Glossary

This glossary defines the core domain entities used throughout the National Commerce system. It is seeded from the internal Client Dictionary.

Brand hierarchy

Parent Brand

Parent of the Brand. A Parent Brand can have many brands beneath it.

In the database: Parent Brand.

Brand

A single brand in the system.

In the database: the Brands table (one row per account).

Account

A single connection to ShipHero.

In the database: an account is a Brands row, one ShipHero connection with its own credentials and settings.

SKUs

The system distinguishes between several kinds of SKU. Different people track inventory against different SKU types, so it is important to keep them straight.

The Products & SKUs page shows how the three SKU tables and the bill-of-materials junction fit together.

Product SKU

The SKU you can actually buy on Amazon.

In the database: Product SKUs.

Base SKU

The SKU some people track inventory against. (Other people use the Product SKU instead.)

In the database: Base SKUs.

Inventory SKU

It is a Base SKU.

In the database: the same Base SKUs table. inventory_sku is the column inventory is tracked against.

Case SKU

A bundle of either a Product SKU or Base SKU that can be purchased. Case SKUs are purchased for inventory replenishment.

In the database: Case SKUs.

Inventory

Inventory (entity)

The amount of each Base SKU at a given warehouse.

In the database: Inventory, one row per Base SKU per warehouse.

Warehouse

A place that stores inventory.

In the database: Warehouses.

Orders & shipments

Order

A request from a customer to buy thing(s).

In the database: Orders.

Shipment

An individual box that gets shipped to the customer, with its own label and label cost. A shipment links to an Order.

In the database: Shipments.

Line Item

A quantity of an individual product inside of the shipment box. A line item links to a Shipment.

In the database: Shipment Line Items.

Label

Paper that is stuck to the shipment box, defining the cost of shipping.

Label Cost

The cost of the label.

In the database: the Label_Cost column on Shipments, rolled up to total_label_cost on the Orders row.

Voided Label

A label that was going to be used, but the decision was made to end it. This is usually caused when shipping is too expensive.

Postage Threshold

Something Sean created so he can track if shipments for a specific SKU are too expensive.

In the database: the Postage_Threshold column on Product SKUs.

Purchase orders

PO (Purchase Order)

A purchase order used to replenish inventory. Usually made up of Case SKUs.

In the database: Inventory Purchase Orders (imported from ShipHero), with drafts built in the portal in Inventory Replen Draft Purchase Orders.

PO Line Item

Similar to line items in an order, but for POs.

In the database: Inventory Purchase Order Line Items.

Confirmed Order

The replenishment order a client sends back after applying their cuts. Each client's sheet looks different. The Assistant reads it and turns it into draft POs, one per warehouse.

Replenishment Cycle

One brand's reorder cycle for one period, tracked from submitted through to complete. The purchase orders placed for that period attach to the cycle, so you can see what was ordered and what has arrived in one place.

In the database: replenishment_cycles.

Reorder Cadence

How often an account reorders, in days. Set per account by the team, and what the due and overdue nudge on the Replenishment Accounts screen measures against. Distinct from the SKU-derived cadence shown beside it, which is reference only.

Assistant

Assistant

The set of tools Claude can use against National Commerce data once it is connected to the MCP server in apps/mcp. Most tools only read. The draft-PO commit tool writes, and only when writes are switched on for the server.

In the docs: Assistant.