Managing item masters

An item master is a master record for a type of inventory item. The item master includes the item description, materials and handling specifications, sales and fulfillment specifications, and warehouse-specific information.

Select one of the following links for descriptions about certain fields in the item master screen.

Information in upper panel

Field	Description
Item #	A unique number for the item master. If you are creating several item masters for a single item, create an item number that will easily distinguish one record from another.
Description	The description of the item master. If you are creating several item masters for a single item, use the description to clarify the difference between them. Limit to 200 characters.
Item type	A type of item master, either Purchase, Cost, Build, Service. Purchase: A purchase is an item that can be bought. Cost: A cost is any item that is not sold as is. A cost can be used for manufacturing an item that will be sold, or it can be a necessary item for running the warehouse, like lightbulbs and toilet paper. All cost items are recorded as expenses. Build: A build is an item that you manufacture or assemble from cost items. Service: A service is any work that is provided, such as the assembly of a gift basket or the manufacture of a tool.
Group	The Item Master Group to which this item belongs. This is an optional classification of item masters created by the administrator. The default group is "All". (If the group is "All" it usually means that your company has not assigned an item master group to this inventory's item master.)

General tab

Field	Description
Lot controlled	Whether the handling of this item requires a lot number. An item that is lot controlled requires a lot number assignment for each unit in inventory. This means that if the item master specifies that the item is lot controlled, it must have a lot number, beginning with the receipt, while it is in inventory, and when you add it to Sales orders and pending shipments.
Manufacturer	The manufacturer of the item.
Manufacturer ID	The code for the manufacturer of the item. Editable both on the item master and on individual inventory items.
Manufacturer item ID	The manufacturer's code for the item. Editable both on the item master and on individual inventory items.
Serial Control Mode	The type of serial number control for this item master: None Selected - SmartTurn does not provide any validation around the Serial # field for any inventory item. Simple Label - The item must have a serial number while it is in inventory, but there is no other logic or validation around this field. Use this option if you want to use the Serial # field in the same way as you use the Lot # field. Open Containers - The item must have a unique serial number while it is in inventory. The unique serial number can be attached to any unit of measure. Shipping only a portion of the inventory item with the serial number is allowed. For example, use this option if you are using Serial # to label a pallet, and then selling one case from the pallet at a time. Closed Containers - The item must have a unique serial number while it is in inventory. The unique serial number can be attached to any unit of measure. Shipping only a portion of the inventory item with the serial number is not allowed. For example, use this option if you are using Serial # to label a pack of bottles, and then prohibiting selling the pack as anything but a pack. Unique - The item must have a unique serial number while it is in inventory. Additionally, choosing this option means that the Receiving Unit, Shipping Unit, and Standard Unit for this item master must all be the same unit of measure. The unique serial number must be attached to a quantity of 1 in that unit of measure. Shipping only a portion of the inventory item with the serial number is not allowed. For example, use this option if you are using Serial # to track identifiers for electronics parts that can never be split. Use one of the options in this field if your process requires tracking identifiers during the inbound (receiving) process and while the items are being held in inventory. If your process requires tracking identifiers only during the outbound (shipping) process, use Outbound ID Controlled instead. Note that you cannot change the value of this attribute while you have inventory on hand for this item master.
Expiration Date Controlled	Whether the handling of this item requires an Expire Date. An item that is expiration date controlled requires an expire date for each unit in inventory. This means that if the item master specifies that the item is expiration date controlled, it must have an expire date, beginning with the receipt, while it is in inventory, and when you add it to sales orders and pending shipments.
Outbound ID Controlled	Whether the handling of this item requires an identifier (such as a serial number) to be entered during the outbound process. Use this field if your process requires tracking item-specific identifiers only during the outbound (shipping) process. If your process requires tracking item-specific identifiers during the inbound (receiving) process and while the item is being held in inventory, use Serial Controlled and Serial Unique instead. If checked, an ID can be entered for each quantity of the item on every shipment line on which this item appears. For example: if the shipment line is for 30 ea, enter 30 Outbound IDs; if the shipment line is for 20 cs, enter 20 Outbound IDs. Outbound IDs must be unique per item master per shipment. Note: Outbound IDs can only be entered through the SmartTurn mobile interface. See Using a mobile device for more information.
Outbound ID Verification	If the item is Outbound ID Controlled, these three options describe how the Outbound ID should be validated. You can select only one option. If Outbound ID Length Not Checked is selected, the Outbound IDs for this item master do not have any length restrictions. (The Outbound IDs must still be unique per item master per shipment.) If Outbound ID Length Checked from Entry is selected, each Outbound ID for this item master for each shipment must be the same length as the first Outbound ID entered for this item master for the shipment. If Outbound ID Length Fixed is selected, the Outbound IDs for this item master for any shipment must be the same length (number of characters) as the number entered in the Outbound ID Length field.
Outbound ID Length	If the item is Outbound ID Controlled and the verification is Outbound ID Length Fixed, enter a number in this field. The Outbound ID for this item master for any shipment must be the same length (number of characters) as the length entered here.
UPC	Universal Product Code. The bar code for an item. Editable both on the item master and on individual inventory items.
EAN	Article Numbering Code.
General ledger code	The general ledger code for the item.
Picture URL	A URL (web page address) for an online location with more information about the item. For example, a URL with a picture of the item, such as `http://www.mycompany.com/pictures/itemmaster-G4098`
Owner	The owner of this item master. Optional. If entered, must be a valid, active business affiliate of type Owner. Only users who are Agents For the tenant or this Owner can view or update this item master. (See Understanding Permissions for more information about users, roles, and agents). This makes this field best suited for 3PL (Third Party Logistics) operations.
Owner Code	The Code of the item master business affiliate Owner. If you create item masters through Operations>Item Masters>Add, the Owner and Owner Code fields are rolled into one automatically. If you create item masters through Operations>Item Masters>Import, there are two columns and you need to specify them separately.

Material Handling tab

Field	Description
Allow Consolidation of Pallets	Whether or not pallets are always consolidated after every operation. For example, suppose there are 10 cs on a pallet. You receive two identical receipts, one for 4 cs of the item and one for 3 cs of the item, into the same location. If this field is checked (true), then after the second receipt, your location has 1 pallet with 7 cs. If this field is unchecked (false), then after the second receipt, your location has 2 pallets, one with 4 cs and one with 3 cs, and your Inventory by Item report shows two different lines. If you later adjust the 4 cs to be 5 cs, then your Inventory by Item report still shows two different lines, one for 5 cs and one for 3 cs.
Classification	The speed category based on the item's turnover in the warehouse. Values are A, B, or C.
Hazardous	Whether the item is hazardous. Values are No, Yes.

PO/Receiving tab

Field	Description
Purchase Cost per Receiving Unit	Value of the item based on the receiving unit of measure. This is the default value used in purchase orders for this item. If a soda is ordered by the case, and the manufacturer's cost for the case is $3.00, the purchase cost is $3.00.
Product ID	The Item number that the Vendor for this product uses.
Preferred vendor	The primary vendor for purchasing this item. Note that if your item master has an Owner (on the General tab), then the Business Affiliate Owner for this vendor must either be null or the same Owner as this item master. See more information about business affiliate owners.
Preferred vendor code	The code for the preferred vendor. To change this code, you need to change the preferred vendor.

Sales/Fulfillment tab

Field	Description
Sales Price per Shipping Unit	Price of the item based on the shipping unit of measure. This is the default price used in sales orders for this item.
Sellable	When checked, this item can be placed on a sales order. If you uncheck this box, this item cannot be placed on a sales order or shipped. However, if an item is already on a sales order before this flag is checked, the item can be shipped.
Pick on item attributes	When selected, you can specify in the sales order line items for this item master some properties of the inventory items that should be used to fulfill the sales order lines. Available values are: `None`: Only Item #, Ordered Qty, and Owner determine which inventory items can be used to fulfill a sales order line. `Core Fields`: Additionally, Lot #, Serial #, License #, Expire Date, and Product ID determine which inventory items can be used to fulfill a sales order line. For Lot #, Serial #, and Product ID, you can enter "wildcard" characters to specify possible matches. Use "?" (question mark) to represent any single character and "" (asterisk) to represent 1 or more characters. License #* and Expire Date cannot have wildcards. `Core Fields and Custom Fields`: Additionally, custom fields of Business Process `Inventory` determine which inventory items can be used to fulfill a sales order line. For custom fields of Type `Text`, you can enter "wildcard" characters to specify possible matches. Use "?" (question mark) to represent any single character and "" (asterisk) to represent 1 or more characters. All other Types of custom fields cannot have wildcards. Known Limitation: Custom fields of Type* `Memo` cannot be used for picking on item attributes. These attributes are considered only after the Pick Policy is applied. For example, suppose this field is set to `Core Fields`, and you enter a Lot # on the sales order item. If you have an inventory item with this Lot #, the sales order can still only be fulfilled if that inventory item is returned by the Pick Policy.

Units of Measure tab

Field	Description
Based on Measurement Unit	Whether or not the physical measurements (Cube, Dim. Weight, etc.) of all units of measure are proportional to each other, based on the # of Eaches field and the physical measurements specified in the Measurement Unit. For example, suppose your Measurement Unit is an each, and it has a Dim. Weight of 1 lb. If Based on Measurement Unit is true (checked), then your case, which has 8 eaches, must weight 8 lb. If Based on Measurement Unit is false (unchecked), then your case, which has 8 eaches, can weigh any amount. For instance, the case might weigh 8.5 lb if it includes extra packaging.
Name	The name for the unit of measure, such as "case". You can select from the drop-down list, or create your own unit of measure name by typing in a name.
Abbreviation	The abbreviation for the name, such as "cs" for case. Limit six characters. If you created a new unit of measure name, you will also create a new, corresponding abbreviation for it.
# of Eaches	The quantity associated with a unit of measurement, relative to eaches. For example, if a case includes 12 eaches, the # of Eaches is 12. You can also think of this as a factor of eaches that is in the Unit of Measure.
Standard Unit	This unit of measure is the default putaway unit for this item, and is displayed in reports about this item master.
Shipping Unit	This unit of measure is the default used for sales orders and shipments.
Receiving Unit	This unit of measure is the default used for purchase orders and receipts.
Weight Unit	This unit of measure is deprecated and may be removed soon. SmartTurn recommends that you disregard this unit of measure. This unit was used in calculating the weight of a shipment.
Billing Unit	This unit of measure is the default used for calculating billing information for the item for all billable documents.
Measurement Unit	This unit of measure is the default used for calculating the physical characteristics (measurements) of new units of measure. (Item masters that are marked Based on Measurement Unit must always have all measurements be exactly proportional across all units of measure.)
Length	The length of the unit of measure.
Width	The width of the unit of measure.
Height	The height of the unit of measure.
Cube	The cube or volume of the unit of measure. For the Measurement Unit, this value is calculated as Length * Width * Height. For item masters marked Based on Measurement Unit, this value is also proportional (based on the # of Eaches) to the Cube of the Measurement Unit.
Dim. Weight	The dimensional weight of the unit of measure.
Ti	The number of this unit of measure that fit in one layer on a standard pallet.
Hi	The number of layers of this unit of measure that fit on a standard pallet.
Number in Pallet	The total number of this unit of measure that fit on a standard pallet. For the Measurement Unit, this value is calculated as Ti * Hi. For item masters marked Based on Measurement Unit, this value is also proportional (based on the # of Eaches) to the Number in Pallet of the Measurement Unit.

Warehouses tab

Note: When you are updating item masters, in the Warehouse tab, you can filter your view of so that you only see the warehouse tab information for the warehouse you are currently logged in to. If you are logged in to All Warehouses--in other words, viewing SmartTurn in the All Warehouses context--then you will see the warehouse tab information for all warehouses.

Field	Description
Name	The name for the warehouse.
Reorder Point	The point at which the item is considered low on stock. Any time an item goes below this point, it appears in the Inventory Stockout report under Reports>Inventory Stockout. However, if you leave the reorder point as zero, the item will not appear in the stockout report when it reaches zero.
Reorder Quantity Standard Unit	The default quantity for reordering the item when you create a purchase order or blind receipt. (You can override this on the purchase order or blind receipt, if you want.) Enter a number based on the Standard Unit of Measure. If left blank, this value defaults to 0.
Default Pick Loc	The name of the default location from which you want the item to be picked. This default location shows up in SmartTurn on shipments. (You can override this on the shipment, if you want.) The location you specify in any given row must be a location already configured at the warehouse.
Default Putaway	The name of the default location into which you want the item to be put away upon receipt. This default location shows up in SmartTurn on receipts. (You can override it on the receipt, if you want.) The location you specify in any given row must be a location already configured for the warehouse.
Admin Lock	When checked, there is a complete lock on this item. Nothing is allowed except to remove from this status. If left unchecked, the item may be handled normally, according to the limits of its other properties. If you have a multi-warehouse operation and the item is only on Admin Lock in some warehouses, limited handling of the item may be allowed until the warehouse is specified. For example, if an item is on Admin Lock in Warehouse A but not in Warehouse B, you can add the item to a sales order that does not have a warehouse specified. If you later change the sales order Warehouse header field to be Warehouse A, SmartTurn gives an error and the sales order cannot be saved until the item on Admin Lock is removed.
Discontinue	When checked, this item cannot be ordered or received.
Hold	When checked, this item cannot be shipped from this warehouse. It also cannot be added to a sales order if the Warehouse header field of the sales order is set to this warehouse.

History tab