Setting Up Inventory Controls

This chapter describes how to set up inventory controls for function spaces, sleeping rooms, and suites as well as how to define out-of-order and unavailable function spaces. It includes the following topics:

Process of Setting Up Inventory Controls

The following list shows the procedures that administrators typically perform to set up hospitality inventory controls. Your company might follow a different process according to its business requirements.

To set up inventory controls for function spaces, sleeping rooms, and suites, perform the following tasks:

Viewing Inventory Controls and Visibility

The inventory control records that can be viewed by a user depend on the visibility layers. Three different layers of visibility can be assigned to users. To assign visibility, you must add the appropriate views to each user’s responsibilities. The following table lists each visibility option and the appropriate records that the users are able to access.

Table Inventory Control Visibility

Visibility Tier	Description
My Properties	Users who have a specific property assigned to them can only see inventory control records relating to that particular property.
My Clusters Properties	Users who are members of a specific cluster can only see inventory control records relating to the properties in their particular clusters. For more information about clusters, see Assigning Clusters to a User.
All Properties	Users who are capable of viewing all properties (for example, administrators) can see inventory control records relating to all properties.

See Using Siebel Tools for more information on how to add views to user responsibilities.

Defining Function Space and Suite Inventory Controls

An administrator can create inventory controls for specific spaces, categories, and suites.

This task is a step in Process of Setting Up Inventory Controls.

Authorization, Overbook, and Option Level Inventory Controls

Authorization level inventory controls are specified to limit the number of reserved, concurrent bookings that can be made for a category or suite. These inventory controls must be created for each category. They can only be created for a category or suite. The value entered for the authorization level can be less, equal, or more than the capacity. When this limit is reached, the inventory status remains Unreserved unless overbook and option level inventory controls are defined for the function space.

Overbook and option level inventory controls can be specified to limit the number of overbookings and options that can be made for a function space. These inventory controls are used to determine the number of overbooked or optioned bookings that the function spaces can support.

Note: You must create separate authorization, option, and overbook level inventory controls for each function space. Inventory controls do not apply across an entire property.

For example, the function space category titled Small has Salon A, B, C, and D as components. This category can be reserved four times, and this value is automatically entered into the Capacity field in the Inventory Control list.

If you specify an authorization level of 5, this function space can be reserved up to a maximum of five times even though it has capacity for four. After reaching this limit, you can either option or overbook the function space, provided you have already defined these types of inventory controls. If you specify an option level of 2 and an overbook level of 1 for the function space, you can option it twice and overbook it once. If you try to option or overbook the space beyond these limits, the inventory status will remain Unreserved.

Defining Function Space Inventory Controls

This procedure assumes that the administrator has already created the appropriate function spaces for the property. For more information, see Setting Up Function Space Categories for a Property.

To define function space inventory controls

Navigate to the Property Pricing Admin screen.
In the Properties list, query for the property record, and then click the link in the Property Name field.
Click the Inventory Control view tab.
You are brought to the Function Space view.
In the Inventory Controls list, create a new record.
Enter a start date and end date for the inventory control.
The start and end date values are validated. The Start Date value must be less than or equal to the End Date value and the duration between Start Date and End Date cannot be greater than one year.
In the Function Space field, click the single select button, and choose the appropriate specific space, category, or suite.

Note: The function spaces displayed in the Pick Function Space dialog box include only those spaces that are effective throughout the entire specified time period.
Choose the appropriate rule from the Rule Type drop-down list:
- Choose Authorization Level to define a limit for the number of bookings that can be reserved concurrently for this function space on this date. Note that this option is only available if you are defining the rule for a function space or suite category.
- Choose Option Level to define a limit for the number of bookings that can be optioned for this function space on this date.
- Choose Overbook Level to define a limit for the number of bookings that can be overbooked for this function space on this date.
In each authorization field, set the rule levels for each day of the week.
You can specify different levels of authorization, optioning, and overbooking for the same day.
If a rule date range spans less than a week, then only the days of the week included in the range are editable under the Rules. For example, if the start date is January 26, 2009 and the end date is January 28, 2009, you can only enter values for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The rest of the days are read only.
Select the inventory control records to use, and click Apply.
You can select multiple records from the Rules drop-down list and apply the inventory controls for all of them at once.
The results of the applied inventory controls appear in the Valid Authorizations Levels list, starting from the first day applied.

Note: Inventory control rules can overlap. When you apply a new rule and it has overlapped values, the new rule overwrites the old record values or creates new values if necessary.

Information Display Options in the Valid Authorization Levels List

There are various controls that can be used with the Valid Authorizations list. These include:

About the Dates/Notes Button

Click this button to view information about special dates, holidays, or sell notes for the displayed days. If any of the days shown in the Valid Authorization Levels list have special dates, holidays, or sell notes information associated with them, this information appears in the Special Dates/Sell Notes dialog box.

About the Paging Buttons

There are four paging buttons that you can use to navigate within this view: Previous column set, Previous column, Next column, and Next column set. These buttons are located in the upper corner of the view.

The paging buttons are:

Next column. Use this button to move forward one day at a time.
Previous column. Use this button to move backward one day at a time.
Next column set. Use this button to move forward one week at a time.
For example, if the chosen date was Sunday October 12, 2008, when you click the Next column set button, the view moves forward one week to display Sunday October 19, 2008.
Previous column set. To move backward one week, click the Previous column set button.

Querying for Function Space Inventory Controls

When function space inventory controls are defined and applied in the Inventory Controls list, they then appear in the Valid Authorization Levels list underneath. This list allows you to query for information using the standard Query button. However, you can also query for specific dates by clicking the Query Date button.

To query for function space inventory controls on specific dates

Navigate to the Property Pricing Admin screen.
In the Properties list, query for the property record, and then click the link in the Property Name field.
Click the Inventory Control view tab.
Click the Function Space link to navigate to that view.
In the Valid Authorization Levels list, click the Query Date button.
The Query Date dialog box appears.
Click the calendar select button, and choose the appropriate date.
Click Go.
The date for which you queried and the following seven days are displayed.

Editing Function Space Inventory Controls

If you only have to edit the inventory controls for a few days, it is recommended that you perform this action in the Valid Authorizations list. However, if you have to change inventory controls for a longer time period, it is recommended that you create new inventory controls in the Inventory Controls list and apply the rules. The new rules override any existing inventory controls that had been applied for this time period.

Note: Changes in the Valid Authorization view are automatically applied. You do not have to click Apply to apply your changes.

Defining Sleeping Room Inventory Controls

An administrator can create inventory controls for sleeping rooms. This process assumes that the administrator has already created the appropriate sleeping rooms for the property. For more information, see Creating Sleeping Room Records.

This task is a step in Process of Setting Up Inventory Controls.

Group authorized level inventory controls are specified to limit the number of reserved, concurrent bookings that can be made for sleeping rooms. These inventory controls must be created for each sleeping room type. The value entered for the group authorized level can be less than, equal to, or more than the capacity. When this limit is reached, the inventory status remains Unreserved unless you overbook the sleeping room. Unlike function spaces, no limits are defined for overbooking sleeping rooms. This lack of limitation means that as soon as the group authorized level limit is reached, you can then choose to overbook the sleeping rooms as many times as necessary.

To define sleeping room inventory controls

Navigate to the Property Pricing Admin screen.
In the Properties list, query for the property record, and then click the link in the Property Name field.
Click the Inventory Control view tab.
Click the Sleeping Room link to navigate to that view.
In the Inventory Controls list, create a new record.
Enter a start and end date for the inventory control.
The start and end date values are validated. The Start Date value must be less than or equal to the End Date value and the duration between Start Date and End Date cannot be greater than one year.
In the Sleeping Room field, click the single select button, and choose the appropriate sleeping room type.

Note: The sleeping room types displayed in the Pick Room Type dialog box include only those types that are effective throughout the entire specified time period.
Choose the appropriate rule from the Rule Type drop-down list:
- Choose Group Authorized Level to define a limit for the number of reserved, concurrent bookings that can be made for this sleeping room type.
- Choose Group Optimal Level to enter the group optimal value for this sleeping room type. This value represents what the revenue manager thinks is the ideal level between group and transient availability and is used for sleeping room calculations.
Select the inventory control records to use, and click Apply.
The results of the applied inventory controls appear in the Total Group Availability list, starting from the first day applied.

Note: If the Sleeping Room field value is of an ROH Sleeping Room type, then the inventory controls are set to 0 for all days of the week, and you cannot enter a quantity greater than 0 in these fields. If the Sleeping Room field value is of a Sleeping Room or Suite type, then the inventory controls are user-defined and can be greater than or equal to 0.

Information Display Options in the Total Group Availability List

There are various controls that can be used with the Total Group Availability list. These include:

Dates/Notes button. See About the Dates/Notes Button for more information.
Paging buttons. See About the Paging Buttons for more information.
Tentative/Not Tentative button. See With Tentative/Without Tentative Button for more information.

Editing Sleeping Room Inventory Controls

If you only have to edit the inventory controls for a few days, it is recommended that you perform this action in the Total Group Availability list. However, if you have to change inventory controls for a longer time period, it is recommended that you create new inventory controls in the Inventory Controls list and apply the rules. The new rules override any existing inventory controls that previously applied for this time period.

Note: Changes in the Total Group Availability view are automatically applied. You do not have to click Apply to apply your changes.

Querying for Sleeping Room Inventory Controls

When sleeping room inventory controls are defined and applied in the Inventory Controls list, they are then displayed in the Total Group Availability list underneath. This list allows you to query for information using the standard Query button. However, you can also query for specific dates by clicking the Query Date button.

This task is a step in Process of Setting Up Inventory Controls.

To query for sleeping room inventory controls on specific dates

Navigate to the Property Pricing Admin screen.
In the Properties list, query for the property record, and then click the link in the Property Name field.
Click the Inventory Control view tab.
Click the Sleeping Room link to navigate to that view.
In the Total Group Availability list, click the Query Date button.
The Query Date dialog box appears.
Click the calendar select button and choose the appropriate date.
Click Go.
The date for which you queried and the following seven days are displayed.
Complete the rest of the fields, specifying the start and end duration and the reason the function space is out of order, and then save the record.

Note: You can drill down on the Start Date Time value to navigate to the Function Space Diary where the selected date and the appropriate property are displayed.