RQM Solutions: Use Resource Series

RQM Solutions are tips and creative ideas for getting the most out of RQM!

To easily manage resources that are part of a series (such as a video series), you can create "parent" and "children" resources. The "parent" resource cannot itself be checked out, but it's a part of the catalog that is a placeholder for easily locating all the "children" resources in a series.

If you have a resource series that is already entered in RQM and would like to change them to be a part of a series instead, follow these steps:

1. First, create a new resource that will be the "parent." After giving the series a title, media type and ResCode, be sure to check the box marked "This item is a parent resource." Note that parent resources are denoted by an "=" at the end of the ResCode.
   
2. Next, search for each resource in the series and go to Resource Details page for each.
3. Go into Edit mode by clicking the button in the upper-left corner, and then select the "parent" resource from the list that appears above the resource title.
   
4. If the items are numbered, you can enter the Series # in the box provided.
5. Repeat for each resource you want to be a part of the series.
6. Now, when you view the Resource Details for the parent resource, there is a new tab, "Series" that shows you all the resources in the series. Double-click on a series title to jump to that resource.
   

Now that you have a series created, there is a special feature that lets you easily schedule resources in a series to be shipped to a client over a period of several weeks or months! Follow these steps:

1. First, search for the "parent" resource of the series using Resources / Search. Click on View Details for that resource.
   
2. Next, click the "New Trans..." button. Select the client and proceed to create an invoice.
3. You will see a screen titled "Select Resource Series Items" with a list of all the items in the series. Use the check boxes to select or deselect items to be shipped.
4. If you want to create multiple invoices, spaced one resource per week (or month, etc.), use the "Calculate" button near the top, "Space use dates every ___ days after the first."
5. Click OK and then confirm availability for each resource. An invoice will be created for each unique ship date!

Resource series also appear as a group when you export data or use the resource catalog reports that show children resources.