Managing the Product Categories Service

Product categories are used to define specific characteristics about products in Aptify, such as default general ledger (GL) accounts and any organization-specific pricing objects. For this reason, product categories must be configured before creating and saving any Products records.

Aptify's sample database include several predefined product categories. An organization should create new product categories as necessary based on its particular product and service mix.

This topic covers the following sub-topics:

• Creating a New Product Category
• Adding GL Accounts to the Product Category
• Adding the Product Category to the Aptify e-Business Suite
• Specifying Category Level Pricing
• Reviewing Product Category Relationships

Creating a New Product Category

Follow these steps to create a new Product Category:

1. Open a new record from the Product Categories service.
2. Enter the name for the new product category in the Name field.
3. Enter a description for the product category in the Description field.
4. If the new product category is subordinate to another product category, enter the parent category in the Parent field.
5. Enter the default Product Type for products of this category into the Default Product Type link box. This field links to Product Types service.
   • See Understanding Product Categories and Product Types for more information.
   • When you enter this category on a Products record, Aptify automatically sets the product's Type field with the specified product type.
6. Leave the Active option selected.
   • This field is reserved for future use. 
7. Select the Open Order Line on Add option if you want an order line item to be opened automatically when a product of this category is added to an order. This feature will open the item details and default to the tab with the most relevant information specific to the product type.
   
   
8. Add any additional information about the category to the Comments tab.
9. Specify any product attributes on the Attributes tab, if necessary.
   • Attributes are a generic feature that allow implementation of product-specific logic and are not commonly used in Aptify. See About the Attributes Form for Products for more information.
10. Save the new Product Categories record.
11. Add general ledger (GL) accounts to the record, as necessary.
    • See Adding GL Accounts to the Product Category for more information.
12. Add the category to an e-Business web site, as necessary.
    • See Adding the Product Category to the Aptify e-Business Suite for more information.
13. Add Order Line details, as necessary.
    • See About the Product Categories Form for more information.
14. Add Category Level Pricing, if desired.
    • See Specifying Category Level Pricing for more information.
      
      

See Reviewing Product Category Relationships for information on the Products, Sub-Categories, Standing Orders, and Hierarchy Browser tabs.

Adding GL Accounts to the Product Category

General ledger (GL) accounts for a product can be added at the product category level for user convenience. All GL accounts added to a product category are inherited by any new product created under this category. Therefore, while you can modify the GL accounts at the product category level, any modifications at this level do not affect the GL accounts of existing products previously linked to the category.

See Managing General Ledger Accounts for details regarding the creation of new GL accounts.

1. If necessary, consult with your organization's accounting department to determine the set of GL Accounts to add to this category.
2. Once you know which accounts you want to add, open the Product Categories record and click the GL Accounts tab.
3. Click the New icon in the toolbar to open a new GL Accounts sub-type record.
4. Enter a GL Account name in the field by doing one of the following:
   
   • Enter the name or the first few characters of the name of the GL Account and hit enter on your keyboard to complete the name.
   • Use the Search function to locate the GL Account.
   • Create a new GL Account by clicking the GL Account field name.
5. Select the account's type from the Type drop-down list.
   • Standard account types include Accounts Receivable, Sales, and Deferred Income.
6. Specify the GL Order Level in the field provided.
7. See About Orders and GL Accounts for information on Order Levels.
   
   
   
   
8. Click OK (or OK and New to add additional GL accounts in one step).
9. Repeat the steps above to add additional GL accounts to the product category.
   
   
10. Save the Product Categories record.
    
    

Adding the Product Category to the Aptify e-Business Suite

If an organization has the Aptify e-Business Suite installed, completing the fields on the Web tab propagates the product's information to the e-Business website. 

Follow these steps to add this product to the e-Business site:

1. Click the Web tab on the Products record.
2. Select the Web Enabled option.
3. Enter a Web Name, if different from the product's name.
4. Select the type of Web page for this product from the Web Page Type drop-down list:
   • Generated: Aptify automatically generates a web page for this product based on the standard page for its product type. This corresponds to the functionality available in Aptify e-Business 3.5 and earlier.
   • Template: Aptify generates a web page for this product using the Web page specified in the Web Template field. See About the Product Web Templates Form for details. If you select this option, specify the Web Template in the field provided.
   • Custom: Aptify uses a product-specific web page designed specifically for this product; it does not automatically generate a web page. If you select this option, specify the URL for the page in the Web Page field.
5. Enter a description to display for the product on the website in the Web Description field.
6. By default, the Description you entered on the Products record's General Tab appears in this field.
   
   
7. Select the Long Description tab and enter a longer description that can appear on the product's detail page on the website, if desired.
8. Save the Products record.

Specifying Category Level Pricing

If all of the Products that will be added to this category should have the same pricing behavior, an organization can specify a pricing object at the category level. This pricing object is then inherited by any new product created under this category. Also, new subcategories of this category inherit this pricing object information as well.

See Specifying a Pricing Object for information on creating and using Pricing Objects.

Follow these steps to specify a pricing object at the category level:

1. Select the Pricing tab on the Product Categories record.
2. Enter the object's location in the Aptify Object Repository in the Pricing Object field.
3. Enter the object's class in the Pricing Class field.
4. Enter the object's assembly name in the Pricing Assembly field.

5. Save the Product Categories record.

   The Pricing fields allow the client-specific pricing information entered at the product category level to flow down to the product level based on the associated product category. At the category level, the pricing object does not have any functionality other than storing the data necessary to pass it down to the product level.

Reviewing Product Category Relationships

A Product Categories record includes four tabs that display information about a Category's relationship with products, other categories, and standing orders:

• Sub-Categories: Displays the product categories for which this category is the parent.
• Products: Displays the products in this category.
• Standing Orders: Displays the standing orders for this category.
• Hierarchy Browser: Displays the category, its related categories, and the products associated with these categories in a hierarchal view. 

Hierarchy Browser

The Hierarchy Browser displays a category, its related categories, and the products associated with these categories. The Hierarchy Browser includes the following features:

• The browser displays the top-level category and its linked sub-categories on the left-hand side of the Hierarchy Browser tab.
• The products that use a selected category appear on the right-hand side of the Hierarchy Browser tab in a standard list view.
• Right-click a category to open the selected category’s record or to add a new sub‑category.
• Double-click within the Products section of the Hierarchy Browser tab to open a Products record.

Related topic

Understanding Product Categories and Product Types