2. Overview
This article describes general concepts that apply throughout Warehouse Insight. Application-specific articles will describe the individual applications in more detail. Where applicable, the individual applications will override the general behavior described here.
General Terminology and Phrases
| Terminology | Description |
|---|---|
| Scan Item | Scan Item refers to scanning a physical piece of inventory (item). Item barcodes can be a simple item number or may contain complex data (e.g., lot numbers, quantities, and expiration dates etc.). The application behavior after an item barcode is scanned depends on the application, the item configuration, the data contained in the barcode, and the Scan Behavior configuration (e.g., if the item is serial tracked and the barcode contains a serial number, the Quantity dialog may not display at all). |
| Scan Bin | Scan Bin refers to scanning a bin label. The bin label may contain only the Bin Code from Business Central (e.g., S-01-A01), or may optionally include the ‘%B%’ prefix followed by the Bin Code (e.g., %B%S-01-A01). Including the ‘%B%’ prefix in the bin label will reduce the processing time when the bin is scanned as the application will immediately know the scanned value is a bin without having to go through the standard decoding process. When a bin is scanned, the status bar will update to indicate that bin is now active, and the system will wait for the following item scan. |
| Scan Document | Scan Document refers to scanning a specific document barcode. Each document type (e.g., Sales Order, Purchase Order, Whse. Receipt, Pick, etc.) has a special barcode format. More information on the barcode formats can be found in the Data Encoding section of this article. You may scan a Document barcode when on the document lookup list page for a particular application. Scanning a Document barcode is optional but will avoid the extra step of having to search/filter for the appropriate document (e.g., you may scan a barcode containing the pick document number and the application will automatically open that pick). |
| Enter Quantity | Enter Quantity indicates that you are asked to enter a quantity to handle (e.g., receive, ship, pick, count, move, etc.). The fields included on the Quantity dialog may vary depending on the item tracking requirements and application needs (e.g., if the item is lot-tracked, you will be asked to specify the lot number and the quantity). |
Barcodes
Barcoding is a key feature of Warehouse Insight with information found on the Barcode Rules page.
General Document Handling
Although specific activities can be found in each area, the patterns remain consistent:
- Choose or scan a document to open.
- Scan a bin (when bins are mandatory for a location).
- Scan an item.
- Enter Quantity (change quantity, record lot/serial info).
When on a document application, posting closes the current document and redirects to the lookup screen.
General Item Scanning Behavior
When scanning an item to start an action, there is typical behavior depending on the item configuration that can be overridden or customized by the Scan Behaviors page in Business Central (e.g., default quantities, units of measure, if dialog is shown, etc.) and the Find Line Templates page.
When an item is scanned on a document, the application attempts to find a matching line based on the bin (if applicable) and item combination (see Find Line Templates in Business Central for more information on line matching). If a suitable line is found, the line is selected and a quantity dialog is displayed.
The following sections are intended to be guidelines for general scanning item behavior but may be different depending on the actual screen. Any differences are noted in the application specific section.
Scanning a Non-Tracked Item
When scanning an item that does not require Item Tracking for the relevant document, you are presented with a Quantity dialog asking for Quantity and Unit of Measure.
| Callout ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Item number and description 1 and 2. |
| 2 | Quantity. When  is pressed, a calculator opens and allows the user to modify the quantity entered on the line. This is useful for counting/receiving additional goods (multiple scans) or working with complex numbers (e.g., decimal places and large numbers).
|
| 3 | Unit of Measure. The default is the Line unit of measure (can be configured via the Scan Behaviors). Users can choose an alternate Unit of Measure to work with by pressing the Unit of Measure field and the result is converted to the source line’s Unit of Measure.
|
Scanning a Serial Tracked Item
When scanning an item barcode that requires serial numbers, the Quantity dialog displays asking for the Serial Number. No quantity field is available as the amount is always assumed to be one. If the barcode scanned contains the serial number, then the dialog is not displayed, but the source line is incremented by one.
| Callout ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Item number and description 1 and 2. |
| 2 | Serial Number. |
| 3 | Serial Information. When  is pressed, a serial Information Card is created and users can fill in additional data for the Serial number. |
| 4 | Expiration Date. When  is pressed, users can select an expiration date. |
| 5 | Quantity and unit of measure are not editable. Serialized items increment the quantity by 1 (base UOM). |
Scanning a Package Tracked Item
When scanning an Item barcode that requires Package numbers, the Quantity dialog opens and asks for the package number and quantity. If the barcode scanned contains the package number, the package number is pre-filled in on the Quantity dialog.
| Callout ID | Description |
| 1 | Item Number and Description 1 and 2. |
| 2 | Package number. |
| 3 | Quantity. Press  to open the calculator, allowing you to add/subtract to the quantity entered on the line. This is useful when counting/receiving additional goods (multiple scans) or working with complex numbers (e.g., decimal places and large numbers). |
| 4 | Unit of Measure. The default is the Line unit of measure (can be configured via Scan Behaviors). You may choose an alternate Unit of Measure to work with by pressing the Unit of Measure field and the result will be converted to the source lines Unit of Measure (e.g., BOX or PCS). |
Scanning a Lot Tracked Item
When scanning an item barcode that requires lot numbers, the Quantity dialog is displayed asking for the lot number and quantity. If the barcode scanned contains the lot number, then the lot number is pre-filled in on the quantity dialog.
| Callout ID | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Item number and description 1 and 2. |
| 2 | Lot number. |
| 3 | Lot Information. When is pressed, a serial Information Card is created and users can fill in additional data for the serial number. |
| 4 | Expiration Date. When is pressed, users can select an expiration date. |
| 5 | Quantity. When is pressed, a calculator opens and allows the user to modify the quantity entered on the line. This is useful for counting and receiving additional goods (multiple scans) or working with complex numbers (e.g., decimal places and large numbers). |
| Unit of Measure. The default is usually the Line unit of measure (can be configured via the Scan Behaviors). Users may choose an alternate Unit of Measure to work with by pressing the Unit of Measure field, and the result will be converted to the source lines’ Unit of Measure.
|
Building a License Plate
Most applications allow the building of license plates as part of document handling (e.g., creating a pallet during the picking process). If the document supports building a license plate, Start License Plate is available.
Build a license plate by completing the following:
- Press Start License Plate option (prompt opens).
- Modify an existing license plate, if needed:
- Select the re-open license plate option (opens list of un-assigned license plates and already assigned to the document license plates).
- Create a new license plate, if needed:
- Select the create new license plate option (status bar indicates which license plate is being built).
- Handle the document as usual (e.g., scan items and enter quantities).
- Press Stop License Plate when the license plate is done.
- Select Yes to print labels.
Using a License Plate
Most applications allow for using a pre-built License Plate as part of the normal document handling (e.g., scanning a License Plate to pick from).
To use a License Plate the following steps would normally be taken:
- Scan the Bin the License Plate is in.
- Scan the License Plate barcode.
Users are prompted to take an action based on the contents of the License Plate.
Most applications allow for using a pre-built License Plate as part of document handling (e.g., scanning a license plate to pick from).
Use a License Plate by completing the following:
- Scan the bin the license plate is in.
- Scan the license plate barcode.
- Select from the following handling options if the full quantity of the license plate is not being used:
-
- Create New License Plate: The unused items are moved to a new license plate. The used items remain on the original license plate and assigned to the document.
- Remove Excess: The unused items are removed from the license plate (and left in the bin). The used items remain on the original license plate and assigned to the document.
- Remove Used Portion: The used items are removed from the license plate and added to the document. The license plate remains in the bin and not assigned to the document.
- Unbuild License Plate: The license plate is marked as unbuilt (e.g., destroyed). The used items are added to the document and not the license plate assigned. The unused items are no longer in the license plate and are left in the bin.
- Select Scan Items (or use Change Quantity) option to change the quantity to be used.
- Press OK to accept the usage and assign (if applicable) the license plate.
