The Part module is quite big, so we’re going to break it up into a three-part series of blog posts, appropriately enough. In this first post, we’ll cover how to create new parts in Fishbowl. You can find the Part module right at the top of the Materials module group on the left-hand side of the interface.

In Fishbowl, everything is a part. Whether it’s an internal asset or a finished product waiting to be sold, it’s marked as a part in the inventory system. With that in mind, let’s go through the 10-step process of creating a new part in Fishbowl.

1. Enter Part Identification Information

You can add a new part to Fishbowl by first clicking the green New button at the top of the module. Then you will be asked to enter the following information about the part:

• Number
• Description
• UPC
• Type
• Unit of Measure

Not every part is intended to be sold. If it’s not going to be sold, just unclick the box saying “This part is for sale.” If the part is going to be sold, then be sure to fill out the Product information, particularly the price.

2. Set Up Part Tracking

You can add tracking information to the part, such as lot number, revision level, expiration date, and/or serial number. And you can mark one of these as the primary tracking criterion.

3. Add Initial Inventory

If you already have some parts in stock, you can add initial inventory before you add any more to it down the line. You can specify the location, quantity, unit of measure, unit cost, adjustment account, and the date that you’re entering this information.

4. Establish Default Locations

Take a look at all of your location groups and choose the locations within the applicable groups where this part will be stored.

5. Enter Default Vendor Information

If you have a specific vendor you know you will mainly reorder this part from, you can enter their information here. You can enter the vendor name, part number, unit of measure, and cost.

6. Fill in Part Custom Fields

This step is purely optional, but if you have certain custom fields that you want to associate with a part, this is the place to do it.

7. Set Default Part and Product Accounts

This step lets you tell Fishbowl which default accounts to send information to in your accounting system, which Fishbowl integrates with. These accounts include Asset account, Cost of Goods Sold account, Adjustment account, and Scrap account for parts and Income account for products.

8. Work with a Product Tree

To help you categorize each product, you can add it to a specific folder somewhere under the Product Tree. For example, if you bake cakes, you might have different groups of products listed under Recipes, Ingredients, Dishes, and Utensils, and you can drill down further into them by including sub-categories of Desserts, Eggs, Bowls, and Spatulas. Put the part under the category where it best fits.

9. Fill in Product Custom Fields

This is the same as the Part Custom Fields section, but it applies only to products.

10. Review the Summary

Once you’ve added all of the information in the above steps, you’ll be able to look at a summary of everything you’ve done and make sure everything looks correct. This is a helpful final phase. Once you find that everything is in order, you can click the Finish button and you’re done!

We’re just scratching the surface of what the Part module can do. Next week we’ll continue with part 2 as we explain how to create part reorder levels.