How to use reporting tags to track dropship vs wholesale vs retail in Books?

TB Books · reports · Last updated August 17, 2026 · Version 1

This process works in apps: TB Books

This article will teach you how to create channel tags, stamp them on customers and invoices, and compare Profit & Loss side by side.

Reporting tags (classes) split one set of Books numbers into channels — for example Dropship, Wholesale, and Retail — without separate companies. Create the tags once, default them on customers (and vendors if you want purchases tagged), then stamp every work order and invoice. The dashboard All Tags filter shows one channel’s widgets. Reports → Profit & Loss → Compare With → Compare Based on Reporting Tags puts those channels in columns so you can see which business is making money.

Steps

• Go to Settings → Reporting Tags and click New Tag. Create one active tag per channel (for example Dropship, Wholesale, Retail). Names must be unique. Click Save Tag.
• Optional: Settings → General Settings → turn on Require Reporting Tags so Expenses and Invoices cannot be saved without a tag.
• On each customer, set Default Reporting Tag (Dropship dealers, wholesale accounts, retail shop customers). New work orders and invoices pick up that default.
• When you create or finalize a work order, choose Reporting Tag on the form and again on Finalize Work Order if you need to confirm the channel. The tag carries to the invoice.
• On a New Invoice, set Reporting Tag in the header. To split one invoice (retail labor plus dropship tires), change the TAG column on that line — Default follows the header tag.
• Open the Books Dashboard, pick your date range, then use All Tags and select Dropship, Wholesale, or Retail to see that channel’s sales and activity.
• Open Reports → Profit & Loss (Income Statement). Click Compare With, set Compare Basis to Compare Based on Reporting Tags, then Apply. Read revenue, COGS, and profit by channel.

Conclusion & best practices

Tag at the source — customer default plus every invoice — or the P&L compare will dump untagged work into an uncategorized column and understate a channel. Use the same three names everywhere; do not create “DS” and “Dropship” for the same channel. Deleting a tag does not strip it from historical invoices, but new documents can no longer select it if you mark the tag Inactive. Pair this with linked purchase-order costing on dropship jobs so Dropship profit uses the vendor PO/bill, not warehouse average.