Inventory in Pulse — Part 5: the catalog & cross-branch SKUs

If you run multiple branches, a head-office catalog of canonical SKUs lets each branch link its own items to a shared product. The Cross-Branch view then groups stock by SKU, showing per-branch quantities and a total — while every branch keeps its own names, costs, and ledger.

Pulse · 14 Jun 2026

Multi-branch businesses face the same product under different local names. Pulse solves this with a head-office catalogue of canonical SKUs: each branch links its own item to a shared SKU, and head office gets a grouped, cross-branch view of stock — without changing anything about how each branch works.

Publish catalogue SKUs (head office)

  1. From a master-org session, open Inventory → Cross-Branch and click Manage Catalogue SKUs.
  2. Add a SKU with a code, a name, and an optional unit. This is the minimal shared product identity — no prices live here.

Link a branch item to a SKU (branch)

In a branch, edit any inventory item and use the Link to HQ Catalogue option to pick the matching catalogue SKU. Linking is purely a grouping key: the item keeps its own name, cost price, reorder level, and full transaction history. Nothing about day-to-day branch work changes.

See stock across branches

Back in the master session, Inventory → Cross-Branch groups linked items by SKU. Each group shows every branch’s on-hand and a combined total, with an amber flag where a branch is at or below its reorder level. Items that aren’t linked yet appear below as Branch-only rows, so nothing is hidden — you can link them from there.

Good to know

  • The Cross-Branch view is visibility only — it groups and totals stock; it doesn’t transfer or edit branch data.
  • Who sees which branches follows your existing branch access — there’s no separate setting to maintain.
  • It needs the branches feature and at least one active branch.

Frequently asked questions

Does linking to a catalogue SKU change my branch item?

No. It only groups the item for the head-office view. Your item keeps its own name, cost, reorder level, and stock history.

Can I move stock between branches from this view?

Not yet — the Cross-Branch view is visibility only. It shows per-branch and total quantities grouped by SKU.

What happens to linked items if head office deletes a SKU?

The branch items simply become unlinked (Branch-only). No stock or history is lost.