Family vs item - Bold Factory

The difference between family and item determines how you organize variants, stock, recipes and analysis. A family groups variants. An item represents the specific physical reference that you purchase, manufacture, store, consume or sell.

Quick comparison

Concept	What it represents	Example
Family	Commercial or technical grouping	Nordic Table
Property	Attribute that distinguishes variants	Color, length, finish
Item	Specific physical variant	White Nordic Table, 120 cm
Lot	Traceable set of units of an item	Lot manufactured on 2026-06-15

A variant describes a catalog configuration. A lot distinguishes traceable units of the same item. Two lots can contain exactly the same variant.

Modeling decision

Question	If the answer is yes
Does it need separate stock?	Create different items.
Is it purchased, sold or manufactured separately?	Create different items.
Does only one characteristic of the same family change?	Use a family with properties.
Does the difference have no effect on operations or analysis?	Do not create a new variant.
Do you need a common recipe with small differences?	Link the recipe to the family and use properties and conditions.

Family with several items

Use a family with several items when the variants share an identity but need to operate separately. Example: Nordic Table is the family. Nordic Table - 160 cm - Oak and Nordic Table - 200 cm - Walnut are items because they have separate stock, orders, costs and manufacturing.

Family with a single item

A family can contain a single item if you want to prepare the grouping for growth or share properties from the start. It is optional. If you do not need a grouping, an item without a family is sufficient. You can also link a recipe directly to that item.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Effect
Create a family for each variant	You lose the grouping and duplicate properties or recipes.
Create a single item for distinct variants	Stock, costs and traceability get mixed together.
Use free text for variants	Produces inconsistent values and unreliable filters.
Duplicate items with the same properties	Hides duplicates and makes consolidation harder.

Practical rule

The simplest model is the one that preserves correct stock, traceability and manufacturing. A difference deserves a property when it affects identification or a rule. It deserves a separate item when it needs its own operations, stock or cost.