Assigning Lot- and Serial Number

This is what happens in the video

Assigning lot and serial numbers on a sales order in Business Central is a straightforward task once you know where to look. You can do it directly from the item tracking lines on the sales order, and you can split a single sales line across several lot numbers if you need to. This article walks through how to assign a lot number, how to use the expiration date to decide which lot to pick, and how to handle the quantity when you want to use more than one lot.

You assign lot and serial numbers from the item tracking lines, which you open from the sales order line. You can either let the sales department fill them out before handing the document to the warehouse, or let the warehouse fill them out when the item has been picked.

You use the assisted edit on the lot number field to see the available lots. You can add the expiration date column to help you choose, for example to follow a FEFO (first expired, first out) approach.

You can split one sales line across multiple lot numbers. Lower the quantity on the first lot, and Business Central leaves the remaining quantity undefined so you can assign it to another lot.

Who assigns lot and serial numbers on a sales order

Assigning lot and serial numbers on a sales order can be handled in two ways. The sales department can fill out the item tracking before the document is handed over to the warehouse department. In many cases, though, it is the warehouse that fills out the item tracking when the item has been picked.

Assigning a serial number and assigning a lot number works the same way. The example below shows how to assign a lot number.

How to assign a lot number from the sales order

Start on the sales order. In this example, there is one line with one item that has item tracking by lot number.

Mark the line, click Line, then Related Information, and choose Item Tracking Lines. Find the column for the lot number and use the assisted edit. This shows the available lot numbers. In this case there are two lots to choose from.

Using the expiration date to choose the right lot

To decide which lot number to use, it helps to see the expiration date. If the column is not shown, right click on the header and choose Choose Columns. Find Expiration Date, mark it, and press OK.

Now you can see the expiration date for both lot numbers. To follow a first expired, first out principle, choose the lot with the earliest expiration date. Select the first one and press OK.

The lot number is transferred to your item tracking lines with the full quantity.

Splitting a sales line across multiple lot numbers

You do not have to use a single lot for the whole quantity. You can change the quantity on the item tracking line, for example to take only 200 from this lot number. When you do, Business Central shows that the remaining 88 is undefined.

To assign the rest, use the assisted edit again and select the other lot number. Business Central automatically assigns the remaining 88 to that lot. This lets you use different lot numbers for different quantities on the same item line.

If you want to revert to a single lot, delete the second line and change the first one back to the full amount.

Saving the item tracking lines

When you close the item tracking window, the item tracking lines are saved and connected to your sales line. The sales order is now ready to move on in the process.

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