Additional Serial Number Considerations

Changing Serial Number Types

Changing the serial number type for an item that has no stock transaction (e.g. a new item) poses no problems.

Changing the serial number type when tractions exist is a different matter, especially when stock on hand is non-zero. Exo Business provides tools that allow the user to align the list of serials with the stock level without also creating stock transactions (i.e. not altering basic stock keeping field). These tools are locked by default.

Access to the serial number editing tools is controlled by the User-level profile setting Allow serial number override. If it is set to "Y", two additional buttons are available on the Serials tab of the Stock Item Details account screen:

• Add new serial numbers - request the quantity of serials to be added and then input a list of serials.

• Remove the selected serial number - delete the serial row highlighted in the grid (a confirmation dialog appears).

Crediting Serials (Returns)

When crediting serial numbered stock, the system offers a list of serial numbers for selection from serial numbers previously traded with that business partner (Debtor or Creditor). Items that are set to "Fully Tracked" will not permit entry of serials that do not exist in the selection list. Other serialised stock items that are appropriate for the trading partner may either be selected from the offered serial list or a new serial number can be created.  

Creation of serial numbers on return for a "Fully Tracked" item is blocked by default. The intent is to block fraudulent returns from a customer or prevent an item being returned to the incorrect supplier. Some circumstances may mean that this restriction is not appropriate, e.g. when the Exo Business software has been implemented after some trading of these items has commenced. It may be necessary to process a return for an item legitimately traded on a previous occasion whose transaction was never recorded in an Exo Business database.  

The profile setting Serials numbers creation on return allows for loosening these controls. It has the following values:

• No –  the system is constrained for both Creditors & Debtors (default)

• Creditors return – no constraint on Creditors but Debtors constrained

• Debtors return – no constraint on Debtors but Creditors constrained

• Both Debtors & Creditors return – neither Creditors nor Debtors are constrained

Deferred Invoicing

This refers to the case where a Debtors or Creditors invoice is created at a later time (i.e. not in same process as stock transaction). This occurs when costing receipts or supplying Sales Orders and the invoice is not generated at the same time.

In a partial invoice situation (invoicing less than supplied), the system matches the serials by invoice reference from the linked stock transaction (i.e. Exo Business finds the stock transaction for the invoice and locates serials with a matching link). This assumes that there has not been a subsequent stock transaction of the same class prior to invoicing (e.g. a customer return between supply and invoice). Processing of different classes is accommodated (e.g. item is received from supplier, supplied to customer, customer invoice raised, creditor invoice processed).

Last-link Storage

When multiple transactions of a similar class occur for the same serial number (e.g. a Debtors Invoice followed by a Debtors Credit Note for goods return) the links are only maintained for the last movement. Each document class has its own set of links and therefore do not interfere with each other.

In the case of a credit note, for example, the STOCK_SERAILNOS fields INVSEQNO, STOCKOUTSEQNO and DRINVLINESEQNO will point at the Credit Note and the links from the serial number to the original invoice are lost. If the invoice was created from a sales order then the original sales order links are still retained, provided that the credit note was manually entered and not a negative quantity sales order.

Note that STOCKINSEQNO and STOCKOUTSEQNO are direct (non-visible) links to the STOCK_TRANSACTIONS table and apply to multiple business transaction classes. A STOCKINSEQNO originally linked to the STOCK_TRANS for an INWARDS_GOODS_LINE may be overwritten with the link to a STOCK_TRANS associated with a CR_INVLINE used to return the goods to supplier. Both the IGRLINESEQNO and the CRINVLINESEQNO in STOCK_SERAILNOS remain valid but the original STOCKINSEQNO link to the STOCK_TRANS for the incoming goods is lost.

Maintaining all this history would require an additional table and would add additional complexity to the internal processing. It was decided that this was not warranted as usually only the last stock movement of that business type for a given serial number was of interest.  

Serial history may have been recorded by document if creating PDF output of business documents.

Stock Take

By default serialised items are included in a stock take setup.  Serials can be excluded from this process.

Note: To exclude serial numbered items from stock take, enable the Company-level profile setting Exclude stock items with serial numbers from stock take, or tick the Exclude Serialised Stock Items option on the on the Stock Take Options window.

Stock adjustments for serial numbered items pose their own considerations:

• If the stock item is of serial type Fully Tracked, then any adjustments must also provide the additional serials or determine which serials to be removed. This can be done by keying stock adjustments in the Stock Movements screen.

• Other serial types do not insist that the sum of serials for a stock item / location combination match the stock level. It therefore becomes the user's choice if serial numbers are to be adjusted in association with stock take discrepancies. This consideration would normally only apply to serial types with the Internal attribute.

Reference Field

Serial numbers also offer an alphanumeric reference field for each serial item. This field has no special significance and can be used to store any additional information. Up to 30 characters is accommodated per serialised item.

This field is always present but can be hidden, if not required, by using the visible column attribute of the Exogrids.  Blank or null entries are permitted so use is optional.

Tip: Adding the menu item Setup Stock Serial Numbers accommodates correcting serial reference numbers and even changing an existing mis-keyed serial number.  This item is not installed to the default menus for security reasons.

 Although serial numbers are identified during processing by their recorded serial number the system assigns each serial number a unique identifier to each item (SEQNO). Exo Business does not use the actual value of the serial number field for linking purposes therefore this tool can safely change it.  This is useful if say some goods were accidentally receipted (created) with the wrong serial number.  Uniqueness of serial numbers within a stock item is still an imposed constraint.

Note: Extra Fields functionality is not supported on the STOCK_SERIALNOS table.