Backbone MRP

Factory control & optimization platform

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Parts

The Parts list is the master catalog of every part and inventory item for the company. Click Parts in the workbench toolbar and choose Parts Browser to open it. From here users can add, browse, organize, and open individual parts to manage their details.

Also on this menu: Part Collections — named lists of parts, such as a seasonal catalog or the parts for a particular job. A part can be on many collections at once without leaving its part group. See Part Collections.

The Parts List

Parts are shown in a tree with three columns:

  • Part Number — the unique identifier for the part.
  • Name — the part's short name.
  • Description — a longer description of the part.

Parts can be grouped. Part groups appear in the tree and can be expanded to reveal the parts nested inside them, making it easy to organize a large catalog.

Adding Parts and Groups

Two buttons appear above the list:

  • New Part — creates a new part and opens it in a Part Editor tab so its details can be filled in right away.
  • New Group — creates a new part group that parts can be organized into.

Opening a Part

Double-click a part row to open it in its own Part Editor tab, where the part number, name, description, bill of materials, and other details can be viewed and edited. Double-click a part group to open a Part Group Editor for that group.

Non-taxable parts: the Part Editor's Cost/Price tab has a Non-taxable flag. When set, order lines using this part are excluded from sales tax even on a taxed customer's order. See Sales Tax.

Cost and Price

The Part Editor's Cost/Price tab groups the part's money-related fields in one place: its Unit Cost and Standard Price (each with its own currency and unit of measure), the Non-taxable flag, and the part's Accounts (described below). Click Edit on this tab to change the cost and price values, then save.

Accounts on a Part

The Part Editor's Cost/Price tab shows an Accounts section listing every account that applies to the part. This includes accounts assigned directly to the part as well as accounts inherited from the part's group (and any groups above it). Inherited accounts are tagged with where they come from, for example COGS (inherited from Raw Materials), so it is clear which accounts are set on the part itself versus its groups.

To change which accounts are assigned directly to the part, click Select Accounts…. A window opens listing the company's chart of accounts with checkboxes; the part's current direct accounts are already checked. Check or uncheck accounts and click OK to save the changes.

Tip: Inherited accounts are managed on the part group, not on the part, so they do not appear in the Select Accounts list. Assigning an account to a part group applies it to every part in that group. Accounts drive how parts map to QuickBooks Online on orders and invoices — see Accounts.

Configuration: Unit Conversion Factors

The Part Editor's Configuration tab lists the part's unit conversion factors — the rules that convert a quantity of this part from one unit of measure to another. For example, a part stocked in rolls but consumed by the foot might have a factor of 1 roll = 250 ft. Each row has three columns: Start Units, End Units, and Factor.

Click Edit in the tab's title bar to turn on edit mode. While edit mode is active you can:

  • Add a factor with the Add Conversion Factor button, which creates a new row to fill in.
  • Change a row by clicking a cell and editing it in place — pick the Start Units and End Units from the unit dropdowns and type the Factor. Each change is saved automatically as soon as you move to the next cell, so there is no separate save step.
  • Remove a factor by right-clicking its row and choosing Remove Conversion Factor(s). A confirmation prompt appears first.
Tip: Conversion factors are specific to the part — they let Backbone convert this part's quantities between the units used across purchasing, inventory, and sales. The company-wide units of measure themselves are managed separately; see Units of Measure.

Editing and Organizing

Click Edit in the tree title bar to turn on edit mode. While edit mode is active, parts and groups can be dragged and dropped within the tree to reorganize them, and the Delete right-click action becomes available.

Tip: To delete a part or group, turn on edit mode, select one or more rows, then right-click and choose Delete. A confirmation prompt appears before anything is removed.