How to Use Serial Control

Purchase Order Receiving

Purchased item serial numbers can originate during PO-C  Receive Purchase Orders.  After a transaction is fully received and posted, a serial control screen will be presented for any received items that are coded to require serial control.

The purchase order number, vendor, item number, description, and date fields automatically display information from the purchase order.  The cursor is located in the Serial Number field.  Enter a serial number.  If it is a new serial number, the program will indicate that the serial number is not on file and will ask you if you wish to add it.  If yes, it will create an entry in the serial file for the new serial number.

You will then be asked if you want to enter notes.  If yes, you can enter free form notes to be stored against this serial number, as well as an optional expiration date, which might be useful with perishable items.

After saving each record the PO serial control screen will continue presenting itself until a serial number has been entered for each unit received.

Issuing or Backflushing Materials to Work Orders

Materials are issued to work orders individually or as kits through WO-G  Issue Materials.  Materials can also be backflushed after-the-fact through WO-I  Enter Finished Production.  In all four programs, serial control is handled identically.

If a component coded to require serial control is issued either individually, through a kit issue, or through a backflush, the cursor will stop at the Serial Number field and a message will ask for a serial number.  You may view and select from available serial numbers for this component by clicking on the Lookup icon (or press F2).  If you enter a new serial number or make an incorrect entry, you will receive a message indicating the serial number is not on file, do you wish to add it?  If yes, it will create a new serial number.

You will not be allowed to leave the Serial Number field until you've entered a serial number for each unit issued.

Enter Finished Production

Finished production is entered through WO-I  Enter Finished Production.  If the item number being manufactured is coded to require serial control, the cursor will stop at the Serial Number field.  Enter a serial number or select one by clicking on the Lookup icon (or press F2).

If you enter a new serial number, you will receive a message indicating the serial number is not on file, do you wish to add it?  If yes, it will create a new serial number in the serial file.  After entering the serial number, you will be asked if you wish to enter notes.  If yes, you can enter free form notes in a pop-up window along with an optional expiration date, which can be useful with perishable type items.  Once the notes are entered, the record will be saved.  The screen will continue presenting itself until a serial number is entered for each unit.

Automatic Serial Number Generation

If you have entered parameters for automatic generation of Serial Numbers at SC-G Enter Serial Generation Parameters then when you click the "Auto Generate" button, the program will display the next serial number in the series.  You can accept it or change it, enter an expiration date if applicable, and then click process and the program will generate all the serial numbers needed and save the last number used back to the Serial Parameters file.  If any serial number that it is trying to create already exists, the number will be skipped and the next available number will be used.

Sales Order Entry

Serial numbers can be assigned within SO-A  Enter Sales Orders.  This feature can be useful if you are pre-assigning serial numbers in advance or if you are using the instant invoice capability.

To assign serial numbers within sales order entry, you must set the Rdy? flag to Y.  They Rdy? flag is the last field in the sales order header area.

When the sales order is saved, if any items on the sales order are coded to require serial control, you will be asked if you wish to assign serial control information at this time.  If you indicate yes, you will be presented with the serial control entry window.

The sales order number, customer, item number, description, and date  fields automatically display information from the sales order.  The cursor is located in the Serial Number field.

Enter a serial number.  You may select a serial number for this item number from a pop-up window by clicking on the Lookup icon (or press F2).  If you do a lookup, a list of available serial numbers will appear and you may select (tag) as many as needed by clicking on them.  When you have finished with the selection, click Save.

If you enter a new serial number or make an incorrect entry, you will receive a message indicating the serial number is not on file, do you wish to add it?  If yes, it will create a new record in the serial number file.

You will then be asked if you want to enter notes.  If yes, you can enter free form notes to be stored against this serial number, as well as an optional expiration date, which might be useful with perishable items.

After saving the record the screen will continue presenting itself until it receives a serial number for each unit.

Releasing Sales Orders

When you release sales orders through SO-E  Release Sales Orders, the program will check for any items coded for serial control.  If you have not already assigned serial numbers within the sales order (see above), you will be asked if you wish to assign serial control.

If you answer yes, the entry procedure is identical to that described in the previous section.

Invoice Posting

Inventory is reduced and serial numbers are depleted when invoices are posted through SO-G  Post Invoices.  After invoices are fully posted, the program will check for any items that are coded for serial control that did not have serial numbers fully assigned either in SO-A, Enter Sales Orders, or SO-E, Release Sales Orders.  The same serial control entry window will be presented for any shipped items that are coded to require serial control, and the entry steps are identical to those described in the Sales Order Entry section above.

Adjust Physical Levels

Inventory levels can be adjusted IN-K  Adjust Physical Levels.  In theory the on-hand inventory for an item coded for serial control should agree with the sum total of all its serial number quantities.

If you change a physical count for an item coded for serial control, you will receive a warning that this could cause a discrepancy between the on-hand quantity and the serial file quantity.

It is better to adjust inventory for serial control items through IN-C  Enter Inventory Adjustments so that both the on-hand and serial quantities get adjusted at the same time (see below).

Inventory Adjustments

Inventory can be adjusted through IN-C  Enter Inventory Adjustments.  This program is only used for minor adjustments that are not performed through purchase orders, work orders, or sales orders.

Whenever inventory is adjusted for an item that requires serial control, a pop-up window will request entry of a serial number.  The window will continue presenting itself until a serial number is entered for each unit being adjusted.

Invoice and Packing Slip Printing

If you set the Print Serial Listing after Invoices/Packing Slips? default to Y in SD-K  Lot and Serial Control Defaults, when printing graphical format invoices or packing slips in the sales order module, the serial numbers will be included in a list after each shipped line.  When printing text formats, you will be asked if you wish to print a serial listing.  If you answer yes, an additional page will be printed with a list of any serial numbers associated with that invoice or packing list.