Products explained
What a Product in Supply Lens is for, why it is worth keeping alongside your ERP's item master, and what each section of a Product holds.
A Product in Supply Lens is the record of one thing you sell or buy, together with every code, unit, price and default that the systems and partners around it use. Your ERP or inventory system holds your products in your own terms; a Supply Lens Product records how everyone else's terms line up with yours.
Why keep Products in Supply Lens
Brands that sell to wholesalers usually benefit most, because that is where codes, units and prices start to differ between partners. A Product lets you:
| You can | So that |
|---|---|
| Set defaults for unit of measure, tax code and fulfilment Location | Orders that leave these out can still be processed. |
| Add partner-specific identifiers | The different codes wholesalers use all resolve to the same Product. |
| Add partner-specific unit of measure conversions | Quantities aren't lost in translation between bags, cases and pallets. |
| Add partner-specific prices | Each wholesaler is charged the right amount. |
There is no limit to the number of Products you can add.
Where to find them
Open Settings → Reference data → Products. The Reference data section holds Products alongside the other lookup tables, such as countries, currencies and tax codes.
From the Products list you can search by name, filter by an identifier such as SKU or barcode, open a Product with its view button, and use the row's menu to copy its ID, view its logs or delete it. You can also press / anywhere and type at least three characters of a name or code; Products show their SKU in the results.
If something still uses a Product you try to delete, Supply Lens shows you what uses it, how many there are and where to go to change them.
What is on a Product
| Section | What it holds | How to |
|---|---|---|
| Information | Name (mandatory), description, default unit of measure, tax code, default fulfilment Location | Add a Product, Set a default fulfilment Location |
| Identifiers | SKU, barcodes and partner codes, each optionally scoped and optionally marked with the unit it stands for | Add a partner product code |
| Prices | Default prices, plus customer-specific and date-limited prices, each in one currency and unit | Add Product prices |
| Conversions | How the Product's units relate, such as 1 Case = 6 Bag, with a Visualise diagram | Add a unit conversion |
| Default Units of Measure | A default unit for this Product on a particular Integration | Add a unit conversion |
| Bill of materials | A list of component Products, each linking to its own Product page | Create, edit or delete it from the Product page |
The defaults
| Default | Used when |
|---|---|
| Default unit of measure | An order line arrives without a unit of measure: it is treated as this unit size. |
| Tax code | An order arrives without tax information. |
| Default fulfilment location | No fulfilment Location is provided otherwise: the Product ships from here. |
Adding Products in bulk
Products can be exported to a CSV file and imported back, with identifiers, identifier units, per-Integration default units, prices and conversions. See Import Products in bulk.