SOORA ERP User Documentation

1 Getting Started

What is SOORA ERP?

SOORA ERP is a web-based business management system built for retail and service businesses in Ethiopia. It helps you run your whole operation in one place: manage your team and their permissions, build a product catalog, record sales orders, accept cash and Telebirr payments, send SMS receipts to customers, and track your income with reports.

The system is designed to be simple enough for everyday staff while giving owners full control with powerful reports and configurable settings.

Who is this system for?

SOORA ERP is built for any business that records orders every day and needs to know exactly where its money is — from one counter to many stores. It is especially made for businesses that use orders and order processing from start to finish.

System Requirements

Installation Guide

1. Download the files. Copy the project folder into your web server's root directory. For XAMPP this is usually C:\xampp\htdocs\ERP_qubeteck\.
2. Create the database. Open phpMyAdmin and create a new database named stock.
3. Import the schema. Import the stock.sql file into your stock database.
4. Run the servers. Start Apache and MySQL from your server control panel (WAMP / XAMPP).
5. Open the system. Visit http://localhost/ERP_qubeteck/ in your browser.

Configure the database connection (if needed)

If your database user or password is different (for example a production server), edit application/config/database.php:

$db['default'] = array(
    'hostname' => 'localhost',
    'username' => 'root',
    'password' => '',
    'database' => 'stock',
    'dbdriver' => 'mysqli'
    // ...
);

Logging In

1. Open the system URL in your browser (for example http://localhost/ERP_qubeteck/).
2. Enter your email and password on the login page.
3. Click Login. You will be taken to the dashboard. If you were already logged in, the system opens the dashboard directly.

# If the site is inside a folder, the URL is:
http://localhost/ERP_qubeteck/auth/login
# Logout:
http://localhost/ERP_qubeteck/auth/logout

2 Dashboard

The dashboard is the first screen you see after logging in. It gives an at-a-glance summary of the whole business.

Dashboard widgets

3 User Management

Users are the people who log into the system (owners, cashiers, managers). Each user belongs to one group which decides what they can see and do.

Viewing users

Go to Users → Manage Users. The list shows users in a searchable table with columns for name, phone, gender and actions. The main administrator account (id 1) is never shown in the list and cannot be removed.

Adding a new user

1. Go to Users → Add User.
2. Fill the form:
   • Username — a short unique name used to identify the user.
   • Password — stored securely (hashed, never readable in the database).
   • Email — used to log in.
   • First name / Last name — the staff member's name.
   • Phone — contact number (also used if SMS is enabled).
   • Gender — Male / Female.
   • Group — choose the permission group for this user.
3. Click Create. The password is hashed before saving. You will be returned to the user list.

Editing / deleting a user

• Edit: click the Edit icon next to a user, change the details and save. You can also set a new password here — the confirmation field must match.
• Delete: click the Delete icon. Only users with the "delete user" permission can do this.

Profile & Settings (your own account)

• Profile — shows the details of the currently logged-in user. Always available to the logged-in user.
• Settings — lets a user update their own information and change their own password (enter your current password logic: new password + confirmation must match).

4 Roles & Permissions (Groups)

A group is a set of permissions. Instead of giving permissions to each person, you create groups (for example Cashier, Manager, Owner) and assign users to them.

The 36 permissions

Every module has four standard permissions (create, view, update, delete) plus a few special ones. Examples:

Permissions are checked on every action by the system. Even if a user navigates directly to a URL, they only succeed if their group has the permission.

Creating and managing groups

1. Go to Groups → Add Group. Enter a group name.
2. Tick the permissions you want this group to have. The list is grouped by module for easy selection.
3. Save. The group appears in the group list and can be assigned to users.

You can edit a group's permissions at any time — the change applies to every user in that group immediately.

5 Product Catalog

The catalog holds everything you sell. It is organised with products plus supporting lists: brands, categories, stores and attributes. Products use these lists to describe themselves (a product belongs to a store, can have one or more brands / categories / attributes, and carries its own price and stock quantity).

Brands

Brands are the makers of your products (for example "Habesha", "Rico", "Samsung"). You can mark a brand active or inactive. Use Brands in the menu to add, edit or delete, and to set whether the brand is active.

Categories

Categories group your products into types (for example "Printing", "Stationery", "Clothing"). Manage them under Category. You can activate or deactivate a category, and products keep their category even if a list item is later made inactive.

Attributes

Attributes describe product options in two levels: an attribute (for example "Color" or "Size") and its values (for example Blue, Red / S, M, L). Create an attribute, then open it and click Add Value to add its values. Attribute values are stored with the product record (as JSON) so a product can carry several.

Stores

Stores are your locations or warehouses (for example "Chiro Main Shop", "Store 2"). Each product is assigned to a store. The dashboard shows the total number of active stores.

Products — field by field

Adding and managing products

1. Go to Products → Add Product.
2. Enter the product details (name, SKU, price, quantity, image, description).
3. Assign brand(s), category(ies), attribute value(s) and a store.
4. Set availability and click Create.

Use Products → Manage Products to view the catalog. The list shows a thumbnail, SKU, name, price, quantity status (with low-stock colouring), store and availability. You can edit or delete products from here.

{
  "color": ["Blue", "Red"],
  "size": ["M", "L"]
}

6 Orders & Sales

Orders are the heart of the system. There are two types: private / individual orders (customer information is typed into the order) and organization orders (linked to a saved customer record). Every order can hold several products, plus optional dimensions, discounts, service charge and VAT.

Order types

Creating an order

1. Choose the order type (Add Order for private, Add Organization Order for organizations).
2. Select products. Add products to the order — for each one set the quantity; for measurement-based items (e.g. glass), enter the height and width and the area (kaaree) is calculated automatically.
3. Set customer details (name, phone, address) — or pick an existing organization customer.
4. Apply charges and discount — service charge and VAT/TOT are calculated automatically from the rates set in company settings. You can also enter a discount.
5. Save the order. Stock is reduced automatically for every product sold, and an SMS receipt is sent if SMS is enabled.

Viewing and editing orders

• Manage Orders — lists all private orders (searchable table).
• Manage Organization Orders — lists all organization orders.
• Click Edit to change products, quantities, customer details or discounts. The order and its stock are recalculated.

Payments

Each order has a payment status and a payment history. You can record multiple payments against one order (useful for installments on loans).

Payment methods: Cash, Bank Transfer, Mobile Transfer, and Telebirr. The order payment screen also lets you enter a Telebirr transaction number; the system can verify it automatically (see Telebirr Verification). When a payment is recorded, an SMS confirmation is sent if SMS is enabled.

payment_types:  0 = Cash
                1 = Bank Transfer
                2 = Mobile Transfer
                3 = Telebirr

paid_status:    0 = Loan / Unpaid
                1 = Paid
                2 = Advance Payment

Order processing workflow

Orders move through three states. Use the Order Process page to update them.

1. Open Order Process from the menu.
2. Choose an order and set its status (Not Processed / Under Process / Delivered).
3. Save. Each status change is recorded with the date, and a status-change SMS is sent to the customer if SMS is enabled.

Printing receipts

Every order can print a receipt/invoice. The receipt is optimized for thermal printers and uses your configured paper size (for example 80 mm wide x 297 mm). It prints automatically when the page opens and is written for your local audience (in Afan Oromo). It shows the bill number, customer, items, gross amount, service charge, VAT, discount and net amount.

Bill No: 12344-0001        Date: 11/09/2026
Customer: Abebe Kebede      Phone: 0912 345 678
-------------------------------------------
Item          Qty   Rate     Amount
Glass 4mm     2     500.00   1,000.00
-------------------------------------------
Gross amount:              1,000.00
Service charge (5%):          50.00
VAT/TOT (15%):               150.00
Discount:                     30.00
NET AMOUNT:                1,170.00

7 Customers

Customers in this system are organization customers — companies, offices or institutions you sell to. They are linked from organization orders so you do not retype their details every time.

Customer fields

Managing customers

1. Go to Customers → Add Customers and fill the organization details.
2. Use Manage Customers to view, edit or remove records.
3. Create an organization order and choose the customer — their name and address are reused automatically.

8 Payment Accounts

Payment accounts are the bank and mobile-money accounts where your customers send money. There are two categories: bank (for bank transfers) and telebirr (for Telebirr mobile money).

Account fields

1. Go to Payment Accounts (Banks). You reach it from the Configuration page → Payment Accounts tab, or the dedicated menu item.
2. Add an account choose category (bank or telebirr) and fill the details.
3. Mark it as default so it is pre-selected when customers choose how to pay.

9 SMS Notifications

The system can send SMS messages to customers automatically using the Ethiopian GeeSMS gateway. Messages are sent when an order is created, when an order status changes, and when a payment is received.

Setting up SMS

1. Get a GeeSMS API token from geezsms.com/#/api.
2. Go to System Configuration → Company tab.
3. Enable SMS set the API token and (optionally) the shortcode ID.
4. Click "Send Test SMS" enter a phone number and a test message to check that the API works.

When SMS is sent

• Order created — confirmation to the customer.
• Order status changed (process step updated).
• Payment received — receipt/confirmation SMS.

Phone numbers are normalised to Ethiopian international format (for example 0911... → 25191...). If an SMS fails (bad credit, offline), the order still succeeds — SMS never blocks a sale.

SMS log

The SMS Log page shows every message sent: order/bill, phone, message text, type (order_created, status_change, payment), delivery status and the raw API response. Use it to diagnose undelivered messages.

POST https://api.geezsms.com/api/v1/sms/send
Headers :  Content-Type: application/json
Body    :  {
             "token": "YOUR_API_TOKEN",
             "to": "251911223344",
             "message": "Your order is ready!",
             "shortcode": "SHORTCODE_ID"
           }

10 Telebirr Payment Verification

When a customer pays with Telebirr, the system can verify the payment automatically by checking the official Ethio Telecom receipt page. This protects you against fake payment screenshots.

How verification works

1. Customer pays via Telebirr and shares the transaction number (the 10+ digit TT number).
2. Enter the TT number on the order payment screen.
3. The system checks the receipt using transactioninfo.ethiotelecom.et and verifies that:
   • the transaction was found,
   • its status is Completed,
   • the payment was made today, and
   • the credited account matches one of your configured Telebirr accounts.
4. Result is shown — verified, or a reason why not (not found / not completed / wrong account).

Requirements

• An Internet connection from the business server to Ethio Telecom.
• Your Telebirr accounts added in Payment Accounts with category telebirr.

11 Reports & Analytics

Reports help you understand your income. You get both a visual yearly chart and a detailed, filterable list of every payment.

Monthly income chart

• Shows total sales per month for a chosen year as a bar chart.
• Choose the year from the dropdown (available years are listed automatically).

Sales detail report

• Filter payments by a date range and see each payment record.
• Columns include: bill number, customer name, customer type, datetime, total amount, paid amount, due amount, payment type and payment status.
• Use it to see who still owes money (due amount > 0) and to reconcile cash, transfer and Telebirr payments.

Typical usage

1. Open Reports → Income Report for the chart, or Sales Detail for the list.
2. Pick the year or date range.
3. Review/export — the detail table supports searching, sorting and pagination.

12 Company Settings & Configuration

The System Configuration page is where you customise the whole system for your business. It has several tabs: Company, Payment Accounts, Printer, and Paper.

Company tab

Printer tab

Choose the receipt printer type used in the shop.

Paper tab

Set the paper width and height in millimetres. Typical thermal receipt paper is 80 mm wide (receipts print to this exact width).

Thermal receipt paper :  width 80 mm,  height 297 mm
A4 invoice paper      :  width 210 mm, height 297 mm

13 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Quick answers to the most common questions. If your question is not here, use the feedback form or contact us.

14 Troubleshooting

Common problems and how to fix them.

15 Updates & Changelog

This section is updated whenever the system changes. It keeps you informed about new features, improvements and bug fixes.

16 Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026

1. Who we are

This documentation and the SOORA ERP system are provided by the business running the system (your company). This policy explains how the system handles information.

2. Information the system stores

• Account information — usernames, email addresses, names, phone numbers and password hashes of staff users.
• Business data — products, orders, customers, payments and reports entered while using the system.
• Customer contact details — names, addresses and phone numbers of individuals and organizations you sell to.
• SMS data — for numbers enabled for SMS, message logs (order, status and payment notifications) retained for delivery tracking.

3. How information is protected

• Passwords are stored with strong, one-way hashing (bcrypt). No plain-text passwords are kept, and nobody, including administrators, can read them.
• Access to each area is controlled by permissions set per user group.
• The system runs on your own server, so your data stays on your infrastructure and under your control.

4. Data sharing

The system shares only what is necessary to provide its functions: SMS messages are sent through the GeeSMS gateway; Telebirr verification queries Ethio Telecom's receipt service with the transaction number you provide. Data is not sold to third parties.

5. Data retention and your rights

Data is retained as long as your business needs it. As a business owner you may export or delete business records at any time. Employees and customers should contact the business operating the system to request access, correction or deletion of their personal data.

6. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the system grows. The latest version is always published here with a revision date.

17 Terms of Service

Last updated: 2026

1. Acceptance of terms

By accessing or using the SOORA ERP system and this documentation, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you use the system on behalf of an organization, that organization agrees to the terms too.

2. Licence

The SOORA ERP software is licensed under the MIT License. You are free to use, modify and distribute it, provided the copyright and permission notices are preserved. This documentation may be used as a reference for your users of the system.

3. Accounts and responsibilities

• You are responsible for safeguarding your login details and for all activity under your account.
• Administrators are responsible for assigning appropriate permissions and for managing staff accounts.
• You must enter accurate information when creating orders, products and customers.

4. Acceptable use

• Use the system only for its intended business purposes.
• Do not attempt to access areas or data you are not permitted to access.
• Do not upload harmful files, or use the system to break any law.

5. Availability and liability

The system is provided "as is" and "as available". While we work to keep it reliable, we do not guarantee uninterrupted availability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses arising from the use of the system. Always keep backups of your database.

6. Changes

We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use of the system after changes means you accept the updated terms.

18 Contact & Support

Need help with using the system? Start with your administrator or the FAQ. For help with the system itself, installation, or the documentation, contact the business that runs it using the details below.

19 Feedback & Issue Reporting

Your suggestions help us improve. Use the form below to ask a question, suggest an improvement, or report a problem you found while using the system.