This is what happens in the video
Zones in Business Central only work on warehouse locations that use directed put-away and pick. You set them up on the location card, where the location must have the “Directed Put-away and Pick” checkmark enabled. Without this setting, you can create a zone but you cannot assign any bins to it.
To create a zone, you give it a code and a default bin type code, such as a put-and-pick type. Once the zone has a bin type, you can add bins to it. Bin codes must be unique across the location because the zone is not part of the primary key in the bin table.
If you try to add a bin to a zone on a location without directed put-away and pick enabled, you get an error stating that the zone must be blank.
What zones are and where you set them up
Zones in Business Central are set up on the location card, or more precisely, they relate to the location. They apply only to locations that use directed put-away and pick. On a warehouse location, you need a checkmark in the “Directed Put-away and Pick” field. This setting is what allows you to use a zone on a bin.
When you open the zones from a location, you see all the zones already defined. From here, you can add a new zone.
Creating a new zone with a default bin type
Say you run a bike factory but also want to sell snack bars and similar products. You might want a dedicated zone for that, for example a food zone.
When you create the zone, you need to define a default bin type code for it. This might be a put-and-pick zone, for instance. Once the bin type is in place, you can add bins to the zone. If you skip the bin type, you run into errors when you try to add bins. With the bin type defined, you can add all your bins to the specific zone.
Bin codes must be unique
The bin code has to be unique across the location. If you enter a bin code that already exists, you get an error. This happens because the zone is not part of the primary key in the bin table. The bin code alone has to identify the bin.
Zones do not work without directed put-away and pick
If you use a location where the “Directed Put-away and Pick” checkmark is not set, you can still create zones. The creation itself works. But the moment you try to add a bin to one of those zones, you get an error saying that the zone needs to be equal to blank.
In short, zones only apply to full warehouse locations with directed put-away and pick. On any other location type, the zone field has to stay blank.
Q&A
Where do you set up zones in Business Central?
You set up zones on the location card. They relate to a specific location, and that location must have the “Directed Put-away and Pick” checkmark enabled.
Do zones work on all location types?
No. Zones only apply to warehouse locations that use directed put-away and pick. On other locations you can create a zone, but you cannot add bins to it, and you will get an error stating that the zone must be blank.
What do you need to define when creating a new zone?
You need to give the zone a code and a default bin type code, such as a put-and-pick type. Without a bin type, you get errors when you try to add bins to the zone.
Can two bins share the same bin code in different zones?
No. Bin codes must be unique across the location because the zone is not part of the primary key in the bin table. If you enter a bin code that already exists, you get an error.