Reserve items with serial numbers or lot numbers

Completed

In environments that use specific serial number tracking, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is programmed to assist outbound order handlers by trying to resolve availability conflicts that occur when reservations and serial/lot numbers are combined.

The concept of Late Binding ensures that a nonspecific reservation (user does not care which item is reserved) of a serial/lot number remains loosely coupled until posting. At posting time, the program can reshuffle non-specific reservations to ensure that fixed application is possible against the serial/lot number that is picked. Meanwhile, the serial/lot number is made available for a specific reservation (user does care which item is reserved) in other documents that are requesting that particular serial/lot number.

The Late Binding functionality only relates to items that are set up with specific tracking and only applies to reservations against inventory instead of to supply, such as purchase orders.

Specific reservation

Late Binding includes two states for reservation entries: specific and nonspecific. A specific reservation is a regular reservation, that is, a rigid link between supply and demand, where both carry serial/lot numbers. The demand must carry a serial/lot number to be a specific reservation.

An example of a specific reservation is when a user requests the specific item that carries one exact serial number and not just any of the items from the stock.

To make a specific reservation from a sales order, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Search for page icon, enter sales order, and then select the related link.

  2. Select New and then fill in the Customer Name field in the header.

  3. On the Lines FastTab, set up Item as a Type and then select one of the items with a configured Item Tracking Code.

  4. Fill in the Location Code where you have this item in stock and then select Item Tracking Lines on the Line tab on the ribbon.

  5. Find the serial number that you want to reserve by using AssistEdit on the Serial No. field and then select Close.

  6. Select the Reserve action on the Line tab on the ribbon.

  7. Answer Yes to the question, "Do you want to reserve specific serial or lot numbers?"

  8. If the correct serial number displays, select OK on the Item Tracking List.

  9. The system will open the reservation page with all details. If all details are correct, select Close.

Nonspecific reservation

A nonspecific reservation is a state imposed on reservation entries for serial/lot numbers that are not selected specifically. In this case, the demand doesn't carry serial/lot numbers.

An example of a nonspecific reservation is when a user requests one specific item, not a specific serial number. The user has then reserved an item that carries a serial/lot number, and the program nonspecifically reserves the serial/lot number in question.

If you want to work through an example of a nonspecific reservation, repeat all steps from the previous specific reservation example, except the step where you run the Item Tracking Lines action and then select Serial No. Instead of doing that step, continue by selecting the Reserve action and then finishing the example in the same manner.

The main difference between a specific and nonspecific reservation is defined by the existence of serial/lot numbers on the demand side, as displayed in the following table.

Reservation Supply Demand
Specific SN/Lot SN/Lot
Nonspecific SN/Lot

Reshuffle

When a user posts an outbound document after picking the wrong serial/lot number, other nonspecific reservations are reshuffled to reflect the actual serial/lot number that is picked. This action satisfies the posting engine with a rigid link (fixed application) between supply and demand.

For all supported business scenarios, reshuffling will only be possible against positive item ledger entries that carry reservation and serial/lot numbers, but without serial/lot numbers defined on the demand side.

The reasons that the late binding system only focuses on reservations that are made against inventory are that it is the most important customer problem and that the implementation is less complex.

Supported business scenarios

The Late Binding solution involves functionality for three different business scenarios of serial/lot number reservation against inventory:

  • Entering a specific serial/lot number on an outbound document with a nonspecific reservation of a wrong serial/lot number

  • Reserve-specific serial/lot numbers

  • Posting an outbound document with a nonspecific reservation of serial/lot numbers

Enter an outbound document with nonspecific reservation

Of the three supported business scenarios, the most common is entering a picked serial/lot number on an outbound document with nonspecific reservation of a wrong serial/lot number. In this case, the Late Binding functionality ensures that a user can enter a specific picked serial/lot number on an outbound document that already has a nonspecific reservation of another serial/lot number. For example, the need for this scenario arises when an order processor has at first made a nonspecific reservation (of any serial/lot number). Later, when the physical item is picked from inventory, the processor must enter the picked serial/lot number on the order before posting it.

The Late Binding feature ensures that users can enter the picked serial/lot number without losing a reservation. Therefore, the feature ensures that the picked serial/lot number can be fully applied and posted.

Reserve-specific serial/lot numbers

The reserve-specific serial/lot numbers business scenario is supported with Late Binding functionality, which ensures that a user who is trying to reserve a particular serial/lot number, that is currently nonspecifically reserved, can do so. This scenario is facilitated as the program tries to reshuffle a nonspecific reservation to free it for a specific request.

The functionality happens automatically, but embedded help is displayed in the bottom of the Reservation page and shows the following text:

XX of the Total Reserved Quantity are non-specific and may be available.

The Non-specific Reserved Qty. field displays how many reservation entries are nonspecific. By default, this field isn't visible to users.

Post an outbound document with a nonspecific reservation of serial/lot numbers

The business scenario of posting an outbound document with a nonspecific reservation of serial/lot numbers is supported with Late Binding functionality, which enables fixed application and outbound posting of what is picked by reshuffling other nonspecific reservations of serial/lot numbers. If the program can't reshuffle, the standard inventory error (can't be fully applied) will appear when the user tries to ship the item.