Quantity units

Products can be sold, and inventory tracked, in a variety of quantity units, such as kilograms, inches, liters, and so on. Of these units, products can be ordered in minimum quantities, and by multiples of specific quantities.

The controller commands use the unit of measure (UOM) to specify the quantity unit. If a UOM parameter is not specified, then the customer's specified quantity is multiplied by the nominal quantity of the catalog entry in the CATENTSHIP database table. The result is known as the requested quantity.

The requested quantity is rounded up to the next highest quantity multiple for the catalog entry. For example, if the multiple is 2 kilograms and the requested quantity is 4.1 kilograms, the result of the rounding would be 6 kilograms. The rounded quantity is used when checking inventory, which has its own quantity unit. If the inventory quantity unit and the catalog entry quantity unit are different, there must be a conversion between the two units.

When available to promise (ATP) inventory is enabled, the inventory quantity unit is defined in the QUANTITYMEASURE column of the BASEITEM table. Otherwise, it is defined in the QUANTITYMEASURE column of the INVENTORY table.

Note: The QUANTITYMEASURE column of the INVENTORY table is a foreign key to the QTYUNIT table. The QTYUNIT_ID column of this table is described as a uniquely assigned identifier. WebSphere Commerce defines several identifiers during installation (in the bootstrap data), as specified in the UN/CEFACT Working Party on Facilitation of International Trade Procedures (WP.4), Recommendation No. 20, Codes for Units of Measure Used in International Trade. Note that you should not remove the row for the default QTYUNIT_ID C62 (the unitless unit). C62 is the UN/CEFACT code that represents "one".

The rounded quantity divided by the nominal quantity of the catalog entry is known as the normalized quantity. The normalized quantity is stored in the order item or the interest item, depending on the command being run. For example, if the rounded quantity is 6 kilograms and the nominal quantity is 2 kilograms, then the normalized quantity is 3.

When finding an offer for a catalog entry, the requested quantity can affect which offer gives the best price, so it determines which offer will be used. For example, if the rounded quantity is 6 kg and there are two offers, one that specifies a price of $4.00 for the nominal quantity of 2 kilograms and a minimum quantity of 10 kilograms, and another that specifies a price of $4.50 for the nominal quantity of 2 kilograms and a minimum quantity of 2 kilograms, then only the second offer can be used.