Master data: Products, Units of Measure, Parties and Locations
This course is for the person who looks after Supply Lens for their business. You will learn what master data is, how Supply Lens uses it to recognise the products, units, trading partners and places named on incoming documents, and how to set each kind up so your integrations run cleanly. By the end you will be able to build out your master data with confidence and fix the common errors that a gap in it causes.
Best taken afterSupply Lens Foundations
Earn a certificate. Complete every lesson and pass all 6 module quizzes (pass mark 80%).
Sign in to take partCourse modules
Module 1
Why master data comes first
What master data is, how Supply Lens uses it to recognise what is on a document, and the order to set it up in.
- What master data isMaster data is the set of records that every order, shipment and invoice refers to. Here is what counts as master data in Supply Lens, and why it has to be right before anything else can be. 6 min
- How Supply Lens recognises thingsIdentifiers are the codes that link the values on a Document to your records. Learn how cross-referencing uses them, and what you see on a Document when it works. 7 min
- Plan your master dataMaster data records depend on each other, so the order you build them in matters. Work out what you need, gather it, and set it up in a sensible sequence. 7 min
- Module quizCheck your understanding of this module.
Module 2
Products and identifiers
Add Products, give them the identifiers your systems and partners use, and understand which identifier wins.
- Products in Supply LensWhy it is worth maintaining Products in Supply Lens even when your ERP already has an item master, and how to find your way around the Products screen. 5 min
- Add a ProductCreate a Product with its essential details, and know when to stop at the basics and when to carry on editing. 6 min
- Product identifiersGive each Product the codes your systems and trading partners use for it, and narrow a code to one partner or Integration when it should only apply there. 7 min
- Which identifier winsWhen more than one identifier could apply, Supply Lens follows a strict order to pick one. Learn the order for Products, so you can predict which code is matched and which code is sent. 7 min
- Prices and fulfilment LocationsAdd default and customer-specific prices to a Product, and understand how the default fulfilment Location decides where an order ships from. 6 min
- Import and export ProductsLoad and update Products in bulk with a CSV file, round-trip them through Excel, and avoid the import options that can wipe data you meant to keep. 6 min
- Module quizCheck your understanding of this module.
Module 3
Units of Measure and conversions
Turn on Units of Measure, build conversions between bags, cases and pallets, and see how Supply Lens decides the unit on each line.
- What Units of Measure areA quantity means nothing without its unit. Learn what Units of Measure and conversions are, who needs them, and why they are switched off until you turn them on. 5 min
- Set up your Units of MeasureTurn on Units of Measure for your organisation, add the units you trade in, and manage the codes each unit is known by. 6 min
- Add conversions to a ProductTell Supply Lens how a Product's units relate, such as 1 case = 6 bags, and check your work with the conversion diagram. 7 min
- Default Units of MeasureTell Supply Lens which unit to assume when an order doesn't say, at Product level, per Integration on a Product, and on the Integration itself. 6 min
- How a line's unit is decidedFollow the exact order Supply Lens works through to decide the unit of each order line, from the sender's own unit to the barcode it was ordered by to your defaults. 8 min
- Module quizCheck your understanding of this module.
Module 4
Parties (trading partners) and their identifiers
Represent your customers, suppliers and partners as Parties, and give them the identifiers that route their documents correctly.
- What Parties areParties represent the businesses you exchange data with, including your own. Learn about the organisation party, shared Parties and Party identifiers. 6 min
- Parties on DocumentsEvery Document with trading parties has a customer and a supplier. Learn how to tell which side is you, and the quirks that catch people out on warehouse and goods inbound Documents. 7 min
- Add a PartyCreate a Party for a customer, supplier or partner, and fill in the details that matter before you add its identifiers. 5 min
- Party identifiersAdd the identifiers that let Supply Lens recognise a Party on incoming Documents and send it the right codes, and narrow an identifier to one Integration, country or currency. 8 min
- Module quizCheck your understanding of this module.
Module 5
Locations
Add the warehouses, stores and delivery points you trade from and to, and give them the codes each system knows them by.
- What Locations areLocations are the physical places goods move between. Learn how Supply Lens uses them, the difference between your own and global Locations, and how they connect to Parties and Products. 5 min
- Add Locations and their identifiersCreate a Location, give it the codes each system knows it by, and narrow a code to one Integration or one customer. 8 min
- Module quizCheck your understanding of this module.
Module 6
Fixing master data errors
Read a failed Document, fix the two most common master data errors, and keep your data healthy over time.
- Read a failed DocumentWhen a Document stops, its status and logs tell you why. Learn to find the failing value quickly, and the tools that help you fix master data straight from the Document. 6 min
- Fix: a product with this Id or code does not existThe most common error after go-live means a product code on a Document couldn't be matched. Learn the causes, the two ways to fix it, and how to stop it happening. 7 min
- Fix: no conversion to this size could be foundWhen Units of Measure are on, an order in a pack size with no matching conversion fails. Learn to read the error and add the missing conversion. 5 min
- Keep master data healthyBuild simple habits that stop master data errors before they reach a Document, from launching a new product to onboarding a new trading partner. 6 min
- Module quizCheck your understanding of this module.