General Setup
      Back to home
      1. Helpdesk
      2. GETTING STARTED
      3. General Setup

      Getting started in Rackbeat

      Rackbeat allows you to customize your agreement, so it is adapted to your company’s needs. Follow our guide below to get off to a good start!

      Welcome to Rackbeat! As a new user, we hope you're excited to start using the system. Before you begin adding your suppliers, customers, and products, there are a few basic settings and pieces of information that are beneficial to fill out first. These will be necessary when creating your products, suppliers, and customers, as well as placing your first order in the system.

      This simple four-step guide helps you lay a solid foundation:

      Step 1 | Company settings

      Step 2 | Creating basic information in the Items tab

      Step 3 | Creating basic information in the Purchasing tab

      Step 4 | Creating basic information in the Sales tab

      Step 1 | Company Settings

      Start by reviewing your Company Settings. The Company Settings include several subcategories, with the most relevant ones to set up before you start using Rackbeat being:

      General

      Currencies

      Employees

      Layouts

      Payment terms

      Languages

      Users

      We will go through these categories in this part of the article.

      General

      The general settings is divided into seven additional categories:

      Numbers

      Information

      Addresses

      Banking

      Standards

      Fields

      Advanced

      Lets run through them together.


      Numbers

      Here, you can choose which number series you want Rackbeat to follow for purchases and sales.

      For example, if you are using a unique numbering series for your sales invoices and would like Rackbeat to continue using that same series, this is where you can adjust it.

      You can modify the number series by clicking on the field and updating the number.


      Information

      Here, you enter your company information. This information forms the foundation for what you want to display on the PDF documents that are sent out when you issue an order confirmation or an invoice to your customers.

      Note: It is important that the VAT no. field contains only your VAT no. If you need to add a prefix before the VAT no., you can refer to this guide to learn how to do it.


      Addresses

      If you work with more than one address, for example, if you have multiple distribution-locations or stores, they can be created here.


      Banking

      Here, you need to enter your bank details. These details will be used for your payment terms and in the setup of your layouts. Once the bank details are added and selected for specific layouts, they will appear on the PDF sent to your customers — visible at the bottom of the document.


      Standards

      Here, you can choose whether Rackbeat should automatically suggest pre-filled information for certain fields when creating new items, customers, and suppliers.


      Fields

      This category is only relevant if you are using a Premium subscription.

      If you do not have a Premium subscription but would like to learn more about custom fields, click here: Premium Subscription.

      Here, you have the option to create your own fields. These fields can be used as information fields, included on your PDFs, and added to your overview pages, such as the product and order summaries.


      Advanced

      This category ahs multiple functionalities - we'll go through them below:

      Enable inventory sharing

      This function generates a unique link for each inventory number, that you can embed on your website to display the product's stock level.


      Send integration errors by mail

      This feature will send you a daily email if a synchronization with another integration, such as e-conomic, fails. The email will be sent to the address specified in the Information tab.


      Logo

      Here, you can upload your company logo. This logo will appear on emails sent to your customers. It will not be used on PDFs but instead will be included in the emails you send out.


      Decimals

      Here, you specify the number of decimal places you want to use for "Prices" and "Quantities," as well as the separators for decimals and thousands.

      The minimum number of decimal places you can use in Rackbeat is two.


      Date format

      Here, you define the date format for Rackbeat and specify whether your calendar should start with Monday.

      Allow editing BOMs in production

      If you want to be able to edit your bill of materials while they are in active production, use this feature (this feature is only available with our Premium subscription, which includes access to bill of materials and production).


      Allow Rackbeat Support access to agreement

      If you are in communication with our support team or a product specialist and need to review something, provide specific examples, or troubleshoot, check this box. Without this box checked, support will not be able to access your account.

      You can always uncheck it later if you do not wish to keep it enabled continuously.


      Include description on new sales lines

      This feature ensures that receipts and shipments do not affect the accounting until a matching invoice has been posted. Posting an invoice without an associated order or purchase will automatically adjust the inventory.

      The next categories covered below can be found in the menu on the left side when you are in your Company Settings.

      Currencies

      In this tab, you can set exchange rates to a fixed rate, create new currencies, delete existing ones, and view the current exchange rate for each currency.

      We use the service fixer.io to update exchange rates. In Rackbeat, the exchange rates are updated every hour.

      You can set a fixed currency rate by entering the desired rate and pressing the Enter key after typing it in.

      If you want to revert to the current exchange rate, click on the icon that appears on the right side of the box when a fixed rate has been entered.

      Employees

      Here, you have the option to create employees who can serve as references for orders, purchases, receipts, shipments, productions, and invoices in Rackbeat.

      An employee will only function as a reference and will not have access to Rackbeat.

      Layouts

      In Rackbeat, it’s easy to create and customize your layouts. Here, you can adjust the templates for the PDFs and emails that are sent from Rackbeat.

      Our layout design is user-friendly and straightforward to work with. However, the layout options are currently somewhat limited compared to other platforms.

      For a more in-depth guide on the layout settings, you can check out this article, where you'll learn more about how to work with layouts in Rackbeat and what they can do: Layouts in Rackbeat.

      The layout determines how the PDF you send to your customers will appear.
      We recommend taking the time to review and properly set up your layouts.

      Payment terms 

      Here, you can create and edit your payment terms, which will appear on the PDF sent to your customers.

      You can learn more about setting up your payment terms here: How to Create Payment Terms.

      Languages

      Here, you can create language layers and language codes that you want to assign to specific customers.

      This allows you to translate descriptions and product names into the created languages, providing customers with personalized product names based on their preferred language.

      Note: The language layer here does not affect the language settings for your layouts.

      Users

      To give additional users access to Rackbeat, you need to create a user license. Here, you can set up user licenses for your colleagues who need access to Rackbeat — providing them with their own login credentials.

      When creating a new user license, you will need to decide whether the user should be a warehouse/mobile user or have a standard license with access through the browser.

      You can learn more about warehouse/mobile users here: About Mobile Users.

      Note: It's important to mention that in Rackbeat, you are charged per user license created.

       

       

       

      Step 2 | Creating basic information in the Items tab

      All information relevant for your products should be created in the items tab. This includes, among others:


      Units

      Item Groups

      Locations


      This information is detailed below:

      Units

      Here, you can create the units you use for your items, such as Kg, Liter, Pallet, Case, etc.

      Units are not required to create an order or an invoice in Rackbeat. However, they can be very helpful for understanding product quantities or when using our Unit Converter feature.

      Item Groups

      When you start using Rackbeat, one of the first steps is to create item groups. This helps you efficiently organize your items. Below is a step-by-step guide to setting up and understanding item groups:

      1. What is an item group? An item group is a category where you can place your items. This can include different types of groups, such as:
        • Physical inventory
        • Services
        • Shipping and fees
        You can create an item group for each category you have, and its up to you to decide how they are going to be organized.
      2. Specifying VAT: Item groups play a crucial role in managing VAT. When creating an item group, you need to specify the VAT rate that applies to sales of items within that group. Rackbeat opreates with four VAT-zones: Domestic, EU, Abroad, Domestic (exempt).
      3. Inventory tracking: It's important to specify whether the items int he item group should track inventory. For example, an item group for "services" will typically not require inventory tracking. This must be indicated during the setup, in the "has inventory" field.
      4. Sales options: When creating an item group, you can decide whether the items in that group should be available for sale. This is useful if you have components intended solely for internal use, such as in production, that should not be sold.
      5. Cost price adjustments: If an item group does not track inventory, you can choose how to handle the cost of items upon receipt. For example, if you want to allocate shipping costs across received items, you can choose to distribute these costs based on either value or quantity.

      Locations

      Here, you can create the locations where your items can or should be stored — for example, if you have multiple stores, warehouses, or other storage sites. If that's the case, you can set them up here.

      If you only use one location, you can simply rename the "Main Warehouse" to your preferred name and use that.

      If you are using our Premium subscription, you have the option to create sub-locations within your main locations. This allows you to go into greater detail.

      For example:

      • Hall 1
        • Row 15
          • Shelf 2

      Tip: If your company has a setup where items are moved from one location to another — and are in transit for an extended period — it can be beneficial to create one or more transport locations (e.g., "Shipping," "AirCargo," or "Railway Transport"). This way, you can keep track of your items' locations from the moment they leave the warehouse/store until they arrive at the new destination.

        Step 3 | Creating basic information in the Purchasing tab

        In this step, the focus is on creating your supplier groups, which are relevant to the suppliers you have.

        This is necessary because it's a requirement when creating suppliers that they be linked to a supplier group. Additionally, it allows you to categorize your suppliers into different groups.

        You can see how to create your supplier groups here:

        1. Select the “Purchasing” tab at the top.
        2. Click on “Supplier Groups” in the menu.
        3. Click “Create New” in the upper right corner.
        4. Enter a name and (optional) number for the supplier group.
          Note: If you leave the "Number" field blank, Rackbeat will auto-generate a number.
        5. Click “Create Supplier Group” to finish.
        Note: Before you can create a supplier, you must first create a supplier group. If you've already set up your supplier groups, continue with the guide below.

        Note: If your Rackbeat account is integrated with e-conomic, your supplier groups will be synchronized so that they are always visible in both systems.

         

        Next, you need to create your suppliers. Here’s how:

        1. Select the “Purchasing” tab at the top.
        2. Click on “Suppliers” in the menu.
        3. Click “Create New” in the upper right corner.
        4. Enter the supplier’s details.
        5. Click “Create Supplier” to finish.

        If you would like to import your suppliers into Rackbeat, you can follow the link below to see how:

        See how to import your suppliers here.

        Step 4 | Creating basic information in the Sales tab

        In this step, the focus is on creating your customer groups - these are relevant for the customers you have.

        We need to do this because it is a requirement for creating customers that they are linked to a customer group, and to give you the ability to categorize your customers into different groups.

        Manual creation of customer groups

        You can see how to create your customer groups here:

        1. Click on the "Sales" tab at the top
        2. Click on "Customers" in the menu
        3. Click the "Create New" button at the top right
        4. Fill in the general information about the customer
          If you do not enter a customer number, Rackbeat will automatically generate a unique number
        5. Click "Create Customer" to finish, or click "Create and New" (to automatically prepare for creating another new customer)
         Note! Before you can create a customer, you must have created a customer group. Continue with the guide below if you have already created your customer groups.

        Manual creation of customers

        1. Click on the "Sales" tab at the top
        2. Click on "Customers" in the menu
        3. Click the "Create New" button at the top right
        4. Fill in the general information about the customer
          If you do not enter a customer number, Rackbeat will automatically generate a unique number
        5. Click "Create Customer" to finish, or click "Create and New" (to automatically prepare for creating another new customer)

        If you want to import your customers into Rackbeat, you can follow the link below to see how to do it.

        See how to import your customers here.

        Great! Now you have the basic areas for your Rackbeat agreement in place and are ready to create your products, suppliers, and customers. You can create products, suppliers, and customers manually or via import. 

        That's it! Your Rackbeat agreement is set up, and you are now ready to create your first order, purchase, invoice, and explore all the other features available in Rackbeat.