Serial numbers¶

Serial numbers are one of the two ways to identify and track products in Odoo, along with lots. A serial number is a unique identifier assigned to a product to distinguish it from other products in a series. Serial numbers can consist of several character types: they can contain numbers, letters, other typographical characters, or any mix of these character types.

The goal of assigning serial numbers allows for the tracking of individual products and their expiration dates and location throughout the supply chain. For instance, serial numbers can help manufacturers locate products to provide after-sales services or in the event of a recall.

Enable lots & serial numbers¶

To track products using serial numbers, two settings need to be enabled: the Lots & Serial Numbers traceability setting, and serial number usage by operation type.

Traceability setting¶

The Lots & Serial Numbers traceability feature must be enabled first to track products. To do so, go to Inventory app ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings, scroll down to the Traceability section, and tick the Lots & Serial Numbers checkbox. Remember to click the Save button to save changes.

By operation type¶

Next, specify whether the ability to create new or use existing serial numbers should be turned on for particular operation types (such as shipping or receiving goods). In other words, this setting allows for serial number tracking on warehouse receipts and delivery orders.

To enable the creation of new serial numbers on an operation, navigate to Inventory app ‣ Configuration ‣ Operations Types.

From the Operations Types page, select the desired operation type (e.g. Receipts, Delivery Orders, or Manufacturing), and select the Create New option in the Lots/Serial Numbers section of the operation type’s configuration page.

Configure serial number tracking on individual products¶

Once the Lots & Serial Numbers setting has been activated, individual products can now be tracked using serial numbers. To track a product, go to Inventory app ‣ Products ‣ Products, and select the desired product.

In the General Information tab on the product form, make sure the box next to Track Inventory is checked. Then, select By Unique Serial Number, and click Save to save the changes. Now, existing or new serial numbers can now be selected and assigned to newly-received or manufactured batches of this product.

Assign serial numbers¶

In Odoo, serial numbers can be assigned at several times and places:

• When a product is already in stock

• Via the Moves smart button on a receipt

• Via the Open: Stock move window on a receipt

• During a manufacturing order for a product tracked by lots/serial numbers

• When making an inventory adjustment

Create new serial numbers for products already in stock¶

New serial numbers can be created for products already in stock with no assigned serial number. To do so, go to Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Lots/Serial Numbers, and click New. Doing so reveals a blank lot/serial number form. On this form, a new Lot/Serial Number is generated automatically.

Once the Lot/Serial Number is generated, click the blank field next to Product to reveal a drop-down menu. From this menu, select the product to which this new number will be assigned.

This form also provides the option to adjust the On Hand Quantity, to assign a unique Internal Reference number (for additional traceability), and to assign this specific lot/serial number configuration to a specific company in the Company field. A detailed description of this specific lot/serial number can also be added in the Description tab below.

When all desired configurations are complete, click the Save button to save all changes.

After a new serial number has been created, assigned to the desired product, and saved, navigate back to the product form, by going to Inventory app ‣ Products ‣ Products, and selecting the product that this newly-created serial number was just assigned to.

On that product’s detail form, click the Lot/Serial Numbers smart button to view the new serial number.

Create serial numbers to incoming or outgoing products¶

Serial numbers can be assigned to both incoming and outgoing goods. The receipt and delivery order forms mirror one another; the instructions below can be followed to assign serial numbers in either form.

• Incoming goods: Assign serial numbers directly on the receipt. Receipts can be accessed by navigating to Inventory app ‣ Operations ‣ Receipts.

• Outgoing goods: Assign serial numbers directly on the delivery order. Receipts can be accessed by navigating to Inventory app ‣ Operations ‣ Deliveries.

Lots/serial number field¶

Serial numbers can be entered directly into the Serial Numbers field on a receipt or delivery order.

Tip

To make the Serial Numbers field visible on a receipt or delivery order, click the (Adjust Settings) icon, and in the drop-down menu, tick the Serial Numbers checkbox.

Stock move pop-up window¶

For various methods of assigning serial numbers individually or in bulk, click the (list) icon in the product line of a receipt.

Add a line¶

In the Open: Stock move pop-up window, manually enter serial numbers in the Lot/Serial Number column. This method is best reserved for adding only one or a few serial numbers.

Generate Serials/Lots¶

Assign multiple serial numbers at once by clicking the Generate Serials/Lots button in the Open: Stock move pop-up window.

Doing so opens a new popup, Generate Serial numbers, which contains a few fields:

• First SN: Input the first serial number that should start the sequence. From there, Odoo automatically detects what pattern should be followed to generate more serial numbers.

• Number of SN: Specify the desired number of serial numbers to generate.

  Note

  The number of serials generated will be reflected in the Quantity field on a receipt or delivery order. Even if the number of serial numbers generated exceeds the Demand value, Odoo still allows the quantity (based on the serial numbers) to be delivered or received.

  

• Keep current lines checkbox: Check this box to keep existing serial numbers that may have been previously added. To replace existing serial numbers in the list, leave the box unchecked.

After filling out these fields, click the Generate button. The newly generated serials now appear in the Open: Stock move window. By clicking (Save), the Quantity and the Serial Numbers fields on the delivery order or receipt update automatically.

Import Serials/Lots¶

Another option for assigning multiple serial numbers at once is to click the Import Serials/Lots button in the Open: Stock move pop-up window.

Doing so opens the Import Serials pop-up window. Enter each serial number on a separate line in the Lots/Serial numbers text field.

As when generating serials, check the Keep current lines box to keep existing serial numbers, or leave it unchecked to overwrite them.

Finally, click Generate.

Example

For a receipt with a Demand of 3.00 products, one product has already been assigned a serial number in the Open: Stock move pop-up window.

So, in the Import Lots pop-up window, two serial numbers, 124 and 125 are assigned to the remaining products by entering the following in the Lots/Serial numbers input field:

124
125

The Keep current lines option is selected to add these two serial numbers in addition to the serial number, 123, that has already been assigned.

Detailed operations¶

Accessible from both receipt and delivery order forms, the Detailed Operations page shows a detailed view of product movements, including information about serial numbers, exact locations, expiration dates, etc. This level of detail permits more precise tracking, for example, when handling perishable or regulated goods.

To access this page, first select a warehouse receipt or delivery order. Then, click on the Moves smart button at the top of the page.

In the Lot/Serial Number column, manually type (or select from the drop-down menu) the desired serial numbers for each individual product.

When finished, click the receipt/delivery order’s breadcrumbs, and the assigned serial numbers are automatically saved.

Traceability & reporting¶

Manufacturers and companies can refer to the Lots/Serial Numbers dashboard and traceability reports to see the entire lifecycle of a product: when and where it originated, where it was stored, and who it was shipped to.

Lots/Serial Numbers dashboard¶

To see the full traceability of a product, or group by serial numbers, go to Inventory app ‣ Products ‣ Lots/Serial Numbers. Doing so reveals the Lots/Serial Numbers dashboard.

Reporting¶

On the Lots/Serial Numbers dashboard, products with serial numbers assigned to them are listed by default. Click the (expand) icon to show which serial numbers are assigned to the chosen product.

To group by serial numbers (or lots), first remove any default filters from the search bar in the upper-right corner. Then, click the (down arrow) icon and select Add Custom Group, which reveals a mini drop-down menu. From this mini drop-down menu, select Lot/Serial Number, and click Apply.

Doing so reveals all existing serial numbers and lots. Each row can be expanded to show all quantities of product assigned to that serial/lot number. For unique serial numbers that are not reused, there should be just one product per serial number.