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Using E-automate Notes

You use the notes functionality to add notes to various entities (e.g., vendors, customers, items, equipment, sales invoices) throughout e-automate, and an associated administrative permission exists in e-admin for each of the entities in e-automate to which you can add notes. You create note types to categorize the notes, and you assign applicable settings to each note type such as indicating if the notes are to be encrypted. Additionally, user must have permissions to Note Types in order to create, edit, or update note types. You use these notes as a method of communicating asynchronously and preserving communication in e-automate.

For example, you can identify changes you made on a service contract or adjustments to a sales order. Note entries can also automatically be placed in an entity’s notes for various activities in e-automate. For example, when you print a sales invoice, e-automate places an EVENT entry in the notes for the sales invoice. Any time a service call has a status change, e-automate automatically places an EVENT note type in the notes of the call so you can identify who changed the call and when. You can use these entries to identify when a call changed status or when an invoice has been printed or sent to a document queue to be printed, faxed, or emailed later.

You can create a note type that can be encrypted to permit viewing for selected users. If a user does not have permission to view an encrypted note, the note and associated details are hidden completely from the user. This functionality is helpful when storing user names, passwords, or other sensitive information for only specified users of the notes. When creating note types, you can assign security levels to specific e-automate users. While users with appropriate permissions can view notes, encrypted notes can never be printed, even if a user can view them on screen.

In the Primary Note field, e-automate stores notes entered in previous versions. The first time any notes are entered in this field, the system records the date and time. If a user subsequently updates this field, the system records and displays above the field the last update date, last update time, and the user who made the change. The system does not save date, time, and user update information for any edits that occurred prior to the last update.

For each Note other than the primary note, the system tracks the note, note type, entered date, entered by, and editable status of the note. If the note is subsequently updated, the system tracks the updated date and updated by information while retaining the entered date and entered by information. You can add as many notes as necessary. When adding these notes, you use the Note and Type fields together with the [QuickAdd] button to add brief notes (e.g., one line of text) while using the [Add...] button to access the Add Note window to add large notes (e.g., the text of an email, which can be copied and pasted into the Add Note window).

QuickSearch options are available for filtering the notes. Additionally, for each entity with whom notes can be associated, that entity's QuickSearch options include a Has Primary Note option for determining if a primary note exists for the entity and a User Note Count option for determining the number of notes associated with the entity.

Getting to the TransactionGetting to the Transaction

Select the entity for which you want to enter notes.

Click [Notes] on the e-automate toolbar to open the Notes window.
Note: You can also access the Notes window within the entity window by clicking the Notes icon. Typically, the system displays the Notes icon in the lower left corner of the window. The system displays the name of the icon if you use your mouse to hover over the icon.

Primary NotesPrimary Notes

In the Primary Note field, you can enter any necessary information associated with the entity to which you are adding notes. Primary notes can accommodate approximately two pages of typed text. Information added in this field only has an original added date and a last updated date. You cannot tell what portion of the primary note may have been modified.

Entering a NoteEntering a Note

Do ONE of the following:

To enter a brief note using QuickAdd.

In the Note field, enter the information you would like to include in your note.

In the Type field, use the lookup to select a pre-defined note type for this note.
Note: If you have permission to assign encrypted notes, only users with access to the note type specified are able to see the note added. For information on how to add note types see Creating Note Types.

Click [QuickAdd] to add your note to the entity.

To enter a note with a large amount of text, do the following:

Click [Add] to open the Add Note window.

Enter text or paste clipboard text.

In the Note Type field, use the lookup to select your note type.
For information on how to add note types see Creating Note Types.

Click [OK] to add the new note and close the Add Note window.

Optional: Click the [Preview] button to open the Preview region of the Notes window.

Editing a NoteEditing a Note

Select the note you would like to edit.

Click [Edit] to open the Edit Note window.
Note: Your system administrator determines if the Note Types assigned to notes are allowed to be edited or deleted.

Make appropriate changes.

Click [OK] to save changes.

Deleting a NoteDeleting a Note

Select the note you would like to delete.

Click [Delete] to delete the note.
Note: Your system administrator determines if the Note Types assigned to notes are allowed to be edited or deleted.

Using QuickSearchUsing QuickSearch

From the Notes window, you can use the QuickSearch to filter the user notes. For more information on using QuickSearch functionality, see the Using the QuickSearch topic.

Note: To determine when a primary note is present and/or how many user notes are present for an entity, use the QuickSearch on the entity's list window (e.g., Customers) instead of the QuickSearch on the notes window (e.g., Customer Notes) to filter by Has Primary Note and/or User Note Count option, respectively.

Printing NotesPrinting Notes

To print notes, do the following:

Click the Print button near the lower left part of the window. The system displays the Print window.

Using the Print window, do the following:

In the Printer field, use the drop-down menu to select the printer to use for printing the notes or make no change to use the default value displayed.

In the Copies field, enter the number of copies to be printed or make no change to use the default value displayed

To preview the report, click the Print preview button.
Note: The system displays the report information, observing the Include primary note and Include detail notes checkbox selections. For this reason, you may want to verify these checkbox selections before clicking the Print preview button. This report includes the following information:

Primary note (if the nclude primary note checkbox is checked)

Detail Notes (if the nclude detail notes checkbox is checked):

Note type

Created by

Created on

Last updated by

Last updated on

Check the Include primary note checkbox to include the primary note.

Check the Include detail notes checkbox to include any detail notes.

Click the [Yes] button to print the notes, or click the [No] button to close the Print window without printing the notes.
Note: If you click the [Yes] button, the system displays any applicable windows associated with your printer for printing the notes.

Previewing NotesPreviewing Notes

To preview a selected detail note do the following:

In the detail notes region, select the note you want to preview.

Click the [Preview>>] button. The system displays the preview in a Preview region below the [Preview>>] and replaces the [Preview>>] button with a [Preview<<] button.

To preview a different note, select the note in the detail notes region that you want to preview. The system displays the preview.

To close the Preview region, click the [Preview<<] button.

Completing the TransactionCompleting the Transaction

If you would like to print notes, locate and click on the Print button (printer button) in the lower left-hand corner. The Print window displays asking how you want to print the notes.

In the Printer field, use the drop-down menu to identify a printer to which to send the notes.

In the Copies field, enter the number of copies to be printed.

Check the Include primary note checkbox to include the primary note.

Check the Include detail notes checkbox to include any detail notes.

Click [Yes] to print the notes.

Click [OK] to close the Notes window.
Note: If the Notes window contains a primary note at the time you click the [OK] button, the system displays the (pages with text) Notes icon. If the Notes window does not contain a primary note at the time you click the [OK] button (even if one or more secondary notes exist), the system displays the (blank pages) Notes icon. In this manner, you can tell from the Notes icon if a primary note exists without having to click the icon to access the Notes window.