Substitutions/Interchangeable Items

This chapter describes how to set up and use substitutions and interchangeable items. TRASER DMS 365 allows you to offer substitutions or interchangeable items, should the requested Item not be in stock. Configuring Substitutions or Interchangeable Items allows you to connect similar products. If the system informs you that an item requested by a customer is not available, you can look up substitutions or interchangeable items and select an alternative item that is in stock. This chapter is divided into the following sections:

Setting up Substitutions/Interchangeable Items Function
Adding Substitutions/Interchangeable Items to Items
Using Substitutions/Interchangeable Items in Standard Service Codes
Using Substitutions/Interchangeable Items in Documents

Setting up Substitutions/Interchangeable Items Function

Before you can use substitutions/interchangeable items for items and documents, you must first complete the basic setup of the function. To do so, please proceed as follows:

Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Sales & Receivables Setup page.
Navigate to the Item Substitution FastTab and make the following settings:

Field	Description
Show Substitution Page Automatically	Activate the toggle switch if you want the Substitutions page to open automatically once a user enters an item line with a substitution/interchangeable item or a previously replaced item in a sales or service document. Regardless of the status of the toggle switch, this page will not open automatically if lines are inserted via a shopping cart or Excel import, or if the Enforce Substitution checkbox is selected for the assigned substitution/interchangeable item. Instead, a notification will be displayed at the top of the screen. You’ll find more information on the Enforce Substitution checkbox in the Adding Substitutions/Interchangeable Items to Items section.
Default Substitution Preference	In this field, select the global setting for how to handle substitutions if several different substitutions are available. You can manually set the Substitution Preference for each item. The following options are available: Empty – With this option, no global setting is defined. You must select the substitution manually if no Substitution Preference has been set for the associated item. Current Location – With this option, the availability of substitutions at the current location is checked. This takes stockkeeping data into account, i.e., if an item is usually transferred from another location, the system also checks availability at that location. Old stock is automatically given preference. All Locations – With this option, the availability of substitutions is checked at all locations.

Field

Description

Show Substitution Page Automatically

Activate the toggle switch if you want the Substitutions page to open automatically once a user enters an item line with a substitution/interchangeable item or a previously replaced item in a sales or service document. Regardless of the status of the toggle switch, this page will not open automatically if lines are inserted via a shopping cart or Excel import, or if the Enforce Substitution checkbox is selected for the assigned substitution/interchangeable item. Instead, a notification will be displayed at the top of the screen. You’ll find more information on the Enforce Substitution checkbox in the Adding Substitutions/Interchangeable Items to Items section.

Default Substitution Preference

In this field, select the global setting for how to handle substitutions if several different substitutions are available. You can manually set the Substitution Preference for each item. The following options are available:

Empty – With this option, no global setting is defined. You must select the substitution manually if no Substitution Preference has been set for the associated item.

Current Location – With this option, the availability of substitutions at the current location is checked. This takes stockkeeping data into account, i.e., if an item is usually transferred from another location, the system also checks availability at that location. Old stock is automatically given preference.

All Locations – With this option, the availability of substitutions is checked at all locations.

You have successfully set up the substitution/interchangeable items function and can now add substitutions/interchangeable items to an item as well as use them in standard service codes or in documents.

Adding Substitutions/Interchangeable Items to Items

You can add substitutions/interchangeable Items to the item card. Please proceed as follows to set up a substitution or interchangeable item:

Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Items page.
Select the item to which you want to add a substitution or interchangeable item.
Click on Related > Item > Substitutions in the menu bar.
Fill in the columns according to the following table:

Column	Description
Catalog Code	This field will be filled in automatically during the catalog import and shows the catalog code of the substitution/interchangeable item. This field can be filled in manually, if the user adds a substitution/interchangeable item to this item.
Manufacturer	This field shows the manufacturer code from the corresponding item or catalog item record.
Vendor Name	This field shows the vendor name of the corresponding stockkeeping unit for the location of the source record. If no stockkeeping unit exists, this field will show the vendor name of the item or catalog item record.
Variant Code	Select a variant code here.
Substitute Type	Use this field to select the type of substitution.
Substitute No.	Choose the number of the substitution.
Vendor Substitute No.	This field will be filled automatically, if a vendor substitute number has been added to this substitution.
Description	This field will be filled in with the description of the substitution by the system.
Substitute Amount	This field displays the defined amount for this substitution. You can use this information to select the correct amount in the document line. The initial value for this field is 1.
Unit Price	This field shows the unit price of the corresponding item or catalog item record.
Interchangeable	Select this checkbox f the item and the selected substitution can be used interchangeably.
Condition	Select this checkbox if the substitution should be connected to a condition. This field only serves informative purposes.
Enforce Substitution	Select this checkbox if the specified substitution should always be selected when available, even if other substitutions/interchangeable items are also available. If this check box is selected, the associated item is deleted from the document lines and the substitutions/interchangeable item is inserted instead.
Substitution Preference	In this field, specify how to handle substitutions if several different substitutions are available. The following options are available: Empty – With this option, the global setting from the Sales & Receivables Setup page is used. More information on this can be found in the Setting up Substitutions/Interchangeable Items Function section. Current Location – With this option, the availability of substitutions at the current location is checked. This takes stockkeeping data into account, i.e., if an item is usually transferred from another location, the system also checks availability at that location. Old stock is automatically given preference. All Locations – With this option, the availability of substitutions is checked at all locations.

You have successfully added a substitution or interchangeable item to an item. Your changes are saved automatically. For a better overview of substitutions/interchangeable items, you can also open the extended substitutions/interchangeable items list via the item card by clicking on Related > Item > Other > Show ext. Substitutions/Interchangeables in the menu bar. On this page, the starting item will be shown in black, the substitutions in green and the interchangeable items in turquoise. Furthermore, you will receive an overview on the relations between the starting item and the substitutions and/or the interchangeable item.

Using Substitutions/Interchangeable Items in Standard Service Codes

You can use items with added substitutions or interchangeable items in Standard Service Codes as well as use these within the service process in Worksheets. You can also use the substitution/interchangeable item feature in the service process. The following describes this process using a service order. Please proceed as follows to use substitutions/interchangeable items from standard service codes:

Note

You must first add a substitution/interchangeable item to an item card before you can select it in a standard service code.

Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Standard Service Codes page.
Open an existing standard service code or create a new one.
Navigate to the Lines FastTab.
If the Lines FastTab is empty, add one or several items to which you have previously assigned substitutions or interchangeable Items via the item card.
You can add additional information if necessary. Your changes are saved automatically.

You can now use the standard service code e.g. in the worksheet of a service order. To do so, please proceed as follows:

Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Service Orders page.
Open an existing Service Order or create a new one.
Navigate to the Lines FastTab.
Click on Line > Worksheet in the menu bar of the FastTab.
Click on Actions Open standard service codes... in the menu bar of the worksheet.
Select the previously set up standard service code and click OK.
The information added to the standard service code, e.g. added items, will now be shown on the worksheet in the Lines FastTab.
Navigate to the P/S/I column and click on the value in the item line to open an overview on all substitutions and interchangeable items.
If you now want to use a substitution or an interchangeable item, e.g. because the original item is not available, you can add an amount to the respective substitution or interchangeable item in the Assigned Quantity field.
Click Close to return to the worksheet.
The item of the respective line will now be replaced by the substitutions or interchangeable item.

You have successfully used a substitution or interchangeable item in a standard service code. You can now resume the service process.

Using Substitutions/Interchangeable Items in Documents

Note

If you want a comment line to be created automatically in sales and service lines once the original item is replaced by a substitution or interchangeable item, activate the Show Replacement Comment toggle switch on the user card. More information on this can be found under User Setup Card.

You can use substitution or interchangeable items in several sales, purchase or service documents. The process is described using a sales order, but works analogously in the following documents:

Sales Quote
Sales Order
Purchase Request
Purchase Order
Requisition Worksheet
(Service)Item Card
Service Lines

To use substitutions and interchangeable items in a sales order, please proceed as follows:

Note

You must first add a substitution/interchangeable item to an item card before you can select it in a document.

Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Sales Orders page.
Create a new sales order or select an already existing sales order.
Navigate to the Lines FastTab.
If the Lines FastTab is empty, add one or several items which have previously had substitutions or interchangeable Items added to it via the item card.
Navigate to the P/S/I column and click on the value in the item line to open an overview of all substitutions and interchangeable items.
If you now want to use a substitution or an interchangeable item, e.g. because the original item is not available, you can add an amount to the respective substitution or interchangeable item in the Assigned Quantity field.
Click OK to return to the document.
The item of the respective line will now be replaced by the substitutions or interchangeable item.

You have successfully used a substitution or interchangeable item in a document. You can now resume the sales process.