Data elements are the individual pieces of data in a database such as agrē. Being aware of and knowing how to use the data elements in agrē will help you to use agrē.

What you'll find:

Mandatory Data Entry

Buttons

Tables and Lists

Calendars

Text Boxes

Mandatory Data Entry

Each data entry area or field (e.g., text boxes, tables) in agrē that is marked with a red asterisk (*) is mandatory. You must enter data into each mandatory data entry area before you can successfully save the data to the agrē database.

Data entry areas that are not marked with a red asterisk are optional. You can successfully save the data to the agrē database without entering data in these data entry areas.

Buttons

A button may appear dim (or “greyed out”), which means it is unavailable and you cannot use it. This occurs when:

your level of security in agrē does not allow you to perform the function.

a data condition has not been met. The button becomes available when the condition is met. For example, you cannot save a blend until it is calculated. Once the blend is calculated, the Save button is available.

an item is in use. For example, an invoice cannot be edited or deleted if it has any payments or credits applied to it.

Tables and Lists

In this User Guide, there is a difference between tables and lists.

Tables

Tables show many records of the same type and allow (or require) data entry. They look like tables in Microsoft Word or spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel. They are sometimes referred to as "grids".

Changing Table Data

Tables, such as the table on the Manage Product Types window (on the Inventory menu), allow you to add and edit information directly in the table.

Some tables can also be sorted. If you click on a column heading with a sorting triangle, the information below is sorted in reverse order (e.g., most recent to least recent).

Colours within Tables

The colour of the cells (the boxes that contain data) in a table indicate whether the data can be changed directly in the table (the colours may be different if you’ve changed the Windows colour scheme).

Grey: Display only; you cannot change the data in a grey cell. For example, you cannot select or clear the Prepay? check box when it is grey.

White: Editable; you can enter and change the data in a white cell. For example, you can change or clear the Retail Price field.

Light Yellow: Non-editable, but may be editable when a condition is met. For example, on the Add Journal Entry window (on the General Ledger menu), the yellow cell under the Debit column means that you cannot enter the debit amount until you’ve met a condition. In this case, an account must be entered first.
Once you have entered an account and tabbed or clicked out of the Account cell, the Debit cell turns white and is editable.

Once you have entered an account and tabbed or clicked out of the Account cell, the Debit cell turns white and is editable.

Copying and Deleting within Tables

Although tables in agrē look like tables in Microsoft Word or sheets in Microsoft Excel, they behave a little differently.

You cannot copy and paste more than one cell at a time in agrē tables; however, you can use keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste the data from one cell to another. For example, you may want to copy the budget value of $45,000 from one month to another.

To copy the contents of a cell

Select the cell that you want to copy.

Press ENTER.

Press CTRL+C.

Select the cell that you want to copy to.

Press ENTER.

Press CTRL+V.
The data is copied in the selected cell.

To delete the contents of a cell

Select the cell that has contents you want to delete.

Press ENTER.

Press DELETE.
The cell’s contents are deleted.

Lists

Lists show many records of the same type and do not require any data entry. Lists are also referred to as Grids.

Changing List Data

Some lists, such as the list on the Manage AR Payment Types window (on the Accounts Receivable menu), allow you to move through a list and select from it; however, you cannot add or edit information directly in the list. Adding and editing information is performed on separate windows that provide more space to see all the associated information. These are known as lookup lists.

Other types of lists include drop-down and type and drop-down lists.

Drop-down lists allow you to select an item from the list. When you click the drop-down arrow, the list of items for you to select from is available. You can also type a portion of or all of the information in the box to retrieve a more specific list or the item itself. Most lists in agrē are drop-down lists.

Some drop-down lists may contain hundreds or even thousands of choices. These lists require you to type a portion of or all of the information in the box before a list is available. agrē then retrieves a list of items matching the information you entered. When you click the drop-down arrow, the list of items for you to select from is available. Only customer, supplier, and product lists are type and drop-down lists. For example, customer boxes on work orders. Entering “A” in a customer box retrieves a list of customers whose names begin with the letter “A.” A customer can then be selected.

Some lists can also be sorted. If you click on a column heading, the information below is sorted into another order (e.g., most recent to least recent).

Calendars

To help you select dates, a drop-down calendar is available for every date box. When you click the drop-down arrow for a date box, a calendar appears. Select a date by clicking the date, or use the right and left arrow buttons to move forward or backward through the months. The red circle indicates the current date; click the red circle on the calendar or at the bottom of the calendar to select today’s date.

You can also click on the month to see a list of all the months and select one quickly. The same works for the year.

Text Boxes

Text boxes in agrē are fields (e.g., name boxes, description boxes, code boxes) where you are required to type information.

Each text box has a size limit. Depending on the text box, the size limit varies. For example, the size limit for some code boxes is 10 letter/number characters; once you’ve reached 10 characters, you can no longer enter data. You’ll know you’ve reached the size limit when the text no longer displays as you type.