Commodity Table

Use this option to enter codes and related information for commodities your district purchases. These codes enable the Purchasing System to track items and related pricing information.

The Commodity table facilitates transactions between Purchasing and the Vendor Bidding and Warehouse Inventory Systems. If you use these systems, you also should set up commodity classes in conjunction with your commodity codes. For more information, refer to Commodity Table: Concepts.

You also can add notes to a record using the Notes item on the Commodity Code Information page's Action Bar. For more information, refer to the Procedures section.

Menu Path: Purchasing > Reference Tables > Reference Tables > Commodity Codes

Adding a Commodity record

Select Purchasing > Reference Tables > Reference Tables > Commodity Codes.
Click Add New.
Complete the fields in the Commodity Data section.
Click OK

Updating an existing Commodity record

Select Purchasing > Reference Tables > Reference Tables > Commodity Codes.
In the Search Criteria section, enter criteria identifying the records to list, and then click Find. To run an advanced search, use the Advanced button.
Select the record you want, and then click OK.
Change field values as needed.
Click OK

Deleting a Commodity record

Select Purchasing > Reference Tables > Reference Tables > Commodity Codes.
In the Search Criteria section, enter criteria identifying the records to list, and then click Find. To run an advanced search, use the Advanced button.
Select the record to delete.
Click Delete.
In the Confirmation dialog, click Yes.

Note

You cannot delete records that are being used in existing transactions.

Adding notes to a Commodity record

Select Purchasing > Reference Tables > Reference Tables > Commodity Codes.
In the Search Criteria section, enter criteria identifying the records to list, and then click Find. To run an advanced search, use the Advanced button.
Select the record you want, and then click OK.
Click Notes on the Action Bar to display the Notes page.
Click OK or press <Tab> to access the text box. The code of the record you selected displays in the Commodity Code field.
You also can use the field's Browse button to look up and select another Commodity record.
In the text box, enter your notes. You can include up to 48 lines with 55 characters per line.
Click OK to save your notes and return to the Commodity Code Information page.

Generating the Commodity Table report

Select Purchasing > Reference Tables > Reference Tables > Commodity Codes.
In the Search Criteria section, enter criteria identifying the records to list, and then click Find. To run an advanced search, use the Advanced button.
Click Print.
In the Print Commodity Table page, select one of the following options:
Alphabetic Sequence - to sort the report by the first line of the Description field.
Code Sequence - to sort the report by Commodity Code.
Click OK.
In the Print window, specify how to generate the report, and then click OK. The report's default file name is commoda.rpt for Alphabetic Sequence or commodc.rpt for Code Sequence.

Fields

Field	Description
Commodity Code	Code for identifying the commodity on a requisition or purchase order. Character/13 including dashes The first three positions of the code identify the commodity class, which is used to group commodities of the same type. Although this is not required, you should set up a header record for each class that includes a three-digit code and the class’s title.
Status Code	User-defined code identifying a commodity’s status, for example, A for active or I for inactive. This field is for information purposes only. Character/1
Stock Number	Code for tracking the commodity in Warehouse Inventory. Stock numbers only apply if you use the Warehouse Inventory System. Character/13, including dashes This number appears as the default stock number when you enter a requisition or purchase order for the commodity, though it can be changed at that point if needed. Stock numbers in the Commodity table must correspond with those in Warehouse Inventory’s Inventory Catalog.
Measure	Unit of measure used to order this commodity. Examples: EACH, CASE, and GALLON. Character/13 The unit assigned appears as the default measure when entering requisitions and purchase orders for this item. The unit may be changed at that point, if needed.
Bid Required	Checkbox indicating whether a bid for this commodity is required in the Vendor Bidding System. Select the field if the system should convert requisition line items for this item into vendor bids. Leave the field blank if you do not use Vendor Bidding or if line items should not be converted to bids. Following are some added considerations tied to this field: If the field is selected, you also must enter a value in the Last Price field. When converting requisitions to bids, the cost of the item is needed to calculate a bid’s total amount and determine whether it meets the minimum bid amount in the Vendor Bidding Profile. If the minimum bid amount is not met, the requisition is not converted to a bid. You can manually add a bid to the bid list for a commodity if the Bid Required field is not selected. The field’s setting defaults to the Bid item field in the Requisition Information line item page.
Description	Description of the commodity. The description information defaults to requisitions and purchase orders. The first line of the description is used in alphabetical sorts. Character/44 per line, five lines
Last Price	Most recent per-unit price paid for the commodity in dollars and cents. This information is used to determine the minimum bid amount in Vendor Bidding's Convert Requisition to Bid option. It also defaults to the Unit Price field when you enter a requisition or purchase order line item for this commodity. When the commodity is included in a purchase order, the system updates the Last Price field to show the per-unit price paid from the purchase order line item. The system then moves the existing Last Price value to the 2nd Price field and the existing 2nd Price value to the 3rd Price field. The existing 3rd Price field value is deleted.
2nd Price	Second most recent unit price paid for the commodity in dollars and cents. For information on how the system updates this field, refer to the Last Price field description. You can change the field’s value even though it is system-tracked.
3rd Price	Third most recent unit price paid for the commodity in dollars and cents. For information on how the system updates this field, refer to the Last Price field’s description. If needed, you can change the field’s value even though it is system-tracked.
Date (Last, 2nd, and 3rd Price)	Date when the commodity was purchased for the corresponding unit price. The Date fields are updated by the system based on purchase order line items that include this commodity code. You can change these dates, if needed.
Vendor (Last, 2nd, and 3rd Price)	Vendor codes corresponding to the price information. These fields are updated by the system but can be changed, if necessary.
Qual(ified) Prod(uct) List	Your entry depends on your organization’s procedures. These entries appear on the Bid List report. Character/25