Item Groups

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

Item Groups are the foundation of Commerce Manager's product catalogue management. An Item Group is a named, versioned collection of items that represents the product assortment you want to share with an external channel — a webshop, a customer portal, a B2B buyer, or a replenishment system. Instead of exposing your entire item master to every external system, you define exactly which items belong to each group, what pricing to use, and what additional data should travel with each item.

The item population inside a group is calculated dynamically from Selection Rules: each rule specifies an Item Filter (field-based criteria on the item master), a Master Data Information template, or another Item Group as its source, and marks each source as either Include or Exclude. When you trigger the Update Item Group Lines action, Commerce Manager evaluates all selection rules in sequence and builds the final item list — adding items that match include rules and removing items that match exclude rules. Lines that have been Manually Locked are never changed by recalculation, giving you precise control over exceptions. Each line inherits core item data (description, GTIN, category, vendor, replenishment system, dimensions) and pricing from the item master and from the group's price source configuration.

When the Master Data Information app is installed, Item Groups gain an additional layer: a Master Data Selection can be linked to the group, enriching each item line with values from Master Data Information (such as product descriptions for web, classification codes, images, or any custom attribute). This enriched data is stored in up to ten dedicated text columns on each line, making it ready to export. The entire Item Group — with all item data, pricing, and master data — is pushed to an external system via a webhook configured on the group card.

Key fact Detail
Main setup page Item Groups (Item Group Card)
Item population Calculated from Selection Rules (Item Filters, MDI templates, other Item Groups)
Pricing Unit Price from price list; Additional Price from a configurable price source group
Master data enrichment Requires Master Data Information app; configured via Master Data Selection
Export Via webhook (API Function + Export Item Group Code)
Change detection Item Modified flag — tracks whether item or master data has changed since last export
Status Must be set to Certified before item group lines can be calculated

Getting Started

  1. Search for Item Groups and create a new Item Group by entering an Item Group Code and Description.
  2. Set the Status to Certified — item group lines cannot be calculated until the group is certified.
  3. Optionally set a Location Code and Currency Code to control which stock and price data is used when populating lines.
  4. On the Item Selection Lines sub-page, add at least one Include rule: set Item Filter Type to Item and select an Item Filter that defines which items belong to this group. Alternatively, use Master Data Information or Item Group as the filter type to base the selection on an MDI template or an existing group.
  5. Choose Update Item Group Lines from the action bar. Commerce Manager evaluates all selection rules and populates the Item Group Lines sub-page.
  6. Review the resulting lines. If any items need to be permanently excluded, set their Include or Exclude field to Exclude — this also marks the line as Manually Locked so it is never reintroduced by future recalculations.
  7. If the Master Data Information app is installed, set a Master Data Selection on the group header, then choose Update Master Data Information to enrich all item lines with MDI values.
  8. Configure the API Function and Export Item Group Code fields on the group header to point to the webhook that will receive the group data.
  9. Choose Export Item Group Data to send the full group to the external system for the first time.

Related Features

Item Groups feed directly into Item Group Availability: each availability calculation is based on the item lines inside a group, so availability figures are always aligned with the group's current item population. When the Master Data Information app is installed, Item Groups can be enriched with MDI values and the Item Modified flag is updated automatically whenever item master data or MDI entries change — making it possible to export only changed items rather than the full group every time. Item Filters are a prerequisite for selection-rule-based population; they define the field criteria used to select items from the item master.

User Stories

US-01: Create an item group and populate it from an item filter

As a Product Manager
I want to create an item group and populate it automatically using field-based item criteria
So that the external system always receives an up-to-date product assortment without manual line maintenance

Setup:

  1. Search for Item Groups and choose New.
  2. Enter an Item Group Code (e.g. WEBSHOP-A) and a Description.
  3. Set Status to Certified.
  4. In the Item Selection Lines sub-page, add a new line: set Include or Exclude to Include, Item Filter Type to Item, and select the relevant Item Filter code.
  5. Choose Update Item Group Lines from the action bar.
  6. Verify that the Item Group Lines sub-page is populated with the correct items.
US-02: Exclude specific items from an item group

As a Product Manager
I want to permanently exclude one or more items from an item group regardless of selection rules
So that these items never appear in the exported assortment even when the group is recalculated

Setup:

  1. Open the relevant Item Group Card and go to the Item Group Lines sub-page.
  2. Find the item line you want to exclude.
  3. Set Include or Exclude to Exclude. The Manually Locked flag is set automatically.
  4. Manually locked exclude lines are skipped during future Update Item Group Lines runs — the item will not be re-added.

Note: Manually locked lines with status Exclude cannot be deleted. To remove the exclusion, change Include or Exclude back to Include first.

US-03: Build an item group from another item group

As a Product Manager
I want to build a new item group by starting from the contents of an existing one and then adding or removing items
So that related assortments share a common base without duplicating selection logic

Setup:

  1. Open the new Item Group Card and go to Item Selection Lines.
  2. Add a line: set Item Filter Type to Item Group and select the source group as the Filter Code.
  3. Set Include or Exclude to Include.
  4. Add additional lines to include or exclude further items as needed.
  5. Choose Update Item Group Lines. The resulting lines will be the union of the source group's included items plus any additional rules.
US-04: Enrich item group lines with Master Data Information

As a Product Manager
I want to attach Master Data Information values (product descriptions, web texts, classification codes) to each item line in the group
So that the export payload carries all the enriched data the external system needs, without the external system having to call separate endpoints

Setup:

  1. Ensure the Master Data Information app is installed and enabled.
  2. Open the Item Group Card and set the Master Data Selection field to the relevant selection code (configured in Master Data Selections).
  3. Choose Update Master Data Information from the action bar.
  4. Commerce Manager reads the MDI values for each item line and stores them in the Master Data Text columns (1–10) on the line, as configured in the Master Data Selection.
  5. These values are included in the export payload when the group is exported.

Note: The Master Data Selection field is only visible when the Master Data Information app is detected.

US-05: Configure pricing on an item group

As a Product Manager
I want to control which price list is used when item group lines are populated and optionally include an additional price (e.g. a customer group price)
So that the exported assortment always carries the correct price for the target channel

Setup:

  1. Open the Item Group Card.
  2. Set the Currency Code to the currency in which prices should be expressed. If left blank, the company's LCY is used.
  3. To include an additional price (e.g. for a specific customer group), set:
    • Additional Price Source Group (e.g. Customer)
    • Additional Price Source Type (e.g. Customer Price Group)
    • Additional Price Type (e.g. Sale)
  4. Choose Update Item Group Lines. Each line will be populated with a Unit Price (from the All Customers active price list) and, if configured, an Additional Price from the specified price source.
US-06: Export the full item group to an external system

As a Product Manager
I want to push the complete item group data to the external system via webhook
So that the external system's product catalogue is refreshed with all current items, prices, and master data

Setup:

  1. Open the Item Group Card.
  2. Ensure the API Function and Export Item Group Code fields are configured (pointing to the webhook defined in Data Contract Manager).
  3. Choose Export Item Group Data from the action bar.
  4. Commerce Manager marks Only export changes as false (ensuring all lines are included) and invokes the webhook.
  5. A confirmation message appears when the export completes successfully.
US-07: Export only changed items since the last export

As a Product Manager
I want to export only the item lines where the item master or Master Data Information has changed since the last export
So that the integration sends a smaller, more efficient payload and the external system only processes what has actually changed

Setup:

  1. Open the Item Group Card.
  2. Choose Only export changes from the action bar.
  3. Commerce Manager marks Only export changes as true and invokes the webhook. Only lines where the Item Modified flag is true are included in the payload.
  4. After a successful export, you are prompted whether to reset the Item Modified flags. Confirm to mark all lines as unchanged, ready for the next delta export.

Note: The Item Modified flag is set automatically whenever an item's master record or any of its Master Data Information entries is inserted, modified, or deleted.

US-08: Use dimensions to filter availability and pricing per item group

As a Product Manager
I want to associate a global dimension filter with an item group
So that availability calculations and exports for this group reflect only the relevant business unit or cost centre

Setup:

  1. Open the Item Group Card.
  2. In the Shortcut Dimension 1 Code and/or Shortcut Dimension 2 Code fields, enter the dimension value(s) you want to filter by.
  3. These dimension values are inherited by Item Group Lines when the group is recalculated and are passed to availability calculations.
US-09: Control the calculation order when multiple item groups overlap

As a IT Manager
I want to set a calculation order on each item group
So that when multiple groups are processed together, they are evaluated in a predictable sequence

Setup:

  1. Open the Item Group Card.
  2. Set the Calculation Order field (default 20) to control the sequence. Lower numbers are calculated first.
  3. This is particularly relevant when one item group's results feed into another group's selection rules (Item Group filter type).
US-10: Use free text fields to pass channel-specific data

As a IT Manager
I want to populate up to five free text fields on the item group header, which are inherited by all item lines
So that the export payload can carry arbitrary channel metadata (e.g. warehouse zone, assortment category) without requiring a custom field extension

Setup:

  1. Open the Item Group Card.
  2. Make the Free Text 1 through Free Text 5 columns visible using the column chooser.
  3. Enter the relevant values on the header. These values are copied to each item line when Update Item Group Lines is run.
  4. For the Item Group Availability, the free text values from the header can be overridden at the availability level if needed.

Field Reference

Field Where to find it What it does Default
Item Group Code Item Group Card Unique identifier for the item group —
Description Item Group Card Human-readable name for the group —
Status Item Group Card Must be Certified before lines can be calculated Open
Calculation Order Item Group Card Sequence priority when multiple groups are calculated 20
Location Code Item Group Card Filters item availability and pricing to this location Blank
Currency Code Item Group Card Currency used for unit prices on item lines LCY
Additional Price Source Group Item Group Card Source group (e.g. Customer) for a second price column Blank
Additional Price Source Type Item Group Card Source type (e.g. Customer Price Group) for the additional price Blank
Additional Price Type Item Group Card Price type (e.g. Sale) for the additional price Blank
Master Data Selection Item Group Card Links an MDI selection to enrich item lines (requires Master Data Information app) Blank
Export Item Group Code Item Group Card Webhook code used when exporting the group Blank
API Function Item Group Card API function name for the export webhook commerceExportItemGroupUomMdi
Only export changes Item Group Card When true, the export includes only lines where Item Modified is true Disabled
Free Text 1–5 Item Group Card Arbitrary text fields inherited by all item lines Blank
Include or Exclude Item Group Line Whether this item is included in or excluded from the group Include
Manually Locked Item Group Line Prevents recalculation from changing this line False
Item Modified Item Group Line Flag set when item master or MDI data has changed since the last export True
Include or Exclude Item Selection Line Rule direction: Include adds items, Exclude removes them Include
Item Filter Type Item Selection Line Source type for the selection rule: Item, Master Data Information, or Item Group Item
Filter Code Item Selection Line The specific filter, template, or group code to use as the selection source Blank
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