Using Multiple Price Methods

The first place e-automate looks for prices is in Customer Pricing. For more information on how to set up Customer Pricing, see the Setting Item Prices - Customer Pricing topic. When you select a customer, e-automate knows if Customer Pricing is enabled. If the customer is set up for Customer Pricing then e-automate determines if you have set a specific price for the item you select. If e-automate finds a price, it stops looking and sets the price for the item on the transaction. If e-automate does not find a price in Customer Pricing, it simply moves on to look in the Price Level structure for a price.

Price Levels are required on customer profiles. Each customer in e-automate has a Price Level set on the Billing tab of the customer record. The rules are followed by e-automate as outlined below to determine the price of an item for a particular customer.

First, e-automate compares the customer's Price Level with the price levels listed on the selected inventory item's Prices tab. If the customer's Price Level matches any of the Price Levels listed on the inventory item's Prices tab, e-automate sets the price based on the matching price level definition on the inventory item. For more information, see the Setting Item Price Levels topic.

Second, if e-automate does not find the Price Level listed on the Prices tab of the inventory item, it looks for a Base Price Level. When you set up a Price Level, you can base a Price Level on an already existing Price Level so they are linked. The linked Price Level is called the Base Price Level. For information on creating linked price levels, see the Creating Price Levels topic.

Next, if e-automate cannot find the customer's Price Level on the Prices tab, it looks to see if the customer's Price Level is based on another Price Level. If the customer's Price Level is linked to a Base Price Level, e-automate searches the inventory item's Prices tab for the Base Price Level. If it finds the Base Price Level, it determines the price based on your configuration for the Base Price Level and sets the price on the transaction.

Fourth, if e-automate does not find the Base Price Level on the item's Prices tab, it checks to see if the Base Price Level is linked to another Price Level, referred to here as Base Price Level 2. It then looks for Base Price Level 2 on the inventory item's Prices tab, stopping and setting the price if it finds it. At this point, e-automate continues searching linked Price Levels until it has found a price it can use to set the price, or until it finds a Price Level that is not linked to a base price level.

To illustrate the above rules, we will use an example with real Price Level names and assume there is no Customer Pricing. In this example, we have a customer that has been assigned the Price Level of Gold 2 (G2). G2 is linked to the GOLD Price Level. The customer is purchasing the inventory item XYZ. On XYZ's inventory item Prices tab we have defined pricing for the GOLD price level only. The Customer Pricing is skipped by e-automate because there is no Customer Pricing set for this customer. Then e-automate searches XYZ's Prices tab for pricing associated with the G2 Price Level, and does not find any, at that point, e-automate then searches the Prices tab for the GOLD Price Level. Because G2 is based on GOLD, the system finds it and sets the price on the transaction.

As a final step using linked Price Levels, e-automate searches for prices using linked Price Levels until it finds an unlinked Price Level. If it still has not found a defined price it stops and begins looking for a Default Price Level pricing definition. It is a common practice to set the Default Price Level on all inventory items so that if the customer-defined Price Level is not defined, e-automate always has a configured price to use in the Default Price Level.

In e-automate, one Price Level can be defined as a Default Price Level. For information on setting a Default Price Level, see the Creating Price Levels topic.

If e-automate cannot find a price by searching linked and unlinked Price Levels, it begins searching for a Default Price Level. If your configuration has a Default Price Level, e-automate will search the inventory item's Prices tab for the Default Price Level configured price. If one is found, e-automate sets the price on the transaction. If there is no Default Price Level or the Default Price Level is not configured for the inventory item, e-automate stops looking in Price Levels for a price.

If after searching Customer Pricing, linked Price Levels, and Default Price Levels for a price e-automate still cannot find a price, it looks for the Default Price. The Default Price is set on the Prices tab of each inventory item. You set the Default Price by editing the inventory item. Do the following:

Click [Items] on the e-automate toolbar to open the Items window.

Select the item for which you would like to set the default price and click [Edit] to open the Edit Inventory Item window.

Click on the Prices tab to bring it forward

Check the Use Default Price checkbox to activate the Default Price field.

Enter a price in the Default Price field.

Save your price by clicking [OK].

If e-automate finds the Use Default Price checkbox checked, it sets the item’s price based on what appears in the Default Price field. If the Use Default Price checkbox is not checked, it moves on to doubling the system cost.

If, after searching every other method for pricing e-automate still has not found a price, it doubles the system cost as a price on your transactions. This price is referred to in the Item Prices window as the System Default price. If you are using LIFO or FIFO, e-automate will double the cost appropriate for the date layer you are using. If you are using weighted average, e-automate doubles your weighted average cost.

The double cost feature is used by e-automate as a way to ensure that you are selling your inventory items for a margin. You can always override a price. However, if you allow e-automate to set the price, you will be assured a margin.