Item inventory attributes (planning rows)

An item inventory attribute is a planning row for one item: its stock limits, order limits, lead time and ABC/FSN class, optionally narrowed to one SKU, partner account and branch. Purchasing, automatic ordering, cycle counting and the order-taking catalogue read these rows. You keep them up to date yourself. xMatix does not calculate any of the values from history.

Overview

Each row belongs to an item and carries three kinds of information:

• Scope — Partner Account, Branch, SKU and Item Lot Type. An empty Partner Account, Branch or SKU means "applies to all".
• Limits and planning inputs — minimum and maximum stock level, minimum and maximum order quantity, lot quantity, reorder quantity, reorder level, lead time and average consumption.
• Classification — the ABC Category and FSN Category for that scope. What the categories mean is explained in Item classifications.

The same item can have several rows, for example one for every branch, or one per SKU. Each process that reads the rows picks them in its own way (see How xMatix handles it), so it is worth knowing which row a process will use.

When to use it

• You buy an item from a supplier with a minimum order, a maximum order or a pack size, and want purchase-order lines checked against them.
• You want Auto Order to suggest purchases when stock at a branch falls below a minimum, or when the projected position falls below a reorder point.
• You want auto orders to skip some ABC or FSN classes, or cycle counts to cover only some classes.
• You want sales representatives to see a low-stock warning and a Reorder chip on the web Take order catalogue at your own threshold.

An item with no row is never checked against order limits and is never suggested by Auto Order. It also has no class for the exclusions and count filters.

How xMatix handles it

Item Lot Type is stored on the row, but no process narrows by it. A row with a lot type is used for the item whatever lot type a line has.

Maximum Stock Level and Suggested Order Quantity are stored and validated, but no process reads them. The level Forecasting orders up to is the Maximum Order Quantity. The trigger the Minimum Stock Level engine uses is the Minimum Stock Level. Automatic ordering is explained in full in Auto Order.

Prerequisites

• The item exists. To scope by SKU or lot type, those exist too. See Items, SKUs and Item lot types.
• For a partner or branch scope, the partner account is active and marked as a partner account, and the branch belongs to it.
• Access to the Item Inventory Attribute record type (see Permissions).

Procedure

Step 1 — Open the attribute rows

The Item Inventory Attributes list is not on an app's navigation bar. Open it in one of two ways:

• Open the item and go to its Inventory tab (it is also on the Related tab). The list there shows only that item's rows and has a New button.
• Search for Item Inventory Attributes in the app launcher. This opens All Item Inventory Attributes, with every row for every item.

The list shows Name, Partner Account, Branch, Item, SKU, Minimum Order Quantity and Maximum Order Quantity.

Step 2 — Create a row

1. On the item's list, choose New. The form opens with the item already filled in. From All Item Inventory Attributes, choose New and pick the Item yourself.
2. Set the scope at the top of the form. Choose Partner Account first: the Branch picker lists only that partner account's branches. Leave Partner Account, Branch or SKU empty to apply the row to all of them.
3. On the Classification tab, enter Minimum Order Quantity (above 0) and Maximum Order Quantity (at least the minimum). These two are needed on every row. If you use Minimum Stock Level, raise Maximum Stock Level to at least the same value. Choose the ABC Category and FSN Category if you use them.
4. On the Order Suggesstions tab (the tab is spelt this way on screen), enter Reorder Quantity, Lead Time (In Days) and, for the catalogue, Reorder Level. A Reorder Level other than 0 must be greater than the Reorder Quantity.
5. Save. The row gets a name from document numbering, such as ISS-28102026-000001, and opens as a record page.

The record page shows the item, SKU, ABC and FSN category in its header. It has four sections: Information (the scope), Classification, Order Suggestions and System Information. Average Consumption appears only on the record page, in Order Suggestions.

Step 3 — Change a row

On the record page, choose Edit, or select a field's pencil to change it in place. In a list, use the row's edit icon. The same rules are checked on every save. A change applies to purchase-order lines saved after it and to auto orders generated after it. Existing documents are not changed.

Step 4 — Delete a row

Choose Delete on the record page or the row's delete icon in a list, and confirm. To delete several rows at once, select them in All Item Inventory Attributes and choose Delete Selected. Once a row is deleted, its limits and class no longer apply. If no other row matches, the item is treated as having no planning data.

Step 5 — Load rows in bulk

For many items, use the import wizard with the Item Inventory Attribute record type. Every imported row is checked by the same rules as a manual save. This is also the way to fill Lot Quantity, which is on no shipped form. See Import data.

Fields

Business rules

Saving a row is refused when:

• Minimum Order Quantity is 0 or less: Minimum Order Quantity can't be negative. The default is 0, so this field always needs a value.
• Maximum Order Quantity is below the minimum: Maximum Order Quantity cannot be less than Minimum Order Quantity. Its default is also 0.
• Either order quantity is negative: Order quantity should be greater than 0.
• Maximum Stock Level is below Minimum Stock Level: Maximum Stock Level can't be less than Minimum Stock Level. and Minimum Stock Level should be less than Maximum Stock Level.
• Reorder Level is not 0 and not greater than Reorder Quantity: Reorder Level should be greater than Reorder Quantity.
• Reorder Quantity is negative: Reorder Quantity can't be negative.

Because both order quantities are needed, every row sets purchase-order limits, even one you created only for a class or a stock level. Choose limits that suit how you buy the item.

Saving a purchase-order line, or changing its quantity, checks it against the most specific matching row:

• above the maximum: Order Quantity 120 can't be more than the Maximum Order Quantity 100 for Item 'Brake Pad Set'.
• below the minimum: Order Quantity 5 can't be less than the Minimum Order Quantity 10 for Item 'Brake Pad Set'.
• not a multiple of a Lot Quantity above 0: Order Quantity 25 needs to be in multiple of the Lot Quantity 10 for Item 'Brake Pad Set'.

Keep Reorder Quantity within the order limits and a multiple of the lot quantity, so purchase-order lines raised from a suggestion pass the check.

On the web Take order catalogue, an item at or below the highest Reorder Level among its rows shows as low and gets a Reorder chip. With no Reorder Level, an item counts as low at 10 units or fewer and gets no chip.

Example

A distributor buys Brake Pad Set in cartons of 10, with a supplier minimum of 10 and a maximum of 200 per line. At the Pune Branch it wants a purchase suggested when available stock drops below 40, and it treats the item as a fast-moving A-class item there.

1. The planner opens Brake Pad Set, goes to Inventory and chooses New on the attribute list.
2. They choose the partner account, then Pune Branch, and leave SKU and Item Lot Type empty.
3. On Classification: Minimum Stock Level 40, Maximum Stock Level 120, Minimum Order Quantity 10, Maximum Order Quantity 200, ABC Category A Category, FSN Category Fast-Moving.
4. On Order Suggesstions: Reorder Quantity 100, Reorder Level 50, Lead Time (In Days) 7.
5. They save. The row is named ISS-28102026-000001.
6. The pack size is loaded by import: Lot Quantity 10 for that row.

When available stock at Pune falls to 32, a Minimum Stock Level auto order for the branch suggests 100. A buyer who types 95 on a purchase-order line for Pune gets Order Quantity 95 needs to be in multiple of the Lot Quantity 10 for Item 'Brake Pad Set'. On the Take order catalogue, the item shows the Reorder chip once its stock is 50 or fewer.

Training

Practice exercise

In a sandbox, pick a stock item that has no attribute rows.

1. Create a row for your branch with Minimum Order Quantity 0. Expected: the save is refused with Minimum Order Quantity can't be negative.
2. Change it to Minimum Order Quantity 10 and leave Maximum Order Quantity at 0. Expected: Maximum Order Quantity cannot be less than Minimum Order Quantity.
3. Set Maximum Order Quantity 50 and save. Expected: the row saves with an ISS- name.
4. Raise a purchase order for that branch with a line of 60. Expected: the line is refused with the Maximum Order Quantity message.
5. Change the line to 30. Expected: it saves.

Quick reference

• Empty Partner Account, Branch or SKU means "all".
• Every row needs Minimum Order Quantity above 0 and Maximum Order Quantity at least that.
• Purchase-order lines use the single most specific row: SKU, then branch, then partner account.
• Forecasting averages every matching row; it does not pick the most specific one.
• The Minimum Stock Level engine ignores rows without a Branch.
• Raise Maximum Stock Level whenever you set Minimum Stock Level.
• Reorder Level drives only the web Take order catalogue.
• Use Fast-Moving/Slow-Moving/Non-Moving for auto order exclusions and F/S/N category for count filters.
• Lot Quantity is set by import or after adding it to the layout.

Permissions

Access is controlled by the Item Inventory Attribute record type on your security profiles. The shipped Standard User, Sales, Sales Executive, Sales Manager, Service and System Admin profiles grant full access (read, create, edit, delete, view all and modify all). A user whose profiles have no grant can't open the list or see the item's attribute list. See Security profiles.

The Take order catalogue reads the rows with the signed-in user's access, so a user who can't read them sees the default low-stock threshold and no Reorder chip.

Configuration

If your organisation runs a single company or a single location, the Partner Account or Branch field may be hidden. Rows then apply to all, which is what you want in that case.

Common problems

"Minimum Order Quantity can't be negative" although I left it empty

An empty Minimum Order Quantity is saved as 0, and the rule refuses 0 as well as negative values. Enter the smallest quantity you buy, at least 1.

"Maximum Order Quantity cannot be less than Minimum Order Quantity"

Maximum Order Quantity defaults to 0. Enter a value at least as large as the minimum. Choose it with care: purchase-order lines above it are refused.

"Maximum Stock Level can't be less than Minimum Stock Level"

You set a Minimum Stock Level and left Maximum Stock Level at 0. Raise the maximum to at least the minimum.

"Reorder Level should be greater than Reorder Quantity"

A Reorder Level other than 0 has to exceed the Reorder Quantity. Raise the level, lower the quantity, or set Reorder Level to 0 if you don't use the catalogue warning.

A purchase-order line is refused with an order-quantity message

The line breaks the limits of the most specific matching row. Open the item's Inventory tab and find the row for the line's SKU, the order's branch and partner account (or the empty-scope row). Change the line quantity, or correct the row if the limit is wrong.

The Branch picker is empty

The picker lists only the branches of the chosen Partner Account. Choose the partner account first, or check that the branch belongs to it.

Auto Order does not suggest an item

For Minimum Stock Level orders, the item needs a row with the auto order's branch; rows with an empty Branch are ignored. Available stock must be below Minimum Stock Level. Also check that the row's ABC or FSN class is not excluded on the auto order. For other engines, see Auto Order.

Common questions

Does xMatix calculate average consumption, lead time or the categories?

No. All values on the row are inputs you maintain by hand or import. Forecasting and the purchase-order nudge apply your Lead Time and Average Consumption as entered. The ABC and FSN classes are read exactly as stored. Review them on a fixed cadence, for example after running the movement analysis report each quarter, and import the corrected values. Stale inputs are used as they are, and no warning tells you a value is out of date.

Which row wins when an item has several?

It depends on the process. Purchase-order lines use the single most specific row, with SKU first, then branch, then partner account. Forecasting and the purchase-order nudge average all rows whose branch and partner account match or are empty, so an all-branches row blends with a branch row instead of being overridden. The Minimum Stock Level engine evaluates each branch row separately. The catalogue takes the highest Reorder Level. Keep one row per item, SKU and branch to avoid surprises.

Can I create a row just for the ABC or FSN class?

Yes, but the row still needs a Minimum Order Quantity above 0 and a Maximum Order Quantity at least as large. Those limits then apply to purchase-order lines that match the row. Set them to the real buying range, or to a range wide enough not to get in the way, such as 1 to a large number.

Why can't I see Lot Quantity on the form?

The shipped create form and record page don't include it, though purchase-order lines are checked against it. Load it with the import wizard, or ask an administrator to add the field to the Item Inventory Attribute layouts. A Lot Quantity of 0 means no pack-size rule.

Related topics

• Item classifications
• Auto Order
• Procurement configuration reference
• Cycle counting
• Items
• Stock balances
• Item Inventory Attribute — entity reference
• Item — entity reference