Chidi Okwudire IT Professional. ERP Enthusiast. NetSuite Certified (Administrator, SuiteCloud Developer II, and ERP Consultant). Celigo Certified (Level 4+). Passionate About Empowerment Through Knowledge Sharing. Always Eager to Learn.

Tip: Learn How to Easily Find NetSuite Preferences and Setup Options

2 min read

NetSuite Setup Manager Demo

Edet, the NetSuite Admin at Asoville Inc., found it ridiculous that she had to memorize the paths to various NetSuite features and preferences as these are common questions in the NetSuite Admin certification exam. Since passing her certification exam, she’s still found it hard to remember whether a particular setting is under Setup >> Company >> Enable Features, Setup >> Accounting >> Accounting Preferences, or elsewhere. Good news: There’s an easy way to navigate the Setup menu as you’ll see in this article!


As a NetSuite Administrator or Consultation, it is important that you are familiar with various features and preferences available in NetSuite. That includes knowing what they do (functionality) and knowing where to find them in NetSuite (navigation).

NetSuite is a huge system with several modules. It is practically impossible to know every single feature in detail and also precisely know where the related configuration settings are. There is a tendency to want to memorize the paths to settings. Perhaps it makes you feel smart and competent? Well, there is no need to memorize menu paths because NetSuite has a little known Setup Manager that has a pretty decent search feature which allows you find settings with ease!

Take a look at the following demonstration. The Setup Manager features a search box which will find and highlight options related to your search term. It’s that simple!

NetSuite Setup Manager Demo

A few things to note:

  • This solution helps with navigation. As such, it’s most useful if you have an idea of what you’re looking for. There’s no shortcut to acquiring knowledge about NetSuite functionality: You need to spend time reviewing preferences, field helps, exploring the Help Center, taking courses, attending events, reading blogs, etc. to expand your knowledge of the platform.
  • The Setup Manager does not just help with finding settings. It works for everything under the Setup menu. For example, in our illustration, we were able to find the path to the Sent Email List which is not a configuration setting but an admin feature under the Setup menu.
  • Most preferences are tied to modules. So if a particular module is not provisioned in your NetSuite account, the related settings will likely not be visible. In our demonstration, the feature related to matrix items (Setup >> Company >> Enable Features >> Items & Inventory) are not visible because matrix items are part of the Advanced Inventory Module which is not enabled in that account.
  • Some modules (inconveniently) have their configuration options under other menus. The notable example is the Fixed Assets Module (FAM) which has its configuration under custom menu Fixed Assets >> Setup. The Setup Manager will not help with these.

Hopefully, this tip will help as you better navigate your way around NetSuite features and preferences. No need to feel silly or waste time checking different paths for a setting if you’re not sure where it is located.

Ironically, the preparer of the NetSuite certification exams do not know of this feature or do not consider it a good reason to stop asking silly questions on the exams about where a particular setting is located. In my opinion, the focus should be on testing candidates knowledge of what the feature/preference does not where it can be found. Anyway, it is what it is. If you’re considering certification, be sure to take our independent NetSuite Certification survey which will unlock an 8-part series on all you need to know about NetSuite certification, tips and tricks for preparation, etc.


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Chidi Okwudire IT Professional. ERP Enthusiast. NetSuite Certified (Administrator, SuiteCloud Developer II, and ERP Consultant). Celigo Certified (Level 4+). Passionate About Empowerment Through Knowledge Sharing. Always Eager to Learn.

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