Configure serial and batch numbers

10 minutes

You can assign batch numbers to groups of physical items and assign serial numbers to individual physical items. Then, the system specifies these numbers on the inventory transaction to identify the product that's being received or delivered.

You can use batch and serial numbers individually or together.

Scenario

Typically, you use batch and serials numbers when handling food and other types of products that humans consume, such as pharmaceuticals. You can also use them frequently in the handling of hazardous or sensitive materials, such as chemicals or items that require refrigeration.

In this scenario, assume that you have a large tank for producing dairy products. Before starting each production order, you clean and empty the tank. You produce 10,000 gallons of ice cream and then package the ice cream into one-gallon containers.

You can use the batch number to identify the batch or tank of ice cream that you produce. Then, you can use a serial number to uniquely identify each one-gallon container that you produce. By using this approach, you can trace the exact container and the tank of ice cream that you produce, even if you split up individual containers around the warehouse or ship them to different customers.

Serial numbers

You can assign serial numbers, manually or automatically, to products on receipt. Use manual allocation of serial and batch numbers if you want to trace the items back to the vendor.

For example, when you receive chemical or medical items, make sure that you continue to use the serial and batch numbers that your vendor provides so that you can fully trace and recall defective items throughout the supply chain.

Manual allocation of serial numbers requires you to set up the Inventory dimension group and a serial number for the specific item on the Serial number page. You can also set up serial numbers in advance.

Open the Serial numbers page from Inventory management > Inquiries and reports > Tracking dimensions > Serial numbers.

Assign serial numbers

You can manually assign a serial number to a product when you:

Work on a product directly on a sales or purchase order line.
Register the products at the time of item arrival.

You can enter any number directly on the line in the Serial number field. However, to have better control of serial numbers that you use for each item, create the serial numbers for a product number on the Serial numbers page.

If you manually assign serial numbers to item transactions, and the Tracking dimension group of the item has Serial number control selected, the system adds any manually assigned serial number to the Serial numbers page.

The system assigns the specified serial number in the Serial number field on the purchase order line to all products on the line. If Serial number control is selected for the Tracking dimension group, serial numbers must be unique for each item, and you can't assign a serial number to the order line if the quantity is greater than one.

When you enter the serial number, use the number (#) sign to indicate how many digits you want to appear in the serial number. The minimum amount of number signs in a serial number is as many as the number of digits in the item quantity.

The Create serial numbers button always creates unique serial numbers. If you want to have the same serial numbers assigned to a quantity other than one, enter serial numbers manually in the Transactions/Register now pane and then use the split functionality. Alternatively, you can use a number group to automatically create serial numbers with a fixed quantity other than one unit.

If the system automatically assigns serial numbers, then it won't add the serial numbers that you enter on purchase or production order lines to the Serial numbers page.

Batch numbers

You must create a batch number before the system can assign it to a product. Unlike serial number assignment, you can't enter a batch number directly in the Batch number field on the order line. Rather, you need to create it on the Batch number page and then select it from the line in the sales or purchase order.

To create or view batch numbers, go to Inventory management > Inquiries and reports > Tracking dimensions > Batches to create tracking numbers for batch numbers that the system can assign to a product.

Tracking number groups

If you want to use automatic allocation of serial or batch numbers, go to Inventory management > Setup > Dimensions > Tracking number groups to create tracking numbers for serial and batch numbers that the system assigns to a product.

To automatically allocate serial or batch numbers, you can create a number group and assign it to the item. You can assign serial and batch numbers to several products, sequentially from the same number group.

In the General field group, specify when and how the system assigns the automatic number by considering the following fields:

Manual - Select to assign manual serial and batch numbers to the products that are associated with this number group.
Only for inventory transactions - Select to assign the generated numbers to the transaction instead of, for example, the purchase order line. The system generates and assigns the serial and batch numbers when you create a purchase order. You can't view the numbers from the purchase order line. However, the Transactions page shows one transaction with one serial or batch number.
On physical update - Select to assign the generated number when you make a product transaction. Essentially, the system doesn't generate serial and batch numbers until you post a packing slip and a picking list registration. You can't view the serial numbers on the purchase order line. However, the Transactions page shows one transaction with one serial number.
Per qty. - Specify the quantity of products to assign to the generated number. To assign unique serial numbers and batch numbers, enter 1 in the Per qty. field. You must turn on the Only for inventory transactions option for this field to be active.

For example, if you select the Only for inventory transactions option, the system specifies 25 in the Per qty. field, makes a purchase order for 60 products, and then generates three batch or serial numbers when you create the purchase order. Then, the system assigns 25 products to the first batch or serial number, another 25 products to the second batch or serial number, and 10 products to the third serial number.

For example, you turn on the Serial number control option in the Serial numbers FastTab for a product. As a result, an error appears if you try to post the packing slip with a product if the Per qty. field shows 2 for the Serial number group.

If you don't select any of these fields, the system assigns one batch or serial number to the purchase order line when you create and save a new order.

Consider the following fields for automatic activations:

Order activation - Select to turn on automatic number allocation in the Accounts receivable and Sales and marketing modules. This setting also generates new numbers when someone returns products by credit notes.
Purchase activation - Select to turn on automatic number allocation in the Accounts payable and Procurement and sourcing modules.
Inventory activation - Select to turn on automatic number allocation in the Inventory and warehouse management module. For example, you discover five products in your warehouse that aren't in the inventory. To add the products to inventory, make an Inventory Adjustment journal for the five products. When you post the journal, the system allocates serial numbers to the products according to the settings of the tracking number group.
Production activation - Select to turn on automatic number assignment in the Production control module.
Kanban activation - Select to turn on automatic number assignment in lean manufacturing.

The normal setup is to select all fields except Order activation because you don't want to turn on the change of serial numbers when someone performs a return action.