Item setup considerations

The purpose of this topic is to draw your attention to 3 important issues:

  1. The different types of items contained in All Orders and when they should be used.

  2. Units of measure

  3. Lotted or serialized items

 

Item Groups and Types

Firstly, each item will have a group.  Groups are similar to categories and you can create as many as you want.   A group will also define other characteristics such as whether quantity is tracked.   The following table shows the types of groups that are available, short name, associated QuickBooks type and whether quantities are tracked.

 

Group Type Short Name QuickBooks Type Qty Tracked
Part PT Inventory Part Yes
Service S Service No
Job JOB Service No
Non-inventory Part NP Non-inventory Part No
Other Charge OC Other Charge No
Assembly A Inventory Part or Assembly Yes
Kit G Non-inventory Part No

 

  1. Part - use for products that you track, buy, sell or use in production but do not assemble.

  2. Non-inventory Part - use for products that you do buy, sell or use in production but do not track.

  3. Service - use for the services you perform for other companies as well as a component in an assembly representing the labor applied to finished goods.

  4. Other Charge - use for miscellaneous things you charge your customers or pay your vendors.

  5. Assembly - use for products that you track, buy, sell, use in production and assemble.   An assembly will contain a 'bill of materials' which list of components that may be parts, non-inventory, services, other charges and assemblies that comprise the finished good.   You will use a work order to build assemblies out of components.

  6. Job - use for 'fixed contract' service in which you do not wish to list specifically all the labor and parts you use.   You will use a work order to complete a job.

  7. Kit - use to sell a group of items together.  A kit is different than an assembly in that the Kit itself is not an item whereas the assembly is an item.  When you ship a kit, you are actually shipping the individual items within the kit where as when you ship an assembly, you DO NOT ship the individual components but rather the assembly.  That being said All Orders allows you to create a configured assembly which you can use to give your customers options at order time.  

 

Units of Measure

There are four types of units of measure in All Orders

The primary unit of measure is how quantities are stored.   (The quantity on inventory valuation reports, item info, inventory counts etc).   The other units of measure along with the associated conversion rates are used by All Orders to display meaningful quantity information to users, customers and vendors.   If you inventory,  sell, buy and use in the same unit of measure then you don't need to complete the units of measure section of the item editor.

To create custom units of measure conversion as follows: The general formula is:

X of Primary UOM = 1 Secondary UOM

The X is the conversion rate from the primary unit of measure. If the primary unit of measure is Each and you purchase the item in dozens, then the conversion rate is12, meaning 12 EA per DZ.

 

Example 1 - XYZ Co. inventories steel rods by the pound and uses it during production in feet.  XYZ uses 1/2 pound = 1 foot.  

 

Primary UOM = Pounds

Used As UOM = Feet

Conversion = 0.5

 

Example 2 - ABC LLC inventories widgets in Each but purchases them in dozens.  Using the formula 12 Each = 1 Dozen.

 

Primary UOM = Each

Purchased As UOM = Dozen

Purchased Conversion = 12

NOTE: Express both the purchasing cost and the vendor cost in the Purchasing Tab of the items in terms of the Primary UOM, in that way,  when you create the PO and/or Receiver, the price is stated in terms of the Purchased UOM.

Lotted or serialized items

Lot or Serial # allows tracking of 'items within items'.  YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE AN ITEM FOR EACH SERIAL OR LOT # rather when you receive, use, produce or ship lots or serialized item you will be presented with a screen in which you specify the lots or serial #s belong to that item.    For example product XYZ has 5 serial numbers.  On the item list you will only have one item called XYZ having a quantity of 5.  You can then use the Item info screen or a report to view the lots or serial numbers that make up the total quantity.  

If you wish to track lots or serial numbers for an item it must be a part or assembly and you must CHECK This item has lots or serial numbers in the 'Other' tab of the item editor.