Product categories in Sapera are used to control how products are handled in the system, especially in relation to financial management and posting. They define the finance accounts that Sapera uses for various transactions, such as purchases, sales and returns. For example, product categories specify which sales accounts, stock accounts and cost-of-goods accounts should be used, so that posting is correctly tailored to the company's needs.
In addition, product categories can also be used to determine which product template should be used. Templates are important, as they define which fields are available on the product card. This ensures a consistent setup and easier administration of product data. By using product categories, companies can effectively organize and structure their products based on controlled rules and procedures, which increases accuracy and overview in both posting and stock management.
Product categories are hierarchical: a category can have a parent category (root or subcategory). Most settings and accounts that are not filled in on a subcategory are inherited from the parent category. When you create a product and select a category, the product is born with the category's template, unit, supplier, accounts, VAT rules and so on, which can then be fine-tuned on the individual product under product settings.
Product categories are a definition screen — the settings you make here are used further across the entire system:
Product creation: When you create a new product and select a category, the product is automatically filled with the category's template, unit type, default supplier, finance accounts and VAT rules. These can subsequently be adjusted on the individual product under product settings.
Sales orders, invoices and till: Finance accounts, VAT codes, prices, option sets and related products are inherited from the category and used directly in the sales situation.
Stock management: Stock accounts (receipt/issue) and auto-post cost of goods are pulled from the category during stock transactions.
WebShop: The SEO description and related products from the category are shown on the webshop integration.
Loyalty module: The "Amount to points" field on the category determines how many points the customer earns when buying products in the category.
Serial number items and service: The service type (communication workflow) is inherited by serial number items created from base products in the category.
1. From Financial, go to "Setup".
2. Navigate to "Product catalog setup" -> "Product categories".
3. You are now on the "Product categories" tab, where an overview of your product categories in Sapera is visible.
If you cannot see the menu item, you most likely do not have permissions for it. Contact support.
Product categories are shown as a tree, where root and subcategories can be expanded and collapsed. The columns in the list provide a quick overview of the most important account settings for the current organizational unit.
Display name: The category's name in Sapera.
Number: The category's unique identifier.
Active: Shows with a checkmark whether the category is active.
Do not allow products: Shows with a checkmark whether the category is set to function only as a grouping level (isAbstract).
Auto-post stock: Shows with a checkmark whether automatic posting of cost of goods is enabled for the current organizational unit.
Automatic update of std. cost price: Shows with a checkmark whether automatic update of the standard cost price is enabled for the current organizational unit.
Sales account / Used: Shows the sales account and used sales account separated by " / ". Account numbers that cannot be found in the chart of accounts are marked with an asterisk (\*).
Sales account without VAT: The sales account used for sales without VAT.
Discount account: The discount account used for sales.
Discount account without VAT: The discount account used for sales without VAT.
Stock receipt account / Used: Shows the stock receipt account and used receipt account separated by " / ". Account numbers are marked with \* if they are not found in the chart of accounts.
Stock issue account / Used: Shows the stock issue account and used issue account separated by " / ". Account numbers are marked with \* if they are not found in the chart of accounts.
Cost of goods / Used: Shows the cost-of-goods account and used cost-of-goods account separated by " / ". Account numbers are marked with \* if they are not found in the chart of accounts.
Validation error icon: The outermost column shows a warning icon on rows that have validation errors or warnings after running the Validate function. Hover over the icon to see which organizational units are missing or have erroneous accounts.
In the context menu in the top right there is a search button. If you click it, a search field opens that filters the category tree continuously as you type. If you click the cross or clear the search field, the tree is shown again in its full form.
Create root category: Creates a category at the outermost level. Always active.
Create subcategory: Creates a new category under the selected category. The subcategory inherits its setup from the parent category. Active when a non-system category is selected.
Edit: Edits the selected category. Active when a category is selected. You can also double-click a category in the tree to open the edit view.
Copy: Copies the selected category. Active when a category is selected. When you click, a dialog opens where you must specify a new Number and a new Display name for the copy. All other settings are copied from the selected category, and the edit view opens automatically afterwards.
Delete: Deletes a category. Active when the selected category is not a system category. Before deletion, it is checked whether the category is in use — if it is, an error message with an explanation is shown instead of a delete confirmation.
Validate: Validates that valid accounts are associated with all configured accounts on all categories. A category becoming invalid on an organizational unit will normally only happen when creating new org. units with their own associated account. See accounting/integrations. Always active. After validation, rows with missing accounts are marked with a red background and rows with erroneous account numbers (that do not exist in the chart of accounts) with an orange background. Hover over the warning icon in the outermost column to see which organizational unit has problems and which account numbers are involved.
Copy properties: Only visible to administrator users. Opens a dialog where you can copy all OU-specific properties (account setup etc.) from one organizational unit to another across all product categories. See the section "Copy properties dialog (admin)" below.
Recalculate cost prices: Shown in the edit view on existing categories — only for administrator users, and only when automatic update of cost price is enabled. The button recalculates the average cost price (using the FIFO principle) anew for the products that belong to the category.
History (audit log): An icon button in the edit view's settings toolbar. Only shown for existing (saved) categories. Opens the history view, which shows a log of all changes made to the category.
If you want to create a new product category, this can easily be done by clicking the "+ Create root category" button in the top left.
The following menu will now open, where you have the option to create a new product category:
Fill in the fields and finish with "Save".
The edit screen is divided into three parts: master data and templates (left column), on/off settings (middle column) and fields that can be overridden per organizational unit (right column). At the bottom there are also tabs for option sets and related products.
Number: The product category's number (identifier). Used to identify the category uniquely, among other things during import.
Display name: The product category's display name - the name shown in Sapera and on products.
Template: A template is used to determine which dynamic fields products in this category should have. To have fields added to products, CRS support should be contacted. This can also be edited for the individual product under product settings.
Variant template: A template is used to determine which dynamic fields variants in this category should have. Only shown when the category supports variant management. To have fields added to variants, CRS support should be contacted.
Product units: Here you select which unit products in this category have (liter, meter, piece etc.). If units other than the selectable ones are needed, the options can be customized under Catalogs (UnitTypes).
Color: Color is used for "Text-only" display in the till to indicate which color products in this category should have. This requires that the tab is set to "Text only".
Amount to points: This is used by the Sapera customer club/loyalty module. It indicates how many points the customer will earn when buying products from this category. This can also be controlled in product settings. The loyalty module is a paid module. If it is of interest, contact CRS.
Service type: Serial number items created from base products in this category will be born with the service type (communication workflow) selected here. See service types.
Default supplier: If products in this category normally have the same supplier, this can be selected here, and the primary supplier will thereby be filled in at product creation (as soon as the category is selected).
Short description: A short summary of the product category, used internally or externally, e.g. on webshops. Example: "The latest smartphones at the market's best prices."
Active: Active categories can be sold from. If the checkmark for active is removed, Sapera will no longer show products from this category when products are selected from sales order/purchase invoice/invoice in the till etc.
Do not allow products associated with this category: Prevents creation/editing of new products associated with this category - existing products already associated with this category can still be sold/purchased, but the product cannot be changed without selecting another category. The category thereby functions as a pure group/heading in the hierarchy.
Support serial number item: If checked, all products in this category will be serial number items with full serial-item functionality. If not all products in this category are serial number items, support for serial number item should instead be set on product settings.
Serial number item template: A template is used to determine which dynamic fields serial number items in this category should have. Only shown when serial number item is supported. To have fields added to serial number items, CRS support should be contacted. This can also be edited for the individual product under product settings.
Allow serial number item stock balance as base product: This function makes it possible to keep products that are actually serial number items in the stock balance as base products without specifying a serial number. In this mode, the actual serial number item is not created in Sapera. Creation only happens in the sales situation, where Sapera will request a serial number. Next, a stock withdrawal is performed on the base product and an addition to stock of the newly created serial number item. Finally, a standard sales transaction is carried out, where the specific serial number item is removed from stock.
Show selection of serial number item at sale: Shown together with the serial number item settings. If checked, a user interface is presented for selecting the specific serial number item in the sales situation.
Entry method for serial number items at purchase: When purchasing (purchase order/goods receipt, purchase invoice) a serial number item, you can choose whether there should be a line for each serial number item, whether selecting the serial number item is not allowed, or whether the ordered quantity should be entered in a draft associated with the line.
The options are:
None: Serial items can be placed in stock from purchase without specifying a serial number. This is the same function as "Allow serial number item stock balance as base product" above.
Drafts: Enter the serial number items in a draft.
One serial item per line: There will be a line on the purchase invoice/goods receipt for each serial number.
Support composite products: If products in this category can be composite products, this field must be checked. See more under new/edit product.
Support variant management: If products in this category support variants, this field must be checked. This requires that all products in the category support variants. If not, variant management must be enabled under product settings. See more under new/edit product.
Show product page at sale: If the field is checked, the product page will be shown from the till as soon as a product from this category is selected for sale. At the bottom of the product page there will be a button labeled "Add to cart".
Customer required: If the field is checked, products in this category cannot be sold without selecting a customer.
Allow user-chosen name for products in this category: If the field is checked, the product's display name can be changed after it has been added to the cart or as a line on an invoice or sales order.
Allow change of sales price: If checked, the sales price for products associated with this category can be changed after they have been added to a sales order/invoice or till cart.
Sold without VAT: If checked, the sale will be without VAT for products associated with this category.
Purchased without VAT: Purchase of products associated with this category will be purchased without VAT.
Can finance account be changed: If checked, it will be possible to change the default sales account directly on the sales order or invoice for products associated with this category.
Use option sets: Enables option sets for products in this category. When the field is checked, the category can be linked to one or more option sets (see the "Option sets" tab further down) that are presented in the till when a product from the category is sold.
Print to production at sale completion: If checked, a production/assembly note is printed automatically when a sale with products from the category is completed. Typically used in kitchen/production, where a receipt must be sent for preparation.
Sales information: Free text (with formatting) that is linked to the category and can be shown as sales/product information, e.g. on the product page or on the web. Used for a longer description than "Short description".
Fixed margin on service items: Specifies a fixed margin in percent that is used for service items in the category. The sales price can thereby be calculated from the cost price and the fixed margin instead of a manually entered price.
The following fields can be overridden per organizational unit. It will typically be the case that the accounts used in the different stores in the chain or departments in larger companies can be different. If an account is not filled in on an organizational unit, the value is inherited from the parent unit (and from the parent category).
Note: The fields Auto-post cost of goods, Automatic update of std. cost price and Default sales price type are likewise per-OU-overridable — that is, they can be set differently for each organizational unit, not just globally for the entire category.
With the button Fill from another product category you can quickly copy the entire account setup from an existing category, so you do not have to fill in all accounts manually. See the section "Fill from another product category dialog" below.
Sales account: The sales account to be used for sales.
Sales account without VAT: The sales account to be used for sales without VAT.
Discount account: The discount account to be used for sales.
Discount account without VAT: The discount account to be used for sales without VAT.
Used sales account: The sales account to be used for used-goods sales.
Stock receipt account: The stock receipt account to be used for purchases (or manual receipts from the stock journal).
Used receipt account: The stock receipt account to be used for the purchase of used serial number items.
Stock issue account: The stock issue account to be used for sales (or issues from the stock journal).
Used issue account: The stock issue account to be used for the sale of used serial number items (or issues from the stock journal).
Cost of goods account: If 'Auto-post cost of goods' is enabled, Sapera will automatically post the cost of goods to this account at sale. Cost prices using the FIFO principle will always be used.
Used cost of goods account: If 'Auto-post cost of goods' is enabled, Sapera will automatically post the cost of goods to this account at the sale of used serial number items. Cost prices using the FIFO principle will always be used.
Subscription account: The account to be used for subscription sales - if not filled in, the sales account is used.
Lease contract account: The account to be used for lease contracts - if not filled in, the sales account is used.
Depreciation account: The account to be used for depreciation on products in this category.
Auto-post cost of goods: If checked, Sapera will automatically generate finance postings for the cost of goods. The cost price for the products will always be calculated using the FIFO principle. This field is per-OU-overridable and can be set differently for each organizational unit.
Automatic update of std. cost price: If checked, the product card will, in addition to the standard cost price, also show a calculated average cost price for the products that are in stock (calculated using the FIFO principle). When the field is enabled, the cost prices can be recalculated anew with the "Recalculate cost prices" button. This field is per-OU-overridable.
Default sales price type: The sales price type that products in this category should be sold at by default. This field is per-OU-overridable.
When you click Copy, a dialog opens where you must fill in:
Number: The new unique category number for the copy.
Display name: The new display name for the copy.
All other settings are copied directly from the selected category. Click "OK" to create the copy — the edit view opens automatically afterwards, so you can adjust the copied settings.
The button Fill from another product category is located in the "Fields that can be overridden" panel in the edit view. The dialog lets you quickly copy account setup and OU-specific settings from another existing category to the category you are editing.
In the dialog you select:
Source product category: The category you want to copy settings from.
Organizational units: A list of organizational units you want to fill in. You can select one or more units (multi-select), so the copy only happens for the selected units.
Click "OK" to perform the copy. Existing values for the selected OUs are overwritten with the source category's values.
The button Copy properties is only visible to administrator users. It opens a dialog that copies OU-specific properties (account setup etc.) from one organizational unit to another across all product categories in the system.
In the dialog you select:
Source org. unit: The organizational unit you want to copy settings from.
Destination org. unit: The organizational unit that should receive the copied settings.
The dialog shows a warning: "NOTE: Organizational unit-specific properties will be copied for all product categories. Please use with caution!" The operation cannot be undone, so use it with care.
In the edit view's settings toolbar there is a history icon (clock icon). The button is only visible for existing (saved) categories. Click it to open the audit log, which shows a chronological list of all changes made to the category, with information about what was changed, when and by whom.
At the bottom of the edit screen there are two tabs with additional setup that is inherited by products in the category.
Option sets: Here you link the option sets that should be presented in the till for products in the category (e.g. accessories, extra options or package solutions). The order of the sets can be controlled. The tab is active when "Use option sets" is enabled.
Related products: Here you set up relations to other products (e.g. recommended or complementary items) that are inherited by products in the category. The relations can be shown on the web and in the sales situation as suggestions.
If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact support.
Want to know more?
Read more in these related articles:
Product settings
Full guide to the "Edit product settings" dialog — all fields, conditional sections and sub-panels explained with Danish captions.
Products
Complete overview of all products in the system with the ability to create, edit and manage items, prices, stock data and bulk operations.
User preferences
Settings for the user interface in Sapera: touch keyboard, how selection controls are displayed, color of the web client's top bar and display of unhandled notifications at startup.
