Each document has just one life cycle. A child document handles subsequent actions, like so_id below.
Invoices have one Life
The invoice shows what merchandise left the store. Perchance the customer returns some merchandise. The clerk by using the cash register marks the returned lines, and re-calculates the total prices. If the grand total is not zero and the customer wants some of the inventory, the program assigns a new invoice number. In other words, if the invoice is returned entirely, then the invoice is finished. Otherwise, the cashier then prints the new invoice. Sometimes when the customer returns merchandise, the customer also buys more. The new lines go on the new invoice. During the return transaction, the cash register might hold old sales, returns, and new sales. On the paper document, which the customer takes, the invoice now has the new invoice number and points to the old. The new invoice is clean; there are no corrections to interpret if the customer happens to make another return. Each invoice has one set of sales and at most, one set of returns.
The inquiry on the cash register enables lookup by cust_id and so_prev. If a customer comes back with si_id = 143, which is complete, the cashier can find so_id = 167 by inquiring with previous sales order as 143.
Shipping Documents
The original shipping document acts like a master document. The parent of the original is none, like SD_ID number 000000. Every subsequent shipping document displays the original SD_ID. In essence, the mechanism is the same as for invoices, but the printing program reads back thru the chain until the program finds no previous. Again, each SD_ID identifies one set of shipments, one set of receipts, and the remaining unreceived lines, if any.
Statements
Each statement has some sort of identification number besides the customer number. Each change to the statement changes the status of the statement. If the clerk forgives the charges, then the status becomes zeroed and the statement is finished. If the clerk adjusts the statement but does not forgive the charges, the status of the statement becomes replaced and triggers a new statement.Paying in full also terminates the statement, and there is no new statement.
Check Numbers
Having a unique identifier on each check is useful. Even though paper checks are becoming less common, every disbursement should have a unique identification number. Again, the paper check might be replaced, but it is never altered.
Transaction Numbers
Standard business actions usually have sufficient dates, times, and document numbers to ensure good audits. However, using a transaction number can sharpen the analysis of the business actions. When a business process or a machine enumerates each product that it alters or produces, the subsequent analysis can be simplified. For example, a college numbered each add or drop that each student performed; while a few students made changes per semester, more than half of the students enrolled and did not make changes. Welders number welds and surveyors number plot plans. As in the derivation of the word manage, which comes from the Semitic to count, numbering helps to manage the history of the actions.
Program Complexity
The simplified nature of the documents allows a simplified program. The program needs to read the lineage of the document, and for each document needs to display the lines. Since each document represents discrete actions, the presentation is straight forward.
Inventory Cycle Counting
Many businesses benefit from real-time inventory information. The concept of cycle counting explores the business cycle of inventory, usually one part, but sometimes a family of parts. A retail office supply chain called Stockwell & Binney had curious numbers concerning Bic pens. The stores regularly appeared to have no blue ink Bic pens, but they had scads of the other colors. Indeed, the count on blue at a store often went negative. Simple observation showed that the cashiers rang all Bic pens to one SKU.
The VP named Larry had PCC install a cycle counting module. Every night, the programs scanned for negative inventory quantities. Such a quantity triggered a cycle count. The store personnel had to count that particular SKU or its family within a day or so. The counters then keyed in the correct quantities. Several other businesses with high cost inventory found that cycle counting caught various errors. Sometimes two models of a camera were misidentified. Sometimes computer chips were mis-shipped. Other times, a receiving clerk ignored a shipment.
Alltime, which sold watches, and American Home Video, and others discovered that the cycle counting policies enabled inventory counts during business hours. The program knew the beginning and ending quantities for the day; the program knew the times of sales, receipts, returns, and damages. The program could calculate whether the count was reasonable. Started with 5; sold 2; counted 4: possibly true. If the cost was high, or if the count was continually off, the program could issue a request for another cycle count on the same SKU. Stock-keeping Unit.
The invoice shows what merchandise left the store. Perchance the customer returns some merchandise. The clerk by using the cash register marks the returned lines, and re-calculates the total prices. If the grand total is not zero and the customer wants some of the inventory, the program assigns a new invoice number. In other words, if the invoice is returned entirely, then the invoice is finished. Otherwise, the cashier then prints the new invoice. Sometimes when the customer returns merchandise, the customer also buys more. The new lines go on the new invoice. During the return transaction, the cash register might hold old sales, returns, and new sales. On the paper document, which the customer takes, the invoice now has the new invoice number and points to the old. The new invoice is clean; there are no corrections to interpret if the customer happens to make another return. Each invoice has one set of sales and at most, one set of returns.
The inquiry on the cash register enables lookup by cust_id and so_prev. If a customer comes back with si_id = 143, which is complete, the cashier can find so_id = 167 by inquiring with previous sales order as 143.
Shipping Documents
The original shipping document acts like a master document. The parent of the original is none, like SD_ID number 000000. Every subsequent shipping document displays the original SD_ID. In essence, the mechanism is the same as for invoices, but the printing program reads back thru the chain until the program finds no previous. Again, each SD_ID identifies one set of shipments, one set of receipts, and the remaining unreceived lines, if any.
Statements
Each statement has some sort of identification number besides the customer number. Each change to the statement changes the status of the statement. If the clerk forgives the charges, then the status becomes zeroed and the statement is finished. If the clerk adjusts the statement but does not forgive the charges, the status of the statement becomes replaced and triggers a new statement.Paying in full also terminates the statement, and there is no new statement.
Check Numbers
Having a unique identifier on each check is useful. Even though paper checks are becoming less common, every disbursement should have a unique identification number. Again, the paper check might be replaced, but it is never altered.
Transaction Numbers
Standard business actions usually have sufficient dates, times, and document numbers to ensure good audits. However, using a transaction number can sharpen the analysis of the business actions. When a business process or a machine enumerates each product that it alters or produces, the subsequent analysis can be simplified. For example, a college numbered each add or drop that each student performed; while a few students made changes per semester, more than half of the students enrolled and did not make changes. Welders number welds and surveyors number plot plans. As in the derivation of the word manage, which comes from the Semitic to count, numbering helps to manage the history of the actions.
Program Complexity
The simplified nature of the documents allows a simplified program. The program needs to read the lineage of the document, and for each document needs to display the lines. Since each document represents discrete actions, the presentation is straight forward.
Inventory Cycle Counting
Many businesses benefit from real-time inventory information. The concept of cycle counting explores the business cycle of inventory, usually one part, but sometimes a family of parts. A retail office supply chain called Stockwell & Binney had curious numbers concerning Bic pens. The stores regularly appeared to have no blue ink Bic pens, but they had scads of the other colors. Indeed, the count on blue at a store often went negative. Simple observation showed that the cashiers rang all Bic pens to one SKU.
The VP named Larry had PCC install a cycle counting module. Every night, the programs scanned for negative inventory quantities. Such a quantity triggered a cycle count. The store personnel had to count that particular SKU or its family within a day or so. The counters then keyed in the correct quantities. Several other businesses with high cost inventory found that cycle counting caught various errors. Sometimes two models of a camera were misidentified. Sometimes computer chips were mis-shipped. Other times, a receiving clerk ignored a shipment.
Alltime, which sold watches, and American Home Video, and others discovered that the cycle counting policies enabled inventory counts during business hours. The program knew the beginning and ending quantities for the day; the program knew the times of sales, receipts, returns, and damages. The program could calculate whether the count was reasonable. Started with 5; sold 2; counted 4: possibly true. If the cost was high, or if the count was continually off, the program could issue a request for another cycle count on the same SKU. Stock-keeping Unit.