Defining an item, Part 2: Optional data fields

Discover how to harness greater functionality for your items by populating these useful fields.

What you’ll learn in Defining an item, Part 2: Optional data fields

• Grasp the kinds of information needed in item page data fields and properly assign characteristics and values to create an item definition
• Manually add to the Sync Queue an adjustment transaction automatically created for a new item in which starting inventory data have been specified

Video Transcript

This video is Part 2 in our series Defining an item. In Part 1, we covered the most critical data fields used for items. Now we will go into optional data that, while not essential, can be very useful to incorporate in an item’s definition.

In addition, we will cover how to manually add to the Sync Queue the adjustment that SOS Inventory automatically creates when one of these optional item fields–the starting inventory data–is populated in the creation of a new item.

Optional data fields for items

The data fields that will be addressed in this video are: SKU, Picture, Web Address, Preferred Vendor, Vendor Part Number, Customer Part Number, Starting Inventory, Reorder Point, Max Stock Level, Lead Time, Weight, Volume, Commission Exempt, Percent Commission, Per Unit Commission, Default Class, Tags, and Notes. SOS Inventory also gives you the option to create a certain number of custom fields based upon your plan subscription. Although custom fields are ones that you design according to your own needs, they are listed here simply because they are optional fields for items.

Please note that not all data fields presented in this video may be applicable to the needs of your business or for a specific item. Use the ones that work for you. Now let’s go through each of these fields and see what they can do.

First, we will open a new item edit page.

The SKU, or stockkeeping unit, is an item code the system will use to recognize the item. The SKU in SOS Inventory syncs to the SKU field in QuickBooks Online.

If you want to include an image of an item as a visual reference for your organization’s internal use, upload it in the Picture field.

The Web Address field allows you to enter the website where additional information for this item can be located on an external online site. The address should include the prefix http or https, followed by ://. The prefix www is not required.

If you have a vendor from whom you normally purchase the item, select the vendor’s name from the Preferred Vendor dropdown list. Specifying a preferred vendor can help you in generating purchase orders from the Reorder Report. Plus and Pro plan customers who use multiple vendors for an item should use the Vendor-Item Catalog instead of populating the Preferred Vendor field.

The Vendor Part Number field works in tandem with the Preferred Vendor data on purchase orders. SOS Inventory saves you a step by automatically populating the Part # field on a purchase order whenever that item is entered.

The Customer Part Number is an internal reference number that can be included on printed or emailed transactions.

If you have existing inventory for an item that you are adding to SOS Inventory, you may opt to use the Starting Inventory section to enter the number of units, as of date, valued at amount, and the location where the item is stored.

Whenever Starting Inventory data is entered for a new item, a system-generated adjustment transaction will be created after the item is saved. You must manually add that adjustment to the Sync Queue, as SOS Inventory will not do it automatically. We will explain how to do this later in this video.

Plus and Pro plan customers, please note that you may not enter any Starting Inventory data for items that will be tracked with serial or lot numbers. More information about serial- and lot-tracked items will be given in Defining Items, Part 3: Advanced data fields.

An item page has several fields pertaining to replenishing stock levels. The Reorder Point is the level at which you need to order more inventory. An item is assumed to be on the Reorder Report unless you fill this field with a negative number—such as -99 —to hide the item from the report. The Max Stock Level is the maximum number of units you want to have after you complete restocking, while the Lead Time is the length of time that must be allowed for a vendor to produce, ship and deliver the item after it has been ordered. While used simply as a reference on Companion and Plus plans, Lead Time on the Pro plan assists in the automatic recalculations of reorder points.

In the Weight field, you can enter the weight of an item in pounds, ounces, kilograms, or grams. This is useful for shipping purposes.  Volume is helpful for both shipping and purchasing. It provides the size of the item, usually in cubic meters (cbm). You cannot add additional variations other than the ones listed.

The next three fields deal with sales commissions: Commission Exempt, Percent Commission, and Per Unit Commission. If you do not want to pay commission on the sale of the item, check the Commission Exempt box. The Percent Commission field defines the percentage that a sales representative receives for selling the item, while Per Unit Commission, in contrast, specifies a flat monetary amount that is calculated using the quantity on transactions. You can combine using Percent Commission and Per Unit Commission for the same item if desired.

Class tracking is useful for reporting purposes. Although the Default Class field allows you to specify the class to which the item is assigned by default, you can change the class assignment on transactions as desired. If class tracking has been enabled in QuickBooks Online, classes in SOS will sync to QuickBooks.

Tags allow you to filter a search for items based on specific characteristics. For example, tags for an oak coffee table might include coffee table, oak, and living room. A comma should be placed between tags.

The Notes field allows you to enter any additional information you wish to store about the item. This information will not appear on any forms.

The topic of custom fields is outside the scope of this video, but if you do have any custom fields for items, they will appear below the Notes field. Please refer to the SOS Inventory User Guide for more information about creating custom fields.

Adding to the Sync Queue an adjustment for an item with starting inventory data

As mentioned when we discussed the Starting Inventory fields, SOS Inventory will automatically create an adjustment transaction to reflect the quantity, value, and location of the item’s beginning inventory. However, the transaction must be added to the Sync Queue manually for the data to be sent to QuickBooks Online.

Go to the Operations Menu, select Inventory and then Adjustments. Locate the adjustment in the Adjustments list, then choose Add to Sync from the Actions Menu.

This concludes Part 2 of Defining an item. If your company is a Plus or Pro plan subscriber—or is a Companion plan subscriber using our Shopify or BigCommerce cart integrations—be sure to watch Defining an item, Part 3: Advanced data fields. Thank you for watching this presentation!