# ERP Guides and Glossary for Growing Businesses | BeatOS > ERP resources for manufacturers and distributors: an ERP and GST glossary, buyer questions answered, and guides to every BeatOS module and industry. URL: https://beatoserp.com/beatos/resources [Home](https://beatoserp.com/beatos) / Resources Resources Guides, glossary and answers # Plain answers for growing businesses What an ERP does, the GST and manufacturing terms you will meet, the questions owners ask before they buy, and where to read more about each part of BeatOS ERP. Open the glossaryBuyer questions Start here ## Pick the question you are asking. Three common starting points, each with the pages that answer it. ### "Do we need an ERP?" You have outgrown accounting software when orders, stock and money live in different places and month-end takes days. - What an ERP is - Tally or an ERP? - [BeatOS ERP overview](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp) ### "Will it fit how we work?" See the documents, checks and reports set up for your kind of business. - [Manufacturing](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/manufacturing) - [Distribution and trading](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/distribution) - [All industries](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries) ### "How hard is it to switch?" What a rollout involves, how your data moves across, and how your team learns it. - [Implementation steps](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/services/erp-implementation) - [Moving data from Tally or Excel](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/services/data-migration) - [Training by role](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/services/training) Glossary ## ERP, GST and field sales terms, explained. The words you will hear from vendors, auditors and your own team, in plain English, with a link to where each one lives in BeatOS ERP. BCDEFGHJLMPRSTW B Batch and expiry tracking : Recording which production lot each unit came from and when it expires, so stock can be traced to a supplier or customer and sold before it dates. [Inventory](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/stock) Beat plan route plan : The fixed list of outlets or customers a field salesperson visits on each day of the week, in route order. Managers compare planned visits with actual ones to see coverage. [Field apps](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/apps) Bill of materials BOM : The list of raw materials, sub-assemblies and operations needed to make one unit of a product. A multi-level BOM has sub-assemblies with BOMs of their own. [Manufacturing](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/manufacturing) C Cost centre : A branch, department, project or product line that costs and income are tagged to, so profit can be reported for each one. [Accounts](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/accounts) Credit limit : The most a customer may owe at any time. Orders that would push them over it are held until someone approves them. [Sales and CRM](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/selling) D Distribution management system DMS : Software that manages a distributor's orders, stock, schemes, billing and collections, often for a brand's network of distributors. [Distribution](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/distribution) E E-invoice IRN : Under GST, businesses above the notified turnover limit report each B2B invoice to the Invoice Registration Portal, which returns an Invoice Reference Number (IRN) and a signed QR code to print on it. [GST](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/gst) E-way bill : An electronic document generated on the GST portal before goods above the notified value are moved, carrying the invoice, transporter and vehicle details. [GST](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/gst) ERP enterprise resource planning : One system for a company's core work (selling, buying, stock, production, accounts, payroll) on a single database, so each transaction is entered once and every department sees the same figures. [BeatOS ERP](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp) F FEFO first expiry, first out : A picking rule that sends out the stock that expires soonest first, used for medicines, food, agri inputs and chemicals. [Inventory](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/stock) G GSTIN : The 15-character GST identification number of a registered business. Its first two digits are the state code, which decides whether CGST and SGST or IGST applies. [GST](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/gst) GSTR-1 : The GST return of outward supplies: the sales invoices, credit notes and HSN summary for a period. [GST](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/gst) GSTR-3B : The summary GST return where the tax payable is worked out and input tax credit is claimed. [GST](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/gst) GSTR-2B : A statement generated by the GST portal from suppliers' filings, showing the input tax credit available to you. Matching your purchase bills to it protects the credit you claim. [GST](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/gst) H HSN and SAC codes : The classification codes for goods (HSN) and services (SAC) used on GST invoices and returns; each code links to a tax rate. [GST](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/gst) J Job card : The shop-floor record of one operation on a work order, with the workstation, operator and time taken. [Manufacturing](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/manufacturing) Job work subcontracting : Sending your material to another firm to process (for example machining or coating) and receiving the finished goods back, while the material is still counted as your stock. [Manufacturing](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/manufacturing) L Landed cost : The full cost of goods once freight, duty, insurance and handling are added to the purchase price. Margins are only real when stock is valued at landed cost. [Trading](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/trading) M MRP material requirements planning : Working out, from orders or a forecast and the BOMs, what to make, what to buy and when. Not the same as the printed maximum retail price. [Manufacturing](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/manufacturing) P Projected stock : Stock on hand, plus stock on order or planned, minus stock already promised to orders. It tells sales what can really be promised. [Inventory](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/stock) R Reorder level : The stock level at which a new purchase or production request should be raised so the item does not run out before it arrives. [Inventory](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/stock) S Secondary sales : Sales from a distributor to retailers, as opposed to primary sales from the company to the distributor. Brands track them to see real market demand. [Distribution](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/distribution) Sales force automation SFA : Software for field sales teams: beat plans, visit check-ins, order taking, collections and activity reports. [Field apps](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/apps) T TDS and TCS : Tax deducted at source by the payer, and tax collected at source by the seller, under the Income Tax Act, each in specified categories and above thresholds. [Compliance](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/gst) Three-way match : Checking a supplier's bill against the purchase order and the goods receipt before paying, so you pay only for what was ordered and arrived. [Purchase](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/buying) W Work order : An instruction to make a quantity of a product from its BOM. It reserves the material, lists the operations and records the finished output. [Manufacturing](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/manufacturing) Buyer questions ## What owners ask before choosing an ERP Ask us on a call. We will answer it for your business, not in general. [Book a demo →](https://beatoserp.com/beatos#demo) **What is an ERP, in one paragraph?** An ERP runs a company's core work (sales, purchase, stock, production, accounts, GST and payroll) on one database. An order is entered once and becomes the stock entry, the invoice and the ledger line, so every department works from the same figures without retyping. **What is the difference between ERP and CRM?** A CRM manages leads, opportunities and customer conversations up to the sale. An ERP manages what happens around and after it: orders, stock, production, billing, GST and accounts. BeatOS ERP includes a CRM, so the customer record is the same in both. **We use Tally. When do we need an ERP?** Usually when orders, stock and production are tracked outside Tally in Excel or WhatsApp, when sales cannot see stock before promising, or when month-end needs days of reconciling. Many businesses keep their accounts team's habits and move the rest of the work into an ERP. **Do we need a separate field sales app if we have an ERP?** Most ERPs have no field app, so companies add one and then sync orders, customers and stock between two systems. BeatOS ERP includes 24 field apps for Android and iOS on the same database, so there is nothing to sync. **How long does an ERP rollout take?** It depends on the number of companies, modules and how clean your data is. A distributor starting with billing, stock and collections moves faster than a manufacturer adding production planning. We agree the scope and timeline after a short study of your processes. **Can our data come across from Tally or Excel?** Yes. Customers, suppliers, items, opening stock and balances are moved, cleaned and matched to your old reports before go-live. You approve the matched totals first. **Does BeatOS ERP handle e-invoicing and e-way bills?** Yes. E-invoices with IRN and QR code and e-way bills are generated from the invoice, and GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B reports are built from your own transactions. **Where is our data kept?** On managed cloud hosting or on your own server, as you choose. The data stays in your own database and can be exported. From the blog ## Practical guides, in English and Hindi. [ERP basicsWhat is ERP? A plain guide for Indian SMEsWhat an ERP actually does, how it differs from Tally and a CRM, and the signs that a growing business needs one.8 November 2026 · 4 min read](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/blog/what-is-erp)[ComparisonsTally vs ERP: signs you have outgrown accounting softwareTally is excellent at what it was built for. Here is how to tell when your business needs more than that, and how to move safely.8 November 2026 · 3 min read](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/blog/tally-vs-erp)[Field salesBeat planning in FMCG and distribution: a complete guideHow to design beats that cover every outlet at the right frequency, and the four numbers that tell you whether they are being followed.8 November 2026 · 4 min read](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/blog/beat-planning-guide) [All blog posts →](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/blog) Explore BeatOS ## Every module, industry and service. Each page explains what is covered, how the work flows and which reports you get. ### ERP modules - [Manufacturing ERP](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/manufacturing) - [Trading & Distribution ERP](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/trading) - [Accounts & Finance](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/accounts) - [GST & Compliance](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/gst) - [Inventory & Warehouse](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/stock) - [Purchase](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/buying) - [Sales & CRM](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/selling) - [HR & Payroll](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/hr-payroll) - [Projects & Assets](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/projects-assets) ### Industries - [Manufacturing](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/manufacturing) - [Distribution](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/distribution) - [Retail](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/retail) - [Services](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/services) - [Healthcare](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/healthcare) - [Education](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/education) - [Construction chemicals](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/construction-chemicals) - [Agri inputs](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/agri-inputs) - [Building materials](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/building-materials) - [Industrial B2B](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/industrial-b2b) - [FMCG distribution](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/industries/fmcg) ### Product and services - [Field Apps](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/apps) - [Features](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/features) - [Field sales management](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/field-sales-management) - [AI insights and dashboards](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp/ai-insights) - [Sales & Service hubs](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/sales-service) - [Platform](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/platform) - [ERP Implementation](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/services/erp-implementation) - [Data Migration](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/services/data-migration) - [Training](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/services/training) - [Support & Hosting](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/services/support-hosting) - [Reports & Integrations](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/services/reports-integrations) ## See it on your own business. A 30-minute walkthrough on your items, customers and invoice format. [Book a free demo](https://beatoserp.com/beatos#demo)[See BeatOS ERP](https://beatoserp.com/beatos/erp)