Support Batch, Expiry, and Inventory Attribute Prompts in Pick Cart

In warehouse picking, the same item can exist with different batches, expiry dates, or inventory attributes in an LPN or active location. In such scenarios, picking an inventory line without confirming the batches, expiry dates, or inventory attributes can cause mismatches between physical pick inventories and system records.

To avoid inventory mismatches, we have enhanced Mobile Pick Cart (rf.outbound.cwrfpickcart) transaction to prompt for batch/expiry/inventory attributes for items that track these values. When the same item with exists with different batch/expiry/inventory attribute combinations in the allocated LPN or active location, you can now scan and validate the specific inventory line.

NOTE: The system prompts for batch, expiry, or inventory attributes only when the scanned item tracks those values.

To control batch/expiry/inventory attribute prompts during Pick Cart transaction, we have added the following screen parameter to the rf.outbound.cwrfpickcart module:

Screen Parameter	Parameter Value	Behavior
prompt-batch-expiry-attr	Blank	Default behavior: The system doesn’t prompt for batch, expiry, or inventory attributes. The system displays consolidated item quantity regardless of multiple inventory lines.
Always Prompt	After you scan an item, the system always prompts in the following sequence: Batch or expiry (expiry prompt appears only if the item tracks expiry but not batch; if it tracks both, the screen prompts only for batch). All tracked inventory attributes (Attributes A to G). The quantity prompt displays quantity for the selected inventory line.
Prompt for Conflicting Values	The system prompts to enter only conflicting batch, expiry, or inventory attribute values to select the allocated inventory line from the LPN or active location. After the system identifies the inventory line, the quantity prompt displays quantity for that line.

Screen Parameter

Parameter Value

Behavior

prompt-batch-expiry-attr

Blank

Default behavior: The system doesn’t prompt for batch, expiry, or inventory attributes. The system displays consolidated item quantity regardless of multiple inventory lines.

Always Prompt

After you scan an item, the system always prompts in the following sequence:

Batch or expiry (expiry prompt appears only if the item tracks expiry but not batch; if it tracks both, the screen prompts only for batch).
All tracked inventory attributes (Attributes A to G).

The quantity prompt displays quantity for the selected inventory line.

Prompt for Conflicting Values

The system prompts to enter only conflicting batch, expiry, or inventory attribute values to select the allocated inventory line from the LPN or active location.

After the system identifies the inventory line, the quantity prompt displays quantity for that line.

The following example briefs the prompts behavior based on prompt-batch-expiry-attr value:

Allocated Inventory			Prompt Behavior
Item	Batch Number	Attribute-A	Blank	Always Prompt	Prompt for Conflicting Values
SKU-A	BATCH01	ABC	The system doesn’t prompt for batch, expiry date, or inventory attributes.	The system prompts to confirm batch (BATCH01 or BATCH02) and attribute-A (ABC) to select the inventory line.	As batch number is different, the system prompts only for batch number. The system uses the selected batch to identify the inventory line.
SKU-A	BATCH02	ABC

POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION

When prompt-batch-expiry-attr = “Always Prompt” or “Prompt for Conflicting Values”, the system behaves as follows:
- Batch Number is prompted only if the item is configured to track Batch.
- Expiry Date is prompted only if the item is configured to track Expiry Date.
- Attributes A-G are prompted only if the item is configured to track that attribute with either “Required, Don't Validate” or “Required, Validate and Allow User Override”.
If you scan a batch, expiry date, or inventory attribute that does not exist in the scanned LPN or active location, the system displays an error message.
The prompt-batch-expiry-attr configuration doesn’t apply when item-barcode-scan is set to blank.

INVENTORY SUBSTITUTION BEHAVIOR

With the above enhancement, there is a possibility that you could scan unallocated or unanticipated Batch, Expiry, or Attribute values. During the transaction, the system will now validate batch and expiry between the allocated and substitute inventories based on the req-sub-validations screen parameter (renamed from required-validations) configuration.

NOTE: For existing screens, the system retains your configured parameter choices for the screen parameter req-sub-validations.

The following is the behavior of the screen parameter req-sub-validations:

Parameter Value	Behavior
Blank or All	Default behavior: The system validates both batch and expiry on allocated and substitute inventories. On mismatch, substitution fails.
Batch	The system validates only batch on allocated and substitute inventories. On mismatch, substitution fails.
Expiry	The system validates only expiry date on the allocated and substitute inventories. On mismatch, substitution fails.
None	The system doesn’t validate batch or expiry on the allocated and substitute inventories.

When Allocation UOM is case or pack:

For LPN substitution with batch/expiry/inventory attribute validation:
- The substitute case/pack quantity must be an integral multiple of the substituted inventory’s case/pack quantity.
- The substitute case/pack quantity must be less than or equal to the allocated quantity being substituted.
For active location allocation, substitution applies based on the item’s standard case/pack quantity.

For more details, refer to the Online Help.

POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION

If batch, expiry, or inventory attributes are specified on the order, the system validates those values irrespective of req-sub-validations configuration.
Currently, inventory attribute substitutions are not controlled by a screen parameter. Attribute substitution is allowed when allocatable inventory exists for the scanned attribute value in the LPN or active location.

Steps to enable and configure

To prompt for batch/expiry/inventory attribute items that track them during Pick Cart transaction, set the screen parameter prompt-batch-expiry-attr to either “Always Prompt” or “Prompt for Conflicting Values”.