Method Community

 Before plunging into the customization webinars, I'd like to know why I can't see any Estimates tabs or screens. Furthermore, I don't see them listed as screens within the Customize tab, but I do see an Estimate table.

Are Estimate screens simply screens based on the Transaction/Invoice tables? The problem is, I don't see the "TxnType" field in the Estimate table, buI do see it in the Transaction table.

I ask for clarification because draft/pre-filled sales orders is important to us, and the Estimates > concert to Sales Order mechanism seems to be the way to go.

Thanks

MikeB:

I can't see any Estimates tabs or screens

The estimate screen is located at Customers > Estimates.

MikeB:

Furthermore, I don't see them listed as screens within the Customize tab, but I do see an Estimate table.

Look under Customize > Screens and make sure you're showing All Screens.  If you type estimate into the screen name filter the screen you're looking for is called QuickBooks_Estimate.

MikeB:

Are Estimate screens simply screens based on the Transaction/Invoice tables?

Estimates live inside the Esimates table and Invoices in the Invoices table - they are based off of different tables.  Does this answer your question?

~C

 Sort of, but I'm a bit confused.

In the "Converting Estimates To Invoices To Sales Orders" webinar, I see in the "Edit Customer" page, there is a "Transactions" section in one of the tabs near the bottom. I also notice that within this "Transactions" tab are both invoices AND estimates.

We have a series of custom screens, and our "Edit Customer" screen shows transactions only, and not Estimates.

The thing is, the grid in the "Transacitons" section is based on a detached relationship to the Invoices table. In order to have estimates included, shouldn't the grid be based on an attached relationship to the "Transaction" table. The standard CRM_Edit Customer table appears to have this relationship structure.

The bottom line is I'd like to have a "draft sales order" process, and I realize there are a few ways to do this. Using the "Wait for Sync" checkbox is an option, but I'd worry about orders not being sent. The Estimate/Invoice combination seems to work, especially if Estimates can be converted to Invoices.

Thanks

MikeB:

We have a series of custom screens, and our "Edit Customer" screen shows transactions only, and not Estimates.

On the stock Method screen for editing a customer under the transactions tab, this list includes all transactions including Sales Order, Estimate and Invoice.  Your stock Method screen should show this now and it's based on the Transaction table.  If you review your stock Method screen are you able to see all transactions?  If so then there might be a problem with the custom screen you're working on.

~C 

 I'll try to give some specifics:

• My customized customer Edit Customer screen uses the Customer Full Name as a page filter, so that all the sub-sections show only results for the "on screen" company
• However, the transactions table doesn't have Full Name as a column in its table, so there's an Action in the stock CRM Edit Customer screen for the "New Transaction" button that says: "Assign Full Name to resultTransactionEntity"

Anyway, are you asking me to link the stock Method Edit Customer screen to my customied Customers tab so I can see the results? I'm asking because when I View the stock Customer Edit Screen and select New transaction/New Estimate, I get an error message about links.

Also, as a test, I logged an estimate using the QuickBooks_Estimate screen, and I can see it when I go into that screen, but it's not linked to the stock Edit Customer table. It seems to be orphaned.

Anyway, if you can help me clarify all this stuff it would be great. By the way, is there a relationships map (like in MS Access) where it would be easy for me to see the structure?

MikeB:

when I View the stock Customer Edit Screen and select New transaction/New Estimate, I get an error message about links.

It sounds like you made a copy of the screen and replaced the links - this would have broken the connection between screens.

MikeB:

Also, as a test, I logged an estimate using the QuickBooks_Estimate screen, and I can see it when I go into that screen, but it's not linked to the stock Edit Customer table. It seems to be orphaned.

It sounds like a connection was broken because the stock QuickBooks_Estimate screen works fine and any Estimates I add in here show up under my edit customer > transactions section.

MikeB:

is there a relationships map (like in MS Access) where it would be easy for me to see the structure?

There is no relationship map currently.

~C

 Actually, when I View the original stock Edit Customer screen (which I can't mess with, I can only view or copy), I can't do any "New Transaction". For example, when I select Invoice from the New Transaction button, I get:

Could not run the 'Go To Tab Link' command, as there was a problem locating the Tab Link 'Invoices'. This Tab Link may have been deleted, or if you copied the original Screen from another account, you may also need to copy the Screen this Tab Link 'Invoices' belongs to as well.

Additional Information

Action Sequence Order:3

In this case it sounds like you also changed the tab link for Invoices since my stock screen does not have this problem.  If you've made a copy and replaced the tab links, it'll replace it everywhere, including the GoTo links.

~C

 I do not think that I have changed any links. All I have done is made copies and selected: do not add a tab link every time.

Here are the steps I'm taking:

• Go to the Customize>Screens
• Select "View" for CRM_EditCustomer
• The screen opens, but all fields are blank, which seems to make sense because I'm only opening the edit screen, which does not have a customer attached to it.
• Is this maybe why the actions aren't working?

For a test, 

• Go to the Leads tab > Leads and Contacts list
• Click Go To... on any lead
• Scoll down to the section tabs and click Transactions
• Click New Transaction... then click Estimate.

 Are you asking me to log into my Method environment as a user? When I do what you say, there's no Transactions tab at the bottom. Only Activities. Either way, the Method environment for users/staff/mamagers is working fine, no links are broken.

Regardess, that's not what I'm looking to do. I'm investigating how to link the Estimates screens to my custom Customer (ie. Edit Customer) screens. This means that I went into the Customize section and looked around at the available screens. I did the following:

• I Viewed the stock Quickbooks Estimate screen and entered an estimate (which I can still see when I vew that screen).
• I Viewed our custom Edit Customer screen, which, because I'm viewing the screen on its own, without connecting through a specific customer first, shows me all transactions (over 100,000 records). That's a good thing, showing that my links are fine. However, the estimated I created is not visible here - perhaps because there are no links to the estimate screen?
• I Viewed the stock Edit Customer screen, which does not show the estimate in the transactions tab at the bottom, nor does it show any transactions at all. I thought that it would.

I can assure you that I have not broken any links. I am just not sure that I have explained what I have been trying to do.

I did not expect my estimate to show up in my custom Customer Transactions tab, because this has not been linked (I imagine that's why). But I did expect my estimate to show up in the stock Edit Customer screen. Was I wrong in expecting that?

You're not wrong to expect that but the fact that you're seeing behaviour different from the stock screens suggests to me that you've broken a link on the stock set of screens.  Without seeing your screen it's impossible for us to provide a solution to fixing the link on your stock screen.  

At this point we've exhausted all options we can over the forum.  The next step would be to book consulting with one of our consultants to review the changes you have made and narrow down what the problem could be.  Please let me know if you're like a consultant to contact you.

~C

 Again, I'll detail what's happening:

If, within the Customize environment, I view the "CRM_CustomerList" screen and select a particular customer, I am taken to the "Edit Customers" tab for that particular customer within my custom environment.

If, within the Customize environment I view the "CRM_EditCustomer" screen, the main form fields and all the sub-tabs (Transactions, etc.) are blank, and I'm not able to investigate new transactions (ie. I get the error pressing the button)

If, within the Customize environment I view the customiaed "Edit_Customer" screen, the main form fields are blank, but the sub tabs (like Transactions) contain all the records for all customers. And I'm still in the Customize environment. However, the only options available to me in "More Actions" are either "Delete Customer" or "Notes".

I do not believe that I have broken any links. I may just not undersnd how to edit a copy of the "CRM_EditCustomer" screen properly, or what I should be seeing. Should the screen be populated with nformation at all? I realize that opening "CRM_EditCustomer" on its own doesn't link to a particular client, and maybe that's why the links for new transactions don't work?

 And to elaborate a bit on the above, when I Edit a copy of the "CRM_EditCustomer" screen and go to the New Transaction button within the Transactins section, the first Action for the button (regardless whether I choose a Sales order or an Edtiate) is called "AssignValue To Action Result" and the notes are "Assign FullName to resultTransactionEntity". Since I'm opening up a copy of  CRM_EditCustomer screen on its own and it's not linked to anything, I should expect an error when I try do do a new transaction, right? 

MikeB:

I do not believe that I have broken any links.

Without seeing your screen I can definitely say yours is not behaving like the stock Method CRM screens.  From Customize > View > CRM_EditCustomer screen, all the sub-tabs are blank but none of them cause errors.

The stock CRM_EditCustomer screen more actions buttons are delete customer and notes - this is correct.

MikeB:

Should the screen be populated with nformation at all?

The screen should only be populated if you're viewing a customer, if you're seeing information when you're not viewing a customer then you've customized something on your end.

MikeB:

I realize that opening "CRM_EditCustomer" on its own doesn't link to a particular client, and maybe that's why the links for new transactions don't work?

When I view the stock CRM_EditCustomer screen and click the new transaction button, all these links work for me.  None of these buttons are broken.  

~C