Setting up item codes and globally changing prices

[trinitystores]

We are switching from Peachtree to QB Enterprise. I have many questions pertaining to properly setting up QB because we inherited the Peachtree system and discovered that the setup caused problems. Out of respect for the forum members, I will only ask one question at a time.

Question #1: How does one make global price changes? We have 700 art images available on 40 product items equaling 28K total product items.

Currently we use a 3-letter code to identify the art image and a 2-number code to identify the product item. 01 is the numeric code for the note card product item. Therefore the full product code for a particular art image available on a note card is ABC01. The same art image on a bookmark is ABC20, etc., etc.

How should we set up our 28K item codes so that we can globally change the price of all 700 note card products (01s) but not change the pricing of any other product item codes?

And once properly setup, how does one do a global price change in QB?

Thank you!

[trinitystores]

Hello again:

I decided to write again in hopes of understanding better why some posts are never answered. My first post ever of 04.07 was viewed by many by replied to by none.

I see that many posts are replied to, one after the other, by such people as Lisa and Joe, etc. I see that other posts are never answered.

I thought I would ask why this might be. Was my post inappropriate, misunderstood, not clear, and/or just lame? How does one learn to send posts that will be answered? In other words, is there a theme or area of questions that are valid for this forum and other questions or areas that are not?

Thanks, in advance, for anyone who might provide insight to my original question or why some posts never receive a reply.

PS: Is there a particular or logical reason that there is not a Enterprise Forum as there is for Pro, etc? Thanks again.

[dlaery]

Was my post inappropriate, misunderstood, not clear, and/or just lame?

It happens to all of us. I think "not clear", is usually why, not meaning you have done anything wrong, sometimes I get ready to reply only to find someone else has replied with a completely different answer, which is the correct answer, so I reluctant in fear of being wrong.

I have Preimer, I guess Enterprize is the same.
Go to "Lists" menu, select "Price level list". This is where you can change all prices.
Hope this helps.

[lisa_mn]

Here's the deal - everyone who answers questions here does it for fun. I answer a lot, but I can't answer all of them. I don't even read all of them and never read your first post until today. If I know an answer off the top of my head and can answer quickly, I usually do. If one is harder, and I'm curious about it, and if I have time, I'll to into QB to test things to see if I can come up with an answer.

So don't take it personally. Probably no one knows the answer easily, so it got left unanswered.

I hardly ever work with Enterprise, so I don't know if there's a mass update like you can do in Peachtree. If I get time, I'll check it out, but can't do it right now.

Hope that sheds some light. Cheers!

[Joe Williams]

trinitystores
Sorry that I did not reply. I studied the problem of selected item global updates and cannot find a way to do it in QuickBooks. You may have to get someone to create an add on that can do that.
The Price Level list is a method of raising or lowering the "listed" item price by customer. You could try it is a copy of your company file, but I do not think it is what you are looking for.

[LauraD]

I would export my item list into excel. Then, change the ones that I want changed there. Then, import it back.

If you don't change the item name, this will work.

If you do change the item name, you will get duplicate items in your item list.

Before importing, be sure to make a backup - that way, if you don't get what you want, you can restore your backup and all that you have lost is your time.

Does this help?

_______________________________

Laura D

See my profile at:

http://proadvisor.intuit.com/referral/proadvisor_profile.jsp?id=YQ88CA%2BS0H5c1ImS11E9oQ %3D%3D

[lisa_mn]

This is why I like doing this - I learn new things.

OK in Premier & Enterprise - you can do mass price changes of x% up or down based on a current custom price level or based on the list price.

Go to Lists, Price level list, double click the price level you want to edit, check the items you want to update and enter your adj % and click Adjust. To update the list price, open the item list, click the Activities button and change item prices.

In Pro - price levels can only be defined as a % calc based on list, but you can do a mass update of the list price by clicking the activities button in the item list and Change item prices.

[LauraD]

Lisa - thanks for this added info -

Those methods work great if you only have a few items to change. . .or, if you are changing them all by a certain % or value.

Unfortunately, you have the option of selecting all. . .or, one at a time. You cannot 'click and drag' to select a string of items.

If you are changing a lot of items (but not all), you might want to consider exporting and making those changes in excel.

Laura D

[dlaery]

Unfortunately, you have the option of selecting all. . .or, one at a time. You cannot 'click and drag' to select a string of items.


If you delete the top rows until you get to the header row, you can use the "Filter" to filter certain records.
For example:
My item codes are:
RB4116
RG114
PG2116
WPB4132
I can filter by
"ends with"
"begins with"
"contains"
Then in the filter mode I insert a column and increase the filtered items by so much percent put the data in the "price" column by copy and paste and it will only update the prices in the filtered mode.

[LauraD]

Please clarify -

Where are you when you are doing this?

In excel?



Laura D

[dlaery]

In QB go to File, to Utilities, to Export, to Lists to iif. Then I select "Items"
I save it to my Desktop so I can find it easy. THen open the iif file in excel.
At the top will be 10 rows that you can delete, these will not be needed to import back to QB. Row 11 has the header/field info.
Now in excel go to the data menu at the top, select filter. Now you have drop down selections at the top of each column. Here you can filter/querry your data.
This also will work with assemblies. You have to filter more than one column to get to the Price row.

[dlaery]

I forgot this.
Then when you are done. Click Save, just click yes. It will ask you if you want to save in the current format or save as and excel file, so click yes to save in the current format (iif). If you save as an excel file you will not be able to import into QB. Then in QB, go to File to Utilities to import to "iif files".
Then if it works, it will take some time to import and you will get a message that says it imported.

BE SURE TO TRY THIS ON A TEST FILE TO SEE IF IT WORKS FIRST,
AND BACKUP BEFORE YOU START.

[LauraD]

Thanks for those details.

I don't use .iif files, but export and import via excel.

What are the advantages to using the .iif?

And, do the more recent versions still use the .iif files? (I thought I had read that they were becoming obsolete. . .??)

Laura D

[trinitystores]

Thanks everyone!

I greatly appreciate everyone's time and input and confirming that my question was not too lamo.

The save and then import from excel may be the best way for me.

It is a joy stopping in every morning to see and learn just how much I do not know...seems endless. Thanks again.

[dlaery]

Thanks for those details.

I don't use .iif files, but export and import via excel.

What are the advantages to using the .iif?

And, do the more recent versions still use the .iif files? (I thought I had read that they were becoming obsolete. . .??)

Laura D

I use it because it works. In my opinion, it is only obsolete if something works better. I haven't found anything that will work better for changing the price and cost fields. If there is something that works easier, I am all for it. This may sound crazy, but I can't import 3 decimals with an excel file, in the cost and or the price fields of QB. I have always priced by the each, most recommed that you price at the smallest unit. When I sell, I will sell 20 to 30 thousand at a time and if I round up or round down a 1/2 cent, that is $150 on 30,000. I would lose money or customers, depending on which way I go.

I don't like change, I like improvements.

[lisa_mn]

And, do the more recent versions still use the .iif files? (I thought I had read that they were becoming obsolete. . .??)



Yes, you can still import .iif files in the latest version. They can be used for importing transactions as well as lists.