The Parts category type is assigned to individual part records to determine which General Ledger (GL) accounts are used when that part appears in an accounting entry — such as a customer order or a vendor receiving. This article explains how Parts categories work, what fields they require, and how to use multiple categories to meet different reporting needs.
What Is a Parts Category
A Parts category links a group of parts to specific General Ledger accounts in your accounting package. When a part is sold or purchased, Blackpurl uses the category assigned to that part to determine where to post the income, cost of goods sold (COGS), and inventory values.
Blackpurl is set up with one Parts category by default, but you can create additional categories. Each category can point to the same GL accounts or to different ones, depending on your business needs.
Category Fields
When creating or editing a Parts category, you need to complete the following fields:
Field | What it controls |
Name | The label for this category — for example, Part Sales. |
Income General Ledger | When a part with this category is sold, the income posts to this GL account. |
COGS General Ledger | When a part with this category is sold, the cost of goods sold posts to this GL account. |
Inventory General Ledger | When a part with this category is sold or purchased, the inventory value posts to this GL account. |
How It Works End to End
The category assigned to a part drives all accounting entries for that part. Here is how the flow works in practice:
Create a Parts category with the required GL accounts, or use an existing one.
Assign that category to the relevant part records.
When the dealership sells that part on a customer order and it is invoiced, Blackpurl posts the income, COGS, and inventory values to the GL accounts defined on the category.
When the dealership processes a vendor receiving for that part, Blackpurl posts the inventory value to the Inventory GL account defined on the category.
Example: Customer Order Invoice
When a part sale is invoiced, the income entry integrates to your accounting package using the Income GL account set on the part's category.
The COGS and inventory adjustment are posted as a journal entry at the same time, using the COGS and Inventory GL accounts from the category.
Example: Vendor Receiving
When a vendor receiving is processed for a part, Blackpurl posts the inventory value to the Inventory GL account specified on that part's category.
Tips for Setting Up Parts Categories
Keep the following in mind when deciding how many categories to create and how to configure them:
Keep it simple where you can. If you have no special reporting requirements, a single Parts category pointing to one set of GL accounts is usually sufficient.
Use separate categories for separate reporting. If you want to report on merchandise sales separately from parts sales inside Blackpurl, create a distinct category for merchandise — even if both categories point to the same GL accounts in your accounting package.
Use supplier-specific categories for supplier reporting. If you need to report to a specific supplier on how much of their product you have sold, create a dedicated category for that supplier with its own Income, COGS, and Inventory GL accounts, then assign that category to all parts associated with that supplier.
Multiple categories can share GL accounts. There is no requirement for each category to use unique GL accounts — two categories can post to the same accounts if that suits your accounting structure.
For a brief overview of how categories work in Blackpurl, see How Do Categories Work in Blackpurl.