Deleting a Part

Use extreme caution when deleting parts! Do not delete parts until you're absolutely sure the records are no longer needed. This option deletes part records and warranty data but part transactions for work orders, purchase orders, adjustments, and so on remain on file until purged from the system.
Parts can be deleted individually through the part record or by part number range through the delete parts program.

Tips for Deleting Parts

• It's advisable to make a backup just prior to deleting parts.
• There is no undelete feature! If you accidentally delete the wrong part, the only way to get it back is to restore the data from a backup.
• Once a part is deleted, the warranty statistics for that part are gone. Be sure to print any part warranty reports you may need prior to deleting the part.
• Make sure there are no outstanding transactions that need to be processed for this part-receive purchase order lines, post to work orders, charge out manually, or post to fuel transactions.

Deleting a Part Through the Part Record

This option is recommended when deleting one or a few parts; the part record is displayed on-screen, enabling you to review and verify that the correct part is being deleted.

1. Select Master > Part > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MPM).
2. Enter a part number or press F1 to select a part from the lookup list.
3. Select Utilities > Delete Part from the menu or click on the Delete Part icon in the toolbar.
4. Enter password level 1.
5. Choose Delete to confirm the deletion.

Deleting a Part Using the Delete Part Program

This option is handy when deleting numerous parts from the system because it quickly allows a range of parts to be deleted. The nice thing about this feature is that you can specify a wide range of parts to delete (by the primary part number) but because you're prompted to delete each part in the specified range, you can skip parts you don't want to delete. Just be careful when using this option because you could end up deleting more parts than intended if you're not paying attention.

1. Select Master > Part > Delete Range from the RTA main menu (MPD).
2. Enter password level 1.
3. Enter the starting and ending primary part number(s) or press F1 to make the selection from a lookup list. By default, the lookup list displays in part number order. If you change the sort order, keep in mind when a part is selected from the list, the primary part number is used in the range.
4. Verify the part number range to be deleted and choose OK to continue.
5. The part number, description, and quantity on hand will be displayed sequentially for each part in the specified range.
6. Choose Yes to confirm the deletion and proceed to the next part in the range; choose No to keep the part on file; choose Exit to exit this option altogether.

Export/Import Part Records

This program exports your part inventory records into a tab delimited text file. This file can then be edited manually or via a spreadsheet program, and then re-imported into the RTA system to update any changes made.
Notes:
The utility creates a backup copy of the file with a .bak extension. This allows you to import the .bak file and restore to the original state should it be desired.
This utility prompts for system password level 3. This utility is considered a "power user" utility. As such, it is not restricted by user security settings within the RTA software. Therefore, it is necessary to protect access to the utility with the highest system password.

Exporting the Data

• From the main menu in RTA, select System > Utilities > Parts > Export/Import (STPX).
• At the prompt screen, choose "Export" and select the facility or range of facilities and range of part numbers you wish to export.
• Specify a file to create. Generally you should use a .txt extension (ex. Parts.txt)
• The utility will process your part records and the file is created.

Editing the Data

Import the file (ex. Parts.txt) into your spreadsheet software for editing.Detailed instructions are included below for Microsoft Excel 2003. Special care is required to follow the steps exactly as outlined below. If the formatting is not done correctly, Excel may cause unintended changes to your data values.
Start Microsoft Excel.
Choose Data->Import External Data->Import Data.
Select the file that you exported from RTA (ex. Parts.txt)This initiates Excel's import wizard…
Wizard step 1: Choose delimited for the file type (this is the default) and click the 'Next' button.
Wizard step 2: Choose tab for the delimiter (this is the default) and change the text qualifier to {none}. Click the 'Next' button.
Wizard step 3: The first column is already highlighted. We need to select ALL of the columns. Do this by dragging the bottom scrollbar all the way to the right. Hold down the 'Shift' key and click on the word 'General' on that last column. This will highlight all of the columns. Now, change the 'Column Data Format' option to TEXT. Click the 'Finish' button.
The spreadsheet columns will now display your RTA part inventory data.
Once data is brought into a spreadsheet to be changed, the following rules apply:

• You may not remove or add columns to the file.
• The utility does not delete records, it will only update existing records or add new records (if add non-file option is selected).
• The first 2 columns may not be modified (facility and part number).
• The column titles display the field name and the maximum length of the field, such as Bin Location (10). Filling in data that exceeds this size limit will be truncated when the data is re-imported back into the RTA system.
• The first row exported contains a legend describing each field's contents and size limits.
• On-hand quantities for each part will be modified, so care must be used to ensure that no one is entering data that changes the quantity (work orders, purchase orders, etc.) during the time the part records are exported until the edits are made and imported!

Saving the file

• Now that you're done editing the data in your spreadsheet program, you'll need to save the file so that it can be re-imported into RTA.
• It is imperative that you save the file as a TAB-DELIMITED ASCII TEXT file. Generally, this means maintaining a .txt file extension.
• Do not allow your spreadsheet software to convert the file into it's native format (such as .xls for Microsoft's Excel).

Importing the Data

• From the main menu in RTA, select System > Utilities > Parts > Export/Import (STPX).
• At the prompt screen, choose "Import".
• If you wish to add new part records into the system, check the Add Non-File box.
• Specify the file you edited in your spreadsheet. (ex. Parts.txt)
• The utility will process your part records, applying any changes found.
• When the import utility completes, an error file is created. The error file is named the same as your data file, with a .err extension (ex. Parts.err). This file should be reviewed for any possible exceptions during the import process.