Creating New Products

This first step when using Asset Management, is to create Products for each of your Customers. This can encompass Products already in your warehouse, or Products that a Customer has advised will be shipped to your warehouse on an upcoming Job.

There are two ways to bring Products into the database:

1. Manually entered one by one

2. Using a data import Excel file to bulk update

In either method, it is imperative to set the correct Product ID against the items so that they are categorized into the correct Product group.

Manual Entry

Products and Items can be manually entered one by one against a Customer. The mandatory fields are:

• Product ID

• Barcode

• Description

• Owned By

Importing Products

To bulk import a list of Products, use the   icon to bring up the data import screen.

By default, the Asset Products template is shown (to import Products).

Once the correct type is selected:

• Select the relevant excel file using the   icon.

• The file must be .csv, with the data in the columns in the same order as it appears in the import screen.

• It is also possible to create a blank excel template using the   icon. This will ensure the data is in the correct columns.

• Click on IMPORT – this will fill the screen with the data from the file.

• Click VALIDATE – this will validate the data to ensure it is correct. If errors occur a warning message will appear preventing the import.

  • Select the ‘Show Errors Only’ filter to check the errors in the list

  • Error can only be rectify in the excel data file

• Once all errors are rectified click CREATE.

Creating New Items

There are a few different ways of creating Items. The method you use depends on

1. the information received from the Customer ahead of time, and

2. whether you are planning on scanning barcodes (using a barcode scanner).

Using a barcode scanner

Using a barcode scanner allows you to create the items as they arrive, by scanning their barcodes. For example, the Customer may advise that 10 sinks will be arriving. You will first ensure that a Product exists to represent the Sinks. You’ll then add that Product to a Job, and give it a Qty of 10 (on the Inventory tab).

When the 10 items arrive, you’ll scan the barcode of each of the 10 sinks. This will create the 10 Items under that Product. For more information please see MobiCrew Asset Management. The barcodes could have been provided by the Customer, or you could have printed your own unique barcodes).

Creating items with no scanner

If you are not using a barcode scanner, the items can be created inside Moveware. There are 3 methods of doing so

1. Manually entered one by one

2. Using a data import Excel file to bulk update

3. Using the Bulk Items icon in Moveware

If the list of Items is small, entering them on by one is the simplest method.

If the list of Items is large, you can use the data import tool (see above “Importing Products” for details). It is best to do this if the Customer has provided you with a list of barcode numbers, otherwise, you will be fabricating barcode numbers, and you run the risk of duplicated barcode numbers at some point (which Moveware will reject).

If barcodes are not provided by the Customer, then you can use Moveware to create Items with unique barcode numbers, in bulk. The button to the left of the Product ID allows you to create Items for that Product.

When you click this icon, it will ask you how many Items should be generated.

This tool ensures the Items all have unique barcodes in Moveware.