Item Alternative

An Item Alternative tells the system that one item may stand in for another, so a shortage of Chair Model A does not stop a Work Order or a delivery when Chair Model B is on the shelf. The link can be one way or two way. It matters in manufacturing, where a Work Order's Stock Entry can swap the alternative in for a raw material, and in Purchase Orders, where a supplier may deliver the substitute. There is no ledger effect from the link itself; the Stock Entry that uses the alternative posts the alternative's own valuation rate. Keep the pair genuinely interchangeable, otherwise costs and customer expectations drift apart.

1. 01Go to Stock > Item Alternative > New.
2. 02Pick the Item Code and the Alternative Item Code.
3. 03Tick Two-way if either item may replace the other.
4. 04Save. On the Item form, tick Allow Alternative Item so transactions offer it.
5. 05On a Work Order or Stock Entry, use Alternative Item to swap when stock is short.

Create under Stock > Item Alternative.

Chair Model B as an alternative to Chair Model A.