## 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:

| Information to prepare | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| **Name** | Helps users find and select the Product consistently. |
| **External product id** | Separates products with similar names when an external reference is used. |
| **Manufacturer** and **Model name** | Helps identify the exact Product. |
| **Product Type** and **Product Stage** | Supports consistent classification of Products. |
| **Purchase Unit Of Measure** and **Sales Unit** | Clarifies how the Product is purchased and sold. |

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](doc: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.

[SCREENSHOT: Products List showing Product names and the action for creating a Product]

## 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.

[SCREENSHOT: New Product form showing Name, External product id, Manufacturer, Model name, Product Type, and Save]

## 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**.

[SCREENSHOT: Product-detail view with access to Variants, Stock Details, and Sub-suppliers]

## 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.

[SCREENSHOT: Variants area showing several distinct options for one Product]

## 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.

[SCREENSHOT: Stock Details view showing a Product and a selected Variant]

## 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.

[SCREENSHOT: Sub-suppliers area on a Product record showing linked Sub-suppliers]

## 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.

[SCREENSHOT: Product-detail view used to verify Product, Variants, Stock Details, and Sub-suppliers]

## 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](doc:managing-registration-data), explains how to review and maintain the registration information connected to your records.