Where products live
Open Product settings (menu Inventory Setup › Product, usual label). It has these tabs:
| Tab | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Product | The list of products: Add, and for each row Edit, Delete and Lock / Unlock; for ticked rows Delete all, Lock all and Unlock all; and the buttons Import, Bulk Rate, Batch Product Bulk Rate and Customer Wise Product Rate |
| Product category | The groups and sub categories a product belongs to (Product categories and sub categories) |
| Product variance | Several products that differ by an attribute such as size or colour, each with its own SKU. Each variant is a separate product with its own stock |
| Composite product | A product made of other products, for bundling (Bundling and unbundling products) |
| Warehouse mapping | Which products belong to which warehouse (Product mapping and warehouse mapping) |
| Customer mapping | Maps products to a customer or supplier (not covered here) |
| Product profitability analysis | Margin of each product |
| Gold/Silver type wise daily rate | Only for companies on the gold system |
The product list shows the Name, HS code, Rack no, Part no, Product category (with the product type), Stock on hand, Reorder level, Buy rate, Sales rate, MRP, Status and VAT applicable (some columns only on a wide screen), and the row's Actions.
The fields that matter for stock
You do not need to fill every field. These are the ones that change stock, value or postings:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name, Product SKU | A new product needs a name no other product has. The part number, or else the SKU, is shown before the name on documents |
| Product type | A stocked item, a service or a fixed asset (Stocked items, services and fixed assets) |
| Inventory type | Purchase, Sales or Both: which documents offer the product. Purchase screens offer products marked Purchase or Both; sales screens offer Sales or Both |
| Product category | Groups the product in reports. Choosing one fills the stock levels from the category (Product categories and sub categories) |
| Unit, Alt unit, Unit QTY, Alt unit QTY | The unit stock is counted in, and an optional second unit (Units and alternative units) |
| Serial number, Batch wise | Ask for a serial number for every unit, or a batch for every receipt (Batch, expiry date and serial number tracking) |
| Buy rate, Sales rate, MRP | The rates documents start with (Buy rate, sales rate and stock rate) |
| VAT applicable, VAT inclusive with sales rate | How VAT treats the product (VAT, discounts and sales adjustments) |
| Purchase ledger, Sales ledger, Purchase ledger return, Sales ledger return | Where the product's purchases and sales are booked (Sales and purchase ledgers on a product) |
| Minimum stock, Maximum stock, Reorder level, Reorder QTY | Levels used by the stock reports and alerts (Minimum, maximum and reorder levels) |
| Opening info | Warehouse, Stock qty and Stock rate of the stock you already hold, when you add the product (Opening stock) |
| Valuation technique | A record only: stock is always valued first in, first out (How stock is valued and what a sale costs) |
| Active | Whether the product shows in the product list filters |
Five fields lock after the first use
Once a product has any stock entry (a purchase, a sale, an opening, anything), the form switches off Serial number, Is Vehicle type, Batch wise, Unit and Alt unit. Changing them after goods have moved would change what every old quantity means. To change one, make a new product and move the stock across with an adjustment or a transfer.
Delete or switch off
A product that has stock entries or sits on any document cannot be deleted: the screen says the record is in use. Lock it instead so nobody picks it (Lock a product). Marking it not Active does not hide it on documents in this release; Lock does.
Importing products
The Product tab can import a list from a spreadsheet: choose Import (the window is Import product), download the Template, fill it (Name, Product SKU, Group, Product type, Unit, Buy rate, Sales rate, levels, Batch wise and so on) and upload it. A row with a wrong header stops the import with "Header error".
Common questions
I cannot change the unit of a product.
It has been used. See above: make a new product.
The product I need is not offered on the invoice.
It may be locked, marked for purchase only, or not in the warehouse you chose. See Why a product is not offered on a document.
Penahak refuses a new product because the name exists.
A new product cannot take a name that is already used (spaces at the ends do not count). Search the list first: the product may exist and be locked.
Can I delete a product I added by mistake?
Only while it has no stock entries and no documents. Otherwise lock it.