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Creating and managing items in Stampli Purchase Orders
Creating and managing items in Stampli Purchase Orders
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Written by Melad Zahedi
Updated this week

This guide explains how Stampli's item management works and how to efficiently create, find, and use items in your purchase orders.

Understanding Stampli's approach to items

Unlike traditional ERP systems that require formal item master lists, Stampli Purchase Orders takes a more flexible approach to item management. Items in Stampli are:

  • Created on-demand: Add new items as needed without pre-configuration

  • Learns from your usage: Previously used items become available for future selection

  • Organized informally: As you type an item description, Stampli displays a live search of previously used items, with the most frequently used items appearing at the top of the list

  • Simplified for users: Only essential information is captured, reducing complexity

This approach eliminates the maintenance burden of a formal item catalog while still providing the benefits of standardization and consistency.

Adding items to purchase orders

Creating a new item during PO creation

  1. Navigate to the purchase order creation screen

  2. Under "Table Fields," locate the "Stampli Items" section

  3. Click "Add New Line"

  4. In the "Stampli Item Description" field, type your item description

    • Be descriptive and specific

    • Include relevant details like model numbers, sizes, or specifications

  1. Complete the required fields:

    • Quantity: Enter the number of units

    • Rate: Enter the price per unit

  1. Complete optional fields as needed:

    • GL Account: Select the appropriate accounting code

    • Class: Add classification information if used in your organization

    • Budget: Associate with budget codes if applicable

Selecting existing items

When you begin typing in the "Stampli Item Description" field, Stampli will show suggestions based on previously created items:

  1. Start typing the item name or description

  2. Review the dropdown list of matching items

  3. Select the appropriate item from the list

  4. The system will auto-populate other fields based on historical data

  5. Adjust quantities, rates, or other fields as needed for this specific order

Best practices for item creation

Use consistent naming conventions

  • Be specific: "HP LaserJet Pro M404dn Printer" is better than "Printer"

  • Include key attributes: Add size, color, or model when relevant

  • Use standard terminology: Align with your organization's common language

  • Consider searchability: Include terms users might search for

  • Avoid abbreviations: Unless they're universally understood in your organization

Provide appropriate level of detail

  • Balance brevity and detail: Include essential information without excessive length

  • Consider downstream users: Include details that help approvers and accounting

  • Think about reporting: Include attributes you might want to analyze later

  • Format consistently: Use the same pattern for similar items

Organize information effectively

  • Most important information first: Put key identifying details at the beginning

  • Group related items similarly: Use consistent patterns for product families

  • Consider sorting: Name items to appear logically in alphabetical lists

  • Use punctuation sparingly: Minimize special characters that might complicate searching

Managing existing items

While Stampli doesn't have a formal item master list to maintain, you can influence how items appear and are used in the system:

Standardizing common items

  1. Identify frequently purchased items

  2. Establish standard descriptions for these items

  3. Communicate these standards to PO creators

  4. Consistently use these descriptions when creating new POs

Dealing with duplicate items

If you notice similar items with slight variations in description:

  1. Choose the preferred version

  2. Use this consistently going forward

  3. Over time, Billy will prioritize frequently used versions

Updating item information

When item details change (like pricing or specifications):

  1. Create the item with updated information on your next PO

  2. The new version will be available in the system going forward

  3. Both versions will appear in suggestions, so select the current one

  4. As the new version is used more frequently, it will appear higher in suggestions

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