Breakout

<< Click to Display Table of Contents >>

Navigation:  MLS 2026 Installation and System Setup > System Information Setup > Setup Values >

Breakout

MLS 2026 allows you to separately track specific categories of inventory items using the Breakout feature found under:

Tools → Setup → Breakout

This option is most commonly used for:

Oil and lubricant sales

Environmental fee tracking

Specialty product reporting

Tax-specific categories

Separate sales analysis

In some states, certain products — especially lubricants and fluids — may require different accounting or tax treatment. The Breakout system allows these items to be grouped and tracked independently throughout the program and on printed invoices and reports.


Breakout Code

The Breakout Code identifies parts belonging to the special category.

Rules for the code:

Maximum of 3 characters

Letters or numbers may be used

The code must appear as the first characters of the part number

Example

If a normal oil part number would be:

QS1040

and your Breakout Code is:

OIL

then the inventory number should become:

OILQS1040

Any part beginning with the designated prefix will automatically be treated as part of the breakout category.


Breakout Title

The Breakout Title is the label printed on invoices and reports.

Guidelines:

Maximum of 8 characters

Keep the title short and descriptive

Typical Examples

OIL

LUBE

FLUID

ENVFEE

HAZMAT


How Breakout Categories Are Used

Breakout items may:

Print separately on invoices

Be grouped independently on reports

Be analyzed separately for accounting purposes

Help comply with local tax or environmental requirements

This provides clearer reporting and improved tracking of specialty product sales.


Best Practices

Use Breakout Categories only when:

Separate reporting is genuinely useful

Tax regulations require different handling

You want clearer visibility into specialty product sales

Keep the coding structure simple and consistent so technicians and service writers can easily recognize the special category during data entry.