With the master data information, you can define master data hierarchies, which is hierarchical based on the master data on the items.
Master data hierarchies in Business Central let you group and structure your items automatically based on the master data attached to each item. You define the levels yourself, and the system places items in the right spots based on their master data. When you add new items or change item specifications, they move to the correct place in the hierarchy on their own.
You can build as many hierarchies as you need. Each hierarchy can use its own structure of levels, so a hierarchy for one web shop can be built differently from a hierarchy for another. You can also add items manually to specific levels, for example to highlight selected products on the top level of a web shop.
The placement logic is driven by master data groups, which is the setup that decides where each item belongs in the hierarchy.
What master data hierarchies do
With the master data information on your items, you can define hierarchies that are structured according to that master data. You decide the levels, and the items are sorted into them automatically.
Take a bike shop as an example. The hierarchy is set up with male bikes at the top. Within the male bikes section, level one holds the city bikes. Level two holds Caliber, electric flow, and so on. Further down within the city bikes, you find a seven gear bike, and there are three of those. Within Caliber, there is a seven gear. If you look at the mountain bike, you find a seven gear and a 20 gear.
This is how the data gets calculated and organised automatically. When you refresh the hierarchy with items, all the items appear in the structure, placed according to the setup. The entries with their creation type are also generated automatically.
How items are placed in the hierarchy
Each item lands in the hierarchy based on its master data. If an item is automatically created in a given spot, it is because its master data matches. For example, the city bike placed at the bottom is a Nexus seven city bike, male bike. Without that master data, it would not be placed there.
This automatic placement is driven by what we call master data groups. The master data group is the setup that determines where an item belongs in the hierarchy.
When you add new items or change the specifications on an existing item, the items move around in the hierarchy and are placed in the correct areas based on their master data. You do not have to maintain the placement by hand.
Adding items manually to a hierarchy level
Besides the automatic placement, you can add items manually to a hierarchy. This is useful when you want certain items displayed on a specific level, such as the top level of your web page.
For example, on the top level of the male section, you can add selected bikes directly. Once added, you can see on the creation type that those items were added manually, which distinguishes them from the ones placed automatically.
Building multiple hierarchies with different structures
You are not limited to a single hierarchy. You can create as many as you want, each with its own structure.
In the bike shop example, one hierarchy has gender on level one, bike type on level two, and gear on level three. That is the structure you want for that web shop.
A separate web shop for mountain bikes can be structured differently. There you might keep the web shop on level one, then gear, then material. On the mountain bike side, you are not interested in bike type and gender, because it is already a dedicated mountain bike shop. So the mountain bike hierarchy shows a different structure that fits its purpose.
This means you can tailor each hierarchy to the channel or use case it serves, whether that is a web shop or any other structure you need.
Q&A
How are items placed in a master data hierarchy?
Items are placed automatically based on the master data attached to each item. The placement is driven by master data groups, which decide where each item belongs. When you add new items or change an item’s specifications, the items move to the correct place in the hierarchy on their own.
Can you add items to a hierarchy manually?
Yes. You can add items manually to a specific level, for example to display selected products on the top level of a web page. Manually added items are marked with a creation type that shows they were added by hand, which sets them apart from the automatically placed items.
Can you create more than one hierarchy?
Yes. You can create as many hierarchies as you want, and each one can have its own structure of levels. For example, one web shop can use gender, bike type, and gear as levels, while a mountain bike web shop uses a different structure such as web shop, gear, and material.
What are master data groups?
Master data groups are the setup that determines where each item belongs in the hierarchy. They drive the automatic placement of items based on their master data.