Key terms
Structure
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Category | A group of products. Can sit inside a parent category. | T-shirts, inside Clothing |
| Parent category | The category one level up | Clothing is the parent of T-shirts |
| Product | What you sell or buy, with shared details | Cotton T-shirt |
| Variant | One exact version of a product. Every product has at least one. | Cotton T-shirt, Blue, Large |
| Default variant | The variant to use when nobody says which one | Blue / Large |
Codes that identify things
| Term | What it is | Unique across | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product code | Your short code for the product | All products | TSHIRT-COTTON |
| Category code | Your short code for the category; saved in capitals | All categories | TSHIRTS |
| Variant code | Your code for the variant within the product | (keep unique per product) | BLU-L |
| SKU | Stock-keeping unit: the code staff and systems use for a variant | All variants of all products | TS-BLU-L |
| EAN | The 13-digit European Article Number on the retail barcode | All variants | 5012345678900 |
| Barcode | Any other barcode value you scan | All variants | BHS000123 |
| Reference | A free reference, for example the supplier's code | (not checked) | SUP-TS-4471 |
Classification
| Term | Options | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Finished good, Raw material | What the item is for you: something you sell, or something you use to make things |
| Product Type | GOODS, SERVICE | GOODS: physical, can be stocked. SERVICE: not physical, never stocked (for example delivery or installation). |
| Status | Draft, Active, Inactive, Discontinued | Where the item is in its life (see Products) |
| Unit of measure | PCS, KG, GRAM, LTR, METER | How you count it: pieces, kilograms … |
| Pack unit and units per pack | e.g. Box, 12 | How it's packed: a box of 12 |
Flags
| Flag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Stockable | Stock is kept for it in Inventory. Services are never stockable. |
| Saleable | It can be sold |
| Purchasable | It can be bought from suppliers |
| Trackable (variant) | Stock movements are tracked for this variant |
Master data
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Master data | Lists of options your organisation maintains, used in drop-downs | The list of colours |
| Master data item | One option in a list, with a code and a label | Code BLUE, label Blue |