Modeling Inventory Items in L7|ESP
Goals
Understand the relationship between Vendor, Item Type, and Item
Understand design considerations and best practices for modeling Items in L7|ESP
Know how to create new Vendors and Item Types
Key Terms
Term | Definition |
Item | A resource that is tracked and/or consumed as part of a business process. Items are instances, or occurrences, of Item Types. |
Item Type | Defines the attributes of an Item, including its type (consumable, reagent, or kit component), units, custom fields, Vendors, and ID Sequences. |
Vendor | Person or place an Item is purchased. |
Terminology Relationship Diagram
What does an Item look like for the End User?
Items are grouped by Item Type in the Inventory app.
When an End User selects an Item, they see:
The Item’s usage history (Inventory Usage tab)
The Batches the Item is associated with (Worksheets tab)
The Item’s metadata (Data tab)
Production data associated with the Item (Process Data tab)
The Item’s relationship to other Entities (Parents & Children tab)
The files the Item is associated with (Attachments tab)
The Item’s history (History tab)
Quantity can be adjusted independent of a business process by adding a usage entry.
Note
L7|ESP will not warn the End User if the deduction results in a negative quantity.
Note
Protocols have a dedicated field for inventory item use.
This includes transferring some or all of an Item to or from another Item of the same type.
Transferring from another Item of the same type adds to the current Item’s quantity.
Transferring to another Item of the same type subtracts from the current Item’s quantity.
The corresponding addition/subtraction is also made to the other Item.
Tip
Transfers should be used to move Items from Kits back into available inventory.
L7|ESP will warn the End User if the transfer will result in a negative quantity.
How to Model Items
Items are created in the Inventory app, then tracked and/or consumed in Batch Records. They can also be created at the end of a Batch when the Item is internally manufactured.
When to create an Item Type
If you have a consumable, reagent, or kit component that you wish to track and/or consume as part of a business process
If two (2) Items have different units
If two (2) Items have different custom fields
Design Considerations:
How will this type of Item be consumed?
Consumables and kit components can only be consumed in whole number quantities
In what units will this type of Item be consumed?
Where can this type of Item be purchased?
Will this type of Item be created at the end of a Batch?
What Sequence IDs need to be attributed to this Item Type?
Do these IDs require any contextual data?
What contextual data is available for Sequence IDs?
Is there any data that needs to be attributed to this type of Item?
How will this data be collected?
How to create a new Item Type
Go to: Builders (L7|Master) → Item Types → + New Item Type
Type – options include:
Consumable – Items that are consumed in whole number quantities
StockReagent – Items that are consumed in decimal quantities
Kitcomponent – Precursor to formal Kit support; consumables and stock reagents can both be added to Kits
Note
Type cannot be changed after the Item Type has been created. If a mistake is made, archive the Item Type and create a new one.
Units – quantity consumed (e.g., uL, mL, g)
Barcode – primarily used for Universal Product Codes
Note
Each individual Item created in the Inventory app will have its own unique barcode.
Reorder Threshold – when the sum of all Items in the group is less than or equal to this value, the Item Type and its current quantity will appear in the “Items Requiring Reorder” Dashboard widget
Reorder Amount – the quantity that should be reordered once the Reorder Threshold is met
Warning
Orders cannot be placed from the Inventory app. L7|ESP does not manage financial transactions.
How to add Vendors
Go to: Builders (L7|Master) → Item Types → select the Item Type → + Add Vendors
Note
Vendors are a separate data model in L7|ESP, and must already exist before they can be added to an Item Type.
How to model Vendors
To create a new vendor, go to: Builders (L7|Master) → Vendors → + New Vendor
Once the Vendor has been created, select its Name to add an optional Billing and Shipping Address.
How to add Custom Fields
Go to: Builders (L7|Master) → Item Types → select the Item Type → + Add Custom Field
This process is the same as adding custom fields to Entity Types.
How to add Item ID Sequences
Item ID Sequences are created and managed in the Configuration app, and only apply to Items created in 1-to-1 Sample Protocols. Refer to Configuring ID Sequences for instructions, with the following addendum:
Note
New Item ID Sequences are added to the items section of the id_sequences block in the esp Configuration.
How Item Type and Item Names will appear on the BOM tab
Take consideration when naming Item Types in L7|Master and Items in the Inventory app, as these names will appear in the BOM tab and BOM report. Transferring an Item to a Kit creates a coalesced resource in the Inventory app, which can then be tracked and consumed in manufacturing.
The name of this coalesced resource is a combination of the Kit, Item, and its position in the Container. It is referred to as the “Material Description” in the BOM tab and BOM report.
The “Material Number” is the Item Type in L7|Master the Item is derived from.
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