Item Filters

  • Published on May 4, 2026
  • 6 minute(s) read
  • AF
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Feature Overview

Item Filters are reusable query definitions that specify which items from the Business Central item master should be included in or excluded from an Item Group. Instead of manually listing items one by one, you define a filter using field-based criteria — for example, items in a specific item category, items with a particular vendor, items with a certain attribute value, or any combination of fields on the item card. When an Item Group's selection rules reference an Item Filter, Commerce Manager evaluates the filter at the time of recalculation and adds or removes the matching items automatically.

Each Item Filter consists of a header (a code and description) and one or more filter lines. Each line references a field from the item table by name and a filter value or filter expression for that field. The filter engine supports Business Central's standard filter syntax, including wildcards, ranges, and exclusions. Multiple lines on the same filter are applied as an AND condition — an item must satisfy all lines to match. This means a filter can combine several criteria simultaneously, such as "item category = ELECTRONICS AND vendor = VENDOR001".

Item Filters are created once and reused across as many Item Group selection rules as needed. Updating a filter definition automatically affects all Item Groups that reference it the next time those groups are recalculated. This makes it efficient to maintain large assortments where the item selection logic is driven by structured item master data rather than manual curation.

Key fact Detail
Main setup page Item Filters (Item Filter Card)
Used by Item Group selection rules (Item Filter Type = Item)
Filter target Item table (item master)
Line evaluation AND logic — all lines must be satisfied
Field lookup Lookups directly into the item table field list; supports relation lookups for coded fields
Filter syntax Standard BC filter syntax (wildcards, ranges, OR pipes)

Getting Started

  1. Search for Item Filters and choose New.
  2. Enter an Item Filter Code (e.g. ELECTRONICS, VENDOR-001, SEASONAL) and a Description.
  3. In the filter lines sub-page, add a new line. Click the Field Name lookup to browse and select a field from the item table (e.g. Item Category Code).
  4. In the Field Filter column, enter the filter value. For fields with a lookup (e.g. a code field with related records), use the lookup button to select from the related table. For text fields, type the filter expression directly (e.g. ELECTRONICS or A* for all values beginning with A).
  5. Add more lines as needed — each additional line narrows the selection further (AND logic).
  6. Save the filter. It is now available as a selection source in Item Group selection rules.
  7. Open an Item Group Card, go to the Item Selection Lines sub-page, and add a rule referencing this filter (Item Filter Type = Item, Filter Code = your new filter code).
  8. Choose Update Item Group Lines to see which items match.

Related Features

Item Filters are a prerequisite for selection-rule-based Item Group population. They are used exclusively through Item Group selection rules — they have no standalone output of their own. When the Master Data Information app is installed, an alternative selection source type (Master Data Information) is available in Item Group selection rules alongside Item Filters, allowing groups to be populated based on MDI template criteria rather than item table fields.

User Stories

US-01: Create a filter that selects items by category

As a Product Manager
I want to define a reusable filter that selects all items belonging to a specific item category
So that any item group referencing this filter always includes the current set of items in that category

Setup:

  1. Open Item Filters and create a new filter with code CAT-ELECTRONICS.
  2. Add a filter line: set Field Name to Item Category Code and Field Filter to ELECTRONICS (or use the lookup to select the category code).
  3. Save. This filter now selects all items whose Item Category Code equals ELECTRONICS.
  4. Reference this filter in any Item Group selection rule with Include to include all electronics items.
US-02: Create a filter that combines multiple criteria

As a Product Manager
I want to select items that belong to a specific category AND are supplied by a specific vendor
So that the item group is narrowly scoped to a specific vendor's range within a product category

Setup:

  1. Open Item Filters and create a new filter.
  2. Add a line: Field Name = Item Category Code, Field Filter = ACCESSORIES.
  3. Add a second line: Field Name = Vendor No., Field Filter = VENDOR001.
  4. Both conditions must be satisfied — only items that are in the ACCESSORIES category AND have Vendor No. VENDOR001 will match.
US-03: Use a filter to exclude a range of items from a group

As a Product Manager
I want to define a filter for a set of discontinued items and use it as an Exclude rule in an item group
So that discontinued items are automatically removed from the group's item lines when it is recalculated

Setup:

  1. Create an Item Filter for discontinued items (e.g. Field Name = Blocked, Field Filter = Yes — or use a custom classification attribute if you track discontinuation separately).
  2. In the Item Group's Item Selection Lines, add a new rule: Include or Exclude = Exclude, Item Filter Type = Item, Filter Code = your discontinuation filter.
  3. Run Update Item Group Lines. Items matching the exclude filter are removed from the group lines (unless they are Manually Locked as Include).
US-04: Use wildcard filter syntax to select a range of item numbers

As a Product Manager
I want to select all items whose item number starts with a specific prefix
So that the filter covers a logical item numbering range without listing each item individually

Setup:

  1. Open Item Filters and create a new filter.
  2. Add a filter line: Field Name = No., Field Filter = 1001* (selects all items starting with 1001).
  3. BC filter syntax is supported: use * as wildcard, .. for ranges (e.g. 1000..1999), and | for OR (e.g. 1000|2000).
US-05: Reuse a single filter across multiple item groups

As a Product Manager
I want to reference the same item filter from multiple item groups
So that when the filter criteria change (e.g. a new item category is added), all groups that reference it are updated automatically at their next recalculation

Setup:

  1. Create one Item Filter that represents a shared selection criterion (e.g. ACTIVE-ITEMS with Blocked = No).
  2. In each relevant Item Group's Item Selection Lines, reference this filter code as an Include rule.
  3. When the filter changes (e.g. you add a second Blocked = No AND Inventory Posting Group = FINISHED criterion), update the filter lines once.
  4. The next time each Item Group runs Update Item Group Lines, all groups pick up the updated selection logic.

Field Reference

Field Where to find it What it does Default
Item Filter Code Item Filter Card Unique identifier for the filter —
Description Item Filter Card Human-readable label for the filter —
Field Name Item Filter Line The name of the field on the item table to filter on. Use the lookup to browse available fields —
Field Filter Item Filter Line The filter value or expression applied to the selected field. Supports BC standard filter syntax —
Related articles
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    Master Data Management > Master Data Information > Visibility on Pages & Documents > Searching, Marking, and Filtering
  • Item Groups
    Sales & Customers > Commerce Manager > Item Groups
  • Information Matrix
    Master Data Management > Master Data Information > Data Entry & Maintenance > Information Matrix

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