Inventory Management

Serial Tracking

Serial Tracking assigns a unique serial number to each unit and follows it through receiving, production, transfers, shipping, returns, and adjustments. It enforces one-to-one matching (serials = quantity) and blocks duplicates, giving audit-ready traceability for quality, warranty/RMA, and compliance. Optional auto-generation speeds high-volume entry and keeps formats consistent.

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 → SettingsGeneralTracking 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 FormatSave.

  • ⚠️ 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.