This post reviews how to set up the budget tracking feature in your Live Copy of SpendMap.
If you’d like to see the budget tracking feature in action before you get started, it’s already set up in your Evaluation Copy of SpendMap (the copy with the sample data), and there’s a Walkthrough Tutorial called “Budget Tracking” that you can try, using the drop-list at the top-right of the Main Menu in SpendMap…
OK, here’s what you do to set it up in your Live Copy…
Did you know that you can display master file descriptions rather than codes on screens throughout SpendMap?
For example, if GL Account “0-663-1” isn’t meaningful for your users, you can display “Office Supplies” instead. This applies to all of the main Master Files, including all account code fields, item/part numbers, supplier codes, and so on…
If you would like SpendMap to display descriptions rather than the codes for one or more Master Files, here is where you can set that up…
– PURCHASING > Setup system > Master file settings > Master file code/description display options
Regardless of whether you’re displaying codes or descriptions per above, you can alternate between the two at any time by pressing the <F2> key on your keyboard
Alternatively, you can hover your mouse over fields, like this…
Drop-down lists can also be sorted either by code or description, using…
– PURCHASING > Setup system > Master file settings > Additional sort options for master file lookups
By default, the Price and Quantity fields are set to two (2) decimal places in the Free Version of SpendMap (e.g. $123.12).
But if you purchase items with a very low unit price, you may need to increase the number of decimal places for prices, which you can do in here…
– PURCHASING > Setup system > User defined terminology and settings > User defined field settings
You might also want to consider the unit of measure that you’re using. For example, if you purchase by the hundred (C), you’d need fewer decimal places (e.g. $123.45/C vs. $1.2345/EACH). You can set up your units of measure in here…
– PURCHASING > Master Files > Units of measure > Add/modify/delete
We’ve had some support tickets from folks who are seeing a message like “Waiting to start report” when printing Purchase Orders or other reports to a PDF file in the free version of SpendMap, or when emailing Purchase Orders in PDF format.
We think the problem may be a result of an update to Windows 10 that Microsoft pushed out recently.
If you ever have trouble creating PDF files in your free SpendMap system, please try removing and then reinstalling SpendMap’s PDF printer driver. You will need Administrator access/rights on PC to do this…
If you are still not able to view or email POs or other reports in PDF format, please let us know on our Support Ticket System.
Thanks and sorry for any inconvenience.
A common question that we get from new Spend-Mappers is how to set up pricing for each supplier, so that the correct price defaults on each new Purchase Order based on who you’re buying from.
For each item that your company buys, you can enter an unlimited number of suppliers, each with their own pricing. Do this in the [Supplier] Folder of the Item Master File. Here’s the menu path…
– PURCHASING > Master Files > Items > Add/Modify
If you would rather not enter pricing for each supplier, you can enter a single price for the item in the Standard Price field, in the General Folder, instead. In this case, the Standard Price will be used for all new Purchase Orders, regardless of supplier.
We’ve completely redesigned the View PO Status Utility in the upcoming release to make it even easier for you to keep track of your Purchase Orders in SpendMap.
Check out our news announcement for all the details.
Did you know that, by default, all users in your Free Purchase Order Software will be able to add suppliers, items, account codes and other Master File information “on-the-fly” as they work on Purchase Orders and other transactions in the system?
That’s right, while creating a new Purchase Order, if you type in a new supplier code, part number, account code, etc. that doesn’t already exist in the respective Master File, SpendMap will prompt you to add the information to the Master File right there-and-then, so you don’t have to stop what you’re working on in your PO Work Area.
Of course, you may not want everyone doing that, so you can turn this feature on or off, using the setting called “Allow adding of codes on-the-fly?”, which you can find in the [Permissions] folder/tab of the User Master File.
We’ve completely redesigned the Import/Export Utility in the upcoming release of SpendMap to make it even faster and easier to get information in and out of the system.
Check out our news announcement for all the details.
Seth works at a seniors’ community in California and wanted to know if he could start over and delete/purge all records in a Master File before importing new information/data…
“I wanted to know if it is possible to delete the entire cost center database (I am attempting to re-upload the database). It has plenty of old data that will take a long time to delete one by one.”
Sure thing Seth, just go to the [Permissions] folder of the User Master File and select the 4th check-box called “Allow purging of master files when importing?”.
Then, the next time you import, SpendMap will ask you if you want to purge/delete all existing records before importing, for a complete refresh…
Are you looking for an easier way to manage price quotes from your suppliers? Tired of all the phone calls, emails and spreadsheets?
The Request for Quotation Module in the Pro Version of SpendMap makes it easy to get up-to-date pricing and encourages competition between your suppliers so that you get the best possible deal.
Check out our new video tutorial, below. Or better yet, take a free test drive of our Pro Version and see for yourself.
The Free-Procurement Project 