What a category does
A product category is a heading that products belong to, such as "Stationery" or "Beverages". It does three things:
- the stock reports can group by category, or by its parent category (Stock summary);
- it gives a new product a default profit and default stock levels;
- it is a filter on lists and reports.
It never changes a posting: the ledgers of a product come from the product, not from its category (Sales and purchase ledgers on a product).
Add a category
Open Product category (menu Inventory Setup › Group, usual label), or the Product category tab of Product settings, and choose Add.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name | At least 3 characters: "Group name must have at least 3 characters" |
| Default profit (%) | A new product in this category starts with a sales rate this much above its buy rate. Two decimals only: "Provide valid percentage. Only two decimal numbers are accepted." |
| Maximum stock, Minimum stock, Reorder level, Reorder QTY | Copied onto a product when you choose this category on the product form (Minimum, maximum and reorder levels) |
| Is a sub category, Parent category | Puts this category under another one |
| Product stage | Used by production: the stage a product of this category is in (Set up production) |
| Active | Switch off a category you no longer use |
The same screen has tabs Sub group and Secondary group: two further levels of grouping that products can be mapped to in bulk (Product mapping and warehouse mapping).
Delete a category
A category that products belong to cannot be deleted: the screen says the record is in use. Move the products to another category first, or switch the category off.
Common questions
The sales rate of my new product changed when I picked a category.
The category's Default profit (%) adds that percentage to the buy rate for a new product. Type the rate you want after choosing the category.
Can a product sit in two categories?
No. A product has one category. Use Sub group or Secondary group for a second way to group.
A report is grouped by the wrong heading.
Choose Parent Product Group or Product Group in Report group by (Stock summary).