Product Family feature guidelines

 Product Family collaboration area 

• Variants are only created for level 1 based on the values of the first-level differentiator.
• After Variants are created, they are not displayed in the Variants tab until they are checked-in the catalog.
• If you move the Base item to the next step, release the Base item, or check in the Base item in the catalog, the same action is also applied to the Variants.
• If the Base item is removed from a FIXIT step, all the Variants for the Base items are also removed.
• Does not support the Import and Export feature for a Variant.
• Check out and edit feature is not supported for a Variant.
• You cannot create a Variant from a Base item with multiple categories in the Lookup table that are mapped to the Base item.

 Grouping type of attributes  

To successfully create a Variant, ensure that the minimum occurrence value should be either 0 or 1.

• Do not remove the Primary Hierarchy Category from the items of the Product Family as it might lead to data loss.
• If it has Entry reference attributes, do not remove from a Base or Variant items to avoid data impact.

• Rules are not applicable for the Variant items.
• Multiple Variants with same Differentiator value can be linked to a Parent, since the uniqueness constraint is only applicable on the Primary key.
• If a Base item has mandatory attributes, then to successfully create Variant, you need to include the mandatory attributes in the Entry Reference attributes collection that is to be inherited. These mandatory attributes must be inherited by the Variants. If they do not exist in the attribute collection, this action cannot generate Variants.
• Fix Pack 9 Interim Fix 1Unassigned items cannot create variants. You need to add appropriate category mapping to enable variant creation for such items.

• To categorize a new product into the Product Family Hierarchy by using the Import feature, the user needs to add an appropriate category mapping from the Product Family Hierarchy in the category-mapping columns of the Microsoft Excel workbook.
• Variants can be imported and exported only through the Variants tab on the single-edit screen of the Base item.
• Base and Simple items should not be imported from the Variants tab on the single-edit page.
• Variants cannot be exported and imported for the Product Family Hierarchy.
• Every mandatory attribute should be a part of the attribute collection.
• While importing Variants that have required attributes, enter the default value that is set at the Base Item.
• The Reference attribute value in the Microsoft Excel workbook, should always contain the name of the Product Family item that it has been linked to or is going to be linked with.
• Fix Pack 9 Interim Fix 1  Mapping parent and child items 
  • Only the First sheet in the Microsoft Excel workbook is considered for the import.
  • The first row in the sheet is considered as a header row and hence ignored.
  • The first column should have the Parent Id and the second column should have the Child Id.
  • If there is any populated data in the mapping grid then such data gets cleared after import.
• Fix Pack 9 Interim Fix 1 Use only Product Family Collaboration area to import Base and Variants items.

If there is a tabbed view for the Product Family catalog or Collaboration area, ensure that the Product Family Type attribute and Entry Reference attribute for each variant level are added to at least one tab-specific attribute collection. This is necessary to display the Variants tab, and badges that are displayed in the Product Family Type column, and to show inherited attributes in the Variants from the Base.

• Differentiator attributes should not be a part of nested multi-occurrence grouping.
• Differentiator attributes should not be localized.