# Categories The Categories page is where you control which NetSuite categories are available to Client Admins on the active subsidiary. Think of it as a gate: only the categories you enable here appear when a Client Admin builds a catalog, browses the category tree, or configures category-based navigation in their portal pages. ## When you'd use this * Setting up a new subsidiary — you need to decide which category branches Client Admins can build from. * New categories were added in NetSuite and you want them (or don't want them) to flow through to Client Admins automatically. * A Client Admin reports that a category they expect to see isn't showing up in the catalog builder. * You're seeding a new product line and want to create a large category structure at once rather than entering records one by one in NetSuite. ## Before you start * You're signed in with a **NetSuite Admin** account. * The subsidiary selector in the top bar is set to the subsidiary you want to configure. Category selections are per-subsidiary — changing one subsidiary doesn't affect others. * For CSV import: have a spreadsheet with at least a **name** column ready. ## Accessing Categories {% stepper %} {% step %} ### Open the NetSuite Admin view Switch to **NetSuite Admin** in SphericalBRM. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Select the subsidiary Use the subsidiary switcher at the top of the page. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Click Categories **Categories** is in the left sidebar. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} ![Categories tree page with the Auto add toggle and tree controls](/files/yIU49dTgjp7obQm5ZIQx) ## What you see The page displays all available NetSuite categories for the selected subsidiary in a tree. Each row shows: * A checkbox to include or exclude the category * A thumbnail image (if one has been set on the category record in NetSuite) * The category name and description * A folder icon if the category has sub-categories beneath it ## Enabling or disabling categories Use the checkboxes to select which categories are available to Client Admins on this subsidiary. * Click **Select All** to enable all categories at once * Click **Unselect All** to clear all selections * Click **Expand All** / **Collapse All** to navigate nested trees * Selecting a parent automatically selects its children; unchecking a parent unchecks them too ### What disabling a category does When you uncheck a category and save: * **Client Admin catalog builder** — the category no longer appears as an option when a Client Admin creates or edits a catalog. They cannot select it to include its items. * **Existing catalogs** — items that were already pulled into a built catalog from that category remain in the catalog until the catalog is rebuilt. Once the Client Admin triggers a rebuild (Save & Update or Reprocess), those items drop out if their category is no longer selectable. * **Portal browsing** — end users can no longer navigate to items via that category in the portal. Category sidebar and category filter bar components will not show it. * **Items themselves** — the underlying NetSuite items are unaffected. They still exist in NetSuite; they're just no longer reachable through that category path in the portal. {% hint style="info" %} Disabling a category here does not delete or inactivate anything in NetSuite. It only controls what Client Admins can expose in their catalogs. {% endhint %} ## Auto add new categories The **Auto add new categories** switch at the top of the page controls what happens when a brand-new category is created in NetSuite. | Setting | What happens when a new NetSuite category is created | | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **On** | The category becomes available to Client Admins automatically — no action needed here. | | **Off** (default) | The category sits hidden until a NetSuite Admin visits this page, checks the box, and saves. | Turn this on when you trust that every new NetSuite category should flow straight through to Client Admins. Leave it off when you want to review and approve each new category before it becomes available. ## Importing categories from a spreadsheet Use **Import CSV** when you need to create a large number of categories in NetSuite at once — for example, when setting up a new subsidiary with an established product hierarchy. ### What your spreadsheet needs | Column | Required | Notes | | --------------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **name** | Yes | The category name. Rows with an empty name are skipped. | | **description** | No | Optional short description. | | **parent** | No | Name of a parent category. Links the new category as a child of the named parent. | The column headers are matched without regard to capitalisation — `Name`, `name`, and `NAME` all work. ### Run the import {% stepper %} {% step %} ### Click Import CSV A file picker opens. Select your `.csv` file. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Watch the progress The button changes to *Importing…* while each row is processed. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Check the result A message confirms how many categories were created and flags any that failed. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Enable the new categories After import, the page reloads so the new categories appear in the tree. Tick the ones that should be visible to Client Admins, then click **Save**. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} {% hint style="info" %} The import creates categories in NetSuite. It does not automatically check the boxes — that's a separate Save step here. {% endhint %} ## Saving Click **Save** at the top-right after making any changes — checkbox selections and the Auto add toggle are both saved together. A confirmation toast shows how many categories are now selected for this subsidiary. ## What success looks like * The tree reflects exactly the categories you want Client Admins to work with. * When a Client Admin opens their **Categories** page, they see only the subset you selected. * New NetSuite categories either flow through automatically (if Auto add is on) or wait for your next Save (if it's off). ## Common issues * **A category a Client Admin expects to see isn't in their catalog builder** — refresh this page and confirm the category's checkbox is checked and saved for the correct subsidiary. Also confirm the subsidiary selector at the top of the page matches the subsidiary the Client Admin is on. * **Auto add is on but a new category didn't appear for Client Admins** — visit this page once after the category is created in NetSuite. The Auto add flag fires when the page first observes the new category; simply loading this page triggers the pick-up. * **CSV import fails on every row** — confirm the spreadsheet has a `name` column header (case-insensitive). Rows with a blank name are silently skipped. If a `parent` value doesn't match an existing category name, the new record is still created but without a parent link. * **After saving, Client Admins still see the old category list** — category changes take effect immediately after saving here. Ask the Client Admin to refresh their browser (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R). ## Related Pages
CatalogsManaging the product catalogs that use these categories./pages/BDyjlg23g0FoReTC969n
Catalog RestrictionsGlobal item filters that control which items can appear in catalogs./pages/jExGcss3ADLKBe5npzoI
Categories (Client Admin)How Client Admins view and use the categories you've enabled here./pages/Lhd78fJQEK4v1phG1c1F
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