enterprise software course
Open-Source All-in-One ERP: Setup to Daily Operations
Set up and run an open-source business suite for sales, stock, buying, accounting and websites.
about this course
What you will be able to do
- Remember Remember : apps and the dashboard.
- Apply Apply : contacts, products and prices.
- Apply Apply : sales to invoice.
- Apply Apply : buying and stock.
- Analyse Analyse : accounting and bank matching.
- Create Create : website, shop and automation.
- Create Create : customisation, hosting and migration.
- Create Create : capstone: run a small company for a month.
Task, condition and standard
Task
Set up and run an open-source business suite for sales, stock, buying, accounting and websites. Finish all 8 modules on a practice set-up.
Condition
A free trial or practice account, practice data only (never real customer data), a peer circle and a mentor for the final review.
Standard
Every module standard is met; records are kept; a peer and a mentor rate the work 'Meets' or better on the rubric.
Who it is for: Small-business owners, accountants, operations staff, junior consultants. Requirements: a computer and internet. Materials: slides with notes, worked examples, activities, quiz, rubric.
How the ladder works: modules climb from L1 (remember) to L7 (create); the ladder section shows each level as a slide. Take them in order; the first three suit new learners, 4 and 5 suit practitioners, 6 and 7 suit advanced staff.
lesson by lesson
8 modules with worked examples
Module 1 Apps and the dashboard 2 hRememberL1 Basic
Install only the apps you need.
- App list: sales, inventory, purchase, accounting, website.
- Company, users, access rights.
- Settings and developer mode.
Activity. Create a practice company and install three apps.
Standard to meet. Show three apps working and one user with limited rights.
Slides with notes
Module 2 Contacts, products and prices 3 hApplyL2 Awareness
Clean master data saves hours.
- Customers and suppliers.
- Products, units, variants.
- Price lists and taxes.
Activity. Import 20 products from a sheet.
Standard to meet. Check that there are no duplicates and set tax.
Slides with notes
Module 3 Sales to invoice 3 hApplyL3 Foundation
Quotation to payment in one thread.
- Quote, confirm, deliver, invoice, pay.
- Discounts and terms.
- Email templates.
Activity. Run five orders.
Standard to meet. Invoice everything and record that all are paid.
Slides with notes
Module 4 Buying and stock 4 hApplyL4 Practitioner
Replenish before you run out.
- Request, order, receive, bill.
- Reorder rules.
- Stock count and adjustment.
Activity. Set reorder rules and run a count.
Standard to meet. Match counts to the books.
Slides with notes
Module 5 Accounting and bank matching 4 hAnalyseL5 Specialist
Books that agree with the bank.
- Chart of accounts for your country.
- Bank feed or statement import.
- Reconcile.
- Tax return report.
Activity. Reconcile a practice month.
Standard to meet. Reconcile all lines, leaving zero unreconciled.
Slides with notes
Module 6 Website, shop and automation 3 hCreateL6 Advanced
Sell online from the same stock.
- Website builder.
- Shop and payment (bank or UPI only here).
- Automated actions.
Activity. Publish a test shop page (not live).
Standard to meet. Order flows to stock.
Slides with notes
Module 7 Customisation, hosting and migration 5 hCreateL7 Super expert
Take the system to production safely.
- Studio changes versus code.
- Backups and upgrades.
- Data migration plan.
- Support model.
Activity. Write a go-live plan.
Standard to meet. Describe backup, test and rollback.
Slides with notes
Module 8 Capstone: run a small company for a month 5 hCreateL7 Super expert
Bring every module together. You set up a practice company, run a month of real-style work, close the books and show your results to others.
- Plan the company: products, customers, suppliers, tax and the apps you need.
- Run a month of work: at least 15 sales, 8 purchases, 2 stock counts and one bank statement.
- Close the month: reconcile the bank, check stock against the books and print the tax report.
- Present your results and explain one mistake you made and how you fixed it.
Activity. Complete the one-month practice company and write a two-page report with a screenshot of each main report, the issues found and your fixes.
Standard to meet. Close the month with zero unreconciled bank lines, stock matching the count, and a clear written explanation of each issue.
Slides with notes
assessment
How you are checked
Evidence: your records from each activity. A peer and a mentor mark it. Pass: no criterion at 'Not yet'.
| Criterion | Not yet | Meets | Exceeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | Steps wrong | Steps right on practice data | Right and explained to a peer |
| Evidence | No records | Records for each module | Records and a lessons note |
| Safety and privacy | Real data used | Practice data only | Rules written for others |
| Standard | Misses the standard | Meets every module standard | Meets and improves it |
Ten-question check, with model answers
Q1. A small shop wants to sell, track stock and keep accounts. Which apps would you install first and why?
Model answer: Sales, inventory and accounting, because they cover the daily work. Add other apps later only when there is a real need. (Covered in module 1: Apps and the dashboard. To pass that module: Show three apps working and one user with limited rights.)
Q2. A shirt comes in three sizes and two colours. How should you set it up?
Model answer: Create one product with variants for size and colour, giving six combinations. This keeps one set of reports instead of six separate products. (Covered in module 2: Contacts, products and prices. To pass that module: Check that there are no duplicates and set tax.)
Q3. You import 20 products and find 3 duplicates. What check should have been done before import?
Model answer: Compare names or codes with the existing list and clean the sheet first. Also check units and tax columns before loading. (Covered in module 2: Contacts, products and prices. To pass that module: Check that there are no duplicates and set tax.)
Q4. A quote is confirmed. What usually follows in the sales flow?
Model answer: A delivery is made, an invoice is created from the order and then payment is registered. Each step is linked to the one before. (Covered in module 3: Sales to invoice. To pass that module: Invoice everything and record that all are paid.)
Q5. An invoice has payment terms of Net 30. What does that mean?
Model answer: The customer should pay within 30 days of the invoice date. The due date on the invoice is set automatically from this. (Covered in module 3: Sales to invoice. To pass that module: Invoice everything and record that all are paid.)
Q6. A product has a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 40 in its reorder rule. Stock falls to 8. What happens?
Model answer: A purchase request is created to bring stock up to the maximum, so about 32 units are suggested. The buyer reviews it before ordering. (Covered in module 4: Buying and stock. To pass that module: Match counts to the books.)
Q7. Twenty bank lines were imported and 18 matched. What do you do with the other two?
Model answer: Open each one and find the invoice or bill it belongs to, or create the missing entry. The target is zero unreconciled lines. (Covered in module 5: Accounting and bank matching. To pass that module: Reconcile all lines, leaving zero unreconciled.)
Q8. Why should a web shop and a physical shop use the same stock?
Model answer: Both sales reduce the same quantity, so you do not sell items you no longer have. Reports also show true totals. (Covered in module 6: Website, shop and automation. To pass that module: Order flows to stock.)
Q9. Before upgrading the live system, what should you do?
Model answer: Take a backup and run the upgrade on a copy first. If the copy fails you still have the working live system and a way back. (Covered in module 7: Customisation, hosting and migration. To pass that module: Describe backup, test and rollback.)
Q10. Compare the work in a capstone month with a go-live plan.
Model answer: A capstone month tests that you can run all daily work and close the books. A go-live plan prepares moving a real company, with backup, test, rollback and support. (Covered in module 8: Capstone: run a small company for a month. To pass that module: Close the month with zero unreconciled bank lines, stock matching the count, and a clear written explanation of each issue.)
levels L1 to L7
The ladder, slide by slide
Seven slides, one per level. Open each for the slide text and the speaker notes.
Slide 1 L1 Basic: L1 Basic: know the apps
Remember the main apps and what each is for. Identify the company, the current user and the access rights. Recognise a customer, a product and an order on screen.
Speaker notes. Show the app list and ask learners which they need for a shop. Check they can find their own company name. A common mistake is installing every app at once.
Slide 2 L2 Awareness: L2 Awareness: see the flow
Understand how a sale links to stock and to the invoice. Explain why clean product and customer data matters. Describe the idea of a chart of accounts and bank matching.
Speaker notes. Draw the flow with arrows from quote to payment. Ask where stock changes. Watch for learners who think each app keeps separate numbers.
Slide 3 L3 Foundation: L3 Foundation: enter daily work
Apply the steps to create contacts, products, quotes, orders and invoices. Register a payment. Use filters and search to find a record.
Speaker notes. Let learners enter five orders. Check each is invoiced and paid. Common mistake: typing a new customer when one already exists.
Slide 4 L4 Practitioner: L4 Practitioner: run stock and buying
Apply reorder rules, purchase orders and stock counts. Analyse a stock difference and post an adjustment with a reason. Check the stock value against the books.
Speaker notes. Plant one missed receipt in the practice data. Ask learners to find it. Common mistake: forcing the count to agree without finding the cause.
Slide 5 L5 Specialist: L5 Specialist: close the books
Analyse bank lines and match them to invoices and bills. Evaluate whether the tax report is correct. Fix wrong entries in a safe way.
Speaker notes. Give a bank file with two odd lines. Check learners explain each one. Common mistake: matching to the nearest amount instead of the true document.
Slide 6 L6 Advanced: L6 Advanced: build and automate
Create a test shop page and simple automated actions that save time. Evaluate changes made with the studio tool against changes made with code. Keep every change in a test copy first.
Speaker notes. Ask learners to show a change on the copy and then on live. Check they can name the risk. Common mistake: editing the live system directly.
Slide 7 L7 Super expert: L7 Super expert: lead the rollout
Create a go-live plan with migration, backups, rehearsal, rollback and support. Evaluate trade-offs for a real small company. Teach a team to run the system.
Speaker notes. Ask learners to present a plan to a peer who plays the owner. Check the backup and rollback steps. Common mistake: moving all data in one step with no rehearsal.
jobs this leads to
Where this takes you
- ERP assistant. Enters daily transactions.
- Small-business bookkeeper. Runs invoices and bank matching.
- Inventory controller. Counts and replenishes stock.
- ERP functional consultant. Configures modules for clients.
- ERP project lead. Leads rollout.
Next courses: data skills, process improvement, a sector course for your target employer.
ten locations and global
Your place
Local law changes how you store customer data and issue invoices. Check it for your place first.
India (Bengaluru)
Language: English, Hindi, Kannada. Use INR for amounts. Personal data rule: Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Skills frame to cite: National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and the national credit framework.
Netherlands (Eindhoven area)
Language: Dutch, English. Use EUR for amounts. Personal data rule: EU GDPR (Dutch: AVG), supervised by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. Skills frame to cite: the Dutch qualification framework (NLQF) linked to the European Qualifications Framework.
UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi)
Language: Arabic, English. Use AED for amounts. Personal data rule: Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 (personal data protection). Skills frame to cite: the emirate education and training regulators (for example KHDA in Dubai) and the national qualifications framework.
Brazil (Sao Paulo)
Language: Portuguese (Spanish and English support). Use BRL for amounts. Personal data rule: LGPD (Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados). Skills frame to cite: the national technical-education catalogue and the national S-system training bodies.
Canada (Toronto)
Language: English, French. Use CAD for amounts. Personal data rule: PIPEDA, with provincial rules where they apply. Skills frame to cite: the provincial colleges framework and the national credential-recognition guidance.
United States
Language: English, Spanish. Use USD for amounts. Personal data rule: state privacy laws (for example California), and COPPA for children under 13. Skills frame to cite: state and community-college credit systems.
Singapore
Language: English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil. Use SGD for amounts. Personal data rule: Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Skills frame to cite: the Singapore national skills frameworks and the national credit system.
Australia
Language: English. Use AUD for amounts. Personal data rule: the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. Skills frame to cite: the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels.
Hong Kong (Eastern Asia)
Language: Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin), English. Use HKD for amounts. Personal data rule: the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Skills frame to cite: the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework.
Georgia and Israel (Western Asia)
Language: Georgian, Hebrew, Arabic, English. Use GEL or ILS for amounts. Personal data rule: the personal data law of the country where the learner lives. Skills frame to cite: the national qualifications framework of that country.
Cayman Islands (Caribbean)
Language: English. Use KYD for amounts. Personal data rule: the Data Protection Act. Skills frame to cite: the local education and training framework.
Mexico
Language: Spanish, English. Use MXN for amounts. Personal data rule: the federal law on personal data held by private parties. Skills frame to cite: the national competency certification system and the education ministry levels.
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Draft
Draft course. Written in our own words from our own training outlines; no third-party text is used. Not live.