Receiving

Description

The Mobile WMS app can be used to register the receiving of items in many different ways in Business Central.

Purchase Orders

For customers with simple warehouse requirements and without using the warehouse module, the Mobile WMS app can integrate directly to purchase orders in Business Central.

Purchase orders will be available for Receiving on the mobile device if:

• The location code on the purchase order header is configured to not use Receipts or Put-aways
• The purchase order is released
• The user logged onto the mobile device, is configured to work on this location
  This is done on the warehouse employee page

The typical work process is:

1. Create a new purchase order and release it
2. Receive the order using the mobile device
   This is equivalent to:
   1. Fill out the “Qty. to receive” on each order line
      
      
   2. Register item tracking information (if needed) for each order line
      
      
   3. Register the bin code (if needed)
      Note: Splitting of purchase lines is not supported. Only one bin can be registered. If you need to register received items in multiple bins, you should use Put-aways
      
      
   4. Post the purchase order as received

Warehouse Receipts

The warehouse Receipts can either be used alone or together with the Put-away functionality. The receipt order allows the warehouse manager to get the order lines to receive from multiple sources (purchase orders, sales return orders, etc.).

• This can be done using the “Get source documents” function
  
  

A typical way to use the Warehouse Receipt

is to group together deliveries from a certain vendor or by shipping agent.

When the mobile device is used it is equivalent to performing the following operations in BC:

1. Set the “Qty. to Receive” fields
   
   
   
2. Register item tracking information using “Item Tracking Lines”
   
   
   
   
3. Post the receipt

If the location is setup to also use Put-aways then a Put-away order is automatically created when the receipt is posted.

It is possible to post partial Receipts. Every time a receipt is posted a Put-away order is created.

This can be helpful when handling large Receipts and you want someone else to start putting items away before the entire receipt is handled.

To get full control over how the Put-away orders are created it is possible to use the Put-away Worksheet.

Note: If warehouse Receipts are used without Put-aways then it is not possible to register the items in multiple bins per order line (split line).
Splitting a Receipt line is not available in standard Business Central.

Inventory Put-aways

If the location is setup to only require Put-away then an inventory Put-away order is created to register the receipt of items in one step i.e. move the items directly into the bins.

The inventory Put-away is used to handle receiving order by order. They are typically generated from the purchase order.

This creates an inventory put-way.

When the mobile device is used it is equivalent to performing the following operations in BC:

1. Set the “Qty. to Handle” fields
   
   
2. Register item tracking information
   This is done on the source document line
   
   
   
   
   
3. Use the split line function to place the items in multiple bins
   This is handled automatically when the mobile device has registered multiple bins for the same order line.
   
   
   
   
4. Post the Put-away
   When the inventory Put-away order is posted the items are available for picking.
   

Warehouse Put-aways

The Warehouse Put-aways can be created in two ways:

1. Posting a Warehouse Receipt
   
   
2. The Put-away Worksheet
   Put-away Worksheet can get lines from posted warehouse Receipts and group the Put-aways tasks into optimal tasks.

Note: The handling of the Warehouse Put-away is identical to that of inventory Put-away (see above)

Transfer orders

Transfer orders are used to move items between locations.

The standard workflow for a Transfer order is:

1. Create the Transfer order
   You specify which location to send from and which location to receive the items in.
   
   
2. Send the items from the sending location
   
   This can be handled in 3 ways:
   
   
   1. Directly on the Transfer order
      If the location is setup NOT to use shipments or picks
      
      
   2. From an Inventory Pick
      If the location is setup to use picks, but not shipments.
      

      When the Inventory Pick is posted the Transfer order is sent.
      Now the receive part of the Transfer order must be created. When using the mobile device this is performed automatically.
      
      

   3. From a warehouse shipment
      If the location is setup to use shipments.
      
      When the shipment is posted the Transfer order is sent.
      Now the receive part of the Transfer order must be created. When using the mobile device this is performed automatically.
      
      
3. Receive the items in the receiving location
   This can be handled in 3 ways:
   
   
   1. Directly on the Transfer order
      If the location is setup NOT to use Receipts or Put-aways
      
      
   2. From an inventory Put-away
      If the location is setup to use Put-away, but not receipt.
      
      When the inventory Put-away is posted the Transfer order is finished.
      
      
   3. From a Warehouse Receipt
      If the location is setup to use Receipts.
      
      When the receipt is posted the Transfer order is finished.

Sales Return Orders

For customers with simple warehouse requirements and without using the warehouse module, the Mobile WMS app can integrate directly to sales return orders in Business Central.

Sales return orders will be available for Receive on the mobile device if:

• The location code on the order header is configured NOT to use Receipts or Put-aways
• The order is released
• The user logged onto the mobile device is configured to work on this location
  This is done in the warehouse employee form

The typical work process is:

1. Create a new sales return order and release it
2. Receive the order using the mobile device
   This is equivalent to:
   1. Fill out the “Qty. to receive” on each order line
   2. Register item tracking information (if needed) for each order line
   3. Register the bin code (if needed)
      Note: Splitting of Sales Return lines is not supported so only one bin can be registered on the mobile device.
      If it is needed to register received items in multiple bins then use Put-aways.
   4. Post the sales return order as received

It is very similar to a purchase order, but the lines have a “Return Reason Code” on them.

The business process is:

1. A customer calls in with a complaint about a received product
2. The service person creates a sales return order based on the original sales order
3. The service person registers the return reason code on the line(s)
   Note: The return reason code is set in Business Central and not on the mobile device
4. The customer then ships the items back
5. The items are received using the mobile device
6. A credit memo is issued to the customer

Over-receipt

When more goods arrive than were ordered, you may want to receive them instead of canceling the receipt. For example, it might be cheaper to keep the excess items in inventory than return them,
or your vendor may offer a discount for keeping them. In this release, in addition to Purchase Orders and Warehouse Receipts, you can also use inventory put-away documents to handle over-receipts.

Over-receipt is supported on the mobile device. The Mobile WMS automatically detects if over-receipt is valid for the document line and validates entered quantities accordingly.

You may over-receive when:

• Over-Receipt Code is populated at the document line being displayed on the mobile device
• Over-Receipt setup exists, either as a default Over-receipt Code, or set up by Item or Vendor

The “Over-Receipt Tolerance %” from Over-Receipt Code is validated on posting from mobile device, not on entry.

Mobile: Receiving items

In the following scenario, the receiving process is shown as a two-step process (i.e. using warehouse Receipts and Warehouse Put-aways in Business Central).
This example shows the complete workflow, but it can also be carried out in one step, when not using Put-away.

The high-level steps are:

1. Handle the Warehouse Receipt
   
   
2. Handle the Warehouse Put-away (if relevant)

Mobile: Receive Order filters

When the user clicks the <Apply> button the mobile device will show the list of available orders. 

Mobile: Receive Order list

Selecting the right order
The user can use the scanner of the mobile device to select the right order to work on. In the standard setup, the user can scan the barcode of one of the received items. The mobile device will then filter the list of orders to only show the orders containing this item. This will typically result in a very limited set of orders.

Note: The filter functionality when scanning can be changed to allow filtering on any scanned value. E.g. scanning an order reference number.
The order is opened by touching the order line in the list. Whether this needs to be done once or twice, is defined in the configuration file for the mobile device, and the default is to double touch. When the line is opened the order lines are downloaded to the mobile device.

Order locking
The lock symbol, illustrated on the third order, tells the user if someone else is working on the order. If the user selects a locked order, a warning is displayed, telling the user who is working on the order. The locking function is used to prevent unintentionally selecting an order handled by another user. If the user still wants to work on the order after seeing the warning, the order can be opened in the menu by selecting "Release (order no.)" to unlock the order. The menu is opened either by clicking the round blue menu button or by long-pressing on the line.

Menu options

Mobile: Receive Order lines

When the order lines have been downloaded to the mobile device the order lines can be registered while the mobile device is disconnected from the server.

An example is if the mobile device is used in an area without wireless network coverage (e.g. inside a container).

Selecting an order line
The fastest and most reliable way to select an order line is to scan the barcode of an item. If the barcode is not available, the user can simply touch the line twice. On devices with a physical keyboard, the up/down arrows can be used, opening the order line by pressing the enter button. This starts the registration process for the order line.

The barcodes associated with an item are defined as a cross-reference for that item.

There can be multiple barcodes associated with an item.

Note: The "Item Cross Reference" feature on the mobile device can be used to add these references. The optimal way is to get this information in electronic format from your vendors and import these values.

Registering expiration dates
If the item requires Lot / serial number registration the mobile device can be configured to also register the expiration date for the Lot / serial number. This is done by setting the "Man. Expir. Date Entry" checkbox on the item tracking code. Field is in newer versions named "Require Expiration Dates" or "Require Expiration Date Entry".

 
The expiration date can be changed by touching the current date, which will show a calendar.

Registering Lot numbers

If the item tracking code for the item on the order line has been set up to register Lot numbers then the mobile device will ask the user to enter a Lot number.




The user can either scan or manually register the Lot number, after which the quantity will be requested.

Register serial numbers

If the item tracking code for the item on the order line has been set up to register serial numbers then the mobile device will ask the user to enter serial numbers.

Serial numbers can be registered with or without an expiration date and will only ask the user for it if it is enabled.

• The user can either scan or manually register the serial number. When serial numbers are registered the user is not allowed to enter a quantity since a serial number is equal to a quantity of one
• When a serial number is registered the quantity is automatically incremented by one

Registering the quantity

If the item on the order line is set up not to use item tracking then the user is asked to enter the quantity.

The mobile device always suggests the quantity remaining to fulfill the quantity on the order line.

The quantity can be registered in multiple steps e.g. if multiple Lot numbers are received. In that case, the registration procedure is repeated for each Lot number.
To accept the quantity, the user can either click the icon with the arrow pointing down on the right or simply scan the next item to receive.

By scanning the next item the mobile device will automatically register the entered quantity and select the next order line in one step. This will allow the user to perform the registrations faster and without touching the screen.

Note: In situations where it is very important that the correct items are picked it is possible to configure the mobile device to make the user scan each item instead of entering a quantity. In this case, the mobile device will increment the quantity by one every time the user scans the item barcode.
 

Menu options

Note: Pressing the Android back button navigates back to the order list screen.

This is used to leave an order without sending any registrations to Business Central.

If registrations have been made on any order line, the mobile device will warn the user that the order is not completed yet.

The user can return to the order at any time to complete it and to send the registrations to Business Central.

This scenario is used when the user needs to stop handling the order, to handle a more important order.

Put-away is automatically generated (if the location is configured to use Put-away)

When a receipt is posted, the related Put-away order is automatically generated by Business Central.

The Put-away order is handled using the Put-away module on the mobile device. It can be handled by the same person who performed the receive, but typically it is carried out by someone else.

Posting errors

If a posting error occurs in Business Central the posting error is displayed on the mobile device and the user must correct the information. An example of this is if the user has received a serial number that already exists.

Calculate Cross-docking

Cross-docking functionality is available if the location uses "Require Receive" and "Require Put-away".

If the location and the item card specify that cross-docking is used, the receiving process will automatically calculate the quantity to cross-dock. The calculation will remove manually entered cross-dock quantity on the warehouse shipment line.

• The cross-dock calculation uses the working date + the date formula entered in "Cross-Dock Due Date Calc." (+10 days in this example).
• Only released sales lines with "Shipment Date" equal or prior to this will apply
• The working date of the mobile device is normally the current date

Purchase Order Has Predefined Item Tracking

If tracking like Lot Number, Expiration Date, or Serial Number is predefined on the Purchase order, it is not displayed on mobile.

This is by design, as we recommend a process where items are first physically labeled and then ready to be handled by scanning.

How Quantity Is Updated

Which value does mobile display as the "Quantity To Handle"?

The value comes from the "Qty. Outstanding"-field.

What happens on posting a Quantity?

On posting the "Qty. to Receive"-field  is either:

1. Filled with the Quantity from Mobile
   or
2. Zeroed Out

This is done so Mobile will never post any existing/arbitrary value, but always use what is collected from the mobile user.

Next

Putting away