TireMaster Corporate Orientation

TireMaster Corporate is a shop-managment system that includes a corporate site and two or more store sites that send information back and forth. In a multi-store setting, some activities can only be performed only at the corporate site while others can only occur at the stores. This chapter covers the following topics:

Logging in to TireMaster Corporate

The login process for TireMaster Corporate systems is almost identical to the login process for single store systems. The only difference occurs when you’re working in a setting in which two or more sites share the database (a co-located environment). In this scenario, TireMaster prompts you to select the site to which you want to connect (Figure 1-9).

Figure 1-9: Site Pick List

When you’re logged in to an environment with shared databases, you can easily move from site to site. To change sites, double-click the site number on the status bar at the bottom of the screen (Figure 1-10). Then choose the site you want to access from the list that appears.

Figure 1-10: Changing Sites in a Co-Located Setting

Walk-Through: Changing Sites When Databases are Shared
Log in to TireMaster at Site 4 (the warehouse). Then switch to Site 1 (the corporate headquarters).

To change sites in a co-located environment

Double-click the TireMaster icon on the computer’s desktop. The Login screen opens.

Type admin in both the user name and password fields, and click OK. The Site Pick List opens.

Select Warehouse from the drop-down, and click OK. The number 4 at the bottom of the screen indicates that you’re logged in to Site 4.

Double-click the number 4. The Site Pick List opens.

Select Corporate from the drop-down and click OK. The background color changes from blue to purple and the number at the bottom of the screen indicates that you’re logged in to Site 1.

Background Colors

The background color for the main TireMaster screen is purple for workstations logged in to the corporate database. For store databases, the background color is blue. Using two background colors helps you differentiate between the corporate site and your stores, if you log in to TireMaster remotely from the corporate headquarters or if you have a shared database.

Sites

TireMaster Corporatesystems include the following sites:

One corporate site

This site functions as the central headquarters. Back office and administrative activities occur at the corporate location. The corporate site can also handle some inventory management tasks.

Two or more store sites

Front counter activities, along with some or all inventory management tasks (depending on how you’ve configured your system), occur at the stores.

Managing Sites

When ASA installs your TireMaster Corporate system, the appropriate number of sites for your business are created for you. For each site, you can define basic information including the name, address, and phone number. This information can be printed on documents.

At each site, you can define whether on-hand quantity information for one or more of the other sites is included on the Inventory List, and if so, how it’s displayed. The settings for site-specific quantity information are located at the bottom of the Site Identification Maintenance screen (Figure 1-11).

Figure 1-11: Site-Specific Quantity Display Settings

Walk-Through: Defining Site-Specific Quantity Information
At the Boise store (Site 3), include quantities for the Meridian store (Site 2) and the warehouse (Site 4) on the Inventory List. Then exclude this information for the corporate location (Site 1).

To define site-specific quantity information

Define how to display the quantities for the Meridian store (Site 2).

If the Site List isn’t already open, select Setup > Sites.

Select Site 2 and click Edit. The Site Identification Maintenance screen opens.

Make sure Meridian Store is entered for the display name and that the Active check box is selected.

To display Site 2’s quantities first (they’ll be furthest to the left), type the number 1 in the Sort Order field.

To save your changes for Site 2, click OK.

Define how to display quantities for Site 4.

If the Site List isn’t already open, select Sites from the Setup menu.

Select Site 4 and click Edit. The Site Identification Maintenance screen opens.

Make sure Warehouse is entered for the display name and that the Active check box is selected.

To display Site 4’s quantities second, type the number 2 in the Sort Order field.

To save your changes for Site 4, click OK.

Exclude quantity information for Site 1 (Corporate).

Select Setup > Sites. The Site List opens.

Select Site 1 and click Edit. The Site Identification Maintenance screen opens.

Clear the Active check box.

To save your changes for Site 1, click OK.

Close the Site List.

To verify that the quantities for Site 2 and Site 4 are listed in the manner you defined, look up the tire of your choice. The lower-left corner of the Inventory List should show a column for the Meridian store followed by a column for the warehouse.

When you’ve finished reviewing the site quantity information, close the open screens.

Identifying the Site

TireMaster Corporate site numbers to help you identify or define the following:

The location where new customers (Figure 1-12), vendors, vehicles, and items were added

Figure 1-12: The Site Where a Customer was Added

The location for which items were ordered, received (Figure 1-13), or priced

Figure 1-13: The Site Where Items Were Received

The location where transactional activity occurred (Figure 1-14)

Figure 1-14: The Site Where Transactions Occurred

The site to which journal entries, vendor charges, and other manual entries will post (Figure 1-15)

Figure 1-15: The Site for General Ledger Posting

Replication

Replication is the process of moving data back and forth between stores and the corporate site. For example, Store A sends its data to the corporate site (Figure 1-16). The corporate site receives the data from Store A and transmits it to the other stores. Likewise, the other stores send their data to the corporate site. Then the corporate site sends the data from the other stores to the originating store.

Figure 1-16: The Replication Cycle

Shared Databases

With TireMaster Corporate, you have the option of having two sites share a single database. For example, if you operate a store out of your corporate headquarters, both the store and the corporate site can use the same database. Likewise, if you have two stores at one location to manage two different businesses (for example, one retail and one commercial), you can share a single database and still manage the sites independently.

Sites that share a database sometimes behave differently than two remote sites. For example, a shared database has one password per user, so two stores that share a database would have the same password for a user. Some customer information (such as vehicle history) is also shared, and you would be able to generate some general ledger reports from any site that shares a database. Shared databases in a TireMaster system are referred to as co-located databases.

System Controls in a Multi-Store Setting

Some system control settings in TireMaster Corporate are effective at all sites, while others need to be completed for each store. The controls that affect all sites are referred to as corporate controls, while the settings that can differ on a site‑by‑site basis are called store controls. You can move back and forth between the corporate and store controls by selecting the radio buttons in the lower-left corner of the System Controls screen (Figure 1-17).

Figure 1-17: Corporate and Store Controls Radio Buttons

Because store controls can be set on a site-by-site basis, each control is listed for each site. In other words, if you have four sites, each control is listed four times (Figure 1-18).

Figure 1-18: A Sampling of Store Controls

When you make a change that will apply to all stores using the Store Controls option you can select the Apply Changes to All Sites check box (Figure 1-19) to have the change affect all sites.

Figure 1-19: Apply Changes to All Sites Control

Walk-Through: Updating System Controls in a Multi-Store Setting
Update two of the system controls in the following manner: Change the default early-pay discount for AR customers to 1.5%. Disable core tracking for the corporate headquarters (Site 1) and the warehouse (Site 4).

Walk-Through: Updating System Controls in a Multi-Store Setting

Update two of the system controls in the following manner:

Change the default early-pay discount for AR customers to 1.5%.

Disable core tracking for the corporate headquarters (Site 1) and the warehouse (Site 4).

To update system controls in a multi-store setting

At the corporate site, select Setup > System Controls.

Update the default AR discount. This setting affects all sites.

Click the Customer tab.

Make sure Corporate Controls is selected.

Select Default AR Discount Percentage (%) and press Enter.

Type 1.5 and click OK.

Disable core tracking at the corporate site and the warehouse.

Click the Inventory tab.

Select Store Controls.

Select Track Cores for site 1, and press Enter.

Select No and click OK.

Repeat steps 3 c and 3 d for site 4, and press Enter.

Close the System Controls screen.

Application Availability

The applications (such as Invoicing and Inventory Maintenance) available to employees in a multi-store system depend on the site at which they’re working. Some tasks can take place at all sites, while others are limited to either the corporate headquarters or to the stores. Table 1-1 shows a basic breakdown of where different activities occur. For a detailed list of activities that can be performed at each type of site, see “Multi-Store Employee Tasks” on page 367.

**Table 1-1:** Site Activity Availability
Activity	Available Site
Adding New Users	Corporate
Assigning Security Permissions	Corporate
Adding Customers and Vehicles	All Sites
Adding Vendors	All Sites
Adding Inventory Items	All Sites
Ordering Inventory	All Sites
Creating Work Orders	Stores
Generating Statements	Corporate
Processing AP Payments	Corporate
Writing Checks	All Sites
Making Journal Entries	Corporate

The type of site also affects the availability of historical information. Typically, history for all locations is available at the corporate site, while stores can access only their own historical documents.

User Accounts in a Multi-Store Setting

The task of setting up user accounts is shared by both the corporate site and the stores in TireMaster Corporate. To set up a user account, do the following:

At the corporate site, add the user account.

Tip: To distinguish which employees work at each of your sites, include the site number in their names. Example: 3 - Smith, John.

At the corporate site, assign the new user to one or more security groups.

At the site (or sites) where the new user works, have the new employee set his or her password.

Note: Employees who work at multiple sites can have unique passwords for each site.

At each site where the user does not work, disable the ability to log in.

Although employees at the stores can access the Employee/User Edit screen, they cannot update settings such as the user ID or SQL User code. Only passwords can be changed.

Walk-Through: Setting Up Users in a Multi-Store Environment
Frank Brown will begin working at the Boise store (Site 3) as a salesperson. Add a user account and complete the security settings for this new employee.

To set up a new user in a multi-store environment

Add the new user account.

At the corporate site, select Setup > Users & Permissions. The User List opens.

Click Add. The Employee/User Edit List opens.

Enter the following information for the new employee:

Type the name Brown, Frank.

The user ID FB.

The SQL User FBrown.

To save the new user account, click OK.

Assign the new user to a security group for salespeople.

On the User List, click Security. The Security Assignments screen opens.

Select Sales on the list of groups.

Select Brown, Frank on the list of unassigned users, and click

Close the Security Assignments screen.

Close the User List.

Set the new user’s password at Site 3 (where he’ll be working).

Select Setup > Users & Permissions.

Clear the Local Users check box.

Select Frank Brown and click Edit. The Employee/User Edit screen opens.

Type S3llal0t in both the Password and Confirm fields.

To save your changes, click OK. Then close the open screens.

Disable the new user’s ability to log in at the Site 2, because he won’t be working there.

Log on to Site 2. (Double-click the site number and select the Meridian store from the list that appears.)

Select Users & Permissions from the Setup menu. The User List opens.

Clear the Local Users check box.

Select Frank Brown and click Edit. The Employee/User Edit screen opens.

Clear the Local User check box. A confirmation message appears.

Click Yes.

To save your changes, click OK. Then close the User List.

Sales Tax in a Multi-Store Environment

For TireMaster Corporate systems, you need to create enough tax rates and levels to collect the proper amount of sales tax at all sites. The locations of your stores affects the number of tax rates and levels you need. Let’s say you have stores in both Ada County and Canyon County. In Ada County, customers pay 2.5% sales tax and in Canyon County the rate is 2.75%. Because each of these counties assesses a different amount of sales tax, you need to set up a rate for Ada County and another for Canyon County. Tax rates and levels can be set up at the corporate site only.

In a multi-store setting, tax rates and levels are effective corporate wide regardless of whether a store uses them. Although all sales tax settings are available to all sites, you can assign different default tax levels (for parts and labor) for each site in System Controls (Figure 1-20).

Figure 1-20: Default Tax Levels for Each Site

In addition to defining a default tax level for each site, you can define whether sites should base sales tax collections on their default tax levels (set in system controls) or the tax levels assigned to individual customers.

Typically, sales tax collections are based on customer tax level assignments. If you need to collect sales tax for multiple government agencies, however, basing tax collections on the store default tax levels ensures that you charge enough sales tax.

For example, you have a store in Minneapolis, which charges 10% sales tax. Five percent of the tax goes to the state and the other 5% goes to the city. Many of your customers, however, are assigned a tax level amounting to (a lower) 6% sales tax. They’re from nearby St. Paul where they pay the same 5% state tax and a city tax of only 1%. By basing sales tax collections on your store’s default tax levels, you can automatically charge the customers from St. Paul 10% sales tax instead of 6%, which ensures that the state of Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis both get their share of tax dollars. For information about defining how sales tax is collected, refer to the TireMaster help system and user guide.