Activant Dimensions Getting Started page 177

MANUFACTURER'S (MFG) NUMBER
Field #3
The manufacturer's number is another way of selecting items during POS and
Purchasing/Receiving in addition to item number and catalog number. Very often
the manufacturer will print its own item number directly on the item or the
packaging in addition to a barcode. (Bar codes are maintained in a separate file,
BC1.D. If you wish to use the bar code system, contact Enterprise.)
The manufacturer's number has some specific characteristics:
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Field #4
A short description should be assigned to each inventory item, which is another
way to search for items at POS and Purchasing/Receiving. Normally the short
description can correspond to the section of items it is describing (as in
group/section) or even smaller categories (as in hammer, saw, blade, etc.).
The specific characteristics of the short description are:
Dimensions 14
15 characters long including letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation
marks.
Optional. Can be used for some items and not for others.
Duplicates allowed. Since duplicates are allowed, when selecting items at
POS and Purchasing/Receiving, the computer will display the
manufacturer's number with the lowest item number first.
Most inventory reports can be sorted and printed by manufacturer's
number.
Throughout the system, the manufacturer's number may also be referred
to as:
MFG NO
MFG/UPC NUMBER
MFG#
M#
15 characters long including letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation
marks.
Optional. Can be used for some items and not for others (although the
greatest benefit comes if all items have short descriptions).
Duplicates allowed.
Most inventory reports can be sorted and printed by short description.
Can be designated as the primary search key for POS.
Chapter 5. Inventory
169