Consumables Tab

The consumables tab lets a technician record inventory used from their van or location in a custom Field Service Consumable record in NetSuite. After the task is finished on mobile, that info is used to create a sales order in NetSuite.

The user selects an item, sets a quantity, saves the record, and repeats for the next item.

The mobile user never sees the sales order that's created; they only record inventory usage.

When the task is done, a scheduled script creates or updates the sales order with the parts used and sets it on the case in the Field Service Case Transaction field.

The consumables and sales order tab both let you add parts or items to a sales order, but they work differently and each has its own advantages. To help you decide the right option for your needs, see Deciding Between the Consumables and Sales Order Tab.

To learn more about the consumables tab, see the following:

• Default Configuration

• Limitations and Key Considerations

• Supported Item Types

• Configurability

Default Configuration

You can view the default configuration of the consumables tab using the Configuration Preview feature. Its structure is shown below:

            "consumables": {
      "label": "Inventory",
      "icon": "wrench",
      "element": {
        ...
      },
      "article": {
        ...
      },
      "enable": []
    }, 

          

The following defaults are set on a consumable record when it's created: task, asset, and employee.

            "defaults": {
          "custrecord_nx_constask": "${ event.internalid }",
          "asset": "${ options.asset || event.asset }",
          "custrecord_nx_consemployee": "${ user.internalid }"
        } 

          

Limitations and Key Considerations

Here are a some things to keep in mind, including some limitations, when using the consumables tab.

• The consumables tab works with child assets and can show up under each one. On the sales order, each line links to the related child asset. This helps with profitability and financial reporting by child asset.

• The sales order creation process doesn't support customers with the Inventory Status feature enabled. For these accounts, turn off auto-fulfillment on the sales order and fulfill manually. Inventory Status is supported through the Sales Order tab and is a better option if you need auto-fulfillment.

Supported Item Types

The table below lists the NetSuite item types and their support levels when used with the consumable tab.

Item Type	Item Subtype	Support Level	Limitations
Description	–	Unsupported
Discount	–	Unsupported
Inventory Item	–	Supported
Inventory Item - Lot Numbered	–	Supported
Inventory Item - Serialized	–	Supported
Item Group	–	Partially Supported	Item groups load on mobile even if some components aren’t in stock at the location. This can cause unfulfilled sales orders, especially if there are data entry mistakes or inventory isn’t reconciled. Practically, users shouldn’t consume stock they don’t have, but errors can happen.
Kit/Package	–	Unsupported
Markup	–	Unsupported
Non-Inventory Item	For Purchase	Unsupported
	For Sale	Supported
	For Resale	Supported
Other Charge	For Purchase	Unsupported
	For Sale	Supported
	For Resale	Supported
Payment	–	Unsupported
Service	For Purchase	Unsupported
	For Sale	Supported
	For Resale	Supported
Subtotal	–	Unsupported

You can add more searches within the consumable element in the inventory section to include non-inventory, service, and other charge items.

Configurability

Here are some things to keep in mind when configuring the consumables tab.

• As a custom record, the Field Service Consumables can have additional fields added, but the record and bundled fields are locked to ensure the product will function as designed.

• You can add more fields to the consumables record, but you can't connect them to the sales order creation process through configuration; scripts or workflows may be able to do this.

• The consumables tab is supported by the billing feature of FSM, meaning that the billing rules for the consumables tab can be configured through the billing feature. This includes applying price levels and more complex business requirements, or making the charges billable, or billable at $0 (no revenue or financial impact to the end customer).

• You can't set specific pricing or let users set pricing for an item in the mobile. You can only choose between billable and non-billable or set price levels, however the price levels will in turn apply different rates, and if a customer has customer specific pricing set, that pricing will be applied when the sales order is created.

• You can set up the consumables so users can choose if an item is billable or non-billable through configuration.

• You can turn off sales order creation or auto-fulfillment from consumables through configuration.

  You can set the bill and fulfill properties to true or false. The "bill" element controls whether a sales order is created, and "fulfill" controls whether it gets fulfilled.

                  "consumable": {
      "bill": true,
      "fulfill": true
    }, 
  
                

Related Topics

• Configuration
• Configuration Preview
• Deciding Between the Consumables and Sales Order Tab
• Inventory Section
• Sales Order Tab

General Notices