A.

Prepare the template

Begin your compare by populating the template with your version of the supplier's data.  You can get a copy of the template by clicking the link below.

DATA COMPARE TEMPLATE.XLS

Please note:

• The template must contain data for a single supplier only.  If costs are included, and the supplier uses more than one Cost Zone to associate costs with your stores, only include costs for a single zone.

• Compares are case sensitive.  For example, the compare will not recognize "OZ" and "oz" as being equal.

• Item Descriptions should NOT include commas or double-quotes.  These can cause errors and skew the results.  

• For a guide, see Completing the Compare Template.

1. Open the template and enter your data for the supplier.  

1. • Each item's Product Code (UPC) and Product Code Type are required for all compares.  Do not enter hyphens.  All other fields are optional.

   • If UPCs have leading zeros, use the Excel® Format Cells > Number option to format the Product Code field as Text.

   • If your system contains Net Costs only, it's not necessary to enter the Base Cost and Allowance.

2. Save as a .csv file, using a file name of your choice.  

In Excel® this is done by choosing File > Save as > Save as type: CSV (comma delimited).

Important:  Filenames must not contain spaces when used for compares.  Use underscores instead.  For example, MAY_1_DSD_SUPPLIER.csv.

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B.

Select the supplier, cost zone, and data fields to compare

From the online Administration tab:

1. Click Item/Cost Compare.

2. Select the Supplier whose data you will compare.

If Sub Vendors, are set up to organize your vendors, choose the vendor from the drop-down box that appears.

3. Select the supplier's Cost Zone that contains the costs to compare.

4. If desired, you can select the offer status of the Items to Compare.  (Leave at the default to include Offered and Accepted items only.)  These are helpful for analyzing items out-of-sync with your authorization system.

1. Not Offered - In the supplier's catalog, but not offered to the retailer.

   Offered - Offered, but not accepted by the retailer.

   Rescinded - Offer withdrawn by the supplier.

   Accepted - Supplier's offer accepted by the retailer.

   Rejected - Supplier's offer rejected by the retailer.

5. Decide the level of compare and the report(s) to include.

Note:  You can leave these fields at the default to run a basic item compare.  

The Primary Product Code (UPC) fields are required for all compares. Product Codes are based on Exact Match, and generate both an Item Report and a Cost Report.

Four options are available for each field.  

Exact Match - All boxes checked must exactly match in the retailer's file and the supplier's item catalog.  ANY discrepancy will cause the item to be reported as "Not included" in either the retailer's file or the supplier's catalog.  Discrepancies are not highlighted.  In most cases, Report Discrepancy is the better choice.

Report Discrepancy - If an item is found in both the retailer's file and the supplier's item catalog, any discrepancies in the boxes selected are shown in the discrepancy columns.  This is generally preferred over "Exact Match".

Item Report - Include the field in the item compare report.

Cost Report - Include the field in the cost compare report.

6. Choose from any of the optional compare fields, selecting Exact Match or Report Discrepancy for each.  Choose a report for each selection you make.

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C.

If desired, select Product Code and/or Consumer Unit options

You can optionally choose specialized compares based on product codes and/or consumer units.  These fields are not required for a basic compare.

• Include Master Item UPC in Search - Can be used if a supplier's items are linked to Park City Group Master Items.  Master Items define product codes for item family hierarchies, such as case, pack, inner pack, and each.

• Include All Supplier Item Product Codes in Search - Use to compare the product code (UPC) set up in the retailer's system against ALL codes set up for the supplier item.

A supplier can have multiple UPCs assigned to a single item, with only one set up as the Primary Product Code.  If this box is unchecked (default), the retailer's UPC is compared against the primary code only.

• Include Consumer Units in Search - Some supplier items are set up as the Vendor Unit -VU (case) with an associated Consumer Unit -CU (each).  Check this and one or more CU options to expand the compare to the CU level.  The Consumer Unit Pack is included by default in all compares.

• Other Fields - Click this link to include less common criteria that may be included in the supplier's item catalog, such as SKU, Buyer Code, or Gross Weight.  

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D.

Choose How to Report and select a Delivery Type

1. Choose How to Report.  This gives you a choice of output.

1. • CSV with Highlights - After processing by the formatting macro, this output contains codes that bold section headings and highlight all discrepancies in bold yellow.  This is the recommended output.

   • CSV - Can optionally be used without the macro.  (Will require manual formatting.)

2. The default What to Report options will handle almost any data compare requirement.  

For information on options outside of the default, please consult with your Park City Group account representative or implementer.  

3. Select a Delivery Type.  This determines how you will receive your reports.  

1. • Select E-mail Attachment to have the reports e-mailed to the address listed.

   • Select E-mail Notification to save the reports for downloading from File Registry.  A notification is sent to your e-mail address that the reports are ready.

   • Select File Registry to save the reports for downloading.  No notifications are sent.

Notes:  

If both reports total over 2MB in size, they will not be sent as e-mail attachments.  Instead, you are notified by e-mail that the reports are ready for downloading in File Registry.  

Log files listing any processing errors are sent with each compare (regardless of whether errors occurred).  These are always sent via e-mail.  

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E.

Submit the completed template

1. Click Submit File (located at the top).

2. Click Browse and select the File to Compare (your completed .csv file).

3. Click File Upload.

You are notified onscreen of a successful upload.

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F.

Process the reports through the macro

After you submit the template file, two reports and a log file are generated.  The reports are made available via the Delivery Type you selected.  

• The compare report files are named in the following format.  

SupplierID_RetailerID_*COMP_jobID.txt

For example:  

14964_32538_ITEMCOMP_1220684.txt

14964_32538_COSTCOMP_1220687.txt

SupplierID - If available in Park City Group, this is the retailer's ID for the vendor.  Otherwise, this is the supplier's Park City Group BUID.

RetailerID - The retailer's Park City Group BUID.

*COMP - The type of compare file, such as ITEMCOMP or COSTCOMP.

jobID - The job processing ID in Park City Group.  Because the jobID is unique and sequential, this is helpful If you run different compares against the same data.

Note:  Although the compare output is sent as .txt, internally each file is in .csv format suitable for opening in Excel® .  Leave the file names set to .txt to open with the macro.  

• The log file lists any errors that occurred during processing, and is always sent via e-mail.  

The log is sent even if no errors occurred.  If you need assistance with errors, please contact your Park City Group account representative.

To open the files and review the compare:

1. Save the two report files to your computer.

2. Open the data_compare_macro.xls file.  

3. Click Enable Macros when the warning box appears.

4. Click Open File.

5. Select and open the desired report (.txt file).  

The macro reformats the file, expanding columns where needed.  If CSV with Highlights was chosen, the discrepancies are highlighted in bold yellow.

6. Save the reformatted file to your hard drive as .xls.

7. Repeat for other report files as needed.

See the sample Item Compare Results and Cost Compare Results for guides to reviewing the compare files.  Please note that these reports print in Landscape.

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