With direct communication to the manufacturer, it is possible for the system to automatically upload and convert advice note files, stock order files and any special files (for example, supersession and backorder files) that the manufacturer supplies.
In some cases, a manufacturer may supply zip files. In the case of advice notes, for example, the system automatically unzips the retrieved files when they are uploaded, and looks at them to determine the POS company to which the file belongs. The file is then renamed and suffixed with a sequence number. The sequence represents an incremental number that helps to prevent file duplication. For further details, see the topic on Advice Notes.
In the event that you do not have direct communication to the manufacturer or you have a problem with the automated system, you must manually upload and convert the files each day before use.
Warning: If for any reason the conversion fails when the scheduled upload and conversion of files are in operation, e-mails are automatically generated. If it fails while manually uploading files, warning messages are displayed. The software will remove any records processed so far on the stock order or advice note file and return you back to the form without removing the source file. If an error does occur, contact either your support team or Software Support, advising them of the error message. See the Troubleshooting topic.
To manually upload and convert files:
Display the Advice Note and Order Processing form and do one of the following:
Click the 
Import a manufacturer's electronic advice file toolbar button.
Select the Import a manufacturer's electronic advice file command from the I want to....
Note: If the automatic upload and conversion routines are in operation, you do not need to carry out this task. If this is the case, these options are disabled for all except priority 9 users, which enables support or the system administrator to manually import a file in the event of a problem with the automated process. You can immediately proceed to view advice notes and stock order files.
Depending on the manufacturer and the settings in the Advice Notes Parameters form, the files are transferred from a remote server or a temporary store on your local PC. A window is displayed showing the progress of the file transfer. If the files are uploaded successfully, the following message is displayed:
Files uploaded OK
Click OK.
To convert the files, do one of the following:
Click the 
Convert an imported advice file toolbar button.
Select the Convert an imported advice file command from the I want to... menu.
If multiple files are awaiting conversion, a list of files is displayed. You can only convert one file at a time.
The system starts to convert the file. On completion, a dialog is displayed advising the total number of records converted.
Click OK.
Note: Advice note files can be manually deleted by clicking the 
toolbar button or selecting the Delete the selected advice note command on the I want to... menu.