2014 QUEGROUP CONFERENCE – ROUND TABLE NOTES

The QUEGroup would like to thank everyone that attended this year’s annual conference. We had a record turnout and those that participated in the round table sessions have been able to share an added value of being a QUEGroup meember. Below is a complete list of the Round Table notes. The main topic will link into the discussion forum that might contain further feedback from other users.

Lot Costing and Kitting Enhancement Requests

Do not currently have the ability to link an item from a lot to a work order. This is required for shops that have in-house repair capabilities
Visibility of the items that make up a kit. Once a kit is created it creates a need within purchase management for the item, but if there are enough kits the item is not needed. Need a way to see the number of items that are in stock but part of a kit.
Ability to add a purchase charge to a lot. There are times when a PO must be issued to a vendor for a charge but that charge cannot be tied back to the lot.
Ability to invoice more than one line item from a specific lot on one line of a sales order. A good example would be serialized blades. If all things are equal, same lot all & all of the same parameters select multiple stock lines for one item on the sales order.

Physical Inventory Comments

Purpose is to allow counting of inventory and verification that it actually matches physical inventory to the report….ideally using barcoding.
It does allow cycle audits without barcoding as well.
Customers that do not use the accounting module might not have the additional functionality, however it is still helpful to be able to account for the inventory.
Even if a customer uses a different inventory system, verifying physical inventory within Quantum will create a more efficient system by avoiding misquotes, cancelled orders, etc.
Even if a customer uses a different inventory system, verifying physical inventory within Quantum will create a more efficient system by avoiding misquotes, cancelled orders, etc.
Consignments do not need special locations or warehouse in order to be included. You just need to choose whether or not you want to count the section/location.

Suggestions / Best Practices

Barcode all stocklines and locations first to maximize the benefits of the PI Module
Divide inventory into many batches so you can cover certain sections per day. (Smaller Tag Tables)One 8’ rack section with 8 shelves/beams could be done on 8 separate batches.Batches with a smaller number of actual items make reconciliation easier when there are discrepancies
All Warehouses have to have a GEO code assigned in order to use the PI Module
Focus the PI process around your processes
Consider the fact that you might need to revise your location codes in order to maximize the benefit of the PI Module. (Continuous Improvement)
Always select to create the batch based on STOCKLINE

Pitfalls

When creating a batch, the location codes are truly ALPHANUMERIC (Embraer / STS)example: If you create a batch to cover from section R1A to R11A you have to realize it will not include R2A because R11 comes before R2A in an alphanumeric sort. You would actually need to scan R11A through R9G to include all items.

Enhancement Requests

Remove the option or at least default the option to STOCKLINE counts when creating a new batch
Consider some type of sorting options to handle numbers vs. alpha. (R10 versus R1A)
Consider adding a “Stock Line Lock” so you cannot reserve a stockline to an order (PO, RO, SO, WO) if it is on an Open PI Batch. (GA Telesis) Possibly have it prompt to remove the item from the batch.
If an item is reserved, and subsequently determined to be “MISSING”, prompt to “Unreserve” the missing stockline, adjust the inventory, and “Auto Reserve – FIFO” another stockline. (Embraer) Scenario is multiple Work Orders that have parts reserved. During Physical audit, inventory is missing. Batch cannot be closed posted because inventory is reserved?? Reallocating inventory to many open WO’s is very time consuming
Moderator opinion is that the process itself needs to be evaluated. User needs to consider a one-time complete audit to resolve discrepancies. Afterwards if issues are still present, internal processes need to be evaluated to determine how to prevent the issue from occurring. It seems that another process (or lack of) is actually creating the issue.
There is an option to log down stock activity while auditing – that is a comment
It would be nice to the audits by warehouse. The quantity expected is filtered based on the chosen warehouse code. Only the location code. So, if you have a location that is shared between two warehouses, your counts will always be off.
It would be nice to see an option to count for a consignment and a lot. The idea is that you could build a batch based on either the consignment code or the lot.
It would be great to have a feature that unbiulds a kit after it was turned into stock. This happens to us half a dozen times a month where we have do all kinds of manual adjustments in inventory to pull one piece out of the kit. (Worthington) Also, sometimes one unit within a kit might fail or break and needs to be replaced. It would be great to be able to swap a piece AFTER it was sold. (Worthington)

System Administration

Request for a silent install MSI package for upgrades of the Quantum client after server has been upgraded. Customers with large, geographically disbursed user base want to upgrade all users over the weekend. Security problem with opening all users to Admin level for upgrade process. Roque responded that some customers use scripting, but because the QCReg program requires user input it was requested that the program be modified to all pre-scripting of answers for automatic execution. One other suggested solution was that if you run your users through Citrix or Terminal Server, there is only one client install to upgrade per server.
There was a request to have an automatic timeout feature in Quantum that can be set by the administrator to close inactive Quantum instances to save license use for inactive users. There was also a request to limit the number of simultaneous connections to Quantum per user, and Roque noted that there is an option to limit to one user connection. It was requested that this be configurable by user, rather than one setting for the entirety of Quantum.
There was a request to integrate Quantum security (Usernames/Passwords) with MS Active Directory. Comment was made that most other ERP systems have such integration.
There was a request made that every lookup table should have the granularity of restricting users by Add/Modify/Delete/View. It was noted that most lookup tables are this way, but some are not. A comment was made that when selecting multiple images to send via email to a customer that the image names often didn’t mean anything to the recipient and would there be a way to rename the images for the sending process.
There was a request within the security module, to sort the users by department and then name. This was for a customer with many users in various locations where the security was applied by department/location.
There was a request to undock all of the Quantum windows to allow for users with multiple monitors to dynamically move windows from one screen to another.
There was a request for an audit log for mouse and keystroke events to help with the technical support process. In cases where it is difficult to reproduce an error with tech support there would be a trail of which keys/buttons were pressed in which order.
There was a comment that beginning with version 10.4 a modification was made to the relationship between SYSDBA and Administrator with regard to modifying security rights for users. Previously the customer had been able to delegate modifying security rights to Administrators, but now had to have all security rights modified by the sole Sysdba which was inefficient for them.

Incorporate your quality procedures into your daily processes

Quality procedures
Stock line hold,No visibility,Look to full detail , Event manager to roll through stock lines and remove reservations, cancel order, and return so to inventory
Quality control for shipping and receiving in contact management
Search contacts by date range Enhancement request?
Rework flag to monitor manufacturing successes vs. rework items vs. scrapped items Event manager to search for rework items and then create contacts for rework items Report on rework contacts
Splitting stock lines for purchasing under one unit of measure and being able to split under different unit of measure 10.5 internal work order as a tear down work order
Receiving record created at time of shipment from vendor When item arrives the receiver is compared to the shipment and record discrepancies in “remarks”
Quoting a customer and making revisions before the sales order is created. If sales order is already created create report based on browse audit trail to compare original vs. new/final by customer
Receiver reconciliation posted by user ID to browse the audit trail – research
Splitting stock lines not bringing in Lot # to new stock line from old stock line on the portal Currently done at posting shipper, suggested to do split prior to close
Purchasing approvals once the purchase order is created the manager has to go to the machine and type in password. User forms designer to not allow printing of the document if the approval has not occurred
Sales orders need being sent without being completed by event manager settings every 30 minutes. Use UDF in SO header and have event manager not send if null.
Quality checks 10 items for SO and CQ header
Event manager to check that all fields have been filled out
SO status is needed
SO and CQ hold flag needed similar to the shipping hold flag possibly built into the status code with unlock users
Crediting quantities in current period vs. the period from the original shipment

Advance Reports and Connectivity

Dynamic Parameters are now available.
You will be able to utilize to/from dates
Existing Styles will be saved
Dates do not change when linked to style dynamically. You will have to use something like plus/minus 30 to get a dynamic date range.
You will need to change/update existing reports (won’t break existing reports) in order to take advantage of this functionality
When upgrading firebird to crystal reports should work fine as long as it is not calling out stored procedures.
Embedded crystal does not use another license whereas external crystal uses another license
Many ACE reports have been replaced (approx 30 reports…17 according to Nicola’s presentation)
1 programmer dedicated to replace ACE reports
AR / AP have been optimized. New report calls a procedure rather than using a SQL Query.
Custom crystal reports are named by “folder name – file name”
When saving Integrated Crystal reports – save them based on the groups. (i.e. Accounting – AR Aging; Inventory – BER Inventory)
Crystal 2008 – has known bug when dividing by negative numbers
Is the embedded crystal 2008?
Will it encounter this same issue?
Data dictionary (cheat sheet)
Forms designer cheat sheet
Crystal cheat sheet
Does the expand/collapse tree show for an embedded report?
Learn to create SQL queries from books, websites, classes in order to help with developing reports and maximize your results.
Visual Cut – allows grouping and send email to different people based on the group header information.
Tableau Software is a recommended reporting tool. It allwos pivot table reporting
Macros in excel – connect and pull data into excel and create formulas
Reportal – allows running crystal or sql queries, etc has built in security.
allows drill downs
each user can create dashboards and favorites
very cheap (approx $4000)
server licensed not user licensed
If no key field currently exists in the pipe line go to CC website, to the custom programming menu and add a suggestion. This will help get it added for future releases.
Save a template / cheat sheet to help when you need fields that aren’t available. Use the QUESources to get a demo of how to pull external fields that aren’t in the pipeline.
Forms Designer – Add a zoom feature to help with designing.
2. Cystal/Event Manager – Running crystal reports from event manager – would like to be able to have it in excel
Suggestion – Try Custom SQL Query saving to .csv (any chance of option to save in .xls or .xlsx?)
Update Embedded Crystal to allow exporting to .xlsx which allows more than 65000 records

Shop Control

Billing group quote have the ability to quote and show sub-wo items separately in the Quote document
Move Generic BC touch to include BOM entry and Time and Attendance
Multi Currency mark up only in cost of local currency when parts purchased in another currency giving cost issues
Being able to capture burden rates time and half after 40
Export Master Routers in same format as MR Import
Shop Control setting not allowing a task to be clocked on until the previous task has been completed
The ability to do a Warehouse transfer on a part and still have the ability to reserve it to a new Work Order
Work Order scrap process for scrapped parts
Template security feature for Work Order and Task Status in addition to user security
Ability to create a WO Quote without the WO being created yet and create an external Work Order based on this Quote when the part arrives
Using Deferred BOM would be able to edit deferred BOM screen to change qty
The ability to launch a Work Order from a lot with the ability to attach multiple parts

Round Table Questions 2014