Loading Your Base Inventory

You create an inventory database by adding information about each item you sell.

Start by dividing your inventory items into two groups:

Standard items: These are items you can purchase from a national wholesaler.
Unique items: These are the remaining items, those you cannot purchase from a national wholesaler.

Loading Standard Items

The best way to load your standard items is by purchasing an item file update. An item file update is software that updates your inventory database, adding new items your wholesalers carry, and updating information about existing items, such as costs and list prices. Item file updates also include wholesalers' sales flyers and contracts. You load item file updates once a quarter.

Loading an item file update is usually a better option than converting an existing database. Item file updates contain accurate information obtained directly from the vendors, and they are designed to work with DDMS.

You can purchase item file updates from O/PUS^® (formerly one of DDMS' sister companies) or from Moore O.P. Services, both divisions of Trade Service Corporation.

DDMS recommends O/PUS, because it offers the following advantages:

O/PUS maintains the highest data integrity in their industry. They receive item information electronically, instead of keying changes by hand, so their data is more accurate.
O/PUS gives you complete integration withDDMS.
O/PUS' only business is providing database services for office products dealers; their competitor serves a large number of different industries.

For more information, call O/PUS: 800-359-6787 or click here for more information and order forms.

For more information on Trade Service Corporation, call: 800-854-1527 or visit their web site at www.tradesvc.com.

To learn how to load an item file update from O/PUS, please refer to the O/PUS documentation.

Documentation for loading item file updates from Trade Service Corporation can be obtained from them.

The O/PUS program includes many parameters, which let you tailor the item file update to your own needs. You should consider two parameters in particular before loading an item file update for the first time:

Specify YOUR SELLING Unit of Measure
Create I-UOM File.

To decide how to set these parameters, read Setting Up Units of Measure.

Loading Unique Items

You may be able to load some unique items through an item file update:

Regional wholesalers: O/PUS offers item file updates for a number of regional wholesalers.
Manufacturers: If you buy directly from manufacturers, ask your item file update vendor about obtaining item files for these manufacturers.

O/PUS offers two services to help you load the manufacturers' information you need:

PT Updater imports manufacturer pricing from Moore's Power Tools program and loads it into your inventory database. It also lets you select manufacturer pricing based on your buying group.

In addition, PT Updater lets you load Moore's cross reference table of competitors. This feature provides instant cross-references for the super stores' item numbers.
FileMapper lets you convert almost any manufacturer's item file into a format thatDDMScan use.

Creating Records for Unique Items You Cannot Load

To create unique items (those you cannot load through an item file update), you can convert existing information or add items manually.

If you have only 200 – 300 unique items, it probably makes more sense to add them manually. If you have more than that, it may be economical to convert existing inventory database records. (O/PUS can convert existing records for you.)

Even if you convert your unique items initially, you need to know how to add an item manually. The next page explains how to do this.