Inventory Configuration

Configuration for product information, product defaults, warehouses and more can be configured in the Inventory section of the Configuration Manager (File → Configuration Management → Inventory).

Inventory Options

The inventory options section of the configuration applies to defaults for inventory transactions and product setup.

Inventory Defaults

  • Non-standard Product Class
    "N" line type products entered on a sales or purchase document will default to the Product Class defined here.
  • Assembly Workflow Status
    Inventory Assembly transactions have their own set of workflow statuses. The workflow status selected here will be the default for new Inventory Assembly sessions.

Inventory Options

  • Max Decimals for Unit Cost Calculations
    When a unit costs is calculated by Acctivate, or in the cases where a user enters a unit cost for a transaction (inventory receipt or inventory balance adjustment), the unit cost will be rounded to the number of decimals defined here. Acctivate supports unit cost calculations from 2 to 7 decimal places. It's recommended that the max decimals for unit cost calculations be set to at least 5.
  • Allow added cost transactions
    If enabled, users will be able to enter Added Cost and Landed Cost transactions. When enabled, an Added Cost transaction is created by posting a zero quantity Inventory Receipt or Inventory Assembly (must be a custom or process assembly). This adds value to the product without affecting quantity.
  • Default Custom/Process Assembly component qty to 0
    If enabled, a Custom or Process assembly will have its variable component quantities default to zero.
  • Repeat Lot/Serial attributes on receipts
    When enabled, Acctivate will copy lot or serial attributes (Expiration Date, Lot/Serial Reference, Lot/Serial Specification) for the same product. For example:
    1. Open the Inventory Receipt window by going to Inventory → Inventory Receipts.
    2. Fill in the necessary header information.
    3. On the first row, add a lot or serial numbered item. Include the received quantity, unit, unit cost and lot or serial number. Include the Expiration Date, Reference and Specification fields if you have it.
    4. Move to the second row and enter the same item, press Tab or move to another field by clicking or using the keyboard arrows. The Expiration Date, Reference and Specification fields will fill in automatically for you. You will need to fill in the lot/serial number and Received quantity.
  • Included quantities on POs for available quantity
    When enabled, Acctivate will include the outstanding purchase order quantities in the product's available quantity calculation. This allows you to schedule items on sales orders that you are in the process of purchasing, even though you have not received the inventory yet. Acctivate users may wish to enable this option if they order a single custom batch of an item and want to only sell up to that quantity.
  • Require locations on all transactions
    If using Acctivate's Multi-Location Control module, enabling this option will require that all inventory transactions require a location before posting. An exception to this is when transferring from a blank bin location with positive quantity to another bin location. This is allowed so that once this option is enabled, corrective action can be taken to move inventory from a blank location.

Tax Defaults

  • Taxable Tax Code
    A single default Taxable Tax Code can be defined. The menu will display all 'taxable' tax codes from QuickBooks.
  • Non-Taxable Tax Code
    A single default Non-Taxable Tax Code can be defined. The menu will display all 'non-taxable' tax codes from QuickBooks.

Dimension Metrics
You can define a Weight Metric UOM (unit of measure) as either Lb or Kg. The weight entered on the Specs tab of the Edit Product window uses this weight unit of measure. When creating shipments using the Packaging Manager module, Acctivate will display the carton/package and shipment weight unit as this unit.

Product Lookup Defaults
The Product Lookup Defaults option will apply to users the first time they use the product lookup in Acctivate. If the user makes changes to the lookup options, Acctivate will remember those options per user.

Product Print Defaults

  • Labels
    This is the default label which will print from the Edit Product window when you click the label icon.
  • Assemblies
    This is the default form which will print from an open Assembly transaction when you click the printer icon.

Inventory Report Defaults

Product Defaults
The options in this section apply to new products created.

  • Stocking Unit
    This is the default stocking unit for a new product. See Unit of Measure options.
  • Control Type
    This is the default control type for a new product. See Product Control Type options.
  • Cost Method
    This is the default cost method for a new product. See Cost Method options.
  • Tax Code
    This is the default tax code for a new product. Tax codes are configured in QuickBooks and synchronized to Acctivate.
  • List Price Type
    This is the default list price's price type for new products. Kit products do not have an average cost, therefore when this option is set to "Average Cost + Amount" or "Average Cost + Percent" kit products will ignore this option and instead default to a "Price" Price Type.

Warehouse

A warehouse in Acctivate can represent a physical or virtual location (such as an RMA or In-Transit warehouse). Products are stocked in a warehouse in Acctivate and a warehouse has various QuickBooks general ledger accounts associated with it.

Field Name Field Length Definition
Active Checkbox Uncheck to make a warehouse inactive.
Warehouse 6 characters The unique warehouse ID that is visible throughout Acctivate.
Description 50 characters Description of the warehouse.
Name 50 characters the full name of the warehouse.
Attention 50 characters Ship to attention for the warehouse.
Address 1, 2 41 characters It's recommended that the company or warehouse name is entered into address line 1.
City 31 characters (255 for QuickBooks Online) Warehouse city.
State 21 characters (255 for QuickBooks Online) Warehouse state. It's recommended that you use the 2-letter ISO code for states, provinces, and territories.
ZIP 13 characters (30 for QuickBooks Online) Warehouse zip.
Country 31 characters (255 for QuickBooks Online) Warehouse country. If using AvaTax, it's recommended that you use the 3-letter ISO country code.
Phone & Fax 30 characters Phone and fax number of the warehouse.
Email Text / 253 Characters (100 for QuickBooks Online) Contact email address of the warehouse.

Warehouse Defaults

  • Ship Via
    This is a text field allowing you to enter a Ship Via that is up to 25 characters long for this warehouse. Does not display anywhere in Acctivate but can be added to forms.
  • FOB
    This is a text field allowing you to enter an FOB that is up to 25 characters long for this warehouse. Does not display anywhere in Acctivate but can be added to forms.
  • Allow Picklists
    If Picklists are enabled, this checkbox will appear and allow you to define whether you will create Picklists for this warehouse.

Warehouse Accounts

  • Inventoried tab
    Inventoried items will use the following GL accounts:
    • Inventory GL Account
      Type: Other Current Asset
      The primary asset account for the warehouse. Every inventory transaction for the warehouse will post to this account. It is possible to configure multiple warehouses to use the same Inventory Asset account, but we typically recommend a separate asset account for each warehouse.
    • Purchases GL Account
      Type: Other Current Liability
      This account, typically Accrued Purchase Receipts, is an accrual account for Purchase Orders. The balance in this account will reflect purchase orders that have posted Inventory Receipts, but no matching Vendor Bill (Purchase Invoice) yet. This account should NOT be the non-posting "Purchases" account if you're using QuickBooks.
    • Adjustments GL Account
      Type: Other Expense or Cost of Goods Sold
      This offset account is used for Inventory Adjustments and Inventory Count transactions. These are adjustments in quantity for your inventory.
    • Gain/Loss GL Account
      Type: Other Expense or Cost of Goods Sold
      This offset account is used for Inventory Balance Adjustments and Gain/Loss transactions for Standard cost items (e.g., difference between purchase and standard costs). This account is also used for beginning inventory imports from QuickBooks, Excel, etc.
    • Issue GL Account (not required. Can be defined per Inventory Issue transaction)
      Type: Expense
      This is the default offset account for Inventory Issues. It's typically an Expense or Cost of Goods Sold account. Inventory Issues are often used to remove inventory for certain purposes, such as for a sample or trade show.
    • Landed Cost GL Account
      Type: Other Current Liability
      This account is similar to the Purchases account, but it's the accrual account for the Landed Cost function. Landed Cost will debit the Inventory account for the Warehouse and offset this account. The Vendor Bill for Landed Cost will clear this account to the A/P account. Refer to the Configure Landed Cost Account article for more information on this account.
  • Non-Inventoried tab
    Acctivate can track “standard” costs for products that use the Non-inventoried, Labor, Other Charge and Shipping Item Types. The standard cost assigned to the product will accrue in the Cost Offset accounts (see standard cost offset account listed below when the standard cost non-inventoried product is sold or used as a component in an assembly. These accounts are typically Expense or Cost of Goods Sold GL accounts that are offset by a journal entry or purchase invoice manually entered into QuickBooks.
    • Non-Inventoried Cost Offset Acct
      This is the standard cost offset account for products with a Non-inventoried Item Type.
    • Labor Cost Offset Acct
      This is the standard cost offset account for products with a Labor Item Type.
    • Other Charges Cost Offset Acct
      This is the standard cost offset account for products with a Other Charge Item Type.
    • Shipping Cost Offset Acct
      This is the standard cost offset account for products with a Shipping Item Type.

Locations

If licensed for the Multi-Location Control module, you can setup and manage inventory locations in this section of the Configuration manager.

Enabling Locations To enable Locations for the first time, do the following:

  1. Click Edit
  2. Click Enable
  3. Follow the on-screen steps to create the locations:
    1. Convert existing locations

      • Warehouse Locations
        If this is enabled, any text in the warehouse's Location text field of the Edit Product window will be created as a Location.

      • Lot / Serial locations
        If this is enabled, any text in the lot/serial number's Location text field of the Edit Product window will be created as a Location.

    2. Select delimiters for multiple locations
      Any of the following selected characters will be treated as a delimiter to separate location names from the Warehouse or Lot / Serial location text fields. E.g., if the warehouse has location of "A12, B13" and the "Comma(,)" delimiter is selected, Acctivate will create two locations, "A12" and "B13".
    3. Click Preview to see a preview of the locations to be created. If you did not use the Location text field, this preview may be blank, that is normal. If you have multiple warehouses you can click the warehouse drop down to preview the locations to create.
    4. Click Create
  4. Click Save

Managing Locations
Once you've enabled locations, you can add additional locations or manage existing locations:

Field Field Length Description
Location 80 Characters This is the name of the inventory location
Position 15 Characters Optional. Inventory is stocked in the individual single location, however you may have multiple locations that occupy the same vertical space or position. For example, locations A1-1, A1-2 and A1-3 are three distinct locations, each with their own inventory, however they may be located on three different shelves of the same vertical space. When using the warehouse location Layout tool, rather than place the three locations on top of each other, you would place the "Position". Locations without a Position will appear in the layout tool, otherwise you will only see and place Positions.
Zone 50 Characters Optional. Locations can be grouped into Zones which are geographical areas of the warehouse. The Print Count Sheet function allows you to group the Count Sheet by Zone for more efficient counting.
Active Checkbox To disable a location, uncheck the Active box

Sorting Locations
When locations are added, they remain sorted in the sequence which they were entered, however they can be re-sorted. The sequence of the locations is used to determine the sorting of an Inventory Count Sheet. Refer to the Count sheet organization section of the Create Count Sheet documentation.

To re-sort locations:

  1. In the Locations window of the Configuration Manager, click Edit.
  2. Click on the location row which you want to move up or down.
  3. Use the up arrow or down arrow to the right of the locations to move the location higher or lower in the list. Alternatively, click the AZ Sort button to sort all locations alphanumerically.

Layout

When licensed for the Multi-Location Control module you are able to use the Inventory Layout tool to create a virtual layout of the warehouse locations within your warehouse. Creating your warehouse layout is required in order to take advantage of Picklists in Acctivate.

For an in depth overview of creating the warehouse layout, check out our Acctivate V.11 Picking Enhancements Webinar

Unit of Measure

The Unit of Measure configuration section of Acctivate allows you to define a distinct list of units and then relate the units of measure to each other.

First, setup the distinct list of units of measure options:

  1. Click Edit.
  2. Enter a Unit name (up to 5 characters).
  3. Check the Discrete checkbox if the unit can only be purchased and sold in whole numbers.
  4. Click Save.
Note

Checking the "Discrete" checkbox will force the UOM to round down to the nearest whole number for sales orders and up to the nearest whole number for purchase orders.

Next, you can relate units to each other:

  1. Click Edit.
  2. Select the Stocking Unit of Measure in the list on the left. This is typically the smaller unit of measure in the relationship.
  3. Click into a new row at the bottom of the Units related to... data grid on the right.
  4. Select a Relationship type.
    • Standard
      Standard, universal units. Some examples: 12in = 1ft; 1lb = 16oz. This includes standard weight / length conversions, such as 1kg = 2.205lb
    • Product Specific
      The alternate unit quantity varies by product. For example: 12 large vases per "Case" for one product and 24 per "Case" for another product. You will set the unit quantity for each product in the Edit Product window.
    • Weight
      Designed for products stocked by piece, priced by weight. Product weight is set on the Specs tab of the Edit Product window, including the variable weight option. Catch weight pricing is supported by using variable weight pricing for lot or serial controlled items.
    • Length
      Designed for products stocked by piece, priced by length. Product length is set on the Specs tab of the Edit Product window, including the variable length option.
    • Variable
      The relation between the stocking unit quantity and the pricing quantity is variable, but not based on weight or length.
  5. Enter the Quantity of the stocking unit that is/are in the related unit.
  6. Select the Related unit for the new relation. If you don't see your unit, you must add it to the Unit of Measure list on the left first.
  7. Be sure to check the Active checkbox and click Save on the toolbar when you're finished.
Note

You can edit or remove a relationship at any time; however, you cannot delete a unit which has been used in Acctivate.

Product Class

Product Classes are the main way to classify products for reporting purposes. In addition to reporting, Product Classes can be used to link a product to an income and COGS account as well as QuickBooks Classes (see Sales / COGS section of Order Processing Options). All products require a Product Class.

Adding or modifying Product Classes will require syncing in Single User mode with QuickBooks.

Field Name Description
Product Class ID 8 characters. Unique Product Class identifier. Shows on some reports and Acctivate will create this as a Non-inventoried product in QuickBooks
Description 50 characters. Description of the Product Class. Shows on most reports and throughout Acctivate.
Sales GL Acct/Seg Optional Based on Sales/COGS Configuration. The income account associated with this Product Class.
COGS GL Acct/Seg Optional Based on Sales/COGS Configuration. The Cost of Goods Sold account associated with this Product Class.
Class Name Optional Based on Sales/COGS Configuration. The QuickBooks class associated with this Product Class.
Active Product Classes cannot be deleted if they've been used, but they can be made inactive.

Product Type

The Product Type is a required field for all products in Acctivate. It provides another way to classify products, in addition to the Product Class.

Field Name Description
Description 50 characters. Description of the Product Type.
Product Type 8 characters. Unique Product Type identifier.
Active Product Types cannot be deleted if they've been used, but they can be made inactive.

Sales Category

The Sales Category is another way to classify products for reporting purposes. In addition to reporting, Sales Categories can be used to link a product to an income and COGS account as well as QuickBooks Classes (see Sales / COGS section of Order Processing Options). The Sales Category is only a required field if mapped to Sales and COGS accounts. Otherwise, it is not required for products. There are two standard reports that group based on the Sales Category.

Field Name Description
Category 8 characters. Unique Sales Category identifier.
Description 50 characters. Description of the Sales Category.
Sales GL Acct/Seg Optional Based on Sales/COGS Configuration. The income account associated with this Sales Category.
COGS GL Acct/Seg Optional Based on Sales/COGS Configuration. The Cost of Goods Sold account associated with this Sales Category.
Class Name Optional Based on Sales/COGS Configuration. The QuickBooks class associated with this Sales Category.
Active Sales Categories cannot be deleted if they've been used, but they can be made inactive.

Product Control Type

The Product Control Type section allows you to enable which control types are available to assign to products in Acctivate. Check the Active Checkbox to enable the control type(s) you will use, then assign the control type(s) to your products.

  • Serial Numbered
    The Serial Number Control Type requires that each stocking unit have a unique identifier. For example, if you receive three "Widgets", you will need three unique serial numbers. Once received, every subsequent inventory transaction or sale will require you select a serial number.

  • Lot Numbered
    The Lot Number Control Type requires that a stocking unit of one or greater have a unique identifier. For example, you may receive in 40 bags of flour with Lot Number "ABC" and another 60 bags of flour with Lot Number "DEF". Once received, every subsequent inventory transaction or sale will require you select a lot number.

  • Number When Invoiced
    Unlike Serial Numbered or Lot Numbered, you are only tracking the total On Hand quantity; you are not track serial numbers or lot numbers for on hand inventory quantities. At the time of sale however, you will be required to enter the Lot or Serial number sold.

  • Standard
    The Standard Control type is available for all products and allows you to track the On Hand quantity without tracking lot or serial numbers.

Cost Method

The Cost Method section allows you to enable which Cost Methods are available to assign to a Products in Acctivate. Check the Active Checkbox to enable the Cost Method(s) you will use, then assign the Cost Method(s) to your products.

Before configuring cost methods, it's strongly recommended you review the Cost Methods guide

  • Average
  • Actual (Specific Identity)
  • FIFO (First in First Out)
  • LIFO (Last In First Out)
  • Standard

Assembly Workflow

The Inventory Assembly transaction allows you to assign different Assembly Workflow Statuses to manage the production process. Acctivate includes default workflow statuses, however you can add your own.

Field Name Description
ID Unique Assembly Workflow ID. 5 Character length.
Description Full Assembly Workflow Description. 50 Character length.
Status The system defined list of options.
Sequence The sequence in which the workflow status will be displayed in the Enter Assembly window.

Product Export

Acctivate includes a Product Export function which allows you to quickly and consistently export product data in a comma separated values (.CSV) format. This section of the configuration manager allows you to select which fields you want to export, whether the exported file includes column headers, and the default export location.

Default Fields to Export
Select which fields should be included in the export file:

  1. Click Edit.
  2. In the Default Fields to Export section, click on the name of each field you want to export. A selected field will turn blue.
  3. Click Save.

Default Product Export Destination
A default export filepath and filename can be set here. At the time of exporting the filepath and filename can be changed, if necessary.

  1. Click Edit.
  2. In the Default Product Export Destination section use the lookup button ... to open the Save As window.
  3. Navigate to the path where you want to save the export and enter a file name in the File name: field, such as "Product Export.csv".
  4. Click Save.

Product Export Options

  • Include column headers: When checked, the product export file will include column headers in the first row.
  • Only export "Available on Web" products: The default configuration setting for the Product List Export window. When checked, only products that have the "Available on Web" option enabled will be incldued in the export. When unchecked, all products will be included in the export.