Introduction to ERPNext
Hi guys, Lewis here. Today I'm going to show you how to use ERPNext. It's a simple and powerful business management tool. You can use it to manage everything like accounting, inventory, sales, and even manufacturing. In this video, I'll walk you through the basics of ERPNext. I'll show you how to create an account and give you a quick overview of its main features. Then I'll show you how to add a new item and how to add a new customer in ERPNext. So without further delay, let's get started.
First of all, let me give you a brief overview of ERPNext. ERPNext is an open-source enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that helps businesses manage their operations smoothly. It covers everything from accounting, inventory, and sales to manufacturing, human resources, and customer relation management all in one platform. With ERPNext, you can automate workflows, track business performance, and simplify processes without using multiple tools.
ERPNext is suitable for all types of businesses, including small startups, growing enterprises, manufacturers, retailers, and service providers. It has a user-friendly interface and powerful features. Plus, since it's open-source, you can customize it to fit your business needs perfectly.
Signing Up for an ERPNext Account
Now, let me show you how you can sign up for a brand new ERPNext account. To get started with ERPNext, type ERPNext into your web browser search bar. Click on the first result which will take you to the official ERPNext website. This is powered by Frappe Technologies. Once you're there, look for a start free trial button in the middle of the screen and click it. After that, you'll be taken to a new page to create your account.
You can sign up using your email or a Google account. Choose whichever option is easier for you. For now, we'll go with Google since it's quick and simple. Enter your site name, select your country, and agree to their terms of service by clicking the box. Then, click create account. Next, your site will take a little time to get ready. Once it's done, follow the steps to set up your account based on what you need. After the setup is complete, your 14-day free trial will begin, and you'll be directed to your account dashboard.
Navigating the ERPNext Dashboard & Main Menu
On the left side of the screen, you'll see the main menu. This is where you'll access all of the core features of ERPNext. Let's walk through it quickly so you know what each section is for.
First, home brings you back to your dashboard, where you'll find shortcuts and setup suggestions to help you get started. Next is accounting. This tab is all about your financials like managing invoices, payments, ledgers, and other money related tasks. Then there's buying where you can handle all your purchasing activities like creating supplier records and purchase orders. Selling is where you deal with your sales from customers and quotations to invoices and delivery notes. The stock tab helps you manage inventory, keep track of items, warehouses, and stock levels. Under assets, you'll find tools to manage your company's physical assets like computers, equipment, and more. The manufacturing tab is useful if you produce your own products. It helps with production planning, work orders, and tracking materials. Next, quality is where you can set up checks and controls to maintain product standards. Projects lets you track project timelines, tasks, and milestones, which is perfect for service-based businesses or teams handling client projects. If you need assistance, the support tab is for managing customer issues, tickets, and service level agreements. In users, you can manage the people who have access to your ERP system, assign roles, and set permissions. The website tab is for businesses that want to build or manage their website directly within ERPNext, it even has blog and webpage tools. CRM stands for customer relationship management, and it helps you track leads, manage opportunities, and follow up with potential customers. The tools tab offers handy utilities like data import and export tools, letterhead setup, and email account settings. ERPNext settings gives you control over system level configurations like default settings and customizations. If you need to connect ERPNext with other platforms, the integrations and ERPNext integrations tabs are where you manage those connections. Lastly, the build section is for developers or advanced users who want to create custom apps, scripts, or workflows within ERPNext.
Understanding and Creating a New Item
Now, let's see how you can create a new item in ERPNext. But first, let me explain what an item actually means in ERPNext. In simple words, an item in ERPNext is anything your business buys, sells, or uses. It could be a physical product like a coffee mug, a laptop, or a smartphone. It can also be raw material you purchase to manufacture something else. Even services can be added as items like installation or repair services. So basically anything that you trade or track in your business whether it's something you keep in stock, use internally or customers is treated as an item in ERPNext.
Now that you know what an item in ERPNext means, let's see how you can create a new one. To create a new item in ERPNext, first click on the stock tab in the lefthand menu. Once you click that, it brings you to the stock section. Here under the items catalog section, you'll see an option labeled item. Go ahead and click on that. This will take you to the items page where you can see a list of all the items that have already been created in your system. Each item is listed with its name, item group, ID, and status so you can easily manage and view all of your stock.
Now, since we want to create a new item, click the add item button located at the top right corner of this page. A pop-up form will appear on the screen where you can fill in the basic details for your new item. The first field in the form is labeled item code. This is a unique code that identifies your item in the system. Think of it like a product ID or SKU that helps you and the system keep things organized. You can create any code you like, but make sure it's not the same as another item you've already added. Next, you'll see the item group field. This is where you categorize your item based on its type. For example, if you're adding a laptop, you might place it under electronics or demo item group depending on how your system is set up. This makes it easier to filter, report, and organize items later. After that, there's a field called default unit of measure. This defines how the item is counted. Below that, you'll notice a checkbox labeled maintain stock. This is very important. If this box is checked, ERPNext will track the item's quantity in stock. That means every time you sell or buy the item, the system will automatically update the stock level. If you're adding a service or something that doesn't need stock trading, you can uncheck this box. The next checkbox is the fixed asset. You only need to check this if the item you're adding is something your business owns and uses over time, like office furniture or company vehicles. These aren't things you sell to customers, but are part of your company's assets. Once you filled out all the necessary fields, click the save button to add the item to your system. If you want to enter more advanced details like item description, pricing, or stock locations, you can click the edit full form button instead. That will take you to a more detailed form where you can customize the item further. And that's it. Your new item is saved and available in your ERPNext inventory. You can use it in purchase orders, sales invoices, stock entries, and more.
Adding a New Customer
Finally, let's talk about how to add a new customer in ERPNext. To do that, click on the selling tab in the left menu. Once you do, it will take you to the selling section. Now, scroll down a little and click on the customer option under the selling section. This will bring you to the customers page where you'll see a list of all the customers already added to your system. Each customer entry shows their name, status, customer group, and when they were last updated.
Since we're adding a new customer, go ahead and click the add customer button located at the top right of the page. When you click this button, a small pop-up form will appear asking for some basic customer information. The first field is customer name, which is where you enter the name of the customer you're adding. This could either be an individual's name or a company name depending on the type of customer. Next, you'll see the customer type dropdown. Here you need to select whether the customer is a company or an individual. Choosing the correct type helps ERPNext handle transactions and contact details more accurately. For example, a company might have multiple contacts while an individual customer usually only has one.
Below that, there are two expandable sections, primary contact details and primary address details. Once you expand the primary contact details section, you'll see two fields: email ID and mobile number. Here you can enter the main email and phone number for your customer. This contact information is essential because it's what ERPNext will use when sending out quotations, sales orders, invoices, or any kind of communication related to the customer. It keeps your records clean and ensures you always have the right contact on file. Now, if you expand the primary address details section, you'll be able to enter the full billing or shipping address for the customer. It starts with address line one and address line two, where you can input the street name, building number, or any specific directions. Then, you've got fields for the city, state, zip code, and country, which help ensure accuracy when generating documents or sending out shipments. All of this information plays a big role in logistics, tax calculations, and customer verification later on.
If you just want to add the customer quickly with minimum info, you can simply enter the required fields like the name and type and then hit the save button. But if you want to include more advanced information like tax IDs, customer credit limits, or custom bidding terms, you can click the edit full form button. That will open up a complete form with extra fields to give you more control over how this customer is handled within the system. Once everything looks good, click save and the customer will be added to your ERPNext system. From this point on, you'll be able to select this customer when creating new sales orders, quotations, invoices, or any other selling activities.
Conclusion
All right, that's it for this tutorial. I hope this video helps you understand the basics of using ERPNext. If you found this tutorial helpful, don't forget to like the video and subscribe to our channel for more step-by-step tutorials. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next video.
