We just won a big tender from a big customer. Thus, we need to place thousands of Purchase Orders to the factory. Then, once it’s shipped from the factory we need to create also thousands of Sales Invoices. The Customer is basically only order 5 items with 5 different shipping addresses. Due to reconciliation purposes (They said it easily to manage and trace down) and Custom Clearance issue, the Customer breaks down the orders into thousands of Purchase Orders. Each order is normally consists only 1 item and it must be shipped under 1 Container number. The problem that we have right now is entering those Purchase Orders and later on, Sales Orders into the system. For me, it’s a crazy time consuming job…(what a poor User [V] if there is no other way). The last option that I am thinking is using Function – Copy Documents but I don’t think it will help much since we still have to do it one by one. The only idea that is flashing in my mind is importing the information from Excel into Navision but I am not too sure about this. On the other hand, I don’t know how…[:(] Please help Thanks, [:)] ZEN
Hi, In my company we are faced with a similar problem(Assuming i understand correctly) this is how i tackled it: Import the tender into a temporary table, same as the excel format (save excel as CSV) then, make a codeunit to read from that table, and create your purchase orders(Here is where you make your conditions) Here is where u can also make informative descriptions for each order), I will help you with the code, if i am understanding correctly. The same function will be used, for the sales invoice. You can put the code in the dataport, but if you want to keep the tender for later analysis, it is better to keep the origional in Navision. This in my opinion is your best option, because of it flexiblity, the only thing that will take you time is the post batch, for thousands of orders and invoices will take a while.
Zen are you an End User or and NSC. It makes a difference to the answer. (PS you could update your profile to reflect that).
If your customer is willing to supply the orders electronically as XML documents, then you should probably try doing this with a NAS instance monitoring a message queue, and importing the orders that way. I have a few of these live, and they work really well, since the message received event triggers Navision to create the order right when they come in. You can also add functionality to the invoice posting routine to send the invoice out as an XML document. If this is thousands of orders you may want to consider Commerce Gateway, at least take a look at it and see if it is for you.
It’s kind of hardtime for me to get into the website lately. With all the answers from you guys; I am confused what to explain. The hard things for us is not only thinking how to enter the orders but also getting the Customer’s file that we need for importing into Navision. The only way for us to get orders is logging in into their website and download the orders that are formatted under PDF file. We tried to ask them to provide some kind of summary under excel or .txt file but unfortunately they don’t really care about our situation and they said that’s the standard procedure of their business. I am an End User. ZEN
In order for Navision to be able to import an order, you must have it as an electronic document that you can easily retrieve data from (like an XML document or a text file). I don’t know of any software that is able to ‘read’ a pdf file, for all I care a pdf is basically a picture of a formatted document. If your customer is not willing to supply you with an electronic version that you can import, then I’m afraid you have no choice but to key them in manually. Maybe you can tell them if they don’t give you an XML document, you won’t give them one either, or you will have to charge them a fee, although I really don’t like this kind of thing.
If you are going to type them in manually then I would suggest you enter the sales orders, and make the sales line a drop shippment, then you can have the purchase orders created to link to the sales order automatically, using the requisition worksheet, get sales order function. At least that way you wont have to manualy enter both, and the sales order and purchase order will be linked, so when you bill the sales order it will receive the PO also.
I know Daniel but it was confirmed that we couldn’t get the XML document. We bought a software to convert PDF into Excel or TXT file but it works perfectly only for PDF without complicated lines/layout. We couldn’t do that because we have been waiting this business for a long time even though we have to suffer our self. Like idiom says “Isn’t that big fish always eats the small ones…[:D]” Assuming we could provide our self the csv file, please help to direct me step by step how to code the Header and Detail. P.S. I have experience to make a simple dataport with one 1 table for importing and exporting. Thank you for mentioning the drop shipment. Definately will do that, if eventually we need to enter it one by one. Could start from PO instead of SO? Thanks, ZEN
Unfortunately, you cannot use a dataport for indented text files. If you have multiple orders on one file, you would have to have all headers first, and then all lines, not one header, multiple lines, one header, multiple lines, etc. So, the only way you could use a dataport is if you’d create one text file for one and only one order, because then you’d have all (i.e. one) headers first and then all lines. You’d end up with a text file (I would personally use no field start and end delimiters, and the TAB as field separator) with ONE header record, and any number of line records. The most important thing you must do is to have a consistent file layout, with always the same fields in the same order. Then it’s a matter of creating the dataport with those tables and fields and running them.
Just trying to raise some alternative idea, that Zen mentioned in the beginning, rather than trying to develop a difficult import process, that does even require change pdf files to csv format… Why not create some “report” that creates a new order or a couple of orders at a time for this customer (picking up the “Copy document” idea). As the whole creation only handles a few parameters (Shipping Address, 5 items that are bought, etc.) this could be handled with a few lines of code - of course this would only be helpful if the quantities and prices are the same. If you stick to the dataport idea, it could still be possible to handle an import of this kind of “mixed” information: you’d have to import the whole line or each field into variables (rather than importing directly to the table field - in the field designer type the variable name instead of selecting a table field) and then depending on the “line type” create a new sales/purchase header or a new line… Saludos Nils
Nils, The Customer is actually putting the item in order for each PDF file. This is how they arrange the orders; 1 PDF file is consists about 400 orders with the same item (let’s say item A) and quantity but each order can have different posting date, shipment data and destination. The other PDF files are arranged in the same concept, but consist item B, item C and etc. I think I can try to make the report (with your help of course) if the condition above is doable with the reporting that you have mentioned. Thanks, ZEN
If it is one line per order in your PDF then you should be able to import. You could even think of an import that only creates orders if the number is unknown, and just adds to existing orders if the number is known. You could have default information for the header, since it always comes from the same customer. You could even think of a setup table with different default information for different values.
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but each order can have different posting date, shipment data and destination.
In this case it will definitly be necessary to “import”, and as Daniel mentions, just import the header and have the line created automatically, or even add the line if the order no. already exists. I can send you a sample dataport based on “variables”, just let me know where to send to. Saludos Nils
Please send it to zenbodhi05@yahoo.com. Thank you very much. ZEN