Stock level control

[timber35150]

Hi,

Brand new to FileMaker and can't see the wood for the trees!

I would like my "qty on hand" field in my PARTS file to auto reduce by the qty a user enters, when sent to the PARTS ORDER file.

Anyone help?

E.G.

The user finds the part he/she wishes to use, then clicks "add part to order" which does exactly that. This creates a new record in the PARTS ORDER file, where the user can enter how many parts he uses. In this file i have a "jobno." field which is related to the "SERVICE RECORD" file, jobno::jobno

This file (SERVICE RECORD) displays a portal from the PARTS ORDER file, which has the unique jobno. identifier.

I assume a calculation is required to reduce my qty on hand?

[Ender]

As has been discussed in recent similar threads, you can calculate Quantity Available on the fly or you can script an update to a number field. Each way has issues to be aware of.

It's not clear what your current database structure is so it's hard to advise further.

This information would help:

What are each of the files involved in this process, and what are their keys?

What does a record in each file represent? I can guess what a Parts record is, but what is a Service Record? Are Parts Order records line items of Service Records?

Figuring quantity on hand means you need to figure the Number Bought and the Number Sold or Used. It looks like the system you described represents the Number Sold or Used side. How do you track the Number Bought side? Is there one field for Number Bought or do you have a way to track purchases over time?

[timber35150]

Many thanks for the reply.

We currently maintain stock level control via our accounts software, and have done so for many years. The problem we have is that the guys in the workshop have no user rights to access this programme (security reasons). What i am trying to introduce is a system so the chaps in admin know excatly who,what, and when to invoice a customer, after a clients machine has gone through our workshop. Filemaker is accessed in all departments of the business, and once the guys in the workshop carry out a job, he can print a record (job) from the SERVICE RECORDS file, and hand to accounts for them to sort out.

My SERVICE RECORD file contains information about individual workshop jobs, client machine repairs, also our own machine repairs and warranty works.

Parts Orders records are line items to be used via the portal in SERVICE RECORDS file, linked via the job number relationship.

This is about as far as i have progressed, with no Parts tracking (number bought, number sold etc). At the moment stock level control is not reliable.

As i said in my post, Filemaker is new to us her, and i would eventually like to have our accounts software / Filemaker integrated.

[Ender]

timber,

If you want a more reliable way to have inventory control, it will be necessary to add files for tracking the purchasing of parts. Will this still fit in with how your business does purchasing?

Is it possible for a Service Record to have parts ordered at different times, like when the first part didn't do the trick? If so, this may necessitate an Order file. A Service Record could have many Orders, each Order consisting of many Parts Order records.

[timber35150]

Ender,

At the present our business is managed around QBooks with regard to stock levels control. FM I think should be linked to QBooks pro somehow. Any ideas?

Many Thanks.

[Ender]

I don't work with QBooks at all. Maybe someone else has experience syncing data between QBooks and FMP?