NetSuite is a really big software. This means a few things: (1) it is extremely powerful, with the ability to handle nearly every aspect of your business operation, (2) it is a lot to handle, and can easily be overwhelming to use, and (3) to reduce the chances of being too overwhelming, NetSuite hides some of its features and functions in the standard version, and only leaves the most commonly-used features enabled by default. Sometimes, though, you want to use a feature or function that is hidden from use by your current account setting. To use that feature, you will first need to enable it. Enabling features occurs at the company level; that is, the enabled (or disenabled) status of a feature will apply to all users, not just you. (With subsidiary level features, features apply across each subsidiary).
Which NetSuite Features to Enable, and When...
It usually makes sense to wait to enable any feature until you are sure that you need that specific feature – this helps eliminate an overly-complex NetSuite environment for your company, as well as to avoid overwhelming users with too many options. Generally, the best two ways to know which specific features you need enabled are to either (1) ask your favorite NetSuite consultant or (2) look for whatever functionality you desire in SuiteAnswers, NetSuite’s help article repository. Many SuiteAnswer articles, and especially the more general, introductory ones, will indicate which features need to be enabled to use a particular functionality in NetSuite. One caution, however: sometimes the name of the feature is not exactly the same in SuiteAnswers as it is in NetSuite itself.
Following this conservative approach of enabling features only when you need them will go a long way towards keeping your NetSuite user environment (the look and feel of the page) clean and efficient. In fact, a good NetSuite implementation team can even help you to disenable features you don’t need.
How to Enable Features in NetSuite
The basic way to enable a feature is by means of Setup > Company > Enable Features. Here you will see a set of subtabs such as Company, Accounting, and CRM. Under each subtab is a list of the features, grouped by category. For instance, under the Company subtab is the category Projects, which contains most of the features needed for handling project management within NetSuite. You will notice that the features which are already enabled in your account will have checkmarks next to them.
When you have located a feature you would like to enable/disenable, simply click the checkbox to check/uncheck it, and hit 'Save'.
Note: If you are looking for a specific feature, and don't know where to locate it on the tabs of the enable features page, you can expand and search the page (see Trick 1 in the next section for more details).
Enabling Prerequisite Features in NetSuite
Some features have prerequisites (other features that must be enabled for them to work); if you click on one of these, NetSuite will alert you of what those prerequisites are.
Sometimes it is difficult to find a particular feature that you want to enable, as NetSuite will occasionally tuck a feature into a category you haven’t thought of. Here are two tricks you can use to help if you get stuck:
Trick 1: If you try searching the Enable Features page using your browser’s search toll (Ctrl+F), it will only search the subtab you are currently on. To search all the subtabs at once, first click the little button on the far right of the blue subtab navigation panel. This will expand all the subtabs one on top of the other, all within the same page view, for easy keyword searching.
Trick 2: A second way to search for features is through the general Setup Manager. Rather than navigating from Setup > Company > Enable Features, just click 'Setup' in the header navigation. This page is a general, comprehensive resource for all sorts of setup tasks, including importing data, setting default company information, and various preferences. The search bar in Setup Manager can help you find any of those things as well as features you can enable. For instance, if I search using the keyword “marketing”, it displays all the marketing preferences and features. When I click on one of those features I am are taken straight to the correct spot in the enable features page, still within the Setup Manager.
VIDEO: NetSuite Enable Features Tutorial
If you want to learn more about enabling features in NetSuite, check out this video tutorial we created on the topic:
Oracle NetSuite Alliance Partner & Commerce Partner
That's all for now, but we hope this post gives you something to work with while trying to understand NetSuite and what it can do for your business. If you have general questions about enabling features in NetSuite, or more specific questions about what features you should enable in your own NetSuite Account, feel free to contact us at any time! Anchor Group is a certified Oracle NetSuite Alliance Partner & Commerce Partner, and is equipped to handle all kinds of NetSuite and SuiteCommerce projects, large or small!
