Product grouping types
The Product Grouping type of a product (on its Product Grouping tab) decides whether the product is made of other products (its components), and when their stock is used. Choose it before the product's first transaction: most changes are blocked once it has been used.
How a product's own stock is tracked (by quantity, serial number or batch) is a separate choice: see Management types.
A group product is made of other products, its components, with a quantity of each per group. The seven types in Grouping differ in two things: whether the group product has its own stock, and when the components' stock is used.
| Type | Group has its own stock? | Components are used… | Component Qty means | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Yes | – | – | Ordinary products |
| Manual Group | Yes | when you assemble groups with a Product Conversion | pieces of the component in one group | Gift baskets, kits you pre-pack |
| Manual Ungroup | Yes | you get components when you break groups apart with a Product Conversion | pieces of the component in one group | Cases you open into pieces when needed |
| Automatic Group | No | every time the group is sold or sent out | pieces of the component in one group | Bundles and meals made on the spot |
| Automatic Ungroup | No | every time the group is sold or sent out | percentage of one component in one group | Selling part of a bigger item: 1 kg from a sack |
| Automatic Group Inventory | Yes | only when a sale would make the group's stock negative | pieces of the component in one group | Packs you keep in stock but can also make on the spot |
| Automatic Ungroup Inventory | Yes | only when a sale would make the group's stock negative; one component only | how many groups one component gives | Pieces sold from a case you open when pieces run out |
"Sold or sent out" means any outgoing transaction: POS sale, Sales Outbound, Stock Delivery Outbound, Stock Return Outbound, Purchase Return Outbound and Damage Outbound. The automatic conversions show in stock reports as Auto Product Conversion Increase and Auto Product Conversion Decrease; manual ones as Product Conversion Increase and Product Conversion Decrease.
Manual Group
The group is a normal stocked product. You make it from its components with a Product Conversion: the group's stock goes up and the components' stock goes down.
Example: Holiday Basket = 1 × Red Wine 750 ml + 2 × Chocolate Bar + 1 × Rattan Basket.
| Transaction | Holiday Basket | Red Wine | Chocolate Bar | Rattan Basket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting stock | 0 | 40 | 100 | 30 |
| Product Conversion, Qty 10, approved | +10 → 10 | −10 → 30 | −20 → 80 | −10 → 20 |
| POS sells 4 baskets | −4 → 6 | 30 | 80 | 20 |
Manual Ungroup
The reverse: you buy and stock the group, and break it into components with a Product Conversion when you need them. The group's stock goes down and the components' stock goes up.
Example: Softdrink 1.5 L (case of 12) with component Softdrink 1.5 L (bottle) × 12.
| Transaction | Case | Bottle |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase Inbound of 5 cases | +5 → 5 | 0 |
| Product Conversion, Qty 2, approved | −2 → 3 | +24 → 24 |
| POS sells 7 bottles | 3 | −7 → 17 |
Automatic Group
The group has no stock of its own. Whenever it's sold or sent out, CIRMS takes the components out instead, automatically. Returns (Sales Return Inbound) and deliveries received from another branch (Stock Delivery Inbound) put the components back.
You can't buy or return the group itself from a supplier: when you save a Purchase Order, Purchase Inbound, Purchase Return or Purchase Return Outbound that contains one, CIRMS says This transaction contains Automatic Group products. Components of the product falls under this type of a group will be listed individually. and replaces the line with its components (for example 10 bundles become 10 shampoos and 10 conditioners). The same applies to Automatic Ungroup.
Example: Shampoo + Conditioner Bundle = 1 × Shampoo 180 ml + 1 × Conditioner 180 ml, sold under its own barcode and price.
| Transaction | Bundle | Shampoo | Conditioner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting stock | 0 | 50 | 50 |
| POS sells 3 bundles | 0 | −3 → 47 | −3 → 47 |
Automatic Ungroup
Like Automatic Group, but each component's Qty is a percentage of one component (the % sign appears next to the quantity). Use it to sell part of a bigger item.
Example: Rice 1 kg with component Rice 25 kg sack at 4% (1 kg is 4% of 25 kg).
| Transaction | Rice 1 kg | Rice 25 kg sack |
|---|---|---|
| Starting stock | 0 | 10 |
| POS sells 5 × Rice 1 kg | 0 | −0.2 (5 × 4%) → 9.8 |
Automatic Group Inventory
The group has its own stock and is sold from it. Only when an outgoing transaction would make the group's stock negative, CIRMS assembles the missing quantity from the components, automatically. Incoming transactions never trigger it.
Example: Beer Six-Pack with component Beer Can 330 ml × 6.
| Transaction | Six-Pack | Beer Can |
|---|---|---|
| Starting stock | 2 | 100 |
| POS sells 5 six-packs (stock would be −3) | auto +3, sale −5 → 0 | −18 → 82 |
If that sale is reverted later, the 3 six-packs stay assembled: CIRMS doesn't undo this conversion.
Automatic Ungroup Inventory
The group has its own stock and exactly one component (Automatic Ungroup Inventory only allows one component.). The component's Qty is how many groups one component gives. When an outgoing transaction would make the group's stock negative, CIRMS opens as many whole components as needed (the shortfall divided by the quantity, rounded up).
Example: Egg (piece) with component Egg Tray (30 pcs), Qty 30.
| Transaction | Egg (piece) | Egg Tray |
|---|---|---|
| Starting stock | 5 | 4 |
| POS sells 12 eggs (stock would be −7) | auto +30, sale −12 → 23 | −1 → 3 |
As with Automatic Group Inventory, reverting the sale doesn't undo the conversion.
Rules for group products
- A group needs at least one component (Components must have at least one item.), and a product can't be its own component.
- A group can't be a component of another group (Selected Product is already a group.).
- Once the group has been used in a transaction, only Manual Group and Manual Ungroup components can still be changed (Used Product Grouping cannot be edited.).
- Changing the type of a group that has components clears the component list.
- Your administrator can make CIRMS compute the group's prices from its components' prices (setting Auto Compute Product Grouping Price). CIRMS then asks whether to recompute the price whenever you change a component's quantity.