Purchasing/Communications FAQs
This page contains Frequently Asked Questions and technical notes about the Purchasing and Wholesaler Communications modules of DDMS and DDMS software, including information on the Private Supply Network (PSN), modem communications, tickets and reports, purchase orders, vendor acknowledgements, automated short-buy, national drop ship, wrap-n-label, wrap-n-pack, flushing backorders, receiving, and electronic invoicing.
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On this page: Purchasing Fundamentals | Wholesaler Communications | Automating Purchasing Functions
Purchasing Fundamentals
Distribution Basics (pdf) This handout outlines how to process orders after they are entered and finish with the delivery and billing process.
Order Flow (pdf) This handout introduces you to the movement of an order through your DDMS system, from the initial pick ticket to pulling and invoicing the order. It provides suggestions on the best way to integrate the DDMS system into your operation.
Reports for Efficiency (pdf) This handout is an illustrated guide to common reports, describing the uses of the data for maximum efficiency.
Updated! Purchasing (pdf) This handout introduces you to the graphical purchasing application. Learn basic procedures such as creating and receiving P/Os and basic short-buy purchasing. Additional topics include screen navigation, changing or deleting existing P/Os, and transferring unfilled items to another P/O. New features, such as the P/O Positions dialog box, will also be discussed. It is the information you need to implement graphical purchasing in your own business. You can also streamline your purchasing process using DDMS’s more advanced features: Low-Stock Purchasing, Vendor Credit Returns, and Price and Stock Checks.
DDMS Office Furniture Edition (pdf) This session handout showcases the remarkable changes to DDMS Office Furniture Edition’s new order entry, purchasing, and receiving functions. Topics include the new enhanced change mode, modify order function (mass changing cost, sell, list and gross profit), staging bins, PSN purchasing with Herman Miller, Allsteel, Kimball/National and other manufacturers), specifying drop ship orders, enhanced third party billing, rental/loaner/demo tickets, furniture contracts and many features available in Version 8.
Sample Reports for DDMS™ Office Furniture Edition (pdf) View sample operational and project management reports in our office furniture automation software. Examples include pick tickets, pro forma tickets, acknowledgements, delivery and install tickets, dealer quotes/proposals, invoices, purchase order, order status, outstanding projects, and completed project analysis.
Purchasing for Machine Dealers (pdf) This handout introduces you to the graphical purchasing application. This handout looks at basic procedures for creating and receiving P/Os for machines, parts, and accessories. Additional topics include basic short-buy purchasing, low-stock purchasing for inventory, and using the low-stock report to maintain technician car inventories.
Understanding Order Entry Cost Flow (pdf) See how cost flows through the DDMS system in these flowcharts on average/actual cost and pricing cost
Troubleshooting the backorder flush (pdf) what to do when backordered pick tickets do not print, even though you have merchandise to fill them.
Printing Pick and Purchase Order Dumps (pdf) Learn to help Support quickly diagnose problems with pick tickets and purchase orders by printing pick dumps and P/O dumps.
Wholesaler Communications
See also Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Invoicing
See also Private Supply Network (PSN) Documentation
New! Special Order with S.P. Richards ProductPro™ and FurnitureAdvantage™ Programs (pdf) Traditionally, office products wholesalers have offered only in-stock items to meet the need of speedy delivery. But the market demands more custom items, even those with longer delivery timeframes. S.P. Richards dealers can offer customers a more extensive variety of special-order products, with the ProductPro™ and FurnitureAdvantage™ programs. S.P. Richards releases these special order item price files monthly, for download via O/PUS PSNControl on the first Monday of the month. Learn how to update your DDMS inventory database and contracts, and use special order features. See how easily your ECinteractive and is.D-Force 2 shoppers can identify how long special order merchandise will take to ship. Certain items will be flagged as non-returnable, whether they are stocked foodstuffs or special-order custom work.
Processing Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN): S.P. Richards (pdf) It's now easier than ever to process S.P. Richards short ships, carton counts and tracking information via PSN. When you receive the new Advance Shipping Notice data from SPR via PSN, DDMS can process short ships, carton counts, carton IDs, and carrier tracking IDs. The system automatically adjusts the quantities and special lines in your orders and your purchase order. You can use Report Writer to add the vendor carton counts to your printed shipping manifest. It allows more proactive handling of shorted orders, and simplifies package tracking.
Processing Credits and Freight Charges: S.P. Richards (pdf) It's now easier than ever to process S.P. Richards credits and freight charges. When you receive electronic invoices via PSN, DDMS can automatically post vendor credits to Accounts Payable, and post Freight charges to customer pick tickets in Order Entry. It eliminates several labor-intensive steps.
Setting Up and Using Steelcase® Hedberg System™ Communication (pdf) You can create furniture orders by importing and releasing Hedberg files into DDMS. This process allows you to send your furniture sales through the same order and accounting flow as other transactions. When you finish creating the order, the P/O is automatically built using the same P/O number as in Hedberg. By having the P/O in DDMS, you can view project management information for this order. In addition, because the P/O exists in DDMS, you can also receive it in Furniture Order Entry so that you can ship it. Learn how to set up your customer, vendor, and salesperson databases in order to communicate with Steelcase's Hedberg System. Finally, learn how to create and reprocess Hedberg orders and receive acknowledgements in DDMS.
Setting Up Electronic Communications with Herman Miller (pdf) All furniture orders transmitted to Herman Miller use the SIF file format. Transmitting a P/O to Herman Miller exports a text file that can be imported into the Herman Miller Kiosk system and thereby transmitted to this vendor. Learn how to set up your vendor database, vendor aliases, furniture contracts, and default vendor options in order to communicate with Herman Miller. Finally, learn how to transmit Herman Miller purchase orders and receive acknowledgements.
Using SP Richards Second Party Logistics (2PL) Network (pdf) Now you can provide local delivery services to customers who have branch offices nationwide via a network of other SP Richards 2PL participating independent dealers. We have enhanced our trading partner parameters, the customer database, drop ship ordering features, and SPR P/O transmission and acknowledgement formats to allow DDMS dealers to join the SP Richards Second Party Logistics Network.
Setting Up PSN (pdf) Use our Private Supply Network (PSN) services to communicate faster and more reliably with wholesalers. For additional setup instructions on each PSN vendor, see the PSN Documentation page.
File # 238: Using (SR-C) to Request P/O Acknowledgements (pdf) If you are missing an vendor acknowledgement of an Internet Purchasing transmission, use the (SR-C) screen to check P/O status, pre-receive, and print the acknowledgement
EDI Direct (WMA) documentation (pdf) set up communications with WMA wholesalers and other wholesalers who use the DDMS system
Using United's new type codes for electronic invoicing (pdf) Set up the additional type codes you can now use when you do electronic invoicing with United.
Changing the Azerty Services Account Number and Parameters (pdf) Update your Azerty parameters to start using the new account number provided by United
Automating Purchasing Functions
WhlMapper documentation (pdf) ECi Content Services presents WhlMapper, a Windows program that lets you quickly convert item files from wholesalers into a format that can be read by the program U_WHL. This means that you can now maintain current prices from vendors who are not included in the O/PUS OPdb MultiVendor Update. For more information and pricing, contact ECi Sales at 866-374-3221, or email info@ecisolutions.com.
Purchasing (pdf) This handout introduces you to the graphical purchasing application. Learn basic procedures such as creating and receiving P/Os and basic short-buy purchasing. Additional topics include screen navigation, changing or deleting existing P/Os, and transferring unfilled items to another P/O. New features, such as the P/O Positions dialog box, will also be discussed. It is the information you need to ’s more advanced features: Low-Stock Purchasing, Vendor Credit Returns, and Price and Stock Checks.
Using the Automated Short Buy (pdf) One of the biggest time savers DDMS offers is the auto short-buy (ASB) feature. The ASB process automates the following processes: creating the short-buy purchase orders, transmitting the purchase order to the wholesaler, performing the pre-receiving procedure, and transferring the wholesaler's backorders to another purchase order. Learn how ASB works, how to set it up, how to interpret related reports, and how to complete the purchasing cycle using auto receive and auto flush.
Auto Flush (pdf) Completed purchase orders flush automatically as part of your automated short-buy (ASB) flow. For example, you can auto flush a P/O after transmitting it to a certain vendor. Previously, you could pre-receive a P/O or final-receive a P/O. In addition to these two options, now you can use Final Receive & Available for Auto Flush to make a P/O eligible for auto flushing.
Auto Receive (pdf) Learn how to skip the pre-receiving process and automatically final-receive purchase orders using acknowledgments from major wholesalers (S.P. Richards and United Stationers). This feature integrates with Auto Short-Buy to further automate your purchasing flow.
An Introduction to Auto Short-Buy (pdf) This handout goes into more detail on some procedures for setting up the automated short-buy (ASB).
Troubleshooting the automated short-buy (pdf) find and repair problems that prevent the automated short-buy from launching properly
Tech Note #258: Creating a Text-Based Low-Stock Purchase Order (pdf) It is nearly as easy to create a Low-Stock P/O in text-based software as it is in the graphical Purchasing application. You must first catalog the is.group Low-Stock report selectors in the (LR) Inventory Standard Reports screen. Then you can run one of the custom low-stock reports from the (R) Inventory Selectors report screen, just as you would the original Min/Max and Cycle Count low-stock reports. Once the report selector creates the low-stock file, you can build a low-stock P/O using the short-buy process.
How do I Make my Laser Printer Print Bar Codes? (pdf) Many dealers are implementing bar coding on forms, such as tickets, invoices and manifests. Not all laser printers support this function; this article discusses a few that do, and explains what to look for.
Using National Drop Ship (pdf) set up and use NED and USA EXPRESS
File # 75: Using Wrap-n-Label and Wrap-n-Pack (pdf) Many wholesalers will package and label each customer’s order for you, so you don’t have to. This feature is called Wrap-N-Label or Wrap-N-Pack. Your system can transmit P/Os that your wholesaler will prepackage for you — all you have to do is set your parameters for it and notify your wholesaler. You need to set parameters separately for each wholesaler.
Using the New ASN Feature (pdf) Kodak requires a unique ASN (Advanced Ship Notice) number for United's Wrap N Label. The ASN is a fourteen digit character code that is comprised of the four character vendor ID and the ten digit purchase order number. The ASN number is barcoded for scanning purposes. Each order must have a unique ASN number therefore, each order must be on its own purchase order. Note: This is an authorized feature. For more information, contact ECi sales.
Troubleshooting wrap-n-label and wrap-n-pack (pdf) what to do when packages do not come back prepackaged
File #235: Purging Purchase Order Journals By Date Range (pdf) Suppose you want to keep multiple years of purged P/O journals. If you are using the (SRR) screen, you must create identical P/O archive journals and purge each journal by a different date range.
File # 239: Removing a Vendor (pdf) If you wish to remove a vendor from your inventory database for any reason, some of the procedures are best done when loading O/PUS.