Templates are defined sets of attributes that you can use over and over to create many similar items. Templates make initial item definition easier. Oracle recommends that you use templates-either those Oracle provides or those you define-when you define your items.

The following four tables describe the templates provided by Oracle. Each table shows a different set of templates.

Templates Table One

• ATO Model

• ATO Option Class

• ATO Item

• Finished Good

• Kit

Templates Table Two

• Outside Processing Item

• PTO Model

• PTO Option Class

• Phantom Item

• Planning Item

Templates Table Three

• Purchased

• Reference Item

• Subassembly

• Supply Item

• Freight

• Product Family

Templates Table Four (Flow Finished Good Item Template)

You can also define your own templates using the Item Templates window. Note that the window does not validate any of the template attributes. In other words, you can define a template with contradictory attributes. Only when you use a template to define an item does Inventory verify that the attributes are valid for a given item. If you cannot update an item attribute the value from the template is not applied. If a combination of attributes is invalid a warning appears when you save the item.

You can enable or disable the attribute value for each attribute in a template. When you use a template, it applies only the enabled attributes for that particular template.

To make defining templates easier, you can use the Copy From function on the Tools menu in the Item Templates window. This opens the Copy Template modal window, where you can copy attributes from one or more attribute groups to a new template. You can also create a hybrid template by copying attributes from multiple templates. See: Copying Item Templates.

You specify the template to use when you define or update an item. All updatable attributes you assigned to the template appear in the current item definition. You can then change the attributes as appropriate for the item you are defining.

If you specify a template name for an existing item, the template overwrites existing attributes. You can apply as many templates as you want to an existing item. The more recent attribute values (from the last template applied) override previous values unless the previous value is not updatable (such as the Primary Unit of Measure, which is never updatable). For example, you define a new item and apply a template that has the Primary Unit of Measure = EACH and Cycle Count Enabled = YES. Then you apply a new template with Primary Unit of Measure = DOZ, Cycle Count Enabled = NO, and Carrying Cost Percent = 3. The attribute values are now: Primary Unit of Measure EACH, Cycle Count Enabled NO, and Carrying Cost Percent 3.

Also, a template does not update status attributes when the values are conflicting. For example, if an item is transactable and stockable, a template cannot change Transactable to Yes if it leaves Stockable equal to No.

You can create templates that are specific to one organization. You can use an organization specific template only if you are in that particular organization. If the specific organization is not the Item Master organization, you may use that template only in the Organization Items window and only attributes controlled at the Organization level are updated.

For organization specific templates, some attributes, such as the planner, may be tied to the organization. For this reason, you cannot change the organization specified in the template once the template has been defined.