> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.atlas.kitchen/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Reporting categories
> Group products into categories to organise reports and target pricing rules.
## What reporting categories do
Reporting categories let you group products (e.g. "food", "drinks", "alcohol") so that:
* **Sales reports** break down revenue by category instead of listing every product individually.
* **Your team** can quickly filter products by category and sub-categories on the Products page.
Each product can have **one** reporting category. Categories are shared across all your outlets.
## When to use this
* You want to see sales broken down by different groups such as "food" vs. "drinks" in your reports.
* You want to sort, organise and filter products by category on the Products page.
## Managing reporting categories
Open the sidebar and tap **Menu builder > Reporting categories**, or go directly to [Reporting categories](https://portal.atlas.kitchen/report-categories).
The page shows:
* **Name** — the category name (always lowercase).
* **Item count** — how many products are assigned to this category. Tap the count to jump to the Products page filtered by that category.
* **Drag handles** — the dots on the left of each row let you drag categories to reorder them.
* **Three-dot menu** — tap for Edit, Remove, and Create subcategory options.
### Create a new category
Names are automatically converted to lowercase. Keep them short and descriptive (e.g. "food", "drinks", "alcohol", "desserts").
Leave as **No parent (top-level category)** to create a standalone category. Select an existing category to create a subcategory under it.
The new category appears in the list. You can now assign products to it.
### Edit a category
Renaming a category updates it everywhere — in products, reports, and pricing rules. You do not need to reassign products after renaming.
Find the three-dot icon on the right side of the category row.
Atlas automatically updates all products assigned to this category.
### Remove a category
Removing a category does **not** delete any products. It only removes the category label from those products. They will appear as "uncategorised" in reports.
Find the three-dot icon on the right side of the category row.
The category is removed from all assigned products.
### Create subcategories
You can nest categories by creating subcategories under a parent.
Find the three-dot icon on the right side of the category row.
The Create category modal opens with the parent already selected.
The subcategory appears nested under its parent in the list.
You can also set a parent category using the **Parent category** dropdown when creating or editing any category.
## Assign a reporting category to a product
You can assign a reporting category when creating or editing a product.
Go to **Menu builder > Products**, then tap the edit icon next to any product.
The dropdown lists all existing categories. Select **No category** to remove the current assignment.
If the selected category has subcategories, choose one from the **Reporting subcategory** dropdown.
The product now belongs to the selected reporting category.
You can also assign reporting categories when importing products via CSV. The "Reporting category" column is included in the CSV export and import templates.
## View products by category
There are two ways to see which products belong to a category:
**From the Reporting categories page:**
Tap the item count badge (e.g. "27 items") next to any category. This opens the Products page filtered to show only products in that category.
**From the Products page:**
The **Category** column in the products table shows each product's reporting category. Tap the category name to filter the table by that category.
## How categories appear in reports
Reporting categories are used in several reports:
* [**Sales summary report**](/reports/sales/sales-summary-report) — breaks down sales by reporting category so you can see revenue for "food" vs. "drinks" at a glance.
* [**Product mix report**](/reports/product/product-mix-report) — colour-codes products by reporting category in the quantity vs. sales chart, and includes a **Product mix by reporting category** table where you can expand each category to see individual products, quantities, and sales breakdowns.
* [**Daily outlet report**](/reports/operations/daily-outlet-report) (Z-report) — groups products by category in the products sold section. Products without a category appear under "uncategorised".
Make sure all products have a reporting category assigned. This gives you meaningful breakdowns in reports.
## What should happen
* New categories appear immediately in the categories list and in product dropdowns.
* Assigning a category to a product updates the Category column on the Products page.
* Reports generated after assignment reflect the new category groupings.
* Renaming a category updates all references automatically.
## If it doesn't work
* Refresh the page and try again — newly created categories may take a moment to appear.
* Check that you created the category on the Reporting categories page, not just as a product tag.
* Verify products have a reporting category assigned (check the Category column on the Products page).
* Reports only reflect categories at the time orders were placed. Assigning a category now will not retroactively change past reports.
* The product does not have a reporting category assigned. Edit the product and select one from the Reporting category dropdown.
If the issue persists, contact support at [hello@atlas.kitchen](mailto:hello@atlas.kitchen).
## Next steps
* [Create and configure menus](/menu-builder/create-menus) — learn how to build menus with sections and products.
* [Sales summary report](/reports/sales/sales-summary-report) — see how category breakdowns appear in your sales data.
* [POS layouts](/menu-builder/pos-layout) — configure how products appear on your POS screen.