Using Alternate Lookups

About Item Identifiers | UPCs | Bar Codes in Point of Sale

An alternate lookup is an optional, user-defined item identifier that can be used to locate and quickly list items on documents. The use of alternate lookups is well suited to retailers that do not tag their merchandise or to those that want to print vendor part numbers on purchase orders or other documents.

This field can contain text descriptions, catalog/part numbers, alphanumeric entries, abbreviated names, or anything allowing you to quickly identify a unique item. Alternate lookups must be unique for each item for which they are defined.

To be effectively used to list items on documents, each alternate lookup entry:

- Should be a unique character string that can be easily remembered by cashiers

- Should not duplicate any item's UPC code or Item #

- Ideally, will start with a letter rather than a number. This helps ensure that alternate lookups do not duplicate a UPC or Item number. Point of Sale begins looking for matches as soon as you begin entering characters; if you have an alternate lookup value of 1234 and a UPC of 1234567890123, both will be returned as matches when you enter 1234.

To define alternate lookups:

1. Select Item List from the Inventory menu.

2. Locate an existing item record and select Edit (or select New if adding a new item).

3. Navigate to the Alternate Lookup field and make an entry. Enter or edit other item fields as necessary.

4. Select Save.

5. Repeat for all items you want to list on documents using alternate lookups.

To list an item on a document using an alternate lookup:

- Enter the alternate lookup string in the Enter Item(s) field and press <Enter>.

If one matching item is found, it is instantly listed on the document. If multiple matches are located, the Find window is displayed, listing all matching items. Highlight the correct item and choose Select Item to list the item on the receipt.

Tip: Post a list of alternate lookups at the POS workstation to help cashiers remember the correct entries.

To print alternate lookup values on documents:

1. Access the Documents & Printers page in workstation preferences.

2. Select a document template ending in the suffix "-ALU" for each document type you wish to print using this value.

3. Save your changes.

(Pro) You can use the Print Designer to add the Alternate Lookup field to other document templates, if desired.

Example Use of Alternate Lookups

You sell a large volume of one-gallon, two-gallon, and five-gallon clay pots from the vendor Clay Pots International and you dont want to tag them. You define alternate lookups of CPI1, CPI2, and CPI5, respectively, for the three pots. When a customer purchases a five-gallon pot, you simply enter CPI5 in the Enter Item(s) field to list that pot size on the sales receipt.

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