Product Attributes Overview

Select product based on a combination of attributes and characteristics.

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Getting Started | Features | Related Content

Getting Started

The product attributes module is used to group a significant number of items together based on one or more of the inventory's item attributes. An inventory group (folder) may contain multiple items that are very similar but differ based on the items attribute.  An attribute is defined as a common characteristic such as color, size, style etc..  Some examples:

• Shelf or furniture - A company may contain a group of wooden shelf inventory items that vary based on the wood type, stain or color of the finish, and the length of the shelf. Since 5 different wood types are offered, in 8 different stains and 6 varying lengths, there may be up to 240 inventory items in EBMS to manage all the combinations of the selected shelf.

• Clothing or shoes - A store sells shirts in a variety of sizes and colors. An inventory item is created for each item that is sold within the store. All of the item IDs within EBMS are grouped in a single folder.

Attributes are defined within the inventory folder.  A folder may have one or more product attributes.  For example, a specific folder that contains shoe inventory items may have a total of four attributes; size, width, color, and style.  All the items within an inventory folder must contain the same attributes.  The number and type of attribute can vary between folders.  Review the Attribute Setup section for more details.  

Fixed Product Attributes contain a single attribute value for each attribute setting within the inventory item.  For example, the attribute may define the shoe as size 10, D width, black color, and classic style.  Each attribute setting defines the inventory item.  Review the Entering Item Attributes section for more details.  A specific inventory item within a folder group containing hundreds or thousands of items can easily be identified by selecting the desired attributes rather than memorizing inventory ID codes.

Custom Product Attributes may contain multiple attribute values within a single inventory item.  For example, a custom piece of furniture may be stained using a list of stain options.  This list of attribute values can be used using Value Sets.  Review the Value Sets section for more details.

Common use cases

Examples

A company may sell furniture such as a shelf, for example. The group of wooden shelf inventory items may vary based on the wood type, stain or color of the finish, and the length of the shelf. Since 5 different wood types are offered, in 8 different stains and  6 varying lengths, there may be up to 240 inventory item numbers to manage all the combinations of the shelf. Product Attributes allows the user to quickly find the correct shelf by selecting the wood type, stain, and length attribute values.

Another example may be a trailer with attributes such as Year, GVWR, Axles, Tires, Stock No. and Bed Size. Select the attributes and the correct inventory items and serial numbers are returned.

Quickly Find Items in EBMS