This article has been updated for version 4.6.34. If you are using an older version of Artisan, your screen might look different. Click here to see the most recent versions of Artisan.
This screen shows you a list of all your active items, not including the discontinued ones. To select a record, click on the record (which will be highlighted in blue). Press enter or “Edit This Record.”
You can press F2 or click on the button itself to change the search scheme. The default item record search schemes are “Item Code,” “Description (Contains),” “Category,” “Preferred Vendor,” “Vendor’s P/N,” “UPC (GTIN),” “Private Bar Code,” “Keywords,” and “Created On.” You can edit this list to suite your particular needs.
For details on how the search filter works, as well as the other options, read Record List Screen Basics and Using the Power Search Feature.
There are more bulk changes for the item record than just about anywhere else. Bulk changes allow you to edit items from a special screen that edits more than one item record at a time.
The idea is to filter the items you want to bulk change first. Do this by using the “Power Search” features, then press the “Bulk Changes” button. You will see a menu of all the different fields that you can edit. The bulk change feature only changes the items you see in your list, which is a combination of all the item record filters.
There is an option to select specific items from the filtered list once you choose bulk changes, or you can proceed with bulk changes to change all the filtered records.
The Bulk Changes tool is very powerful, and there isn’t an undo feature (unless you make a backup first). We strongly suggest making a backup just prior to your bulk changes and making sure that there aren’t any new changes until you are satisfied with your results.
Follow this document, or go directly to any section by selecting an option
Bulk Change Preferred Vendor
Select a new vendor to change all the selected records to. This will become the preferred vendor. If you are using the multi-vendor feature, switching to a different vendor may also change your costs. This setting will preserve your current cost from the current vendor. If you want to rename the “Item Code” to match the new vendor, providing that you are using an item code numbering scheme that includes the vendor code, follow this example:
If the previous vendor was “AW” and an item was “AW001,” and the new vendor code is “JT,” then “AW0001” would become “JT****” where the asterisks would become the next available number for that code.
Before you perform the rename operation, you should consider if you have printed labels with the item code. Be aware that if you try to reverse this operation, it is unlikely that the items would return back to their original code.
Bulk Costs & Prices
Select the type of cost or price change you want to perform
Changing values by a percentage is usually not something you can undo because the math does not work. If you increase cost by 10% for example, you can’t decrease it by 10% after the fact to return it to the original value. You would have to decrease it by a smaller percentage. For example, say you increase items’ price by 10% and $10.00 becomes $11.00. Now, reducing it by 10% would make the price $9.9. You would have to reduce it by 9.09% which would make it really close, but not exact.
If you have automatic pricing schemes based on cost, then changing the cost will change your price. Beware if you have labels printed with the price.
Bulk Change Pricing Model
Choose the scheme to force the price to match scheme or choose “Set Price Manually” to allow for free editing of the price field, or choose “Fill in Price at Time of Sale” to prompt for the price at the register. See “Pricing Schemes” for more details.
You can also choose if you want to apply Quantity Breaks and if they should apply to all of the pricing levels.
Bulk Change Retail Discounts
Leaving the Retail Discount at “0%” will result in no discount for the item(s), which is how you would clear a discount. Otherwise, enter any Retail Discount you want. You can choose if this discount is only available during a specific Start and End Date. You can also choose if you want to disable Automatic Discounts or not.
Bulk Change Item Keywords
You can add or remove keywords to item records. If the keyword already exists, it will not be added twice. Separate multiple keywords by comma.
Bulk Change Item Category
You can change the category of an item to another category. When you change the category, any sales history will follow, and you will now be able to run reports that reflect any changes. This also means that any changes you make will change reports by category from the past if you reprint them.
Bulk Change Manufacturer
Select a manufacturer that you want to apply to your selected records. If you select “Copy from Preferred Vendor,” any records with a preferred vendor will have that applied as their manufacturer. Otherwise, select from your list of vendors.
Bulk Change Notes and Descriptions
There are various fields you can change in this option. Fields with “Replace Entire String” require the item’s current description, note, or location. The “No Change” field is what you are changing the description, note, or location to.
For example, let’s say we’re changing the Item Description “Twenty-First Birthday” to “21st Birthday.” This is how we would input that information into Artisan.
You can choose if you want labels, receipts, packing slips, and purchase orders to include extended descriptions or not. Keep in mind that these descriptions are longer and might cut off depending on the width and length of what you are printing on. You can also change the Label Quantity.
Bulk Change Reorder Levels
If your quantity on hand falls below your Minimum Stock Level, Artisan creates a Purchase Request to bring the stock level back to at least the target quantity. If you buy an item in specific quantities, you can enter that amount as well.
Artisan will not alert you to any purchase requests, so it is your responsibility to regular check to see if you have any.
Bulk Change Availability
For example, if you have a large group of items that have been discontinued, or if you are discontinuing an entire vendor, then this tool will save you time.
Bulk Change Inventory Tracking
Choose if you want to turn Inventory Tracking on or off.
Bulk Change Consignment Settings
This setting can only be applied to Items that are set as consignment in their Item Record.
You can choose a Consignment Cost Model to apply to the items, as well as a percentage that will go to the Consignor.
Bulk Change Weights and Measures
Input any measurement or weight changes here.
Bulk Change Pictures and Menus
This feature is not implemented yet.
Bulk Change Custom Fields
Select the custom field number you want to edit and type in the new value.
Bulk Change Variant Templates
Remove a variant template from the records or select a new one to apply to them.
Bulk Change Item Internet Store Fields
Select which Internet Store fields you want to update for these records.
Bulk Change Extra Categories (Internet Store)
Add or remove categories for the Internet Store.
Bulk Change Related Products (Internet Store)
Add or remove Item Codes for products you want to pop up as related when customers browse products on your Internet Store.
Bulk Change Past Costs Using Current Standard Cost
Choose which past products you want to change the cost of.
If you start your inventory cost at a zero value, and then later update your cost, Artisan will update all your past receiving in this one special zero cost case, if you have the “Auto-Correct Zero Costs” turned on, which it is by default.
However, if you attempt to guess at the cost and receive items at the wrong cost, you will have to edit the receiving log to enter the proper cost. This bulk change takes your current cost in the item record and uses that for all your receiving, thereby eliminating all FIFO or LIFO, or Average Costing information you may have had.
You should only do this bulk change if you really received the items at the wrong cost. If you have “Auto-Correct Zero Costs” turned off, then you can find only the zero cost items and just correct them. You can include Purchase Orders as well as received items. This would be useful if you have items on order and you didn’t know the cost at the time, then updated the item records instead of the Purchase Order.
Bulk Reset Quantity on Hand
This will change the QOH on the items to zero. This function is not designed to be used for physical inventory counting because it will make inventory adjustments. You can reset the counts for uncounted items in “Physical Inventory Counting.” Select a reason for the reset.
There is no undo for this or any bulk change. Please make a backup prior to zeroing out your counts. This function is designed to help you start over in a new business or change of ownership. It is NOT intended for physical counting.
Bulk Delete Item Records
This bulk change will delete all your item records. They can be recovered from the “Deleted Records” under the “Power Search” tab “Deleted Records.”
