First Steps

This tutorial walks you through your first actions in the Alpha Platform.

Overview

By the end of this guide, you will have:

1. Navigated the platform interface
2. Created your first product
3. Added a client
4. Created a sales order
5. Generated an invoice

Navigating the Platform

Main Navigation

The platform uses a sidebar navigation with these main sections:

• Dashboard - Overview and quick metrics
• ERP - Business operations (Products, Orders, Inventory)
• Construction - Project management (if enabled)
• Shop - E-commerce (if enabled)
• Administration - System settings and users

Mobile Modules

The mobile Modules drawer and pinned tabs follow the active tenant's enabled modules. Sales requires CRM or Finance, Purchasing requires Finance, and Company Calendar requires Calendar. Client or supplier access alone does not enable these screens. Within Sales, Leads and Opportunities require CRM.

While tenant settings are unavailable, restricted modules stay hidden. Chat and Roadmap remain available to signed-in users without a separate module activation.

Pinned Items

The Pinned section sits at the top of the sidebar and holds shortcuts you star yourself:

• Screens: hover any sidebar row and click its star to pin that screen.
• Records: star a project in the Projects list or from the project editor header, or a type in the Types list, and it is pinned by name.

A pinned record links straight to its editor, and disappears from the sidebar when you unstar it, from the pinned row itself, from the list it came from, or from the Favorites widget on the dashboard. Pins are per user, and a pinned record only shows while you can still reach the section it belongs to.

Dashboard Overview

Your dashboard displays:

• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Recent activity
• Quick action buttons
• Alerts and notifications

Creating Your First Product

Let's add a product to your catalog:

Step 1: Navigate to Products

1. Click ERP in the sidebar
2. Select Products

Step 2: Add New Product

1. Click Add Product
2. Fill in the product details:

3. Click Save

Step 3: Add Initial Stock (Optional)

1. Open the product you just created
2. Go to the Stock tab
3. Click Adjust Stock
4. Enter quantity and stock site
5. Save the adjustment

Adding Your First Client

Step 1: Navigate to Clients

1. Click ERP in the sidebar
2. Select Clients

Step 2: Create Client

1. Click Add Client
2. Enter client information:

3. Click Save

Step 3: Add Contact (Optional)

1. Open the client record
2. Go to Contacts tab
3. Click Add Contact
4. Enter contact details
5. Save

Creating Your First Sales Order

Step 1: Navigate to Sales Orders

1. Click ERP in the sidebar
2. Select Sales Orders

Step 2: Create Order

1. Click New Sales Order
2. Select your client (Acme Corporation)
3. Add order line:
   • Select product (Standard Widget)
   • Enter quantity (10)
   • Confirm pricing
4. Review order total
5. Click Create Order

Step 3: Process the Order

Your order starts in Draft status. The workflow is:

Draft → Confirmed → Processing → Shipped → Completed

1. Click Confirm to confirm the order
2. The order moves to processing for fulfillment

Generating Your First Invoice

Step 1: Create Invoice from Order

1. Open your confirmed sales order
2. Click Create Invoice
3. Review invoice details:
   • Invoice date
   • Due date (based on payment terms)
   • Line items (from order)
4. Click Create

Step 2: Send Invoice

1. Open the invoice
2. Click Send Invoice
3. Choose delivery method:
   • Email to client
   • Download PDF
4. Invoice status changes to Sent

Step 3: Record Payment

When payment is received:

1. Open the invoice
2. Click Record Payment
3. Enter payment details:
   • Amount
   • Payment date
   • Payment method
4. Save

Congratulations!

You've completed your first workflow in Alpha:

• Created a product ✓
• Added a client ✓
• Processed a sales order ✓
• Generated and sent an invoice ✓

Next Steps

Explore more features:

Or check role-specific guides: