10^th Level Solutions

Table of Contents

I) Table of Contents

II) System Summary

III) How to use this manual

IV) Break down of tasks

A) Getting started
i) Logging in
ii) Changing Passward
iii) Logging out
iv) Freezing terminal


B) Using the CSO system

i) Cashier Window
a) Entering item for Sale
b) Entering item for Refund
c) Cancelling a Sale/Refund item
d) Finalizing the sale
e) Printing the receipt
f) Leaving the Window


ii) Stocker Window

a) Entering order number
b) Looking up an item
c) Confirming amount received
d) Correcting amount
e) Confirming full order
f) Leaving the window


iii) Personnel Window

a) Adding a Department
b) Selecting a Department
c) Deleting a Department
d) Adding an Employee
e) Selecting an Employee
f) Changing Employee information
g) Changing Employee Security Clerance
h) Deleting an Employee
i) Leaving the window


iv) Product Window

Inventory Management
a) Choosing a Department
b) Adding an item
c) Selecting an item
d) Changing an item information
e) Deleting an item


Ordering
f) About Ordering
g) Creating a new order
h) Selecting an order
i) Adding an item to an order
j) Removing an item from an order
k) Authorizing an order
l) Leaving the window


v) Using the Warehouse System

a) Login
b) Receiving an order
c) Selecting an order
d) Selecting an Item
e) Indicating the amount
f) Filling an entire order
g) Printing an Invoice
h) Exiting the Warehouse System


vi) Archive (coming soon)

VI) Additional Help

II) System Summary

The CSO Inventory System:

The CSO Inventory System was custom made for the CSO and their Central Warehouse. The delivered product consists of two distinct database systems, or modules.

The CSO Inventory Module:

The Collective Supermarket Owners Inventory Module is a sophisticated database system to be used at each of the CSO supermarket outlets. The module includes:

• an optimal point of sale inventory interface
• an automated inventory stock update window for warehouse shipments
• grocery store personnel management capabilities
• departmental inventory management control
• comprehensive archive of database update history
• enhanced security features

The Warehouse Inventory Module:

The Warehouse Inventory Module is designed with minimal complexity. The Warehouse module permits a simplistic approach for efficiently filling orders, printing lading forms, and sending the final invoice.

Click here to see the table of contents.

III) How To Use This Manual

This user manual provides the necessary instructions for using both modules of the CSO Inventory System. Users are assumed to have a basic understanding of their computer hardware and operating system. Furthermore, it is assumed that the user understands the basic terminology associated with modern graphical user interface systems such as button, mouse, cursor, scroll bar, list box, etc...

First time users of the CSO Inventory System must consult their Information Systems Representative to be given access to the system before starting. The System Representative will provide new users with a unique login name and a personal security password. It is strongly recommended that all first time users read the section titled Getting Started before proceeding further.

Individual employees will be given different access privileges based on the employee's responsibilities. The Information Systems Representative or company supervisor must inform all users of their security access privileges.

System functions for which the user has access privileges will remain functional, while system functions for which the user has no privilege will appear grayed out. Grayed out functions will cause no action when activated, so employees need not be concerned about accidentally pressing these buttons.

The remaining sections of this manual contain simple instructions explaining how to perform each type of employee task. It is recommended that employees take a hands on approach to using the CSO Inventory System. The instructions in this guide are to be used interactively to "walk" the employee through the task in question.

Notes:

* This release of the CSO Inventory System User Manual includes simple screen shots for user reference. When the final product is implemented additional screen shots will be incorporated into this guide with sample data to assist in task instructions.

* To ensure system security, the final product will include separate user manuals for each employee category; cashier/stocker, department manager, and head manager. These user manuals are essentially the same as this guide with instructions for unprivileged tasks omitted. The online system manual will also provide this restricted access security feature.

Click here to see the table of contents.

IV) Breakdown of tasks

i) Logging in to the CSO Inventory System

All employees will see the Main Duty Menu window once the CSO Inventory System is launched. The menu includes buttons for accessing the system interfaces (or windows) for all duties associated with CSO grocery inventory management. When the system is first launched all buttons will be "grayed" out except for the "Login" button, where text will appear black. These grayed out buttons will not respond when clicked on. This is because the user has to login and get authorization by the system before being able to access the other functions.

In order to access other functions in the CSO inventory system, the employee must first log themselves into the system by first clicking on the "Login" button. Once the button is pressed a window will appear for the employee to enter their unique login name.



The employee enters their login name, followed by their password in the entry boxes provided. The entry boxes are located immediately below the words 'Login' and 'Password'. Finally, clicking on the "OK" button at the bottom of the Login Window will start the authorization process.

If the employee has entered an invalid login name or login password, a simple warning message will appear. The employee will have the opportunity to login two more times. If the employee fails to login, the login window will disappear, and the screen will continue to sit idle, just as before.



Once an employee has successfully logged onto the CSO Inventory System the login window will disappear. The Main Duty Menu will remain (as always) prominently displayed in the terminal screen. All functions which the employee has access to will become available.

ii) Changing Password for a User



If an employee decides to change his/her password for any reason, they can click on the "Change Password" button from the Main Duty Menu. A box will then display a prompt, asking for the new password. The user then inputs the old password (for authorization purposes) and the new password in two seperate boxes (to ensure the employee input the correct password he intended to use), then clicks on "OK" to confirm the change or "Cancel" to abort the operation.

iii) Logging out of the System

When an employee has finished using the CSO inventory system, they must go through the process of logging out otherwise the whole system may become vulnerable to unauthorized access. An employee may logout any time by pressing the "logout" button from the Main Duty Menu. Then all buttons will grayed out again and sitting idle waiting for login again. If an employee is currently having some windows open on the screen, the system will exit them all before logout.

However, if any of the open windows has information that has not been saved, the system will confirms the logout process with the employee by display a message box and ask for confirmation before to do so. If the user click on "Logout", the system will logout immediately. Or the employee can click on "Cancel" to cancel the logout process.

iv) Freezing the terminal

There is an additional function in each interface to allow an employee to "freeze" the terminal. Freezing the terminal will keep the state of their current work. The employee must use the login function to "un-freeze" the terminal. When the employee logs back in after freezing the terminal they may resume their work where they left off. On the other hand, when an employee logs off the system they will lose the current state of their work. Refer to the section "Using the 'Freeze Terminal' Button from any window" for more detail on the use of this function.

When an employee presses the "Freeze Terminal" button, the functionality of all open windows is frozen. All of the buttons will become grayed out except for the "Login" button.

To return the window to a normal operating state the employee must press the "login" button from the Main Duty Menu. This function is particularly useful for an employee who must leave the terminal abruptly, without finishing their current task.

Click here to see the table of contents.

B) Using the CSO system

i). Cashier Window


This section of the manual deals with the tasks performed on the cashier window. All cashiers and managers will be able to see this window at the point of sale terminals.

The tasks that can be performed in this window are:

a) Entering an item for sale
b) Entering an item for refund
c) Canceling a Sale/Refund item
d) Finalizing the sale
e) Printing the receipt
f) Leaving the Window


All these tasks can be easily performed simply using a mouse and a keyboard.

If you haven't read the section on how to log onto the system, you may read it now.

a). Entering an item for sale

Click here to see the cashier window.

When an item is sold the products item code or bar code is entered in their respective windows. For the item code, drag the mouse over to the box under the words "Item code", and click once in the box. This will allow you to type in a product code. Another method, is to click the mouse over the down arrow in the Item code box. A list of product codes will appear. Click on the code that you want and that code will appear in the Item code box. If the product code exists in the database, the name of the product and the price will appear in their respective boxes.

The next step is to enter the quantity of the product. To do this drag the mouse pointer over to the "Quantity" box and click in the box. Now type in a number, and hit the enter key. The "Price * Quantity" box should now contain the total price for that amount of the product. The last step is to click on the "Sale" button. This will add the item to the window on the right side of the screen. All the items that are part of the sale will be listed in this window.

For example, lets run through the process for entering a specific product. Lets assume this product is a no name detergent, and its item code is 5.

• Click on the Item code box. Enter 5 in the box and hit the enter key. The price and name of the product should now appear in the Item Name and Price boxes. For this example, the name is Store Detergent and the price is $10.00.
• Next, click on the Quantity box. We want to buy 2 boxes, so type 2 in the box and hit the enter key. The Price * Quantity box should now contain $20.00.
• Now click on the "Sale" button. The product name should now appear
• in the window at the left of the Sale button.

That is all there is to entering an item for sale.

b) Entering an item for refund

Click here to see the cashier window.

To give a refund, the only data needed is the item code. Drag the mouse pointer over to the Item code box and click in the box. Enter in the code number and hit the enter key. The price and name of the item will be displayed in their respective boxes.

Next, you enter how many of the product is refunded in the Quantity box (for instructions on how to do this see above). The next step is to click the Refund button. This will then display the name of the item in the window next to the button.

For example, let us use the product from section i).

• Enter the product code, which is 5, and hit the enter key. The price, $10.00, and the name, Store Detergent, should now be displayed.
• Now enter the quantity. Lets say we want to return 1 box of detergent. Enter 1 in Quantity box and hit the enter key. The Price * Quantity box should now display $10.00, since we are returning only 1 box of detergent.
• Click on the Refund button. "Store Detergent" should now be displayed in the window beside the button.
• The last step is to click on the Done button. This will display the total that will be refunded in the Total + Tax box.

c)Canceling a Sale/Refund item

Click here to see the cashier window.

This window will allow you to delete an item from the list of items window. The process is a simple one. Just move the mouse pointer over the name of the item in the list and click it. The item name should be highlighted. Next click on the Delete button. A box will appear asking you if you really want to delete the item. If you do, click on the Yes button, else click on the No button. If Yes is selected the item will be deleted from the list.

For example, let us use the example from section i).

• Move the mouse pointer over to the name of the item in the list. Click on "Store Detergent". It should be highlighted now.
  
• Click on the Delete button. When the box appears, click on the Yes button. Now you will see that the item is no longer in the list.
  

This process can be used to delete items from both the refund and the sales list.

d) Finalizing the sale

Click here to see the cashier window.

This section deals with the finishing of a sales transaction. When you have finished adding all the items to the sales list, just click on the Done button. The total for all the items will be display in the Total box, the tax will be displayed in the Tax box, and the total plus tax is displayed in the Total + Tax box.

For example, we will use the example from section i) again.

• We just want to buy the 2 boxes of detergent, so now click on the Done button. The total of $20.00 should be displayed in the Total box, and $1.40 will be displayed in the Tax box (assuming 7% GST). The Total + Tax should then display $21.40 as the total bill.

That is all there is to finalizing a sale. Now you can print out the receipt.

e) Printing the receipt

Click here to see the cashier window.

This section deals with the ending of a transaction, by printing a receipt. When you have finished with your transaction, all that is left to do is to click on the Print button and a receipt will be printed.

For example, we will use the example from section 4.

• Now that we have the total for the bill, just click on the Print button and the receipt will be printed from the printer.

This can be done for both the sales and refund transactions.

f) Leaving the window

Click here to see the cashier window.

This section deals with security of the window and exiting the window. When you want to stop using the window, you have a choice of locking up the screen or exiting from it completely.

To lock up the screen just click on the Freeze Terminal button. This will prevent anyone from making changers to the window. The only way to get back to the window is to type in your password.

To exit the window completely, just click on the the "X" button at the upper right hand corner of the screen. This will bring you back to the Main Menu, where you can logout (see logging out) or choose another window.

Click here to see the table of contents.

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If you haven't read the section on how to log onto the system, you may read it now.

a) Entering an order number

• in the 'Order Number' box, you may select the order number from the drop-down list box, or you may manually enter in the number from the keyboard.
• after the order number has been selected or entered, the original order will appear in the 'Ordered Items' list.

b) Looking up an item

Click here to see the stocker window.

• Select the order in which to look up the item. See Looking up an item.
• Scroll through the 'Ordered Items' box or through the 'Item Name' drop down box until you come to the item you are looking for.
• Select the item by clicking on it with the mouse.

c) Confirming the amount received

Click here to see the stocker window.

• select the item. See looking up an item.
• Note the amount in the 'Amount Ordered' box.
• If the amount received is the same as the amount ordered, move on to the next item.

d) Correcting the amount

Click here to see the stocker window.

• select the item to correct. See Looking up an item.
• Note the amount in the 'Amount Ordered' box.
• If the amount received is different than the amount ordered, type in the actual amount received in the 'Amount Received' box.
• Move on to the next item.

e) Confirming full order

Click here to see the stocker window.

• after checking all the items in the order and they are all correct, press the 'Confirm Order' button.

f) Leaving the window

Click here to see the stocker window.

• Press the 'Done' button.
• the stocker window will disappear, and you will see the main menu.

If you haven't read the section on how to log onto the system, you may read it now.


a) Adding a Department

Adding a department can only be done by the head manager, as he/she is the only person with authorization to access all departments within the CSO Inventory system.

• Click on the "New" button in the upper center of the screen, a dialog box will appear, asking for the name of the new department.
• Type the new name of the department into the dialog box.
• Click on the "Add" button in the upper center of the personnel window.
• Move the mouse to the scrollbar of the Department window in the upper right corner of the screen.
• Scroll down until the new department appears, the Personnel window beneath should be empty.

b) Selecting a Department

Click here to see the personnel window.

Only the head manager will be able to select any department within the CSO Inventory system. For department managers the personnel screen will only display employees from his/her department.

• Move the mouse to the scrollbar of the Department window in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
• Scroll down by continuously clicking on the down arrow of the scrollbar until the desired department appears.
• Move the mouse over the name of the desired department and double click the left mouse button.
• The name should now appear in the Department window in the upper left hand corner of the window.
• Employees from this department will appear in the Personnel window in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

c) Deleting a Department

Click here to see the personnel window.

A department can only be deleted by the head manager, as he/she has sole authorization to access all departments within the CSO inventory system.

• Move the mouse to the scrollbar of the Department window in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
• Scroll down by continuously clicking on the down arrow of the scrollbar until the desired department appears.
• Move the mouse over the name of the desired department and double click the left mouse button.
• The name should now appear in the Department window in the upper left hand corner of the window.
• Move the mouse over the "Delete" button and click the left mouse button.
• The dialog box will now appear in the center of the screen, confirming that you really want to delete the named department.
• Click on the "OK" button to complete the deletion, or click on the "Cancel" button if you choose not to delete the selected department.
• The dialog box will disappear.
• The name of the department in both windows will disappear as well as all the employee information in the Personnel window.

d) Adding an Employee

Click here to see the personnel window.

A department manager may add a new employee to his/her department, while the head manager may add employees to any department. The head manager must choose the desired department first.

• Click on the "New" button in the lower center of the screen, this will create a new employee record.
• A cursor should appear in the "Last Name" field, enter the new employees last name and press [return] on the keyboard, or move the mouse to the "First Name" field and click on the left mouse button.
• Enter the first name of the new employee and move to the "ID number" field via [return] or the mouse.
• Enter the ID number of the new employee and move to the next field
• Enter a preliminary password six characters long and advise new employee to change this password on first login.
• Move to the "Login" field and enter login name for new employee.
• Move the mouse over "Add" button and click the left mouse button
• The new employee record should now be visible in the Personnel window.

e) Selecting an Employee

Click here to see the personnel window.

The head manager may select an employee from any department by selecting a department first, while the department manager can only select an employee from his/her department.

• Move the mouse over the down arrow of the scrollbar from the Personnel window and click the left mouse button continuously until the desired employee appears in the window.
• Move the mouse over the employee field in the Personnel window and double click the left mouse button, all information about the employee will appear in the information fields on the left side of the screen

f) Changing Employee Information

Click here to see the personnel window.

The head manager may change employee information of any employee, while the department manager can only change employee information within his/her department.

• Once the right employee has been selected move the mouse over the field that needs to be changed, and click the left mouse button.
• The field can now be changed.
• Change any field by this method.
• Changes to employee information will be saved when leaving the window.

g) Changing Employee Security Clearance

Click here to see the personnel window.

This function can only be done by the head manager, as he/she has sole authorization to set security levels for any employee. Furthermore, a department manager may add a new employee for his/her department, but the head manager must set that employees security.

• Select the employee who's security needs to be set. See Selecting an Employee
• Move the mouse over the desired "Major" field in the Security window, example: Dept Manager, and click the left mouse button.
• The "Minor" field will now display which functions can be chosen to be given to the employee.
• Click on those options in the "Minor" field that the employee must be able to do.
• Changes to the security level will be saved when leaving the window.

h) Deleting an Employee

Click here to see the personnel window.

The Head manager may delete an employee from any department by first choosing the desired department, then following the instructions below. The department manager can only delete an employee within the department.

• Select the employee. See Selecting an employee.
• Move the mouse over the "Delete" button in the lower center of the screen and press the left mouse button.
• A dialog box will appear asking if you really wish to delete the selected employee.
• Click on the "OK" button if deletion should proceed, or the "Cancel" button if the deletion should be stopped.
• If "OK" was selected the confirmation box will disappear and the selected employee will be removed from the database.

i) Leaving the window

Click here to see the personnel window.

• Move the mouse over the "Done" button and press the left mouse button.
• All changes will automatically be saved to the databases.
• A dialog box will appear asking if you really wish to leave the Personnel window at this time.
• Click on the "OK" button to confirm, or "Cancel" button to return to the Personnel screen.
• When "OK" has been selected then the Personnel window will disappear and the Main Menu will reappear.

Click here to see the table of contents.

Inventory Management

Inventory Management is necessary to allow department managers to have full control over the information pertaining to each, and all products in that department.

Note: The General Manager has the authority to control the attributes of products in any department.

The following functions were created to serve the needs of a manager, throughout the process of inventory management:

a) Choosing a Department

Click here to see the product window.

The dialog box titled "Department" is located in the upper left corner of the window. This is used to select departments. To select a department click, and hold the left mouse button on the pull down menu button. A list of departments will pop up. Keep the mouse button pressed, and move the cursor onto the department you wish to select. Release the mouse button. You should see a list of products for the selected department in the Inventory List box.

b) Adding an item

Click here to see the product window.

You may add an item to the list of inventory for the currently selected department by entering all of the details about the item in the item description dialog boxes.

Note: When adding a product, the Amount on hand, and Amount on order boxes are to be left blank.

Item description dialog boxes:

i) Item - brief english description of item Example: "English Mustard"

ii) Product Code - Each item must be given a unique product code. Example: "prdc15003"

iii) Bar Code - Each item has it's own bar code. The initial version of this software will require that you manually enter this. Later versions will include the ability to select the dialog box, and scan a bar code with a bar code reader.

iv) Price - The price per unit of product.

v) Min - This indicates the amount of product on hand that will trigger an order. For example setting this to 50 indicates that when the inventory count drops to 50, the system should order more product.

vi) Max - This indicates the maximum amount of product to be kept on hand. For example setting this to 100 indicates to the system that it should not allow orders which cause the product to exceed a count of 100. Note: This can be over-ridden my the general manager.

vii) Location - The two boxes, Aisle, and Section indicate where this item is to be stocked. This information is shown to the stockers, when an order arrives. You may either enter these two values manually, or use the pull down menu buttons to select existing locations.

c) Selecting an item

Click here to see the product window.

To select an item from the Inventory List, move the mouse cursor on to the desired item, then click, and release the left mouse button. The item will be highlighted, and information about the item will appear in the item description dialog boxes.

d) Changing an items information

Click here to see the product window.

After selecting an item you may change item information by editing the information contained within the individual item description dialog boxes.

e) Deleting an item

Click here to see the product window.

After selecting an item you may delete it by clicking the left mouse button on the Delete Inventory Item button.

Ordering

f) About Ordering

here to see the product window.

Ordering is done both by the system, when a product count reaches it's minimum, and by managers. When an order is submitted, it awaits approval from the head manager. Only after the general manager authorizes an order is it relayed to the warehouse.

Note: After a fixed amount of time the system will relay unauthorized orders to the warehouse automatically.

g) Creating a new order

Click here to see the product window.

Move the mouse cursor to New order and click.

h) Selecting an order

Click here to see the product window.

To select an order move the mouse cursor on to the pull down menu button click, and hold the left mouse button. A list of order numbers will pop up. Keep the button pressed, and move the cursor on to the desired order number. Release the mouse button. You will see a list of items displayed in the box below.

i) Adding an item to an order

Click here to see the product window.

Select an item from the Inventory List and click the large Add button located between the Inventory List box and the "Items on Order" box. The item will now appear in the "Items on Order" box. A number will appear in the Amount to Order box, located below the Items on Order box. Modify this number to suit your need. Repeat these steps until all desired items are listed in the Items on Order box, then click the Done Button.

j) Removing an item from an order

Click here to see the product window.

Select an item, then click on the Remove from Order button.

k) Authorizing an order

Click here to see the product window.

Before an order is authorized, the general manager has the option of modifying it slightly. The general manager then simply clicks the authorize button.

l) Leaving the window

Click here to see the product window.

To submit the order, and leave the window press the Done button.

Click here to see the table of contents.

a) Login to the CSO Warehouse System
• Refer to "Getting Started" for the CSO Inventory System
• After the login process the CSO Warehouse window will appear


b) Receiving an order from any CSO grocery store outlet

The process is automatic. Orders are received from the CSO grocery store outlets electronically. Records are updated instantaneously each time an order is submitted from a grocery store outlet. Batch orders are submitted daily, while special orders may be submitted at any time.

c) Selecting an order to be filled, or confirmed

Click here to see the warehouse window.

• Move the mouse to the down arrow next to the field labeled "Order Number"
• Click and drag to select an order number, the order number field will indicate if an order is "pending" or "filled".
• Select the unfilled order number to be processed
• All items on the order will appear in the "items" listbox

d) Selecting an Item from the listbox "items"

Click here to see the warehouse window.

• move the scroll bar in the listbox "items" until the item in question is visible
• move the mouse to the item and click.
• all information concerning that item will appear in the fields to the left
• if the wrong item is selected try again

e) Indicating the actual amount sent for an order item

Click here to see the warehouse window.

• enter the amount actually sent in the field "number to send"
• by default this will equal the amount in the field "number ordered"

f) Filling an entire order

Click here to see the warehouse window.

• an entire order may be filled by repeating steps d) and e)
• when all items have been sent press the button "print lading form"
• Alternatively: Warehouse personnel may print a lading form first, fill the order, update the correct amount sent, and print a new lading form to send with the shipment.

g) Printing an Invoice

Click here to see the warehouse window.

Once the lading form returns to the Warehouse from the grocery store outlet the employee must print the final invoice.

• select the order number as in step c)
• click on the button labeled "print invoice"
• the order status will change from "pending" to "filled"

h) Exiting the Warehouse System

Click here to see the warehouse window.

Notice that there is no clearly marked exit button for this system. This is due to the fact that the terminal is dedicated to Warehouse Inventory Control. To exit the system follow the standard procedure for "quitting" as per the specific operating system used. (eg. mac application, select quit from the pull down menu labeled "File").

V) GLOSSARY

by clicking the mouse on a text entry field a flashing cursor will appear to indicate where text can be entered or deleted in the conventional way

a) A small rectangle within the window, such like "Add" or "Delete", which can be clicked on by a mouse
b) A physical button on the keyboard or the mouse

Depressing one of the buttons on the mouse once while the mouse arrow on the screen is pointing to a button on the screen, or some other field.

Location where all records of one kind, for example employee records, are stored within the computer system.

A small window appearing on top of a screen, asking for additional information.

Depressing one of the mouse buttons twice in rapid succession.

a screen button, scroll bar, radio button, text entry field etc... displayed as a dull shade of grey, Such buttons will not perform function when clicked

refers to a distinct window used to access a related set of program functions

The process of requesting access to the CSO inventory system by identifying the employee with that login ID & password.

The process to give up access to the CSO inventory system to prevent unauthorized access to the system. Logout is done every time when the user finishes using the system.

An small arrow on the computer screen, or the physical mouse with which the arrow is moved.

The "Return" button or "Enter" button on the keyboard.

The current window occupying the monitor, for example Personnel window

Moving down or up a list of items that is displayed within a window in the screen, and not the complete list is visible.

A small rectangle between two arrows, one pointing up the other pointing down, on the bottom or either side of a window. The rectangle can be moved by clicking on one of the arrows, or moving the rectangle directly by keeping a mouse button depressed while moving the rectangle with the mouse.

an area on the screen where text can be added or modified, the field must be active

any individual who uses a a computer in any capacity

a graphically distinct area of the terminal screen usually indicated by a thick border and a standard set of operating system functions (for more detail please refer to the users guide to your computer operating system)

VI) ADDITIONAL HELP

10th Level Solutions is committed to customer satisfaction. There are several options for you to obtain further help with the CSO Inventory System.

Warranty Service:

For assistance with product implementation: