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Editing and Deleting Products

Learn how to update product information and delete products when needed.

✏️ Editing Products​

Accessing Product Edit​

  1. Go to Products page
  2. Find the product in the list
  3. Click the Edit button (pencil icon)
  4. Or click Actions (⋮) → Edit
  5. Product form opens with existing data

Products List

Editable Fields​

You can edit most product information:

Basic Information:

  • Product Name
  • Product Code/SKU
  • Description
  • Product Group
  • Unit of Measurement (UoM)

Pricing:

  • Base Price
  • Tax Rate (GST %)
  • Discount %
  • Minimum Price

Inventory:

  • Track Inventory (Yes/No)
  • Current Stock (if tracking enabled)
  • Low Stock Alert Level
  • Reorder Point

Tax & Compliance:

  • HSN Code (manually entered)
  • SAC Code (for services)
  • Tax Category
  • Tax Exemption Status

Additional:

  • Product Images
  • Tags
  • Active/Inactive Status
  • Notes

Edit Restrictions​

Cannot Edit If
  • Product is used in paid invoices (affects audit/tax compliance)
  • Product is part of active transactions

What You Can Always Edit: ✅ Product name and description
✅ Current stock quantity
✅ Tags and notes
✅ Active/Inactive status

What May Be Restricted: ⚠️ HSN code (after used in finalized invoices)
⚠️ Base price (can edit, but doesn't affect existing invoices)
⚠️ Tax rate (new rate applies to future invoices only)

Saving Changes​

After editing:

  1. Review all changes
  2. Click Save or Update Product
  3. Product updated across the system
  4. Existing invoices NOT affected (retain original product data)
  5. New invoices use updated information
Price Changes

When you edit a product price:

  • Existing invoices keep the old price (for audit compliance)
  • New invoices use the new price
  • Draft invoices may need to be updated manually

🗑️ Deleting Products​

When You Can Delete​

Products can be deleted under specific conditions:

✅ Can Delete:

  • Products never used in invoices
  • Products with only draft invoices
  • Test products
  • Duplicate products
  • Products created by mistake

❌ Cannot Delete:

  • Products in finalized invoices
  • Products in paid invoices
  • Products with transaction history
  • Products referenced in reports

Delete Process​

For products with no invoice history:

  1. Go to Products page
  2. Find the product to delete
  3. Click Actions (⋮) → Delete
  4. Confirm deletion in popup
  5. Product permanently removed

Products List

What Gets Deleted​

When you delete a product:

Deleted:

  • Product name and description
  • Pricing information
  • Inventory data (if tracked)
  • Images and tags
  • Draft invoices containing this product (optional)

NOT Deleted:

  • Finalized invoices (product info preserved on invoice)
  • Paid invoices
  • Transaction history (blocks deletion)
  • Inventory adjustment history (blocks deletion)

Cascade Effects​

If product has draft invoices:

Option 1: Delete Product + Update Drafts

  • System asks what to do with draft invoices
  • Remove from drafts - Deletes line items with this product
  • Keep drafts - Cancels deletion

Option 2: Convert to Inactive

  • Mark product as Inactive instead
  • Hidden from product selection
  • History preserved
  • Can reactivate later

Alternative to Deletion​

Marking as Inactive​

Better alternative to deletion:

  1. Open product for editing
  2. Toggle Active Status to Inactive
  3. Product hidden from:
    • Active product lists
    • Invoice product dropdown
    • Product selection screens
  4. Still visible in:
    • Existing invoices
    • Reports (historical)
  5. Can reactivate anytime

Benefits:

  • Preserves all history
  • Maintains data integrity
  • Can restore if needed
  • Compliant with audit requirements

Archiving Products​

Another option for discontinued products:

  1. Edit the product
  2. Add tag: Discontinued or Archived
  3. Set status to Inactive
  4. Add note with discontinuation date
  5. Keep for reference and compliance

Common Scenarios​

Scenario 1: Product Price Changed​

Problem: Product price needs to be updated.

Solution:

  1. Edit the product
  2. Update the base price
  3. Save changes
  4. Note: Existing invoices keep old price
  5. New invoices use new price
  6. Update draft invoices manually if needed

Scenario 2: Wrong HSN Code​

Problem: HSN code entered incorrectly on product.

Solution:

  1. Check if product used in finalized invoices
  2. If NO invoices: Edit and correct HSN code
  3. If finalized invoices exist:
    • Correcting HSN may affect tax compliance
    • Add note about HSN correction
    • Future invoices use corrected HSN
    • Past invoices retain original (for audit)

Scenario 3: Duplicate Product Created​

Problem: Same product created twice.

Solution:

  1. Identify which record is correct
  2. Check which has invoice history
  3. If duplicate has NO invoices: Delete it
  4. If both have invoices: Mark one as inactive, add note "Duplicate of [Product Name]"
  5. Contact admin if you need to merge

Scenario 4: Discontinued Product​

Problem: Product no longer sold/manufactured.

Solution:

  1. Do NOT delete if it has invoice history
  2. Edit the product
  3. Set status to Inactive
  4. Add tag: Discontinued
  5. Add note: "Discontinued on [Date]"
  6. Keep for historical records

Scenario 5: Test Product​

Problem: Test product created during system setup.

Solution:

  1. Check if product used in any invoices
  2. If only drafts: Delete drafts, then delete product
  3. If no invoices: Delete product directly
  4. Safe to remove test data

Product with Invoice History​

Cannot Delete - What To Do​

If product has invoices and you try to delete:

Error Message:

Cannot delete product used in invoices.
Please mark as inactive instead.

Solutions:

Option 1: Mark Inactive

  1. Edit product
  2. Toggle status to Inactive
  3. Product hidden from selection
  4. History preserved

Option 2: Archive

  1. Add "Archived" tag
  2. Move to archived group
  3. Filter out from active lists

Option 3: Contact Admin

  1. For special cases (duplicate data, errors)
  2. Admin may reassign invoices
  3. Then delete product (rare)

Inventory-Tracked Products​

Special Considerations​

For products with inventory tracking enabled:

Editing:

  • ✅ Can edit stock quantity anytime
  • ✅ Can change reorder point
  • ⚠️ Cannot disable inventory tracking after adjustments made
  • ⚠️ Stock changes logged in inventory history

Deleting:

  • ❌ Cannot delete if inventory adjustments exist
  • ❌ Cannot delete if stock movement history exists
  • ✅ Can delete if stock is zero and no adjustments

Solution: Mark as inactive instead of deleting.

Product Groups​

Impact on Products​

When editing/deleting products in a group:

Editing Product Group:

  • Can change product's group assignment
  • Product moves to new group
  • No impact on invoices (retain original group)

Deleting Product Group:

  • Cannot delete group with products
  • Must remove/reassign products first
  • Or mark group as inactive

See Product Groups for details.

HSN Code Management​

Editing HSN Codes​

HSN codes must be entered manually:

  1. Edit the product
  2. Find HSN Code field
  3. Enter the HSN code (4, 6, or 8 digits)
  4. System validates format
  5. Save product

Important:

  • No HSN code search/filter available
  • Must know correct HSN code
  • Refer to GST HSN code list
  • Verify code is correct before saving

After Invoices Created:

  • Can edit HSN code, but affects only future invoices
  • Past invoices retain original HSN (for audit compliance)
  • Consider implications before changing

Data Integrity​

Before deleting a product, check:

Invoices:

  • Draft invoices (will be affected)
  • Finalized invoices (prevent deletion)
  • Paid invoices (prevent deletion)

Inventory:

  • Stock adjustments (prevent deletion)
  • Stock movement history
  • Current stock levels

Reports:

  • Product appears in sales reports
  • Tax reports reference product
  • Deletion creates data gaps

Product Groups:

  • Product may be last in group
  • Consider group cleanup too

Audit Trail​

Product edits and deletions are logged:

Log Entry Includes:

  • Who made the change (user name)
  • When changed (date and time)
  • What changed (field names and values)
  • Product details (name, code, ID)

Example:

Product Updated
Date: Nov 20, 2024 3:30 PM
User: Admin User
Product: Wireless Mouse (SKU: WM-001)
Changes:
  - Price: ₹500 → ₹450
  - HSN Code: 8471 → 84713000

Bulk Operations​

Bulk Edit Products​

Update multiple products at once:

  1. Select products using checkboxes
  2. Click Bulk Actions
  3. Select Edit Selected
  4. Change common fields:
    • Tax rate
    • Product group
    • Active/Inactive status
    • Tags
  5. Click Apply to All
  6. Only compatible changes applied

Bulk Delete Products​

Delete multiple products (if eligible):

  1. Filter to show products with no invoices
  2. Select products to delete
  3. Click Bulk Actions → Delete Selected
  4. Confirm bulk deletion
  5. Only eligible products deleted
  6. Products with invoices skipped with warning

Bulk Activate/Deactivate​

Quick status changes:

  1. Select products
  2. Click Bulk Actions
  3. Choose Activate or Deactivate
  4. All selected products updated
  5. Useful for seasonal products

Best Practices​

Before Editing​

  1. Verify product - Ensure editing the right record
  2. Check invoice usage - See where product is used
  3. Document changes - Note significant changes (esp. price, tax)
  4. Plan impact - Consider effect on drafts and future invoices

Before Deleting​

  1. Verify no invoices - Check product has no transaction history
  2. Check inventory - Ensure no stock adjustments exist
  3. Export data - Save product info if needed
  4. Use inactive - Safer than deletion in most cases

Product Maintenance​

Regular cleanup:

  1. Monthly: Review inactive products
  2. Quarterly: Update prices as needed
  3. Annually: Archive discontinued products
  4. Always: Use inactive status instead of deleting

Price Updates​

When changing prices:

  1. Document reason - Note why price changed
  2. Update effective date - Add note when new price starts
  3. Communicate - Inform sales team
  4. Review drafts - Update draft invoices if needed

Permissions​

Who Can Edit/Delete​

Admin Users:

  • Edit all products
  • Delete products (if eligible)
  • Bulk operations
  • Override some restrictions (limited)

Regular Users:

  • Edit products they created
  • Cannot delete products with invoices
  • Limited bulk operations

Inventory Users:

  • Edit stock quantities
  • View product details
  • Cannot change pricing or tax

Read-Only Users:

  • Cannot edit products
  • Cannot delete products
  • View-only access

Troubleshooting​

Cannot Edit Product​

Problem: Edit button is grayed out.

Solutions:

  1. Check you have edit permissions
  2. Verify product is not locked by another user
  3. Refresh the page
  4. Contact administrator

Changes Not Saving​

Problem: Product edits not saving.

Solutions:

  1. Check for validation errors (red highlights)
  2. Ensure required fields filled
  3. Verify price is a valid number
  4. Check HSN code format
  5. Ensure product code/SKU is unique

Cannot Delete Product​

Problem: Delete option not available or fails.

Reasons:

  • Product used in finalized/paid invoices
  • Product has inventory adjustment history
  • Product referenced in reports
  • Insufficient permissions

Solution: Mark product as Inactive instead.

HSN Code Not Saving​

Problem: HSN code field shows error.

Solutions:

  1. HSN code must be 4, 6, or 8 digits
  2. No spaces or special characters
  3. Check if HSN code is valid per GST rules
  4. Enter manually (no search available)

Next Steps​

Important: Always use "Inactive" status instead of deletion for products with transaction history. This maintains data integrity and compliance with tax/accounting standards.