Messages, Comments, and Related Print Codes

Messages and comments are used to better communicate additional information inside a company or outside to vendors.

·     Most messages are defined on Reference File categories.  During a maintenance conversation, the user chooses a message by entering the code associated with the desired message on the Reference File.

·     Comments are all free form; during a maintenance conversation, the user manually types in comment text on a comment entry screen.

A print code must be entered for every message or comment line to indicate whether the message or comment should be printed and, if so, on which documents.

Comment entry screens are included in all Purchasing file maintenance conversations.  Free-form comments are entered by users and may be of any form and content.  The length of each comment line is restricted to 50 characters, and up to 99 lines may be entered for each of the following entities:

·     Item/Vendor relationship

·     Quotation

·     Requisition

·     Requisition line

·     Purchase order header

·     Purchase order line

·     Receipt header

·     Receipt line

Vendor messages originate from the Vendor Master File.  Messages are identified by a number, which must exist on the corresponding message Reference File category.  Up to three standard messages and one custom message may be associated with each vendor.  The system displays the vendor messages on the purchase order header comment screen.  The system allows one standard part message, extracted from the Part Master File, for each purchase order line.  The user may override the displayed message print code on the comment screens.

The related print codes indicate whether the message or comment is to be printed and, if so, on which documents.  The possible values for the print codes are defined on a Reference File category, one for each entity type.  User-defined values may also be created, although the corresponding processing will also have to be developed.