Now that D-Tools System Integrator (SI) v20 is ready for release, we thought it would be prudent to offer some insight on one of the new features for Vendor (or source) assignment for Catalog items. This new feature will enable our users to list more than one Vendor as a source for pricing of their products. This will then translate to the Purchase Order for the Project and can be adjusted as necessary per pricing variations and product availability.
While this is not as big of a change as the new designation of Labor Types, this is still an enhancement worth examining. For those of who missed last month’s entry on the aforementioned Labor Types, please click here to catch-up.
For longtime users of SI, this will be a convenient change that will save time that is usually spent tracking down pricing via various portals, spreadsheets, and price lists.
Things to consider…What is/was a Preferred Vendor?
In D-Tools SI v19 (and prior versions), a preferred vendor was the specific assignment of a supplier that our users could source a product from in an SI Purchase Order.
This designation was also visible from the Catalog item itself.
as well as from the Project.
What does the Preferred Vendor designation mean now in D-Tools SI v20?
Now this designation will apply to your actual preferred (or primary) vendor in your vendor list.
This will be available to view in your Product Catalog as seen above here.
Now for the added benefit this feature can offer your team…you can now review pricing from more than one vendor source!
Your Preferred Vendor’s Purchase Cost will be listed to the right per the above image.
But, should you need to review pricing options, you can simply select another one from the Vendor drop-down list just above the Purchase Cost field.
The magic that will make our user’s evaluation process that much easier for pricing will manifest via the D-Tools Vendor Partner pricing mechanism that launched a few years ago.
This database (which is ever growing) includes hundreds of different brands as supplied by various manufacturers and vendors/distributors. Moreover, with the dedication of our Product Data team, this list will continue to expand to better serve our SI users.
By using this mechanism to load your team’s pricing, you now remove the guesswork from daily pricing evaluations in exchange for scheduled price updates that can load on a daily basis if need be.
For those of you not familiar with our Vendor Partner interface, please see this link here for further details from a prior blog entry.
How does this multiple Vendor situation help your SI usage?
Good question!
The primary benefit here is that your team (be they in sales, purchasing, or service) can now view real-time pricing from multiple providers in your SI Catalog database for any items so linked via our Vendor Partner interface.
We all know the delays that can ensue when trying to source pricing via web-portals, shared-drives, or spreadsheets endlessly emailed between staff members. All of this frustration can now be eliminated once you have your vendors approved in the vendor partner listing and have the suppliers assigned accordingly in your SI Catalog database. A feat that can be done for multiple product items at once via our Mass Update feature.
We certainly hope you enjoy this new feature addition to SI!
In Summation…
-Upon the installation of SI v20, multiple vendors will now be available for product assignment in SI.
-Each of these Vendors can yield different pricing per our Vendor Partner mechanism.
-This evaluation capability will save time and ensure your team of having your desired pricing loaded into your jobs accordingly.
-This data will be timely and relevant for your sales estimators, purchasing, and service teams.
With all of that said, there’s still plenty more in store for you with SI’s new v20 product release so keep an eye out for future updates.
As always, we are reviewing your Feature Requests to determine our best step forward and next course of action with future SI product releases so…“keep’em coming”!
In closing…
For more information on these and other features of SI v20, please see this link: D-Tools v20. You can also review our other videos and our usual support documentation.
You can also get more detailed information about v20 via our upcoming webinars and by enrolling in SI training with our PSG team. Please see this link here for our recent “What’s new in v20” webinar.
And don’t forget, that’s why we are here…to ensure your success with our product! Be sure to check back here next time for more on v20!!!
