Serial Number Maintenance

Exploring

This program lets you maintain header information for serialized items.

Things you can do in this program include:

  • Change the description of the stock item that has been assigned to the serial.

  • Maintain the expiry and scrap dates of serials.

  • Place serials on hold.

  • Release the hold on serials.

This program is accessed from the Program List of the SYSPRO menu:

  • Program List > Inventory > Serial Tracking Sysptem > Setup

This occurs when there are safety concerns over an item (or manufacturing defect in a product) that may be harmful to the consumer. This results in one or more products having to be withdrawn from the market.

SYSPRO's Lot Traceability system is used to identify all items and transactions involved in the recall. Items are placed into quarantine for inspection.

Contaminated or sub-standard stock items are scrapped, while unspoiled or undamaged items are released from quarantine.

A mock recall is an exercise that involves imitating all procedures for an actual product recall. In SYSPRO, this tests the traceability of products and verifies that the recall process is effective and can be carried out within the required time limit.

Products involved in a mock recall aren't actually put on hold (i.e. transactions such as invoicing and generating delivery notes can still be processed against them).

Mock product recall data is stored for compliance reasons and traceability audits.

Starting

You can restrict operator access to programs by assigning them to groups and applying access control against the group (configured using the Operator Groups program).

The following configuration options in SYSPRO may affect processing within this program or feature, including whether certain fields and options are accessible.

The Setup Options program lets you configure how SYSPRO behaves across all modules. These settings can affect processing within this program.

Setup Options > Configuration > Distribution > Inventory

  • Multiple bins
  • Associate serials by bin
  • The custom field and multimedia originally recorded against the serial are created for each serial and bin combination when you process a manual conversion for serials that were previously placed on hold, and if you indicate that the serial must be split between multiple bins.
  • The bin is saved to the custom field table for serials when the Associate serials by bin setup option is enabled.

Solving

You can place a serial on hold using the Serial Number Maintenance program as follows:

  1. Open the Serial Number Maintenance program (Program List > Inventory > Serial Tracking Sysptem > Setup).

  2. Indicate the serial number required to be placed on hold at the Serial field.

  3. Tick the check-box at the Serial on hold field.

    If the Serial on hold field is already ticked, it means the serial is currently on hold.

  4. Enter the reason for placing the serial on hold at the Reason code field (using the Browse on Reason codes program).

    The description of the reason code is displayed at the On hold reason field.

  5. Save your changes.

You can use the Serial Number Maintenance program to remove the hold that was placed on a serial:

  1. Open the Serial Number Maintenance program (Program List > Inventory > Serial Tracking Sysptem > Setup).

  2. Indicate the serial number required at the Serial field.

  3. Remove the tick at the Serial on hold field.

    The field is unavailable (i.e. you can't remove the tick in the check-box) in the following scenarios:

    • When the serial number is included in a product recall.

      The Hold status field displays as Part of product recall and the Prod-recall field on the InvSerialHead table reflects a Y.

    • When the Multiple bins or Associate serials by bin setup options are enabled (Setup Options > Configuration > Distribution > Inventory), as the conversion process automatically places serials in bins and any serials that couldn't be updated are then placed on hold.

      The Hold field on the InvSerialHead table reflects an H.

  4. Save your changes.

The Serial on hold field in the Serial Number Maintenance program may be unavailable (i.e. you may not be able to remove the tick at the Serial on hold field) in one of the following scenarios:

  • When the serial number is included in a product recall.

    The Hold status field displays as Part of product recall and the Prod-recall field on the InvSerialHead table reflects a Y.

  • When the Multiple bins or Associate serials by bin setup options are enabled (Setup Options > Configuration > Distribution > Inventory), as the conversion process automatically places serials in bins and any serials that couldn't be updated are then placed on hold.

    The Hold field on the InvSerialHead table reflects an H.

A lot number is assigned to a group of products, whereas a serial number is assigned to a single product. Therefore, when placing a lot on hold, you actually place a hold on several products at once. Whereas placing a serial on hold only affects a single product.

In SYSPRO, the process differs slightly between placing a serial and a lot on hold:

  • You can place a serial on hold using the Serial Number Maintenance program as follows:

    1. Open the Serial Number Maintenance program (Program List > Inventory > Serial Tracking Sysptem > Setup).

    2. Indicate the serial number required to be placed on hold at the Serial field.

    3. Tick the check-box at the Serial on hold field.

      If the Serial on hold field is already ticked, it means the serial is currently on hold.

    4. Enter the reason for placing the serial on hold at the Reason code field (using the Browse on Reason codes program).

      The description of the reason code is displayed at the On hold reason field.

    5. Save your changes.

  • You can place a lot on hold using the Lot Number Maintenance program (accessible from within the Browse on Lots program) as follows:

    1. Open the Browse on Lots program (Program List > Lot Traceability > Browses).

    2. Select the lot you want to place on hold from the Lots listview.

    3. Select the Change icon from the toolbar.

      The Lot Number Maintenance program is displayed.

    4. Tick the check-box at the Lot on hold field.

      If the Lot on hold field is already ticked, it means the lot is currently on hold.

    5. Enter the reason for placing the lot on hold at the Reason code field.

    6. Save your changes.

Using

  • Fields on a pane are sometimes removed by default. You can reinstate them using the Field Selector option from the context-sensitive menu (displayed by right-clicking any field in the pane). Select and drag the required fields onto the pane.

    The captions for fields are also sometimes hidden. You can select the Show Captions option from the context-sensitive menu to see a list of them. Click on the relevant caption to reinstate it to the form.

    If the Show Captions option is grayed out, it means no captions are hidden for that form.

  • Press Ctrl+F1 within a listview or form to view a complete list of functions available.

Referencing

Field Description
File  
Save and Close

This saves the details you entered or changed and returns to the previous screen.
Exit

This returns you to the previous screen.
Save Select this to save the details you entered or changed.
Serial Select the serial number for which you want to maintain the header details.
The Browse on Serial Numbers program is displayed where you can select serial numbers for a stock code.

Only the Description, Expiry date, Scrap date, Serial on hold and Reason code fields can be maintained. All other fields are displayed for information purposes only.

Field Description
Serial number This indicates the serial number for which you are maintaining the header details.
Serial type This indicates the serial type - Manual or Batch.
Warehouse This indicates the warehouse in which the serialized item is stored.
Wh description This indicates the description for the warehouse code.
Stock code This indicates the stock code to which the serial number is allocated.
Stock description This indicates the description for the stock code.
Serial bin This indicates the bin where the serial number is located.
Location This indicates where the serialized item is stored.
Customer This indicates the customer who purchased stock items associated with the selected serial number.
Due date Depending on the current status of the serial, this represents the date for one of the following transactions:
  • Unit in for service
  • Unit returned to customer
  • Unit loaned to customer
  • Unit returned by customer
  • Warranty details
  • Unit sent to service depot
  • Unit received back from service depot
Unit status This indicates the current status of the serial.

The status can be one of the following:

  • In service
  • On loan
  • At depot
Description This indicates the description of the stock item that has been assigned to the serial number selected.
Expiry date

This indicates the date on which the stock item will expire.

When a serial is sold or issued, any expiry and/or scrap dates entered against the serial number are checked. You will not be able to allocate the serial number if it has expired or been scrapped.
Scrap date

This indicates the date on which the stock item must be scrapped.

When a serial is sold or issued, any expiry and/or scrap dates entered against the serial number are checked. You will not be able to allocate the serial number if it has expired or been scrapped.
Serial on hold

This lets you place the serial number on hold.

A serial can also be placed on hold during one of the following processes:

  • When the serial number is included in a product recall.

    The Hold status field displays as Part of product recall and the Prod-recall field on the InvSerialHead table reflects a Y.

  • When the Multiple bins or Associate serials by bin setup options are enabled (Setup Options > Configuration > Distribution > Inventory), as the conversion process automatically places serials in bins and any serials that couldn't be updated are then placed on hold.

    The Hold field on the InvSerialHead table reflects an H.

Therefore, this field is not available if the serial number is already on hold. In this scenario, the on hold flag, status and reason code are displayed but not editable.
On hold flag

This indicates if the selected serial number is currently on hold .
Reason code

Indicate the reason as to why the serials is on hold using the Browse on Reason codes program.
On hold reason

This indicates the description of the selected reason code.
Hold status

This displays Part of product recall if the serial was placed on hold during a product recall process.