12.2.1 Supplier Information

Firstly enter all the key supplier data fields in the Supplier Information section.

• Name (mandatory) – The supplier’s full name. This is used each time the supplier is displayed and is the name that is attached to catalogues.
• Key (mandatory) – A unique database identifier. The key is used by the catalogue loading program and is not visible in the GUI.
• Short name – The idiomatic supplier name that your users know this supplier by. Typically this is used by EDI translator software to identify the supplier. This is not displayed in the GUI.
• GLN - A Global Location Number field provides an additional unique supplier level identifier. The field is optional and will accept up to 20 characters. Note that this field is not currently validated for a valid GS1 key. This field will display in  number of screens (e.g. status and approval summary screens) and can be used in supplier and document searches.
• County/Language (mandatory with default) – Used when catalogue load programs interpret date and currency values in the load file. The default is the country/language of your PECOS P2P instance.
• Customer’s Supplier Number (mandatory) – Your organisation’s unique number for this supplier. This is typically your accounts payable reference number. This is used by the APExport program to identify a supplier account in your ERP system. EDI transactions also often identify suppliers with this value.
• Supplier's Customer Number (mandatory) – Your supplier’s unique number for your organisation. This is typically the supplier’s sales ledger or customer number for you and will often be suggested by your supplier. This is displayed on all the purchase orders transmitted to this supplier.
• Preferred Currency – This is will be the default currency for this supplier. Any non-catalogue items or additional lines added to an invoice will appear as this currency. The default is the currency of your PECOS P2P instance. This currency identifier will define the currency of the supplier’s catalogue and therefore items added to any requisition.
• Phone (mandatory) – Supplier’s phone number.
• Fax – The supplier’s fax number. This is used by the PECOS P2P order transmission program if the supplier wishes to receive orders by fax.
  If PECOS is hosted by Elcom the number must be prefixed with the international dialling code FROM the US: this is because the fax servers are located in the Elcom hosted data centre in the USA. The supplier fax number must be prefixed 011 followed by a country code (defined by the supplier’s location: 44 for UK) and the removal of the leading zero of the area code. For example, a UK supplier with a fax number 01234 567890 would be entered 011 44 1234567890. Spaces are optional.
• eMail (mandatory) – The supplier eMail address. This is used by the PECOS P2P order transmission program if the supplier wishes to receive orders by eMail. This address is also used to transmit attachments when orders are submitted by XML. The eMail address is validated – see eMail address validation..
• Supplier type – Used to indicate whether a supplier is:
  • Catalogue Only: The supplier will provide an electronic catalogue and will only display in the catalogue search screen. This supplier will NOT appear in the ‘add non catalogue item’ screen (i.e. only contract or catalogue items can be purchased from this supplier).
     Some suppliers who receive POs electronically via cXML are unable to receive Non-Catalogue Orders via this route. Choose ‘Catalogue Only’ to ensure Orders to suppliers via this method do not fail.
  • Non-Catalogue Only: The supplier is used to raise non-catalogue orders only. This supplier will not appear in the catalogue search page but will only appear in the supplier lookup in the ‘add non-catalogue item’ screen.
  • Catalogue and Non-Catalogue: The supplier provides an electronic catalogue and is authorised for non-contract or free text ordering. The supplier profile will appear in both the catalogue search page and in the supplier lookup in the ‘add non-catalogue item’ screen.
  • External Marketplace Only: The supplier is a PunchOut supplier only. The supplier profile will not appear in the catalogue search screen or the, add non-catalogue item supplier search. The supplier is not therefore approved for free text ordering.
  • External Marketplace and Non-Catalogue: The supplier is a PunchOut supplier. The supplier profile will not appear in the catalogue search screen but will appear in the supplier search in the, add non-catalogue item screen. The supplier is therefore approved for non catalogue and free text ordering.
  • Approved User-defined: System assigned when users create new supplier profile in the Add Non-Catalogue Item screen. You do not create user-defined suppliers here.
    If changing supplier type from a Catalogue type to a 'Non-Catalogue Only' type it is important to note that any loaded catalogue will not automatically be removed or deactivated. To ensure catalogue items for these changed supplier types do not get returned in text or quick search results, catalogues must be separately deactivated or removed.
• Catalogue Collection – This field is either display only or requires selection depending on which Supplier Type is selected. The selection of a catalogue collection is required when PECOS P2P automatically generates a Catalogue Key. Described below are the supplier types for which PECOS P2P will auto create a catalogue key and the selection of a collection is therefore required during supplier creation.
  • Manually Created Catalogue Key: When the supplier type is ‘Catalogue Only’ or ‘Catalogue and Non-Catalogue’ the supplier’s catalogue key must be manually created and placed in a catalogue collection. The Catalogue Collection selection is therefore not required when creating the supplier profile (it is greyed out) and this field will be populated retrospectively after a catalogue collection has been assigned.
  • Auto-generated Catalogue Key: When the supplier type is ‘Non-Catalogue Only’, ‘External Marketplace Only’ or ‘External Marketplace with Non-Catalogue’ the supplier’s catalogue key will be system generated. After being generated PECOS P2P must place the catalogue key into a catalogue collection and this collection must therefore be selected when creating the supplier profile. For these supplier types click in the drop down list box to select the collection that this supplier is to belong for user access purposes. The auto-generated catalogue key will use the Supplier Key and add a suffix of: _P (for external marketplace supplier types) or _N (for non-catalogue supplier types).
• Tax ID / VAT Number – The supplier’s VAT number or other tax identifier. This tax id will default into the supplier’s invoice entry screen.
• DUNS Number – Enter the supplier’s Dun and Bradstreet Number if known. The Dun and Bradstreet number is available for all commercial organisations upon application and is a unique supplier identifier. This field is 9 + 4 characters to accommodate a unique ID and location/division. Typically the first nine digits only are used.
  If PECOS is integrated with other eCommerce or eMarketplace applications, it may be very important to include an accurate DUNS reference.
• Active Supplier – Supplier activation setting. The default is ‘Yes’ (i.e. the supplier is active). To deactivate a supplier choose ‘No’ and save. Note that this setting is used as a search key. Deactivated suppliers are not available for user’s to create new requisitions but remain available for historic searches.
  eMail Address Validation
  The eMail field of the Supplier Information section is validated to reduce the likelihood of an invalid eMail addresses being entered. The following validations are undertaken:
• There is at least one ampersand (i.e. @) (e.g.: jsmith.elcom.com).
• The ampersand is neither the first or last character (eg: jsmith@).
• There is at least one dot in the address (e.g.: jsmith@elcomcom).
• Two dots do not appear simultaneously (e.g.: jsmith@elcom..com).
• There are no spaces in the domain name (e.g.: jsmith@elcom .com).
• The domain name does not start or end with a dot (e.g.: jsmith@.elcom.com).
• Characters used in the domain name are valid (e.g.: jsmith@elcom.co£).
• The domain length is between 3 and 255.
• User name does not start with a dot (e.g.: .jsmith@elcom.com).
• User name does not end with a dot (e.g.: jsmith.@elcom.com).
• User name is checked for invalid characters which include: (“£€)(@][;:><\`¬) (e.g.: jsmi£h@elcom.com).
• Domain is checked for invalid characters which include: !#$%&'*+,/=?^_{|}~“£€)(@][;:><\`¬ (e.g.: jsmith@el#om.com).

If validation fails, the supplier profile will not be saved and an error message is displayed: