Products and inventory items

This guide explains the relationship between products and inventory items and shows how to create, update, import, and assign them to stock locations.

Product versus inventory item¶

A product is the central catalogue identity: name, SKU, barcode, description, tax information, and related attributes.

An inventory item makes that product usable in a particular inventory or facility. It contains selling and stock behaviour such as price, cost, item type, variable weight, batches, and transformation eligibility.

Creating only a product does not guarantee it will appear at the POS. The product normally also needs an inventory item assigned to the facility used by the POS.

Create a product¶

1. Open Inventory Management > Products.
2. Select New product.
3. Enter a unique, recognisable product name.
4. Enter SKU and barcode values when used by the business.
5. Complete the tax, HS code, description, and other available attributes.
6. Save the product.

Avoid duplicate products. Search by name, SKU, and barcode before creating a new record.

Update or remove a product¶

1. Find the product in the product list.
2. Select Edit.
3. Update the necessary fields and save.
4. Refresh or synchronize if another device must receive the change immediately.

Before deleting a product, confirm it is not referenced by stock, sales, transformations, or other records. Where available, deactivate or stop using an old product instead of deleting historical data.

Create an inventory item¶

1. Open Inventory Management > Inventories.
2. Select the create or add inventory-item action.
3. In Product, search for and select the existing product.
4. If the product does not exist, use Add product, save it, then return to the inventory form.
5. Select the required inventory or facility.
6. Choose Stock Item or Service.
7. Enter the selling price, cost, opening quantity, and other required values.
8. Configure behaviour options.
9. Select Create.

Stock item¶

Use for a physical item whose quantity should be tracked. Stock items require a valid inventory or stock location.

Service¶

Use for work or a non-stock charge. A service does not behave like a physical stock quantity.

Important inventory behaviour¶

• Allow price override: permits authorised users to change the price during a sale.
• Use in stock transformations: allows the item to be selected as a transformation input or output.
• Variable weight: permits quantities with decimal weight rather than whole units only.
• Composite Item: defines an item made from other inventory components.
• Batches: records batch-specific quantities, costs, or expiry information.

Enable only the behaviours the item actually needs.

Facility assignment¶

An item must be assigned to the stock location used by the branch.

1. Identify the retail branch used by the POS device.
2. Confirm which inventory or warehouse supplies that branch.
3. Create or edit the inventory item.
4. Select that inventory in Product and Inventory.
5. Save the item.
6. Open Available Stock and filter by the same inventory.
7. Search for the product and confirm it appears.
8. Refresh products on the POS.

If the facility field is empty, first create a warehouse or retail stock location and confirm your user has access to it.

Prices, costs, tax, SKU, and barcode¶

• Selling price is the normal amount charged to a customer.
• Cost is the business's acquisition or production cost.
• Tax should match the configured tax category and fiscal requirements.
• SKU is an internal stock identifier and should be unique where required.
• Barcode should match the label scanned at the POS.

Test a new item at the POS before importing or creating many similar records.

Composite items¶

1. Enable Composite Item.
2. Select Add component.
3. Choose each component inventory item.
4. Enter the quantity consumed per composite unit.
5. Save and test the expected stock movement.

Do not use a composite item when the business needs to record an actual transformation batch with measured yield. Use Stock Transformation & Yield for that workflow.

Batches and expiry dates¶

1. Open the inventory item form.
2. In Batches, select Add batch.
3. Enter the batch reference and available quantity.
4. Enter manufacture or expiry details when shown.
5. Save the item.

Use consistent batch references and investigate expired or negative batches before selling more stock.

CSV import and export¶

Use Import CSV for controlled bulk creation and Export CSV for review or correction templates.

Before importing:

1. Export a sample to confirm the expected columns.
2. Use unique product identifiers.
3. Remove formulas and unsupported formatting.
4. Select the correct inventory when requested.
5. Test a small file first.
6. Review the Import completed with errors list and correct failed rows.

Do not repeatedly import the same file without checking whether earlier rows succeeded.

Large catalogues¶

For stores with thousands of items:

• Search and filter on the server instead of loading every product at once.
• Use barcodes and exact SKUs where possible.
• Keep page sizes moderate.
• Avoid opening multiple product-loading screens simultaneously.
• Let synchronization finish before forcing another full refresh.
• Use the products DataGrid for attribute cleanup, not as a permanent POS product loader.

Offline product changes¶

When an operation is saved offline, it appears under Pending offline items.

1. Restore connectivity.
2. Select Sync pending items now or Sync now.
3. Review failures individually.
4. Resolve duplicates, missing facilities, and validation errors.
5. Confirm the pending count returns to zero.

Troubleshooting¶

Product exists but is absent from POS¶

• Confirm an inventory item exists.
• Confirm it belongs to the POS facility.
• Confirm it is a stock item or service available for sale.
• Check price, status, and in-stock filters.
• Refresh products and settings.

Facility is not listed¶

• Create the warehouse or retail location first.
• Confirm it has an inventory or stock location.
• Confirm the current user can access it.
• Refresh the inventory form.

Create or save fails¶

• Complete every required field.
• Check that numeric fields contain valid numbers.
• Check for duplicate SKU or barcode values.
• Confirm product and inventory IDs are present.
• Copy the exact validation message before retrying.

Completion checklist¶

• [ ] Product identity is unique.
• [ ] SKU and barcode are correct.
• [ ] Tax is correct.
• [ ] Inventory item exists.
• [ ] Correct facility is selected.
• [ ] Price and cost are correct.
• [ ] Stock or service behaviour is correct.
• [ ] POS search finds the item.
• [ ] Test scan and sale succeed.