Why use Master Data Information for Item Variants and how to activate hidden features

Master Data Information for Business Central includes a variant functionality that is hidden by default. Once you activate it, you get a smarter way to work with item variants, both through Business Central’s real variant codes and through separate item numbers used as variants.

You activate the variant functionality in the Master Data Information setup, where you enable the feature for item variants after installing the app.

When the variant functionality is active, you get a variant handling menu on items, sales orders, and purchase orders. This lets you enter quantities for different colours and sizes in a matrix view, and the system transfers them automatically to the sales order lines as the correct item numbers and variant codes.

What the variant functionality does

The variant functionality gives you the ability to work with item numbers and variant codes in a smart way using matrixes. You can use it to create variants automatically, or to use separate item numbers as variants. Either approach lets you handle products that come in different colours or sizes without entering each line manually.

How to activate item variants in Master Data Information

By default the variant functionality is hidden, so you cannot see it. When you look at a sales order line before activation, there is no action for item variants on the line tab. On the item card, the Master Data Information dropdown shows no entry for item variants either.

You activate it in the Master Data Information setup. When you install the app, there is a feature in the setup that you can enable for item variants. The detailed setup is entered here as well.

Once it is activated, the menus appear. On the item card, the Master Data Information menu now shows a menu for variant handling. The same applies to sales orders and purchase orders.

Entering variants on a sales order line

After activation, the sales order line has a variant handling menu under the line action, with all the features related to item variants.

For example, if you want to enter variants for item number 6,000 with different colours or sizes, you can open a matrix view that shows all the available variants. You enter the quantity you want to order directly in the matrix. When you return to the sales lines, the quantities are transferred to the sales order lines with the correct item numbers. This makes it easy to create standard sales lines with standard variant codes.

Using real variant codes or item numbers as variants

The functionality supports two approaches. You can use the real variant codes in Business Central, or you can create separate items that act as variants. Which one you use depends on the setup.

When you open the variant matrix on an item set up to use item numbers as variants, it follows the same principle as the matrix for real variant codes. The difference is that you are entering and changing quantities against actual item numbers rather than variant codes. The system can tie those item numbers together so they behave as variants.

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