Getting Started

From a fresh install to the first printed bill. Most businesses are billing within fifteen minutes; the trade you pick at step 3 decides which screens and settings you start with.

1. Install

Android phone / tablet - Play Store, or the APK from sksmarket.com. A "Low Graphics" build exists for older devices.
Android TV - the TV build; pair a USB or Bluetooth keyboard, or use the SKS Launcher / No Keyboard helpers listed under Companion Apps.
Windows - Microsoft Store, or the EXE installer. The Windows build can also host the shop's local server.
Web - sksmarket.com/app for the cloud (internet) mode only.

2. Choose how your devices connect

The first screen after the splash asks which connection type this device uses. It decides where the data lives.

Connection type	Where data lives	Best for
Internet (cloud)	SKS cloud service; every device sees the same data online.	Multi-branch, owners who check from anywhere, the online store.
Local Server	One Windows PC (or an Android device running SKS Server) on the shop LAN. Other devices connect to it.	Shops with several counters and no dependable internet.
Local DB	On this device only (a SQLite file per financial year).	Single-counter shops. Can later "Switch to Server" once one is installed.
Lite	On this device, minimal setup, no login.	Trying the app.

Advanced database. On a Windows local server the very first business can choose Lite (a SQLite file per year) or Advanced (SQL Server Express / full). The engine belongs to the server, so later businesses inherit it. It can be changed later from Server Admin, reached from the login screen.

3. Create the business and pick a trade

The New Business form asks for the name, address, phone, tax number, and the business category. The category is the consequential field: it decides tax columns, billing behaviour, the starter masters you begin with, and whether you land on the POS counter or a dedicated trade screen.

The picker offers 43 trades in groups (Grocery & Daily Needs, Food & Beverage, Specialised Retail, Trade & Distribution, Vehicle, Service & Repair, Contracting, Health & Fitness, Finance, Subscriptions). Search by what you call your shop - "garage", "kirana", "chit" all find the right one. If nothing fits, Other starts generic and you tune the settings.

flowchart TD
    A[Splash] --> B{Connection type}
    B -->|Internet| C[Login / Register]
    B -->|Local Server| D[Find server on LAN]
    B -->|Local DB / Lite| E[Business list]
    C & D & E --> F{Any business yet?}
    F -->|No| G[New Business form]
    F -->|Yes| H[Pick business]
    G --> G1[Name · Address · Tax No]
    G1 --> G2[Choose trade preset]
    G2 --> G3[Lite or Advanced DB
first Windows server only]
    G3 --> I[Starter masters seeded
Settings tuned for trade]
    H & I --> J{Trade has its own screen?}
    J -->|Yes| K[Vertical shell
Gym · Jewellery · Hospital ...]
    J -->|No| L[POS main page]

First run: connection type, then the business, then the home screen the trade decides.

4. What the trade preset sets up

Behind the label you picked, the preset stores a stable key on the business record and seeds:

Starter masters - product groups, units, service types, payment types, expense heads typical of the trade (a pharmacy gets batch/expiry on; a restaurant gets dining rooms and KOT groups; a workshop gets service types).
Extra charges the trade bills (service charge, cutting/cleaning charge, delivery, packing).
Settings deltas - stock maintenance on/off, weighing, multi-unit, counter sale vs tax invoice, and so on.
Vertical features - for categories with feature switches (jewellery, construction, gym, parking, cable, hospital, vehicle service), which halves start on. New businesses start lean; switch on more under Settings > (trade). See Features.

flowchart LR
    A[Business created] --> B[Starter masters seeded
groups · units · payment types · charges]
    B --> C[Settings tuned for the trade
stock · batches · counter or invoice]
    C --> D[Optional halves switched on
only what you actually run]
    D --> E[First financial year opened]
    E --> F[You start billing]
    F --> G[Next year created before this one ends]
    G --> E

What picking a trade actually does: it fills the masters and settings so the first bill has something to pick.

5. Plans

Basic / Advanced / Premium. Some menu entries appear only from a plan upward. Advanced adds purchase-side vouchers, payroll, loans and vendor payments. Premium adds WhatsApp sharing from the same device, the designed barcode / label designer, price rules and similar. A page in this help marks such items with a plan note.

6. First things to set

Settings > Business Info - logo, address as printed, GSTIN, bank details for the invoice footer.
Settings > Invoice Print - thermal roll or A4/A5, the template, what prints on it. See Printing.
Master > Products - add items or bulk-create them; scan a barcode to attach it. See Products.
Vouchers > Payment Types - cash drawer, UPI IDs, POS machine, banks. See Payments.
Settings > Users - a login and PIN per staff member with only the permissions they need. See Users & Permissions.

7. The first sale

On the POS page open Sales > Counter Sale (or Tax Invoice if your trade bills with party details). Scan or search an item, set quantity, take payment, print. The bill posts a Transactions row with its lines, a stock posting per line and a ledger posting for the money. Every report on the app reads from those three postings.

On a dedicated trade screen the equivalent lives under Quick Actions (for example New Bill in a workshop, Takeaway Bill in a restaurant, Counter Sale under Purchase & Sales in a gym).

8. Where to go next

Open the guide for your business.
Learn the shared modules your trade uses most - counter sale, purchase, stock, payments, reports.
Need a hand? Tools > Youtube plays the video walkthroughs; the login screen's Help button opens WhatsApp / email support.