Inventory Tracking
Setting Up Tracking
- All three options follow the same rule: the Batch No. / Serial No. and Expiry Date columns and View/Edit Serial Numbers appear only on Transaction Types with Enable Resolves that include one of these:
- Receive
- On Order
- Reserve
- Issue
- An Expiry Date column is also added to the entries:
- On receive and on order entries, enter the date on which the batch or the serial numbers on the entry expire.
- On reserve and issue entries, the column is read-only and filled in for you. With Batches, it is the expiry date of the selected batch’s last Goods Received. With Serial Numbers, it is the earliest expiry date of the selected serial numbers.
- Stock Adjustment Transaction Types can track batches only (see Stock Adjustments by Batch).
- The Serial Numbers and Batches views in Items, and the matching views in the Item Summary, appear only when at least one Transaction Type tracks serial numbers or batches.
Tracking is turned on for each Transaction Type with the Inventory > Enable Tracking setting. Turn it on for every Transaction Type on which batches or serial numbers must be recorded (e.g. Supplier Invoices, Goods Received and Customer Invoices).
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| None | Items are not tracked (the default). |
| Batches | A Batch No. column is added to the entries, and each entry takes one batch. The column appears only if Enable Resolves includes one of these:
|
| Serial Numbers | View/Edit Serial Numbers is added to the item submenu, so that you can record a serial number for each unit of the item. A Serial No. column shows the entry’s serial numbers as a list (for example, SN1, SN2, SN3, up to 100 characters). |
| Serial Number (Unchecked) | The serial numbers are entered in a Serial No. column on the entries (any text, like Batch No.).
|
How Tracking Works
- Stock is counted per location: a batch or serial number is available on an issue entry only if it is in stock at the entry’s Location.
- Only transactions in an inventory status count towards the stock of a batch or serial number. Cancelled and deleted transactions are ignored.
A receive entry is an entry with the Resolve value Receive, and an issue entry is an entry with the Resolve value Issue. You record the batch number or serial numbers on receive entries, and select them from the stock on issue entries.
- On Order entries work like receive entries: you enter the batch number and expiry date.
- Reserve entries work like issue entries: you select the batch or serial numbers from the stock at the entry’s location.
Batches
After you change an entry’s Location, save the entry so that the dropdown list shows the batches at the new location.
- A Batch No. column is added to the entries. Each entry takes one batch. To issue an item from more than one batch, add an entry for each batch (e.g. right-click the item and select Copy Item).
- Receive entries: Enter the batch number in the Batch No. column, and the Expiry Date if the batch expires.
- On Order entries: Enter the batch number, as on receive entries.
- Issue and Reserve entries: Select the batch from the dropdown list in the Batch No. column. The list shows the item’s batches that still have stock at the entry’s location, with the soonest expiry date first:
- Batch No.: The batch number.
- Expiry Date: The expiry date of the batch’s last receipt (Goods Received) at the location.
- Qty Balance: The quantity of the batch in stock at the location, in the item’s base unit. Stock Adjustment entries count in it (a positive adjustment as received, a negative adjustment as issued).
Stock Adjustments by Batch
- Count each batch of an item in its own entry (one batch per entry).
- Stock Adjustment Transaction Types cannot track serial numbers. A Stock Adjustment Transaction Type with Enable Tracking = Serial Numbers or Serial Number (Unchecked) shows the Transaction Setup error “Stock Adjustment can not use Serial Number tracking, use Batches or no tracking” (also in the transaction’s warning bar). Set Enable Tracking to Batches or blank on that type.
A Stock Adjustment Transaction Type (Enable Stock Adjustment = Yes) with Enable Tracking = Batches shows the Batch No. and Expiry Date columns on the entries, so that you can count and adjust each batch in its own entry.
- Batch No.: A dropdown list of the item’s batches with a balance at the entry’s Location (Batch No., Expiry Date and Qty Balance). You can also enter any other batch number (for example, a batch found in the count that is not in the system).
- In Stock: With a batch number, the balance of that batch at the entry’s location up to the transaction date, so Qty = Count − In Stock adjusts that batch only. Entries without a batch number adjust the whole item.
- Changing the batch number, the entry’s location or the transaction date, or selecting Update In Stock Qty, reads the batch balance again.
- Expiry Date: Can be edited. Selecting a batch fills it in from the batch when it is empty.
- Stock Adjustment entries count in the batch balances (a positive adjustment as received, a negative adjustment as issued) in these places:
- The Batch No. dropdown list on reserve and issue entries.
- The Items and Item Summary Batches views.
- The batch warnings. An adjustment beyond the batch balance shows “Batch issued Qty more than received Qty”.
Serial Numbers
An issue or reserve entry needs a Location before you can open View/Edit Serial Numbers. Otherwise, the message “Please select the Location of this item first. Available Serial Numbers are the stock at the Location.” appears.
Right-click the item and select View/Edit Serial Numbers to open the View/Edit Serial Numbers window. It is available on item (ITM) entries of a transaction you can edit. On a receive entry, you scan or enter the serial numbers. On an issue or reserve entry, you select them from the Available serial numbers in stock at the entry’s location (on a reserve entry, the button is named Reserve).
- The Serial No. column shows the entry’s serial numbers as a list.
- On a reserve or issue entry, the Serial No. column is also a dropdown list of the serial numbers in stock at the entry’s location (with their expiry date), like Batch No. It selects one serial number for the entry and fills in the expiry date. To put several serial numbers on an entry, use View/Edit Serial Numbers. On other entries, the column is read-only.
View/Edit Serial Numbers Fields Explained
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Serial No. | Scan or enter a serial number, then press Enter or click the button for the entry:
Blank entries are ignored. On an issue or reserve entry, the serial number must be in the Available list. Otherwise, the message “Serial Number … does not exist or is not in stock at this location.” or “Serial Number … is already selected.” appears. |
| Available | The item’s serial numbers in stock at the entry’s location that are not selected yet, with their expiry dates, soonest expiry date first. Double-click a serial number to move it to Selected. Appears only on issue and reserve entries. |
| Selected | The entry’s serial numbers, one per line. On an issue or reserve entry, double-click a serial number to move it back to Available. Right-click a serial number and select Delete to remove it, or Clear to remove all of them. The Selected caption appears only on issue and reserve entries. |
| Arrow buttons between the lists | Add Selected, Add All, Remove Selected and Remove All (the names appear when you hover over the buttons). They move the selected or all serial numbers between Available and Selected. They appear only on issue and reserve entries. |
| Arrows | Navigates to the previous or next item. Any changes are saved first. |
| Save | Saves the serial numbers. If the number of serial numbers differs from the item’s Qty, you are asked whether to update the Qty (for example, “Update Qty to 3?”). Click Yes (button) to set the Qty to the number of serial numbers. |
| Close | Saves any changes and closes the window. |
Moving Stock Between Locations
To move tracked stock from one location to another, issue it at the first location and receive it at the other, with the same batch number or serial numbers (e.g. with transfer transactions). No extra step is needed: the batch or serial numbers are then in stock at the new location, and a serial number moved between locations is not reported as received twice.
With Batches, a Transfer Receive Transaction Type (Transaction Setting Enable Transfer Receive = Yes) does not show the warning “Batch received more than once” when the Location To already holds the same batch, because a transfer moves the batch in. Other Transaction Types still show it.
Copying
Copying a transaction or an entry also copies its batch number or serial numbers and its expiry date.
Tracking Warnings
The warnings do not stop you from saving, but Done (button) shows the warning instead of changing the status. See Transaction Warnings and Troubleshooting for each warning and how to solve it.
The transaction’s Warning Bar shows a warning, followed by the batch or serial numbers, in cases such as these:
- A batch is received more than once at a location (except on a Transfer Receive).
- More of a batch is issued or adjusted out than was received (“Batch issued Qty more than received Qty”).
- A serial number is not in stock at the entry’s location.
Transaction Types with Serial Number (Unchecked) show no serial number warnings.