Categories Overview
Categories are used to organize parts in ShopView and determine how their pricing and taxation behave. Every part—whether it’s an inventory item or a vendor (special order) part—belongs to a category. Categories help the system know how to apply pricing matrices, whether a part should be taxed, and how it should appear when adding parts to work orders.
Creating and Editing Categories
You can:
Create a New Category
Go to Administration → Categories
Click New Category
Name the category
Optionally enable Tax Exempt
Save
Edit an Existing Category
Rename the category
Enable or disable tax exemption
Reassign it to a pricing matrix (in the Pricing section)
Delete Categories
Categories can be deleted as long as they are not required by the system (Uncategorized cannot be deleted).
Default Category: Uncategorized
Every new organization starts with one mandatory category:
Uncategorized
Assigned by default when no category is chosen
Cannot be renamed or deleted
Assigned to your default matrix
What Categories Control
Categories affect three main areas:
Pricing
Each category must be assigned to a pricing matrix, which determines:
How the sell price is calculated
Markup/margin rules
Price behavior based on the part’s cost range
Taxation
Categories can optionally be flagged as tax exempt.
When this is enabled:
Parts in this category will not have tax applied
Only the selected exempt category receives this treatment
This is helpful for:
Government exempt parts
Specific commodity codes
Shop-specific exemptions
Organization
Categories help staff quickly identify:
The type of part
Its intended use
The correct pricing rules
How to find and classify parts consistently
Examples:
Brake Components
Engine
Electrical
Dealer OEM Parts
Filters
Fluids
Tires
Connecting Categories to the Pricing Matrix
Categories are directly tied to pricing matrices.
How it works:
Go to Administration → Pricing
Open a pricing matrix
Toggle which categories use this matrix
All parts in those categories will use the selected markup rules
This allows:
Brake parts to use one markup
Engine parts another
Dealer/OEM parts yet another
Consumables to have a fixed margin
Assigning Categories to Parts
You assign categories in two places:
1. Inventory Items
When ordering, editing or creating inventory parts:
Select a category from the dropdown
Pricing matrix and tax rules update automatically based on the category
2. Parts Added to Work Orders
When adding parts on a work order:
The system shows a Category field
Choosing the correct category ensures the right pricing behavior
This allows consistency between inventory and vendor parts.
How Categories Affect Workflows
Parts Department
Ensures correct pricing matrix
Helps filter and sort inventory
Manages exempt vs taxable items
Service Advisors
Guarantees correct billing
Prevents manual pricing errors
Maintains consistency across work orders
Accounting
Ensures tax reporting accuracy
Prevents accidental tax charges on exempt parts
Keeps audit trails clean
Best Practices for Categories
Use descriptive names (e.g., “Heavy Duty Brakes” instead of “Brakes 2”)
Apply pricing matrices consistently so parts are priced correctly
Use tax exemption cautiously and only when required
Review categories periodically as the shop expands part types
Summary
Categories determine how parts behave throughout ShopView. They define the pricing rules through the pricing matrix, control tax behavior, and keep the parts department organized. By assigning categories correctly, shops ensure accurate billing, consistent markup, streamlined inventory management, and proper tax handling.