MicroBiz can be used as a simple but powerful tool for tracking inventory items. This chapter covers most of the topics pertaining to adding, editing, and otherwise managing your inventory within the program. For details on Purchase Orders, see Chapter 9 - Purchase Orders.

Figure 6-1

Add/Edit Inventory

This opens the Product Lookup window, which is the main way to browse through your inventory in MicroBiz.

Figure 6-2
 What the buttons do:

• SKU – Selects the SKU field and organizes items on the Product Lookup window by Stock Keeping Unit (also known as the item number or SKU).
• Desc – Selects the Description field and organizes items on the Product Lookup window by Description.
• Search –Opens the "Search For…" screen, where you can search for an item.
  • You will be searching by the currently selected field (this is why you can click on the SKU or Desc buttons).
  • You can also select a field by clicking on it in the Product Lookup window.
  • You can search by most of the fields displayed here, but if you search by something other than SKU or Description, you may have to close the Product Lookup window to reload all items.
• Wild –This searches for a keyword within a column (also known as a wildcard search).
  • This option is only available when using the customized product list, activated under Management | Custom System Settings | Transaction Settings | Misc Tab "Use Customizable Browse at F3."
  • You will be searching by the currently selected field.
  • Once a Wild search has been made, you will only see your search results in the Product Lookup window. To see all items again, select "Clear Filter/Search Criteria" from the drop-down menu.
• Explode – Presents detailed information about the item currently selected.
• Add – Brings up the "Product" window for adding a new item into inventory.
• Fast Add –Brings up the "Fast Add Product" window for adding a new item to inventory.
  • Although (as the title suggests) adding items this way can save time, only some of the fields can be changed on this window.
  • The "Customize Fields" button on this screen will open a window with a few more fields available than the regular Fast Add method.
• Script –This button pulls up the Script window that allows the user to maintain a "dialog" about the product.
  • This can be used for telemarketing scripts, miscellaneous product specifications, up-sell/cross-sell opportunities and more.
  • It is a free form file of unlimited length.
  • It can be forced to pop-up as the item is sold at the Front Register by enabling "Show Item Script when Loading" under Management | Custom System Settings | Transaction Settings.
• Edit –Brings up the "Product" window for editing any fields of the highlighted item.
  • Once an item is added, you cannot edit the SKU or the Type (the "Type" would be Product, Service, Kit, etc.).
• Picture – Click on this button to view, add or change the image associated with the selected item.
• Delete – Permanently deletes the selected item from inventory.
• !MKC (Matrix/Kit/Custom) –Clicking on this button will allow you to edit Kit components or Matrix items, if applicable.
  • "!MKC" will be displayed on the button if the currently selected item is not a Matrix/Kit/Custom item Type. This means that this button won't do anything, so it is disabled.
  • "Matrix" will be displayed on the button if the currently selected item is of the Matrix Type, and will allow you to edit the rows and columns (see section below on Matrix items).
  • "Kit" will be displayed on the button if the currently selected item is of the Kit or Custom
• Hist – Selecting this button presents the last 16 months sales, month by month, in graphic form.
• Enter – Use this button to load the selected product to the front register.  This only works when viewing the front register.  If viewing the main menu, this button is inactive.
• Quit – Exit the Product Lookup screen.

If "Use Customizable Browse..." is enabled under Management | Custom System Settings | Transaction Settings | Misc. Tab, then you will have access to the "Select Other Function" drop-down menu at the bottom of the Product Lookup window. This menu gives you additional options, such as editing the layout of the Product Lookup window, editing Price Schemes, and more. The following is a list of items found in this menu, and their various functions.

1. Assign Item(s) to Price Scheme – This provides a quick way to add the selected item to a current or new Price Scheme.
2. Remove Item(s) from Price Scheme – This provides a quick way to remove the selected item from a Price Scheme.
3. Clear Filter/Search Criteria – This resets the contents of the Product Lookup window to show all products, which is useful if you have just used the "Wild" feature, then want to see all products again without closing and reopening Product Lookup.
4. Adjust column width – This enables you to manually resize the columns by placing the mouse on the border between two field headers (e.g. on the line between "SKU" and "Description") and "dragging" it to the left or right by holding down the left mouse button.
5. Clear grid columns –Removes all fields from the Product Lookup window. This is useful if you want to start from scratch and build your Product Lookup screen from nothing.
   • If you select this by accident, you can close Product Lookup and re-enter before saving to restore it. If you have tried this, then you can always go back to the default by selecting the following option.
6. Restore grid to its default columns – Select this to set the Product Lookup window back to how it was when first installing MicroBiz.
7. Add columns to grid – With this option, you can add other fields (such as Color, Department, Quantity, etc.) as columns in the Product Lookup window.
8. Remove columns from grid – You can select this to remove columns that are currently displayed in Product Lookup.
9. Save columns – If you have added, removed or resized columns, then you need to choose this option before closing Product Lookup to save your changes.
10. Transaction Settings (Cols) – This is a shortcut to Management | Custom System Settings | Transaction Settings.

Just to the right of this drop-down menu is the option to Pop-up when Front Register grid is clicked. Check this box if you wish to access the Product Lookup window by clicking in the middle of the Front Register (you can still access it from F3). At the very bottom right of the Product Lookup windows is the font size selection box. Here you can change the font size of the Product Lookup screen at any time. It will save the last font size that you set it to when you close out of the Product Lookup Screen.

Product Data Fields

When adding or editing an inventory item, you will most likely be in contact with the Product window. The following is a list and brief explanation of the options contained in this setup window, separated by each tab. For examples of how to add or edit items, skip ahead to the next section (you can always come back here if you don't understand what a field does).

What the buttons do
At the bottom of the Product window there are several buttons which are universal to any tab you may be viewing. These buttons include:

• Add – Opens a new record so you can add another item.
  • This option is only available if the currently selected record is in read-only mode.
• Edit – Allows you to resume editing the selected item.
  • This option is only available if the currently selected record is in read-only mode.
• Look – This saves the current record and allows you to enter another SKU to open.
• Previous Record – Clicking on the < button will save any changes to the current record and display the item preceding the selected one.
• Next Record – Clicking on the < button will save any changes to the current record and display the item following the selected one.
• Help – This will display the Help file. Remember, help is also always available by pressing your F1 key.
• Save – Click here to save any changes you have made.
• Cancel – This exits the Product window. If you click on this button you will lose any changes since your last save.

There are also a few buttons (and a menu and some text fields) at the top of the screen that are always accessible. Here's what they do:

• SKU – The Stock Keeping Unit is the primary identifier for all inventory items.
  • See the guides to adding inventory below for tips on creating and managing SKUs.
• Description – This should be a brief (but unique) description for your item.
• Product Type – In the image below it says "Product", but you can choose from several inventory item "Types" depending on what you want this item to do for you.
  • See the section on "Assigning Type Codes" below for more information.
• More Description Lines – If your brief Description line doesn't display the full text you want to appear on the invoice (receipt), then click on this button and to enter additional description information.
• Picture – Click on this button to assign an image file with this item.
  • When the item is loaded to the Front Register, the Picture will be displayed.
• Edit Sold – This is only used for "Serial" items, for tracking/editing sold serial numbers.
• Edit Unsold – This is only used for "Serial" items, for tracking/editing unsold serial numbers.

Price Levels tab

This tab contains the options to manage the cost, price and margins of your inventory.

Figure 6-3

• Weighted Unit Cost – The average cost of the item.
  • When entering a new item into the system, enter the current cost. If the item is received at a different cost, the Weighted Unit Cost will be calculated for you as an average of the old cost and the new cost, as follows:
    • ([old cost x current qty] + [new cost x new qty]) / (current qty + new qty)
• Last Purchase Cost – The cost of the item at the time of your last purchase.
• Tax 1 (Y/N) – Enter a Y for "yes" if you want this item to be taxable under the Tax 1 settings. Enter a N for "no" if you do not want Tax 1 to be calculated.
• Tax 2 (Y/N) – Enter a Y for "yes" if you want this item to be taxable under the Tax 2 settings. Enter a N for "no" if you do not want Tax 2 to be calculated.
• Suggested List – Enter the suggested retail price of the item on this line.
  • This is not the price your customers are charged, but the "list" price that can be displayed to better advertise discounts.
  • The Suggested List price cannot be lower than the other price levels.
  • You can leave this field blank if you don't wish to use this feature.
• Price – enter the price ("Price A") that you will be charging for this item.
• Price Level B – This is the first of many "Price Levels" that you can set for your items. This is used in conjunction with the Price Level setting for each customer, so if you have a Price Level B customer loaded to the Front Register, the price you enter here is what that customer will be charged.
• Price Levels C, D, E – These are additional Price Levels you can set. Typically, your "Price" (considered Price Level A) will be the highest, then the figures would move down as you progress to Price Level E.
• Web Price – The Web Price cannot be charged in MicroBiz, but you can record it here for reference.
• Percent Margin – This column automatically calculates your profit margin by comparing the cost with each Price Level.
• Percent Markdown – This column automatically calculates the "Markdown" savings by comparing the Suggested List price with each Price Level.

Vendors tab

The Vendors tab contains all the settings (or access to all the settings) you need to manage your various vendors on a per-item basis.

Figure 6-4

• Vendor SKU – This is used if your vendor has a different SKU for this item then you will be using within MicroBiz
  • You can manually enter or scan the vendor's barcode here (up to 16 characters), if applicable.
  • This is handy if your vendor uses a different SKU than you do, as you can scan this or the primary SKU at the Purchase Order screen (as well as the Front Register).
• Vendor Code – The code you have assigned to the main vendor of this item. Click on the Browse button to select a vendor or add/edit your vendor list.
• Alternate SKU – Similar to the Vendor SKU, but allows for an additional ("alternate") SKU.
  • You can manually enter or scan the vendor's barcode here (up to 16 characters), if applicable.
  • This is handy if your vendor uses a different SKU than you do, as you can scan this or the primary SKU at the Purchase Order screen (as well as the Front Register).
• Last Order – The date displayed here represents the last time MicroBiz recorded a Purchase Order that included this item.
• Last Active – The date displayed here represents the last time MicroBiz recorded any activity on this item, including sales, returns, Purchase Orders, etc.
• Additional Vendors – Click on this button to specify other vendors that can be used to order the currently selected item.

Product Data Fields – Stock tab

The Stock tab is where you manage an item's grouping (by Department, Style, etc.) and quantity settings.

Figure 6-5

• Bin Number – This is used to group items by their physical location.
  MicroBiz can print Bin Labels (similar to "shelf tags"), which you can use to mark actual bins that contain your items, or place on a shelf instead of labeling each item.
• Department –This is a way of grouping products, services, etc. so you can better track your sales and inventory figures.
  • Click on the Edit button to manage your Departments.
• Style, Size, Color – Additional methods of grouping your inventory.
  • Click on the Edit buttons to manage each of these categories.
• Weight – You can specify the weight of this item here, if needed.
• Quantity in Stock – This displays the current number of this item you have in stock.
  • Once the item is entered into your inventory, you should not manually edit this figure from here unless it is absolutely necessary.
  • The quantity should normally go down as items are sold, and should normally go up as you receive more using the Purchase Orders feature.
• Quantity per Case – This is only used for items that are ordered by case.
• Reorder Level – The number entered here can be used to trigger Purchase Orders.
  • For example, if the Reorder Level for a certain product is set to 10 and I have exactly 10 in stock, I can create a Purchase Order based on the Reorder List for items matching the Reorder Level and this product will automatically appear on the order.
  • See Chapter 9 - Purchase Orders on Purchase Orders for more details on this process.
• On Order – This displays the current number of this item on order (the total quantity in all outstanding Purchase Orders).
• Date Expected – Displays the date you should receive more of this item based on any outstanding Purchase Orders, if applicable.
• Normal Stock – This field represents the minimum quantity of this item you would like to have on-hand at all times.
  • This field is critical if you use the Re-order List feature of the program.
• Quantity Committed – The quantity of this item you have on hand, but committed to an IIP, Layaway, etc.
• Quantity Backordered – Displays the quantity of this item that is currently on Backorder.
• Prompt for Price – With this option checked, you will be prompted to confirm/edit the price each time the item is loaded to the Front Register.
  • This is useful for items that may vary in price, like certain services, or for items with frequent price changes.
• Print Barcode Labels – This option is on by default, but you can uncheck it to disallow the printing of barcode labels (this is set for each inventory item).
  • If this box is checked, barcodes will be printed out for this item when a purchase order is received and you choose to print barcodes.
• Print Bin Labels – Similar to the above setting, you can disallow printing of bin labels for the currently selected item.
  • When bin labels are requested, a label will print for each inventory item where this box is checked
• Allow Backorders – If "Allow Backorders on Invoices" under Management | Custom System Settings | Global Settings is enabled, you can exclude the ability to backorder on certain items by unchecking this option.
• Sold by Weight –With this option enabled, MicroBiz will prompt you to enter the weight of the item each time it is loaded to the Front Register.
  • The weight will appear as quantity on the Front Register.
• Order by Case –Check this option if the currently selected item is ordered by the case.
  • Used in conjunction with the "Quantity per Case" setting.

Product Data Fields – Promos tab

You can setup and manage promotions for certain items on this tab of the Product window.

Figure 6-6

• Promo Start – This is the date when the promotion will start to take effect.
  • This setting only applies to the "Promo Price" promotion field.
• Promo End – This is the date when the promotion will end.
  • This setting only applies to the "Promo Price" promotion field.
• Promo Price – The price of the currently selected item during the promotional period.
• Quantity Break At – You can give a special price to customers who purchase at least certain quantity of the selected item. This setting is for the quantity.
  • For example, if the Quantity Break is set to 5, then a customer will pay the regular price for up to 4 of the item. Once a customer purchases at least 5, they will be charged the Break Price.
• Break Price – Following from the last setting, this is the price of the item once the "Quantity Break At" quantity has been reached.
• Two-Fer Quantity – A popular type of promotion ("two for…"), this is another "Quantity Break At" type of promotion.
  • Enter the quantity to trigger this promotion, just like "Quantity Break At."
  • The difference here is that a customer must purchase the exact number of items specified to receive the promotional price.
  • For example, if the Two-Fer quantity is 2, the normal price is $10.00, and the Two-Fer price is $15.00…
    • If I purchase only one of this item I am charged $10.00
    • If I purchase two of this item I am charged $15.00 (the total for both)
    • If I purchase three of this item I am charged $25.00 ($15.00 for the 2 and then $10.00 for the additional item)
    • If I purchase four of this item I am charged $30.00, etc.
• Two-Fer Price – Enter the promotional price that will be used once the "Two-Fer Quantity" figure has been reached.
  • This not the price per item, but the total price for the Two-Fer Quantity.
• Three-Fer Quantity – Just like the Two-Fer, a Three-Fer can actually be configured for any quantity. This is just a separate setting so you can configure multiple "promos" at once for an item.
• Three-Fer Price – Just like the Two-Fer Price, but this setting pertains to the Three-Fer Quantity.

• Mix Case/Mix Match – This is important to users who have set up multiple promotions at once for certain items. The screen displays either "ENABLED" or "DISABLED" depending the current Transaction Settings. To change this setting, go to Management, Customize, Transaction Settings, Pricing tab, "Enable Price Schemes Mix & Match."
  • This is a very important setting for calculating discounts, and it is enabled by default.
  • With this enabled, MicroBiz will combine the discounts of any promotions that are currently in effect for the item.
  • With this disabled, the customer will receive only one promotion's discount at a time per item. The Price Scheme will take priority over the "Promo Price" and Two-Fer type promotions.
  • See the section below on "Setting Up Price Schemes" for more information.
• Item is Discountable – With this option enabled, customers can apply other discounts (i.e. by entering "D" at the Front Register and giving a percentage off) on top of the promo price.
  • Uncheck this option if you want to disallow other discounts when a customer is receiving the promo price.
  • Note that discounts will still apply if the promo price is not given (i.e. you have a Two-Fer set up on an item, but a customer only purchases one).
• This size = Number Bottles – This is only applicable to promotions that are set up to reflect the number of "bottles" per SKU (i.e. a six-pack of beer).
• Price Scheme Settings – Price Schemes are a more advanced way to manage promotions within MicroBiz, and this display provides you with a way to configure these for the currently selected item.
  • The "Price Scheme Assignments" box will display any Price Schemes that the currently selected item is assigned to.
  • Click on "Assign Price Scheme" to assign this item to a Price Scheme, or "Remove from Price Scheme" to remove this item from a Price Scheme.
  • See the section below on "Setting Up Price Schemes" for more information.

Product Data Fields – Rental tab

If the currently selected item is set as a Rental, you can access this tab to manage some of its features.

Figure 6-7

• Currently Rented Out – This will be checked if the item is currently checked out. This is just a display and cannot be altered from here.
• Date Last Rented – Tells you the last time this item was checked out.
• Last Customer to Whom Rented – The upper window displays the Customer Number, and the lower window displays the customer's name.
• Date Due Back – Due date for this item, if checked out.
• Maintenance Interval – MicroBiz can alert you to check an item for maintenance based on the frequency of rental.
  • For example, if the Maintenance Interval is set to 3, then after three rentals the item will be due for maintenance.
  • MicroBiz will warn you that the item is due for service when someone attempts to rent the item, if applicable. Therefore, it is a good idea to check the "Usage Counter" each time a rental item that requires maintenance is checked in.
• Usage Counter – Used in conjunction with the Maintenance Interval setting, the Usage Counter will count the number of times an item has been rented since the counter was last reset.
  • To use this feature correctly, click on the Reset button each time you inspect the item (once the maintenance interval has been reached). This is how MicroBiz knows that an item is due for maintenance.

Misc Fields tab

This is where you can manage your own data fields for items, and assign Alternate SKUs.

Figure 6-8

• PFields 1-5 – These are used to create your own data fields for collecting information that is not normally stored by MicroBiz.
  • You can double-click directly on the labels (right where it says "PField1", for example) to change the display text.
  • These fields are especially useful when used with the Query tool in MicroBiz.
  • For more information on Queries, see Chapter 13 - Query Reports.
• Item Picture – Displays the location of the image file that is associated with the currently selected item, if applicable.
• Alternate SKUs – Click on this button to manage Alternate SKUs for the currently selected item.
  • If an item has at least one Alternate SKU, then you can enter any of the SKUs for this item at the Front Register to load the item.
  • Alternate SKUs are only applicable at the Front Register by default. You can add a column in the Product Lookup window for Alternate SKU if desired, which will give you the ability to search for Alternate SKU using the "Wild" feature.
  • For another type of "Alternate SKU" that can be used at the Front Register and the Purchase Order screen, see "Vendor SKU and Alternate Vendor SKU" in the section above for the Vendors tab.

Editing Inventory

This section will give the basics on editing existing inventory records and adding new ones. Following the brief instructions, you will find details on the different inventory "Types" available to you. If, while following along with these instructions, you don't understand what a certain setting does, you may want to jump back to the last section for more information.
Edit Inventory Records

1. Select the Add/Edit Inventory from the Main Menu.
   • 
     
     • The Product Lookup window will appear.
2. Highlight the appropriate item to be edited.
   • 
     
     • Click on Edit. This brings up the Product window. This window has 5 Tabs across the top; Price Levels, Vendors, Stock, Promos, Rental and Misc Fields.
3. Select the Tab at the top that represents the area of the item that you wish to edit. Click on the tab, and then click in the field you wish to change.
4. Make all of the desired modifications.
   • 
     
     • When all information is correct, click on the "Update" button to save your changes and return to the Product Lookup window. If no modifications were made, click on the "Cancel" button and return to the Product Lookup window.

Add Inventory Records
In order to use MicroBiz effectively, you should enter your inventory into the system. With accurate data on your products, services, etc., MicroBiz can assist you with keeping track of inventory levels, profit margins and much, much more! 
Here are some things to consider when adding new inventory items into MicroBiz...

Assigning SKUs
There are several different ways to load items to the Front Register. If you are using a bar code reader or scanner and the product has a bar code label from the manufacturer, you can use this as the SKU for the item. If the item does not contain a bar code label you can create your own SKU and print your own bar code labels.

• If the item being entered does not contain a manufacturer's bar code and/or if you will be typing SKUs rather than scanning them, assign a unique identifier (SKU) to each item entered into inventory.
• This field may contain up to 16 alphanumeric characters.
• Alphanumeric is any combination of letters and numbers.
• Do not enter one, two or three character length SKUs for inventory items. Following this rule will eliminate the possibility of duplicating function key commands as SKUs, thereby causing conflicts within the program.
• Do not use the letters 'F', 'X', or special characters when assigning SKUs. If you plan on printing barcodes, try to use SKUs that are less than 15 characters in length. Some barcode printers will only be able to print 11 characters on the label.
• You should test print a few barcodes and then see if they can be read by the barcode reader before you enter thousands of items!

Assigning Type codes
The program handles seven different types of inventory records. Before you enter inventory items, determine what "Type" category an inventory item falls into. It is very important that you assign the appropriate Type to each item. The information entered into the item record, and how it is tracked, will differ depending on the Type code assigned, which include:

• Product – This is the most commonly used inventory type.
  • These items' quantities are removed from inventory as they are sold and added to inventory as they are received. The quantities are also vulnerable to items that are placed in a Layaway (LA) or in an Invoice In Progress (IIP).
• Service – Used for services provided by your company or coupons (if applicable).
  • When a Service is sold it has no effect on inventory levels. The "Qty in Stock" field of the inventory record can be left at 0. The total number of sales of Service items can be viewed in the Sales Reports.
• Serial – Use this Type code when it is necessary to track individual serial numbers per item.
  • When a serialized item is added to the system or sold, the program will request a serial number.
  • This is for items where, even though they share the same SKU, may need to be tracked individually (i.e. for warranty and return purposes, or for pistols, rifles, etc.).
  • NOTE: To track serialized inventory, serial numbers must be entered when the item is added to the system.
• Matrix – Used for inventory items where individual sizes and/or colors need to be tracked, as in the case of shoes or clothing.
  • When a matrix item is loaded to the Front Register, you will be prompted to select the specific cell (size and color) of the matrix appropriate to the item being purchased.
  • NOTE: When a Matrix Item is highlighted in the Product Lookup window, the "!MKC" button that is normally "grayed out" changes to "Matrix." Select this button to edit the row and column headers and the individual cells of the matrix item.
• Kit – An item that includes component parts (other items).
  • A Kit inventory item has a unique SKU, as do each of its components. When an item is added to inventory as a Kit, the SKU of each component part is listed in the inventory record.
  • When the Kit is sold, the on-hand count for each item contained in the Kit is reduced.
  • Example: a bookstore sells individual travel guides for each area of the country (SKUs 11111, 22222, 33333, 44444, etc.).
    • They also sell a complete set of guides for a fixed price.
    • One SKU is assigned to the complete set - SKU 1400.
    • When SKU 1400 is added to the system as a Kit, the SKUs 11111, 22222, 33333 and 44444 are entered into this record.
    • When the complete set is sold, the clerk enters SKU 1400 at the Front Register.
    • In this case, the on hand count for all four SKUs will be reduced by one. The SKU for the Kit is for selling purposes only and does not have a "Qty on Hand" value.
• 
  
  • The Qty in Stock for a Kit inventory item may be left at 0. The actual Kit (SKU 1400 in the previous example) is not tracked.
  • NOTE: When a Kit item is highlighted in the Product Lookup window, the "!MKC" button that is normally "grayed out" changes to "KIT". Select this button to edit the Kit components.
• Custom – An item that includes individual component parts.
  • A Custom inventory item has a unique SKU and so do each of its components.
  • When an item is added to inventory as Custom, the SKU of each component part is listed in the inventory record.
  • The setup of the Custom inventory item is basically the same as setting up a Kit (to associate the other items with the Custom item).
  • When the Custom item is sold, the on-hand count for each item contained in the "kit" is reduced. The custom kit displays all of the different components' Descriptions, SKUs and Quantity on the Front Register and invoices.
• Rental – MicroBiz can track rental items if this Type is used.
  • A daily rental item is set up by choosing the inventory type as "Rental", and setting the "Rental Period" quantity to 1(the default).
  • By entering an "Sales" quantity of 3 at the Front Register, when selling the item, it will charge 3 days rental.

How to Add New Items

Depending on how you will count your inventory on-hand, the on-hand quantity field should be left blank until you are ready to use the system for ringing point-of-sale transactions. At that time a physical inventory count is taken and the on-hand quantities are added to the inventory record.
Enter on-hand quantities by following the procedure for editing or receiving items. To use the "Edit Item" method, see "Edit Inventory Items". To use the "Receive Items" method, see "Receive Miscellaneous." Receive the total quantity on-hand as if it were an order that was just received.

The Basics of Adding an Item

1. Select Add/Edit Inventory from the Inventory Menu.
   • The Product Lookup window will appear.
   • When adding many new records, run a Clean and Pack often to maintain maximum data efficiency.
2. Click on Add to add an inventory item.
   • The Product screen will appear.
3. Scan the bar code label on the item to be entered or type the SKU.
4. Enter the remaining information for the item in the appropriate fields.
5. To correct a mistake, click on the tab and highlight the field you wish to change.
6. Type the new information. At any time you may void your changes by clicking Cancel.
7. To save your changes, click on Update.

Adding a Serial item

1. Create a new item and set the type as Serial.
2. After all information has been entered, click on Edit Unsold.
   • The serial numbers browse window will appear.
3. Click on Add to enter new items or edit existing items.
4. Enter serial number receive date and cost (if applicable).
   • The information will automatically be updated when the item is sold.

Adding a Matrix item

1. After entering the SKU, select the item type as Matrix.
2. Once you click on Update to save this item, you will return to the Product Lookup window with your new inventory item highlighted.
   • A matrix button is now added to the lower right position.
3. Click on Matrix to add the matrix data.
4. Click on Row to label your rows, the first will now be highlighted.
5. Type in a header and press enter to advance to the next line.
   • Continue until done.
6. Click Save.
   • Use the same procedure for setting up columns.

Adding a Custom item

1. After all the information is entered and Custom is selected for the item Type, the Components browse window will appear.
2. Follow the instructions for adding a Kit item, typing in the type field.
3. When the Custom item is loaded to the Front Register, all kit components, as well as any serialized items, will appear at the Front Register and print on invoices.

Adding a Kit item

1. After entering the SKU, select "Kit" as the Type.
2. After entering all information, click on Update and you will return to the Product Lookup window with your new inventory item highlighted.
   • A Kit button is now added to the lower right position.
3. Click on Kit to add the Kit items/components.
4. A dialog box will appear requesting if you want to "Add/Edit Kit Components Now." Click on Yes and a window will appear stating that "This Kit does not have any components yet."
5. Click OK and the window to add Kit components will appear.
6. Click on Add.
7. On the inventory list, find the product to be included in your list and press enter.
8. A window will appear with item information waiting for a response to the quantity of this item to be included in the Kit.
9. Click Save.
10. Select Additional Items until the Kit is complete.
11. After entering the last item click on Done and then click on Quit.
12. A window will appear displaying all Kit components. Click on Save to end.

Add Items using the "Fast Add" method
When items are added in this manner, a limited amount of field information is entered to expedite the process.

Figure 6-9

1. From the Product Lookup window, click on the "Fast Add" button.
   • Another approach is to type in "QP" in the SKU box of the Front Register.
2. Enter the desired information.
3. Click on Update.
4. To correct a mistake, click on a tab and highlight the appropriate field.
   • Retype the correct information and click Update when completed.

Delete Inventory Items

1. Select Add/Edit Inventory from the Main Menu and the Product Lookup window will appear.
2. Highlight the appropriate item and click on Remove and a confirmation dialog box will appear.
3. Click Yes to delete or No to abort.

How to Utilize the Rental Feature

The Rental type of inventory item was designed for businesses that rent items for a period of time, typically days. It could be a tool rental, carpet shampoo machine, stage equipment, construction equipment, etc.
Most Rental items are considered "Serialized", which means that you will only have a quantity of 1 per rental item. This is useful for keeping track of the maintenance to individual items. If this is not necessary for your item, you can set it up as "Non-Serialized", which will allow you to have multiple quantities of the item in stock under the same SKU.
Follow these steps to set up a Serialized Rental item:

1. Create a new item and choose Rental as the Type.
2. Fill in the Prices, Description and SKU fields as usual, but remember that each copy of an item will require it's own SKU.
   • For example: if you wish to add 3 copies of the movie "Manhattan", you could create the SKUs "MNHTTN01", "MNHTTN02" and "MNHTTN03."
3. On the Stock tab, fill out Department, etc. as usual, then enter the Rental Period for this item.
   • Example: 3 = 3 days.
4. On the Rental tab, enter a Maintenance Interval, if desired.
   • This will assist you with keeping track of your Rental item's maintenance. MicroBiz will alert you if the Maintenance Interval has been exceeded before renting then item out, if applicable.
5. Click update to add the item to inventory.

Follow these steps to process a Rental transaction on the Front Register:

1. Load a customer to the Front Register.
   • A customer must be loaded to complete the Rental process. If you do not load a customer before choosing F9 to complete the transaction, MicroBiz will prompt you to load a customer at that time.
2. Load your Rental item to the Front Register.
   • If the Maintenance Interval for the item has been exceeded then you will be notified
   • The Rental Period will be displayed under the Description of the item.
3. Choose F9-Print to complete the transaction once all items have been loaded to the Front Register and process the sale as usual.

Once the item is returned, you simply scan or enter the SKU to the Front Register (loading the customer is not necessary) and choose F9 to return it.

• If the item is returned late, MicroBiz will calculate the late fee based on the Rental price, the Rental Period and the number of days since the item was supposed to be returned.
• This figure is not rounded to the nearest Rental Period but reflects the exact number of days late.
  • For example: a Rental item with price of $5.00 for a Rental Period of 3 days returned 2 days late would generate a fee of $3.34 ($5 divided by the Rental Period of 3 days, multiplied by the late period of 2 days).
• To get a report of all Rental items that are currently rented out, go to Reports, Rentals – Serialized.

Setting Up Price Schemes

A Price Scheme is a more  advanced way to set up promotions within MicroBiz. Price Schemes can be made to apply to several items at once, and provide more options than the basic promos feature.

Figure 6-10

To view, add or edit all available Price Schemes:

1. Open the Product Lookup window by clicking on Inventory, Add/Edit Inventory.
   • The Product Lookup window is also available at the Front Register by choosing F3.
2. Select an item that you would like to add or remove from a Price Scheme.
   • If you aren't planning on adding/removing an item then skip this step, as you can deny adding/removing selected items from the Price Scheme.
3. From the "Select Other Function" menu at the bottom, choose option 1 to assign the selected item to a Price Scheme or option 2 to remove the item from a Price Scheme.
   • You can also access Price Schemes from the Promos tab if you click Edit to access the Product edit window.
4. All Price Schemes should now be displayed in a window. You have several options from here, including:
   • Code – Click here to sort all Price Schemes by their "Code" (name).
   • Desc – Click here to sort all Price Schemes by their description.
   • Look – This opens the search window for finding a specific Price Scheme.
   • Wild – This opens the wildcard search window (this search window allows you to enter partial names).
   • Add – Create a new Price Scheme.
   • Edit – Edit the currently selected Price Scheme.
   • Remove – Delete the currently selected Price Scheme.
   • Quit – Close the Price Scheme window.
   • Members – Click here to display all items associated with the selected Price Scheme.
   • Clear Search Criteria – This button is only displayed after you use the Look or Wild features. Click here to display all Price Schemes.
5. Click on a Price Scheme to select it, then click on Edit to modify the Price Scheme.
6. Go through the next section for details on each option when adding or editing Price Schemes.
   
   **Alternatively you can view all of the price schemes by opening the pricing tab within Management | Custom System Settings | Transaction settings.

Price Change

The Price Change feature of MicroBiz allows you to alter the price and/or cost of multiple items at once. This feature can be a real time-saver for users with many inventory items, provided you can find something in common to group them.

Selecting Items to Alter 
The first section of this window is dedicated to choosing which items you will be altering. You can select items in a number of ways, including Department, Vendor, Style and SKU. Note that using multiple fields will narrow your search results (each field acts like an "AND" operator, with relation to each other), so it is something you use to fine tune (filter items out) your search criteria instead of expand it.

Figure 6-12

• Department –Use the drop-down menu to select a Department, or enter a value manually.
  • By default, "starts with" is selected, which means that anything typed in the Department field will trigger all Departments that begin with this value to be selected. For example, if you have Departments 001 and 002, and you enter "00" into this field, then both Departments 001 and 002 will be selected.
  • To select only the Departments listed in this field, be sure to check the "Exact Value" option to the right.
• Vendor –Use the drop-down menu to select a Vendor, or enter a value manually.
  • Check the "Exact Value" option to the right if you only want one Vendor to be selected (see details above).
• Style –Use the drop-down menu to select a Style, or enter a value manually.
  • Check the "Exact Value" option to the right if you only want one Vendor to be selected (see details above).
• SKU –Manually enter a SKU (or just part of a SKU) here.
  • If you wish to just search for one SKU, enter the exact SKU in this field
  • Select "starts with" from the drop-down menu to allow MicroBiz to include any other SKUs that start with the data entered here.
  • Select "contains" to allow MicroBiz to select any other SKUs that contain the data entered here (similar to the "Wild" search). For example, entering "123" will select both SKUs 123456 and 676123.

Changing the Cost of Your Items
The middle part of this window (Figure 6-12) is a single field where you can increase or decrease the Cost value of the selected items by a certain percentage (or leave them the same).

• To increase the cost of the selected items, enter a positive figure representing the % markup. For example, entering 50.000 will increase the Cost value for the selected items by 50% ($100 will become $150).
• To decrease the cost of the selected items, enter a negative percentage. For example, -50.000 will reduce the Cost value of these items by 50% ($100 will become $50).
• If you do not wish to change the Cost value, just leave this field at 0.000.

Changing the Price of Your Items
The third and final part of this window is for altering the various Price fields by either a percentage or exact number.

• Use absolute price amounts – Toggles the price change by percentage or exact values.
  • With this option unchecked, any value entered into the price fields will be interpreted as a percentage.
  • Enabling this option will allow you to enter exact figures (such as $1.00 instead of 10%) into the price fields.
• "Then" drop-down menus – These drop-down menus allow you to change how MicroBiz changes the prices.
  • In percentage mode (with "Use absolute price..." unchecked), the default selection is "Set margin for" and in absolute amount mode the default selection is "Increase current by."
  • For percentage mode:
• Set margin for – Uses the percentage value to change the profit margin for items.
  • This takes the current Cost of the item, and changes the selected price level to the Profit Margin percentage entered.
  • You can enter a positive or negative value.
  • For example, if the cost of an item is $10.00 and you set the margin for Price Level A to 50%, then it will set this price to $20.00 (50% represents the profit made for this price level).
• Set markup for – Uses the percentage value to change the price level for items as a "markup" of the cost.
  • This takes the current Cost of the item, and changes the selected price level to the Markup percentage entered.
  • For example, if the Cost of an item is $20.00 and you set the markup for Sugg. List to 50%, then it will set this value to $30.00 ($20 plus 50% of $20, or $10, equals $30).
• Increase current – Uses the percentage value to change the price level directly.
  • This takes the current value of the price level selected, and directly alters it by the percentage entered.
  • For example, if the Web Price of an item is $50.00 and you set the increase current field to 20%, the Web Price will be changed to $60 (it just increased by 20%).
• Don't Change – Ensures that nothing for this price level is altered.
  • For some selections, such as "Increase current", it won't hurt to leave "0.000" in the field if you don't want to change it. However, you don't want to accidentally change the profit margin to 0%!
  • Make sure to select this for any price levels that you don't plan on changing for the moment.
  • For absolute amount mode:
    • Increase current by – Increases the price level by the exact amount entered.
    • Decrease current by – Decreases the price level by the exact amount entered.
    • Replace with – Changes the price level to the exact value entered.
    • Don't Change – Ensures that nothing for this price level is altered.
      • You don't want to accidentally change all of your price levels to $0.00!
      • Make sure to select this for any price levels that you don't plan on changing for the moment.
• Browse Product – This button provides a shortcut to the Product Lookup window.
• Preview Change – Clicking here will give you a small report so you can see what items will be affected by the price change.
• Advanced Filter – Displays a window for more advanced filtering options.
  • If the options at the top of the screen aren't quite good enough, this window will give you more ways to select the exact group of items you are looking for.
  • This feature is used with the search criteria entered at the top of the screen, so if you only wish to use the Advanced Filter, then make sure to leave the basic search criteria blank.
  • To undo your Advanced Filter, click on the "Clear Filter" button (the Advanced Filter button becomes the Clear Filter button if it is in use).
• OK – Starts the Price Change!
• Cancel – Exits the Price Change window.
  • Once you have run your Price Change, you will click here to exit. This will not undo your Price Change.

Vendor Add/Edit

This is a direct route to managing your Vendors within MicroBiz. For details on this feature, please see the next chapter on Vendors.

Reorder List

The Reorder Reports window helps you generate reports to assist you with purchase orders. For details on this window, see Chapter 9 - Purchase Orders.

Purchase Orders

There are four sub-menus here, each of which are used for maintaining your Purchase Orders within MicroBiz. For details on Purchase Orders, see Chapter 9 - Purchase Orders.

Promotions

Here you can choose what inventory items to markdown, get of list of items in a promotion sale, or cancel all promotions.

Figure 6-14

• Choose Department to Mark Down – Allows you to apply a promotion to an entire Department.
  • Choose a Department, date range and markdown percentage.
  • If you click on the Browse button, you can see which items belong to each Department.
  • Enter the percentage as a decimal value (0.20 for 20% off).
• Choose Vendor to Mark Down – Allows you to apply a promotion to all items with the same Vendor.
  • Choose a Vendor, date range and markdown percentage.
  • If you click on the Browse button, you can see a list of your Vendors in MicroBiz.
  • Enter the percentage as a decimal value (0.20 for 20% off).
• List Items on Promotion – Clicking here will give you a report on all items that are current part of a promotion.
  • This only lists items that are using the basic promotion feature within MicroBiz.
  • This does not list items that are a part of Price Schemes or 2/3-fers.
• Mark Down All Items – Allows you to apply a promotion to all of your inventory items at the same time.
  • Choose a date range and markdown percentage.
  • Enter the percentage as a decimal value (0.20 for 20% off).
• Mark Down Individual SKUs – Allows you to apply a promotion to an individual item by SKU.
  • Choose a SKU, date range and markdown percentage.
  • Enter the percentage as a decimal value (0.20 for 20% off).
• Cancel All Promotions – Allows you to expire all currently active promotions.
• Exit – Closes the Promotions window.

You also have two options at the bottom of the screen, "Enable Price Schemes Mix & Match" and "Enable SKU Consolidation." These are shortcuts to the Transaction Settings of the same name (see Chapter 3 - Customizing Your Software for more details).

Bin Labels

MicroBiz can print Bin Labels (similar to "shelf tags"), which you can use to mark actual bins that contain your items, or place on a shelf instead of labeling each item.

Figure 6-15

This is how you print Bin Labels:

1. Open the Bin Labels screen by clicking on Inventory, Bin Labels.
2. Select the items for which you wish to print Bin Labels.
   • By SKU – Enter the starting SKU of the item(s) for which you want Bin Labels. MicroBiz will print Labels for all items starting with the SKU entered.
   • By Department – Enter the Department Code desired to print Labels for each item of the Department.
   • By Style – Enter the Style Code desired to print Labels for each item of the Style.
   • By Vendor – Enter the Vendor Code desired to print Labels for each item of the Vendor.
   • All Items – Selecting this will enable you to print Bin Labels for all inventory items.
3. Click on the Label Type button to select the correct Height/Width/Columns.
4. Click on the Printer Setup button to select the correct Printer.
5. Click on the OK button to print your labels.
6. Click on the Cancel button to exit this window.

Last Active

With this feature, you can run reports showing inventory that has not had activity (sales or purchase orders) since a "given" date.

Figure 6-16

Serialized Reports

Selecting Inventory, Serialized Reports pulls up the "Serialized Items Reports" window. This allows you access to reports reflecting "sold" and "unsold" serialized stock items. These reports may be run combined or separately.

Figure 6-17

Lookup Table Maintenance

This is your one-stop location for maintaining Colors, Sizes and Styles.  Department Add/Edit is found directly on the Inventory Menu, above Reorder List.

Figure 6-18

• Click on a sub-menu to maintain members of each option.
• The "Refresh Values from Inventory" option is provided as a maintenance tool.
  • If you suspect the data in one of these categories to be incorrect, this tool may fix it.