How To Guide

Common Data Functionality

Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 2
Functional ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Product URL ............................................................................................................................... 2
State Code Retrieval ................................................................................................................... 6
State/Region Code Access .......................................................................................................... 9
Product Dimensions .................................................................................................................. 11
Product Search .......................................................................................................................... 12
Tender Type .............................................................................................................................. 15
System Inquiry .......................................................................................................................... 15

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Overview
The common elements associated with the Sage ERP X3 North American localizations are a combination
of small functional improvements and elements shared by other localizations. This document provides
information on the functional elements associated with activity code XA00.

Functional
Product URL
A Product URL field is available on the Misc. tab of the Product function. This field allows you to define
the URL patch associated with a file containing detailed information and specifications associated with the
product or a web address containing useful information.
The Product URL definition can be used to link many different document types. However, the user who
activates the URL must have the software associated with the linked document. For this reason, it is
suggested that the linked document utilize a common format like PDF. Additionally, the linked file must
accessible to all users of the application. Typically, the file is located on an agreed upon share drive. It
should be defined without local conventions such as drive letters. The example shows a product that has
a URL linked to a web site.

The product URL can be used to trigger the display of the attached file from the Sales Quotes and Sales
Orders. The product page option is triggered via a right-click on the line.

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After selecting the Product Info option, a window with the information appears. If the content exceeds
the window size, scroll bars appear allowing the user to view/access the additional content.

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Product Notes
Functionality allowing users to enter time sensitive product notes is provided. This is done via the
Product Notes function. The following features are provided with this capability.

Definition of notes with effective and discontinue dates

Note categories
Options for controlling where notes appear
Ability to have multiple actives notes
User notification via workflow review of expiring notes
Integration into key user functions
Available as standalone or from with Product Maintenance

Note Maintenance GESXAN

The Product note function allows a user to define multiple notes for a product. These notes are
available for display within many functions in X3. The note category provides a sorting or indicator of
the intended audience and/or creator of the note. The effective and expiration dates are used to
determine if a note is displayed. The functions field provides controls on where the note is displayed.

The window below illustrates a note that has been created with the Product Note function.

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The functions field setting controls where the product notes appear. The options are set via the select
option available right-click in the field. The window below shows the valid options.

The letter representing the selection option appears in the function field. To deactivate, the notes pop-up
from a function, delete the corresponding alphanumeric character.
The notes in the previous example are defined to appear in the Sales Quote and Sales Order functions
(QO). The following example shows the popup window.

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Note: You may have several active notes for a given product. All notes that meet the function and date
selection criteria are displayed.

State Code Retrieval

The state code appears on the postal codes and in all address screens/windows. If you have the postal
code retrieval logic active, the state code/province defined in the SAT field on the postal code is
retrieved. This occurs in the BP maintenance functions and the free address window appearing
throughout the system.

The window below illustrates a customer address prior to edit.

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The following window illustrates the action that occurs when you change the postal code.

Note: The selection window appears because there are multiple cities associated with the postal code. If
there is only one city, the window does not appear.

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The example below illustrates the action once a city is selected. The city and state/province are updated
from the postal code definition.

The postal code retrieval logic is activated by country. To work effectively, you must populate your postal
code table with the appropriate city definitions. There are numerous companies that provide this data for
the United States and Canada in an import friendly format.

There are additional parameters that control the behavior of the postal and city code lookups. They are
found on the General Parameters SUP, group INT.

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State/Region Code Access

The SPRICLINK table contains many fields that are commonly used for sales pricing. The state code has
been added to this table. There are several applications for the inclusion of the state code such as
geographic specific pricing or restricted selling.

The example below shows the setup and application for restrictive selling. A standard pricing feature is
the ability to define Restricted price books. The addition of the state allows this geographic element to
be used. So you can define a list of products that cannot be sold/shipped to a particular state (ex: power
equipment that doesnt meet California emission standards, etc.).

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The window below shows the completed setup that will prevent the entry of specific products in a given
state.

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The sample setup generates a price book entry structure similar to the following example. It illustrates
the setup that will prevent the sale of products 11101 and 11102 on orders that will ship to the state of
South Carolina.

When a restricted product is ordered, a message similar to the one below appears.

Note: The same functionality is present in quotes, shipments and invoices.

Product Dimensions
Fields for defining the dimension of a product are now present in product maintenance. These
dimensions and the resulting volume are used by some of the localizations present in the NA version of
Sage ERP X3. The volume is a key part of the Purchase Planning extension allowing for PO creation in
container/trailer friendly sizes and weights. The dimensions are also used in the optional Freight
module.

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The XAVOLUNT parameter is available to support different measurement systems (English/metric) and
the dimensional requirements of various industries (in/ft, cm/m, etc).

The dimension fields appear on the Misc. tab within the Product Maintenance function. The dimensional
values entered should correspond to the volume unit parameter (previous example). The same below
shows a product and its dimensions. The volume is automatically calculated after the dimension values
are entered.

Product Search
A new option for product search is available on the quote and sales order lines. This feature provides for
optional fuzzy search logic. It is parameter controlled with three options.

By Product Use data entered to find all products starting with matching characters
By Description Use data entered to find matches in the standard product description
Both Search for product and proceed to product description is none found.
None Standard X3 logic

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The feature is activated via the General Parameter VEN, group XANA and parameter XAITMSEA. The
window below shows the parameters and the options.

The window below illustrates the behavior when matching on a Product substring. This behavior differs
from standard in that it automatically triggers by tabbing out of the field. The standard selection window
activates only via a user right-click action. Another difference is that it applies the characters entered and
limits the products displayed. The examples that appear in this document were generated with the
parameter value set to both. The sample below shows the results of entering 111 in the product field.

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This list that appears consists only of those that start with the characters entered. The next examples
show the results when a string of imp was entered.

Note: There are two results in the window, the first would have matched on the product and also the
nd
description but the 2 product only matches the description. Both are shown since the setting
indicates that matching on both is desired.

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This feature is very useful for customers where the product number follows a pre-defined convention (ex:
base option1 - option 2) or also where the product numbers are meaningless but the product
description drives identification.

Tender Type
To allow for easier distinction between the payment types, a tender type field appears in sales order
entry. The tender type distinguishes Credit Card and On Account orders to control user options and
trigger calls for card processing.

System Inquiry
There are many localized features that are available within Sage ERP X3. Depending on your industry
some of them may not provide any benefit to your business. The localizations are designed so that many
of them (especially those that are licensed at an additional charge) can be active or inactive. The System
Inquiry tool allows you to see which localizations are active on a customer environment.

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Note 1: It is common practice to deactivate some of the vertically oriented localizations. The deactivation
results in less fields and simplified screens for the users.

Note 2: If an activity code is associated with licensed localizations, a user may activate but they will not
be able to use the functionality. A message indicating that it is not licensed is issued.

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