> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bizaxl.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Item Catalogue and Batch Tracking
> How to set up and manage your product catalogue in Bizaxl, including batch numbers, expiry dates, and unit of measure conversions for dry fruit items.
Every product and material your dry fruit business handles - raw almonds, packaged cashews, 250g pouches, cardboard boxes - lives in the Item Catalogue. Before you can buy, sell, manufacture, or move anything in the system, it must exist as an item.
This page covers how to set up items correctly and how the batch and expiry tracking system works.
***
## Who Uses This Feature
| Role | What They Do |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Administrator** | Creates and maintains item records, sets up variants and pricing |
| **Procurement Officer** | References items when creating purchase orders |
| **Warehouse Manager** | Uses item records for stock entries and batch management |
| **Sales Executive** | Selects items when creating quotations and sales orders |
| **Quality Inspector** | Links quality inspection templates to items |
***
## Before You Start
To create an item you need:
* The item's name and a classification (Item Group)
* The Unit of Measure (e.g., KG, Gram, Box, Packet)
* Applicable HSN code for GST
* Whether the item is tracked by batch number
* Whether it has an expiry date
***
## Setting Up a New Item
### Step 1: Open the Item form
Go to **Stock workspace** and click **Item** under the Items Catalogue section, then click **New**.
### Step 2: Fill in the basic details
| Field | What to Enter | Example |
| --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| **Item Code** | A unique code for this product. The system can auto-generate it or you can type your own | ALM-500G |
| **Item Name** | The full product name as it will appear on invoices and reports | Almonds Premium 500g |
| **Item Group** | The category this item belongs to. Create groups like "Raw Nuts", "Packaged Products", "Packaging Material" | Packaged Products |
| **Default Unit of Measure** | The primary unit you buy, sell, or stock this item in | KG or Packet |
| **Standard Selling Rate** | Your default selling price per unit | 650.00 |
| **Valuation Rate** | The cost per unit, used to calculate stock value | 450.00 |
### Step 3: Enable stock maintenance
Turn on **Maintain Stock** if this is a physical product that should be tracked in the warehouse. Leave it off for service items or digital products.
### Step 4: Configure batch and expiry tracking
This is critical for dry fruit products.
Turn on **Has Batch No** for any item that needs to be tracked by batch. Once this is on, every stock movement for this item must specify a batch number.
Turn on **Has Expiry Date** to track when each batch expires. With this setting:
* The system records the expiry date when each batch is received
* The Pick List and Delivery Note will always use the earliest-expiring batch first (First Expiry First Out)
* The Batch Item Expiry Status report shows you all batches with their expiry dates
Set **Shelf Life in Days** to tell the system how long this product is expected to last. When a new batch is created, the expiry date is calculated automatically from the date of manufacture.
### Step 5: Set the HSN code for GST
In the **Taxes** tab, enter the correct HSN code for this item. Dry fruits typically fall under HSN 0813 (dried fruits) or related codes. The correct HSN code ensures that GSTR-1 and HSN-wise reports are accurate.
You can also assign an **Item Tax Template** here if this item has a specific GST rate that differs from your default.
### Step 6: Configure reorder levels
In the **Inventory** tab, set the **Reorder Level** and **Reorder Quantity** for each warehouse. When stock falls below the reorder level, the system can automatically create a Material Request.
### Step 7: Add purchase and sales units of measure
If you buy in KG but sell in 250g Packets, you can define a UOM conversion:
* Go to the **Units of Measure (UOM)** tab on the item
* Add a row: 1 Packet = 0.25 KG
The system will then handle the conversion automatically in transactions.
***
## Field Guide
| Field | Description |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Item Code** | Unique identifier for this item used in all transactions |
| **Item Name** | Human-readable name for the product |
| **Item Group** | Category the item belongs to for reporting and organisation |
| **Default UOM** | The base unit all stock quantities are stored in |
| **Maintain Stock** | Whether this item is tracked physically in the warehouse |
| **Has Batch No** | Whether each receipt of this item is assigned a batch number |
| **Has Expiry Date** | Whether each batch has a recorded expiry date |
| **Shelf Life in Days** | Used to auto-calculate expiry date from manufacturing date |
| **Reorder Level** | Minimum stock quantity before a replenishment request is triggered |
| **Reorder Quantity** | How much to order when restocking |
| **HSN Code** | Harmonised System Nomenclature code for GST classification |
| **Standard Selling Rate** | Default selling price (can be overridden per customer or price list) |
| **Valuation Rate** | Cost price used to value the stock in the warehouse |
| **Disabled** | Marks an item as inactive without deleting it |
***
## Managing Batches
### What is a batch?
A batch is a specific lot of a product received or produced at the same time. When you receive 200 KG of almonds from Supplier A on 15 March, that entire delivery becomes one batch. It gets a batch number, a manufacturing date, and an expiry date.
Every time that stock moves (sold, transferred, consumed in manufacturing), the system records which batch it came from. This gives you complete traceability from supplier delivery to customer invoice.
### How batches are created
Batches are created automatically when:
* A Purchase Receipt is submitted (one batch per receipt line, or you can specify the batch number from the supplier's label)
* A Work Order is completed and finished goods are received into stock
You can also create batches manually from **Stock workspace → Batch**.
### Batch fields
| Field | Description |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Batch ID** | The unique batch identifier. Can be your internal code or the supplier's batch code |
| **Item** | The item this batch belongs to |
| **Manufacturing Date** | When this batch was produced or the date the supplier packed it |
| **Expiry Date** | When this batch should no longer be sold |
| **Supplier** | Which supplier this batch came from |
| **Batch Quantity** | How much stock from this batch is currently in the warehouse |
***
## Item Variants
If you sell the same product in multiple pack sizes - for example, Cashews W240 in 100g, 250g, 500g, and 1kg - you can set up item variants instead of creating four separate items.
1. Create a base item: **Cashews W240**
2. Enable **Has Variants** and set **Variant Based On** to Attribute
3. Create an Item Attribute called **Pack Size** with values: 100g, 250g, 500g, 1kg
4. Generate the variants
The system creates four separate item records that all share the same parent, making reporting by product line much easier.
***
## Notifications and Alerts
The system does not send automatic email alerts when stock expires, but the **Batch Item Expiry Status** report and the **Stock Ageing** report give you the visibility you need to act proactively.
Best practice: schedule a weekly review of the Batch Item Expiry Status report every Monday morning to identify any batches expiring within the next 30 days.
***
## Best Practices
* Always use a consistent item naming convention so items are easy to find in the search. For example: `[Product Name] [Grade] [Pack Size]` → "Almonds Premium 500g"
* Enable batch tracking for every raw material and finished good. This is essential for traceability and for managing expiry
* Set up reorder levels for fast-moving items so the system reminds you before you run out
* Keep the item catalogue clean: use the Disabled flag rather than deleting old items, so historical transactions remain accurate
* Assign HSN codes during item setup, not at invoice time, to avoid errors in GST filings
***
## Related Features
* [Procurement](./procurement) - Using items in purchase orders and receipts
* [Inventory Management](./inventory) - Stock entries, transfers, and reconciliation
* [Quality Inspection](./quality) - Setting up and running incoming inspections by item
* [Sales](./sales) - Using items in quotations, orders, and invoices
* [GST Compliance](./gst-compliance) - HSN codes and tax templates