Configure tracking dimensions
Serial and batch numbers provide companies with the ability to trace their products through Supply Chain Management. The system uses the numbers for the following purposes:
Tracing
Quality assurance
Warranties
Traceability is useful for quality assurance purposes and when you deal with warranties for a product. The tracing functionality is especially important for items that represent a certain risk, such as medicine or chemicals, where defects in production can lead to item recall. It's equally important for guaranteed items to trace back to the date that the product was manufactured or sold.
Serial and batch numbers allow for this kind of functionality. You can assign serial numbers, batch numbers, or both, to an inventory item. You would assign serial numbers to individual items and batch numbers to a set of items.
You can use tracking dimensions to identify and determine how to track items. By using tracking dimensions, you can manage inventory on a detailed level.
A tracking dimension is a required field on every product that you set up in your system. As the name implies, you would use it if you need to track an item throughout its life. For example, you might assign batch numbers if you need to track an item back to the manufacturing of that item.
Batch numbers apply to a group of items, while a serial number applies to a single item. You can also specify if the batch or serial number is a required field when you process various transactions in the system. In some cases, you might create a tracking dimension if your product requires a serial number and batch number. You can also have products that have neither dimension assigned to the product.
Product information management > Setup > Dimension and variant groups > Tracking dimension groups
Tracking dimensions are necessary when you need to act based on a recall scenario. An example of a possible scenario would be if a company purchases products and then the vendor issues a recall due to some issues with those products. When you register the products before placing them in the proper location of a warehouse, you can find the products, pick them, and send them back through a vendor return order.
If a company accepts consignment items from vendors, which means the products belong to a vendor, unless the company changes ownership of the product, you can turn on the Owner dimension and use the Change ownership inventory journal. After ownership changes, it becomes the company's liability to process the vendor invoice and provide payment.
Lot ID refers to a transaction and not an item dimension, such as serial and batch numbers. The system automatically assigns the Lot ID to each sales or purchase line when you create it. It takes the number from the number sequence that's associated with the number sequence reference Lot No. in the inventory parameters. You can't make transactions without a Lot ID being assigned, unlike using batch numbers, when you can select to use them or not.
Serial and batch numbers are inventory tracking dimensions, and you can allocate them to products only when the products' tracking dimension group allows for it.
If you select the Serial number control parameter on the Tracking dimensions group page, the system only allows for inventory movements with a quantity of one.
To use this functionality, select the Serial number control slider for the relevant inventory dimension groups.
When you're physically receiving or updating items that arrive in the warehouse, the physical on-hand quantity plus the arrival quantity can't exceed one. The system automatically selects physical inventory to handle the control correctly. Usually, the Physical negative inventory field on the Inventory model groups page is clear. Therefore, the functionality is unchanged.
The tracking inventory dimensions that you can use to track items in the warehouse and outside of it are:
Batch number
Serial number
Owner
Trace inventory dimensions function
The Trace inventory dimensions function traces serial and batch numbers. It provides details of all other dimension values that are associated with the item.
If the parameters for tracing are specified on the Trace inventory dimensions page, you can change the Item number, Record ID, Lot ID, and Dimension number fields by selecting the Select button.
When you run the Trace inventory dimensions report, the result displays in a tree graphic. The Format field shows the format for the transactions.
You can use the Item tracing page to find details, such as transactions, associated quality orders, production orders, batch numbers, and more.
