Special Features Easy Access (to your own information) Computers need "record keys" to locate data but, thanks to Appgen, you don't. You can use the plain English "Cross-Reference Feature" or the pull down "Lookup Window" to find any record or data, in any period, without ever having to remember any codes of keys. Here's more: Overview You access information in the MyBooks applications in three basic ways. First, you access an individual record, whether a customer account, or an inventory item, or a job, etc. Second, while viewing a record on the screen you may drill down to get to additional and more detailed information related to the record. Finally, information is accessed en masse through the printing of reports. This document describes the specific ways to access records and additional information, and print pre-formatted reports. Record Keys Record Keys are a peculiarity of data kept in computers. They are required by database systems and programs so that they can efficiently store and retrieve the data. Before a program can provide you with information that you need, you must provide the program with the key(s) to the information record(s). At the beginning (top) of each data entry and inquiry screen in all the applications is a prompt for the record key. Simply enter the record key at this prompt and the program will immediately retrieve the requested record from the database. Record Keys, however, may be difficult to always remember. In MyBooks applications, you never need to know any record keys to access your own data. The two following alternatives are provided to eliminate the need to memorize, guess, or look up keys. Cross-reference - The Natural Interface to Your Own Data The Appgen ‘Cross-Reference’ feature is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal while using the MyBooks applications. All users should become familiar with it. In order to access records in a master file, you would normally have to memorize, or reference elsewhere, the appropriate computer codes that were assigned as their keys. By using the 'cross-reference' feature, however, the computer codes themselves become irrelevant. In the case of the Inventory Item file, for example, all the user needs to know is what the item is. Access to information is gained quickly and in a natural and direct way. The 'cross-reference' feature is available throughout MyBooks whenever you are prompted for a customer code, vendor code, inventory item code, general ledger account number, job number, bill of material code, product/service codes, bank codes, and bank account numbers. The method is very simple: Whenever you are prompted for the inventory item in any file maintenance, data entry, or inquiry screen, just type the first three letters of the description of the item. Example: The item description is: PAPER - WHITE BOND LEGAL #20 In response to the item code prompt, you enter: PAP The ‘cross-reference’ feature immediately locates all items that have the letters ‘PAP’ beginning any one of the words in their descriptions. These item descriptions are then presented to you in a pop-up window in order for you to choose the one that you need: Item Code: PAP In our example, you would double click on the second line to choose the correct item, and you’re done. The window would disappear, the code '310-02' would appear in the Item code prompt, and you would continue processing. As an alternative to selecting your choice by line number, you may use the cursor up and down arrow keys to highlight the desired line. When your choice is highlighted, just press the return key on your keyboard. Note: When the cross-reference window appears, the first line is highlighted. Pressing the return key before any other action would cause you to select the first choice. If you do not want to make any selection, you can just click on the Cancel button, or press the tab key twice and then the return key once (to highlight the Cancel button and then select it). If the ‘cross-reference’ only finds one match, the window will not pop open, but the code will fill in automatically. Sometimes the program will find so many matches that they will not all fit into the pop-up window. At that point you can scroll the window by dragging on the scroll bar with your mouse, or by pressing the up and down arrow keys, or by pressing the page up and page down keys on your keyboard. In the above example you typed in the first three letters of the first word in the item description. However, you may also enter the first three letters of any other word in the item’s description and still find the one you need. Example: In response to the item code prompt, you enter: WHI Item Code: WHI Not only did this entry work for our purposes, but it also narrowed down the selection somewhat. To expand on this idea, try entering a few more letters from a word in the item description. Example: In response to the item code prompt, you enter: WHITE Item Code: WHITE The last choice from the previous example is dropped because of a mismatch in the fourth letter. Now we can narrow it down even more by typing letters from more than one word in the description. Example: In response to the item code prompt, you enter: WHI #20 BON Item Code: WHI #20 BON Notice how the actual words in the description may be ordered differently from how you typed the entry. The ‘cross-reference’ feature will select all items which contain those words or portions of words you entered, regardless of their order. The 'cross-reference' feature is available throughout MyBooks whenever you are prompted for a customer code, vendor code, inventory item code, general ledger account number, job number, bill of material code, product/service codes, bank codes, and bank account numbers. Lookup Windows The Appgen Lookup Window is an alternate to the 'cross-reference' way of accessing records in the system. Generally speaking, this method is most useful when dealing with relatively small files (100 records or less). Examples of these types of files are Payment Terms, Ship Via Codes, Warehouses, etc. You do not need to know anything about the record you are looking for when using the Lookup Window. This feature produces a window that lists all the records in the requested file, allowing you to peruse the list and select the desired record. The following example is from the Job File Maintenance in Accounts Payable. Whenever a prompt field has the capability to provide you with a Lookup Window, the top application button's description begins with the word 'Select'. When you click on the 'Select' button, the Lookup Window appears. Now just double-click on the record of your choice. On-line Information Centers Instant access to useful and comprehensive information is perhaps the most important aspect of a successful computer implementation. In this information age, information equals power, and power leads to greater success. Personnel that utilize real information in their decision-making processes generally produce higher quality decisions than when relying solely only on their own experience, knowledge, memory, and intuition. The MyBooks applications each have one place from which you can derive all the information that was ever entered into the system, assuming that no data has been purged, of course. This place is referred to as the Main On-line Information Center of the application. If you are using the Total Business Management interface, these inquiry functions can always be found in the 'Main' pull-down menu of the application. If you are using one of the Simple Business Management interfaces, you simply click on Information Central at the bottom of your menu. The Main On-line Information Center always begins with a basic record, such as a customer account, vendor account, inventory item, general ledger account, job, employee, etc. This record can be accessed with either the Cross-Reference or Lookup Window feature. From there it is a simple process of clicking on application buttons, or clicking on lines of data, to access, or drill down to further information and details. Printing Reports Printing reports is a simple and straightforward process. Simply choose any report from the 'Reports' menu, fill in the criteria to select the records you want included in the report, and click on the 'Next' button. All reports are first displayed on the screen, as in the following sample of the General Ledger Chart of Accounts Detail List: The buttons at the top of this window allow you to select the printer on which to print this report, preview the report as it would print on the printer, print the report, save it in a file, find a string within the report, change the font, and move up and down through the report on a page-by-page basis.