Overview of Style and SKU Items (Oracle Applications Help)

Overview of Style and SKU Items

You can use style items to group similar items (called SKUs or Stock Keeping Units) together. The items grouped under the style item (the SKUs) have variant attributes. For example, a retail clothing business sells a particular shirt style in multiple colors and sizes. The multiple colors represent one variant attribute group while the various sizes represent another variant attribute group. Variant attribute groups contain attributes that differentiate the item. Each unique variant combination represents a possible SKU item. A simple example that explains the use of style items with SKUs follows.

Style/SKU Example

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The style item behaves as a model item while the SKUs behave as standard items. All business transactions occur at the SKU item level.

The SKUs can either inherit or default certain item characteristics from the style item. When a SKU inherits a characteristic from its style item, the characteristic is always controlled at the style item level. For example, you can only change an inherited item level user defined attribute such as price at the style item level. Once the price is changed, all SKUs reflect the new price. When a characteristic defaults from a style item to a SKU during SKU creation, you can change the characteristic at the SKU level later without affecting the style item. Conversely, if you change a defaulted characteristic at the style item level after SKU creation, the change does not automatically appear at the SKU level. You must manually make the change at the SKU level or use a mass update function to change the SKUs. See: Mass Updating Items, Item Categories and Item Associations. The following table lists the characteristics available to style and SKU items, as well as whether the inherit or default behavior is available for the characteristic.

Characteristics Availability and Inheritance/Defaulting Behavior

Characteristics	Style Item	SKU	Defaulting from Style to SKU	Inheritance from Style to SKU
Item level - User Defined Attributes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Item level - Retail Library defined attributes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Item level - Operational attributes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Variant Attribute Group	Yes	Yes	No	No
Revisions	Yes	Yes	No	No
Revision level User-defined attributes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Status	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
People/Security	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Lifecycle	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Retailer Sites	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Item - Retailer Sites association attributes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Informal Pack Hierarchy	Yes	Yes	Yes*	Yes*
Formal Pack Hierarchy	Yes	Yes	No	not applicable
Structure/Bill of Material	Yes	Yes	No	No
Attachment - Item level	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Attachment - Revision level	Yes	Yes	No	No
GTIN	Yes	Yes	No	No
Item Supplier associations	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Change Management	Yes	Yes	not applicable	not applicable
External Transactions	not applicable	Yes	not applicable	not applicable
Related Items	Yes	Yes	No	No
Customer Item cross-reference	Yes	Yes	No	No
Manufacturer Part Number	Yes	Yes	No	No
Cross-Reference	Yes	Yes	No	No
Source System Cross-Reference	Yes	Yes	No	No

* for user defined attributes only

The style item and it's related SKUs must have the same item catalog category (ICC). You can only change a style items' ICC if there are no related SKUs or if you change the ICC using a mass update function to change the style and related SKUs ICC at the same time. See: Mass Updating Items, Item Categories and Item Associations.