Going Electronic #4

Alternate Part Numbers

Does WinAir support Alternate part numbers? We often get asked that. The short answer is yes, but there is much more to it. Many applications allow you to enter Alternate part numbers, but what does the software do with the information once it has been entered? That's an important question.

In WinAir, Master part numbers are the only valid ones; you can't order, issue, or sell a part unless it exists in the master list. Think of the Master Parts List as your catalogue of part numbers. Alternate numbers are numbers that DO NOT exist in your Master List, even though they may be valid part numbers. You can enter as many Alternate numbers for each Master part number as you like.

Master Part Numbers

If you enter an Alternate part number in any window, WinAir displays a message and retrieves the correct Master part number automatically. For example , you don't need to remember all of those complicated new NAS numbers for AN960 washers. With WinAir, you can enter the AN960 numbers as alternates against the new number; just type in the old number, and the new number appears automatically!

Additionally, if avionics or accessories have a familiar model number, they can be entered as alternates and used for quickly getting the information you need. For instance, the proper part number for a Garmin GPS150 is 11-18950. If you enter GPS150 as an alternate, you'll never have to remember the correct part number again.

Acceptable Alternate Part Numbers

But it doesn't end there. What if a vendor supplies valid alternate parts from the ones you ordered? There is a good chance that the person doing the receiving will not be familiar with all the possible alternates. However, if you have the acceptable alternates in your system, WinAir will allow the parts to be received in lieu of the ones you ordered and will stock them under your preferred master number. You can even tell WinAir that you want your acceptable alternates displayed on the PO that goes to the vendor!

Old Part Numbers

What about when an old number that you have traditionally stocked gets superceded? It happens all the time. Manually making all the changes required to add the new number and get rid of the old one is often such a big job that it doesn't get done. If there is history involved, it can get especially complicated. As a result, the part number listing can be outdated within weeks of installing your new software, and it only gets worse. But WinAir makes dealing with this a breeze. Enter the new PN in your Master Parts list, then use the handy menu option to convert the old master number into an alternate for the new one. WinAir will then go through every data file that contains part numbers and change all the old ones to the new one so that even all your transaction history is intact!

Substitutes

With WinAir Pro-SQL, you can link as many master part numbers as you like as SUBSTITUTES for another. This is useful if you need to stock different dash numbers or models separately, but one can be used in place of another. And the links don't have to be bi-directional either. You can make a ?013 a substitute for a ?011, but not vice-versa. If you have no stock on a particular part number, a list of valid substitutes is just a mouse click away. When receiving, if a vendor supplies a valid substitute for an item on your PO, WinAir will display a message telling the user that the part has been received, but will be stocked under the substitute number.

These are just a few of the things to consider regarding alternates. You can see that there is far more to it than simply listing them. After all, you can do that on paper.