No Wildcard ... hmm ... are we wrong ... ?

A great comment was posted on the most recent post about missing wildcard searchers .....

From: Anonymous <noreply-comment@blogger.com>

Subject: [Exploris Computer - Tips & Tricks] New comment on Basic Omissions .... NO Wildcard Search in Part Nu....

Date: 20 December, 2011 7:08:44 PM EST

To: xxxxxxxxxx

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Basic Omissions .... NO Wildcard Search in Part Nu...":


If in POS click on the PN/SKU/UPC. The '%' will work at the beginning, middle or end. The '*' can also be used instead of the '%'.


Also you can use the '_' character to wildcard a single character.
Ex. 8__0S I'm looking for 8660S seal but the 66 is missing.


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Here are some screen images .... showing the points .... NOTE -- we can't figure out the 'beginning' wild card search ...  but the MIDDLE and ENDING wild card searches  -- thank you so much for that clarification .... it reminds us that sometimes we need a verification on some 'issues'  ..that the help desk are sometimes wrong ...

Here is the % in the middle  ... the * or % can be used ...go try it

Here are examples of the underscore to represent a single unknown digit ( used less often )

and the wild card search at the rear of the part

Now --how to make the wild card search work at the beginning of the part  ....

REMEMBER -- open the parts box for this search ... try it ... that is how you learn

Basic Omissions .... NO Wildcard Search in Part Numbers

Omissions - there might be none GREATER than the fact ...that ...there is no wildcard search for part numbers .... we know part of the number but are missing some part ...

Now --in EXPLORIS view--that missing part has t be at the first .... as the 'percentage sign (%) can only be used at the beginning --for other uses  ... get  %234 ... covers for 11234 and 1111234 etc etc.   Wildcards should be able to be used ANYWHERE ...

So -- Dane --  when do we get wildcard searched for the counterman ....  call # 206 9403

This was Gary's first call to the help desk - love that new staff training ... but what a weak reply.....

ps - anyone noticed the HUGE wait for the help desk these days .... thank goodness we can go on with other work while we wait and wait and wait ...

Managing your CASH Customers

It wasn't long after our 3 stores went live we found that each store had an idea of what they thought was 'normal' for their actions in dealing with CASH CUSTOMERS.  And within stores we had a wide diversity of expectations and actions ... to make a LONG STORY short(er) ... thru several months of action - threats - pushing and shoving ...one by one we got the store managers on line and then the counter staff --so we could TRACK cash sales ... by insisting that (almost) every cash customer be flagged in the system.

So --now what ... we have data in the system, ... gee .... this #$^&*()_ system doesn't allow us to get the data out (easily) and let us review and adjust cash customers for their proper discount level ( the assumption is the more they buy--the better the discount they should get - all other things being equal )

One way you can get the data --is to ASK .... ask Tier One staff to have then ask Tier Two staff to run you a report ... see image for the headers we used ....

If we had to do it again -- we might have asked for LAST YEARS SALES ( again - Exploris is confusing ... is every sales column always the past 12 months or is  some data by Calendar year ?? ) ... we are asking the store managers to go thru the CONSOLIDATED List  ( we use a logic line this ....cust #11 is store#1 billing schedule #1 ....works if you have 9 or fewer stores ..:-) ... and so on ....

The columns TAGGED TO -- is the master cash customer ( e.g.:  Cust#11 ) and the sales is their data divided by 100 to get a decimal point into the data.

PS --so after 2 years on the data -- cute to see which of the 3 stores might be 'dragging their feet' the most ... can you help me decide ... ---what store do you think ....   one that sells $2601  .. or $4419 ... or $20,557 ... gee ..... let me think on this .... I do have to smile that decisions made as a group of managers ( who are also partners ) ...there is always someone who resists .... love it when I get the data and can POINT FINGERS .... as the whole concept is to have data for the customer who count ... 'things that make you go hmmm'

UPC Code questions - this will get Ugly ....

Here is what we have posted on UPC codes so far.....

Aug 31 2010 - where is data ( newbie type question ) - click here

Nov 24 2011 - starting to get serious .... click here

    and a our sister blog of Nov 21 2011 .... click here 

Nov 29 2011 - 11 or 12 digits ... starting to ask REAL questions ... click here

OK - so we know where the UPC data is supposed to be ... talking with a  USA jobber - he had ZERO UPC codes in his system for PCH chassis ... I sent him a picture of our data ...  ask for a data refresh.

We have an outstanding question - when you ask for a complete refresh of your system UPC data from CQ - will they wipe out your X line data from other vendors - we are told it won't - but I would like that PROVEN.

QUESTION - in above links -- we mention that CQ uses 11 digits - and most other suppliers use 12 digits on the UPC data ... and when you scan that part the 12 digit code TRUMPS the 11 digit -- hmm ...  so we tried to add the 12 digit UPC t the CQ part --to see what happens when you scan ... guess what ... EXPLORIS won't let you have a duplicate UPC code ....

We have a hard time with this ... we think EXPLORIS should be smart enough to list the multiple options ... saying --which V ENDOR do you want to sell -- the CQ or the X line ....

Oh well .... more headaches with our EXPLORIS system ....

Making MOVEUPS Easier ....

It should be noted that a vast majority of CARQUEST jobbers do NOT do move ups - they ask their CQ rep to do them ... WTF ....   we need to make MOVEUPS to be easier to understand.

Call # 2035576 placed today is to have an OPTION box - check it if you want to see any Supercession for a parts involved inmoveup ... much like we see any available ALTERNATE ( where it shows underneath the part - see this image as example of an Alternate



Why is this important -- well have a look at this example - DOR 698-100 -- what looks funny ...  the sales movement code is 8.5 ( real dog-eh!) ... but I have stores that are selling it - one even sold 12 .... while the DC shows only sales of 3 ....    We find examples like this where CARQUEST is just so slow at adding parts ... or ....  the part has been superseded to another sku ... would be nice to know what case this is ??  In the first case -were CARQUEST is just SO SLOW to add --we have cases were we are sourcing from where ever but the warehouse doesn't stock (enough) based upon their sales and movement code ... a real catch 22.  In the 2nd case -- well--just tell us it is a supercession ... how can you do this on the moveup screen ????????  How is our suggestion on this ?

Ps - this item is the super popular Dodge tranny solenoid valve ...   and we won't get into the problem on the superseded part is much more money ( they have been told and are promising to fix (partially??) .... but we leave that part for the upcoming book with attached movie rights .... Michael Lewis .... eat your heart out ... Money Ball and Blind Side ... this one will be bigger that all of those...

Part of the problem - there is not much of a driving force to make EXPLORIS better ---'close enough'  seems to be good enough ,...  the  guys like Mike Allen ( USA ) and Brian Taylor ( Canada ) should be listening and driving the improvements .... well ...one can wish ...