THE MASTER DATA FILES

The Master Data Files holds all the data necessary for the setting up of the WSSI, the RWP,
Grade Set Up and Store Plans plus data that is used in the Monday reports. There are four
master data files the most important being the ‘Master Data File Master’, where all updates
are made and which is used to update the three other files ‘Master Data File’, ‘Master Data
File 2’, and ‘BS Master Data File’. The subordinate files are used because of sizing and
access issues.
MASTER DATA FILE MASTER
This file stores standard information, such as colour names and store opening dates, that is
used in the Range Width Plan and WSSI and other sheets, together store department level
data used in a variety of applications. Lookup tables have been created so that the data can
easily be accessed by the applications that require it.
All the store and Range Width data comes from links to other files which need to be run
regularly, all standard information is keyed in manually as required.
The file contains the following sheets and data.
Master List –
This sheet holds the master listings of all standard names and dates, sub-department listings,
class lists, colour lists etc as follows :
Heading Description Comments on usage
Dept Number The department number
Department Department name
Dept Short Name Short name code for the department used
if needed
Units per Sq Ft The number of units that can be stocked Used in the RWP and Grade Set Up
per ten square feet of allocated space for to calculate the approximate square
each department footage required to hold the planned
number of options
Dept Fixture The fixture category for the department as No longer used
Category referenced in the old footage planner
Division Division names
Product Group Product group names
Product Group A four letter code used within Arthur to
Code identify each product group
Season The season listing
Plan Season Dates for the financial half currently ‘active’ The season listings are used to
and in the process of being planned. show the start and end dates of the
season being planned, the last
Comparative Dates for the comparative last year comparable season and the interim
Season financial half to that being planned season within the RWP
Interim Season Dates for the financial half immediately
preceding that being planned
Season Start Date The actual start day of the season being Used in the RWP
planned
Season Start Date The absolute start date code of the season Used in the RWP
Code being planned
Store Store name Store
Store Index Not used Store Index
Heading Description Comments on usage
Store Grade Index Not used Store Grade Index
Store Stock Index Not used Store Stock Index
DC The Physical DC used by each store Used in the purchase order set up
spreadsheet
Store Number The store number for each store

Default Store Grade The default store grade for each store. Used within the RWP until an actual
This is determined by the available selling grade has been set by Store
area in each store Planning
Allocation Point The actual allocation DC used in MMS Used in the purchase order set up
including the virtual DC’s spreadsheet.
Opening Date The opening date of each store Used in the RWP and other
spreadheets to determine the LTL or
New status
Opening Date Code The absolute Excel code for the opening
date
Virtual DC List The list of all DCs, both physical and virtual
currently being used.
Colour Name The colour name of all approved colours
Colour Number The colour number for all approved colours
Colour Pantone Ref The pantone reference for all approved
colours
Week The starting week of each period as per
the merchandise calendar
Month The period list corresponding to the
merchandise calendar
Number of Weeks The number of weeks in each month
Week Start Code The start code for each week
Week Start Date The start date for each week
Week Number The week number as per our merchandise
calendar
Sub Department The sub-department listings for each
Listings department
Class Details The class number, name and DC cube for
each product group
Brand Name The list of all brand names
Brand Code The two digit code for each brand as used
in MMS
OTHER SHEETS
Plan Store Stock
The planned store stock in value for each store by department by season. Calculated
from the Plan Store Stock Units for each department multiplied by the Average MRP fro
that department taken from the Range Width Plan.
Link from : J:\Merchanal\Database 2000\Range Width Database.xls
Used in the WSSI and the Monday reports
Plan Store Stock Units
The planned store stock in units for each store by department and season. Taken from
the Range Width Plan.
Link from : J:\Merchanal\Database 2000\Range Width Database.xls
Used in the WSSI and the Monday reports
Plan Summary
The planned total sales, intake margin %, markdown % and markdown value by
department for each season, together with the planned sales phasing from the All
Divisions (exc Concessions) WSSI
Link from : J:\Merchanal\Database 2000\Range Width Database.xls and J:\MerchMan\
WSSI New\All Divisions WSSI (ex Conc).xls
Used in the WSSI
Plan Grade
The planned grade for the season as determined by the store planning team.
Link from the individual store footage plans held on J:Store Planning\Footage Plans\
Season Number.
Used in the RWP
Actual Units Display
The actual display capacity in units as determined by Store Planning.
Link from the individual store footage plans held on J:Store Planning\Footage Plans\
Season Number.
IMPORTANT NOTE : In order to ensure that there is data available for future seasons
the links for all store data for the current planning season is copied into the
subsequent seasons. This means that SS2002 store data is actually linking to the AW
2001 store plan. This link must be changed once the new store plans have been
created..
MAINTAINING THE MASTER DATA FILE MASTER
The RWP and the store plan held on the Master Data File Master sheet must be updated at
least weekly and more often if the source data is being changed, especially the store plans.
This links can be updated through a macro using the ‘Update XXnnnn Links’ button, where
XXnnnn is the season code. This works by using the ‘Edit – Links – Open Source’ command
and automatically closing the liked sheet after updating rather than using the Update Now
option as this saves time
IMPORTANT NOTE : A new macro needs to be developed each season to link to the
new store plans once they have been set up.
Because of the size of the Master Data File Master the data is copied into three smaller files,
 J:\MercMan\ Main\ Master Sheets\ Master Data File
 J:\MerchMan\ Main\ Master Sheets\ Master Data File 2
 J:\MerchAnal\ BuyingSpecs\BS Master File.
All spreadsheets which use the master data link to these three files, not to the Master Data
File Master itself. The subordinate files are updated using a macro on the Master Data File
Master sheet activated by running the ‘Update Master Files’ button.
Note that only ‘Master Data File 2’ contains all the data sheets, the others contain the master
list tables only
Any changes to the product hierarchy, additions to the colour or supplier list etc must be
entered into the master file and the Update Master Files macro actioned before the changes
become available to the users. New data columns can be inserrted at any time for referencing
in other programmes.
It is good practice to remove the links for previous seasons by copying the values into the
appropriate cells using ‘Copy’ – ‘Paste Special : Values’. Note however that if the plans are
changed in season, which often happens the data may be inacccurate.
USING THE MASTER FILES
The data in the master files can be accessed by using an indexed link to pre-defined tables.
MASTER LIST
The suggested method to link the data on the master list to the new sheet is to set up an
index using the ROW function in the leftmost column of the area you want the data to appear
and then use the HLOOKUP function for all the columns of data you require.
Note that the ROW function is used to create the lookup index because it allows additional
rows to be added to the data tables using the copy function. In other words the relative row
number will always remain correct.
Once the data tables have been created in the new spreadsheet they can be named and
used as required. The user will have to remember to activate these links periodically to
ensure the linked data is up to date
Example :
FORMULA
COLUMN
D E
15 =ROW() Data Name from the Master Sheet e.g. ‘Department’, ‘Store’

16 =ROW()-D$15+1 =HLOOKUP(E$15,’J:\NNNN.xls'!MasterLookUp, $D16,FALSE)

ROW

17 =ROW()-D$15+1 =HLOOKUP(E$15,’J:\NNNN.xls'!MasterLookUp, $D17,FALSE)

18 =ROW()-D$15+1 =HLOOKUP(E$15,’J:\NNNN.xls'!MasterLookUp, $D18,FALSE)
Creates an Index starting ‘J:\NNNN’ is the path to the Master File to be used.
a Row 15
Looks up the column in the master file headed with the name in
cell E15, and returns the data found in the cell in the row
indexed by the formula in column B

RESULT
COLUMN
D E
15 15 Department

16 2 Bags & Small Leathers

ROW

17 3 Bath
18 4 Bed
DATA TABLES
All store and RWP data is held on separate sheets on the J:\MerchMan\ Main\Master Sheets\
Master Data File 2
The following lookup tables are available :
PlanStoreStockData : The RWP store stock in value, by store and department
PlanStoreStockUnitsData : The RWP store stock in units, by store and department
ActStoreStockUnitsData : The actual store stock capacity in units, by store and
department
PlanSummaryData : The planned sales Rs, intake margin %, markdown Rs and
MRP by department as entered into the RWP
PhasingLookUp : The planned sales phasing in value and percentage
PlanFootageData : The planned footage by store and department from the store
plans
PlanGradeData : The planned departmental grading by store from the store
plans
ACCESSING THE DATA TABLES
The suggested method of using the DATA tables is to referencing the Department/ Season
name in the form DeptNameSeason – e.g. Ladies Mix n MatchAW2001, to a lookup table on
the master sheet as follows :
1. Create a list of all active department names and season numbers by linking to the to the
‘Department’ and ‘Season’ columns on the Master List as described above.
2. Create the Dept/ Season name for the season for which the data is needed using the
CONCATENATE function.
3. Use the VLOOKUP function to access the data needed using the format :
VLOOKUP (Dept/Season Name, ‘J:\MerchMan\ Main\ Master Sheets\ Master Data File
2.xls’!LookUpTable Name, Index, FALSE), where the index is as given below.
Store data : Add 1 to the store number less 100. The index for Anderi (Store
101) would therefore be 2 and for Ghatkopar (Store 107) it would
be 8.
Summary Data : Plan Sales = 2
Plan Intake Margin % = 3
Plan Markdown Rs = 5
Plan MRP = 6
PHASING TABLE
Note that the percentage phasing is only valid for a full season.
The suggested method of using the PHASING table is as follows :
1. Link to the ‘Week Number’ and ‘Week Start Date’ columns on the Master List as
described above to get the correct start dates for the weeks you wish to access .
2. Use HLOOKUP function to access the data using the format :
HLOOKUP(Week Start Date, ‘J:\MerchMan\ Main\ Master Sheets\ Master Data File 2.xls’!
PhasingLookUp, Index, FALSE) where the index is as given below.
Planned Sales Rs : 3
Sales Phasing % : 4
PLANNING MASTER SHEETS
All common planning applications have a master sheet which is accessed through the ‘File –
New’ menu option. This uses a short-cut to the main file which is held on a secure directory to
prevent it being amended or deleted by un-authorised users.
IMPORTANT NOTE : The users MUST open new versions of all files through a shortcut
on the ‘New’ menu. This shortcut is stored in the users ‘Templates’ folder. If the user
has stored a copy of the master file itself on their templates folder then any updates to
the master file will not be reflected. It will be a Central Merchandising responsibility to
ensure that the templates folder is correctly set up for all new users.
The following planning master sheets are available :
 WSSI Master
 Master Store Planner
 Range Width Master
 Grade Set Up Master
In the case of all sheets apart from the WSSI any changes to the master will be picked up by
the users when they set up a new season. The WSSI is only ever set up once for a new
department..
The Range Width and Grade Set Up masters are both templates set up using the template
wizard facility which means that once a new range width plan or grade plan has been set up it
will automaticlaly update this database. Range width and grade data for all departments can
therefore be accessed through this databas. Data on the WSSI and the Store Planner can
only be accessed through links direct to the appropriate departmental or store sheets.
NAMING PROTOCOL AND DIRECTORY STRUCTURE
Once the user has accessed the Master sheet through the ‘New’ option it will be saved
on the appropriate directory using the specified name as follows :-
Planning Directory Naming Protocol
Application
WSSI J:\MerchAnal\ WSSI 2000 DD-DeptName, where DD is the two letter
divisional code and DeptName is the full
department name.
ME – Menswear
LA – Ladieswear
CH – Childrenswear
NA – Non-Apparels

Range Width J:\MerchAnal\ RWP SSYYYY DD-Snn-DeptName, where DD is the division

Plan where SS is the two digit code as above, Snn is the three digit season
season code and YYYY is the code e.g. A01 for Autumn Winter 2001 and
year DeptNameis the full department name
NOTE : A new directory will
have to be set up for each new
season at the start of the
planning cycle
Department J:\MerchAnal\ Dept Grading GR-Snn-DD-DeptName, where DD is the division
Grading code as above, Snn is the three digit season
code e.g. A01 for Autumn Winter 2001 and
DeptNameis the full department name
Store Planning J:\Store Planning\SSyyyy StoreName SSyyyy where Store Name is the full
where SSyyyy is the season name of the store and SSyyyy is the season
Planning Directory Naming Protocol
Application
code e.g. SS2001. code e.g. SS2001.
NOTE : A new directory will
have to be set up for each new
season at the start of the
planning cycle

PLANNING CONSOLIDATIONS AND DATABASES

Several files exist which are consolidations of the data held in the individual WSSI, RWP,
Grade Plan and Store plans. This data is either updated automatically through the template
wizard database or through links which must be activated regulary and updated when new
departments are set up. Lookup tables are set up on all of the databases so that the data can
easily be accessed by other users as required.
DATABASES
The data on both databases is stored by Dept/Season Name and can be accessed using the
VLOOKUP function.
The Dept/ Season Name is the full department name suffixed with the season code e.g. Mens
Brands : ZodiacAW2001. It is suggested that the Dept/ Season name is created using Steps
1 and 2 described under ‘Accessing the Data Tables’ above.
Duplicate entries, which occur when the user selects the ‘Create New File’ option when
saving the file, will be highlighted in red. The entire row holding the earliest entry for of the
duplicated data, i.e. that which is found at the lower row number must be deleted.
Tp prevent the VLOOKUP returning #N/A if no data exists for a particular department (if the
user has not yet created a Range Plan for a new season for instance) it is suggested that a
Data Check is performed. This counts the first column on the database to check if an entry
exists for that particular Dept/ Season.
RANGE WIDTH DATABASE
J:\MerchAnal\Database 2000\Range Width Database.xls
Automatically updates with all RWP data every time the user saves the departmental file.
Check for Validity
= COUNTIF(RWPPlanCheckList, Dept/Season Name)
Access using the following formula :
= IF(DataCheck>0,VLOOKUP(Dept/Season Name,RWPDBaseLookUp,HLOOKUP(Data
Name, RWPDBaseIndex,2,FALSE) FALSE),0)
– the HLOOKUP function here returns the index for the data.
 DataCheck – The result of the validity check
 DataName – The name of the data you require from the column headings of the Range
Width Database
GRADE DATABASE
J:\MerchAnal\Database 2000\Grade Database.xls
Automatically updates with all Grade data every time the user saves the departmental file.
Check for validity
= COUNTIF (GradeCheck,Dept/Season Name)
Access using the following formula :
 = IF(DataCheck>0,VLOOKUP(Dept/Season Name,GradeLookUp,HLOOKUP(Data Name,
GradeLookUpIndex,2,FALSE) FALSE),0)
– the HLOOKUP function here returns the index for the data.
 DataCheck – The result of the validity check
 Data Name – the name of the data you require from the column headings of Grade
Database

Planning Consolidations
WSSI Consolidations
The WSSIs are consolidated from department up to Product Group, Division and Company.
The consolidations can be found in the J:\MerchMan\WSSI New directory and are named as
follows
 Product Group consolidation : DD PGName where DD is the Divisional code and
PGName is the Product group name e.g. LA Westerns
 Divisional consolidation : WSSI – DIV – DivName, where DivName is the divisional name
 Company consolidation – WSSI-All Division-B&M
The consolidated WSSIs will be updated every Monday or as required, using the ‘Update
Files’ macro
NOTE – There are two other company level WSSIs in the same directory All Divisions WSSI
(Ex Conc) and All Divisions WSSI (inc Conc). These are not consolidations but are working
WSSI’s updated every Monday in the normal way. There will be a slight difference between
the updated company figures and the consolidated figures because of discontinued
departments for which a WSSI has not been created
WSSI Season Summary
J:\MerchMan\WSSI New\ WSSI Season Summary.xls
This summarises the WSSI data by period and season.The period is selected from the drop
down list. The sheet is updated weekly or as required using the ‘Refresh’ macro.
A data only copy is stored for each completed period on the J:\MerchMan\WSSI 2000\Period
Summary directory using the following steps :-
1. Open the WSSI Season Summary
2. Select the period for analysis using the drop down list.
3. ‘Save As’ to the Period Summary directory using the format ‘Month Name Year’.
4. Click in the top left corner or the Act-Proj worksheet to select all cells. ‘Copy’ the full range
then Paste Special –Values.
5. Open the hidden worksheet using ‘Format – Sheet – Unhide’ and delete it
6. Save the file
Planning Summary
J:\MerchMan\Planning\SeasonName.xls
Gives a summary of the Range Width and Store Plans for each planning season.The sheet is
updated weekly, or as required, using the ‘Update from RWP’ and ‘Update from Store Plans’
macros.
The Range Width data can be selected by season using the drop down box.
The store plan links need to be changed each season once the new plans have been set up.
A data only sheet should be stored for each season once the plans have been fixed.
Store Grading Summary
J:\MerchMan\Planning\Options and Footage by Grade.xls
This summarises the grading structure for each department for the season, selected from a
drop down list.
The sheet is updated using the ‘Refresh’ macro
 EXCEL FILE LINKAGES

BS Master Data Master Data

File File
Grade Set Up
Master.xlt

Grade Set Up
per Dept
Store Plans
Master Data File
Master Store Plans

Master Store Grade

Planner Database
Master Data
File 2

Store Plans
Store Plans
Store Plans

Range Width
Master.xlt

Master WSSI
Range Width
Range Width Plans
Store Plans
Database Store Plans

Dept WSSIs
Store Plans
Store Plans Plan and Style Set Up
Performance and Buy
StoreSpecs
Plans
Summary Sheets
Store Plans

PG, Division and

Company WSSIs Purchase Order
Spreadsheet
Store Plans
Store Plans
CENTRAL MERCHANDISING SET UP ROUTINES
NEW DEPARTMENT SET UP
All new departments set ups will require a signed MMS hierarchy change form (example
attached).
Create Department and Update Master Sheet
1. Issue department number.
2. Agree sub-department structure
3. Set up the new department structure on MMS
4. Update the Master Data File Master with the following department details :
 Department Number
 Department Name
 Department Short Name (Dept Number + 3 Digit Alpha)
 Units per Sq Ft – the number of units that can be held on each 10 square feet of
selling space in accordance with the agreed display principles. The Units per Sq Ft
can be taken from a similar department with similar product if available. If the product
area is new store planning will provide this data.
 Dept fixture category – selected from the drop down list. This field is currently not
used.
 Sub-department listing – use an empty column and select the department header
from the drop down list. If there are no empty columns insert a new column into the
subdepartment listings
 There should be no need to change class or sub class listings since these are
product group based.
5. Run the ‘Update Dept List’ Macro to put the new departments in to alphabetical order.
6. Run the ‘Update Master Data Files’ macro to make the new data available to the other
applications.
Set Up WSSI
1. All previous seasons to the current will need to be fixed manually since there will be no
plans to ‘pick up’ from the master sheets. To do this open a new Master Wssi from the
‘File New’ Menu item.
2. Fix Errors to Update the department list and select the new department. Many cells will
show as #N/A or #VALUE
3. Un-protect the sheet and unhide the hidden rows at the bottom of the sheet. In the lookup
tables which show the plans N248 – AB265, overwrite the formula with zero in the
following fields for the old seasons only.
 Plan Store Stock
 Plan Footage
 Plan Store Stock Units
 The Sale, Intake Margin and Markdown Plan formulas for the previous seasons found
in cells AD249 – AF265 should also be overwritten to zero.
4. Re-hide these rows, and check that all previous seasons show zero and that there are no
errors. If there are find the source. If this is for the current season check back to the
Master Master File to see if the problem is there.
5. Run the ‘Fix Plan’ macro for all previous seasons.
6. Re-protect the sheet and save in the approved format in the WSSI 2000 directory
7. Add the new WSSI into all product group and company WSSI data consolidations
8. Add the new WSSI into the Monday reports.
9. Add the new WSSI into all consolidation Macros.

STORE PLANNING
Set Up Store and Update Master Data File Master
1. Set Up New Store on MMS
2. Set up virtual DC
3. Enter the new store details into the Master Data File Master. You will need to enter :-
 Store name
 DC – the physical DC that will service the store
 Store Number
 Default store grade – the default grade that will be used for all departments until the
store plans are individualised
 Allocation point – the physical or virtual location that stock will actually be allocated
to. E.g. location 101 for store 101 Andheri, location 906 for store 106 Chennai
 The opening date
4. Run the Update Master Files macro to make the data available to other locations
Create Store Plans for the new season
1. Set up a new directory for the new season under ‘J:\Store Planning\ Footage Plans.
2. Using Windows Explorer copy the existing store plans for the current season into the new
directory and change the season reference.
3. Open each store plan and update the sales value and units performance by department
history if this is available. Footage history can be copied from the last comparative
season or from the previous season whichever is more accurate.
4. Update the link references in the Master Data File Master to point to the new store plans
for the new season, and run the Update Master Files macro.
5. Update the link references in the new Season Summary if this has been set up.
Set up the new store plans
There are two ways that this can be done.
1. Open the Master Store Planner on the J:\MerchMan\ Main \Master Sheets. Select the
season in which the store will open and enter the store name from the drop down lists
(you may need to un-freeze panes). Save the New Plan in the store planning directory for
that season – using the format ‘Store Name Season Year’, e.g. Bandra AW2001
2. Open the plan for a similar store for the current season. Erase any sales history, override
sales plan and actual capacity and footage figures that have been entered, but leave the
override grades. Change the store name and season using the drop down list and ‘Save
As’ under the new store name in the appropriate directory
3. Whichever method is used the new store needs to be added to all update macros and any
consolidation sheets.
New Season Planning
1. Create a new RWP directory for the new season on the MerchAnal directrory.
2. Open the RWP Master Template via the J:MerchMan\Main \Templates directory and run
the Fix Errors macro to make sure that all new data in the Master Data File is available.
Enter the new season number using the drop down box – ‘Save Without Updating’ when
presented with that option.
3. A new grade set up file needs to be built for the new season. The simplest way to do this
is as follows :
 Open the existing grade structure file for the current season. Only one should be
opened at a time.
 Amend the capacity required by grade as necessary.
 Change the season code – this is the most important part, please don’t ignore it.
 ‘Save As’ on the ‘MerchAnal\ Dept Grading‘ directory under a new name in the form
‘GR-Snn-DIV-Dept Name’ where Snn is the season Identifier and DIV is the two letter
division code. When the template update options appear select ‘Create New Record’
 Note that once the Grade Structure files have been set up for all departments the
previous season files can safely be deleted from the Dept Grading directory
4. Issue the ‘Set Up New RWP Instruction to the B&M team, telling them where to store the
new sheets and reminding them to use the ‘File : New’ menu option to open the new
sheet. Remind them also to enter the Product Group and Division as well as the
department name.
5. Set up a new Season Summary sheet by opening the existing season summary,
changing the season code using the drop down box and using ‘Save As’ to save under a
new name in the MerchMan\ Planning directory

Planning Updates.
Once the planning process is underway the following updates will have to be run. Note that all
changes can have an impact on other parts of the planning process and the updates should
be made, preferably through a macro, at least once a week.
Changes to the Dept Grading Structure
1. Update and save all Store Plans using the ‘Update Links’ macro
2. Update and save the specific RWPs using the ‘Update Links/ Fix Errors’ macro. The RWP
file should be saved using the ‘Update Existing Record’ option. Only one RWP can be
opened and saved at a time by any individual user.
3. Update and save the Master Data File Master and run the Update Master Files macro.
4. Update and save the season summary file, along with any central analysis such as the
Monday reports.
Changes in the Store Plans
1. Update and save the Master File Master from the Store Plans and run the Update Master
Files macro.
2. Update and save every RWP in turn using the ‘Fix Errors/ Update Links’ macro. The file
should be saved using the ‘Update Existing Record’ option. If this is done manually the
instruction to the B&M team will need to be clear that only one RWP at a time can be
opened and saved at a time.
3. Update and save the Master Data File again from the RWP Master Database and run the
Update Master Files macro.
4. Update and save the season summary file, along with any central analysis such as the
Monday reports.
5. Update and save every WSSI in turn using the ‘Fix Errors/ Update Links’ macro.
Changes in the RWP
1. Update and save every store plan using the Update Links macro.
2. Update and save the Master Data File again from the RWP Master Database and run the
Update Master Files macro.
3. Update and save the season summary file and other central analysis