Understanding Active vs Inactive vs Transferred Items in Canix

Managing Items across Metrc and Canix can be confusing, especially when dealing with active, inactive, and transferred statuses (visible in Canix vs what is visible in Metrc). This guide explains what each status means, why inactive items appear, and how Canix helps simplify your workflows.

When you open Admin -> Facility Data -> Items in Canix (requires view permissions), you will see the Items Table, and the default "View"  === "Active", but there are a few other Default Views present.

Canix UI: Item Views Select Options for Default Views that Canix provides off-the-shelf.
⚠ Note: We are going to ignore the "Bulk Update Template" in this artilcle.

1. What Are Active Items?

Active Items are:

• Created directly in Canix or Metrc

• Available for selection when creating Packages.  

An Active Item is essentially a product record that can be used to associate Packages with the proper category, strain, and unit of measure according to Metrc rules.

⚠ Note: You will NEVER see Items in Canix with an "Active" status, when those items were received into your license from an external facility when you receive Incoming Transfers.

2. What Are Inactive Items?

Inactive Items are Items that exist in Metrc and Canix but are not currently active for your facility. They can appear because:

Deactivation in Canix or Metrc: Items may be intentionally deactivated by users in either system, making them unavailable for new packages or transfers.

⚠ Note: Inactive Items do not show up in the Metrc user interface, but Canix supports viewing these items in the Inactive tab on the Items table.

3. What Are Transferred Items?

Transferred Items are Items that exist in Metrc and Canix, but are currently inactive within your facility data Items Table, but still usable within your downstream workflows. 

They appear with a status === "Inactive", and your "Facility" (license) will ALWAYS differ from their "Transfer Source License", because:

Created Automatically by Metrc on Incoming Transfers (Important):

• When another facility sends a transfer to your Metrc license, Metrc automatically creates the Item tied to the incoming Package in your receiving facility.

• This Item's status property is marked INACTIVE by default (to match Metrc's behavior), but Canix adds an additional property Transfer Source License which you'll notice, is not the ssame as your current License Context in Canix. The Transfer Source License identifies these "Inactive" Item's as those which have been transferred into your current license (receiver of an incoming transfer), from an external license (sender of an outgoing transfer in Canix and whom have registered those Outgoing Transfers in their Metrc facility to dispatch as an Incoming Transfer to your Metrc facility) 

• This is a Metrc behavior that cannot be changed by third-party integrators or the receiving facility.

⚠ Note: Inactive Items do not show up in the Metrc user interface, but Canix supports viewing these items in the `Transferred` Views on the Items table.

4. How Canix Helps Simplify This

Because Metrc treats these Items as unique even when they represent the same SKU, it can lead to duplication and confusion for your team. To solve this, Canix provides a Product Catalog feature:

• Allows you to tie multiple Metrc Items (both Active and Inactive) to one Canix Product.

• Ensures that inventory for the "same SKU" can be sold, transferred, or reported under a single product in Canix.

• Reduces manual cleanup and makes it easier for sales and inventory teams to work with consolidated product listings.

⚠ Note: Canix makes it easy to see every item, by selecting the "All" Views for Items.

5. Key Takeaways

• Active Items are created in Canix and synced as usable Items in Metrc.

• Bulk Update Template is a view tool to export facility data's Items for:

  • Standalone Canix Facilities to create and update their Items in bulk

  • Metrc-Integrated Canix Facilities to update your Canix-only fields in bulk (does not create items nor trigger any changes in Metrc)

• Inactive Items resulting from manual deactivation in either Canix or Metrc

• Transferred Items are automatically created during incoming transfers, and the your Item's Facility License ID will ALWAYS differ from the Transferred Source License 

• All Items is an Item View enabling customers in any Canix facility type to view the full list of every Item Type (regardless of the Item's status property).

• Metrc assigns different Item IDs to these records, even if names match.

• Canix’s Product Catalog links active and inactive Items under one Product, ensuring seamless inventory and sales workflows.