ITrack/Enterprise/Alternate Parts

There are lots of different kinds of relationships that can exist between different parts and different pricing records. ITrack calls these different relationships collectively Alternate Parts.

Cross Reference

Cross references link parts from one vendor's catalog to either other parts in that catalog (for instance in the case of supercession) or to parts in other vendor's catalogs that are the same thing. Cross references in ITrack are completely inventory agnostic. They can be created in the "Cross References" tab of the Part Configuration Screen or on the Interchange Screen.

For more information about managing cross references in the interface, refer to this help section.

Same Model

Any parts that are assigned the same manufacturer and model are automatically considered to be alternate parts. This is especially useful for inventory records that represent used parts versus new parts versus cores as they will all have the same model.

Alternate Model

Sometimes one or more different manufacturers will each make an item that is for all practical purposes the same as another item. In ITrack, we call these models "alternate models". One common instance of this is with aftermarket parts where one manufacturer's model is a knock-off of the original. Another common example of alternate models are two items that function the same but are made of different materials or according to different quality standards. In this case, the two models may be alternate models. When a model has alternate models, each of them will be assigned one of these types:

• Original - This indicates that this is the original version or manufacturer of the part.
• Ideal - This is for parts that may not have an "original version" as is the case with very generic items like bolts.
• Alternate - A catch-all for parts that don't match any more specific type.
• Aftermarket - A part that is made by another manufacturer that is a deliberate knock-off of the original.
• Interchangable - A part that is dissimilar and may not have been intended as a replacement at all but happens to work anyway.
• Similar - Like interchangable but as an imperfect substitute or interchangeable with slight modifications.

In situations in ITrack where the user is presented with a list of alternate parts, the type of the alternate model will be displayed to aid the user in choosing a proper alternate part to use.

Interchange

Any two parts which share the same interchange and sub-interchange numbers are considered interchangeable. If their sub-interchange numbers differ then they are considered to be similar or interchangeable with little modification.

Application

ITrack Enterprise has an optional Hollander Interchange® package which contains application information for most cars and light duty trucks. It describes what vehicle models are likely to contain parts that are interchangeable with other vehicles. Even without the Hollander Module, users can create their own application interchange on the interchange screen.

Alternate Lookups

This is different than most of the systems above, as it doesn't really provide a way to describe interchange, but instead alternate ways to lookup parts. However, sometimes all you want to do is add alternate UPCs, OEM #'s, supersession, etc to a particular SKU. To do this, go to the Lookups tab of the parts screen and add one or more rows. These records represent an alternate way to 'find' the part they're on. The lookup types are:

• UPC
• Alternate Part #
• Supersession
• Alternate Inventory Record

Example walkthrough:

1. Supersession and Alternate Inventory Record allow you to attach another inventory record (type it into the Original Part box) as the previous inventory record being replaced.
2. Set a value in the Alternate Lookup field that the user will find the current record by on search automatically. For Alternate Inventory Record this will default to the original record's tag #.
3. (Optional) set a package quantity. For lookups that are used in the scanner, if you scan this lookup as a barcode, it will be considered a pack with this many quantity of the item in it.
4. (Optional) set an effective date. If set, this lookup won't be active/in use until that date.
5. Set whether the lookup affects searches as well as barcode scans
6. (Optional) enter comments