Defining Lot Numbers for Samples

Siebel Samples Management allows you to define your samples and promotional items according to a number of different implementation scenarios. By specifying certain product settings, you can make Siebel Samples Management suit your company’s strategy for inventory tracking and distribution of samples. You can implement samples using lot numbers in the following ways:

• Tracking samples for inventory purposes at a lot level or a sample product level.

• Disbursing some products with lots and others without lots.

• Managing existing samples that have already been distributed and tracked without lot numbers in Siebel Samples Management.

• Using lot numbers for samples creation, transfers, adjustments, orders, and call reporting, but not using lot numbers for inventory and reconciliation. For more information, see Managing Inventory Tracking and Reconciliation Without Lot Numbers.

Before you can track samples by lot number, you must:

• Verify that the Samples Lots Enabled system preference is set to TRUE (the default setting). For more information, see Disabling Lot Number Tracking.

• Define the products that will be disbursed as samples. For more information, see Defining Internal Products.

• Define the lot numbers for each product. For more information, see the procedure in this topic.

If you track disbursements at the lot number level, you can track inventory with or without using lot numbers. For more information on disabling lot number tracking see Disabling Lot Number Tracking. For more information on reconciliation without lot numbers, see Managing Inventory Tracking and Reconciliation Without Lot Numbers and Enabling Inventory Reconciliation Without Lot Numbers.

If you are implementing either full or partial lot number tracking for samples use the following procedure to define the lot numbers associated with those samples. This procedure creates lot number records that are children of the parent sample product record. For more information setting up lot tracking, see Defining Internal Products.

Existing products (that is, products that were previously defined without lot number tracking specified) cannot be tracked by lot number if they exist in any user inventory. To begin tracking lot numbers for an existing product, you must create a new product record with a product name indicating that this product will be tracked by lot number. For example, if the existing product is named Aracid 200, you could name the new product Aracid 200 (Lot).

To define lot numbers

1. Verify that you have specified the correct settings for the products to be disbursed as samples.

   For more information on setting up lot tracking, see Defining Internal Products paying specific attention to the table in the topic Product Categorization Settings and the table in the topic About Samples and Promotional Items Settings.

2. Navigate to the Sample Management screen, then the Lot Setup view.

3. In the Lot Setup list, create a new record and complete the necessary fields.

   Some fields are described in the following table.

   Field	Comments
   Cut Off Date	This is non editable field and works in conjunction with the Short Days field. The initial value is calculated based on the expiration date and short days (if present). If the short days is not present, then expiration date will be the cut off date. Cut Off Date is Expiration Date - Short Days. At the time of sampling, this date helps the sales representative in disbursing the products based on the number of days from expiry.
   Expiration Date	This information can be used for recalls of expired products.
   Effective Start Date	The date of manufacture, the date on which the product was received, or another date defined by your company.
   Lot #	Enter an unique value that corresponds to the lot number printed on the label of the product.
   Inventory By Lot	Check this field if inventory tracking by lot number is required For more information, see Defining Internal Products paying specific attention to the table in the topic Product Categorization Settings and the table in the topic About Samples and Promotional Items Settings.
   Sample	The name of the product for which this lot number will be affiliated. This field should indicate both product name and dosage. Only products that are set up for lot number tracking appear in the dialog box. For more information, see Defining Internal Products paying specific attention to the table in the topic Product Categorization Settings and the table in the topic About Samples and Promotional Items Settings.
   Short Days	Indicates the number of days before expiration from which the lot becomes short dated. If the sampling product has Short Days defined in the Administration - Product setup, then the Short Days value becomes the default value for this field. It can be modified by the administrator. Products which have passed the expiration date are not available to the sales representative at the time of sampling.
   Status	This is a read-only field which indicates whether the lot can be fulfilled. Possible values are: Good (if current date is less than cut off date) Expired (if current date is greater than expiration date) Short Dated (if current date is in between expiration date and cut off date)

4. Repeat Step 3 to define other lot numbers.

   Note: Multiple lot numbers can be defined for a sample product, as long as each lot number is unique.

You can also include the lot number in the product name when defining the product. For more information, see Defining Internal Products. However, using this method can make the drop-down lists that users select from very long. Only use this method if the number of products that will be disbursed is small.