Serial Number Generation and Assignment

When and where you record serial numbers depends on the serial number generation option previously set up at the item or organization level.

Possible values include:

No Serial Number Control: the application doesn't enforce serial number control.
Predefined Serial Number: you must predefine serial numbers for the item.
Entry at sales order, transfer order, or work order issue: you can enter the serial number when performing a sales order, transfer order, or work order issue transaction.
Entry at inventory pick: you can enter the serial number at the time of picking. You can't record serial numbers at the time of receipt or put away.
Dynamic entry at inventory receipt: you can dynamically enter serial numbers when performing a receipt transaction.

You can assign serial numbers when you receive items into inventory for the Predefined Serial Number and Dynamic Entry at Inventory Receipt options. Use the Record Serial Numbers page or record serial numbers on the transaction line itself when choosing serial numbers for the item quantity to issue or receive.

If an item is under Predefined Serial Number control, you can choose from the list of predefined serial numbers for that item. Inventory uses the starting serial number prefix and the starting serial number that you specify when defining the inventory organization or item to load the number of predefined serial numbers you request. When serial number generation is defined at the organization level under the Lot, Serial Number, and Packing Unit tab on the Manage Inventory Organization Parameters page, Inventory uses the starting serial number prefix and starting serial number specified there. If serial number generation isn't defined in inventory organization parameters, Inventory uses the starting serial number prefix and starting serial number defined for the item. You can load as many serial numbers as you want for any item under serial number control. The process of generating serial numbers is done through the Generate Serial Numbers process. You must run this process before receiving the item. This process doesn't assign numbers to units in inventory. It simply reserves specific serial numbers for an item for later use.

If an item is under Dynamic Entry at Inventory Receipt, you can choose from a predefined list of serial numbers, generate new ones, or enter any serial number, depending on the uniqueness control for your organization. You can create and assign serial numbers individually or as a range to speed up data entry.

If your item is under Entry at Sales Order, Transfer Order, or Work Order Issue, you can assign serial numbers when you perform a shipment transaction in Shipping for a sales order or transfer order, and when a work issue transaction is used to pull the item out of inventory and into a work order. If an item is under Entry at Inventory Pick, you record serial numbers at the time of picking, and can't record them at the time of receipt or put away.

Once you assign a serial number to an item, the combination of the serial number and the item is an entity known as a serialized unit. From that point on, Inventory tracks all movements and maintains the following information for each serialized unit:

Receipt or Ship Date: the date on which you last performed a material transaction for your serialized unit. Material transactions update this information when you move your serialized unit.
Usage: Inventory assigns one of the following usages to your serialized unit:
- Defined but not used
- Resides in stores
- Issued out of inventory
- Resides in in-transit inventory
Location: the organization, subinventory, and locator in which the serialized unit currently resides. Material transactions update this information when you transfer the serialized unit.
Revision Level: the revision of the item when you assign the serial number to the unit.
Lot Number: During material transactions, you first specify the lot number and then the serial number. Inventory tracks the lot from which a specific serialized unit originates.