V9 - Working with item variants
If you sell variations of the same product, SOS Inventory's item variants feature allows you to create a master item and establish variations that link to the master product. Many SOS reports track master items with a breakdown that includes variant data.
Creating and editing item variants
Setting up item variants requires the creation of a master item to which the variants are linked. SOS automatically applies the description, pricing, cost, and other information defined for the master product to new product variants. But you can edit each variant's item definition as needed. If you need to change a variant to a stand-alone item, please see Converting a variant to a stand-alone item.
Adding an item variant
- Create a new item that will serve as the master product. Set up the master item as you would any other inventory item, but enable Has variants on the item definition. When you finish creating the master item, Save and close.
edit_noteNOTE: A master item cannot be created by editing an existing item.
- Define each variant, then link it to the master item.
- Locate the master product in the Items list (Operations > Inventory > Items), then select Variants from the Actions drop-down list.
- The Variants table for your master item will appear in a pop-up window. If you defined the master item to include an SKU, sales price, and/or purchase cost, they will be imported into the Variants table automatically. The number of variant lines you see is dependent upon the Default lines setting (Tools & settings > Configuration > Company > General).
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- For a variant that does not already exist as a stand-alone item in SOS Inventory, enter a Variant name. For the Variant name, note that the master item (which is grayed out) serves as a prefix. Edit the SKU, Sales price, and Purchase cost fields as needed. Leave the Linked item field blank. SOS will create new variant items and link them to the master upon saving. When the variant table is reopened, it appears as shown below:
- If the desired variant already exists as a stand-alone item in the system, locate that item in the drop-down list of the Linked item field.
edit_noteNOTE: When the table is saved, the name of the linked item will be changed to the name specified in the Variant name field. If the Variant name field is left blank, SOS will not save the existing item as a variant.
- For a variant that does not already exist as a stand-alone item in SOS Inventory, enter a Variant name. For the Variant name, note that the master item (which is grayed out) serves as a prefix. Edit the SKU, Sales price, and Purchase cost fields as needed. Leave the Linked item field blank. SOS will create new variant items and link them to the master upon saving. When the variant table is reopened, it appears as shown below:
- Locate the master product in the Items list (Operations > Inventory > Items), then select Variants from the Actions drop-down list.
If you need additional lines for the table, select the icon. Also, the red and grayicons will unlink the variant(s) from the master and remove them from the table. This will not delete them from the Items list. After completing the table fields, Save and close.
Master and variant items will appear on the Items list as shown in the example below. Luggage - Charcoal Gray is the master item. Its variants are indented and listed below the master.
A master or variant can be revised as necessary by going to the Items list and selecting the item name to open its Edit page. Make the desired changes and save.
Converting a variant to a stand-alone item
Converting a variant to a stand-alone item will result in a change to the name of the item, as the master item prefix will be removed—leaving the variant designation as the new name of the stand-alone item. Before converting the variant to a stand-alone item, check your existing items to ensure that your variant designation does not duplicate an item that already exists in the system.
If you need to change the name of your stand-alone item to avoid duplicates:
- Open the variant table of the master item.
- Change the variant name to the desired name for the stand-alone item.
- Save and Close.
To convert the variants to stand-alone items:
- Open the variant table of the master item.
- Delete the variant item from the table.
- Save and Close.
If further changes to a stand-alone item are needed, locate it in the Items list and edit the item as needed. Be sure to save your changes.