Most P21 environments we walk into have the same five settings turned off. Your team has probably been working around at least one of them for months without knowing it: exporting data manually, redoing Mass Update work after a failed import, or watching warehouse scanners return blank results on a UPC that should be right there.
None of these are obscure features requiring add-on licenses. None of these are obscure features requiring add-on licenses. They’re standard P21 settings that are left off by default or get misconfigured during go-live and never revisited. Here’s where to find them and what you’re risking by leaving them alone.
| Feature | Where to Find It | Default State | Action | Risk If Ignored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RMB Save As | User Maintenance > App Security | Off by default | Enable for all users | Lose your Mass Update work |
| Prompt Before Clearing | User Maintenance > App Security | On by default | Disable for power users | Constant productivity drain |
| Edit-Only Import Mode | System Settings | Off by default | Enable system-wide | Imports commit with no validation run |
| WMS UPC Scanning | Alternate Code import | Not configured | Run Alternate Code import | Scans return blank results |
| Other Charge Items | Item Maintenance | Misused as stocking items | Convert to generic OCIs | Audit flags, skewed inventory |
1. RMB Save As: The Export Settings Almost Nobody Enables
These two checkboxes in User Maintenance are required to export data from P21 to Excel. Neither is on by default. Almost every environment we walk into has them turned off, and teams don’t realize that they can export just about anything from their screen into Excel. This especially works well with Pos, sales orders, receipts, transfers and Report Studio.
Where to find it
Navigate to User Maintenance, then open Application Security. You’re looking for two specific settings:
- Allow RMB Save As to automatically open the file: allows the right-mouse-button Save As function to open the exported file immediately
- Allow RMB Save As to save selected columns: enables column-level control over what gets exported
Both need to be checked. Enable them, then have the user exit P21 completely and reopen it to take effect.
Why it matters
These settings are critical for creating Excel-based Mass Update templates. Without them, you can build an entire Mass Update, get to the export step, and discover you can’t get the file out. Then you have to exit P21 completely, enable the settings, reopen it, and rebuild the work from scratch.
Beyond Mass Updates, this affects any workflow where a user needs to pull P21 data into Excel for analysis or bulk editing. It’s one of the most basic export functions in the system, and it’s off by default. If you’re regularly running Mass Updates, our guide on how to clean up data in Epicor Prophet 21 walks through the full process.
This pairs directly with the edit-only import setting covered in #3. Using both together gives you a clean, validated Mass Update workflow from export through commit.
2. Prompt Before Clearing: The Dialog Box Slowing Down Your Power Users
Prompt Before Clearing asks users to confirm every time they close or clear a screen. It exists for a reason. New users appreciate the safety net. Experienced users find it a significant slowdown, because they’re closing and clearing screens dozens of times a day and don’t need to confirm that they know what they’re doing.
Where to find it
Navigate to User Maintenance and open the User tab. Look for “Prompt before clearing” and uncheck it for users who have moved past the learning curve.
Note that this is a different tab from the RMB Save As settings, which live in Application Security.
The nuance: don’t disable it for everyone
This is a user-level setting, not a system-wide toggle, which is actually the right approach. Keep it on for anyone still getting comfortable with P21. Turn it off for power users, admins, and anyone running high-volume transaction work. A tiered approach based on role and experience level makes the most sense.
The productivity gain sounds minor until you calculate how many times a busy P21 user closes or clears a screen in a full day. Multiply that by a two-second confirmation click, and it adds up fast.
3. Edit-Only Import Mode: The Validation Run Most Teams Skip
Edit-only import mode is a system-level toggle that, when switched on, and adds an option to test before committing any manual imports from the database. Run your import with it on and P21 validates the file, surfacing errors and warnings, without writing anything. Switch it off and run again to actually commit.
Our Prophet 21 experts recommend leaving this on so that you always have the option to test before committing changes. Most environments never use this deliberately, which means every import commits immediately on processing with no separate validation run first.
How the two-run workflow actually works
Edit-only mode is not a “preview then commit” step. It’s an all-or-nothing toggle. The correct workflow is intentional:
- Run 1, Edit-only ON: P21 validates the import file and surfaces any errors or warnings. Nothing is written to the database.
- Run 2, Edit-only OFF: Once you’ve confirmed the file looks right, turn the setting off and run the import again. This time it commits.
Without this two-run approach, you’re committing blind. A single bad row or formatting issue in a Mass Update file can corrupt records across your live database before you realize what happened. Cleanup ranges from annoying to a full restore depending on the volume affected.
One important caveat: this setting applies to manual imports only. Scheduled imports bypass edit-only mode entirely and always commit normally, regardless of how this toggle is set.
Where to find it
Find these Manual Import options in the System Settings screen under Imports/Exports.
Most teams never touch this setting and leave it off permanently. Using it deliberately as a two-step process is the difference between catching a bad file before it corrupts your data and spending hours cleaning up afterward.
4. WMS Won’t Scan Your UPCs: Here’s the Two-Field Fix
If your warehouse team scans a UPC barcode in P21’s Wireless Warehouse Management System (WWMS) and gets a blank result, here is why: WWMS searches by item ID and Alternate Code only. It does not search by UPC. If UPCs aren’t mapped as Alternate Codes, the scanner finds nothing.
How the WMS search hierarchy actually works
P21’s WWMS searches by item ID and Alternate Code only. UPCs are excluded from that search unless they’ve been explicitly mapped as Alternate Codes. Most teams assume UPC scanning works out of the box because it’s standard in most modern WMS tools, but in P21 the WWMS search hierarchy is different from the regular application. A UPC sitting in a different field, or not mapped at all, will fail silently.
Workers end up doing manual item lookups to compensate. That’s slower, more error-prone, and defeats the purpose of running a WMS in the first place. For a broader look at how warehouse teams get more out of WWMS, see our guide on Prophet 21 wireless warehouse management optimization.
The fix: a two-field Alternate Code import
Run an Alternate Code import to map each UPC to its corresponding item ID. This is one of the simpler imports in P21. It’s a two-column file:
- Column A: Item ID
- Column B: UPC / Alternate Code
Export your item/UPC data from your current source, format the two-column file, and run the import. Running it in edit-only mode first (see #3) lets you validate the mapping before committing. Once the import commits, WWMS will resolve UPC scans to the correct item ID automatically.
This is a one-time fix for a daily pain point. It takes less time to do than it does to explain why the scanners keep failing.
5. Other Charge Items Set Up as Stocking Items: The Audit Risk Hiding in Your Catalog
Other Charge Items (OCIs) exist specifically for charges that can’t be physically stocked: freight, tax, restocking fees, environmental charges, handling fees. They’re more capable than most teams realize.
You can sell, invoice, and return them, and if a customer disputes a charge, you can issue a credit directly against the OCI. They don’t carry inventory, don’t appear on pick tickets, and don’t factor into your on-hand counts.
Two configuration requirements to keep in mind: the item must have the “Other Charge” flag enabled, and bin tracking must be off.
How OCI misuse creates audit flags and skews inventory data
What we see constantly: freight charges, tax items, and even things like “THANK YOU NOTE” set up as regular stocking items with inventory attached to them. They don’t physically exist, so why are they tracked as if they do?
When these get set up as stocking items, they show up in cycle count sheets, distort inventory valuation, and create phantom stock that can’t be located during a physical inventory. For distribution companies going through a financial audit, this raises immediate questions. It’s also the kind of thing that snowballs. Once a few non-stock items are in your catalog as stocking items, the pattern tends to spread.
The right approach: generic OCIs plus mandatory notepad flags
Create a small set of generic OCI records that cover the categories you actually use. Here’s a starting point:
| OCI Name | Use Case |
|---|---|
| OCI – Freight Charge | Standard outbound freight billed to the customer |
| OCI – Tax | Tax charges not handled by automated tax rules |
| OCI – Restocking Fee | Fee applied to returned or cancelled orders |
| OCI – Environmental Charge | Disposal or environmental compliance fees |
| OCI – Handling Fee | Special handling charges for oversized or hazardous items |
| OCI – Miscellaneous Charge | Catch-all for one-off charges that don’t fit other categories |
| OCI – Promotional Discount | Other Charge Item used on orders as a negative value |
For items like thank-you notes or special instructions, skip the item record entirely. Use P21’s notepad feature and set the note as mandatory on the relevant print screens. It keeps the communication in the order workflow without polluting your item catalog.
This cleanup takes some upfront work, but the payoff is a cleaner catalog, accurate inventory counts, and nothing surprising showing up during your next audit.
For related data quality issues, our guide on cleaning up duplicate and orphaned records in Prophet 21 covers the full process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most underutilized features in Prophet 21?
Based on what we see across P21 environments, the most commonly missed settings are the RMB Save As export options, edit-only import mode, the Prompt Before Clearing toggle, WMS alternate code configuration for UPC scanning, and the proper use of Other Charge Items. None require add-on licenses. They’re all available in every P21 installation.
Why can’t I export Mass Update templates from P21?
The most common cause is that RMB Save As isn’t enabled in User Maintenance. Navigate to User Maintenance > Application Security and check both “Allow RMB Save As to automatically open the file” and “Allow RMB Save As to save selected columns.” Have the user exit P21 completely and reopen it for the changes to take effect.
Why won’t UPC barcodes scan in Prophet 21 WMS?
P21’s WWMS searches by item ID and Alternate Code only, not by UPC. If UPCs haven’t been entered as Alternate Codes, scans return no results. The fix is running an Alternate Code import that maps each UPC to its corresponding item ID. It’s a two-field import and a one-time fix.
What is edit-only import mode in P21 and should I use it?
Edit-only import mode is a toggle that, when switched on, blocks manual imports from committing to the database. Run your import with it on to validate the file and surface errors without writing anything. Then switch it off and run again to commit. It’s a deliberate two-step process, not a passive safety net, and it only applies to manual imports. Scheduled imports bypass it entirely.
What’s the difference between Other Charge Items and stocking items in Prophet 21?
Stocking items are physically tracked in inventory. They have on-hand quantities, appear in cycle counts, and drive replenishment. Other Charge Items (OCIs) are for charges that don’t have a physical presence, like freight, tax, or fees. OCIs can be sold, invoiced, returned, and credited, but they don’t affect inventory counts. Using stocking items for non-physical charges skews your inventory data and creates audit exposure.
How often should I review my P21 system settings?
At minimum, quarterly, especially after updates, new user onboarding, or any time your team’s workflows change meaningfully. P21 settings that made sense at go-live don’t always stay the right fit as your team grows and your processes mature. A regular settings review prevents small misconfigurations from becoming expensive problems.
If These Were News to You, There’s Likely More
These five settings surface in almost every P21 environment we’re brought into. They’re not obscure edge cases. They’re baseline functionality that most teams never get to because implementation timelines don’t leave room for it, and ongoing optimization rarely gets prioritized until something breaks.
Conveyance Solutions offers P21 optimization engagements built around exactly this kind of work: finding what’s configured wrong, what’s turned off, and what your team has been working around that the system should be handling. As the largest independent P21 professional services firm and an Epicor Platinum Elite Partner, we’ve seen enough environments to know where to look.
If any of these settings were new to you, a P21 configuration review is worth the conversation. Learn more about our Prophet 21 business process optimization services or talk to an expert to get started.
