Items
Overview
The Items page is the master catalogue for everything your business buys, sells, stocks, assembles, or rents. Every inventory transaction, purchase order, sales document, and assembly order is built from item records created here.
Each item carries two types of information:
- Identity — a unique number, a name, a category, and the unit class used to measure it.
- Behaviour — which pre-configured groups govern how the item is taxed, commissioned, valued, and posted to the General Ledger.
The page is found at Inventory Management → Items in the left navigation.
The Items List
The list shows all active items, one per row.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Item number | The unique code for this item (e.g. BASE-001). Click the column header to sort. |
| Name | The item's display name as it appears on documents. |
| Description | A short description of what the item is. |
| Category | The category this item belongs to in the hierarchy. |
| Default unit | The unit class assigned to this item (e.g. Quantity, Volume). |
| Inventory model group | The costing and posting group controlling how this item's value is calculated. |
Toolbar
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| + New | Open the Add item form to create a new item. |
| Archived items | Switch to the archived items list to view or restore inactive items. |
| Archive | Archive the selected item (only active when an item is selected). |
| Filter | Open the filter panel on the right to narrow the list. |
| Refresh | Reload the list. |
Filtering Items
Select the Filter icon in the top-right to open the filter panel. Two filters are available:
| Filter | How it works |
|---|---|
| Search | Free-text search across item number, name, and description. Results update as you type. |
| Category | A collapsible tree of all your categories. Selecting any category automatically includes all items in its sub-categories too. Use Expand all / Collapse all to navigate the tree. |
Filtering by a parent category such as Packaging & Components returns all items across every sub-category beneath it — you do not need to select each one individually.
Item Detail View
Selecting an item from the list opens its full record. At the top of the detail view, three status indicators are always visible:
| Indicator | Description |
|---|---|
| ACTIVE / INACTIVE badge | Whether the item is currently active or archived |
| ITEM NUMBER | The item's unique identifier |
| CATEGORY | The category it belongs to |
Navigation Tabs
Four tabs sit at the top of the detail view. Each tab surfaces a set of related data links at the very top of the page, giving you quick access to records connected to this item. The item's form fields (General information and Behavior settings) are the same regardless of which tab is open.
| Tab | Related links shown |
|---|---|
| General | Item prices — the sales pricing records for this item |
| Inventory | On-hand — current stock levels across all locations; Movements — movement operations between locations; Inventory transactions — the full history of all transaction types (purchase, sale, move, assembly, …) |
| Sell | Trade agreements — selling price agreements for this item, managed in the Finance module |
| Purchase | Purchase invoice lines — recent purchase history for this item; Trade agreements — purchasing price agreements, managed in the Finance module |
Item Form Fields
Item Information
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Item name | The display name used on all documents |
| Description | A short description for reference |
| Category | The category this item belongs to. Drives filtering and dashboard reporting. See Categories. |
| Default unit class | The measurement class used for this item (e.g. Volume for a liquid, Quantity for a countable item). Set at creation and cannot be changed. See Unit Classes. |
| Tax group | The tax rule group that determines how this item is taxed on invoices. Managed in the Finance module. |
| Commission item group | The commission group this item belongs to — used by the Sales module to calculate sales team commissions. Managed in the Finance module. |
| Inventory model group | Controls the costing method (FIFO, LIFO, Weighted Average, Standard Cost), stockability, and GL posting rules for this item. See Item Model Groups. If left empty, the system falls back to the Inventory Management Parameters defaults. |
Behavior Settings
These three flags define what this item is capable of — they unlock the item for use in specific business processes:
| Flag | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Sellable | Off | When on, this item can be added to sales orders and invoices. Pricing is managed by the Sales module. |
| Can be rented | Off | When on, this item can be included in rental agreements. Rental logic is managed by the Leasing module. |
| Can be assembled | Off | When on, this item can be produced via an Assembly Order using a Bill of Materials. |
Al Baraka has an item Golden Amber Eau de Parfum 100ml:
- Sellable ✓ — goes on sales invoices to retailers.
- Can be assembled ✓ — produced in-house from raw materials via an assembly order.
- Can be rented ✗ — perfume is not rented.
Their raw material Perfumers Alcohol (Ethanol 190 proof):
- Sellable ✗ — not sold directly.
- Can be assembled ✗ — consumed as an input, not produced.
- Can be rented ✗
Creating an Item
Before you create an item, make sure these are already set up:
| Prerequisite | Where to configure |
|---|---|
| Category | Categories |
| Default unit class | Unit Classes |
| Inventory model group | Item Model Groups |
| Tax group | Finance module |
| Commission item group | Finance module |
Steps:
- Select + New in the toolbar.
- Fill in the Item information fields:
- Item number (required) — a unique code for this item. Maximum 50 characters. Cannot be changed after saving.
- Item name (required) — the display name. Maximum 200 characters.
- Description (optional) — a short explanation. Maximum 1,000 characters.
- Category (optional) — select from the dropdown to classify the item.
- Default unit class (optional) — select the measurement class (e.g. Volume, Quantity). Cannot be changed after saving.
- Tax group (optional) — select the applicable tax group.
- Commission item group (optional) — select the commission group (e.g. LUXURY-DIFFUSERS, ESSENTIAL-OILS, ALL).
- Inventory model group (optional) — select the group that defines costing and posting behaviour. If left empty, falls back to system defaults.
- Set the Behavior settings toggles as needed.
- Select Save.
Item number and Default unit class are permanent — they cannot be edited after the item is saved. Choose them carefully.
Al Baraka creates a new raw material:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Item number | BASE-001 |
| Item name | Perfumers Alcohol (Ethanol 190 proof) |
| Description | High-grade ethanol for perfume manufacturing |
| Category | Raw Materials & Ingredients |
| Default unit class | Volume |
| Tax group | SCENTS_EXPORT |
| Commission item group | (none) |
| Inventory model group | STD-COST |
| Sellable | Off |
| Can be rented | Off |
| Can be assembled | Off |
Editing an Item
- Select the item from the list.
- Select Edit in the toolbar.
- Update any editable field:
- Item name and Description can always be changed.
- Category, Tax group, Commission item group, and Inventory model group can be reassigned.
- Behavior settings toggles can be turned on or off at any time.
- Select Save.
Item number and Default unit class cannot be edited. If you need to correct these, archive the item and create a new one with the correct values.
Changing the Inventory model group on an item that already has stock transactions will affect how the system calculates future costs. Consult your finance team before reassigning a costing group on an active item.
Archiving an Item
Archiving removes an item from all selection dropdowns (purchase orders, transactions, assembly orders) while preserving all its historical records intact.
- Select the item from the list.
- Select Archive in the toolbar.
- Confirm.
To view archived items and restore them, select Archived items in the toolbar.
Archived items still appear in reports and transaction history — they are never deleted. Archiving only prevents an item from being selected in new documents going forward.
Validation Rules
| Field | Rule |
|---|---|
| Item number | Required · Maximum 50 characters · Must be unique · Cannot be changed after creation |
| Item name | Required · Maximum 200 characters |
| Description | Optional · Maximum 1,000 characters |
| Default unit class | Optional · Must be an existing active unit class · Cannot be changed after creation |
| Category | Optional · Must be an existing active category |
How Item Settings Work Together
The item record is a configuration hub — it does not perform any operation itself. It simply defines what is allowed and how the modules that do the work (Sales, Finance, Assembly, Leasing) should handle this item when they encounter it.