ADMIN: Configuring inventory

Unless you import a product list and your material codes are created during the import, you must set up material codes first. Material codes establish the tax category for a product. Refer to Material codes.

Product categories are optional. Their purpose is to help you organize your product list. Refer to Adding product categories.

If a Autotask does not have a field for information you would like to track with your products or devices (products installed at a customer site), create User-Defined Fields. Refer to Managing user-defined fields.

Only items on your product list can be procured, kept in inventory, or installed as a device. You can manually create your product list, or you can import it into Autotask. Refer to Adding, editing, or copying a product and Populating the Products import template.

• If you are tracking inventory, we recommend that your product list be fairly specific, especially if you are tracking serialized items.
• When Procurement is enabled, an additional column appears on the Products list: Does Not Require Procurement. By default it is not selected. When it is selected, the items will not be subject to approval or appear on the Purchasing & Fulfillment page.
• To add inventory products to purchase orders, there is one additional requirement: the product must be associated with one or more vendors.

A vendor is an organization from which you purchase products or services. They are required if you want to issue purchase orders. To set up a vendor, create the organization and simply select Vendor as the organization type.

Refer to Adding an organization and Organization Type.

Inventory and Procurement security is associated with the user's security level. To adjust Inventory security settings for an existing security level, or to set up a new security level specific to Inventory, go to Left Navigation Menu > Admin > Admin Categories > Organization Settings & Users > Resources/Users (HR) > Resources/Users (HR) > Security > Security Levels.

Refer to Inventory security settings.

When Procurement is enabled, you will need to configure your Inventory system settings. They determine your inventory accounting method, allow you to set up a purchasing team, and determine if and when quoted products require purchase approval.

Refer to Inventory system settings.

The look and feel of purchase orders you send to vendors can be customized. A default purchase order template is supplied, but you can create additional ones to satisfy your vendors' requirements. Refer to Managing purchase order templates.