Overview of the Supplier Item Catalog (Oracle Purchasing Help)


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Overview of the Supplier Item Catalog

The Supplier Item Catalog provides a simple mechanism for locating items and their source information for the purpose of creating purchase order and requisition lines. You can open the catalog from an existing requisition or purchase order and add lines to that document. Alternatively, you can open the catalog from the menu and create new requisitions.

Search Supplier Item Catalog Window

Purchasing displays the Search Supplier Item Catalog window whether you invoke the Supplier Item Catalog from the menu or from a requisition or purchase order.

To invoke the Supplier Item Catalog from a requisition or purchase order, select the Catalog button when the cursor is in the Lines alternative region. Whether this button is present for a particular document type can be determined by Function Security.

The Supplier Item Catalog does not support Outside Processing. However, you can open the Catalog from an outside processing line in a requisition or a purchase order to find other items.

In the search window, lists of values show only valid values. For example, inactive suppliers are not displayed.

The "Item description contains the words" field is used for keyword searches. If you search for "desk executive mahogany", you get any item whose description includes all three words. In this case you could widen the search by removing "mahogany" and/or "desk." The words in the description do not have to occur in the order listed, so searches on "desk executive" and "executive desk" would get the same result: all items whose description included both of the words.

The Deliver To Organization and Location (when invoked from the menu or a requisition) are the Ship To Organization and Location when the window is invoked from a purchase order. Lists of values display deliver-to or ship-to values, as appropriate. For query purposes, the deliver-to actually uses the associated ship-to information.

Supplier Item Catalog Window

There are four alternative regions in the upper screen of this folder window, but Function Security can be used to determine whether a user will be able to see all of them. A profile option (PO: Default Supplier Item Catalog Option) determines which of these alternative regions is the default when the catalog opens from the menu and for the first time in a user session that the catalog opens from a requisition or purchase order. If you close the catalog and reopen it from a purchase order or requisition during the same session, the default source region is the last one previously open. The regions are:

Negotiated Sources Long term agreements with a supplier that support repetitive buys: Blanket purchase agreements, catalog quotations, and planned purchase orders. This alternative region is a folder.

Prior Purchases Actual past buys: Standard purchase orders, scheduled releases, blanket releases. This alternative region is a folder.

Sourcing Rules Sourcing rules. There are + and - iconic buttons just below the region box. Select the + icon or Expand Sourcing Rules on the Special menu to display source documents for the rule in a folder region. Use the - icon or Collapse Sourcing Rules on the Special menu to collapse the region displaying the documents. You must be in the documents region to add to the Order Pad or to select a price.

Requisition Templates Requisition Templates. The PO: Legal Requisition Type profile option governs whether templates for supplier and internally sourced lines are displayed. This alternative region is a folder.

Using the Order Pad

Open the Supplier Item Catalog window by choosing Catalog in the Requisitions or Purchase Orders window to view and use the Order Pad. Use the Add (down arrow) button, select Add to Order Pad on the Special menu, or double click to highlight the selected line in a source region and add it to the Order Pad. Validation takes place at this point, and if there is a problem, Purchasing displays a message window with an explanation. Depending on the problem, you may or may not be permitted to add the line. Also, if Disposition messages are enabled for the Purchasing Inventory organization, they are displayed as lines and added to the Order Pad.

When you add to the Order Pad, you must specify the following information. Defaults for this information are defined in the Order Pad Options window.

Deliver-To organization (if you opened the catalog from the menu or a requisition)

Ship-To organization (if you opened the catalog from a purchase order)

Deliver-To location (if you opened the catalog from the menu or a requisition)

Ship-To location (if you opened the catalog from a purchase order)

Destination Type (Expense or Inventory)

Subinventory (if the Destination Type is Inventory)

Need-By date (if the item is planned in the destination organization)

Quantity. The quantity must be greater than zero. It defaults to 1 or the quantity on the requisition/purchase order line if a quantity was specified and if the first record was added to the Order Pad.

If you are adding to the Order Pad from Negotiated Sources or Sourcing Rules and enter a quantity less than an existing price break quantity, Purchasing opens a Decision window and asks whether you want to increase the order quantity to reduce the unit price.

Use the Remove (eraser) button, Remove from Order Pad on the Special menu, or Clear Record to remove selected lines from the Order Pad. When you remove a line from the Order Pad, Purchasing returns it to the source region and unhighlights the line. To support return a line to its source alternative region, Purchasing does not permit Clear Record in the source alternative regions or Clear Block in the Order Pad.

Order Pad Options

Use the Options button when you are on the Order Pad to open the Order Pad Options window, where you can enter Order Pad defaults and options. If you have opened the Supplier Item Catalog from a purchase order, the Order Pad Options window includes the Copy Option alternative region, where you can specify the Supplier, Supplier Site, Supplier Contact, FOB, Carrier, Payment Terms, and Freight Terms to be copied to the purchase order header.

Order Pad Total

For each line on the Order Pad, Purchasing displays the extended price in that line's currency. To see the total Order Pad amount in your functional currency, open the Order Pad Total window by selecting the Order Total button.

Select Price Only Option

As a mutually exclusive alternative to the Order Pad, there is a Select Price Only check box at the top right of the screen when you have opened the Supplier Item Catalog from a requisition or a purchase order. If the requisition or purchase order line is saved, when you open the Catalog, you must use Select Price Only. This check box can be enabled only if nothing has been added to the Order Pad. If this check box is selected, the Add (down arrow), Order Total, and Options buttons are disabled and the Select button is enabled. You can then select prices for inclusion on a requisition or purchase order.

Negotiated Sources	Long term agreements with a supplier that support repetitive buys: Blanket purchase agreements, catalog quotations, and planned purchase orders. This alternative region is a folder.
Prior Purchases	Actual past buys: Standard purchase orders, scheduled releases, blanket releases. This alternative region is a folder.
Sourcing Rules	Sourcing rules. There are + and - iconic buttons just below the region box. Select the + icon or Expand Sourcing Rules on the Special menu to display source documents for the rule in a folder region. Use the - icon or Collapse Sourcing Rules on the Special menu to collapse the region displaying the documents. You must be in the documents region to add to the Order Pad or to select a price.
Requisition Templates	Requisition Templates. The PO: Legal Requisition Type profile option governs whether templates for supplier and internally sourced lines are displayed. This alternative region is a folder.