Stratosphere
...
Premium Features
Par Levels

1:1 Par Levels

14min

The 1:1 Par Levels feature allows you to simplify your stocking levels, replacing min and max with a single Par Level.

Specifically, when the 1:1 Par Levels feature is enabled, the following will occur in your Stratosphere organization:

  • When adding or editing a Par Level Group, the Min and Max fields will be replaced with a single Par Level field.
  • The Par Levels dashboard widget and report will update to include statuses Out of Stock, Below Par, Fully Stocked, and Overstocked.
  • The Par Levels Report will update to include the Par Level column instead of the Min and Max columns.

Viewing 1:1 Par Levels in Stratosphere

If the Par Levels feature and 1:1 Par Levels are enabled at the Organization level, Par Levels will appear in the menu for all users with the Device and Location Management role

Document image


This page will contain a table of all the Par Levels for the organization.

Details

To view a Par Level Group's details, click the name of the Par Level Group. In the details page you will see all the available information for that Par Level Group, including:

  • Par Level Name* - The unique name of the Par Level Group.
  • Assigned Locations - The Stratosphere locations that will use this par level to evaluate their restock quantities.
  • Product* - The Product Name and Product # for which you are setting the Par Level.
  • Par Level* - The exact quantity of this product that should ever be stocked at a single assigned location. If current stock is below the Par Level value, the product will be marked "Below Par". If current stock is above the Par Level, the product will show as "Overstocked". If current stock = the Par Level value, the product will show as "Fully Stocked." For more detailed description of each status, see the "Par Levels Dashboard Widget and Report" section below.

* = Required

Viewing the Par Levels Report

The Par Levels Report defaults to displaying rows with a status of "Out of Stock" and "Below Par", although any combination of status filters can be selected. Like all reports: the columns are searchable, sortable, and exportable.

The Par Levels report will display a row for each unique product at each location that has a par level assigned. If a location has no par level assigned, none of the products at that location will display on this report.

The Par Levels Report contains the following columns:

  • Location Name - The name of the location where the par level controlled product is stocked.
  • Product # - The # or code of the product.
  • Product Name - The name of the product.
  • Par Level - the stocking level for the product
  • Current - The current quantity of the product that is in inventory at this location.
  • Restock Quantity - The quantity of product that should be restocked in order to make the current inventory reach the Par Level.
  • Status - A quick visual and conversational indicator of the current state of product inventory at the location, relative to par.
    • Out of Stock - There are currently 0 of this product at this location. Restock ASAP. Avoid this status by restocking while status is "Below Min".
    • Below Par - There are currently 1 or more products at this location, but the current inventory is below the Par Level.
    • Fully Stocked - The current stock of product matches the Par Level exactly. Consider implementing the Slow Moving Inventory report to verify that the reason your products are fully stocked is thanks to timely resupply, not due to a persistent lack of demand.
    • Overstocked - The current stock of product is above the Par Level set for that product at that location. Consider moving this inventory to a different location, or, if this high level is justified, increase the Par Level for that product at that location.

When the Product Catalog Additional Fields feature is enabled, the Par Levels Report will update to include the Product System and Product Category columns.

Adding Par Level Groups

Adding Par Level Groups requires the "Device and Location Management" role to be granted in your user record. Contact your system administrator to add this capability.

Par Level Groups can be added to Stratosphere manually via the web interface and through .csv imports.

Adding Par Level Groups Manually

  1. Select "Add Par Level Group" in the top left of the Par Levels page.
    Document image
    
  2. Enter a Par Level Group Name. The name must be unique from other Par Level Group names.
  3. Select Assigned Locations from a list of all Stratosphere locations. Any location listed will have their current inventory evaluated against this par level, and the results will be visible on the dashboard widget and report for all users assigned to those locations.
  4. Select at least one Product, from a searchable, browsable list of all products. Once a product is selected, another row will appear for selection of additional products. There is no limit to the number of products you can assign min and max values to.
    1. For each product, set a Par Level quantity. The Par Level must be an integer greater than 0. Stratosphere will continuously evaluate current inventory levels at all assigned locations against this Par Level, and calculate suggested restock quantities.
  5. Click Save to finish adding the Par Level Group. The Par Level Group will now appear in the Par Levels table.

Importing Par Level Groups

There is no way to undo a csv import, other than to edit or remove par level groups from Stratosphere individually. When bulk importing, verify the accuracy of the import. Double-check to ensure that the data in the uploaded file is accurate. After importing the file, but before saving the imported records, open the "Ready to Import" section and verify that the columns are mapped appropriately and the data is exactly as you want it.

  1. Select "Import Par Level Groups" at the top of the Par Levels page.
  2. Enter a name for your par level group in the Par Level Group Name field. This name must be unique from outher Par Level Group Names. This field is required.
  3. Select one or more assigned locations for the par level group. This field is optional.
  4. "Choose File" and select your import file. The file must meet the following requirements:
    1. .CSV file format
    2. Less than 1 MB file size
    3. Contain columns titled "Product Name", "Product #", and "Par Level".
      1. Product Name - The name of the product from your product catalog. This field is required.
      2. Product # - The code of the product from your product catalog. This field is required.
      3. Par Level - The stocking level for this product in the selected location(s). This field is required.
  5. Once a file is chosen, select "Import Par Level Group". If your list of rows is large, it may take a minute to import.
    Document image
    
  6. Before saving the import, validate that the import was completed as expected by reviewing the three lists:
    1. Ready to Import - These rows were successfully read from the file.
    2. Errors - These rows were not successfully read from the file. Where possible, the reason for the error will be explained in this list. Potential reasons include:
      1. Duplicate Rows
      2. Invalid Product Name, Product #, or Par Level
      3. Invalid columns included in the import file
      4. Missing required fields
  7. If you are happy with your import preview, click "Import Par Level Group" one last time to create a Par Level Group using the "Ready to Import" rows.

The import must be validated within 20 minutes, otherwise you will need to restart the import process again.

You can review the last 10 Par Level Group Imports, including the list of rows that had Errors, by clicking "Import Par Level Groups" from the top of the Par Levels page at any time.

Document image


Here is an example CSV used for a Par Level Group import in Stratosphere:

Enabling 1:1 Par Levels

Enabling 1:1 Par Levels requires the "Organization Management" role to be granted in your user record. Contact your system administrator to add this capability.

To enable 1:1 Par Levels for your organization:

  1. Go to the organization page
  2. Select the "Add/Remove Features" tab
    Document image
    
  3. Ensure the "Par Levels" feature is toggled on
    Document image
    
  4. Toggle on the 1:1 Par Levels sub-feature
    Document image
    
  5. Press "Save Changes"

Disabling 1:1 Par Levels

Disabling 1:1 Par Levels requires the "Organization Management" role to be granted in your user record. Contact your system administrator to add this capability.

Disabling 1:1 Par Levels will replace the Par Levels field with Min and Max fields for all Par Level Groups.

For all Par Level Groups created while 1:1 Par Levels was enabled, the Min and Max fields will be set to the Par Level value. For all Par Level Groups that were created while 1:1 Par Levels was disabled, the Min will be set to the Par Level value and the Max value will be restored if it was greater than the Par Level value or set to the Par Level value if it was less than the Par Level value to avoid errors.

Example: A par level group was created with Product A set to Min = 5 and Max = 10. 1:1 Par Levels was enabled, and Product A was updated to have a Par Level = 15. If 1:1 Par Levels were later disabled, Product A would have a Min = 15 and a Max = 15.

To disable the 1:1 Par Levels sub-feature:

  1. Go to the organization page
  2. Select the "Add/Remove Features" tab
    Document image
    
  3. Toggle the "1:1 Par Levels" sub-feature off
    Document image
    
  4. Press "Save Changes"
  5. Confirm your intention to disable by pressing "Save Changes" in the resulting popup.