Turn the features on
Switch on what the catalogue needs
Why this step
Variants, units of measure, packaging and barcodes are all switches before they are screens — none of the next four steps has a menu until they are on.
What this does
The Inventory settings page is a list of switches that decide which features exist. Most "the menu is not there" questions about Inventory are answered here rather than by access rights.
Turning one on adds screens, fields and sometimes a whole module. Turning one off hides them again but does not undo the data already recorded.
Before you start
- Administrator rights on Inventory ▸ Configuration ▸ Settings.
- Turn on only what you will use. Every switch is a field somebody has to fill in and a screen somebody has to understand.
- Some switches install a module. That takes a moment and reloads the page; do it outside busy hours.
Steps
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01
Open Inventory ▸ Configuration ▸ Settings.
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02
Work down the blocks and switch on what the operation actually needs.
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03
Press Save. Nothing takes effect until you do.
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04
Check that the menus you expected have appeared before telling the team.
The switches that change the most
| Storage Locations | Adds locations inside a warehouse, and the Locations menu. Without it a warehouse is a single undivided place. This is the one most other features depend on. |
|---|---|
| Multi-Step Routes | Allows two- and three-step receipts and deliveries, and the Routes menu. Without it only one-step options are offered. |
| Lots & Serial Numbers | Tracks individual units or batches. Adds fields to receipts, deliveries and products, and real work on the shop floor. |
| Packages | Lets goods be grouped into packages that move as one. |
| Units of Measure & Packagings | Adds the Units & Packagings screen and lets a product be bought in one unit and stocked in another. |
| Consignment | Records stock you hold that belongs to someone else. |
| Reception Report | Shows, on a receipt, what the arriving goods are needed for. |
| Signature | Captures a signature on delivery. |
| Display Lots & Serial Numbers on Delivery Slips | Prints them on the paperwork. |
| Barcode Scanner | Installs barcode scanning for warehouse operations. |
| Batch, Wave & Cluster Transfers | Groups transfers so one person picks several at once. |
| Dropshipping | Ships from the supplier straight to the customer. |
| SMS Confirmation | Texts the customer when a delivery leaves. |
| Dispatch Management System | Adds vehicle and dispatch planning. |
Turning something off later
Switching a feature off hides its menus and fields. It does not delete what was recorded — lots already assigned stay on their moves, locations already created keep their stock.
That is deliberate, because the history has to remain readable. It also means switching off is not a clean undo: if the feature was used, expect the data to still be there when you switch it back on.
Test a switch on a copy before turning it on across a live database, particularly Lots and Packages, which change what every warehouse operation asks for.
Troubleshooting
| A menu is missing | Check this page before checking access rights. Most missing Inventory menus are a switch, not a permission. |
|---|---|
| Only one-step receipts are offered | Multi-Step Routes is off. |
| There is no Locations menu | Storage Locations is off. |
| A product cannot use a second unit | Units of Measure & Packagings is off. |
| The page saved but nothing changed | Some switches install a module; the page reloads and the menus appear after that. |
| Turning a feature off left its data behind | Intended. History stays readable. |
| Staff are asked for lot numbers they do not have | Lots & Serial Numbers was switched on without deciding which products need tracking. |
Common mistakes
- Switching things on to see what they do, on a live database.
- Enabling Lots & Serial Numbers across everything when only glass or hardware needs tracking.
- Hunting through access rights for a menu that a setting controls.
- Leaving the page without saving.
- Expecting a switch-off to remove the data the feature created.
Checkpoint
Variants, units of measure, packaging and barcodes all appear in the Inventory menus.