Serial Tracking

Overview / Insight

• Serial Tracking assigns a unique serial number to each unit and follows that unit across locations and inventory stages (receiving, shipping, transfers, builds, adjustments).

• It improves traceability (quality/recall), accuracy, and accountability.

• Works in two modes inside transactions: add serials (bring into stock) and remove serials (take from stock).

• System rules: serial numbers must be unique , quantity must be an integer for serial-tracked items, and the count of serials must equal the quantity on each transaction or save is blocked.

Where to Access

• System setup : Top-right User name → Settings → General tab → Tracking Settings

  • ✅ Enable Serial Tracking (auto-saves)

  • (Optional) ✅ Enable Auto Serial Number

• Per-item setup : Inventory → Items → Add New / Edit → Inventory tab

  • Track Serial Numbers

  • (Optional) Auto Serial Number + Auto Serial Number Format

  • Initial stock serials: General tab → Initial Stock Quantity , then Inventory tab → Initial Stock Serials

• Serial list & history: Inventory → Serial List

  • Click a serial to open Serial History (modal).

• In transactions : Item Receipt, Shipment, Transfer, Relocation, Adjustment (increase/decrease), Build (finished goods / component consumption), Restock.

Key Attributes (all settings & rules)

Core settings

• Enable Serial Tracking : Turns on serial control platform-wide.

  • ⚠️ If you disable it, all serial-tracking data is deleted and cannot be undone.

Enable Auto Serial Number (optional): Auto-generates serials when you enter quantity for serial-tracked items.

• Benefits: No manual typing, prevents duplicates/missing serials, ideal for high volumes.

Per-item controls

• Track Serial Numbers (item level): Activates serial tracking for the item.

• Initial Stock Serials : If the item has beginning inventory, you must enter the same count of serials as the initial quantity.

• Add to existing items : If stock already exists, you must initialize serials for that on-hand quantity (you’ll see “Serial tracking not initialized” → use Adjust Stock to load serials).

Auto Serial Number Format (required when using auto-generation)

• Token requirement : The format must contain exactly one auto-increment token:

[[INCNUM,resetCycle,digits,startNumber]]

• Reset cycles :

  • NONE – never resets (e.g., [[INCNUM,NONE,4,1]] → 0001, 0002, …)

  • DAILY – resets each day (today: 0001…; tomorrow: 0001…)

  • MONTHLY – resets on the 1st of each month

• Other tokens : Plain text; date/time tokens ([[DATE]], [[YEAR]], [[MONTH]], [[DAY]], etc.).

• Examples :

  • SN-[[INCNUM,NONE,6]] → SN-000001, SN-000002, …

  • ITEM-[[YEAR]][[MONTH]]-[[INCNUM,DAILY,4]] → ITEM-202412-0001, …

  • [[DATE]]-[[INCNUM,NONE,3,1]] → 2024-12-01-001, 2024-12-01-002, 2024-12-02-001, …

Validation & data rules

• Counts must match : Serial count must equal the transaction quantity (or initial stock).

• Uniqueness : Serial numbers must be unique system-wide; used serials can’t be reused.

• Integers only : Serial-tracked quantities must be integers.

• Save blocking : If counts don’t match, Save is disabled and an error is shown.

Key Functions (complete workflows & operations)

4.1 Platform enablement

1. Enable in Settings

   • User name → Settings → General → Tracking Settings → ✅ Enable Serial Tracking.

   • (Optional) ✅ Enable Auto Serial Number.

   • Verify both toggles (Auto is optional).

Item-level setup

New item

• Create item → Inventory tab → Track Serial Numbers.

• (Optional) Auto Serial Number + enter Auto Serial Number Format (use tokens; must include one [[INCNUM...]]).

• If there is initial stock: General → Initial Stock Quantity , then Inventory → Initial Stock Serials (enter exactly the same count of serials as the quantity).

Existing item

• Open item → Inventory tab → Track Serial Numbers.

• If on-hand exists, initialize serials: when “Serial tracking not initialized” appears, click Adjust Stock and enter the serials for the current stock.

• (Optional) Set Auto Serial Number Format → Save.

• ⚠️ Disabling serial tracking deletes all serial data (irreversible).

Serial Number Modal — entering serials

A) File upload

• Supported: .xlsx / .csv / .txt.

• Drag & drop or click to upload; duplicates are auto-removed.

B) Auto-generate (Prefix/Start/End/Padding/Suffix)

• Prefix : fixed text before numbers (e.g., SN-)

• Start : starting number (e.g., 1)

• End : auto-calculated after Start

• Padding : digit width (4 → 0001)

• Suffix : fixed text after numbers (e.g., -A)

• Examples:

  • SN- + Start 1 + Padding 4 → SN-0001, SN-0002, …

  • Start 100 + Padding 3 + Suffix -A → 100-A, 101-A, …

C) Manage the list

• Collapsed ranges by default (e.g., SN-0001 – SN-0010 (10)).

• Show all to expand; Collapse to compress.

• Delete one (trash icon) or Clear to remove all.

D) Quantity check & save

• Header shows (entered / required) , e.g., Serial numbers (5 / 10).

• Save is enabled only when counts match.

• ⚠️ Serials must be unique and match quantity exactly.

Use in transactions

Add serials (bring into stock)

• Item Receipt , Build (finished goods output), Adjustment (increase) , Restock.

• With Auto Serial Number on: serials auto-generate when you enter quantity.

• Or click Serials to open the modal and enter/import serials manually.

• Rules: serial count = quantity; serials unique; integer quantity only.

Remove serials (take from stock / consume)

• Adjustment (decrease) , Build (component CONSUME), Shipment , Transfer (move between locations), Relocation (move between companies).

• The modal lists on-hand serials for the item; select the ones to remove.

• Tools: Filter/Search , Select All , Auto Select , review selected list.

• Ensure selected count equals the quantity.

• Serials already used elsewhere can’t be selected.

General notes

• Quantity must be an integer for serial-tracked lines.

• Serials are unique across the system and cannot be reused once consumed/used.

4.5 Serial list & history

Serial List

• Inventory → Serial List shows all serials in a table.

Serial History (modal)

• Click a serial to open its detailed history.

• Each row links to the original transaction (opens in a new modal).

• Transaction types include: SHIP, RECEIVE, ADJUST, MOVEIN, MOVEOUT, BUILD, CONSUME, WORKBUILD, WORKCONSUME, RETURN

• Columns include Related Document , Date/Time , Quantity , Location.