This Week in IDEA | November 17, 2011

Explore the New IDW 3.0 Interface

­ Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) customers can now explore Version 3.0 using their current username and password. The new interface helps manufacturers prioritize and track data synchronization progress, while adding visibility to their efforts. For distributors, the new interface provides convenient manufacturer-load summaries and helps track the data synchronization process. ­

“The dashboard changes the whole experience - it drives focus to where our data needs it most. The Catalog page also serves as a powerful visual. I can use screenshots in presentations to help marketing and other internal teams understand the IDW and realize its importance so that they are motivated to assist." - Tom Cull, Hubbell

“Seeing manufacturer load activity in a concise manner beats reading load summary messages, hands down. This will make it much easier for me to stay abreast of what's new in the IDW.” - Bill Fugate, Kendall Electric

What’s New in Version 3.0:

• Dashboard Homepage: Both manufacturers and distributors will view a new page upon login. The manufacturer dashboard measures the completeness and quality of their IDW product data so they can easily track and report on progress. The distributor dashboard summarizes recent data loads from manufacturers as well as extraction activity.
• • Manufacturer Dashboard (click image for full size)
    

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  • Distributor Dashboard (click image for full size)­
    

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• Layout & Navigation: Instead of a long sidebar of links, tasks have been organized into two categories: ­Basic (tasks and features used frequently by most users e.g. product details and data requests) and Advanced­ (tasks and features used for set-up or by a select group of users e.g. company profile and authorizations).
• Increased Visibility: The Catalog page of the Product Details screen displays product information as it would appear on a web storefront with price, images, and attributed data. In addition, each time a manufacturer adds/updates data, this will appear on the homepage dashboard of all their authorized distributors.

• (click image for full size)

  

• Custom Settings: In addition to global preferences, distributors can assign manufacturer-specific preferences such as:
• • Including a manufacturer's name in the extraction file title.
  • Specifying if they will allow multiple price sheets for each manufacturer and if they want to extract data based on availability of UPC codes, price, and non-standard attributes.

  (click image for full size)

  

• Export to Excel and Print: This feature is now available for most reports directly from the screen you’re viewing to improve information sharing. 
• Mobile/Tablet Optimization: View and navigate the IDW 3.0 easily on the iPhone and iPad. Support for other mobile devices is in development.
  

Coming Soon! Live online training and updated training materials for the IDW 3.0. The previous and new version of the IDW will be available for you to use during this transition period with no interruptions. Your changes will be saved regardless of which interface you choose to use.

Please contact your Account Manager with any questions. Enjoy!

Log in to the IDW 3.0>

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Part One of the “Catapulting the Curve” Podcast Series

Available on the new Multimedia page under News & Events, the “Catapulting the Curve” podcast series will broadcast a discussion with Larry Stern, president of Standard Electric Supply and current IDEA Chairman of the Board, and Del Nickel, past president of Pentair Technical Products and former IDEA Chair. Sonia Coleman, a marketing and web consultant with over 10 years experience in the electrical industry, facilitates a frank conversation in which Stern and Nickel share their insider experience on the impact of technology trends in the electrical industry, and how manufacturers and distributors can utilize these trends to thrive in a lean economy.

Listen to part one of "Catapulting the Curve">

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Access the IDW and IDX on Your Mobile Device or Tablet

View and navigate the IDW 3.0 easily on the iPhone and iPad, and support for other mobile devices is on its way.  IDX will also be optimized for mobile and tablet devices in mid-December. 

• Optimized simplified layout and navigation accommodate smaller screens
• Dynamically control your view.  Pinch the screen to enlarge or shrink
• Smart system will remember pull down lists
  

Access the IDW and IDX anywhere to retrieve your data and check your traffic.

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Is Print Marketing Dead in Distribution?

Content courtesy of Modern Distribution Management

When considering how to spend marketing dollars, how should a company assess the value of online versus print and other more traditional mediums? Drawing on recent surveys, this Modern Distribution Management blog post provides an overview of how distributors view and utilize print catalogs and websites.

Read the blog post online at mdm.com>

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New B2B and Synchronization Customers

New IDX Customer

Horizon Distribution, established in 1881 and based in Yakima, WA, became an IDEA customer on November 9, 2011. They will take advantage of the cost savings and reliability of the Industry Data Exchange (IDX) to exchange B2B documents and transactions. Serving the Pacific Northwest, Horizon Distribution is a full-line hardware, farm and industrial supply wholesale distributor. Horizon Distribution is a proud member of Affiliated Distributors. Find out more at www.horizondistribution.com.

New IRD CERICOMX® Customers

As a 1SYNC Data Pool On-Board Solution (OBS) partner, IDEA implements suppliers that subscribe to the 1SYNC data pool using the IRD CERICOMX® Data Synchronization Platform. IDEA was recently assigned 4 four suppliers:

• US Nippon Meat Packers, Inc.
• Mavea, LLC
  
• Dynova Laboratories
  
• Haak Vineyard and Winery, Inc.
  

These companies will be trained to use IRD CERICOMX®, an online catalog that suppliers use to register product data with the GS1 Registry® and GDSN via the 1SYNC Data Pool. Suppliers also use this solution to publish product data to demand partners including retailers such as Lowe’s and Walmart.

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