Tracelink University
## Breadcrumb
1. [Home](/)
2. [Resources](/resources/resource-center)
3. [TraceLink University](/resources/tracelink-university)
# Article masters
- [Download PDF](/node/32231/pdf)
- [Share](#)
- [ LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.tracelink.com/resources/tracelink-university/article-masters&title=Article masters&summary=When a third-party logistics provider (3PL) receives article or material master data from a manufacturing customer, this data exchange plays a vital role in aligning logistics operations with the product's specifications, inventory management needs, and handling requirements—ensuring accurate, efficient, and compliant supply chain execution.&source=TraceLink "LinkedIn")
- [ Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.tracelink.com/resources/tracelink-university/article-masters&t=Article masters "Facebook")
- [ Mail ](mailto:?subject=Article masters+|+TraceLink&body=https://www.tracelink.com/resources/tracelink-university/article-masters "Mail")
- [ Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Article masters https://www.tracelink.com/resources/tracelink-university/article-masters&via=TraceLink "Twitter")
#### Table of contents
When a third-party logistics provider (3PL) receives article or material master data from a manufacturing customer, this data exchange plays a vital role in aligning logistics operations with the product's specifications, inventory management needs, and handling requirements—ensuring accurate, efficient, and compliant supply chain execution.
For more information about Article master guidelines, see Article master transactions.
## Create and submit article masters
Perform this task to create and submit new article master. Additionally, buyers can begin work on a article master and save it for completion at a later time.
[](#)[Create and submit a new article master](#)Perform this task to create new article master and submit them to providers.
1. Select the Main Menu  icon.
2. Select My Networks in the header.
3. Select a \[MPL Network\] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
5. Select the Go button.
6. Select Logistics - Client from the left menu. Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.
7. Select Article Masters.
8. Select the New  button.
9. Enter the article master number in the Article Master Number field.
10. Select the Save  button.
The screen refreshes with the saved article master in the draft state and with the required sections populated.
11. Select the Edit  button.
12. In the Transaction Information section, select Submitted from the Process Status drop drown.
13. In the Article Master Information section fill in the following fields:
1. Article Master Number field – A unique identifier assigned to an article master.
This field auto populates the value entered on the New Article Master screen.
2. Article Master Date field – The start date of article master.
3. Action drop-down – A brief description stating the purpose of the transaction.
4. Message Type Identifier field – Finished product number associated with the created article master.
14. In the Reference Transactions section, select the Add icon to add reference and fill in the following fields:
1. Transaction Type drop-down - The type of transaction to reference.
2. Transaction Identifier Value type-ahead field – The unique identifier of the transaction.
If the value does not match the available options, the value must be entered manually.
3. Transaction Date field - The date of the transaction being referenced.
4. Select Apply.
A new reference transaction line is added.
15. In the Client and Provider section, fill in the following fields under Client group:
1. Company type-ahead field – The name of the company sending article master. This company is customer of goods. This field pulls from the Owner's company and location master data.
The remaining Client fields are auto populated with the values from the company or location's master data entry. If the name of the company is not present in the Owners master data, the company name must be entered manually.
2. Address 1 field – The address of the particular location.
3. Address 2 field – Any additional address information.
4. Country drop-down – The two-letter country code with country name for this location.
5. State field – The state or region for this location.
6. City field – The city for this location.
7. Postal Code field – The postal code for this location's main address.
8. Contact Telephone Number field – The company or location's phone number.
9. Contact Fax Number field – The company or location's fax number
10. Party ID Type drop-down – The identifier type used for this company or location.
11. Party ID Value field – The value associated with the identifier type.
16. In the Client and Provider section, fill in the following fields under Provider group:
1. Company type-ahead field – The name of the company receiving the article master. This company is supplier of goods. This field pulls from the Owner's company and location master data.
The remaining Provider fields are auto populated with the values from the company or location's master data entry. If the name of the company is not present in the Owners master data, the company name must be entered manually.
2. Address 1 field – The address of the particular location.
3. Address 2 field – Any additional address information.
4. Country drop-down – The two-letter country code with country name for this location.
5. State field – The state or region for this location.
6. City field – The city for this location.
7. Postal Code field – The postal code for this location's main address.
8. Contact Telephone Number field – The company or location's phone number.
9. Contact Fax Number field – The company or location's fax number
10. Party ID Type drop-down – The identifier type used for this company or location.
11. Party ID Value field – The value associated with the identifier type.
17. In the **Line Items** section:
1. Select the Addicon. At least one line item is required to submit a article master.
2. In the New Line Items panel, fill in the following fields under Line Item Information:
1. Line field – The number to identify the line item by (e.g. 50).
2. Item field – The name of the product. If the user enters an item code instead, the field automatically displays the corresponding item name.
The Item Code Type, Item Code Value and Description fields are auto populated with the values from the Owner's product master data entry for the product. If the product name is not present in the Owner's product master data then the product name must be entered manually.
3. Item Type drop-down – The product code type (e.g. IN-Product Code).
4. Item Value field – The product code.
5. Item Description field – A brief description of the product. If the description is not present in the Owners product master data then the description must be entered manually.
6. Processing Function Type Code drop-down – Code representing the processing function at the line item level.
7. Batch Processing Enabled switch – Indicates whether batch management is enabled for the article in the master record.
8. Article Barcode field – A unique bar code assigned to distinguish and identify the article.
9. Material Type field – Describes the composition or classification of the material.
10. Article Brand Identifier field - The brand associated with the article.
11. Article Family Code field - Code that groups related articles under a common family category.
12. Material Group field – A code used to categorize multiple materials or services that share similar characteristics.
13. Packing Quantity field – The number of eaches of an item contained within an inner pack or case.
14. Line Item Quantity Unit Of Measure drop-down – The unit in which the line item quantity is measured
15. Expiry Lead Time Value field – The lead time before the article's expiration date, based on the expiryLeadTimeType, which also helps determine when the article should be locked and no longer available for ordering..
16. Expiry Class field - Specifies the class defined in warehouse management that determines the product's lead time.If not provided, the system uses the expiryLeadTimeType and expiryLeadTime to determine the lead time.
17. Quality Hold Receipt field - Indicates whether the article is received under quality hold or in released (unrestricted) status.
18. Expiry Required switch- Indicates whether the article is subject to expiry date control.
19. Stackable switch - Indicates if the article is eligible for delivery on double-stacked pallets.
20. Hazardous switch - Indicates whether the article requires special handling due to being classified as dangerous or hazardous.
21. Samples Required switch - Indicates if samples are to be taken upon receipt of the article.
22. Number Of Samples field - The quantity of article samples to be taken if sampling is required (if isSamplesRequired is set to true).
23. Storage Type field - The storage type or class assigned to the article.
24. Pick UM switch - Specifies whether the item can be picked using its base unit of measure.
25. Pick Box switch - Indicates whether the item can be picked as a full box.
26. Pick Carton switch - Indicates whether the item is eligible for picking as a full carton.
27. Pick Unit switch - Indicates whether the item can be picked as individual units.
28. Serialization Type field - The method used to apply serialization to the item.
29. Customer Business Name field - The legal or commercial name of the customer.
30. Customer Company Identifier Type field - The type of identifier assigned to the customer.
31. Customer Company Identifier Value field - The value of the identifier assigned to the customer.
32. Supplier Business Name field - The name of the supplier’s company or business entity.
33. Supplier Company Identifier Type field - The identifier type used for the supplier
34. Supplier Company Identifier Value field - The identifier value for the supplier.
35. Site Location Business Name field - The business name linked to the physical site location.
36. Site Location Company Identifier Type field - The identifier type assigned to the site location.
37. Site Location Company Identifier Value field - The identification value assigned to the site location.
38. Carton Packaging Height field - Height of the packaging carton measured in standard units.
39. Carton Packaging Width field - Packaging carton width measured in standard units.
40. Carton Packaging Depth field - The depth of the packaging carton measured in standard units.
41. Pallet Packaging Height field - The overall height of the item when placed on a pallet.
42. Pallet Packaging Width field - The overall width of the item when palletized.
43. Pallet Packaging Depth field - The overall depth of the item when palletized.
3. Select Apply.
The new line item is added to the article master.
4. Select a item line row and then select the branch  icon and fill in the following fields under Sub Line Information:
1. Inventory Adjustment switch – The indicator showing whether inventory adjustments are permitted for the article.
2. Cycle Count Code field – The physical inventory cycle count code identifies an article designated for inventory tracking through the cycle counting method.
3. Inventory Move Speed Code field – The rate at which inventory flows into and out of a warehouse location.
4. Count Near Zero switch – Indicator that determines whether an immediate cycle count is required when the article's inventory falls below the defined near-zero threshold.
5. Near Zero Quantity field – The unit quantity of the article at which the inventory level reaches the near-zero threshold.
6. Commodity Import Tarif Code field – Commodity or import tariff code used in foreign trade for statistical and regulatory purposes.
7. Country Of Origin field – Country where the article was manufactured or originates from.
8. Weight Value field – The value of the weight.
9. Volume Value field – The volume measurement of the article.
5. Select Apply.The sub line information is added to line item.
6. Select the line item row drop down to view the sub line information in a table.
18. In the Pricing and Taxation section:
1. Select the Add icon and fill in the following fields:
1. Line field –The number to identify the line item.
Enter the same value in the Line field as specified in the Line Items section for consistency and avoid validation issues.
2. Item field – The name of the product. If the user enters an item code instead, the field automatically displays the corresponding item name. The Item Type and Item Value fields are auto populated with the values from the Owner's product master data entry for the product. If the product name is not present in the Owner's product master data then the product name must be entered manually.
Enter the same value in the Item field as specified in the Line Items section for consistency and avoid validation issues.
3. Item Type drop-down – The product code type (e.g. IN-Product Code).
Enter the same value in the Item Type field as specified in the Line Items section for consistency and avoid validation issues.
4. Item Value field –The product code.
Enter the same value in the Item Value field as specified in the Line Items section for consistency and avoid validation issues.
2. Select Apply.The new pricing and taxation line item is added.
3. Select a pricing and taxation item line row and then select the branch  icon and fill in the following fields under Pricing and Taxation Information:
1. Currency Code field – Currency code used for customs-related expenses.
2. Price Value field – The price specified in the article master record.
3. Pricing Type drop-down – The type of pricing used in the sales price catalog.
4. Country drop-down – The two-letter country code with country name for this location.
5. Tax Category Code field – A system-defined value used to automatically determine country-specific taxes during pricing. Multiple tax categories may be defined for each country.
6. Tax Classification drop-down – Defines the output tax applicable to the article during the processing of sales and distribution documents.
4. Select Apply.The new pricing and taxation information is added.
5. Select the pricing and taxation item line row drop down to view the pricing and taxation information in a table.
19. In the Packaging Structure Details section:
1. Select the Add icon and fill in the following fields:
1. Line field –The number to identify the line item.Enter the same value in the Line field as specified in the Line Items section for consistency and avoid validation issues.
2. Item field – The name of the product. If the user enters an item code instead, the field automatically displays the corresponding item name
The Item Type and Item Value fields are auto populated with the values from the Owner's product master data entry for the product. If the product name is not present in the Owner's product master data then the product name must be entered manually.
Enter the same value in the Item field as specified in the Line Items section for consistency and avoid validation issues.
3. Item Type drop-down – The product code type (e.g. IN-Product Code).
Enter the same value in the Item Type field as specified in the Line Items section for consistency and avoid validation issues.
4. Item Value field –The product code.
Enter the same value in the Item Value field as specified in the Line Items section for consistency and avoid validation issues.
5. Item Value field –The product code.
Enter the same value in the Item Value field as specified in the Line Items section for consistency and avoid validation issues.
2. Select Apply.The new packaging structure details line item is added.
3. Select a packaging structure details line row and then select the branch  icon and fill in the following fields under Packaging Structure Details:
1. Pallet Tier Count field – The total number of layers or tiers stacked on a pallet.
2. Cases Per Pallet Tier field – The number of cases typically placed on each tier or layer of a pallet or its equivalent unit of measure for the article's packaging.
3. Pallet Unit Count field – The total number of units contained on a pallet.
4. Carton Unit Count field – The total number of units packed in a carton.
5. Pallet Identifier Code Packaging Identifier field – The code used to identify the pallet.
6. Pallet Identifier Barcode field – The pallet bar code number.
7. Case Identifier Code Packaging Identifier field – The code used to identify the case or carton.
8. Case Identifier Code Barcode field – The bar code number for the case or carton.
9. Inner Pack Identifier Code Packaging Identifier field – The code used to identify the inner pack.
10. Inner Pack Identifier Barcodefield – The bar code number for the inner pack.
11. Nesting Height field – The height when nested.
12. Nesting Width field – The width when nested.
13. Nesting Dimensions Unit Of Measure drop-down – The unit of measurement used for the dimensional value.
14. Packaging Length field – The length of the packaging specified at the article packaging details level.
15. Packaging Height field – The height of the packaging as defined in the article packaging details.
16. Packaging Width field – The width of the packaging specified in the article packaging details.
17. Packaging Dimensions Unit Of Measure drop-down – The measurement unit used for the dimension value.
4. Select Apply.
The new packaging structure details line item is added.
5. Select the packaging structure details line row drop down to view the packaging structure details line information in a table.
6. Select a packaging structure details line row and then select the branch  icon and fill in the following fields under Packaging Structure Details:
1. Quantity Value field – The quantity of an article or packaging unit contained in the next lower packaging level. For example, in a packaging structure that includes pallets, cases, and eaches, this represents the number of cases per pallet; in a structure with only cases and eaches, it refers to the number of eaches per case.
2. Gross Weight field – The gross weight of the article including its packaging.
3. Net Weight field – The net weight of the article, excluding its packaging.
4. Unit of Measure drop-down – The unit in which the line item is measured.
5. Is Cartonize Picking field – The cartonized picking flag indicates whether the packaging level is eligible for picking directly into a carton, supporting the allocation process that determines which items can be grouped together for shipment.
6. Is Bulk Pickingfield – The bulk picking flag indicates whether the packaging level can be consolidated for bulk picking, allowing inventory from multiple orders to be grouped into larger picks to minimize the number of individual picking tasks.
7. Threshold Picking field – The minimum percentage of the article's packaging level capacity that must be filled for it to qualify as a threshold pick, typically used to fulfill orders that require less than a full platform quantity.
7. Select Apply.
The new packaging structure details line item is added.
8. Select the packaging structure details line row drop down to view the packaging structure details in a table.
20. In the Comments section, enter any additional comments or instructions.
21. To submit the article master:To save the article master in a Draft state and finish it later, ensure the Move To button is not selected and then select the Save  button in the draft state.
1. Select the Move To button at the top of the screen.
The submit status indicator circle is filled in with green to indicate the desired action upon selecting save.
2. Select the Save  button.
The article master is submitted.
#### Tips
- Select the Addicon, to add a new line item, where available.
- Select the Deleteicon, to remove an individual line item, where available.
- Select the branch  icon, to add a new line item in the inserted table, where available.
- New article masters can also be created by selecting the New  button on the Article Masters Details screen for an existing article master.
[](#)[Submit a draft article master](#) Complete and submit a saved article master in the draft state.
1. Select the Main Menu  icon.
2. Select My Networks in the header.
3. Select a \[MPL Network\] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
5. Select the Go button.
6. Select Logistics - Client from the left menu. Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.
7. Select Article Masters.
8. Select the Filter  button to find article maters in Draft state.
9. Select the Article Master Number link in the results table.
10. Select the Edit  button.
11. In the Transaction Information section, select Submitted from the Process Status drop drown.
12. Confirm the article master details and select the Edit  icon associated with that line item to modify the fields if required.
13. Select the Move To button at the top of the screen.
The submit status indicator circle is filled in with green to indicate the desired action upon selecting save.
14. Select the Save  button.
The article master is submitted.
#### Tips
- To delete a article master in a draft state, select the article master number row and then select the Delete  icon on the top of the Search Article Masters screen.
 A deleted transaction cannot be retrieved.
## Search and view article masters
[](#)[Search for and view article masters](#)Perform this task to search for and view the details of the article masters sent or received by clients and providers. Viewing the details of a article master enables clients and providers to quickly access article master information (e.g. the quantity for each line item in an order) in TraceLink without having to search through the actual B2B message.
1. Select the Main Menu  icon.
2. Select My Networks in the header.
3. Select a \[MPL Network\] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
5. Select the Go button.
6. Select Logistics - Client or Logistics - Provider from the left menu.
 Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.
7. Select Article Masters.
8. Select the Filter  button.
9. In the Filters panel, fill in one or more of the following fields to filter the results:
1. Article Master Number field – A unique identifier assigned to an article master.
2. Article Master Date field – The start date of article master.
3. State drop-down – The state of the article master:
- Draft – The transaction is in the draft state.
- Submit – The transaction has been created.
- Processing – The application is getting ready to handle incoming transactions by doing some initial tasks, such as copying the files it receives.
- Processed – The application changes the standard information into a format that is easy to use and specific to your transaction.
- Preparing to Send – The application is getting ready to send out a transaction and is doing some initial tasks, like copying the necessary information for the process.
- Sending –The application sends out business transactions to the buyer or supplier.
- Sent – The transaction is successfully completed and shared with the receiving party.
4. Provider type-ahead – Displays only if the menu item is Sent Article Masters in Logistics - Client. The name of the company the article master was sent to.
If the name of the company is not present in the Owners master data then the company's name must be entered manually.
5. Client type-ahead – Displays only if the menu item is Received Article Masters in Logistics - Provider. The name of the company the article master was received from.
If the name of the company is not present in the Owner's master data then the company's name must be entered manually.
6. Last Modified drop-down – The period of time in which the article master was last updated:
- Today – The transaction was modified within the last few hours.
- Yesterday – The transaction was updated within the past 24 hours.
- Last Week – The transaction was modified in the last 7 days.
- Last Month – The transaction was modified in the last 30 days.
- Last 3 Months – The transaction was modified in the last 90 days.
- Last 6 Months – The transaction was modified in the last 180 days.
- Custom Range – Select a specific period of time that the transaction was modified in from the calendar.
10. Select Apply.
A list of article masters displays based on the filter results.
11. Select the link for the article master from the results table.
The View Article Masters screen displays.
12. To view all fields for each line item, select the View  icon on the Article Masters Details screen.
## Reprocess and resubmit article masters
[Reprocess article masters](#)After the article master is submitted, the user might encounter an error and the processed status will be set to Paused With Error. Use the following procedure to resolve any error messages encountered while submitting a article master.
1. Select the Main Menu  icon.
2. Select My Networks in the header.
3. Select a \[MPL Network\] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
5. Select the Go button.
6. Select Logistics - Client from the left menu. Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.
7. Select Article Masters.
8. Select the Filter button to find article masters in Processing, Processed, Preparing to Send, or Sending state.
9. Select Article Master Number link in the results table.
10. View the following fields for error in the Transaction Information section:
- Process Status - Displays the status of the submitted transaction.
- Last Transaction Error - Displays the error message.
11. Select the Edit  button.
12. In the Transaction Information section, select Submitted from the Process Status drop drown.
13. Select the Save  button.
The article master request is moved from Processing state to Sending state indicating that the article master is submitted successfully.
 Do not select the Move To button, as it will cause the transaction to skip a workflow state, preventing successful delivery.
[Resubmit article masters](#)If a transaction is successfully sent to a partner but an issue occurs on the partner's side (e.g. in their ERP system), the sender can avoid re-entering all the details by rolling back to a previous workflow state and resending the transaction, thus saving time and effort for both parties.
1. Select the Main Menu  icon.
2. Select My Networks in the header.
3. Select a \[MPL Network\] from the Select your Network drop-down in the header.
4. Select a Partner or Location (e.g. your entire company or a Link to a specific Partner or internal location) in the header.
5. Select the Go button.
6. Select Logistics - Client from the left menu. Partners must have the correct roles assigned if using the Owner's instance of Multienterprise Information Network Tower.
7. Select Article Masters.
8. Select a Article Master Number in Sent state.
9. Select the Edit  button.
 The state of the article master is automatically moved to Sending state.
10. Select the Move To button at the top of the screen.
The submit status indicator circle is filled in with green to indicate the desired action upon selecting save.
11. Select the Save  button.
The article master is submitted.
The statues of the article master moves to Sent state.
#### Table of contents
##### Related Content
[  ](/resources/tracelink-university/modify-your-account)
##### Modify your account
Modify your profile, define app settings, and enable inbox messages and notifications.
[View More](/resources/tracelink-university/modify-your-account)
[  ](/resources/tracelink-university/switch-companies-or-environments)
##### Switch companies or environments
The OPUS Ensemble user experience allows you to switch between companies or environments that you have access to with the same user account (identified by an email) without logging into a separate URL.
[View More](/resources/tracelink-university/switch-companies-or-environments)
[  ](/resources/tracelink-university/navigate-help-documentation-and-support)
##### Navigate to help documentation and support
Select the Help Center icon in the header to access the one-stop-shop help center for everything related to the network you are currently within (e.g.
[View More](/resources/tracelink-university/navigate-help-documentation-and-support)