ERP basics
What is an ERP?
An ERP (enterprise resource planning) system keeps sales, purchase, stock, production, quality, accounts and people on one set of records. Accounting software records the money after the fact; an ERP runs the work that creates it.
Who it is for: Any business where orders, stock and people are tracked in more than one place: spreadsheets, a notebook at the gate, WhatsApp, and the accounts package.
Key points
- Enter a thing once: the order becomes the delivery, the invoice and the ledger entry.
- Everyone sees the same stock, the same order status and the same customer balance.
- The owner can answer "what did this order earn?" without a week of spreadsheets.
- Accounting software stops at the books; an ERP also plans what to buy, make and ship.
Numbers to watch
- Hours a week spent re-typing data
- Days to close the month
- Orders delivered late
What the law expects
- Books in India
- Income-tax Rules 2026, r.46(8): electronic books stay accessible in India, with a daily backup on servers in India.
- GST records
- CGST Act s.35: keep a true account of production, stock, purchases, sales and input tax credit, which an ERP builds as you work.
- Audit trail
- Companies (Accounts) Rules, Rule 3(1): companies must use accounting software that logs every change.
In ARUKZ ERP today
Try it free- Sales, purchase, inventory, manufacturing, quality, accounts, HR and payroll in one login
- Runs in the browser and on a phone
Rules checked on 7 November 2026. Laws and limits change; confirm with your CA before you act on them.