Enquiry Windows
Enquiry windows enable you to make "Enquiries" about the transactions in your data file.
Enquires can be run against all records or just for a specific record and can be achieved while using other functions within Access Accounts.
Filters can be applied to ensure that only the transactions you are interested in are displayed in the Enquiry window.
You can look at just the Header information, or you can open up the transaction to see all the Detail lines it contains.
Further functions can be invoked from right click menus; these include "jumping" to additional Enquiry windows. Where ADM has also been installed, you can additionally open attached documents
Information from the Enquiry can be copied and pasted into external applications such as Excel.
Access to Enquiry windows is controlled by your Security Profile.
Making an enquiry
Enquiries can be made from any point within the system, at any time, without affecting what you are doing.
For example, you could be entering a Sales Order and wish to enquire if there are any other orders currently outstanding for the Customer. You can make this enquiry by opening an Enquiry window for Outstanding Sales Orders; entering the Customer's account code into the search field to display just the transactions for the Customer. From here, you can assess the current state of these orders and when you close the Enquiry window, you will still be on the original Sales Order entry window.
Enquiry windows can be opened in several ways:
From the Enquiry option, the Enquiry window opens in List Definition mode ready for the entry of Search Criteria and the selection of Filters before retrieving any information.
From Record windows, and some Transaction windows, using the Transactions icon. The Enquiry will be filtered to display transactions for the current record only.
From Record windows via a summary window. For example, the T/o YTD, the Aged Debtor/Creditor, and Profit function icons. Enquiries opened in this way display details for the current record only.
By right clicking on a line in a Record List window, and selecting from the menu which is displayed.
The menu options available depend on the record type.
Sales & Purchase Ledger Records
Sales/Purchase Transactions, Outstanding Sales/Purchase Orders and Delivery Document History.
When using the Partial Exemption VAT feature, the Non-Recoverable VAT Value and Non-Recoverable VAT Update Account are shown on the VAT tab, available when using Supplementary View and viewing Transaction detail, in the following Enquiries:
Purchase Transactions
Aged Creditors
Purchase Analysis Transactions
Nominal Ledger
Nominal Transactions.
When using the Partial Exemption VAT feature, the Non-Recoverable VAT Value and Non-Recoverable VAT Update Account are shown on the VAT tab, available when using Supplementary View and viewing Transaction detail.
Stock Control
Stock Transactions.
Costing
Costing Project Transactions.
Selecting any of these will open an Enquiry window for these transactions for the currently selected record only.
Data converted from Horizons
If your data has been entered in Horizons prior to upgrading to Dimensions, you may find that some of the right-click menu options are not available. In particular, if you select to open an enquiry for a Purchase Order transaction that has been analysed to Costing, the following options will not be available: View Order/Credit Note; View Purchase Transactions for Audit No. and Supplier Code and View Nominal Transactions for...
This is because the conversion routine does not convert all the transaction history and it is not available to the Enquiry process.
Limiting the number of transactions that are retrieved
The enquiry windows are for making enquiries. Building a list of transactions without using the search to limit the size of the list can result in it unnecessary waiting time especially if you then use the Expand All option on a full list.
List Size Limits - The number of transactions retrieved is limited by your System Control settings.
On the System Options - System Format tab, set the Transaction Lists: Drill down Maximum List size: to limit the number of records retrieved. This limit will also apply to search list windows.
Additionally, the Options window, opened from the toolbar of each Enquiry window, contains a list size limit.
This can be set to be a lower number than that set in the System Options, to control the transactions retrieved for the individual Enquiry windows and can very helpful if you use a particular enquiry window regularly.
If a limit is set, the Previous/Next icons are used to fetch the next set of Transactions.
Filtering and Searching
We recommend that you make use of the filters and the search to limit the list of transactions to just those that you are likely to want to work with.
Change the window to List Definition mode to display the Filter and Search options.
The Transaction enquiries default to show completed Orders and Transactions. The Filters can be changed to include Batched Orders or to show Batched Orders only.
The Outstanding Sales/Purchase Orders enquiry windows default to show Batched Orders only. Again the Filters can be changed to include Completed Orders.
When the list filters have changed, click on the Display icon to list the selected transactions.
Changing the order of the data displayed
You can click on any of the column headings to sort the list according to the contents of that column. An arrow head icon will indicate whether the column is sorted in increasing or decreasing order.
To sort transactions in increasing / decreasing order by the value in both the Debit and Credit columns at the same time:
Press the SHIFT key and click on either column heading.
In this case the icon indicating the direction of the sort will appear on both column headings.
You can also sort the list when filtering by making a selection from the Sort Order menu visible when you are in the List Definition view.
The sorting functionality may differ when you sort the list by clicking on the column header and when you use the Sort Order option in the List Definition view.
Multiple enquiries
You may have any number of Enquiry windows open. When multiple windows are open an additional menu Enquiry Windows is available and lists the windows that are open. From this menu you can go directly to any open Enquiry window and an option is included to enable you to close all of them if you wish.