V9 - Item field descriptions

If you have defined any custom fields for items, they will appear below the standard SOS item fields in a section called Custom fields. The fields will be of the input format and value that you define.

Add image. Select the button to upload a picture of the item. The image is used for reference within SOS. The size of the image is specified in the Picture size (width x height) setting (Tools & settings > Configuration > Inventory > General).

Always shippable. Specifies that the item can always be shipped. This option is available for any item type except Inventory, Assembly, and Category.

Asset account. Account to record inventory on hand for this item. If the list is empty, that means your SOS account has never been connected to your QuickBooks Online account.

Barcode. SOS Inventory will recognize the item by this barcode in addition to the name of the item. You can type the code or place the cursor in the Barcode field and scan it in from an existing barcode. More information is available on the Barcoding page. (Maximum length: 100 characters)

Category. This allows you to select a category to assign the item to so that you may group common items together and report on all items within the category. For more on categories, see Creating and using categories and subcategories. 

COGS account. Account to record costs of goods sold for this item. If the list is empty, that means your SOS account has never been connected to your QuickBooks Online account.

Commission rate. Specifies the commission percentage that a sales representative will receive for the sale of this item. This is added to the sales rep's standard commission rate. (Maximum length: 3 numeric)

Customer part number. An internal reference number that can be included on printed or emailed transactions. (Maximum length: 50 characters)

Default bin. The bin in which this item is stored by default. A bin will appear in the Default bin dropdown only if the bin has already been defined in the system. When an item is assigned to a bin in the item definition, that bin will appear whenever the item is entered on a transaction--but the bin can be changed manually if desired. Changing this value will not change any existing transactions. Bins can be used only at locations set up for bin tracking. See Bins for more information on this topic. 

Default class. The class to which the item is assigned by default when used on transactions, but the class assignment can be changed on the transaction as needed. Class tracking is useful for reporting purposes. Classes on transactions sync to QuickBooks Online if class tracking has been enabled in QuickBooks. The default class listed in the item definition does not sync.

Description (for sales). The item description included on sales forms. QuickBooks Online requires item descriptions to be unique. SOS Inventory allows the description to be changed on any individual form. (Maximum length: 4000 characters)

Description (for purchasing). The description shown on purchasing forms. If you enter a purchasing description, it must NOT match the sales description. If this field is left blank, the sales description will be used on purchasing transactions by default. (Maximum length: 4000 characters)

Exempt from commission. Specifies that sales of this item are not eligible for sales commissions.

Expense account. Account to record expenses for the purchase or sale of this item. If the list is empty, that means your SOS account has never been connected to your QuickBooks Online account.

Has variants. Indicates that the item is a product with multiple variations in size, color, or other attributes. Check this box only if the item will serve as the master upon which all variants will be based. When this box is checked, the system will hide the Starting inventory fields, as a master item has no stock, does not sync to QuickBooks Online, and cannot be used on transactions. For more information about this feature, see Working with item variants.

Income account. Account to record income from sales of this item. If the list is empty, that means your SOS account has never been connected to your QuickBooks Online account.

Lead time. The length of time, in days, that must be allowed for a vendor to produce, ship, and deliver the item once it has been ordered. If using the Calculate reorder points setting (Tools & settings > Configuration > Inventory > General) on the Pro plan, lead time is included in the calculation to update the reorder points.

Markup %. The price of an item that is charged to a customer, based on a markup percentage of either the standard cost or the actual cost basis. The data field will be labeled Markup % if the Fixed pricing/Markup pricing slider is set to Markup pricing. If you want the markup based on the actual cost of the item under your valuation method, enable the Markup on actual cost setting (Tools & settings > Configuration > Sales > General).

Max stock. The maximum desired quantity of this item—that is, the number of units you want to have after you complete restocking. If the Max stock field's value is set to zero or is lower than the quantity entered in the Reorder point field, the item will not show up on the Reorder report. If you leave the Max stock field blank, the suggested reorder will be one more than specified on the Reorder point. If you have multiple locations with different maximum stock levels for this item, you can use Location settings to set the Max stock quantity for each location. (Maximum length: 18 numeric)

Minimum price. Specifies the lowest sales price that you want the system to accept. The system will not allow any transaction to be saved if the sales price entered for an item is below its minimum sales price. (Maximum length: 13 numeric)

Name. Name of the item. The name should be whatever you want to use to reference this item, but it must be unique. The name is the primary method used to retrieve the item on forms. This could be a part number, SKU number, item code, descriptive name, or anything you want, as long as you understand what it represents. Double quotes (“), less than (<), greater than (>), colon (:), and pipe (|) characters are not allowed in the item name. Double quotes will be converted to single quotes by the system if used. (Maximum length: 100 characters, but no more than 89 are recommended. See note below.)

Notes. Any additional information you wish to store about this item. (Maximum length: 1000 characters)

Per sale commission. Specifies the monetary amount per unit sold that a sales representative will receive as a commission. This is added to the sales rep's standard commission rate. (Maximum length: 13 numeric)

Preferred vendor. Vendor from which you normally purchase this item. This will assist you in generating purchase orders from the Reorder report. If you need to specify multiple vendors for an item, use the Vendor-Item Catalog. 

Purchase cost. Also known as the standard cost, which is the expected price you pay when purchasing this item. This value is mandatory for any items that will be used as the output in a process transaction. If the item Type is Assembly, enter a purchase cost only if you intend to buy this product from a vendor as an alternative if you cannot manufacture it in time. Otherwise, an assembly's cost is noted by its total bill of materials (BOM) cost. If the item Type is Kit (Item group), no purchase cost is needed. (Maximum length: 13 numeric)

Purchase tax. Along with Sales tax, Purchase tax is used instead of the Taxable field on SOS Inventory accounts that are based outside the United States.

Reorder point. The level at which this item needs to be reordered. All items are assumed to be on the Reorder report unless this field contains a negative number (such as -99) to hide the item from the report. The largest negative number accepted is -9999. If you have multiple locations with different reorder points for this item, you can use Location settings to set the reorder point for each location. (Maximum length: 13 numeric)

Sales price. The price charged to customers for this item. The data field will be labeled Sales price if the Fixed pricing/Markup pricing slider is set to Fixed pricing. (Maximum length: 13 numeric)

Sales tax. Along with the Purchase tax, the Sales tax is used instead of the Taxable field on SOS Inventory accounts that are based outside the United States.

SKU. Scan or type the stock keeping unit (SKU) that the system will use to recognize this item. This syncs to the SKU field in QuickBooks Online. (Maximum length: 255 characters)

Starting inventory. A set of fields that appears on the Edit page of a new item. Fields include the beginning Quantity of this item, As of a specific date, the item’s total Value, and the Location where the item is stored. Only the Quantity field will be visible until you enter a value greater than 0. Use for existing inventory that needs to be entered into the system. If Track serial numbers or Track lot numbers has been enabled for the item, the Starting inventory fields will not display. (Inventory for serial-tracked items must be added with an item receipt. For lot-tracked items, an item receipt or adjustment must be used.)

Sync with. A block of data fields that includes the following:

• Sync with QuickBooks. If your company is set up to sync with QuickBooks Online, this box will be checked by default. Uncheck this box if you do not want this item to sync to QuickBooks Online. However, if you plan to use the item on any transactions sent to QuickBooks Online (invoices, etc.), this box must be checked.
• Update inventory in BigCommerce. Updates the quantity of an item in BigCommerce as sales are received, adjusting the available-for-sale numbers.
• Update inventory in Shopify. Updates the quantity of an item in Shopify as sales are received, adjusting the available-for-sale numbers.

Tags. These allow you to search for unlike items that are still related in some sense. An example would be a coffee table, couch, and television. If you gave them all a tag of living room, you can filter for that tag to show only those items in the Items list. (Maximum length: 4000 characters, including spaces and commas)

Taxable. Default taxable status for this item. You can override this on each line item of a sales form. Users based outside the US will see dropdown lists to define a default purchase tax and sales tax for each item, because a tax is required for every line item.

Track lot numbers. Select this option if the item will be lot tracked. SOS Inventory will track a lot item when it is purchased, shipped, or manufactured. For more information on lot tracking, go to Lots.

Track serial numbers. Selecting this option allows you to track serial numbers for specific items. For more information on serial tracking, go to Serial inventory.

Type. SOS Inventory supports the following item types:

• Inventory item. Inventory items are the most common type of item you will have. These simply represent any item for which you want to track stock on hand.
• Non-inventory. Non-inventory items are items that you want to use in transactions but for which you do not maintain inventory. For example, this could be used for items that you sell but do not stock (for example, drop-shipped items).
• Category. Category items are ways to group like items. This is very similar to the structure of QuickBooks Online. For example, if you sell 10 different types of widgets, you could have a category item called Widget with 10 items underneath. 
• Expense. An expense is a fee-based item which represents a cost to you. When it is purchased, it is posted to QuickBooks Online directly as an expense.
• Assembly. An assembly item is a manufactured, finished good. An assembly is made up of component items. Its cost is determined by its bill of materials (BOM). For more information on assemblies, see Builds and assemblies.
• Kit (item group). A collection of physical items that are bundled together at the time of sale. The items in a kit are still separate items that may be sold individually if desired. For more information, refer to Kits (item groups).
• Service. Service items represent fee-based services that you charge to your customers. An example would be installation or delivery.
• Labor. The amount paid to an employee for work performed. For more information on labor items, see Labor. Labor items are available only on the Pro plan.
• Overhead. Ongoing business expenses not directly attributed to creating a product or to performing a service. For more information on overhead items, go to the section Tracking overhead costs. Overhead items are available only on the Pro plan.
• Other. Use this designation for items that do not fall under any of the other types.

Used on. A set of fields that allows you to choose the types of forms on which the item appears. Choices are Sales forms, Purchasing forms, and/or Production forms. The option is useful if, for example, the item is a raw material component used in manufacturing. You may need the component to appear on purchasing and production forms, but do not want it to show on sales forms if not sold separately. All three kinds of forms are enabled by default. If you uncheck a box, the item will not appear in the Item drop-down list on transaction forms of that type.

Vendor part number. Use this optional field if your vendor has a different part number for this item than you do. This value will show on the line item of a purchase order. (Maximum length: 50 characters)

Volume. The size of the item in cubic meters (cbm). This is useful in shipping and purchasing.

Warranty. The type of warranty attached to a serial or non-serial item. Warranties have the most potential with serial items. The warranty must be defined in the system before it will appear in the dropdown.

Website. URL where this item can be located online. Use the format http:// or https:// at the beginning of the URL. (Maximum length: 255 characters)

Weight. The weight of the item in pounds (lb), ounces (oz), kilograms (kg), or grams (g). This is useful for shipping purposes.