Scriptable email templates in NetSuite allow you to harness the capabilities of HTML and FreeMarker code to create highly-customized emails for both internal and external communication.  In addition to supporting the display of both standard and custom fields in both the subject line and email body, scriptable templates also support the use of more advanced coding functionality like the insertion of subtemplates, current date/time, and dynamic formatting for multi-select field values.  In this blog post, I’ll share the basic steps for setting up a new scriptable email template and provide five of my favorite tricks for making them even more useful.

The ability to quickly and easily create custom fields in a variety of types in order to meet unique business requirements is one of the things that sets NetSuite apart from other ERP platforms.  In addition to creating checkboxes, open text fields, and date fields, NetSuite also allows users to source custom lists or existing records as drop-down lists using the “List/Record” field type.  In some cases, it is beneficial to give users the ability to select from all available values within the drop-down field.  At times, you may only want to expose a specific sub-set of data in the drop-down list in order to prevent mismatches and make it easier for users to the desired value.  By taking advantage of the Sourcing & Filtering options, you can limit the available values in a List/Record field to only those that apply at the time of entry.  In this blog, I’ll walk through setting up the Sourcing & Filtering options to create dynamic drop-down fields and share a few practical examples of using this functionality.

As you may have caught on by our previous blog posts, we really love NetSuite saved searches at Concentrus.  Saved searches have many uses and are one of the easiest tools to learn and use in NetSuite.  It doesn’t matter if you are an everyday user or log in occasionally to get the information you need, saved searches give you the tools to get the data you need, how you need it and when you need it.

If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts, you’ve probably gotten a sense of how much I like working with saved searches in NetSuite.  In my opinion, the saved search functionality is one of the most powerful and easy-to-use tools available to NetSuite users; whether you are brand new to NetSuite or are a highly-experienced user with a technical background, you’ll find that saved searches can make accessing data fast and easy.  In this post, we’ll discuss the basics of using Summary Types in saved searches (both as criteria and in the results) and look at a few practical examples that show how you can make use of Summary Types to enhance your searches.

One of the most under-utilized customization options available within NetSuite is custom records. In fact, the customization-related question that I have heard from users more than any other is “what do people use custom records for?” Although custom records are native NetSuite functionality, many seasoned users haven’t created any and can’t really envision any practical applications for them, especially since NetSuite has such a vast array of standard record types and fields already available. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the basic functionality and structure of custom records, and we’ll review some real-world applications to help give you some inspiration for ways you can use custom records in your NetSuite environment.

The SuiteAnalytics Workbook tool is a user-friendly analytics tool that combines the abilities of a report, saved search, and Microsoft Excel all in one.  Most users find themselves compiling a saved search or report within NetSuite, and then exporting the information outside to compile pivot or chart information within Excel.

What is a Saved Search?

When many organizations make the switch to an ERP such as NetSuite, one of their most common pain points is having disparate systems that don’t talk to each other and consequently data that doesn’t sync.  Once on NetSuite all data is housed in one database and the opposite may happen, you have too much data and don’t know how to leverage it.  In comes NetSuite saved searches.  A NetSuite saved search is one of the most powerful tools NetSuite has to offer because you can use it for:

• Creating custom searches and display only what you need

• Adding shortcuts for searches to your dashboard
• Displaying custom KPI’s
• Using as a reference for running scripts and workflows
• Automating emailed results
• Many other options.

Let’s take it back a step and answer, what is a saved search? 

You can create child project records or subprojects in NetSuite. The concept is very similar to child customers.  Most customers that use this feature have projects with large scopes and want to break it down into manageable bites.  For instance, creating of a new product involves design, development, and marketing - all of which have their own subset of tasks. 

In previous posts, I’ve shown how simple, single-state workflows can be used to automate actions like sending emails and setting default field values.  In this post, we’ll build upon those basic skills and create a multi-state approval workflow that will guide a transaction through a series of review and approval steps.  While I’ll be using a purchase order in my demonstration, this same logic can be applied to practically any transaction type within NetSuite, you may need to add some custom fields if you are adding an approval process onto a record that doesn’t typically support approvals (such as a quote).

NetSuite has two different options for creating customized PDF templates – Transaction Form PDF Layouts and Advanced PDF/HTML Templates.  Transaction Form PDF Layouts allow users to add or remove fields and adjust field order and placement, however the general structure is somewhat basic and does not support HTML or the addition of formulas or other logic to the template.  In comparison, Advanced PDF/HTML Templates also allow for the addition, removal, and adjustment of fields, but with the added flexibility of enabling users to directly edit the HTML code of the template.  Since the HTML code is accessible, users have nearly complete control over the look and feel of each PDF and can build custom logic into the body of the template.  For organizations with stringent design requirements or that have complex business logic that drives how information is presented to their customers, Advanced PDF/HTML Templates are the way to go.