Q. Which job numbering method works
best?
It depends on your needs; the job numbering method makes no difference
to Clients & Profits. About half the shops automatically number
by client; the other half number by system. The most common number
format is year-client-number followed by client-number. 
Q. What are the differences between automatically
numbering jobs by system, client, or sequence?
| SYSTEM:
|
Jobs are numbered
sequentially, regardless of the client. System number is user-defined,
and you'll need to enter a starting number like 100. New jobs
are numbered in order (e.g., ABC-101, RRR-102, ABC-103, etc.).
|
| CLIENT:
|
Jobs are numbered sequentially
by client. Each client gets a starting job number entered in
each client's file, which increases every time a new job opens.
You'll see job numbers like ABC-101, RRR-101 and WEB-101.
|
| SEQUENCE:
|
Jobs are numbered
based on the order in which they're added. This option ensures
that you never get a duplicate job number, which can happen
very occasionally if many people open new jobs at the same time.
It is the most foolproof since it isn't based on a user-defined
starting number and doesn't include any number format. It is
set by the program itself starting at a number above 10000.
If you're constantly getting duplicate job numbers on new jobs,
and can live without seeing the year or client within the job
number, consider this option. |
Q. What number formats are available?
There are 5 number formats to choose from: number, client + number,
year + number, year + client + number, and year + number + client.
Q. How does the "always prevent duplicates"
option work?
If you have more than one user adding jobs, this option helps prevent
duplicate job numbers. It works by numbering jobs when saved, instead
of when a client number is added. This option prevents entering a
custom job number (which could be a limitation to some shops.) In
fact, you won't even know the job number until the job is saved. By
selecting this option, you can still choose whatever numbering format
you wish.
Q. How long can a job number be?
Job numbers can't exceed ten characters, including separators. A job
number is used in almost every part of Clients & Profits. Making
a job number longer means changing C&P in a thousand places, which
makes it prohibitively complex.
Q. I have a job number longer than ten characters
and part of the number is being cut off. How can this be fixed?
If you're numbering jobs using the year-client-number format, then
client codes can't exceed three characters. The client Re-number utility
lets you make a client code shorter and updates all of the client's
costs, jobs, and billings. To re-number a client prefix within a job
number, you would also have to re-number the job number itself.
Q. Can I remove the separator from the job number
to have room for longer client codes?
Yes. By removing the separator, you could gain 2 characters to have
longer client codes or longer numbers within job numbers.
Q. How do job numbers sort on reports?
A job number can contain letters and numbers. To accommodate both,
the job number field on reports is an alphabetical sorting. This means
the numbers are sorted as if they were letters. An example of that
would be a job number like 99-ABC-139 would sort after 03-ABC-345
because 9 is higher than 0. And a job number like 1234 would sort
after 12313 because 4 is higher than 1. Since almost all jobs from
1999 are now closed and most shops don’t go over 999 jobs for
a client in a year, the alphabetical sorting of the numbers is not
apparent.
Q. Where do I re-number job numbers?
There are two places in which you can re-number. An extremely convenient
place to re-number is on the job ticket itself. Choose Production
> Job Tickets. Find the job. Choose Edit > Job Tools > Re-number.
Or choose Setup > Utilities > Re-number. In either area, you
can choose to re-number a job number or re-number one job’s
client.
Q. Can the job numbering method be changed later,
or are we stuck forever with our first choice?
It can be changed later. Any job added after you've changed the numbering
preference uses the new number format. Existing jobs won't be affected.
But, you can use the "re-number" utility to change existing
job numbers.
Q. I need to change a job number, but the field
can't be edited. Can a job number be changed?
Yes. The Re-number utility lets you change a job number, updating
its tasks, costs and billings automatically. To change a job number,
choose Setup > Utilities > Re-number. Select the "job number"
option, enter the job's number and its new number, then click OK.
Re-number changes the number on the job ticket and all of its activity.
Q. I re-numbered a job number but it still is listed
with the old client. Can I fix it?
Yes. Re-numbering a job number does NOT assign a job to a new client;
only the job number is changed. For example, the job number is RET-123
and its client is (RET) Retail Corporation. You choose to re-number
the job to ABD-002. The job number changes to the new client prefix
you specify, but the client number on the job ticket remains (RET)
Retail Corporation. If the client also needs to be changed on this
job, use Re-number to change one job's client number. (See below.)
Q. I need to reassign a job to a different client.
Can I change a job's client number?
Yes. The Re-number utility includes an option to change one job's
client. Choose Setup > Utilities > Re-number. Select the "one
job's client" option, enter the job number, then press tab. The
job's current client appears, which you'll edit to the new client
number. Click OK. Re-number changes all activity–but not billings.
The client number on existing a/r invoices is not changed. They are
paid under the previous client number.
Q. I was using Re-number but the procedure was interrupted.
What should I do now?
If you are getting a padlock, first try to break the padlock by using
the command and period keys. If this does not work, try to force quit.
Your last resort is to restart your computer. Restoring a backup is
your best option if Re-number is interrupted. Otherwise, you can review
the job itself to see if it renumbered correctly. Try again locally
(not over the network) if it did not.
Q. The job numbering sequence is off; it's not giving
me the correct next number. What should I do?
First, verify the last number used. Second, reset the number. If numbering
jobs by system, check job numbering preferences making sure the next
number to be used is correct. If numbering by client, check the client
file making sure the last number used is correct.
Q. We want job numbers to contain a letter code designating
the type of job, such as "M" for media or "P"
for production. Can Clients & Profits add this letter automatically?
No. You would need to number jobs manually.
However, using a Job Type/Spec Sheet can categorize jobs into a type,
such as media or production. This would alleviate the need to include
a letter code in the job number itself.
Q. I found two jobs with the same number. What should
I do?
In Re-number, select the "job number" option. Enter the
job's number and a temporary number (that does not exist) to change
it to, e.g., "ZZZ123," then click OK. Re-number changes
the number on the original job ticket and all of its activities. Find
the remaining job ticket and delete it. Then re-number job "ZZZ123"
back to the original number.
Q. I found two jobs that are identical, but have
two different job numbers. Can I use Re-number to merge them together?
No. You can't use Re-number since it isn't designed to merge two jobs
together. The solution is to delete the job that is the least accurate.
However, you will only be able to delete it if there is no activity
against it, i.e., commitments, costs, or billings.
Q. What should I do if there are commitments, costs,
or billings on a job I wish to delete?
Use the Job Cost Transfer feature to move detail from one job to another.
You won't be able to delete the duplicate job, but you can edit its
status to Closed. Or, edit activity on one job moving it to the other.
This would mean editing unbilled time entries, commitments, and/or
unposting a redistributing other job costs and billings. If you can
accomplish all that; then, you can delete the duplicate job ticket.
Q. Why would a job be numbered "???" or
"Automatic"?
The word "Automatic" appears when jobs are added with the
"always prevent duplicates option," since the job number
won't be assigned until the job is saved. Once the job is saved, its
actual number is displayed–unless something goes wrong like
a network error, system crash or some other error that prevents a
job from being completely saved. Then the job number can appear as
“???” or “Automatic” after it is saved. This
is a rare occurrence.
Q. What should I do if I have a saved job with the
job number of "???" or "Automatic"?
If the job has "???" as the job number, then Re-number the
job number. If the job is numbered "Automatic," you can
try to clone the job–but don't forget to delete the job that
was saved as "Automatic." Or, you will need to delete the
job and add it again. Check that your numbering setup doesn't need
to be reset as well.
Q. I found a job that has no job number. What happened?
This is a very rare occurrence due to a network error, system crash,
or some other error that prevents a job from being completely saved.
Close the job. Add a new job to replace the one with no job number.
