Batch Requests Overview

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A batch file can contain an unlimited number of stock item requests. In turn, each request can include up to 99 line items, each of which identifies an individual stock item and stores the requested quantity, the total price (Unit Cost x Quantity), and the request's accounting distributions.

The requests in a batch differ from those in your live database, as explained in the Understanding Batch Requests section below. However, once a batch is successfully posted to your database, its requests are the same as those created in other Warehouse Inventory options. Meanwhile, from then on, the batch itself no longer exists.

Batch Requests Pages

The Batch Requests option accesses the following pages. Each page uses the same name, Batch Requests, but we add the titles Add and Update to distinguish the functions of the two additional pages that can be accessed from the main Budget Requests page.

Menu Path:  Warehouse Inventory > Entry & Processing > Warehouse Inventory > Batch Requests

Understanding Batch Requests

Batch requests contain the same fields as standard requests with two exceptions:

• Each batch request has a Control Number, an eightcharacter field used to identify the batch where it is stored. The number is also used to group requests when posting them to Fund Accounting. The control number is dropped when the batch request is posted to your database, at which point the requests are identified by the request numbers assigned when they were added to the batch.

• The Back Order field only applies to standard requests. The system determines back order quantities for batch requests when you post them to the live database.

Following are some additional considerations when adding a batch request:

• The Request Year field accepts either the current or next fiscal year, as determined by the Fund Accounting Profile. The default for this field comes from the Warehouse Inventory Profile.

• Expenditure and Project Ledger accounts must exist in the appropriate fiscal year for the *Budget Unit*/Account and *Project*/Account combinations you enter.

• If your Warehouse Inventory Profile is set for autonumbering requests, the system continues assigning numbers in the sequence used in the current year. You can start a new sequence by changing the profile's Next Request Number field to a number that is higher than the one displayed.

• Values entered in the Quantity field are not checked against the inventory level in the Inventory Catalog when you add the batch request. Inventory checking takes place when you post the batch record.

• If a stock item has been discontinued, the Discontinued Stock Items field on the Warehouse Inventory Profile, allows you to control processing of the item when entering Batch Requests.

Posting Batch Files

Posting a batch file:

• Adds requests to your live database.

• Updates the Inventory Catalog.

• Creates back orders when the available inventory is insufficient and back ordering is allowed for a stock item.

• Monitors the budget in the Fund Accounting System.

System Processing

Following is an explanation of what occurs when batch requests are posted and become standard requests:

• As long as no errors are encountered, the posting process converts each batch request into a standard request. The system notes errors in the Batch Request Posting Results report. If one line item has an error, then the entire request cannot be posted.

• Each batch request is deleted when it is converts to a standard request.

• The line items in the new requests are assigned an approval status of O - Open if approval is required. If approval is not required, an approval status of A - Approved is assigned to each line item.

• The request created is given the same header as the batch request, including request number and warehouse code. If the request number is already in use, the system assigns a new number and logs the change in the Batch Requests Posting Results report.

• The system checks the available inventory for each line item. If the inventory level is not sufficient to fill a requested line item, a back order is created, depending on whether the catalog item's Stock Number record allows back orders.

• Expenditures for the line item quantities that can be filled are checked against budget balances in the Fund Accounting System. Ledger account transactions are generated, but you need to access Warehouse Inventory's Process General Ledger Charges option to post them.

Since batch requests do not immediately affect your live Warehouse Inventory database, the system does not perform the same level of data verification when you enter batch requests as it does when you enter standard requests. Instead, the data verification occurs when you post the batch records.

Depending on system settings, a request may fail to post due to budget or inventory limitations. If you run a test posting for a batch, you can determine if these conditions would prevent posting, enabling you to correct any problems before running the actual post.

Following are explanations of the various settings that affect posting.

Inventory Catalog

Sufficient quantities must be available in the Inventory Catalog to fill all line items in the batch request. Back orders can be created, but this depends on whether the stock item can be back ordered.

If an item's Stock Number record does not permit back orders and the reserved quantity exceeds the difference between the item's safety point and available inventory, the request cannot be posted. To correct this, use one or more of the following pages:

Expenditure Ledger

Sufficient funds must be available in Fund Accounting's Expenditure Ledger for each line item. If an account's budget is exceeded, the system refers to its Check Budget Balance field to determine whether the request can be posted.

• If this field is set to F - Fatal, the system does not allow the request to post.

• If the field is set to W - Warning, the system prints a warning in the Batch Request Posting report but allows the request to post.

Additional Requirements

In addition to inventory and budget settings, the following requirements are essential to posting a batch request:

• The request's Expenditure Ledger accounts must exist in Fund Accounting for the appropriate fiscal year. If a line item's distribution is in error, you need to change its ledger account or add the appropriate account in Fund Accounting.

• To post a batch, you must have the appropriate security for the Expenditure Ledger accounts associated with the batch's requests. For more information on security, refer to your System Administrator.

• If a stock item is the Inventory Catalog is discontinued after a batch request is entered, the setting in the Discontinued Stock Items field on the Warehouse Inventory Profile will have no effect when the request is posted.

*Budget Unit*/Account and *Project*/Account