Managing Product Records

Preparing Information for a Product Record

Prepare the information for a Product before opening the Products list. A clear, consistent record makes it easier to find the right item when preparing Pricing Offers, Offers, Orders, Bills of Material, and purchasing documents.

Use one Product Name for the main item. Check the existing Products List first so you do not create a second record for a product that is already available. If your team uses an external identifier, have the External product id ready as well. This is particularly useful when the same product name could refer to different manufacturers, models, or configurations.

Gather the details that apply to the Product as a whole:

If the Product is available in distinct options, decide which options need their own Variants. A Variant should be created when an option must be identified or tracked separately. For example, this may be a different size, color, pack, or configuration.

Also identify the Sub-suppliers that can provide the Product. Confirm that you are selecting the correct Sub-supplier record, especially where several supplier records have similar names. Product supplier links are separate from the contact relationships covered in Managing Contact Relationships.

Finally, establish whether you need to review Stock Details for the main Product, individual Variants, or both. This avoids treating separate product options as one inventory item.

Creating a Product Record

Create the main Product record before adding Variants, reviewing Stock Details, or linking Sub-suppliers. The main record becomes the central place from which you manage every version and related supplier of that Product.

1. Open Products to display the Products List.

2. Select the action to create a Product. Enter the Product’s main identifying information. At a minimum, make the Name specific enough to distinguish the Product from similar records. Where used by your organization, enter the External product id.

3. Complete the available product information that applies to the whole Product, such as Manufacturer, Model name, Product Type, Product Stage, Purchase Unit Of Measure, and Sales Unit. Use the values that match how your team refers to the Product in sales and purchasing work.

4. Review the details before saving. Check that the Name, manufacturer information, and identifier do not describe a different Product or duplicate an item already listed in Products.

5. Select Save. If you have finished entering the main Product details and want to return to the list, select Save and Close where available.

6. Return to the Products List and search for the Product by its Name or identifying information. Open it to confirm that Pams displays the correct Product-detail view.

Do not add a separate main Product record merely because it has different sellable options. Keep the shared details on one Product record, then create distinct Variants for the options that need to be tracked independently.

Maintaining Product Details

Use the Product-detail view as the source of truth for information shared by every version of a Product. Keeping shared details on the main Product prevents repeated updates and reduces the chance that similar Variants display conflicting information.

1. Open Products and locate the Product in the Products List. Use the Product Name, External product id, Manufacturer, or Model name to help identify the correct record.

2. Open the Product-detail view and review the information that applies to all versions of the Product. This may include the Name, External product id, Manufacturer, Model name, Product Type, Product Stage, Purchase Unit Of Measure, and Sales Unit.

3. Change a main Product detail only when the change applies across all of its Variants. For example, update the Product-level manufacturer information when the same manufacturer applies to each Variant.

4. Keep information specific to one option out of the main Product details. If only one configuration, pack, color, or size changes, open the relevant record in Variants rather than changing the main Product.

5. From the same Product-detail view, use Variants, Stock Details, and Sub-suppliers to review the connected records. This lets you check the whole Product structure without searching separately for each related item.

6. Select Save after making changes. Review the Product-detail view again and confirm that the revised information is shown correctly before leaving the record.

When you are unsure whether a change is shared or option-specific, compare the Product with the entries in Variants first. Changing the main Product for an option-specific difference can make similar Products harder to distinguish in the Products List.

Adding and Updating Product Variants

Create Variants when a Product has separate options that your team needs to recognize, sell, purchase, or track independently. Keep the common Product information on the main record, and use each Variant to represent one distinct option.

1. Open the required Product from Products. Confirm the Product Name, Manufacturer, and Model name before continuing, so you add the Variant to the correct main Product.

2. Open the Variants area. Review the existing entries first. This helps you avoid adding a second Variant for an option that is already listed.

3. Add a Variant for each sellable option that needs separate identification. Use the variation details that distinguish it from other options, such as size, color, pack, or configuration.

4. Enter identifying details clearly enough that users can select the correct option from the Variants list. Similar options should not rely only on the main Product name; their Variant information must make the difference visible.

5. Save the Variant, then return to the Variants area and confirm that it appears under the correct Product.

6. When an existing Variant changes, open that specific Variant and update its details. Review the other Variants before saving to ensure the revised description does not duplicate another option.

Before changing or removing a Variant, review its Stock Details and linked Sub-suppliers. A Variant may represent inventory or a supplier relationship that differs from the main Product and from other Variants. If the option is no longer required, confirm that you are working on the correct Variant rather than the main Product record.

Reviewing Product and Variant Stock Details

Use Stock Details to review inventory information connected to a Product. Where a Product has multiple Variants, treat each Variant as a separate option when its inventory must be distinguished from the others.

1. Open Products and select the Product you want to review.

2. From the Product-detail view, open Stock Details. Start by confirming whether the information shown relates to the main Product or to an individual Variant.

3. If the Product has Variants, select the required Variant before reviewing its stock information. Match the Variant’s identifying details with the option you are checking, especially where the differences are small, such as pack, size, color, or configuration.

4. Review the displayed stock information for the selected Product or Variant. Do not assume that stock held for one Variant is available for every other Variant of the same main Product.

5. After creating a Variant or changing its identifying details, return to Stock Details. Confirm that the Product and Variant structure matches the inventory you intend to track.

6. If the stock information appears to belong to a different option, return to Variants and check the selected Variant’s details. Correct the Product or Variant selection before making any product-related changes.

This review is especially important before using a Product in a Bill of Material, Material Requisition, Purchase Order, or sales activity. A Product may be similar in name to another option while having separate stock information. Keeping the Product and Variant selection accurate helps warehouse, purchasing, and sales users work with the same item definition.

Associating Products with Sub-Suppliers

Link Sub-suppliers to a Product so that the supplier relationship is retained with the Product record. This gives users a direct place to review which Sub-suppliers are associated with a Product while working with purchasing and product information.

1. Open Products and select the relevant Product from the Products List.

2. Review the Product-detail view to confirm that you have opened the correct Product. Use the Name, External product id, Manufacturer, and Model name to distinguish it from similar Products.

3. Open the Sub-suppliers area. Review the Sub-suppliers already shown before adding another association. This prevents duplicate links and helps you identify whether the intended Sub-supplier is already connected to the Product.

4. Add the required Sub-supplier association from the Product record. Select the correct Sub-supplier carefully, particularly if your organization works with several Sub-suppliers whose names are alike.

5. Review the linked Sub-suppliers before saving. Confirm that every displayed association belongs to this Product and that no incorrect supplier has been selected.

6. Select Save, then return to the Product-detail view. Open Sub-suppliers again and verify that the new Sub-supplier is displayed with the Product.

A Product association identifies the Sub-supplier connected to the Product; it does not replace the wider supplier and contact information your team maintains elsewhere. Use the Product’s Sub-suppliers area when reviewing product-specific supplier links, and use the related account and contact records when you need relationship details. Keeping these records aligned helps purchasing users identify the intended Sub-supplier when progressing from an MRQ to an RFQ and Purchase Order.

Resolving Product, Variant, and Sub-Supplier Issues

When a Product, Variant, Stock Details entry, or Sub-supplier association does not look right, start with the main Product record. Most issues can be clarified by checking whether you are viewing the correct Product, the correct Variant, or the correct linked Sub-supplier.

1. If you cannot distinguish a Product in the Products List, open the likely records and compare their Name, External product id, Manufacturer, and Model name. Update missing or unclear identifying information on the correct Product, then select Save. Do not create another Product merely because the existing record is difficult to recognize.

2. If Stock Details appear incorrect, first confirm whether the stock belongs to the main Product or to a specific Variant. Open Variants, select the relevant option, and then return to Stock Details. This avoids reviewing one option while expecting information for another.

3. If an expected Sub-supplier is not displayed, open the Product’s Sub-suppliers area. Check that you opened the correct Product and verify that the intended Sub-supplier is selected. Save the association, then reopen Sub-suppliers to confirm it remains listed.

4. If a Variant is missing, open the main Product’s Variants area. Confirm that the Variant was added under the correct Product rather than under a similarly named Product. Review the Variant’s identifying details so it can be distinguished from the other entries.

5. If similar Variants are difficult to tell apart, revise their option-specific identifying details. Keep shared information on the main Product and use the Variant details to show what makes each option different.

Checking the Product-detail view after each correction gives you one place to verify the Product, its Variants, its Stock Details, and its Sub-suppliers together.

Overview

Product records in Pams organize the information your sales, purchasing, and warehouse work depends on. The main Product record holds the shared identity of an item, including its Name, External product id, Manufacturer, Model name, Product Type, and relevant unit information. Use clear values in these fields so users can select the correct Product from the Products List without relying on memory or informal descriptions.

Use Variants when a Product has distinct options that need their own identification. A separate Variant is appropriate when the difference between options—such as size, color, pack, or configuration—matters to how the item is sold, purchased, or tracked. Keep common details on the main Product and place option-specific distinctions in the Variant.

Stock Details help you review inventory information at the right level. Before drawing a conclusion from stock information, confirm whether you are viewing the main Product or the required Variant. This is essential when different Variants represent separate inventory items.

The Sub-suppliers area keeps the Product’s supplier associations visible from the Product-detail view. Review these links before saving so a Product is associated only with the intended Sub-suppliers. This supports later purchasing work involving MRQs, RFQs, and Purchase Orders.

For reliable Product records, follow these working habits:

• Search Products before creating a new record.
• Use a consistent Name and External product id where applicable.
• Add Variants only for options that need separate tracking.
• Review Stock Details after adding or revising Variants.
• Confirm Sub-suppliers associations from the Product-detail view after saving.

The next document, Managing Registration Data, explains how to review and maintain the registration information connected to your records.