Materials define the exact stock identities that searches and floor operations use. An author prepares changes; a reviewer releases or rolls them back. Owners can read this information and arrange site set-up, but owner status alone does not permit a production material change.
Prepare a checked definition
Open Materials and compare Released with Waiting for release. When declaring a material, use the agreed exact code, family and properties. Preserve significant leading zeros, letter case and spaces. Confirm the definition against the process source before adding a barcode alias.
An alias identifies the exact scanner value for a material. It must not already identify another material. If a scanner reads an unexpected value, establish what it actually sends before creating an alias. A similar-looking code is not evidence that two physical materials are interchangeable.
Authors can also import material and alias CSV files. Uploading provides a preview; adopting material definitions still leaves them waiting for release. An import does not silently change an existing material: an existing code is accepted only when all of its properties agree.
Review and release
The reviewer checks the waiting changes against the released set and the agreed source. Read retirements as well as new definitions. Release the material changes through the Materials page with the required reason and confirmation. Material releases are independent of policy releases, and a policy proof records the material set it was checked against.
A rollback is a production decision too. Examine the retained release and the current implications instead of treating it as an undo of the last screen action. If the material set changes, check whether policy evidence now needs to be refreshed.
Handle an existing piece with the wrong identity
Changing reference data is not a correction of a physical piece. A supervisor reviews material reclassification for a quarantined piece, followed by the appropriate reconciliation. Send the supervisor the piece reference, current material and evidence for the proposed identity. Follow Resolve exceptions for that workflow.