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Virtual Items

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Overview

There are two types of virtual items that you can create in Flex: Virtual Packages and Virtual Models. Each one works a little bit differently when adding them to a Quote.

Creating a Virtual Package

A virtual package in Flex is not a physical inventory item, but a concept that can include contents and suggestions. The contents of a virtual package will automatically be added every time you place the virtual package on a Quote. The suggestions, however, will not be automatically added, but suggested as you add the virtual package on a Quote.

How to create a Virtual Package:

  1. Create a new inventory model (see Adding and Editing Inventory Models)
  2. In the “Structure/Availability” section, choose Virtual Package from the Preset drop-down menu.
  3. Finish creating the inventory item by clicking OK.
Since this item is virtual, you don’t necessarily have to enter information in all of the “New Inventory Item” fields. Item Name, Item Short Name, Primary Group, and Structure/Availability should be sufficient.

Creating a Virtual Model

Like a virtual package, a virtual model is not a physical inventory item. Many Flex customers will use a virtual model to act as a trigger mechanism for a variety of suggestions. For example, a virtual model called “Green Room Components” can contain suggestions for different types of furniture, TV monitors, drape, labor, and more. When you add the “Green Room Components” virtual model to a Quote, you can virtually build a green room with the suggestions.

How to create a Virtual Model:

  1. Create a new inventory model (see Adding and Editing Inventory Models)
  2. In the “Structure/Availability” section, choose Virtual Model from the Preset drop-down menu.
  3. Finish creating the inventory item by clicking OK.

Building Virtual Models and Packages

After creating a virtual model or virtual package, you can build the contents (for a virtual package) and the suggestions (for both virtual packages and virtual models) by dragging and dropping other inventory models from the inventory tree into the Contents tab and Suggestions tab.

Now, whenever you place a virtual item on a Quote, anything in the Contents tab of that virtual item will automatically be added to the Quote as a child item to the virtual item. The suggestions window will pop up for anything that you put in the Suggestions tab of the virtual item.

How Virtual Item Quantities are Calculated

A virtual item’s quantity is calculated based on the items in the Contents tab. The item with the lowest available quantity will determine the quantity of the virtual item. For example, if a Sony projector is one of the contents of a virtual item, and you only have 2 projectors available, then the virtual item quantity will be 2 (assuming there are no other contents with a lower available quantity).

Remember, virtual item contents can have a quantity of more than 1. So if you have 4 of the same JBL speakers as contents of a virtual item and you only have 6 of those JBL speakers available, then the virtual item quantity will only be 1.

 

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