Module overview
Reference summary of the Trade Items module: its tabs, records, key concepts and where account-wide settings live.
This reference describes the Trade Items module in Wholechain: its screens, records, fields, tables and the actions available on each. Use it to look up what a field means, which values it accepts, what is required, and what each action does. Step-by-step instructions are in the Trade Items user guide, starting with Get started with Trade Items.
Conventions
- Bold text is the exact label shown in Wholechain.
- Req. marks required fields. Required fields show an asterisk (*) in the interface.
- "Conditional" means a field is required only in the situation described.
Purpose
The Trade Items module holds your product master data. A Trade Item is the reference record for a product your business buys, makes, handles or sells: its name, identifiers, unit of measure and descriptive attributes. Events, lots, inventory and shipments all refer to a Trade Item, so it must exist before the product can be used in traceability events.
Location
Master Data > Trade Items in the left sidebar.
Opening Settings. Click the gear icon at the top of the Trade Items page (or open Settings with the gear icon at the bottom of the left-hand navigation bar), which opens Master Data Settings > Trade Item (Master Data Settings).
Account-wide settings. Brands, external identifiers, the account-wide alias bulk upload, master data download, archived items and the universal data policy are not part of this module. A Trade Item Group's data policy is managed on the Trade Item Groups sub-tab of Master Data Settings > Trade Item, and also in the Data Policy tab of the Trade Item Group drawer, and a policy for one Trade Item is set on that item's details drawer. The Settings topics are documented in the Settings help docs: Master Data Settings, Data elements and policies, Archived and Account settings (Organization Settings > Account, where Data Policies are switched on by an Admin).
Tabs
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| Trade Item List | All active Trade Items in the account, with search, filters, column settings and bulk actions. The number beside the tab is the count of items listed. |
| Trade Item Groups | The groups used to categorize Trade Items, with group creation, bulk linking and deletion. |
Records in this module
| Record | What it is | Relationship to a Trade Item |
|---|---|---|
| Trade Item | One product's master-data record. | — |
| Trade Item Group | A category of Trade Items, such as a commodity. | Each item belongs to at most one group, shown on the item as Commodity. |
| Brand | A brand name, created in Organization Settings > Brands. | Each item has at most one brand. |
| Custom attribute | A named value (KDE) stored on one item. | Many per item. |
| Product alias | An alternative identifier for the same item (External Identifier, URN or GTIN). | Many per item. |
| Sub-product | Another Trade Item record grouped under a parent item. | Many per parent; a sub-product is not listed as its own row. |
| Attachment | A document or image stored with the item. | Many per item. |
| Share | Access granted to a connected Trade Partner. | Many per item, each with a permission. |
Key concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Traceability Type | Lot: inventory is tracked by lot code; every unit in a lot shares one history. Serial: each unit is tracked individually by serial number. |
| Unit of measure | How quantities of the item are counted in events. Either a general unit or a defined unit (a pack of a set quantity, such as 10 Lbs per Case). |
| KDE | Key Data Element: a named data field captured for items or events. Values are stored on each item as custom attributes. |
| Active inventory | Lots or units of the item currently held at a Location. Active inventory locks some item settings (see Rules and restrictions). |
| Owner | The company that owns the Trade Item record. Items shared with you show the owner's company and identifier. |