Articles

In Article Management you create, edit and manage all the products and services you want to sell via bessa Kassa. Articles are the core of your point-of-sale system and the basis for ordering, invoicing and reporting.

Article Overview

Article management can be found in bessa Manager under Article Management > Articles. The view is divided into two areas:

Article group sidebar (left): All article groups are displayed here. Click on a group to filter the associated articles. The currently selected group is highlighted.

Article table (right): Shows all articles in the selected group with the following columns:

• Name

• Product # (product number / barcode)

• Tax (tax rate)

• Price (gross sales price)

• Cost (net purchase price)

• CM (contribution margin)

All columns are sortable. Use the search field to find articles within the selected article group.

Create an Article

To create a new article:

1. Navigate to Article Management > Articles

2. Select the desired [article group|Article Groups] in the left sidebar

3. Click the green + New Article button

4. Fill in the article data in the various tabs

5. Click Save

Basic Data

The basic data contains the most important information about your article:

Type: Defines the type of article. Depending on the type, the article behaves differently in the system. For details, see Article Types.

Name: The name of the article as it appears on order tickets and invoices.

Product number: Optional string for barcodes (EAN, GTIN). This can be read with a barcode scanner so the article is posted automatically. bessa supports the Austrian GS1 standard for article identification (HPID), which can integrate variable prices or quantities (e.g. for weighed products) into the barcode. HPID provides 5 digits for the article number.

Article group: Assigns the article to an article group.

Net price / Gross price: Sales prices of the article. When you change one value, the other is calculated automatically based on the tax rate.

Tax rate: The applicable VAT rate (e.g. 10%, 20%). The available tax rates are managed under Master Data > Tax Types.

Cost (net): Purchase price of the article, used to calculate the contribution margin.

Contribution margin: Calculated automatically from the sales price and cost.

Open price: When activated, the price is requested when the article is posted. The input field is pre-filled with the default price. Useful for articles with variable prices.

Open text: When activated, the article name is requested when posting. The input field is pre-filled with the default name. Useful for individual descriptions, e.g. "Payment for invoice: 12345".

Quantity type: Determines how quantities are entered:

• Simple: Whole quantities (1, 2, 3 pieces) – default for most articles

• Fractional: Fractional quantities for weighed articles. The quantity is always requested when posting or read from a connected scale.

Quantity unit: Optional unit (e.g. "kg", "pcs", "litre").

Packaging weight: Weight of the packaging, relevant for weighed articles.

Display

These settings affect the display on the order screen, but not the printout on order tickets or invoices.

Display name: Optional shorter name for the order screen. A space forces a line break on the button.

Course: Assigns the article to a course:

• No course: The course can be freely chosen when posting

• Specific course: This course is preselected, but can be overridden when posting

Only user group: Restricts who can post the article:

• All: Every user can post the article (default)

• Specific user role: Only users in this role can post the article (e.g. VIP articles only for the manager or head waiter)

Article image: Upload a product image to be displayed on the order screen below the article name. Drag the image into the area or click to select.

Article Options

Here you add previously created article options to the article. Article options enable additional selections when ordering, e.g. side dishes, preparation styles or extras.

Enter the name of the article option in the search field and confirm with Enter. The added options are displayed in a table and can also be removed there.

Pricing Levels

Here you define different prices for different pricing levels, e.g. for in-house, takeaway or delivery.

For each pricing level you can specify individually:

• Net price

• Tax rate

• Gross price

• Contribution margin

Click + Add pricing level to assign another pricing level. The delete icon removes a pricing level.

More information: Assigning Pricing Levels to Articles | Pricing Levels

Configuration

Type: Special configuration for hardware control:

• None: No special configuration (default)

• Time-controlled relay: Triggers a USB-connected relay for a specified time in seconds. When "Time-controlled relay" is selected, an input field for time in seconds appears. Use cases: refrigerator lock, EV charging station, door / turnstile

Inventory Management

Here you manage the stock level of the article and optionally link it to a parent article for recipe management.

For details, see Inventory for Articles.

Stock management: Activates inventory tracking for this article.

Choose parent article: Links the article to a parent inventory article (e.g. a 0.125 L glass of wine to a wine bottle, or a coffee portion to the coffee package).

Quantity contained: Specifies the quantity of the parent article that is deducted on posting. Examples:

• Wine bottle: 0.75 L | 1/8 wine: 0.125 L

• Coffee package: 1.0 kg | Coffee portion: 0.008 kg (8g)

Stock levels: Shows the current stock levels per stock. Via the action buttons you can:

• Show stock information

• View stock history

• Increase or reduce stock

• Carry out an inventory count

More information: Inventory Management

Online Orders

Online orders: When activated, the article is available for bessa orders and delivery services.

Edit an Article

To edit an existing article:

1. Find the article in the table

2. Click the pencil icon in the article row

3. Make the desired changes in the tabs

4. Click Save

Delete an Article

To delete an article:

1. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the article row

2. Select Delete article

3. Confirm the deletion in the dialog that appears

Move an Article to Another Group

To move an article to another article group:

1. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the article row

2. Select Move to group

3. Choose the target article group

4. Confirm the move

Print a Label

You can print article labels with product information and an EAN barcode:

1. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the article row

2. Select Print label

3. A PDF download starts

The label contains:

• Product number (EAN as barcode)

• Article name

• Price

Import and Export

Via the Manage articles button on the action bar you can:

Download template: Downloads a CSV template to fill in with your article data.

Import file: Imports articles from a prepared CSV file. Use the downloaded template as a basis.

Export file: Exports all articles in the current article group as a CSV file. Useful for bulk editing or backups.

For more information on article import and export, see Export Article Master Data and Editing in Excel.

Related Topics

• Article Types

• Inventory for Articles

• Assigning Pricing Levels to Articles

• Article Groups

• Article Options

• Pricing Levels

• Courses

• Display

• Inventory Management

FAQ

Why doesn't my new article appear at the Sales Point? Articles must be placed on an order screen in order to be visible at the Sales Point. Go to Article Management > Order Screens and add the article to the desired screen.

Can I record articles via a barcode scanner? Yes. Enter the product number (EAN/GTIN) in the article's "Product number" field. The scanner reads the code and posts the article automatically.

What is the difference between Open price and Pricing levels? Open price requests the price for every posting. Pricing levels define fixed prices for certain scenarios (e.g. in-house vs. takeaway), which are applied automatically depending on the order type.

How can I adjust the stock level of multiple articles at the same time? Use the export, edit the data in Excel and re-import the file. For day-to-day stock management, we recommend Inventory Management.