Item Activation/Deactivation

Item Activation/Deactivation

Activating and deactivating items allows you to control which items are available for use in transactions without deleting them. This is useful for seasonal products, discontinued items, or temporarily unavailable products. This guide explains how to manage item status in EquiBillBook.

Understanding Item Status

Active Items: Available for use in sales invoices, purchase bills, POS, and other transactions.

Inactive Items: Hidden from selection in new transactions but preserved with all historical data.

Why Deactivate Items?

• Seasonal Products: Temporarily hide items not currently in season
• Discontinued Items: Stop selling while keeping sales history
• Out of Stock: Hide items temporarily unavailable
• Maintenance: Temporarily disable items being updated
• Testing: Hide test items from regular operations

Deactivating an Item

To deactivate an item:

1. Navigate to Items → Items List
2. Find the item you want to deactivate
3. Click "Edit" on the item
4. In the item form, find the Status field
5. Change status from "Active" to "Inactive"
6. Click "Save" or "Update"

Alternatively, some interfaces may have a quick "Deactivate" button in the items list.

Activating an Item

To reactivate a previously deactivated item:

1. Go to Items → Items List
2. If needed, enable "Show Inactive Items" filter to see deactivated items
3. Find the inactive item
4. Click "Edit"
5. Change status from "Inactive" to "Active"
6. Save changes

Bulk Activation/Deactivation

To change status for multiple items:

1. Go to Items → Items List
2. Select multiple items using checkboxes
3. Click "Bulk Actions"
4. Select "Activate" or "Deactivate"
5. Confirm the action
6. All selected items will be updated

Effects of Deactivation

When an item is deactivated:

• Not Available in Transactions: Won't appear when creating new sales invoices, purchase bills, or POS transactions
• Historical Data Preserved: All past transactions, stock history, and reports remain intact
• Reports: Still appears in historical reports and transaction history
• Stock: Stock levels are maintained but item won't appear in active stock lists
• Can Be Reactivated: Can be made active again at any time

Filtering Active/Inactive Items

In the Items list:

• Use "Status" filter dropdown
• Select "Active" to see only active items
• Select "Inactive" to see only inactive items
• Select "All" to see both

Checking Item Status

Item status is typically indicated by:

• Status Column: Shows "Active" or "Inactive" in the items list
• Visual Indicator: May have icons or color coding (green for active, gray for inactive)
• Item Details: Status is visible when viewing item details

Deactivation vs. Deletion

Deactivation vs. deleting items:

Recommendation: Always deactivate instead of deleting to preserve historical data.

Using Deactivated Items in Historical Reports

Deactivated items still appear in:

• Historical sales reports
• Past transaction details
• Inventory movement history
• Profit reports (for past periods)

This ensures data integrity and accurate historical analysis.

Seasonal Item Management

For seasonal products:

1. Deactivate items when out of season
2. Reactivate when season starts again
3. Maintain all historical sales data
4. Compare seasonal performance year-over-year

Best Practices

• Deactivate Instead of Delete: Always deactivate to preserve data
• Regular Review: Periodically review inactive items and reactivate when appropriate
• Document Reason: Note why items were deactivated (optional but helpful)
• Bulk Operations: Use bulk activation/deactivation for seasonal items
• Filter Views: Keep default view set to "Active" for regular operations

Permissions

Item activation/deactivation may require:

• Specific user permissions
• Administrator or manager role
• Check your user role settings if you can't change item status

Troubleshooting

Can't Deactivate Item: Verify you have permission to edit items; check if item is locked or in use.

Item Still Appearing: Clear cache, refresh the page, or check if you're filtering by "All" instead of "Active".

Can't Find Inactive Item: Enable "Show Inactive Items" filter in the items list.

Related Topics

• Creating Items
• Item Management
• User Permissions
• Stock Management