Adding bar-coded assets from a handheld terminal

You can use a handheld terminal (HHT) to scan the space label and bar-code label of each item that makes up an asset, associate it with an asset template, and download the information from the handheld terminal to the Lawson environment to be processed by Asset Management.

This addition method requires preliminary setup. Setting up bar coding Ensure you group all the items that make up an asset before you start scanning.

Procedure flow: Adding a bar-coded asset from a handheld terminal

Add a bar-coded asset from a handheld terminal

  1. Apply bar code labels to asset items.
    1. Access Asset Bar Code Labels (AM153). Use only the two following fields.
      Note: Details on printing bar code labels are found elsewhere in this user guide.

      Printing bar-code labels

      Print Number of Labels

      Use this field to define how many labels you need. If you are going to add five new items, for example, request five labels. The printer generates the next five available numbers.

      Note: If you specify a number in this field, the Asset, Item, Location, and Location Detail Level fields must be blank.
      Number of Duplicates

      Specify a number of duplicates for any item with quantities higher than 1.

    2. Download the print file to the bar-code label printer.
    3. Apply the labels to the asset items in any order. If you have items with multiple quantities, apply duplicate bar-code labels to each unit that is part of the item.
  2. Select the Asset Addition function on the handheld terminal and open the Asset Addition dialog box.
    Note: The location detail that you scan remains the default location detail for the next items that you scan until you change it by scanning a different location detail. You can have different locations for asset items belonging to the same asset.
  3. Scan the asset location.

    • Scan the location detail label (also called space label) from the location itself.

      or

      Scan the location detail bar code from the Location Detail Workbook.

  4. Scan the appropriate asset template from the Asset Template Workbook.
  5. To attach product category information to the item, scan the appropriate product code (also called manufacturer ID) from the Product Category Workbook.
  6. Scan the asset items.
    Note: Items belonging to an asset can be scanned in any order; the first item (parent item) can be any of the items.
    1. Scan the first item bar code and specify P (Parent) in the Item Type field.
    2. Specify this information:
      Company

      You can accept the defaulting company or specify a company.

      Location

      Scan only if the location changes.

      Note: Asset items to be stored in separate locations and still belong to the same asset.
      Purchase Date

      Specify a date in this field if the purchase date is different from the date when the item is scanned.

      Item Quantity

      Specify the quantity of the item if more than 1.

      Serial Nbr

      You can specify or scan the serial number of the item, if applicable.

    3. Scan the next item associated with the asset (if applicable), specify C (Child) in the Item Type field, and scan the parent item again.
    4. Repeat steps b through c until you have scanned all the items associated with the asset. Repeat steps 1 through 6 until you have scanned all assets.
  7. Interface HHT data to Asset Management.
    Note: Consult the handheld terminal documentation for instructions on saving and downloading files.
    1. Save and download the addition file, named xx -AMADD.txt, to the client PC.
    2. Transfer xx -AMADD.txt to your environment using a transfer utility such as ftp.
    3. Access AM Bar Code File Interface (AM154) to interface xx -AMADD.txt to the Asset Management AMINTER file.

      Specify this information:

      Process Type

      Select ADD (Addition).

      File Name

      • If you changed the system-assigned file name of xx -AMADD.txt, specify the name of the file in this field.

      • If you kept the system-assigned file name, the program automatically locates and processes xx -AMADD.txt.

  8. Add the interfaced assets.
    1. Access Single Invoice Interface (AM15.1) or Combine Invoice Interface (AM15.2).
    2. On AM15.1, select the company and template for which you want to view interfaced asset items

      or

      Note: Use AM15.2 only when an asset has multiple items. The combine code is the bar code of the parent item. You can display the combine codes for selection by company and template. (You do not have to remember the bar codes.)

      On AM15.2, select the company, template, and combine code.

    3. Modify the displayed data as needed using these guidelines:
      Vendor

      This is a required field, but you can specify anything you want in this field. It is not edited against Accounts Payable data.

      Note: If the handheld terminal scanned in a product category for the item, the product code (manufacturer ID) defaults to this field.
      Invoice

      This is a required field, but you can specify anything you want in this field. It is not edited against Accounts Payable data

      Quantity

      This is the number of units that make up the asset item. Each unit of an item must be exactly the same as every other unit of the item.

      Modifying the quantity will cause a mismatch error in the next inventory.

      Cost

      This is a required field. You must add the cost of each item.

      Combine

      Each item that displays has a combine code interfaced from the HHT file. The combine code is the parent bar code. All items that have the same combine code get created as one asset.

      You must delete the combine code of assets that have only one item. If you leave the combine code, you will not be able to release the asset.

      Asset tab

      Consider these points:

      • You can specify an asset description for each asset. If you do not, the template description defaults when the asset is released from the interface file and added to Asset Management. The asset description you specify must be identical for each item associated with the asset.

      • Because the compute option calculates depreciation in situations when the depreciation needs to be brought up to date with the current period, this setting is important when you add an asset that has an in-service date that is before the current, open period.

        To update the asset's YTD or LTD depreciation to the current period at this time, set Compute Option to Y.

        If you do not want to update the asset's YTD or LTD depreciation to the current period at this time, set Compute Option to N.

        Adding assets with previous in-service dates

      • Other fields on this tab take on the template values unless you specify other values.

      Item tab

      Most of the fields on this tab are interfaced from the HHT file. You can modify any of the fields, except the Location Detail fields.

      Modifying the location detail will cause a mismatch error in the next inventory.

      Template Detail Override tab, Template Category Override tab

      To override template default information, select or specify the overriding information.

      Hold

      This field has no significance for bar-coded assets.

      Note: This step deletes records from AMINTER and creates assets with a status of Entered in the Asset Management application.
    4. Release interface records from the interface file into regular Asset Management files.
      Release Method Options
      Batch

      On Mass Addition (AM115):

      • Set the Release field to Y (Yes).

      • Set the Source field to I (Invoice).

      • The Compute field determines whether the batch release calculates YTD and LTD depreciation for the assets being added that have in-service dates before the current period. There is a compute field on the Single Invoice Interface (AM15.1) and the Combine Invoice Interface (AM15.2) which determines the compute action for individual assets. If the asset compute setting on AM15.1 or AM15.2 is different from the setting on AM115, the compute is assumed to be set to Y. Adding assets with previous in-service dates

      • Set Posting Entries to Y to accept journal entries created for the newly added assets.

      • In the Posting Date field, specify a date that is the posting date for the journal entries created for the newly added assets.

      • To run the report for a more specific set of interface records, use the selection options on the Selection Options or Additional Options tabs.
      Online

      To release single-item assets, use the Release line action on AM15.1. A different asset is created for each record (detail line) released.

      Do not use this form to release combined interface records (records that share an identical value in the Combine field). If you use this form, each interface record is released separately and creates a separate asset.

      To release combined records as a single asset, use the Release form action on AM15.2.

      Note: You can also use AM115 to release combined items as one asset.
    5. Verify that the assets have been added to Asset Management.

      • Verify added assets by running Addition Report (AM220) with the Release field set to No.

      • Verify added items by running Item Listing (AM223).

        Note: You can change or delete assets before releasing the assets. The only fields that you should be careful not to modify are the fields used to track physical inventory: location, location detail, and bar code. If you modify these values, you create an inventory mismatch.
    6. Change or delete the asset information, if any information is incorrect, using Additions and Adjustments (AM20.2), Items (AM20.3), or Books (AM20.4).
    7. Release the added assets.
      Release Method Options
      Batch Run Processing Release (AM170). This will also transfer journal entries to General Ledger.
      Online Use the Release form action on AM20.2, AM20.3, or AM20.4.
    Note: This procedure produces journal entries; depending on the procedure and process you are performing, these entries are transferred to Lawson General Ledger, Strategic Ledger, or Project Accounting.
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