Getting ready

Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite and select the Inventory responsibility.

How to do it…

Let’s list the steps required to create an Item template:

1. Navigate to Setup | Items | Templates.
2. Select the Inventory Organization.

 From the Find Item Templates form, click on New button or press Alt+N.

In the Template field, enter the name of the new template; for example, enter ACME Finished Good.
In the Description field, enter a suitable description, for example, enter ACME Finished Good Template.

6. Select Copy Template from the Tools menu.
7. We can use this form to select the attributes groups that we want to copy from the Finished Good template.
8. Click on the Apply button.
9. Click on the Done button.
10. In the dialog box presented to us, with the message “Do you want to save the changes you have made?”, click on the Yes button.

How it works…

Item templates can be created from scratch. To make the template creation process easier, Oracle has provided us with a number of seeded templates as a starting point to copy from. We can also combine templates and manually amend the attributes to define our template. When we copy from an existing template, we have choices that determine how the copy will occur.

The three main choices are as follows:

1. Overwrite: All selected attribute values are copied to the new template and any values that we have manually created will be overwritten.
2. Append: Attributes that have no value will be copied across to our template. This mode is useful if you are using a combination of templates.
3. Overwrite Not Null: Only the selected attributes that contain values will be copied.

There’s more…

Let’s amend the template to allow us to automatically populate the template with some default values. Let’s create an Item and apply the amended template to the Item.

Amending the template

Let’s search for the template and amend the templates to include some of the default values:

1. Search for the ACME Finished Good template by navigating to Setup | Items | Templates.
2. Enter ACME Finished Good in the Template field and click on the Find button.
3. Click on the Open button to view the template.

In the Attributes Group region, select Purchasing and enter some default values, for example:

• Default Buyer: Stock, Ms. Pat
• Input Tax Classification Code: VAT-15%
• Taxable: Yes
• Allow Description Update: Yes
• Receipt Required: Yes

 Save the template.

 In the Attributes Group region, select Receiving and enter some default values, for example:

• Over-Receipt Qty Action: Warning
• Receipt Routing: Direct Delivery
• Days Early Receipt Allowed: 5
• Days Late Receipt Allowed: 2
• Receipt Date Action: Warning

Save the template.
In the Attributes Group region, select Invoicing and enter some default values, for example:

• Accounting Rule: Immediate
• Payment Terms: Immediate

Save the template.

Creating an Item and applying the template to the Item

Let’s create an Item and apply the template to the Item:
Navigate to Items | Master Items.
Enter the Item code and description.
Select Copy From in the Tools menu.

 

 
Click on the Purchasing tab to review the default values of the attributes assigned automatically by the template.
Save the Item.

Exploring Item controls

During the creation of Items, we may decide to restrict the use of the Items by controlling Items within an Inventory Organization. When an Item is defined, it is defined in the Item Master Organization and can then be assigned to other Inventory Organizations. Items are then held in Subinventories, which can contain Locators. Locator, Serial number, Lot number, and Revision number within a Subinventory can be used to control Items. In this recipe, we will explore some of the control parameters for Items.

Getting ready

Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite and select the Inventory responsibility.

How to do it…

Let’s explore the following Item controls:

1. Item Status
2. Item Attribute

The Item Status is the status of an Item and it determines the actions that can be performed on an Item. For example, an obsolete Item may not be sold to the customer, but can be used as parts for repairs and can still be stockable. Let’s create an Item status for obsolete Items.
Navigate to Setup | Items | Status Code. 

In the Status field, enter Obsolete and ACME Obsolete in the Translated Status field.
Enter a Description, for example, ACME Obsolete Items.

The levels that the attributes can be controlled at are set in the Item Attribute Controls form. Let’s look at some of the Item Attribute Controls:
     Navigate to Setup Items | Attribute Controls|
     From the menu, select View | Query By Example | Enter (or press F11 on the keyboard).
     In the Group Name field, enter Main%. 

     From the Menu, select View | Query By Example | Run (or press Ctrl+F11 on the keyboard).
     Observe that some attributes are controlled at the Master Level and some at the Org Level.
     Close the form.

There’s more…

Items are stored in a Subinventory and can be controlled using a locator. Items can be identified by lot and by serial numbers.

Storing Items by Subinventories

Subinventories are distinct separations of Items within an Inventory Organization. Subinventories can be physical or logical. Items within an Inventory Organization must reside in a Subinventory.
Transactions are performed from the Subinventories. Examples of Subinventories include: finished goods, van, stores, staging area, and fast moving goods. Let’s create a finished goods Subinventory and restrict an Item to the Subinventory.
    Navigate to Setup | Organizations | Subinventories.
    Click on the New button. 
        In the Name field, enter ACME-FG.
        In the Description, enter ACME Finished Goods.
        In the Locator Control field, select Item level. This will enable the Inventory transactions for 

         this Subinventory to use locator control, which we define at the Item level.

Save the record.

 Let’s restrict an Item to the Subinventory:
      Navigate to Items | Organization Items.

      Search for the PRD20001 Item.

 

Select the Inventory tab and select the Restrict Subinventories checkbox.

d.

    In the Tools menu, select Items Subinventories.
    Select ACME-FG in the Subinventory field.

    Save the record.

Storing Items by locators

Stock locators identify the physical areas where Items are stored. Additional controls can be placed on the Items in stock locators. For example, we can control the shelf life of an Item with stock locators. Stock locators are usually defined as Row, Rack, and Bin. Let’s create three stock locators for the ACME Finished Goods Subinventory and restrict an Item by locator control:
Navigate to Setup | Organizations | Subinventories. 

Search for the ACME-FG Subinventory (press F11 on the keyboard, and enter the search mask ACME%, then press Ctrl+F11 on the keyboard).
Click on the Locator button to enter the locator details.

   Enter A1.1.1 in the Locator field.
   In the Description field, enter ACME FG 1.
   In the Type field, select Storage Locator.
   Enter another row for A1.1.2, ACME FG 2, with Storage Locator in the Type field.
   Repeat for A1.1.3, ACME FG 3, with Storage Locator in the Type field.

Save the record. 

The structure of the stock locator is defined in the stock locator Flexfield structure and can be defined to fit your business requirements. Locator Control can be “prespecified” before they are used or can be defined dynamically as Items are received or shipped.
Let’s restrict an Item to the Locator:
    Navigate to Items | Organization Items.
    Search for the PRD20001 Item.

 

     Select the Inventory tab, select the Restrict Locators checkbox, and then select the Locator Control as Prespecified.

Save the record.

In the Tools menu, select Items Subinventories.
Select A1.1.1 in the Locator field.
Save the record.

Identifying Items by lot control

A lot of numbers can be used to identify Items that share the same specifications. For example, lot numbers can be used to specify the expiry period of an Item. Let’s look at how to use lot numbers to control Items. We will impose a shelf life of 30 days on the Item and assign lot numbers to the Item:
     Navigate to Items | Organization Items.
     Search for the PRD20001 Item.

Select the Inventory tab.
In the Lot Expiration (Shelf Life) region, select the Control field and select Shelf Life Days.
Enter 30 as the number of days.
In the Lot region, select Full Control in the Control field.

Save the record.

Tracking Items using serial control

Serial numbers can be used to track an Item. A serial number is assigned to each unit of the Item, if serial control is used:
Navigate to Items | Organization Items.
Search for the PRD20001 Item.

Select the Inventory tab.
In the Serial region, select the Generation field, and select At Receipt. This will allow us to specify the format of the serial numbers at the time of receipt.
Save the record.

Controlling Items using revisions

Items can have versions. Item versions are controlled using revisions. For example, we can decide to make the PRD20002 revision controlled, and have another version of the Item. Let’s change the attribute to revision controlled and add a revision B to the Item:

Navigate to Items | Organization Items.
Search for the Item PRD20002.

In the Inventory tab, enable the Revision Control checkbox.
In the displayed message, select OK.

Save the Item.

From the Tools menu, select Revisions.
Add a line for Revision B of the Item with the description Revised Widget.
Save the record.

Summary

This article included recipes for creating Items and exploring the Item attributes. It then continued with creating Item templates and exploring Item controls.