Dynamics Community Forum Thread Details

I'm trying to set up a product catalogue for a number of different beverages. Primarily these beverages come in 750ml bottles (plus 6 packs, 12 packs, etc.), but we also have differently sized bottles (250ml, 1.5L, 3L, etc.). What should my base unit for the unit group be? I've considered using both the 750ml unit as the base unit, and then creating conversions for the other units based on 750ml, as well as using a single milliliter as the base, and then having all other units (including the 750ml) based off of that one. I can't figure out which will be more beneficial in the long run. Any ideas or insight on what is typically suggested here is welcome.

Categories:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Dynamics 365 Sales

For setting up units and unit groups for beverages in Dynamics 365, both options have their pros and cons, but the choice largely depends on how you plan to manage inventory, pricing, and reporting in the long run.

Option 1: Using 750ml as the Base Unit

If you choose 750ml as the base unit, then you would define conversion factors for other pack sizes and bottle sizes in terms of this 750ml base. For example:

1 pack of 6 (750ml) = 6 x 750ml (base units)
1L bottle = 1.333 x 750ml (base units)
3L bottle = 4 x 750ml (base units)

Pros:

Directly reflects the most common selling unit: Since 750ml is a common size in your catalog, this approach makes sense if you anticipate most orders or reports being in terms of 750ml units. This could simplify reporting and sales analysis when 750ml is your most frequently used measurement.
Easier to price and manage packs: Pricing in terms of packs (e.g., a 6-pack or 12-pack of 750ml bottles) will be straightforward. You can set prices per 750ml unit and have it scale up to packs without complex conversions.

Cons:

Less flexible for non-750ml sizes: If you need to add new product sizes in the future (e.g., 500ml or 1.25L bottles), each new size will require a custom conversion factor relative to 750ml, which might not be intuitive for all sizes.
Potential rounding issues: If conversions between sizes aren’t whole numbers (like converting 1L to 750ml units), you may face rounding issues that could affect inventory tracking and pricing accuracy.

Option 2: Using Milliliters (1ml) as the Base Unit

If you choose 1ml as the base unit, all other sizes would be defined in terms of milliliters. For example:

750ml bottle = 750 x 1ml (base units)
6-pack (750ml) = 4500 x 1ml (base units)
1.5L bottle = 1500 x 1ml (base units)

Pros:

Greatest flexibility: Using milliliters as the base unit allows you to easily add any new sizes without needing to manually calculate conversions in relation to a specific bottle size. This approach can accommodate any volume and pack configuration.
Eliminates rounding issues: Since all sizes are defined in exact milliliters, you won’t have to worry about rounding errors when converting between bottle sizes. Inventory accuracy will be maintained at the smallest unit.
Consistent unit conversions: If you deal with a wide variety of sizes (250ml, 500ml, 750ml, 1L, etc.), this approach provides a consistent way to calculate inventory and pricing per milliliter.

Cons:

May complicate pricing: If your pricing is usually per bottle (e.g., price per 750ml bottle) rather than per milliliter, this approach might add extra steps for pricing calculations. You’ll need to ensure prices are calculated correctly for each bottle size, especially if you want to manage bulk or tiered pricing.
Reporting complexity: Since reports would be based on milliliters, you might need to convert results to standard bottle sizes for analysis, especially if your sales and stock tracking are more meaningful when expressed in terms of bottles (e.g., 750ml or 1.5L) rather than milliliters.

Recommendation

Based on the long-term flexibility and inventory accuracy you’ll gain, using milliliters (1ml) as the base unit is generally the better choice, especially if you sell a wide range of bottle sizes. This approach will give you more flexibility to add new sizes without recalculating conversion factors.

However, if most of your products are 750ml and you expect this to remain constant (with minimal variation in bottle sizes), you might find it simpler to set 750ml as the base unit for ease of pricing and reporting.

Practical Tips

Set up separate unit groups for single bottles (750ml, 1.5L, etc.) and multi-packs (6-pack, 12-pack). This can help with organizing your product catalog and reporting.
Use Price Lists strategically**:** In Dynamics 365, you can create price lists that apply specific prices per unit (e.g., per 750ml bottle, per 1L bottle) to avoid complications with unit conversions for pricing.
Test both setups in a sandbox environment**:** If possible, try setting up both configurations in a test environment to see how they impact inventory tracking, pricing, and reporting. This can give you a clearer picture of which setup will work best for your processes.

Community site session details

Setting up units/unit groups for different volumes of beverages

Option 1: Using 750ml as the Base Unit

Pros:

Cons:

Option 2: Using Milliliters (1ml) as the Base Unit

Pros:

Cons:

Recommendation

Practical Tips

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Community site session details

Setting up units/unit groups for different volumes of beverages

Option 1: Using 750ml as the Base Unit

Pros:

Cons:

Option 2: Using Milliliters (1ml) as the Base Unit

Pros:

Cons:

Recommendation

Practical Tips

Helpful resources

Quick Links

Responsible AI policies

Pallavi Phade – Community Spotlight

Congratulations to the September Top 10 Community Leaders!

Subscribe to this forum!

Select categories

Leaderboard > Customer experience | Sales, Customer Insights, CRM

Featured topics

Product updates