How to Set Up Units of Measure in Intuit Enterprise Suite

Before you start

• Every Intuit Enterprise Suite subscription includes units of measure, and it works in multi-entity companies.
• Pick a mode. Single units means one unit per product or service, such as each, hour or pound. Multiple units means different units for the same product, such as buying by the case, stocking by the box and selling by each.
• For Multiple units, decide the smallest unit you'll track for each set of measurements. It becomes the base unit, and it can't be changed once the unit group is saved.
• Intuit's article doesn't say which user role can change these settings.

Moving from QuickBooks Desktop? Intuit says your units of measure carry over to IES, so you don't rebuild them. Review your unit groups and preferred units after the move. For the move itself, see how to move a QuickBooks Desktop file to Intuit Enterprise Suite.

Step 1: Turn on units of measure

1. 1Go to Settings, then select Account and settings.
2. 2Select the Sales tab.
3. 3In the Products and services section, select Edit.
4. 4Turn Units of measure on.
5. 5Choose Single units or Multiple units.
6. 6Select Save and close.

If you chose Single units, go straight to Step 3. If you chose Multiple units, create your unit groups first. You can switch modes later: the switch changes how units appear on new transactions, and past transactions stay the same.

Step 2: Create a unit group (Multiple units only)

1. 1Go to Settings, then All lists, then select Units of measure.
2. 2Select New unit group.
3. 3Choose a Category: Count, Length, Weight, Volume, Area, Time or Other.
4. 4Set the Base unit. Intuit recommends the smallest unit you'll track, because smaller base units keep counts and prices accurate when you convert between sizes.
5. 5Add your Related units. For each one, enter the name, the abbreviation and how it converts to the base unit, for example 1 case = 24 each.
6. 6Select Save. Repeat for each set of measurements your products need.

Once you save a unit group, you can't change its base unit. To use a different base unit, create a new unit group.

Step 3: Assign units to your products

1. 1Go to All apps, then Sales & Get Paid, then Products & services.
2. 2Find the product you want to update, then select Edit.
3. 3In the Unit of measure section, choose the unit group.
4. 4If you chose Multiple units, set the Preferred sales unit and the Preferred purchase unit.
5. 5Select Save and close.

If you change a product's unit group, IES moves the quantity on hand 1-to-1 to the new base unit. The number stays the same; only the label changes. Past transactions keep the units they were created with.

Step 4: Use units on transactions and reports

1. 1Create an invoice, bill, estimate or purchase order for the product. Its preferred unit fills in by default.
2. 2To sell in a larger unit, such as 1 case instead of 1 each, IES multiplies the rate by the conversion. You can override the rate on any line.
3. 3Convert an estimate to an invoice, and the units carry over. An estimate for 5 cases becomes an invoice for 5 cases.
4. 4Check stock for a product with multiple units. IES shows the quantity in the base unit: if 1 case is 24 each, 25 cases show as 600 each.
5. 5Run a supported report. With units of measure on, it adds a unit column tied to the quantity column.

Inventory valuation always calculates in the base unit, so dollar totals stay consistent whichever unit a transaction used.

Step 5: Rename, change a ratio or retire a unit

1. 1Rename a unit at any time. The new name shows on every transaction, past and future. Quantities and amounts don't change.
2. 2Change a conversion ratio, even after the unit has been used. IES shows what the change affects before you confirm it.
3. 3Expect existing transactions to keep their original ratio. New transactions use the new ratio, and so do transactions generated later from a bill of materials or a recurring template.
4. 4To keep existing templates working exactly as they do today, make the current unit inactive and create a new unit with the new ratio instead of editing the ratio.
5. 5To retire a unit, make it inactive. You can't delete units. Inactive units don't appear on new transactions, and past transactions show (inactive) next to the abbreviation.

Intuit's article doesn't give the clicks for renaming a unit or changing a ratio. You can also turn units of measure off for the whole company at any time; IES keeps your historical unit data. To retire only a few units or unit groups, make them inactive instead.

If something doesn't look right

• You can't change a unit group's base unit: it's fixed once the group is saved. Create a new unit group with the base unit you want.
• Stock shows 600 each when you expected 25 cases: stock for a product with multiple units shows in the base unit.
• An old transaction still uses the old ratio: that's expected. Existing transactions keep their original ratio; only new ones use the new ratio.
• A bill of materials or recurring template picked up a ratio change: they don't store their own ratio, so a change reaches them. Next time, make the old unit inactive and create a new unit instead.
• Quantity on hand didn't convert after you changed a product's unit group: IES moves it 1-to-1 to the new base unit and only relabels it.
• A unit shows (inactive) on old transactions: it was made inactive. That label keeps past records readable.

Where Intuit Enterprise Suite leaves the work to you

• Choosing each unit group's base unit is a one-time decision. A wrong choice means building a new group and reassigning products.
• Changing a product's unit group relabels quantity on hand 1-to-1. Intuit's article describes no conversion, so check counts if the new base unit is a different size.
• Ratio changes reach bills of materials and recurring templates. Deciding whether to edit a ratio or create a new unit is a manual call.
• Intuit's article doesn't list which reports are supported for the unit column.
• Units migrated from QuickBooks Desktop still need a manual review after the move, as Intuit recommends.

How Logistify helps

Logistify doesn't change your product setup in Intuit Enterprise Suite. Its Sales Order Service enters customer orders into IES as sales orders, from email, PDF, Excel, EDI and other channels, and a person reviews exceptions. Once an order is in, see how to pick, pack and ship it.