Epicor 9.05.701
What exactly does making a part inactive do?
Will it remove it from the BOM?
Will MRP skip that part and move to the next active part?
Is there a full definition of what “inactive” means?
I can’t answer all your questions. But What I do know:
- You can’t make a prt inactive if there is QOH, or other demand that would create a transaction (open PO, open SO, etc…)
- You can add inactive parts to a BOM. So I don’t think there are any checks to prevent making a part inactive if it is on a BOM.
And there’s always the online Help…
Inactive
Indicates if this is an active or inactive part number.
- Clear this check box if the part is active (default).
- Select this check box to indicate that this part is no longer used. Inactive parts are excluded from the part browser list, so they cannot be selected as valid part numbers. When this check box is selected, the Inactive indicator is highlighted (the default highlight color is green). Depending on the following conditions, the Inactive check box is either available or disabled:
- If the part is selected as Inactive, this check box is available.
- If the part is Active (this check box is clear) and if it has an Inventory On-Hand quantity, this check box is disabled.
- If the part does not have an Inventory On Hand quantity and no open demand quantity is entered for the part, this check box is available.
Note: This check box is only available when you launch Part Maintenance from the Main Menu. If you are updating a part record from a search browser activated from a program like Quote Entry, this check box is disabled.
Note: A part that is inactivated cannot be selected for cycle counting using the Perform Part Selection option on the Actions menu in Cycle Count Schedule Maintenance, or manually added to an existing cycle count in Cycle Count Part Selection Update. In order to cycle count an inactive part, you must first activate it by clearing the Inactive check box. You can then select or manually add the item for cycle counting and perform all related count-related activities. Once you do this, you then reselect the Inactive check box to inactivate the part.
Note: If you are using Package Control, and wish to create an internal part for a package/container and then assign it to a package code in the Package Code Maintenance > Internal Part by Site sheet, you must not select the Inactive check box (the part cannot be inactive). Once you assign the part number to a package code, you cannot select this check box (you cannot designate it as Inactive). To inactive the part, you must first inactive the package code to which it is assigned by selecting the Inactive check box in the Package Code Maintenance > Detail sheet.
If a container detail exists with any status other than Received, in Part maint the user cannot set the part to inactive.
Note: You cannot select this check box (inactivate the part) if it is being used in Container Receipt Entry and the status of the related open purchase order release is not Received (part has not yet been fully received).
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We’ve found that marking a part inactive gives you warning and error messages when you process things manually (e.g. create a new PO, get details on a job). The same holds true for warnings only provided manually if part is on run out (run out means you want to mark it inactive but still have inventory).
The problem is, MRP and Generate PO Suggestions ignore the inactive flag and just create the jobs/PO suggestion. Calls to Epicor indicate this is working as designed. Kind of sounded like an “on error continue” type deal in coding.
Our workaround now is to have revisions on ALL parts and make the revision unapproved. Then MRP creates jobs with no details that show as exceptions in planning workbench. PO suggestions still come in but without a revision so the buyers can watch for it.
We still mark the parts as inactive or run out in the part master. That way sales gets a warning if they are added to a sales order, and anyone creating jobs or POs manually also get the warning.
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I’d like to add that HOLD is similar but it does allow you to mark as such when there is QOH. When placing on hold, you can select effective date and a reason. We use this for a part on BOM that is actually a mold that goes out for repair. This gives people trying to use it SO, SHIP, etc a warning.
We have been caught by this multiple times …
A part was made inactive, but it still remains on MOM’s.
When we ‘Get Details’ on a job and there is a sub-assembly that includes the inactive part, the system simply skips the subassembly without any notification. We manufacture capital equipment and will therefore have upwards of a 100 subassemblies. This is extremely hard to catch when it happens.
Karen
A BAQ to find MOM’s with parts marked as inactive, would seem to be in order.
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Agree, but I ended up writing a program to catch the inactive scenario as well as parts that are checked out on a workbench. Get Details does not consistently report those situations. So the program is a sanity check … it verifies that every part on the MOM was actually placed on the job. Much easier to run a program to catch missing parts than to check a job with over 1000 parts.
Hope this helps…did some testing awhile back.
Manufactured part follows the same as the Purchased.
Quote Entry: Cannot quote, Pop-up Error
Order Entry: Can enter after Pop-up Warning
Engineering WorkBench: Can enter edit Mfg Part without warning
Job Entry Manual : Wont Create Job
Quick Job Entry: Won’t create job. Error Pop-up
Here is a summary of what I tested in our Test Server.
Summary:
Quote Entry: Cannot quote, Pop-up Error
Order Entry: Can enter after Pop-up Warning
Engineering WorkBench: Can enter inactive part without warning
Job Entry Manual > Get Details with Inactive material: Cannot get details, Error Pop-up.
Job Entry Manual > Add Material: Cannot Add material, Error Pop-up.
Quick Job Entry: Won’t create job. Error Pop-up
Purchase Order Entry: cannot Enter line, Error Pop-up
MRP: Does not process individual demand; Will not create job with inactive Material(Suggestion appears in Planner Workbench).
Sound like we SHOULD NOT inactive parts.
EPICORS info after I called them:
RESPONSE FROM DEVELOPMENT:
By design, working correct. MRP acknowledges that the part exists, is Inactive, and then moves on.
By design an Inactive part will still be processed by MRP, it briefly looks at the part to see if there is any information to process per its Time Phase, writes information to the logs about it and proceeds on to the next part. The Inactive checkbox keeps the part from appearing in Part search lists; if the Time Phase has information for demand requirements and supply receipts, it will be processed like any other part that is still Active. but unfirm jobs and suggestions, both Purchasing and Manufacturing, will not be created for it.
MRP:
10:06:35 Processing Part:2211C-Test. V200
10:06:35 Processing Part:2211C-Test Plant:MfgSys.
10:06:35 Parameters: Receive Time -> 3; Planning Fence -> 0; Delta In -> 4; Delta Out -> 30; Lead Time CutOff -> ?, Use Dynamic DOS -> no, Allow Consume Min -> no
10:06:35 Deleting suggestions
10:06:35 Processing non-stock transactions for Part:2211C-Test.
10:06:35 Processing stock transactions for Part:2211C-Test.
10:06:35 Done with Part 2211C-Test
10:02:42 Processing Part:03-444376-08. V200
10:02:42 Processing Part:03-444376-08 Plant:MfgSys.
10:02:42 Parameters: Receive Time -> 3; Planning Fence -> 0; Delta In -> 0; Delta Out -> 14; Lead Time CutOff -> ?, Use Dynamic DOS -> no, Allow Consume Min -> no
10:02:42 Deleting suggestions
10:02:42 Processing non-stock transactions for Part:03-444376-08.
10:02:42 Processing stock transactions for Part:03-444376-08.
10:02:42 Beginning Balance 0
10:02:42 Date changed, process date ?
10:02:42 Get Destination
10:02:42 Create Interplant Supply
10:02:42 Creating new unfirm job:UF000000000653 Quantity:25.
10:02:42 Adding to job:UF000000000653 Quantity:25.
10:02:42 Copying BOM from Part:03-444376-08 Rev:B to Job:UF000000000653.
10:02:42 Type:3[1]Program:mr/cpmethod.p[1]Method:Do-PartMtl[1]Table:PartMtl[1]Field:MtlPartNum[1]Rowid:[1]Message:Material part number 2211C-Test inactive on part master file.
10:02:42 Error copying BOM, deleting Job:UF000000000653.
10:02:42 Deleting unfirm job UF000000000653
10:02:42 Creating new mfg suggestion for Part:03-444376-08 Quantity:25 on 10/30/15.
10:02:42 Done with Part 03-444376-08
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