Overview Product Maps, MDB Codes & PA Codes
Before you can track sales, manage stock, or generate a picklist, your machine needs a product map. This overview explains what a product map contains, what PA and MDB codes do, and what breaks when either is wrong.
What is a Product Map and Use Case
Product Maps, MDB Codes & PA Codes |
How They Work Together
A product map is the link between your physical machine and Nayax Core. Without one, every sale is just a payment amount - no product name, no stock movement, no picklist. This overview explains what a product map contains, what each code does, and what goes wrong when either is incorrect.
Priya manages 14 machines across a hospital trust. A new machine went live on Monday. By Wednesday, the site manager calls: patients are buying drinks, payments are going through, but the Nayax Core sales report is useless - every line says "Unknown Product" and stock levels have not moved at all.
The terminal was installed and connected correctly. But nobody built the product map. The machine knows how to take a payment - Nayax Core does not know what was sold, at which slot, or how many remain.
- Every transaction records the correct product name and price - no manual logging
- Stock counts reduce automatically with every vend - no manual counting between fills
- Picklists are generated from actual slot levels - drivers bring exactly what is needed
- Remote price changes reach the correct slot - no mis-priced positions
What is a product map?
A product map is the configuration inside Nayax Core that tells the system which product sits in which physical slot on your machine. It is the bridge between the cabinet in the field and the data in the portal.
For each slot, a product map records six things: the product name, the product group (category), the PA code, the MDB code, the PAR (capacity), and the On-Hand count (current stock). Together these six fields tell Nayax Core what is sold from a slot, how to trigger it, and how full it is.
A product map is reusable. The same map can be assigned to multiple machines of the same type. When you update a product or price in the map, every machine using that map reflects the change at the next sync.
What is a PA code?
The PA code is the selection identifier - the code the customer interacts with and the code that appears in every transaction report.
The PA code is the customer-facing button or slot label on the machine - the alphanumeric reference printed next to each selection. It is the identifier that appears in DEX transaction files and in Nayax Core's live reports. You source it from the machine's physical keypad or its documentation.
Examples: A3 B6 C12
What is an MDB code?
The MDB code works at the hardware level - it is the command sent to the machine to fire a specific motor. It is invisible to the customer but essential to every sale.
The MDB code is the numeric command the Nayax terminal sends to the vending machine controller to trigger a specific physical bin during a sale. It comes from the machine itself - from its technical documentation or the manufacturer - not from Nayax Core. It is the hardware instruction; the PA code is the reporting reference.
Examples: 1 14 23
PA and MDB codes both identify the same physical slot, but at completely different layers. Confusing them is the most common product map error Nayax support fields.
| PA Code | MDB Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Layer | Reporting - how the sale appears in data | Physical - which motor fires during the vend |
| Format | Alphanumeric (letters + numbers) - e.g. A3, B6 | Numeric only - e.g. 14, 23 |
| Source | Keypad fascia or machine documentation - visible to the customer | Machine technical documentation or manufacturer - internal only |
| Same across machines? | Often consistent between same-model machines | Machine-specific - never assume two machines share the same codes |
| Wrong code effect | Transaction logs against the wrong product in reports | Wrong motor fires - wrong product dispensed to the customer |
Stock fields: PAR, On-Hand, and Missing | Inventory
These three values are how Nayax Core knows what needs restocking - and how your driver's picklist is generated without anyone counting a single slot manually.
The maximum number of items this slot can hold. It does not change unless the slot is refitted. Set it once - it is the reference point for all stock calculations.
The actual number of items in this slot right now. Entered once at setup, then reduced automatically by every sale. You never update it manually between fills.
Quick Reference - All six product map fields at a glance
| Field | Layer | What it records | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Catalogue | The named item sold from this slot - links to your product catalogue | Your Nayax Core product catalogue |
| Product Group | Reporting | The category this product belongs to - used for report grouping and filtering | Your Nayax Core product catalogue |
| PA Code | Reporting | The customer-facing selection code - appears in DEX files and transaction logs | Machine keypad fascia or documentation |
| MDB Code | Physical | The motor command code - triggers the correct bin during a vend. Machine-specific | Machine technical docs - verify per unit |
| PAR | Stock | Maximum slot capacity - the ceiling for stock calculations and picklist targets | Physical count or machine spec sheet |
| On-Hand | Stock | Current items in slot - entered once at setup, auto-decrements with every sale | Physical count at time of setup |
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