Products

A product in Acctivate represents anything your business buys or sells. This includes tangible products such as inventoried or non-inventoried products and non-tangible products such as shipping, labor, an other charges. Once you've setup a product in Acctivate you are able to buy, sell, view history and track information for the product.

Product List

The Product list can be found by clicking Products in the left menu of Acctivate. The Product list window is made up of four primary sections:

  • Search Bar, Sort and Filters
  • List of Product ID's
  • Product Attributes
  • Product Information
Tip

When viewing the list of products, this window is commonly referred to as the Product list. It's also acceptable to refer to this window as the Product window when viewing a single product. The Edit Product window, previously mentioned, is a separate window that is used for entering or editing product information. In order to eliminate any confusion, it's best to use the appropriate name when referencing either of these windows.

Search Bar and Sort

The upper left-hand corner of the Product list contains a Search bar which will filter down the Product list as you type. The following fields are searched:

  • Product ID
  • Description
  • Primary Alternate Product ID
  • Primary UPC
  • Primary Class ID
  • Keywords
  • Status ("Discontinued" or "Inactive")

You can also sort the Product list by clicking the "Sort" text. The arrow next to the text will point up or down to indicate whether the list is sorting ascending or descending.

Filters

Above the search bar is a drop-down menu allowing you to select standard or custom filters. The Product list has two standard filters which are visible to all users:

  • Active Only: Displays all the products which are active (including discontinued products).
  • All Products: Displays all active and inactive products.

You can also create custom filters:

  1. Click the Filter button.
  2. In the Filter Editor window, click the + symbol to add filter expressions.
  3. Once you've added all the filter expressions, click one of the buttons:
    • OK: This will apply your filters and close the Filter Editor. This filter will not be saved, but it will remain in place until you select another standard or custom filter. The filter menu will display "Custom Filter..." to indicate a custom filter is applied.
    • Apply: This will apply your filters, but it keeps the Filter Editor open so you can further adjust the filters.
    • Save As: This allows you to save this filter for use again in the future. When you choose this option, you must enter a Filter Name and you have the option to select the Available for all users checkbox. If left unchecked, this filter will only be available for the user who created it.

Edit, delete or share an existing filter
Once you've created a filter, you can edit, delete or make the filter shared with everyone.

  1. In the saved filter drop down list, select your filter.
  2. Click the Filter button to open the Filter Editor.
  3. Click the downward arrow next to the Save button to see a list of options:
    • Save as New Filter...: Use this to copy this filter as a new filter. You can add additional filter expressions before or after this step.
    • Share filter with everyone: This option is available if the filter is not already shared with everyone. If a filter is shared with everyone, the text Shared will appear next to the Save button.
    • Rename Filter...: If this option is selected, you will be prompted to enter the new filter name.
    • Delete Filter: This will delete the saved filter.
Note

Once a filter is shared with everyone, it cannot be un-shared. However, you can copy the shared filter as a new filter that is not shared, then delete the original shared filter.

List of Products

There are three key pieces of information on display in the list of Products.

  • Product ID
  • Product description
  • Product list price

If the list price is based on a warehouse cost field, the list price displayed will be based on the cost of the first warehouse (alphanumerically) the product is stocked in.

Toolbar

The Toolbar of the Product window allows you to perform various actions, such as copying a product, printing and emailing product information and labels, changing the statuses, creating product detail records, and attaching documents.

The right sidebar of the Product window includes the product's recent activity and created/updated info.

  • Recent Orders: The three most recent (based on Order Date) open Sales and Service Orders and the total quantity ordered.
  • Recent POs: The three most recent (based on PO entry date) open Purchase Orders and the quantity ordered.
  • Recent Invoices: The three most recent (based on Invoice Date) Sales and Service Invoices and the quantity invoiced.

Product

The Product tab shows primary product information grouped into different cards for easy viewing of product information.

Inventory Summary
The Inventory Summary includes an overview of inventory quantities across all warehouses. View the Inventory tab for more details.

Product
The Product card displays the Product ID, Description, Item Type/Bill of Materials, Control Type, Cost Method, Tax Code, Count Cycle, and an image of the product.

Sales Info
The Sales Info card shows the List Price, Product Class, Product Type, Sales Category, Color, Size, and Keywords.

Units of Measure
The upper right hand of this card displays the product's stocking unit. Also displayed are the default Sales, Purchase, and Packaging units. If multiple units of measure relationships exist for this product then they will be displayed in a grid below.

Specifications
The Specifications card displays product specifications, such as the weight, length, height, volume, inner pack qty, and outer pack qty in the stocking unit.

If the product has a default packaging unit that is different than the stocking unit, then the packaging unit metrics will be displayed in a column to the right of the stocking unit metrics.

Additional specs which can be found in this card:

  • Landed Cost factor
    The Landed Cost Factor is used when calculating the Landed Cost per item.

    A Landed Cost Factor of 1 is the default and means that the metric by which the landed cost will be allocated (i.e., Quantity, Value, Weight, Volume) will first be multiplied by 1, then the result will be used to determine the Landed Cost allocation.

    For example, let's assume you are allocating a $100 Landed Cost to an Inventory Receipt which includes two products. 10 Ea were received for each product. The first product has a Landed Cost Factor of 1 (the default) and the second product has a Landed Cost Factor of 2. If the $100 Landed Cost was allocated by Quantity, the allocation quantity for distributing Landed Cost would be calculated as:

    Product 1: 10 Ea * 1 = 10 (allocation qty)
    Product 2: 10 Ea * 2 = 20 (allocation qty)

    The Landed Cost factor results in the $100 being allocated as if the total quantity was 30 (no quantity change is actually made however), with more cost being allocated towards Product 2. This results in a distribution of $33.33 for Product 1 and $66.67 for Product 2.

  • Available On Web
    If checked, the product's inventory quantities will be synchronized to any web store that has the Export inventory web store template option enabled. Product information will also be exported to a flat file when using the File → Export Product list function.

Alternate IDs
A product can have multiple Alternate Product ID's associated with it, which function as an alias for the product. When typing or scanning an Alternate Product ID, Acctivate will recognize it and convert it to the related Product ID. Likewise, importing Sales Orders with an Alternate Product ID will result in the order being created with the related Product ID.

If Alternate Product IDs or UPCs exists for a product they will be displayed in this card. A product may have one primary Alternate Product ID and one primary UPC. The primaries will be listed first, however they are evaluated in the same manner as other Alternate IDs.

  • Add an Alternate ID

    1. Select Alt Product ID from the Create menu at the top of the Product window.
    2. Enter the Alt ID or UPC for the product.
    3. Select the Type:
      • Alt Product ID: An alternate name for this product.
      • UPC: A UPC code for this product
      • Web Store You can set an alternate specific to a web store. Used by the related Web Store template during import, but not by other forms of data entry such as typing or scanning
    4. Optionally, you can make one of each Alt ID Type the preferred ID for the Type. The Description is also optional. Use Save & Close or select Save & New (Ctrl+N) from the sub-menu.

  • Edit or Delete an Alternate ID

    1. Mouse over a row in the Alternate IDs grid. In the far left column you will see a pencil icon, click it to open the Edit Alternate Product ID window.
    2. Make any necessary changes and click Save & Close (or Save & New), or you can delete the substitute by clicking the Delete button in the lower left hand corner.

Notes
The Notes card displays sales and purchasing notes which can be configured to popup when the product is added to a Sales Order or Purchase Order.

If configured as a popup note, the word "Popup" will appear after the label.

Timeline

The Timeline tab gives a list of all activity for the product, sequenced by date. You can use the Type list and Look for search box to filter the list of activity.

Inventory

The Inventory tab displays the quantities, unit costs, and locations per warehouse.

Add a Product to a warehouse

  1. Select Warehouse from the Create menu at the top of the Product window.
  2. Select from the list of warehouses the product is not currently stocked in.
  3. Optionally, enter in the following information:
    • Warehouse Costs
      • Management Cost: Defined per warehouse can be used in sales pricing formulas and as a default purchase order price. Otherwise, it is not used in any inventory calculations. Kit products will have a Management Cost that is the sum of the kit component's Management Cost. For non-kit products, the Management Cost is user defined.
      • Last Cost: Last cost can be edited and will be used by transactions if no previous cost establishing transactions exists. Otherwise, this is calculated automatically as the cost of the last transaction that added inventory. This includes Inventory Receipts, Inventory Assemblies, Inbound Transfers, and Balance Adjustments used to set the initial on hand quantity and cost (Balance Adjustments used to adjust existing quantity on hand and/or costs do not update the Last Cost field). Kit products, which are non-inventoried, will have a Last Cost that is the sum of the kit component's Last Cost. Management cost can be used in sales pricing formulas or as a reference.
      • Standard Cost: This field will only be available for Products using the Standard cost method and can only be assigned/changed before any transactions. The assigned Standard Cost will be used in all transactions for this warehouse, regardless of the cost entered for the transaction. Once transactions have been created for this product the Standard Cost can only be changed using a Balance Adjustment transaction.
    • Stocking Levels
      • Min Stock Qty: The Minimum Stock Quantity is used in the Suggested Restock Quantity formula. Also known as the Restock Point.
      • Max Stock Qty: The Maximum Stock Quantity is used in the Suggested Restock Quantity formula. It must be equal to or greater than the Min Stk Qty. Also known as the Stocking Level.
      • Reserved Qty: A user defined quantity that is removed from the Available quantity. Typically used to reserve a quantity of the product for internal use.
      • Min Order Qty: The Minimum Order Quantity is a user defined quantity that is used in the Suggested Restock Quantity formula. The formula will return a restock quantity that is at least equal to or greater than the Minimum Order Quantity.
    • Primary location when Locations are enabled or Location if not.
      • Location: When multiple locations are enabled, this is the Primary location which will defaults on inventory transactions and sales documents (unless using Picklists). If multiple locations are not enabled, then this is simply a reference location that will print on Pick Tickets and Receiving documents.
      • Stock Level: Only available when multiple locations are enabled. The Primary Location can be assigned a Primary Stock Level value. If the location's On hand quantity is below the Primary Stock Level, this product will appear in the Primary Location Restocking Report (Reports → Inventory management → Warehouse).
    • Warehouse Note: A note that can be used to record warehouse stocking information.

Edit or Delete a Product Warehouse

  1. On the Inventory Tab, click the Edit button to the right of the Warehouse name.
  2. In the Edit Warehouse window, click delete in the lower left corner. Only a warehouse with zero on hand and available can be deleted.

Available
The Available card display the available inventory based on the on hand quantity minus inventory demand.

  • Availability calculation
    The Available inventory quantity is calculated as the On Hand quantity minus the Total Demand.

    If the Included quantities on POs for available quantity option is enabled, then the On PO Qty (outstanding quantity on Issued Purchase Orders) is adding back into the availability calculation.

    If the Available is below the minimum stock quantity, then the quantity will be displayed in orange. If the Available is below zero, then the quantity will appear red.

  • Total Demand calculation
    Total demand is calculated as: On Hand Qty - Reserved Qty - Scheduled Qty - Backordered Qty - Assembly WIP Qty - Transfer Qty - PO Returns (vendor).

  • Other data displayed

    • Scheduled and Backordered quantities on sales orders.
    • The quantity ordered for a Special Order sales order line.
    • Assembly WIP quantity (component quantity on a draft assembly transaction).
    • The quantity being transferred out of the warehouse.
    • The Reserved quantity for the warehouse.

On Hand
The On Hand card display the On Hand inventory as well as inbound inventory (the quantity on Issued Purchase Orders and draft Assembly transactions) as well as warehouse stocking levels.

Valuation
The Valuation card displays the total value for the on hand quantity.

The total value of the inventory is displayed at the top of this card as a relative amount ,e.g., a value of $1,870.00 is displayed as $1.9K. Hover over the amount to see the absolute amount.

Various costs may be displayed

  • An average cost is calculated for an inventoried product, regardless of their cost method, except for products using the Standard cost method.

Locations
The Locations card will be displayed if:

  • Locations are enabled
  • Locations are not enabled, but a location reference is entered in the Product Warehouse window.

When locations are enabled, the Primary Location will be displayed at all times. Any other locations with available quantity, either positive or negative, will be displayed in the grid below.

Transactions

The Transactions tab displays the Open, Sales, Purchasing, and Inventory transactions.

  • Open: The Open button shows open sales orders, purchase orders, and certain draft inventory transaction types (Adjustments, Assembly and components transactions, Issues, Receipts, and Transfers).
  • Sales: The Sales button shows all sales activity.
  • Purchasing: The Purchasing button shows all purchase activity.
  • Inventory: The Inventory button shows all posted inventory transactions.

System administrators can use the Columns button to choose which columns are visible to Acctivate users.

Open
The Open button gives a unified look at open transactions for this product and therefore only columns that are common to inventory, sales, and purchasing transactions are displayed.

The Outstanding column represents the outstanding qty on sales orders, the outstanding quantity on Issued POs, and the entire quantity of a draft inventory transaction (Adjustments, Assembly and components transactions, Issues, Receipts, and Transfers).

The Reference column comes from the document or transaction's header reference field.

Sales
The Sales button displays all sales activity for this product. Use the warehouse filter or create custom filters to filter on certain types or statuses.

The Reference and Reference 2 column come from the Sales Order header.

Location refers to the Ship To Location of the sales orders.

Refer to the Sales Orders documentation for field definitions.

Purchasing
The Purchasing button displays all purchase activity for this product. Use the warehouse filter or create custom filters to filter on certain types or statuses.

The Reference column comes from the Purchase Order header.

The look for field searches the following fields:

  • Number
  • Ordered
  • Unit
  • Received
  • Outstanding
  • Invoiced
  • PO Price (if the user does not have permission to view costs then Entered By will be searched instead.)
  • Vendor
  • Reference
  • Related Document

Inventory
The Inventory button shows all posted inventory transactions. Since on hand and costs are calculated per warehouse, this view only allows filtering on one warehouse at a time.

The On Hand column gives a running total of the on hand quantity as a result of the transaction. This column is only calculated if the column is displayed.

The Quantity column represents the quantity changed for the specific transaction. The Unit Cost and Amount columns correspond to the Quantity column and are also transaction detail specific.

The Reference and Document Ref columns come from the Transaction header fields, while the Note column comes from the transaction detail's Not field.

Prices

The Prices tab will display the List Price and price codes assigned to this product.

Use the Not expired filter to show prices that are currently in effect or have a valid date range in the future. Use the All filter to see the expired and not expired price codes.

System administrators can use the Columns button to choose which columns are visible to Acctivate users.

When creating custom filters, the "Raw Price" refers to the value in the price calculation. For example, in the price calculation of "List - 20% / Ea", the Raw Price would be 20.

The list price and price codes assigned to the product will be displayed. Depending on the price type, the prices will display in either an All warehouses grid or a warehouse specific grid.

All warehouses
This grid will show prices that are not dependent one warehouse specific costs. This includes the following price types:

  • List price
  • List price - percent
  • List price - amount
  • Flat price

Warehouse... This grid will show prices that are based on warehouse costs. This includes the following price types:

  • Management Cost + Percent
  • Management Cost + Amount
  • Last Cost + Percent
  • Last Cost + Amount
  • Average Cost + Percent
  • Average Cost + Amount

Price codes which are inherited from a Price Category will appear with an asterisk next to them.

Add a Price Code

  1. Select Product Price from the Create menu at the top of the Product window.
  2. Select the Price Code.
  3. Select a Price Type and fill out any other fields.
    • The Low Qty and High Qty apply to the sales order quantity.
    • The Effective Date and Expiration Dates are based on the Sales Order Date.
  4. Use Save & Close or select Save & New from the sub-menu.

Edit or Delete a Price Code

  1. Mouse over a row in the Prices grid. In the far left column you will see a pencil icon, click it to open the window.
  2. Make any necessary changes and click Save & Close (or Save & New), or you can delete the price code (except for the List Price) by clicking the Delete button in the lower left hand corner.

Insights

The Insights tab gives you an overview of a product's performance. use the Warehouse filters to only look at activity for a warehouse. Use the date slider to determine how much activity to include.

The insights tab will give the Top 5 Customers who've purchased this product (based on quantity ordered). You can also see how often certain price codes are used so that you can better understand if this product is sold when certain price conditions are met.

The Analysis section will recommend a minimum stocking level based on how quickly this product sells (average daily demand) and what the preferred vendor's lead time is. For example, if you are selling one a day and your vendor's lead time is 7 days, the suggested minimum stock quantity will be calculated as 7. You must define a preferred vendor and lead time to get this suggestion. This is only a suggestion, and you would need to update the min stock quantity per warehouse. The average daily demand is calculated as the invoiced quantity from the 1st of the earliest month in the evaluation period and up to the current date. E.g., if the current date is April 15th and you choose the analysis period of "Over last 1 months", the average daily demand is calculated for the period of March 1st through April 15th.

The following values calculated from the current date to the same date of the first month to include. E.g., if the current date is April 15th and you choose the analysis period of "Over last 2 months", the average daily demand is calculated for the period of February 15th through April 15th.

The Average Sales Qty per month and (vendor) PO Qty per month is calculated based on the period being analyzed. These are based on the sales order and purchase order's ordered quantity.

Likewise, a Turnover Rate is calculated for the period analyzed. The turnover rate is a numeric value indicating how frequently inventory is moving. The calculation for turnover rate is: Cost of Goods Sold / Mean Inventory Valuation. You can take this value and perform further analysis using it. By dividing the number of days in the period by your Turnover Rate, you will know how many days before you completely 'turnover' your inventory.

For example, if your turnover rate is 9 for a 12 month period, then you would divide 365 (the number of days in a 12 month period) by 9 (your turnover rate). The result is 40.56, therefore you sell through your entire stock of this product every 40.5 days, or roughly month and a half.

The Customer Service Level is defined as the percentage of shipments that are on time (on or before the requested or promised ship date).

The Vendor Service Level is defined as the percentage of shipments (receipts) that are on time (on or before the requested or promised date).

Tip

On the insights tab, you can hover your mouse over some of these metrics to see an explanation of the data being presented.

Substitutions

The Substitutions tab shows substitutions for the product, if they exist.

System administrators can use the Columns button to choose which columns are visible to Acctivate users.

The Active filter shows substitutions that are currently in effect or have a valid date range in the future.

A bold substitution represents the preferred substitution for the product.

Add a Substitute

  1. Select Substitution from the Create menu at the top of the Product window.
  2. Type in or lookup the product which is to be the substitute.
  3. Optionally, one product can be marked as the preferred substitute. You can also enter in dates for when this substitute is valid, a reference, and a note.
  4. Fill out any other fields, then use Save & Close or select Save & New from the sub-menu.

Edit or Delete a Substitute

  1. Mouse over a row in the Substitutes grid. In the far left column you will see a pencil icon, click it to open the window.
  2. Make any necessary changes and click Save & Close (or Save & New), or you can delete the substitute by clicking the Delete button in the lower left hand corner.

Vendors

The Vendors tab shows the vendor information associated with this product.

System administrators can use the Columns button to choose which columns are visible to Acctivate users.

The Vendor's tab of the Edit Product window allows you to manage the vendors associated with this product. You can add vendors, otherwise Acctivate will automatically add vendors based on Purchase Orders you create for this product.

A bold Vendor represents the vendor is the preferred vendor for the product.

Add a Product Vendor

  1. Select Product Vendor from the Create menu at the top of the Product window.
  2. Type in or lookup the Vendor associated with this product.
  3. Optionally, fill in additional information:
    • Vendor Product ID: The Vendor Product ID which can be displayed in the Enter Purchase Order window. The same vendor can be listed multiple times as long as each row has a unique Vendor Product ID.
    • Preferred Vendor: One vendor record can be marked as the preferred vendor, which is used as the default in the Create Reorders window.
    • Lead Time: The Lead Time in days, which is used to generate a minimum stocking level on the Insights tab.
  4. Fill out any other fields, then use Save & Close or select Save & New from the sub-menu.

Edit or Delete a Product Vendor

  1. Mouse over a row in the Vendors grid. In the far left column you will see a pencil icon, click it to open the window.
  2. Make any necessary changes and click Save & Close (or Save & New), or you can delete the vendor by clicking the Delete button in the lower left hand corner.

Lot/Serial

If the product is lot or serial numbered, you will see a list of the lot or serial numbers here. You can filter by warehouse or any other lot/serial attribute and you can also include inactive lot/serial numbers.

If location tracking is enabled, use the By Location view to see lot/serial numbers stocked in each location.

The Lots or Serial #s displays a list of lot/serials for the product. Use the Edit button to open the Lot Number Information or Serial Number Information window.

When the view option is set to "Lot/Serial #" number, a row will exist for each lot/serial number in this warehouse. Use the "Include inactive..." checkbox to show lots which have zero on hand.

When the view option is set to "Location" number, a row will exist for each location that has lot/serial number(s) stocked in it, in this warehouse. Use the "Include empty locations" checkbox to show locations which have zero locations in them.

BOM

The BOM, or Bill of Materials, tab shows the components for the Assembly or Kit product, where this product is used as a component in an Assembly or Kit product, or both.

You can use the Look for search box to quickly locate a a product. System administrators can also choose which columns are visible in the Components section.

The "Ext Avg Cost" column shows the extended average cost of the components which is then used to generate an estimated cost of the finished product which can be helpful in determining pricing. The cost that is actually calculated per transaction may vary depending on different factors such as the component's cost method, transaction date, and lot/serial numbers selected.

A graphical representation of the Bill of Materials is displayed below the Components grid.

Creating a New Product

There are three ways to begin creating a new product in Acctivate:

  • Start in the Products List found in the left menu.
    1. In the left menu of Acctivate, click on Products to open the Product list.
    2. In the bottom left of the Product list, click + New Product.
    3. The Edit Product window will open in edit mode allowing you to begin entering data.
  • Start in the Edit Product window.
    1. Using the top menu, navigate to Inventory → Edit Product.
    2. The Edit Product window will appear, click New in the upper left hand corner.
    3. You will be able to enter product data.
  • Import in products from a text or data file.

Editing a Product

There are three ways to begin editing an existing product in Acctivate:

  • Start in the Products List found in the left menu.
    • In the left menu of Acctivate, click on Products to open the Product list.
    • Search for the product you want to edit.
    • Click the Edit button.
    • The Edit Product window will open in edit mode allowing you to edit data.
  • Start in the Edit Product window.
    • Using the top menu, navigate to Inventory → Edit Product.
    • The Edit Product window will appear, type in the Product ID or use the magnifying glass lookup to find and select your product.
    • Click Edit.
    • You will be able to edit the product data.
  • Import in product updates from a text or data file.

Product labels can be printed from either the Edit Product window's toolbar or from the Print Product Labels window.

  1. From the Inventory menu, choose Print Product Labels.
  2. Lookup the Product ID.
  3. Enter the Quantity to be printed.
  4. Select the Label to be used. (Reports configured with the "Product Label" Document Type are available for selection).
  5. Optionally, select the Preview checkbox before clicking Print.

Product Export

Your product list can be exported to a .csv file using the Export Product list function:

  1. First, select the Product fields to be included in the export.
  2. From the menu bar of Acctivate, select File → Export Product list to open the Export Product list window.
  3. The Export Destination field will default if configured, otherwise use the lookup to enter a name and select a location for export.
  4. The Only export "Available on Web" products option will default based on the default configuration setting. When checked, only products configured as Available on Web will be exported. When unchecked, all products will be exported.
  5. Click Export.
Tip

You can also export some grids, export Reports, query data in Excel.