Substruct Knowledge Base

The Cycle Counts Editor has many useful features. After you have created a section either manually or with a handheld device, you can open your section with the Cycle Counts Editor. With the Editor you can: double check your counts and compare your data to data in the Cougar Mountain database, check for duplicates and errors, change retail prices, print labels, and generate reports.

The Four Views of the Cycle Counts Editor

The Cycle Counts Editor has four different views you can use to view your data. Each view is detailed below.

• Counts
  This is the default view, and its the main screen that you will do most of you editing from. It will display all valid data that you have collected.
• Duplicates
  This view will display any duplicate records that exist. Once you delete one of the duplicates of an item, and only one line for that item remains, the items is no longer considered a duplicate. If you refresh the view by clicking a different view and clicking back to “Duplicates” the item will be gone.Important Note: Make sure that you delete any duplicates before you update the section(s) into Cougar Mountain.

  Tip: The Duplicates view is very useful when you are viewing multiple sections at a time. This will allow you to cross-reference sections and clear up any duplicates that occur. 

• Outs
  The “Outs” view is designed to show all invalid stock numbers: items that were added to Cycle Counts but were not in Cougar Mountain. These “outs” are often typos, which can easily be corrected by enter your cursor into the Stock field and typing the correct number. They are also often items that aren’t in the Cougar Mountain database and need to be added. Tip: The Search feature, described below, is very useful for dealing with “Outs”.
• Labels
  This view will show you all of the items that have their Label check box checked.

The Cycle Counts Editor Table

The Cycle Counts Editor table is made up of an assortment of fields displaying data about the items being counting. Each field is described below.

• Stock
  The stock number of the current item. Under the Outs view, this field can be edited. Once you leave the field, the new corrected field will be looked up, and if it is found, the record will be added to the main section.
• Description
  The description of the item. If the item is an “Out”, the field will display “INVALID STOCK NUMBER”.
• Cycle Desc
  The description given to the Cycle Counts Section that the record is a part of.
• OM
  The order multiple. This is the “Unit Package” from Cougar Mountain.
• OH
  The current on-hand quantity.
• Min
  The minimum on-hand value. When using computer assisted ordering, the item will be reordered when the on-hand is lower that the min. This number is auto-generated by Inventory Control. If changed, the new Min will be updated into Cougar Mountain.Note: Any Mins that you update into Cougar Mountain will get overwritten the next time you use Inventory Control to generate Mins. If you want to permanently change the Min, use Default Min.
• Def Min
  The default minimum on-hand value. This value is the lowest possible value that the Min value will be adjusted to when using Inventory Control to automatically adjust Mins. This value is set by the user in the Inventory module of Cougar Mountain. If changed, the new Default Min will be updated into Cougar Mountain.
• Class
  The 3-digit Ace merchandise class. In Cougar Mountain, this field is called Product Type.
• Alt
  An alternate stock number for the product. The field is usually the manufacture’s stock number.
• FlrPrice
  The floor price. This is the price that was input as the item was being counted. If the floor price doesn’t match the computer price, a label can be automatically generated.Note: This price will not update into Cougar Mountain. It is for checking prices, not changing them. To change prices, use Acenet.
• Price
  The current retail price of the item in Cougar Mountain.
• Count
  The count of the item. When updating a section into Cougar Mountain, this number will overwrite the On-Hand field.
• Dis
  The discontinued code. This field will be blank unless the item is discontinued., in which case a discontinued code will appear.
• Label
  The Print Label check box. When printing labels (by pressing the Print button when in the Labels view), all items that have this box checked will have a label printed.

The History Box

This box contains the description, quantity, and date of the most recent inventory history transaction (that is not from Point of Sale). This box is used when problem solving inventory problems. Here is an eample: You count an item and you determine you only have 1 on the hook. The computer says you have 7 on hand. You look at the history line and see that you received 6 yesterday. The history line helped you discover that you have 6 more, but they were stocked in the wrong location.

Deleting Records from the Editor Table

To delete a record from Cycle Counts, simply click the “X” button to the left of the record you wish to delete.

Using the Search Feature

The Cycle Counts Module has the ability to keep track of the order in which records are added to a Cycle Counts section, allowing you to track down what items were enter before and after any given item in the section. This is useful for locating the origin of invalid or incorrect records on the floor by determining what products were entered before and after the problematic record.

To use the Search feature, simply click the Magnifying Glass button to the left of the record you wish to perform the search on. A “Search Results” window will appear. The middle line will display the target record’s stock number and description. The top line displays the record input before the target record, while the bottom line displays the record input after the target record. If the target record was the first or last item added to the section, then “Beginning of File” or “End of File” will be displayed, respectfully.

Create a Report from Search Results

When you are viewing the results of a Search, click Add to Report to add the results a report queue. Results will continue to add to the this report queue until you press the Delete Search button. When you are ready to print the report, click the Print button in the lower right hand corner of the window. From the Print dialog box, select Search Report and click Print. 

Note: The print button will not bring up the Print Dialog Box when you are on the “Labels” view.

Other Reports Available in Cycle Counts

Not including the Search Report, there are two different reports you can run while using the Cycle Counts Editor: Exceptions and Discontinued Items. To print either report, click the Print button in the lower right hand corner of the window. From the Print dialog box, select the report you wish to generate from the left and then click Print.>

Note: The print button will not bring up the Print Dialog Box when you are on the “Labels” view.

• Exceptions
  The Exceptions Report will display all records in the current section were the Count value is different that the OH (On-Hand) value. This report is very useful when cycle counting and when counting out-of-stocks.
  • Using the Exceptions Report when counting Out-of-Stocks
    Go around your store and gather data on items that are “out of stock”. Enter “0″ for the quantity for each of these items. Then, once you have loaded the counts into the Cycle Counts Editor, print the “Exceptions” report. Go through the report line by line and figure out why each item is on the report. Often items are stocked in the wrong location; other times they were stolen or sold incorrectly. Once you have determined which items from the Exceptions Report aren’t really out-of-stock, you can remove them from the Editor, and then update Cougar Mountain to the correct on-hand quantity. While catching these exceptions is important, determining their cause is equally as important.. If the item was stocked in the wrong location, then it should be relocated to prevent future exceptions. If their are duplicate locations for the product, try condensing the items to one location.
• Discontinued Items
  The Discontinued Items Report will print off a list of all items in the current section(s) that are in Discontinued Status (i.e. have a Discontinued Code in the Discontinued Field). Use this report to walk the sales floor, locate the discontinued items, and remove any peg hooks or bin labels to prevent future reordering. You can also use this report to monitor what items are discontinued and then find suitable replacements for them. 

Adding New Records to a Section in the Editor

To add an item to a section in the Cycle Counts Editor, use the Add New Item section in the bottom left hand corner of the window. Enter the stock number of the item, select the section you wish to add it to (if you are viewing multiple sections at once), and click the Add button. The Editor will look up the item in your Cougar Mountain database. If the item is found, it will prompt you for a quantity. Otherwise you will be informed that the number was invalid.

Printing Labels with the Cycle Counts Program

When you are counting records with a handheld device, or when you are looking over a section in the Cycle Counts Editor, you have the option to print a label. Simply check the “Label” box (either on the handheld device or in the order editor) and then when view the “Labels” view of the Cycle Count Editor, press the “Print” button in the bottom right hand corner of the window. A “Select Print Position…” window will appear. Select where on the blank sheet of labels you would like to start printing (this is useful for reusing partially used sheets). Then press the “Print” button to print the labels, or the “Preview” button to view them.