1. Using Routing
  2. Automate Required Inventory Pickup Creation Using Bulk Routing

Automate Required Inventory Pickup Creation Using Bulk Routing

Bulk routing may auto-create inventory pickup activities to obtain required inventory pieces from the nearest warehouse and handle the changes during intra-day routing re-optimization runs. This increases the autorouted percentage value and improves routing quality as the same mobile worker completes more activities.

Overview

Bulk routing automatically creates Warehouse Visit activities to pick up required inventory from nearby warehouses. This increases the percentage of auto-routed activities and improves route quality by enabling the same mobile worker to complete more jobs without manual planning.

  • Inventory-based assignment and inventory pickup are enabled by default.
  • Auto-creation prerequisites for Warehouse Visits:
    • At least one active Warehouse Visit activity type exists. If multiple are active, the most recently added active type is used for auto-created visits.
    • At least one resource with the Warehouse role matches the routing plan’s assignment rules and has the required inventory available.
  • Mobile worker compatibility rules:
    • When auto warehouse visits can be added, all technicians are considered compatible, regardless of current on-hand inventory.
    • When auto warehouse visits cannot be added, only technicians who already have the required inventory on hand are considered compatible.
    • Warehouse role required: Only resources with the Warehouse role can be used as warehouses. The legacy “Treat as warehouse” priority is removed and is not used.
    • Unified Filters: The Filters page uses assignment rules (Add assignment rule). Where a single line is present, the label shows All instead of Other.
  • Use resources outside the routing bucket:
    • For Immediate Routing plans, this control is located under Assignment and Fallback.
    • For other plan types, configure it where available in the plan.

Setup and Configuration

  1. Review Warehouse Visit activity type:
    • Oracle Fusion Field Service includes a Warehouse Visits activity type group and a default Warehouse Visit activity type.
    • If the default Warehouse Visit activity type does not meet your organization needs, you can edit it or create another Warehouse Visit activity type. Set default duration, time slots, and features. Support of Inventory and Support of not-ordered activities remain enabled by default for this group.
    • Pending Warehouse Visit activities are color-coded (purple) on Manage and Dispatch Console.
      Note: If multiple Warehouse Visit activity types are active, Routing uses the most recently added active type for auto-created visits.
  2. Add a Warehouse resource type:
    • Create a resource type that uses the Warehouse role. Ensure it is active.
    • Select the options Routing can assign activities and Used for quota management as needed.
  3. Create and configure a Warehouse resource:
    • Choose its place in the resource tree (inside the routing bucket, or outside its hierarchy).
    • If the warehouse is outside the routing bucket:
      • The warehouse must share at least one work zone with the routing bucket.
      • For Immediate Routing plans, enable Use resources outside the routing bucket under Assignment and Fallback. For other plan types, configure this setting where available.
      • The activity’s work zone must match the warehouse’s work zone.
      • Set a Start location (address) and a working calendar for all days/hours the warehouse is open. Routing can create Warehouse Visit activities only if both location and calendar are specified.
  4. Fill the Warehouse resource with inventory
    • Add inventory via API or manually on the Resource Inventory screen for the warehouse resource (Add to Resource, then add inventory items).
  5. Update the Inventory Identifier screen configuration (optional but recommended)
    • To display Booked Quantity for each inventory item, add the Booked Quantity property to the Identify equipment by screen context under the Collaboration and Identifiers section of the user type configuration.
    • The Quantity field does not change when a Warehouse Visit is created; the system tracks reservations separately as Booked Quantity.
  6. Add resource conditions for use in routing plans
    • In the routing plan’s Filters page, click Add assignment rule and define resource conditions that include Warehouse role resources (or equivalent identifiers you maintain).
    • Use the All label where a single activity or resource line exists.
  7. Configure the routing plan
    • Do not enable inventory-related toggles; inventory-based assignment and inventory pickup are on by default and not shown as settings.
    • Auto-creation of Warehouse Visits occurs when both prerequisites are met (active Warehouse Visit type and eligible Warehouse role resource with required inventory).
    • Compatibility rules:
      • If auto warehouse visits can be added, all technicians are considered compatible regardless of on-hand inventory.
      • If auto warehouse visits cannot be added, only technicians with the required inventory on hand are compatible.
      • Inventory timing: Assignment considers the Number of days prior to activity date that inventory is required parameter. For migrated plans that previously had inventory-based routing disabled, this value is 0 days. For new plans, it defaults to 99 days.
  8. Plan for recurrent optimization:
    • Throughout the day, new, canceled, or changed activities can affect booked and available warehouse inventory.
    • Best practice is to run recurrent optimization plans on the bucket. Routing can add, modify, or remove Warehouse Visit activities and update warehouse reservations as conditions change, including when multiple Warehouse Visits serve a single customer activity.
    • You may create daily placeholder Warehouse Visit activities in routes to account for time. If a subsequent optimization detects no missing inventory, Routing removes the placeholder automatically.
    Note:
    • Required inventory pickups are created automatically when conditions are met, improving assignment rates and overall efficiency.
    • Warehouse inventory reservations (Booked Quantity) reflect changes made by routing optimization.

Best practices and recommendations

  • Moving automatically created Warehouse Visit activities
    • You can manually edit automatically created Warehouse Visits, but it is not recommended due to potential side effects on other activities. If changes jeopardize the route or the Warehouse Visit, a warning appears.
  • Working with both regular and automatically created Warehouse Visits
    • Auto-created Warehouse Visits (for required inventory) can coexist with regular Warehouse Visits created manually or via API (for example, trunk stock replenishment).
    • Regular and auto-created visits may be bundled when they share the same address (the warehouse resource’s Start location).
    • Option A: Use separate activity types—one in the Internal group for manually managed visits, and another in the Warehouse Visits group for auto-created visits.
    • Option B: Use the same Warehouse Visits activity type for both. Auto-created inventory requirements are added to the pre-created visit; if no inventory is needed, the visit is removed. To retain future placeholders, configure plans to remove only today’s warehouse visits when not needed.
  • Working with multiple Warehouse Visit types
    • You can create multiple Warehouse Visit activity types (for example, distinct durations for contractors vs. in-house). When multiple types are active, Routing uses the most recently added active type for auto-created pickups.
  • Working with visits created by Order Parts plug-in v2
    • If you use an order pickup plug-in based on the sample code (plug-in-order-parts-collection_v2.zip) with follow-up creation turned on in the same routing bucket:
      • Ensure the inventory items ordered via the plug-in are different from those stocked in the warehouse.
      • Prohibit moving activities between providers and reordering for activities created by the plug-in.
    • Before deploying plug-ins or sample code, verify they align with Oracle security and compliance guidelines.

API Integration

Quota and Capacity Considerations

Warehouse Visits consume time. To compensate, consider reserving quota by setting thresholds below 100% for capacity categories impacted by inventory pickup.

Limitations

Routing by inventory does not support segmentable activities. Required inventory pickups are not created for such activities.

Warning messages and troubleshooting

The application displays one of the following messages if the warehouse resource cannot be used:

Warning How to fix
Mobile worker cannot be used as a warehouse Fix the filter used for "Treat as warehouse" to exclude mobile workers. Do note that buckets are recommended to be used for warehouses.
A resource sharing inventory in teamwork cannot be used as a warehouse Disable ability to share resources in teamwork for a given resource type.
A resource without Start Location cannot be used as a warehouse Make sure that Start Locations are assigned for warehouse resources for all the days covered by routing plan
A resource without working calendar cannot be used as a warehouse Make sure that Working Schedules are assigned for warehouse resources for all the days covered by routing plan
A resource without inventory cannot be used as a warehouse Make sure that warehouse could have an inventory. Make sure that inventory was assigned to a warehouse.