Introduction

This page is designed to help new users configure necessary information and import their company data as they're transitioning to CompuPlants Gold. While all Setup menu items are explained in this guide, the steps in this tutorial do not follow the sequence of the Setup menu items. By the end of this tutorial, you'll be ready to use the program for your regular business needs.

1. Record Company Information (Setup > General)

Rather than inserting a new record here, you'll edit the existing demo data. Click "Find," then edit company name, address, phone/fax, and the color scheme for your report designs.

2. Set Up General Ledger Accounts (Setup > General)

GL account numbers are required in some features of the application, such as cash receipts and AR product accounts, so we've provided the accounts you'll need as defaults: Checking, Receivables, Sales, Freight Invoice, and Interest Income. You may keep these defaults, but the account number cannot be edited. If you wish to change the account number, you must delete the record and insert a new record. By leaving "Balance Sheet" unchecked, the application understands that the account appears on the Income Statement.

3. Determine Starting Numbers (Setup > General)

Order, Invoice, and Receipt numbers may contain 8 characters or less (numbers and/or letters). Before entering your starting numbers, go to Deletes > Delete Other Tables and Reset Sequences to clear any existing demo data.

4. Add New Users (Admin > Users)

There are two types of users: administrators and non-administrators. Administrators can add and delete users, control other users' permissions, and modify report designs. Non-administrators may also modify report designs with permission from an administrator.

The program is shipped with one user, "admin." You may edit the password for this user, but you cannot delete the user.

5. Establish Permission Groups (Admin > Permissions)

This form allows you to set specific permissions for non-admin users. You may set permissions by user, in which case you would give the permission group the same name as the user, or by a group of users, naming the group by department (e.g. "Orders").

1. Go to Administration > Permissions.
2. Click “New Permission.”
3. In the dialog box, type the name of a new permission group.
4. On the User table, include individual user(s) in the group by checking the box labeled "Grant."
5. Assign group permissions:
   • For unrestricted access to a module, select "All."
   • For full restriction to a module, select "None." The module will not appear on the user's main menu.
   • For partial access, check "Partial," then expand the module by clicking the plus (+) sign. Continue expanding topics until check boxes appear under the "Partial" column. Check each menu tree item that the user may access. Further delineate permissions with the "Insert," "Update," and "Delete" parameters to the right.
6. (Optional) Enable password protection for any module or menu tree item by typing the password in the last column.
7. Click “Save.”

6. Set Up Customers

a. Set Up Customer Menu Items

b. Enter Locality Tax Rates (Setup > Sales Tax)

Use this form to set up tax rates by locality (which can be the state or county)—including those localities without taxes. Then, in the customer file, set a default locality. This information will be used for Sales Tax Reports in the Receivables module.

The locality code may contain up to 15 characters. We suggest combining the state and/or county abbreviation with a "TAX" or "NOTAX" indicator. For example:

• WA-NOTAX
• WA-TAXED
• WA-CLARK

c. Import Customers and Customer Balances

Customers must be imported in two batches: one for customers where this ship-to address matches the sold-to address, and another for customers where the ship-to address differs from the sold-to address.

1. First, go to Setup > Deletes and delete both customers and customer balances.
2. Under Imports/Exports, open the "Import Customers" form.
3. In Excel, format a spreadsheet according to the header row provided on the import form.
4. When you're ready to import, click "Open" to trigger Windows Explorer, then navigate to and select the appropriate file.
5. If importing single sold-to customers (where the ship-to address matches the sold-to address), check the flag.
6. Once the selected file opens, delete row 1 by clicking into a cell within the row then clicking the minus ( - ) sign in the bottom left corner.
7. Select "Validate." The program will catch any errors and highlight them. If necessary, make corrections to the spreadsheet, then re-upload and validate again.
8. Select "Process."

Follow the same instructions to import bill-to customers (where ship-to address differs from sold-to address) and customer balances.

d. Review AR Product Accounts (Gold Menu > Receivables)

AR Product Accounts enable posting sales to the general ledger. While CompuPlants Gold does not support financial reporting, the program still encourages sound financial practices. And, should you wish to convert to CompuPlants Platinum in the future, initiating these practices now will facilitate a much smoother transition later.

CompuPlants comes with five AR product accounts pre-loaded: FREIGHT, INTEREST, PLANTS, ADDS (additional charges), and ROYALTIES. Each is linked to the corresponding GL account. You may adopt these, delete them and create new accounts, and/or make additional accounts, but note that these are the minimum you should have. If adopting these, be sure to change the default GL account number associated with each AR product account so that they match your own GL account numbers.

7. Set Up Inventory

a. Set Up Inventory Menu Items

• Provide the UPC-A number for "product." The "prefix" is the number assigned to your company by the UPC Council. The "suffix" is your own starting number. The "length" should be "0". With this information, the program automatically generates UPC numbers in the product catalog.
• Inventory Options: Check the flag "Royalty Excluded" to indicate that your product catalog price does not reflect added royalties. The application uses this setting when applying discounts and calculating freight.

b. Import Inventory Data

Please read our product setup guidelines before importing inventory data, then return to the Gold New User Guide when you're ready to import.

1. Navigate to the appropriate import form and double-click the menu item.
2. In Excel, format a spreadsheet according to the sample header row provided on the Import form.
3. Click "Open."
4. Browse for the appropriate file and select "Ok."
5. Delete row 1 by clicking in any cell within the row, then clicking the minus ( - ) sign in the bottom left corner.
6. Select "Validate." The program will catch any errors and highlight them. If necessary, make corrections to the spreadsheet, then re-upload and validate again.
7. Select "Process."

c. Set a Future Date Price (Optional)

The parameter oestopcatprice establishes an end date for the current catalog price when a future price is saved in the product catalog. Enter a new date in the "Value" field.

8. Setup Orders

Enter default information for each of the following menu items under Setup > Orders.

9. Learn How to Use Reports & Grids

CompuPlants' reports and grids offer great flexibility for users looking to organize and filter information in various ways. Learn more about their functionality in our Platinum New User Guide.

Next Steps

You're now ready to transition to the Gold Menu, where you can enter orders, record inventory transactions, run reports, and much more. Please consult the Orders, Receivables, and Inventory help files for guidance with any of those tasks.