Getting Started with Inventory

Set up Inventory for the first time, in the order that avoids going back: categories, units, suppliers, warehouses, your first products, then opening stock.

You do all of this in the Web admin, from the Inventory menu. Each step says which permission you need in plain words; if a menu entry or button is missing, ask whoever manages roles in your business.

What a new account already has

A new account normally starts with:

• Units of measure such as Kilogram, Gram, Liter, Milliliter, Piece, Box, Pack and Dozen. Check the list before you add any.
• One branch and one warehouse for it. Every branch gets a warehouse automatically, named after the branch followed by "- Storage".

It has no product categories, no products, no suppliers and no stock. That is what the steps below add.

Step 1: Create categories

Every product must belong to a category, so create the categories first. Go to Inventory > Categories. You need permission to view categories.

1. Click Add New Category
   The Create Category form opens.
2. Fill in the form
   • Name: required, up to 100 characters, and not already used by another category.
   • Parent Category: leave as -- None -- for a top-level category, or pick a category to make this one a sub-category.
   • Description: optional.
   • Active: leave ticked.
3. Click Create
   The category appears in the list. Repeat for each category.

When you let the system generate a product code, the code starts with a prefix made from the product's category name, for example BEV-00001 for Beverages. Short, distinct category names give readable codes.

A category that has products cannot be deleted: you see "Cannot delete category because it is being used by one or more products."

Step 2: Check the units of measure

Go to Inventory > Unit Of Measures and read through the list. Add a unit only if something you stock is measured in a unit that is not there. Then open Inventory > Unit Of Measure Conversions and check that the conversions you rely on exist, such as kilogram to gram.

The units and conversions screens, and the rules for which conversion is used when, are covered in Units of Measure. Units that depend on the product, such as how many pieces are in a box, are added on the product itself later: see Product Units and Packaging.

Step 3: Add suppliers

Go to Inventory > Suppliers and click Add New Supplier. You need permission to view suppliers. Only the name is required.

1. Enter the name and contact details
   Name is required. Leave Supplier code blank to have one generated from the name. Contact person, Phone, Email and the Address fields are optional.
2. Fill in the business details
   • Supplier type: Goods - delivers stock, Services only - no stock or Goods and services. Service-only suppliers stay out of purchase orders and deliveries; you can still bill them.
   • Tax ID / VAT number and Website: optional.
   • Payment terms (days): days after the bill date that payment is due.
   • Active: leave on. Inactive suppliers cannot be used on new purchase orders.
3. Record an opening balance if you already owe them
   Under Opening balance, enter the Amount owed and the As of date. It is recorded as a payable bill, not as a purchase. Leave it blank if nothing is owed.
4. Click Create supplier
   Repeat for each supplier you buy from. You can also add suppliers later, when you need them on a purchase order.

Step 4: Check your warehouses

Go to Inventory > Warehouses. You need permission to view warehouses. Your branch's own warehouse is already there, marked Default. Stock is held per warehouse, so add another one only if you keep stock in more than one place and want to track them separately, for example a central kitchen store and a bar store.

1. Click Add New Warehouse
   The Create Warehouse form opens.
2. Fill in the form
   • Branch: required. The branch this warehouse belongs to.
   • Name: required and unique.
   • Warehouse Code: required and unique. Letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores only, up to 20 characters.
   • Description, Location Details and Contact Information: optional.
   • Under Settings, leave Active ticked. Tick Set as Default Warehouse if this should be the default instead of the one created with the branch.
3. Click Create
   The warehouse appears in the list.

Create any extra warehouses before your products. A warehouse that has had stock movements cannot be deleted.

Step 5: Create your first products

Go to Inventory > Products and click Add New. In the simple form you give each product a name, a category, a product type and a Base Unit of Measure: the unit its stock is counted in, such as Gram for meat or Piece for cans. Choose the base unit carefully; changing it later is awkward.

The whole form, the edit tabs and variants are covered in Products. If you buy a product in boxes or bags, add that unit to the product afterwards: see Product Units and Packaging.

Step 6: Enter opening stock

Count what is on the shelves, then go to Inventory > Opening Stock and create one entry per warehouse with each product's quantity in its base unit and the cost of one base unit. Nothing is added to stock until you post the entry. The steps are in Opening Stock.

Do not use opening stock for a delivery arriving now. Receive deliveries with a goods received note or a direct receipt, so there is a bill to pay the supplier against.

What to do next