TABLE OF CONTENTS No other file is more important than the item master. In fact, the manufacturing world revolves around the part number, the focus and center of the item master file. All manufacturing records are attached to this file in some way. The item master is like the nucleus of the manufacturing database.
At the center of all manufacturing data lies the item master. You may have noticed that attached to each item number in the item master are several fields of data. These are the identifiers for all activity and knowledge associated with this part number. Many of these fields are required fields, such as standard cost, stocking code, or procurement code. A required field is generally linked or hard coded into the software logic and is necessary to use other functions properly. These required fields are especially important and should be utilized in the manner designed by the software provider.
Other fields such as group code, family code, sales code, or planner code may not be required fields, but are very helpful in running a business in a cost-effective manner. Still other fields are user-defined fields. These are the fun fields in the item master. They are available for all the imaginative and creative process improvements you may want to implement. These fields are neither required nor labeled by the software originally. All of these fields required, nonrequired, and user definable are included in your business system for data sorts and represent the keys to the real...
