FAQs: Watchdog Report

FAQs: Watchdog Report


This article addresses frequently asked questions related to the Watchdog Report in Yellow Dog Inventory. 

General Questions

Q: What is the Watchdog Report?
A: The Watchdog Report scans your Yellow Dog database for errors and inconsistencies that could affect inventory accuracy. It flags issues by severity to help you identify and fix them quickly.

Q: Where can I find the Watchdog Report?
A: The watchdog report can be accessed from three locations:
  1. Home > Watchdog 
  2. Saved Reports > 201 – ALR – CHECK
  3. Reporting > Standard Reports > Troubleshooting > Watchdog

Q: Who should use the Watchdog Report?
A: Inventory managers, data administrators, and any users responsible for maintaining item accuracy or preparing for physical inventory should use Watchdog regularly.

Q:When should the Watchdog Report be reviewed?
A: Always run the Watchdog Report before starting a physical inventory. It’s also a good idea to run it weekly or before processing major data changes like bulk imports or new item setups.

Q: Does Watchdog affect my inventory or sales data?
A: No, Watchdog is a reporting and diagnostic tool. It highlights issues but doesn’t make any changes to your data. You’ll need to take action to correct problems.

Q: Who do I reach out to if I don’t understand what the issue means or how to fix it?
A: Reach out to support with a screen shot and details of the issue that you need assist with by emailing support@yellowdogsoftware.com or submitting a ticket directly on the Customer Portal.

Functionality Questions

Q: What do the severity levels mean?
A: There are 3 severity level filters available:
  1. Normal: High-impact issues that can affect on-hand accuracy.
  2. Low: Lower-risk issues that may still require attention.
  3. Clutter: A comprehensive view of all issues, including minor and previously ignored ones.
Q: Can I save the filers I applied to the Watchdog Report?
A: Yes, by creating a context filer. A context filter is a saved view of the report after you’ve filtered or ignored issues. It lets you return to a customized list of errors relevant to your workflow. You can set this up by selecting Save Context on the right hand side of the Watchdog report.

Q: Does every issue need to be resolved?
A: Only issues relevant to your workflow need to be resolved. Some issues will not pertain to you and can be ignored. An example would be Retail Prices not set on a Food and Beverage ingredient item.

Q: Can I ignore issues in the Watchdog Report?
A: Yes. If an issue is not relevant (e.g., an ingredient item not yet used in a recipe), click Ignore Issue. This hides it from future reports unless you choose to include ignored issues.

Q: I accidentally ignored an issue; how do I see it again?
A: Ignored issues can be viewed again by selecting the Include Ignored Issues box.

Q: How do I fix issues found in the report?
A: Click Edit or View Object next to a listed issue. This opens the related item, recipe, or record so you can correct it directly within Yellow Dog.

Q: Can I schedule the Watchdog Report to run and email automatically?
A: Yes. Go to Reports > Send Saved Reports, click to highlight 201 – ALR – CHECK Watchdog then select Edit Send Saved Report. Configure the settings and select OK.

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