Proposal for automation Script for creating Blanket Return Authorization for Photography

Proposal Summary 

This proposal describes the automation script for creating Blanket Return Authorization for Photography. 

Requirement 

A client would like to implement an automation script to handle below two cases: 

• Part 1 – every month on the first of the month they need a script that creates a blanket Return Authorization. 

• Use the Simplified form “TMG – Return Authorization – Photography” as the default form. 
• Use the Customer Project default of “1753 Touchstone Merchandise Group”. 
• RA requires 1 line item to be saved please use “Photography-Return”. 
• Log the month of the Blanket RA (For example September) 
• Save record. 

• Part 2 – Script to check every time an SO is created and check the criteria of the following field: 

• Date of SO created. 

• Date to be validated against Open RA log if the Date of SO creation is within the same month.  

Example: 

1. If SO, created Date was in October, then items would be added to “October Blanket RA”.  

2. If SO, creation was in September, then all items would be added to “September Blanket RA 

• Field ID: custbody_photography 

• If this field is checked, then copy all the listed items from Sales Order to Blanket RA in the correct month based on the SO creation date. 
• If the field is not checked then ignore 

Business Flow: 

• When an SO is created for photography, we indicate that on the SO somewhere so we know each item on that SO will be used in a photoshoot. Photography Check Box. 

• Once a month we generate an auto-created “Blanket” RA record and add all the items from any photography PO from that month’s SOs to the RA. 
• We can use a generic RA that stays open indefinitely or we create a new one every month to have reconciliation and close out anything that was not returned. 
• Using the “Blanket RA” and the Status of the Photography Sales Order we can see how many items have been picked (Fulfilled on SO) and are still open (Not received on RA) to determine what is in the process of getting photographed or is ready to be received. This will give us visibility into the workload. 

• The photographer will be equipped with a handheld device and RF-Smart license. as well as a Label Sticker with a Barcode of active RA. 
• Once the Photographer finishes with the item they scan the RA barcode under the RA receipt Function in RF-Smart, then scan the item(s), and then hit submit. The device will be configured to put the inventory in the default “Returns Put away Bin”. 
• The photographer will ensure the item is bagged and tagged appropriately or in a pick-ready state and physically drop the items in the “Returns Put away Bin”.  
• The returns operator will then follow standard procedure for putting away those items. 

Deliverables 

To achieve automated Blanket Return Authorization creation, two SuiteScripts will be implemented: 

1. Schedule wise running Script 

2. Real time triggering script 

Scheduled Processing 

A scheduled script will run monthly, creating Return Authorizations at the beginning of each month, the script will perform the following actions: 

• The script will include a check to verify that no Blanket Return Authorization has already been created for the current month. If one exists, the script will refrain from generating a new one for the same month. 
• The Return Authorization will use the “TMG – Return Authorization – Photography” form and will have predefined default values for both the item (“Photography-Return”) and the customer (“1753 Touchstone Merchandise Group”). 
• The script will not set the location and subsidiary fields explicitly. The subsidiary will be automatically populated from the customer record. 

In summary, this approach ensures that only one Blanket Return Authorization is created per month, using specific form and default values for item and customer, with subsidiary information being derived from the customer record. The automated script minimizes redundancy and ensures consistency in the creation of these Return Authorizations. 

Real-Time Processing 

We also implement a real-time script in NetSuite and the script will trigger only when a sales order is created. If the “Photography” checkbox is marked as true on the sales order, the script will perform the following actions: 

• Check if a blanket return authorization has been created for the current month. 
• If no blanket return authorization exists for the current month, the script will create one.  
• The script will copy the Inventory item lines from the sales order to the blanket return authorization created for the present month.  

This script aims to automate the process of handling return authorizations for photography-related items when creating sales orders.   

This blanket return authorization will provide an overview of how many items have been fulfilled from the sales orders and how many are pending return authorization, giving us insight into the fulfillment status of the photographs. The photographers will create sales orders in NetSuite, and these orders will be fulfilled using RF-smart WMS. 

We assume that the returns operator will handle the fulfillment of these open blanket return authorizations diligently, properly tagging the items. 

Criteria for picking up the sales orders. 

We have attached the criteria that are required for selecting the sales orders below: 

• Check the creation date of a Sales Order (SO). 

• Validate if the SO creation date falls within the same month. 

• For example, if the SO was created in October, include the items in the “October Blanket RA”. 
• If the SO was created in September, including all items in the “September Blanket RA”. 

• Examine the “custbody_photography” field. 

• If this field is marked as checked: 
• Copy all the listed items from the Sales Order to the Blanket RA that corresponds to the correct month based on the SO creation date. 
• If the “custbody_photography” field is not checked, disregard it. 

Create a Blanket Return Authorization 

We will use the below data to create a common return Authorisation for all items created in sales orders created for photoshoots and create them on the first day of every month on a scheduled basis. 

• Use Simplified Form: Ensure that the script utilizes the “TMG – Return Authorization – Photography” form as the default form for creating Return Authorizations. 
• Customer Project Default: Set the Customer Project default to “1753 Touchstone Merchandise Group” for the created Return Authorization. 
• RA Line Item: Create a single line item in the Return Authorization with the description “Photography-Return.” This line item should be saved as part of the Return Authorization. 
• Month: We will be creating the Return Authorization on the first day of the month. 

Assumptions 

• The date field value will be valid within the open posting period. 
• Subsidiary and location fields will not be set during automation. 
• Return authorizations will be created with an open status. 

• No other related records, such as Item Receipt or credit memo records, will be created alongside the RA. 
• Terms of the customer will be sourced from customer records and not updated through the script. 
• Document numbers will be auto-generated based on NetSuite setup. 
• The price level will be custom and not defined in the record. 
• Only inventory item lines in the sales order will be added to the Return Authorization. 
• Quantities will not be summed up for the items in the RA. 
• Item types other than inventory items, including group items and kit items, will not be copied. 
• Tax calculations are not considered within the scope of the customization. 
• Bin management is enabled in the account but will not affect RA creation. 
• It is expected that items added during the creation of the sales order will be fulfilled, and sales order item lines will not be updated once created. 
• Any updates made to the item lines after the creation of the sales order will not be considered by the script. 
• The Item Receipt for the Blanket Return Authorization will be created by an operator using RF-Smart, and the “Returns Put away Bin” will be selected during item receipt. 
• Only the script will create a Return Authorization for customer “1753 Touchstone Merchandise Group” using the “TMG – Return Authorization – Photography” form. 
• The Blanket Return Authorization will be the standard Return Authorization created using the form “TMG – Return Authorization – Photography”.