If you work in sales and need to create a new item in Business Central, you don’t have to fill in every field on the item card. You only need a handful of fields to get an item ready for selling, and many of them get filled in automatically if you use item templates. This article walks through which fields matter for a salesperson and which ones you should hand over to your finance department.
Start by pressing New in the item list. If you have item templates set up, you can pick a template such as a part or a bike, and the template fills in some of the fields automatically. The item also gets a new number automatically if you have a number series defined.
On the General tab, fill in the description and the base unit of measure code, for example pieces. The base unit of measure is an obligatory field because it tells the system how inventory should handle the item. You can also set the item category code, which the sales department often uses to group items into categories.
On the Invoicing tab, leave the costing method and posting groups to your finance department. The costing method (Standard, FIFO, LIFO and so on) and the general product posting group, VAT product posting group, and inventory posting group need to be correct so you don’t cause problems later. If your template already prefills these, you’re fine. If not, ask finance what to enter.
If you report Intrastat, fill in the tariff number and the country/region of origin code while you create the item. You should at least enter these before you sell the item, because it makes reporting easier afterwards.
The Price & Posting tab is the one that belongs to you. Fill in the unit price, decide whether you allow invoice discount, and set whether the item belongs to an item discount group. You can define additional units of measure beyond the base unit if you want to sell the item in different quantities. You can also block the item so nobody can sell it before you release it or get it in stock.
You can set the VAT business posting group to control whether the price is shown with or without VAT for different customers. The Prices Including VAT checkmark is normally filled in from the template you selected.
The minimum fields a salesperson needs on a new item
To summarise, before you can start selling a new item you need:
- Description on the General tab
- Base unit of measure code (obligatory)
- Item category code (optional, for categorisation)
- Costing method and posting groups on the Invoicing tab (often prefilled by the template, otherwise confirmed with finance)
- Tariff number and country/region of origin code if you report Intrastat
- Unit price and other settings on the Price & Posting tab
If you set up a good item template, most of this is handled for you, and creating a sellable item becomes a quick task.
Creating an item card in Business Central step by step
Press New from the item list. Choose an item template if prompted, and the template defaults some of the fields and assigns a number from your number series. Fill in the description and base unit of measure, optionally set the item category, check the posting fields on the Invoicing tab, add Intrastat details if relevant, and finish with the price and posting setup on your own tab. Once those fields are in place, the item is ready to sell.
Q&A
Which fields are mandatory when creating a new item in Business Central?
The description and the base unit of measure code are the essential fields. The base unit of measure is obligatory because it tells the system how inventory should handle the item.
Which item fields should be left to the finance department?
The costing method (Standard, FIFO, LIFO and so on) and the posting groups on the Invoicing tab. This includes the general product posting group, VAT product posting group, and inventory posting group. If your item template doesn’t prefill these, ask finance what to enter.
How do item templates help when creating items?
An item template automatically fills in many of the fields on the item card based on the type of item you choose, such as a part or a bike. The new item also gets a number from your number series automatically.
What should I fill in if I report Intrastat?
Enter the tariff number and the country/region of origin code while creating the item. Do this at least before you sell the item, because it makes reporting easier later.
How do I prevent a new item from being sold before it’s ready?
Use the Blocked option on the item card. Even though you’ve created the item, blocking it stops people from selling it until you release it or get it in stock.