One of the fundamentals of the Item Classification functionality is to classify your items by grouping structures, characteristics and values to ensure the creation of a unique entity when creating your items and thus allowing the end-user to accurately search for items.
The Item Classification grouping structure is the unique combination of the following entities:
Main group/Group/Profile 1/Profile 2
Note: Each and every item can belong to one and only one Item classification grouping structure under which they will be classified during item creation using the Item Classification functionality.
You define which item-related key will represent each entity of the grouping structure in the DIS control file. The item-related key represents an actual table in the system, where you register the applicable values.
Ultimately, items are classified/identified by characteristics, which can be numeric or alphanumeric. The characteristics are attached to an item via the Profile 1 or Profile 2 entities of the grouping structure.
- Attaching characteristics via Profile 1: Characteristics are attached to the Profile 1 entity via the Item classification group, which is subsequently connected to an Item classification main group.
- Attaching characteristics via Profile 2: Characteristics are attached directly to the Profile 2.
The values for the characteristics can be:
- entered as default values in the item classification profile 1 or 2 for each characteristic, which will be retrieved when you apply the Item classification definition to create the item
- or “on the fly” when applying the Item classification definition to create the item.
The definition of each grouping structure element is as follows:
| Grouping structure element | Definition |
|---|---|
| Item classification main group | An Item classification main group holds a collection of Item classification groups within the same Item classification main group. |
| Item classification group | An item classification group holds a collection of characteristics defined for a unique combination of an item classification group/Item classification main group. An Item classification group can group one or more Item classification profles 1. |
| Item classification profile 1 | An Item classification profile 1 is a subset of items within the same Item classification group. The Item classification profile 1 can inherit some or all characteristics of the Item classification group to which it is attached. So by definition, 2 or more item classification profile 1’s may belong to the same item classification group but it does not necessarily mean that they must share the same set of characteristics. A default value for characteristics can be defined at this level to be retrieved when creating an item to be grouped under the applicable classification profile 1. |
| Item classification profile 2 | An Item classification profile 2 allows the attachment of characteristics directly. It is primarily used to define those characteristics that would apply to one or more Item classification profile 1.
For example: Characteristics such as Length, Width, Volume, etc., might apply to more than one subset of items defined by several item classification profile 1’s. So rather than redundantly attaching those characteristics to each of those profile 1’s, they can, instead, be attached only once to an item classification profile 2 that will be connected to each of those item classification profile 1’s in order to define unique grouping structures. An Item classification profile 2 can be seen as a way to group Item classification profile 1’s. An Item classification profile 2 can be connected to several Item classification profile 1 but not vice versa. |