Update the Item Vendor Field 6 Last Purchase Cost When PO Line Item FOB Cost Is Changed
Version: 8.5 & Up
Q - When users enter and prints a PO and there is an Item Vendor Record, Elliott updates field 6. See sample screen below:
But if users change the PO cost, this field is not being updated. I understand it has to do with situations where there might be another PO for the same item and a different cost. I see the point, but the discrepancies that are created because of the cost in field 6 are worse than the benefits. I suggest updating field 6 if the PO line cost is changed, or at least have a Global Setup option that will allow users to do it.
A - It is a timing issue. I remember it used to work the way you'd like it to. That is to say, when a changed PO was printed, the Item Vendor file, "6. Last Purchase Cost" was also updated. Then we received complaints from users that the Last Purchase Cost value was incorrect in some situations. Here is an example: On 1/1/21, a PO for item A has a purchase cost of $100. On 1/1/22, another PO for item A has a purchase cost of $110. The Item Vendor file field "6.Last Purchase Cost" is $110 at this moment. With the old logic, if we go ahead change the older PO on 1/1/21, we may or may not change the line item FOB cost. The result of printing the changed older PO is that item A's last purchase price is now changed back to $100 and this causes problems.
Obviously, you can argue this either way. But I believe the old logic is more damaging than helpful. Having a Global Setup flag does not necessary solve the problem. The likely scenario is that we will spend time investigating for unhappy users why the value in "6. Last Purchase Cost" is “wrong.”
To really solve this problem, we need a sophisticated logic to check if this changed PO line item is the last PO of item A for this vendor. Since there’s no existing index to support this operation, it will result in performance problems. This might be a V9.0 improvement we can consider.
The solution in this scenario is that the user can cancel the old PO or PO line item with the wrong cost, then add a new PO or PO line item. Then the new PO cost will be updated to the Item Vendor’s “6. Last Purchase Cost.”
EMK