C Appendix: Auto-Authorized Third-Party Stock Count Process Overview

This section describe overview steps to setup and auto authorize a third party stock count:

In the Operations/Product Group dialog, create and save a new product group with the following attributes:

Type: Select Unit or Unit and Amount

Counting Method: Select Third Party

Auto Authorize: Select this check box

Note:

If auto authorize is selected, the processing of the stock count will attempt to do many automated steps when loading the third party stock count information. If auto authorize is not selected, after loading the file information the authorization process is manual.

In the Operations/Product Group Component dialog, update the created product group with the desired items to count and save. To count all items in all departments, set All Department attribute to Yes.
In the Operations/Product Group Schedule dialog, create a product group schedule for the previous created product group.

Note:
If creating a schedule for a unit count that is active on the current date, you will have the option of generating the stock count immediately.

In the Admin/Technical Maintenance/Job Admin dialog, create and start a new job.

Choose Generate Unit Stock Count to generate unit counts.

Choose Generate Unit and Amount Stock Count to generate unit and amount counts.

Note:

After the generate stock count batch has completed, you can log onto the mobile application, and from the Main Menu, you can navigate to Inventory Management / Stock Counts / Stock Count List dialog. Select the generated stock count and you will notice stock count child records have been created for each department. The batch creates stock count groups for all items for all departments for the store, including items with SOH values of zero grouped by department. The stock count will be in new status, as will each of the child department records.

The next step of the process is to take a snapshot of the stock count. This is most often done manually, but can also be done with an automated job. The snapshot must be taken before uploading the third-party flat file.

Manual. On the mobile application, you will need to use the application to take the appropriate snapshot.

Automated. For a unit and amount stock count, you can run the Admin/Technical Maintenance/Job Admin dialog previously used to generate the stock count, you can execute the Stock Count Unit and Amount Snapshot batch job.

Note:

Selecting Take Snapshot in the mobile application or running the batch job takes a snapshot of the current SOH figure, and assigns this to every item in the stock count records. The snapshot button is displayed only if there is an extracted Third Party Stock Count or Unit and Amount stock count on the Stock Count List screen. You must first select at least one record from the Third Party Stock Count in order for the snapshot to be taken. Status of the stock count will change to In Progress. This will indicate that the snapshot has occurred. The user will not be able to access the stock count records until the file has been uploaded. If the user double-clicks one of the department stock counts on the list screen, the application will prompt with the message "The stock count will not be accessible until the import process has completed". The user will not be able to drill into the detail screen if the third-party file has not yet been imported into the application.

Once the snapshot is taken and the workforce is done counting the items, the appropriate third party stock count file should be loaded into the system.

Once the third party count file is in place, you can access the Admin/Technical Maintenance/Job Admin dialog and execute the Third Party Stock Count Import batch job.

Note:

When the batch is complete, each item within the count will be updated with the appropriate counted quantity and timestamps assigned. In addition, any item errors will be tracked and written to the database as rejected or unprocessed items. If auto authorize was not chosen, no further processing will take place. Authorization and rejected items management can then be dealt with.

Third Party Processing

When the third party file import process starts, it will attempt to snapshot the stock count if the snapshot has not already taken place. A failure to snapshot will stop the job from processing.
Next, it updates all the counted quantity and dates on all the items from the file information. A failure in this step stops the job from processing.
It then attempts to perform the completion of each child count without the stock count. Completing the count does business processing on the counted information and moves the status of each completed child to the authorize phase. Any failures that occur are logged and the processing is halted.
If auto-authorize was not selected, the processing halts as the files are loaded and count phase completed.
If auto-authorize was selected, the processing releases all current user activity locks on the stock count so it is not being used during further processing.
If the stock count was for all items, the automated processing will attempt to find and correct any errors within the rejected items, such as items found but not ranged at the store. This part of the processing will then attempt to range the items.
The stock count is then marked ready to approve and so that it can begin final authorization.
The process approves each stock count child individually. The batch error log keeps track of each authorization failure. If any authorization failed among the children record the process halts.
If the stock count is unit and amount and authorization succeeded, the process attempts to create an export file.

Third Party Recovery

Import Failure - If this occurs before or during loading the import file fails, you can begin the entire import process again.
Authorization Failure - If the import succeeds, but the authorization fails, you can run authorization recovery. Access the Admin/Technical Maintenance/Job Admin dialog and execute the Stock Count Authorize Recovery batch job.