Article groups

Article Groups are a central part of Xena. This is where you set the VAT code per country and determine where purchases and sales are posted.

When you create an article group, it becomes automatically visible in the chart of accounts. And if you create an account, for example under the Nett Turn Over, it is also an article group you are creating.

Accounts such as Nett turn over or Product consumption are therefore inextricably linked to an article group – you cannot create financial accounts directly under these main groups.

When you buy or sell articles, they are also posted directly to the article group. This way, Xena automatically handles all postings related to stock, while the article group gives you a complete overview and statistics of purchases and sales.

If you use the Stock Management app, you can have stock value posted to accounts such as Stock, Stock Received, and Unpaid Stock. The app can be found in the Xena App Store.

Create Article Group

Start by considering which products you want to sell, and which article groups you should therefore create. It is advisable to create the most used article groups first – this makes it easier to create articles and track sales.

1. Go to Setup > Article Setup, select the tab Article Groups
2. Click Create
3. Enter a name for the group
4. Enter an account number only for the accounts you KNOW will be used
5. Other information can be added later

Naming Article Groups

When naming article groups, remember that they are used for both purchases and sales. Avoid names like Bikes Sales, as this may create confusion for purchases. A name like Bikes is more neutral and clear.

Typical article groups can be:

• Services
• Materials
• Shipping
• Tax-Free

You do not need to create article groups for import/export – tax codes and type of purchase/sale are automatically determined based on the partner's country.

Article Group Setup

Tab Details

In the Details tab, you can add account numbers for e.g., sales and purchases, both with and without VAT. The column SAF-T Standard Account Number is used to specify account numbers according to the public standard chart of accounts.
➡️ Here you can find the public chart of accounts

It is not necessary to enter account numbers for all posting types initially. In journal entry and cash journal, you will only see the article group accounts that have either an account number or a SAF-T account number filled in.

💡Tip: Use the financial report Balance to see which accounts have postings but are missing an account number.

Tab VAT Setup

Here you select tax codes for trading with partners in Denmark or abroad. You can:

• Edit the default setup for each country via the menu (three dots)
• Reset the setup and return to default

➡️ Read more about VAT and tax codes

Tab Stock Management

If you select Articles should have stock management enabled by default, all new articles in this group will automatically have stock management enabled. However, it is recommended to actively select this for each new article.
➡️ Read more about Stock Management

Change Article Group on an Article

Once sales or purchases have been posted on an article, the article group cannot be changed. This ensures that the history and postings on the article group are preserved in their original form.

If you need to combine articles into one group, you can use the Merge Article Groups function, which moves articles and movements from one group to another.
➡️ Guide to merging article groups

Article Groups and Statistics

Article groups are displayed in the chart of accounts under Revenue and Cost of Goods Sold, as well as in various stock posting groups. Each article group has its own “mini chart of accounts” so you can quickly see key figures.

Example:
You sell bicycles and create the article group Bicycles. All your bicycles are created as articles in this group.

• Sale of a bicycle is posted as revenue on the article group
• Purchase is posted to the article group, either via journal, voucher entry, or purchase order. All purchases are posted to cost of goods sold.
• If you use stock management, purchases are posted to the stock account. When you sell the article, both cost of goods sold and revenue are posted simultaneously.

For each article group, you can also track key figures in the Statistics box:

In the Revenue tab: Bar chart for each month with sales and cost of goods sold + cumulative gross margin

In the Gross Margin you see: Nett turn over, product consumption, contribution margin and gross margin per month

Article Groups and Postings

At the bottom of the article group, you can see details of all postings registered on the article group.

Tab Ledger Account Specifications:

Here is a mini chart of accounts with all accounts linked to the article group. If you need to reconcile stock, you can, for example, see the balance on Unpaid Stock.
➡️ See guide on Stock and Stock Value

Tab Postings

Here postings registered on the article group during the selected period are displayed. You can filter for a specific financial group, e.g., only cost of goods sold.

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