How do aliases work, and do they share inventory and data with the product they point to?

An alias is a separate product with its own SKU whose components are the product or products it stands for. Endless does not copy anything from those products, so an alias has its own price, images, attributes, and inventory record. Set them on the alias itself.

An alias can contain Finished Goods and Parts. It cannot contain a Bundle, another Alias, or a Non-Inventory product. Endless does not limit an alias to one component or to a quantity of 1. The Components card suggests one product at quantity 1 because that is the usual setup, but you can add several components at any whole-number quantity.

Two settings on the alias’s Settings card control inventory:

• Inventory includes components: when on, the units Endless could make from the components’ stock in each building are added to the alias’s Available to Sell. New aliases start with this on.
• Fulfill with components: decides what goes on the fulfillment order. New aliases start with Auto.

When an order arrives for the alias SKU, the sales order keeps the alias SKU. When Endless creates the fulfillment order with Auto, the line stays as the alias if the alias’s own unallocated stock in that building covers the whole line. Otherwise Endless replaces it with the component SKUs, at the line quantity times each component quantity, even when the components are short. Yes always uses the components. No keeps the alias SKU, so the building needs stock received under the alias SKU. With No, you can still select “Use components” on the line of a Draft fulfillment order.

Stock received under the alias SKU is counted separately from the stock of the product it points to. To keep one stock pool, do not receive stock under the alias SKU and leave Fulfill with components on Auto or Yes.