What this screen is for
A tracking category is a way of classifying transactions beyond the account they post to, so you can report by department, by location, or by whatever division matters to your business. Each category has a name, a type, a description and a set of options, and the list shows how many options each one carries.
When to use it
Set these up before the transactions you want to analyse are entered, because a category added later will not retrofit itself onto records already saved. Deleting a category removes that classification from everything tagged with it, which is why the confirmation shows the option count before you proceed.
What you see on this screen
The page describes itself as managing classes, departments and locations for transaction tracking. The table has five columns: Name, Type (a coloured pill), Options (how many choices that category offers), Description and Actions.
A category with no options recorded is not yet usable - the count column is the quickest way to spot one that was created and never finished.
With nothing set up yet, the page invites you to create your first category to start tracking.
Filters and actions
There is no search or filter here. New Category opens the form where you name the category, choose its type and add its options. Each row can be edited or deleted. Deleting shows the category name and how many options it carries, and states that it cannot be undone.
Status values
The types are Class, Location, Department and Custom. The type is presentational - it groups and colours the category rather than changing how it behaves - so Custom is the right choice for any dimension that is not one of the first three.
Related
- Tags - a lighter way to group records
- Custom Fields - when you need to capture a value rather than classify