Product identifiers
Lesson 6 of 24 7 min read
Give 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.
A Product is only as recognisable as the codes it carries. In this lesson you will learn the identifier types available for Products, when to use each one, and how to limit a code so it only applies to one trading partner or one Integration.
Identifier types for Products
Alongside the SKU field you saw on the Add new product window, these Product identifier types are available:
| Type | What it usually is | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Seller Product Code | Your own code for the item, as the seller | Partners who quote your code back to you |
| Buyer Product Code | The customer's own code for your item | Wholesalers and retailers with their own catalogue numbers |
| GTIN-13 | 13-digit barcode, usually the consumer unit | Retail and EDI orders by barcode |
| GTIN-14 | 14-digit barcode, usually the case or outer | Wholesale and EDI orders by the case |
| UPC | 12-digit barcode used mainly in North America | Partners in the US and Canada |
| WooCommerce Variation Identifier | WooCommerce's ID for a product variant | WooCommerce stores |
| ControlPort Product ID | ControlPort's ID for the item | ControlPort |
When you add an identifier, the type list only shows the types that apply to your organisation's Integrations, so you won't have to scroll past types you will never use.
One Product, many identifiers
There is no need to choose one code. Add every code that any system or partner might send. On an incoming line, Supply Lens tries every identifier value the line carries (a SKU and a barcode, say) against your Products.
Barcodes and units
A GTIN-13 usually identifies a single item and a GTIN-14 a case. A Product identifier can record which unit of measure it stands for, and the Product page shows that unit beside the identifier. When a partner orders "3" of a GTIN-14 and sends no unit, Supply Lens can then read it as three cases rather than three single items. You will see exactly how in the Units of Measure module.
Narrowing an identifier: scope
Some codes are universal. Your SKU and your barcodes mean the same thing to everyone. Others
only make sense in one context. Greenleaf's code GL-44871 means House Blend 250g when
Greenleaf sends it; another customer might use the same number for something else.
Product identifiers can be narrowed, or scoped, to:
- a Party: the identifier only applies on Documents for that customer;
- a country or currency: only on Documents in that country or currency;
- an Integration: only on Documents received from that Integration (inbound) or sent to it (outbound).
An identifier with no scope applies everywhere. An identifier scoped to something else is not just ranked lower: it is ignored completely on Documents outside its scope.
Greenleaf's codes on House Blend
On the House Blend 250g Product, Priya adds:
- GTIN-14 for the case, marked as standing for a Case. No scope, because the barcode is printed on the box and means the same to everyone.
- Buyer Product Code
GL-44871, scoped to the Greenleaf Wholesale Party, because it only means House Blend when Greenleaf sends it.
If a second wholesaler later uses GL-44871 for something different, nothing breaks: their
orders never see Greenleaf's scoped code.
Removing an identifier
To remove a SKU or GTIN from a Product, click the pencil next to it, choose Remove and confirm. If an identifier can't be removed, it stays on the Product and you are told why.
Don't reuse a code on two Products
If two different Products carry the same identifier type and value with the same scope, an incoming Document that uses it is ambiguous. Supply Lens reports an error naming both Products instead of picking one. Check for duplicates before you add a code, using the identifier filter on the Products list.
Recap
- Products can carry SKU, Seller and Buyer Product Codes, GTIN-13, GTIN-14, UPC and some system-specific IDs.
- Add every code any system or partner might send; Supply Lens tries every value on a line.
- Scope a code to a Party, country, currency or Integration when it only means this Product in that context.
- Out-of-scope identifiers are ignored, not just ranked lower.
- The same code on two Products with the same scope causes an ambiguous-match error.
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