Dynamics 365 Business Central: Is it possible to change the Variant Code for an item that has already been posted?

Hi, Readers.
Today I would like to briefly talk about a qustion I saw in the Dynamics 365 Community before, is it possible to change the Variant Code for an item that has already been posted?

In Business Central, item variants are a great way to keep your list of products under control in Business Central. For example, you have a large number of items that are almost identical and vary only in color. You can define each variant as a separate item. But you can also choose to set up one item and specify the various colors as variants of the item.

So, if we need to change the Variant Code after posting due to some special circumstances, is there a workaround? For example, I’d like to transfer 100 units of this item from the BLUE variant to the RED variant.

PS: How to quickly check inventory quantity for locations at Item-Variant level (Variant inventory per location)

We initially considered using the Item Reclassification Journals, but it doesn’t support changing the variant. Theoretically, different variants are treated as distinct items in the system.
PS: How to merge multiple lots (Lot No.) into one

There are two feasible workarounds in the current version:
1. Use the Item Journals for negative and positive adjustments.
It’s quite straightforward: just perform a negative adjustment for the BLUE variant and a positive adjustment for the RED variant.

Item Ledger Entries Preview:

Value Entries Preview:

2. Use an Assembly Order to change the variant code.
To support companies that supply products to their customers by combining components in simple processes without the need of manufacturing functionality, Business Central includes features to assemble items that integrate with existing features, such as sales, planning, reservations, and warehousing. More details: Assembly Management (Kitting) without the need of manufacturing functionality

Let’s look at a simple example. In Business Central, go to the Assembly Orders page.

Choose New.

Choose the specific Item No. and the quantity for the adjustment.

In the Posting tab below, enter the variant you want to adjust to – in this case, RED.

Go back to the Lines tab, then select the Item No. and the variant code before adjustment – in this case, BLUE.

Then you can proceed to post the assembly order.

Item Ledger Entries Preview:

Value Entries Preview:

Great. Give it a try!!!😁

END

Hope this will help.

Thanks for reading.

ZHU