This is what happens in the video
How expiration dates work when receiving purchase orders in Business Central
When you receive items in Business Central that are set up to require expiration date handling, you cannot just post the purchase order and move on. You have to enter the lot number and the expiration date directly on the item tracking line of the purchase order. If you skip either of them, Business Central stops you with an error. Here is how the process works in practice.
Finding an item that uses expiration date tracking
Start by locating an item you know is handled with expiration dates. In this example, we use a snack bar with 11,500 units on inventory. Looking at the item, you can see it already has two lines with different expiration dates and different lot numbers. That tells you the item is set up with an item tracking code that requires both lot number and expiration date.
The errors you get when tracking information is missing
Once you find the purchase order you are waiting for, it contains a quantity of the snack bar, in this case a full pallet, so more than one unit. Before entering anything in the item tracking, try posting the order to see what happens.
The first error tells you that you need to assign a lot number, because the item tracking code requires it. So go into the item tracking and enter a lot number and the correct quantity. But leave the expiration date blank, just to see the next error.
When you close the item tracking window and try to post again, Business Central gives you a second error saying that the expiration date must have a value. This is exactly what you would expect when the item requires expiration date handling.
Entering the expiration date and posting the receipt
Go back into the item tracking line and enter the expiration date, for example a date in September. With both the lot number and the expiration date in place, Business Central allows you to post the purchase order.
After posting, the inventory is increased. If you look at the item ledger entries, you can see the new entry with the expiration date that you handled manually, reading it from the physical item you received.
Q&A
Why does Business Central block me from posting a purchase order receipt?
If the item is set up with an item tracking code that requires a lot number and an expiration date, Business Central will not let you post until both values are filled in on the item tracking line. You get one error for a missing lot number and another for a missing expiration date.
Where do I enter the expiration date when receiving items?
You enter it directly on the item tracking line of the purchase order, together with the lot number and quantity. You typically read the expiration date from the physical item you are receiving.
How do I know if an item requires expiration date handling?
The item is set up with an item tracking code that requires both lot number and expiration date. You can also see it on existing inventory, where lines show different lot numbers and expiration dates.