There are many ways to improve how you utilise NetSuite. Explore these handy tricks to boost your productivity, streamline workflows, and manage data more effectively.
1. Access performance insights in three ways
If things seem a bit sluggish, double-click the Oracle NetSuite logo at the top left-hand corner. This reveals an overview of your NetSuite instance’s performance, allowing you to spot issues immediately.
If you want a more detailed view, download the NetSuite Application Performance Management SuiteApp. It provides a comprehensive dashboard with performance KPIs, server and client response times, and highlights areas that may need your attention, helping you prioritise based on usage and traffic.
Or visit status.netsuite.com to learn whether the issue is isolated to your account or is a more widespread problem.
2. Make use of Chrome extensions
If you’re a NetSuite professional, like a functional consultant or developer, and Chrome is your go-to browser, you’re in luck! There are several Chrome extensions designed for NetSuite that can really speed up and streamline your workflow.
NetSuite Advanced Field Help | This extension is useful for understanding the specific details and functionalities of various fields within NetSuite. It provides extended help or descriptions for fields, which is particularly beneficial for new users or when working with unfamiliar parts of the system.
NetSuite Field Explorer | This tool is great for developers and administrators who need to quickly identify and work with different fields in NetSuite. Use it to explore and interact with fields on a page, a huge time-saver during customisation or troubleshooting.
NetSuite Show Field IDs | This one is essential for developers and technical users who work with SuiteScript or NetSuite customisations. It displays the internal ID of fields, making it easier to reference them in scripts or integrations.
NetSuite Portlet Refresher | Use it to automatically refresh specific portlets on your NetSuite dashboard. It’s useful for keeping real-time data up-to-date, such as KPIs or custom reports, without the need to manually refresh the entire page.
3. Identify missing permissions
If you’re not sure what permissions you have and don’t have, here’s a quick method to determine the required permissions for accessing a specific screen.
Start by navigating to the required screen as a user with access (such as an Administrator) and save the URL.
Then, attempt to access the same URL with the user you intend to grant permissions to. If they do not have permission, NetSuite will display an error highlighting the exact permissions needed.
Update the user’s permissions accordingly and repeat the process until the user can access the page or feature successfully.
4. Inactive record searches in NetSuite
NetSuite’s inactive record searches can improve data accuracy and completeness by including inactive records, like former customers or vendors, in search results.
A key advantage is its ability to prevent duplicate records. For example, when looking up a customer or vendor, an inactive record search can reveal if an existing record has been marked inactive, helping to avoid the creation of redundant entries.
Additionally, it ensures more comprehensive search results by including all relevant records, active or inactive. This is especially useful when users might overlook inactive records that are relevant to their search.
Here’s how to run an inactive record search:
1. Access the search bar or saved search: Begin by going to the global search bar or accessing a saved search where you want to include inactive records.
2. Modify search criteria: If you’re using the global search bar, simply include a plus sign (+) before your search term. For example, +customer will return both active and inactive customer records. If you’re working with a saved search:
- Navigate to the criteria section of the search.
- Add a new criterion for the “Active” field.
- Choose the operator as ‘is’ and select ‘Either’ or ‘No’ to include inactive records in your search results.
3. Execute the search: Run the search to get results that include both active and inactive records.
4. Review the results: The returned results will now include records that are marked as inactive. This allows you to view all relevant records, active or inactive, ensuring a comprehensive search.
5. Customise your dashboard
It’s the first thing you land on when you log into NetSuite, so it’s essential to shape it around your needs. Make it your own by adding and removing widgets, changing the layout, or customising the colour scheme to suit your aesthetics.
Here is a quick guide to customising your dashboard and here’s another to help you configure it to your role.
6. Leverage saved searches for alerts
Saved searches in NetSuite can be configured to provide custom views of data and generate reports. But did you know they can be set up to notify you when certain conditions are met?
For example, you can create a search to alert you when:
- Stock falls below a certain threshold
- There are open customer issues or tickets that haven’t been addressed within a specific timeframe
- Contracts with vendors are nearing their renewal dates or when purchase orders are due
- Spending approaches the budget limit
- When key project milestones are due or completed
- There are pending timesheet submissions
Let’s walk through setting up an inventory level alert in NetSuite:
- Objective | Receive an alert when the stock of a specific item, say “Widget A,” falls below 50 units.
- Criteria setup | Search criteria are set to trigger when “Widget A” has a quantity on hand of less than 50 units.
- Alert setup | An email alert is set up to notify the inventory manager whenever this condition is met.
7. Access Saved Searches
In NetSuite, navigate to Lists > Search > Saved Searches > New.
1. Select search type:
- Choose the type of record to search for, such as Item.
2. Define search criteria:
- Click on the Criteria tab.
- Add a new criterion for Quantity on Hand.
- Set the operator to ‘less than’ and specify the threshold quantity (e.g., less than 50 units).
3. Set up the results fields:
- Switch to the Results tab.
- Add the fields you want to see in the search results, such as Item Name, Quantity on Hand, and Location.
4. Configure email alerts:
- Go to the Email tab.
- Select the option to send email alerts.
- Specify the conditions for the alert, like when the search results are not empty.
- Enter the email addresses of recipients who should receive the alert (e.g., inventory manager).
5. Name and save the search:
- Give your search a meaningful name, like “Low Inventory Alert.”
- Save the search.
6. Test the alert:
- Ensure that the search works as expected by checking if an alert is triggered when inventory levels fall below the set threshold.
8. Custom workflow automation with SuiteFlow
SuiteFlow, also known as NetSuite Workflow Manager, is a tool within NetSuite that allows you to automate and customise business processes without the need for complex coding. Featuring a point-and-click interface, users can create workflows to automate tasks, streamline approvals, and manage business processes specific to your organisational needs.
Here’s an example use case to create an automated sales order approval.
Scenario | Automatically approve sales orders under a certain amount while routing higher-value orders through a managerial approval process.
Implementation | Using SuiteFlow, create a workflow that:
- Automatically approves sales orders below a specified dollar amount.
- For orders exceeding that amount, sends an approval request to the designated manager.
- Notifies relevant team members upon approval or rejection.
Result | Streamlines the sales process, reduces time spent on manual approvals, and ensures that high-value transactions receive proper oversight.
To learn more about workflows, visit our two workflows working blog.