Configure inventory dimensions

  • 8 minutes

It's important to consider how you want your inventory to function prior to setting up the inventory dimensions and dimensions. The type and number of inventory dimensions that are created must be a realistic reflection of how you categorize, or treat, each of the inventory items in your company.

Inventory dimensions are divided into the following categories:

  • Product dimensions - Help define the physical characteristics of inventory items. The available product dimensions in Supply Chain Management are: Configuration, Size, Style, and Color.
  • Storage dimensions - Control how items are stored and taken from inventory. By using storage inventory dimensions, you can manage inventory on a detailed level.
  • Tracking dimensions - Serial and batch numbers provide companies with the ability to trace their products through Supply Chain Management, which is essential for quality assurance purposes and when you deal with warranties for a product.

Packing and storage dimensions

Products can be packed and stored in different ways. Therefore, you need to set up different physical dimensions to support your processes. The Packaging product dimensions feature allows you to set up several dimensions for products.

These dimensions are available:

  • Storage - Storage dimensions are used along with location volumetrics to determine how many items can be stored in various warehouse locations. This is the available default dimension without turning on the packaging product dimension feature. When Packing and/or Nested packing are not specified on a product, the storage dimensions will be set up at Released products > Manage inventory tab > Physical dimensions.
  • Packing - Packing dimensions are used during containerization and the manual packing process to determine how many items fit in various container types.
  • Nested packing - Nested packing dimensions are used when the packing process contains multiple levels.

To set up the Packing and Nested packing dimensions, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Released products > Manage inventory tab > Physical product dimensions.
  2. Select the Physical dimension type.
  3. Enter the product dimensions:
    • Physical unit
    • Weight
    • Weight unit
    • Depth
    • Height
    • Width
    • Length unit
    • Volume unit - the volume will be calculated.

Screenshot of the Physical product dimensions page.

When you try to put a product in an area that does not fit, you will receive an error that the product will not fit in the area based on your dimensions.

The Version product dimension

Version is a product dimension that helps you maintain and track multiple versions of a product throughout the supply chain. Version tracking will behave similarly to other product dimensions (size, style, color, and configuration). Therefore, you can use it for other purposes besides tracking product versions.

The version product dimension must be turned on under System administration > Setup > License configuration > Configuration keys > Trade > Product dimension - Version.

When Product dimension - Version is enabled, you will find it Product information management > Setup > Dimension and variant groups > Versions.