Substruct Knowledge Base

The Cycle Counts Module is used for physically counting the inventory in your store and updating the on-hands in your computer system. It enables you to count inventory using three different counting methods: manual counting, handheld device counting, and wireless device counting. 

With Subtruct Mobile, you can use a wireless handheld device to collect data for cycle counting. To start adding data to a counts section, follow the steps below.

Creating a New Section

• Open the Substruct Mobile web application by using your mobile device’s web browser to navigate to the address listed in your preferences.
• Click on the Cycle Counts button.
• The Section List will appear. Click Add New to create a new section.
• Input a name for the section, such as “Aisle 4″ or “John’s Counts”, and click OK.

Adding Records to an Exisiting Section

• Hightlight the section you wish to add to from the Cycle Counts Section List.
• Click Edit.
• Input the stock number or UPC code into the Stock field and click Scan.Note: If you use a handheld with a built-in scanner, the Scan will get clicked automatically when you scan an item.
• The following information about the item you are counting will be displayed:
  • Description
    A description of the item.
  • Stock
    The stock number of the item.
  • Manf#
    The manufacture’s stock number for the item. His
    The date, quantity, and description of the most recent inventory history transaction (that is not from Point of Sale). This field is used when problem solving inventory problems. Here is an eample: You count an item and you determine you only have 1 on the hook. The computer says you have 7 on hand. You look at the history line and see that you received 6 yesterday. The history line helped you discover that you have 6 more, but they were stocked in the wrong location.
  • Retail
    The current retail price of the item.
  • Cost
    The most recent cost of the item.
  • OH
    The current on hand count of the item according to Cougar Mountain.
  • Min
    The minimum on hand quanitity of the item as determined by Inventory Control.
  • Dis
    The Discontinued Code of the item. This field will be blank if the item is not discontinued.
• In addition to the information above, the following things appear on this screen.
  • Camera Button
    Pressing this button will display a .jpg image of the item. Before you can use this feature, you must first have images linked to you stock items in Cougar Mountain and you must build an image file for Substruct Mobile (See corresponding article).
  • Qty Field
    This field is where you input your the correct on hand value.
  • Print Label Checkbox
    If you want to flag the item and print a label for it later, check this box.
  • Add Button
    When you are finished inputing a on hand quantity into the Qty, click this button to move to a new record.
  • Look at Section Button (Magnifying Glass)
    Pressing this button will take to a screen overlooking all of the records in the section.
  • Navigation Buttons
    Use these buttons to navigate between records. They are: First, Previous, Next, Last, and New. New will add a new record and abort any changes to the record you are currently editing.

Once you are finished inputing records to a section, you can access it in the Cycle Counts module of Substruct Utilities.

Once you have finished editing your Cycle Counts section, you must then update it into Cougar Mountain. From the main Cycle Counts window, hightlight the section(s) you wish to update into Cougar Mountain and then press the Update Selections button.When you update a section or sections in to Cougar Mountain, the following things happen:

 

• An Inventory Adjustment Batch is created in the Inventory module of Cougar Mountain. This batch contains all of the records that have a “Count” that is different that the current “On Hand”. After this batch is created you must go into Cougar Mountain and post it.See below for more information on posting batches.
• A “COUNT CORRECT” line is added to the history file of every record that has the same “Count” and “On Hand”.
• The Min (Minimum On Hand), Def Min (Default Minimum On Hand), and Dis (Discontinued Code) fields are updated into Cougar Mountain. Each of these fields are colored red so it is easy to remember what fields update into Cougar Mountain and which ones are just for reference.
• The section or sections that you are updating get changed from “Pending…” status to “Complete” status.

Posting a batch in Cougar Mountain

Follow these steps to post the batch in Cougar Mountain.

• After you press “Update Selections”, a dialog box will appear informing you of the three-digit batch code that was created in Cougar Mountain. Remember this code.
• Open the Inventory module of Cougar Mountain.
• From the Adjustments menu, choose Post… and select the three-digit batch code from the drop-down list. You should see “SUBSTRUCT AUTO-BATCH” next to the code.
• Click OK to post the adjustments.

Your Cycle Counts are now finished updating into Cougar Mountain.

You can add new sections to the Cycle Counts section list by using the Add Manual button. This will bring up a window asking you to name the section. Type in a name, such as “Aisle 12″, or “Lawn and Garden”, and click OK.

Once you have named and created the new section, you can begin adding items to it. Type the stock number into the Stock field, and the quantity that you counted into the Count field. If you want, you can also enter a retail price into the Price field. This price will be updated into Cougar Mountain. This feature is designed to allow you to do price changes and corrections while counting your inventory.

Once you have finished typing in your counts, click Save and the records will be generated into a Cycle Counts section that you can view to edit, double check, print reports and labels with, and use to update counts into Cougar Mountain.

Note: This article pertains to an older feature of Substruct Utilities. It is no longer supported and this article has been included in the KB for reference purposes.

With a Palm OS based handheld, you can gather data for the Cycle Counts module from anywhere in your store. Before you can use your Palm device, you must make sure it meets all of the following requirements: it must have DDH Software’s HanDBase 3 installed, it must have the Substruct Countsdatabase installed in HanDBase, and it must have an infrared (IrDA) port in order to beam sections to your computer. For assistance meeting these requirements, contact technical support.

Collecting Data for Cycle Counts on a Palm OS Device

HanDBase 3 is a database program designed for use with Palm OS devices. Inside the program you will find the three main Substruct databases: Order, Labels, and Counts. The following steps will walk you through opening HanDBase 3 and using the Counts database to gather data.

Opening HanDBase 3

• Click the Home icon on the screen of you handheld.
• From the top right-hand corner of the screen, select All from the categories list.
• Find and click on HanDBase 3 (it looks like a picture of a thumb). This open the program.

Opening the Counts Database

Once you are in HanDBase 3, you need to get to the main screen of the Counts database. This screen has Counts written on a tab in the top left hand corner of the screen. If you are not at this screen, us the steps below to get there. Otherwise, see the Entering Records into the Counts Database section below to continue.

• If you see Edit Record or New Record instead of Counts, click the OK button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. You should now be at the main screen of the Counts database.
• If you see a different database name, such as Order or Labels, then you are in a different database altogether. See the Getting to the Home Screen of Handbase 3 section bellow. Once you are at the Home screen of HanDBase, highlight Counts and click Open.

Once you have the Counts database open, see the Entering Records into the Counts Database section below. Beaming a Handheld Counts Database section below.

Deleting One Record from a Database

• From main Counts screen, select the record you wish to delete.
• Click on the Edit Record tab to bring up the menu bar.
• From the Record menu, select Delete Record.
• When asked, “Are you sure you want to delete this record?” click Yes.

Deleting All Records from a Database

When you are ready to start a new order, you must first delete all of your old records from the database.

• From main Counts screen, click on the Counts tab to bring up the menu bar.
• From the Actions menu, select Delete Records.
• When asked, “Delete All Records _Within_ Filter ranges or _Outside_ of Filter range?” click Within.

Important Note: Keep in mind that deleting all records is much different than deleting the entire Counts database - deleting all the records happens frequently, but deleting the database will require you to restore your handheld from backup!

Loading a Handheld Database into Substruct Utilities

After you have beamed your Counts database to your computer, the database needs to be loaded into the Cycle Counts module of Substruct Utilities.

• Open the Substruct Utilities Cycle Counts module.
• Click the Add Handheld button.
• A window asking you to name the cycle counts section will appear. Enter a name for the section, such as “Aisle 4″ or “Tools”, and click OK.
• After the records finishing loading, a window will appear telling you how many records were added. The cycle counts section will then appear in Cycle Counts where it can be viewed, edited, compared, and updating into Cougar Mountain.

The Cycle Counts Editor has many useful features. After you have created a section either manually or with a handheld device, you can open your section with the Cycle Counts Editor. With the Editor you can: double check your counts and compare your data to data in the Cougar Mountain database, check for duplicates and errors, change retail prices, print labels, and generate reports.

The Four Views of the Cycle Counts Editor

The Cycle Counts Editor has four different views you can use to view your data. Each view is detailed below.

• Counts
  This is the default view, and its the main screen that you will do most of you editing from. It will display all valid data that you have collected.
• Duplicates
  This view will display any duplicate records that exist. Once you delete one of the duplicates of an item, and only one line for that item remains, the items is no longer considered a duplicate. If you refresh the view by clicking a different view and clicking back to “Duplicates” the item will be gone.Important Note: Make sure that you delete any duplicates before you update the section(s) into Cougar Mountain.

  Tip: The Duplicates view is very useful when you are viewing multiple sections at a time. This will allow you to cross-reference sections and clear up any duplicates that occur. 

• Outs
  The “Outs” view is designed to show all invalid stock numbers: items that were added to Cycle Counts but were not in Cougar Mountain. These “outs” are often typos, which can easily be corrected by enter your cursor into the Stock field and typing the correct number. They are also often items that aren’t in the Cougar Mountain database and need to be added. Tip: The Search feature, described below, is very useful for dealing with “Outs”.
• Labels
  This view will show you all of the items that have their Label check box checked.

The Cycle Counts Editor Table

The Cycle Counts Editor table is made up of an assortment of fields displaying data about the items being counting. Each field is described below.

• Stock
  The stock number of the current item. Under the Outs view, this field can be edited. Once you leave the field, the new corrected field will be looked up, and if it is found, the record will be added to the main section.
• Description
  The description of the item. If the item is an “Out”, the field will display “INVALID STOCK NUMBER”.
• Cycle Desc
  The description given to the Cycle Counts Section that the record is a part of.
• OM
  The order multiple. This is the “Unit Package” from Cougar Mountain.
• OH
  The current on-hand quantity.
• Min
  The minimum on-hand value. When using computer assisted ordering, the item will be reordered when the on-hand is lower that the min. This number is auto-generated by Inventory Control. If changed, the new Min will be updated into Cougar Mountain.Note: Any Mins that you update into Cougar Mountain will get overwritten the next time you use Inventory Control to generate Mins. If you want to permanently change the Min, use Default Min.
• Def Min
  The default minimum on-hand value. This value is the lowest possible value that the Min value will be adjusted to when using Inventory Control to automatically adjust Mins. This value is set by the user in the Inventory module of Cougar Mountain. If changed, the new Default Min will be updated into Cougar Mountain.
• Class
  The 3-digit Ace merchandise class. In Cougar Mountain, this field is called Product Type.
• Alt
  An alternate stock number for the product. The field is usually the manufacture’s stock number.
• FlrPrice
  The floor price. This is the price that was input as the item was being counted. If the floor price doesn’t match the computer price, a label can be automatically generated.Note: This price will not update into Cougar Mountain. It is for checking prices, not changing them. To change prices, use Acenet.
• Price
  The current retail price of the item in Cougar Mountain.
• Count
  The count of the item. When updating a section into Cougar Mountain, this number will overwrite the On-Hand field.
• Dis
  The discontinued code. This field will be blank unless the item is discontinued., in which case a discontinued code will appear.
• Label
  The Print Label check box. When printing labels (by pressing the Print button when in the Labels view), all items that have this box checked will have a label printed.

The History Box

This box contains the description, quantity, and date of the most recent inventory history transaction (that is not from Point of Sale). This box is used when problem solving inventory problems. Here is an eample: You count an item and you determine you only have 1 on the hook. The computer says you have 7 on hand. You look at the history line and see that you received 6 yesterday. The history line helped you discover that you have 6 more, but they were stocked in the wrong location.

Deleting Records from the Editor Table

To delete a record from Cycle Counts, simply click the “X” button to the left of the record you wish to delete.

Using the Search Feature

The Cycle Counts Module has the ability to keep track of the order in which records are added to a Cycle Counts section, allowing you to track down what items were enter before and after any given item in the section. This is useful for locating the origin of invalid or incorrect records on the floor by determining what products were entered before and after the problematic record.

To use the Search feature, simply click the Magnifying Glass button to the left of the record you wish to perform the search on. A “Search Results” window will appear. The middle line will display the target record’s stock number and description. The top line displays the record input before the target record, while the bottom line displays the record input after the target record. If the target record was the first or last item added to the section, then “Beginning of File” or “End of File” will be displayed, respectfully.

Create a Report from Search Results

When you are viewing the results of a Search, click Add to Report to add the results a report queue. Results will continue to add to the this report queue until you press the Delete Search button. When you are ready to print the report, click the Print button in the lower right hand corner of the window. From the Print dialog box, select Search Report and click Print. 

Note: The print button will not bring up the Print Dialog Box when you are on the “Labels” view.

Other Reports Available in Cycle Counts

Not including the Search Report, there are two different reports you can run while using the Cycle Counts Editor: Exceptions and Discontinued Items. To print either report, click the Print button in the lower right hand corner of the window. From the Print dialog box, select the report you wish to generate from the left and then click Print.>

Note: The print button will not bring up the Print Dialog Box when you are on the “Labels” view.

• Exceptions
  The Exceptions Report will display all records in the current section were the Count value is different that the OH (On-Hand) value. This report is very useful when cycle counting and when counting out-of-stocks.
  • Using the Exceptions Report when counting Out-of-Stocks
    Go around your store and gather data on items that are “out of stock”. Enter “0″ for the quantity for each of these items. Then, once you have loaded the counts into the Cycle Counts Editor, print the “Exceptions” report. Go through the report line by line and figure out why each item is on the report. Often items are stocked in the wrong location; other times they were stolen or sold incorrectly. Once you have determined which items from the Exceptions Report aren’t really out-of-stock, you can remove them from the Editor, and then update Cougar Mountain to the correct on-hand quantity. While catching these exceptions is important, determining their cause is equally as important.. If the item was stocked in the wrong location, then it should be relocated to prevent future exceptions. If their are duplicate locations for the product, try condensing the items to one location.
• Discontinued Items
  The Discontinued Items Report will print off a list of all items in the current section(s) that are in Discontinued Status (i.e. have a Discontinued Code in the Discontinued Field). Use this report to walk the sales floor, locate the discontinued items, and remove any peg hooks or bin labels to prevent future reordering. You can also use this report to monitor what items are discontinued and then find suitable replacements for them. 

Adding New Records to a Section in the Editor

To add an item to a section in the Cycle Counts Editor, use the Add New Item section in the bottom left hand corner of the window. Enter the stock number of the item, select the section you wish to add it to (if you are viewing multiple sections at once), and click the Add button. The Editor will look up the item in your Cougar Mountain database. If the item is found, it will prompt you for a quantity. Otherwise you will be informed that the number was invalid.

Printing Labels with the Cycle Counts Program

When you are counting records with a handheld device, or when you are looking over a section in the Cycle Counts Editor, you have the option to print a label. Simply check the “Label” box (either on the handheld device or in the order editor) and then when view the “Labels” view of the Cycle Count Editor, press the “Print” button in the bottom right hand corner of the window. A “Select Print Position…” window will appear. Select where on the blank sheet of labels you would like to start printing (this is useful for reusing partially used sheets). Then press the “Print” button to print the labels, or the “Preview” button to view them.