All Collections
Getting started
Basics of Katana screens
Basics of Katana screens

Understanding the main menu screens in Katana

Dayvid Lorbiecke avatar
Written by Dayvid Lorbiecke
Updated over a week ago

In this article, we explain the purpose and value of the 7 different views inside Katana. This is part of the Basics of Katana articles recommended for beginners to Katana.

We’ve broken up the different views of Katana based on the main screens you need to see to manage inventory as a maker, distributor, crafter, small manufacturer, etc. The Sell, Make, Buy, Stock, Items, and Contacts screens give you a quick, dynamic spreadsheet-style view of your data, while the Settings screen allows you to customize Katana to fit your needs.

The 7 Katana screens

1. Sell

The Sell screen lists all the Sales orders (SO) you’ve manually added, imported, or synced through integrations (e.g. Shopify, WooCommerce). Choose the Done table to see all the completed SOs.

From the Sales orders tab > Open table, you can quickly gather an overview of the status of all SOs, making it simple to quickly see what actions need to be taken. This view allows you to see the availability of Sales items and Ingredients for your SOs as well as the status of Production and Delivery.

Let’s say you don’t have enough products in stock to fulfil a SO - you can track the availability of the required ingredients and create tasks to make these required products, all from the Sell screen.

To view a more detailed view of a Sales order, just click on it.

By clicking on the Quotes tab of the Sell screen, you can also an overview of all of the existing quotes and their statuses.

Learn more about using the Sell screen and how to create a new SO.

2. Make

On the Make screen, you’ll find a table for both your Open and Done Manufacturing orders (MO) under the Schedule tab. From this screen, you can manage your production activities, scheduling, and planning as well as gain an understanding of the Ingredients availability and Production status for each order. Create a production plan by dragging-and-dropping MOs based on their priority.

As products in Katana can be either Make-to-Order or Make-to-Stock, an MO that is make-to-order is linked to a specific SO. If you are making products to stock, those MOs won’t be linked directly to any Sales orders.

If you click on the Tasks tab, you’ll see a detailed list of tasks for your production team. For paperless, live production tracking, assign tasks to Operators using the Shop Floor App.

Learn more about using the Schedule tab and how to create a new MO.

3. Buy

The Buy screen displays a table for both your Open and Done Purchase orders (PO) and their status. In Katana, you can track POs for both raw materials and finished products.

Learn more about creating a new PO.

By clicking the Outsourcing tab of the Buy screen, you get an overview of all existing Outsourced purchase orders (OPO) and their statuses. OPOs are used when you're fully outsourcing manufacturing to a contractor while still handling the raw materials needed for it.

Learn more about creating a new OPO.

4. Stock

The Stock screen displays your Inventory list, including all Products and Materials at a Variant level. This is the main screen for you to keep track of your stock, analyze your stock levels, and initiate necessary actions (create Purchase or Manufacturing orders).

Stock in Katana is shown in real-time and kept automated as your purchasing, production, and sales activities trigger stock movements automatically.

You can see the value of your stock in hand, quantities In stock, Committed to Sales or Manufacturing orders, Expected from the suppliers or manufacturing, and whether you have too much or too little inventory based on Reorder points.

5. Items

On the Items screen, you’ll find a list for all your Products and another for your Materials. Both lists contain a comprehensive sheet with relevant columns such as Name, Category, Variant codes / SKUs, Sales prices, and Purchase prices. For a more in-depth view, you can click on Products to access Product recipes / BOMs and Production operations. You can also see and analyze cost prices and profit margins for all your product Variants.

Items can be used on SOs, MOs, POs, and Stock adjustments. In fact, you can’t do much in Katana without at least first having some Products or Materials.

Learn more about the Items, Creating Products, and Creating Materials.

6. Contacts

This screen provides a complete Customers list and a full Suppliers list. Using the sheet columns, you can quickly add email addresses, phone numbers, and comments to your contacts. Use this information on Sales and Purchase orders or manage your customers' and suppliers' contact information all in one place.

Click on any customer to add additional details.

7. Settings

If you need to change the base currency, add/remove units of measure, adjust tax rates, or add/remove categories, Operations, and Resources, add or adjust your warehouse locations, adjust the order and visibility of print templates – this can all be accomplished via the Settings screen.

If you want to connect with different integrations (such as Shopify, WooCommerce, QuickBooks Online, or Xero), you can find them here under Integrations, or if you need to connect your own personal application via API keys or webhooks, do so through API.

The Settings screen is also where you can download import templates, upload data, and clear data if you need a fresh start on your Katana account.

Did this answer your question?