:

10. In the example below, we add a wholesaler. However, the information you enter for a manufacturer is the same. This example shows the boxes containing the most basic information:

• ID: Specify the vendor name in this box. You can use up to 10 characters. You need to keep these names consistent: if you have 65 items from vendor ABC, they all need to have an ID of ABC. If you assign some of these items an ID of ABC CO,DDMSwill not recognize this as the same vendor. Later in the Let's Get Started program, you will create the vendor database. When you do, use the vendor IDs you assign in the inventory database as vendor numbers in the vendor database. If you assign an ID of ABC here, for example, use ABC as the vendor number when you add information for this company to the vendor database. (For more information about the vendor database, see Vendor Database.)
• Priority: You can specify up to nine vendors for an item. You assign each vendor a priority number in this box. Each vendor for an item must have a unique priority number.DDMSautomatically assigns priority one to the first vendor you specify for the item. This vendor is called the primary wholesaler. If you specify information for additional vendors, assign them priority numbers from 2 through 9.
• Buy UOM and Carton Size: Use these boxes to specify your buying unit of measure. In the Buy UOM box, you indicate the minimum quantity you can purchase from the vendor. In the Carton Size box, indicate how many of your selling unit comprise one buying unit. (Remember that you specified the selling unit earlier, in the Sell UOM box on the Master tab.) Suppose you buy manila end tab folders by the case, as shown in the figure above, and each case has 12 boxes. You sell them by the box. You specify CS in the Buy UOM box, and 12 in the Carton Size box. If you specify a selling unit of measure that's larger than the buying unit of measure, an asterisk appears in the Carton Size box.
• Cost $: In this box, specify the replacement cost for purchasing the item from this vendor. This cost must be for the selling unit of measure. In our example, we sell by the box, so we specify the cost per box. When you create a purchase order for this vendor,DDMSuses this cost as the default cost. After you receive a purchase order from this vendor,DDMSupdates the Cost $ box with the cost the vendor charged you for this item.
• List $: In this box, specify the suggested list price. To learn about the boxes we have not covered here, see the online help topic In the Item Add Wholesaler Vendor Box.

11. After completing the boxes listed in Step 10, click Apply Changes.
12. Click Exit to close the dialog box.
13. Save the new item you created by clicking the button.