A branch is a place you do business from (a plant, a store, an office). A warehouse
is where stock sits, split into locations, racks and bins. Users, sales reps and orders belong to a branch, and the
branch draws stock from its warehouses. Set up the warehouses first, then link them to the branch.

Before you start

• Company Preferences are done (Set up company preferences).
• You do not have to create the first branch. Every company has one, flagged Home Office; if the database
  has none, one named Main Branch is created when the server starts. A one-branch company only needs to check
  its name and code.
• The Warehouses button belongs to the newer inventory screens. If you cannot see it, your administrator must
  switch them on in Company Preferences (the setting for screens using the new interface must include 4, inventory).

Steps: warehouses

1. Open Inventory Management → Stock Management, click the Stock Management button on the
   dashboard, then Warehouses.
2. In the Warehouses pane click New, type the name and tick its flags. You need at least:
   • one Main Stock warehouse (stock, requisitions and production allocation use it),
   • one Ship Area warehouse (finished goods go there when a batch is released or shipped),
   • one Receiving warehouse (goods from suppliers land there by default).

   One warehouse can carry several flags. Save.

3. Add Locations (pick the right warehouse on each row), then Racks, then Bins if you track
   stock that finely. Save after each pane.

Steps: branches

1. Open Administration and Setup → OJ Setup → PRODUCT SETUP → Company Branches.
2. Select the Home Office branch and click Edit, or click New for another branch. Code and
   Description are required. Keep the code short: it is used when building order and PO numbers.
3. Pick the Goods Warehouse (where this branch’s stock is drawn from by default). Save.
4. In the Warehouses pane click Add and pick each warehouse this branch uses.
5. Repeat for each branch. Exactly one branch stays flagged as the main office.

One branch or several?

• One place of business: keep the single Home Office branch. Every order, purchase order and ticket belongs
  to it automatically and nobody needs to think about branches again.
• Several stores or plants: make one branch each. Orders, lists and dashboards are then filtered by branch,
  purchase orders are raised against the buying branch, and each branch’s code goes into its document numbers.
  Users get a primary branch and, if they work across sites, alternate branches.
• Sales reps, service staff and service teams also carry a branch; set it on their own screens, not here.

Check it worked

• On Company Branches, the branch’s Warehouses pane lists your warehouses, and the Ship area column shows
  YES for the shipping warehouse.
• On the Warehouses screen there is at least one warehouse each with Main Stock, Ship Area and Receiving ticked.

Details: How branches work, Company branches,
Warehouses setup. Next step: Add users and rights.