Location Creation Wizard
The location creation wizard helps new users create their first depot location. This wizard will appear on your first start up of OpenBoxes if you choose not to load demo data and instead create your own data. It can also be accessed via the configuration menu in "Location Configuration Wizard."
On the first page of the wizard, you have two options, create you first location or import a list of locations.
If you already have a sense of how you want to structure your locations, click "Import Location List." This will bring you to a page where you can read instructions on importing locations, download a template, and import your final location list. If you want to learn more about how to create locations, choose "Create Your First Location" to walk through the process of creating a location in OpenBoxes.
If you select "Create You First Location", your next step will be to fill in some basic location details. Fields with a red star are required. Others can be filled out as needed.
Active: This is automatically checked. Unchecking it will hide the location within the system
Name*: Enter a unique name for the location
Location Number: A unique code to identify your location, for example an acronym of the name. If left blank, OpenBoxes will generate this code
Organization*: All locations must be associated with an organization, which is the company, organization, or office that owns the location. This is the organization that would issue a purchase order or invoice for the location. If the organization does not already exist in the system, the dropdown shows an option to create a new one. Read an article here to learn more about organizations.
Location Group: A way of grouping locations independent from organization - often it is used to group by facility or geographical area. If the location group does not already exist in the system, the dropdown shows an option to create a new one. Read an article here to learn more about location groups.
Manager: The user that is responsible for managing that location
Location Type*: The location type defines how the location operates in the system. You will start by creating a depot, which is a location where you can log in and manage stock. For your first location, it is recommended to use the default supported activities. You can always edit them later after learning more about the system. Learn more about location types and supported activities here.
Upload Logo: Here you can upload an image that will appear in the top left corner of your depot in place of the OpenBoxes logo
Background Color: Enter a Pantone color code to change the color that appears behind the logo at the top of the screen. This will also change the color of your location in the location chooser
Foreground Color: Enter a Pantone color code to change the color of the foreground test in your location.
Once you have filled out all of the key details, press next.
Address
The address field is optional, but it is recommended to add it if you want to reference an address in shipping documents, POs, or other custom documentation. The fields align with a typical address in the United States, but if you have an international address, you can use the fields whatever way you want. The documentation will show an address in this format by default:
{Street Address}
{Street Address 2}
{City}
{State/Province}
{Postal Code}
{Country}
It is also possible to customize the addresses on documents to format the fields in he best way for your country.
Adding Bins & Zones
This step is also optional, but it is necessary if you want to do bin tracking in your location. You can add bins to your depot by clicking on the add bin button and entering a bin name and type. If you choose, you can also place your bins within zones, which are larger areas in the warehouse.
Forecasting
ForecastingThe forecasting page allows users to set some key metrics which will be used as defaults for forecasting within your location. These metrics are the default for all products within a location, but can be overridden by setting a value on an individual product. These settings are not required - you can set no defaults and simply enter the values you want to use on each product, or in the forecast report directly.
Expected Lead Time Days: Enter the average time from purchase or request to delivery in days
Replenishment Period Days: Enter the time period for which you place replenishment orders. For example, if this depot always requests stock for a month, enter 30 days.
Demand Time Period Days: Enter how many days of consumption history you want to use to calculate average demand. For example, to calculate demand using data for the last 3 months, enter 90. For the last 12 months, enter 360.
Once you have entered your forecasting information, click "Finish."
Congratulations! You have created your first location! At this point you can choose to create another location, view your location list, or move to the next wizard to start importing categories and products.
