Special Indicator
A special indicator marks a line as something other than a plain sale or purchase: a free-of-cost unit, a sample, a scheme bonus, a subcontracting line. Stock documents, sales and purchase orders carry it on their lines.
What it is for
On a stock line the kind of special indicator changes the rules. A receipt line marked free (F) or sample (S) must carry no price: "You don't have to define price in Free of Cost Item". A subcontracting line (SC) may have no price, because the vendor's fee can be nil.
The one rule people get wrong: a delivery line with a special indicator reaches the automatic sales invoice only when its special indicator has Required in Sales Invoice ticked. Otherwise the free goods leave stock and never appear on the invoice.
Every field in plain words
| Field | What it means | What to put |
|---|---|---|
| Special Indicator | The code | FOC, SAMPLE |
| Name | What users see | Free of cost |
| Special Indicator (kind) | Which kind it is | Pick from the list: free F, sample S and the other delivered kinds |
| Block | Stops it being chosen | Leave unticked |
| Required in Sales Invoice | Delivery lines with this indicator go onto the sales invoice raised from the delivery, and onto a customer invoice memo | Tick when free goods must appear on the invoice at nil or discounted value |
| Required Revenue Accounting | Shown only for F and S, and only open when Required in Sales Invoice is ticked. The free value is accounted as revenue with a discount | Tick to show the gross value and the discount |
| Discount Category | The discount category the free value is booked to | Shown for F and S; required when Required Revenue Accounting is ticked |
| Discount % | Shown only for S. For F it is held at 100 | For a sample used in a sales promotion it must stay 100 |
| Required In Sales, Required In Purchase, Required In Purchase Invoice, Required In Invoice Line | Recorded only | No list or document reads them |
Cost Element grid
Cost elements, with allocation base, currency, value, tax zone and tax group, Copy Tax From Order Line, Required Mandatory and line text. Sales Order and Sales Order Journal copy these lines onto the order when the special indicator is chosen there.
How to configure it
- One indicator per kind of giveaway the client accounts differently.
- Decide with the accountant whether free goods appear on the invoice (Required in Sales Invoice) and whether their value is shown as revenue and discount (Required Revenue Accounting).
Scenarios
- A pharmaceutical distributor that gives one free pack for every ten. An
Findicator with Required in Sales Invoice ticked, so the free pack is on the invoice at nil value. - Physician samples. An
Sindicator with Discount % 100. It cannot be changed away from 100 once a sales promotion uses it.
What it is connected to
- Item Issue To Sales Order - reads Required in Sales Invoice when it raises the invoice.
- Item Receipt for Purchase Order - refuses a price on a free line.
- Promotions and Rewards, Sales Order and Customer Invoice Memo - promotions, orders and invoice memos read the indicator.
If something looks wrong
- "Discount Percentage must be 100% when Special Indicator is used in a Promotion." - a sample indicator used by a sales promotion cannot have any other discount.
- "Basic Data - Line ID : 1 - You don't have to define price in Free of Cost Item" - a receipt line with a free or sample indicator has a price. Clear it.
- Free goods missing from the invoice. Required in Sales Invoice is off on their special indicator.