Book One Introduction To GO ................................. 9

Contents
Book One
Chapter 1
1.1 1.2 1.3
Introduction to GO ................................. 9
Initializing GO Software .............................. 10
Beginning Steps .................................................................................... 10 Company Information .......................................................................... 11 Sample Data ......................................................................................... 13
Chapter 2
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8
Introduction of Main Screen Elements ...... 15

Main Screen ......................................................................................... 15 Titlebar ................................................................................................. 15 GO Icon ................................................................................................ 16 Menubar ............................................................................................... 16 Toolbar ................................................................................................. 16 Statusbar .............................................................................................. 17 Message Box ........................................................................................ 17 Record Counter .................................................................................... 18
Chapter 3
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.6.1 3.6.2 3.6.3 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10
Writing a Customer Invoice ........................ 19

Adding a New Customer and a New Vehicle ........................................ 19 Customer Master Record ..................................................................... 22 Vehicle Master Record ......................................................................... 28 Adding Labor to an Invoice .................................................................. 31 Modifying Labor Hours ....................................................................... 33 Adding Parts to an Invoice .................................................................. 34 Adding Parts From Inventory ............................................................... 34 Adding Special Order Parts.................................................................. 36 Forcing a Part onto an Active Invoice .................................................. 39 Displaying an Active Invoice................................................................ 39 Printing an Active Invoice .................................................................... 39 Closing an Active Invoice ..................................................................... 40 Summary .............................................................................................. 42
Chapter 4
4.1 4.2 4.3
History ........................................................ 43
Why Use History? ................................................................................ 43 How to Use History .............................................................................. 43 History Screen Elements ...................................................................... 44
2002 Garage Operator, Inc.
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Book 2
Chapter 5
5.1 5.2 5.3
The Base Module ................................ 47

Active Invoice Header Section Definitions ... 48
Header Fields ....................................................................................... 48 Header Procedure Buttons .................................................................... 50 Revising an Estimate or Invoice ........................................................... 51
Chapter 6
6.1 6.2 6.3
Active Invoice Parts Section Definitions ...... 53

Parts Procedure Buttons ....................................................................... 53 Parts Details the first six fields ......................................................... 54 Parts Details the second six fields ..................................................... 57
Chapter 7
7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5
Active Invoice Labor Section - Definitions ...... 59

Labor Procedure Buttons ..................................................................... 59 Hours Screens in Detail ........................................................................ 60 Labor Details scrolling screen ........................................................... 65 Icon Buttons ......................................................................................... 66 Running Totals ..................................................................................... 67
Chapter 8
8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7
Active Invoice Total Section Definitions ....... 69

Gross Profit Margin ............................................................................. 70 Discount ............................................................................................... 70 Sublet ................................................................................................... 71 Towing ................................................................................................. 73 Other Charges ...................................................................................... 74 Supplies ................................................................................................ 75 Tax ....................................................................................................... 75
Chapter 9
9.1 9.1.1 9.1.2 9.1.3 9.2 9.2.1 9.2.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7
Purchasing ......................................................... 77
Purchase Orders ................................................................................... 77 Creating a Purchase Order is a three-step process ............................... 77 Purchase Order Selection Screen ......................................................... 82 Purchase Orders Screen ....................................................................... 84 Shop Supplies ....................................................................................... 87 Keeping Track of Shop Supplies .......................................................... 88 How are Shop Supplies accounted for on theGeneral Ledger? ............ 89 Restock List ......................................................................................... 90 Receive Parts ........................................................................................ 91 Find It ................................................................................................... 96 Report Returns ..................................................................................... 99 Inventory Control ................................................................................. 99
Chapter 10 Management ................................................... 103

10.1 10.1.1 Daily Summary .................................................................................. 103 Closed Invoices .................................................................................. 106
2002 Garage Operator, Inc. All Rights Reserved
10.1.2 10.1.3 10.1.4 10.1.5 10.1.6 10.1.7 10.1.8 10.1.9 10.1.10 10.1.11 10.1.12 10.1.13 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.6.1 10.6.2 10.6.3 10.7 10.7.1 10.7.2 10.7.3 10.7.4 10.7.5 10.7.6 10.7.7 10.7.8 10.8 10.8.1 10.8.2 10.8.3 10.9 10.9.1 10.9.2 10.9.3 10.9.4 10.9.5 10.9.6 10.9.7 10.9. 8 10.9. 9 10.9.10 10.9.11 10.9.12 10.9.13 10.9.14 10.9.15
Rcvd on Account ................................................................................ 106 Over the Counter ................................................................................ 109 Misc Income ....................................................................................... 110 Cash Expenses .................................................................................... 111 Personal Expenses .............................................................................. 113 Till Count ........................................................................................... 113 Hours Worked .................................................................................... 116 Todays Timecards ............................................................................. 118 Flag Payroll ........................................................................................ 120 Summary Reports............................................................................... 122 Bad Checks ........................................................................................ 126 Backup ............................................................................................... 130 Company Information ........................................................................ 131 Options & Forms Setup ..................................................................... 131 Print Forms ........................................................................................ 134 Password ............................................................................................ 135 Direct Marketing ................................................................................ 136 Batch Print Settings............................................................................ 136 Send Reminders .................................................................................. 136 Target Mailing .................................................................................... 139 Accounts Receivable .......................................................................... 144 A/R Statements: ................................................................................. 144 Aged Balances ................................................................................... 147 Customer Activity .............................................................................. 147 Interest Charges .................................................................................. 149 Reverse Interest Charges .................................................................... 150 Bad Debts ........................................................................................... 151 Reverse Bad Debts ............................................................................. 153 Employee Receivables ........................................................................ 154 Accounts Payable ............................................................................... 154 Closed Payables ................................................................................. 154 Aged Balances .................................................................................... 158 Payables Report ................................................................................. 159 Management Reports ......................................................................... 159 Customer Activity .............................................................................. 159 Technician Efficiency ......................................................................... 159 IRS Form 941 .................................................................................... 162 Sales Report ....................................................................................... 162 Income & Expense ............................................................................. 164 Parts Sales .......................................................................................... 166 Labor Sales ........................................................................................ 167 Marketing Analysis ............................................................................ 168 Net Value of Parts .............................................................................. 169 Work In Progress ................................................................................ 169 Parts Popularity ................................................................................. 170 Vehicle Popularity .............................................................................. 171 Cover Page ......................................................................................... 171 Profit Centers ..................................................................................... 171 New Customers .................................................................................. 173
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Chapter 11
11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 11.9 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 11.17 11.18 11.19 11.20 11.21 11.22 11.23 11.24 11.25 11.26 11.27 11.28 11.29 11.30 11.31 11.32 11.33 11.34 11.35 11.36 11.37 11.38 11.39 11.40 11.41 11.42
Data Tables ............................................... 175

Alternate Parts ................................................................................... 180 Bad Debts ........................................................................................... 181 Bank Account Names ......................................................................... 182 Cash Expenses ................................................................................... 183 Cash On Hand .................................................................................... 183 Chart of Accounts .............................................................................. 183 Checking ............................................................................................ 183 Closed Invoices .................................................................................. 183 Customers .......................................................................................... 184 Employees .......................................................................................... 184 Equipment .......................................................................................... 186 Expense Codes ................................................................................... 188 Forms ................................................................................................. 188 Hours Worked .................................................................................... 189 Job Names .......................................................................................... 189 Job Quotes .......................................................................................... 190 Labor Rates ........................................................................................ 193 Letters ................................................................................................ 195 Meetings ............................................................................................. 195 Miscellaneous Income ........................................................................ 196 Monthly Totals ................................................................................... 196 Over Counter Sales ............................................................................ 197 Paychecks ........................................................................................... 197 Payment Types ................................................................................... 198 Personal Expenses .............................................................................. 199 Policies & Procedures ........................................................................ 199 Price Levels ........................................................................................ 199 Price Matrices .................................................................................... 200 Purchase Orders ................................................................................. 201 Purchases ........................................................................................... 201 Received On Account ......................................................................... 202 Recommendations .............................................................................. 204 Savings ............................................................................................... 204 Scheduler Notes ................................................................................. 204 Service Reminders .............................................................................. 205 Special Order Parts ............................................................................ 206 Standard Labor .................................................................................. 207 Stocked Parts ...................................................................................... 209 Till Count ........................................................................................... 212 Timecards ........................................................................................... 212 Vehicles .............................................................................................. 213 Vendor ................................................................................................ 214
Chapter 12
12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5
System ...................................................... 217

Report Network Users ........................................................................ 217 Recover Key Index ............................................................................. 217 Data Base Rebuild ............................................................................. 218 Clear Reports Table ........................................................................... 218 Data Table Status ............................................................................... 218
12.6 12.6.1 12.7 12.8 12.9 12.9.1 12.10 12.10.1 12.10.2 12.10.3 12.10.4 12.11 12.12 12.12
Backup Data Tables .......................................................................... 219 Browsing the Backup Pathway .......................................................... 220 Load Data Tables ............................................................................... 225 Expand Data Tables ........................................................................... 225 Archive Data Tables ........................................................................... 233 Archiving the Banking and Accounting data tables ............................ 238 Data Utilities ...................................................................................... 239 Uniform .............................................................................................. 239 Update Jobs ........................................................................................ 241 Update Quotes .................................................................................... 241 Inspect Sequence ................................................................................ 241 Version ............................................................................................... 242 Network Stress Test ........................................................................... 242 Command Prompt .............................................................................. 244
Book Three The Enhanced Management Module ... 245

Chapter 13
13.1 13.2 13.3 13.3.1 13.3.2 13.4 13.5 13.5.1 13.5.2
Over the Counter ...................................... 246

Writing an Over the Counter Invoice ................................................. 246 Header Section ................................................................................... 248 Parts Section ...................................................................................... 250 The Buttons ........................................................................................ 250 The Columns ...................................................................................... 250 Totals Section ..................................................................................... 252 Completed Over the Counter Invoice ................................................. 254 Customer Copy .................................................................................. 254 Shop Copy .......................................................................................... 254
Chapter 14
14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4
Scheduler ................................................. 255

The Scheduler Calendar ..................................................................... 255 Scheduler Selection Screen ................................................................ 260 Scheduler Review/Assign Screen ....................................................... 261 Scheduler Dispatch Sheet ................................................................... 262
Chapter 15
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8
Timeclock ................................................. 263

Getting Started ................................................................................... 263 Invoice Only Clocking On ............................................................. 265 Invoice Only Clocking Off ............................................................ 266 Labor Block Clocking On ............................................................. 267 Labor Block Clocking Off............................................................. 267 E-Time Clocking On ..................................................................... 270 E-Time Clocking Off ..................................................................... 272 Timeclock Utilities ............................................................................. 272
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Book Four
Chapter 16
16.1 16.1.1 16.1.2 16.1.3 16.1.4 16.1.5 16.2 16.2.1 16.2.2 16.2.3 16.2.4 16.2.5 16.2.6 16.2.7 16.2.8 16.2.9 16.3 16.3.1 16.3.2 16.3.3 16.3.4 16.3.5 16.3.6 16.4
The Banking Module.......................... 275

Banking..................................................... 276
Bank Account Names ......................................................................... 276 Add To ............................................................................................... 277 Change ............................................................................................... 279 Delete ................................................................................................. 281 Browse ............................................................................................... 281 Report ................................................................................................ 281 Checking ............................................................................................ 281 Write Checks - All Transaction Types ................................................ 283 Write Checks - Print Checks .............................................................. 287 Write Checks - Multiple Distribution ................................................. 288 Add to Checks .................................................................................... 288 Change Checks ................................................................................... 291 Delete Checks ..................................................................................... 292 Browse Checks ................................................................................... 293 Report Checks .................................................................................... 293 Checking - Balance Checking ............................................................ 294 Paychecks ........................................................................................... 297 Write Paychecks ................................................................................. 298 Add to Checks (Paychecks) ................................................................ 304 Change Checks (Paychecks) .............................................................. 307 Delete Checks (Paychecks) ................................................................ 308 Browse Checks (Paychecks) .............................................................. 309 Report Checks (Paychecks) ................................................................ 309 Savings ............................................................................................... 311
Book Five
Chapter 17
17.1 17.2 17.3 17.3.1 17.3.2 17.3.3 17.3.4 17.3.5 17.3.6 17.3.7 17.3.8
The Accounting Module .................... 313

Accounting ............................................... 314
Overview of GOs Accounting Functions ........................................... 314 Initializing GOs Accounting Functions ............................................. 315 Accounting Procedures....................................................................... 319 Chart of Accounts .............................................................................. 320 Post Activity ....................................................................................... 325 General Ledger ................................................................................... 326 Trial Balance ...................................................................................... 331 Income Statement ............................................................................... 334 Balance Sheet ..................................................................................... 338 Protect Period ..................................................................................... 340 Close Period ....................................................................................... 341
Book Six
Chapter 18
18.1 18.2 18.3
Appendixes ........................................ 345

Error Messages ........................................ 346
GO Error Messages ............................................................................ 346 Thunderbolt Error Messages .............................................................. 348 Windows Error Messages................................................................... 349
Chapter 19
19.1 19.1.1 19.1.2 19.1.3 19.1.4 19.2 19.2.1 19.2.2 19.2.3 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7
How To ?.... ............................................... 351

Create Service Reminders .................................................................. 351 The Letter ........................................................................................... 351 Associating the Letter to the Vehicle .................................................. 352 Processing Service Reminder Letters ................................................. 354 The Finished Product ......................................................................... 356 Write a Warranty Invoice ................................................................... 358 Faulty Workmanship Warranty .......................................................... 358 Customer Relations Warranty ............................................................ 359 Defective Parts Warranty .................................................................. 359 Close a Lbr Cr. Received From a Vendor for a Warranty Claim ....... 362 Close an Invoice for a Shop Vehicle ................................................... 363 Move the Database to a New Server on the Network ....................... 364 Install Garage Operator Upgrade Disk ............................................. 365 Install Garage Operator Workstation Disk ......................................... 368
Chapter 20
Glossary of Terms .................................... 373
Index.......................................................................................389
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Book One Introduction to GO
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Chapter 1 Initializing GO Software

1.1 Beginning Steps
Once GO has been installed onto your computer, this screen will appear the first time you double-left-click the GO icon on the Windows Desktop: This means that GO cannot find your Company Information.
If you select Yes, you will see a Welcome to Garage Operator screen, then be asked to enter your company information. Select this option if you are a first-time user, or wish to create a new database from scratch. If you select No, you will be asked if you are moving the database to a different computer, or restoring the database from a backup. Select this option if you have used GO before, and wish to restore your database from the saved data. If you click the X box to cancel, GO will exit to Windows. The next screen to appear will be the Welcome screen. Read it and click OK.
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1.2
Company Information
The Company Information screen is next. It keeps track of your companys name, address, and phone numbers. It also stores the labor charge rate, the tax rates, and the supply fee rates that are used by invoices and estimates.
Company Name: Enter your business name. Whatever you enter in this field (along with the next nine fields) will be automatically included in the default page headings that are printed at the top of each page that GO prints. You may modify these page headings in the Options & Forms Setup screen (found in the Management Menu). Address Line 1: Enter your business street address. Address Line 2: Enter a second address line (such as a suite, or a post office box), or leave this field blank. City, State, Zip Code: Enter the rest of the business address information. You may select from the pop-up menu of States by beginning to type in the name of the state until your state is highlighted, then pressing <Enter>. Phone 1: Enter the primary business phone number. Phone 2: Enter the secondary business phone number, or leave blank. FAX: Enter the business FAX number, or leave blank. E-Mail: Enter the business e-mail address, or leave blank. E-Mail Server: This field is used by GOs e-mail manager. Leave it blank if you do not have an Internet connection, or if you dont intend to send e-mail from GO. Otherwise, enter the outgoing mail server assigned to you by your Internet service provider.
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Store Number: If your business has more than one location, you may enter an identifying store number in this field. Otherwise, leave this field blank. Tax Rates: Enter the appropriate State and Local tax rates for Parts and Labor in these fields. Enter the tax rates as integers with decimals (for example: 8.2 not 0.082). Up to three decimal places are allowed. Interest Rate, A/R: Enter the amount of interest to charge on overdue accounts receivable. This is an annual percentage rate, entered without a percentage sign (e.g.:12.0). Fiscal Year End: Enter the month and day you close your books each year. If you pay your taxes on a calendar year basis, the fiscal year end is December 31st. Thus, the fiscal ending month would be 12, and the ending day would be 31. A/R Terms: The default for this is Net 10th. Single-left-click the down arrow button to select from the available terms codes: Net 10th - Interest is charged on the account balance forward if the account is not paid in full by the 10th of the statement period month. Net 30th - Interest is charged on the account balance forward if the account is not paid in full by the 30th of the statement period month (or the 28th or 29th if the month is February). Upon Receipt - Interest is charged per invoice based upon the invoice closing date and the last day of the statement period. Net 10 Days - Interest is charged per invoice starting 10 days after the invoice closing date. Net 30 Days - Interest is charged per invoice starting 30 days after the invoice closing date. Note: If you dont wish to charge interest, set the A/R Interest Rate field to zero. Invoice and Estimate Defautlts: Primary Tax Rates: Enter the appropriate sales tax rates for Parts and Labor in these fields as integers with decimals (for example: 8.2 not 0.082). Up to three decimal places are allowed. These rates are copied automatically to each invoice or estimate you create. They can be overridden for a specific invoice or estimate in the Active Invoice Taxes screen. Primary Tax Rate Description: Enter the description of the primary sales tax rate (up to 30 characters). This value will appear on invoices and estimates. The default value is Sales Tax. Canadian users may enter Provincial Sales Tax in this field. Secondary Tax Rates: Leave these fields blank if your business location does not have a two-tier sales tax structure. Otherwise (e.g. Wisconsin, Canada), enter the appropriate tax rates for Parts and Labor in these fields as integers with decimals (for example: 8.2 not 0.082). Up to three decimal places are allowed. These rates are copied automatically to each invoice or estimate you create. They can be overridden for a specific invoice or estimate in the Active Invoice Taxes screen.
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Secondary Tax Rate Description: Leave this field blank if your business location does not have a two-tier sales tax structure. Otherwise, enter the description of the secondary sales tax rate (up to 30 characters). This value will appear on invoices and estimates. Canadian users may enter Government Sales Tax in this field. Shop Fees: Enter the desired Supply/Enviro Fee in these fields. If you want to charge the fee based upon a percentage, enter a number followed by a percent sign (e.g.: 4.5%). If you want to charge a flat fee, enter a number only (e.g.: 2.00). Fees may be based upon Parts and/or Labor, and are taxed accordingly. A maximum fee limit may be set by following the % sign with the slash character, and the maximum amount (e.g. 4.5%/10 = 4.5% up to a maximum of $10.) Fees may be changed or eliminated on individual invoices by selecting the Supplies button in the Active Invoice screen. Fee Description: Enter the description of the Shop Fee that youd like to have printed on customer invoices and estimates. The default value is Shop Supplies, but you may enter any description youd like, up to a maximum length of 39 characters. Shop Rate: Enter your hourly Labor rate. When you are finished entering your company information, click the OK button, or keep pressing the <Enter> key until the screen exits.
1.3
Sample Data
The next screen to appear will ask you if you would like to load sample data. This screen is primarily for customers with the demo version of the program.
Select Yes if you want to quickly see how the program works. Sample customers, inventory, repair history, work in progress invoices, and other data will be loaded. You can then create invoices and view sample reports with the existing data. The sample data can be removed at a later date by un-installing and reinstalling the demo CD. Select No if you want to enter and save your own data. If this is a demo disc, any data you enter now can become a part of your future data base should you buy the program.
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This is the final screen in the initializing sequence. Read it and click OK.
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Chapter 2 Introduction of Main Screen Elements

2.1 Main Screen
All sections of GO can be accessed from the Main Screen.
Understanding the screen elements will help you get to where you want to go, and do what you want to do. Starting from the top:
2.2
Titlebar
The Titlebar changes with every screen. It tells you exactly where you are in the GO program.
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2.3
GO Icon
The GO icon is displayed on the far left side of the Titlebar on all GO screens. A single-right-click of the GO icon opens an alternate method of moving, minimizing, maximizing, and closing the window:
2.4
Menubar
The Menubar is immediately below the Titlebar. It lists the 10 major categories of the GO system.
To select from it, either use the mouse to single-left-click your choice, or use the keyboard to first press and hold the <Alt> key, then press the letter in your choice thats underlined (e.g. Alt / H for History). Except for File and Edit, only one menu choice can be open at a time. Once a choice is made, the other choices dim. The GO Scheduler CD allows GO to run in multiple windows on the same computer. The Edit menu choice is actually an 11th category on the Menubar, but it appears only when a document file or memo field is open. Edit, when it appears, is at the extreme right on the Menubar.
2.5
Toolbar
The GO Toolbar is directly below the Menubar. It appears on all screens. The Toolbar icons and their functions are shown below:
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2.6
Statusbar
The Statusbar appears at the bottom of all GO screens.
The Statusbar is context sensitive, meaning it displays different messages in different situations. When the GO Main Screen is open the Statusbar displays the total number of service reminders currently due. In data entry screens, the statusbar displays a different help message as the cursor visits each field. For example, when the cursor is in the License Number field of the Vehicle screen, the statusbar displays the message that changing the License Number in this screen will change it everywhere in the database.
When the cursor is in the Make field of the Vehicle screen, the statusbar displays the message that a single-right-click will cause the Vehicle Configuration Database list to appear:
Note: Whenever you are in a data entry field and you are not sure what to do, check the Statusbar message first
2.7
Message Box
The Message Box appears on all Garage Operator screens. It is context sensitive, meaning it displays different messages in different situations. When the Garage Operator main screen is open, the message box is normally blank. It displays a progress indicator when large volumes of data are being sorted or updated.
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In data entry screens, the message box displays the field tags (if any) as the cursor visits each field. For example, when the cursor is in the License Number field of the Vehicle screen, the message box displays field tags indicating that the License Number in this screen is required, and must be unique:
When the cursor is in the Make field of the Vehicle screen, the message box is empty, showing there are no field tags associated with Make.
2.8
Record Counter
The Record Counter appears on all Garage Operator screens, but displays information only on data entry screens. It shows how many records there are in the currently-selected collection, and where the record youre viewing is positioned within the collection.
The screen shot above shows the record counter on a Change Vehicle screen in the Data Tables procedure. The fraction 1/5639 shows that the Vehicle record being viewed is the first in a collection of 5,639 records. Note: The VCR buttons in the lower left-hand corner of each data entry screen let you move forward and backward between records in the collection.
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Chapter 3 Writing a Customer Invoice

In this chapter, you will learn how to write a customer invoice, starting with adding a new customer and vehicle, then moving on to adding labor operations and parts, and finally receiving payment and closing the invoice. This exercise is meant to get you started writing invoices. Complete definitions of all fields and buttons in the Active Invoice screen will follow in subsequent chapters. Everything you learn about writing an invoice works equally well for writing an estimate. The main difference between an invoice and an estimate is when inventory quantity in stock levels are adjusted. Stock levels adjust immediately when parts are added to an invoice. When stocked parts are added to an estimate the stock levels are adjusted after the estimate is upgraded to an invoice. For a comprehensive definition of estimates and invoices, single-left-click the Help button on the Main Screen and choose Estimate from the Search list. The path you will follow in this exercise is one of four ways to write a customer invoice. As you learn GO, you will find there is almost always more than one way to achieve your goal. To learn about other ways to start an invoice, go to Help on the Main Screen, then choose Active Invoices from the Help Main Menu.
3.1
Adding a New Customer and a New Vehicle

At this point, you have either had data from your previous system converted to GO (existing customers, vehicles, inventory, etc.), or you are starting fresh with no preloaded data. Regardless of which way you are starting, this exercise will lead you through entering a new customer and a new vehicle. As you follow this exercise, please single-left-click the yellow Help question mark, or press the <F1> key, each time the screen changes to view the context-sensitive help for each screen. If this is the first time youve entered a new customer and vehicle, you might want to print a blank worksheet to help organize the facts and figures youre about to enter. To do this, first single-left-click Management in the Menubar:
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Then single-left-click #4: Print Forms
A scrolling list of forms will appear next. Single-left-click on Blank Worksheet (the first choice in the list) to highlight it, then single-left-click the OK button.
Then type in the number of Blank Worksheets to print, then single-left-click the OK button.
The Blank Worksheet is used to fill in information about the customer, the vehicle and the customers concerns about the vehicle. It can also be used as an authorization form if the customer signs at the bottom. (The disclaimer on this form can be modified in Management / Options & Forms, and the copy can be modified in Data Tables / Forms.) Once the customer and vehicle have been entered into the data base, the History procedure (Chapter 4) will print a worksheet with the information already filled-in.
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An example of a blank worksheet is displayed below.
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Once the Blank Worksheet is filled in, single-left-click ActiveInvoice in the Menubar.
If there are current active invoices, you will see the Active Invoice Selection screen. Single-left-click the New Invoice button at the bottom. (If there are no current active invoices, single-left-click the New Invoice button in the Invoice/Estimate dialog.)
The next screen youll see is the Customer/Vehicle Dialog. This tutorial will add a new customer and a new vehicle, so single-left-click the Add Both button.
3.2
Customer Master Record

The next screen is actually two screens: one layered on top of the other. The first asks you to decide what type of customer this is. Individual will, for most GO users, be the most common category. (Catagory types are discussed below.) As you single-left-click your choice, the category screen disappears, leaving only the Customer Master Record screen.
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It contains 28 fields, and two pop-up screens:
Customer Number: It is the first field in the upper left corner of the screen. This field is assigned automatically and cannot be changed. The customer number links the customer with his or her vehicle, invoice, and other records. You never have to remember a customer by a number in GO. Whenever the customer number is needed, you can always type in part of the customer's name, or select the customer from a pop-up list. In general, the lower the customer's number, the longer the customer has been in the database. However, a customer number will be re-used if the customer it's been assigned to it is deleted from the database, and there are no other records linked to the number.
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Rating: This field is to the imediate left of the customer number field. This is a 0 through 9 numerical rating, with 0 being "Avoid, Avoid, Avoid" and 9 being "Truly Magnificent." The rating is mostly used by Target Mailing - for example, if you want to send an offer to your best customers, you would choose those with a rating of 7 or better. But it is also useful as a hidden means of communication to others within the business. It appears on the History screen, and as the last digit of the "Customer ID" on Technician copies of invoices and estimates. When appending a new customer records, the "Rating" menu pops up automatically after you've entered the customer's name. The default rating is 6 ("Good"). Press the <Enter> key to accept this rating, or single-left-click another rating. You may change the rating afterwards by single-left-clicking the "down arrow" button to the right of the rating field.
Type: The seven choices are shown above. The Customer Type is used as one means of selecting, reporting, and sorting customers. The choice of Customer Type also determines whether or not the cursor will visit the Fleet Number field in the Vehicle Master Record screen. "Fleet" is the only Type that will allow an entry in the Fleet Number field in the Vehicle records associated with this customer. Type also affects the suggested values for the Salutation and File Under fields. Discount: Filling in this field sets the size and type of automatic discount given to this customer in Active Invoices and Over Counter Sales. Note: For a complete description of discount possibilities, single-left-click the blue size and type of discount hyperlink in the Customer help screen, or see customer discount in the search section of Help. Name: This is simply the customer's name, first name first and last name last. Include honorifics such as Ms., Mr., Mrs, Dr., Rev. in this field, if you wish. Couples with different last names can be entered together (e.g. Jan Smith & Morgan Foster). The way you enter the Name determines the suggested values for the Salutation and File Under fields, but has no effect upon how the customer is looked up in the database. All database queries based on Customer Name are any value finds. The Customer Name is copied automatically to the invoice or estimate header when a new invoice or estimate is created, and the Bill To or Ship To fields when an Over Counter invoice is created. This is a 30-character field. Address: Enter the customers street address, then the Zip Code. Once a zip code has been entered and associated with a city, GO remembers the information for future use. The next time the same zip code is entered for a new customer, the city, state, and area code for the home phone will automatically fill in.
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Note: Address, City, State, and Zip comprise the mailing address of this customer. These fields are used by the Service Reminders and Target Mailing procedures. If the customer has another address that is not the mailing address, include that information in the Miscellaneous Information or Notes fields. As you build the zip code list, the City, State, and Home Phone Area Code fields are filled in automatically based upon the Zip entry. Salutation: The salutation is used as a customer greeting when mailings are generated by the Service Reminders and Target Mailing procedures. It is always preceded by the word "Dear" on all mailings by these procedures. A suggested value for the Salutation (including honorifics) is given automatically when you enter or change the Customer Name field. The suggested value is simply the business name if the Customer Type is set to "Business." You may change the suggested value at will. This is a 25-character field. File Under: It determines the alphabetical order of the customer record when it is sorted by Name in the Active Invoices Selection screen, or when using the "Sort" button in Data Tables screens, or when including the customer in a report. This is a 5-character field. Home Phone: Consists of the area code and phone number. These fields are displayed in the Active Invoice Header, and in the customer phone book. Work Phone: Consists of the area code, phone number, and an extension. The 13character extension field may also be used to add a second work phone number. These fields are displayed in the Active Invoice Header, and in the customer phone book. Other Phone: This is a single 20-character long field. This field is displayed in the customer phone book. E-Mail: E-mail is a mailing option in the Service Reminders and Target Mailing procedures. This is a 30-character field. Miscellaneous Information: This is a 30-character field. You may enter anything you wish in this field, or leave it blank. It appears on the History screen, the History Worksheet, and the Technician Copy of an invoice or estimate. Note: This is a memo field. It appears on the History screen. Use it to keep track of information about the customer that doesn't fit anywhere else. Special Tax Rate or Pricing?: Single-left-click the "Yes" radio button to pop up the Tax Rate and Pricing screen. OK to Charge to Account?: Single-left-click the "Yes" radio button to allow the "Charge To Account" button to be selected in the Invoice Paid screen, and to have Over Counter sales to customer default to "Charge." E-Mail Promotions OK?: Single-left-click the No radio button to exempt this customer from receiving e-mails via the Target Mailing procedure.
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Data Export OK?: Single-left-click the No radio button to opt this customer out of data export to third parties (e.g. customer relations management companies) This Year Sales, Last Year Sales, Total Sales, Last Sales Date: These fields are maintained automatically by GO. You may change them if you wish. A single-right-click on the Last Sales Date field pops up a calendar. The ISHOP Button causes the ISHOP customer dialog to pop-up:
These fields are used primarily when GO shares information with other iSHOP compliant programs. Suggested values for First Name, Last Name, and Company will be displayed based upon the Type and Name entered in the previous two steps. Press the <Enter> key four times to accept the suggested values, or change them as you wish. First Name will be filled in with the first word of the Name entered in the previous step if Type is Individual, AAA, or Employee. No suggested value will be given for this field if Type is Business, Non Profit, Government, or Fleet. In this case, you may type in the first name of a contact person. Last Name will be filled in with the last word of Name if Type is Individual, AAA, or Employee. If Type is Business, Non Profit, Government, or Fleet, you may type in the last name of a contact person. Company should be left blank if Type is Individual, AAA, or Employee. This field will be filled in with the Name entered in the previous step if Type is Business, Non Profit, Government, or Fleet. GO used the values you type into these three fields to fill in suggested values for the Salutation and File By fields once control returns to the Customer Master Record screen. The iSHOP standard uses these thee fields to identify the customer's Full Name according to the following guidelines:
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If the First Name and Last Name are both non-blank, the Full Name is formed by concatenating the First Name to the Last Name with a comma and space separator between the first and last names. If the First Name is non-blank but the Last Name is blank, the First Name is also returned as the Full Name. If the Last Name is non-blank but the First Name is blank, the Last Name is returned as the Full Name. If the First Name and Last Name are both blank, the Company is returned as the Full Name. The Delete/Browse Associated Vehicles button lets you delete or browse the Vehicle Master Records associated with this customer. The Labor Rates Button lets you set a special labor rate for this customer. Each customer is assigned the Standard Labor Rate (set to the Shop Rate in the Company Information screen) unless you use this button to set the Labor Rate Description to something else. You create other labor rates (and change and delete them) using the Labor Rates selection in the Data Tables procedure.
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3.3
Vehicle Master Record

When you single-left-click the OK button to leave the Customer Master Record, you will automatically proceed to the Vehicle Master Record screen. The customer number, name, address, and phone numbers will already be filled in.
License: This first field on the Vehicle Master Record screen is required, meaning you cant leave it blank. If you are starting an estimate for a new vehicle, and you dont yet know the license number because, for example, the appointment was made over the phone fill in the field with a temporary license number, such as Smith BMW. The real license number can be filled in later. When you change the license number in the Master Vehicle Record, it will change the license number globally, meaning on all records. If you change the license number on an invoice, it will change it only for that specific invoice. Cust#: This is the customer number. This field is already filled in for you if you've clicked the "Add Both" button in the Customer/Vehicle dialog used in the Active Invoices, History, and Scheduler procedures.
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. Note: Changing this field changes the ownership of the vehicle. If, in the future, another customer buys the vehicle, you can click the down arrow button to select a different customer from a pop-up list of existing customers. If the new owner isnt in the list, selecting Cancel from the pop-up list window allows you to enter a new customer. Fleet#: This is an optional-use 10-character long field used for customers whose Type is set to "Fleet" in the Customer Master Record screen. The cursor automatically skips this field if the customer Type is not set to "Fleet." VIN: This is the vehicle identification number. This field is visited after the Customer# and Fleet# fields, and before the Year field, to give the Stronghold VIN decoder a chance to automatically fill in the Year, Make, Model, Engine, Fuel System, Transmission, and Drive Type fields. The Stronghold database contains over 200,000 VIN codes covering model years from 1981 to the present. Year: The cursor will automatically move to a year screen. Highlight the correct year and single-left-click the OK button. Built Date: Fill in the month and year of build. All month entries must be 2 digits (e.g. 02 for February). Make: Navigate the list either by scrolling it with the mouse, or by typing in the beginning of the name (such as su for Subaru). The list will register as you type the name. If you make a mistake, use the Backspace key to correct it, then continue typing. You may also register the list with the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard once youve typed in the first letter. Single-left-click the OK button, or press the <Enter> key to finish making your selection. If the selection you want is not in the list, single-left-click the Cancel button, then type in the Make of your choice. Model: Once you have chosen the Make, the Model list specific to the Make pops up. Highlight your choice and single-left-click OK. Color: Choose from the color list or write in a color. The color field list is empty when you start using GO as an empty data base. New colors become part of the list as you add them. The list of colors (as well as other cumulative lists) can be modified using the Uniform procedure in the System menu. Fuel, Engine, Transmission: Once Make and Model are filled in, these fields are automatically filled in if there is only one possibility for that Make/Model. If there is more than one possibility, highlight your choice and single-left-click the OK button. Note: you may also select from the list in one step with a single-right click. Brakes, Emissions, Tires: These fields work like the Color field. Either choose from the list, or add your own choice. Once you add a choice, it will be added to the list for future use. Drive: This field is often filled in automatically once the Make/Model are chosen. If not, select from the pop-up list.
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Power Brakes, Power Steering, Air Conditioning: Each one of these fields is a Y (Yes) or N (No) answer. Mileage at Last Service and Date of Last Service: These two fields are automatically updated each time an invoice for this vehicle is closed. Requested Service Interval: This field sets up an automatic reminder program for oil changes. For example, if you type in 90, then a reminder letter will be generated with a due date 90 days from the current date. (You will have the opportunity to modify this date in a screen that pops up as you exit this field, and you can modify the date elsewhere.) Thereafter, each invoice on which an oil change was preformed will renew the reminder. The reminder letter will be addressed to the vehicle owner, and the specific vehicle will be referenced. It is up to you and your customer to decide the best interval for each vehicle, depending on type of usage and average miles driven in a specific time range. See the service reminders selection in the search section of Help for a more complete description of how reminders work. Next Scheduled Service: Once the Requested service interval has been filled in, and an oil change service preformed, this field will fill in automatically. For instance, if an oil change service was completed on January 17, 2002, and the requested interval was 90 days, then the date in this field would be April 17, 2002. This field will update itself after every oil change. Labor Rates Button: lets you set a special labor rate for this vehicle. Each vehicle is assigned the Standard Labor Rate (set to the Shop Rate in the Company Information screen) unless you use this button to set the Labor Rate Description to something else. You create other labor rates (and change and delete them) using the Labor Rates selection in the Data Tables procedure. Misc. Info.: This field allows for a brief note, such as gray market. This field prints out on History worksheets and technician copies of invoices. Note: This memo field allows for extended information to be written about the vehicle. It will not show up on any printed invoices or tech work copies. Single-right click the word text to open the memo field for editing. Once you have written something in this field, text will show as TEXT to let you know a message is written there. Note: To fully understand how to use the text memo field, single-left-click the Help button once you are in the memo field. Now single-left-click the OK button. The next screen you see will be the Active Invoice screen. You will work from this screen as long as this invoice is active (meaning not closed as paid, charged to account, etc.). As you will see, the customer and vehicle information have loaded into the Header section of the active invoice screen. You may return to the Customer Master Record screen with a single-right-click on the customers name, and to the Vehicle Master Record screen with a single-right-click on the make or model name.
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3.4
Adding Labor to an Invoice

If you have been following the tutorial, you have started and invoice with a new customer and a new vehicle. It is now time to add a labor description.
From the Active Invoice screen put the cursor on the Add button in the Labor section, then single-left-click. The Standard Labor Library list will appear.
Note: This list can be modified by single-left-clicking the StdLbr button in the Labor section of the Active Invoice screen.
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You can either write an entirely unique labor description in which case you would choose Blank (the first choice in the list) or you can choose a canned labor operation from the library list. You can scroll through this list by either scrolling it with the mouse, or by typing in the beginning letters of a labor operation code the way you typed in the beginning letters of the vehicle model in the Vehicle screen described earlier. The next screen to appear allows you to either accept the labor operation as written, or to modify the description, or the hours, or both. If you want to accept the labor operation as is, just single-left-click the OK button.
To modify the labor description, single-right-click the description, or single-left-click the down arrow button next to the description after first making sure the labor description is highlighted. The entire labor operation description will then appear in a memo text field. You can modify it any way you choose. When the labor description reads as you want it to, press the <Esc> key, or single-left-click the close button at the right top corner of the memo field.
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You will then be asked if you wish to Save your modifications. Press the <Enter> key, or single-left-click the Save button to save your changes.
Note: To fully understand how to modify a text memo field, single-left-click the Help button once you are in the memo field.
3.5
Modifying Labor Hours

To modify the hours (either Tech or Billed) simply highlight the field with a single-left-click as you swipe over the existing number, then type in what you want. Note: For a complete definition of these hour fields, single-left-click the yellow Help button. The context sensitive Help screens will open at the Labor Hours definition. A more complete description is also included in Chapter 7 of this manual: Active Invoice - Labor Definitions. When the hours and labor description are adjusted to your satisfaction, single-left-click the OK button. You will then be returned to the Standard Labor Library list to pick another Labor operation. If you are done adding labor, single-left-click the Cancel button (or press the <Esc> key); you will be returned to the Active Invoice screen. The first line of the labor operation will show in the scrolling labor screen.
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If you wish to return to the Labor description for further modifications, highlight the labor block you wish to change with a single-left-click, then single-left-click the down arrow button. If you wish to change the hours, single-right-click the labor description, or highlight the labor block, then single-left-click the Hours button.
3.6
Adding Parts to an Invoice

There are three ways to add parts to an invoice: from inventory, as a special order, or by forcing on a part with no backup data (this last choice is not recommended, but sometimes unavoidable).
3.6.1
Adding Parts From Inventory
To add a part from inventory, put the cursor on the Add button in the Parts Details section, then single-left-click. The cursor will now be flashing in the Quantity field. Type in the quantity, then press the <Enter> key. The cursor will now move to the Part Number field. Type in the part number, then press the <Enter> key. As soon as the part number is recognized, the rest of the fields will be filled in. Only six of the fields show automatically in the Parts details. To see the rest, put the cursor on the right-pointing scroller arrow at the bottom of the Parts section, then single-left-click. If GO does not recognize the part number when you type in, this screen appears:
Press the <Enter> key, or single-left-click the OK button, to remove this message and return to the Part Number field. The number youve entered will still be in the Part Number field.
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If youve made a typo, use the <Delete> key to erase the mis-typed part number, and re-enter the correct one. If you believe you either have the part in stock, or have bought, sold, or quoted it before, you may replace the Part Number with a portion of the parts description. If, for example, youre looking for a filter, type the word FILTER into the Part Number field. Note: First use the <Delete> key to remove the unfound part number. When you press the <Enter> key, a list of all parts stocked, purchased, sold, or quoted with the word FILTER somewhere in their description will pop up:
You may make a selection from this list using any of the following methods: 1.) 2.) 3.) Type the beginning of the part number to register the list, then use the up or down arrow keys to highlight your choice, then press the <Enter> key. Scroll the list with the mouse, then single-left click your choice, then single-left click the OK button. Scroll the list with the mouse, then single-right click your choice. Note: You may also trigger a pop-up parts list by entering one or more question marks followed by one or more characters. A single question mark triggers a search by Part#, two question marks trigger a search by Brandname, three question marks trigger a search by Description. For example, the list shown above would be triggered directly by entering ???filter (without the quotes) in the Part# field. The part will now be added to your parts list as seen below:
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3.6.2
Adding Special Order Parts
A special order part is added to an invoice by receiving it from a vendor. The Receive button in the Parts section of the Active Invoice screen is a shortcut to this process. (Parts may be received through Purchasing in the Main Menu as well.) Single-left-click the Receive button. The Vendor Dialog screen will appear:
If the vendor has already been added to the data base, type in the vendors number or part of the vendors name, then press the <Enter> key, or single-left-click the OK button. Alternatively, single-left-click the down arrow button, then select the vendor from the pop-up list. If the vendor is not in the data base yet, single-left-click the Add button. The Vendor Master Record screen will appear. You will automatically be sent to the next step after filling in the Vendor information. The Purchase Header screen appears next. Most of the fields in this screen are filled in automatically from the Master Vendor Record.
Invoice Number: Enter the vendor's invoice number. Charged to Acct?: Is either "Y" for yes, or "N" for no. Enter "Y" if you have an account with the vendor, or "N" if this is a COD purchase. Note: This field will default to "N" if the "Our Account Number" field in the Vendor Master Record screen is blank, and to "Y" if it's non-blank.
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Invoice Date: Enter the date shown on the vendor's invoice. Type in the date, or singleright-click the field to select the date from a pop-up calendar. Use Accounting#: Enter the account to debit when this purchase record is posted to the general ledger. This field defaults to the value set in the "Purch Accounting#" field in the Vendor Master Record screen. If that field is blank, this field will default to 6010.00 (purchases for resale). You may single-right-click the field to select a new account. Use Pricing Matrix#: Enter the matrix used to calculate the Sell Price as the Cost of each part is entered in the Receive Parts screen. This field defaults to the value set in the "Use Pricing Matrix#" field in the Vendor Master Record screen. You may leave the field blank (or blank it out) to turn off matrix pricing, or single-right-click the field to select a matrix from a pop-up list. Note: The value entered in this field affects not only the markup and margin of each part received, it also affects the order in which the Sell Price and Cost fields are visited in the Receive Parts screen. If the field is blank, Sell is visited before Cost. If the field is non-blank, Cost is visited first, the Sell Price is calculated according to the matrix, the value is loaded, and the Sell Price is then visited for verification/override. The Receive Parts screen is next.
The quantity field is highlighted. Type in the quantity and press the <Enter> key. The cursor is now on the part number field. When you fill in this number and it is not recognized as a stocked part, you will be asked to give it a Job Name. Job Name is the way that special order parts are tied to specific active invoices. Most Job Names only last as long as the invoices they are connected to remain active. The exceptions to this are the Job Names: core deposit, returned, shop supply, and shop equipment.
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Since you are working from within a specific active invoice, GO will look at the Header information, and automatically assign a Job Name. The Job Name will consist of the customers last name and the vehicle model. If you wish to use a different Job Name, such as a Purchase Order number, just type over the assigned Job Name and then singleleft-click the OK button. Once you OK the Job Name, the Job Name field will be filled in on the Header. It will also be added to the Job Name List so that future special order parts the you buy for this customer invoice will be associated with it. When the active invoice is closed, the Job Name will be dropped from the list. Note: If you are receiving parts for more than one invoice, and there is not yet a Job Name for the parts that are not going on the invoice you are working from, then single-left-click the Add button in the lower left corner of the Job Name screen to create a new Job Name. Also, when you OK the Job Name, the special order part is added to the Receive Parts screen. Even though this is a special order part, if the part has been previously entered on another invoice, GO will find the last purchase date record of the part and automatically fill in the Brand, Unit, Description, Sell Price, and Cost fields as well. These fields can be overwritten if they do not match your current paper work. If you have never sold the part before, then you will have to fill in every field this first time. When you have finished entering all of the parts you are going to receive, single left click the Update button in the lower right hand corner of the screen. YOU MUST CLICK THE UPDATE BUTTON OR THE PARTS WILL NOT BE RECEIVED. You will then be returned to the Active Invoice screen. The parts you received will now be listed in the Parts section.
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3.6.3
Forcing a Part onto an Active Invoice
If you try to add a part number to an active invoice and it is neither a stocked part, special order part, nor a part GO remembers from history, this screen will pop up:
Single-left-click the OK button to make the screen go away, then press the <Enter> key, and the part number will be accepted. This is sometimes necessary when, for instance, you are writing an estimate and have not yet received the parts.
3.7
Displaying an Active Invoice

At any point while you are working on an active invoice you can display it by single-leftclicking the Display button in the Header section. The Shop Copy of the invoice will be displayed. The Shop Copy shows costs, gross profits, and vendor numbers. It also shows which technician worked on each labor operation and how much time it took to complete the work. The Shop Copy is an internal management tool.
3.8
Printing an Active Invoice

When an invoice is Active, there are two ways to print it, depending upon the situation. First, if you have prewritten the invoice in advance of the customer coming in, then you can print a Tech Copy by single-left-clicking the Tech button in the Header section. The Tech Copy shows the parts you expect to use on the job, the labor operations you expect to perform, and how much time you expect the technician to take completing the labor operations. The Tech Copy also shows the repair history of the vehicle being repaired if the Show History option is selected in Management / Options & Forms Setup. The second way to print an active invoice is to single-left-click the Print button in the Header section of the active invoice screen. This will print a Customer Copy. A Customer Copy shows all parts and labor associated with the active invoice, but it shows only the selling price of the parts, and the amount charged per labor operation. Note: The Options & Forms screen (accessible from the More button in the Active Invoice screen) lets you select various Customer Copy options, such as whether or not to print brandnames, technician names, hours charged, etc.
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3.9
Closing an Active Invoice

Once the work has been completed on the vehicle, the active invoice is up to date, and the customer has picked up the vehicle, it is time to Close the invoice. To do this, click the Paid button in the Header section. The first screen you will see is the list of possibilities for how the invoice is to be closed:
Lets assume the customer Paid in Full. Put the pointer on the Paid in Full button and single-left-click. If the Track Cash option has been selected in Management / Options & Forms Setup, the next screen will ask how the customer paid:
Select the payment type with a single-right click. Next, a cash tracking screen appears. This screen verifies the choice you made for payment type and the total dollar amount to be paid.
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Single-left-click the OK button if the amount is correct. If more than one type of payment is being taken, change the amount, the press the <Enter> key to repeat the process for the second and subsequent payment types. The next screen is the final screen in the closing process. There are several elements involved:
The cursor will be flashing in the How Paid field. This is to allow you to modify it, if you wish. (For example, if the customer paid by check, you could add in the check number.) Next, look at the Synopsis field. If labor operations were chosen from the Labor Library, then the name of each labor operation will be listed. For instance, if an oil change service was performed, then LOF will be in the synopsis line. If a unique labor operation was performed -- such as cleaning a dead mouse out of the heater box -- there will be no prewritten summary. In this event, you should write something in the Synopsis field that will note why the vehicle was in your shop. The Synopsis field is important because it is used in the Active Invoice Selection screen, the History screen, and the Scheduler Invoice and Estimate Selection screen to indicate the nature of the Invoice. The Notes and Recommendations fields are 2 fields that could have been filled in while you were working from the Active Invoice screen. Recommendations track needed repairs. Notes are used to document anything you wish to communicate to the customer except recommended repairs. Reviewing these two fields gives you another chance to
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make sure everything is on the invoice that should be. You my edit either of these fields by first single-left-clicking it, then single-left-clicking the down arrow button next to it.Both fields are memo fields, both appear on the customers invoice. The biggest difference between them is that the Notes field always stays attached to the invoice, the Recommendations field always attaches itself to the most-current invoice. The Reminder button has a colored number on it, red if zero and green if one or more. This number tells you how many Service Reminders are associated with the vehicle that was repaired on this invoice. To review the reminders, or to add new ones, single-leftclick the Reminder button. Once you are in the Service Reminder screen, single-leftclick the Help button for more information. Finally, note the Print Options. You can choose to print a Customer Copy of the invoice, a Shop Copy, both Customer and Shop Copies, or none at all. Single-left-click the radio button next to your choice. Whatever you choose will be remembered until the next time its changed. Invoices printed from this screen show how the customer paid, and any remaining balance owing. When all fields read to your satisfaction, single-left-click the OK button.
3.10
Summary
If you followed all of the steps in this chapter, you created a new customer record and a new vehicle record, you created an invoice for that customer and vehicle, and you closed the invoice. In so doing, you have stored a lot of new and useful data in GO. In the next chapter, you will learn how to use that data.
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Chapter 4 History
4.1 Why Use History?
You should think of History as a service advisors best friend. History is your customer consultation screen procedure. History should be your first choice when a repeat customer walks through the door or calls you on the phone. History is a quick way to review the entire repair history of the vehicle, find out if prior Recommendations have been taken care of, see when the next Service Reminder is due, start an Invoice or an Estimate, and update customer, vehicle, and closed invoice information. History is one of three ways to view Active Invoices and Estimates, and contains two of the four ways to start new invoices or estimates even if the customer and or the vehicle have never been in the shop before.
4.2
How to Use History

From the Main Screen Menubar single-left-click History:
The customer/vehicle dialog will display next:
If the Customer is already in the database, you may type in the full license plate number, the fleet number, or part of the customer name. Then, either press the <Enter> key, or single-left-click the Find button. If you type in the license number or the fleet number, the History screen will display immediately.
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If you type in the customers name and there is more than one vehicle in the data base associated with that name, then a list of those vehicles will appear. You must highlight the vehicle of choice and single-left-click the OK button, then the History screen will display. If you type in only part of the customers name, you will first be presented with a list of customers who have that part of the name in common. Choose the customer you want by highlighting the name and single-left-click the OK button. Then, if more than one vehicle is associated with this customer, you will be asked to choose which vehicle in the list to lookup. Then, the History screen will display.
4.3
History Screen Elements

Vehicle and Customer Information: The upper left portion of the screen displays the vehicle information and the upper right portion displays the customer information. The History screen is an update screen; it preserves any changes you make to the information displayed in the data entry fields. If you single-right-click in any of the vehicle or customer fields you will be taken directly to either the Vehicle Master Record screen or Customer Master Record screen, as appropriate. The master record screens give you more information about the vehicle and the customer. Note: Observe the red box around the License Number field. The red box has special significance in GO. A red box field signifies a global change. In this case, that means if you change the license number in the History screen, its automatically changed everywhere else in the database. This is convenient if the vehicles license number has changed, or if you initially entered a temporary license number because the vehicle hadnt come in yet. Recommendations: If there are recommendations associated with the vehicle, the last line in the vehicle portion will be filled in. To read the entire memo field, single-right-click the recommendation line.
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Vehicle History: Below the vehicle and customer information, is a scrolling list of every invoice associated with the vehicle. Each line lists the invoice number, the date it was closed, the mileage at the time of the invoice, the synopsis, the total dollars charged, the status of the invoice (paid in full, charged to account, etc.), and the gross profit (shown as a percentage). If you wish to see one of the closed invoices in detail, put the cursor on the synopsis line and single-right-click. You will see this dialog:
Print or Display: The radio buttons at the bottom of the screen allow you to print or display the invoice. They also give you the choice of what version of the invoice you will print or display: customer copy, shop copy, or tech copy. When you have made your choices, single-left-click the OK button. Copy to New Estimate: This screen has one other important aspect. In the upper right hand corner is a Copy to New Estimate button. This can be very useful if your customer is bringing in his vehicle for a service you have done before, for instance an Oil change or a 30K service. When you choose this button a new estimate with the customer and vehicle information will be started. It will also include all of the same parts and labor operations as the closed invoice. You will need to verify parts costs but this is a very quick way to write an estimate. Reminder Letters: Below the vehicle history is a scrolling list of reminder letters that are due to be sent to the customer. The letters are listed by due date, with the next service due at the top of the list (unless a service was missed, then a date that has been passed will be first). Once a service has been performed GO removes the reminder letter associated with it(with your permission). To review or change the reminder letter, singleright-click on the due date, letter name , or reminder field. Customer and Vendor Phone Books: Directly below the reminder letters you will see two small green buttons labeled C and V. Single-left-click on either of them and you have a quick lookup of all customer and vendor phone numbers.
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The History Screen contains seven procedure buttons:
Print Worksheet: The History Worksheet prints when you single-left-click the Print Worksheet button. It contains detailed customer and vehicle information, a space for handwritten notes, and a "Disclaimer / Customer Approval" section (which can be modified in the Options & Forms Setup screen.) You can use it, if you prefer, and if local law allows, in lieu of a formal estimate to obtain customer approval for a job; or use it simply as a glorified piece of scratch paper. A cutoff point may be selected for vehicles with lengthy histories to limit the History Worksheet to one page. Job Quotes: The Job Quotes Data Table stores "canned" parts and labor quotes. When accessed from the History screen, it is poised to look up quotes specific to the vehicle on the history screen. These quotes can then be turned into estimates. Job Quotes are discussed in detail in Chapter 11. Parts History: Single-left-click this button to generate a report of all the parts ever sold for the currently selected vehicle. The report is organized by invoice, with the most current invoice first in the list and the oldest invoice last. The report also lists when the invoice was closed and the mileage of the vehicle at the time the invoice was closed. Labor History: Single-left-click this button to generate a report of all the labor operations performed for the currently selected vehicle. The report is organized by invoice, with the most current invoice first in the list and the oldest invoice last. The report also lists the date the invoice was closed and the mileage of the vehicle at the time the invoice was closed. Start Invoice: Single-left-click this button to start an invoice for the customer and vehicle on the History screen. Start Estimate: Single-left-click this button to startan estimate for the customer and vehicle on the History screen. Scheduler: A single-left-click of this button takes you to the scheduler, where you can select a date and time for work to be done, and start an invoice or an estimate. GO remembers the customer and the vehicle when you enter the scheduler from the History screen, so any invoices or estimates started from the scheduler are automatically started for the customer and vehicle you selected in History. More on how to use the scheduler is presented in Chapter 14.
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Book 2 The Base Module
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Chapter 5 Active Invoice Header Section Definitions

The Active Invoice Header section links the invoice or estimate to a specific vehicle and/ or customer.
5.1
Header Fields
Starting from the top, each field of the Invoice Header is described below: Titlebar: Lists the invoice or estimate number, the customers name, and if the invoice or estimate has been assigned to a service advisor the service advisors name. If no service advisor has been assigned, the word unassigned will appear instead of an advisor name. (Assigning a service advisor is described below.) Date: This field shows the day the invoice or estimate was created. You may singleright-click this field to pop-up a calendar screen. Job: This field links the invoice or estimate with Special Order parts. Single-left-click the down arrow button on the right side of this field to pop up the Job Names list. Source: This field tracks marketing information, in other words: why this customer came to us for this invoice. GO automatically loads the value repeat business for all repeat customers. You may change this value either by typing in a new one, or single-leftclicking the down arrow button to pop up a list of previously entered values. The popup list of Source values may be modified and maintained using the Uniform procedure in the System menu (accessed via: Main Menu / System).
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Advisor: This field assigns the service advisor to this invoice or estimate. Single-leftclick the down arrow button to pop up a list of those Employees with the letters adv somewhere in the Position field of their Employee Master record, or simply type in any three letters of the employees name. Note: The advisor name shown in the titlebar wont change until you close and reopen the invoice or estimate. Customer Number: This field links the invoice or estimate to a specific customer. You may assign the invoice or estimate to a different customer (while maintaining linkage with the true owner of the vehicle) by changing this number. Single-left-click the down arrow button to pop up a list of all your customers, or simply type in any six letters of the other customers name. Note: Canceling out of the pop-up listing of Customers enables you to add a new customer to the database. Customer Name: This field is copied from the Customer Master record. The name displayed in this field is printed on the customers invoice or estimate. If you type a different name in this field, it will only affect the particular invoice or estimate you change it on. Single-right-click this field to change the Customer Master record for this customer. Customer Phone Number: This field is displayed for information purposes only. It cannot be modified on the Active Invoice screen. License Number: This field links the invoice or estimate to a specific vehicle. It may be left blank if you want to write an invoice or estimate that is not linked to a vehicle. You may change the invoice or estimate to a different vehicle by changing the value of the License Number field: simply type in a different license number, or part of the customers name, then press the <Enter> key. Or, you may add a new vehicle to the database by typing the word ADD into the License Number field, then pressing the <Enter> key. Note: Use the red box License Number field in the Vehicle Master record screen to change the license number globally when the vehicle has been assigned a new license plate. Key Number: This field is an alternate way to track the vehicle while its in the shop if you use numbered vehicle hats or key tags. Year, Make, and Model: These fields are copied from the Vehicle Master record. Single-right-click any of these fields to change the Vehicle Master record. Mileage: This field is the ending vehicle mileage when it leaves your shop. GO will warn you if you leave this field blank as you are closing the invoice, or if the mileage you enter is less than the mileage entered on a previous invoice. Note: previous vehicle mileages are easily changed in the History procedure. Simply single-left-click the History button at the bottom of the Invoice screen.
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Synopsis: This field is a brief description of what this invoice or estimate is about. The Synopsis is updated automatically with the Standard Labor abbreviation each time you make a selection from the Standard Labor list. The Synopsis is used in invoice/estimate selection screens by the Active Invoices, History, and Timeclock procedures. Note: This is a memo field. Use it to document anything you wish to communicate to the customer except recommended repairs. Recommendations: This field is also a memo field. It should be used exclusively for recommended repairs. Note: Recommendations float, meaning they always attach themselves to the most current invoice. Despite this, GO remembers the recommendations made at the time an invoice was originally closed. Original recommendations can be easily viewed using the History procedure to print or display a copy of the original invoice. .
5.2
Header Procedure Buttons

There is one procedure button on the left side of the Header section: Top: Single-left-click this button to return control back to the Header section when youve been working on the second and subsequent lines of the Parts or Labor sections. There are eight procedure buttons along the right side of the Header section: Print: This button prints a customer copy of the invoice or estimate. Display: This button displays a shop copy of the invoice or estimate. E-Mail: This button exports the estimate or invoice to your customer. When you singleleft-click this button the following screen appears:
Tech: This button prints a tech copy of the invoice or estimate. More: This button takes you to the "More" screen, where you can modify the labor rate for this invoice, the invoice guarantee, the in-house note, and the billing notation. It also lets you set a special Accounting# for the invoice or estimate, and provides a shortcut to the Options & Forms Setup screen.
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Paid: This button closes the invoice with the Invoice Paid Screen. Delete: This button deletes the invoice or estimate. An owner-level password is required to delete an invoice. Upgrade: This button changes the estimate to an invoice and updates the inventory.
5.3
Revising an Estimate or Invoice

If you wish (or are required) to track your customers acceptance of revisions, GO provides an integrated procedure. The Estimate/Invoice Revision Dialog is used as a template to automatically append revision notes to the Notes section of an Estimate or Invoice.
The Estimate/Invoice Revisions Dialog pops up automatically whenever you single-leftclick the Print, Display, or E-Mail buttons in the Active Invoice Header screen if all of the following 3 conditions are true: 1.) The Estimate Revisions? button is set to Yes in the Options & Forms Setup screen. 2.) Youve either printed or e-mailed the estimate or invoice (at least once) using the Print or E-Mail buttons in the Active Invoice Header screen. 3.) The estimate or invoice total has changed since the last Print, Display, or E-Mail. The revision process is triggered only after youve printed or e-mailed the estimate or invoice for the first time. Triggering the process stores the amount of the original estimate, and the date and time it was first printed or e-mailed. Thereafter, if you change the amount of the estimate or invoice, then select Print, Display or E-Mail, the Estimate Revision Dialog will pop up and allow you to append the revision notes before the estimate or invoice is printed, displayed, or e-mailed.
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Each set of revision notes is added to the top of the Notes memo field in the estimate or invoice header. These notes may be edited, just like any other part of the Note, by singleright-clicking the Notes field. The Estimate/Invoice Revision Dialog contains 9 fields: Revised Estimate/Invoice Total: This field is filled in automatically. It represents the total amount of the estimate (including taxes, if any) at the time you selected the Print, Display, or E-Mail button. This is a protected field. Difference: This field is filled in automatically. It represents the difference between the current total of the estimate and the total of the estimate the last time it was printed, displayed, or e-mailed. This is a protected field. Date: This field is filled in automatically with the current system date, but you may singleleft-click the down arrow button to select a new date from the calendar screen. Time: This field is filled in automatically with the current system time. You may change it if you wish. Reason for Revision: Type in anything you wish. This field may be up to 130 characters long. You may edit it once its been appended to the Notes field if youd like it to be longer than 130 characters. Approval Obtained By: Enter your name, or single-left-click the down arrow button, and select it from the drop-down list. Approval Granted By: Enter the customers name, and any other information youd like, such as a phone number or location (e.g. at home or at work). Completion Date: Enter the promised delivery date. Completion Time: Enter the promised delivery time. Whatever you enter in the Estimate Revision Dialog will be appended to the Notes field, as shown in the example below.
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Chapter 6 Active Invoice Parts Section Definitions

The Active Invoice Parts section lets you add, change, and delete parts on the invoice or estimate. It also lets you update inventory, receive parts purchases from vendors, and select parts from external warehouse distributor parts listings.
6.1
Parts Procedure Buttons

There are five Parts procedure buttons in this section: Add: This button skips the cursor to the first blank row at the bottom of the parts scroller. Single-left-click this button to manually add a new part to the invoice or estimate. Delete: This button in the parts section of an invoice or estimate removes a single lineitem part from the invoice or estimate. To delete a part first single-left-click the part you wish to delete, then single-left-click the Delete button. Youll be asked to verify the selection:
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What happens next (assuming you single-left-click the Yes button) depends upon whether youre working in an invoice or an estimate. If youre working on an estimate, the estimate screen will be refreshed, and the part will be removed. If youre working on an invoice, and the part is a stocked part, the part will be removed from the invoice, and stocked parts inventory will be updated. If youre working on an invoice, and the part is a special order, the following screen will display:
Select Restore if you wish to maintain the part in inventory until its credited as a return, or sold on another invoice. Select Delete if the part is a bogus part that was forced onto the invoice, or if you plan to throw the part away. Receive: This button is a shortcut to the Receive Parts procedure. How to receive parts was discussed briefly in Chapter 3 - How to write an Invoice, and will be discussed thoroughly in Chapter 9 - Purchasing. Update: This button updates the inventory. The inventory is updated automatically when you leave the invoice. Single-left-clicking this button updates the inventory immediately. Note: The update button is normally dimmed out on estimates. WDParts: This button integrates with warehouse distributor parts databases.
6.2
Parts Details the first six fields

The Parts Details section is a scrolling screen. It contains 12 fields with the first six normally visible. Qty.: Enter the quantity. Note: Enter a negative number if you are writing a credit for a returned or defective part. Part Number: Enter the part number. Each time you successfully enter a part from inventory, information about the part will be displayed in green at the bottom of the parts scroller:
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The following field values are usually copied from a source record once the part number has been entered. If a part is being forced onto an invoice or estimate for the first time, they need to be filled in. Otherwise (with the exception of Brandname) they are available for changes. Brandname: Enter your vendors brandname or brand code. The brandname isnt a required field, but GO uses it to distinguish duplicate part numbers (e.g.: 1004 may be either a filter or a miniature bulb). For this reason, the brandname cannot be changed on the invoice or estimate screen. If you must change the brandname, delete the part from the invoice or estimate, restore it to inventory, change the brandname on the inventory record, then restore the part to the invoice or estimate. Note: You may choose to have the brandnames NOT print on your customers invoice by setting the Parts Brands? button to NO in the Options & Forms Setup screen. Unit: Enter the unit that goes with the quantity. For example: each, quart, gallon, foot, inch, pint, case, ounce. Description: Enter the part description as youd like your customer to see it. Price: Enter the per unit selling price (i.e., not the total price for quantities greater than one). Note: You may single-right click the Unit, Description, or Price fields to pop up the Parts Accessory menu, pictured below:
Alternate Parts: This button is a shortcut to the Data Tables procedure for Alternate Parts. Add To Parts: This button is a shortcut to the Data Tables procedure for adding new Stocked Parts to inventory.
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Change Parts: This button is a shortcut to the Data Tables for changing pre-existing Stocked Parts records. The action of this button changes depending upon which part line in the invoice or estimate you choose to single-right click to pop up the Parts Accessory menu. If the part line you click is associated with a Stocked Part, single-left-clicking the Change Parts button will present the Stocked Part Master Record screen for the part. If the part line you click is not associated with a Stocked Part, you will be prompted for a different part number. Change Vendors: This button is a shortcut to the Data Tables for changing pre-existing Vendor records. The action of this button changes depending upon which part line in the invoice or estimate you choose to single-right click to pop up the Parts Accessory menu. If the part line you click is associated with a Vendor, single-left-clicking the Change Vendors button will present the Vendor Master Record screen for the vendor. If the part line you click is not associated with a Vendor, you will be prompted by the Vendor dialog. Fixed Markup: This button lets you price parts on the invoice or estimate using a fixed markup.
Note: the fixed markup acts only upon the part line you were on when you single-right-clicked to activate the Parts Accessory menu, and upon every part that you add to the invoice or estimate thereafter during the current session once you close the Active Invoice screen for the invoice or estimate, the fixed markup feature turns off. Activation of the Fixed Markup feature is indicated by a green exclamation point and markup percentage shown in the lower right-hand corner of the parts scroller:
Percent Discount: This button lets you discount the price of parts on the invoice or estimate using a fixed percentage.
Note: the Percent Discount acts only upon the part line you were on when you single-right-clicked to activate the Parts Accessory menu, and upon every part that you add to the invoice or estimate thereafter during the current session once you close the Active Invoice screen for the invoice or estimate, the Percent Discount feature turns off..
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Activation of the Percent Discount feature is indicated by a red exclamation point and discount percentage shown in the lower right-hand corner of the parts scroller:
Find It: This button is a shortcut to the Find It procedure. The part number of the parts line you single-right-clicked to pop up the Parts Accessory menu will automatically be loaded into the Find It screen. Cancel: This button cancels the Parts Accessory menu and returns you to the Active Invoice screen.
6.3
Parts Details the second six fields

Six other fields are visible when you scroll the Parts Details section to the left: Cost: Enter the per unit cost of what this part cost you. Accounting#: This field should be left blank unless you wish to have sales of this part flow to a particular general ledger account. When left blank the default accounting # is 5010 (parts sales, retail). To assign this part sale to a particular general ledger account, single-left click the down arrow button to pop up the chart of accounts. Then select the 5000-level revenue account of your choice. You may assign this field value automatically each time you sell the part by setting the Sales Accounting# in the Vendor Master screen of the vendor(s) you normally buy this part from. Or, if you normally purchase other types of parts from that vendor, and wish to have the accounting number of only certain part numbers automatically assigned, set the Sales Accounting# field in Stocked Part Master record screen. The following fields are protected you can view them, but you cant change them: Vendor#: This field is copied from the stocked or special order part record. It is recorded automatically as part of the Receive Parts procedure. Invoice#: This field is the vendor purchase invoice number. It is recorded automatically as part of the Receive Parts procedure. Employee#: This field isnt used at this time. A future version of GO my use this to enable you to credit certain parts sales to certain employees. Repair#: This is simply the number of the invoice youre working in. It ties the parts to the invoice.
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Chapter 7 Active Invoice Labor Section Definitions

The Active Invoice Labor section scrolls each labor block on a separate line in a window, and lets you add, change, and delete labor on the invoice or estimate. It also lets you update labor descriptions, change labor rates and charges, define and update labor hours; and add, change, delete, browse and report the Standard Labor library.
7.1
Labor Procedure Buttons

There are four labor procedure buttons in this section: Add: This button adds a new labor block to the invoice or estimate by popping up the Standard Labor list. A Labor Block is the part of an invoice, estimate, or job quote that describes the work performed, how long it took, and how much to charge for it. Each invoice, estimate, or job quote can contain up to 99 labor blocks. Each labor block has a number associated with it. The order in which the labor blocks are printed or displayed may be changed by changing the labor block number. Each time you single-left-click on the Add button the Standard Labor list appears:
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Choose (BLANK) if you want to write an entirely unique labor block. Otherwise, select a Standard Labor operation either by scrolling through the list, then selecting your choice with a single-right-click, or by typing in the beginning letters of the Standard Labor name to highlight your choice, then pressing the <Enter> key. Delete: This button deletes an entire labor block from the invoice or estimate. Note: If you wish to delete a portion of a labor description, single-left-click the down arrow button of the description you wish to modify. If you wish to delete labor hours from an invoice or estimate, yet leave the labor description unchanged, single-right-click the labor description to pop up the Hours screen for that description. StdLbr: This button is a shortcut to the Standard Labor procedures available in the Data Tables menu. GO provides a beginning Standard Labor library, but you may modify the library however you wish to suit your particular needs. Each Standard Labor record consists of a 20-character name, a description of the labor (which can be up to 50 pages long), the technician hours, the billed hours, the chargeback hours, and a link to Service Reminders. The Standard Labor procedures allow you to add a labor description to the standard labor library, change an existing labor description in the labor library, delete a labor description in the labor library, and report all standard labor operations. Hours: This button pops up the Hours screen for the selected labor block. This screen lets you assign one or more technicians to the labor block; add, change, and delete Billed Hour charges; assign Technician Hours; and report timeclock records for the invoice or estimate as a whole.
7.2
Hours Screens in Detail

The Active Invoice Hours screen exists in two versions. The first version is presented each time you add labor to an invoice or estimate:
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This first version screen lets you modify the labor description thats just been copied from the Standard Labor library, assign the technician(s), modify the Tech and Billed hours, and, if needed, schedule individual labor hours on separate days. The second version is presented when you select a labor block from the Active Invoice Labor section either by single-right-clicking upon it, or by first highlighting it, then singleleft-clicking the Hours button:
These fields are included in both screens: Emp#: This is the employee number field. If youre just creating the invoice or estimate, it usually makes sense to simply leave this field blank for now. The Timeclock procedure, if used, will assign the employee automatically if the technician clocks on at the labor block level. If youre creating the invoice after the fact, you may assign the employee number in any of three ways: 1.) Type in three letters of the employees name, then press the <Enter> key. 2.) Type in the employees three-digit number, then press the <Enter> key. 3.) Single-left-click the down arrow button to select the employee from a pop-up list. Note: This list is presented either numerically or alphabetically depending upon the setting of the Number / Name radio buttons. Tech Hours: The significance of this field changes as the job progresses. If the work hasnt yet been performed, the number in this field is little more than a target time the proposed time that you hope the technician will be able to perform the work within. If the work has been performed, the number in this field should reflect the actual amount of time the technician spent performing the work.
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Note: The Timeclock procedure, if used, will assign the Tech Hours automatically if the technician clocks on at the labor block level. If the technician clocks on at the Invoice Only level, the Tech Hours will need to be assigned manually using the Assign procedure described on the next page. Billed Hours: This field determines the customer charges. The hours entered are multiplied by the value entered in the Labor Rate column of this labor block in the Active Invoice screen. Note: GO will automatically calculate the appropriate number of Billed Hours for a given dollar amount if you enter the dollar value in the Billed Hours field using a dollar sign (e.g. $59.95). The hours in the Tech and Billed columns are additive within the labor block. Each line represents a separate technician and/or a separate time punch. Tech and Billed hours can be positive or negative numbers, as required, to accurately document total charges and chargebacks. Efficiency: The efficiency for each line is calculated automatically by dividing the Billed Hours by the Tech Hours. Note: If you enter a number in the Efficiency field, Billed Hours will be automatically calculated based upon Tech Hours. ?: This, the Proposed or Actual field, is used by the Scheduler to distinguish between proposed (estimated) Tech and Billed hours, and actual Tech and Billed hours. Proposed hours are included in the totals displayed in the Scheduler date boxes, actual hours are not. Single-left-click the down arrow button to select from P or A or simply type in a P or A. Note: This field is changed automatically to A by the Timeclock procedure if the technician clocks on at the labor block level. Sched. Date: The schedule date is set automatically whenever the Due In time is changed on an invoice or estimate, but it can also be set on individual labor charge lines if it makes sense to do so (e.g. a valve grind where the hours to pull the head are scheduled on one day, and the hours to reassemble the engine are scheduled on another day). Note: You may single-right-click this field to pop up a calendar. Payroll Date: This is a protected field. It is one means of viewing which labor charges have been included in a previous payroll period period by the Flag Payroll portion of the Daily Summary procedure. Timeclock#: This is a protected field. It is used to link Timeclock punches made at the labor block level with the labor charge hours created from them.
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The buttons below are included only in the second screen: Do By Percent: This button automatically changes the Billed Hours of all labor charges within the block (except those already assigned a Payroll Date) to equalize their efficiencies: Before:
After:
The new efficiencies are equalized based upon the total Billed Hours entered at the prompt. The total Billed Hours and average efficiency can thus be adjusted as needed.
Note: The Do_By_% button is dimmed out on Estimates, and on Invoice labor blocks containing only one adjustable labor charge record. Assign: This button is used to assign Timeclock punches made at the invoice only level. Invoices with unassigned Timeclock records present a message when they are selected from the Active Invoices and Estimates Selection screen:
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The total of all unassigned Timeclock records for the invoice or estimate must be assigned to one or more labor blocks for each technician who has clocked on at the invoice only level. The Assign Hours screen lets you do this.
This screen is designed to distribute each technicians unassigned Timeclock records for this invoice or estimate to one or more labor blocks. Each labor block on the invoice or estimate is listed in a separate row. Because of this, it makes no difference which labor block was selected when you click the Assign Hours button, the Assign Hours screen is the same. This screen will display once for each technician with unassigned Timeclock records for the invoice or estimate. The Assign Hours screen contains nine columns, but only the Add To and Overwrite columns are live. All the others are for information purposes only.
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As you make entries in the Add To or Overwrite columns, values in the Current Technician Time, Efficiency, and Totals columns will change accordingly, as will those in the Currently Assigned and Remaining Unassigned fields. Once the value in the Currently Assigned field equals that of the Originally Unassigned field, youre done! Single-left-click the OK button to either exit, or continue to the next technician with unassigned Timeclock records. Note: Assigning Timeclocks records becomes unnecessary if technicians always clock on at the labor block level. This, of course, requires that service advisors pre-write the invoice or estimate. Report: This button displays a report of all the Timeclock records associated with the invoice or estimate.
7.3
Labor Details scrolling screen

The labor details section is a scrolling screen. It contains seven fields, defined below. Three fields are normally visible:
# : This is the labor block number. It is assigned automatically. You can change the sequence of the labor blocks by changing this number. Labor Description: This field is filled by the procedure that launches when you click the Add button (as described in the section 7.1 ). You may change the contents of this memo field by first single-left-clicking the description to put the attention on it, then single-leftclick the down arrow button.
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Price: This field is calculated according to the Billed Hours for this labor block, and the Labor Rate for this labor block (described below). Note: If there is only one labor hour charge record for this labor block, you may change the Price by first highlighting it, then overtyping it. Four other fields are visible when you scroll the section to the left: Labor Rate: This field is usually set according to the value entered in the Labor Rate field of the Active Invoice More screen, although it can also be set according to the Labor Rate Description associated with a Standard Labor operation. (Please press the yellow question mark Help button to learn more about Labor Rates.) You may also type any value you wish into this field to manually change the labor rate of an individual labor block. Abbreviation: This is a protected field. It is loaded automatically from the Standard Labor Library whenever a new labor operation is added to the invoice or estimate. Accounting# : This field should be left blank unless you wish to have sales of this labor block flow to a particular general ledger account. To assign this labor sale to a particular general ledger account, single-left-click the down arrow button to pop up the chart of accounts, then select the 5000-level revenue account of your choice. Note: You may assign this field value automatically each time you sell the part by setting the Accounting# field in the Standard Labor screen. Repair#: This protected field is simply the number of the invoice or estimate youre working in. It ties the labor block to the invoice.
7.4
Icon Buttons
There are three Icon buttons at the bottom of the Labor section:
C: The Customer Phone Book button. If you put your pointer on the green C and left click, a customer phone book appears. You can find the customer you want by either scrolling down, or by typing the first few letters of the customers name. V: The Vendor Phone Book button. If you put your pointer on the green V and singleleft-click, a vendor phone book appears. You can find the vendor you want by either scrolling down, or by typing the first few letters of the vendors name. ChkIn: The yellow Check In button is a shortcut for checking in scheduled vehicles. If you put the pointer in the box and single-left-click, all of the vehicles that are scheduled for the current day will appear. Highlight the vehicle of your choice and single-left-click the OK button.
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7.5
Running Totals
There are three sets of green numbers across the bottom of the Labor section. They change as labor blocks are added and technicians complete the repairs.
TH: The first set of numbers, with TH following, is the running total of Technician Hours for the invoice you are working with. BH: The second set of numbers, with BH following, is the running total of Billed Hours for the invoice you are working with. $$$/TH: The third set of numbers is an estimate of total gross profit dollars earned per technician hours worked.
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Chapter 8 Active Invoice Total Section Definitions

The Totals section has 11 separate components, each with a title box and a display box. The components labeled Parts, Labor, Subtotal, and Total automatically display their amounts as you build the invoice or estimate. The title boxes of the Parts, Labor, and Subtotal components also display their gross profit percentages. The title boxes of the Discount, Sublet, Towing, Other, Supplies, and Tax components double as procedure buttons. Single-left-clicking one of these buttons pops open a window that lets you add and modify these charges. The title box of the Total component contains a three-color piechart procedure button that displays profit analysis charts in full-color.
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8.1
Gross Profit Margin

The Parts gross profit margin (shown in green on the line above the Parts dollar subtotal) is based on your cost of the parts compared to the selling price of the parts. Note: The cost of each part is based upon the received cost if the part is a Special Order, and upon the weighted average cost if the part is a Stocked Part. The Labor gross profit margin (shown in green on the line above the Labor dollar subtotal) is based on the cost of the technicians labor compared to what you sell the labor for. Note: Each technicians wage type and rate is recorded in the Employee Master Record in Data Tables. The current FICA and Medicare rates (used to compute the employers share of employment taxes) are recorded in the Payroll Settings screen (accessed via: Management | Banking | Paychecks | Payroll Settings). The Subtotal gross profit margin (shown in green above the Subtotal dollar amount) is the comparison of the total cost of all the sections above it to their selling prices. The gross profit margins are a very handy management tool. They enable you to determine at a glance if you are reaching your sales goals, and, if not, which area - parts, labor, sublet, etc. needs to be improved.
8.2
Discount
The Discount procedure button allows you to apply a discount to the active invoice. The accumulated Discount, in dollars, shows directly below the discount procedure button. By single-left-clicking the button, the discount screen appears.
Parts and Labor Subtotal without Discount: This is a protected field, displayed for information purposes only. Parts and Labor Subtotal with Discount: This is an optional field. If you enter a subtotal amount into this field, GO will automatically calculate the discount amount for you.
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Description: Enter a description of the discount, or single-left-click the down arrow button to select a description from the discount history list. The printed invoice and estimate preface the description you enter with the word Discount so you dont have to write it yourself. Note: You can change the Discount history list using the Uniform procedure (accessed via: System | Data Utilities | Uniform). % and/or $: Enter a fixed dollar amount, a percentage, or combination of the two. The discount can be set to apply to both parts and labor, or to parts only, or labor only. It can also be for a fixed dollar amount, a percentage, or a percentage with a maximum. Examples: Discount Entered 10% 10%/20 10 L10% P10% L10%P15% L10%/20 L10%/20P15% L10%/25P15%/20 Results 10% of parts and labor 10% of parts and labor up to $20 $10 discount 10% of labor only 10% of parts only 10% of labor and 15% of parts 10% of labor up to $20 10% of labor up to $20 and 15% of parts 10% of labor up to $25 and 15% of parts up to $20
Note:: L must come before P if both are used Amount: This is a protected field, displayed for information purposes only.
8.3
Sublet
The Sublet procedure button allows you to apply a sublet to the active invoice. The accumulated Sublets, in dollars, shows directly bellow the sublet procedure button. By single-left-clicking the button, the sublet screen appears.
Single-left-click the Add Sublet Purchase Record button to launch the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure. This procedure enables you to enter a single purchase record, then have the Description, Cost, and Sell fields filled automatically from the information youve entered.
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It starts with the Vendor dialog:
Once youve selected a Vendor, it presents the Append Purchases screen:
Vendor: This field will be filled in for you automatically based upon your selection from the Vendor Dialog. You may change it by typing in another vendors name or number. Invoice Date: This field is automatically set to the current date. If the date of the vendors invoice you are entering is not the current date, type in the correct date, or single-right-click to select the correct date from pop-up a calendar. Invoice#: Enter the vendors invoice number. O?: This is the open account? field. It is automatically set to Y if the Our Account Number field in the Vendor Master Record screen is non-blank. Otherwise, its set to N. You may change this field by typing over it, or single-left-clicking the down arrow button to select Y or N from a pop-up list. Amount: Enter the total amount of the vendors invoice. If the invoice lists more than one item (i.e. sublet, towing, or other charge), enter the amount of the entire invoice, then distribute individual item costs to the individual sections of your customers invoice as appropriate (i.e. sublets to sublet, towing to towing, other charges to other charges). In other words, make one entry for the vendor purchase record, then distribute the costs manually to your customers invoice. Accounting#: This field is set to 6020.00 if youve entered this procedure through the Sublet button in the Active Invoice Totals section, to 6040.00, if youve entered through the Towing button, and is blank if youve entered through the Other button. It is a required field. Single-right-click this field to select an accounting# from a pop-up list. Vendor Screen: This button pops-up the Vendor Master Record screen for modifications or review.
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Description: This field will be filled in for you automatically if youve first left it blank, then used the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure. Otherwise, enter a description for this sublet, or single-left-click the down arrow button to select from the sublet description data history. Cost: Enter your cost for this sublet. Note: If youve used the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure, and the vendors invoice contained more than one item to be distributed, you will need to modify the automatically-loaded value in this field to reflect solely the sublet portion of the vendors invoice.
8.4
Towing
The Towing procedure button allows you to apply a towing charge to the active invoice. The accumulated Towing, in dollars, shows directly bellow the Towing procedure button. By single-left-clicking the button, the towing screen appears.
Single-left-clicking the Add Towing Purchases button launches the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure, which enables you to enter a single purchase record, then have the Description, Cost, and Sell fields filled automatically from the information youve entered. Note: The Purchase Record procedure is fully explained above in the Sublet definition. Description: This field will be filled in for you automatically if youve first left it blank, then used the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure. Otherwise, enter a description for this towing charge. Cost: Enter your cost for this towing charge. Note: If youve used the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure, and the vendors invoice contained more than one item to be distributed, you will need to modify the automatically loaded value in this field to reflect solely the towing portion of the vendors invoice. Sell: This field will be filled in for you automatically if youve first left it blank, then used the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure, and theres a Matrix# associated with the selected vendor. Otherwise, type in the selling price for this towing charge.
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8.5
Other Charges
The Other Charges prcedure button allows you to apply a charge to the active invoice that does not fit in any other category. For instance, if you filled the car with gas, this is where you would account for it. The accumulated Other Charges, in dollars, shows directly bellow the Other Charges Procedure button. By single-left-clicking the button, the other charges screen appears.
Single-left-clicking the Add Purchase Record button launches the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure, which enables you to enter a single purchase record, then have the Description, Cost, Sell, and Account# fields filled automatically from the information youve entered. Note: The Purchase Record procedure is fully explained above in the Sublet definition. Description: This field will be filled in for you automatically if youve first left it blank, then used the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure. Otherwise, enter a description for this charge. Cost: Enter your cost for this charge. Note: If youve used the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure, and the vendors invoice contained more than one item to be distributed, you will need to modify the automatically-loaded value in this field to reflect solely the other charges portion of the vendors invoice. Sell: This field will be filled in for you automatically if youve first left it blank, then used the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure, and theres a Matrix# associated with the selected vendor. Otherwise, type in the selling price for this charge. Account#: This field will be filled in for you automatically if youve first left it blank, then used the Active Invoice Purchase Record procedure. Otherwise, single-left-click the down arrow button to select an account# from a pop-up list.
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Tax Rate: This field is filled in automatically based upon the Parts Tax Rate associated with this invoice or estimate in the Active Invoice Tax Rate screen. If the tax rate is incorrect, type in the new rate, or leave it blank if the rate is zero.
8.6
Supplies
The Supplies procedure button allows you to apply a Supplies charge to the active invoice. The accumulated Supplies charges, in dollars, shows directly bellow the Supplies Procedure button. By single-left-clicking the button, the supplies screen appears.
Supply Charge Rates: The values in these fields are loaded automatically when the invoice or estimate is created from the values set in the Company Information screen. They can be changed on individual invoices and estimates at will. If you want to charge the fee based upon a percentage, enter a number followed by a percent sign (e.g.: 4.5%). If you want to charge a flat fee, enter a number only (e.g.: 2.00). ). If you want to charge a percentage with a maximum, enter the percentage followed by a slash, followed by the maximum amount (e.g.: 4.5%/10 = 4.5% up to a maximum of $10). Fees may be based upon Parts and/or Labor, and are taxed accordingly.
8.7
Tax
The Tax procedure button allows you to apply or change a Tax charge to the active invoice. The accumulated taxes, in dollars, shows directly bellow the Tax procedure button. By single-left-clicking the button, the tax screen appears.
Tax Rates: The values in these fields are loaded automatically when the invoice or estimate is created from the values set in the Company Information screen. They can be changed on individual invoices and estimates at will. Primary Tax Rates These values are the primary sales tax rates. If your business location has a single-tier sales tax rate, enter the sales tax rates in these fields.
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Secondary Tax Rates These values are the secondary sales tax rates. If your business location has a two-tier sales tax rate (e.g. Wisconsin, Canada), enter the second sales tax rates in these fields. If the primary and secondary tax rates are both non-zero, the subtotal of each tax will appear on the Customer and Shop copies of invoices and estimates.
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Chapter 9 Purchasing
From the Main Menubar single-left-click Purchasing:
Purchasing is a drop-down menu. Make your selections with a single-left-click, or type in the letter thats underlined in the selection of your choice (e.g. press the <S> key for Shop Supplies).
9.1
Purchase Orders
Purchase Orders is a procedure that creates, stores, modifies, and receives purchase orders by vendor. Purchase Orders can be generated from needed restock parts, needed non-stocked estimated parts, special order returns, custom ordered parts, or any combination of these. (If you do not wish to use purchase orders, refer to section 9.4 Receive Parts.) There are five ways to add parts to a purchase order: 1.) Select stocked parts that are below the minimum stocking level. 2.) Select parts on Active Estimates that aren't in stock. 3.) Select special order parts having a Job Name of "returned" or "core deposit" (i.e. request a vendor credit memo). 4.) Manually add a part by typing its Part#, Brandname, Description, etc. 5.) Any combination of the above.
9.1.1
Creating a Purchase Order is a three-step process
1. Select the vendor that the purchase order is for by using the Vendor Dialog screen.
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Enter the vendors # or part of the vendor name and single-left-click the OK button. 2. The next screen to appear is the Purchase Order Source.
Use the Purchase Order Source menu to select the source to build the purchase order from: Restock Items: This button selects Stocked Parts that are below the minimum stocking level. Returned Items: This button selects Special Order parts having a Job Name of "returned" or "core deposit." This button creates a request for a vendor credit memo. You may add a Returned Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number in the "Reference" field of the Purchase Orders screen. Estimate(s): This button selects parts on Active Estimates that either aren't in stock, or aren't in stock in sufficient quantities to fulfill the estimated quantities. It lets you select Estimates three different ways:
All: This button selects all the Active Estimates and closes the menu.
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Select and Except: These buttons each present a multiple-choice list of all the Active Estimates:
The Estimates highlighted in black in this example have been selected with a single-left click. You may de-select a choice with a second single-left click. You may select a block of choices by dragging a single-left click across the block. 3. The Build Purchase Orders screen selects the parts to be included on the purchase order, and compiles the purchase order. The Build Purchase Order screen for Restock Items is compiled from the Restock List.
Following is an explanation of all of the screen components. There are two fields at the top od the screen:
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Total for Selected Items: This field is generated automatically and changes as items are added or removed. Number of Items Selected: This field is generated automatically as items are added or removed. The screen contains two "scroller" windows: The upper window is used to select the parts you want to include on the purchase order. When the screen first presents itself, the upper window will contain all the parts associated with the selected vendor. (In the above example, the upper window contains stocked parts that are below the minimum restock level.) You may "deselect" a part from being included in the purchase order with a single-right-click on the "X" in the part's far-left column. If you change your mind, you may reselect it with a second single-right-click. You may change the quantities of the parts in this window. You may also change the quantities once the purchase order is created. The number of parts currently selected for inclusion, and the proposed purchase order dollar total, are displayed in two information fields above the upper window. The lower window is used to select the parts you wish to transfer to the upper window. This window contains the parts that were last purchased from vendors other than the selected vendor. You may select a part to transfer with a single-right-click in the part's far-left column. If you change your mind, you may "deselect" it with a second singleright-click. There are three procedure buttons: Select All: Single-left-click this button to place an "X" in the far-left column for all the parts. Transfer: Single-left-click this button to transfer the selected parts to the upper window. Compile PO: To create the purchase order, single-left-click this button (if this is a new purchase order), or to add your selections if you've entered this screen from a pre-existing purchase order. The Build Purchase Order screen for Returned Items displays positive quantities, but turns them to negative values when the Compile PO button is selected. This enables proper updating of the inventory when the purchase order is received.
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The Build Purchase Order screen for Estimates differs slightly from the other two Build Purchase Order screens -- the lower window displays the Last Vendor, the Quantity Needed, and the Job Name of each part.
Single left click the right-hand scroll button to see the Job Name as shown on the following page:
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NOTE: The Build Purchase Order screen for Estimates shows only those parts on estimates that are not in stock, or where the quantity in stock isn't sufficient to cover the quantities requested on the selected estimates.
9.1.2
Purchase Order Selection Screen
The Purchase Orders Selection screen lets you select a pre-existing purchase order for modification and/or receiving. In addition, you may start a new purchase order, review the current status of current purchase orders, and create in-house notes from this screen.
You may select a purchase order from this list using any of these methods:
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1. Scroll the list with the mouse or the "PgDn" and "PgUp" buttons until the selection you want is in view, then single-right click the Vendor name of your selection. 2. Scroll the list using the up arrow or down arrow keys on the keyboard until the selec tion you want is highlighted, then press the <Enter> key. 3. Scroll the list with the mouse until the selection you want is in view, then single-left click your selection, then single-left click the "Select" button. The selection screen is a 9-column-wide scrolling screen. The first seven columns are visible when you open the screen. The other two become visible when you scroll the screen to the left. A definition of each column follows: Status: This is the current status of the Purchase Order. There are three valid choices for this field: Open - the purchase order is work in progress (not yet sent). Sent - the purchase order has been sent to the vendor. Backorder - the purchase order has been received with a backorder. PO#: This is the purchase order number. It is set automatically, and cannot be changed. You may use this number as a reference when you communicate the purchase order to your vendor. Vendor: The name of the vendor. Single-right click this field to select and open the purchase order in one step. Source: Records your selection(s) in the Purchase Order Source menu. This field is set automatically, and cannot be changed. The values are: Restock - stocked parts at or below the minimum stocking level. Estimate(s) - parts on active estimates that either aren't in stock, or aren't in stock in sufficient quantities to fulfill the estimated quantities. Returns - special order parts with a Job Name of "returned" or "core deposit.". Combined - some combination of the above. Created: The date the purchase order was created. This field is set automatically, and cannot be changed. Due In: The date you expect to receive the parts listed on the purchase order. You must set this field manually. You may do so either by typing the date in, or by single-leftclicking the "down arrow" button to pop-up the calendar screen. In House Note: This is an optional memo field. This note does not appear on the purchase order. You may enter notes on the purchase order in the Purchase Order screen. Single-right click the "down arrow" button to enter or modify the note. Items: The number of line items on the purchase order. This field is set automatically, and cannot be changed. Total: This the dollar total of the purchase order. This field is set automatically, and cannot be changed.
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9.1.3
Purchase Orders Screen
The Purchase Orders screen is a multi-record screen. Purchase Orders are modified and received from this screen. Use the Purchase Orders screen to Print, Delete, or Receive the purchase order, as well as to add, delete, and change individual purchase order line items.
The Purchase Orders screen contains 7 stand-alone fields: Created: This is the date the purchase order was created. This is a protected field, and cannot be changed. Source: This is filled in automatically based upon your selections in from the Purchase Order Source menu. It contains one of four values to show how the purchase order was created: Restock, Estimate(s), Returns, and Combined (meaning a combination of Restock, Estimate(s), or Returns). This is a protected field. Status: This is the current status of the Purchase Order. Single-left-click the "down arrow" button to select a new value from a pop-up list. There are three valid choices in this screen: Open - the purchase order is work in progress (not yet sent). Sent - the purchase order has been sent to the vendor. Backorder - the purchase order has been received with a backorder. Due In: This is the date you expect to receive the parts listed on the purchase order. You must set this field manually. You may do so either by typing the date in, or by singleleft-clicking the "down arrow" button to pop-up the calendar screen. Reference: This is a 50 character field that appears on the printed purchase order. You may use this field for anything you wish (e.g. vehicle reference), or leave it blank.
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Items: This is the number of line items on the purchase order. This field is set automatically, and cannot be changed. Total: This is the monetary total of the purchase order. This field is set automatically, and cannot be changed. The Purchase Order screen also has a scrolling region with 16 columns: Qty: This is the quantity of the part being received. It is a "5.2" numeric field, meaning it may contain up to five digits to the left of the decimal point and two digits to the right (i.e. 99,999.99 is the largest number possible for this field). Note: Enter the quantity with a minus sign (-) if the part being entered is on a credit memo. This will reduce the inventory's "quantity in stock" level once the receiving session is updated. If the item being returned is a special order part, and the new quantity in stock is zero, the item will be deleted from inventory (although the sales and purchase history of the part will remain on file). Part Number: This is generally the part number shown on the vendor's invoice. Brand: The brandname of the part. This field is optional, yet it may prove helpful in distinguishing the part in cases where different parts have identical part numbers. Brandnames may be entered in Receive Parts, yet be prevented from showing on the customer copy of the invoice or estimate by setting the "Print Brands?" radio button to "No" in the Options & Forms Setup screen. Unit: The part's unit of sale. Examples are: each, quart, foot, pound, etc. Description: There is space for a 25 charcter description of the part. Whatever is entered here is what appears when the part is placed into inventory or sold. Sell Price: The selling price to the customer. Note: If the part or vendor is associated with a price matrix, the cursor will initially skip this field, then return to it for verification once the Cost has been entered and the new Sell Price calculated. Cost: Your cost per unit of the part. Total is the total line item cost (quantity times cost). This calculated field is protected. Item Note: This is a memo field associated with the line item. The contents of this field are printed just beneath the part line on the printed purchase order. Use this field for special instructions or application information. This field is not required. The following 7 fields aren't visible unless the screen is scrolled to the left: Inv#: This is the GO Active Invoice or Estimate number associated with the part. It is a protected field and gets filled in automatically when, and if, - the Job Name is assigned.
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Received Date: This field is filled in automatically when the purchase order is received. It is ordinarily blank, unless one or more parts on the purchase order have been backordered during a previous receiving session. B.O. Date: This field is necessary if the purchase order is received and one or more line items are backordered. Entering a date in this field prevents the line item from being received, and keeps the purchase order active. Enter a date either by typing it in, or by single-left-clicking the "down arrow" button to pop-up the calendar screen. Sales Acct#: This is an optional field. You will leave this field blank in most cases. Use it if you wish to have the sales records of this part automatically flow to a speciallydesignated accounting number. Tires are the most common example of parts that you might wish to use a special sales account number for. Single-left-click the "down arrow" button to select or add an account number using the chart of accounts dialog. Read Accounting Overview for more information on this topic. Purch Acct#: This is also an optional field. It is the purchases account companion field to the "Sales Acct#" field. PO#: This is the purchase order number. It is a protected field. The Purchase Order screen also has 13 buttons: Top: Use this button to return control back to the stand-alone fields (e.g.: Reference, Due In, Status) when you've been working on the second and subsequent lines of the scrolling region. Delete Entire PO: Use this button to completely erase the purchase order from the system. Delete PO Item: Use this button to delete a single line item from the purchase order. Add PO Selection: Use this button to add new items to the purchase order using the Purchase Order Source menu and the Purchase Order Build screen. Add PO Item: Use this button to manually add a new item to the purchase order. Print : Use this button to print a copy of the purchase order. Send: This button will eventually link the purchase order to Internet parts ordering processes. It is dimmed out for now. Cancel: Use this button to exit the purchase order screen without saving your changes. OK: Use this button to exit the purchase order screen and save your changes. Receive: Use this button when the parts you've ordered on the purchase order have been delivered.
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Receiving the purchase order is a two-step process: 1. Enter the vendor's invoice number and the date of the invoice in the Purchase Header screen. 2. Confirm the number of parts to be received and the invoice total:
NOTE: Use the B.O. Date column in the scrolling region (described above) to place individual line items on backorder status.
9.2
Shop Supplies
Shop Supplies are parts meant to be used in the process of completing a repair, such as antifreeze test strips, or material used within the shop like plastic gloves or paper towels. When you single-left-click Shop Supplies, a list pops up of all the Stocked Parts where the Keyword is shopsupply.
The Shop Supply procedure is a convenient means of inventory control for items that
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arent normally billed to a customer. When anyone in the shop takes a shop supply off of the shelf, all that needs to be done is to select the supply with a single-right-click. A verification message will then follow:
9.2.1
Keeping Track of Shop Supplies
The Shop Supplies procedure is just one of the ways to keep track of shop supplies with GO. You can accomplish the same thing a couple of other ways. Whats best depends upon the type of shop supply, and your personal preferences. When Receiving Shop Supplies, ask yourself the question: Is this supply ever sold directly to customers? If your answer is Yes: The supply should be a Stocked Part. If you have already added the supply to the Stocked Parts data table, you only need to enter the Part Number. The Receive Parts procedure will do the rest. If you are asked for a Job Name, it means that the supply hasnt been entered as a Stocked Part yet. To enter a Stocked Part from within receiving, either use the Add To Stock button in the receiving screen, or select stocked part as a Job Name. Note: If you enter shopsupply as the Keyword in the Stocked Part Master Record screen, the supply will automatically be included in the list that pops up when Shop Supplies is selected in the Purchasing menu. If your answer is No: The supply should be entered as a Special Order part, and a Job Name must be assigned. If you select the Job Name shop supply, the supply will not be written to Special Order Parts, instead it will be sold at cost to the business as an Over Counter sale (any tax on parts being charged), and then entered as a Cash Expense item (tax included), so that the till will balance at the end of the day. These in house sales can be reported for a selected period by using either the Cash Expenses or the Over Counter Sales selections in the Data Tables procedure. If you dont want to automatically write an Over Counter sale and a Cash Expense item, enter a Job Name of your own choice (for example: Supplies for Shop). The supply will then be written as a Special Order, where it will stay until you choose to remove it. You may remove supplies that have accumulated in Special Orders either by starting an Active Invoice or Over Counter Sale, and assigning the associated Job Name, or by deleting them with the Special Order Parts selection in the Data Tables procedure.
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9.2.2
How are Shop Supplies accounted for on the General Ledger?
The answer depends upon how they are received. If you assign the supply the special Job Name shop supply: The purchase record will debit account 6010.00 (purchases for resale) by default or whatever debit account youve assigned to the purchase header or detail record and will credit account 3010.00 (accounts payable). The over counter sales record will debit account 1010.00 (cash on hand), and credit account 5020.00 (parts sales, over counter) and account 3290.00 (sales tax payable). The cash expense record will debit account 7570.00 (supplies, shop), and credit account 1010.00 (cash on hand). If you assign the supply your own Job Name: The purchase record will debit account 6010.00 (purchases for resale) by default or whatever debit account youve assigned to the purchase header or detail record and will credit account 3010.00 (accounts payable). The special order parts records will be distributed according to how you dispense them. If you put them on an invoice, then close that invoice as paid, they will debit 1010.00 (cash on hand) and credit whatever account you assign the invoice or parts detail lines to. If you delete them from inventory, . you decrease the net value of your inventory. This net value is stored automatically on the first new business day of each month, and is used as the suggested ending inventory value the first time you run an Income Statement each month. If you delete the items from inventory, and make no ledger entries, the cost of sales for the month will increase by a corresponding amount. You can reconcile this by debiting 7570.00 (shop supplies) and crediting 6010.00 (purchases for resale). If you enter the supply as a Stocked Part: The purchase record will debit account 6010.00 (purchases for resale) by default or whatever debit account youve assigned to the purchase header or detail record and will credit account 3010.00 (accounts payable). The stocked part records will be distributed according to how you dispense them. If you put them on an invoice, then close that invoice as paid, they will debit 1010.00 (cash on hand) and credit whatever account you assign the invoice or parts detail lines to. If you assign them the Keyword shopsupply then dispense them via the Shop Supplies procedure in the Purchasing menu, they will be turned into balancing Over Counter Sales and Cash Expense records, and distributed as described above. Note: You may always redistribute the transactions that flow from shop supplies using ledger entries. For example, the default expense account entries to 7570.00 (supplies, shop) for a given reporting period may be switched to a cost of sale account entry to 6030.00 (purchases, shop supplies) for the same period by crediting the total activity to 7570.00 and debiting it to 6030.00.
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9.3
Restock List
The Restock List lets you print or display a listing of all stocked parts that are below the minimum stocking level. Stocked Parts are one of the four types of inventory tracked by GO. The stocked parts data table keeps track of parts that you want to always have on hand. The Stocked Parts Master Record screen keeps track of current on hand and minimum stock levels. These numbers are used by the Restock List procedure to generate a listing of stocked parts that are below the minimum stocking level. When you single-left-click on Restock List a screen appears with the names, addresses and phone numbers of the vendors who supply the stocked parts you need to reorder:
You can choose to display or print a report of the parts that need to be restocked in three different ways. First, single-left-click on the Select All button, and a report of all parts on the restock list will be generated. Second, single-left-click on an individual vendor, then single-left-click the Find button, and a report of the restock list with just those parts sold by that vendor, will be generated.
Third, if you single-left-click the Look-Up button the following screen appears:
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You can create a restock list by searching for specific items and only reporting those. For instance, if you stock spark plugs, but buy them from three different vendors, you could type spark plug in the description field then click the Find button. The restock list generated would show all spark plugs that need to be reordered, and would list them by vendor, so you would know who to reorder them from.
9.4
Receive Parts
Receive Parts tracks parts purchased for resale that are not ordered via Purchase Orders. It updates inventory, places parts on invoices and estimates, and writes a purchase record for accounts payable. Receive Parts can also be used to enter vendor credit memos if the Purchase Orders procedure is not being used. Credit memos are entered just like any other vendor invoice, except the quantities must be entered as negative numbers. Entering vendor credit memos does two things: it removes core deposits and returned parts from Special Order Inventory, and it writes a purchase credit record for accounts payable. Receiving parts is a three-step process: 1.) The Vendor dialog selects the vendor whose invoice is being received.
Type in part of the vendors name, or the vendors number, or single-left-click the down arrow button to select from the list, then single-left-click the OK button. If the invoice you are receiving is from a new vendor, then single-left-click the Add Vendor button.
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2.)
The Purchase Header screen records the vendors invoice number, the invoice date, whether or not you have an open account with the vendor, and -- if you are using a price matrix, -- which one.
The Vendor Number and the Vendor Name will already be filled in. Invoice Number: Type in the invoice number from the vendors paper invoice. Charge to Acct?: This is a yes or no answer. Invoice Date: The date that comes up automatically is the current date, but it can be changed to accurately reflect the date on the vendors invoice either by overtyping it, or by single-right-clicking to pop up a calendar secreen. . Use Accounting#: 6010.00 (Purchases for Resale) is the default accounting number. If you wish to use a different accounting number, just overtype it, or singleright-click to pop up the Chart of Accounts selection screen. . Use Pricing Matrix#: This field will be blank or filled in depending on how the vendor Master Record is filled in.. Single-right-click this field to pop up a Price Matrix selection screen. When all of the fields are filled in correctly, press the <Enter> key, or single-leftclick the OK button. 3.) The Receive Parts screen records the line item details of each part on the vendor's invoice.
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It contains two scrolling regions and 21 buttons. The upper scrolling region displays the vendor invoice "headers." Its nine columns are display only. The information contained in them may be modified by single-left-clicking one of the six buttons (described below) in the upper right corner of the screen. Seven of the header section's nine columns are defined and described by the Purchase Header screen that precedes the Receive Parts Screen. The two additional columns are: >: This first column displays a "greater than" symbol (>) to designate which invoice is being worked on. Amount: Thid column displays a running total of the invoice as part details are added to the lower scrolling region. The 6 procedure buttons in the upper right corner of the screen are: New Invoice, Same Vendor: This button starts a receiving session for a different invoice from the currently-selected vendor (i.e. the vendor whose invoice is marked by the ">" in the first column). New Invoice, New Vendor: This button starts a receiving session for a different invoice from a vendor that is not the currently-selected vendor. Change Invoice Window: This button moves the ">" in the first column to a different row in the header section, and presents the associated set of invoice part details in the lower scrolling section. Note: This button is dimmed out when the header section contains only one invoice.
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Change Invoice Header: This button lets you modify the facts and figures entered in the Purchase Header screen. Delete Entire Invoice: This button lets you delete one of the invoices listed in the header section. Delete Invoice Item: This button lets you delete one of the invoice part details displayed in the lower scrolling section. The lower scrolling region contains the part details associated with the header that's currently active (i.e. the one marked by the ">" in the first column). It contains 14 columns: Qty: This field is for the quantity of the part being received. It is a "5.2" numeric field, meaning it may contain up to five digits to the left of the decimal point and two digits to the right (i.e. 99,999.99 is the largest number possible for this field). Note: Enter the quantity with a minus sign (-) if the part being entered is on a credit memo. This will reduce the inventory's "quantity in stock" level once the receiving session is updated. If the item being returned is a special order part, and the new quantity in stock is zero, the item will be deleted from inventory (although the sales and purchase history of the part will remain on file). Part Number: This field is generally the part number shown on the vendor's invoice. Inv#: This field is the vendors invoice number. Job Name: If this is a special order part, then GO will ask you to assign it a Job name. Brand: This field is for the parts brandname. This field is optional, yet it may prove helpful in distinguishing the part in cases where different parts have identical part numbers. Brandnames may be entered in Receive Parts, yet be prevented from showing on the customer copy of the invoice or estimate by setting the Print Brands? radio button to No in the Options & Forms Setup screen. Unit: Enter the parts unit of sale. Examples are: each, quart, foot, pound, etc. Description: Enter up to a 25-charcter description of the part. Whatever is entered here is what appears when the part is placed into inventory or sold. Sell Price: This field is for the selling price to the customer. Note: If the part or vendor is associated with a price matrix, the cursor will initially skip this field, then return to it for verification once the Cost has been entered and the new Sell Price calculated. Cost: This field is for your cost per unit of the part. The following fields arent visibile until the screen is scrolled to the left:
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Sales Acct#: This is an optional field. You will leave this field blank in most cases. Use it if you wish to have the sales records of this part automatically flow to a speciallydesignated accounting number. Tires are the most common example of parts that you might wish to use a special sales account number for. Single-left-click the down arrow button to select or add an account number using the chart of accounts dialog. Read Accounting Overview for more information on this topic. Purch Acct#: This is also an optional field. It is the purchases account companion field to the Sales Acct# field. Vnd#/Inv#: This field shows the vendor number and vendor invoice number associated with the part. This is a protected field. It is created at this time to link the part to its purchase source after its sold. Invioce Date: This field shows the date of the vendor invoice. This is a protected field. Charged?: This field shows the charge status of the part. This is a protected field. Taxed?: This field shows the tax status of the part. This is a protected field. The lower section contains 14 buttons: Add To Stock: This button lets you add new Stocked Part records to the database. Note: You may also add a new stocked part record by selecting stocked part from the Job Names list. Change Stock: This button lets you change any of the field values in the Stocked Parts Master Record screen.
Add To Vendors: This button lets you add a new vendor to the database.
Change Vendors: This button lets you change any of the field values in the Vendor Master Record screen. Fixed Markup: This button lets you set the selling price according to a fixed markup percentage. Per Item Cost: This button automatically calculates individual cost based upon extended cost. Alternate Parts: This button lets you add, change, delete, browse and report supersessions and equivalencies using the Data Tables procedure for Alternate Parts. Find It: This button is a shortcut to the Find It procedure, which lets you find a part in inventory and trace its purchase and sales history. Add: This button moves the cursor to the beginning of a new line. Cancel: This button cancels the receiving session and does not save your changes.
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Reserve: This button saves the receiving session, but doesnt update inventory or write the final purchase record. It will save your session as long as you stay in GO. It does not save your session if you close GO and exit to Windows. Note: minimizing GO does not erase the session. Update: This button processes the receiving session. It updates inventory, puts parts on invoices and estimates, and writes the final purchase record. Single-left-click this button when the information on the Receive Parts screen matches the information on the vendors invoice.
9.5
Find It
The Find It procedure lets you find a part, and trace its purchase and sales history. It is accessed via the Purchasing menu, and via buttons in the Active Invoice Parts Accessory menu, and the Receive Parts screen.
To use Find It, start by entering all or part of the part number in the Enter Part# field. Note: Find It is context-sensitive. If you invoke it via Active Invoices or Receive Parts, the part number of the current line will be loaded automatically. You may single-left click the down arrow button in the Enter Part field to pop up a list of all Stocked Parts. Choose the part you want by single-left-clicking to highlight it, then click the OK button. Select either the Exact Value Find or the Any Value Find button. An exact value find will only pull up an exact match. An any value find will pull up all parts that have within them the sequence of numbers you have entered. For instance, if you entered 1515 for the part number and chose any value find, you might get not only the oil filter 1515, but the muffler sealer 765-1515, and the rear brake drum 460-1515 as well.
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Press the <Enter> key or single-left click the Find It Now button. Watch the Records Found displays. The number of records that match with the part number will be displayed for each data table. The buttons for all nonzero categories will become undimmed:
Single-left-click the button for the data table you wish to investigate. Examples of the Special Orders, Invoices, and Purchase displays are shown below. Find It Special Orders:
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Find It Invoices:
Find It Purchases:
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If there is more than one record found in any of the displays, once you are in a data table use the VCR buttons in the lower left hand corner to move forward or backward through the record list.
9.6
Report Returns
Report Returns is a Purchasing menu procedure. It prints or displays a report of all special order parts with the job name of "core deposit" or "returned." A Return Report can be vendor specific. This means that a list can be printed, for one vendor at a time, of all core deposits and returned parts, including the original purchase date and the invoice number the part was purchased on. A sample Returns Report is on the following page.
9.7
Inventory Control
Inventory Control is the final choice in the Purchasing menu. There are three parts to Inventory Control: Physical inventory, Reprice inventory, and Return inventory.
Physical Inventory: Select this procedure button to take a physical inventory of all or part of either your stocked parts or special order parts. When you single-left-click this
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button the Stocked Parts Look-up screen appears:
If you single-left-click the Select All button, GO will report all of your stocked parts and show you a verification screen:
Whether you select Display, Print or Process, you will be asked how you would like the parts sorted.
If you wish to do a partial physical inventory you could, for example, fill in the Description field of the Stocked Parts Look-up screen, with filter then single-left-click the Find button and GO will report all stock that is described, at least in part, by the word filter. Or, if you have shelves of stock, you could fill in the Location field with shelf 1 and GO will report everything on shelf 1 - this is assuming that when the stocked parts Master Records were entered the location field was filled in. When a list of parts is printed for inventory control, the report shows the part number, the part description, the brandname, and the quantity GO thinks you have in stock. There is
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also a place to write in the actual quantity next to each part. Place the report on a clipboard, and use it to take a physical inventory. If the actual quantity on hand doesnt match the reported quantity on hand, write the correct quantity in the space provided. If the quantity on hand is correct, put down a checkmark instead of a new quantity. Once youre done taking inventory, return to the Physical Inventory procedure, and repeat the steps you followed to isolate the items printed on the report. This time, select Process instead of Print. GO will then bring up the Master Record screen for each part on the list with the cursor already in the On Hand field. You can use the 10-key pad on the keyboard to quickly update inventory with the correct values. If the quantity on hand needs to be changed, enter the new number, then press the <Enter> key. If the quantity on hand has a checkmark next to it, simply hit the <Enter> key. Reprice Inventory: Select this button to globally reprice stocked inventory. Once again you will be shown the Stocked Parts Look-up screen (as in Physical Inventory) where you can Select All or by filling in chosen fields select only a portion of your inventory. The radio buttons let you decide how to reprice whether by percentage, fixed amount, price matrix, or individually. Return Inventory: Select this button if you want to stop stocking part of your inventory and return it to the vendor. The parts will be converted from stocked inventory to special order parts with the Job Name of Returned. Once again you will be shown the Stocked Parts Look-up screen. Make your selection of parts to be returned. A very important verification message will then appear:
If you choose the Yes button a pick list of the parts to be returned will be printed for verification purposes.
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Chapter 10 Management
From the Main Menubar, single-left-click Management (or select it from the keyboard by pressing and holding the <Alt> key, then pressing the M key):
Once the Management menu is open, make your selection with a single-left-click, or by pressing the keyboard key corresponding to the underlined letter within your choice (e.g. press the <D> key for Daily Summary). Note: For those who prefer keyboard commands, once youve popped open the menu with <Alt>/<M>, you should release the <Alt> key, then type the letter of your choice without the <Alt> key being pressed.
10.1
Daily Summary
Daily Summary is used to track and report a day's financial and work activities. Its functions include: 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) 7.) 8.) 9.) 10.) Closing, and re-opening, Active Invoices Batch printing shop copies of closed invoices Recording Received on Account payments Closing, and re-opening, Over Counter invoices Batch printing shop copies of closed Over Counter invoices Adding, changing, and deleting Miscellaneous Income records Adding, changing, and deleting Cash Expense records Adding, changing, and deleting Personal Expense records Recording and reporting the coins, cash, checks, and credit cards in the till Adding, changing, and deleting employee Hours Worked records
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11.) Adding, changing, deleting and reporting employee Timeclock records 12.) Flagging, unflagging, and reporting Active Invoice labor hours into the current payroll period 13.) Printing or displaying the Daily Summary, Bookkeeper, Cash On Hand, and Work In Progress reports 14.) Recording bad checks, including re-opening the associated receivable and adjusting the associated bank account 15.) Performing a database backup to a floppy, zip, or network drive The Daily Summary process starts by showing a calendar and asking which day to open. Single-left-click the "OK" button to select the current day, or use the standard calendar functions to select another day. As circumstances require, it may give you any, or none, of the following four messages:
You'll receive a message like this if you're using the Timeclock, and one or more employees have clocked on to "E-14 - Off Work, Gone Home." Select "Yes" if the employees have, indeed, gone home for the day. The Timeclock records will then be analyzed to calculate Repair and Expense hour totals,- and automatically write - Hours Worked records. Select "No" if one of the employees has clocked on to "E-14" by mistake, and you wish to use the "Today's Timecards" button to correct the mistake. You'll receive the next message if you've previously elected to "Reserve" a list created in the Receive Parts procedure, and haven't yet selected the "Update" button to complete the procedure.
Select "Yes" to return to the Receive Parts screen so you may complete the procedure. Select "No" to ignore the list for now. Note: The reserved list will be lost if you close GO before selecting the "Update" button.
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You'll receive the following message if you're using GO's Accounting module, and the day you've selected is within a closed accounting period. You'll be unable to add, change or delete any portion of the a record that would affect financial reports. The other Daily Summary functions will remain unaffected. Call the GO technical support line if you receive this message and must override the program.
You'll receive this final message if you're using GO's Accounting module, and the day you've selected is within a protected accounting period. You'll be unable to add, change or delete any portion of a record that would affect financial reports. The other Daily Summary functions will remain unaffected. You may eliminate this message by resetting the protection date in the Protect Period procedure (accessed via: Management | Accounting).
In most cases, the next screen you see after selecting the date will be the Daily Summary screen:
This screen displays the totals of the days financial activities, and lets you navigate the Daily Summary functions using 13 procedure buttons.
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10.1.1
Closed Invoices
Use the Closed Invoices selection as an alternative way of closing Active Invoices (rather than using the Paid button in the Active Invoice screen), and to re-open invoices that have been closed by mistake, and to print shop copies of all the invoices closed for the day:
Close an Active Invoice: When you choose this button, a screen of all currently active invoices will appear:
Select the invoice you wish to close with a single-right-click. The remainder of the closing proceedure is the same as when you close from within the Active Invoice screen (Chapter 3 -- Closing an Active Invoice). Note: Closing an invoice in this manner is identical to closing it by selecting the "Paid" button in the Active Invoice screen with one exception: Closing an invoice from the "Paid" button in Active Invoices closes the invoice using the current system date. Closing an invoice from Daily Summary closes it using the date you selected when you entered the Daily Summary procedure. Re-open a Closed Invoice: If you choose this button, a list of all invoices closed on that day will appear. Highlight the invoice you wish to re-open with a single-right-click. The re-opened invoice will be put back in the Active Invoice Selection screen. Print Invoices Closed Today: If you choose this button, a Shop Copy of each invoice closed on the selected day will be printed.
10.1.2
Rcvd on Account
A screen of all customers with receivable accounts appears when you single-left-click on this button:
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Choose the customer with a single-right-click. Next, if you have the Cash Tracking option turned on (See Management | Options & Forms Setup Chapter 10, Section 10.3), you will be asked how the customer is paying:
Select the payment type with a single-right-click. The Cash Tracking screen will then appear:
Either single-left-click OK if the full amount due is being paid, or if it is a partial payment, change the amount paid by highlighting the number then typing in the payment amount. Then single-left-click OK. The remainder that is still owed will appear on the next line down. At this point, you can either choose another payment type or single-left-click the Cancel button.
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The Received on Account Dialog screen appears next:
When this screen appears, the customers name, the balance owing, any interest charges, applied payments or credits, and the current balance due - before the current payment is applied - are listed in the top seven fields. You cannot directly change any of these fields. Discount: The cursor will be at this field when you enter this screen. If your customer is taking a discount with this payment (e.g. 2% for paying by the 10th of the month), enter the dollar amount of the discount; otherwise, ignore this field. Apply: This field contains the dollar amount the customer is paying toward this receivable if Cash Tracking is turned on, or the total amount due if Cash Tracking is turned off. If Cash Tracking is turned off, and youre recording a partial payment, change the amount shown in the Apply field to reflect the amount of the payment. The five radio buttons to the right of the Apply field are choices for how the payment gets disbursed.
Total Balance Owing: This is the default setting. It will cause the amount being received to be distributed against all Closed Invoices and Over Counter Invoices receivable, in strict chronological order. Closed Invoice Balance Owing: This setting will cause the amount being received to be distributed against Closed Invoices in chronological order. Specific Closed Invoice(s): This setting will allow you to distribute the amount being received against one or more Closed Invoices that you select from a list. Over Counter Balance Owing: This setting will cause the amount being received to be distributed against Over Counter Invoices in chronological order.
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Specific Over Counter Invoice(s): This setting will allow you to distribute the amount being received against one or more Over Counter Invoices that you select from a list.
In all five cases, the amount of payment being distributed is applied to the selected invoices in chronological order. Invoices are removed from the receivables list as they (and any associated interest charges) are paid in full. Note: Enter each payment separately if you wish to record payments for invoices that are not in chronological order. Note: Overpayments, if they occur, are saved as "Open Credits." Each time a new invoice is created for a customer, GO searches for applicable open credits, and allows you to apply the credits to the invoice at that time, if you so desire. View Statement: This button allows you to look at the customers statement before the payment is applied. View Activity: This button allows you to look the customers entire purchasing history. When you are satisfied with the disbursement of the payment, single-left-click the OK button. You will next be asked to verify the payment:
The final screen in this section will ask you if you wish to print a receipt for the payment.
10.1.3
Over the Counter
The Over the Counter button opens a procedure that integrates with Over Counter Sales. It closes Over Counter invoices, re-opens closed Over Counter invoices, and prints shop copies of closed Over Counter invoices in a batch. The process parallels closing active invoices as discussed in section 10.1.1.
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10.1.4
Misc Income
The Miscellaneous Income button opens a procedure that lets you add, change, and delete Miscellaneous Income records. Single-left-click the Add to button. It will be the only button available if no miscellaneous income has been recorded yet for the day.
If Cash Tracking is on, choose how the miscellaneous income was received:
Next, enter the amount of the payment:
Once the amount has been accepted, the Miscelaneous Master Record screen will appear:
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Definitions of the Miscellaenous Income Master Record screen fields follow: Date: This is a protected screen. It lists the currently-selected Daily Summary date. Amount: The amount of the miscellanious income. It will be filled in for you if cash tracking is turned on. Type in the amount if Cash Tracking is turned off. Notation: Enter why you have received the income. Accounting#: Enter the correct 5000-level (Revenue) Chart of Accounts number. Click on the down arrow, next to this field, to pop open a list of all accounting numbers. G/L Transaction#: This is a protected field filled in automatically when the source Miscellanious Income record is posted to the General Ledger in the Post Activity procedure. It links the ledger record with its source. Cash Tracking#: This is a protected field filled in automatically when the Cash Tracking option is turned on. It links the Miscellanious Income record to the Cash On Hand record.
10.1.5
Cash Expenses
The Cash Expenses button is an integrated shortcut to the Cash Expenses procedure in the Data Tables menu. It lets you Add, Change, and Delete Cash Expenses for the currently-selected Daily Summary date, thus by-passing the usual Data Tables look-up screen. Use Cash Expenses to account for expenses that aren't otherwise documented by Checking or Savings, such as: Minor business expenses paid from the cash drawer. Internal sales that don't involve an actual exchange of cash. Cash refunds paid from the cash drawer. Single-left-click the Add To button. It will be the only button available if no cash expenses have been recorded yet for the day:
If the "Track Cash" radio button in the Options & Forms Setup screen is set to "Yes," enter the type and amount of payment in the Cash Tracking dialog:
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Enter your selections in the Cash Expense Master Record screen:
Definitions of the Cash Expense Master Screen fields follow: Date: This is a protected field. It lists the currently-selected Daily Summary date. Amount: The amount of the cash expense. It will be filled in for you if Cash Tracking is turned on. Type in the amount if Cash Tracking is turned off. Paid To: The person or business being paid. If this cash expense is being written to reconcile the till after an internal sale, type in the name of your business. Paid For: The reason for the cash expense. Accounting#: Enter the correct 7000-level (Expense) Chart of Accounts number. Click on the down arrow, next to this field, to pop open a list of all accounting numbers. G/L Transaction#: This is a protected field filled in automatically when the source Cash Expense record is posted to the General Ledger in the Post Activity procedure. It links the ledger record with its source.
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Cash Tracking#: This is a protected field filled in automatically when the cash tracking option is turned on. It links the Cash Expense record to the Cash On Hand record. Once one or more cash expense records have been added for the day, the Change and Delete buttons in the Cash Expense menu will become available:
10.1.6
Personal Expenses
The Personal Expenses button opens a procedure that lets you add, change, and delete Personal Expense records. This procedure works in the same way as Miscellaenous Income and Cash Expense.
10.1.7
Till Count
The Till Count button opens a screen that lets you balance the till by recording the coins, cash, checks, and credit cards in the cash drawer. If you have never used the Till Count procedure before, the first screen you see will be this:
Enter the amount you started the day with and single-left-click OK. The next screen will verify your entry.
You will next be shown the Till Count screen.
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At this point, the screen shows that the starting till count was $56.44 and that for this day, from all of the transactions recorded (whether they be paid closed invoices, received on account payments, or miscellaneous income), $2038.09 is the expected amount to be found in the till. Now it is time to physically count the till. Start with the coins and paper money that will stay in the till for the next day, and enter the amounts in the appropriate fields. Notice how the To Stay in Till field increases as the other fields are filled in:
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Next, fill in the fields under the To Be Deposited field. As you fill in these fields the To Be Deposited field increases.
In the example above, notice how the fields on the right side of the screen have automatically adjusted. The amount in the To Stay In Till field plus the the amount in the To Be Deposited field equals the amount in the Todays Till Count field. In this example, the Expected Till Count and the Actual Till Count were the same so there is no Cash Over/Under amount to adjust. If there had been a discrepancy between the expected and the actual till count (of, for example, a penny) you would see the next screen when you exit the Till Count screen.
The rule of thumb here is if you have counted the till correctly and you are off by $1.00 or less, then click the Yes button and let the program make the adjustment. If you are off by a larger amount, click No, then review the Cash on Hand and the Daily Summary reports (Find these reports by single-left-clicking the Summary Reports button on the Daily Summary screen) to match your receipts against them. Make the adjustments needed, and when the Cash Over/Under field shows 0 or close to it, click OK.
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The To Stay in Till amount will be carried forward to the next day, and the process starts over.
10.1.8
Hours Worked
The Hours Worked button opens a procedure that lets you add, change, and delete Hours Worked records. Hours Worked records are used in the Technician Efficiency report (described later on in this chapter) and can also be used for payroll purposes. Each Hours Worked record summarizes the total Repair hours, or type of E-Time hours, each employee has worked each day. This procedure is used most often in shops that arent using GOs Timeclock (which automatically processes timeclock records into Hours Worked records), yet still want to keep track of how long their employees are at work. It can also be used to enter hours such as vacation or sick leave - when the employee isnt physically able to check in on the timeclock.
Add To Todays Records: The first step is to choose the employee for whom you wish to assign hours:
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Highlight the employee, with a single-left-click, then single-left-click the OK button. Next, choose the hour type by single-left-clicking one of the choices in the following screen:
Note: If you wish, the descriptions of E-01 through E-12 may be changed to other values by using the Expense Codes selection in the Data Tables procedure. On the next screen, the employees name and the hour type will be filled in. Enter the number of hours to be credited to the employee for that hour type, for this day:
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Once the hours are entered, and youve clicked the OK button, you will be returned to the list of employees. The process can then be repeated for another employee, or for the same employee - if you want to assign more than one hour type to him or her for the day. Change Todays Records: Choose this button to modify employee records. You will be presented with a list of all the Hours Worked records for the day:
To change the type of hour, highlight that field and the down arrow will become active. Single-left-click the down arrow to see a list of all hour types and choose the one you want by a single-left-click. If you want to change the amount of time assigned, just highlight the hours field, type over the corrected amount, then click OK. Delete Todays Records: To delete a record, highlight the record on the Hours Worked screen, then single-left-click the Delete button.
10.1.9
Todays Timecards
Today's Timecards lets you add to, change, delete, and report all the Timeclock records created on the selected Daily Summary date. The first step is to select the employee youre interested in, from the list of currently active employees. Highlight the name and single-left-click the OK button. Next you will see the following screen:
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Change the Timecard: You may change any of the existing fields. You may also add more activity lines by typing them in on a new line. Any lines added will automatically sort according to the Clocked On time if you exit and re-enter the screen. Note: Manually-entered a.m. times must be entered with a leading zero (e.g. 08:11:30, not 8:11:30) or else they will not sort or calculate elapsed times correctly. Manually-entered times do not automatically integrate with Active Invoices. The Add function is intended to correct minor omissions from an otherwise complete timecard. If no timecard exists, its better to simply log an employees hours using the Hours Worked procedure.
Delete a Record: Highlight the activity to be deleted, then click the Delete button.
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Print/Display the Timecard: These two buttons either print or display the timecard in report form. An example of a printed timecard follows:
10.1.10
Flag Payroll
The Flag Payroll button lets you flag Active Invoice hour records into the current payroll period. This way technicians paid by the Billed Hour can be paid for work completed while keeping the invoice open. Note: A labor hour record can be flagged only if its been assigned to a technician, and if its on an invoice (i.e. not an estimate). Flagged hour records are protected from further changes. Subsequent timeclock punches onto the same labor block are simply recorded on new lines. For this reason, its important that you distribute (carry forward) Billed Hours before you flag the labor hours. Flag Payroll also lets you unflag records, and report all eligible flagged and unflagged records. The Flag Payroll screen follows:
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This screen shows that none of the Active Invoice labor charges are currently flagged, and that there are 6 eligible unflagged labor charges on 5 Active Invoices. (The Unflag Labor Records button is dimmed because there are no records to unflag.) Note the settings of the Change and Choose radio buttons. If you were to click the Flag Labor Records button on the screen as shown, all 6 labor charges would be flagged, the Flag Labor Records button would dim, and the Unflag Labor Records button would undim. The Change and Choose radio buttons interact with one another to determine the actions of the Flag Labor Records and Unflag Labor Records buttons. Change: These buttons determine the level of detail. Select Invoice as a Whole if you want to flag or unflag all the labor blocks on an invoice at the same time. Select Individual Charges if you want to flag or unflag particular labor charges while leaving other labor charges unchanged. Choose: These buttons determine how to select the invoices (if Change is set to Invoice as a Whole) or the labor blocks (if Change is set to Individual Charges). Choose All to flag or unflag all the labor blocks on all the invoices. Choose Select to individually select the invoices (or labor blocks) that you want to flag or unflag. Choose Except to individually select the invoices (or labor blocks) that you dont want to flag or unflag. Note: If you choose the Except or Select buttons a list will pop open for you to choose from. Make your choices by highlighting, then clicking the OK button. Report Labor Records: This button prints or displays all the labor records in Active Invoices that have been assigned to technicians (and arent on estimates). Flagged labor records have the flagged date assigned. The flagged date is blank on unflagged records.
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10.1.11
Summary Reports
The Summary Reports button opens a procedure that prints or displays the Daily Summary, Bookkeeper, Cash On Hand, and Work In Progress reports. Daily Summary Report: This report lists all of the days monetary activity. It is usually a multi page report starting with all Closed Invoices, Over the Counter Invoices, Expense From Till, Received On Account, and Miscelleanious Income (if any):
Note: Closed Invoices is divided between Charged to Account and Paid in Full.
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The Daily Summary then continues with gross sales, gross profit, and - if you are tracking billed hours and using the time clock - summaries of how sales and time average out. There is also a summary of payments received:
The final portion shows how the employees spent their time on the day of the report:
Note: The employee hours portion of Daily Summary will only show if hours are being tracked either through the time clock or by manually enteries in the Hours Worked procedure.
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Bookkeeper Report: This report duplicates the Daily Summary Report plus it adds more detailed information about aged receivables, current inventory values, purchases, and sales distribution:
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Cash On Hand Report: This report is a list of all payments made during the day. You first choose how you want the report to display:
Work In Progress Report: This report shows all Active Invoices (not estimates) that are in progress - they either have parts, labor, or both asigned to them. First choose how the report will display:
An example of the report is on the following page:
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10.1.12
Bad Checks
The Bad Checks button finds the transaction (or transactions) associated with the bad check, turns them into receivables, writes a negative Received on Account record to document the bad check, and adjusts the bank account that the bad check was deposited into. Step 1.) Use the Bad Check Dialog to enter the information listed on the bad check:
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In this example, a bad check for $141.14 was written by "BP Construction" on 07/29/2002, and was post-dated to 08/02/2002. Furthermore, the check was written to pay for two separate invoices. See the "Before" Customer Activity report following Step 5 below. . All three fields in this dialog are "required" you must enter something in each one of them but the procedure will find the transaction even if only one of the fields finds a match. Amount of Bad Check: The amount the check was written for, regardless of how many transactions it paid for at the time it was received. Date of Bad Check: The date shown on the check. If the check was post-dated, enter the date that the check was entered in the Daily Summary procedure. If you're unsure of the date, enter your best guess. Note that in the example above, the date is wrong. Part of Customer's Name: Any part of how the customer's name is entered in the database. If you're unsure of the name, enter your best guess. This field uses an "any value find. Single-left-click the OK button (or press the <Enter> key) after you've typed in the information. If it doesn't result in an exact match, GO notifies you:
Single-left-click No if you've made a typo, otherwise, single-left-click "Yes" (or press the <Enter> key). Step 2.) (if required) Select the transaction from the Choose list:
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Choose from the list using the standard Choose screen techniques (e.g. single-right-click). Transactions are listed by amount, in descending order. The first column lists the amount of the transaction, the second lists the date, the third lists the type of transaction and the customer's name. In this example, the wrong date was entered because the check was post-dated. GO found all transactions that matched with either the customer's name or the amount of the check. Step 3.) Verify the transaction:
Step 4.) Complete the Received On Account record to document the bad check:
The cursor will visit only two fields in this screen:
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Amount: The amount of the check, entered as a negative number. The amount of the transaction is already entered for you when the screen presents itself. In most cases, you need only press the <Enter> key to proceed to the next field. Rarely, when the check was only part of how the transaction was paid (e.g. a single payment distributed between cash and check) you'll need to change this figure. Notation: Uusually it is "NSF" followed by the check number, but can be anything you wish. Finish appending the Received on Account record by single-left-clicking the OK button, or pressing the <Enter> key. GO will notify you that any and all invoices associated with the bad check have been reopened as receivables:
Step 5.) (if necessary) Select the Bank Account that the bad check was deposited to:
This step is omitted if the Banking Module is not used or if only one bank account exists in the Bank Account Names table. The following two Activity Reports show the financial history of the hypothetical customer, BP Construction, before and after a bad check was written:
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10.1.13
Backup
The Backup button is a shortcut to the Backup procedure. It backs up the database to a floppy, zip, or network drive. The Backup procedure is described in Chapter 12, section 12.5.
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10.2
Company Information
Company Information is a screen that keeps track of your companys name, address, and phone numbers. It also stores the labor charge rate, the tax rates, and the supply fee rates that are used by invoices and estimates. If you are a first-time user, the Company Information screen is the first data entry screen youll see in GO. Thereafter, it may be accessed via the Management menu. For complete definitions of each field and how to fill them in, refer to Chapter 1, Section 1.2.
10.3
Options & Forms Setup

Options & Forms Setup is a screen that lets you change the content of the memo fields printed on various GO invoices, reports, and statements (e.g.: the Active Invoice guarantee, the History worksheet disclaimer). It also lets you turn various settings on and off (e.g.: page headings, cash tracking), and change the content of the page headings.
There are twelve setting options: Page Headings?: This button controls whether or not headings print at the top of each page. Set this to No if you plan to use letterhead. Note: The Edit Page Headings button at the bottom of the screen will be dimmed out unles this button is set to Yes. Window Print Dialog?: This button controls the Windows Print Dialog. Set this to No if you dont want to tell Windows which printer to use each time you print something. Use Cash Tracking?: This button controls whether or not Cash Tracking is used. Set this to No if you dont want to keep track of how each payment is made (i.e. check, cash, visa, etc.)
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Always Select Source of Sale?: This button controls whether or not GO asks you for the Source Of Sale (what brought the customer in) each time you create a new invoice or estimate. Set it to No if you want to track the Source of Sale only when a new customer is added to the data base. Show Billed Hours?: This button controls whether or not the Billed Hours appear on the Customer copy of an Invoice. Set this to No if you dont want Billed Hours to be shown. Parts Brandnames?: This button controls whether or not Brandnames appear on the Customer copy of an Invoice. Set this to No if you dont want Brandnames to be shown. Recommendations?: This button controls whether or not Recommendations appear on the Customer copy of an Invoice. Set this to "No" is you want to keep Recommendations "in house," and not merge them with Target Mailing. Technician Names?: This button controls whether or not the name of each tech associated with each labor block appears on the Customer copy of an Invoice. Set this to No if you dont want the tech names to be shown. (Note: Names print only for those techs with positive Tech Hour charges. In other words, warranty chargeback times do not cause the technicians name to show on the invoice. History on Tech Copy?: This button controls whether or not the Vehicle repair history is printed on the Technician copy of an Invoice. Set this to No to omit the repair history. Abbreviate Tech Copy?: This button controls how much of the Labor Description is printed on the Technician copy of an Invoice. Set this to No to show the full description. Set it to Yes to show only the first line of each description. Estimate Revisions?: This button controls whether of not GO pops up the Estimate Revision Dialog whenever an estimate is revised, and you select Print, Display, or E-Mail. Non-Inventory Parts Allowed?: This button controls whether or not you can force a part onto an invoice that is not in stock, or has not been received. Changing this setting requires a Bookkeeper-level password. There are six memo fields: Customer Invoice Guarantee: This guarantee prints on the bottom of each customer invoice. The version stored in the Options & Forms Setup screen is used as a template. It gets copied to the customer invoice each time you start a new Invoice or Estimate. It may be modified to say whatever you wish, be it Terms and Conditions instead of Guarantee, or even left blank. It may also be separately modified on each invoice by single-leftclicking the More... button in the Active Invoice screen. Over Counter Sales Guarantee: This guarantee prints on the bottom of each over counter sales invoice. The version stored in the Options & Forms Setup screen is copied at the time the over counter invoice is printed, so it is not stored with the closed over counter invoice, nor is it separately modifiable on each over counter invoice.
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History Worksheet Disclaimer: The disclaimer prints on the bottom of each worksheet printed by the History procedure. The version provided with GO complies with the Washington State Auto Repair Act, which has served as a model for states throughout the U.S. It may be modified to state whatever you wish. Estimate Disclaimer: This disclaimer prints on the bottom of each customer estimate. Unlike the Customer Invoice Guarantee, it is not stored with the closed invoice, nor is it separately modifiable on each invoice. Technicians Copy Memo Field: This memo field prints after the parts section, and before the labor section, on each Technicians copy of the customer invoice. Use this field to enter your own customized checklist of items you want the technician to always inspect. Accounts Receivable Statement of Terms: This statement prints at the end of each customers accounts receivable statement. Use it to convey your companys payment and interest charge policies. Show: Each memo field has this button associated with it. Single-left-click the Show button to see what the memo field will look like once its printed. To edit the memo field, first highlight the memo field by putting the cursor on it, then single-left-clicking. This will undim the down arrow button next to the memo field. Single left-click the down arrow button and the entire memo field appears for you to modify in any way you want. Once you are satisfied with how the memo field reads, press the <ESCape> key, or click the X in the upper right hand corner to exit the memo field. You will then be asked if you wish to save your changes.
Edit Page Heading: This button, at the bottom of the Option & Forms screen, takes you to the Page Headings screen, which is used to modify the headings that print at the top of each page. Note: The Page Headings button must be set to Yes for the Edit Page Heading button to be undimmed.
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Put the cursor on the line you want to change, single-left-click to highlight the line, then type in your change. Single-left-click the Show button on the Page Headings screen to see a sample of what the page headings will look like.
10.4
Print Forms
This procedure allows you to print multiple copies of any form listed in the pop up screen:
Highlight the form you want to print and single-left-click OK. In the next screen, enter how many forms you want to print and click OK:
Note: To Add, Change, or Delete, a form or to Report all the forms on the list, go to Data Tables and click on the Forms button.
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10.5
Password
This procedure allows you to create and maintain three levels of password protection. The Owner level password gives you access to all areas of GO. The Bookkeeper level password gives you access to all areas covered by Bookkeeper and Manager, but not Owner. The Manager level password gives you access those areas needed to run the business on a daily basis, but not Bookkeeper or Owner. Once passwords have been entered, only someone with the Owner level password may enter or change the Password screen:
When all three password levels are enabled, the only parts of the GO program that can be access without a password are those that the techs may need in order to do their jobs Timeclock , portions of the History, Shop Supplies, and Print Forms. If passwords have been enabled and you are entering GO for the first time after starting it up for the day, or after restarting it, depending on what area you click onto, you will see a screen similar to the one below:
This particular screen appeared on entering Active Invoices and requires a Manager level password. When the password is entered, it shows as a random set of symbols. Singleleft-click the OK button or press Enter, to complete access. Note: The password can be set for the day - or until the program exits to Windows by clicking in the small box next to remember password. The password higherarchicy is as follows: Manager level: Gives full access to all History, Active Invoices, Over the Counter, Scheduler, and Purchasing; and partial access to Management, Data Tables, and System. Bookkeeper level: Needed for Banking, Accounting, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable. Owner level: Needed for deleting any customer invoice, banking, or accounting records. Needed for setting up and maintaining passwords.
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10.6
Direct Marketing
Direct Marketing is a menu that contains five procedures:
10.6.1
Batch Print Settings
The Batch Print Settings works with the Send Reminders and Target Mailing procedures to let you adjust the number of documents within a printer batch, and the delay time between sending each batch to the printer.
Print: The default value for this is 5; the minimum value is 1; the maximum value is 99,999. Pause: The default value for this is 20; the minimum value is 0; the maximum value is 200. Neither setting is critical. Adjust them only if you experience computer lockups while printing large batches of reminders, or your printer pauses too long between batches.
10.6.2
Send Reminders
The Send Reminders procedure prints or displays previously created service reminders. Beginning Prompt:
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Select the Yes button (or press the <Enter> key) to activate the Send Reminders Review screen.
The primary purpose of Send Reminders is to print all the currently due Service Reminders, but it can also be used to display, change, and delete them. Send Reminders Review Screen selections: Print: Single-left-click this button to print all the Service Reminders currently displayed on the screen. If you wish to print only some of the Service Reminders, hold down the <Shift> key, then single-left-click the Reminders you wish to print. (You may un-select a Reminder by using Shift/click again.) Note: If the record counter shows more than about 20 Reminders, you may wish to print the Reminders in batches. Some printers may be incapable of printing more than this amount without running out of memory and causing your computer to lock up. Display: Single-left-click this button to display all the Service Reminders currently displayed on the screen. As with Print you may select a portion of the Reminders using the Shift/click technique. Delete: A single-left-click of this button enables you to delete a single Service Reminder. The record thats currently selected will be displayed for verification prior to being deleted. If you wish to delete a group of Reminders, use the Shift/click method described above to select the group.
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Change: Single-left-click this button to pull up the Service Reminder screen for the currently selected record. You can then make your changes from within that screen. Filter: Single-left-click this button to pull up a list of all the fields used by Service Reminders. Select the field, then the filter criteria, to narrow down the list of reminders on display.
If you wish to only send some of the service reminders with current due date, select the No button on the Beginning Prompt screen to activate the Send Reminders Lookup screen.
The Lookup screen is used by the Data Tables procedure to select a group of records to Change, Delete, Browse, or Report. Ending Prompt:
Select Yes to delete the Reminders just printed, or No to save them. Its usually best to delete them, but saving them enables you to review them afterwards and determine their effectiveness. Note: See Chapter 19 Service Reminders - for complete instructions on putting together and sending out service reminders.
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10.6.3
Target Mailing
Target Mailing creates reminders or any other type of letter, on the fly for immediate use. There are two steps to Target Mailing: First, compile a collection of customers to be mailed to. Second, match the customer collection to a preexisting letter that you select from the Letters data table. Note: GO comes with a few sample letters that you can modify to your needs. You can also write and add you own letters to the Letters pick list through the Add section of Letters in Data Tables. There are six ways to select which customers you will target mail:
Select by Date of Current Recommendations: Choose this button if you want to send a letter to all, or some, of your customers who have existing recommendations on their vehicles. Single-left-click on this button to pop up a calendar and select a date range. Select by Customer Information: Choose this button if you want to make your selection by any one, or a combination of several, fields in the Customer Lookup screen. The example bellow will select all customers with a rating better than 6 and a zip code of 98340 who spent at least $500 with you last year.
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Select by Vehicle Information: Choose this button if you want to make your selection by any one, or a combination of several, fields in the Vehicle Lookup screen. The example below will select all 1990 or newer Fords with more than 60,000 miles on them.
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Select by Closed Invoice Information: Choose this button if you wish to make your selection by any one, or a combination of several, fields in the Closed Invoice Lookup screen. For instance, you would follow the steps below to send a letter to every customer who had a 1515 filter put on his vehicle in the past two years.
Choose the Parts Details button, then on the next screen, fill in the date range and the part number.
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Select by New Customers Within a Period: Choose this if you wish to send letters to all customers whose first invoice was written within a selected period. Select by Customers Who Havent Returned: Choose this if you wish to send letters to all customers with Closed Invoices within a selected period and no Closed Invoices subsequently. Once you have selected your targeted customers, by any of the above methods, you will be asked what you want to do with them:
There are two remark lines at the top of the screen. The first line describes the criteria of the customer list and the second line tells the number of customers in the list and the total number of vehicles connected to those customers.
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Six procedure buttons follow: Merge with a Form Letter: Select this button if you wish to send a letter to your targeted customers.
To select a letter, highlight the letter name , then single-left-click the Select button. To modify the text of an existing letter, single-right-click on the letter text. The text memo field will pop up and you can then make your changes. To write a new letter, single-left-click the Add to Letters button. This is a short cut to Letters in Data Tables. There are three sets of radio buttons in the lower left corner of the screen. The first set determines whether you print, display, or e-mail your collection. Print is the default. Note: A separate report of the customers selected for target mailing will automatically print if the Print or E-Mail options are selected. The second set determines whether to begin or end a letter with recommendations (this selection applies only if you are sending letters based upon Recommendations). The third set determines whether to include or exclude information about the vehicle (i.e. year, make, model, and license number). Print Mailing Labels: Select this button if you just want mailing labels. Once you single-left-click this button the printing process begins - be prepared with Avery 3 up style labels in the printer. Refine Collection: Select this button if after selecting your targeted customers you want to further refine the group. For example, you have a collection of customers with a rating
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of 9 or better who live in the 98340 zip code and you now want to select out of that first group only those who own Fords. Note: For a complete description of how to use the Refine function, please go to Chapter 11 Data Tables. Copy Customers to Disk File: Select this button if you wish to export the customer list to a file on a floppy, zip, or hard drive. The exported file will be ASCII commadelimited sorted first by zip code, then by last name. Note: An Owner-level password is required for this selection if passwords have been set. Print or Display the Collection: Select one of these buttons if youd like to review the list of customers before selecting one of the other buttons on the Select Action menu. Control will cycle back to the Select Action menu after the list has been printed or displayed.
10.7
Accounts Receivable
Accounts Receivable is a drop-down menu in the Management menu.
It contains eight procedures:
10.7.1
A/R Statements:
This procedure is an Accounts Receivable menu selection that assigns interest charges (if desired), and prints or displays statements of account for a selected customer, or group of customers. It may also be selected by single-left-clicking the "View Statement" button in the Received On Account payment dialog in the Daily Summary procedure. If you've selected A/R Statements from the Accounts Receivable menu, you must first set the statement period:
Last Statement Date: is stored each time you print a statement of account. If you wish to reset the date, either type in the new date, or single-left-click the "down arrow" button to pop up a calendar. This Statement Date: is automatically set to the last day of the month following the Last Statement Date. If you wish to reset the date, either type in the new date, or single-leftclick the "down arrow" button to pop up a calendar.
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Next, if the A/R Interest Rate in Company Information is not set to zero, you'll see a dialog asking if you'd like to add interest charges:
Note: The the available interest terms codes are: Net 10th - Interest is charged on the account balance forward if the account is not paid in full by the 10th of the statement period month. Net 30th - Interest is charged on the account balance forward if the account is not paid in full by the 30th of the statement period month (or the 28th or 29th if the month is February). Upon Receipt - Interest is charged per invoice based upon the invoice closing date and the last day of the statement period. Net 10 Days - Interest is charged per invoice starting 10 days after the invoice closing date. Net 30 Days - Interest is charged per invoice starting 30 days after the invoice closing date. If you single-left-click the "Yes" button, you'll be asked how to select the customers:
All: This button selects all accounts receivable customers,then assigns interest charges as applicable. Select: The Select button presents a multiple choice listpick that lets you select the accounts receivable customers that you want to assign interest charges to:
Select each customer you wish to charge interest to with a single left click. (You may deselect a customer by single-left-clicking again. Except: The Except button presents a similar multiple choice listpick that lets you select
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the accounts receivable customers that you don't want to assign interest charges to. Once you've selected the customers (or customer) that you want to assign interest charges to, GO automatically assigns the charges based upon the settings in the Company Information screen, then notifies you of the changes:
Once you've added interest charges (or if you skip adding interest charges) you'll be asked how to select the customers to send statements to:
The All, Select, and Except buttons work the same way in this case as they do in the interest charges section described above, except they select the customers to send statements to. Once you've selected the customers (or customer) you want to send a statement to, you select whether to print or display the statements:
GO then prints or displays the statements, and includes the Terms entered in the Options & Forms Setup screen. Note: If a customer's account had a balance owing at the beginning of the statement period, but has been paid in full before the ending statement period, the statement will not print or display. Instead, the statusbar will display a message that the account has been paid in full:
You may print a statement that reflects this zero balance forward using the Customer Activity report.
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10.7.2
Aged Balances
This procedure prints or displays a report of aged accounts receivable balances. The following screen shows options for organizing the report. The options where the radio buttons are highlighted are the defaults:
The following is a portion of an Accounts Receivable Balances report:
10.7.3
Customer Activity
This procedure prints or displays all account activity for a selected customer from a selected date forward. Customer Activity is a menu selection in both Management Reports and Accounts Receivable. It prints or displays a selected customer's account activity. It may also be selected by single-left-clicking the "View Activity" button in the Received On Account payment dialog in the Daily Summary procedure, and the "View Activity" button in the Received On Account Master Record screen. If you've selected Customer Activity from the Management Reports menu, you must first select a customer:
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Type in part of the customer's name and press the <Enter> key or click the Find button. If you don't know the customer's name, single-left-click the "Browse" button to find the customer using address, phone number, e-mail, sales, or vehicle information. GO searches for the customer using an any value find. If the name you type in matches more than one customer, you'll be asked to select the customer you want from a pop-up list:
Once you've selected the customer, or if you've selected Customer Activity from within another procedure, you'll see the Customer Activity dialog:
Report All Customer Activity: Single-left-click this button to print or display all the customer's account activity on record. Report From Selected Date Forward: Single-left-click this button to print or display all the customer's account activity since the date displayed in the "Selected Date" field. (Single-left-click the "down arrow" button in this field to pop-up a calendar screen.) Print/Display: Single-left-click either of these radio buttons to switch between printing or displaying the report.
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10.7.4
Interest Charges
This procedure lets you Add, Change, Delete, Browse, and Report interest charges. This is actually a short cut to the Accounts Receivable Data Table.
Note: Interest Charges are usually calculated and added automatically by using the A/R Statements procedure (See section 10.8.1). If you wish, you may use the Add To procedure here to add interest charges to accounts that GO would ordinarily ignore, such as those that are not yet 30 days overdue, or those that have already had interest charges applied within a 30 day period.
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To add interest to a customers account, you will be asked to fill in the following screen. The Type, Accounting #, and Notation fields will already be completed for you.
Customer #: Enter either the Customers number or part of the customers name. Payment Date: Because this is an interest charge the date entered should be the day the interest is charged to the account. Amount: The amount that you wish to charge as interest. The important point here is that whatever the amount is, it MUST be entered as a negative (if you want to charge $3.00 then enter is as -3.00). Transaction #: This field will be filled in automatically if you are posting to the General Ledger, otherwise dont worry about it. Repair # / OvrCounter #: Enter the invoice number that you wish to attach the interest to. ROA # / ROA# Notation: Leave these fields blank.
10.7.5
Reverse Interest Charges
This procedure reverses selected interest charges. To reverse interest charges, first select the customer or the invoice using the Received On Account Look-up screen:
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Fill in one or more of the screens and single-left-click the Find button. When GO finds the interest charge it will present you with a verification message similar to the following:
10.7.6
Bad Debts
This procedure lets you Add, Change, Delete, Browse, and Report bad debts. To turn a receivable into a bad debt, you use the Add To function in Bad Debts (not the Change in Receivables). First, you will be presented with a list of all currently receivable invoices:
Highlight your choice and single-left-click the OK button. The verification screen follows:
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The verification screen will show the entire amount that the customer owes whether it is on one invoice or several. If you are going to write off everything the customer owes you, single-left-click the Declare Bad button. If you are only writing off a portion of what is owed single-left-click the Select Invoice button, then choose which type of invoice:
Again, choose which invoice by highlighting it and single-left-clicking:
Again, the verification screen comes up, but this time with only the amount of the one invoice:
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10.7.7
Reverse Bad Debts
This procedure reverses selected bad debts.
Fill in one or more of the fields and click Find. If more than one bad debt appears in a list, choose the one you want to reverse by highlighting it and clicking OK. You will then see the verification screen:
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10.7.8
Employee Receivables
This procedure prints or displays statements of account for customers whose Customer Type is set to Employee. in the Customer Master record screeen. Note: Employee Receivables are also listed with the rest of Accounts Receivable in A/R Statements. This procedure is simply a short cut to view or print just the employees receivables.
10.8
Accounts Payable
Accounts Payable is a drop-down menu in the Management menu.
It contains 3 procedures:
10.8.1
Closed Payables
This procedure allows you to close accumulated payables by vendor and automatically produce a check for the amount payable to that vendor. If you are not writing checks in GO, your other choices are to have the amount added to the checking ledger without writing the check, or to make a manual entry saying how the amount was paid. The first step in the procedure is to select a cutoff date. A calendar will pop up with the last day of the previous month already selected. Either accept this date or choose another.
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You will see a message similar to the following screen only if you have payables more than 60 days older than the cutoff date.
If you know that the invoices have already been paid, selecting the Yes button is a quick way to clear the records. If you wish to make individual notations on purchases you know have been paid, then choose the No button and manually close the payables according to the instructions that follow. The next screen asks you to choose the vendor you wish to pay. Highlight the vendor and click the OK button.
The screen on the following page shows the payable records for the chosen vendor.
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The left half of the screen is a scrolling window that shows all of the payable invoices within the selected date range. Each invoice is listed by date of purchase, Invoice number and amount of invoice. To select an invoice for payment, move the cursor (the black rectangle) to the blank column in the row of the chosen invoice and press any letter key on the keyboard. Two things will happen: an X will appear in the column and the Selected and Unselected fields on the upper right half of the screen will recalculate to include your choices.
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There are nine buttons on this screen to help you complete the Close Payables procedure: Print Selected Purchases: This button reports and prints the selected invoices for use either as a counterstatement sent with your payment to the vendor, or as a hard copy for your files. Modify or Report Purchases: This button is a shortcut to Purchases in Data Tables. This would be used if, for example, you found that an invoice from one vendor had inadvertently been entered under another vendors account number and you wanted to change it. Enter a Discount: This button allows you to enter a dollar amount if you take an early payment discount. The discount will appear at the bottom of the list on the left and the Selected field will adjust to reflect the discount taken.
Enter a Partial Payment: This button allows you to pay only part of the total amount. If you choose to do this, the Selected and Unselected fields will adjust to show only the partial payment amount in the Selected field and the remainder owing in the Unselected field. Close: Write Checks: This button will enter a closed date for each of the included invoices in the purchases records and will write a check to the vendor for the amount shown in the Selected field. All that you have to do is verify the check number.
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Close: Add to Checks: This button will enter a closed date for each invoice in the purchases records and will enter all information in the check register, but will not write the check. Close: Manual Entry: This button allows you to make the Payment notation. Use this choice when you have already paid the vendor and entered the amount into the check register. This choice enters the closed date next to each invoice in the purchase records but will not recalculate the check register. Select All: This button allows you to choose all invoices in the in the collection with one click. Once you have Selected All you can then decide which Close button to use. Unselect All: This button allows you to start over.
10.8.2
Aged Balances
This report is a list of accounts payable with total amounts due and how long they have been due.
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10.8.3
Payables Report
This report lists, by vendor, all of the invoices that you show as being payable as of a given cutoff date. The following is only a portion of the report, showing just one vendor, with the In Summary report option selected:
10.9
Management Reports
Management Reports is a drop-down menu in the Management menu. It supplements the reports available for each data table in the Data Tables procedure, and the reports provided in the History, Daily Summary, Banking, and Accounting procedures.
It contains fifteen procedures:
10.9.1
Customer Activity
This procedure prints or displays a report of a selected customers account activity from a selected date forward. It is the same report as in the Accounts Receivable section of the Management menu. For a more detailed explanation see Customer Activity in section 10.8.3.
10.9.2
Technician Efficiency
This procedure prints or displays a report of technician Tech Hours, Billed Hours, Efficiency, and Hours Worked, within a selected date range. You are first asked to choose your report options:
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The report contains two sections. The first section - seen on this page - shows each punch for the selected technician(s) on each invoice closed within the payroll period.
The second section shows the total Technician and Billed hours for the payroll period, with comparisons to the Hours Worked totals.
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Where The Facts and Figures Come From The dates, customer names, invoice numbers, and synopses all come from the Header portion of Closed Invoices. The Employee numbers, labor codes, tech hours, charge hours, and efficiencies all come from the Labor and Hours sections of Closed Invoices. The Repair and E-Time hours all come from the values entered in Employee Hours in Daily Summary. Days Worked = The number of days in the reporting period for which Employee Hours have been entered (from Daily Summary). Hours Paid = The total number of Repair and E-Time hours for the period. Hours Billed = The total number of Charge Hours for the period. Repair Hours Available = The total number of Repair hours entered during the period (from Employee Hours in Daily Summary).
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Non-Repair Hrs Available = The total E-Time hours entered during the period (from Employee Hours in Daily Summary). Efficiency = The total Hours Billed divided by the total number of Repair Hours Available And finally, there are three different way s to look at technician productivity: Productivity 1 = The total Hours Billed divided by the total number of Hours Paid. Productivity 2 = The total Hours Billed divided by the total number of At Work Hours. Productivity 3 = The total Repair Hours divided by the total number of At Work Hours.
10.9.3
IRS Form 941
This procedure prints or displays a report of gross wage totals, Medicare and Social Security payroll deductions, for a selected date range:
10.9.4
Sales Report
This procedure prints or displays a report of Closed Invoice and Over Counter sales for a selected date range:
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Note: The above report shows only Closed Invoice sales. If there had been Over the Counter sales, a second page would report them with a combined total sales at the end.. Closed Invoices and Over Counter sales can also be reported in Data Tables with more varied selection, sorting and reporting options.
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10.9.5
Income & Expense
This procedure prints or displays a statement of income and expenses, based upon sales and checking records, for a selected period. In other words, this report is based on single entry accounting. For a double entry accounting report, see Chapter 17 - Income Statement. You run the report in 4 steps: 1.) Select a date range with the pop up calendar. 2.) Decide whether to include owner wages:
Select No if your business is a corporation, or if the owner of the business receives a paycheck. Select Yes only if you wish to have GO calculate wages based upon the absence of paychecks for employees with Hours Worked records. 3.) Decide whether to include extra line-item expenses:
Select No if youve accounted for all your expenses for the period in the Checks and Cash Expense data tables. Select Yes if you have expenses that arent entered in the database. If you select Yes you will be prompted to enter a description and an amount for the extra line-item expense. You may have up to nine extra line-item expenses in the report. 4.) Select Display or Print. See an example report on following pages:
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The Income and Expense report continues on the following page.
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10.9.6
Parts Sales
This procedure prints or displays a report of Closed Invoice and Over Counter parts sales for a selected date range. The following is a partial report:
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The Parts Sales report concludes with a summary of sales:
10.9.7
Labor Sales
This procedure prints or displays a report of Closed Invoice labor sales for a selected date range.
The report concludes with a summary of totals:
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10.9. 8
Marketing Analysis
This procedure prints or displays a report of Closed Invoice sales for a selected date range based upon Source of Sale or Discount Type.
The following is a Source of Sale report with final sales analysis only:
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10.9. 9
Net Value of Parts
This procedure prints or displays a report of inventory values for Stocked Parts, Special Order Parts, and Work In Progress parts.
10.9.10
Work In Progress
This procedure prints or displays a report of current Active Invoice parts and labor subtotals. First choose how to format the report:
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The totals at the end of the report look like this:
10.9.11
Parts Popularity
This procedure prints or displays a report part popularity from the database. First decide how many parts to report and for what length of time:
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10.9.12
Vehicle Popularity
This procedure prints or displays a report of the vehicle demographics of the database. First decide how many vehicles to report and for what length of time:
Note: Vehicle popularity is based upon year, make, and model. You may need to use the Uniform procedure in the System | Data Utilities menu to combine similar make names and model names to make this report more accurate (e.g. Chevy combined with Chevrolet, VW combined with Volkswagen).
10.9.13
Cover Page
This procedure prints a page with a customers or vendors name and address at the top. It can be used as a cover page in window envelopes and package shipping envelopes.
10.9.14
Profit Centers
Profit Centers is a Management Reports menu selection. It reports source records (not General Ledger records), and compares the activity of one or more revenue accounts and one or more cost of sales (or expense) accounts for a selected period.
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It begins with the Profit Centers Report Dialog:
You can enter a value into just the Revenue Account field, or just the Cost/Expense Account field, and leave the Date Range field blank to report all the activity for the selected Account(s); or you can limit the reported activity to a selected date range by entering a value into the Date Range field. A sample Profit Centers report is shown below for the values entered in the sample screen shown above.
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10.9.15
New Customers
New Customers is a Management Reports menu selection. It reports the Closed Invoice activity of all new customers within a selected period, with a follow-up section of subsequent activity by the new customers. It begins with the New Customers Report Dialog:
Single-left-click the down arrow button to select a date range (or single date) from a
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pop-up calendar.. The Itemized / Totals Only radio button switches between including or omitting a two-line report of each invoice closed for a new customer within the period. A sample New Customers report is shown below:
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Chapter 11 Data Tables

Data Tables is a Main Menubar procedure that allows you to Add, Change, Delete, Browse, or Report each main data table in the database.
You start the procedure by single-left-clicking one of the buttons on the Data Tables screen.
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Once youve selected the data table, you will see a dialog similar to this:
Add To: adds a new record (or records) to the database. Change: modifies an existing record (or records). Delete: deletes an existing record (or records). Browse: displays an existing record (or records). Report: prints or displays a group of existing records. Add To takes you directly to a master record data-entry screen. Change, Delete, and Browse take you first to a Look-Up screen that selects the records, then to a master record screen. Report uses the same Look-Up screen to select the records to report. In general, each Look-Up screen contains the same fields as the master record screen. Your entries in the Look-Up screen fields determine what records are selected. The Customer Look-Up screen is shown below:
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Most Look-Up screens have three types of fields: Alphanumeric Fields: Examples are the Name, Address, and City fields. These are generally any value find fields, meaning that anything that matches is selected. For example, entering the letters ben in the Name field might find Ben Johnson and Steve Benning. Alphanumeric Look-Up fields are not case-sensitive. Alphanumeric Look-Up fields support the @ as a wild card character. For example, entering @@@@@@@N in the VIN field of the Vehicle Look-Up screen would find all vehicles with the letter N as the eighth VIN digit. Entering an equal sign followed by back-to-back quote marks (=) is the equivalent of asking to find all the records where an alphanumeric field is blank. For example, entering = in the City field would find all the records with no city name entered. Numeric fields: Examples are the Zip Code field, the Frequency field, and the three Sales fields. The Look-Up values for numeric fields can be entered as exact value finds or as greater than, greater equal, less than, less equal, or range finds. For example, entering the numbers 99.80 in the this year Sales field would find only those customers whose purchases equalled $99.80. Entering > 100 would find customers with purchases of over $100. Entering ge 100 would find customers with purchases greater than or equal to $100. The symbols < and le work similarly for less than and less equal. Ranges may be found by using a hyphen. Entering 100-200 would find all customers with sales between $100 and $200, inclusive. Date Fields: An example is Purchase Date. Look-Up values for date fields follow the same rules as for numeric fields. Single-left-click the down arrow button next to the date field to pop up a calendar screen that can be used to load a single date, or a date range. The Statusbar at the bottom of the main GO screen displays hints for each Look-Up field. For example, the Statusbar displays the message Home Phone (any value find) when the cursor is in the Home Phone field, and displays the message Frequency: Single number finds exact equal, hyphenated finds a range (also: ge, le, <,>) when the cursor is in the Frequency field. Single-left-clicking the down arrow button next to a field will pop up a list of all the previously entered values (or in some cases, the allowed values) for that field. Use a single-right-click to load a selection from the pop-up list into the Look-Up field. All Look-Up screens support multiple Look-Up field entries. Entering values into more than one field restricts the search. For example, entering ge 7 in the Rating field, and > 500 in the this year Sales field, then single-left-clicking the Find button will find all the customers with sales over $500 with a rating of 7 or better. Find: This button performs a search based upon the values entered in the Look-Up fields. Select All: This button simply selects all the records in the data table, and ignores any values entered in the Look-Up fields.
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Once you single-left-click the Find or Select All button, the records youve selected will be presented one at a time in the data tables master record screen if youve chosen Change, Delete, or Browse. If youve chosen Report, youll see a dialog similar to the one shown below:
This example shows the Report dialog after selecting Closed Invoices that were closed during the year 2001 for customers living in Hansville. There are 5,230 invoices ready to be reported. For the sake of this example, suppose you want to report only your best customers those with a Customer Rating of 8 or higher. For this, youd single-left-click the Refine button, which will once again pop up the Look-Up screen:
This Look-Up screen (accessed by single-left-clicking the Customer Info button on the Closed Invoice Look-Up screen) will find all customers with a Customer Rating less than 8. Once the Find button is single-left-clicked, the following dialog will appear:
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This dialog shows that 17,779 invoices have been written and closed for customers having a rating less than 8. In this example, well choose Except to subtract the second group from the first one. Once the Except button is single-left-clicked, the procedure cycles back to the Report Closed Invoices collection dialog:
This example shows that the previous collection of 5,230 invoices has been reduced to 1,555. The Refine button could be selected once again to tailor the collection even further, if desired, but for this example, the Display button will be selected. This causes the Order/Options dialog to appear:
This dialog lets you select the order in which to present the selected records, and the type of report to view them with. Make your selections by single-left-clicking the radio buttons, then single-left-clicking the OK button. Once the report has been displayed or printed, the procedure will cycle back to the Report Collection Dialog shown previously. The specific Look-Up and Order/Option screens for the other data tables differ from the ones shown in this example, but the steps are otherwise identical for whatever data table you choose to report.
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Each data table is described in the following sections.
11.1
Alternate Parts
The Alternate Parts data table keeps track of part number equivalencies and supersessions. The values stored by alternate parts are used in the Receive Parts, Over Counter, and Active Invoices procedures to automatically substitute a Stocked Part number for a number that is not a Stocked Part. Alternate Parts , besides being used to keep track of normal supersessions and equivalencies, may also be used to enter shorthand part numbers for frequently used parts with hard-to-remember part numbers. For example, if your vendor uses a part number like 877-46501 for brake fluid, use the vendors part number in the Stocked Parts master record for brake fluid, then use Alternate Parts to enter BF as a substitute part number. From then on, whenever you enter BF as a part number, GO will look it up in Alternate Parts, and substitute 8777-46501. The alternate part values are entered and maintained in the Alternate Parts screen. The Alternate Parts screen is accessed by the Data Tables procedure, as well as by buttons in the Active Invoices Parts Accessory menu, and the Receive Parts screen.
This Part Number (First Part Number): Enter the number of the part that supersedes, or is equivalent to, the second part number. and This Brandname (First Part Number Brandname): GO automatically enters the brandname value if the first part number is recognized. is: Select the relationship from the pop-up menu with a single-left click.
This Part Number (Second Part Number): Enter the number of the part that is superseded by, or equivalent to, the first part number.
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and This Brandname (Second Part Number Brandname): GO automatically enters the brandname value if the second part number is recognized.
11.2
Bad Debts
Add: This button allows you to select any customer with an outstanding account receivable and declare it a bad debt. When you click the Add button a list of all account receivable customers appears:
Highlight your choice and click OK. The Bad Debt Dialog appears next:
This screen allows you to declare the entire account receivable bad, or if you click the Select Invoice button at the lower left corner of the screen, a specific invoice. Once you click the Declare Bad button you will be asked to verify your choice:
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Change: This button allows you to change an existing bad debt as long as the date that the debt was declared bad is not within a closed accounting period.
Fill in as much of this screen as necessary a date range, or a specific invoice number for example. If you want to see all bad debts, then scroll through them until you find the one you are looking for, first click on the Select All button then scroll through them using the VCR buttons. If the bad debt is within a closed accounting period, this screen will pop up.
Delete: This button allows you to delete a bad debt as long as the date that the debt was claimed as bad is not within a closed accounting period. If it is within a closed accounting period, the same message as above will appear. Note: If you are thinking of deleting a bad debt, you should also consider the option of reversing a bad debt (Management>Accounts Receivable>Reverse Bad Debt). By deleting the bad debt you remove it from the bad debt list, but it will still show up on the customers activity report as an amount owing. By reversing a bad debt, the amount owed returns to the accounts receivable list. Browse: This button allows you to look at bad debt records, but not change them in any way. Report: This button allows you to report bad debts using whatever criteria you choose to fill in on the lookup screen. Report allows you to display or print, but you cannot change any records from this section.
11.3
Bank Account Names

Bank Account Names is described thoroughly in Chapter 16, Banking.
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11.4
Cash Expenses
Cash Expenses are anything that is paid for out of the cash till. Adding to Cash Expenses can be done here in Data Tables, or in the Daily Summary. Cash Expenses are thoroughly discussed in Chapter 10 Management > Daily Summary.
11.5
Cash On Hand
Cash on Hand is the tracking of all revenue and cash expenses by Payment Type. It may be switched on and off by the Cash Tracking radio buttons in the Option & Forms Setup screen in the Management menu. Cash on Hand records may be modified and reported from Data Tables, but only Added To when you close an invoice, receive a payment on account, or do any other transaction that affects the till count.
11.6 11.7 11.8
Chart of Accounts
The Chart of Accounts is described thoroughly in Chapter 17, Accounting.
Checking
Checking is described thoroughly in Chapter 16, Banking.
Closed Invoices
Closed Invoices are usually created using the Active Invoice procedure (then closing the invoice), but you may use Add To when you are switching to GO from another shop management system, and wish to transfer accounts receivable from a prior period. Use Change to correct a customer or vehicle wrongly associated with the invoice, and to change how the invoice was closed. If you need to change an invoice extensively (e.g. parts or labor), use the Daily Summary procedure to reopen the invoice, then Active Invoices to make your changes. Note: If you change an invoice in this manner, you should use Daily Summary to close it on its correct closing date.
The Closed Invoices Look-Up Screen is used to find and report invoices by every header field, and by using the buttons at the bottom of the screen by customer, vehicle, parts, labor, profitability, etc. The Closed Invoices Look-Up Screen also integrates with GOs marketing procedures.
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11.9
Customers
The Customers Data Table stores facts and figures about your customers for use in the Active Invoices, Over Counter Sales, History, Direct Marketing, and Accounts Receivable procedures. Customer records are appended and modified in the Customer Master Record Screen (described in detail in Chapter 3, Section 2). The Customers Data Table procedure allows customer records to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed, and Reported. Note: It is usually more convenient to Add a new Customer record using the Add Customer button or Add Both button in the Customer/Vehicle Dialog (described in detail in Chapter 3). Similarly, its usually convenient to Change an existing customer record by single-right-clicking the customers name in the Active Invoice, Over Counter, or History screens. You must use the Customers Data Tables procedure to Delete obsolete or duplicate customer records. In the latter case, if the customer record you wish to delete is associated with invoice, payment, vehicle, or other records, youll be given the opportunity to link these associated records with a different customer record. This lets you combine the customers activity into one link when duplicate records have mistakenly been created for a single customer.
11.10
Employees
The Employee Data Table stores facts about your current and past employees. The Employee Master Record Screen and definitions of all its fields follow:
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Name: Enter your employee's name -- first name first, last name last -- as you would like to have it appear on reports and payroll checks. This field is used to identify your employees throughout GO (e.g.: Timeclock, Active Invoices, Payroll, Management Reports). Number: Either accept the employee number automatically assigned by GO, or assign the three-digit number of your choice. The employee number must be unique -- that is, you can't assign a number that you've already assigned to another employee. If you want to reuse a number, first assign a new number to the employee whose number you wish to appropriate, then reuse the number. Other than the prestige of having a low employee number, the actual number means very little in GO. You don't have to remember it -- you can always enter part of the employee's name whenever you are asked to enter an employee number, and GO will automatically retrieve the associated number for you -- and you can always sort employee pop-up lists by name. Address: Enter the employee's home mailing address. Zip: Enter the employee's home zip code. GO learns your zip codes as you enter them. Once GO recognizes a zip code, it will automatically copy the name of the city, state, and home phone area code from the last-entered value for that zip code. You may also singleright-click to pop up the zip code list. Note: The city, state, and home phone area code will not copy over if the city name has already been entered. Thus, changing the zip code will not automatically change the city name City: Enter the employee's home city. State: Enter the employee's home state. Phone: Enter the employee's home phone number. Position: You may enter anything you like in this field, or even leave it blank, but if you enter a word that contains the characters "adv" the employee's name will be included in the pop-up list of Service Advisors in the Active Invoices screen. For example, if you enter "Technician/Adv" or "Service Advisor" as the employee's position, the employee will appear in the Service Advisor pop-up list. If you enter "Owner" or "Service Manager" or "Technician" as the employee's position, the employee will not appear in the Service Advisor pop-up list. Driver's License Number: Enter the employee's driver's license number. Birthdate: Enter the employees birthday. Notes: Single-left-click the down arrow button to pop open the Notes memo field. You may use this field to keep track of any information you wish. Start Date: Enter the first day of employment. A calendar screen pops up automatically for this field when you first add the employee to the database. Thereafter, you may change the date either by typing it in, or by single-left-clicking the down-arrow button.
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End Date: Enter the last day of employment if this employee no longer works for you. Entering an End Date will remove the employee from the pop up lists, but will not remove the employee timeclock, hours worked, technician hour, billed hour, and payroll records. Misc. Info: Enter anything you wish into this 30-character field. Include in Pop Up List?: Single-left-click the Yes or No button to include or exclude this employee from the pop-up list used by the Timeclock, Active Invoice, Technician Efficiency, and other procedures. Emergency Contact information: Enter the name and phone number of the person to contact in the case of a medical emergency for this employee. Social Security Number: Enter the employee's social security number. Marital Status: Enter M if the employee is married, enter S if the employee is single. GO uses this information to calculate Federal Withholding. Exemptions: Enter the number of exemptions the employee wishes to claim. GO uses this information to calculate Federal Withholding. Extra Withholding: Enter the amount of extra withholding (if any) the employee would like to have deducted from each paycheck. Wage Basis: Single-left-click the down-arrow button (or press the <F5> key) to select your choice from the pop-up list of wage bases. The allowable choices are described below: salaried: wages based on the number of days worked (not on the number of hours worked or the number of hours billed.) tech hours: wages based upon actual hours (clock hours) worked. billed hours: wages based upon flat rate hours (book time, or flag hours) worked. Wage: Enter the effective hourly wage earned by this employee according to the wage basis you've selected. If your specific payroll plan makes it difficult to assign an exact wage amount, use an average. GO uses the wage amount to calculate gross profit in Active Invoices, and to calculate a suggested gross wage in Payroll. In both cases the calculated values are used for information purposes only and do not affect the basis of reports used for tax purposes.
11.11
Equipment
The Equipment Data Table stores facts about your shop equipment. It can also be used to inventory small tools for the shop as well as for employees since there is a field for ownership. Each part entered has its own Equipment Master Record. An example of the Equipment Master Record Screen with its fields filled in follows:
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ID# : Enter the part number or serial number associated with the piece of equipment (or make up a number). Quantity: Enter the quantity. Description: Enter a description of the piece of equipment. Manufacturer: Select from the list of previously-entered manufacturers with a singleright-click, or Cancel out of the list to enter a new manufacturer name. Category: Select from the list of previously-entered categories with a single-right-click, or Cancel out of the list to enter a new category. Purchase Cost: Enter the original purchase cost for the piece of equipment. Purchase Date: Select the original purchase date from the pop-up calendar. Replacement Cost: Enter the cost to replace this piece of equipment. Replacement Cost Update: Select the date of the replacement cost evaluation from the pop-up calendar. Current Value: Enter the current value (as of the Replacement Cost Update date) of this piece of equipment. Owner: Select the owner of the equipment from the pop-up list (the business is employee# 000).
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11.12
Expense Codes
There are 15 Expense Codes (E-Codes) associated with the Timeclock. The Expense Codes Data Table allows you to redefine codes E-01 through E-12. Codes E-00, E-13, and E-14 are reserved, and cannot be changed. See Chapter 15 Timeclock for more instructions on working with E-Codes.
11.13
Forms
GO comes with 17 forms for your use. The Forms Data Table allows you to create a new form if the form you need is not included, or to modify existing forms so that they work better for you To Add a new form, you will complete a Form Master Record.
Form Name: Either type in all or part of the form name, or single-left-click the down arrow button to pop up the forms list, then put the pointer on the form of choice and single-right-click. Form Text (memo field): Single-left-click in the field to bring attention to it, then singleleft-click on the down arrow button next to it. The memo field is now open and you can create your form. Refer to Creating New Forms in the Contents screen of Help to learn more about working with memo fields, and how to create and modify forms. To Change an existing form, you will first see the Forms lookup screen:
Form Name: Either type in all or part of the form name, or single-left-click the down arrow button to pop up the forms list, then put the pointer on the form of choice and single-right-click. Form Text (memo field): Once the text field is highlighted, single-left-click the down arrow button to open the memo field and make your changes.
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11.14
Hours Worked
The Hours Worked Data Table allows you to Add, Change, Browse, Delete, and Report the hours worked by any employee. If the Timeclock is not being used, a daily hourly summary of how employee spent their time can be manually added here as well as in the Daily Summary portion of Management. The Hours Worked records are used to calculate technician productivity in the summary section of the Technician Efficiency report. Refer to Chapter 10.1.8 for more information on how to enter and change Hours Worked records.
11.15
Job Names
Job Names link special order and received parts to invoices and estimates. The Job Names Data Table allows these names to be Changed, Browsed, Deleted, and Reported. Normally, Job Names are maintained automatically by Active Invoices, Receive Parts, Purchase Orders, and Over the Counter Sales. Job Names are included in the Receive Parts, Purchase Orders, Special Orders, Over Counter, and Active Invoice screens. A Job Names normal life cycle runs from its initial creation in one of these procedures, to its automatic deletion when the invoice thats using it is closed. In between times, the Job Name is associated with one or more Special Order parts. Special Order part records are created automatically by the Receive Parts and Purchase Order procedures whenever a part is not a Stocked Part. Report Job Names is useful when you want to know why a particular Job Name is still in the list after the invoice that used it has been closed. The Job Names report shows all occurrences of the Job Name within the database. If the Job Name is linked with an invoice (in other words, not an estimate) the part will automatically flow from Special Orders to the invoice as soon as the invoice is selected. If the Job Name is linked with an estimate, the information about the part will be copied to the estimate, but the part itself will stay in Special Orders until the estimate is upgraded to an invoice. A Job Name will persist, despite attempts to delete it, as long as there is an invoice, or an estimate, or a Special Order part, associated with it. If you wish to remove a Job Name from the list, you must: 1. 2. Close any invoices associated with it, and Delete any Special Order part(s) associated with it.
Alternatively, you may remove a Job Name by using Data Tables | Job Names | Change to change it to another Job Name or a blank Job Name. If you wish to change the Job Name associated with a particular invoice, estimate, or part, you must use the Active Invoices, Over Counter, or Data Tables | Special Order Parts procedures. (Refer to the Chapter 3.6.2 and Chapter 5.1 for more on how Job Names work.)
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11.16
Job Quotes
The Job Quotes Data Table stores canned parts and labor quotes, indexed by Vehicle year (or range of years), make, model, engine, transmission, fuel system, and other criteria for use in the Active Invoices, and History procedures. Working With Job Quotes Job Quotes are canned parts and labor packages that can be copied to customer invoices and estimates. They are similar to customer invoices, but they are not associated with an individual customer or an individual vehicle. There are two types of Job Quotes: Specific and Generic. Specific Job Quotes are associated with a particular type of vehicle, engine, transmission, or fuel system. Examples of Specific quotes: LOF, 92-95 1.6L Civic 60,000 mile service, Volvo 740 B234F valve adjust, Jaguar V-12 transaxle overhaul, 42LE Generic Job Quotes are not vehicle-specific. Examples of Generic quotes: an advertised special a fixed price LOF a power steering flush a brake reline or tune-up parts kit Job Quotes may be accessed from the Active Invoice screen, the History screen, and from the Data Tables procedure. Job Quotes in Data Tables This Data Tables procedure lets you Add, Change, Delete, Browse, and Report Job Quotes. You add and modify parts and labor to a Job Quote the same way you add them to an Active Invoice. There are five ways to Add a new Job Quote:
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You may build Generic or Specific quotes from scratch or preexisting Job Quotes. You may also build Specific quotes from Closed Invoice history or from invoices and estimates currently listed in Active Invoices. Once youve created a Job Quote by one of these methods, it will automatically be presented in the Job Quotes Master Record screen so you may review, print, display, modify, or delete it. The Job Quotes screen, like the Active Invoices screen, shows the job cost values for parts, labor, and the quote as a whole. The labor cost of a Job Quote is based upon the wage of your highest-paid employee, and is recalculated each time the Job Quote is used. The parts cost of the quote is calculated upon the values stored in the quote itself. The Update Quotes procedure should be run whenever the part prices from your vendor have changed. (Please see Chapter 12.10.3 for more information on the Update Quotes procedure.) Job Quotes in the procedures History and Active Invoices History and Active Invoices both present the Job Quotes Selection Screen when the Job Quotes button is single-left-clicked. Note that Generic Quotes are on the left, and Specific Quotes lookup fields are on the right:
Generic Quotes are selected by single-right-clicking the Quote#. From History, single-right-clicking a Generic Quote presents the quote in the Job Quotes Master Record screen. From Active Invoices, single-right-clicking a Generic Quote copies the quote to the Invoice or Estimate.
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Specific Quotes are selected by single-left-clicking the Find button.
The Find button looks up specific Quotes based upon the values entered in the lookup fields, and upon the check marks in the Include boxes: In this example, clicking the Find button would cause a search for all Job Quotes written for 1991 Nissan 300ZX Twinturbos. The search could be broadened to all Quotes written for 1991 Nissans by clicking the include box next to the Model field to remove its x mark. Similarly, the search could be broadened to all Quotes written for 1991 Nissan 300ZXs by leaving the include box checked and removing the word Twinturbo from the Model description. The down-arrow buttons on each field pop-up a list of everything previously entered for that field. To activate the down-arrow button, first single-left-click on the field to put the attention on it, then single-left-click the button. The Uniform procedure in the System / Data Utilities menu may be used to consolidate the values that display in these lists. The rules for the Find button lookup are:
Only fields marked include are used in the search. Blank fields are ignored. An entry in the Quote# field causes all other fields to be ignored. Leading zeros may be omitted for Quote#. All other fields are any value finds.
When the Find button is clicked in the History procedure, all the Job Quotes found are displayed sequentially in the Job Quotes Master Record screen.
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When the Find button is clicked in the Active Invoices procedure, all the Job Quotes found are presented in a list. You select a Job Quote from the list to have the quote copied to the invoice or estimate. Function of the Search History button: The Search History button takes the values entered in the Specific Job Quotes lookup fields and searches for matches with Closed Invoices. The matched invoices are displayed in the Job Quotes - Search Vehicle Repair History screen:
Select an invoice by single-left-clicking on its Synopsis. You may print or display a Customer, Shop, or Tech copy of the selected invoice by setting the radio buttons in the Set report options box, then clicking the Select button. You may copy the selected invoice to a new Job Quote by clicking the Copy to Job Quote radio button, then clicking the Select button. The new quote will be presented in an update screen for modifications once its been created. If you decide you dont want the quote, it may be deleted from this same update screen.
11.17
Labor Rates
The Labor Rates data table integrates with the Customers, Vehicles, and Standard Labor data tables to let you assign different labor rates in Active Invoices and Job Quotes. The Labor Rates table always includes at least one labor rate, the Standard Labor Rate. The Standard Labor Rate is created and maintained by the value of the Shop Rate set in the Company Information screen. The Standard Labor Rate is, for this reason, a protected labor rate when its accessed in the Labor Rates Maintenance screen. All other labor rates (i.e. all the Labor Rates with descriptions other than Standard Labor Rate) are created and maintained using the Data Tables procedure.
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The Labor Rates Maintenance screen is used by the Data Tables procedure to add, change, delete, and browse the labor rates.
Labor Rate: is the dollar amount to charge per Billed Hour. This field is used in the Active Invoice procedure to set the labor rate for the invoice or estimate as a whole (if either the Customer or Vehicle record has a special Labor Rate Description set), or for each labor block (if the Standard Labor record has a special Labor Rate Description set). Description: is the special Labor Rate Description used in the Customer, Vehicle, and Standard Labor Master Record screens, and in the labor section of the Job Quotes screen. Setting the Labor Rate Description in one of these records causes GO to substitute the associated Labor Rate whenever a new invoice or estimate is created (in the case of Customers and Vehicles with a special Labor Rate Description) or a new labor block is added (in the case of Standard Labor with a special Labor Rate Description). The Special Labor Rate Hierarchy: Changing a labor rate on a Labor Block overrides A Standard Labor operation with a special Labor Rate Description overrides Changing a labor rate in the Active Invoice More screen overrides A Vehicle record with a special Labor Rate Description overrides A Customer record with a special Labor Rate Description overrides The Standard Labor Rate
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The Standard Labor Rate is the default labor rate for each customer, vehicle, and standard labor operation. Using the Labor Rates data table is entirely up to you. You may simply ignore it if you dont want to use different labor rates for different customers, vehicles, or labor operations. If you dont use the Labor Rates data table, each invoice and estimate will always be set to the labor rate youve set in the Company Information screen. (Youll still be able override this rate for each invoice or estimate individually.)
11.18
Letters
The Letters Data Table stores canned letters for use in Service Reminders and Target Mailing. Letters are appended and modified in the Letters Master Record screen. GO provides sample letters, but these should be modified, or new ones written, to meet your specific needs. You can have as many letter records in the database as you wish. The Letters Master Record screen is a single-record screen used by the Letters Data Table.
Letter Name: This 20 character field is used to identify the letter when it is presented for selection in a pop-up list. It is not printed on the letters sent by Service Reminders or Direct Marketing. Duplicate letter names are not allowed. Note: Service - LOF is a protected letter name because the name is used for automatic service reminders. Letter Text: This memo field is the canned letter that prints on the letters sent by Service Reminders and Direct Marketing. Single-left-click the Show button to see how the letter will look when its printed.
11.19
Meetings
The Meetings Data Table is used for recording and maintaining company safety meeting notes.
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Title: Enter anything you wish. Date: Select the meeting date from the pop-up calendar. Notes: Single-left-click the down arrow button to pop open the memo field.
11.20
Miscellaneous Income
The Miscellaneous Income Data Table is used in the Daily Summary procedure to track income from nonstandard sources (such as cash rebates, or refunds that arent otherwise accounted for by invoices or received on account records). Besides Daily Summary, Miscellaneous Income records integrate with the Income & Expense report, and the accounting procedures and reports.
Date: Select the date from the pop-up calendar. Amount: Enter the amount of the income received. Notation: Enter a description of why you received the income. Accounting#: Select the Chart of Accounts accounting# from the pop-up menu. G/L Transaction#: This field is assigned automatically by the Post Activity procedure, and cannot be changed. Cash Tracking#: This field is assigned automatically by the Cash Tracking feature, and cannot be changed.
11.21
Monthly Totals
The Monthly Totals Data Table keeps track of each months ending inventory, work in progress, and aged accounts receivable and payable totals. A new Monthly Total record is written automatically on the first new business day of each month. Monthly Total records may only be Browsed.
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The Inventory values are calculated based upon weighted average cost (Stocked) and last cost (Special Order). The Work In Progress values are based upon Active invoices (not estimates), and include Active Over Counter parts.
11.22
Over Counter Sales
The Over Counter Sales Data Table allows parts sales in a vendor invoice style to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed, and Reported. These records integrate with Accounts Receivable, Daily Summary, Customers, Purchases, Find It, Monthly Totals, Income & Expense, Sales Report, Post Activity, etc. With the exception of being able to look up sales records using Vehicle information, the various Data Table procedures for Over Counter Sales mirror those of Closed Invoices.
11.23
Paychecks
The Paychecks Data Table is an alternate pathway to payroll. Paychecks are discussed thoroughly in Chapter 16 Banking.
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11.24
Payment Types
Payment Types Data Table allows you to Add, Change, Delete, Browse, and Report the payment types (cash, different credit card types, bonus bucks, internal transfer, etc.) used when the Use Cash Tracking? option is set to Yes in the Options and Forms Setup dialog in the Management Menu.
The Cash, Check, Direct Deposit, and Internal Transfer types are protected. All other types may be modified (added, changed, deleted) as you wish. Add a new Payment Type by single-left-clicking the Add button at the bottom of the Payment Types screen. Then type in the new Type, and select from the pop-up list of Categories:
You may add as many Types as you wish, but each Type must be associated with one of the five preset Categories shown above.
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11.25
Personal Expenses
The Personal Expenses Data Table allows records to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed, and Reported for cash taken from the cash drawer for personal expenses. It is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 10.1 Daily Summary.
11.26
Policies & Procedures
The Policies & Procedures Data Table is a means for Adding, Changing, Deleting, Browsing and Reporting memos on business policies and procedures, employee responsibilities, vendors to contact, revision and attention dates, etc.
11.27
Price Levels
The Price Levels Data Table allows you to Add, Change, Delete, Browse, or Report price level records. Price Levels are used with the Special Tax Rate or Pricing button in the Customer Master Record screen. Price Levels are used by the Over Counter Sales procedure to allow a special markup from cost, or discount from list, by brandname and/ or part number:
The *Default* Price Level record (shown above) cannot be deleted, but the individual Level percentages within it may be changed to whatever values you wish. You may also add as many new Price Level records as you need to tailor Over Counter Sales pricing to the specific Brandnames or Part Numbers you sell. If no Price Level record is on file for a specific Brandname or Part Number, the *Default* Price Level is used. The Price Level records you create and maintain in Data Tables are used whenever the Customer Tax Rate & Pricing Policies is active:
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11.28
Price Matrices
The Price Matrices Data Table stores a set of progressively-ranged values used by the Receive Parts, Active Invoices, and Over Counter procedures to calculate the selling price of a part based upon its cost. GO provides a set of five matrices. These may be changed at will. You may also create your own matrices. All the fields are required fields, and the minimums and maximums in each row must range progressively higher in subsequent rows, however, there is no such requirement for GP%. This means, you may create a "fixed GP%" matrix by entering the same number in the GP% column in each row or you can have a different GP% for each section. The Price Matrix Master Record screen is the single-record screen used to enter and maintain a set of progressively-ranged values:
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It contains 2 stand-alone fields: Matrix Number: This field is assigned automatically by GO. Matrix Name: This field is a description of the matrix. You choose the name. There are 36 fields arranged in 9 rows and 4 columns: Minimum: This is the minimum number in the range used to calculate the selling price based upon cost. Note: The minimum in the first row is always zero. Maximum: This is the maximum number in the range used to calculate the selling price based upon cost. Note: The maximum in each row automatically determines the minimum in the row below. The maximum of the last row is always "and above." GP%: This is the desired gross profit percentage for each range. Example Amounts: This is a protected field that displays how the maximum cost (Net) of each row will translate to the matrixed selling price (List) based upon the GP% entered for the row.
11.29
Purchase Orders
The Purchases Orders Data Table is a shortcut to the Purchase Orders procedure. Purchase Orders may be Added, Changed, Browsed and Deleted.
11.30
Purchases
The Purchases Data Table procedure allows you to Change, Delete, Browse, and Report all purchase records. Purchase records may be Added here as well, but added Purchase records will not affect inventory levels. They will affect General Ledger and Accounts Payable records. This data table integrates with Accounts Payable, Checking (via the Close Payables procedure), Find It, Monthly Totals, and Post Activity.
Vendor: Enter Vendor# or part of the vendors name, the word ADD (without quotation marks) to add a new vendor, or single-right-click to select the vendor from a pop up list.
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Invoice Date: Enter the date shown on the vendors invoice. Single-left-click the down arrow button to select the date from a pop-up calendar. Invoice#: Enter the number shown on the vendors invoice. O?: Enter Y if this is an open account purchase, or N if its a COD purchase. Amount: Enter the amount shown on the invoice. Enter a negative amount if the invoice is a credit memo. Accounting#: Enter the Chart of Accounts accounting number, or single-left-click the down arrow button to select from a pop-up list. In most cases, the number should be 6010.00 Purchases for Resale, or 6015.00 Purchase Returns and Allowances (for credit memos). Transaction#: This nine-digit number is assigned automatically by the Post Activity procedure, and cannot be changed. Paid Date: Enter (if appropriate) the date the invoice was paid. This field is filled in automatically if you use the Close Payables procedure in the Accounts Payable menu. Payment Notation: Enter (if appropriate) a description of how the invoice was paid. This field is filled in automatically if you use the Close Payables procedure in the Accounts Payable menu.
11.31
Received On Account
The Received on Account Data Table procedure allows records to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed, and Reported. In addition to tracking payments received against customer invoices charged to account, Received on Account records are used to track advance payments, overpayments, and customer interest charges. Use Daily Summary in the Management menu if you wish to record a payment on account. Use the Advance Payment button in the Active Invoices Selection screen if you wish to record an advance payment. Use the Send Statements procedure (or Interest Charges) in the Accounts Receivable menu if you wish to add interest charges. Use Add To in the Data Tables procedure if you wish to otherwise adjust the customers received on account history. You may use Delete in the Data Tables procedure to remove mistakenly-entered advance payments, overpayments, and interest charges. Deleting one portion of a distributed payment on account will trigger a dialog that will enable you to completely delete all the distributions made from a single payment, and, if appropriate, reopen the receivable. Received on Account records integrate with Active Invoices (Advance Payments), Closed
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Invoices, Daily Summary, Accounts Receivable, Bad Debts, Monthly Totals, and Post Activity.
Customer#: Enter the customer number or part of the customers name, or single-rightclick this field to select the customer from a pop-up list. Payment Date: Enter the date, or single-right-click this field to select the date from a pop-up calendar. Type: This field is normally blank. It is set to I for interest charges, and O for open credits. Amount: Enter the amount. Enter the amount as a negative number if this is an interest charge, or some other charge to the customers account. Accounting#: Enter the Chart of Accounts accounting#, or single-right-click this field to select the accounting number from a pop-up list. (The value for this field will usually be 1100.00 Accounts Receivable, for payments and open credits; and 5310.00 Interest Charges, Overdue Accounts Receivable, for interest charges.) Transaction#: This nine-digit value is assigned automatically by the Post Activity procedure, and cannot be changed. Repair#: Enter the vehicle repair invoice number (if applicable) that is associated with this received on account record. Over Counter#: Enter the over counter sales invoice number (if applicable) that is associated with this received on account record. Notation: Enter a description of the payment or charge. ROA#: This value is assigned automatically by the Received on Account portion of the Daily Summary procedure, and cannot be changed. ROA# Notation: This value is assigned automatically by the Received on Account portion of the Daily Summary procedure, and cannot be changed.
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11.32
Recommendations
The Recommendations Data Table procedure allows vehicle repair recommendations to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed and Reported. Recommendation records are usually maintained in the Active Invoices Invoice Modification screen, the History procedure screen, and the Daily Summary Close Invoice screen. They are included in Data Tables for convenience, and for reporting capabilities. This data table integrates with Active Invoices, History, and Target Mailing.
License#: Enter the vehicle license number. Invoice#: This value is assigned automatically by the Active Invoices procedure and cannot be changed. Recommendations are always associated with the most current invoice (estimates may not have Recommendations associated with them.) Recommendation: Single-left-click the down arrow button to pop open the memo field, and type in your changes.
11.33
Savings
The Savings Data Table is an alternate pathway to Banking. Savings will be discussed thoroughly in Chapter 16 - Banking.
11.34
Scheduler Notes
The Scheduler Notes Data Table procedure allows records to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed and Reported for in house notes (special events, special business hours for a selected date, employee doctor visit, etc.) These processes are usually performed from within the Schedule procedure, but are included in Data Tables for convenience and reporting capabilities.
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Date: Enter the date, or single-right-click this field to select the date from a pop-up calendar. Note: Enter the note. This is a 60 character field.
11.35
Service Reminders
The Service Reminders Data Table procedure allows scheduled vehicle service reminders to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed, and Reported. These functions are usually performed by the Vehicles, Standard Labor, Active Invoices, and History procedures, but are included in Data Tables for convenience and reporting capabilities. The Service Reminder data table also integrates with the Send Reminders procedure, and the Main Menu statusbar.
Invoice#: This value is filled in automatically when the Service Reminder is created from within the Active Invoices procedure, and is blank when the Service Reminder is created elsewhere. This field cannot be changed. License#: Enter the vehicles license number. Customer: Type in part of the customers name, or single-left-click the down arrow button to select the customer from a pop-up list. Salutation: This value is entered automatically from the Customer record once the Customer# is entered, but it may be changed if you wish. Letter: Single-left-click the down arrow button to select the Letter name from a popup list. Regarding: This is an optional field. If you type something in this field, it will be included in a Regarding: line between the customers address and the body of the letter. Date Due: Type in the date to send the reminder, or single-left-click the down arrow button to select the date from a pop-up calendar. Date Sent: This value is maintained automatically by the Send Reminders procedure, and cannot be changed.
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11.36
Special Order Parts
The Special Order Parts Data Table procedure allows special order part records to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed, and Reported. Special Order Parts are parts that are physically present in the shop, that arent normally stocked, and that arent yet on an invoice. This includes parts that youve received for jobs that currently exist as estimates; returned parts awaiting credits; core deposits; and parts that you happen to have in stock, and dont intend to return, yet dont wish to reorder once theyre sold. Adding special order parts is best done using the Receive Parts and Purchase Order procedures described in Chapters 3 and 9, respectively. Use the Data Tables | Add procedure to add special order parts to inventory when these two procedures are impractical to use for example, old special order parts that you bought before you started using Garage Operator, and special order parts that have been deleted by mistake. Use the Data Tables | Change procedure to correct mistakes, and change the Job Name of parts that you wish to have flow to other invoices, or that you wish to return. Use the Data Tables | Delete procedure to delete special order parts that you no longer plan to sell. No adjusting entries to the General Ledger are needed when you delete a part from inventory. The Monthly Total record written for the end of the month will reflect the reduced value of the inventory, thereby increasing the cost of sales by the appropriate amount. The Special Orders data table integrates with Purchase Orders, Receive Parts, Active Invoices, Over Counter Sales, Inventory Control, Find It, and Monthly Totals.
Part Number: Enter the part number as shown on the part itself, or as shown on the vendor invoice.
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Invoice#: The value in this field is maintained automatically by the Receive Parts and Purchase Order procedures. It cannot be changed. Job Name: Single-right-click this field to select the Job Name of your choice from a pop-up list. Unit of Sale: Enter the unit of how this part is sold, or single-right-click the field to select your choice from a pop-up list. Description: Enter a description for this part. Brandname: Enter the brandname of this part, or single-right-click the field to select your choice from a pop-up list. Qty. in Stock: Enter the quantity in stock. Purchase Cost: Enter your purchase cost for this part. Selling Price: Enter your selling price for this part, or single-left-click the matrix icon to have the part priced automatically according to the Price Matrix of your choice. For Sales, Use Accounting#: This field is usually best left blank. Single-left-click the down arrow button to select a Chart of Accounts account from a pop-up list. For Purchases, Use Acctng#: This field is usually best left blank, and will have no effect on the General Ledger unless you receive additional units of this part.. Single-leftclick the down arrow button to select a Chart of Accounts account from a pop-up list. Purchase Date: Enter the date shown on the vendors invoice for this part, or leave it blank. From Vendor#: Type in the vendor number, part of the vendors name, or single-rightclick this field to select your choice from a pop-up list, or leave it blank. On Invoice#: Enter the number assigned to the vendors invoice for this part (if known), or leave it blank.
11.37
Standard Labor
The Standard Labor Data Table is a library of the labor operations used in the creation of invoices, estimates, and job quotes. This library is presented in a pop-up list; each selection from the list becomes a new labor block on the invoice, estimate, or job quote. GO provides a beginning Standard Labor library, but you may modify the library however you wish to suit your particular needs. Each Standard Labor record consists of a 20 character name, a description of the labor (which can be up to 50 pages long), the technician hours, the billed hours, the charge back hours, and a link to Service Reminders. The Standard Labor data entry screen keeps track of each record in the Standard Labor library. This library is used to build invoices, estimates, and job quotes.
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Abbreviation: Enter a 20-character name for this standard labor operation. Each abbreviation is included, in alphabetical order, in the pop-up list of the standard labor library used in Active Invoices and Job Quotes. The abbreviation is also automatically added to the invoice or job quote synopsis. Description: Single-left-click the description field to highlight it, then click on the down arrow button to open the memo field. Enter the complete description of the labor operation. This description will be what shows on the customers invoice. Billed Hours: Enter the time you plan to charge for the labor operation. Tech Hours: Enter the time you expect the technician to complete the labor operation in. Chargeback: Use this field if you plan to always charge some of the billed hour time back against the shop. For example, when doing an oil change, if you always have the tech do an inspection of the vehicle and you plan to pay the tech for the inspection time, but you dont want to charge the customer, then however much time you allot for the inspection should be entered in the chargeback field. Accounting#: Only fill this field in if you want the revenue from the labor operation to be pointed to an accounting number other than the default Labor Sales, #5050. : Single-left-click this icon to select a special Labor Rate for this labor operation. Automatic Service Reminder: This portion is optional. The most common usage of the automatic service reminder is for oil change services, but it can be used for any regular service. Interval: Fill this field in with the number of days from the time of the service until the reminder letter is sent out. For example, 90 days is the usual interval for oil change service.
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Letter Name: This field should be filled in with the name of the letter found the letter pop-up list that will be sent to remind the customer of an up coming service due. Regarding: This field fills in automatically once the letter name is added.
11.38
Stocked Parts
Stocked Parts are one of the four types of inventory tracked by GO. The stocked parts data table keeps track of parts that you want to always have on hand. The Stocked Parts Master Record screen keeps track of current "on hand" and "minimum stock" levels. These numbers are used by the Restock List procedure to generate a listing of stocked parts that are below the minimum stocking level. The "on hand" and "minimum stock" values are updated automatically by the Receive Parts, Over Counter, and Active Invoices procedures. Once a stocked part is placed on an invoice, it is part of work in progress inventory until the invoice is closed. The Stocked Parts screen is a single-record screen used to enter and maintain facts and figures about parts that you want to always have in stock.
It contains 25 fields: Part Number: The number entered in this field will appear on the customer copy, the shop copy, and the tech copy of the invoice. It should be the part number used by the manufacturer or vendor to identify the part. GO allows duplicate part numbers by using the Brandname to differentiate between them. Note: Use Alternate Parts to enter a shorthand notation for long, hard to remember part numbers. For example, if the part number your vendor uses for brake fluid is "913-8543," use the long part number in Stocked Parts for reordering purposes, and create a shorthand part number, such as "BF," for putting the part onto invoices.
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*Use Price Matrix#: This is an optional field used to determine the part's selling price. It is used by the Receive Parts procedure to override the price matrix assigned to the vendor whose invoice is being received. This field should be left blank in most cases. It should be used only if you plan to assign price matrices to your vendors, and then only when the matrix assigned to the vendor would result in this particular part being priced too high for your market. The typical examples of a use for this field is pricing oil filters and spark plugs. If you use a 50% matrix for your vendor, a $3.00 oil filter may have a matrix-calculated selling price of $9.00. If you assign a 30% matrix to the Stocked Part record of the oil filter, the matrix-calculated price could be about $5.60 *Unit of Sale: This field tells how the part is sold. Examples: each, inch, foot, quart, pint, gallon, ounce, pound. *Description: This field describes what the part is. The description appears on the finished invoice, and is used by the Receive Parts procedure as well. *Keyword: This is an optional field. Use it as an alternate way to look up, or group the part. Examples: ignition, electrical, fluids, etc. Two keywords have special significance in GO: "shopsupply" and "consignment": 1.) Shopsupply is used by the Shop Supplies procedure in the Purchasing menu to pop up a listing of commonly-used shop supplies. 2.) Consignment is used by the Net Value procedure to eliminate consigned stock from consideration when it calculates the net value of your inventory. *Brandname: This is the manufacturer's name or vendor's line code. GO uses the brandname to distinguish between two or more parts that may have the indentical part number (e.g. 1005 miniature bulb and 1005 oil filter). You may elect not to have brandnames printed on the customer copy of the invoice by setting the "Parts Brands?" radio button to "No" in the Options & Forms Set Up screen. MSDS Type: This field is used to track the Material Safety Data Sheet hazard category (if any) associated with the part. There are four values possible for this field: 1.) Blank -- if the part is nonhazardous and does not require a MSDS 2.) C -- for Caution 3.) D -- for Danger 4.) W -- for Warning The "Caution," "Danger," and "Warning" ratings can be found on the can, bottle, or package that contains the hazardous material. *Location: This is an optional field. Use it as an alternate way to look up, or group the part. Examples: ignition cabinet, south wall, A3S2 (for "aisle 3, shelf 2"). *Qty. In Stock: This field tell you the quantity in stock. *Minimum Stock: This field displays the amount you want to always have in stock. *Maximum Stock: This field displays the maximum amount you want to have in stock the do not exceed number.
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*Reorder Flag: This is a protected field used to keep track of the difference between Minimum Stock and Qty. In Stock. It is recalculated automatically when you change either of these two fields, each time you receive the part in Receive Parts, and each time the part is put on an invoice in Active Invoices or Over Counter sales. It is used by the Restock List procedure to find which parts are below the minimum stock level. *Last Cost: This field shows the last purchase price for this part. It is maintained automatically by the Receive Parts procedure. *Wtd. Avg. Cost: This field shows the "weighted average cost" of the part. Maintained automatically by the Receive Parts procedure, it is based upon the last purchase price and quantity in stock, and the new purchase price and new quantity in stock. For example, if you have four spark plugs in stock that you paid $1.00 apiece for, and receive four more spark plugs that you pay $1.10 for, the weighted average cost will become $1.05 apiece. *Selling Price: This field displays the price you want to sell the part for. It is maintained automatically by the Receive Parts procedure. : Single-left-click this icon to automatically set the selling price of this part according to the Price Matrix of your choice. Misc. Info.: This field is optional. It may be used for application information, for example. *For Sales, use Accounting#: This is an optional field. You will leave this field blank in most cases. Use it if you wish to have the sales records of this part automatically flow to specially-designated accounting number. Tires are the most common example of parts that you might wish to use a special sales account number for. Single-left-click the "down arrow" button to select or add an Chart of Accounts number. Read Accounting Overview for more information on this topic. *For Purchases, use Accounting#: This is also an optional field. It is the companion field to the "For Sales, use Accounting#" field. *Purch. Qty.: This field shows the normal purchase quantity of this part. For example, if you buy oil filters one case at a time, the "Purch. Qty." would be "1". *Purch. Unit: This field shows the normal purchase unit of this part. Examples: each, box, case, drum. etc. For example, if you buy oil filters by the case, and each case contains 12 filters, the "Purch. Unit" would be "case". *Qty. / Purch. Unit: This field shows is how many "Units of Sale" are contained within the "Purch. Unit." For example, if you buy oil filters by the case, and each case contains 12 filters, the "Qty. / Purch. Unit" would be 12. Total Sold: This field is maintained automatically by the Active Invoices and Over Counter procedures. Last Sold: This field shows the date of last sale. It is maintained automatically by the Active Invoices and Over Counter procedures.
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Last Purchased: This field shows the date of last purchase. It is maintained automatically by the Receive Parts procedure. *From: This field shows number assigned by GO to the vendor you last purchased the part from. It is maintained automatically by the Receive Parts procedure. This number is automatically included in the detail line of the Active Invoice or Over Counter sales record. You may view this number once the invoice is closed by using the Find It procedure or by printing or displaying a shop copy of the sales invoice. On: This field shows the vendor invoice number you last purchased the part on. It is maintained automatically by the Receive Parts procedure. This number is automatically included in the detail line of the Active Invoice or Over Counter sales record. You may view this number once the invoice is closed by using the Find It procedure or by printing or displaying a shop copy of the sales invoice. Note: When adding new records, the values entered into the fields with an asterisk (*) carry over to the next screen. This speeds the process of entering an inventory list. Use the Inventory Data Entry form in the Print Forms procedure to aid the task of entering stocked parts inventory into GO for the first time.
11.39
Till Count
The Till Count data table is used by the Daily Summary procedure to keep track of the cash, coins, credit cards and checks collected each day. The Daily Summary procedure (described in Chapter 10.1) must be used to Add and Change Till Count records. The Data Tables procedure may be used to Delete, Browse and Report Till Count records.
11.40
Timecards
The Timecards Data Table procedure allows timeclock records to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed, and Reported. Adding Timecard records is usually best done using the Timeclock procedure from the Main Menu (described thoroughly in Chapter 15). Use Data Tables | Add (or the Todays Timecards procedure in Daily Summary) to add missed punches on individual timecards. Dont bother to attempt to recreate an entire timecard for a day since each days timecards are processed and summarized into daily Hours Worked records, its simpler to use the Hours Worked procedure in Data Tables, or the Hours Worked button in the Daily Summary procedure when you wish to document an entire days work activity. Use the Data Tables | Change procedure to correct mistakes made during the day. Use the Data Tables | Delete procedure to delete one or more individual timeclock punches.
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Use the Data Tables | Browse and Report procedures to review, print, and display individual timeclock records, complete timecards, and groups of timecards.
Activity: Enter the invoice or estimate number, or the E-Time number. If youre unsure of an E-Time category, type in the letter E followed by a hyphen (E-) and press Enter to select from the E-Times list. Block: Enter the labor block of the invoice or estimate (or leave this field blank). Clocked On: Enter the time using HH:MM:SS format. The Clocked On time for the second and subsequent lines must be equal to the Clocked Off time of the line above. Clocked Off: Enter the time using HH:MM:SS format. Elapsed: This value is calculated automatically based upon the Clocked On and Clocked Off times, and cannot be changed.
11.41
Vehicles
The Vehicles Data Table procedure allows vehicle records to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed, and Reported. Note: It is usually more convenient to Add a new Vehicle record using the Add Vehicle button or Add Both button in the Customer/Vehicle Dialog (described in detail in Chapter 3). Similarly, its usually convenient to Change an existing vehicle record by single-right-clicking one of the vehicle fields in the Active Invoice or History screens.
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You must use the Vehicles Data Tables procedure to Delete obsolete or duplicate vehicle records. In the latter case, if the vehicle record you wish to delete is associated with invoice, recommendation, reminder, or other records, youll be given the opportunity to link these associated records with a different vehicle record. This lets you combine the vehicles repair history into one link when duplicate records have mistakenly been created for a single vehicle. Vehicle records are appended and modified in the Vehicle Master Record Screen (described in detail in Chapter 3, Section 3). They integrate with the Stronghold VIN decoder, iSHOP standards database, History, Active Invoices, Recommendations, Service Reminders, Target Mailing, and Vehicle Popularity.
11.42
Vendor
The Vendors Data Table procedure allows vendor records to be Added, Changed, Deleted, Browsed and Reported. Note: It is usually more convenient to Add a new Vendor record using the Add Vendor button in the Vendor Dialog (described in Chapter 3, Section 6.2). Similarly, its usually convenient to Change an existing vendor record by singleleft-clicking theChange Vendor button in the Receive Parts screen. Vendor records integrate with Receive Parts, Stocked Parts, Special Order Parts, Active Invoices, Over the Counter Sales, Closed Invoices, History, Accounts Payable, Monthly Totals, Close Payables, and Post Activity.
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Vendor#: This value is assigned automatically by the Add To Vendors procedure, and cannot be changed. Our Account Number: Leave this field blank if you do not have a charge account with the vendor. Otherwise, enter the account number assigned to you by the vendor. If you do have a charge account, but dont know your account number, enter a question mark. The Receive Parts procedure uses this field to determine the default value of the Charged to Account? field in the Purchase Header screen (described in Chapter 3, Section 6.2). Name: Enter the vendors business name. Address 1: Enter the vendors mailing address. Address 2: If needed, enter the vendors secondary mailing address information. City: Enter the vendors city. State: Enter the vendors state. Zip: Enter the vendors postal code. Phone 1: Enter the vendors primary phone number. Phone 2: If needed, enter a second phone number for the vendor. FAX: Enter the vendors Fax number. E-Mail: Enter the vendor e-mail address. Contacts: Enter the names of the people you contact at the vendor. Misc. Info.: Enter whatever miscellaneous information youd like; for example, particular lines the vendor carries, or their hours of operation. Note: Single-left-click the down arrow button to pop open this memo field. Use this field to store longer comments, or information that wont fit into the Misc. Info. field. Current Due, This Year, Last Year, Last Purchase Date: These fields are maintained automatically by the Receive Parts, Purchase Orders, and Close Payables procedures. The values in these fields are information only; they are not used by the accounting or accounts payable procedures. Closes accounts on: This field is optional. If you have a charge account with this vendor, enter the day of the month the vendor statements usually end on (for example, the 25th). If the vendor statements usually end on the last day of the month, enter the number 31. This information is used by the Close Payables procedure. Purch. Accounting#: In most cases, this field should be left blank. If you wish to have all purchases from this vendor automatically default to a value other than 6010.00 Purchases for Resale, single-right-click the field to select an account from a pop-up list.
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Sales Accounting#: In most cases, this field should be left blank. If you wish to have all sales of parts purchased from this vendor automatically default to a values other than 5010.00, 5015.00, 5020.00, 5025.00 etc. (as appropriate to the sales environment) singleright-click the field to select an account from a pop-up list. Use Pricing Matrix#: Set a value in this field if you wish to have the selling prices of all parts purchased from this vendor be automatically calculated based upon a price matrix (see the Price Matrix section of this chapter for more information about this). Single-right-click this field to select a price matrix from a pop-up list. 1099 Reportable?: Set the value of this field to Y if you are required to file a Form 1099 for your purchases from this vendor. Federal Tax ID#: Enter the vendors federal tax number in this field.
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Chapter 12 System
System is a drop-down menu in the Main Menubar. It contains 12 procedures and one menu.
12.1
Report Network Users

The Report Network Users procedure displays information about the GO users on the network. Usually, youll use it only when you want to install a new GO Update, or you want to run one of the System procedures that wont run until youre the only user in the data base. It shows the current number of GO users logged on, the name of each user, and the maximum number that may log on. You may print the report by first clicking anywhere on the report to put the attention on it, then single-left-clicking the GO printer icon.
12.2
Recover Key Index

The Recover Key Index procedure restructures the key index after its been damaged by a power outage, an operating system or printer lockup, or other hardware or network problem. The key index stores the locations of facts and figures its how GO knows where to find things. The key index is updated each time a new record is written, or a data entry screen is opened and closed. If this update fails due to a power failure, an operating system lockup, or a hardware or network problem, the key index will become corrupted.
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A corrupted key index shows itself three different ways: 1.) A structure unsafe error message, 2.) Garbled reports containing unrelated facts and figures, 3.) A message saying GO cant find the record youve requested, yet you know the record exists. Running the Recover Key Index procedure takes anywhere from a few seconds to about 20 minutes, depending upon the size of your data base and the speed of your computer. You must be the only person using GO before the procedure will run (you can still use other workstations in the network, they just cant be in GO). It is recommended, but not required, that you run this procedure on the server.
12.3
Data Base Rebuild

Computer systems sometimes suffer from more drastic events, such as virus attacks or power fluctuations, that may damage the files on the hard drive. The Data Base Rebuild procedure will help recover from these more drastic occurrences. It automatically exports your data, erases the data base files, builds empty data base files, then imports your data and rebuilds the key index. Because the Data Base Rebuild procedure erases your data base, please run a Backup procedure (described below in section 12.6) before you run the Rebuild procedure. You risk losing your data base if the reason you need to run the Rebuild procedure turns out to be a failing hard drive. Note: It is not necessary to run the Recover Key Index procedure after running the Data Base Rebuild procedure.
12.4
Clear Reports Table

Most of GOs reports are created using a temporary table to hold the information that is eventually printed or displayed. Some GO users have reported that a report will sometimes be unexpectedly combined with an unrelated report that was run earlier. So far, attempts to cure this bug have met with limited success. The Clear Reports Table procedure is the workaround for now. It takes less than a second to run, and has only one risk: if you run it on one workstation while someone at another workstation is preparing a report, the report on the other workstation may fail to print or display. If this happens, the person on the other workstation will either have to click the Print or Display button again, or re-select the report.
12.5
Data Table Status

GO reserves hard drive space in advance by setting a maximum number of records for each data table. You may change the maximum number for each data table using the Expand Data Tables procedure (described below in section 12.8). The Data Table Status procedure simply reports the current status of each data table in GO how many records are in use, the maximum size of each data table, and how close each table is to its maximum number. GO monitors the size of each data table, and warns you when a table is over 95% filled. You can use the Data Table Status report to anticipate these warnings, then avoid them using the Expand or Archive procedures (described below).
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12.6
Backup Data Tables

The Backup Data Tables procedure exports 100% of the data in your data base to ASCII files. These files may be used to restore the data base in the event of a hard drive failure or other disaster (such as a fire, or having your computer stolen). Although Backup Data Tables is a System menu procedure, it can also be called from the Backup button in the Daily Summary screen. Please run a Backup every day. If you lose your hard drive, we can help you restore your program files, but we cant replace your data. All the backup options are set from the Backup Dialog:
Any changes you make to the settings in this dialog are remembered the next time you run the Backup procedure. Backup Format: Choose the format that tells GO "How" to backup the data. It determines whether GO needs to span disks, and if so, the size of each disk. Set this option by single-left-clicking the radio button of your choice. Backup Pathway: This tells GO Where the data should be stored the backup destination. Set this option either by typing it directly into the Backup Pathway field, or by browsing to the backup pathway. To learn how to browse the backup pathway, please read section 12.6.1 below. If you select Hard Drive as the Backup Format, the Backup procedure will begin backing up the data to the destination listed in the Backup Pathway as soon as you singleleft-click the OK button. If you select any other Backup Format, the Backup procedure will calculate the number of disks required, prompt you to have that many disks ready, then begin backing up the data at your signal. NOTES:
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1.) 2.) 3.) 4.)
5.)
6.) 7.)
Backup unloads 100% of the data in the data base each time it is run. GO's Backup uses storage more efficiently than other methods of back up. One 100 Mb zip disk holds up to 10 years of collected data. If previous experience shows that all the data can be backed up onto one disk, setting the Backup Format to "Hard Drive," while leaving the Backup Pathway set to the proper disk drive, speeds the backup process significantly. Each data table is backed up to a separate file. The content of the files can be distinguished by their names. For example, the Customers data table is backed up to two files named CUSTOM.BAK and CUSTOM.TTX. The .BAK files contain all the data except text stored in memo fields. Text stored in memo fields is stored in the associated .TTX files. Each file is in "tab-delimited" ASCII format (also known as "fixed-length record"). These files can be opened and viewed using Microsoft's WordPad program (access via: Start button / Programs / Accessories). They can also be imported into Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, and Access. You may re-use the disks used for Backup, but it's a good idea to have multiple copies. The best solution is to have one disk (or set of disks) for each day of the week, then run the Backup each day as part of your closing routine. Your entire data base may be moved or restored using the Backup disk(s) and your GO Installation and most-current Upgrade CDs.
12.6.1
Browsing the Backup Pathway
You may browse to the backup pathway of your choice by single-left clicking the "down arrow" button attached to the right of the Backup Pathway field in the Backup procedure dialog: Step 1 Single-left click the "Browse" button:
This will pop-up the Windows Explorer dialog:
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The "Look in" field at the top of the Explorer window will be set to the current directory, which in this example, is "GO_Win." You must navigate out of this window to the drive of your choice. Step 2 Single-left-click the "My Computer" or "My Network Places" icon to navigate to a different drive:
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This example will demonstrate how to navigate to a drive on another computer in your network. (Navigating to a different drive on a stand-alone computer is similar, except you select the "My Computer" icon. If this is what you plan to do, select the "My Computer" icon, then skip to Step 5 below.) The picture below is an example of Windows Explorer once the "My Network Places" button has been selected. Step 3 Double-left click the "Computers Near Me" (workgroup) icon:
The display on your computer won't look exactly the same as this example, but should show the "Computers Near Me" workgroup icon. Step 4 Double-left-click the icon of the computer you wish to connect with:
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This example shows how to navigate to another server on the network named "Win2kserver." Step 5 Double-left-click the icon of the drive you want to back up data to:
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Step 6 Double-left-click any one of the files in that drive:
This will load the pathway into the original Browse dialog. Step 7 Single-left-click the "OK" button:
This will load the Backup Pathway into the Backup Dialog:
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Step 8 -- Single-left-click the "OK" button in the Backup Dialog to begin the Backup process. Note: For instructions on how to create a new folder on a drive, and set the pathway when the folder has no files in it, please refer to Help in GO. After clicking on the Help button, click on the Search button. Select backup_browse. The new folder instructions come directly after the 8 step instructions for browsing the backup pathway.
12.7
Load Data Tables

The Load Data Tables procedure imports previously exported GO data base records. This procedure wont run unless the data base is already empty, so youre not likely to use it unless directed to do so by GO technical support.
12.8
Expand Data Tables

GO reserves hard drive space in advance by setting a maximum number of records for each data table. The Expand Data Tables procedure allows you to adjust the maximum number of records for any data table in the program. GO inspects the status of the data tables each time you open it from Windows. You will receive a warning message similar to the one shown below when a data table reaches 95% or more of its capacity.
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NOTE: The GO data base is very compact. Typically, 10 years of data requires about 1.5 gigabytes of hard drive space, so the better choice is usually to Expand the data base rather than Archive your data. You must be the only person using GO in the network before you can run Expand (other workstations may be working in the network, they just cant be in GO). You must also run Expand from the data base server.
You may expand (or contract) the size of any data table. Just type a number into the New Maximum Records column. As a rule of thumb, if the table is 90% or more full,
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double the number of the current maximum records. After you have entered a new maximum records number for each data table you wish to change, single-left-click the Apply button. Depending upon the size of the data base, and the speed of your computer, the Expand procedure will take anywhere from a few seconds to as long as 20 minutes. If you attempt to expand the data base capacity beyond the limits of the hard drives storage space, you will see the following message:
GO will notify you when the Expand procedure is complete:
A list of the data tables, with explanations of their functions and suggested Maximum Record settings, follows below: Note: Temporary data tables are typically used by reports, and exist only while the program is running. They consume virtually no hard drive space. ACCOUNTS: This data table is used for Chart of Accounts records. The Maximum Record size of this table should usually be 300 to 500 records. ACCTS_POSTED: This data table is used for General Ledger records. The Maximum Record size of this table could be 0 if you arent using GO Accounting module, or nearly any size if you are. A recommended beginning Maximum Records size for this table is 50,000 records. ACCTS_EXPORT: This is a temporary data table used by the Trial Balance procedure when you ask it to export ACCTS_POSTED records to ASCII text files (for use by other programs). The recommended Maximum Record size for this table is 5,000 records. ACCTS_TMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Post Activity procedure to build the posting queue. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. ALIGNMENT: This data table is used by Active Invoices for wheel alignment records.
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Adjust the Maximum Record size to reflect the number of wheel alignments you wish to document. ALT_PARTS: This data table is used for Alternate Part records. Adjust the Maximum Record size to reflect the number of part number supersessions and equivalencies you wish to track. ARCHIVES: This data table is used by the Backup Data Tables procedure to span disks. It records the date, time, and size of each table in the data base. The recommended Maximum Record size for this table is 500. ASSIGN_HRS: This is a temporary data table used by the Active Invoices | Hours | Assign button procedure when you wish to distribute timeclock labor hours that have been recorded at the Invoice level rather than the Labor Block level. The recommended Maximum Record size for this table is 100. AVAILABLE_HRS: This data table was used by the Scheduler procedure in the DOS version of GO to keep track of special dates. At present, it isnt used in the Windows version of GO. BAD_DEBTS: This data table is used for Bad Debt records. Adjust the Maximum Record size to reflect the number of bad debts youre likely to incur (not the number you wish youd incur). BANK_ACCTS: This data table is used for Bank Account Names records. Adjust the Maximum Record size to reflect the number of bank accounts you wish to keep track of. CASH_EXPENSE: This data table is used by the Daily Summary procedure for Cash Expense records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 3,000. CASH_ON_HAND: This data table is used for by the Daily Summary procedure for Cash On Hand records. If Use Cash Tracking? is switched to Yes in the Options & Forms Setup screen, the recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 10,000. CHECKS: This data table is used by the Checking procedure to record checks, other withdrawals, and deposits. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 3,000. COH_RPT_TMP: This data table is a temporary data table used by the Daily Summary and Cash On Hand procedures to report payments. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 2,000. CUST_TAX: This data table is used by the Customer procedures to keep track of customers with special tax rates or pricing. Adjust the Maximum Record size to reflect the number of customers you have who fall into this category. CUSTOMER: This data table is used for Customer records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 3,000. DATA_EXPORTED: This data table is a temporary data table used by the Customer Link and Customer Research procedures to export invoice information. Set the Maximum
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Record size for this table to 2,000. EMPLOYEES: This data table is used for Employee records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 100. EMPLOYEE_LBR: This data table is used for Hours Worked records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 3,000. EQUIPMENT: This data table is used for Equipment records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. EXTRACTIONS: This data table is used by the Customer Link and Customer Research procedures to track the names of data export files. Set the Maximum Record size for this table to 1,000. FORMS: This data table is used for Forms records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 100. GL_TMP: This temporary data table is used for Accounting module reports. If you use GOs accounting functions, the recommended Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. IMAGES: This data table will be used in future versions of GO to store jpg, gif, and bmp images. INVOICEHEADER: This data table is used by the Active Invoice procedure to create invoice and estimate header records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 5,000. JOBS: This data table is used by the Active Invoices, Over Counter Sales, Receive Parts, Purchase Order, and Report Returns procedures to link Special Order parts with their intended invioces and estimates. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 300. LABOR_RATES:This data table is used by the Active Invoices procedure to allow variable labor rates for specific labor blocks within an invoice or estimate, and to allow a non-standard labor rate to be set automatically by customer, vehicle, or standard labor operation. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 50. LBR_DTL_CHRG:This data table is used by the Active Invoices procedure to track of the hours associated with each labor block. Each Lbr_Dtl_Chrg record tracks the technician who worked on the job, the tech hours, the billed hours, the efficiency, etc. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is three to four times the setting of the Invoiceheader Maximum Record size. LBR_DTL_DESCR:This data table is used by the Active Invoices procedure to track of the labor description associated with each labor block. Each Lbr_Dtl_Descr record contains the full labor description, and the price, etc. of each labor block. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is two to three times the setting of
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the Invoiceheader Maximum Record size. LETTERS: This data table is used by the Send Reminders and Target Mail procedures to store canned letters. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 100. MEETINGS: This data table is used in the Data Tables procedure to document and report shop safety meetings. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 300. MEMO_TEMP: This is a temporary data table used by all the procedures that create displayed or printed reports. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 2,000. MISC_INCOME: This data table is used by the Daily Summary procedure for Miscellaneous Income records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. MONTHLY_T: This data table is used by GO to automatically store, on the first new business day of each month, the end of month totals for inventory, work in progress, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 100. NOTES: This data table was used by the Active Invoices procedure in the DOS version of GO. It is included in the Windows version of GO to enable migration from the DOS version. The Notes data table is contained within the Invoiceheader data table in the Windows version of GO. OC_HEADER: This data table is used by the Over Counter procedure to create invoice header records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. OVER_COUNTER: This data table is used by the Over Counter procedure to record parts detail lines. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is three to four times the setting of the OC_Header Maximum Record size. PARISHES: This data taable is used for customer and vendor address information in versions of GO sold outside the U.S. and Canada. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 50. PARTS: This data table is used to keep track of Stocked Parts. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. PARTS_TMP: This data table is a temporary data table used by the Receive Parts and Purchase Orders procedures. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 100. PARTSDETAILS: This data table is used by the Active Invoices procedure to keep track of parts on invoices and estimates. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is five to six times the setting of the Invoiceheader Maximum Record
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size. PAYMENT_TYPE is used by the Cash Tracking utility in Daily Summary procedure to keep track of the different payment categories (e.g. Cash, Check, Master Card, VISA, etc.). The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 20. PERSONAL_EXP: This data table is used by the Daily Summary procedure for Personal Expense records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 100. PO_DETAILS: This data table is used by the Purchase Orders procedure to keep track of parts on purchase orders. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is five to six times the setting of the PO_Header Maximum Record size. PO_HEADER: This data table is used by the Purchase Orders procedure to create Purchase Order header records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 250. POLICY_PROC: This data table will be used in future versions of GO to track business policies and procedures. PRICE_LEVELS: This data table is used by the Customers and Over Counter procedures to enable special pricing by Brandname and/or Part# for certain customers. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 100. PRICE_MATRIX: This data table is used by the Price Matrix, Receive Parts, Purchase Order, and Active Invoice procedures to price parts based upon a sliding scale. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 10. PRTSDTLS_TEMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Active Invoices procedure to keep track of the parts on individual invoices. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 500. PURCHASES: This data table is used by the Receive Parts and Purchase Order procedures to create Purchase header records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. PURCHASE_DTLS: This data table is used by the Receive Parts and Purchase Order procedures to keep track of part detail records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is five to six times the setting of the Purchases Maximum Record size. PURCH_TEMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Receive Parts and Purchase Order procedures to keep track of part detail records on individual invoices. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 100. PYCHKS_TEMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Checking and Paychecks procedures to keep track of paycheck information. If you are importing paycheck records from the DOS version of GO, the recommended Maximum Record size is the size of the Paychecks data group. Otherwise, the recommended beginning Maximum Record
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size for this table is 10. QT_CHRG: This data table is used by the Job Quotes procedure to keep track of labor charges. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is two to three times the setting of the QT_Header Maximum Record size. QT_HEADER: This data table is used by the Job Quotes procedure to create Job Quote header records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. QT_LABOR: This data table is used by the Job Quotes procedure to keep track of labor descriptions. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is two to three times the setting of the QT_Header Maximum Record size. QT_PARTS: This data table is used by the Job Quotes procedure to keep track of parts charges. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is three to four times the setting of the QT_Header Maximum Record size. RCVD_ON_ACCT: This data table is used by the Daily Summary, Send Statements, and Active Invoice procedures to keep track of Received On Account payments, interest charges, and advance payments. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. RECOMMENDATIONS: This data table is used by the Active Invioces and History procedures to keep track of Recommendations. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. RPT_LBR_TMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Labor Sales Report procedure. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 6,000. RPT_SLS_TMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Parts Sales Report, Daily Summary, and Post Activity procedures. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 10,000. SALES_TMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Active Invoices and Over Counter procedures to keep track of parts on individual invoices. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 200. SAVINGS: This data table is used by the Savings procedure to keep track of Savings records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. SCHEDULE_NOTES: This data table is used by the Scheduler procedure to display information in each days note field. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 200. SCHEDULE_TEMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Scheduler procedure to compile and display the information in the Scheduler calendar screen. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 400. SCRATCH: This is a temporary data table used for reporting functions. The recom-
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mended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 4,000. SLS_TAX_TMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Sales Report, Aged Receivables, and Aged Payables procedures. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 10,000. SOURCE_TMP: This is a temporary data table used by the Daily Summary and Accounting procedures. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 10,000. SPECIALS: This data table is used to keep track of Special Order parts. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 250. SRVC_REMINDERS: This data table is used by the Active Invoices and Vehicles procedures to create Service Reminders. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 2,000. STD_LABOR: This data table is used by the Standard Labor procedure create canned labor operations. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,500. TILL_COUNT: This data table is used by the Daily Summary procedure to keep track of Till Count records. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 1,000. TIMECLOCK: This data table is used by the Timeclock procedure to record technician timeclock punches. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 10,000. VEHICLES: This data table is used to keep track of customer vehicle information. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 5,000. VENDORS: This data table is used to keep track of vendor information. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 300. WIP_TOTALS: This data table is used by the Daily Summary procedure to report Work In Progress. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 100. ZIP_TABLE: This data table is used by the Customer and Vendor procedures to compile postal code to city mappings. The recommended beginning Maximum Record size for this table is 2,000.
12.9
Archive Data Tables

The Archive procedure permanently deletes older records of your choice from the database. It starts with a message that explains its purpose and suggests an alternative procedure:
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The Thunderbolt database scales to hundreds of millions of records with no degradation in performance. This means that running Archive is unlikely to improve performance except in rare cases such as the Balance Sheet procedure where hundreds of thousands of records must be reported. Archive is a good choice if your computer has a small hard drive (e.g. 10Gb) and youre running out of disk space. A mature (e.g. 10-year-old) GO database generally requires about 1.5Gb of disk space Archive next asks you to select the data table. See section 12.8 above for a description of each data tables function.
To select a data table, either scroll the list, then make your selection with a single-rightclick; or type your choice and press the Enter key. The following section describes the Archive procedure for a self-contained data table such as Timeclock. The procedure is the same for data tables that are linked with other tables, such as Customers with Vehicles, Invoiceheader with Partsdetails, etc. Linked tables are automatically archived as a group, based upon a date you select. The procedure differs slightly for data tables used by the Banking and Accounting modules. These differences will be described in the section that follows.
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Once youve selected the table you wish to archive, youll be asked to verify your selection.
Then informed of how the suggested Archive cutoff date is selected:
Single-left-click the OK button to accept the suggested Archive cutoff date, or use the standard calendar controls to select a different date.
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You will then be asked to verify the Archive cutoff date:
Then notified of the required storage space:
If you are planning to store the Archived records on a 1.2 Mb floppy diskette, and the storage requirement is greater than 1,200,000 bytes, you may single-left-click the No button to reselect the date range, and isolate fewer records. The next prompt asks you where to store the archived records.
If youd like to store the records on a floppy diskette in the A: drive, leave the prompt blank, and single-left-click the OK button. Otherwise, type in the directory path for the location of your choice. For example, if youd like to store the records in the GO_WRK directory of your workstations C: drive, you can type in C:\GO_WRK and press the Enter key. You may also enter a Windows pathname. For example, if your network server is named SERVER, and the GO_WIN directory is on the servers C drive, you could type in \\SERVER\C\GO_WIN. Youll be asked to verify the drive path before continuing:
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Press the Enter key to accept the path, or single-left-click the No button to return to the previous step. Note: A backslash character (\) is used to separate the drive path from the name of the file created from the archived records. GO automatically adds this character as needed. Once you single-left-click the Yes button (or press the Enter key), GO will copy the records to drive path specified. When its done, it will notify you with the name of the file, and the date range of the records being archived:
The next screen to appear is the final verification screen.
Single-left-click the Yes button to permanently delete the archived records from the database.
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Youll be notified when the Archive procedure is completed:
12.9.1
Archiving the Banking and Accounting data tables
Selecting the BANK_ACCTS data table causes this message to display:
If you select the CHECKS or SAVINGS data tables, and you have more than one checking or savings account on file, youll be asked to select the account:
The rest of the Archive procedure will be the same as described above. Archive will delete the records from the account you select, and leave any other account records untouched. Once the records have been deleted, the Current and Beginning balances in the Bank Account Names screen will be automatically adjusted. If you select the ACCTS_POSTED data table, youll be asked to select a cutoff date based upon a fiscal year end:
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The suggested cutoff date will be based upon the Fiscal Year End setting in your Company Information screen in the Management menu. The rest of the Archive procedure will be the same as described in the section above. Archive will delete the general ledger records based upon the fiscal year end youve selected. Once the records have been deleted, summary entries will be made automatically for the balance sheet accounts forward. These entries will be dated on the cutoff date youve selected, have the notation balance forward, and be assigned a single Transaction#. A report of these entries will appear in a window. You may print the report by single-left-clicking the report window to put the attention on it, then single-leftclicking the Printer icon in the GO toolbar.
12.10
Data Utilities
Data Utilities is a drop-down menu in the System Menu.
12.10.1
Uniform
The Uniform procedure in the Data Utilities menu lets you make global changes to the database. It consolidates the pop-up lists used by GO by correcting misspellings and combining entries.
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Start the procedure by single-left-clicking the button of the field you wish to correct or combine. You will first be asked to select the value you wish to change from:
You will next be asked to select the value you wish to change to:
Once youve made your selections, youll be able to substitute the second value for the first value:
If the second value you want isnt in the to list, select anything. Then, once the new to value is loaded, single-left-click on the To this value field, and type in a new value directly. If you wish to eliminate a value, enter a blank space into the To this value field, then press the Enter key.
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Single-left-click the Change Now button to permanently change all occurrences of the from value in the database.
12.10.2
Update Jobs
This procedure duplicates a process that happens automatically each time GO is started from the Windows prompt. The job names list is reviewed and compared to all active invoices and special order parts. Job names that are not associated with either an active invoice or special order parts are eliminated, and the five reserved job names are added.
12.10.3
Update Quotes
This procedure automatically updates the price of parts on all Job Quotes. You should run this procedure every month or two, or whenever part prices have changed significantly. The procedure starts with an information screen:
Single-left-click the Yes button (or press the Enter key) to start the process. Completion time depends upon the number of Job Quotes you have in the database, and the processing speed of your computer, but is generally about 5 to 10 minutes.
12.10.4
Inspect Sequence
This is a procedure which allows you to find missing Closed Invoice numbers. The report can be based on either a date range or an invoice number range:
The Inspect Sequence report shows the invoices on either side of the broken sequence:
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12.11
Version
Version displays which version and revision of GO is installed on your computer, as well which version of the Thunderbolt interpreter is installed.
12.12
Network Stress Test
The Network Stress Test procedure is intended to be used as a tool to help diagnose network communication problems. It performs the most common database operations read, write, and erase in a continuous loop, and reports the cycle time and test duration. The procedure begins with a blank screen:
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Once you press the Enter key, or single-left-click the Start button, the screen will display a continuous report of the read, write, and erase loop.
Cycle times vary with the speed of your network connection to the database server, and the speed of the servers processor, but should generally run one second or less. Cycle times greater than this may indicate a problem with a network connection, or a need to defragment the servers hard drive. The benchmark for this procedure is 10 computers all running the Stress Test simultaneously and continuously for 24 hours without a glitch. Press and hold the Escape key to terminate the Network Stress Test procedure. Note: You may need to single-left-click on the Stress Test window to re-focus the attention on it before the Escape key will have an effect.
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12.12
Command Prompt
Command Prompt takes you directly to the Data Control Language prompt.
The Command Prompt is used to resolve technical support issues, and for ad hoc browsing of the database. You may read more about the Command Prompt commands once your are in the DCL window by single-left-clicking the Help selection on the GO toolbar, then selecting Standard Help.
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Book Three The Enhanced Management Module
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Chapter 13 Over the Counter

Over the Counter is a Main Menu procedure.
Over the Counter writes jobber style invoices for parts sales. Its used mainly by shops that sell retail parts in addition to performing vehicle repairs, but its also commonly used for parts sales to employees.
13.1
Writing an Over the Counter Invoice

The Over the Counter procedure is similar to the Active Invoice procedure. You start a new invoice by identifying the customer, you then build it using the Over the Counter Invoice screen. It then stays in the Over the Counter Selection screen until you close it as Paid or Charged to Account. If you have no currently active Over the Counter invoices, or if you select the New Invoice button from the Selection screen, the first screen will be the Customer Dialog:
Either type in part or all of the customers name if the customer is already in your database, or select the Add Customer button. If you choose the Add Customer button you will fill in the Customer Master Record just as when adding a customer in Active Invoices. OR if there are other Over the Counter invoices already open, the initial screen will be the Over the Counter Selection screen as shown on the following page:
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If the above screen comes up and the invoice you want is not in the list, then single-leftclick on the New Invoice button and the preceding Customer Dialog screen will then appear. If the customer is already in the database, the Over the Counter Invoice will be started with the customers name and phone number showing as in the following screen :
Over the Counter Invoice numbering starts at 000000001 and therefore, will always
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sequence differently from Active Invoices. The Over the Counter Invoice screen is divided into three sections: Header, Parts, and Totals.
13.2
Header Section
The Header section is similar to the Active Invoice Header, but with some important differences. Following is a definition of each field and button in the section. Salesperson: This is not a required field, but if you wish to track who sold what to whom, either enter the employees name or number, or single-left-click the down arrow button to select the employee from a pop-up list. Job: If the parts have been special ordered, a Job name has been assigned. This works just like the Job field in Active Invoices. Single-left-click the down arrow button to select the Job Name from the pop-up list. All the special order parts associated with the Job Name will then be automatically transferred to the invoice. Date: The current date is automatically assigned. You may change it, either by typing in a new date, or by single-right-clicking the field to pop-up a calendar screen. Time: The time of purchase is automatically assigned. You may change it if you wish. Bill To: The customers number, name and phone number is filled in automatically. If you discover the current Bill To customer is incorrect, single-left-click the down arrow button in the Bill To Customer# field to make your selection from a pop-up list. (You may add a new customer by cancelling out of the pop-up list.) As in the Active Invoice screen, you may take a shortcut the Customer Master Record screen by single-right-clicking the Customer Name field. Ship To: Initially, this field copies the Billed To information and prints same into the name field. If parts are being shipped to a different address, select (or add) a new customer as described in Bill To above. Charge to Account/Cash on Delivery: One or the other of these radio buttons will be highlighted automatically when the invoice is started depending on the setting of the Charge OK? radio button in the customers master record screen. You may change from Charge to Account to Cash on Delivery just by clicking the Cash on Delivery button, but you may not change to Charge to Account unless the Charge OK? setting in the customers master record allows it. Price Level: This field may be left blank, or you may choose from the list of six different
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price levels by clicking the down arrow button to the side of the field. Price level effects the customers cost which is the Net cost - on the invoice. Or, if your customer buys parts from you regularly, and you want to assign a special price level, open the customers master record with a single-right-click on the customers name, then single-left-click the Special tax rate or pricing? Yes button. The following screen will appear:
When the Price level is assigned at the customer master record, it will always be in effect. If it is assigned at the invoice level, it will only be in effect for that invoice. Setting a price level will cause a parts List and Net prices to differ on the Customer copy of the Over the Counter invoice. Note: Price levels are set up by Brand and/or Part Number using the Price Levels procedure in Data Tables. Reference: This field is for the customer if he has a purchase order number. Print: This button prints the invoice. Display: This button displays the invoice. Close: This button takes you through the closing process similar to the way the Active Invoices procedure does. Delete: This button allows you to delete the invoice.
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13.3
Parts Section
The Parts section is set up like a jobber invoice. Your customers cost is in the Net column. The List column is the suggested retail price. The parts actual cost to you is in a hidden column to the right. An explanation of each button and column in the Parts section follows.
13.3.1
The Buttons
Add: Single-left-click this button to activate the parts section. Once you have clicked the Add button, the quantity column will be highlighted. Delete: This button delete parts. First single-left-click the part number you wish to delete, then click on the Delete button. Receive: This button is a short cut to Receiving parts. It works identically to the Receive button in Active Invoices. See Chapter 9, section 9.4, for a complete explanation of how parts are received. Update: This button updates the display of parts detail lines. WDPrts: Currently, the Warehouse Distributor Parts button connects to a database for transmission rebuilders. Other warehouse distributor parts integrations are planned.
13.3.2
The Columns
Qty.: Enter the quantity. Part Number: Enter the part number. If the part number is recognized (that is, if you stock the part, or have ever sold it before) the remaining fields will fill in automatically. Brand: This field will normally fill in automatically, but you may change it if you wish. Unit: This column describes how the part is sold, for example, each, quart, or by the foot. As with the brand name, this information should fill in automatically. Description: This field will normally fill in automatically based upon the description you entered when the part was received through purchasing, but you may change it if you wish.
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Note: You may single-right-click the Description field to pop up the Parts Accessory Menu (described in Chapter 6, section 6.2). List: This column is the suggested list price (if your customer is planning to sell the part to someone else). This price will be the same as the Net price (described below) unless the Price Level has been set in the Over the Counter header section (described above). If the List Price and the Net price are the same, the List price column will not be printed on the Customer Copy of the invoice. Net: This column is your customers cost for the part. This amount will vary according to the Price Level setting. Following is a screen shot of the remaining columns in the Parts section. To see these columns, click on the arrow in the lower right corner of the parts section.
Cost: This column shows your cost for the part. The amount will be filled in automatically if youve previously received or stocked the part. You may change it if you wish. Accounting#: This column ordinarily remains blank, unless its been automatically assigned using Sales Accounting# number overrides set in the Vendor and Stocked Parts screens. If it is left blank, revenue from the sale of this part will default to 5020.00 (Parts Sales, Over the Counter). You may select a different account from the Chart of Accounts list by first highlighting the field with a single-left-click, then clicking the down arrow button. Vendor#: This column identifies who you bought the part from. It is filled in automatically based upon the last time the part was received. This is a protected field. Vndr Invoice#: This column identifies the vendors invoice number from the last time you purchased this part. It is filled in automatically based upon the last time the part was received. This is a protected field. Employee#: This field is filled in automatically based upon the number in the Salesperson field in the invoice header. This is a protected field. OC Invoice#: This column duplicates the invoice number for the over the counter invoice. This is done so that source records may be traced at a later date. This is a protected field.
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13.4
Totals Section
The Totals section shows running totals and gross profit percentages, as well as any payments that may have been made. Following are explanations for each field and button in the section. Parts: This field displays the Parts subtotal of the invoice. It increases automatically with each new part you enter. Discount: If you wish to discount the entire invoice, single-left-click the Discount button. The following screen will appear:
Parts Total without Discount: This is a protected field, displayed for information purposes only. Parts Total with Discount: This is an optional field. If you enter a subtotal amount into this field, GO will automatically calculate the discount amount for you. Description: Enter a description of the discount, or single-left-click the down arrow button to select a description from the discount history list. The printed invoice prefaces the description you enter with the word Discount so you dont have to write it yourself. Note: You can change the Discount history list using the Uniform procedure (accessed via: System | Data Utilities | Uniform).
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% and/or $: Enter a fixed dollar amount, a percentage, or combination of the two. The
discount can be set for a fixed dollar amount, a percentage, or a percentage with a maximum. Examples: Discount Entered 10% 10%/20 10 Results 10% of parts 10% of parts up to $20 $10 discount
Amount: This is a protected field, displayed for information purposes only. Subtotal: If no discount has been taken, the amount in the Subtotal field will be the same as the amount in the Parts field. If a discount has been taken, the amount in the Subtotal field will be the amount in the Parts field less the amount in the Discount field. Tax: Taxes initally calculate based on information in the Special Tax Rate or Pricing settings in the customers master record. You can adjust the tax rate at the invoice level by single-left-clicking the Tax button. If you do, the following screen will appear:
To change the tax rate just type in the appropriate number and click OK. You do not need to enter a percentage sign. Total: This field shows the amount of the total invoice. It is a protected field shown for information purposes only. Payments: This field will usually be blank. It will show the currently applied credit if your customer has an open credit, and you elected to have it applied at the time you created this over the counter invoice. This is a protected field shown for information purposes only.
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13.5
13.5.1
Completed Over the Counter Invoice

Customer Copy
13.5.2
Shop Copy
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Chapter 14 Scheduler
The Scheduler is a Main Menubar selection:
14.1
The Scheduler Calendar

The four-week calendar Scheduler screen is the first of three nested screens.
The Scheduler, one of three ways to view active invoices and estimates, lets you see the next four weeks at a glance. Todays date is always in the upper left hand corner. Each day looks something like this:
The T Hrs are the total technician hours scheduled for that date. The B Hrs are the total billed hours scheduled for that date.
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The T Hrs and B Hrs displayed for each day are based upon the technician and billed hour totals for the invoices and estimates scheduled for that day. Single-left-clicking a Date field on the Scheduler Calendar screen lets you start a new invoice or estimate (this is described further in section 14.2 below). Each new invoice or estimate started this way will have its Due In and Due Out dates automatically set to the date youve single-left-clicked. And, more importantly, the labor hours you put on the invoice or estimate will have their Schedule Dates set to the Due In date. The sample screen below shows an engine renewal on an estimate scheduled for 09/04/ 2003. This date was loaded automatically from the Due In date when the Labor Block was created.
As it stands in the screen shot above, the estimate will add 17.2 T Hrs and 21.5 B Hrs to the display totals shown for September 4th in the Scheduler Calendar screen. The next screen shot shows the same hours distributed across three separate days:
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As it now stands, the estimate will add 8.0 T Hrs and 9.5 B Hrs to the display totals shown in the Scheduler Calendar screen for the first two days (09/04/2003 and 09/05/ 2003), and 1.2 T Hrs and 2.5 B Hrs for the display totals shown for the third day (09/ 08/2003). For the sake of the example, suppose the customer now calls and asks to bring the car in on the 5th (a Friday) instead of the 4th. Will you have to change all three Schedule Dates? No, simply change the Due In date in the Estimate screen to the 5th, and the Schedule Dates will automatically change as well:
All the hours have been shifted one day forward on the Schedule Calendar by shifting the estimates Due In date one day forward. Note, however, that the hours originally scheduled for Friday now fall on a Saturday. Adjusting the Schedule Date of the second line corrects this:
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The hours have now been shifted to Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. Assuming that everything actually goes (more or less) according to plan, and the technician finishes the job on Tuesday morning, what happens to the T Hrs and B Hrs display totals on that day? While the technician is still clocked on to the job, the Hours screen will look like this:
As it now stands, 1.2 T Hrs and 2.5 B Hrs will still be added to the Scheduler Calendar display totals for Tuesday, September 09, 2003. Note that the Technician Hours for Friday the 5th and Monday the 8th now reflect the actual amount of time spent by the technician on those days rather than the 8 hours that was originally proposed for each day. When the technician completes the job on Tuesday morning, the hours screen will change to look like this:
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Note that the Technician Hours for Tuesday the 9th are no longer the 1.2 hours originally proposed, but now the 3.92 hours that it actually took to finish the job. The T Hrs and B Hrs display totals for Tuesday will no longer include the Technician Hours and Billed Hours for this estimate because the Actual/Proposed column has been set to A (for actual) instead of P (for proposed). The switch from P to A is done automatically by GOs Timeclock procedure (described in the next chapter). You can manually change the Actual/Proposed status by single-left-clicking the fields down arrow button. Please Remember: The scheduler bases its display totals upon the status of the Actual/Proposed field. This status is automatically set to P when the labor is added to the invoice or estimate, it must be changed to A either automatically by GOs Timeclock procedure, or manually by the service advisor before it will no longer be included in the display totals. This holds true for the T Hrs and B Hrs shown for each day, and for the Carryover Hours shown at the bottom of the screen. The Schedule Note helps you remember important facts about a particular day on the schedule: doctors appointments, training, holidays, birthdays, etc. Each Note can be up to 60 characters long. Scheduler Notes can be viewed and modified from three places: The Scheduler screen, where the first portion of the note is displayed in a small text box just beneath the date. Use this screen when you want to put notes in for the entire month (e.g. training schedule). The Scheduler Invoice and Estimate Selection screen, where the full note is visible at the bottom of the screen. Use this screen when you have a lengthy note for a single day. From Scheduler Notes in Data Tables. Use this procedure when you want to add a note thats far in the future, or when you want to browse or report Notes. To modify the Note from within the Scheduler, first put the attention on the text field by single-left-clicking the text field when the cursor is in the text editor (I-beam) shape. Then type in the Note. To erase the Note, put the attention on the text field as before, single-right-click to highlight the Note, then press the Delete key. Scheduler notes are automatically deleted by GOs housekeeping procedure once they are older than the current system date. The Carryover Hours shown at the bottom of the screen are the total Technician Hours and Billed Hours for all the invoice and estimate hour detail lines that have their Schedule Dates set to any day thats older than the current date, and their Actual/Proposed status set to P (or left blank) instead of A. Note: You can remove the hours on an old estimate from the Carryover totals by changing its Due In date to a future date.
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14.2
Scheduler Selection Screen

The Scheduler Invoice and Estimate Selection screen appears when you single-left-click on a Date in the Scheduler screen. It is the second of three nested screens. An example of this screen is shown below.
Single-left-clicking on today (in the upper left corner) displays the Scheduler Selection screen with all currently active invoices and estimates. Single-left-clicking on days 2 through 27 will display a Scheduler Selection screen for all the invoices and estimates that have at least one labor charge line scheduled for the selected date. Single-left-clicking Future will display everything thats scheduled more than 27 days out. Remember: If an invoice or estimate has labor charge lines scheduled on different days, it will appear on the Scheduler Selection screen for each of those days. If no invoices or estimates are scheduled for that day, you will see this prompt:
An invoice or estimate started from within the Scheduler will automatically be scheduled for the Date youve selected. You can change the scheduled date by left-clicking the Due In/Out button on the Active Invoice modification screen. Note: Changing the Due In date automatically changes the Labor Hour Schedule Dates by the same number of days.
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The fields at the top of the Scheduler Selection screen are the same ones shown in the Active Invoice Selection screen, theyre simply shown in a different order. You navigate this screen, select and modify invoices, exactly as you would in the Active Invoices procedure. The functions of all but one of the buttons across the bottom of the screen are similar to those in the Active Invoice Selection screen.
Assign screen.
A single-left-click of this button displays the Scheduler Review/
14.3
Scheduler Review/Assign Screen

The Scheduler Review/Assign screen is the third of three nested screens. It is reached by single-left-clicking the Review/Assign button in the Scheduler Invoice and Estimate Selection screen. This screen displays every labor charge line scheduled for the selected date, and lets you assign the technician and the priority of each one. The lines are sorted first by Priority, then by Technician, then by Invoice. If priorities and technicians have not been assigned, the screen will look like this:
Once the priorities and technicians have been assigned, the screen will look like the example on the following page:
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Note that the total Tech and Billed hours are displayed for the assigned technician as the cursor visits each line. Single-left-click the Refresh button to re-sort and re-display the screen as you make your changes. Single-left-click one of the Print Options buttons to print a scheduler dispatch sheet.
14.4
Scheduler Dispatch Sheet

The Scheduler Dispatch Sheet is a report printed by single-left-clicking one of the Print Options radio buttons in the Scheduler Review/Assign screen. It shows the labor operations to be performed during the day, and the order you wish to have them done in. An example of the Dispatch Sheet is shown below.
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Chapter 15 Timeclock
Timeclock is a Main Menu procedure that enables technicians to clock on and off jobs, and both technicians and support staff to clock in and out during the day.
The timeclock procedure can greatly improve the efficiency of your shop, but using it may require that you change your way of doing things. The technician must have easy access to a workstation, and the service advisor should pre-write the invoice or estimate. If the workstation is too far away, the technician will waste time getting to it. If the invoice or estimate isn't started, the technician won't have anything to clock on to (although there is a provision for this occurrence, it should be avoided whenever possible).
15.1
Getting Started
It's best to start an invoice or estimate as soon as you schedule the job. Even though, in many cases, you aren't sure what needs to be done until you see the vehicle, you should start an invoice or estimate, and add a single labor block describing the customer's concerns and requests. This will fulfill the requirement of giving the technician something to clock on to. More labor blocks may be added, or the existing labor block modified, once the problems causing the concerns are diagnosed.
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The first step in the Timeclock procedure is selecting your name from the pop-up list. You may do so using either of the following methods: 1.) 2.) Single-left-click your name, then single-left-click the "OK" button. Use the arrow keys to highlight your name and press the <ENTER> key.
Note: Single-left-clicking the "Number/Name" radio buttons causes the pop-up list to be presented either in alphabetical order by name, or numerical order by employee number. The second step is telling GO what you plan to do next. (It remembers what you were doing previously.
Select Labor Block if you wish to clock onto a particular portion of an invoice or estimate, and have GO automatically calculate and assign the elapsed time to the Technician Hours for that labor block. Note: This is the recommended way for technicians to clock on to a job. It is more accurate and it reduces the load on the service advisor. Select Invoice Only if you wish to clock onto an invoice or estimate, and have the service advisor manually assign the elapsed time to the Technician Hours across all the labor blocks within the invoice or estimate. Select E-Time if you wish to clock on to a non-repair activity, if you plan to clock off for the day, or if the invoice or estimate is not yet started. Select Cancel if you wish to exit the timeclock procedure without making any selections or changes. GO responds differently to these choices depending upon whether you are clocking on or clocking off a task. The flow for each of the four choices is explained on the following pages.
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15.2
Invoice Only Clocking On

A list of all the Active Invoices and Estimates pops up:
You may select an invoice or estimate using any of the following methods: 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) Single-right-click the Customer Name or Synopsis on the invoice or estimate of your choice. Single-left-click your choice, then single-left click the "OK" button. Press the "up" or "down" arrow keys to highlight your choice, then press the <Enter> key. Press the "up" or "down" arrow to highlight your choice, then single-left-click the "OK" button.
If the job you plan to work on is not yet in the list, single-left-click the "Cancel" button, then start over, selecting "E-Time" instead of "Invoice Only." E-Time "E-00" is specifically designed to allow you to tell the Timeclock that you are working on a vehicle, but that the invoice or estimate hasn't been started yet. If E-00 is selected, you will be able to assign the proper invoice or estimate the next time you clock off or on. Once youve selected the invoice, the timeclock screen disappears, and youre on the clock. At the same time, the Active Invoices Selection screen will display your name in the Status field (the first column) for the invoice or estimate youve clocked on to.
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15.3
Invoice Only Clocking Off

First, the "What's Next" menu pops up:
Single-left-click the button that corresponds to what you plan to do next. A dialog containing a "New Status" list will then pop up:
Make your selection from this list according to the instructions given on the screen. Your choice from this list will replace your name in the Status column of the invoice or estimate in the Active Invoices Selection screen. Note: The selections in this list are user-defined. You add to this list by typing a new status into the "Status" column in the Active Invoices selection screen. You may also manage the contents of the Status value pop-up list with the Uniform procedure in the System menu. Once you have informed GO of the new status, the cycle repeats based upon your selection in the "What's Next?" menu.
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15.4
Labor Block Clocking On

This choice works just like "Invoice Only -- Clocking On" described above, except you are able to clock on to a specific labor block within the invoice or estimate you select. If the invoice or estimate has only one labor block, you can go to work as soon as you've selected the invoice or estimate. If there is more than one labor block on the invoice or estimate you select, you will be asked to select which labor block you intend to work on from a pop-up list:
Once you've made your selection from the list according to the instructions on the screen, you're "on the clock."
15.5
Labor Block Clocking Off

This choice works just like "Invoice Only -- Clocking Off" described above with two exceptions: First, if your "What's Next" selection is once again "Labor Block," you'll be asked if you want to clock on to a labor block on the same invoice you've just clocked off of, or on to a labor block on a different invoice:
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Second, you'll be able to open the labor description on the block you've just clocked off of, and type your note directly onto the invoice or estimate. If you select Same Invoice, you'll see this message:
If you select Other Invoice, you'll see the "Select New Status" dialog described in the "Invoice Only -- Clocking Off" section above:
If you single-left-click the "Labor Description" in this dialog, or single-left-click the "Yes" button in the "Do you want to edit ..." dialog, the labor description memo field will pop open:
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Note: If you are unsure about how to modify a memo field, refer to Help. Use the search option and look for memo field. Once you've closed the memo field window, you'll see this screen:
Single-left-click the "OK" button to continue, or single-left-click the "down arrow" button next to the memo field to pop the memo window open once again. Once you have closed this screen, the time elapsed since first clocking on to the labor block will automatically be written to the associated invoice or estimate. Note: If the elapsed time would create an efficiency of over 250%, GO assigns the labor charge at 100% efficiency, and rolls over the remaining balance of the Billed Hours into a new line. This is done to correct for mistaken punches, and punches where the job is stopped immediately after it's started due to wrong parts or other problems.
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From here, the cycle repeats based upon your selection in the "What's Next?" menu.
15.6
E-Time Clocking On
A list of E-Times pops up:
You may select from the list using either of these methods: 1.) 2.) 3.) Single-right-click your selection. Single-left-click your selection, then single-left-click the "OK" button. Use the arrow keys to highlight your selection and press the <ENTER> key.
E-01 through E-12 are user-definable in the Expense Codes section of the Data Tables procedure. E-00 enables you to clock on to a job that hasn't yet had an invoice or estimate started for it. If you select this option, you'll see the following prompt the next time you open the timeclock under your name:
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If you select "Yes," you'll see this prompt:
The flow from here corresponds, depending upon your choice, to "Labor Block -- Clocking On," or "Invoice Only -- Clocking On" described in the sections above. E-14 notifies GO that you've clocked off for the day. You'll have the option of displaying your timecard for the day:
If you select "Yes" from this prompt, your timecard for the day will be displayed. You may print the timecard once it's displayed by single-left-clicking the "Print" icon on the GO toolbar. An example of a printed timecard is on the following page.
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15.7
E-Time Clocking Off

Clocking off of E-Time is simply a matter of making your selection from the "What's Next?" menu.
15.8
Timeclock Utilities
The Daily Summary screen contains a "Today's Timecards" button that lets you print, display, and make corrections to timecards. You may also add, change, delete, browse, and report timeclock records in the "Timecards" portion of the Data Tables procedure. If an employee forgets to clock off for the day, or if business hours span past midnight, GO will present this prompt when it's opened the next day:
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Selecting Employee Is Still At Work will end the previous day's timecard at midnight, and start a new timecard for the current day. If the technician was clocked on to an invoice or estimate at the labor block level, the elapsed time will be assigned accordingly. Selecting Edit Timecard Record will present the timecard in an edit screen so you may add the E-14 punch at the appropriate time. Selecting Skip It For Now will add an E-14 timepunch to the end of the timecard, but leaves the time punch blank. If you select this option you'll need to correct the timecard later using either the Daily Summary or Data Tables procedures.
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Book Four The Banking Module
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Chapter 16 Banking
Banking is a selection in the Management drop down menu. First click on Management in the Main Menubar:
Then choose #10 - Banking:
Alternatively, you may select Data Tables from the Main Menubar and find each of the four Banking menu choices listed separately. Either route takes you to the same data fields. Use the method that works best for you.
16.1
Bank Account Names

Bank Account Names keeps track of how many bank accounts you use, the type of each account (checking or savings), and other facts and figures associated with each account. You must create a Bank Account Name record before you can start to use the Checking or Savings procedures. The Bank Account Names procedure lets you add new records, as well as modify, delete, and report them once theyre created:
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16.1.1
Add To
To add a new bank account record, single-left-click the Add button. A blank Bank Account Master Record will appear.
Account Number: Fill in the bank account number. Post Activity to General Ledger: This box should usually be checked. This will allow all activity in the account to be processed by the Post Activity procedure (in the Accounting menu) and subsequently become a part of the Trial Balance, Income Statement, and Balance Sheet. You should clear the checkmark (single-left-click it) if, for example, this account is a personal checking account, and you do not wish to have its activity go to the general ledger. Account Name: Enter a name that will help you pick this account from a list (e.g. First National business checking). Account Type: This is a pop up choice. Choose either Checking or Savings. Check Blank Top Margin: This field is used by the Write Checks procedure; ignore it if youre entering Savings account information. It sets the number of lines the printer will automatically add to the top margin on of each check that is printed. Top margin settings differ from one printer model to the next. This field adjusts the spacing of everything that prints on the check.
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GO uses standard multipurpose 8 x 11" one-part laser check blanks with the check itself at the top, and two vouchers beneath:
Note: You can purchase this style of check blank from office supply stores such as Office Depot (Product # L-MP12B the B is for blue), or on the Internet from suppliers such as Deluxe Forms (www.deluxeforms.com Multi Purpose Checks #81064) and McBee Systems (www.mcbeesystems.com Laser Checks #MLT 104-1).
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Voucher #1 Top Margin: This field adjusts the top margin of the first voucher the middle section of the check blank. It adjusts the spacing of everything thats printed after the check itself is printed. The allowable range is 0 to 9. Voucher #2 Top Margin: This field adjusts the top margin of the second voucher the bottom section of the check blank. It adjusts the spacing of everything thats printed after the first voucher is printed. The allowable range is 0 to 9. Note: If you find you need to adjust with the printing margins, start with the Top Margin, try a test page (you can use blank paper and hold it up to a light over a check blank), then adjust the margins for Voucher #1, then Voucher #2 as needed. Most laser printers limit the print window to something between 60 and 66 lines. If you adjust the margins towards their highest values, you may cause the printing to spill over to a second page. Beginning Balance: If this is an existing account, enter the balance that you started the day with for the day for which you wish to start recording activity. If this is a new account, enter a zero in this field. Withdrawal Acct #: This field tells the Post Activity procedure which accounting number (from the Chart of Accounts) to credit withdrawals to when it posts the bank accounts activity to the general ledger. If this is a checking account, the default accounting number is 1020.00 (Cash in Bank, Checking). If its a savings account, the default accounting number is 1030.00 (Cash in Bank, Savings). You may enter a different accounting number in this field if you wish. For example, if you have a separate checking account for paychecks, you could enter accounting number 1024.00 (Cash in Bank, Payroll Account). Deposit Acct #: This field serves the same function for deposits as the Withdrawal Acct# field does for withdrawals. Its value is normally 1010.00 (Cash on Hand) because Post Activity automatically debits all sales and miscellaneous income to this accounting number. Note: When in the ADD portion of Bank Account Names the Sort, Filter, and Delete Buttons, as well as the VCR Buttons, are not available.
16.1.2
Change
Selecting the Change button pops up the Bank Account Look-Up screen:
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Enter the Account Number, or part of the Account Name, or use one of the down arrow buttons to select from a pop-up list, then single-left-click the Find button. Alternatively, you may single-left-click the Select All Button at the bottom of the screen, then use the VCR Buttons on the Bank Account Master Record Screen to move from one master record to the next.
Once you have selected the master record, highlight the field that needs to be changed, then type in the correction. If you Change: Account Type: A message screen will appear if there has been any activity on this account.
Beginning Balance: If you change the value in this field, the line balances of all the associated checking or savings records will be recalculated forward based on the new beginning balance, and the Current Balance will be changed to match. Current Balance: If you change the value in this field, the line balances of all the associated checking or savings records will be recalculated backward based on the new current balance, and the Beginning Balance will be changed to match. Note: The Delete Button is dimmed when Change has been selected from the Bank Account Names menu. Delete is described below.
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16.1.3
Delete
To delete a bank account record you will first use the lookup screen, as with the Change procedure, to select the correct account (assuming you have more than one account). Youll receive a message similar to the one shown below if the Bank Account Name record youve selected to delete has any Checking or Savings activity associated with it.
16.1.4
Browse
The Browse procedure allows you to look at all of the Bank Account Master Records, but not modify or delete them.
16.1.5
Report
The Report procedure prints or displays any or all of your bank accounts records, showing beginning and current balances, bank account number and name, etc.
16.2
Checking
The Checking Accounts screen gives you access to all checking activities. There are seven checking procedure buttons on the right and four housekeeping buttons across the bottom of the screen:
As it states on this screen, first highlight the checking account you want to work in, then single-left-click one of the buttons. An explanation of the housekeeping buttons follows:
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Inspect Sequence: This button is a shortcut. (It can also be reached from the Main menu via System, then Data Utilities, then #4 - Inspect Sequence.) It is a procedure that reports missing checks. The missing check numbers are bracketed by the checks before and after the broken sequence. The report looks like this:
Change Employees: This is a shortcut to the Employee Master Record screen. (It is usually reached from the Main menu via Data Tables, then Employees.) This shortcut is helpful if youre writing a paycheck and find you need to view or modify an employees record.
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Payroll Settings: This screen records federal tax ID and payroll deduction information. You should review it annually, and adjust the values as needed to reflect current federal employment tax regulations.
Note: Federal withholding tables, while included in GOs payroll procedures, are not user-definable. They are updated whenever needed as part of your annual update and support fees. Set Top Margin: This is a shortcut to the Bank Account Master Record screen. Please see the description of Check Blank Top Margin, Voucher #1 Top Margin, and Voucher #2 Top Margin in section 16.1.1 above for further explanation.
16.2.1
Write Checks - All Transaction Types
Choose Write Checks if you wish to have GO print your checks. Everything you enter in the Write Checks procedure is added automatically to the check register (described in section 16.2.4 - Add To Checks, below). Single-left-clicking the Write Checks button presents the following screen:
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The Debit, Credit, Line Balance, and Current Balance fields at the top of the screen are display fields only. They change automatically as you write your check. Check #: This field is highlighted when you enter the screen. Verify that the check number is correct, then press the Enter key (or single-left-click OK) to move to the next field. If the number is not correct, just change it. The numbers for future checks will increment sequentially. Type: This field pops up a Transaction Type menu. Single-left-click your choice, or select it using the up or down arrows on the keyboard then pressing Enter.
Transaction Types are: Business Expense - any expense associated with your business that hasnt already been recorded as a payable by the Receive Parts or Purchase Order procedures, or any other procedure that records purchases. This choice is the one youll use most often. Paycheck - writes company paychecks. This is an alternate way to enter the Paycheck section (see section 16.3 for complete Payroll writing information). Accounts Payable - any expense that has already been received as a payable. The check
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will be written against Acct #3010. (accounts payable). The payees address will be printed on the second voucher for easy mailing in a window envelope. Customer Refund - writes a check to a customer with a credit balance. The customers address will print on the second voucher. Personal Expense - handles all personal expenses if you have your personal checking account running on GO. ACCT: The Account field follows automatically once you choose the transaction type. The following two screens will pop up together:
Scroll through the accounts in the lower window until you find the one you want, then select it with a single-right-click (or highlight it with a single-left-click, then select the OK button). Note: If you prefer to use the keyboard, register the list to the account of your choice by typing the beginning numbers of the account, using the up or down arrow keys if needed, then pressing the Enter key. Select the header accounts (i.e. the ones ending in 000.00) if the account you want to use isnt in the list. You may also cancel out of the list and select the Add New Account button if you need to add an account. (Once youve added an account, it will automatically appear in the chart of accounts list thereafter.) Once you make your selection, the chart of accounts list will disappear. The top screen will then display the account youve selected, ask for verification. Single-left-click the OK button to accept the account, or single-left-click the Reselect button to display the chart of accounts list again. Date: This field automatically pops up a calendar screen set to the current date. Press Enter or click OK to accept the current date, or select a date of your choice from the calendar screen.
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Pay To The Order Of , Amount and Memo: Fill these fields in as you would for any check. Once youve entered the amount, the script describing it fills in automatically:
When the check reads as you want it to, press the Enter key or single-left-click the OK button. GO will then take you to the next blank check. Note: Use the VCR buttons in the lower left hand corner of the screen to move back and forth between checks you are writing in the same session.
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If this is the last check you wish to write in this session, single-left-click the Cancel button, or press the Escape key.
16.2.2
Write Checks - Print Checks
When you have finished filling out check forms and have clicked the Cancel button (or pressed the Escape key), the verification screen appears. If everything is correct, load your checks in the printer, then either press the Enter key, or single-left-click the Print button, to print them.
If you need to make changes before printing, highlight the check you wish to change, then single-left-click the Modify button. You will be returned to the Write Checks screen to make the changes, then be returned to the Write Checks Verification screen. If you change your mind and do not want to print a check, highlight it, then single-leftclick the Delete button. Youll be asked to verify the deletion before its completed. Note: Set the Amount field to zero to use Write Checks to print a blank check for those times when you dont yet know the amount, but want to have a check ready for an expected purchase. Once youve written the check, you can use the Add To or Change procedures to enter the correct amount.
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16.2.3
Write Checks - Multiple Distribution
If you are writing a check to one entity, but want to distribute it between two or more account numbers, first fill out the check screen fields, as previously described, through the Pay to the Order of field using one of the account numbers that you plan to distribute to. Then, single-left-click the MultDist Button:
Once the MultDist button is activated, the next screen appears:
You fill in Description, Account, and Amount fields. The other fields are automatically generated each time you click the OK button. When you have made all of the distributions, and are on a new line, single-left-click the Cancel button (or press the Escape key). You will be returned to the Write Checks screen, ready to write a new check. Printing a check that has been distributed between multiple accounts works just the same as printing single account checks as described in part 16.2.2.
16.2.4
Add to Checks
The Add to Checks procedure is the check register procedure. It lists all of the checking accounts activity including line item balances in chronological order. You can use it to enter checks that youve written by hand, and to enter withdrawals that didnt use a check. It is the only way to enter checking deposits, and an alternate way to change and delete previous checking account entries.
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When you click on Add to Checks, the first screen will show the calendar with todays date. Either accept the date or choose another one if the check was written previously.
After the date has been accepted, the calendar will go away leaving the Checking Master Records screen with the Transaction Type screen on top of it.
The transaction types are the same as explained in section 16.2.1 with two additions: Other Withdrawal Choose this button to account for any expense that was withdrawn from the account without writing a check. For example, bank service charges, credit card merchant fees, transfer of funds from one account to another, automatic bill paying, payroll service distributions, etc. Deposit - Choose this button to record all deposits. When the Transaction Type has been chosen, the Date and Type columns will be filled in.
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If youve selected one of the Check Transaction Types, the next expected check number will already be filled in and highlighted in the Check# column. Accept it by pressing the Enter key, or change it to the number of the check you have written. If the number is out of sequence, it will be put into the correct sequence once you select the Update or OK button. The remaining columns in the Checking Master Records screen are: Paid To - Fill in who the check was written to. Account - Choose the account number the check will be written against. Description - What the check was written for. Cleared - Whether or not the check has cleared. This field is best addressed using the Balance Checking procedure (described below in section 16.2.9), but you may press any letter key on the keyboard to place an X in this field if the check has cleared. Amount - Amount of check. Line Balance - Shows the remaining balance in the checking account after deducting (or adding in the case of deposits) the amount of the withdrawal. Transaction # - This is a unique number assigned after posting in Accounting. Note: The Line Balance and the Transaction # columns only show when the screen has been scrolled to the right using the arrow at the bottom right corner of the screen just above the OK button. There are four fields at the top of the Checking Master Records screen that fill in automatically as you add the check information in the fields listed above.
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Debit Account - The account the check is being written for. Credit Account - The account the money for the check is coming from. Line Balance - The account balance as of the particular check line the cursor is on. Current Account Balance - The actual account balance taking all activity into consideration. The remaining buttons on the Checking Master Records are along the lower edge of the screen.
Pop-up Options - Pops up a scrolling list, or not depending on which radio button is set when you are in the Paid To field, of all the companies and people youve previously written a check to. You may select a name with a single-right-click to automatically transfer it to the Amount and Paid To fields, or the Paid To field only. Cr Acct - Allows you to change the credit account number. MultDist - Allows you to distribute one check to several accounts. This works in the same way as Write Checks - Multiple Distribution (see section 16.2.3). The rule is to fill in the Paid to field and the Account field with the first account number you will distribute to. Then click the MultDist button to continue the distribution. Add - Allows you to add a new checking record. Delete - Allows you to delete a checking record. Update - Recalculates the current account balance and puts all checks in sequence after you are finished adding checks. Cancel - Click this button (or press the Escape key) when you are on a new line and wish to leave Add to Checks.
16.2.5
Change Checks
Change Checks allows you to change any field on a check that is not within a closed or protected accounting period. (See Chapter 17 - Accounting for a description of how to protect and close a period.) To change a check, fill in at least one of the fields in the Checking Look-up screen, then press the Enter key or single-left-click the Find button.
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If, for example, you fill in only the Date field, then all of the checks you wrote on that date will be presented for update, as shown in the example below. Make your changes then single-left-click the OK button.
16.2.6
Delete Checks
Delete Checks works just like Change Checks. You are first shown the Checking Look-up screen, then depending on how you made your selection, you will be shown one or more check master records. Highlight the check you wish to delete, then single-left-click the Delete button. Note: Alternatively, you may both Change and Delete checks from the Add To Checks screen.
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16.2.7
Browse Checks
Just as with Change or Delete checks, you will first be shown the Checking Look-up screen. You can be as specific or as general as you want or need to be. When you have filled in the fields that will give you eithr a single check or a collection of checks, singleleft-click the Find button. The Checking Master Records screen will appear with the check(s) you have chosen. In Browse Checks, you may look at any check, but to change or delete a check you must go to the specific procedure via the Checking Accounts screen.
16.2.8
Report Checks
Report Checks is a procedure that allows you to display or print a report of checks using whatever selection criteria you choose. As in the previous three sections, the first screen youll see when you choose Report Checks is the Checking Look-up screen.
If, for example, you enter a single day in the Date field, then press the Enter key or click the Find button, youll end up with a report of all checks written on that day. Or, if you enter a specific Debit account number, but no date, then the report will include all checks ever written to that account number. If you enter both a date and an accounting number, the report will include all the checks written to that accounting number on that date. How specific or broad the report is depends upon your choices. Once you have a collection of checks to report you will be asked if you want to refine (combine current collection with another collection), display, or print them.
Then you will be asked how you want the collection sorted.
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Here is an example of a Checking Report for all checks written on June 6, 2003.
16.2.9
Checking - Balance Checking
The Balance Checking procedure reconciles your bank statement with your checking account register in GO. The first step is to enter the bank statements ending date. A calendar will appear with the last day of the preceding month highlighted.
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Either accept this date or, if it doesnt match your bank statement, choose the date that does. The date will be remembered on the following screens. Next, enter the ending balance according to the bank statement.
You will see the next screen only if you have unreconciled check register entries that are at least six months older than the bank statement date.
If you see this message choose Yes if you know the checks have cleared the bank and you dont want to check them off individually. Choose No if you are unsure and want to verify each check. The next screen is interactive. As you compare your bank statement to the screen and check off reconciled checks and deposits, the numbers below change.
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To reconcile a transaction, simply strike any key on the keyboard. An X will appear and the numbers below will alter. When you have reconciled every transaction that is on the bank statement, with luck, you will see the screen looking something like the following screen. Only unreconciled entries and the final reconciled entry in the batch show.
If, as in the screen above, the box in the middle is 0 then the bank statement and the check register are in complete agreement. If youve reconciled every transaction you can between the bank statement and your check register, yet the middle box doesnt read zero, some adjustments need to be made.
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Choose the Add button if the bank shows transactions that are not in your check register. This is a short cut to the Add To Checks screen discussed in 16.2.4. Just add the check or deposit or other withdrawal making sure the date is correct. When the screen is updated it will insert the transaction into the correct chronological sequence. Then remember to reconcile the transaction by entering the X. Choose the Change button if you need to change the amount of a check or deposit due to a typing error. This will also take you to the Checking Master Records and show all checks that have not yet been reconciled. The Print button will print out a statement of reconciliation as shown next:
16.3
Paychecks
The Paychecks screen has all of the same functionality as the Checking Accounts screen described in section 16.2 with two differences: Paychecks are the only type of check dealt with in this section, and the Balance Checking button is not operational from this section.
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16.3.1
Write Paychecks
To write a paycheck, first make sure the correct check account is highlighted if you have more than one checking account. Then, single-left-click the Write Checks button. A regular check screen will appear with the check number highlighted.
Accept the check number by either pressing the Enter key on the keyboard or by singleleft-clicking the OK button. If you need to change the check number just overwrite the existing number, then press Enter or click the OK button. Next you will be shown a screen with a list of employees:
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All current employees will be shown. Highlight your choice then press Enter or single-leftclick the OK button. If this is the first time you have written a paycheck for this employee, you will first be asked to decide what account number will be debited (i.e. #6110 = Wages, Direct Labor, #7520 = Salaries, Owners/Officers, #7490 = Salaries, Maintenance, etc.). Note: Once you have written the employee one paycheck, GO will remember the account number for future paychecks. In fact, when future paychecks are written, the Master Paycheck screen will initially show all of the fields filled in as they were for the most recently written paycheck. You will also be shown a calendar with the current date on it. If the current date is the date you want on the check, accept it. If you want the check to reflect another date, change it using the calendar buttons. Next, you will be presented with the Paycheck Master Record:
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The tax fields will calculate, in part, according to how the Employees Master Record has been filled in. Wage basis and types of deductions will determine which fields you fill in for each employee. Therefore, it is very important that the Employees information is correct. Following, is a screen shot of employee Benny Smiths Employee Master Record.
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An explanation of the fields in the Paycheck Master Record screen follows: Pay Period: Single-left-click the down arrow button on either the Start Date field or the End Date field to pop up a calendar. Select the date range using the calendar screen, then single-left-click the OK button, and the fields will be filled in. Hours: Fill in all of the Hours fields that relate to the employee. If he is being paid by the hour (either Tech or Billed), the gross wages field will be filled in as soon as the hours are entered. Vacation, Holiday, and Other Hours all have note fields associated with them but filling them in is not required. Gross Wages: This field will fill in automatically if you enter any number into the various Hours fields based upon the values of the Wage Bais and Wage fields in the Employee Master record screen. But you may override the gross wage and enter a different amount if you wish. Or, you may enter a gross wage without entering any hours. GO automatically calculates the tax deduction amounts based, in part, on the amount you enter into this field. Tax decuctions described below. Social Security: The amount in this field is generated automatically based on the gross wage amount and the setting in the Social Security Rate field in the Payroll Settings screen (described above in section 16.2). You may change it if needed. The Post Activity procedure automatically posts both the employees and employers share of this field to accounting number 3220.00 Social Security Taxes Payable. Medicare: As with Social Security, the amount in this field is generated automatically based on gross wages and the setting in the Medicare Rate field in the Payroll Settings screen (described above in section 16.2). You may change it if needed. The Post Activity procedure automatically posts both the employees and employers share of this field to accounting number 3230.00 Medicare Taxes Payable.
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Federal Wthd: The amount in this field is generated automatically based on gross wages, the setting of the Payroll Period field in the Payroll Settings screen, the values of the Marital Status, Exemptions, and Extra Withholding fields in the employees Master Record screen, and the current years Circular E withholding formulas. The Post Activity procedure automatically posts the amount of this field to accounting number 3210.00 Federal Withholding Payable. Note: The Social Security, Medicare, and Federal Withholding fields will also change if you take pre tax deductions in the Other Deductions area. State Wthd: This field does not automatically fill in because the requirements differ by state. Whatever value you enter in this field will carry forward as the default value in subsequent paychecks until you change it. The Post Activity procedure automatically posts the amount of this field to accounting number 3240.00 State Withholding Payable. Insurance and Retirement: The Post Activity Procedure automatically posts the amounts entered in thse two fields to accounts 3380.00 Employee Retirement Payable, and 3390.00 Employee Insurance Payable, respectively. Use these deductions only if they are subject to all federal taxes, otherwise, use the Other Deduction lines. Other Deductions: Fill in these lines as follows: First enter the amount of the deduction; then enter the account number either by typing it in, or by clicking on the down arrow button and scrolling to the account number of your choice then make your selections from the following screen: Then, the following screen will appear:
The amount of the deduction will be printed at the top of the screen. You must click the appropriate circles and boxes: If the deduction is subject to all federal taxes click the top circle. If the deduction is exempt from all federal taxes click the 2nd circle. If the deduction is exempt from some of the federal taxes click the 3rd circle and mark the boxes that apply. Following is the paycheck master record after all amounts have been filled in.
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When you are satisfied with all the fields in the Paycheck Master Record click the OK button. A screen of the check itself will appear.
Note: You may return to the Paycheck Master Record screen by single-leftclicking the Amount field.
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If you want to write more paychecks press Enter or click OK. A blank check will appear and the process starts over. Once you have finished writing all of the paychecks, press the Escape key, or single-leftclick the Cancel button, once a new blank check screen appears. The verification screen will appear. Press the Enter key to print the check, or single-left-click the Delete or Modify buttons if youve changed your mind and wish to delete or change the check.
Below is an example of the voucher portion of a printed employee paycheck.
16.3.2
Add to Checks (Paychecks)
Choose Add to Checks (from the Checking Accounts - Paychecks screen) when you have hand written a paycheck but want your checking account register to accurately reflect all checks written against the account. When you click on Add to Checks, the first screen will show the calendar with todays date. Either accept the date or choose another. This will show on the paycheck as the date the check was written. Once the date has been chosen, the calendar goes away leaving a screen with a list of current employees. Choose an employee by highlighting the name then either single-leftclicking the OK button, or pressing the Enter key.
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A Paycheck Master Record for the employee will display next:
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The employees new Paycheck Master Record carries over the values you entered the last time you wrote a paycheck written for the employee. If this paycheck is exactly the same, you only have to change the pay period dates and click the OK button. If the values have changed, single-left-click the field(s) that have changed, then enter the correct amount(s). For a complete explanation of the Paycheck Master Record please read section 16.3.1. Note: When you enter data into Hours fields, a Gross Wage will be calculated according to information filled out in the Employee Master Record. The Gross Wage can be altered to any amount regardless of the Hours fields. Social Security, Medicare, and Federal Withholding are calculated (and recalculated) automatically each time the Gross Wage field is filled in with a new amount or a deduction is added that is exempt from taxes. When the Paycheck Master Record has been filled in to your satisfaction, single-left-click the OK button. The next screen to appear will be the Checking Account Register. The Paycheck that youve just added will been added to the bottom line of the list. The cursor will be on the description line. If you wish to change the information you may do so, otherwise simply accept it by pressing the Enter key on the keyboard once for the Description field, and once for the Cleared field, then youre done.
Note: You may return to the Paycheck Master Record screen by single-leftclicking the Amount field. When you are done adding paychecks, and on a new blank line, single-left-click the Cancel button.
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16.3.3
Change Checks (Paychecks)
Change Checks (Paychecks) allows you to change any field on a check that is not within a closed or protected accounting period. (See Chapter 17 - Accounting for a description of how to protect and close a period.) To change a check, fill in at least one of the fields in the Checking Look-up screen, then press the Enter key or single-left-click the Find button.
The Checking Master Record will display. If you enter only the employee number, all of that employees paychecks will be listed.
Choose the one to be changed by highlighting it with a single-left click. Then display the Paycheck Master Record screen either by single-left-clicking the Amount field, or by pressing the Enter key on the keyboard until the cursor enters the Amount field.
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Make changes by highlighting the field(s) and entering a new amount.
16.3.4
Delete Checks (Paychecks)
To delete a paycheck - which can be done only if the paycheck is not in a protected or closed period - fill in enough information on the Paycheck look-up screen to find the correct paycheck, then press the Enter key or single-left-click the Find button.
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The following screen is the result of selecting Employee #24, Benny Smith, and then clicking the Find button. It shows all of the paychecks written to Benny Smith.
Highlight the paycheck that you want to delete, then single-left-click the Delete button. A message screen will pop up:
Single-left-click the Yes button to delete the paycheck.
16.3.5
Browse Checks (Paychecks)
The process for browsing a paycheck is exactly the same as for Changing or Deleting a paycheck. First, using the Paycheck Look-up screen, get a collection of checks. Second, from the first collection, find the exact check you want to look at. Third, highlight the specific check, then press enter until the cursor reaches the Amount field and the Paycheck Master Record will appear. Note: Browse Checks only allows you to look at check details. To Add, Change, or Delete, you must go to the specified procedure.
16.3.6
Report Checks (Paychecks)
To report paychecks, once again the collection of paychecks to report will depend on how you fill in the fields of the Paycheck Look-up screen.
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This will be a collection of all paychecks written to employee #24, Benny Smith. When the data is collected, this message appears and gives you the opportunity to Refine, Display, or Print.
Once you decide to display or print, choose what you want included in the report.
The following is an example of a payroll report that includes all of the paychecks ever written to Benny Smith. This report includes both Hours and Deductions details.
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16.4
Savings
The Savings Accounts screen functions the same as the Checking Accounts screen. To Add, Change, Delete, Browse, Report, or Balance Savings first make sure the correct savings account is highlighted, then single-left-click the button on the right for the procedure of your choice.
To review how these procedures work, refer to section 16.2 Checking.
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Book Five The Accounting Module
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Chapter 17 Accounting
17.1 Overview of GOs Accounting Functions
GO is designed to track every penny that flows into and out of your business. You do this by using in their various forms the procedures Active Invoices, Receive Parts, Daily Summary, Close Payables, Checking, and Savings. Each day, as you use GO to create customer invoices and pay your bills, you create source records. These records may then be processed by the Post Activity procedure into General Ledger debits and credits. The General Ledger procedure then lets you enter new debits and credits manually, and change, browse, and report existing entries. The accuracy of source records may be assured by systematically following these steps: 1.) 2.) 3.) Balance your cash drawer each day in Daily Summary. Reconcile your vendor statements each month in Closed Payables. Reconcile your bank statements each month in Banking.
Source records may be processed at any time once the GO accounting functions have been initialized. Some GO users choose to post source records on a daily basis, others on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis (or, of course, not at all). The Post Activity procedure first asks you to select a date range, then finds all unposted source records within the range, then assigns each record a unique nine-digit transaction number, then posts the records to the general ledger. Each debit and credit created by Post Activity is linked to its source record through the nine-digit transaction number. Thus, ledger reports have the option of including the source records, and source records may be selected and reported by their ledger transaction numbers. The accounts debited and credited by Post Activity are assigned in the following ways: 1.) Using the account assigned at the time the source record was created. For example, a part sale flows to a specific revenue account because it was purchased from a vendor whose sales accounting# was set to that specific revenue account; or because the sales accounting# for that part was set in the parts Stocked Part master record; or because it was set on an individual invoice; or because it was set on an individual parts detail line.
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2.)
Using, when the accounting# is left blank, the default account for the source record. For example, a part sale flows to either Parts Sales, Retail, or Parts Sales, Wholesale depending upon whether or not the sale was taxed.
Post Activity tests the general ledger debit and credit balances for equality before and after it runs. The Trial Balance procedure reports the balances forward for all accounts, based upon either a selected date range or the current open period. Each account section within the Trial Balance includes the prior balance forward, the period activity balance, and the current balance forward. The Trial Balance procedure also locates, and presents for correction, any out-of-balance transactions. (This rarely occurs.) The General Ledger procedure lets you Add, Change, Delete, Browse, and Report individual ledger entries as needed to bring the Trial Balance totals into accord. The Income Statement procedure lets you report income for any selected date range. It also lets you automatically post adjustments to the inventory balance forward based upon values automatically stored on the first business day of each new month. The Balance Sheet procedure lets you report a balance sheet for any selected date. The Protect Period procedure lets you set a protection date to prevent alteration and/ or addition of source records once a period has been posted. The protection date is flexible it may be moved backward or forward at will to any date within the currentlyopen period. The Close Period procedure permanently closes a fiscal year. It assigns current income to the equity account of your choice, then zeroes the income statement accounts. These closing entries to the income statement accounts are assigned to a 13th period so that prior-period income statements always remain available. Note: If needed, GO customer support can tell you how to temporarily reopen a closed period.
17.2
Initializing GOs Accounting Functions

The prior-period balance sheet and closing date must be entered before the Post Activity, Income Statement, and Balance Sheet procedures will run. The Initialize Accounting procedure sets the date of the prior fiscal years end, and records that dates ending balance sheet totals.
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There are four steps in the Initializing procedure:
Step One: Tailor the chart of accounts to your needs. GO supplies you with a default Chart of Accounts, but you can modify it to fit your needs. Start by printing out the current Chart of Accounts. To do this, single-left-click the Step One button, then select the Report option in the Chart of Accounts procedure. Once youve reviewed the Chart of Accounts, use the Add, Change, and Delete options as needed. The Chart of Accounts procedure is described below in section 17.3.1. When youve finished modifying the Chart of Accounts, youll be returned to the Initialize Accounting dialog. The Step Two button will be undimmed:
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Step Two: Enter the prior fiscal years ending balance sheet totals. To do this, single-leftclick the Step Two button, then select the Add option in the General Ledger procedure. Youll see the following Help screen before the General Ledger procedure starts:
The General Ledger procedure is described below in section 17.3.3 Enter the balance sheet totals as of the end of the last fiscal year. You may enter account balances forward for the period following the end of the the last fiscal year once youve finished initializing the Accounting module. If you attempt to enter these balances forward at this time, youll receive the following message:
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When youve finished entering the last fiscal years ending balance sheet totals, youll be returned to the Initialize Accounting dialog. The Step Three button will be undimmed:
Step Three: Print or display the prior fiscal years ending balance sheet totals that youve just finished entering. To do this, single-left-click the Step Three button, then select the Print or Display button in the Trial Balance procedure (described below in section 17.3.4). If the Trial Balance doesnt agree with the prior fiscal years ending balance sheet, repeat Steps 1 and 2 as needed. When youve finished reviewing the Trial Balance, youll be returned to the Initialize Accounting dialog. The Step Four button will be undimmed:
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Step Four: Verify the closing date of the previous fiscal year:
Single-left-click the Yes button to finish initializing GOs accounting functions, or singleleft-click the No button to return to Steps 1-3. Each of these procedures may also be accessed via: Main Menu / Management / Accounting. Note: If you select Post Activity, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, or Protect Period from the Management menu before youve initialized the accounting functions, you will see an Initialize Accounting Dialog screen. You may, in a single session, perform all four of the above-listed steps by single-leftclicking the Initialize Accounting Now button in the dialog screen.
17.3
Accounting Procedures
There are eight procedures in the accounting menu:
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Chart of Accounts is a listing by title and number of each account in the general ledger. Post Activity is a process that transfers all financial activity to the general ledger. General Ledger is the reference book of the accounting system. It is used to classify and summarize transactions, and to prepare data for financial statements. Trial Balance is the process of comparing all debits to all credits within a specified period to check for equality. The sum of all debits must equal the sum of all credits. Income Statement: is a report that summarizes revenue, cost of sales, expenses, and net income for a specified period of time. Balance Sheet is a report showing the assets, liabilities, and capital of the business on a specific date. The formula for the balance sheet is: total assets = total liabilities + capital. Protect Period is a reversible procedure that protects all transactions within a specific date range from changes. Generally, after all transactions from a given date range have been posted, and any adjusting entries made, the period will be protected until the fiscal year is permanently closed. Close Period is a procedure to permanently close a fiscal year. It assigns current income to a chosen equity account, then zeroes the income statement accounts. These closing entries to the income statement accounts are assigned to a 13th period so that priorperiod income statements always remain available.
17.3.1
Chart of Accounts
The Chart of Accounts procedure(which can also be reached through the Data Tables procedure) presents the standard Data Tables choices:
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Add To: is a procedure to add new account numbers to the Chart of Accounts. Simply type the new number into the Account # column followed by the description (whatever you write here will show up on the Chart of Accounts and will appear as titles in all accounting reports.)
The beginning digits of the new account should follow this pattern: 1000.00 (1000.00 - 1999.99) ASSET ACCOUNTS, CURRENT 2000.00 (2000.00 - 2999.99) ASSET ACCOUNTS, FIXED 3000.00 (3000.00 - 3999.99) LIABILITY ACCOUNTS 4000.00 (4000.00 - 4999.99) CAPITAL ACCOUNTS 5000.00 (5000.00 - 5999.99) REVENUE ACCOUNTS 6000.00 (6000.00 - 6999.99) COST OF SALES 7000.00 (7000.00 - 7999.99) EXPENSE ACCOUNTS, BUSINESS 8000.00 (8000.00 - 8999.99) EXPENSE ACCOUNTS, PERSONAL 9000.00 (9000.00 - 9499.99) MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES 9500.00 (9500.00 - 9999.99) MISCELLANEOUS INCOME (For example, all expense account numbers start with 7 and all liability accounts start with 3.) Note: 8000.00-level accounts should be used only by sole proprietorships. The Income Statement procedure forces all 8000-level postings to be re2002 Garage Operator, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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distributed either automatically to account 4115.00 Owner Draws, or manually to accounts of the bookkeepers choice. Note: 9000.00-level accounts are intended as catchall accounts for users who are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with bookkeeping. Postings may be stored in these accounts for future review by the bookkeeper. Next, review the existing accounts, noting that the existing account names are listed alphabetically within each category. For example, if you wanted to add a Cost of Sales account so that you could track all tire purchases separately from the general #6010 (Purchases for Resale), you would perhaps give it number 6038.00 and name it Purchases, Tires. That way, when you look at the Chart of Accounts, the new account would come just after Purchase Returns & Allowances, Shop Supplies (#6035.00) and just before Purchases, Towing (#6040.00).
Change: Allows you to change the number of any existing account except for account numbers that are followed by an *in the Chart of Accounts report. The asterisk signifies a protected account one that performs an essential or default value function in the accounting process. You can also change the name of most accounts in the Chart of Accounts. Header-level account names (e.g. 1000.00 Asset Accounts, Current) may not be changed, but all other ones may. Please note: Although you can change the name of a protected account, you should not significantly change its meaning. To change the account, you will first see the screen below:
The Chart of Accounts Look-Up screen works similarly to other data table look-up screens. For example, typing the number 1 in the Account# field, then pressing the <Enter> key will select all the 1000.00level Current Asset accounts. Typing the word cash in the Description field will select all accounts with the word cash in the description. Combining these two entries will select all 1000.00-level accounts with the word
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cash in the description. Single-left-click the down arrow button in a field to select from a pop-up list of existing values for that field. Single-left-click the Select All button to automatically select all the Chart of Account records. Once youve made your selection, the Chart of Accounts Master Record scrolling screen will appear:
Note: When a number is protected a message will show in the lower portion of the screen. If a number is protected in both number and description - as with the above example - the cursor will not be active on that line.. Delete: is a procedure for deleting accounts from the Chart of Accounts. Only accounts that are not protected, and those that are not assigned to general ledger postings, may be deleted. Select the account to delete using the Chart of Accounts Look-up screen:
Next, you will see a screen with the account you want to delete. Single-left-click the Delete button.
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If you have ever posted any transactions to the account you want to delete, you will get a message similar to the one below. You must change the records to another account number, archive, or delete them before you can delete the account number.
Browse: is a procedure that allows you to look at, but not change or delete, the Chart of Accounts. The process is the same as for Change or Delete: Use the Chart of Accounts Look-up screen to find one, a group, or all of the numbers in the list. Report: is the procedure for displaying or printing part or all of the Chart of Accounts. To create the report, once again use the Chart of Accounts Look-up screen to find one, a group, or all of the account numbers. Next, you will see a screen like the one below:
Single-left-click on either Refine, Display, or Print.
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17.3.2
Post Activity
Post Activity finds all activity that occurs in the business, within a selected date range, then posts it to the general ledger. Post Activity begins by asking you to select a date range:
All financial activity within the date range is analyzed and formed into a temporary posting queue. Each record in the posting queue contains the date, a description, the amount, the intended account number, and a unique nine-digit number linking it to the original financial record (i.e. the source record). The posting queue is a go-between used to create general ledger debits and credits from source records. Note: Building the posting queue can slow network traffic. If you plan to run Post Activity while others are using the database, you can minimize the impact on network performance by selecting a few days at a time for posting rather than selecting an entire month at a time. Next, you will see the pop-up menu shown below. The menus titlebar shows you the number of records in the posting queue. (In real shop situations you will have many more than 3 records).
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Post Queue to the G/L: This will automatically make all of the posts to the general ledger. You only have to click on the button. You can watch as the records are posted, but you can not stop the process. Clear Posting Queue: If you decide that you do not want to post the records that have been collected in the queue, single-left-click this button. Display Posting Queue: This choice will show you a list of all the records that are selected for posting and are waiting in the posting queue. You can display the posting queue only before the records have been posted. The queue is no longer available once its been posted. Print Posting Queue: This choice lets you print a list of the records selected for posting. As with Display Posting Queue, this list can only be printed before the posting queue has been run. Note: It is entirely safe to run Post Activity more than once for the same period. Since each source record is assigned a nine-digit transaction number at the time its posted, no source record can be posted more than once. Sometimes running Post Activity for a previously run period is necessary, such as after reconciling a bank statement or a vendor statement.
17.3.3
General Ledger
The General Ledger procedure is the reference book of the accounting system. Use it to classify, summarize, and report transactions to prepare data for financial statements. General Ledger uses the standard Data Tables format:
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Add To: Use this choice when you need to make adjusting entries. When you click on Add To, the General Ledger Master Record screen will appear.
A new and unique transaction number is automatically assigned when you enter this screen. The assigned transaction number carries down to subsequent lines to automatically group related entries. You may generate a new transaction number by single-leftclicking the down arrow button in the Transaction# field. Press the Enter key to accept the Transaction#, a calendar will pop up for you to pick a date. Once you have selected and accepted the date, press the Enter key. The Chart of Accounts will appear. Choose the appropriate account number and press Enter. Next, write a short description to explain why the record is being added then press Enter. The description you enter will be carried down to subsequent lines. Next type the amount into the appropriate column, either Debit or Credit, then press Enter. Repeat this process as needed until youve finished the distribution(s). Note: The three fields at the bottom of the screen keep a running tally of the Debit and Credit balances and the difference between them. You will receive a warning message if you attempt to exit the General Ledger Master Record screen when the Debit and Credit balances are unequal. Following is an example of a simple record that has been added to the General Ledger.
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Change: Use this procedure when you need to change an existing ledger entry. Changes may be made until a period has been protected or closed. Single-left-clicking the Change button pops up the General Ledger Look-Up screen:
The General Ledger Look-Up screen works similarly to other data table look-up screens: Type key words or values into one or more of the fields, then press the <Enter> key to select records that match with the information youve entered. Single-left-click the down arrow button in a field to select from a pop-up list of existing values for that field. Single-left-click the Select All button to select all the General Ledger records at once. Following is a General Ledger Master Record screen of all records posted on 6/26/2003.
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To make changes, highlight the field of your choice, then type in the corrected date, amount, account number, etc. Single-left-click the OK button to save your changes and move down one line; single-left-click the Cancel button to exit the screen. Delete: Records may be deleted from the General Ledger until the period has been protected or closed. The process is the same as for Change. First, select the record to be deleted by filling in one or more of the fields in the General Ledger Look-up screen. Next, the record(s) will appear on the General Ledger Master Record screen. The difference is that this time the Delete button is active.
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Select the line you want to delete by single-left-clicking one of its fields, then single-leftclick the Delete button. A verification message will appear next:
Browse: To browse records in the General Ledger follow the same procedure as with Change and Delete. Select the record(s) you wish to look at by using the General Ledger Look-up screen. The General Ledger Master Record screen will appear with the record(s). In Browse you may view any of the records, but not change them. Report: To report records in the General Ledger follow the same procedure as with Change and Delete. First, select the record(s) you wish to report by using the General Ledger Look-up screen:
Next, you will see a screen summarizing the report and giving you the option to Refine, Display, Print, or Export it:
Refine - combine the current report collection with a new collection. Display - view the report. Print - print the report. Export - send the report to an ASCII text file (where it can be imported into another program such as Microsoft Access or Excel). After deciding which of the former options you want, you will be asked How to format the report:
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Following is a report using the above options:
17.3.4
Trial Balance
The Trial Balance procedure reports the period balances for each account, within a selected date range, and tests the total debit and credit balance for equality. If the ending Trial Balance totals are unequal, GO prompts you to let it test each individual transaction separately to find the cause of the imbalance, and present it for correction. The Trial Balance options are selected in the Trial Balance dialog:
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The Current Period option runs a trial balance of all activity since the last closing date. The Selected Date Range option lets you select a date range using the calendar screen. Print and Display lets you print or view the report. Export sends the report to an ASCII text file. Following is a portion of a Trial Balance selected by date range. Each account shows the balance forward, the activity during the selected date range (if any), and the balance forward:
Then, at the end of the Trial Balance, all debits and credits from all accounts are totaled:
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If the debits and credits are out of balance, as in the example above, GO will next show this screen:
If you select the Yes button, you will be presented with the transaction(s) in an update screen like the following. Add, change, or delete the entries as needed to correct the imbalance.
Once youve corrected the transactions, the Trial Balance procedure starts over.
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17.3.5
Income Statement
The Income Statement procedure prints or displays a statement of profit or loss based upon the income and expense records posted to the general ledger by the Post Activity procedure (see section 17.3.2) and amended by the General Ledger procedure (see section 17.3.3). Note: Income Statements may only be printed or displayed. To make a change in the Income Statement the original records must first be changed in the General Ledger. You start the Income Statement procedure by selecting a date range from a calendar screen. The Income Statement calculates the cost of sales using the beginning inventory, plus purchases, less ending inventory method. GO automatically captures and stores the total net inventory values on the first new business day of each month. Youll see the Ending Inventory Dialog:
In the example shown above, single-left-clicking the OK button would accept the ending inventory value as shown. If you wish to enter a different value, first single-left-click the Enter a Custom Value radio button, then type a new value into the Proposed G/L Ending Inventory Value field, then single-left-click the OK button. Youll next see a verification screen:
Once youve entered the ending inventory value for a month, and every time you run the Income Statement for that month thereafter, youll be asked whether you want to print or display the statement.
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Important Note: The beginning and ending inventory values used in the Income Statement are simply the general ledgers respective period balances forward for account 1300.00 Inventory. Account 1300.00 (a current asset account) is mirrored (balanced) by account 6410.00 Inventory Variance (a cost of sales account). In the example shown above, single-left-clicking the Yes button will cause GO to automatically write four new general ledger entries: First it debits the new ending inventory value ($18,860.83) to account 1300.00 and credits it to account 6410.00; then it credits the prior months ending inventory value to 1300.00 and debits it to account 610.00. An example of this is shown in the screen shot below (with the debits and credits arranged by account number):
You may make adjusting entries to the Inventory and Inventory Variance accounts, just as you can any other general ledger accounts, but the two accounts must always exactly balance one another. The Income Statement procedure substitutes the beginning and ending Inventory account balances (which are balance sheet accounts) for the Inventory Variance period balance. If the Inventory and Inventory Variance account balances are unequal, the Trial Balance may balance, but the Balance Sheet because it uses the Income Statement procedure to calculate current income wont. The ending inventory value of one month is the next months beginning inventory value. If you skip running the Income Statement one month, and attempt to run it the following month, GO will ask you to run the Income Statement for the missing month:
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If you run the Income Statement for a day within the current month, GO calculates the current inventory value on the fly, and substitutes it:
If you use 8000-level accounts (Personal Expenses), GO will ask you to redistribute them:
Single-left-click the Redistribute Automatically button to have GO automatically write adjusting entries to account 4115.00 Owner Draws, or single-left-click the Redistribute Manually button to bring the 8000-level postings up in the General Ledger Master Record screen. If you use 9000-level accounts, GO will notify you, and follow the Income Statement with a separate report:
A sample Income Statement is shown on the next two pages:
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The income statement is completed on the next page.
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17.3.6
Balance Sheet
The Balance Sheet, like the Income Statement, prints or displays a statement of assets, liabilities, and capital based upon the records posted to the general ledger by the Post Activity procedure (see section 17.3.2) and amended by the General Ledger procedure (see section 17.3.3). You start the Balance Sheet procedure by selecting a date from a pop-up calendar. Note: Although you can select any date you wish, the balance sheet is most accurate when the date you select is the last day of a month. The Balance
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Sheet procedure calculates current period income based upon beginning and ending inventory values, which are stored on a monthly, rather than daily, basis. A sample Balance Sheet is shown below:
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Once the balance sheet has printed or displayed, GO investigates the current Protection Date (described in section 17.3.7 below). If its older than the date youve just selected for the balance sheet, GO prompts you to re-set it.
17.3.7
Protect Period
Once youve made all your postings and adjusting entries, and youve run the Trial Balance, Income Statement, and Balance Sheet procedures, you can protect your work by setting a Protection Date in the Protect Period procedure. This procedure is a bookkeepers tool to prevent unauthorized changes to general ledger and source records. Once a Protection Date is set, only financial records with dates newer than the Protection Date may be added or changed. Financial records that fall within the protection period may be manually updated, but may not have their amounts or dates changed. Protect Period is fully reversible. You can move the Protection Date forward or backward, as needed. The Protect Period procedure begins by notifying you of the current Protection Date:
After clicking the OK button, a calendar will pop up with the date of the current Protection Date. Choose a new date. You may get a message similar to the following:
If this happens, go back to Post Activity and post the unposted transactions. Then return to Protect Period and pick your date again. If all transactions have been posted, this message will appear:
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Click the Yes button to finish setting the Protection Date.
17.3.8
Close Period
Close Period differs from Protect Period in several significant ways. Protect Period temporarily blocks any changes to source records or the general ledger. Usually, you will successively protect periods throughout the fiscal year. Close Period is run once each year to close the fiscal year. It assigns all current income to the equity account of your choice, and all income statement accounts (cost of sales, revenue and expense) are automatically zeroed using 13th period entries. The Close Period procedure starts by asking you to select a Closing Date from a pop-up calendar. Note: The date you select must correspond to the Fiscal Year End set in the Company Information screen (see section 1.2). Youll receive a message if it doesnt:
You may see a message like the one shown below:
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This message is normal if youre running Close Period for the first time, and have source records on file that you created before the previous fiscal year end. Otherwise, run the Post Activity procedure to post these source records, then make adjusting entries as needed. Once youve selected and verified the new Closing Date, GO automatically runs and tests the Income Statement and Balance Sheet procedures for the selected period. Youll be unable to close the period if the Income Statement wont run, or if the balance sheet doesnt balance. Youll be asked which Capital Account to assign the years current income to:
Choose which Capital account you want by highlighting the account and then clicking the OK button. You will see a verification message next:
If the amount is what you expect, accept it by clicking the Yes button. Otherwise, click the No button, and use the General Ledger procedure to make adjusting entries as needed. The next screen is the final step:
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Click the Yes button to finish closing the period. Youll be notified when Close Period is done:
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Book Six Appendixes
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Chapter 18 Error Messages

Error Messages may be caused by many ways: rapidly double-clicking the mouse, a bug in GO, another software program, a hardware problem, a network communication problem, an operating system problem, a computer virus, or, they may be caused by something you are doing wrong. If you encounter an error message in the program that is not resolved by one of the entries in this list, please report it to GO support at (800)841-7360 or support@garageoperator.com There are three types of error messages: GO error messages, Thunderbolt error messages, and Windows error messages.
18.1
GO Error Messages
GO error messages are presented in a message screen giving the GO support phone number. They always show a three-digit error number in bent brackets, followed by the title of the error message itself. GO error messages can usually be quickly resolved. The complete GO error message, including the programming line that caused it, may be viewed by scrolling the Command Prompt window (accessed via: Main Menu >System >Command Prompt) to the lines just above error <001>. The GO error messages you can resolve on your own are listed below. <018> Table XXX is full This message occurs when too many records have been appended to the data table named in "XXX." GO reserves hard disk space "up front" for each data table. You will receive a warning each morning after you start GO if this reserved space is over 95% occupied. If you ignore these warnings you will receive this error message. Run the Expand procedure in the System menu to resolve this problem. <097> Warning: Structure for XXX is unsafe; use DESTRUCT/STRUCTURE This message means the key index structure for GO has somehow become corrupted. This can occur as the result of a power outage, or because a computer or printer "locked up" for some reason, or because a network connection failed. Please run the Recover Key Index procedure in the System menu to resolve this error. This error message is a symptom of a problem elsewhere in your computer system. It will reoccur until the problem is resolved. <088> Invalid or misplaced operator This message is often an indication of a corrupted file or a confused operating system, but may be caused by entering double-quotes (") into a field that is subsequently used as part of a title or as a means of locating other records associated with the field. Try resolving the problem in this order:
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1.)
If possible, try to figure out a field that may have a double-quote entered, then remove the double-quote. If you believe this is the cause of the problem, yet the problem prevents you from removing the double quote, please call the GO support line. We will help you remove the double quote, and correct the program to prevent the problem from happening again. Please report any double-quote problem to GO support. Note: It is always safe to use double quotes within a memo field, and should always be to safe to use them in all other fields. GO scans "double-quote sensitive" fields, and automatically substitutes single quotes. Every so often, however, one of our customers finds a new way to slip one past us.
2.) 3.)
Restart the computer. Run the Data Base Rebuild procedure in the System menu.
<118> Structure for XXX is unsafe; use DBD COMP/S This message means the database has somehow become corrupted. As in the "Structure Unsafe" error, this can occur as the result of a power outage, or because the computer "locked up" for some reason, or because a network connection failed. Please run the Data Base Rebuild procedure in the System menu to resolve this error. <119> Structure for XXX is unsafe; use DESTRUCT/STRUCTURE See the instructions for error <097> listed above. <120> Structure for XXX is unsafe; use DESTRUCT/STRUCTURE See the instructions for error <097> listed above. <530> Name can't start with non-alpha character If you receive this message while attempting to use the Backup procedure to backup your data to floppy diskettes, remove the diskette from the drive, and check the position of the "write protect" tab. The tab must be in the closed position (i.e. covering the square hole). If both square holes on the diskette are open, use your thumbnail to slide the write protect tab over the hole, then try the Backup procedure again. <532> Invalid Data Type If you receive this message while attempting to use the Backup procedure to backup your data to floppy diskettes, try a different floppy, or re-format the current floppy (using Windows My Computer > A: Drive [single-right-click] >Format [from right-click menu] >Full), then try again. This message may also occur if your A: drive is full of dust (a rare occurrence in auto repair shops).
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18.2
Thunderbolt Error Messages

Thunderbolt is the language interpreter that runs GO. Thunderbolt error messages, unless they are repeatable, can be more difficult to resolve. There are two Thunderbolt error messages that you may encounter: ChCrossChk - Bad chunk values This error message occurs when you open two copies of GO on the same computer at the same time from the same icon.
Once you see this screen, you'll have to exit GO on each copy you have open by singleleft-clicking the "Abort" button. Avoid this error by not selecting (i.e. double-left-clicking) the GO icon on the Windows Desktop when GO is already open in another session. You can see if GO is open in another session by inspecting the bottom of your Windows screen. If you see a GO button it means that the current GO session has been minimized.
Single-left click the minimized GO button to re-open the current session. If you wish to have multiple sessions of GO open on the same computer at the same time, install the GO Scheduler icon.
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Abort / Debugger / Continue error message This error message is most commly caused by double-clicking the mouse. If you receive this error message without having double-clicked the mouse, there may be a problem with the database structure, a problem with network communication, a problem with the hard drive, or a bug in GO or Thunderbolt. The seriousness of the problem is reflected by the frequency of the error message. If you receive this error message frequently, please call the GO support line for help in resolving it.
Single-left-clicking "Abort" will cause GO to exit to the Windows Desktop, "Debugger" works only if you have a special version of Thunderbolt, and "Continue" often allows you to continue with your work as though nothing had happened.
18.3
Windows Error Messages

Windows error messages are presented in a Windows error message dialog. Windows errors, because they can have so many different causes, can be the most difficult to resolve. GO and Thunderbolt errors, if they are persistantly duplicated, can cause Windows error messages. Many Windows error messages may be resolved by reviewing the "Event Viewer" (accessed via: Start >Settings >Control Panel > Administrative Tools >Event Viewer). Windows error messages may also be created by double-clicking the mouse. 1906 Invalid Printer Name This error can occur if the Windows "Shared As" name is too long. The cure is to shorten it. For example, if the name is "HP Laser Jet 2100 PCL 6" shorten it to "HP 2100." Here's how: 1.) Go to the Windows "Start" button on the computer that the printer is physically connected to. 2.) Select "Settings" | "Printers." 3.) Single-right click the icon of the printer you're trying to use. 4.) Single-left click "Properties" in the right-click menu. 5.) Single-left click the "Sharing" tab. 6.) Shorten the "Shared As" name. 7.) Single-left click the "Apply" button. 8.) Close all the Printer windows.
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Chapter 19 How To......

19.1 Create Service Reminders
Service Reminders are one of the best marketing tools available to a repair facility. They keep your customers coming back at regular intervals. When service reminders are produced automatically, the best marketing tool also becomes the easiest. There are two parts to setting up the Automatic Service Reminder program: First, preparing the letter and second, putting the vehicles on permanent service intervals.
19.1.1
The Letter
A sample LOF service reminder letter has already been written and is stored in the Letters Data Table. To find it, select Letters in the Data Tables menu, single-left-click the Change button, then single-left-click the down arrow button next to the Letter Name field to scroll the letters list to find Service-LOF.
Single-right-click on the highlighted Service-LOF, then single-left-click the Find button. The Letter Master Record will appear:
Single-left-click the down arrow button. This opens the text memo field to read and/or modify the body of the letter - there wont be any salutation yet because the letter has not yet been pointed towards a customer.
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This letter may be modified in any way you want, including deleting all of the text and starting over. The only part that must stay unchanged is the letter title: Service - LOF.
19.1.2
Associating the Letter to the Vehicle
Automatic Service Reminders are created when the "Requested Service Interval" field in the Vehicle Master Record screen has a value entered in it:
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Whenever an invoice is created for such a vehicle, or an estimate upgraded, GO asks a question such as the following:
Selecting Yes causes GO to update or append the next "Service - LOF" reminder. Selecting "No" causes GO to skip this step. Regardless of whether you respond "Yes" or "No" to this screen, GO checks to make sure the next "Service - LOF" reminder is on file when you close the invoice in the Invoice Paid screen. If the next "Service - LOF" reminder is not on file, you will see this message:
Then you will be presented with the Service Reminder Master Record screen for the next scheduled "Service - LOF" reminder.
All you need to do is single-left-click the OK button.

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19.1.3
Processing Service Reminder Letters
Each day, the number of Service Reminders currently due is displayed in the statusbar of the GO main screen:
Service Reminders are printed by selecting "Send Reminders" from the Direct Marketing menu (Management>Direct Marketing>Send Reminders)
Single-left-click on Send Reminders. Beginning Prompt:
Select the "Yes" button (or press the <Enter> key) to activate the Send Reminders Review screen.
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Send Reminders Review Screen selections: The primary purpose of Send Reminders is to print all the currently-due Service Reminders, but it can also be used to display, change, and delete them. Print: A single-left-click of the Print button will print all the Service Reminders currently displayed on the screen. If you wish to print only some of the Service Reminders, hold down the <Shift> key, then single-left click the Reminders you wish to print. (You may unselect a Reminder by using Shift/click again.) Display: A single-left-click of the Display button will display all the Service Reminders currently displayed on the screen. As with "Print" you may select a portion of the Reminders using the Shift/click technique. Delete: A single-left-click of the Delete button enables you to delete a single Service Reminder. The record that's currently selected will be displayed for verification prior to being deleted. If you wish to delete a group of Reminders, use the Shift/click method described above to select the group. Change: A single-left click of the Change button pulls up the Service Reminder screen for the currently-selected record. Filter: A single-left-click of the Filter button pulls up a list of all the fields used by Service Reminders. Select the field, then the filter criteria, to narrow down the list of reminders on display.
If you only wish to send some of the service reminders select the "No" button on the Beginning Prompt screen to activate the Send Reminders Look-up screen.
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The Look-up screen is used by the Data Tables procedure to select a group of records to Change, Delete, Browse, or Report. Ending Prompt:
Select "Yes" to delete the reminders just printed, or "No" to save them. It's usually best to delete them, but saving them enables you to review them afterwards and determine their effectiveness.
19.1.4
The Finished Product
The following is a completed service reminder letter. Notice the Regarding... lines are specific to the vehicle that is due for service.
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Note: Each reminder is designed to fit with the customer's name and address showing in a standard #10 business window envelope.
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19.2
Write a Warranty Invoice

Generally, there are three reasons to write a warranty invoice and they are: 1. defective parts 2. faulty workmanship 3. to maintain good customer relations The process of writing a warranty invoice is mostly the same for each of the three categories. The final total on the warranty invoice should always accurately reflect the amount of money you actually collect from the customer, so, usually, it will result in a "no charge" (i.e. zero balance due) invoice, and be closed as a Warranty. It's OK to have a warranty invoice be a "reduced charge" invoice, but in general it's best to have a warranty invoice be "no charge." If you are performing non-warranty work at the same time, consider writing two separate invoices to keep the two types of work separate for bookkeeping purposes. The warranty category determines how to best document parts and labor on the warranty invoice. Of the three warranty categories listed above, #1 -- the defective parts warranty -- is the most common, yet also the most complicated to write because you will want to track the parts being returned as defective. The other two are less complicated, so we start with those.
19.2.1
Faulty Workmanship Warranty
Write a faulty workmanship warranty invoice as you would any other invoice, except set the parts prices and the labor Billed Hours to zero. (This is assuming that you are writing a "no charge" invoice. If you are merely charging a reduced rate, set the prices accordingly.) Enter the parts Cost, and the Tech Hours, at their actual values. If the technician who performs the labor is not the technician responsible for the faulty workmanship, give the technician who performs the labor 100% credit in Billed Hours; then, on the next labor line down, enter the name or number of the technician responsible for the faulty workmanship in the Employee field, then enter zero in the Tech Hours field and enter a negative number in the Billed Hours field to offset the number of hours credited to the technician who performed the labor. An example of the Labor Hours screen follows:
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In this example employee 001 took 1.5 hours to perform the repair, but the labor is being charged back against employee 002. The first labor charge line lists employee 001's Tech Hours and Billed Hours as 1.5, and the second labor charges line lists employee 002's Tech Hours as zero and his Billed Hours as 1.5-. The total Billed Hours are zero, so the customer copy of the invoice will show "no charge" for this labor block.
19.2.2
Customer Relations Warranty
Write a customer relations warranty just as you would a faulty workmanship warranty, except charge the labor back against the shop (employee 000) on the second labor charge line as follows:
In this example employee 001 took 1.5 hours to perform the repair, but the labor is being charged back against the shop (employee 000). The first labor charge line lists employee 001's Tech Hours and Billed Hours as 1.5, and the second labor charges line lists shop's Tech Hours as zero and Billed Hours as 1.5-. The total Billed Hours are zero, so the customer copy of the invoice will show "no charge" for this labor block.
19.2.3
Defective Parts Warranty
If a job comes back due to a defective part, then (in principle), neither the customer, the shop, nor the technician should pay the cost of the repair. Ideally, you always charge the cost of a defective part warranty back to the vendor of the part. Do this with two invoices: one for your customer to document the repair, and another one for the vendor to receive as a bill. The invoice written for your customer is "no charge," and gets closed as a Warranty. The invoice written for the vendor is billed as a normal repair, and gets closed as a Charge To Account. Few vendors actually pay the full amount of the invoice. When a settlement is received (or rejected) from the vendor, any remaining balance due on the invoice is declared a Bad Debt (accessed via: Main Menu / Management / Accounts Receivable / Bad Debts). There are two special considerations in writing a defective parts warranty. The first is to
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have your vendor also entered as a customer (via: the "Add Customer" button in the Customer / Vehicle dialog; or: Main Menu / Data Tables / Customers / Add To). The second is to write two entries for each defective part in Receive Parts. Most vendors will bill you the regular price for a part that you've ordered to replace a defective part, then credit you back the purchase price once you return the part that's defective. The problem is keeping track of everything while that's happening. The solution is to receive the same part twice on the same vendor invoice.
The first parts entry in Receive Parts is the part listing for the customer invoice. This entry shows the quantity, part number, brandname, etc. just as would normally be shown when receiving a part, with this exception: both the Sell and the Cost prices are zero. Use the Job Name you would normally use for this customer (e.g., customer's last name and the vehicle model). NOTE: If the defective part is a Stocked Part, click the "down arrow" button in the Job Name field to force the part onto the correct invoice. NOTE: If you find you're unable to leave the Cost field after entering a zero, click the "Add" button. The second parts entry is for the invoice to be billed to the vendor. This entry shows everything just as it would if the part were being received for a normal invoice except the Sell price is equal to the Cost price. The point to consider when deciding upon a Job Name is whether you want the part to appear on the invoice that you bill to your vendor, or whether you want the part to sit in Special Order inventory until the credit arrives. Many vendors will readily credit you for a returned part, but will balk at paying labor claims. If your vendor falls into this category, set the Job Name for the second entry to "returned." It will thus sit in Special Orders until the credit is received. If you are fortunate enough to deal with a vendor who pays both parts and labor, set the Job Name to something like "Acme Auto Parts," then select that as the Job Name when you create the invoice that you plan to send to the vendor.
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Once the warranty parts have been received, and the vendor has been entered as a Customer, you are ready to start the warranty invoice. First, write the invoice for the customer receiving the warranty. List all parts used and all labor performed. When you assign the Job Name to the Invoice, use the Job Name you created in Receive Parts when you received the part(s) that had both the Sell and the Cost prices equal to zero. The labor should be charged at 100% efficiency for each tech, then billed back against the shop on the next line:
In this example, it took the tech 1.5 hours to perform the repair, so the Tech Hours and Billed Hours are both 1.5. The next line has "000" entered as the Employee Number, the Tech Hours are zero, and the Billed Hours are -1.5. The total Billed Hours are zero, so the customer copy of the invoice will show "no charge" for this labor block. Next, write the invoice that you plan to charge back to the vendor. If you want to leave the defective part record in Special Orders with a Job Name of "returned," leave the Job Name in the invoice blank. Otherwise, assign the Job Name of the warranty part that you assigned in Receive Parts (e.g., "Acme Auto Parts"). When you enter the labor charge hours, enter "000" for the employee number, zero for the Tech Hours, and however long it took to perform the repairs in the Billed Hours field.
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In this example it took the tech 1.5 hours to perform the repair. The tech already received credit for these hours on the invoice written for the customer who received the warranty repairs. On this invoice (written for the vendor), the shop recoups the hours that were charged back to it on the customer's warranty invoice. When you are done, print out both invoices. Give the customer copy to your customer, and mail the vendor copy to your vendor. Close the customer's copy as a Warranty, and the vendor's copy as a Charged To Account.
19.3
Close a Labor Credit Received From a Vendor for a Warranty Claim

If you receive a labor credit invoice from one of your parts suppliers in payment of a warranty claim, and you have previously billed them with a repair invoice that you have closed as a Charge to Account, here's how to enter the transaction: 1. From the GO Main Screen, select Data Tables, then #28 - Purchases, then Add To. Enter the purchase record for the labor credit invoice you have received from the vendor: Vendor #: Name or number of vendor issuing the credit Purchase Date: Labor credit invoice date Invoice #: Labor credit invoice number Open ?: Y (this means Yes, it is an open account) Amount: Actual amount of the credit invoice (entered as a negative) Account #: 6010.00 (Purchases for Resale) Note: If the credit invoice includes parts credits, receive them separately in Receive Parts. You may make the credit invoice number unique by putting an asterisk (*) at the end.
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2. From the GO Main Screen, select Management, then #1 - Daily Summary, then Received on Account. Select the invoice that the labor credit is intended to pay: Payment Type: Amount: Apply To: Internal Transfer Actual amount of the credit invoice (entered as a positive) The Specific Invoice(s) Closed as Receivables
Note: If the credit invoice does not pay off the full amount of the receivable invoice, and you expect no further payments, write the remainder off to Bad Debts. Bad Debts is found under Accounts Receivable in the Management Menu. 3. Return to the main Daily Summary menu, select Cash Expenses, then Add To: Payment Type: Amount: Paid to: Paid for: Account #: Internal Transfer Actual amount of the credit invoice (entered as a positive) Enter the name of your business Enter the labor credit invoice number from the vendor 6010.00 (Purchases for Resale)
You have now received payment for your warranty labor invoice and have entered that payment against purchases. When the entire transaction sequence is posted to the General Ledger, the net effect will be a debit to purchases and a credit to accounts receivable
19.4
Close an Invoice for a Shop Vehicle

To ensure that you expense the cost of repairing shop vehicles, and that you dont pay tax on those repairs, follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Charge the parts at cost if you make them no cost then you cant expense them. Change hourly labor rate to 00.00 you cant expense labor costs since you didnt buy it from someone else. Make sure that you have the Customer Master Record for your business entered as a wholesale account so you dont pay sales tax. When you close the invoice, choose Business Vehicle for how paid. When asked type of payment, choose Internal Transfer and enter the invoice total it should be just parts cost and sublet (if there is any). Then finish closing the invoice in the usual manner. Now, go to Daily Summary and choose Cash Expense, and Add to Todays Records. To complete the process, fill in the following fields as follows:
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Payment Type: Amount: Paid To: Paid For: Account #
choose Internal Transfer enter the invoice total enter your business name enter - Business vehicle (or something like that). enter 7700.00 (the expense account for vehicle maintenance)
Thats all there is to it. By doing the internal transfers the till balances and the cost of the repair gets charged off to expense.
19.5
1.
Move the Database to a New Server on the Network

Install GO on the new server using either an Upgrade CD or an Installation CD. This will put a GO icon on the desktop, and create a GO_Win folder on the C: drive. Stop all work in the database. Make sure no workstations are logged into GO. (Its OK to have the workstations doing other things, just dont log into GO.) Working from the new server, use the My Network Places explorer to locate the GO_Win directory (folder) on the old server. Single-right-click the GO_Win folder icon. Select Copy from the right-click menu. Minimize the My Network Places window (well come back to it in Step 11 below). Use the My Computer explorer to open the C: drive on the new server. Select Edit from the Windows toolbar at the top of the screen. Select Paste from the Edit menu. Select Yes to All when asked if you want to replace the existing files in the GO_Win directory. Maximize the My Network Places window that you minimized in Step 6 to once again gain access to the GO_Win directory on the old server. Single-right-click the GO_Win folder icon on the old server. Select Rename from the right-click menu. Rename the GO_Win folder on the old server to Old_GO_Win.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
The workstations will automatically detect that the server has been changed, and let you re-set the network path in the same manner as when they were initially installed. (See How To Install the Garage Operator Workstation Disk, section 19.7 of this chapter.)
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19.6
Install Garage Operator Upgrade Disk

Installing the upgrade is a six-step process. NOTE: If you are upgrading the multi-user version of Garage Operator, please exit Garage Operator on all of the workstations, and install the Upgrade CD on the server, and only the server. If you have received a Workstation CD, please install it on each workstation. If you have not received a Workstation CD, the workstations will upgrade themselves automatically. First place the upgrade disk in your computers CD-ROM drive. The Garage Operator installation wizard should automatically launch as soon as the CD-ROM drive spins up. If it doesnt, open the My Computer window and click on the Garage Operator drive. You will see a short message while the setup wizard readies itself, then the following screen will be displayed.
Step 1. Press the <Enter> key, or left-click Next . Step 2. Please read the license agreement before proceeding. A printable copy of the license agreement is available in Help once GO is installed.
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Step 3. Left-click the Browse button if GO has previously been installed in a directory other than C:\GO_Win. Otherwise, press <Enter>, or left-click Next.
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Step 4. Press <Enter> or left-click Next, or left-click Back if you wish to change the Target Folder.
Step 5. Press <Enter> or left-click Finish to exit to the Windows desktop. There is no need to re-boot your computer.
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19.7
Install Garage Operator Workstation Disk

The Workstation disk enables people working on different computers to all work in Garage Operator at the same time. Each workstation communicates across the network with the main Garage Operator database by using the program files installed by the Workstation disk. Note: The Workstation CD contains all the files needed to run Garage Operator from a workstation computer. There is no need to install the Garage Operator Installation CD on a workstation, or the Workstation CD on the main server. The workstation program files enable the workstation to work with the main Garage Operator database on the server, but they also synchronize the workstations clock with the servers clock, and monitor the Garage Operator program files stored on the server. When an updated version of Garage Operator is installed on the server, the workstation recognizes it, and updates its own program files automatically. Garage Operator must first be installed on the server before its installed on a workstation. If you havent yet done so, please take the Installation CD, and install it according to the instructions given in How to install Garage Operator 5.4 or How to install the Garage Operator Upgrade disk. The first five steps used to install the Workstation disk on each workstation are similar to those steps used to install the Installation CD on the server. Please refer to Steps 1 5 of How to install Garage Operator 5.4 or How to install Garage Operator Upgrade if youd like to refresh your memory. The GO Workstation icon will appear on the Windows Desktop screen at the end of Step 5. Double-left-click the icon to see the screen shown below.
Step 1. Left-click the Browse button to see the following screen:
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Step 2. Single-left-click the down arrow button on the right side of the Look in: box to see the next screen and double-left-click on Network Neighborhood:
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Step 3. From the choices in Network Neighborhood find the computer in the network where you installed the Garage Operator database and double-left-click on it so that its icon is now in the Look in field.
Step 4. Find the drive where the Garage Operator database is installed (usually the GO_Win directory on the C drive). Double-left-click it to see this next screen:
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Step 5. Double-left-click the file folder labeled GO_Win. Then find the file labeled Garage.CTL, highlight it and then single-left-click the Open button.
You will be returned automatically to this screen with the network path filled in for you:
Step 6. Single-left-click the OK button.
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Chapter 20 Glossary of Terms

A
Any Value Find is a term used to describe the way GO looks names up in the database.
An "any value find" finds any combination of letters that match. For example, the word "Tom," if entered in the History Customer/Vehicle dialog, matches with with names such as "Tom Smith," "Billie Tompkins," and "Automotive Machine, Inc.
B
Billed Hours are multiplied by the invoice or estimate Labor Rate to determine labor charges. Billed Hours can be viewed and modified in the invoice or estimate labor charge hour details screen. Total Billed Hours for a selected period and/or employee are reported by the Efficiency report.
C
Check In is a button that integrates with the Active Invoice selection screen. It pops up a list of all the vehicles that are expected to arrive, and lets you check off one or more of them. Each vehicle you select from the list will have its ChkIn value changed from "E" (expected) to "A" (arrived).
The criteria for a vehicle to be included in the Check In list are: 1.) Due In date is equal to, or older than, the current date. The Due In date is set automatically when you create the invoice or estimate from the Scheduler procedure. It may be set manually from the Active Invoice screen. 2.) ChkIn value = E. The ChkIn value must be set to E in the Active Invoice selection screen. The Check In button is available on the following screens: History, Active, Invoice selection, Active Invoice, Scheduler, Scheduler selection.
Clipboard is a portion of Windows memory used to transfer text and images from one document window to another. The document windows involved in the transfer may be in the same application or in different applications. For example, the clipboard may be used to transfer text between one GO labor description and another, or between a GO labor description and a Microsoft Word document (and vice versa). Clipboard functions are performed in GO using Copy, Cut, and Paste in the GO toolbar.
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Close box, or "x" box, is one of three window control icons displayed on the far right side of the titlebar. A single-left-click of the Close icon closes the currently open window. A single-left-click of the main GO screen's Close icon will close all Garage Operator windows and quit the program. A single-right-click of the GO icon on the titlebar opens a menu containing an alternate method of closing the window. Copy is an icon on the GO toolbar and may be used whenever a memo field or a report document is open. First, highlight the text you wish to Copy, then single-left-click the Copy icon to copy the text from the memo field or report document and place it on the Clipboard.
Note: Copy duplicates the highlighted text, Cut removes the text from the memo field or report document.
Cursors are the symbols that move across the screen as you move the mouse or type. A list of the different cursors follows:
The standard cursor. Use this cursor to make selections. The text cursor. You have this cursor when you are in the text area of any document, or inside text edit boxes. Single-left-click to position the cursor. Drag to select text. Double-left-click to select a specific word. The memo field insertion point cursor. This cursor must be visible inside a memo field before you can start editing it. Place the insertion point with a single-leftclick. The line select or the paragraph select cursor. Look for this cursor at the beginning of the line (before the first character) or at the beginning of the first line of a paragraph. A single-left-click selects the entire line or paragraph, a drag moves it up or down in the document. When you are dragging (moving) a line or paragraph up or down in a document, this cursor shows you where it will be dropped if you let up on the drag. The "No Operation" cursor. Sometimes used for a "Please Wait" cursor. Either some operation is happening that must complete, or the program is asking you a question that must be answered before this cursor will change state. The "Please Wait" cursor. This cursor will go away automatically once the operation it is waiting for completes itself. The resize cursor for memo fields. Look for this cursor below the bottom right corner of the memo window.
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The column select cursor. Look for this cursor along the title row in scrolling screens (for example, near the word "Customer" in the Invoice and Estimate selection screen). A single-left-click selects the column. A drag moves the column. You can use this cursor to temporarily rearrange how the columns are displayed. This cursor appears when you are dragging columns as described above. It shows you where the column will go if you drop it (let up on the drag). The column resize cursor. Look for this cursor at the right edge of the column on the second or third line of the column. Drag to resize the column. The pane splitter when a scrolling screen is in use. Look for this cursor at the left end of the horizontal scroll bar. Drag to split the screen into two panes that do horizontal scrolling separately. The gear cursor. This cursor displays when the mouse pointer is hovered over a blue hyperlink in Help screens. A single-left-click when the gear cursor is displayed will cause the linked help screen to display.
Customer Copy in an invoice or estimate consists of header, parts, labor, notes, recommendations, service reminder, dollar totals, and guarantee sections. It does not list the technicians who worked on the job. It lists the labor billed hours and parts brandnames only if those options are requested in the Options & Forms Setup screen. Cut is an icon on the GO toolbar and may be used whenever a memo field or a report document is open. First, highlight the text you wish to Cut, then single-left-click the Cut icon to cut the text out of the memo field or report document and place it on the Clipboard.
Note: Copy duplicates the highlighted text, Cut removes the text from the memo field or report document.
D
Data table is a term used to describe how facts and figures are stored in the database.
The GO database consists of many dozens of data tables. Each data table keeps track of a particular topic of interest to the business, and is named accordingly. Some data table names -- such as Customers, Vehicles, Stocked Parts, and Vendors -- are self-explanatory; other data table names -- such as Expense Codes or Job Names -- may require explanation. See Chapter 11.
Digital image is any type of GIF, TIF, JPEG, or BMP file capable of being transferred to the Windows clipboard. Image files are typically created by outside applications -- such as those associated with digital storage oscilloscopes, digital engine analyzers, graphical scan tools, digital storage gas analyzers, and digital cameras -- but the GO digital image tool palette may also be used to create your own digital images. Digital images may be included in GO memo fields, and report documents, and may be manipulated with the fonts toolbar and the digital image tool palette.
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How to include a digital image in a memo field or report document: 1.) Place the image on the Windows clipboard. 2.) Make GO your current Windows application (open it, or switch to it). 3.) Open the GO memo field or report document. 4.) Highlight a portion of text that's logically associated with the image. 5.) Single-left-click the paste icon. The image will attach to the highlighted text. If the text moves, the image will move with it. If the text is deleted, the image will also be deleted. Note: Although the special effects tools can be used to alter a memo field, and the alterations can be saved, and will print if the memo field is printed using the printer icon, the alterations have no effect on the report document created from the memo field. For now, digital images must be stored in report document. GO will include provision to more easily store and retrieve digital images on customer invoices in future releases.
Digital image tool palette appears automatically each time a memo field or a report document is opened. It is used to alter and manipulate digital images included in memo fields and report documents. It is a "floating" palettewhich means you may reposition it anywhere on the screen using drag and drop. You may also close it with the close icon in its upper right-hand corner. "down arrow" button appears on the right-hand side of many of the data entry fields in GO. Its function changes according to the field. If the field is a memo field, single-leftclicking the "down arrow" button pops open the memo field so it can be read and edited. If the field is not a memo field, single-right-clicking the "down arrow" button performs another function, such as popping up a selection list, or a calendar. Drag is a method used to select text on a screen. You select text to cut, copy, or change in some way, or to delete it. Selected text becomes highlighted as it is selected. Start the drag by positioning the text cursor at the beginning of the text you wish to highlight. Then, single-left-click, hold the mouse button down, then move the mouse in the direction of the text to highlight. Moving the mouse horizontally highlights text on a single line. Moving the mouse vertically highlights text on multiple lines. Moving the mouse vertically beyond the edge of the display window causes the window to scroll, successively highlighting lines as they appear. Release the mouse button to complete the highlighting. Once the cut, copy, or change is complete, single-left-click the mouse button once more to remove the highlighting. Press the <Delete> key to delete the highlighted text. Note: You can highlight 100% of the text at once by using the "select all text" option in the Edit menu. Drag & Drop is the method used to re-position a window on the screen. Start the drag & drop by positioning the mouse pointer over the window's titlebar. Then, single-left-click and hold the mouse button down. The window will remain "captured" until you release the button. Move the window to the desired position on the screen, then "drop" it in place by releasing the button. Alternatively, single-right-click the GO icon on the titlebar, select Move, and move the window to the new position. Due In/Out is a button on the Active Invoice modification screen that pops up a small
screen that lets you change the Schedule Date for the invoice or estimate as a whole.
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E
Edit is a menu that is available whenever (and only whenever) a memo field or a report document is opened. It is located on the GO menubar, just to the right of the System menu. The Edit menu contains many selections, but only Find/Replace in Search is of use at this time. Efficiency is the ratio of Technician Hours to Billed Hours. Error messages may be caused by rapidly double-clicking the mouse, a bug in GO, another software program, a hardware problem, a network communication problem, an operating system problem, a computer virus, or, they may be caused by something you are doing wrong. There are three types of error messages: GO error messages, Thunderbolt error messages, and Windows error messages. See Chapter 18 for the full error message discussion. Estimate is the preliminary document for tracking repairs to vehicles.
F
Field is the smallest unit of information in a data table. For example, "Name" is a field in the Customers data table, and "Make" is a field in the Vehicles data table. File is a drop-down menu in the Main Menu. Select it with a single left click, or by pressing and holding the <Alt> key on the keyboard, then pressing the "F" key. Once the menu is open, make your selection with a single-left click, or by pressing the keyboard key corresponding to the underlined letter within your choice (e.g. press the <D> key to open a document). Note: For those who prefer keyboard commands: Once you've popped open the menu with <Alt>/<F>, you should release the <Alt> key, then type the letter of your choice without the <Alt> key being pressed. Find/Replace is available whenever a memo field is open. It finds and/or replaces words or phrases within the memo field. You launch Find/Replace by simultaneously pressing the <Ctrl> and <F> keys, or by selecting "Search" from the Edit menu.
Fixed Markup is a feature that sets the selling price for parts. It is activated by the
Parts Accessory menu in an Active invoice or estimate screen, or the "Fixed Markup" button in the Receive Parts screen.
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Fonts Toolbar is part of the GO toolbar. It can be used to modify the type font, size, and
style of memo fields and report documents. font size style Frequency factor is a field in the Customer Look-up screen, which is used in the Data Tables procedure to look up Customers and Closed Invoices by customer, and in the Target Mailing procedure. It selects a group of customers based upon the number of invoices (created by Active Invoices -- not by Over Counter) written for them. Acceptable search criteria are: >x ge x <x le x x-x x greater than an entered value -- for example, > 4 finds all customers who have more than four invoices on file. greater than or equal to an entered value -- for example, ge 2 finds all customers who have two or more invoices on file. less than an entered value -- for example, < 5 finds all customers who have fewer than five invoices on file. less than or equal to an entered value -- for example, le 3 finds all customers who have three or fewer invoices on file. a range of values -- for example, 6-8 finds all customers who have six to eight invoices on file. an exact equal -- for example, 5 finds all customers who have five invoices on file.
Frequency factor can be combined with the "Purch. Date" field to find all customers with a certain number of invoices written within a given date range. For example, 5-8 in the Frequency field, combined with 01/01/2002-12/31/2002 in the Purchase Date field, will find all customers with five to eight invoices written during the year 2002. Similarly, you can combine frequency and date criteria with other look-up fields (such as Customer Rating, City, or Zip Code) to further narrow the search. If you are using the Customer Look-up screen to generate a report, or to select a group of customers for Target Mailing, you may use the Refine button once you've made your initial selection to add or subtract customers.
G
Groups is an icon on the GO toolbar that may be used whenever a memo field is open. The Groups Icon is part of the special effects group. It is used to manipulate graphical images imported from the Clipboard using the Paste Graphics selection in the Editor. Note: Although special effects may be applied to any memo field, they apply only to reports printed using the printer icon.
H
Help is an icon on the GO toolbar. A single-left-click displays the help window. The help window may also be displayed by pressing the <F1> key. Words or phrases marked in blue are links to other help screens. The mouse pointer will change to a gear cursor when it's hovered over them. When this occurs, a single-left-click will cause the link to appear. A single-left-click of the Back button at the top of the Help window will return the 378
view to the previous help screen. Help is context-sensitive. In other words, the help screen that displays when you click the Help Icon will relate to the screen you're viewing at the time. Help is displayed in a window in the lower right hand corner of your screen. If you need to move the help window, place the mouse pointer on the window's title bar, then drag the window to a new place on the screen. Exit Help by clicking the Close box in the upper right hand corner of the Help window..
Highlighting is used to mark text to be cut, copied, changed, or deleted. Text is highlighted by dragging the text cursor across it, or by selecting "select all text" in the Edit menu. It is also used to attach digital images to text in memo fields and report documents.
I
Inventory is all parts that are bought for the purpose of doing business. There are four
categories of Parts Inventory in GO: 1.) Stocked Parts are parts that you want to always have on hand. 2.) Special Order Parts are parts that you plan to keep in inventory only until they are sold or credited as returns. 3.) Work in Progess Parts on Active Invoices are parts included on Active Invoices (not Estimates) that aren't yet closed as paid or charged. 4.) Work in Progress Parts on Over Counter invoices are parts included on Over Counter Sales invoices that aren't yet closed as paid or charged. The Net Value procedure in the Management Reports menu displays the current totals of these four inventories. The Bookkeeper report in the Daily Summary procedure, when run for the current date, will also print and display these current inventory totals.
Invoice is the primary document for tracking repairs to vehicles. iSHOP Standards are open standards developed by the Automotive Aftermarket
Industry association to provide a mechanism for data communication between separate software applications used within the motor vehicle service industry. Visit ww.ishopstandards.org for more information.
J
Job Names link parts received in the Receive Parts procedure to their intended destinations. Job Names are usually associated only with special order parts, but may be associated with a stocked part when the part is received. The Job Name is inspected each time an invoice or estimate is selected from the Active Invoices and Estimates selection screen, or the Over Counter Sales invoice selection screen. If the Job Name of the selected invoice or estimate matches with the Job Name of received parts, the parts flow automatically to the invoice or estimate. Inventory is updated immediately if the parts flow to an invoice, and when the estimate is upgraded to an invoice if the parts flow to an estimate.
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K
Key Index stores the locations of facts and figures -- it's how GO knows where to find
things. The key index is updated each time a new record is written, or a data entry screen is opened and closed. If this update fails due to a power failure, an operating system lockup, or a hardware or network problem, the key index will become corrupted. A corrupted key index shows itself three different ways: 1.) A "structure unsafe" error message, 2.) Garbled reports containing unrelated facts and figures, 3.) A message saying GO can't find the record you've requested, yet you know the record exists. The key index must be repaired by the Recover procedure in the System menu once it has been corrupted.
L
Labor Block is the part of an invoice, estimate, or job quote that describes the work performed, how long it took, and how much to charge for it. Each invoice, estimate, or job quote can contain up to 99 labor blocks. Each labor block has a number associated with it. The order in which the labor blocks are printed or displayed may be changed by changing the labor block number. See the Active Invoice Labor section to read more. Labor Rate is set for invoices and estimates at the time they are created by the value stored in the Company Information screen. The labor rate can be overridden on individual invoices and estimates in the Active Invoice More screen. Layers is an icon on the GO toolbar and may be used whenever a memo field is
open. The Layers Icon is part of the special effects group. It is used to manipulate graphical images imported from the Clipboard using the Paste Graphics selection in the Editor. Note: Although special effects may be applied to any memo field, they apply only to reports printed using the printer icon.
License Plate Number is used throughout the program. The main license plate number
is kept in the Vehicle file. It is a required field. It must also be unique. If you change the license plate number in the Vehicle file, it will automatically be changed everywhere else it occurs in the database.
M
Macros is an icon that will eventually enable you to design and save your own custom database query definitions. Please ignore it for now. Matrix Pricing is a set of progressively-ranged values used by the Receive Parts, Active Invoices, and Over Counter procedures to calculate the selling price of a part based upon its cost. Price matrix records are appended and modified in the Price Matrix Master Record screen found in the Price Matrices Data Table.
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Maximize is one of three window control icons displayed on the far right side of the titlebar. A single-left-click of the Maximize icon expands the currently open window to completely fill the screen. Once this happens, the Maximize icon will change to a Restore icon. You restore a maximized window by single-left-clicking the Restore icon. A singleright-click of the GO icon on the titlebar opens a menu containing an alternate method of maximizing the window. Memo field is a variable-length text field. It is a word-processor in miniature. Memo
fields are used to create report documents, and to store facts and figures that are too lengthy to store in a standard text field. Memo fields appear in two ways: 1.) As a short field containing the word "text" as in the Customer and Vehicle Note fields. Lower case "text" denotes a blank memo field. Upper case "TEXT" denotes a non-blank memo field. 2.) As a long field containing the first line of the memo field's text, as in the Active Invoice Labor Description field.
Menubar is part of the GO main screen:

To select from it, either use the mouse to single-left-click your choice, or use the keyboard to first press and hold the <Alt> key, then press the letter that's underlined in your choice (e.g. Alt / H for History). Except for File and Edit, only one menu choice can be open at a time. Once a choice is made, the other choices dim. The Edit menu choice appears only when a text document or memo field is open.
Message Box appears on all GO screens. It is "context sensitive," meaning it displays

different messages in different situations. It is the field directly above the Start button in the lower left hand corner.
Minimize is one of three window control icons displayed on the far right side of the
titlebar. A single-left-click of the Minimize icon shrinks the currently open window down to a button on the windows taskbar at the bottom of the screen. You restore a minimized window by single-left-clicking its button on the taskbar. Not all GO screens have a Minimize icon, but you may minimize any GO screen by single-left-clicking the screen's button on the Windows taskbar. A single-right-click of the GO icon on the titlebar opens a menu containing an alternate method of minimizing the window.
381
N
Navigation Palette appears automatically each time a memo field or a report document
is opened. Although the palette is most useful when navigating large reports, it's also handy when working with a lengthy memo field. It is a "floating" palette: you may reposition it anywhere on the screen using drag and drop. You may also close it with the close icon in its upper right-hand corner.
O
Object is anything on the screen capable of interacting with the mouse pointer or cursor.
The fields and VCR buttons on a data entry screen are examples of objects.
P
Page Headings are the lines that print, identify your business, at the top of each printed
page. (Unless you are using paper with preprinted headings.) The Page Headings screen lets you modify these headings. It pops up with a single-left click of the "Edit Page Headings" button in the Options & Forms Setup screen (accessed via: Main Menu >Management, or Main Menu> Active Invoices>(selected invoice) >"More..." button).
Password is a Management menu procedure. It is used to create and maintain three

levels of password protection.
Paste is an icon on the GO toolbar that copies the contents of the Windows clipboard to a GO memo field or report document. Payroll Date determines which technician labor charge records will be included in the
Efficiency Report. The payroll date is stored as a protected field in the Labor Charge Hours screen. The payroll date is set automatically to the invoice closing date when an invoice is closed. It can be set manually, using Flag Payroll in the Daily Summary procedure, to include labor charges in a closed payroll period without having to close the invoice.
Per Item Cost is a feature activated by the "Per Item Cost" button in the Receive Parts
screen that calculates the cost per item based upon the extended cost. This feature is useful when the unit of sale and the unit of purchase are unequal, and the quantity being received isn't equal to one. For example, you buy filters by the case of 12, but you sell them individually.
382
Print is an icon on the GO toolbar that may be used whenever a memo field or a report document is open. Single-left-click the Print icon to pop up the Windows print dialog. Note 1: The print icon is useful for printing a report that you've just displayed. It is not a "Print Screen" button. If you click on it when a memo field or report document is not open, the printer will eject blank pieces of paper. Note 2: The print icon isn't visible if you've single-left-clicked the maximize icon to view the full width of the report. If you can't see the icon, single-left-click the restore icon to return to normal viewing. Productivity is the ratio of Billed Hours to Total Hours. Protected Field is a field that can be viewed, but not changed. GO includes these fields
in some screens for information and auditing purposes.
Q
Query is a type of shorthand used when collecting data for specific reports. Query operators are used in the "Filter" Button dialog. The Query Operator key is listed below. = equal to <> not equal to > greater than >= greater than or equal to < less than <= less than or equal to EQ equal to NE not equal to GT greater than GE greater than or equal to LT less than LE less than or equal to GER greater than or equal to, reduced to uniqueness SV starting value equal to AV any value ASV any starting value equal to
R
Radio Buttons ask you to make a single choice from a list of two or more. Sometimes radio buttons are "sticky," meaning they remember your choice until you change them again. For example, the radio buttons at the top of the Forms & Options & Forms Setup screen are sticky. Usually though, radio buttons are "non-sticky," meaning they revert to the same suggested choice each time you re-visit the screen regardless of your last selection. The Order/Option? radio buttons in the Data Tables reports are an example of non-sticky radio buttons. Recommendations track needed repairs. They may be created and maintained by the
Active Invoices, History, and Data Tables procedures. Recommendations always attach themselves to the most recently created invoice. The Target Mailing procedure uses this feature to merge with recommendations if a recommendation falls within the selected date range, the customer hasn't brought the vehicle in for the recommended repairs.
383
Record is a group of related facts and figures that comibine to make a single unit within a
data table. For example, a Vehicle record contains the year, make, model, engine, etc. information about a single vehicle. Records consist of one or more fields. In the example just given, "year," "make," "model," and "engine" are all fields. Records are created and maintained in data entry screens.
Record Counter is a field that appears on all GO screens, but displays information only
on data entry screens. It shows how many records there are in the currently-selected collection, and where the record you're viewing is positioned within the collection. The example below shows the record counter on a Change Vehicle screen in the Data Tables procedure. The fraction "1/5639" shows that the Vehicle record being viewed is the first in a collection of 5,639 records.
Report documents are files created from facts and figures stored in your database.
They may be manipulated with the cut, copy, and paste icons; modifed with special effects, and printed with the print icon. Each report document is initially created as a temporary file on your computer's hard drive. These temporary files are automatically deleted each time GO is opened from the Windows Desktop. If you wish to save a report document longer than a single GO session, first rename it using the "Save As" selection in the File menu. Thereafter, you may reopen it from the "Open Document" selection in the File menu, and save it using the save icon. The file's full name is displayed in the report document's titlebar whenever the document is open.
Restore is one of three Window control icons displayed on the far right side of the titlebar when a window is maximized. A single-left-click of the Restore icon restores the currently open window to the size it was before the Maximize icon was clicked. A singleright-click of the GO icon on the titlebar opens a menu containing an alternate method of restoring the window.
S
Save is an icon on the GO toolbar that may be used whenever a memo field or a report document is open. Single-left-click the Save icon to save your changes to the memo field or report document before you close it. If you wish to exit the memo field or report document without saving your changes, single-left-click the Close box in the upper righthand corner of the memo field or report document window. Note: Report documents are initially stored as temporary files. Clicking the Save icon will not prevent the temporary file from being deleted the next time you open GO. If you wish to save a report for future use, use the "Save As" selection in the File menu to change the report file's name. Shop Copy of an invoice or estimate, like the customer copy, consists of header, parts,
labor, notes, recommendations, service reminder, totals, and guarantee sections. In addition, for each part, it lists the vendor number, vendor's invoice number, and gross profit percentage. It also shows, for each labor operation, the gross profit percentage, and for each technician who worked on it, their tech hours, billed hours, and efficiencies. The end
384
of the report lists total tech hours, total billed hours, total efficiency, total gross profit dollars per technician hour, total parts cost, total labor cost, the total gross profit percentages for each section of the invoice, the total gross profit percentage for the invoice as a whole, and the total gross profit dollars for the invoice as a whole.
Show button appears on many screens containing memo fields. Singleleft-click it to see a preview of how the memo field will appear on the printed report.
Single-left-click/Single-right-click are the two modes that work in GO when using the
mouse. The rule in GO for mouse clicks is: Double-clicks are never necessary. A singleleft-click moves the cursor to (puts the attention on) the object you've clicked. A singleright-click selects objects, and frequently causes special procedures to run. You can tell if a special right-click procedure is available for any given field by first putting the attention on the field, then reading the message in the statusbar at the bottom of the screen.
Size is an icon on the GO toolbar may be used whenever a memo field is open. First, highlight the text you wish to apply special effects to, then single-left-click the Size icon to display the list of available font sizes. Select the size of your choice with a single-leftclick.
Note: Although special effects may be applied to any memo field, they apply only to reports printed using the printer icon.
Special Order Parts are one of the four types of inventory tracked by GO. They are
parts that you plan to keep in inventory only until they are sold or credited as returns. In other words, you do not want them to be restocked. Special order parts are added to inventory by the Receive Parts procedure, and flow to invoices and estimates in the Active Invoices and the Over Counter Sales procedures. Special order parts may be added to, changed, deleted, browsed, and reported using the Data Tables procedure. Once a special order part is placed on an invoice, it is part of work in progress inventory until the invoice is close.
Stocked Parts are one of the four types of inventory tracked by GO. The Stocked Parts
data table keeps track of parts that you want to always have on hand. The Stocked Parts Master Record screen keeps track of current "on hand" and "minimum stock" levels. These numbers are used by the Restock List procedure to generate a listing of stocked parts that are below the minimum stocking level. The "on hand" and "minimum stock" values are updated automatically by the Receive Parts, Over Counter, and Active Invoices procedures. Stocked parts may be added to, changed, deleted, browsed, and reported using the Data Tables procedure. Once a stocked part is placed on an invoice, it is part of work in progress inventory until the invoice is closed.
Style is an icon on the GO toolbar that may be used whenever a memo field is open. First, highlight the text you wish to apply special effects to, then single-left-click the Style icon to display the list of available styles. Select the style of your choice with a single-lefttclick. Note: Although special effects may be applied to any memo field, they apply only to reports printed using the print icon.
385
Synopsis is created in the Active Invoice screen. Each time a new Labor Block is added
to the Invoice or Estimate, the Standard Labor Abbreviation is automatically appended to the Synopsis. If a Standard Labor operation is not used, the Synopsis must be entered manually. The Synopsis is used in the Active Invoice Selection screen, the History screen, and the Scheduler Invoice and Estimate Selection screen to indicate the nature of the Invoice. The Synopsis may be modified in the Active Invoice screen, in the History screen, and in Closed Invoices.
System is one of the eleven choices in the Main Menu. It has a drop-down menu with eleven catagories, all having to do with software maintenence. System Date/Time is set by the Windows operating system. It can be viewed and
modified from the Windows Desktop screen. (This is the Windows screen that comes up when the computer is turned on.) To view the System Date or Time, rest the mouse pointer on the time shown in the lower right-hand corner of the Desktop screen. To change the System Date or Time, single-right-click the mouse to bring up the Properties window, then left-click on Adjust Date/Time.
T
Technician Hours exist in two forms: Proposed and Actual. They exist as Proposed
when the labor is first added to the invoice or estimate, and are changed to Actual once the labor has been performed. Proposed hours are included by the Scheduler, Actual hours are not. The change from Proposed to Actual is done automatically if the Technician hours are assigned by the Timeclock. Otherwise, the change must be made manually in the Active Invoice Hours screen. Total Technician Hours for a selected period and/or employee are reported by the Efficiency report.
Tech Copy is one of three versions of an invoice or estimatethat may be printed. The
tech copy is the "dispatch copy" of the invoice or estimate. Each technician should have a tech copy of the job before using GO's timeclock procedure. The tech copy, like the customer, and shop copies, consists of header, parts, labor, notes, recommendations, service reminder, and totals sections. For each labor operation, it lists the proposed tech hours, billed hours, and efficiency. The end of the report lists total tech hours, total billed hours, and total efficiency. Unlike customer and shop copies, the tech copy contains a comprehensive listing of vehicle attributes. Unlike customer and shop copies, the tech copy lists no dollar amounts.
Time List pops up when you single-left-click the "down arrow" button in the Due In Time
or Due Out Time field in the Scheduler: The Time List uses military time. 00:15hrs is fifteen minutes after midnight. 12:00hrs is noon. 17:00hrs is 5pm. Use the scroll button to display the time you wish to select, then single-right-click to make the selection in one step; or single-left-click to highlight the selection and single-left-click OK to select it.
Titlebar is the colored bar at the top of each window. It contains the GO icon and the window Minimize, Maximize, and Close icons:
386
Toolbar appears on all GO screens and shows between six and twelve icons depending
on whether or not you are in a memo field. The GO toolbar is always just below the Main Menubar.
U
Unit of Purchase is how a part is purchased from your vendor. For example: each, case,
box, drum, quart.
Unit of Sale is how a part is sold to your customers. For example: each, quart, pint, foot,
inch, pound, ounce.
V
VCD or Vehicle Configuration Database is an industry standard database provided
by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). The pop-up lists for the Year, Make, Model, Engine, Fuel, Transmission, and Drive fields in the Vehicles Master Record screen contain the values from this database. Vehicle records added using selections from the pop-up menus comply with AAIA iSHOP standards. If the value you wish to enter is not contained in the VCD list, single-left-click the list's "Cancel" button, then type the value you want into the field on the data entry screen.
VCR buttons appear in the lower left-hand corner of all data entry screens. They are used to navigate between records within a collection. A single-left-click on a button causes the display to change. The first button on the left displays the first record in the collection, the second button moves the display one record closer to the beginning, the third button moves the display one record closer to the end, and the fourth button on the far right, displays the last record in the collection. The record counter tells you which record within the collection is currently being displayed.
W
Windows Print Dialog pops up each time you print something in GO if the "Windows
Dialog?" radio button is checked in the Options & Forms Setup screen. It also pops up, regardless of the Options & Form Setup screen setting, if you single-left click the print icon to print a report that's been displayed. Note: As of 12/01/01, the following are "known bugs" with the Windows Print Dialog when used from GO: The "print range" feature does not work. You can send the printer output to any printer in the popup "Name" list, however the fonts will be incorrect if the two printers are of different types (e.g.: bubble jet and laser). If you cancel out of the Print Dialog, you must close GO and then start it again before trying to print again; otherwise, GO will "hang" the next time you ask to print something.
387
Work In Progress Parts are two of the four types of inventory tracked by GO. They
are parts on open invoices created in the Active Invoices procedure, and parts on open invoices created in the Over Counter Sales procedure. Work in progress parts are no longer part of inventory once an invoice is closed as paid or charged to account. However, sales histories on all parts are maintained, and the stocked parts master records are maintained for those that originated as stocked parts.
X
"X" box - see Close box.
Y
Yes/No dialogs are used throughout GO to verify requests to perform an irreversible
action.
Z
Zip Code List pops up when you single-right-click the zip code field in a data-entry
screen or single-left-click the down-arrow button next to a zip code field in a look-up screen. Zip codes are listed according to the city name. Cities are listed alphabetically. The zip code list is built using the zip codes and cities you've entered into GO. Each time you enter a new zip code and city, the zip code is added to the list. Zip codes are shared across the Customers, Vendors, and Employees data tables. Corrections to the list may be done using Uniform in the Data Utilities menu (access via: Main Menu >System >Data Utilities > Uniform).
388
Index
A
Accounting Balance sheet 313, 318, 336 Chart of Accounts 318 Close period 318, 339 General ledger 313, 318, 324 Income statement 313, 318, 332 Initializing accounting functions 313 close prio period 317 prior year's ending balance 315 tailor chart of accounts 314 verify prior year's balance sheet 316 Overview 312 Post activity 312, 318, 323 Procedures 317 Protect period 318, 338 Trial balance 313, 318, 329 Accounts Payable 152 Aged balances report 156 Close payables 152 Payables report 157 Accounts Receivable 142 A/R statements 142 Aged balances report 145 Bad debt 149 Customer activity report 145 Interest charges 147 Reverse interest charges 148 Active Invoice Add labor 29, 57 Add parts 32 forcing a part on 37 from inventory 32 Special order parts 34 Close Invoice 38 Display 37 Header 46 Job field 46 License field 47 Revising an Estimate/Invoice 49 Source field 46 Synopsis field 48 Labor 57 Hours screens 58 Labor details 63 icon buttons 64 running totals 65 Labor Procedures Hours button 58
Standard labor button 58 Labor rates 64 Modify labor description 30 Modify labor hours 31 Parts 51 delete/restore to inventory 52 Find it button 55 fixed markup 54 percent discount 54 Procedure buttons 51 Print 37 Start a New Invoice 20 Total Section 67 Discount procedure 68 Discount types 69 Gross profit margin 68 Other charges procedure 72 Sublet procedure 69 Supplies procedure 73 Tax procedure 73 Towing procedure 71 Alternate Part Numbers 178 Archive Data Tables 231 Archiving banking/accounting data tables 236
B
Backup Data 128, 217 Browsing the backup pathway 218 Bad Checks Customer activity report 127 Daily summary 124 Bad Debt 149, 179 Reverse bad debt 151 Balance Checking 292 Balance Sheet 313, 336 Protection date 338 Bank Account Names 180 Add to 275 Change 277 Data tables 274 Delete 279 Banking 274 Bank account names 274 Checking 279 Laser check styles 276 Paychecks 295 Savings 309
Capital accounts 319 Expense accounts, business 319 Expense accounts, personal 319 Liability accounts 319 Miscellaneous expenses 319 Miscellaneous income 319 Revenue accounts 319 Checking Add to checks 286 browse checks 291 change checks 289 delete checks 290 line balance 288 report checks 291 transaction types 287 Balance checking 292 Ceck sequence report 280 Change employees 280 Payroll settings 281 Set top margin 281 Write checks 281 accounting number 283 multiple distribution 286 print checks 285 transaction types 282 Close Period 339 Capital account 340 Closed Invoices 181 Command Prompt 242 Company Information 9, 129 A/R Terms 10 E-Mail Server 9 Interest Rate 10 Shop Fees 11 Tax Rates Primary/Secondary Rates 10, 73 Customer Customer activity report 145 Customer data tables 182 Customer Master Record 20 New customers report 171 Customer Master Record Customer Number 21 Delete/Browse Vehicles Button 25 Labor Rates Button 25 Rating 22 Type 22
D
Daily Summary Backup data 128 Bad checks 124 Bookkeeper report 122 Cash Expense 109 Cash on hand report 123 Close Invoices 104
C
Cash Expenses 109, 181 Cash On Hand 181 Cash Over/Under 113 Cost of sales 319 Chart of Accounts 318 Asset accounts 319
Daily summary report 120 Employees Hours Worked 114 Flag payroll 118 Misc Income 108 Over the Counter 107 Received on Account 104 Reopen a closed invoice 104 Summary Reports 120 Till Count 111 Today's timecards 116 Print/display the timecard 118 Work in progress report 123 Data Base Rebuild 216 Data Table Current Status 216 Data Tables 173 Alternate parts 178 Bad debt 179 Bank account names 180 Cash expenses 181 Cash on hand 181 Chart of accounts 181 Checking 181, 279 Closed invoices 181 Customers 182 Employees 182 Equipment 184 Expense codes 186 Hours worked 187 Job Names 187 Job quotes 188 Labor rates 191 Letters 193 Look-up screen 174 Meetings 193 Miscellaneous income 194 Monthly totals 194 Over the counter sales 195 Paychecks 195 Payment types 196 Personal expenses 197 Policies & procedures 197 Price levels 197 Price matrices 198 Purchase orders 199 Purchases 199 Received on account 200 Recommendations 202 Refine selected data 176 Report collected data 176 Savings 202 Scheduler notes 202 Service reminders 203 Sorting order and reporting options 177 Special order parts 204 Standard labor 205 Stocked parts 207
Till count 210 Timecards 210, 270 Vehicles 211 Vendor 212 Data Tables, Archive 231 Data Tables, Expand 223 Data Tables, Load 223 Data Utilities 237 Inspect invoice sequence 239 Uniform 237 Update job names 239 Update job quotes 239 Database Move to new server in network 362 Direct Marketing 134 Batch print settings 134 Send Reminders 134 Target mailing 137 Discounting an Active Invoice 68
How to use History 41 Print or Display Closed Invoices 43 Procedure buttons 44 Recommendations 42 Vehicle/Customer Information 42 Why Use History 41 Hours Worked Data tables 187 Manual entries of employees times 114
I
Icon Buttons Check In 64 Customer 64 Vendor 64 Income & Expense Report 162 Income Statement 313, 332 Ending inventory 332 Redistribute 8000 level accounts 334 Redistribute 9000 level accounts 334 Interest Charges 147 Reverse interest charges 148 Inventory Control 97 Physical Inventory 97 Reprice 99 Return Inventory 99 Stored monthly totals 194 Invoice Close from Daily Summary 104 Closed invoices data tables 181 Guarantee 130 Inspect invoice sequence 239 Over the counter invoice 244 IRS Form 941 Report 160 ISHOP 24
E
Employees Employee data tables 182 Equipment Data tables 184 Error Messages 344 Abort/debugger/continue error 347 GO error messages 344 Thunderbolt error messages 346 Windows error messages 347 Expand Data Tables 223 Expense Codes Data tables 186
F
Find It 94 Fixed Markup 54 Forms Data tables 186 Print forms 132
J
Job Names Data tables 187 Update jobs 239 Job Quotes 188 Generic quotes 189 In History and Active Invoices 189 Search History button 191 Specific quotes 190 Update quotes 239
G
General Ledger 313, 324 Add to 325 Change 326 Delete 327 Report 328 GO Icon 14 Guarantees Writing/Modifing a guarantee 130
L
Labor Standard labor data tables 205 Labor Hours Assign 61
H
History Copy closed invoice to new estimate 43
Billed hours 60 Do by percent 61 Efficiency 60 Tech hours 59 Labor Rates 64 Data tables 191 Labor rate hierarchy 192 Standard labor master record 206 Labor Sales Report 165 Letters Data tables 193
Stress test 240
O
Options & Forms Setup 129 Edit page headings 131 Modify guarantees 130 Over the Counter Invoice Completed invoice example 252 Header section definitions 246 Invoice numbering 245 Parts section definitions 248 Totals section definitions 250 Writing an over the counter invoice 244 Over the Counter Sales Data tables 195
for estimates/invoices parts 79 for restock items 77 for returned items 78 Data tables 199 Receiving 85 Selection screen 80 Purchases Data tables 199
R
Receive On Account 104 Apply payment variations 106 Data tables 200 Taking a discount at time of payment 106 Receive Parts 89 Record Counter 16 Recover Key Index 215 Reminders Send reminders 134 Report Returns 97 Reports Table, Clear 216 Restock List 88
M
Main Screen 13 Management Accounts Payable 152 Accounts Receivable 142 Company Information 129 Cover page 169 Daily Summary 101 Direct Marketing 134 Management Reports 157 Options & Forms 129 Password 133 Print forms 132 Management Reports Customer activity 157 Income & expense report 162 IRS 941 report 160 Labor sales report 165 Marketing analysis report 166 Net value of parts report 167 New customers report 171 Parts popularity report 168 Parts sales report 164 Profit centers report 169 Sales report 160 Technician efficiency report 157 Vehicle popularity report 169 Work in progress report 167 Marketing Analysis Reprot 166 Meetings Data tables 193 Menubar 14 Message Box 15 Miscellaneous Income 108 Daily summary 194 Data tables 194 Monthly Totals Stored inventory totals 194
P
Parts Alternate part numbers 178 Net value report 167 Over the counter sales 248 Parts popularity report 168 Parts sales report 164 Percent discount 54 Report returns 97 Special order data tables 204 Stocked parts data tables 207 Password 133 Setting levels 133 Paychecks 295 Add to checks (paychecks) 302 Browse checks (paychecks) 307 Change checks (paychecks) 305 Data tables 195, 295 Delete checks (paychecks) 306 Payroll settings 281 Report checks (paychecks) 307 Write paychecks 296 employee master record 298 paycheck deductions 300 print paychecks 302 Payment Types Data tables 196 Personal Expenses Daily summary 197 Data tables 197 Post Activity 312, 323 Price Levels Data tables 197 Price Matrices Data tables 198 Profit Centers Report 169 Protect Period 338 Purchase Orders Creating 75
S
Sales Report 160 Sample Data 11 Savings Data tables 202 Scheduler 253 Calendar 253 Review/Assign screen 259 Scheduling multiply days for one job 254 Scheduling over a weekend 255 Selection screen 258 Technician dispatch sheet 260 Service Reminders 349 Automated in standard labor master record 206 Data tables 203 Deleting sent reminders 354 Master record screen 351 Processing service reminder letters 352 Requested Servide Interval 350 Send reminders 353 Writing the letter 349 Shop Supplies Charge rate 73 Definition 85 General Ledger accounting of 87 Keeping track of 86 Shop Vehicle Close an invoice for 361 Special Order Parts
N
Net Value of Parts Report 167 Network Move database to new server 362 Report network users 215
Data tables 204 Statusbar 15 Stocked Parts Data tables 207 Restock list 88 Sublet 69 Synopsis 48
T
Target Mailing 137 Merge with a form letter 141 Selection action 140 Selection criteria 137 Tax Rates 73 Technician Efficiency Report 157 Till Count 111 Cash Over/Under 113 Counting the till 112 Data tables 210 First time entry 111 Monies to be deposited 113 Reconciling Expected with Actual till count 113 Timecards Data tables 210 Print the day's timecard 269 Timeclock 261 Changing labor blocks 266 Clocking on to a labor block 265 Clocking on to an invoice 263 Clocking on to e-times 268 Getting started 261 Printing the day's timecard 269 Utilities 270 Titlebar 13 Toolbar 14 Towing, add record to Active Invoice 71 Trial Balance 313, 329 Account not in balance 331 Current period 330 Select date range 330
Vehicle Master Record Fleet # 27 Next Scheduled Service 28 Requested Service Interval 28 Vendor Data tables 212 Version 240 VIN 27
W
Warranty Claim Labor credit from vendor 360 Warranty Invoice 356 Customer relations warranty 357 Defective parts warranty 357 Faulty workmanship warranty 356 Work In Progress Report 167 Worksheet Print a blank worksheet 17 Workstation Disk Install 366
U
Upgrade Disk Install 363
V
Vehicle Data tables 211 License 26 Vehicle Identification Number 27 Vehicle Master Record 26 Labor Rates Button 28 Vehicle popularity report 169

Book One Introduction To GO ................................. 9

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Book One Introduction To GO ................................. 9

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Contents

Introduction of Main Screen Elements ...... 15

Writing a Customer Invoice ........................ 19

2002 Garage Operator, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

The Base Module ................................ 47

Active Invoice Parts Section Definitions ...... 53

Active Invoice Labor Section - Definitions ...... 59

Active Invoice Total Section Definitions ....... 69

Chapter 10 Management ................................................... 103

2002 Garage Operator, Inc. All Rights Reserved

2002 Garage Operator, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Data Tables ............................................... 175

System ...................................................... 217

Book Three The Enhanced Management Module ... 245

Over the Counter ...................................... 246

Scheduler ................................................. 255

Timeclock ................................................. 263

2002 Garage Operator, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

The Banking Module.......................... 275

The Accounting Module .................... 313

2002 Garage Operator, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Appendixes ........................................ 345

How To ?.... ............................................... 351

Glossary of Terms .................................... 373

2002 Garage Operator, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

2002 Garage Operator, Inc. All Rights Reserved