Mind your own business records
THE aim of Stock Control from Gemini is, as one would expect,
to help commercial users to record and control their stock.
The program is available on tape or disc. But it is not a true
disc-based system in which a large file of data is kept on disc
and records read from and updated to the disc as required.
The whole stock file has to be read into memory for processing
and this puts severe restrictions on the number of records that
can be held and the quantity of data that can be held in each
record.
Gemini say that up to 50 stock records can be held on the 16k
BBC Micro or 220 records on the 32k machine.
Of course more than one stock file could be created and brought
into RAM as needed. But this solution would be tedious if discs
were used and not at all practicable with tape.
For each item of stock the program records a reference (7),
description (23), unit quantity (9), units in stock (5), cost
price per unit, selling price per unit, minimum stock level (5),
re-order quantity (5) and supplier name (23). The figures in brackets
show the maximum characters in each field.
When using the program items of stock are referred to by their
record number (1 upwards) which is allocated when the record is
first put onto the file.
The above might seem to be a comprehensive list of the data
a business would need to control its stock, but in practice it
would normally be necessary to record additional information.
For example, many businesses record details of stock movements
- dates and the quantities received and despatched.
To record such information would add enormously to the amount
of data to be held in each record and would force a true disc-based
system to be used.
However, even within the context of having the whole file in
the memory, it is easy to think of useful — but compact — data
that could be stored.
An option the program offers is to print out a list of all items
where the quantity in stock is less than the minimum stock level
specified.
This implies that we will soon run out of these items and that
more - the re-order quantity — should be ordered.
However there is no field on the file where we can indicate
that we have placed an order and are awaiting delivery.
When the understocked items are listed by the program we would
have to go through the list, comparing it with a manually kept
file of copy orders to make sure that we do not inadvertently
place a duplicate order.
The program allows the basic functions of adding a new record,
changing any field of a record, updating the balance of stock
held for deliveries in and despatches out, and of deleting a record.
The last function also offers the facility of compacting the
records.
If item 20 were deleted and the file compacted then all the
records subsequent to 20 would be "shuffled down" by
one record.
This is a facility that would need careful use, as renumbering
stock records is likely to lead to considerable confusion.
To make use of data the records can be inspected on the screen
and printouts obtained of all or parts of each record.
Also two more specialised screen reports are available - the
understocked item - mentioned above - and what is termed a financial
summary.
The latter gives totals of the cost value and the selling value
of all items in stock and also displays the overall gross profit
margin, defined as total sale cost divided by total sale value.
It should be pointed out that the two totals produced here will
be of very limited use for any accounting purpose.
This is because each item of stock should be valued in the accounts
at the lower of its cost and its net realisable value.
In simple terms this means that if an item is going to be sold
for less than it was bought then that item should be valued at
its selling value.
Therefore the stock valuation that may be required by accountants
would be one in which some items will be included at their cost
and others at their net realisable value. The program will not
produce this calculation.
The financial summary also calculates what is termed as the
"cost of new purchases". This is, for each item of stock
where the quantity is below the re-order level, the total of re-order
quantity multiplied by cost price.
Again this probably will not be of great practical use to a
business as it is unlikely that all understocked items will be
ordered precisely when reported in their re-order quantities.
Unfortunately the program gives no warning or special report
when a quantity of stock held appears to be negative.
If this occurs it suggests that there has been a bookkeeping
error. I think that this should be reported to the user for investigation.
The program is menu-driven and all screen formats are well-designed
and make good use of colour. However in my opinion the program
offers only rudimentary help in stocktaking and something better
ought to be possible in what is billed as business software.
Ken Garrett
