What's New in ERP and Sourcing and Contract Management -- Release 6.08

Service Pack 6.8, 4/23/2017

New Features and Enhancements

Enhancements made in hotfixes since the 6.7 service pack are included in this document.

ERP Materials Management and Financials

The new Welcome Page dashboard displays key indicators for your ERP supply chain operations.

The ERP "Welcome Page" dashboard contains gauges -- charts and graphs -- that display key data of interest to supply chain, accounts payable, and finance staff and managers (Figure 1).

Welcome Page Dashboard Gauges for PremierConnect ERP and SCM

The following gauges are currently available:

PO Line Item Types (by Authorized Month)

Displays purchase order lines for file and non-file items by monthly quantity of items.

Reviewing the breakdown of file vs. non-file PO lines each month helps you monitor the volume of spend that is occurring through each category, and identify areas for improvement. Many sites seek to minimize non-file volume as much as possible to promote spend transparency and efficiency.

PO Transmission Types (by Authorized Month)

Displays the monthly volume of authorized POs for each transmission method as a percent of total POs.

Monitoring the different PO transmission types (i.e., print, EDI, Fax, email) lets you evaluate the portion of spend attributable to each type, so that you can look for opportunities to standardize or streamline. Many sites seek to increase the portion of POs transmitted through EDI as much as possible.

On Contract Spend and Items (by Created Month)

Exhibits the monthly percent of on-contract spend and the percent of item lines purchased on-contract for sites that use Sourcing and Contract Management (SCM).

This data lets you audit contract compliance and target areas needing improvement.
(If SCM is not enabled at your site, this gauge does not appear.)

Invoice Types (by Created Month)

Displays the monthly volume of invoices of different types as a percent of all invoices.

Monitoring the different invoice types lets you evaluate the portion of spend attributable to each type, so that you can look for opportunities to standardize or streamline. Many sites seek to increase the portion of invoices transmitted through EDI.

Invoice Match Exception Types (by Created Month)

Identifies the quantity of invoice match exceptions by type for each month.

This gauge lets accounting staff review the breakdown of exception types so that they can target the categories that consistently lead to the largest number of invoice match exceptions.

POs Received, Not Invoiced (by Transaction Month)

Plots the monthly dollar spend for purchase orders that have been received, but not invoiced (line graph) and the total number of POs that contain received, but not invoiced lines (bar graph).

This graph enables you to monitor and compare monthly purchasing volume in terms of received POs and spend that is not yet invoiced. This data can help you plan for future spend by showing exceptional months. You can also research months with many POs to look for areas where you might consolidate future purchases for pricing advantages. The spend and PO data can help you reduce future invoice exceptions as well.
The graph is based on data from the PO Liability Report and is refreshed once a month. So, if you run this report at a later date, the numbers will not exactly match due to changing PO liability counts and amounts.

Enabling the Dashboard Gauge Feature and Security

If you wish to use the ERP "Welcome Page" dashboard feature, contact the Help Desk. This feature must be enabled.
To be able to view dashboard gauges, a user must have the specific gauges of interest authorized in a gauge profile. Once the Help Desk turns on the feature, you can begin setting up your own gauge profiles.
Each gauge profile contains permission for one or more gauges. You can create gauge profiles as needed, and assign them to users. The "Welcome Page" dashboard is not visible to a user until the user has been assigned a gauge profile. Instructions are in the online documentation topic "Work with Welcome Page Gauge Profiles."

You can import par cart and order guide data to ERP to create new part cart and order guide lines for subsidiary organizations and departments.

With this feature, you can upload par cart and order guide lines (or entire new par carts/order guides) for affiliates live into ERP Materials Management.

The first step is to export existing par cart/order guide lines to an Excel worksheet. A new panel is available for the export task. Then, using the worksheet as a template, make changes as needed to par cart/order guide lines, or add new par carts/order guides. Save the worksheet as a .csv file, and finally upload it to the application.

The upload is the standard upload process. A panel lets you work with uploaded par cart/order guide line files.

Usage: To upload par card or order guide data:

Export data from an existing par cart or order guide.

From the Materials Management main Contents, select Imports/Exports and Financials > Order Guide/Par Cart Lines.

Figure 2

Current Settings

The New Order Guides and Par Carts Lines Panel for Exporting

Materials Management main Contents > Imports/Exports and Financials > Order Guide/Par Cart Lines

Use the Quick Filters—the white text boxes at the top of each column—to set the list to par carts/order guides for the organization/department of interest.
Click the Spreadsheet link (Figure 2, red arrow, upper right).
Windows displays download and security information. The export file opens in Excel.
Note: You will need to save the file as a .csv file for the export.

Figure 3 is an example of the worksheet filtered for order guide IVS.

Sample Order Guide/Par Cart Downloaded Worksheet

Using the exported file as a template, enter data for new par carts/order guides, or edit existing data to make changes.

Edit worksheet column values to change or delete existing lines, to add new lines, or to add a new par cart/order guide with new lines.
The first column -- Action -- contains the action that the application should perform.
Enter the code for the appropriate action from the following list:
A - New line. Add the line to the order guide or par cart identified in Columns E and F .
- To create a new line, or an entire new par cart/order guide: on the worksheet, insert a row ahead of the EOF marker, or blank out existing columns and enter new values. EOF must be the last data element in the worksheet.
D - Current line: delete the line from the par cart/order guide.
C - Current line: update the line with one or more new values entered in columns G through N.
Leaving the Action column blank (no code entered) causes an error.

The order guide/par cart code and description. If you are uploading lines for a new order guide/par cart, enter the new code and description here.

Columns for par cart/order guide lines. You can edit these columns to change existing lines, or add new lines.

Save the worksheet as a .csv file to a local network location.
Import the .csv file that you saved on your network to the application.

From the Materials Management main Contents, select Imports/Exports and Financials > Order Guide/Par Cart Imports.
The Order Guide/Par Cart Imports panel appears (Figure 4). This panel lists uploaded files and helps identify errors.

The List of Order Guide/Par Cart Imports

Materials Management main Contents > Imports/Exports and Financials > Order Guide/Par Cart Imports

(Click Help for more information on the panel.)

Click New. The Upload Panel appears (Figure 5).

The Par Cart/Order Guide Upload Panel

Materials Management main Contents > Imports/Exports and Financials > Order Guide/Par Cart Imports > New

Enter the file that you wish to import in the File to Upload field.
- Click Browse to locate the file on your network, then click the file to select it.
At this step, you have a choice. You can work through the import process in either one stage or two stages.

If you have uploaded files to the application before, use the one-stage approach, as follows:
- Click Submit. The system attempts to upload your file and validate it. The Imports... (e.g., (Figure 4) list appears.
- Click Refresh to see your file listed.
For users working with import files for the first time, we recommend the two-stage import approach. The two-stage approach first loads the file and validates it. Click Load and verify, no import.
Once the file has successfully loaded, you can process it manually from the Imports panel to import it into the application.
- Click Help on the Import panel for details on the processing step.

When the file has processed and its status is Complete, your par cart/order guide changes and additions are in effect. You can review lines in par carts/order guides from the Warehousing in the Materials Management main Contents.

Security: System administrators can control who has access to the par cart/order guide upload feature. This feature is controlled by the role object "CartGuideLinesAdmin." The initial security setting for this role object defaults to None. Displaying the Order Guide/Par Cart Imports and Order Guide/Par Cart Lines list requires a minimum security level of View.

Order Guide/Par Cart Imports option includes several new fields for filtering imported data.

Several new fields have been added to the Order Guide/Par Cart Imports process to provide additional information and filtering capability during order guide and par cart data import. The field names and locations are as follows.

Field names:

Bypass Qty Adjust (ByPass Quantity Adjustment on Import)
Direct Delivery
Override Charge Department

Locations of fields within Materials Management:

Order Guide/Par Cart Lines
Order Guide/Par Cart Lines > Spreadsheet
Order Guide/Par Cart Imports > Menu > View Import Details
Order Guide/Par Cart Imports > Menu > View Import Details > Edit

Vendor record import is now available from Accounts Payable.

Vendor record import has always been available from Materials Management. This enhancement makes it available from Accounts Payable as well.
The path is Accounts Payable > Imports/Exports > Vendor Import.
The process is the same as for Materials Management. The documentation topic is “Import Vendor Data.”

Individual organizations can require departments to take non-stock overages, eliminating accumulation in item inventories.

On the organization record (Figure 6), the setting for Non-stock Over-Receiving Allowed either allows non-stock overages to accumulate in Item Inventory; or requires departments to take overages. (In the past, allowing departments to take overages was not an option.)

The Organization MM Info Panel

Materials Management main Contents > Tables > Organizations > edit

If the field Non-stock Over-Receiving Allowed is not checked, when clearing non-stock quantity exceptions with “Invoice Correct,” you must select a department for the overage (Figure 7).

Clearing a Quantity Exception for a Line with an Overage

Materials Management or AP main Contents > Invoicing > Exception Invoices >> Clear Exception

When only one department is associated with the PO line for an overage, the application sets that department as the default in the Overage Dept field (Figure 7).
When multiple departments are associated with the PO Line, the application does not default the department. Then...
- If the organization's Non-stock Over-Receiving Allowed flag is not set, you must specify an Overage Dept. Click the prompt to select the department to receive the overage.
- If the organization's Non-stock Over-Receiving Allowed flag is set, the Overage Dept is optional. If you do not select a department, the overage is added to the Item Inventory on-hand quantity (OHQ).

When a department accepts an overage (regardless of the organization flag's setting), the excess quantity is then issued to that department instead of going to the Item Inventory's OHQ.

For overages, an additional inventory transaction is created to account for the extra quantity being issued to the designated department. GL Transactions reflect the normal credit to inventory expense and debit to department expense. The requisition and requisition line will contain the increase to the ordered quantity and issued quantity as a result of the overage.

Requisition approvers can get spend information for a project/fund when reviewing requisitions.

This new feature enables you to display the budgeted and current amounts for each project/fund, and determine if each requisition can be approved based on the remaining project or fund balance.

If you are a requisition approver in charge of certain projects, you can inquire on the project codes from requisition lines before or during the approval process. Similarly, users responsible for funds can inquire on fund codes.

For example, Figure 8 is a requisition ready for submission in which the Project Code and Fund Code have been entered for lines.

A Requisition with Project/Fund Codes Assigned to Lines

Materials Management main Contents > Requisitioning > Requisitions >

When the requisition goes to review and approval, the approver can check the project and/or fund code amounts as follows:

Usage: To display project/fund spend information from a requisition under review,

From the Materials Management Requisitions list (Materials Management > Requisitioning > Requisitions), or from your approval queue (Materials Management > Requisitioning > My Approval Queue), locate the requisition.
Click i to inquire on the requisition. The requisition opens to the Requisition Lines Quantity Status panel.
Scroll right to display the Project Code and Fund Code columns. The inquiry i appears next to each code value.
Click i to display current and budgeted dollars for the project/fund.
Figure 9 is an example of project spend current and budgeted dollars.

Project Spend Information for a Requisition Line

Materials Management main Contents > Requisitioning > My Approval Queue > i

For manual invoices, the Invoice Direct Approver and invoice Distribution Review Direct Approver can be the same person.

On the Approval tab of a manual invoice (Figure 10), you identify the person or group responsible for approving the invoice

For a Manual Invoice, Fields on the Approval Tabbed Panel

AP main Contents > Invoicing > Invoices > New

You may optionally also designate an individual approver or approver group for the review of distribution lines.

The Distribution Review Direct Approver has the authority to review, balance, and approve the distribution lines prior to approval.
The Distribution Review Approver Group reviews, balances, and approves the distribution lines of the invoice. If the invoice is not balanced, it will be routed to the Final AP Distribution Direct Approver, who must balance the distribution lines before submitting.

In the past, you could not assign the same person as the Direct Approver and the Distribution Review Direct Approver. This restriction has changed as follows:
- When your organization requires approval for manually created invoices, entering either a Distribution Review Direct Approver or Distribution Review Approver Group will satisfy the approval requirement.
- If you do select both a Distribution Review Direct Approver and the Direct Approver, and you select the same person for both, the system ignores the Direct Approver, and blanks out that field.
- If you select the same group as the Invoice Approver Group and the Distribution Review Approver Group, the system ignores the Invoice Approver Group selected, and that field is blank.
The organization record specifies whether approval of manual invoices is required. The Organization edit panel AP Info tab contains the field: Dist Review Enabled for Manually Created Invoices (Figure 11, red).

The Dist Review Enabled for Manually Created Invoices optionally allows invoice distribution to be reviewed and approved. If you want your invoices to require approvals, then check the box Approval Required for Manually Created Invoices (Figure 11, green) as well.
Note: This field was previously called: Distribution Review for Manually Created Invoices

The Organization Edit Panel: AP Info Tab

AP (or Materials Management) main contents > Tables > Organizations

Select this field if you require approvals.
Note: This field was previously called: Distribution Review for Manually Created Invoices.

You can approve requisitions, invoices, and check requests from a link on an email message.

PremierConnect ERP can send an email to approvers that only requires clicking an approval or rejection link on the email message. Approvers can also add comments before sending the email back to the application. The requisition, check request, or invoice is then approved or rejected, as specified in the email.

Setup

Here are the setup steps:

Create Reason Codes for approval/rejection, if you have not already done so.
- From AP or Materials Management, select Reason Codes > Reason for Approval/Rejection.
- Click New to create these new reason codes:
Approved from Email Notification Link
Rejected from Email Notification Link.
For each approver -- and each person who originates requisitions, invoices, or check requests -- ensure that the person's User Profile has the following information:
- A valid email address, located on the General panel.
- A data profile, located on the User Roles panel, that includes organizations/departments whose data the approver or originator will work with.
- A role (on the User Roles panel) with the correct settings for role objects.

Details on user administration are in the topic: "Set Up and Maintain Users, Administration, Security." See the sections "Work with User Roles" and "Work with Data Profiles."

For requisition approvals:

In each approver's User Profile, on the Approver Limits panel, set Requisition Submit Notify Type to Email on Submission.
In each request creator's User Profile, on the Requestor Limits panel, set Requisition Approval Notify Action to Email Approve or Reject.
If the request creator's department uses a requisition approval profile, edit the department to enter the approval profile.
- From Materials Management, select Requisitioning > Departments.
- Locate the department of interest.
- Click Menu > Edit, or the edit icon .
- Click the Approvals tab.
- Select a value for the field Requisition Approval Profile.

For invoice and check request approvals:

On the Approver Limits panel, set Invoice Submit Notify Type, and Check Request Notify Type to Email on Submission.
On the AP Limits panel, set Invoice Approval Notify Action and Check Request Notify Action to Email Approve or Reject.

Using Email Approvals/Rejections

When medical center staff create a requisition, invoice, or check request that must be approved, the application sets its Status to Pending Approval. Figure 12 is an example for a requisition. (This section uses requisitions as illustrative. The process is the same for invoices and check requests.)

A Requisition Awaiting Approval

Materials Management main Contents > Requisitioning > Requisitions - Current Department

The system then sends an email message to the designated approver, as in Figure 13.

The Email Message for the Approver: Approve or Reject

The approver opens the email and clicks the link for approval or rejection. Depending on the transaction type, the links are:
- Approve Requisition, Reject Requisition
- Approve Invoice, Reject Invoice
- Approve Check Request, Reject Check Request.
In Figure 13, the email recipient is approving a requisition by clicking Approve Requisition. The approver could alternately reject the requisition (invoice, or check request), or simply view the requisition, and make a decision later.
Clicking either Approve ... or Reject ... opens a new email to be sent back to the application.
See Figure 14.
The approver can optionally add a comment before sending the email. Enter comments between the square braces [ ].

An Approval Message for Emailing Back to Materials Management

The approver sends the email message back by clicking Send. Another email then arrives with the approval or rejection notification.
Approvers or other staff can review the requisition on the Requisitions List (invoices on the Invoices List, and check requests on the Check Request List), with the approval Status as specified in the email. In this example, the Status is Approved (Figure 15).

A Requisition Approved Using the Email Approval Process

Materials Management main Contents > Requisitioning > Requisitions - Current Department

For specifics on email invoice approvals, see "Invoice approvals/rejections by email." For check requests, see "Check request approvals/rejections by email."

Purchasing managers can now exert better control over non-file spend by requiring commodity codes on non-file requisition/PO lines.

You can require commodity codes to be entered for all non-file purchases by setting a flag for each organization that needs this requirement. The field is Non-file Commodity Code Required on the Organization record (Figure 6, green box, lower right).

If this flag on the Organization record is checked, and you create a non-file line on a requisition or PO, the application displays an error message. You must enter a commodity code for the line.

Changes to this field are audited.

- On the Organizations list panel, select Menu > View Audit Info.

A new option is available for exporting GTIN data to a downloadable comma delimited (.csv) file.

The new GTIN Export option is available to export GTIN data to external systems via the Gateway.

The GTIN Export creates a comma delimited file that includes all fields currently in the Item Export as well as these additional GTIN fields:

- Identifier Number
- Identifier Type
- Mfr ID
- Mfr Item No
- UOM
- Conversion Factor.

Note: The exported file is based on changes made to GTIN data only, and includes only those items that are accurately matched to GTIN data. If the system cannot match GTIN data to an actual item, then that unmatched row of data is not exported.

Parameters are available to define the export of all GTIN data, or GTIN data for a given date or timeframe. The primary export selection parameters (Figure 16) include Organization, Asset Location, and Changed Date Option. The Changed Date Option is based on when changes or additions are made to any of the GTIN fields noted above.

Important: For you to use this export feature, an administrator must update the security role object "GTINExport" in a your user profile to ALL. Users cannot export GTIN data until this setting is updated. Each user’s data profile determines which organization and asset location data the user is able to work with.

Usage: To create a new GTIN Export:

Open Materials Management > Imports/Exports & Financials > GTIN Export.
On the GTIN Export List, click New in the top right corner.
The GTIN Export Selection Parameters panel appears (Figure 16).

GTIN Export Selection Parameters

Materials Management main Contents > Imports/Exports & Financials > GTIN Export > New

On the GTIN Export Selection Parameters panel (Figure 16), fill out the fields for your export and click Build (red box, Figure 16) to create a downloadable file.
Your export is automatically assigned a Transmission ID (green box, Figure 16), which you can use to locate your export on the GTIN Export List (Figure 17) once the export is complete.

The GTIN Export List

Materials Management main Contents > Imports/Exports & Financials > GTIN Export

On the GTIN Export List, click Menu at the left of the export row that matches your Transmission ID and select one of the following options:
- Click Download File to download the export file to a local or network location.
- Click Rebuild to open the GTIN Export Selection Parameters panel, make modifications to the information you entered in the fields, and build the export file again.

The GTIN Manufacturer Item Identifier Details can now be sorted and filtered by error type.

The list of GTIN Manufacturer Item Identifier Import Details can be sorted and filtered by errors that occur upon import (sort by Yes, No, or Both).

To use the new sort and filter feature:

From the Materials Management menu, select Imports/Exports & Financials > Manufacturer Item Identifier Import.
Click Menu next to an import and select View Import Details.
To sort the details by whether or not they contain an error, click the Errors column header.
To filter the results, select Yes, No, or Both in the Errors column and click Go.

ERP Panel and Field Changes

Organization record GL Info panel

Two new fields are available on the organization record for use with GL account imports (when GL Account Validation is enabled). The fields are Account Import Default Supplying Org and Account Import Default Supplying Asset Location. See Figure 18. If a value is entered in one of these fields, a value must be entered in the other.

The Organization Record GL Info Panel

Materials Management (or AP) main Contents > Tables > Organizations >

These fields contain the default supplying organization and asset location to be used on GL imports for new departments in the organization. When a new account record is created for a department in the organization from a GL account import, the application assigns the supplying organization and asset location to the values in these fields.

This assignment is made when:

a. The account Type is expense or income.
b. The account Type is asset or liability and the account is flagged as a "Materials" account.
c. The imported GL account record is new or is being changed, and the department does not yet exist and needs to be created.

Rules for using these fields:

If a value is entered in one of these two fields, a value must also be entered in the other.
The Supplying Asset Location must exist.
If the organization's Inter-Org Transactions Allowed flag is Off, the supplying organization must be the same as the organization record being edited.
If the organization's Inter-Org Transactions Allowed flag is On,
the supplying organization must have its Inter-Org Transactions Allowed flag On also,
and must have inter-org accounts established for the organization being edited.

This enhancement addresses a situation that some sites experienced when importing GL accounts with GL Account Validation enabled.
- With GL Account Validation turned on, when a GL account is added, the department for the account is created if it does not already exist. The department needs a default supplying organization and default supplying asset location. The supplying organization and asset location assigned to the department were the same as those in the user’s Current Values.

- This situation would create a problem when inter-org accounts did not exist between all organizations at the site, and the wrong supplying organization/asset location was assigned to the department. The new default fields allow GL accounts to be imported for new departments without generating errors.

New Fields on the Invoice Export: Project Code and Fund Code

The Project Code and Fund Code fields are now included on the .csv item export file. When you export invoices, if these fields have values on the invoice, they appear on the export.

The AP location Email Address field is expanded to 100 characters.

You can now enter a value in the vendor AP location Email Address that is up to 100 characters in length. (The previous value was 50 characters maximum.) The longer field appears on the
AP Locations List panel, AP Location Edit panel, the Vendor Locations list open to the AP Location tab, and the Consolidated Payment Export download. Also, these report objects contain the longer field:
- “Vendor AP and Buy From Locations”
- “Vendor Locations”
- “Vendor Master”
- “Vendor Master with Hospital Accounts.”

Sourcing and Contract Management (SCM)

Affiliate spend in Projects: Analysts can select (and unselect) organizations whose spend they wish to work with.

In analysis projects for medical center affiliates, this feature enables you to work with spend segments that belong to affiliate organization(s) of interest. You can analyze the spend for the selected affiliates; create RFPs and benchmarks based only on the affiliate spend; compare projected savings; and track savings on awarded contracts for the affiliate.

Once you have added items to a project, you can select one or more organization(s) that identify affiliates.
Spend for the chosen organization(s) can be the basis for RFPs and benchmarks.
You can review projected savings, and comparable spend that belongs only to the designated organization(s).
You can unselect any organizations, and return to the display of all spend.

- The Project Contents panel contains options for selecting an organization whose spend you wish to work with. You can select one, several, or all organizations. You can also work with spend that is not associated with any organization.

On the Project Contents panel, when you identify one or more organization(s), the views descriptors (Keywords, UNSPSC, Class/Subclass, Category, Mfr, Mfr/MIN, Vendor, Vendor/VIN, etc.), Graphs, and Details then display data associated only with those organizations' spend.

- Your selection of organizations on the Contents panel persists on the Proposals panel to identify spend for generating RFPs. This strategy is useful, for example, if you wish to create an RFP based on spend only for certain organization(s).

- Your selected organizations also persist on the Comparisons Summary panel; however, on the Summary panel, you can select different organizations.

- The Savings panel has a Region/Org selector similar to that on the Project Contents panel, so that you can review savings on awarded contracts for particular organizations.

Usage: To select organizational spend on the Project Contents panel,

On the Contents panel, left side, click Region/Org (Figure 19).
Several options appear: All, None, [Show], Graphs, and Details.