GS1-128 Barcodes in Acumatica ERP

The barcodes of the GS1 family are widely used to handle the general distribution and logistics throughout the supply chain of companies. In MYOB Advanced, the GS1-128 (previously known as UCC-128 and EAN-128) barcodes from the GS1 family are supported.

The Structure of the GS1-128 Barcode

A GS1-128 barcode is composed of the following elements, from left to right and shown in the following graphic:



  1. Left quiet zone: A blank space that precedes the start character of a barcode. Barcode scanners use this space to understand where the barcode begins so the code can be read as intended.
  2. A start character (A, B, or C): The characters that define the corresponding code set to be used in the data.
  3. The Function 1 Symbol Character (FNC1): A separator character. It is also used to indicate the end of the item-specific information for Application Identifiers (AI)with a variable character length.
  4. Data: The information about the item, which consists of GS1 Application Identifiers represented in character set A, B, or C, and the item-specific information for each Application Identifier. For more information on Application Identifiers, see the Application Identifiers section.
  5. A symbol check character: The character that is used to verify the barcode's data accuracy.
  6. The stop character: The character that is used to indicate the end of the readable data.
  7. Right quiet zone: A blank space that follows the stop character of a barcode. Barcode scanners use this space to define where the barcode ends so the code can be read as intended.
  8. Human Readable Interpretation (HRI) characters: The characters that ensure that the information encoded in the barcode can be read by humans. HRI characters can be useful if part of the barcode is missing or illegible so the barcode scanner cannot read the encoded data.

Application Identifiers

The GS1 standard provides a method of defining the data meaning and format by using the list of Application Identifiers. In HRI characters, the AIs are numeric prefixes—for example, 01, which stands for Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). Each AI is succeeded by the item-specific data of a predefined character length and format. For example, the GTIN Application Identifier must contain 14 digits and does not require the FNC1 character. It may look as follows: (01)12345678912345.

If the Application Identifier's character length may vary, it requires the FNC1 character to indicate where it ends so that a barcode scanner can identify where another Application Identifier starts.

The GS1-128 barcode can contain multiple Application Identifiers encoded in the data part. The following table shows the Application Identifiers that can be used in the MYOB Advanced workflow.

Table 1. Application Identifiers Effective in Acumatica ERP
AI Data Content Format FNC1 Required
01 Global Trade Item Number 14 digits No
02 GTIN of the contained trade items 14 digits No
10 Batch or lot number From 2 to 20 digits or letters Yes
21 Serial number From 2 to 20 digits or letters Yes
15 Best before date (YYMMDD) 6 digits No
17 Expiration date (YYMMDD) 6 digits No

When you scan a GS1-128 barcode that contains the AI from the table, the system inserts the values to the internal database table. On the Automated Warehouse Operations forms, the system automatically inserts the values in the appropriate boxes.

For the complete list of GS1 Application Identifiers, see GS1 General Specifications.

About Barcode Scanners

To scan a GS1-128 barcode, you need a barcode scanner that supports the GS1 standard, or the Acumatica mobile application. For additional information about barcode scanners, see the Acumatica ERP Knowledge Base.

UOM Mapping

On the GS1 Units tab of the Inventory Preferences (IN101000), you need to map the units of measure coded in the GS1-128 barcode to the units of measure specified on the Units of Measure (CS203100) form. When mapping is configured for a particular unit of measure and you scan a GS1-128 barcode that contains document lines with quantities in this unit of measure, the system converts the scanned value to the quantity and unit of measure specified on the Units of Measure form.

Use of Barcodes for Particular Stock Items

In MYOB Advanced, you can specify the barcodes to be used as alternate IDs for stock items on the Cross-References tab of the Stock Items (IN202500) form. To add each barcode for a stock item, in a row of this tab, you need to specify the value—the item-specific information part of the (01) or (02) Application Identifiers on the barcode— in the Alternate ID column.

Tip: Note that (01) or (02) Application Identifiers should be numeric. That is, the alternate identifier should contain only digits.

In the row, you should also specify the appropriate UOM, lot/serial class, and unit conversion, if required. Any number of barcodes can be entered for the same item, each in a separate row of this tab.