Vendor Upload

Does anyone use the delivered vendor component interfaces to load vendors on an adhoc basis? AP is getting requests for multiple vendors to be created in order to create payments. In the past we have used the delivered vendor comonent interface for mass loading of the vendors, but this is not something I would want to give to the end users to use and we have to turn off approvals in order to get it to work. I am curious if anyone else has this issue and what they use.

Thanks,

Alicia

Hi Alicia,

I just saw this and reviewed the responses. I agree with Mamuka, Excel2CI is an efficient way to load vendors and still maintain data integrity, validation, and approvals. Although the PTF would work, there is too much room for error. Most savvy users can handle filling out the Excel template and processing the data with no additional tools installed on their desktops. If they get a rejection on the data (just as they would manually entering on the page) they would have to fix it and resubmit, or fix it through the menu. It all depends on the error. It might take an hour or so to train the users utilizing a couple of practice runs, but they should get the hang of it. Make sure they have the proper security set to use the CI as well as the standard pages. You will want them to run this using their own IDs and not a system one for audit purposes. If they need to fix something once loaded they will need to do that in the application unless you are looking at large uploads of updated data too. However, I would keep updates separate. I did that with a customer that was reorging BUs.

Hope this helps.

Michael

Thanks! I just figured out that I had the wrong flag set for Vendor Status, which was causing my approval issues.

<cite>Thomas Scott</cite>:

Hi Alicia…

We utilize a customized version of the delivered template that includes the 1099 information for converting historical vendors for clients during the initial implementation phase. We also provide support for clients we install, and I have never heard this request from any support clients. I don't recommend utilizing CI's for users that do not have an indepth knowledge and understanding of CI's. You wouldn't have to turn off approvals if the organization still wants vedors to be approved, and you could adjust user preferences and the vendor set controls to ensure that uploaded vendors still route through the approval process. I would want to better understand why such a large volume of new suppliers is needed on a regular basis, but I would agree that it is not a best practice to have end users utilizing CI's because of their complexity which increases the risk of bad data being entered into the system. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Thomas

As per my experience if you have approval workflow uploaded vendors will have to be approved using the workflow irrespective of what was the excel value of vendor approval field. We do this all the time when setting up new business unit as there are bunch of standard (interunit) vendors that every BU has, therefore we load them using excel2ci and since they are interunit vendors we would like to avoid approval process hence we disable the workflow. However other non-stadard vendors (like BU specific) also get loaded using exce2ci in bulk but they all go through approval process as we have the workflow on for them.

And we are on 9.1.36 / 8.54.14

Cheers,

Mamuka

Hello Alicia

One way to do this would be to use a robot script via PTF. Use PTF to record the create vendor transaction and save it. When you have additional vendors to add, use the excel export/import feature in PTF to upload new sets of values (one row per vendor with fields for each vendor attribute that you want to include) and run the PTF Test and it will create the vendors automatically for you. PTF will do this as if a user was entering the values one vendor at a time but do it automatically. All online validations and checks will be incorporated.

We had once been asked to have all employees as vendors for a payroll DR process (or if payroll MICR printer ever failed).  We ensured part of the plan was to have those EE in a separate Vendor Set ID so we could define for any audit the purpose of having so many employees as vendors.  Clear separation, kept purchasing vendors separate and we could keep the approval processes different for each.  No links needed to purchasing required.  Also clearer on 1099 processing if needed (we did not plan on processing or reporting 1099 for EE from AP - that was still on payroll to process).  We did have a process to load them but I cannot recall the specifics and I am no longer at that company.

Carrie

Thanks for the quick response. That is definitely my experience and feeling on this, just trying to get any other support. I personally don’t like the idea of this, but our AP department is swamped with new vendor requests. The business cases have been to load employees that need manual payroll checks (we recently implemented a new Payroll system and had a lot of issues), load vendors paid via a custom system in order to also upload their withholding adjustments for 1099s, and now to pay out prizes for a promotion that our marketing department performed.

Thanks,

Alicia​

Thanks, Jerry! I have sent him an email.

Hi Alicia…

We utilize a customized version of the delivered template that includes the 1099 information for converting historical vendors for clients during the initial implementation phase. We also provide support for clients we install, and I have never heard this request from any support clients. I don't recommend utilizing CI's for users that do not have an indepth knowledge and understanding of CI's. You wouldn't have to turn off approvals if the organization still wants vedors to be approved, and you could adjust user preferences and the vendor set controls to ensure that uploaded vendors still route through the approval process. I would want to better understand why such a large volume of new suppliers is needed on a regular basis, but I would agree that it is not a best practice to have end users utilizing CI's because of their complexity which increases the risk of bad data being entered into the system. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Thomas

Hello, we use a CI for vendor uploads I believe.  Contact
Michael.Milk@covance.com to
get more info.

Thanks,
Jerry Gibbs