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Inventory: find an item by SKU

Search stock by a variant SKU — case-insensitive and ignoring leading zeros — alongside name, barcode and PLU

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Inventory: find an item by SKU

A clothing store's T-shirt has a dozen variants, each with its own SKU: TEE-BLU-M, TEE-BLU-L… Finding the right variant in the stock table by name takes time — typing the SKU is faster. The search field on the Stock tab also searches by SKU: a variant row matches the SKU of that variant, not of the whole product.

What you need to get started#

  • The Cenaly web panel and access to the Inventory section at the location.
  • A SKU set on the catalog product (the SKU field; for a product with variants — on each variant in the variants tab), and the product tracked in stock.

How to find an item by SKU#

  1. Open Inventory → Stock.
  2. In the Name, SKU or barcode field above the table, type the full SKU or part of it.
  3. The table keeps rows whose name (in any language of the card), barcode, weighed-item PLU or SKU matches.
  4. To clear the search, click ✕ in the field or press Esc.

The same search works when picking an item in the stock receipt form.

How SKUs are matched#

  • Case does not matter: tee-blu-m finds TEE-BLU-M.
  • Part of a SKU works: BLU finds all blue variants.
  • Leading zeros of a numeric SKU do not matter: 123 finds 000123, and 000123 finds an item whose SKU is 123 if the import spreadsheet dropped the zeros. In an alphanumeric SKU (A0012) zeros are part of the SKU.
  • Items without a SKU do not get in the way: they are still found by name, barcode and PLU.

Limitations#

  • The SKU reaches the stock catalog when the product card is saved; for a product with variants, also when the catalog is imported. Items not re-saved since 8 November 2026 become searchable by SKU after the next save of the card (open the product and click Save). Importing a product without variants does not yet carry its SKU to inventory — after such an import, open the card and save it.
  • Stock-only items (raw materials, supplies outside the catalog) have no SKU field — search them by name or barcode.
  • A dish tracked as a stock item has no SKU field on its card.

Troubleshooting#

  • A variant is not found by SKU. Check that the SKU is set on the variant itself and re-save the product card.
  • Too many matches. Search looks for the text anywhere: a short query like 12 matches many SKUs and barcodes. Type more characters.

FAQ#

Does searching change product data?#

No. Search only filters the table; the catalog owns the SKU, and inventory keeps a copy.

Stock & purchasing
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