Managing Your Supply Chain Using Microsoft Navision

System usage is shaped by several design factors. One of these factors is the terminology for window titles, field labels and functions that describe system usage. This book s explanations used the Microsoft Navision terminology as much as possible, but sometimes employed generally accepted synonyms or alternative phrasing to clarify understanding. Several Navision terms require greater clarification , as explained below.

Posting A posting function must be performed before an inventory-related transaction updates the inventory value and/or inventory balance. Illustrations of inventory- related transactions include purchase order receipts, sales order shipments, production order output, and inventory adjustments. The concept of posting allows multiple transactions to be entered and reviewed prior to updating the database. For example, the posting concept allows multiple inventory adjustments to be prepared, and then a single user -initiated function (the posting function) updates the database. The posting function can be performed for a single transaction or a set of transactions and represents a mass-update approach for a set of transactions. As a mass-update approach, the posting function provides immediate on-line notification of errors (such as lot numbering requirements on a receipt transaction) within the set of transactions. Errors can then be corrected before performing the posting function again.

Registering The registering function must be performed before an inventory movement transaction (that does not affect inventory value) updates the database. The key difference with the posting function is that it does not affect inventory value. The registering function applies to warehouse documents used to move material, such as putting away material after posting its receipt, or picking material to a staging area prior to posting its shipment.

Journal A journal typically pertains to general ledger transactions, and a set of inventory transactions that impact inventory value are also termed a journal. Each line item in a journal represents one inventory transaction, and line items can be prepared and modified prior to posting. Journals are used for different types of inventory transactions as shown below.

As noted in the above list, a journal is also used for other types of transactions. This includes the Output Journal for reporting work center time against a production order routing, and the Job Journal for reporting resource time expended on a job. Another journal (the Resource Journal) is used for reporting usage of resource time.

Ledger Entries Several sets of ledger entries represent the inventory transaction audit trail for an item. This audit trail consists of item ledger entries and physical inventory ledger entries , and the transaction type is termed ledger entry type. An item s inventory transaction audit trail also consists of lot and/or serial numbers (based on the item tracking policies) that are identified as item tracking entries .

The financial equivalents for an inventory transaction audit trail are termed item value entries . An item s value entries identify and segment the financial impact for each inventory-related transaction, such as segmenting a purchase order receipt into direct and indirect costs. With standard costing, item-related value entries also identify variances and changes to standard cost that revalue existing inventory.

There are other sets of ledger entries. Customer ledger entries identify the posted shipments and invoices related to a customer; vendor ledger entries do the same for a vendor.

Navigation The Navigation feature allows you to identify the source transaction that created a posted transaction, such as the sales order shipment that created a posted invoice. It also highlights related information, such as item ledger entries and customer ledger entries.

List of Terms and Synonyms The following list provides the Navision terms and synonyms.