Chapter 3   How Do I Use BuyerXpert/SellerXpert?


The tools provided with BuyerXpert/SellerXpert include a number of graphical interfaces, each with its own login and Help system. As users log into the chosen interface, BuyerXpert/SellerXpert evaluates their membership profiles and determines which interface functions they are authorized to access. When the graphical screens appear, they display functions that the particular user is authorized to use. Functions that are not available to the user are either not displayed at all, or are and dimmed.

In addition to graphical interfaces, BuyerXpert/SellerXpert provides an Import utility (available through the Admin interface), an Upgrade utility, and a collection of reports.

This chapter contains the following sections:

• BuyerXpert Tools

• SellerXpert Tools

• Catalog Manager Interface

• Upgrade Utility (BuyerXpert Only)

BuyerXpert Tools

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The suite of tools provided with BuyerXpert include:

• BuyerXpert User Interface

• BuyerXpert Administrative Interface

• Import Tab

• Process Manager Interface

• BuyerXpert Reports

BuyerXpert User Interface

The BuyerXpert User interface is used to buy, approve, track, or receive goods for your organization. After login, a welcome screen appears that is similar to the screen shown in Figure 3-1.

Figure 3-1    BuyerXpert User Interface

Online Help for the User Interface

For information about how to use the interface, click Help in the toolbar. The Help home page appears, as shown in Figure 3-2.

Figure 3-2    BuyerXpert User Interface Help Home Page

BuyerXpert Administrative Interface

The BuyerXpert Admin interface allows an administrator to add, delete, and update the BuyerXpert database directly using graphical screens.

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Note	To see changes, BuyerXpert must be restarted. Therefore, it is important to plan such changes when users will not be inconvenienced by the restart.

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Updating data can also be done using the Import utility. While the Import utility is preferred for large amounts of data, the Admin interface is more accessible for entering or updating small quantities of data.

After you log into the BuyerXpert system, a screen appears that shows three tabs:

• Organizations tab

• System Data tab

• Import tab

Organizations Tab

If a superadmin logs into BuyerXpert, a screen appears that is similar to the screen shown in Figure 3-3.

Figure 3-3    BuyerXpert Organizations Tab for Superadmin

The superadmin clicks the link to the appropriate organization, then views, updates, or adds information.

If the administrator is an orgadmin, a screen appears that is similar to the view shown in Figure 3-4.

Figure 3-4    BuyerXpert Administrative Interface for Orgadmins

In this case, the orgadmin is logged directly into the screen for her organization. The links on this screen connect to categories for a specific organization, such as mercury.com.

System Data Tab

The System Data tab, shown in Figure 3-5, contains links that allow the BuyerXpert administrator to configure information for the entire BuyerXpert system.

Figure 3-5    BuyerXpert System Data Tab

Import Tab

The Import utility allows the administrator to import batch data from external import data files into the BuyerXpert database. After an import data file as been created, the administrator accesses the Import utility by logging into the Admin interface and clicking the Import tab. The welcome screen for the Import utility appears, as shown in Figure 3-6.

Figure 3-6    BuyerXpert Import Tab

In this screen, the administrator specifies the file(s) to be imported and creates an import session that uploads the data into BuyerXpert.

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Note	Further information and procedures on importing are contained in the online Help and the import chapter of the Administrator's Guide.

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Online Help for the Administrative Interface

For information about how to use the Admin interface, click Help at the top of the screen. The administrative Help home page appears, as shown in Figure 3-7.

Figure 3-7    BuyerXpert Admin Interface Help Home Page

To view the Help contents, click the Contents button at the top of the screen. The content topics appear in the left frame. The topics expand and collapse when clicked. That is, when you click a topic, the sub-topics appear, or disappear if they are already displayed.

When you click a Help topic, the corresponding Help text appears in the right frame. If you are new to the system, you should begin by reading the Getting Started topic.

The Glossary and Index buttons at the top of the screen provide additional information and navigation tools.

Process Manager Interface

The Process Manager interface is used by the BuyerXpert administrator when creating the approval flow for his/her organization.

The approval flow identifies how the approval process works for your organization from the time a requisition is submitted for approval until the requisition is approved (or declined) and sent as an order to the seller for fulfillment.

The Process Manager welcome screen is shown in Figure 3-8.

Figure 3-8    Process Manager Welcome Screen

BuyerXpert Reports

BuyerXpert provides the following types of reports:

• User Reports

• Manager Reports

• Admin and Superadmin Reports

These reports categories correspond to business rules that can be set at the company or person level.

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Note	For details on the contents of the reports, refer to the User interface Help. For information on configuring and writing reports, see the Administrator's Guide.

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Table 3-1    BuyerXpert User Reports

Report Category	Report Title
Requisitions	My Requisitions
	My Approved Requisitions
	My Cancelled Requisitions
	My Declined Requisitions
Contracts	Items Per Contract
	Items Per Contract Grouped by Seller
	Orders Per Contract
	Orders Per Contract Grouped by Sellers
	Seller's Contracts
Other	Supplier's Performance
	Invoice Matching

Table 3-2    BuyerXpert Manager Reports 

Report Category	Report Title
Requisitions	Requisitions by Employee
	Approved Requisitions
	Cancelled Requisitions
	Declined Requisitions
Spending	OrgUnit Vendor Spending
	Timecards Project Spending

Table 3-3    BuyerXpert Admin/Superadmin Reports 

Report Category	Report Title
Audit Reports	Audit Report by Costcenter
	Approval Report
Performance Reports	Requisition Activity Register
	Requisition by Department- Summary
Performance Orders Requisitions	Vendor Activity Detail
Productivity	Vendor Average Order Size
Productivity Requisition	Item Requisition Activity Summary
Receiving Reports	Average Delivery Time by Product
	Average Delivery Time by Ship-to-Location
	Average Delivery Time by Vendor
	Average Delivery Time by Product Vendor
	Receive Status by Cost Center
	Receive Status by Product
	Receive Status by Requisitioner
	Receive Status by Ship-to-Location
	Receive Status by Vendor
Requisition Reports	Requisitions by Employee
	Approved Requisitions
	Cancelled Requisitions
	Declined Requisitions
	Item Requisition Activity Detail - by Amount
	Item Requisition Activity Detail - by Quantity
Spending Reports	Spending
	Org Unit Vendor Spending
	Spending by Costcenter
	Spending by Product
	Spending by Requisitioner
	Spending by Vendor
Other Reports	Item Summary Listing
	Large Purchase by Order
	Large Purchase by Item
	Small Purchase by Order
	Small Purchase by Item

SellerXpert Tools

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The suite of tools provided with SellerXpert include:

• SellerXpert User Interface and Help

• SellerXpert Administrative Interface and Help

• SellerXpert Reports

SellerXpert User Interface and Help

The SellerXpert User interface is used to buy products and track orders. After you successfully log into the User interface, a welcome screen appears that is similar to the screen shown in Figure 3-9.

Figure 3-9    SellerXpertUser Interface

Online Help for the User Interface

For information about how to use the interface, click Help in the toolbar. The Help home page appears, as shown in Figure 3-10.

Figure 3-10    SellerXpert User Interface Help Home Page

To view the Help contents, click the Contents button at the top of the screen. The content topics appear in the left frame. The topics expand and collapse when clicked. That is, when you click a topic, the sub-topics appear, or disappear if they are already displayed.

When you click a Help topic, the corresponding Help text appears in the right frame. If you are new to the system, you should begin by reading the Getting Started topic.

The Glossary and Index buttons at the top of the screen provide additional information and navigation tools.

If you are a new user, you might find it helpful to click the First-Time Users link for an overview of the process.

SellerXpert Administrative Interface and Help

The SellerXpert Admin interface allows an administrator to add, delete, and update the SellerXpert database directly using graphical screens.

Updating data can also be done using the Import utility. While the Import utility is preferred for large amounts of data, the Admin interface is more accessible for entering or updating smaller quantities of data.

After you log into the SellerXpert system as a superadmin, a screen appears that shows four tabs:

• Organizations tab

• Guest Organization tab

• System Data tab

• Import tab
  

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  Note	An orgadmin does not see the Guest Organization tab.

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Organizations Tab

If a superadmin logs into SellerXpert, a screen appears that is similar to the screen shown in Figure 3-3.

Figure 3-11    SellerXpert Organizations Tab for Superadmirs

More functions are available to a superadmin than to an orgadmin. If the user is a superadmin, a screen similar to that shown in Figure 3-12 displays after a company is selected.

Figure 3-12    SellerXpert Administrative Interface for a Superadmin

If the administrator is not a superadmin, a screen appears that is similar to the view shown in Figure 3-13. The links on this screen connect to a more limited set of categories for a specific organization.

Figure 3-13    SellerXpert Administrative Interface for an Orgadmin

Guest Organization Tab

The Guest Organization tab contains listings of business-to-consumer (B2C) users and user groups.

Figure 3-14    SellerXpert Guest Organizations Tab

System Data Tab

The System Data tab, shown in Figure 3-15, contains links that allow the administrator to configure information for the entire SellerXpert system.

Figure 3-15    SellerXpert System Data Tab

Import Tab

The Import utility allows the administrator to import batch data from external import data files into the SellerXpert database. After an import data file as been created, the administrator accesses the Import utility by logging in to the Admin interface, and clicking the Import tab. The welcome screen for the import utility appears, as shown in Figure 3-16.

Figure 3-16    SellerXpert Import Tab

In this screen, the administrator specifies the file(s) to be imported and creates an import session that uploads the data into SellerXpert.

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Note	Further information and procedures on importing are contained in the online Help and the import chapter of the Administrator's Guide.

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Online Help for the Administrative Interface

For information about how to use the administrative interface, click Help at the top of the screen.

To view the Help contents, click the Contents button at the top of the screen. The content topics appear in the left frame. The topics expand and collapse when clicked. That is, when you click a topic, the sub-topics appear, or disappear if they are already displayed.

When you click a Help topic, the corresponding Help text appears in the right frame. If you are new to the system, you should begin by reading the Getting Started topic.

The Glossary and Index buttons at the top of the screen provide additional information and navigation tools.

SellerXpert Reports

SellerXpert provides the administrator reports listed in Table 3-4.

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Note	For further descriptions of the reports, see the User interface Help. For information on configuring and customizing reports, see the Administrator's Guide

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Table 3-4    SellerXpert Administrator Reports

Report Category	Report Title
Customer	Customer Listing Summary
	Customer Listing Details
	Customer Location Summary
	Customer People Summary
	Customer People Details
Orders	Order Payment Summary
	Order Payment Details
	Order Report Summary
	Order Report Details
Purchase Activity	Purchase Activity Summary
	Purchase Activity Details

Catalog Manager Interface

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Because suppliers organize product information into catalogs, buyers need a consistent way to access products from different sellers. Catalog Manager was developed to meet this need.

The Catalog Manager interface is used by the BuyerXpert/SellerXpert administrator to:

• Create catalogs—set up a new catalog

• Create classifications for catalog items

• Create and edit catalog business rules

• Edit hierarchy

• Edit catalog items

The Catalog Manager welcome screen is shown in Figure 3-17.

Figure 3-17    Catalog Manager Welcome Screen

Upgrade Utility (BuyerXpert Only)

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The Upgrade utility is a separate component used by the BuyerXpert/SellerXpert administrator to migrate data when upgrading from one version of the product to another. The following modules can be migrated using the Upgrade utility:

• Membership

• Catalog

• Order Management System (OMS)

• Commodity Codes

• Accounting Codes

• Business Rules

• Approval

Typical Data Migration Sequence

1. The Upgrade utility extracts data from a legacy BuyerXpert/SellerXpert database (CADIS or Oracle) and writes the data to an import data file.

2. The Upgrade utility passes the import data files to the BuyerXpert/SellerXpert Import utility.

3. The Import utility loads the import data files to the new BuyerXpert/SellerXpert database (Oracle or Catalog Manager).

An advantage of this multi-phase data migration process is that you can stop and start the data migration process. This is helpful when you are migrating extremely large amounts of data to BuyerXpert/SellerXpert 4.x.

Exceptions
The data migration process varies for the following data modules:

• Catalogs—The Upgrade utility writes the extracted data to an XML import file and passes the data to Catalog Manager. At this point, the data is written to the new BuyerXpert/SellerXpert database.

• Approval Log—The Upgrade utility writes the extracted data directly to a new BuyerXpert database.

The Upgrade utility interface welcome screen is shown in Figure 3-18.

Figure 3-18    Upgrade Interface Welcome Screen