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Bill to Vendor

Creating a Purchase Order in Main Course starts out the same as in previous versions.  You must select a vendor from whom you are ordering.  After the initial selection of a vendor you will be prompted for another vendor, this is the Bill To vendor.  To distinguish the two, the first vendor selected is termed the Order From vendor.  If the Order From vendor record has the Bill To Vendor field filled in then it will be used as the default Bill To vendor.  Specifying a Bill To vendor is optional and if you do not then the Purchase Order will work exactly the same as in previous versions of Main Course.  To create a PO with no Bill To vendor, either leave it blank or if a default is filled in press the Escape key.

If you do specify a Bill To vendor then that vendor will be used for two things relating to the PO.  First, if the vendor's record has an entry in the Ingram Bill To field then it will be used on the PO when it is transmitted to Ingram Micro.  Second, the Main Course Bill To vendor will be used when any receiving information for the PO is posted to Accounts Payable.

This change makes it easier to deal with financing your inventory purchases.  All of the purchase order records will reference the actual vendor that shipped your order and all of the A/P records will reference the finance company that sends you an invoice.


Billto Code

This entry is used as the default Ingram Micro "bill to" code for POs to Ingram Micro.  If a Bill To vendor is assigned to a PO and it has a default Bill To code, then that code will be used instead.  The default value of "000" represents "bill to your main address", the one on file with Ingram Micro for your account.  You might need a value other than the default if you typically finance you inventory purchases, values for common financing companies can be obtained from Ingram Micro, contact your sales rep.


Branch ID

The Branch ID represents the Ingram Location which handles your account.  The Customer Number is the number assigned to you by Ingram which you use when ordering product from Ingram.  You should already have a Branch ID and Customer Number assigned if you buying product from Ingram.  If you are in the Ingram Alliance program then you should use the Branch ID and Customer Number assigned to you for Ingram Alliance orders.


Contents
Ingram Micro InsideLine InterfaceTM for Main Course

Overview

Getting Started

Using the Interface

Troubleshooting


Entries
The number of entries to display in the Interface Server window.  Valid entries are between 1 and 999.  This entry should have no effect on performance.


Getting Started
Inside Line Interface for Main Course

Overview

Getting Started

Requirements

Setup

Using the Interface

Troubleshooting


Interface Server
MC InsideLine Interface Server

The InsideLine Interface Server is a special program written for the Main Course so that the DOS based programs can access the API for InsideLine which is provided in the form of a windows DLL file.  The Main Course V6.70 update will install an icon or shortcut for the Interface Server on the machine on which it is run.  The Interface Server will need to be running at all times so that whenever a request for information is generated it can respond.  There are several requirements for the machine which runs the Interface Server.

To start the server just double click this icon.  To shutdown the server you close its window by clicking on the 'X' in the upper left.  The server reads its setup information from the Main Course.  When it starts you will see a window similar to the above.  The window size and position are saved each time the program terminates so that you can position it anyway which suits you.  It will also start up minimized if you minimize it while it is running, then right click on the task bar entry and choose close.  The server will automatically lo gout of the InsideLine system before it terminates.

The DOS based programs will pass their requests to the Interface Server through a queue contained in the database imcalls.dbf, the server will then return the results through another database, imreturn.dbf.  As requests are processed the display is updated with the Main Course user name and the type of request.  The display is primarily used to allow you to verify that the server is running.  The maximum number of entries that can be displayed is 999, this number is controlled by the setup information in the Main Course.


Line Items Screen

The line item screen has only one new field relating to InsideLine.  The IM Wh field has been added to allow you to request that a product be shipped from a particular Ingram Micro warehouse.  The value entered on the Purchase Order Header screen will be used as a default for the line items.  This field may be left blank in which case it will be set by the InsideLine system when a line item is added to the PO on that system.  Your Main Course PO will be updated with this value.

If you are transmitting the PO as it is entered then after every line item is entered into the Main Course the system will immediately attempt to add it to the PO at Ingram Micro.  If the InsideLine system detects that the quantity you requested cannot be supplied from the Ingram Micro warehouse you specified then you will be given the option of reducing the quantity to whatever is available or deleting the item from the PO.  If there is any error you will be prompted to delete the item from your PO since it could not be added to Ingram's PO.  If you do not delete it from the Main Course PO you will have to call your Ingram Micro sales rep. to verify that the order is correct.

The Main Course will attempt to duplicate any changes you make to the Main Course line items on the Ingram Micro PO as well.  The IM Wh and the quantity can be changed but the price is set by the InsideLine system.  If you delete a line item it will be deleted on the Ingram Micro PO also.  If there is any error while trying to change or delete a line item then your changes or deletion will be canceled.


Overview

The Inside Line Interface for Main Course was developed in cooperation with Ingram Micro.  It allows you to access pricing and availability from Ingram Micro for your specific location based on whatever pricing structure you have negotiated with Ingram Micro.  In addition you will be able to transmit Purchase Orders direct to Ingram Micro without reentering them into another system.

Communications for this interface are done via a frame-relay connection to Ingram or any type of Internet connection, even a dial-up account.  The type of connection you should use will depend on the number of Main Course users and any other uses of the connection, e.g. web-browsing and e-mail might be handled by your existing Internet connection.  As a guideline, a 56K frame-relay connection should be adequate for up to 20 users assuming no other heavy load on the connection.

The Main Course, Service Manager and the DOS based McFig all share a common connection through an Interface Server program written especially for Main Course.  The Windows based McFig has this interface built into it and therefore any machine running it will require access to the Internet or frame-relay connection as well.


Password

The password for the InsideLine system will be assigned when you setup an account with Ingram.  If you are already using their CAPS system to enter orders over the Internet then you should already have the information you need.  Whether or not you already have your account information you should contact your Ingram sales rep. to setup an account for InsideLine or let them know that you want to start using it.

The CAPS account will have a 4 character ID, one or more 2 character  user IDs, and a 4 character password for each user ID.  You only need one user ID and password for the Main Course, choose any one.  The password for our purposes will be the 4 character CAPS ID plus the 2 character user ID plus the 4 character password for that user ID.  This 10 character string should be entered into the password field.


Pricing and Availability

The standard product list search has been modified to include access to price and availability information from Ingram Micro's InsideLine system.  From either the Electronic Catalogue or Main Course product list you can use the hot-key Alt-I to access price and availability.  You may also use the "View" menu and select "Ingram Availability".  This function is available in any module with access to the product list search.

When you access this function you are prompted to enter a quantity to request.  The default is 9999 which is Ingram Micro's maximum order quantity, using the maximum quantity causes the InsideLine system to return the total available in each warehouse along with any quantities on order and their ETA dates.  A quantity may appear as a negative number indicating that Ingram Micro has over-committed the item.  If you enter a lesser quantity then the system will return on hand values of that quantity or less even if a warehouse has more on hand.  However, the price returned will include any discount for that quantity.  The quantity on order and their ETA dates are still returned as normal.  The behavior when a quantity less than 9999 is requested is scheduled to be changed so that the full amount on hand is returned.

Along with the actual price returned from the system the type of pricing is returned.  This can have one of three values, Standard, Special, or Rebate.  Certain products are restricted to customers in the Ingram Alliance program and if you request price and availability for those items an error will be returned stating that this is a "Restricted Part".  If you are in the Ingram Alliance program then the price and availability will be returned as normal.


Purchase Order Form

The above purchase order format can be selected from the "System Maintenance Menu", "System Setup Menu", "Reinstall Parameters" option, "Installation Screen 13 - Select Forms".  Choose the purchase order form titled "PO with Bill To and Drop-Ship Addr"


Purchase Order Header

After selecting the Order From and Bill To vendors the normal Purchase Order Header screen is displayed.  There are two new fields on this screen.  First the Bill To vendor is displayed next to the prompt "Billing To Vendor".  Second the Ingram Whse field has been added after the normal Main Course warehouse field.  This field is only present if the Order From vendor has been designated as an Ingram Micro vendor in the setup screen, the default value is also set from the information entered there.  If the Main Course warehouse selected has an entry in the IM Wh field then that will be used.  This entry can be overridden and can be left blank.  It will be used as the default for line items similar to the Main Course warehouse.  The one exception is that changing the value on the header does not change the value on all line items.  It must be changed for each individual line item.

Three of the existing fields on this screen are also used for Ingram Micro purchase orders.  First, the Ship Code - Init. field is used when creating the PO on the InsideLine system.  It must be set to a valid value recognized by that system.  The installation of the InsideLine Interface will add a list of valid values to your existing values.  They will appear when you use the Alt-S hot-key to search for an entry.  Second, anything entered in the Special Instructions field is sent to Ingram Micro with the PO.  Last, the Allow Partial Shipment field will control the Ingram Micro "back order mode".  If Allow Partial Shipment is set to 'Y' then the "back order mode" used will be "Allow back orders, partial shipment allowed".  If Allow Partial Shipment is set to 'N' or is left blank then the "back order mode" used will be "Allow back orders, hold shipment until complete".  There is one other "back order mode", "No back orders allowed", which is not supported by the Main Course InsideLine Interface.

Once you fill out the Purchase Order Header screen and choose "Accept" you will be asked whether or not you want to "Transmit PO to Ingram while entering?".  Choosing yes will cause the system to immediately begin creating the PO on Ingram's system.  All of the header information will be transmitted at this time including any drop-ship address and comments.  Once the InsideLine system responds the normal line item entry screen will be displayed.  If you answer "No" to the transmit question or if there is an error returned from the InsideLine system the the Main Course will remember that the PO still needs to be transmitted.


Purchase Orders
Inside Line Interface for Main Course

Overview

Getting Started

Using the Interface

Pricing and Availability

Warehouse Maintenance

Vendor Records

Purchase Orders

Bill To Vendor

Header Screen

Line Items Screen

Review Screen

PO Form

Troubleshooting


Requirements

Main Course, Service Manager, McFig (DOS)

The only requirements for the DOS based sections of the program are to install the update to V6.70 which was received after the InsideLine Interface was ordered and to have the Interface Server running on a machine somewhere on the network.

MC InsideLine Interface Server

The Interface Server application must be running on only one machine which has Windows 3.1, 95, 98 or NT installed.   This machine must also have an Internet connection or access to a frame-relay connection to Ingram.    The machine can otherwise be any machine on the Network.  Several files should also be present if the machine is configured properly to run on a network and access the Internet, these are winsock.dll,(or winsock32.dll), nwcalls.dll and nwipxspx.dll.

McFig Windows

McFig Windows has the same requirements as the Interface Server and applies to every machine which will run McFig Windows.


Review Screen
Purchase Order Review Screen

Once you have completed a purchase order in the Main Course the review screen above is displayed.  Two new items are displayed here for Ingram Micro POs.  The IMD Status field has three possible values, Not Sent, Transmitted, and Released.  The IM Bt, St field displays the Ingram Micro Bill To and Ship To codes which were used for this PO.  If this is a drop-ship PO then the Ingram Micro Ship To code is not used, the drop-ship address is used instead.

In addition to the above, the existing SO/Inv # field will be updated with Ingram Micro's order number and the last line of the Special Instructions will be filled in with the Ingram Micro warehouse IDs and order suffixes which will fill this order.  Each warehouse and suffix pair will represent a separate shipment and invoice with the suffix becoming part of the invoice number.  You can either modify the Main Course PO or print the PO Form in order to see this information.

A PO on Ingram's system can be completely entered but it will not be filled or processed until it is released.  Stock is still reserved for up to 72 hours.  The only way to have a Main Course purchase order transmitted but not released is to "Transmit PO to Ingram while entering".  Once you release the PO it can no longer be modified either in the Main Course or through the InsideLine system.  You can still cancel the PO as long as it has not shipped.

To release the PO so that Ingram begins the process of fulfilling it you must choose the "Release" option on this screen.  If you did not choose to transmit as entering then the "Release" choice will not be present, it will be replaced by the "Xmit" option instead.  This option will transmit the PO completely and release it in one step.  Any errors that arise will be handled the same as if you were transmitting as entering.  E.g. if an item cannot be added to the order you will be given the option of deleting it.

After a PO is released to Ingram it can be handled the same as any other Main Course PO.  Receiving and posting to Accounts Payable will function the same as in previous versions of Main Course.


Setup

This is an image of the installation screen in Main Course relating to the InsideLine Interface.  Details for any field can be obtained by clicking on that field.  Before the Interface can be used the following minimum set of parameters must be setup: Branch ID, Customer Number, Password, Testing system (N), and the vendor list.  The password will be a combination of information obtained from Ingram's Call Center, the number at the time this document was created was (800)616-4665, you should ask to setup a CAPS account so you can access the InsideLine system.


Shipping Method

This entry is used to fill in the shipping method field of a PO for an Ingram Micro vendor ID.  The list of valid shipping methods will include all of the valid values for Ingram Micro's InsideLine system in addition to any existing entries present when you installed the Main Course V6.70 update.  Refer to the "Shipping Codes Maintenance" option of the "Purchase Order" menu for a list of valid entries.


Shipto Code

This entry will be used by the Main Course as the initial Ingram Micro Ship To code for a PO to Ingram Micro.  If the Main Course warehouse chosen for a PO has an Ingram Micro Ship To code entered then that value will be used instead.  The default value of "200" represents "ship to your main address", the one on file with Ingram Micro for your account.  Other values are determined by Ingram Micro.  E.g., you might have a special code if you have a physically separate warehouse which receives product direct from Ingram Micro, contact your sales rep. if you think you need to use a Ship To code other than "200".  Drop-shipments are handled by sending the full address to Ingram Micro with the PO and do not need their own Ship To code.


Testing

You may initially set this parameter to 'Y' to get a feel for the system and test that the communications with Ingram Micro are working properly.  Your Ingram sales rep. should give you a couple of product codes to use as a test when you setup your account.  Be aware that this will only show test data from a special site at Ingram which does not have the full product list.  Your order will not be processed if you create a PO with the testing parameter set to 'Y'.

You should change this back to the default of 'N' when you are ready to use the system.


Timeout

The timeout value controls how long the DOS based programs wait for a response from the Interface Server.  The Interface Server handles requests one at a time since it cannot continue processing until it receives a response from the InsideLine system at Ingram.  The number represents increments of approximately 1/10 of a second.


Troubleshooting

Getting error dbcmd/1015 from the Interface Server.

Getting error Cannot Load IMDSIAPI.DLL.

Getting error Null Handle or Invalid Handle.

Getting error Invalid Part on almost all parts.

Getting error Restricted Part.

Getting time out errors.


Troubleshooting API DLLS
Getting error Cannot Load IMDSIAPI.DLL

The Installation program should be run on the machine which will be running the Interface Server.  The InsideLine API is contained in several Windows DLL files which will be installed to the c:\windows\system directory of the machine where the installation is run.  If you try to run the server from a different machine this error will result.


Troubleshooting Invalid Part
Getting error Invalid Part on almost all parts

This error is most likely a result of running with the testing setup parameter set to 'Y'.


Troubleshooting Null Handle
Getting error Null Handle or Invalid Handle

This error is most likely caused by a communications problem.  The InsideLine API does not automatically initiate Dial-Up Networking if you are using dial-up Internet access.  Make sure that you manually initiate the connection before starting the Interface Server.

This problem may also be a result of environment issues relating to the winsock.dll file.


Troubleshooting Nwcalls
Troubleshooting nwcalls.dll and nwipxspx.dll

These files should be in the c:\windows\system directory or in the \public directory on your Novell server.  They are installed on the server when Novell is installed and as long as all workstations have a path mapped to the public directory there should not be a problem.  They are also installed to c:\windows\system when any Client for Netware Networks is installed under Windows 95, 98, or NT.  These files can be found on Novell's web site, www.support.novell.com, if they are not present on your network.


Troubleshooting Restricted Part
Getting error Restricted Part

Many part numbers are used only if you are participating in the Ingram Alliance program and are not valid for regular accounts.  If you are in the Ingram Alliance program then you probably did not enter your Ingram Alliance Branch ID, Customer Number and password in the setup screen.


Troubleshooting Timeouts
Getting time out errors

The Interface Server must handle requests from all the DOS based programs one at a time.  You can first try increasing the time out value in the setup screen.  If the problem persists then there may be too much of a load on you Internet connection which will require you to reduce the load or increase the speed of the connection.  If your connection is being used for e-mail e.g., you might try restricting the size of messages to keep the connection from being tied up for excessive periods of time.


Troubleshooting Winsock

The file winsock.dll, (or winsock32.dll) is installed if you have Dial-Up Networking, Proxy Server, or the TCP/IP protocol installed on your computer.  This file should be located in your c:\windows\system directory.

There have been some problems reported as a result of this file being located in the c:\windows directory instead of in c:\windows\system.  Usually the file can be deleted or moved so that it only appears in c:\windows\system, but this may not always work, particularly with Proxy Server.  If deleting or moving the file does not work then uninstall any components listed above first.  Then delete winsock.dll from the c:\windows directory, then reinstall the components.


Troubleshooting the Interface Server
Getting error dbcmd/1015 from the Interface Server

The Interface Server requires a DLL file called AXSCOMM.DLL.  If you move the Interface Server executable (MCIMDSI.EXE) for some reason you will have to copy this file as well.  In addition the AXSCOMM.DLL requires the DLLs nwcalls and nwipxspx to be in the search path.


Using the Interface
Inside Line Interface for Main Course

Overview

Getting Started

Using the Interface

Pricing and Availability

Warehouse Maintenance

Vendor Records

Purchase Orders

Troubleshooting


Vendor List
Enter a list of Main Course vendor IDs which represent Ingram Micro.  Whenever a Purchase Order is created for any vendor in this list you will have the option of transmitting the PO via the InsideLine Interface.  The special fields relating to InsideLine and the ability to transmit the PO to Ingram Micro will only appear on POs for vendors in this list.


Vendor Records

The Main Course Vendor Information records have two new fields added, Ingram Bill To and Bill To Vendor.  The Ingram Bill To field holds the Ingram Micro Bill To code to use when this vendor is selected on an Ingram Micro purchase order.  If a separate Bill To vendor is selected on a purchase order then any Ingram Bill To entry for that vendor will be used in preference to the entry on the Order From vendor.  This field may be left blank.  If both vendors selected for a purchase order have this field blank the default Bill To code from the setup screen will be used.

The Bill To Vendor field is used as the default Bill To Vendor when this vendor is selected as the Order From Vendor on a purchase order.  This field may be left blank in which case the default used on a purchase order will be blank.


Warehouse

This entry is used as the Ingram warehouse for POs to Ingram Micro.  Normally this would be left blank so that the InsideLine system will choose the "best" warehouse.  If you wish to override that feature you would enter a valid Ingram Micro warehouse ID here, you can contact your sales rep. for valid values.  If the Main Course warehouse selected for a PO has a default Ingram Micro warehouse ID entered then that value will be used instead.

If you request a specific Ingram Micro warehouse by entering a default here or on the Main Course warehouse record then the ability to fill an order will be affected by the availability for that warehouse only.  If other Ingram Micro warehouses have available stock your order still may not be filled.


Warehouse Maintenance

If your Main Course system is running in multi-warehouse mode then the Warehouse List Maintenance screen will include two new fields for the Ingram Micro Ship to Code (IM St) and the Ingram Micro warehouse ID (IM Wh).  These new fields may be left blank in which case the defaults from the setup screen are used.  If you enter a value in either or both fields then it will be used in place of the default whenever you select this warehouse on a Purchase Order.  This only applies to selecting the warehouse on the Purchase Order Header screen.