This is the style template on the item card that determines whether to create the matrix view or the silicon and purchase line in one way or the other way.
In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, the style template on the item card controls how variants are displayed and handled. When you assign a style template to an item, you define how that item behaves in the matrix view, on sales and purchase lines, and when you look at inventory levels. This article explains how style templates work and how you set up dimensions on them.
The style template determines which columns you see and in what order. You build the template from master data fields such as color, size, length, and material. Each field becomes a column in the matrix.
You can set up to 15 parameters on a single template. If you want to add a new dimension like material, you simply add it as the next column, and it appears automatically when you create matrices.
Templates for items and templates for item variants follow the same logic, but the primary key differs. For an item template, the item number is the primary key. For an item variant template, the item number and variant code together form the primary key, and both columns are locked.
What the style template controls on the item card
The style template you add on the item card determines whether the system creates the matrix view and how it builds the sales and purchase lines. The template comes from the style master, where you have given each style a name.
The template decides how the item is handled on order documents. It also controls what you see when you look up the inventory level on the item.
Setting up dimensions and columns in a style template
You can create as many templates as you need. For example, you can build a dedicated T-shirt template and separate templates for other product types. Each template can define its own set of dimensions.
On the example item 27, the template is set up with master data so that color is the first column, size is the second column, and length is the third column. The first column corresponds to the primary key on the item table.
You define the column order in the template, and the column names on the lines follow exactly what you have set up. This means the way you work with each variant, and what you see on the lines, depends entirely on the master data import template you use per variant.
How item templates and item variant templates differ
An item template and an item variant template use the same underlying logic, but they treat the primary key differently.
For the item template, the item number is the primary key, and the first column reflects that.
For the item variant template, the first two columns are the primary key: item number and variant code. Both are locked. You then add your master data columns, such as color, size, and length, after those locked columns.
Adding more parameters when you need them
Because a template supports up to 15 parameters, you have plenty of room to expand. If you decide that material should also be a dimension, you add it as the next column in the template.
From that point, when you create matrices, the material parameter shows up automatically alongside your other dimensions. You can keep defining as many dimensions as you want for each template.
Q&A
What does the style template on the item card control?
It controls whether the matrix view is created, how sales and purchase lines are built, how the item is handled on order documents, and what you see when you look up the inventory level on the item.
How many parameters can a style template have?
You can set up to 15 parameters on a single template. Each parameter becomes a column, and you add new ones, such as material, as the next column.
What is the difference between an item template and an item variant template?
Both use the same logic, but the primary key differs. On an item template, the item number is the primary key. On an item variant template, the first two columns, item number and variant code, are the locked primary key, and you add your master data columns after them.
How do you add a new dimension like material to a template?
You add material as the next column in the template. When you create matrices afterward, the material parameter appears automatically alongside the other dimensions.
Where do the column names in the matrix come from?
The column names follow the template you set up. The master data import template you use per variant defines how you work with the variants and what you see on the lines.