The following describes how to set up a new template and default for use in the Business partner file when adding a new supplier. It is possible to copy an existing template with the defaults to create a new one. However, in this example you will do the following:
- Select all supplier-related panels to be valid and therefore shown when using this template in the Business partner file maintenance routine. The only mandatory panel, however, when adding a new supplier is the Basic data panel.
- Define default id’s and default values for all valid selected panels.
- Validate default field values for all relevant panels.
Note: The selection of the valid panels you want for your template is a question of choice, most probably dictated by the role you have in your company. For example, if you work in the purchasing department, you would probably not want to work with customer-related panels.
For the set up (or changing) of defaults, you have two menu items from which to choose. These include menu items:
- Work with business partner templates, or
- Work with business partner defaults
The procedure is the same from both, but this example will describe the procedure using the Work with business partner templates menu item.
- Select the Work with business partner templates menu item.
- You access Work with business partner templates, All templates listing all templates existing in the system. (Tip: Click Change mode to toggle the following: all templates or only those valid for use during Business partner file maintenance and enquiry. The default mode is display all existing templates). Click Add.
- You access Work with business partner templates listing all programs (panels) within the Business partner file maintenance routine. Scroll to see all. Note: The list of these programs and the sequence in which they appear is determined from the pre-loaded data in the Template control table. (See the Panel help for this table for more information).
- actual name of the template
- the panels you want to prompt when you use this template in the Business partner file maintenance and Business partner file enquiry routines
- in which sequence the panels shall appear when using this template in the Business partner file maintenance and Business partner file enquiry routines
- the default id for the panel you are going to complete with default values
- if you want auto generation for the default values, see Automatically generate field values for your suppliers.
- Template
- Enter the code for the template you are establishing.
- Description
- Template secured
- See Restrict the use of a supplier template for a description.
- Maint/enquiry template
- This field is set to YES by default. Here keep this setting, meaning this template can be used in both the Business partner file maintenance and Business partner file enquiry routines.
- Seq
- Enter a sequential number for each panel you want to include in the template, thereby defining in which order they are to appear when you use this template in the Business partner file maintenance and Business partner file enquiry routines. You must not omit any numbers, and you must start with number 1. As previously mentioned, you will select all supplier-related panels for this example. These include:
- Basic data
- Address file
- Supplier file
- A/P basic data
- A/P additional data
- Bank data
- A/P payment modes
- Supplier quotation group info
- DI information
- DI documents
- Phone numbers: You can enter phone numbers/fax numbers on this panel for the supplier. The FAX routine must be activated in the system to be able to use this information when sending external documents by fax.
- Business partner search fields
- ISO9000 Quality Assurance
- Auto
- This column (where the cell is yellow) is only displayed for Business partner file templates and if the Auto generation flag for the panel was set to YES in the Template control table. See Automatically generate field values for your suppliers for instructions.
- Defaults
- You complete the fields in this column after you have established a default id and default values for the panels defined with a sequence.
- Note: Notice that you cannot define defaults for all panels. This is because there is no need to use the same data for some panels. For example Address file. Not every supplier will have the same address. Only those panels valid for defining defaults are indicated by an input field in this column.
- You access Business partner default maintenance, listing all valid panels for which you can define default valules. You can select one panel at a time or select all panels at the same time. If you select all, each panel will be displayed for input one after the other.
- You access the default panel for the first panel selected, namely Default maintenance, Basic data.
- You access Default maintenance, Basic data. All fields are mandatory. Complete the following:
- Default
- Enter the identification of this default you are adding. (For simplicity, enter the same identification as that you gave your new template). You will enter this id on the Work with business partner templates panel when you are finished with all default values for all panels. (See step 11).
- Tip: You do not have to use just this default id for your template. You can use any existing default id, if it is relevant for the supplier you are adding.
- Description
- Validate fields
- This field is set to NO by default. Here, set this field to YES, meaning the same validations will apply for the entry of default data as those which apply for the entry of real data. For example, blank is not allowed if the field should be set to YES or NO, etc.
- Note: This is an extra security measure to ensure that valid default data is entered in each field. Regardless of whether you set this field to YES or NO, a check for valid data is always done when adding a new supplier in the Business partner file.
- You access Business partner file maintenance, Basic data where you enter the default values.
- Name
- Every new supplier you add to the Business partner file would have a different name. But because you chose to validate field information, this field is mandatory. You can either enter the name of the supplier and then change it in the Business partner file or leave this field blank and click Accept default.
- Address
- Every new supplier you add to the Business partner file would have a different address. But because you chose to validate field information, this field is mandatory. You can either enter the address of the supplier and then change it in the Business partner file or leave this field blank and click Accept default.
- Type
- This field determines the type of relationship your company has with the customer or supplier. Valid values are:
- 1 = Customer
- 2 = Supplier
- 3 = both Customer and Supplier
- Here enter 2.
- Country
- Area
- Language
- Click OK to prompt the next panel. Because you chose to validate field information, all default values must be correct to prompt the next panel.
- Click Accept, no validation and continue to the next panel, even if the data is not valid. The purpose with this function key is to allow you to finish the process of entering default data without having to terminate your work due to lack of data in tables. The newly added table value in the default field can be added to the correct table upon completion of the default.
- The same Business partner file maintenance, Basic data panel is displayed, where you define the attributes for the fields.
- If you leave a field set to YES, whether it has a default value or not, it can be changed when you add or maintain a supplier in Business partner file maintenance.
- If you set a field to NO, whether it has a default value or not, the field will not be open for input when you add or maintain a supplier in the Business partner file, with two exceptions. The system will open the field for input:
- if the field is a mandatory entry and it is blank, or
- the default value for the field is in error
- You return to the Default maintenance, Basic data, panel where you see your new default id added to the list.
- Click Add to add a new record and then repeat the steps 6 through 9 until all valid supplier-related panels have been completed with the default values you want.
- Supplier group
- Account group
- Handler
- Terms of delivery
- Manner of transport
- Terms of payment
- Currency
- Purch order address
- A/P group
- Payment stat group
- Attestor
- Terms of payment
- Primary currency
- On Work with business partner templates, enter the default id under the Defaults column for the panels you completed with default values. Click OK to update and exit the program.
On this panel you define the following:
The following fields are mandatory:
EDI info
The following two panels can be selected if you use the Electronic Data Interchange facility.
Fax info
For informational purposes or if you want to send external documents by fax to the supplier, you can enter defaults on the following panel:
No defaults can be entered on the following panel. In Business partner file maintenance you can manually enter search fields which can be used when searching for specific information in the Business partner file enquiry:
ISO9000 info
The following panel is used only for suppliers or if the supplier is used as both a supplier and customer:
Note: Since this template will be used to add a new supplier into the Business partner file, the Basic data panel must be included and it must have sequence number 1.
When you have defined the sequence, click Maintain defaults.
Here select all supplier-related panels and click the Select option.
Note: The title of all panels is determined by what is entered in the Short description field in the Template control table for this panel.
You see a list of all existing default id’s for the Basic data panel and this template.
Click Add.
Click OK.
On this panel you enter pre-defined values that will be defaulted when you use this template during Business partner file maintenance. By doing so you avoid having to enter the same values repeatedly when adding similar suppliers.
Mandatory fields
Because you chose to validate field information, the following fields are mandatory:
Note: If you had not chosen to validate field information, no field data is mandatory here. The system, however, would flag you with the mandatory fields when actually entering a new supplier in the Business partner file maintenance routine.
For more information on these fields and all other fields on this panel see the Panel help for this panel.
When you are finished entering default data you have two choices. You can:
Note: When adding a new supplier using this default, the system always validates the default data even if you have erroneous data.
Here click OK.
In Attribute mode you define which fields should be open for input when you use this maintenance template in Business partner file maintenance. All fields are set to YES by default. Depending on what you enter in the fields, different results apply when adding or maintaining a supplier in the Business partner file maintenance routine using this default:
Here, leave the YES setting in all fields. Click OK and then click Back.
Since you marked all valid panels to be displayed one after the other, click OK to access the next panel in the series.
Tip: For simplicity, assign the same default id for all panels.
Mandatory fields
Since this example instructs you to validate fields for each new default id, the following fields are mandatory when entering default values on the remaining supplier-related panels:
| Panel | Fields |
|---|---|
| Supplier file | 1st panel fields:
|
| A/P basic data | 1st panel fields:
|
For a description of what to enter in each field, see the Panel help.
When ready, click Back until you return to the Work with business partner templates panel, where you enter the default id for each panel.
Tip: If you connect this template to your user profile in the Work with DC1 user profiles, the system automatically defaults this template when you access the Business partner file maintenance. Anytime you change the template in these routines, the system updates the template in the Work with DC1 user profiles.