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

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 eNsite.

You can purchase item file updates from O/PUS (one of Silver Plus' sister companies).

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

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

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

Trade Service Corporation: 800-854-1527 or 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.

Unique Items

You may be able to load some unique items from regional wholesalers through an item file update. Others must be converted or added manually.

Creating Unique Items You Cannot Load

To create unique items 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. (For a fee, O/PUS can convert existing databases 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.