Recording serial numbers at picking means the picker scans the actual unit taken from the shelf, so the order carries the serial that ships. Warehouse Insight is a warehouse app for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central that handles this on the handheld. Resellers often call it an add-on, and it follows the item tracking you set up in Business Central.
Why assign serial numbers at picking instead of on the order?
Because the picker is the first person who can see which unit is leaving. When serials are entered on the sales order in advance, someone in the office chooses a serial from a list. The warehouse then has to find that exact unit, even if an identical one sits closer to hand.
Many operations would rather tell the picker to take five units and record whichever five they take. Paper makes that slow. Pickers write serials on a pick list, then someone types them into Business Central later. Every handwritten digit is a chance for the record and the box to disagree.
Scanning removes the copy step. The serial goes from the barcode on the unit straight to the pick document in Business Central.
How does scanning serial numbers at picking work?
The picker follows the normal pick sequence, with one shortcut. Here is the flow on a serial-tracked line:
- The picker opens the pick document and scans the bin to confirm location.
- The picker scans the serial number barcode on the unit.
- Warehouse Insight matches the serial to its item, so a separate item scan is not needed.
- Each serial scan adds one to the picked quantity, so no quantity entry is required.
- The picker repeats until the line is complete, and Business Central updates as each scan is confirmed.
This works on both warehouse picks and inventory picks. The Warehouse Insight picking page covers the full scan-to-confirm workflow. For tracking at other steps, see lot and serial tracking from a handheld.
Does the scanner force the exact serial on the pick?
Only when you want it to. The handheld follows what is set up in Business Central, and there are three common approaches:
- Required serial: The serial is defined on the order. If the picker scans a different serial, the device rejects it.
- Suggested serial with override: The serial is defined, but pickers are allowed to take a different one.
- Record at pick: No serial is defined. The picker takes any units and scans the serials taken.
The required option lines up with Business Central’s own rule. Microsoft’s item tracking documentation explains that when serials are already defined on the source document, “you can’t change any fields on the Item Tracking Lines page under the inventory pick.”
Can serials link back to the production order?
Yes, through Business Central’s item tracking. When production staff consume tracked components on the handheld, they record each component’s serial or lot number. When they report output, Warehouse Insight can generate the finished good’s serial from the item’s number series.
Both records post against the same production order. That gives Business Central a chain from component serials to the finished unit. When the finished unit is later picked by serial, the chain extends to the customer. The production order management page covers consumption and output in more detail.
How does a serial travel from the pick to the invoice?
It moves with the item tracking lines, one posted document at a time. Nobody rekeys it along the way.
| Step | Where the serial is recorded |
|---|---|
| Pick | Item tracking on the pick line, captured by the scan |
| Shipment | Carried to the warehouse shipment or sales order line |
| Posting | Written to the item ledger entry for that unit |
| Invoice | Linked through the posted shipment the invoice is based on |
Once posted, Business Central’s Item Tracing page shows the full history. Microsoft describes how you can “trace forwards and backwards in a sequence of posted inventory transactions for the serial or lot number.”
Do serial numbers at picking need to be scanned again at shipping?
That is your choice. On the Warehouse Insight shipping page, tracking is scanned during the same step that confirms each item. If pickers already confirm serials on full warehouse picks, you can configure shipping not to ask again.
Some operations still want a second check at the dock, especially for high-value units. In that case, the shipper rescans each serial before the shipment posts. Both setups use the same app.
Frequently asked questions about serial numbers at picking
Can a picker scan a serial number without scanning the item first?
Yes. If the serial number is in a barcode, Warehouse Insight finds the matching item automatically. The picker still scans the bin first to confirm location.
Is serial capture part of the Warehouse Insight extension?
Yes. The Warehouse Insight extension handles serial capture in its picking, shipping, receiving and production workflows. Which items need serials is still set by item tracking codes in Business Central.
What if units arrive with no serial number barcode?
Capture and label them at receiving so every later scan is fast. Scanning serial numbers at receiving explains how that works.
To see how serial tracking fits into the rest of the warehouse, visit the Warehouse Insight app page.