Product Block
Package: BASIC
1. General
The blocks "Line Item Group - Basic Settings", "Line Item Group" and "Summary" in the Billing modules are also referred to as the "Product Block", as products and/or services can be selected here.
The Product Block is available in the following modules, which are among the so-called "Billing modules":
- Sales Orders
- Deals
- Incoming Invoices
- Purchase Orders (brainX CRM only)
- Credits
- Delivery Notes (brainX CRM only)
- Invoices
- Cancellations (Product Block only usable to a limited extent)
- Contracts (brainX APP only)
After opening the "Product Block" settings item, it is divided into three areas:
- Settings → Formatting of numeric values in product blocks and settings for dynamic line item groups and inventory management
- Fields for product and service line items → Create and edit fields for product and service line items
- Line Item Groups -> Edit properties (including managing values for line item groups) and define a default billing interval per line item group
Basic Setup - Product Block
If settings have been changed in one of the three areas, the "Save" button at the top right becomes active. The changes only become active in the system after clicking the button and saving the changes.
2. Settings
The following fields are available in the "Settings" area:
2.1. Formatting of numeric values in product blocks
Using the switch (active/inactive), you set whether numeric values in the product blocks are automatically formatted.
2.2. Allow dynamic line item groups
Using the switch (active/inactive), you set whether new line item groups can be created directly when selecting a line item group.
If the setting is active, users have the option to create new line item groups directly when selecting a line item group in the Product Block.
After clicking the "Add line item group" button, the "Create line item group" button is displayed in the flyout menu:
Flyout menu Line Item Group
After clicking the "Create line item group" button, the "New line item group" popup opens:
Popup "New line item group"
After entering the name in the "Line Item Group" field and clicking the "Create line item group" button, the new line item group is created and immediately displayed.
The line item group is only created in the record currently being edited. It is not permanently saved. New line item groups that are to be permanently saved must be created via the Line Item Groups settings item.
2.3. Inventory management
With inventory management, stock levels of Products are maintained in brainX. Stock movements are not posted automatically by the system, but via Automations using the actions reduce stock quantity and increase stock quantity. When and in which modules postings occur is thus defined individually.
For this purpose, the following field is available in the "Settings" area:
- Inventory management (switch) → Using the switch (active/inactive), you set whether stock levels are maintained.
If the setting is active:
- the fields Stock level, Minimum stock and Order quantity are displayed in the products in the Inventory block
- a notice is displayed in the Product Block if the stock level of a product is not sufficient for the entered quantity
- the actions reduce stock quantity and increase stock quantity are available in Automations
If the setting is inactive, the inventory fields of the products are hidden.
2.3.1. Stock postings via Automations
The actions reduce stock quantity and increase stock quantity are available in all modules with a Product Block. They post the stock level of the products that are included as line items in the Product Block of the triggering record. Optionally, the posting can be restricted to specific line item groups.
Which quantity is posted depends on the trigger of the automation:
| Trigger | Posted quantity |
|---|---|
| Record trigger (e.g. record saved) | full quantity of all product and asset line items |
| Billing: line item added | full quantity of the added line item |
| Billing: line item changed | only the difference from the previous quantity; if the product of the line item is changed, the posting for the previous product is reversed and the posting is made for the new product |
| Billing: line item removed | the posting of the line item is reversed |
| record deleted | the posting of the record is reversed |
| record restored | it is posted again |
For Billing: line item removed and record deleted, the posting is carried out in the opposite direction, even though the same action is linked in the editor as when saving. Example purchase order: the action is called increase stock quantity, yet when the order is deleted the stock is still reduced.
- Line items with Services are not posted.
- Each posting creates an entry in the change tracking of the affected product.
2.3.2. Deleting and restoring
If a record for which a stock posting has been carried out is deleted, the posting is reversed. If the record is restored, the posting is made again.
For custom workflows when restoring, the trigger record restored is available.
2.3.3. Included automation "Inventory management"
With the update, the automation 2.7 | Inventory management (category Standard) is included. It represents the typical stock movements for purchasing and sales and can be used as a template and adapted to your own workflows.
The automation is not active on delivery. It must be switched on in the Automations via the automation active switch.
The automation is divided into three groups:
| Group | Module | Stock is … | Status on delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchasing | Purchase Orders | increased as soon as the goods have been delivered | active |
| Sales - Sales Orders | Sales Orders | reduced as soon as the sales order has been delivered | active |
| Sales - Delivery Notes | Delivery Notes | reduced as soon as the delivery note has been delivered or reserved |
Either the Sales - Sales Orders group or the Sales - Delivery Notes group may be active – never both at the same time. Otherwise, the same goods will be deducted twice from stock, once for the sales order and once for the delivery note.
Which group is active is controlled via the group header (activate or deactivate all nodes of a group at once).
Purchasing group (Purchase Orders)
| Trigger | Condition | Action |
|---|---|---|
| record saved | Status is one of "delivered, delivery received" and Status was not "delivered, delivery received" | increase stock quantity |
| Billing: line item inserted (also covers the creation of a new purchase order) · Billing: line item removed · record deleted · record restored | Status is one of "delivered, delivery received" | increase stock quantity |
| Billing: line item changed | Quantity (line item group) was changed and Status is one of "delivered, delivery received" | increase stock quantity |
| record changed | Status is one of "created, confirmed, cancelled" and Status was not "created, confirmed, cancelled" | reduce stock quantity |
Sales - Sales Orders group (Sales Orders)
| Trigger | Condition | Action |
|---|---|---|
| record saved | Status is one of "delivered" and Status was not "delivered" | reduce stock quantity |
| Billing: line item inserted · Billing: line item removed · record deleted · record restored | Status is one of "delivered" | reduce stock quantity |
| Billing: line item changed | Quantity (line item group) was changed and Status is one of "delivered" | reduce stock quantity |
| record changed | Status is one of "confirmed, cancelled, open" and Status was not "confirmed, cancelled, open" | increase stock quantity |
Sales - Delivery Notes group (Delivery Notes)
| Trigger | Condition | Action |
|---|---|---|
| record saved | Status is one of "delivered, reserved" and Status was not "delivered, reserved" | reduce stock quantity |
| Billing: line item inserted · Billing: line item removed · record deleted | Status is one of "delivered, reserved" | reduce stock quantity |
| Billing: line item changed | Status is one of "delivered, reserved" and Delivery quantity (line item group) was changed | reduce stock quantity |
| record changed | Status is one of "cancelled, return" and Status was not "cancelled, return" |
- The combination is one of + was not ensures that posting occurs only once when saving – at the moment of the status change. Saving again without a status change does not trigger any further posting.
- If an already delivered record is subsequently edited, the line item triggers only post the change: new line items are posted, removed line items are reversed, and for quantity changes only the difference is posted (see section 2.3.1).
- With the triggers record deleted and Billing: line item removed, the posting is reversed; with record restored, the posting is made again – even though in the editor the same action is linked as for saving.
- If the status is later reset to a "not delivered" value (e.g. cancelled), the record changed trigger posts the quantity back in the opposite direction.
If different status values are used in your own system, the conditions of the automation must be adjusted accordingly before it is activated.
3. Fields for product and service positions
In the blocks "Fields for product line items" and "Fields for service line items", fields that relate to Products or Services are managed.
Both blocks have an identical structure; the following functions apply to both.
Fields can be created, edited, hidden and restored; in addition, audit-proof fields can be loaded.
On mouseover of the block, several action icons are displayed.
Action icons for product line item fields
Action icons for service line item fields
The following action icons are available in the upper area:
- Creating a new optional field (icon "Plus") → Create a new, user-defined field
- Hidden optional fields (icon "crossed-out eye") → Show hidden optional fields
- Load audit-proof field (icon "opened folder") → Load audit-proof fields of the module
For each field, two further action icons are available:
- Edit properties (icon "pencil") → Edit the properties of the field
- Remove field (icon "crossed-out eye") → Remove field
The quantity and list price of line items in the Product Block can be entered with up to 6 decimal places. Trailing zeros are truncated in the display. This is particularly helpful for billing small units (e.g. API tokens).
The sales prices of Products and Services can also be entered with up to 6 decimal places.
3.1. Create a new optional field
After clicking the "Create a new optional field" action icon (icon "Plus"), the "Add custom field" popup opens.
Popup Add custom field - type Text
The "Add custom field" popup is divided into three areas:
- Properties → depending on the selected field type (e.g. text, number, etc.), further (mandatory) fields for entry are displayed.
In the Modules field, you can (optionally) select the modules in which the new optional field is to be displayed.
If no module is selected in the "Modules" field, the field is displayed in all modules.
- Name → Enter the field name in all languages
- Default value → optional entry of a default value
3.2. Hidden optional fields
After clicking the "Hidden optional fields" action icon (icon "crossed-out eye"), the "Hidden fields" popup opens.
The "Hidden optional fields" action icon is only clickable/active if hidden fields are present.
All hidden fields are listed in the popup. These can be selected via checkbox and shown again by clicking the "Show selected" button.
Popup Hidden fields
3.3. Load audit-proof field
After clicking the "Load audit-proof field" action icon (icon "opened folder"), the "Audit-proof fields" popup opens.
All audit-proof fields are listed in the popup. These can be selected via checkbox and loaded/shown by clicking the "Show selected" button.
Popup Audit-proof fields
3.4. Edit properties
After clicking the "Edit properties" action icon (icon "pencil"), the "Edit properties" popup opens.
Depending on the field type of the field being edited, the display of the fields shown in the popup differs.
Non-editable fields are displayed "greyed out". All other fields can be edited accordingly (e.g. selecting modules, changing the name or default values).
Popup Edit properties - field type picklist (picklist values not editable)
Popup Edit properties - field type picklist (picklist values editable)
Popup Edit properties - field type checkbox
Popup Edit properties - field type date
3.5. Remove field
After clicking the "Remove field" action icon (icon "crossed-out eye"), a notice with the following text is displayed: "The field is hidden and can be shown again at any time. No information is deleted."
Notice Hide field
After clicking the "Close" button, the field is hidden. The field can be shown again using the Hidden optional fields function.
4. Line Item Groups
In the "Line Item Groups" block, line item groups are managed centrally. Here, among other things, the values of the line item groups can be maintained and a default billing interval can be set per line item group.
Alternatively, line item groups can also be edited directly via the Layout of the respective Billing modules. The "Line Item Groups" settings item serves as a central location for overarching management.
4.1. Edit properties
After clicking the "Edit properties" action icon (icon "pencil"), the "Edit properties" popup opens:
Popup Edit properties
The "Line Item Groups" field can only be edited to a limited extent. Certain properties cannot be edited but are nevertheless displayed for informational purposes.
On the left-hand side, all basic settings are configured. In the right-hand column, further settings can be made.
4.1.1. Basic settings
The Basic settings area is divided into the following areas:
- Properties
- "Type" field → Serves only to display the field type (picklist) of the "Line Item Group" field.
- Creation of new values allowed (checkbox) → If this option is selected, users with the corresponding profile permission can create new values in this picklist.
The functionality is identical to the "Allow dynamic line item groups" function in the "Settings" block. - Sorting of values (picklist) → The options "as defined" (block "Picklist values"), "ascending" and "descending" are available here.
- Name → Name of the picklist field of the line item group (display only, not editable)
- Picklist values → Values/names of the line item groups (multilingual). Line item groups can be added, removed, renamed and sorted (drag & drop) here.
- Default value → Default value of the line item group which is displayed when adding a new line item group.
4.1.2. Settings
The following fields are available in the "Settings" area:
-
Active → Serves only to display that the "Line Item Group" field is active. The checkbox cannot be deactivated, as a line item group is always required.
-
Mandatory field → Mandatory fields are marked with a red asterisk * in the create and edit view of a record. A record cannot be saved if a mandatory field does not contain a valid value!
-
Bulk change → In list views of modules, the Bulk edit action is available. The checkbox cannot be deactivated, as a line item group is always required.
-
Quick creation → At various points in the brainX system, new records can be created using the so-called "quick creation" (e.g. the "Create" action in the navigation bar). This means that only a popup window with the most important fields is displayed, instead of the create view of a new record.
If the "Quick creation" setting has been activated, the field is also available accordingly in the popup window.
-
Additional information → If the "Additional information" setting has been activated, the field is not available in the main screen for data entry, but is displayed in a separate sidebar in the detail view of a record.
4.2. Default billing interval
A default billing interval can optionally be saved for each line item group.
After clicking the "Default billing interval" picklist, a picklist with all available billing intervals opens.
Line Item Groups - Selecting the default billing interval