This section covers the following topics:
Adding Artist, Vendor, and Customer Names
Adding a Simple Piece of Inventory
You can move, re-size, maximize, or minimize
the Help window, just like any other window.
You may want to MAXIMIZE your help window at this time.
Masterpiece Help offers a quick way to find information, such as how to perform a particular task.
Here is the main link to the Online Help which you may want to bookmark or add to your favorites as we update it frequently. You can access this online help from any computer with an internet connection. http://www.masterpiecemanager.com/help/Masterpiece.htm
Your Masterpiece
Software's Help needs to be periodically updated as we update it
frequently.
To update your Masterpiece Software's Help go to http://www.masterpiecemanager.com
Hold your mouse over Support and
then click on Downloads.
Enter your Company ID which can
be found by going to Masterpiece, clicking Help, and About Masterpiece.
Enter a valid email address. Click
Submit.
Click the link for "Help File Update"
to get the most updated Masterpiece Help.
You may choose to run or save the file download, we recommend choosing
run.
Accept all the defaults in the installation wizard.
Tip: You can switch between Windows programs by holding down the ALT key on your keyboard and then pressing TAB to move to the program you want. This lets you review the help lesson and then switch to the program to complete the steps indicated.
The HELP system allows you to search for specific topics, print a topic, and link to other topics. Within a Help topic, there may be many links that you can click to display a new Help topic. When a link takes you to a new topic, select BACK to return to the previous topic. For an example, click here, and then click BACK to return to this page.
The system also includes a Glossary, where you can look up the meaning of a word, as we use it, simply by clicking on the word. To see this, click on the underlined word Consignment below, and then click on the word a second time.
We distinguish between the words Consignment An amount you pay an ARTIST or SUPPLIER after a piece sells. and Commission An amount you pay an EMPLOYEE after a piece sells..
NOTE: Please pay special attention to notes or tips as they point out various design features that will improve your use of the system.
We also use links and "pop-ups" that you can click on to expand on the information available.
NOTE: You MUST be logged into windows as an Administrator when starting Masterpiece for the first time. Masterpiece will need to write certain information to your system registry that only an administrator can do. See the Windows Registry help topic for more information. We suggest that all users are administrator level to ensure optimal performance. There are some aspects of the program that will not work correctly if you are not logged in with administrative access.
Please start the Masterpiece Manager now. If you do not have a shortcut on your desktop already, you can easily start Masterpiece from the Start Button on your Windows Task Bar. Click Start, Programs, Masterpiece, Masterpiece.
If the Company ID screen appears on your screen, enter your assigned Company ID in the box, then press TAB on your keyboard. Click the OK button with your Mouse to continue. Additional information is available from the CompanyID help topic.
Each time you start Masterpiece, you will need to enter your Login ID and Password.
Type your Login ID in the top field and then press TAB on the keyboard.
Enter your Password in the Password field (over the top of the stars *****)
NOTE: Until you set up your own user names, the Login ID is set to "Manager" and the password field is blank.
To change your Login ID, or to set up new users, see the Add/Edit Staff help topic.
NOTE: We do not recommend that you change or delete the Manager Login ID now. You can remove or disable that account later, after you have confirmed that other Administrative Level user names have been entered correctly. You can freely change the password for the manager account. Please ensure that this is a password that you will remember.
When you first enter Masterpiece, it will be using SAMPLE DATA in a SAMPLE DIRECTORY, which is sample data, or fake made up data to be used for practice.
In the example pictured above, the title bar displays several points about your current session.
Unless someone has done this tutorial before you, the Company / Location Name is "Your Gallery" like above. (This will reflect the name of YOUR gallery after you change company settings in the next section).
The location of the data that is being used is C:\MASTERPIECE\SAMPLEDATA\ (Reminder: this Data set is for practicing and is not your real data).
The name of the person logged in at the moment is Manager.
The sampledata directory is intended for you to practice with. Before entering your REAL data, you should change the Data directory using the Change Directories option on the Tools menu. If you do this, nothing done within the SAMPLE DATA will affect your permanent data. After you are in your REAL data NEVER modify or delete any NONE record anywhere in the program as it is a required part of the program.
There are many features in Masterpiece that can be customized to suit your own environment. These options are selected from the Change Company Settings screen. These settings have to do with the way your company does business.
Click on the Tools menu and then click on Change Company Settings to open the Company Settings Screen.
If this is the first time you are using the system, you will need to enter information about the location An individual Location where business is done. A Company may have several Locations. Usually, location examples include a store in Providence, RI and a store in New York, NY for those galleries that have multiple galleries. you are currently working in.
NOTE: The "Set this location to >" and "Modify settings for >" fields are used for corporate galleries that have more than one Location. To activate additional locations, please contact Masterpiece.
In a large company, there may be multiple physical locations. If this were the case, you could choose to edit the company information for the specific location you were interested in. Most galleries and artists only use the default location and do not need to change the "gallery" selectors.
If you only have one gallery, you do NOT need to add another gallery simply change the information that is already showing in the default location. This will enable your primary, and only, physical Location.
Click the Edit button on the Tool Bar to begin making changes to your company settings.
The EDIT BUTTON is NOT the same as the edit MENU. You must use the edit button in the TOOL BAR to start making changes to a form. See the Tool Bar help topic for more information.
If the Company tab is not already highlighted, use your mouse to click on it now. You can use the mouse, to select different tabs (pages) on the screen.
Use the mouse, or press the TAB key on the keyboard, to move to the Company Name field.
Enter your own Company Name, as well as the name of the contact at your gallery, and your primary address, using the appropriate fields. Press Tab after each field to move to the next field.
NOTE: When you use the mouse to move over a field, the system will give you a message indicating the type of information it is expecting. As you enter name and address information, the system will automatically change the text to upper and lower case.
NOTE: If the "contact" that you enter into this screen is also an ARTIST for your gallery, you will need to use the Contacts screen to enter the name of the artist a SECOND time. This is the only time an individual person needs to be entered twice in the system and we do this to ensure that the Company Contact record does not get accidentally changed.
Enter the Phone Format you would like the system to use for your company.
The Phone Format is used by the system to modify any future phone numbers you enter into the system (if the Format check box is selected.) From this point on, you do not need to enter any formatting (dashes, etc.) or even the area code for local phone numbers. When you enter a number without an area code, the system will add the local area code for you.
NOTE: Be sure to enter your own area code in the Phone Format field as indicated above where we entered (303). This allows Masterpiece to enter your area code for you when you don't enter it yourself.
NOTE: Also be sure the Format check box is checked if you want Masterpiece to format the phone numbers you enter. If this remains unchecked, the system will not make any formatting changes and you will need to manually format any phone numbers entered.
If you wish to enter your shipper number (i.e. your UPS or FedEx number) do so now.
If you wish to enter your TAX ID (normally only used for overseas locations, not in the US) do so now.
Click the Items tab and review it carefully.
These settings relate to the way Masterpiece works when you are dealing with Items. Each area is discussed in detail under the Company Settings - Items help topic.
Example: Masterpiece uses a term called a ScanCode that is the product code for the piece. By default, the scan code is set to 12 characters, with the artist code making up the first 6 characters. Suppose you have an artist named Armand Rumay. With the settings above, Masterpiece would make an artist code of RUMAYA (THE FIRST FIVE CHARACTERS OF THE LAST NAME + THE FIRST CHARACTER OF THE FIRST NAME) and a ScanCode of RUMAYA000001 for the first piece.
Use the Mouse, to move to the next tab Transactions and review it carefully.
NOTE: The T in Transaction is underlined. This indicates that you can move to the Transaction page by pressing ALT-T on you keyboard, without using the mouse.
These settings relate to the way Masterpiece works when you are dealing with Transactions (Sales, Returns, Approvals, etc.) Each area is discussed in detail under the Settings Transactions help topic.
For now, be sure the Edit Sale Number check box is IS selected. This is for the tutorial and it is very easy to return to this screen in order to turn this feature off or on later. Note: To check the box, you will need to click the Edit button on the toolbar, then check the box with your mouse. Also, turn off the REQUIRE check boxes on the lower right, if they are currently on. These fields force your staff to enter information before skipping fields on the transaction screens. When you are finished reviewing the screen, click the Save button.
Use the Mouse to move to the next tab Purchases and review it carefully.
These settings relate to the way Masterpiece works when you are dealing with Purchases you make from vendors or artists. This screen DOES NOT relate to sales you make to clients. This area is discussed in detail under the Settings Purchases help topic.
Use the Mouse, or press ALT-G, to move to the next tab General and review it carefully.
These settings relate to the way Masterpiece works in general. Each area is discussed in detail under the Settings General help topic. For now, leave the fields as they are.
NOTE: We will discuss setting up Taxes in the next section of the Tutorial.
Use the Mouse to move to the next tab Regional and review it carefully.
If you use different date or currency information, change the appropriate fields now.
Use the Mouse to move to the next tab Online and review it carefully.
This screen is used to tell Masterpiece how to interact with your web site, registering Masterpiece, and configuring Masterpiece to send emails.
Go to Tools > Change Company Settings.
Go to the tab for Online.
Click the Edit button on the toolbar.
For "Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP)"
enter your email domain name. Example:
"mail.masterpiecemanager.com"
For "Outgoing Mail Domain (SMTP)" enter your email domain name.
Example: "mail.masterpiecemanager.com"
For "Mail Account" enter your email address, it does not need
to be the one you will be sending from. Example:
"jesse@masterpiecemanager.com"
For "Mail Password" enter your password for your email account.
For "Mail Authentication" click on the button for ESMTP.
Click the Save button on the toolbar.
You can find online instructions by clicking here
Unless you have established a website with Masterpiece already, the Send Data to Web Site check box should be OFF.
If necessary, click the Save button now to save any changes.
The system uses several of the function keys on your keyboard to quickly enter some items without using your mouse.
Function F1 will open context sensitive help screens, as mentioned under the Using Help topic.
Function F3 activates the QUICK feature when in the New Transaction or New PO screens.
Function F4 is used in the New Transaction screen to add a new detail line without using the mouse.
Function F6 activates the Transaction screen in NEW SALE mode.
Function F7 activates the Item screen.
Function F8 activates the Find Contact screen.
Function F9 activates the Transaction screen in NEW RETURN mode.
CTRL-F4 will exit the program - as will Alt-F-X
When the cursor is in a Text Lookup field in Edit mode, CTRL-ENTER will open the appropriate add screen in edit mode.
When the Tool Bar is active, several Control (CTRL) combinations are activated.
CTRL-F will open the Find window.
CTRL-N will start a New record (i.e. add a new contact.)
CTRL-E will put the screen into Edit mode. Use ESC to cancel the edit.
CTRL-S will save the record being edited.
CTRL-D will delete the selected record.
CTRL-UPARROW goes to the First record.
CTRL-LEFTARROW goes to the Previous record.
CTRL-RIGHTARROW goes to the Next record.
CTRL-DOWNARROW goes to the Last record.
Click on File on the menu bar, now click Staff, then click Add/Edit Staff.
NOTE: In the remainder of this tutorial, when it is necessary to select a screen such as this using the menus, we will simply use an instruction such as: Click File, Staff, Add/Edit Staff to open the Staff screen. This "Shorthand" is common in Windows applications and should take you quickly to the appropriate screen.
After the Staff screen opens, click the NEW button to begin adding a new staff member.
NOTE: We do not recommend that you change or delete the Manager Login ID now. You can remove or disable that account later, after you have confirmed that other Administrative Level usernames have been entered correctly and work correctly.
Check the Active Account check box with your mouse if it is not already checked and then press TAB to enter your Name and User Name.
TIP: If a check box is highlighted, you can use the space bar to turn it on and off. It is easiest to press the TAB key to move from one field to the other. Please see the Tab and Enter help topic for more information.
NOTE: The Active Account being checked is used to allow access to the system. By unselecting the box, you can disable a user without completely removing them from the system.
After you have entered your User Name, Click the Change password button or press Enter while it is highlighted.
Enter the password for this account, then press TAB and enter the password again for confirmation. Passwords are not displayed as you type.
Click OK, or press the Enter key while the OK button is highlighted to accept the new password.
Press TAB to move off of the Change Password button and enter the Address Information for the staff member. Of course, these fields are optional and can be skipped over if you wish.
Use the TAB key, to move to the Security Level field. (Skip the "Opening Screen" field for now - it is used to set the default opening screen for each user - i.e. Item, Transaction, Contact).
Double-Click on the Security Level Field to open the Find Security Level screen.
TIP: You can open the Find screen (Any Find Screen in the system) by pressing CTRL-TAB on the keyboard while you are in the appropriate field.
NOTE: Security Levels are discussed in more detail under the Security Level help topic.
Select the 99 - Administrator level by Double Clicking on the appropriate row.
TIP: You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move to the appropriate row and then press Enter to select an entry.
Press TAB to move to the Tax ID field and enter the information if you like.
Press TAB again to move to the Hourly Rate field.
If this staff member is paid an hourly wage, enter the value here.
This information will be used by the Time-Card program to compute the staff member's gross wages.
If this staff member is paid a commission, Select the Commissions Tab with your mouse, and then enter the commission value in the commission % field.
This information will be used by the Staff Commissions program to compute the staff member's gross commissions. This is only the STANDARD COMMISSION and can be overridden on an item by item basis. In the example above, the commission is set to 7.00 percent and is paid on the Gross amount. If the staff member is paid on the net amount (price - costs) enter a letter "N" in the G/N field.
After you PAY commissions, the system will automatically list all commissions paid in the spreadsheet on this page. This means that if you ever need to DELETE or ADJUST a staff member's commission, you can do so from this screen.
If there are any Notes you would like to enter for this staff member, go to the notes field and enter them now.
Click the Save button to save the new staff member's information.
Repeat the process to add any additional staff members for practice.
The sampledata directory is intended for you to practice with. Before entering your REAL data, you should change the Data directory using the Change Directories option on the Tools menu. If you do this, nothing done within the SAMPLEDATA will affect your permanent data. After you are in your REAL data NEVER modify or delete any NONE record anywhere in the program as it is a required part of the program.
Cost Codes: Were you enter information such as mouldings, mats, and other production costs, are not a subject of the Basic Lessons. Help on this list item is available under the Cost Code help topic.
NOTE: If you do not have any state sales tax, skip to the next section, Item Types and Mediums.
TIP: You DO NOT have to close a screen before you open the next one. In fact, it is often better if you do not. When you have a screen open (like the contact screen, for example) and then open another screen (like the tax type screen) the first screen is hidden, but stays in memory. So, if you were to go back to the first screen, it would pop right up because the system doesn't have to re-read the data tables to fill in the fields.
Things to keep in mind regarding taxes:
When you first setup your taxes it is best to re-name and utilize the existing taxes that have never been used that are already in the system. As once a tax is created you typically cannot delete it. Also keep in mind that when it comes time for a tax rate to change you will keep all your current taxes that you have setup so you have tax history and you will add an additional Tax Detail and then activate it in the Tax Types with a new Tax Type. You will keep all your existing Tax Details and Types and make the new one the default typically.
In order to set-up all applicable tax types, start from Lists, then Sales Tax. Masterpiece can now handle Value Added Tax and Sliding Tax Rates.
Step 1: Please begin by selecting Taxing Authorities.
Create a list of "taxing authorities". This list is maintainable by the user and it may include such items as: "State of Colorado", "City of Denver", "RTD", "Stadium District", etc. There are no sales tax rates specified here, it is simply a list of taxing authorities for whom the users must collect/submit sales taxes to. A separate table of taxing authorities is required since more than one "tax detail" (see Step 2: below) may apply to a single taxing authority.
You should only setup one Tax Authority for each place you need to pay taxes to. For example if you pay a City Tax of 5% and County Tax of 1% to Colorado Dept of Revenue then you should only create one Tax Authority for the Colorado Dept of Revenue.
Step 2: Select Lists, Sales Tax, then Tax Details:
Create a list of "tax details". Each detail points to a taxing authority. It also contains a name for display purposes (e.g., "State Sales Tax" or "Denver City Sales Tax"). Finally, a tax detail contains either one rate, or a list of rates by price. Taxing by price handles some special cases or luxury taxes. For most cases, the Applies To will be set to Any Price, with a single tax rate percentage entered.
You should only setup one Tax Detail for each place you need to pay taxes to. For example if you pay a City Tax of 5% and County Tax of 1% to Colorado Dept of Revenue then you should only create one Tax Detail for 6%.
Step 3: Select Lists, Sales Tax, then Tax Types:
Create a list of "tax types". Enter the display names of applicable tax rates (e.g., "Local Tax" or "Out of State"). Each tax type contains a list of all tax details which apply and by checking the boxes are activated. For instance, for "Local Tax" created for a gallery in Denver, the user could specify that "State Sales Tax", "Denver City Sales Tax", "RTD Sales Tax", and "Stadium District Sales Tax" details all apply to the "Local Tax" type. For each tax type shown in the list on the left, check all the tax details on the list on the right which apply. The above example shows that for a sale with a tax type of "Local", four different sales taxes are collected. The sales tax shown on the transaction screen is a sum of all taxes collected.
The reason you should only create one Tax Authority and one Tax Detail for each Tax Liability is because Masterpiece calculates each Tax Detail separately. So if you pay the State a City Tax of 5% and a County Tax of 1% and create separate Taxes then Masterpiece will calculate those taxes separately and because of rounding you will be charging your customers too much Tax.
The sampledata directory is intended for you to practice with. Before entering your REAL data, you should change the Data directory using the Change Directories option on the Tools menu. If you do this, nothing done within the SAMPLEDATA will affect your permanent data. After you are in your REAL data NEVER modify or delete any NONE record anywhere in the program as it is a required part of the program.
Before entering Item Types or Mediums, you need to add a few Categories. In the example we use, we have a Category called Photography and we will classify Daguerreotype and Silver Print as Item Types linked to this Category. Other categories you might use are "Furniture", "Sculpture", "Jewelry", "Originals", or anything else you can come up with. If you are going to have a website then Categories typically will be on your home page.
Click on Lists, Art Categories. This will open the Art Categories screen.
Click the Edit button to begin making changes to existing Categories. Use the down arrow on the keyboard to add additional lines.
NOTE: The NONE category is a system category and should not be modified or deleted.
In this example, we are adding the category "Wood". Arrow down until you are on the next open line and enter "Wood"
Click the Save button when you have added the Categories you will use. (Remember this is your Sample Data not your Real Data)
The Item Types/Mediums screen is discussed in more detail under the Item Types/Mediums help topic.
You can think of Item Types as "sub-categories" of the art Categories. If you are going to have a website then Item Types/Mediums will be the sub-category of you categories.
Click on Lists, Item Types / Mediums.
Use your mouse to click the Edit or New button to begin entering Mediums.
NOTE: The NONE medium is a system type and should not be modified or deleted.
Press the Down Arrow to add a new line.
Enter as many mediums as you require, pressing Enter or Down Arrow after each one.
Item Types can cover all ranges of items, from Antiques to Jewelry, Painting, Sculpture, Pottery, Glass, etc.
As you enter new Mediums, you will need to double click the Art Category field to choose from the Categories that you entered in the previous step.
TIP: If the category does not exist, press Ctrl-Enter while the category field is highlighted and you will be able to add a brand new category "on the fly."
NOTE: The entries will be alphabetized automatically when you save and close the screen.
When you are finished, click the Save button to record any changes you have made.
Stock Locations are used to indicate where an item is and used to be. This can be literally anywhere you choose: e.g. North Wall, Bin 7, Drawer 109, Home, Sock Drawer, Framer, etc. Locations can also be used to show status: e.g. On Order, In Production, etc. As the location of a piece changes, it is tracked so that you can follow the dates and operator names for the movements. Many "Standard Locations" are already entered and should not be changed. These locations are shown with a * next to them as entries such as "Sold" and "Entered Into System". If you would like to enter your own locations, such as "Warehouse", "Framer", "Storage", "Home", or any other location, see the steps below.
Click on Lists, Stock Locations.
Use your mouse to click the New button to begin Entering Stock Locations.
NOTE: The NONE location is a system entry and should not be modified or deleted.
If necessary, press Enter or the Down Arrow to add a new line.
Enter as many locations as you require, pressing Enter or Down Arrow after each one.
When you are finished, click Save.
1. Click the Locations tab in the Item window.
2. Click the ‘Edit’ button on the Item toolbar, or hit CTRL-E.
3. Click the ‘Add’ button next to the Locations table to open a new row in the table. The previous location of the Item will appear in the ‘From’ field of the new row. Double-click on the ‘To’ field to open the ‘Find Stock Locations’ window; select the appropriate location (to add a new location, see ‘Add a Location’).
4. Click on the ‘Qty’ field and type ‘1’.
*If you forget to do this, Masterpiece will prompt you to add a quantity for the location change.
5. The date will automatically appear in the ‘Date’ field as the date the location change was entered. To change this date, click on the date you want to change, then click the ‘Date’ button to the left of the table to open a calendar; select the appropriate date from the calendar by clicking on the date and then clicking the ‘Select’ button.
The Service Rates and Payment Types options on the Lists Menu will be discussed under the Advanced Lessons help topic.
The Contact screen is discussed in more detail under the Contacts help topic.
Click on File, Contacts to open the Contacts screen.
TIP: You can open the Contacts screen at any time by pressing the F8 key on the keyboard.
NOTE: Because this is a screen that is used for many entries, the tool bar has changed and now includes navigation buttons such as Next and Previous. See the tool bar help topic for more information on this feature.
Lets investigate the Navigation Tool Bar Buttons for a moment.
Click the Find button on the tool bar to open the Find Contact screen.
TIP: You can also press CTRL-F on the keyboard to open the Find Screen for the open window (contact, item, title, transaction) or you can press F8 on the keyboard to open the Find Contact screen at any time.
At this point, you don't have very many contacts. Later, when you change to the real data directory, there will only be two records - the NONE contact (a system place holder which you should not delete or modify) and your Location entry from the Change Company Settings screen. If you check one or more of the check boxes, or enter a name in one of the text boxes, the listing will be limited to only the names that match your criteria. To show all names again click the Reset button. There are several ways to select the entry you want. You can Double-Click on the entry, or use the arrow keys to move to the appropriate line and then press enter. Finally, you can go to the line you want and press the Select button. To reset the names that are displayed, press the Reset Button on the form. To return to the contact page without selecting a name, press Cancel.
Use your mouse to move to the line with your company name in it and then Double-Click or press Enter while on the line.
Use your mouse to click the New button to begin entering a New Contact. We'll begin by adding an Artist/Vendor.
Note: The system is able to distinguish between artists and vendors. However, in many cases, the artist and vendor is the same person. This can be indicated on the Contact screen.
Enter the Title or Salutation, First Name, Last Name, Company, and Email information for a sample (or real) Artist/Vendor as indicated below.
There are several things to notice about this screen.
The system will Capitalize the information you enter automatically.
Since this contact acts as BOTH an Artist and a Vendor, both check boxes are selected. The fields at the bottom of the page show you the number of contacts that are marked as each type of contact. Naturally, because one contact can be, for example, both an Artist and a Customer, the totals do not necessarily add up to the total of the contacts.
The Tax ID is an optional field.
When the Artist check box is selected, the system generates an Artist Code and displays it. You can change the artist code yourself. The length of the artist code is set in the Change Company Settings screen.
When the Vendor check box is selected, the system displays the Consignment, Max Discount, FOB, Terms, and Ship Via fields. A consignment of 60 indicates that this artist usually receives 60 percent of the asking price. For vendors that do not work on consignment, the Consignment is left at 0 (zero).
We want to keep this tutorial simple so we're only going to enter one address and phone number for this contact. However, the system is actually able to track MANY addresses and phone numbers for each contact.
Click the Add Address button to begin adding a new address. You can also press Enter on the keyboard while this button is selected to begin the add process.
Since this is the only address for this contact, the Main Mailing Address check box is automatically checked. Also, the address type automatically defaults to Mailing.
Enter "B" in the Business/Residence field (this is primarily so we can tell our shipper (i.e. UPS) if we're shipping to a Business or Residence)
Enter the Address and Phone information as show below.
NOTE: The information on the Notes, General, and Actions tabs are not part of this tutorial. See the Contact help topic for more information on these pages.
When you are finished, click the Save button to record the changes you have made.
The sampledata directory is intended for you to practice with. Before entering your REAL data, you should change the Data directory using the Change Directories option on the Tools menu. If you do this, nothing done within the SAMPLEDATA will affect your permanent data. After you are in your REAL data NEVER modify or delete any NONE record anywhere in the program as it is a required part of the program.
Now that you have entered an Artist/Vendor, why not add some inventory for the artist? For this exercise, we're going to add a Unique piece. We'll discuss Limited Editions, Open Editions, and Non Stock items in the Advanced Lessons.
Use your mouse to select File, then Item to open the Item screen.
Tip: You can press F7 at any time to open the Item Screen.
Click the New button to begin adding a new item. The Title field will be highlighted with the word NONE to indicate that no title has been selected yet. If we were looking for a title that we had used previously, the system would help us find it. In this case, we are entering a brand new title.
PLEASE READ THIS!!! The Title field is one
of many Lookup Fields
in the system. Lookup Fields can be set to Automated or Not Automated
From the Edit Menu. In Automated mode, the system checks each character
you type and starts to look for a match. When not in automated mode, the
system waits until you stop typing and hit tab or enter and then looks
for the piece you want. You can also double-click
on the title field to open a FIND screen. See the Lookup Field help topic
for more information on how this field helps you find the information
you want.
For this Tutorial you should go to Edit on the Menu bar and make sure both
AutoLookup and AutoFindScreen
are both checked.
Enter the Title of a piece such as "En Pointe" and press TAB. Do not enter the quotation marks.
The Artist field is another Text Lookup Field. If you want to add another artist before continuing, you can press CTRL-ENTER from here to temporarily open the Contact screen and add a new artist.
Use one of these methods to select an artist now.
After you select an artist, and tab out of the field, the system does several things.
It looks up the artist's code and enters it.
It generates a new ScanCode based on the artist code and how many pieces have been entered previously for this artist.
Enter the Subject of the piece such as "Young Ballet Dancer" and then TAB - again, no quotes.
The Subject field also has a lookup function. If you Double-Click on the subject field, the system will open a find window to help you select commonly used subjects. Once an entry is available, you can double-click the line to add the selected text to the subject. You can also select more than one entry before saving.
Double-Click in the Item Type field to open the Find Screen. Choose Oil on Canvas. Tab to the next field which is ScanCode which is already populated. Tab through Art Code and Circa as they are not require and we are not using them in this example.
We do not have a Picture file yet so we will leave this field blank. (We WILL select a picture later...)
When a picture is available, you simply double-click this field and select the picture using the windows-style file finder.
Note that the default Title Type is Unique and that the piece defaults to Taxable. You can change the default Title Type from the Company Settings screen.
Now press TAB several times until the Stock Location field is highlighted.
Note that a PO# (Purchase Order #) is assigned automatically. The Purchase Order module will be discussed in the Advanced Lessons. You can also double-click the vendor field to select an existing vendor, or press Ctrl-Enter to enter a brand new vendor.
The Stock Location field is another Lookup Field.
Double-Click in the Stock Location field to open the Find Screen.
When the Find screen opens, Double-Click on the Location entry you want.
NOTE: This Stock Location field is only active when you are adding a NEW ITEM. For an item that is already in the system, Locations are changed from the Locations tab on the Item.
Press tab to move to the Consign Field.
To change any Y/N field in the system, you can either type the character (Y or N) or double-click on the field.
We will leave the Consigned field set to N for this item, indicating that we own the piece.
The Vendor field has defaulted to the Artist's name. If this piece were obtained from another Vendor, we would change the entry here. See the Lookup Field help topic for more information on how the Vendor Field helps you to find the information you want.
The PO Location has been set to our physical location An individual Location where business is done. A Company may have several Locations... In a company A corporate entity, usually made up of several Galleries. On a Company level, there may also be a Business Office or Central Server. where there are many locations, we could be viewing a piece that was ordered by another location (i.e. the main office, or headquarters.)100
Tab to the Art Cost Each field and enter an amount. (e.g. 1000) This is the amount the art cost you. If the artist provides a framed and matted piece, the ARTCOST includes the whole amount that artist would be due at the time of sale. There would, in this case, be no separate FRAME COST. If the artist supplies an unframed piece, and the gallery sells it framed, the ARTCOST and FRAME COST are separate. The same is true for Mat and Glass costs. The distinctions become important when consignment reports are done at the end of the reporting period and the system computes the amount due the artists. The system expects to pay a consignment artist the ARTCOST when the sale is made.
Enter an Asking Price as well. (e.g. 2000) This is the amount you WANT to sell the piece for. (Discounts are discussed in the Advanced lessons) Depending on what your Usual Margin is set to in Company Settings this amount may calculate for you when you tab from the Art Cost to the Asking Price field.
This is enough information to save the record. We will not be adding any costs (e.g. Framing Costs) to this piece for now.
Click Save to finish adding the item.
See the Measurements help topic for help with adding dimensions to the piece...
Note: We're sure you noticed that there are MANY fields on the Item screen. These fields give you a great deal of information (and control) over your inventory.
We hope you also noticed that, even though many fields are shown, you do not have to enter details into each field.
It is actually quite simple to add a new piece by Tabbing through the fields and using the built in lookup fields to help you enter information.
At this point, you may want to stop the tutorial for a few moments and practice adding additional items.
If you have many items that are Unique and are similar and all you want to do is change the Title please read about duplicating an Item: How to Copy an Item.
The sampledata directory is intended for you to practice with. Before entering your REAL data, you should change the Data directory using the Change Directories option on the Tools menu. If you do this, nothing done within the SAMPLEDATA will affect your permanent data. After you are in your REAL data NEVER modify or delete any NONE record anywhere in the program as it is a required part of the program.
We're now going to sell the 'En Pointe" piece you just added.
Keep in mind that you can change many of the default settings by using the Change Company Settings screen, such as the Default Tax Type.
Press F6 on your keyboard to open the Transaction screen. You can also use your mouse to click on File, New Sale to open the transaction screen. When the transaction screen opens, it will find the next available sale number (Transact #) based on your company settings. Note if it defaults to 0 please change it to 1000 and the system will increment from there after you save your first transaction. You can change this number if needed, using both letters and/or numbers, but do not use any symbols such as #. If you double-click the date field, you can change the date and enter a transaction that occurred on some other date. This is also the point at which you select the appropriate tax type from the drop-down list if it is not defaulting to the one needed for the sale.
Click the Add
Line F4 button to add a line item.
Since our company settings are currently set to go to the Title Field
first, that area is highlighted.
The Add Line F4 button is to
add an Title already entered into the system.
The Quick F3 button is to quick
sale a Title that has not been added to the system yet.
Begin typing the title of the piece you are looking for - En {space} P
Notice that as soon as you enter enough letters for the system to find a match, the system enters the title of the piece for you.
Note: You can also double-click in the Title or ScanCode field and select the item you want from the find screen that comes up.
Press TAB
to accept the title shown and move to the next (sales adjustment discount)
field.
Note: TAB is like the magic
key in Masterpiece as it tells Masterpiece to populate or calculate. Please
use the TAB key to move from field
to field and to populate or calculate fields. Also, another TIP is to
tab backwards; hold down the Shift key and hit tab.
As soon as you move off of the title field, the system does several things.
Since this is a unique piece, the system knows that there is only one ScanCode, and price, so it fills in the remainder of the line.
For this example, we will not use a discount. If a discount was required, you can either enter a percentage in the SalesAdj field or enter an actual discounted price in the Price Now field. So if we were to sell this piece for $1920.00 instead of $2000, we would not need to compute the actual percentage ourselves.
Click on the Client tab. The Look Up
Client field is used to find a client that we think is already in the
system. To do this, simply double-click on the pink Look Up Client field.
In this example we are going to add a new client. To add someone new,
click on the button on the far right for New Client. Note this assigns
in the grey box to the right of Look Up Client a new contact number. This
also moves your curser
to the Title field for Name.
Enter the information from below and press TAB to move from one field to another. If you overshoot a field use Shift and Tab.
Enter a contact name and, if you wish, a mailing and/or shipping address. Note that you do NOT have to capitalize as you type. The system will do the capitalization for you.
TIP: If you skip the city and state fields and just enter a zip code, the system will enter the city and state for you. Also, if you enter just the numbers in the phone number field, the system will automatically format the phone numbers for you.
Note: You can skip the contact screen completely if you just want to complete a sale without entering the client's information. It will be saved to the None contact automatically if left blank.
Press ALT-P on the keyboard (or use your mouse) to move to the Payment tab.
The system will enter a payment detail line for you when you click on the payments tab. Since this is a "Simple" sale, we are not going to break the payment up into installments or change it to credit card. We do cover those options in the main Transaction help topic and also in the To Properly Process a Credit Card topic. For now, we will accept the cash payment shown.
IMPORTANT: You MUST go to the payments tab before saving the sale. This is the time when the system actually finds out how much is owed and enters the amount for you. If you don't go to the payments screen, the system will tell you to add payments.
Click Save button (or press CTRL-S on your keyboard) to save the transaction. At this point, you can Print (ALT-P) or Preview (ALT-V) the customer's receipt.
The sampledata directory is intended for you to practice with. Before entering your REAL data, you should change the Data directory using the Change Directories option on the Tools menu. If you do this, nothing done within the SAMPLEDATA will affect your permanent data. After you are in your REAL data NEVER modify or delete any NONE record anywhere in the program as it is a required part of the program.
This completes the Basic Lessons.
You have set up your company, added artists/vendors, added inventory, and sold a piece.
When you are ready, continue with the Advanced Lessons.