Samples In Estimates And Jobs

By using the Samples Manager window, you can create samples for any part of the product that you specified in the Estimate and Job. That is, it is possible to create samples for just a component, for a specific version, or for the whole product, depending on your needs.

However, note that if you create samples for the final component, the system considers that it must create samples for all the components that are part of the product. For example, imagine that you have a mailing product and want to create samples of the letter for an internal designer to review and samples of the mail package for the customer. While the system creates the sample for the letter based on a specific component (and versions, if needed), the sample for the final product includes samples related to the letter, kit, and envelope.

 

Creating Samples

To create samples, follow the steps below:

To create samples in the Estimate, go to Sales > iQuote > Estimate > Edit Estimate > Product tab > Samples Manager. To create samples on the Job, go to Planning > Planner > Job > Edit Job > Product tab > Samples Manager. The Samples Manager screen opens.

Click the Add Samples button. The Add Samples screen displays a list of all components and their versions.

Note: You cannot create samples for Association or Virtual components.

Note: The Component column displays the component's or version's name.

For each of the components that you want to create samples for, enter a value in the Qty column. This is the quantity of samples that the engineering will calculate.

Click Confirm. The Samples Manager window opens again, loading a table with the components that you added from the Add Samples screen.

Click Confirm.

 

The samples manager window

The Samples Manager window includes the following data:

Sample Name: by default, the sample name inherits the component's or version's name. You can change it so that you have a specific name for the sample.

Component: component name as ready-only.

Version: version name as ready-only. If there is no version at the component level, this field is blank.

Qty: this field displays the sample quantity, that you informed. You can also change it in this screen.

Unit: component unit (each).

Inventory Item Description: this field displays the inventory item related to the sample. You can look for an existing one or leave it blank. 

Note: For more information, see Inventory items related to samples.

 

On the Samples Manager window, you can:

Click the Add Sample button at any time to create more samples.

Click the Duplicate button to duplicate an existing line.

Click the Delete button to remove the sample.

Use the up and down arrows to change the sample’s order in the grid.

Note: If you delete a sample and there is no other sample line for the related component, the component goes back to the Add Sample screen.

 

Samples in the engineering

After you add the samples, the system considers all the samples' quantities to the production’s calculation, automatically adding them to the Good Quantity (Estimate/Job > Engineering tab > Production Group > Details > Activities tab).

Note: the system does not add the samples' quantity to the component quantity on the Product tab.

Another way to check the samples quantity other than the Samples Manager window, is on the Engineering tab of the Estimate or Job.

From the Estimate or Job record, go to the Engineering tab.

Select a production group and click Edit. The Engineering window opens.

On the Activities table, select the last activity, and click on Edit Activity.

Check the Samples Qty field on the Edit Activity window.

This field displays the total quantity of samples that are being produced by that activity. You cannot edit the quantity through this window; it is read-only. To change the sample quantity, you must go back to the Samples Manager window on the Product tab.

 

Inventory items related to samples

When you are creating the sample though the Samples Manager window, you can use the Inventory Item Description field to look for an existing inventory item, be it a finished good or part-inventory, or you can leave it blank so that iQuote creates a new inventory item for you. This automatic creation happens when you release the Estimate to production, save the Job, or every time that you save the Estimate/Job after the first time that the items were created.

Note: When you change the Estimate status to Release to production, the system does not display the samples on the Status Change window.

If you choose to let iQuote create the item for you, then the system uses the same name as the one that you defined in the Samples Name column to create the inventory item's description. For example, if the Samples Name is "Bronze Designer Sample", then the related item's description would be something such as "0002343 Bronze Design Sample".

No matter the way the inventory item is created, each line must have a different inventory item. Therefore, if you duplicate the samples line, it does not carry the inventory item.

 

Differences Between Estimate and Job Samples

As mentioned before, you can create samples either in the Estimate or in the Job.

The goal of adding them to the Estimate is to keep track of the samples during the entire process, since the estimating phase, and also to allow the system to calculate the engineering considering this extra quantity of the product, adding the expenses of producing it to the final prices. Moreover, the system will carry the samples created in the Estimate to the Job record that is generated when you release the Estimate to production, and you can create more or edit the samples from the Job.

However, you might prefer to create the samples only on the Job record. That means that the related Estimate will not have any record of the samples and that you will need to manually add the prices related to the samples' production to the final amount if you intend to create a Sales Order.

Note: Adding the price to the Sales Order is not mandatory.