Materials

Understanding materials in the Axiom system

What are Materials?​

Materials in the Axiom system represent physical goods or products that your organization manages, procures, uses, or sells. They are the foundational elements of your inventory management system, defining what items you track and how you organize them. Materials exist within a broader ecosystem that includes suppliers, inventory locations, and customer orders.

Unlike simple product listings, materials in Axiom are rich entities with relationships to various other components of the system, including material groups, unit of measure definitions, forms, and inventory records. This interconnected structure allows for sophisticated tracking, reporting, and management capabilities.

Material Structure and Attributes​

Core Attributes​

Each material in the Axiom system is characterized by several essential attributes:

• Name: The primary identifier that users will see when working with the material. Choose names that are clear, consistent, and meaningful within your organization's context.
• Description: A detailed text field where you can provide comprehensive information about the material, including its purpose, composition, usage instructions, or any other relevant details. Well-written descriptions improve user understanding and reduce errors.
• Identifier: A unique alphanumeric code assigned to each material for system identification. This can be used for quick reference, barcode scanning, or integration with external systems.
• Properties: A flexible JSON field that allows you to define custom attributes specific to your business needs. This can include technical specifications, compliance information, alternative identifiers, or any other custom data that doesn't fit into standard fields.

Classification and Organization​

• Material Group: Each material belongs to exactly one material group, which serves as a categorical container. Material groups create a logical organization structure and enable bulk operations and reporting. Examples might include "Raw Materials," "Finished Goods," "Packaging Materials," or more specific categories relevant to your industry.
• Store and Client Associations: Materials are always associated with a specific store and client within the Axiom ecosystem. This multi-tenancy approach ensures proper data isolation and access control.

Measurement and Quantification​

• Base Unit of Measure: Defines the fundamental unit in which the material is measured. This is a critical attribute that determines how quantities are tracked, calculated, and displayed throughout the system.
• Unit of Measure Types: The system supports four primary types of measurements:
  • Weight: For materials measured by mass (grams, kilograms, pounds, ounces, tons)
  • Volume: For materials measured by volume (milliliters, liters, gallons, cubic meters)
  • Length: For materials measured by distance (millimeters, centimeters, meters, inches, feet)
  • Dimensionless: For countable items or those without physical dimensions (pieces, units, pairs, boxes)
• Unit Conversions: Although each material has one base unit of measure, the system supports conversions between different units, particularly important when dealing with vendor-specific units.

Tracking Configuration​

• Serial Number Tracking: When enabled, each individual instance of this material must be assigned a unique serial number. This is crucial for:

  • High-value items where individual tracking is necessary
  • Regulated products requiring traceability
  • Warranty-covered items
  • Equipment with maintenance schedules

• Batch Tracking: When enabled, the system will track which production batch a material comes from. This is important for:

  • Quality control and recalls
  • Materials with expiration dates
  • Production traceability
  • Materials where properties might vary between batches

Additional Features​

• Form Integration: Materials can be linked to customizable forms that capture additional structured data. This allows for consistent collection of supplementary information beyond the standard fields.
• Barcode Capability: Materials can be assigned barcodes for easy identification and scanning in warehouse or retail environments.