Project

General

Profile

How to Use Blindata » Blindata Help »

Required Date

Calculation of the required date

The algorithm to calculate the required date now works in the following way:
1. The lead time is calculated by looking at the ‘default number of days to required date’ in the Parameters table.
If this is not to be used, it should be set to 0.
2. The program checks to see if lead time by the customer is used.
This is be done by checking if, in the customer’s record, the ‘default no. of days for required date’ field is > 0.
If so, this figure is held and we skip to step 4. If not, we go to step 3.
3. The program then runs through the detail lines and works out the highest ‘lead time’ by looking at the blind type and stock item records lead time for each detail line and then storing the highest.
If this is not used, the lead times should be set to 0.
4. The program then examines the holiday table to see if any holidays are applicable and then works out the required date based on removing weekend days, and holidays and then adding the lead time days to the order date to get the required date.
If the ‘on customer hold’ flag has been unchecked, the calculation will be done from the current date, not the order date.

Today is 15/06/2022 (Wednesday)
The 'Lead Time' of the blind type is 3.
The 'Lead Time' is 0 in the option choices and fabric (stock items).
The 'default number of days to required date’ in Customer and Parameters = 0
We have 'Saturday' and 'Sunday' as weekends.
Therefore, the 'Req Date' calculated as 3 days (15, 16, 17) = 17/06/2022

There are several customer parameters that indicate the calculation of the required date.

Import Req. Date Days Earlier

EDI Import Required Date
The ‘Required Date’ that is imported from Direct Blinds XML file to wift Blinds is the date that the end customer should get the blinds.
However, Swift Blinds define ‘Required Date’ as the date the order has to be despatched by them.
We, therefore, need to calculate the required date as being a working day before this.

There is a new field in the customer record called ‘Import Required Date Days Earlier’.
This is an integer field to indicate the number of days to be deducted from the required date in the XML file to give the required date in the order.
It takes into account weekends and holidays.
For example, if the required date is Monday 26 August in the XML file and this field is set to 1, it will be stored as Friday 23 August in the order.

Def. No Days for Req. Date

EDI Import
If an order is being imported using the JL import and the goods are being sent directly to the end-user, the required date that is in the import file is now used instead of the calculated required date.
When importing an EDI Import File the Required date needs to be recalculated based on the default no of days entered against the customer.
The only exception is if the account code is 012 and this can be found in the HEAD section.
If the account is 012 then the 'Required Date' is taken from the EDI Import file.

Update Req Date With Scheduled Date

There is a new parameter called ‘Update Required Date with Scheduled Date’ in the Administration > Parameters and the 'Customer' tab.
If this is set to true, then after an order has been scheduled, if the scheduled date is after the required date, then the required date is changed to the scheduled date.
If an order is brought back (and ‘Update Required Date with Scheduled Date’ = true), then if the scheduled date is > the required date, the scheduled date replaces the required date.
For certain despatch methods, it is now possible to disable ‘Update Required Date with Scheduled Date’ and actually make the required date the next available delivery day in the customer record after the scheduled date.
To activate this, there is a new flag in System Tables > Despatch Method, called ‘Disable Update Required Date From Scheduled Date’.
For example, if the scheduled date was Wed 08/02/12 but the only delivery day for a customer was a Tuesday, then the required date would become Tue 14/02/12.
There should be a new parameter in Parameters > Fitters Sheet / Sales Leads Parameters called 'Update Required Date With fitting Date' which defaults to false.
If true, then when a fitting appointment is added or amended, the Required Date in the order is also updated.

Enable Reqd Date Calc

At the moment if a customer is selected that is set as trade type = ‘Including Tax’, the user has to enter a required date.
This can be changed using a new flag in the customer record that called ‘Enable Reqd Date Calc’ which defaults to false.
If true, it will use the same functionality for calculating the required date as an ‘Excluding Tax’ customer.

Use Receiving Required Date

EDI Enquiry > Receiving Data
We have now got another company transmitting EDI orders.
The retail part of the business sends orders to the manufacturing part. When the orders are imported, the required date is recalculated by the import routine.
This client wants to use the required date in the sent order, deduct two days (working days) from it, and use the result as the required date in the imported order.
We have created a new parameter to control this. It is held against the customer record in the receiving database. The parameter is called ‘Use Receiving Required Date -2’.
If this is set to true, the EDI import uses the above to calculate the required date and not the usual lead time calculation. This does not apply to the ‘JL EDI Import’.

If the ‘Use Receiving Required Date -2’ flag is set to true on the customer record, the required date from the EDI import is used in the order.
If the receiving required date field is not checked, the order will be assigned a standard required date.
Previously if ‘Use Receiving Required Date’ was set to true, when the EDI order was imported, it was automatically flagged as ‘Must Go’.
Therefore there is a new flag in the customer record called ‘Use XML Must Go Field’, which defaults to false.
If it is true, then when the EDI order is imported, it always uses the ‘Must Go’ field in that file and does not set ‘Must Go’ automatically in the order because ‘Use Receiving Required Date’ is switched on.

Ignore Delivery Days for Req Date

If the parameter to ignore delivery days when the 'Required Date' is being calculated in order entry is switched on (‘Ignore Del Days For Remake Etc)’ this now applies to all orders, and the message is only shown once.

Use XML Reqd Date -1 for SDD

Previously we had a ‘Use XML Reqd Date for SDD’ flag in the customer record, which has not quite worked properly.
It was taking the required date from the XML file if it was an SDD and the parameter was ticked.
This required date was actually the customer 'Required Date' so now 1 working day is subtracted from it.
Also, the parameter has been renamed ‘Use XML Reqd Date -1 for SDD’.

There are several global parameters that indicate the calculation of the required date.

Parameters > Automated Tasks > Enable PO XML Import
The reverse EDI was set to only change a 'Required Date' in an order that had ONLY bought in blinds i.e. all sales order detail lines are in the PO.
There is now a new parameter for this called 'Update Required Date For Mixed Orders in PO Import' which defaults to false.

Off Hold Amend Required Date
When taking an order off hold, the user can now be prompted to change the required date.
This is controlled by a parameter called ‘Off Hold Amend Required Date’.
This will apply to an order being taken off customer hold in the order entry form and also in the ‘Orders On Hold’ form.
The message says ‘This order has been taken off hold. Please amend the required date’.

Set Promised Date to Required Date

Promised Date to Default to Blank Parameter
There is a new parameter in Administration > Parameters called ‘Set Promised Date to Required Date’, which defaults to true.
If set to false, the ‘Promised Date’ in order entry is left blank.
Previously, when an order was created either manually, or via the EDI import, the promised date got assigned to the original required date.

Required Date Prompt

There is a parameter called ‘Required Date Prompt’.
If set to true, a box will appear to get the user to confirm the required date at the order entry after ‘Save’ is clicked (and after the required date has been calculated).
It is possible for the user to amend the required date, but only forwards.
This has also been applied to the online system (but only if the flag is set to true).
If the “Required Date Prompt” flag is switched on in Parameters when a quotation is converted to an order.
The user is prompted to enter the required date.
There is now a new parameter called ‘Online Required Date Prompt’ so the ‘Required Date’ prompt does not appear on the online order form if this is switched off.

Ignore Required Date in Batch Manufacture

There is a new option so that the batch manufacture function will ignore the required date, and change all orders that are ‘Order Printed’ to ‘Order Manufactured’ or ‘Despatched’.
This is a parameter in Administration > Parameters, and is called ‘Ignore Required Date in Batch Manufacture’.

Disable Required Date Calculation

We have a customer that does not want to have the required date calculated at all and wants to enter it themselves before they enter any detail lines.
Previously the message appears after each detail line is entered.
Therefore we have created a new parameter in Administration > Parameters called ‘Disable Required Date Calculation’.
This defaults to false.
If it is set to true, then the Required Date is not calculated at all (from parameters or customer or blind type) and the user enters a date.
The ‘Customer Required Date’ flag is still set to true.
If this parameter is switched on and a required date is not entered in the order, a message appears saying ‘Please enter a required date’.

Component Required Date Today

There is a new parameter called ‘Component Required Date Today’, which defaults to false.
If true, when a component line is entered on an order (and there are no blinds in the order), the required date is set to the current date.

Recalc Reqd Date After Amendment Hold

There is a new parameter called ‘Recalc Reqd Date After Amendment Hold’ which defaults to false.
If true, when an order is taken off ‘Amendment Hold’, the Required Date is recalculated.

Default No. Days for Req. Date

This is a similar field as in the customer record, the logic is as follow:

Calculation of the required date

The algorithm to calculate the required date now works in the following way:
1. The lead time is calculated by looking at the ‘default number of days to required date’ in the Parameters table.
If this is not to be used, it should be set to 0.
2. The program checks to see if lead time by the customer is used.
This is be done by checking if, in the customer’s record, the ‘default no. of days for required date’ field is > 0.
If so, this figure is held and we skip to step 4. If not, we go to step 3.

Required Date instead of Order Date

Works Order Label Blind Size
There is a new parameter for this report in Administration > Parameters > Report Parameters called ‘Required Date instead of Order Date’.
If set to true, on top labels we have Required Date instead of Order Date.

Scheduled Date Instead Of Required Date

Works Order Label Blind Size A4
There is a new parameter in Parameters > Report Parameters in the works Order section called 'Scheduled Date Instead Of Required Date'.

Next Contact Date is Quote Reqd Date (quotation)

Order Processing > Quotations > Contact Record
This is relevant if ‘Auto Create Quotation Contact Record’ is switched on. The specification for this has been changed.
When a quote is added for the first time, it only creates one contact record, which has the next contact date as the ‘Quotation Required Date’.
But not all customers will want this so there is a new parameter called ‘Next Contact Date is Quote Reqd Date’.
This defaults to false.
If it is set to true, then the ‘Quote Reqd Date’ is used and the text ‘Quote Required’ goes in the text field.
Also, the contact status defaults to the contact status which has the flag ‘Quote Required’.
To do this, there is a new flag held in the ‘Contact Status’ report called ‘Quote Required’.
If ‘Use Project Management’ is switched on, the email that is then sent has the project name and quote customer included.
If ‘Use Project Management’ is switched off, the quote customer is still included in the email that is sent.
Also if the owner and rep are the same, an email is not sent. This also applies to emails sent for other contact records.

Quote Reqd By Mandatory (quotation)

There is now an option to make ‘Quote Required By’ mandatory in the quotation entry.
There is a new flag in Administration > Parameters > Quotation Parameters called ‘Quote Reqd By Mandatory’ which defaults to false.

Calculate Required Date for Quotation (quotation)

There is a new parameter in Parameters > Quotation Parameters called ‘Calculate Required Date for Quotations’ which defaults to true.

Update Required Date with Scheduled Date

There is a parameter called ‘Update Required Date with Scheduled Date’ in Administration > Parameters.
If this is set to true, then after an order has been scheduled, if the scheduled date is after the required date, then the required date is changed to the scheduled date.

If an order is brought back (and ‘Update Required Date with Scheduled Date’ = true), then if the scheduled date is > the required date, the scheduled date replaces the required date.

For certain despatch methods, it is now possible to disable ‘Update Required Date with Scheduled Date’ and actually make the required date the next available delivery day in the customer record after the scheduled date.
To activate this, there is a new flag in System Tables > Despatch Method, called ‘Disable Update Required Date From Scheduled Date’.
For example, if the scheduled date was Wed 08/02/12 but the only delivery day for a customer was a Tuesday, then the required date would become Tue 14/02/12.

Schedule By Required Date

There is a new parameter for scheduling called 'Schedule By Required Date'.
If this is true, orders are prioritised by the required date of the order.
If there is no capacity for the required date, then the scheduler looks at the day before and so on.
If there is no capacity available before the required date, a message appears saying 'There is no available capacity before the required date'.

Scheduled to Reqd Delay

There is currently a flag in Parameters to update the Required Date with the order Scheduled Date.
It is now also possible to set this flag but also determine that the required date should be a set number of days after the scheduled date.
This is a new field in Administration > Parameters called ‘Scheduled to Req. Delay’.
If 1 is entered into this field this will result in one working day (considering weekends and holidays) being added to the schedule date, before customer delivery days are considered, and then the required date will be updated from that.

Update Required Date with Fitting Date
There should be a new parameter in Parameters > Fitters Sheet / Sales Leads Parameters called 'Update Required Date With fitting Date' which defaults to false.
If true, then when a fitting appointment is added or amended, the Required Date in the order is also updated.

Show Required Date (purchase order)

Purchase Order Bought In – Standard / Purchase Order Bought In (Blind Size)
There are now parameters to show ‘Required Date’ and ‘Expected Delivery Date’ in Report Parameters > Purchase Order.
These parameters are called ‘Show Required Date’ and ‘Show Expected Delivery Date’.
Also, the column headers have been tidied up in ‘Purchase Order Bought In (Blind Size).