As we transition to the new Evolution Platform, ensuring that our product data is meticulously cleaned and uploaded with the most up-to-date and accurate information is paramount. The migration to the Evolution Platform presents an opportunity to streamline product management and enhance operational efficiency. Therefore the migration to the Evolution Platform entails all Franchises adopting the Standard List, which encompasses the most commonly utilised PiP products along with standard service and labour charges.  Therefore it's imperative to align your current product data with the new standard product list. 

Preparation of your product data is crucial for leveraging the new standard product list. By following this guide, you'll be able to clean up your product data effectively before the migration deadline.

Deadline for data preparation

Final date: 30 April 2024 

Understanding Product Eligibility for Migration

Criteria for Product Migration:

• Transaction activity - Products must have been used in a transaction since 1 January 2022.
• Stock - Eligible products include those with stock, are non-inventory products or map to a standard product
• Active status - Only products marked as active will be migrated. Inactive products are considered irrelevant for ongoing operations unless reactivated.

Inactivate Unused Products

Tutorial

A ~20-minute walkthrough tutorial is available to guide you through the product data cleaning process. 

Steps for inactivation:

1. Identify products with no activity
   • Run the [Data Clean Up] Inventory Products - No activity since Jan 2022 & no stock search to find products without recent transactions.
2. Review and decide:
   • Asses which products should be inactivated based on the search results.
3. Inventory Adjustment:
   • Adjust inventory to zero or transfer stock (if a duplicate) to inactivate products with stock on hand.
4. Inactive products:
   • Individually updates: Edit each product to mark it as inactive via the system information tab. 
     • Hold Ctrl on your keyboard and click the product's Internal ID to open a new tab
     • Navigate to the new tab and click 'Edit'
     • Navigate to the System Information tab and tick 'Inactive'
     • Click 'Save'
     • Repeat the above steps for each product, navigating back to the search results tab each time.
   • Bulk updates: Export search results to Excel, refer to the image below for guidance, change the 'Inactive' column from 'No' to 'Yes', and submit to netsuite@poolwerx.com.au for bulk upload.

[exporting search to excel]

Ensuring Successful Product Mapping

A critical aspect of successful product migration to the Evolution Platform is ensuring accurate mapping of your current products to the new standard product list. Proper alignment minimises manual intervention and ensures a smoother transition.

Key to mapping success

Mapping Visualisation:

To help clarify how fields in NetSuite items correspond to LightSpeed products, refer to the mapping visualisation here. This visualisation also applies to the data migration of your local products.

Vendor code alignment (minimum)

• Matching each product's vendor code with those on the standard list is the minimum requirement to achieve successful mapping and reduce manual adjustments.
• Location in NetSuite: The vendor code is under the Purchasing tab in the Vendor sublist. This is highlighted green in the mapping visualisation. 

Additional Identifiers:

For a higher mapping success rate, consider the following additional identifiers to align with the standard list:

• Vendor linked: 
  • Ensure the Vendor/Supplier is linked to your product.
  • Location in NetSuite: The vendor is under the Purchasing tab, highlighted in red in the mapping visualisation.
• Barcode (SKU/UPC) Codes: 
  • Ensure the barcode/SKU for each product matches the standard list to streamline the mapping process. 
  • Location in NetSuite: The UPC code is under the Main section, in the Primary Information Heading and highlighted in blue in the mapping visualisation.
• Purchase Description: 
  • Ensure your product purchase descriptions match those specified in the standard list. 
  • Location in NetSuite: The purchase description field is under the Purchasing tab, highlighted in purple in the mapping visualisation.

Steps for ensuring alignment:

1. Identify products with activity and stock:
   • Run the [Data Clean Up] Products - Activity since Jan 2022 & stock on hand search to identify relevant inventory products.
   • This search will provide you a comprehensive list of products that have recently been used and have available stock.
2. Reference the Standard List:
   • Asses which products need updating in your local product catalog to match the vendor code in the standard list.  
   • Consult the appropriate standard product list to verify and match the vendor codes accurately. 
     • AU Standard List
     • NZ Standard List
     • US Standard List (To be advised).
3. Update Additional identifiers:
   • For improved mapping, update your products' vendor, purchase descriptions and barcodes (SKU/UPC) to align with those on the standard list.

By following these steps and using the mapping visualisation, you can efficiently ensure that your products map correctly, minimising the need for manual corrections and reducing discrepancies in the final migration to the Evolution Platform.

Reviewing product stock

Keep inventory up-to-date to ensure that accurate data is uploaded to the Evolution Platform. 

1. Address negative Inventory:
   • Use PWX | Purchase Orders (Open) Tracking to identify purchase orders that need fulfilling
   • Use Negative Inventory Snapshot to identify and adjust negative inventory as needed. Here is how.
2. Stock Accuracy:
   • Regularly review and update stock levels using PWX | Stock on hand, employing the stocktake process for accuracy and efficiency.