Add Trade Items

Purpose

Create the Trade Items Wholechain needs before a product can be used in events, either one at a time or many at once from a spreadsheet.

Before you begin

• The product name you use internally (often the ERP name).
• Whether the product is tracked by lot or by individual serial number.
• How you count it: pounds, kilograms, cases or units, or a defined pack such as "10 lb case".
• Optional: GTIN, UPC, PLU, product type and a description.
• For bulk upload: your product list, including a unique Item Number/ID for each product (this becomes the Trade Item Identifier), and a record of which items already exist so you do not create duplicates.

Example values used here

Add a single Trade Item

Why it matters

• Traceability Type decides whether inventory is followed by lot or by individual unit. It cannot be changed once inventory exists, so choose carefully.
• Unit of measure decides how quantities are counted in events. A defined unit records what one "case" means. In the example, Unit Descriptor Cases, Unit Quantity 10 and base unit Pounds mean that one case = 10 lb. The form then shows the unit as Lbs per Case, and the event form shows "x 10 LBS per Case" beside the quantity. Recording 5 cases therefore represents 50 lb. On screen the base units are named Pounds and Kilograms; in the bulk template the same values are typed as LBS and KGS.
• GTIN, UPC and PLU let partners, scanners and integrations recognize the product by standard codes.

Result. A green message Trade item created appears and the new Trade Item opens in a drawer with four tabs: Details, Locations, Attachments and Sharing. The list count goes up by one.

Success: 'Trade item created' appears and the new item opens with Details, Locations, Attachments and Sharing tabs.

Add many Trade Items with Excel

Why it matters. Bulk upload is the fastest way to load a catalog, and the Item Number/ID column also sets each item's Trade Item Identifier, which the single-item form does not offer. Because there is no preview step, check your values before you upload.

Sample files: TEMPLATE_product_bulk_import_template.xlsx (unchanged template as downloaded), DEMO_trade_item_bulk_upload.xlsx (completed sample).

Expected result

• Single: Trade item created appears, the item opens in its drawer, and the list count goes up by one.
• Bulk: the list count goes up by the number of rows uploaded, and each new item shows the name, identifier, codes and units from your file. A defined-unit row shows, for example, Lbs per Case.

Troubleshooting

• "GTIN must be 8, 12, 13, or 14 digits" and "UPC must be 12 digits" appear while a value has the wrong length. The PLU field likewise shows an error until the value has 4 or 5 digits.

  

  Validation appears as you type: 'GTIN must be 8, 12, 13, or 14 digits' and 'UPC must be 12 digits'.

• "The product GTIN is invalid." The GTIN has the right length but its last digit (the GS1 check digit) does not match the rest of the number, so Wholechain did not save it. Copy the GTIN again from your GS1 records or barcode, or check it with GS1's check-digit calculator. If you corrected a GTIN on an existing item, reload the item to confirm which value was saved.

• "Unit of measure is required" or "Unit descriptor is required" appears if you leave those fields empty. Add Trade Item stays disabled until required fields are complete.

• There is no field for the Trade Item Identifier. The single-item form does not include it. Add it afterwards in the item's Details tab (Edit Item Details), or include it in a bulk upload. The identifier matters: it is the value Wholechain uses to match items when you add them to groups in bulk.

• Check each new item's Traceability Type after a bulk upload. Open a few uploaded items, or download them (Find and manage Trade Items), and confirm that Traceability Type matches your file. If one is wrong, correct it on the Details tab before the item is used in any event; it cannot be changed once inventory exists.

• Avoid duplicates when retrying. Before you upload again after an error, search the list for the Item Number/IDs in your file and remove any rows that already exist.

• Wrong file type. Only .xlsx or .xls files are accepted.

Field and action reference

Add Trade Item: Single Trade Item

Add Trade Item stays disabled until the required fields are complete. The Trade Item Identifier is not part of this form; set it afterwards in Basic Details or through bulk upload.

Defined units example. Unit Descriptor Cases, Unit Quantity 10, base unit Pounds means one case = 10 lb. The unit displays as Lbs per Case, and a quantity of 5 in an event represents 50 lb.

Add Trade Item: Bulk Upload

Template layout. Sheet Products. Row 1 holds column labels, row 2 holds system keys; both must remain unchanged. Data starts at row 3. The template has no drop-down lists.

Example defined unit: Unit Quantity 10, Defined UOM LBS, Unit Descriptor Cases = 10 LBS per Case.

Result. Successfully uploaded file.; the drawer closes and the new items appear in the list.

Watch the walkthroughs