V9 - Creating and modifying data records

Every type of data record in SOS Inventory—whether it is an item, customer, vendor, transaction, warranty, alert, etc.—is created and modified using an Edit page. Collectively, the data entered in the Edit page forms the definition for that record.

SOS Inventory offers three different ways of adding a new data record:

• Quick add method. Use the Task bar's Quick add (add_circle) icon.
• List method. Use the +Add button on a list.
• Inline method. Create a new item, vendor, or customer from within a transaction.

In addition to the above methods, new transactions can also be generated from another transaction.

An existing record can be opened for viewing or editing from the record’s designated list.

Methods for adding a new record

The following subsections explain the methods for adding a new record in SOS Inventory.

Using +Add and Quick add to create new data records

The icons for the first two methods, the list page's +Add button and the Task bar's Quick add feature, are shown below:

The Task bar's Quick add (add_circle) icon. This option can be used only when creating a new item, customer, vendor, or transaction. Select the Quick add icon, then choose the type of record you want to add from the dropdown menu options shown in the screenshot below. This graphic shows the options on the Pro plan. Companion and Plus plans have fewer options.

The +Add button on a list. The +Add button on list pages can be used to create any type of record in SOS Inventory. The new record will be of the same type as its associated list. For example, using the +Add button on the Purchase orders list will create a new purchase order.

Adding a new item, customer, or vendor via a transaction

The third method to add a new record—via a transaction page—is a time saver when you are creating a transaction that also involves an item, customer, or vendor that is not already in SOS Inventory.

Adding an item to a transaction. In the Item column, place the cursor in a line-item cell and either select the blue arrow at the right end of the data field or begin typing the name of the new item. When the item dropdown list appears, select Add new item:

A pop-up window then appears, as shown in the screenshot below. Type the item name in the Name field, then select Add more item information to open an item Edit page and enter data for that item.

In this example, a new item called Brookie Bars is being added. After you save the item, SOS Inventory will close the pop-up window and return to the transaction.

As shown in the screenshot below, SOS Inventory has inserted Brookie Bars as a line item in the transaction. In addition, Brookie Bars is added automatically to the Items list.

Adding a new vendor or customer. To add a new vendor on a transaction, begin by choosing Add new vendor from the Vendor field dropdown, as shown below. For customers, select Add new customer from the Customer field dropdown. The rest of the process follows the same pattern as for items. After the data has been entered and saved, the system will import the vendor or customer information into the transaction. The vendor or customer data record will also be added to its appropriate list as well.

Generating a new transaction from a parent transaction

SOS Inventory enables you to track associated transactions (such as the purchasing, manufacturing, shipping, and invoice transactions associated with an individual sale) by using the Create * action. When the Create * action is used, SOS Inventory will generate a new record, automatically pulling all relevant data from the parent transaction into a new Edit page of the desired transaction type. On item receipts, Create * options include Create transfer and Create return to vendor, as shown in the screenshot below:

The Create * action options for a given record vary, depending upon its transaction type.

A sales order is the most commonly used parent transaction for generating other types of related transactions. The Create * action on a sales order includes options to generate a purchase order, transfer, job, work order, pick ticket, shipment, invoice, return merchandise authorization (RMA), and return.

The transaction reference number used for most types of generated transactions will be the same as that of its parent. For example, a sales order's transaction number is also used as the reference number for the shipment transaction generated from the sales order. For invoices, however, the Child forms inherit transaction number setting (Tools & settings > Configuration > Company > General) must be enabled if you want the invoice to inherit the parent transaction number.

The data imported into a new record from its parent can be edited as needed.

Edit page navigation bar

Regardless of how a record is created, its Edit page will open in a pop-up window. The screenshot below shows a navigation bar in the top right part of the page. These buttons are present on most Edit pages.

The navigation bar icons include the following:

local_printshop Print. Opens a window that contains a variety of print options.

attach_fileAttach. The paper clip icon allows you to attach one or more documents to a data record. Whether this icon is present depends on the kind of record, but where it is available, the ability to attach documents is enabled only after the record is saved. If any files were previously attached to that record, the icon will display a red circle showing the number of attachments. For more information on using this feature, see Attaching documents and files.

More menu. Provides alternatives to closing an Edit page after it has been saved. More may or may not be present on the Edit page navigation bar, depending on its record type. The availability of the dropdown options listed below also vary, according to record type.

• Save and go to. If you use a Create * action to generate a transaction from an associated parent transaction, Save and go to will take you to the generated transaction's list upon saving. For example, if you have used the Create shipment action on a sales order to generate a new shipment, Save and go to will take you to the Shipments list when that shipment transaction is saved. By contrast, if Save and close is selected for the generated shipment, SOS Inventory will take you to the list of the parent transaction—in this case, the Sales orders list.
• Save and keep editing. Saves the Edit page of the record and allows you to continue editing it.
• Save and new. Saves the Edit page of the current record and opens new Edit page of the same record type.
• Save and PDF. Saves the Edit page and generates a PDF of the record using the template you specify.  Save and PDF is a shortcut for the PDF option on the Actions menu.
• Save and send. Saves the Edit page and opens a window allowing you to send an email with a PDF attachment of the record, using the template you specify. Save and send is a shortcut for the Email option on the Actions menu.
• Save and ship. Generates a shipment transaction upon saving a sales receipt. Save and ship is a shortcut for the Create shipment option on the Actions menu of sales receipt records.

Save and Close. Saves the Edit page and returns to the previous list.

Accessing an Edit page to modify an existing data record

To open an existing data record, select its identifier (examples include a transaction reference number; item, customer, or vendor name; a lot or serial number). A record identifier is distinguished from other column information by the identifier's blue text color. When the identifier is clicked, the record's Edit page opens in a pop-up window for viewing or editing. The record identifier is separated from other columns by a vertical line.