Abridged user's manual for LoMag Warehouse Management

To download PDF format for printing, please right click on the button below and select "Save as.."

1. Installation of the program

The current version of the program may be downloaded from the Internet from www.LoMag.pl. LoMag is installed automatically with all the necessary components. By default the program operates on 1 computer. For the program to operate in a network, the computers need to be connected by a local network. You need to install the program on each of the computers, then select the "This computer is a server" option from the "Program/Settings/Network operations" menu and remember the name of the server which is displayed below. Select the "This computer is a client and it connects with the server" option on the remaining computers and enter the name of the server.

2. Basic configuration of the program

In order to start working with the program properly, you should configure the options in the "Program/Settings" menu. The most important settings are described below. Advanced configuration options are described at the end of these instructions.

"Settings/Calculations/Displaying numbers/Display prices and values" - if you unmark this option, the program will not support the prices of items and you will only be able to conduct a quantitative register of the items. The program will only ask about the quantity when receiving or issuing items.
"Settings/Calculations/Displaying numbers/Selling price is set in quota terms in the item list in the 'Suggested selling price' field" - it means that the program will propose at what price the item is to be issued, basing on the default prices from the item list. If you set the selling price in the item list, the program will suggest that price whenever the item is to be issued, independently from the purchase price.
"Settings/Calculations/Displaying numbers/Selling price is calculated as a sum of the purchase price and the mark-up (or margin) from the price list" - it means that the program will propose the issue prices basing on the mark-up from the purchase price, e.g. an item is received at the warehouse at PLN10/pcs, and it is issued from the warehouse with a 20% mark-up, i.e. at PLN12/pcs. You set the mark-up in the item list.
"Settings/Accounts/Suppliers" - if you unmark this option the program will not support the suppliers and will not request a name of the supplier when creating documents.
"Settings/Accounts/Customers, Employees” – similarly as above, the program will disable the support of accounts.
"Settings/Company” - the data of your company will be visible on the documents.
"Settings/Dedicated columns/” - names for additional fields with text content (attributes/characteristics of the item, e.g. colour), numbers (e.g. weight) or hyperlinks (e.g. the Internet site of the manufacturer).

3. Commencement of work with the program

The program can support any number of warehouses. After you launch it, a window comes up, in which you need to select the warehouse you wish to work on. You may also add a new warehouse in the warehouse selection window, as well as change the name and the code of a warehouse, or remove a warehouse together with all the documents. Once you click 'Open' or press "ENTER”, the program will open the marked warehouse and from that moment you may operate in this warehouse. If you wish to change the active warehouse, go to "Program/Open warehouse" on the menu.

Before you start creating documents, it's worth defining the item list and the accounts. You can also import item lists from an Excel file. Go to "Items/Import from Excel” menu, where you have a simple import module available. To import data, simply select an Excel file, and adjust columns from the Excel file to the columns in LoMag by selecting the name of the field from the drop-down list. Next, click "Import of items - adds or updates if already in the database" and the program will add or update data. The key to updating items is "Item name" and "Unit" - i.e. if a given item name and unit already exists in the database, the program will update the remaining data. You may also import items to many warehouses.

Importing accounts works on the same basis. You may select a file with a list of accounts, customers or employees in the "Accounts/Import from Excel" menu. Insert columns with 'yes' and 'no' values in them, so that the program may ascribe every account their status. An example of an Excel file content:
"Name customer supplier”
"Client1 yes no”
"Distributor1 no yes”

4. Item list

To go to the item list, you must select "Items/Item list” option on the menu, or press the Ctrl+T shortcut key, or click the item list icon on the tool bar. All the methods are equivalent and they have been added to facilitate your work with the program. Once the item list is launched, the list of items from the current warehouse and the current stock level will be displayed. The list may be narrowed down, if a filter or a group is chosen on the item list tool bar. The list of columns in the item list may be adjusted by right-clicking any column and selecting the "Manage columns" option. The "History" button allows you to take a quick look at the warehouse movements for a given item. In order to add an item to the item list, you may also use the Alt-D shortcut.

Creating a full list of items is not necessary, but it will considerably facilitate and accelerate the creation of documents. We recommend creating an item list before you begin adding documents. In the item list, you may describe the characteristics of the item, the barcode, the unit of measurement, the group, the opening balance (initial values), the suggested prices and the low and high quantity thresholds. The meaning and the employment of each of those fields is explained below:

A barcode may be any string of signs, it does not have to be necessarily a concrete code type. The field may also be used for another purpose, e.g. as a unique index, which facilitates finding an item. If a barcode reader is to be used with the program, you should scan the code with the reader in the "barcode" field in order to ascribe a given code to an item. You may also generate the barcodes automatically.
A unit of measurement may be chosen from a list, or entered with a keyboard. If a given unit is outstanding, it will be entered into the database.
The item group enables you to group the assortment, e.g. the "Fruit" group may include Pears, Apples, etc. Groups facilitate finding items and are used in the reports.
The opening balance enables you to determine initial values (levels, prices) for an item, which is already on stock.
Suggested prices: suggested purchase price, suggested margin (or suggested selling price with the "Selling price is taken from the price list" setting) are not mandatory entry fields, but they accelerate the process of creating documents. Once you have selected a given item for a new document, the program shall suggest prices in accordance with the settings in the item list. If you keep a register of items without sales with profit, the margin should stay zero, as the program suggests by default.
Low Qty Threshold determines the minimum (emergency) stock level at the warehouse. The field is used to find items which are running low at the warehouse (menu "Items/Find/Low Qty Threshold").
High Qty Threshold determines the maximum (emergency) stock level at the warehouse. The field is used to find items the quantities of which are excessive at warehouse (menu "Items/Find/High Qty Threshold").
The removal of items from the item list is possible, if the item has not been used in the documents.

Please note that the items list at each warehouse may be completely different. To copy an item list from another warehouse, select the "Items/Copy from another warehouse" option. Then, select the warehouse from which you want to copy the items and mark several or all items in the left panel. The ">" button copies the items to the current warehouse.

5. List of accounts

To go to the account list, select the "Accounts" option from the menu, and then select a list for a given type of account: "Customer", "Supplier", "Employee". Once you select, a list accounts of a given type will be displayed. The list may be narrowed down, if a filter is selected on the tool bar of the account list. The column list may be adjusted by right-clicking any column and selecting "Manage columns". The "History" button enables a quick preview of warehouse transfers for a given account. You may also use the Alt-D shortcut, to add an account to the list.

Accounts have been divided into 3 groups

Suppliers - used in GRNs, and GRN corrections
Customers - used in GINs, GIN corrections, Interbranch Transfers
Employees - used in internal GRNs, internal GINs, Interbranch Transfers

Each account may belong to one or more group, e.g. Jan Kowalski may be both a supplier and a customer. A removal of an account from the list is possible only if it has not been used in documents. The accounts are visible in all warehouses, i.e. if you add an account to one warehouse, you may use it in all other warehouses.

6. Warehouse documents

All documents in the programme are added in the same manner. To accelerate work, apart form the icons, you may also use the keyboard shortcuts available:

F2 - GRN (Goods Received Note), e.g. receipt of new items on stock;
F3 - GIN (Goods Issued Note), e.g. sale of goods;