How to process returns

[lehcarrodan]

Hi, I have tables for orders, order details and customers that are all related and functional. I'm wondering how to process a returned item. Each order has a status but I'm thinking that each order detail would need to have a status for returns. Is this correct?
Is a return still counted as a sale?
If I store the order detail status as returned then I need to subtract the amount from sales?

I'm still a bit confused on the logic and I want to have a clear idea before I start trying to program it!

Thanks for any help,
if you can point me to any examples with sales returns would be amazing.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

I haven't done any coding that handles this issue. However it occurred to me it's a little bit like the stock control / quantity on hand problem. I mention it because Allen Browne has done a very nice blog on the stock control inventory problem Here:- http://allenbrowne.com/appinventory.html I think it might be give you an insight in how to look at the problem.

 

[plog]

Is a return still counted as a sale?

That's not a question for us, but for your organization to answer. Once you know that, we can help implement it the database to accomodate it, but that's a business issue, not a database issue.

So, does your organization considered returned items as sales? Do they need to be tracked back to the order from which they came?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

The only time I dealt with one of these, I treated it as its own transaction type that happened to have the same characteristics as though it was a single-item order delivery to be added to stock (as opposed to a bulk order) and with a non-standard supplier.

But as correctly noted by others, that method was not my call. It was the way the boss wanted it and it made no particular difference to me as a programmer.