1. Implementation Guide
  2. Configure Seeded Data
  3. Units of Measure (UOMs)

Units of Measure (UOMs)

Unit of measure is used in many transactions in the Merchandising solutions - including item setup, purchasing, and pricing - to define how items are inventoried, costed, and sold. A default list of UOMs are loaded into Merchandising on initial installation, however modifications can be done to the list to add new values, remove values that are not used, and update descriptions. All of these updates are done through a spreadsheet download and upload processes, which are accessed through the main Merchandising task list under Foundation Data > Download Foundation Data and Foundation Data > Upload Foundation Data.

To modify UOMs, select the template type of Foundation from the Download Data screen and then the template UOMs. Click the Download button and when prompted, choose to either open the .ods file that is generated or save the file and open it separately in the spreadsheet application of your choice.

Once opened, there will be 4 sheets that can be modified - UOM Class, UOM Class TL, UOM Conversion, and UOM X Conversion. The UOM Class will show all the existing UOMs in the system currently with their primary language descriptions. This tab also allows for the deletion of existing UOMs or the addition of new UOM to an existing UOM Classes. The UOM Class TL tab will show the UOMs with their translated codes and descriptions in other languages, as applicable for your implementation. This tab allows for the addition of new rows, removal of existing rows, and update to existing. The UOM Conversion tab has the rules for how to convert from one UOM to another. It allows for new rules to be added, existing rules to be removed, and updates to be made to the rules. Lastly, the UOM X Conversion tab has logic to support conversion between two different UOM classes, such as between volume and mass. This tab also supports addition, update, and delete, however it is recommended that no changes be made to this tab, given the technical nature of the changes and that UOM classes are fixed.

Add a UOM

To add a new UOM, start in the UOM Class tab and in a blank line in the template, select the action type of Create and enter the code for the new UOM you wish to add, using up to 4 characters, and select the relevant UOM Class. Enter the same code in the UOM Translation column and then enter the business description for your UOM in the UOM Description Translation column. The description should be entered in the primary language as configured in the Merchandising system options and can be up to 120 characters.

Next, select the UOM Class TL tab and in a blank row select Create as the action and enter again the UOM added in the UOM Class tab. Next, select the primary language for your implementation and then enter the same translated code and description that you entered in the UOM class tab for that language. Repeat this in additional rows for any other languages that apply. Note, even if you operate in only one language, you must enter at least the primary language in this tab for new UOMs in order for descriptions to display properly.

In the UOM Conversion tab, add a row for your new UOM and any other UOMs in the same class that it can be converted into, if applicable. This is optional. If you wish to add a conversion, then select a blank row in the spreadsheet and select the action type of Create. Next, enter the UOM code for the "from" UOM and then the "to" UOM code. Select an operator from the list of values (Multiple or Divide) and then enter a factor. For example, if you wish to convert from ounces (OZ) to pounds (LB), you could enter an operator of Divide, and a factor of 16.

Update a UOM

If you would like to update any details a similar process will be followed as that described above for creating new UOMs. First, download the UOM spreadsheet, and then navigate to the tab where you would like to make your updates. Note: the UOM Class tab does not allow updates, only create or delete. The following columns can be updated in each tab:

  • UOM Class TL - UOM Translation, UOM Description Translation

  • UOM Conversion - Operator, Factor

  • UOM X Conversion - Convert SQL

In the tab where you are going to make your updates, select the action type of Update, and then correct the value in the spreadsheet. Once your updates are complete, save and close the spreadsheet.

Delete a UOM

If you wish to delete a UOM because it is not used by your business, update the action column to select Delete in each of the tabs where it occurs. This includes both UOM Class and UOM Class TL, and may also include UOM Conversion. There are some UOMs that cannot be deleted, as they are expected to exist in the system, such as EA - Eaches. As well, there are many areas that use unit of measure throughout Merchandising, including item setup, purchasing, deals, up-charges, importing, etc. Care should be taken before deleting a UOM to ensure it is really not used or an error could be raised on upload.

Upload Changes

For all actions defined above, once all the updates have been made to the data in the spreadsheet, save the file and close it. Then, return to the Merchandising screens and select Foundation Data > Upload Foundation Data from the main task list. In this screen, you'll again select the template type Foundation and the template UOMs. This will generate a process description automatically, but this can be updated if desired. Lastly, you'll select the Browse button and navigate to the directory where you saved the updated spreadsheet.

To review the status of the upload and check whether any errors occurred, select the Foundation Data > Review Status task from the main task list.

See also "Download/Upload Data from Spreadsheets" in the Oracle Retail Merchandising Do the Basics User Guide.