Measurement Units
CE provides built-in unit management and conversion mechanism.
The Unit Handling Service provides built-in unit management and conversion capabilities for the Emporix Commerce Engine. The unit management concept allows you to create and manage measurement units, as well as convert units of the same unit type (such as mass or volume).
Purpose
To reduce data redundancy, units are stored independently from the price model. With our unit management solution, it is possible to manage all measurement units through a separate service. The conversion of units is a very intuitive process, where a factor serves as a universal measure of values. The factors are always the same for the values, so their maintenance in the system does not require any additional actions on a daily basis.
Features
Unit management comes with a set of features that make managing measurement units easier.
Customizable unit model
Create custom measurement units depending on your business needs. Supports metric, imperial, US customary (USC), and custom unit systems.
Default setup of common units
Most common measurement units are pre-configured out of the box. See the Default unit setup section for the complete list.
Localization of unit names
Unit names can be translated into different languages using language-code maps, enabling you to target global markets. Unit symbols and names are retrieved based on the Accept-Language header.
Unit conversion
Convert between units that share the same base unit type using conversion factors. Conversion factors are calculated automatically based on the relationship to the base unit.
Unit validation
Validate unit codes before using them in price models or cart items to ensure data consistency and prevent errors.
Unit search and filtering
Search for specific units and filter them with additional criteria, supporting sorting and paging for efficient unit management.
Units need to be convertible by a factor — you can convert units of the same type only. Currently, it is not possible to convert units through shift (for example, Celsius to Fahrenheit).
Default unit setup
The Emporix Commerce Engine automatically configures a set of most commonly used measurement units. The units can be organized by type, for example:
Volume:
Centiliter (cl)
Cubic centimeter (cm³)
Cubic decimeter (dm³)
Liter (l)
Milliliter (ml)
US fluid ounce (us-fl-oz)
Length:
Centimeter (cm)
Kilometer (km)
Meter (m)
Millimeter (mm)
Quantity:
Dozen
Piece (pc)
Mass:
Gram (g)
Kilogram (kg)
Milligram (mg)
Tonne (t)
These default units are immediately available for use in Product Service, Price Service, and Cart Service. You can create additional custom units as needed for your business requirements.
Features and benefits for B2B commerce
The Unit Handling Service provides significant benefits for B2B commerce operations:
Clear unit definitions and standardization
Clearly define allowed units and their codes to avoid mistakes or ambiguity across your organization
Establish clear-cut rules and definitions of unit types, ensuring consistency in product data, pricing, and orders
Reduce errors from unit code mismatches or inconsistent naming conventions
Automatic unit conversion
Convert units automatically when prices or quantities need to be displayed in different units
Price matching automatically handles unit conversions when requested units differ from price model units
Cart calculations seamlessly convert unit prices to match item requirements
Flexible product sales
Enable flexible product sales by defined units rather than by piece only
Support diverse B2B scenarios, such as:
50 meters of steel tubing
250 liters of lubricant
250 grams of fresh-cut cheese
Bulk quantities with precise measurement requirements
Intuitive conversion process
Conversion factors serve as universal measures of values, ensuring consistent calculations
Factors are always the same for the same unit relationships, requiring minimal maintenance
Conversion calculations are performed automatically by the service, reducing manual errors
Global market support
Localized unit names and symbols support multi-language and multi-region operations
Display units in the language preferred by your customers
Support different measurement systems (metric, imperial, US customary) in a single tenant
Service integration
Centralized unit management ensures consistency across Product Service, Price Service, and Cart Service
Changes to units propagate automatically across all services within ~5 minutes
Validation prevents invalid unit codes from being used in price models or cart items
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