Some advice needed please

[tomvassie]

Hello Everyone, 

 

I hope i have posted this in the correct place? 

I am creating a database to manage our burial ground, at present, all records are paper based but due to the success of the ground, there is becoming a real need to have everything in a good working database.

 

I got of to what i thought was a good start however i have now got totally stuck!!, I have attached a copy of the relationship graph to try to help explain where I am with it.

When a client comes to us, they can do any of the following:

1) Purchase a plot outright - This gives them a "Pre Purchase Certificate" 

2) If they have purchased one plot outright, they may reserve a second for a deposit, this gives them a "Reservation Certificate"

or 3) A client can come at the time of need for someone they have lost, this is a case of choosing the plot and then a "Burial Certificate" is issued to them once the deceased have been interred.

 

In the case of the Pre Purchase or Reservation Certificates, these are replaced by a Burial Certificate which is issued to the next of kin after the burial of the client named on the certificate.

 

What i have so far is working, my aim was to create tables for the certificates so that they will always be available, but once a burial has taken place, the certificate record will then become 'locked' so the information can't be changed.

 

My problem comes when i'm trying to implement the invoicing side of the solution.

I know a typical invoicing solution would have the following tables:

Invoices>-----<Line Items>----<Products

 

I can use this for other items we have to invoice like - Grave prep charges, Plaques, service hall charges etc.

what i can't get my head around is how to "Invoice" the plots which have their own table.

If I put them in as a "product" i would then have fields that are only relevant to a plot and nothing else such as "plot numbers", this would then make adding them to the "Line Items" portal quite hard I think?

 

If anyone has any suggestions for me they would be gratefully received!!

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

 

["... you mean these fans?"]

What you can do is think differently with your invoice line items table.  Keep any relationships that you want LOOKING to your INVOICE LINE ITEMS but all data entered is pushed to your Invoice Line Items table via scripts.

 

What I mean is this; All data that goes to your Invoice Line Items Table usually fall into same names, generally across business to business since all kinds of human being need to interpret them without to much thinking.

 

So for example, "Invoice ID, Description, Plot / Product, Quantity, Unit Price, Total, Taxable, Non Taxable, Shipping/Handling, Deposits, Total Tax, Total Non Tax, Grand Total".

 

Now, all you do is have "ADD" buttons on tables that you need data pushed to your invoice.  This "ADD" button goes to the invoice line items table with the data in either variables or global fields that you've previously defined.  Freeze Window, Goto Layout Invoice Line Items, Set Your Fields, Commit Record, Go Back to Previous Layout, Refresh.

 

Now however you are currently looking at your invoice the next time you view it, you'll see your new line item.

 

I usually build custom window that pop with my global fields allowing my customers to populate how my customers see fit.  Then when they're happy, they click "ADD" to invoice, then close window.

 

You can populate your invoice line item table with any data from any table just keep your Invoice Line Items Fields simple, general in nature so all relevant data across your datafile can be entered into these field.  Just remember you customer have to interpret this data so it should be simple.  Why not keep you entry methodology simple as well :-)

 

You can build data specific pop up windows using pull down value list that are table specific to guide our users what to populate into those global fields and or variables when you click the "ADD" button.

 

Good luck.

 

Tom :-)

[tomvassie]

Hi,

Thanks for a great reply.

I'm fairly sure I get what your saying, I'm fairly new to all this but I'm learning fairly fast I think!!

So in my simple terms I would have a button on let's say the Pre Purchase certificate information layout saying "add to invoice" this would push the relevant information via a script to the line items table?

I guess I could have a calc field in the plot table that put all the plot information together as a "description" to use in the line items portal.

I will have a good go and see what I can do with it.

Thanks again for your reply.

[Lee Smith]

Hi Tom, and welcome to the FM Forums.

 

I moved your topic from "FileMaker Pro 12" to "Relationships". Because the General topic areas are intended for the discussion of the functions, features and tools that were new with the particular version mentioned.

All how-to question should be posted to a topic area that best matches the sprit of the problem. Many questions can fit into more then one area, but you only need to pick one, and go with it.

If you have any questions about this action, please contact me through a private message.

Lee 

[tomvassie]

Hi Lee,

Thanks for your welcome, and thank you for moving the post to the correct place, I wasn't sure if I had put it where it should be.

Thanks Tom.

[Lee Smith]

Not a problem, let us know if you need additional help with your file.

[alvathomson]

hello mr tomvassie ...definatally you have posted on the right .. and i can understand the problem regarding invoicing ....i have face same problem before 2 months but now i got the solution and i wish it will be more halpful for you ....

 

 

http://www.fetchflow.com/support/question/How-do-I-schedule-recurring-invoices.html