Spell Checking Job Titles

Here's a simple idea to help with data integrity. Write a report or query that pulls distinct job titles from TIMSS. Put the results into Microsoft Word, or similar application, and run the spell checker. When you find one that's not spelled correctly, search for it in TIMSS and fix it.

Note that if you are pulling job titles from customers or addresses it will affect where you search for the spelling mistake.

You can do this for other fields, product descriptions for example, where the words would be found in a dictionary.

Applies to: TIMSS5 & TIMSS6

TIMSS 6: Short Pay Codes

When setting up rate structures for products in TIMSS there is an option for the Short Pay Code under each rate code:

ADJUST- Accept whatever is paid
AR- Create Receivable
REJECT- Do not activate Order unless fully paid

This code is used by TIMSS when the full amount is not paid for a product. ADJUST could be used for fundraising products where you will accept what ever amount is paid by the customer. AR makes the line status Active and creates a receivable in TIMSS for when you want to give them the product but are going to go after them for the remaining balance. REJECT keeps the order proforma until the full amount is paid (you don't want receivables).

If a user tries to make a short pay order Active and the Short Pay Code is REJECT they will receive the following message:

You should also note that once an order becomes Active, you can not make it Proforma again.

Applies to: TIMSS6

TIMSS 6: Quick Pick Products Configuration

On the Call Center screen, there is an area for quick picks where your users can easily place order for products (see TIMSS 6: Ordering Multiple Products).

You can control what products are displayed on this panel of the Call Center screen on the User Quick Picks Setup screen (MRM000A).

One thing I didn't like about this screen were the check boxes at the bottom, in particular the Make Quick Pick Product Available for All Users. I didn't want to make this screen available to all staff since they could control what others saw. We don't use Fund Raising so the other is not applicable to us.

So I hid these controls using Extender. Now everyone has access to this screen and they can only change what their own quick picks are.

This data is stored in the PRODUCT_QUICK_PICK table. The two notable columns in the table are the PUBLIC_FLAG and the USER_ID. If the PUBLIC_FLAG is Y then all users see this quick pick product. If it is N then only the person in the USER_ID column sees it in their quick picks.

Applies to: TIMSS6

TIMSS 6: CUS_ALIAS Table

That the CUS_ALIAS_TABLE is where TIMSS stores the aliases you create for a customer. Important fields in the table are the CUS_ALIAS_SEQ, ALIAS_CODE, and SEARCH_NAME.

The SEARCH_NAME is the alternate name that a user can search for and pull up this customer.

The ALIAS_CODE is a user defined code (the type is ALIAS) that can be used to describe each alias entered in the table. I have

• ALPHA- The name we would use to sort this customer (company) alphabetically. The Joe Smith Foundation, would have an alias of SMITH, JOE FOUNDATION. The Community Foundation of Greater Green Bay would have an alias of GREEN BAY, COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER. Since we store these as alias instead of elsewhere, they can be used when searching.
• MAIDEN- Maiden Name- to store a woman's maiden name
• ACRONYM- Acronym (COF for Council on Foundations)
• ALT-SPELL- Alt. Spelling- SMITH;ROBERT or SMITH;BOB, or we use it when a name has alternate characters.
• DBA- Doing Business As- some organizations use multiple names

The ALIAS_CODE is not a required field, but is very useful for tracking why an alias is used.

The CUS_ALIAS_SEQ is a sequence number and used as a key in the table, each entry getting the next number. However, the alias with a CUS_ALIAS_SEQ of zero is the primary SEARCH_NAME and is the same as the SEARCH_NAME in the customer table. You can not edit this primary alias on the Alias screen (CUS007) and can only change it by changing the customer's actual name.

I had some old converted data where the primary SEARCH_NAME in the CUS_ALIAS_TABLE did not match the SEARCH_NAME in the CUSTOMER table, so that something you might want to check.

Applies to: TIMSS6