Trace: • Inventory
Inventory
Table of Contents
Inventory
The Inventory menu is broken into two sections, Inventory, and Lists. The lists on the Inventory menu play a vital role in entering your data. Your lists must be populated before you begin adding your items and receiving inventory in. These lists can range vary. They include Suppliers, Units of Measure, Categories, Center Codes, and more.
Inventory Overview
Inventory → Inventory → Inventory Overview
This is the default landing page when you log on to Inventory Pro, This screen shows a general overview of inventory levels and inbound/outbound stock. It also allows you to manage all aspects of your inventory configuration for item definitions, reorder levels, item images, history, warehouse mappings and more.
Field/Column Name | Description |
---|---|
Edit | The pencil icon in this field takes you to edit the item definition for the given item. |
Label | This tag icon will show the barcode label for the given item. |
Item ID | This field shows the unique identifier of the item, clicking this field will also allow you to edit warehouse mappings. |
Category | This field displays the category to which the object is assigned. |
Description | This field shows a text description of the item. |
Image | Clicking on the camera icon in this field shows an image of the object if one has been input into the database. Otherwise, it will show an image of an X. |
History | Clicking on the magnifying glass icon in this field takes you to a transaction history of the item, showing all sales and deliveries of the item. |
Reorder Level | Clicking on the icon in this field takes you to the reorder information of an item. |
In Stock | The number in this field shows the number of units in stock that are available to ship minus what is on hold. It does not subtract the commitments or backorders from this field. If you click on the in-stock number, you will be shown the unit details. |
On Order | The number in this field shows how many units are currently on order for a given item. Clicking it shows all outstanding orders. |
On Hold | The number in this field shows you all of the units on hold for that item ID. Clicking on the number will show those units |
Committed | The quantity in this column represents the number of units to go out on current shipping orders (only showing what is in stock that is committed). |
Add Item | This button allows you to add a new item record to the item master list. |
Default Supplier | If a supplier is selected from the dropdown menu in this field, the item master will only display the items with that supplier selected as their main supplier in the Item Master Record detail screen. |
Item Definitions
Not all fields may be shown on the screen. The list below is of the standard fields available. There are a number of other fields which can be turned on or used for unique requirements. See the customization section of the manual or contact CISS for more information if you would like to know more.
Item Attributes
Categories
System → Lists → Categories → “Add New Item Categories” Button / Pencil Icon in Edit Column
The Category field is one way of classifying your inventory. For example, if your business makes pens, you might use “ballpoint”, “felt tip”, and “gel writer” as your categories. If this list is left blank, this category will be listed as “all” for your inventory items. To add to the categories list:
- Click on System and then on Categories.
- Click on the “Add New Item Categories” button to add a new category or click on the pencil next to an existing category to edit it.
- Enter a description for the category in the Description field and make sure that the checkbox in the Use in Lookups field is checked. (Note: if you wish to retire a category, simply uncheck that checkbox after clicking on the pencil icon next to a category.)
- Press the “Save” button to save your category.
Center Codes
System → Lists → Center Codes → “Add New Item Center Codes” Button / Pencil Icon in Edit Column
The center code provides another way of classifying your inventory items, by cost center instead of category. Center codes are used for accounting purposes. For example, if you receive the same item from a number of sources, you can use the center code to track the source of each item for cost purposes. Many users of Inventory Pro Online choose to treat the center code as a secondary category list rather than as an accounting feature. To add a center code:
- Click on System and then on Center Codes.
- Click on the “Add New Item Center Codes” button to add a center code or click on the pencil next to an existing one to edit that code.
- Enter a name for the center code in the Name field.
- If necessary, enter a description for the center code or a warehouse to which the center code is restricted in the Description and Warehouse fields, respectively.
- Make sure the checkbox in the Use in Lookups field is checked. (Note: if you wish to retire a center code, simply uncheck that checkbox after clicking on the pencil icon next to a center code.)
- Press the “Save” button to save your center code.
Packages
Orders → Management → Packages
A package refers to the visual packaging of an item. It is not considered in calculations in the application but will assist you in describing your inventory. For example, if the unit of measure is “each”, you will be counting “each”. The package type is the descriptive portion. For example, you could be counting [cases] as your package, with varying UOM's to describe [case][12], [box][each], [drum][55]. You can have as many package types as needed. To add a new package type or edit an existing one:
- Click on Orders and then on Packages.
- Click on the “Add New Package Type” button to add a new package type or click on the pencil next to an existing package type to edit it.
- Enter a description for the package type.
- Make sure the checkbox in the Use in Lookups field is checked.
- Click Save
Units of Measure
System → Lists → Units of Measure
The “Unit of Measure” field on the “Item Master List” screen is used to define how you count your inventory (for example each, foot, pound, or ounce). Your unit of measure should always be the lowest countable unit. You may have as many units of measure as necessary. See below for adding new units of measure.
UOM Conversions
System → Lists → Units of Measure
Inventory Pro Online will also allow an item to be inventoried as one unit of measure but ordered or shipped in a larger unit of measure or vice versa. This can be used when your supplier requires the items to be ordered in a larger unit of measure than you store it or when your customer needs it to be sent in a unit of measure smaller than you store it.
The base unit of measure refers to the smallest unit of measure in which you wish to keep track of an item. So if you inventory your items in feet, a foot is the unit of measure. But if you will be receiving in inches, an inch would be the base unit of measure of the unit of measure foot. You must enter the conversion factors of different units into this list prior to being able to utilize this feature. To add a standard or conversion unit of measure:
- Click on System and then on Unit of Measure.
- Click on the “Add New Unit of Measure” button.
- Enter the name of the unit of measure in the Unit Of Measure field.
- If you want to add a standard unit of measure (e.g. inches in the example above), you would enter it as not having a base UOM but place 1 in the “Contains” field. If there is no base UOM enter it will default to itself when you save.
- To add a conversion unit of measure (e.g. feet), add another unit of measure the same way you added the standard unit. However, instead of leaving Base UOM blank, click on the drop-down menu and then click on the unit which you wish to use as a base. As well, enter the conversion factor in the “Contains” field (in this example, the number in “Contains” should be 12).
Item Aliases
Inventory → Tracking → Item Aliases
Item aliases work with the scanning functionality in different areas of the system. They allow a client to assign UPC, ISBN, or other barcode numbers to a product. It's also helpful for clients who purchase several different brands of the same item but treat it as a single internal item number. They can scan the barcodes and they will link back to the proper item number. To add or modify an item alias:
- Click on Inventory and then on Item Aliases.
- Click on the “Add New Item Alias” button to add a new item alias or click on the pencil icon next to an existing item alias to modify it.
- Click on the three dots icon to select the item to which you want to add an alias (note that you can only add aliases to items in the warehouse in which you are currently working) and type the alias in the box labeled Alias.
- Click on the “Save” button
Additional Item Overview Features
Create Items
Inventory → Inventory → Inventory Overview → “Create Item” Button Inventory → Inventory → Inventory Overview → Click Icon in Edit Column → “Add” Button
The item master list stores all items and the characteristics of each item. To add a new item record, follow the instructions below.
- Click on Inventory and then on Inventory Overview.
- Click on the “Create Item” button.
- Enter the item ID (must be unique) and all other applicable fields as detailed above.
- Click on the “Save” button.
Edit Items
Inventory → Inventory → Inventory Overview → Pencil Icon in Edit Column
You can make adjustments to an existing inventory item by following these steps.
- Click on Inventory and then on Inventory Overview.
- Search for the item as described earlier in the manual under Searching.
- Click on the pencil icon to the left of the item that you want to edit.
- Make your desired changes.
- Click on the “Save” button.
Discontinued or Deleting items
Inventory → Inventory → Inventory Overview → Pencil Icon in Edit Column
Only an administrator can delete an item record; however, for record-keeping purposes, we do not recommend deleting items. Discontinuing the item will keep the historical data intact but remove the item number from further usage. You can also restore a discontinued item, unlike a deleted item which is lost forever. To discontinue an item, follow these steps.
- Click on Inventory and then on Item Master List.
- Search for the item as described earlier in the manual under Searching.
- Click on the pencil icon to the left of the item ID that you wish to discontinue.
- Check the checkbox in the Discontinued field.
- Click on the “Save” button.
Restore a Discontinued item
Inventory → Inventory → Inventory Overview → Select Discontinued Status → Pencil Icon in Edit Column
If you need to restore an item that was previously discontinued, follow the steps below. The item will become a part of the item master list again once these steps are complete.
- Click on Inventory and then on Inventory Overview.
- Select Discontinued in the dropdown menu in the Status field at the top of the screen.
- Search for the item as described earlier in the manual under Searching.
- Click on the pencil icon to the left of the item ID you want to restore.
- Remove the check from the checkbox in the Discontinued field.
- Click on the “Save” button.
Inventory Catalog
Inventory → Management → Inventory Catalog
The inventory catalog is a listing of all of the items in the item master list. It contains their item ID, description, category, and image as well as a barcode label for each item. If an item requires a serial number, that information will also appear in the item’s entry in the inventory catalog. To use the inventory catalog,
- Click on Inventory and then on Inventory Catalog.
- If you wish to sort your catalog by item ID, click on the “Sort By ItemID” button. If you wish to sort by description and category instead, click on the “Sort By Description/Category” button.
- The inventory catalog (sorted based on the method you chose on the previous page) will then appear. The inventory catalog is in .pdf format so you can save or print it as you could any other .pdf file.
- To return to IPOL from the inventory catalog, click on the back arrow in your browser.
Barcode Catalog
Inventory → Management → Barcode Catalog
Like location labels, the barcode catalog is an easy way to view and print barcodes. Note that unlike location labels, which can be formatted for multiple types of printers, the barcode catalog is formatted only for Avery 5260 and other similar printers. To use the barcode catalog,
- Click on Inventory and then on Barcode Catalog.
- Select the category of barcodes that you wish to print using the dropdown menu in the Select Category field. If you wish to print barcodes for all items, choose All Categories in the dropdown menu in the Select Category field.
- Click on the “Submit” button to generate a .pdf of the barcode catalog. You can save or print this file as you would any other .pdf file.