This page is a collection of miscellaneous topics that may be useful but don't easily sit anywhere else in our online documentation. They are included here so that they can be found when you search this wiki for the relevant key words.
You can set mSupply to log an inactive client out after a customisable length of time. See the 15.01. General preferences page for details.
We are presuming that you will finalise and export your invoice data once a month. If you choose a different frequency, you should still follow the same procedure.
Tasks to perform:
Hints:
It is usual to run according to a financial year. mSupply does not require you to delete records or perform special operations for the end of the financial year. If you want to, you can just carry on using mSupply as usual.
However, there are certain procedures that will improve operation, and make an audit of your operation easier.
If you are using your data file regularly, it is a good idea occasionally to check that no problems have developed. Problems can develop due, for example, to faulty hardware and other reasons outside our control.
In the case of a serious hardware failure, the first option should always be to revert to the last known good backup of your data.
If for some reason you must repair a damaged data file, please contact Sustainable Solutions for advice.
To check your data, download a product called 4D Tools . (4D Tools and a manual is included on the CD) from ftp://ftp.4d.com.
4D Tools can simply check your data file for errors, or repair your file. Please contact Sustainable Solutions if you believe your data file has a problem, before repairing it.
Always use 4D Tools on a backup copy of your data first.
If 4D Tools is unable to repair your data, Sustainable Solutions is able to use specialist tools to examine your data, and even export your data and re-import into a new data file. We have not had to do this for a customer yet, but the option is available as a near-last resort.
On Windows:
On Mac OS
If you maintain the mSupply password system carefully, your data is quite secure.
Note, however, that if a person has access to the original copy of mSupply, they will easily be able to open the data file, as the “user 1” password is clearly shown in the password entry screen until it is overwritten the first time you click “OK”. It is your responsibility to keep copies of your mSupply software and data in a safe place.
As of version 1.4, passwords stored in the data file are encrypted with strong (512 bit) RSA encryption, so there is little danger of someone finding your password.
mSupply was initially designed to maintain data relating to a single store in each data file, and for many users, this is how mSupply continues to be used.
Since version 2 users have been able to operate with multiple stores. Normally you will log into a particular store when starting mSupply, and only see stock and transactions relating to that store. However, users can be given the permission to login as Supervisor - All stores. In this mode, users may now access data relating to more than one store - either selectively or cumulatively.
Any user in 'Supervisor - All stores' mode will have access to all data in all stores, not just those that they are allowed to log into. So you should only really give this permission to … a suitably authorised Supervisor .
In this mode, nearly all of the report filter windows will display an additional panel to allow you to select which stores' data will be included in the report. Here is an example from the expiring items report:
All the currently active stores in your datafile appear in the Include records form these stores list. The stores to be included in the report should be selected in the normal way by clicking with the mouse; to select more than one store, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) while clicking on the desired store(s). Ctrl/Cmd + A also works for selecting all stores.
Note also that when you search for items, the filter window has the same store selection:
The item search filters will be applied to items visible in the stores selected only. If there are a lot of stores in the datafile you can click on the Bigger List button (or Magnifier button on some windows) to select the required store(s) in a separate window.
Some mSupply datafiles can contain hundreds of stores. It cna become problematic to them select the exact stores to include in a particular report. To help with this, on some reports, there is an additional magnifying glass button near the top of the store list. See this example on the Current stock report window:
When you click on the button, this window opens and it allows you to select the stores to include based on store tag and custom data values:
When the stores list shows the list of stores you want to include in the report, click on the Select button. This will close this filter window and highlight all the stores shown in this list in the stores list on the report filter window.
Click on the Cancel button if you want to return to the report filter page without selecting any stores.
In Supervisor - All stores mode you can also create Purchase Orders that will be based on data for all stores, and can specify delivery destinations for different lines within the order. See the 6.05. Multi-store Purchase Orders page for details.
If you have need to change item codes in bulk, refer to Import new item codes
If you have need to change the On Price List for items in bulk, refer to Update On Price List in bulk
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