Creating Individual Matrix Cells

The matrix cell defines parameters that determine how your products are priced. Matrix cells contain an x and a y axis, where x represents customer or vendor information, and y represents product information. Matrix cells can also be three-dimensional and contain an additional z axis that represents branch or territory information.

When you want detailed pricing setups, such as quantity breaks, fixed sale price quantities, and rebate pricing, use Sell Matrix Maintenance or Buy Matrix Maintenance to create individual matrix cells. Use Sell Matrix Maintenance to create pricing rules and discounts for your customers, and use Buy Matrix Maintenance to define the discounts and purchase prices you have negotiated with your vendors. The Sell Matrix Maintenance and Buy Matrix Maintenance windows display one matrix cell at a time, so you can apply special pricing rules, or edit individual matrix cell details.

When no special pricing arrangements are required, use Quick Sell Matrix Maintenance or Quick Buy Matrix Maintenance to quickly create a list of simple matrix cells, or to display a list of matrix cells that you can edit at the same time.

The system requires you set up a Class All / Group All sell matrix cell to avoid pricing errors. This matrix cell acts as a default for pricing items with no specific pricing criteria. Typically the formula in the All/All matrix cell is List Price * 1.

You must be assigned the SMATRIX.MAINT and the SMATRIX.MAINT.CUS.CLASS authorization keys to view or edit the Sell Matrix Maintenance window.

You must be assigned the BMATRIX.MAINT and the SMATRIX.MAINT.CUS.CLASS authorization keys to view or edit the Buy Matrix Maintenance window

Note: In Sales Order Entry Inquiry, you can run the Sell Price/Cost Overrides Report on a line item to verify how the system determined the selling price of that item.

This topic includes the following procedures:

• Creating a matrix cell.

• Entering quantity breaks.

To create an individual matrix cell:

1. From the Maintenance > Price Maintenance menu, select Sell Matrix or Buy Matrix to display the Initial Matrix Information dialog box.

2. Enter customer/vendor, product/group, and branch information in the fields to determine which matrix cells to display.

   Field	Description
   Vendor	Enter a vendor's name to set up pricing rules and discounts you negotiate with this vendor.
   Class	Enter a customer price class to assign pricing rules to customers in a class defined in the Valid Customer Price Classes control maintenance record. Generally, Class/Group matrix cells are used for most pricing combinations.
   Cust size/ Category	If you are using the Strategic Pricing companion product, select a customer size and category combination to assign pricing rules to customers that fall into that size and category.
   Customer	Enter a customer's name to assign pricing rules to this customer.
   Type/Quote	Enter a customer type or quotation to assign pricing rules to promotional or quotation pricing. The customer type is similar to the customer price class in that it also represents a column in the pricing matrix, but it is generally used for promotional pricing. The customer type is defined in the Valid Customer Type control maintenance record, and assigned to each customer on the Customer Pricing/Printing screen.
   Group	Enter a sell or buy group ID for matrix cells that are not product specific. Enter All to include all sell groups in the matrix cell. You cannot create a Group = All matrix cell in Quick Matrix Maintenance. Buy and sell groups identify groups of products that share the same pricing rules. Create buy and sell groups in Buy/Sell Group Maintenance. Note: If you use All, you can use only global basis names in the Basis field because All is not a sell group in a price line to which local basis names have been assigned.
   Product	a product's name or ID to create a product-specific sell matrix cell.
   Branch/Territory	Enter one of the following to define which pricing branches or territories the matrix cell includes: A branch or territory ID -  Assigns costing or pricing rules specific to this branch or territory. DFLT  - Includes costing or pricing for branches and territories that do not require individual costing or pricing rules. When you enter an item on an order, and the system does not find a matrix cell with branch-specific costing or pricing, it uses this matrix cell. If the system matches a matrix cell to the information you entered, select an effective date to display the matrix cell, or select New to create a new matrix cell.

3. Complete remaining the fields as needed:

   Field	Description
   Effective Date	Enter one of the following to define the date that the matrix cell is effective: To create a new matrix cell, enter the date the system can begin using the matrix cell for calculating prices. To display an existing matrix cell, enter the effective date for that cell.
   Expire Date	Enter the date the matrix cell will expire. Consider the following information when creating matrix cells: If the matrix cell is in effect for a quantity, the cell expires if the quantity of the item reaches zero before the expire date arrives. If a matrix cell expires and there is not a new one to take its place, the system searches the pricing matrix hierarchy when pricing a product until it finds a matrix cell to use. In Quick Sell Matrix Maintenance, you can use the Expire option to apply a date to all matrix cells in the list.
   Matrix Type	Enter a matrix type to define how the system will read pricing information on the matrix cell: C - Combo Qty Break D - Different Matrix - Entering D requires that you complete the fields in the Different Matrix area. G - Group Qty Break M - Matrix Qty Break N - No Qty Break O - Override Cost Only (sell matrix only) P - Product Level Quantity Break
   Price Date	Enter a price date to override the matrix cell's effective date. A price date applies an earlier price sheet to the matrix cell. Use this option when you have negotiated pricing with your vendor using an old price sheet, or if your customer has done the same with you. For more information about determining what price is selected for an item, see Understanding the Pricing Matrix Hierarchy and Understanding Required Dates and Shipping Dates.
   Currency	Displays a currency indicator, such as US$, if the system finds a formula or cost formula that contains a net price or net cost. The currency is editable, if needed. If no formulas are found to contain a $, then the system disables this field and displays "Not Applicable."
   Expire Quantities	Enter a value to expire this matrix cell after a quantity of product is sold. The quantity entered can be a dollar amount, the product's unit of measure, weight, or load factor.

4. Select the Best Price Check check box to search all matrix cells from most specific to least specific for the best available cost.

If left unchecked, the system selects the most specific matrix cell for pricing. The system does not search for promotional matrix cells. Searches all matrix cells from most specific to least specific for the best available price. Leave this option unchecked if the matrix cell is for a negotiated price for a product for a time period for which there is a signed contract.

Keep in mind the following guidelines:

5. Use the Disable Price Cube Factors check box if you are using Strategic Pricing at the Strategic Costing Service Level and do not want to apply price cube factors to this matrix.

6. In the Best Cost Check area, select one of the following:

7. Yes - The system continues to check for cost overrides to find the best cost.

8. No - The system checks no further in the pricing matrix hierarchy than the current matrix cell for the cost. This is the default.

9. ALL - The system compares the cost on the current matrix cell to the ALL/ALL matrix cell and uses the better of the two costs.

Note: Best cost check is disabled for direct transactions.

Keep in mind the following guidelines:

7. Save your changes and exit the window, or include the following in the matrix cell:

• Quantity breaks

• Cost overrides

• Rebates

• Commission plans

• Velocity pricing

• Comments

• Rounding rules

8. In the Splt Quantity Pricing area, select one of the following to determine how the system handles split quantity pricing:

• Yes - Enables split quantity pricing. This option encourages the purchase of package quantities. If a customer orders quantity to reach and exceed the first quantity break, but does not order enough to reach the second quantity break, all items ordered beyond the first quantity break receive standard pricing, not quantity break pricing. Setting this option splits the quantity break into two different pricing types if quantities ordered fall between quantity breaks.

• No - The quantity break does not split. If you order quantity to reach and exceed the first quantity break, but do not order enough to reach the second quantity break, all items ordered beyond the first break receive the first quantity break pricing.

• Extendable - The system informs you when an item's quantity on a sales order is more than the remaining quantity available at the price associated with this matrix cell. To approve the extension of the split pricing quantities in order entry, a user must have Level 3 of the SOE.SPLIT.PRICING authorization key.

8. In the Quantity Breaks area, complete the following, as needed:

9. Save your changes and exit the window.

More Options for Creating Sell Matrix Cells

See Also:

Pricing Matrix Hierarchy Details

Creating Buy and Sell Groups

Assigning Branches to Matrix Cells

Quantity Break Guidelines

Creating Matrix Cells in Quick Matrix Maintenance