Branch File - FIL 6

You can use the Branch File to designate separate branches within each company. Branches are usually selling organizations, and are distinguished from warehouses on the system. Although often there is a one-to-one relationship between branches and warehouses, warehouses are entered in a separate file.

Statistics that are stored in the Branch File consist of transactions related to the customers or salespeople that comprise that branch. Statistics that are stored in the Warehouse File relate solely to the products stocked in that warehouse. Branches do not necessarily need to represent a physical location. A branch can be a group of accounts based on a region or the salespeople or telemarketing group that serves them.

Branch or Company?

The following table describes the differences between branches and companies. Generally, we recommend setting up new groups and locations as branches whenever possible. You should reserve companies for a consolidated view of all businesses.

Branch	Company
Can run financial statements separately or can run consolidated statement for the company as a whole.	Cannot run consolidated financial statements for multiple companies unless downloading to PC formats.
All reports can be run by separate branch and by company.	Most reports can include multiple companies, but usually not on a consolidated basis.
General ledger is all one close. All branches close automatically when their company is closed.	General ledger is a separate close for each company. All other systems (A/R and A/P) close all companies at once.
Can share the same customers and salespeople.	Cannot share the same customers or salespeople.
Shared number wheels (invoices, orders, and so on) enable unlimited number of branches.	Separate number wheels can cause number limitation problem, if too many companies are on a single system.
Enables simplified accounting (centralized, inventory account, cash, home office, and so on).	More journal entries. Separate cash, inventory, home office allocations, and so on even though these assets and expenses may be shared by all branches.
Enables accounting at the P&L level without need for a balanced balance sheet.	Requires a balanced balance sheet.
Company online statistics include all branches (branch statistics same either way).	Company online statistics would be separate if a branch is set up as a company (branch statistics same either way).

Managing Branch Locations

There are a few simple guidelines to help you manage a branch and ensure accurate and meaningful information.

At the End of Each Working Day

On a Weekly Basis

On a Monthly Basis

A Day's Work in a Day's Time

Security Suggestions

At the End of Each Working Day

Run Detail Order Register â€“ This listing shows each order with gross profit percentage by line item. It is the best way to ensure accurate pricing and cost information are in the system. The report also highlights input errors, questionable figures, and price overrides. Summary and Exceptions Only versions are also available. However, when first using the system, we recommend running the complete detailed version.
Run Detail Invoice Register â€“ Same instructions as above, except for invoices.
Cancel, void, and correct all incorrect orders and/or invoices â€“ Discuss these with order entry operators. If you let these incorrect transactions post overnight, they will affect your statistical database. If it is incorrect, cancel or fix it immediately.
If you have a point-of-sale operation, run the Order Desk Cash Receipts Listings on the Additional Order Desk Functions Menu, and balance reports such as cash, checks, and credit card receipts â€“ Each branch should turn these reports in with a copy of their bank deposit information to the accounting office for verification and approval. You can allow each branch to post their daily cash receipts once balanced, or you can post centrally. We recommend each branch reconcile and post daily to keep your records as real-time as possible.
Your central location schedules Night Jobs to run each night â€“ The following morning, at the central location, check all Night Jobs reports and file them. Branches might also request reports to be run at night. The central office can schedule reports to be run at the branches.

On a Weekly Basis

Monitor your open orders and back orders â€“ Many reports and screens are available for this purpose. Monitor your inventory. Use reports such as the item reorder reports, ranking reports, stock status reports, and negative inventory reports. You can run all of the reports to list exceptions only, such as open orders that are past their required ship date, unconfirmed back orders, orders marked as shipped but not invoiced, and overstocked and understocked items.

On a Monthly Basis

Make sure end-of-month close is coordinated for all branches â€“ Strive for a unified cut-off date and time.

A Day's Work in a Day's Time

Receive stock into the system on or before the day of arrival â€“ Use the Pre-Receipts and Back Order Fill screen.
Always receive stock before you invoice from it â€“ This ensures accurate costs and gross profit percentage. If your business requires invoicing before receipt, attempt to update your standard costs as often as possible.
Post cash receipts on date of receipt or, as when posting from branch location(s), as soon as daily order desk cash is balanced or first thing the next morning.
Use order status codes to identify the status of each line of each order as it moves throughout the system and your warehouses.
Invoice the day an order is shipped â€“ Use the Invoicing by Status Code feature, which lets you invoice all orders that have reached status S (shipped) automatically. This option is also available in Navigator.
Enter purchase orders into the system as soon as possible so customer service can access scheduled quantities and ETA dates â€“ Update shipping, dates, and status codes as soon as the information is available from your supplier. If you schedule back orders and future orders against specific incoming purchases, as when importing, then keep all order and ETA dates in proper sequence. Arrange customer back order dates to follow the ETA dates of the related purchase orders. This procedure makes the stock card screens easy to read and enables ISO (Inventory Selection Optimizer) to automatically calculate back order dates effectively.

Security Suggestions

Collect and file all voided and canceled pick lists.
Do not allow any shipment using a copy of a pick list or adjusted pick list unless the original pick list is attached or unless authorized by a manager â€“ Only ship using an original pick list. Never ship from quotations or order acknowledgments. Your warehouse personnel should always attach copies of adjusted documents to the original. If you use bar code labels, you should follow a similar procedure regarding duplicate labels. Duplicate labels, or labels requested on demand (outside the normal label processing flow), show a D on both the upper and lower right corners of the label.
Check all Order Desk Cash Receipts Listings for incomplete or questionable transactions â€“ Look for cash or COD orders without full payment. Look for any transaction with a payment code and no payment, or payment that looks insufficient. Ask users on a regular basis to provide information regarding questionable entries.
Cycle count regularly but do not standardize your system for counting items â€“ Make sure the department choosing items to cycle count is not the same department performing the actual counts.
When cycle counts reveal shortcomings in a particular item, use the Inventory Stock Card Screen to research activity of that item â€“ Also use the Order Search and Inquiry to find all cancellations of that item. To find cancellations, enter the item number, a date range, specify to include even closed orders, and specify to include status V only. Often, cancelled orders that have shipped are signs of mismanagement and theft in a warehouse operation. If you regularly transfer material between warehouses, check other warehouses when a shortage occurs. Use the order notepad to view who made changes and at what time.
Do not write down or share knowledge of passwords with unauthorized employees â€“ As soon as unauthorized knowledge of passwords is suspected, report it to your system administrator so new passwords can be reissued.
Remove terminated employees' user IDs from the system immediately.
Each user and each work station can be restricted in many ways â€“ This includes being restricted to specific companies, branches, warehouses, and from using certain functions. Be sure your system administrator has carefully set each of these security settings.

Branch File Profile Screen

The two fields beginning with Address Option refer to printing the address of either the branch or company's address on your pick ticket form.
If your logo and address are on a preprinted a form, enter N to not print the address.
Enter Default Customer Payment Terms. These are general terms for orders from that branch, and are probably too broad for most companies. However, you can provide more specific terms at the customer level elsewhere in the system.
Enter Default Tax Codes. These are also general tax codes that might be too broad for your purposes. You can set the tax code by customer. However, these tax codes can be appropriate if your branch serves a specific geographic area where 80-90% of your customers would pay the same taxes.
Any information you enter in the default fields appears when you enter a new customer for this branch.

The following table describes the fields on this screen.

Field Name	Description/Instructions
Name	Name of the branch.
Addr1	Address of the branch.
Addr2	Address of the branch.
The branch address can be used as the Remit To address that appears on invoices and statements.
City	City in which the branch is located.
State	State in which the branch is located.
Zip	Zip code in which the branch is located.
Ctry	If the branch is located outside your country, enter the two-character country code here.
Phone #	Telephone number of the branch.
Address Option	Enter: B - If you want the branch address printed on forms. C - If you want the company's address printed on forms. N - If you do not want either address printed on forms. Enter N if the address is preprinted on the forms. Normally, N is entered, because statements and invoices are usually on pre-printed forms or electronic form overlays that contain your corporate logo and address. Enter B or C if you print on plain paper without pre-printed forms or overlaid addresses.
Remit To Option	Determines if the Remit To address shows on invoices. Enter: B - If you want the branch address to print as the Remit To address on invoices and statements. C - If you want the company address to print as the Remit To on invoices or statements. When using this option, ensure the address in the Company File is the correct Remit To address.
Billto Acc# for Supp P/O	Use this option to specify a Billto address per branch that should appear on purchase orders for supplies. This address can be separate from the Remit To address to which your customers send payment. This option is important for companies that use lock box addresses for remittance, or addresses other than their usual company or branch address. Continue to use the company or branch Remit To address options. Use this feature to establish the address that appears in the Billto column of your purchase orders.

The following table describes default fields you use to set up default customer values. Default values are useful when employees with low-level passwords need to add new customers. Employees with low-level passwords can not access these fields. So, you should use default values rather leave fields blank. When entering a new Billto File record, you must enter the branch code and press Enter before the default values appear in the blank fields. These fields are only default values, and can be overridden when customer records are created. These fields are only used by the Billto File.

Field Name	Description/Instructions
Default Cust Payment Terms	Enter the default payment terms percentage and days, if any, such as 2.00% 15 days.
Default Payment Terms Code	Enter the default payment terms, if any, that are represented by a terms code. Payment terms codes are defined in the Payment Terms File - ACT 105.
Default A/R Stmt Cd	Enter the default A/R statement code, if any. Enter B if the default is a balance forward style statement. Enter O if the default is an open item style statement. Enter H if the default is to hold and not print statements.
Default Tax Cd, State and Default Tax Cd, Other	Complete one or both of these fields, if by default your customers are taxable. Otherwise, leave them blank. Enter tax codes that have been set up in the Tax File.
The default fields listed above do not directly affect the Order Entry or Invoicing applications. They are used as defaults only when adding new Billto File records.
Enter Y to Print Salesperson Name On Invoices	This option causes your the salesperson's name to appear on invoices. The salesperson's name appears above the first line item credited to that salesperson on the invoice. If different lines on a single invoice are credited to different salespeople, then a salesperson's name is printed each time the salesperson changes. The salesperson's name always appears above the lines for which that salesperson is credited.
Enter H to Hold & Post Orders	Enter H if you want all further invoices and orders for this branch to be deferred to the following month. Use H only when the system includes multiple branches and they can not be cut off for the month end close at the same time. Enter H the morning after the last orders and invoices for the current month have been processed. Use H only for branches that are ready to cut off for month end close. The system then stores all further orders and invoices until the end-of-month processing is complete. Users are unaware that the branch is on hold. Orders print, inventory is allocated, and invoices print. However, A/R statistics and physical (onhand) inventory are not updated until the month end processing completes. The system then posts stored orders and invoices into the new month and removes the H. This feature keeps all branches operating, even if they are unable to coordinate a simultaneous end-of-month cut off. Once H is entered to hold a branch, DO NOT remove it. Let the system remove it during the month end close, after the held transactions are properly updated. Removing the H can cause unpredictable results. This setting causes invoices to be removed from INPRINT file by night jobs - but not added to INVOICE file. The INVOICE REGISTER from night jobs will be empty. The Invoices Held / To be Posted Next Month report is produced by Night Jobs and lists the invoices which were not updated.
Comments	Enter any additional information or comments for this branch. These specific comments are only for this branch. The Comments field does not appear in any of the reporting format for this branch.
D/Del	Enter D to indicate that this record will be deleted.
Last Branch Control #	This field cannot be updated. It shows the last branch control number used. A branch control number is assigned to each invoice. Each branch has its own unbroken string of control numbers. Invoice numbers are assigned on a company-wide basis. Invoice registers can be sorted by invoice number or branch control number. Its main function is to help with branch audits.

Function Keys

Function Key	Description
F4	Go to the Branch File Sales Analysis screen. Press F4 again to go to the Month-By-Month Sales Analysis screen. From the Branch File Sales Analysis screen you can access the Branch File Statistics by Cost Center Screen. This screen shows statistics for all cost centers within the selected branch. You can also review statistics for specific branch/cost center combinations.
F5	Go to the Branch File Notepad where you can enter comments about the selected branch and/or view a history of the changes made.
F6	Go to the Branch File Search screen.
F7	End the job and return to the File Maintenance Menu.
F8	Return to the Branch File Entry screen.
F9	Use this option for POs if you have a separate address for suppliers to send their invoices to you. Create and enter a customer account number here. The address from the customer account prints on purchase orders to suppliers to send accounts payable invoices.
F10	Go to the Branch File Daily Statistics Screen.