User-Defined_Info

You can enter four types of user-defined information:

Date
Numeric
Text
Validated Text

Use these fields to record additional information that may be specific to your company for which there are no system-defined standard fields with the desired terminology. The primary advantage in using validated text data lies in the consistency of the entry format and the subsequent ability to print reports that use this consistent data format. When setting up validated text, you can define your own valid entries or you can select a field from an existing Costpoint table as the source for data validation.

Before you can enter user-defined data in this subtask, you must first initialize the user-defined label information on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen. Setup includes the label type, the label name, the sequence number that controls the order of the label display, a short description for the label, and whether data entry for the label should be a required entry. If you have designated none of these labels as required, user-defined data entry in this subtask is optional. You can also designate during setup whether the label should accommodate validated text or access the designated field from the selected Costpoint validation table. If you have selected the validated text option for the label, you must also establish the data to be validated against.

Note: You can use the user-defined fields from the Govt Info tab in place of or in addition to the fields on this screen. Your decision should be based on user preference and the type and organization of the data.

You can enter and edit data in this subtask at any time after you have established the label initialization data on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen. Although you can change the information in this subtask at any time, use caution in the timing of your data edits, which may affect the types of records included in system-generated and/or user-defined reports.

Since no data fields on this tab require system validation (with the exception of any Validated Text fields, if selected), you do not need to initialize any other setup data prior to data entry.

As with all dependent data tables within Costpoint, you cannot delete a label from a row on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen if user-defined data for the label currently exists in an Asset Master or Asset Template record.

If you decide to take advantage of the template functionality, you should set up the appropriate Asset Templates Manage Asset Template Information screen before you begin to add data in an Asset Master record. If you decide to bypass or defer the use of the template capability, you will need to enter data directly on this screen on a field-by-field basis or clone data from existing asset records.

Note: If you have used a template to import data into an Asset Master record and you later make a change to a template data field, the system will not automatically copy the changed data from the template to the Asset Master record without user intervention. In this circumstance, you will need to go back into the Manage Asset Master Information screen and tab through the Template No and Rev No fields to re-import revised data from the template. Alternately, you can also create a new template or the same template with an appropriate revision number that incorporates the change. Or you can bypass the template record and manually make the desired change directly in the Asset Master record.

You may find that the columns are already populated with default data from a template and/or as a result of creating this record using the autocreation process on the Create Autocreation Transactions screen. Data may have been copied from a default template designated in the Default Template for Asset Master group box on the Configure Fixed Assets Settings screen. If a template was used, the source of this data is determined by the template/revision number that displays in the Template No and Rev No fields on the Desc Info tab.

For an existing asset record, the columns display the most current data that you added or edited in the asset record or the selection from the latest Asset Template specified in the Template No and Rev No fields (if a template was used). It may not always be easy to identify the source of the Asset Master data, because template functionality on this screen and on the Manage Autocreation Transactions screen allows you to overwrite all existing data with template data or to populate only blank fields with template data.

Because Asset Master data may have originated from Costpoint Purchasing, Receiving, and/or Accounts Payable using the autocreation function, it is very important to use the template functionality knowledgeably and with caution. Although you should take care to preserve the integrity of the data with respect to its source, you can always edit data in the Asset Master record fields, as needed, regardless of the mode of data entry (manually, using autocreation, and/or via the template mechanism).

For established Asset Master records only

You can enter, edit, and view the data from this tab on an alternate screen called, Manage Asset User-Defined Information directly from the Asset Master Records menu. The Costpoint menu provides an alternate access route to specific types of Asset Master data. This gives you more flexibility when screen security options for users with different access needs are set up.

If you have screen rights to access the Asset Master Records menu, this screen and all its tabs and subtasks are automatically accessible to you.
If you do not have screen rights to access the Asset Master Records menu, the system administrator can alternately grant or deny access rights using the direct menu option on a screen-by-screen basis, which generally correlates with the data contained on each tab or subtask. In this manner, each user can access only the data from those screens in which specific access has been granted.

You have the option to view data in either a form or table view. Regardless of which entry screen methodology is used, data functionality and rules for each field are identical to their corresponding field on the Manage Asset Master Information screen.

Table Window

You must first set up user-defined labels on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen. The label names from that screen automatically display in this table window along with the short help description.

You can enter or edit data for each label that displays in this table window, as desired. Certain conditions prevail:

If a label has been set as required, you must enter data for that label on this screen.
If the label has been set up to use validated text, you must select from user-defined validated text data that displays when you access Lookup
If a label has been set up to validate against Costpoint data, you must select from the data that displays when using Lookup.

The data for the Help Description field that you initialized with each label during setup Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels automatically displays for the selected row to guide you in entering the user-defined data.

You can set up default template data for each user-defined field on this screen as desired by accessing the User-Defined Info subtask from the Manage Asset Template Information screen.

Field	Description
Data Type	This field is not available for user entry. The system automatically displays the data type you specified for the label on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen. The data types available for setup are: D — Date N — Numeric T — Text
Labels	This field is not available for user entry. The system automatically displays the label name you specified on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen in the designated sequence order. The Help Description that was initialized with each label during setup displays for the selected label to guide you in entering the user-defined data.
Text Value	If the label has been set up as type T (Text) on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen and the label does not require validated data, enter up to 30 alphanumeric characters for a new asset record. For an existing asset record, you can edit data that displays in this column. If the user-defined label has not been designated as Required, you can edit data that displays in this column for an existing asset or add new data to a previously blank column, as desired. If the Validated Text column for this row displays N and the Costpoint Validation Field column is empty and the Required column displays N for this label, you can enter text data of your choice that is not system-validated. Although only a single character entered in this column fulfills the system requirement for data entry, you will find it more beneficial to supply meaningful data, because your entry will display in the Asset Master record and in reports that use this field, as applicable. If the Required field for this row displays Y, the system requires data for this row before you can save the asset record. The user-defined text label may have been set up to accept validated data only. In this circumstance, one of two sources for validated text was already designated during setup on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen: If the Validated Text column for this label displays Y, you must select a text entry from the validated text entry that you previously entered for this label. Click to select the validated data options that you have established for this label. If a Costpoint field name displays in the Costpoint Validation Field column, you must select from the validated entries that display when you click of the Value field.
Numeric Value	If the label has been set up as type N (Numeric) on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen for a new asset record, enter the user-defined data in numeric format. If the Required column for the row displays Y, you must enter numeric data in this field before you can save the asset record. Although only a single numeric character entered in this field fulfills the system requirement for data entry, you will find it more beneficial to supply meaningful data because your entry will display in the Asset Master record as well as in reports that use this field. For an existing asset record, you can edit the number that displays in this column. If the user-defined label has not been designated as Required, you can add a new number to a previously blank field, as desired. If the Validated Text column for this row displays N and the Costpoint Validation Field column is empty and the Required column displays N for this label, you can enter a number of your choice that is not system-validated. Although only a single character number entered in this column fulfills the system requirement for data entry, you will find it more beneficial to supply meaningful data, because your entry will display in the Asset Master record and in reports that use this field, as applicable. If the Required field for this row displays Y, the system requires a number for this row before you can save the asset record. The user-defined number label may have been set up to accept validated numbers only. In this circumstance, one of two sources for validated numbers was already designated during setup on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen: If the Validated Text column for this label displays Y, you must select a number from the validated data that you previously entered for this label. Click to select from the options that you have established for this label. If a Costpoint field name displays in the Costpoint Validation Field column, you must select a number from the validated entries that display when you click .
Date Value	If the label has been set up as type D (Date) on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen, for a new asset record enter, or click to select, the user-defined date in date format. If the Required field for the row displays Y, you must enter a date in this field before you can save the asset record. For an existing asset record, you can edit data that displays in this column. If the user-defined label has not been designated as Required, you can add a new date to a previously blank field, as desired. If the Validated Text column for this row displays N and the Costpoint Validation Field column is empty and the Required column displays N for this label, you can enter the date of your choice that is not system-validated. Although any date in this column fulfills the system requirement for data entry, you will find it more beneficial to supply meaningful data, because your entry will display in the Asset Master record and in reports that use this field. If the Required field for this row displays Y, the system requires a date for this row before you can save the asset record. The user-defined text label may have been set up to accept validated data only. In this circumstance, one of two sources for validated text was already designated during setup on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen: If the Validated Text column for this label displays Y, you must select a date from the validated data that you previously entered for this label. Click to display the validated date options that you have established for this label. If a Costpoint field name displays in the Costpoint Validation Field column, you must select a date from the validated entries that display when you click .
Costpoint Validation Field	You may have set up a user-defined text label to accept validated data only. In this circumstance, one of two sources for validated text was already designated during setup on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen. This field is not available for user entry because it automatically displays the Costpoint field name you selected on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen against which the data will be validated. If a Costpoint field name displays in this field, you must select data from the validated entries that display when you click . If this field is blank and the Validated Text column for this label displays Y, you must select data from the validated data that you previously entered for this label. Click to select the validated data options that you have previously established for this label.
Validated Text	You may have set up a user-defined text label to accept validated data only. In this circumstance, one of two available sources for validated text was already designated during setup on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen. If the field for this label displays Y, you must select data from the validated data that you previously entered for this label. Click to display the validated data options that you have established for this label. This column is not available for user entry, because it automatically displays either Y or N parameter set up for the label on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen. If a Costpoint field name displays in the Costpoint Validation Field and this field displays N for this label, you must select data from the validated entries that display when you click .
Required	This column is not available for user entry, because it automatically displays either Y or N requirement parameter previously set up for the label on the Manage Asset Master User-Defined Labels screen. If Y displays in this column for the label, you must enter valid data in the Text Value, Numeric Value or Date Value column for this row before you can save the asset template. If N displays in this column for the label, data entry is not required before saving the record. Although only a single character entered in the Text Value or Numeric Value columns fulfill the system requirement for data entry for non-validated labels that are types N and T, you will find it more beneficial to supply meaningful data, because your entry will display in Asset Template records, Asset Master records, and in reports that use this field, as applicable.
Autoload	Click this button to load the user-defined data into this subtask screen, where it can be entered, edited, or viewed subject to system rules.

Costpoint Online Help

User-Defined_Info_Subtask

For established Asset Master records only

Table Window