The discount map is used by the system to allocate the correct discounts on purchases from your suppliers, and to discount parts sales automatically at Point-of-Sale. A discount map can also be set up for labour sales if required. Standard functionality exists that allows you to create, and maintain, records.
The discount map code is single-character alphanumeric, and as many can be set up as are required to analyse discounts by various franchises, or sub-groups within franchises. In order to provide that flexibility, the discount map code is held in the product group record. In that way, several product groups can utilise the same discount map code, but, where necessary, they can be broken down to provide greater diversification on product pricing.
Warning: The discount map code l (lower case L) is used specifically for labour sales discounting, so under no circumstances should this code be used for parts discounting because labour sales may then produce some surprising results.
The product groups are set up in the Stock Management module, and each part number MUST carry a defined product group. For each product group that you set up, you must set the appropriate discount group. It is possible for several product groups to share the same discount group. Most users will set up one product group per franchise. However, if you want to offer different discounts on a range of products within the same franchise, this can be achieved by allocating the parts concerned a different product group.
To access the discount map:
From the Autoline Master Menu, select the Point of sale option and Company you require.
The POINT OF SALE main menu is displayed.
Select Miscellaneous options.
The SO MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS Menu is displayed.
Select the Discount map option.
The Discount Map form is displayed.
The Discount Map form is displayed when you select the Discount map option from the SO MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS menu. From this form, you can create, and maintain, discount maps.
Warning: If the message Co 00 file, written in red, is displayed on the form you are about to edit, you are strongly advised to seek expert advice before amending this file. Amending a Co 00 file (global file), may have an undesirable impact on other companies using the same environment.
Discount group: The single-character discount group code. This is the same as that set in the product group table.
Tip: Click the Ellipsis button ![[...]](Ellipsis.gif){kind=small}
to search for a discount group.
Description: Description entered by default when you select the Discount group
There are two tabs to complete:
TABS:
The main objective of the Discount Map is to point the system to a specific discount matrix, or table, which will have differing discount percentages for each of the manufacturer's discount codes.
Note: Discount maps and tables can be printed via the Print discount/nominal tables option.
The letters in the left-hand column of the discount map denote the customer discount type. This is the letter as used on the Other details tab of the Sales Ledger account and on the Account defaults tab of the Customer Details Form. The field name on the Sales Ledger is:
- DISCOUNT(1) for normal parts sales
- DISCOUNT(2) for parts sold through the Service department
- LABORDIS (Labour discount code) for labour sales
This allows you to offer different selling discounts on parts sold to customers when their vehicle is in the Workshop/Bodyshop for repair.
There are a maximum of 23 of the customer discounts categories in the range A to W to which you can allocate a discount table number for each source type. If you find that you have in excess of 23 customer types for sales discount purposes, you may use lower-case letters a-w to extend this to 46. If this is required, consult your System Manager in the first instance to request that the headings to your discount map be amended. The headings would be changed to include discount types s; i; v; c, and w, in lower-case letters in the WIP header discount type field of the SO system parameters. If there is any doubt about this procedure, ensure that you speak to an Autoline consultant before any changes are made. When selling to customers whose discount type is a lower case letter, the system looks across the disc ount map heading for a lower-case discount type, and uses the table number set in that column.
The last row (Purchasing) is reserved for purchase discount table numbers.
The headings to the map denote the source type of the parts to be sold. These are normally:
When selling parts at Point-of-Sale, the user may specify the discount type to be used for all parts, or, alternatively, edit specific parts to use a different discount type. For labour sales, the system uses the first discount type defined in the SO system parameter, WIP header discount types (usually S for ex-stock), which is displayed in the first column of the discount map. There is a maximum of 9 of these source codes.
This has the effect of offering reduced discounts to customers depending on how the parts were sourced. It also allows the user to issue parts of differing source types on the same invoice but with reduced selling discounts on parts sourced from other dealers or VOR (Vehicle-off-Road) order.
Description:
This is a description of what each Customer Discount Type is called, showing the name of the customer (if individually applied) or the collective group - for example: F: Special Fleet; T: Trade.
The product group description can be included should you want to show the product group/franchise code in full - for example, CITROEN PARTS.
This tab shows a grid in which you may enter all of the valid discount codes relevant to this discount category. There is a maximum of 340 codes per category which can be up to 3-character alphanumeric. These are normally entered by column, as per the list sequence supplied by the manufacturer. Each discount code entered automatically appears in any discount tables created.
Note: When new discount codes are entered into the discount map, the sort/print discounts program can be used to re-sort the discount map and any discount tables resident in the discount map.
It is possible that the manufacturer or supplier may use a two-, or three-digit, product discount code for their own analysis purposes but, so far as dealer buying discounts and customer sales discounts are concerned, there is no difference between the levels of discount on these separate codes. For example, the supplier may determine that there are three different discount codes of AB1, AB2 and AB3, but for dealer purposes they all attract the same buying margins, and should offer customers the same sales discount. It is possible to enter AB only in the available codes here to reduce the amount of individual code maintenance, and therefore store the percentages at one level only rather than the three sub-levels. Similarly, if there were five codes - A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 - all offering the same discount levels, a single code of A can be maintained here.
If the Point-of-Sale and Purchase Control programs cannot find an exact match for the discount code held on the parts stock record, they remove the last digit, and search for an abbreviated code until a match is found at a short code level.
Note: This feature can save a considerable amount of unnecessary table maintenance, but it must be used bearing in mind both the buying, and the selling, requirements, and reviewed on an on-going basis.
So far as labour sales discounts are concerned, the discount codes here are the valid labour rate codes as held on the Other details tab of the Sales Ledger account record in the field Default labour rate (LABTYPE), and defined in the labour rates tables.
Printing Discount/Nominal Tables
