Inventory in Pulse — Part 5: the catalog & cross-branch SKUs
If you run multiple branches, a head-office catalog of Shared SKUs lets each branch link its own items to a shared product. The Cross-Branch view groups stock by SKU, showing per-branch quantities and a total, and lets you transfer stock between branches — 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 Shared 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 Shared SKUs (head office)
- From a master-org session, open Inventory → Cross-Branch and click Manage Shared SKUs.
- Add a SKU with a code, a name, and an optional unit. This is the minimal shared product identity — no prices live here, and it's separate from the supplier Catalog in Part 2.
Link an item to a Shared SKU
Edit any inventory item — in a branch session, or from HQ's own inventory — and use the Shared SKU field to pick the matching entry. 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. HQ's own stock can be linked too, so it rolls into the same group as the branches instead of standing apart from them.
See stock across branches
Back in the master session, Inventory → Cross-Branch groups linked items by Shared SKU. Each group shows every branch's on-hand — plus HQ's own, where linked — and a combined total, with an amber flag where a location 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.
Moving stock between branches
Need to actually send stock from one branch to another, not just see it? Any Shared SKU group with stock at two or more branches shows a Transfer action right on the Cross-Branch page — see the Cross-Branch Inventory guide for the full workflow, including how the destination confirms receipt.
Good to know
- The Cross-Branch view groups and totals stock, and can dispatch a transfer directly from a Shared SKU group.
- 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 Shared 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?
Yes. Any Shared SKU group with stock at two or more branches shows a Transfer action — see the Cross-Branch Inventory guide for the full dispatch-and-receive workflow.
What happens to linked items if head office deletes a Shared SKU?
The branch items simply become unlinked (Branch-only). No stock or history is lost.
Related guides
- Inventory in Pulse — Part 1: items & stock on handPulse inventory is items-first and perpetual: you create an item, set an opening balance, and your on-hand quantity is always the sum of every stock movement — never a stored number that can drift. This part covers adding items, units, count vs measure mode, and reorder levels.
- Inventory in Pulse — Part 2: suppliers, the catalog & purchase ordersThe buy side of Pulse inventory lives under Inventory: add Suppliers, keep their products in the Catalog, and raise Purchase Orders. When you mark a PO received, Pulse posts the stock straight into the ledger for you.
- Inventory in Pulse — Part 3: the stock ledger (receiving, issuing & movements)Every stock change in Pulse is an immutable ledger entry: opening, received, issued, adjustment, or write-off. On-hand is always their sum, movements can be attributed to a project or job, and sending an invoice can issue stock automatically.
- Inventory in Pulse — Part 4: stock counts, adjustments & write-offsWhen a physical count differs from the system, you post an adjustment: enter what you counted, Pulse calculates the variance, you pick a reason and confirm with your password. Write-offs work the same way. Every correction is permission-gated and permanently audited.
- Inventory in Pulse — Part 6: pieces, offcuts & the usage reportFor materials you cut, Pulse can track individual pieces and offcuts: each piece carries a remaining quantity and status, issuing can split a child offcut, and a usage report shows received, issued, written-off and waste. Pulse records what is left — it never calculates what to cut.