Skip to main content

Section 3: Platform Basics

This section will guide you through the layout and main functionalities of the [Platform Name] Warehouse Management System (WMS). Learn about the dashboard overview, navigation menu, item and inventory management, order processing, and administrative tools.

Dashboard Overview​

The Dashboard is your central hub for managing orders, inventory, and shipping statuses. It provides a quick overview of critical areas to keep your warehouse operations running smoothly.

  1. Order Management: View new, in-progress, and completed orders. Access order details, status, and fulfillment tracking.
  2. Inventory Tracking: Monitor stock levels, inventory locations, and product information. Alerts for low or out-of-stock items are visible here.
  3. Shipping Status: Get real-time updates on shipments, including tracking information, estimated delivery dates, and carrier statuses.

The dashboard provides insights into your current operations, allowing you to make informed decisions about warehousing and fulfillment activities.

The navigation menu, accessible on the left side of the screen, contains the main sections of the platform:

  1. Orders: Create, manage, and fulfill customer orders. Track order status, picking, packing, and shipping details.
  2. Inventory: Access and update product information, stock levels, and warehouse locations.
  3. Billing: Manage invoices, vendor fees, commissions, and payment histories.
  4. Fulfillment: Oversee fulfillment workflows, including picking, packing, and shipping processes.
  5. Admin: Reserved for system administrators and warehouse admins to manage integrations, mappings, queries, permissions, and system maintenance.

Item and Product Management​

The platform supports efficient management of items, variants, products, and inventory to keep your warehouse organized and updated.

Items, Variants, and Products​

  • Items: Individual units of inventory stored in the warehouse. Each item has a unique identifier, storage location, and tracking details.
  • Variants: Variations of a product, such as different sizes, colors, or styles.
  • Products: The main cataloged items sold or stored. Products can have multiple variants, which define specific characteristics of each item in the inventory.

Inventory Management​

  • Inventory Tracking: Real-time monitoring of stock levels across warehouses. Set reorder alerts for low stock items.
  • Shipments: Track incoming and outgoing shipments, including expected receive dates, quantities, and carrier details.
  • Orders: Manage customer orders from creation to fulfillment. Includes tracking for picking, packing, and shipping.

Order and Shipment Processing​

Orders​

  • Order Creation: Enter customer order details, including items, quantities, shipping addresses, and delivery preferences.
  • Order Tracking: Monitor the progress of each order from picking through shipping and delivery.
  • Tracking: Real-time updates on the location and status of shipments, with tracking numbers provided by integrated carriers.

Shipments​

  • Shipment Creation: Generate shipments with selected items, set carrier preferences, and confirm pickup or drop-off details.
  • Tracking and Updates: Receive tracking updates as shipments are in transit, including expected delivery times.
  • Disbursements: Track payments and fees associated with shipments, including disbursement of funds for fulfilled orders.

Admin Section​

The Admin section provides advanced configuration tools for managing integrations, handling external orders, scheduling jobs, and performing maintenance tasks.

Integrations​

  • Managing Integrations: Set up and maintain connections to third-party software for external orders, shipping carriers, and billing services.
  • External Orders: Import and process orders from external systems, allowing seamless order management across multiple platforms.
  • Mappings: Map external order information to the platform’s internal structure, ensuring data consistency.

Query Builder​

  • Custom Queries: Use the query builder to generate custom reports and data views. Tailor queries to access inventory, order, and billing information.

Job Scheduling​

  • Automated Tasks: Schedule repetitive tasks such as stock level updates, billing calculations, or inventory audits. Set the frequency and timing of these automated jobs.

Permissions Management​

  • Role-Based Access Control: Set permissions for different roles, controlling access to specific sections and data within the platform.

Admin Procedures​

  1. Merge Items: Combine duplicate items to keep inventory data clean and organized.
  2. Create Shipment with Items: Generate shipments directly from inventory, specifying item quantities and shipping details.
  3. Upsert Items: Add or update items in the inventory. Upserts ensure that existing items are updated without duplication.
  4. Attributes: Assign product attributes (e.g., color, size, material) to help categorize and filter items.
  5. Categories: Organize items into categories for easier tracking and reporting.

Batch Mappings​

  • Creating Mappings in Batch: Streamline the setup of data mappings by uploading CSV or Excel files. This speeds up integration of external systems and simplifies large-scale data transfers.

FIFO Exports​

  • First-In, First-Out (FIFO) Exports: Export inventory data based on the FIFO principle to ensure accurate financial and inventory tracking.

Inventory Dates and Cost Estimation​

  • Receive Dates: Track the date each item is received in the warehouse for inventory aging and valuation.
  • Shipping Cost Estimation: Generate cost estimates for shipping based on order details, carrier rates, and shipping destinations.

Maintenance​

  • Routine Checks: Schedule regular audits of inventory and system data to identify discrepancies and maintain data accuracy.
  • Database Maintenance: Perform periodic cleanups and backups to ensure the platform remains efficient and reliable.

This section provides a complete overview of the platform's layout and core administrative functionalities. With these tools, administrators and users can efficiently manage inventory, process orders, and oversee warehouse operations.