# Serial Numbers

<p class="doc-lead">Serial numbers track individual units of an item through stock. Enable serial tracking on the item, then enter or select serials on receipts, openings, adjustments, deliveries, invoices, and production documents. Shared save and approve validation comes from the transaction layer used by those screens.</p>

<div class="doc-toc">
<p class="doc-toc-title">On this page</p>
<div class="doc-toc-section">
<div class="doc-toc-links">
<a href="#/inventory/serial-numbers?id=overview">Overview</a>
<a href="#/inventory/serial-numbers?id=where-used">Where serials are used</a>
<a href="#/inventory/serial-numbers?id=related">Related</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>

<hr class="doc-section-divider">

<h2 id="overview">Overview</h2>

Go to <b>Inventory → Settings → Item</b> and enable serial number tracking on the item. After that, transaction lines for that item show serial fields.

Two patterns appear across documents:

| **Pattern** | **What happens** | **Typical documents** |
|-------------|------------------|------------------------|
| Add (create) | New serials are created on approve — typed names, auto-generate, or a numeric range. | Purchase Invoice, Goods Receipt Note, Opening Inventory, Inventory Adjustment (gain), Production Voucher (output), Credit Note (referenceless), Inventory Conversion (to) |
| Select (issue) | Existing serials are picked from stock. | Sale Invoice, Goods Delivery Note, Debit Note, Inventory Transfer, WIP Transfer, Inventory Adjustment (loss), Inventory Revaluation, Issue for Production, Receipt from Production, Consumable Issue, Credit Note (against invoice) |

<hr class="doc-section-divider">

<h2 id="where-used">Where serials are used</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="#/inventory/opening-inventory">Opening Inventory</a> — opening stock serials</li>
<li><a href="#/inventory/goods-receipt-note">Goods Receipt Note</a> / <a href="#/purchase/purchase-invoice">Purchase Invoice</a> — receive and create serials</li>
<li><a href="#/inventory/goods-delivery-note">Goods Delivery Note</a> / <a href="#/sales/sale-invoice">Sale Invoice</a> — issue serials from stock</li>
<li><a href="#/inventory/inventory-adjustment">Inventory Adjustment</a> — add on gain, select on loss</li>
<li><a href="#/inventory/inventory-transfer">Inventory Transfer</a>, <a href="#/production/wip-transfer">WIP Transfer</a>, <a href="#/inventory/consumable-issue">Consumable Issue</a></li>
<li><a href="#/production/production-voucher">Production Voucher</a>, <a href="#/production/issue-for-production">Issue for Production</a>, <a href="#/production/receipt-from-production">Receipt from Production</a></li>
<li><a href="#/sales/credit-note">Credit Note</a>, <a href="#/purchase/debit-note">Debit Note</a></li>
<li><a href="#/inventory/serial-number-status-update">Serial Number Status Update</a> — Open / Activated / Closed</li>
</ul>

<hr class="doc-section-divider">

<h2 id="related">Related Topics</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="#/inventory/inventory-item">Inventory Item</a> — enable serial tracking</li>
<li><a href="#/inventory/serial-number-status-update">Serial Number Status Update</a></li>
<li><a href="#/inventory/reports/serial-number-enquiry">Serial Number Enquiry</a></li>
<li><a href="#/inventory/reports/serial-number-stock">Serial Number Stock</a></li>
<li><a href="#/inventory/reports/stock-report-serial-number">Stock Report - Serial Number</a></li>
</ul>

<section class="ai-index-only">

## Errors and warnings

Exact serial-number messages from shared transaction validation (`transaction.controller`) and related approve-time stock posting. Individual transaction pages also list the messages that screen can show. Visitors do not see this section; Vertex AI Search uses it to answer questions about on-screen errors.


### Duplicate Serial Number found (shared save / approve)

- **Type:** Error
- **Action:** Save, Save And Approve, Approve
- **When:** The same serial name or id appears more than once on a line (`dummySerialNumbers`, `serialNumbers`, or comma-separated `slNumberIds`). Raised by shared duplicate validation on any document that adds or selects serials.
- **Example message:** *Duplicate Serial Number found* or *Duplicate Serial Number found <b>SN-001</b>* or *Duplicate Serial Number found <b>SN-001</b> for Item <b>Widget</b> ( ItemId 1160 ) in line 2*
- **Outcome:** Not saved / not approved.
- **Solution:** Keep one entry per serial on the line. Remove repeated names or ids.

### Duplicate Serial Number found for Item (approve stock post)

- **Type:** Error
- **Action:** Approve, Save And Approve
- **When:** On approve, stock posting finds duplicate serial ids on a line (Sale Invoice, Delivery Note, Purchase Invoice, Debit Note, Inventory Adjustment, Inventory Transfer, and similar issue/receipt documents).
- **Example message:** *Duplicate Serial Number found for  Item <b>Widget ( ItemId 1160 ) </b> in line 2*
- **Outcome:** Not approved.
- **Solution:** Enter each serial only once so the serial count and quantity match.

### Serial Number missing

- **Type:** Error
- **Action:** Approve, Save And Approve
- **When:** A serial-tracked item posts stock and the line has no serial ids. Common on Sale Invoice, Delivery Note, Purchase Invoice, Debit Note, Inventory Adjustment, Inventory Transfer, Consumable Issue, Issue for Production, and similar.
- **Example message:** *Serial Number missing*
- **Outcome:** Not approved.
- **Solution:** Select or enter one serial per unit for the line quantity.

### Serial Number Quantity Mismatch for Item

- **Type:** Error
- **Action:** Approve, Save And Approve
- **When:** The count of serial ids differs from the line quantity (or out/in quantity on the stock ledger line).
- **Example message:** *Serial Number Quantity Mismatch for  Item <b>Widget ( ItemId 1160 ) </b> in line 2*
- **Outcome:** Not approved.
- **Solution:** Enter exactly as many unique serials as the line quantity.

### Serial Number Quantity Mismatch (Opening Inventory)

- **Type:** Error
- **Action:** Approve, Save And Approve
- **When:** On Opening Inventory, the serial id count differs from opening quantity.
- **Example message:** *Serial Number Quantity Mismatch*
- **Outcome:** Not approved.
- **Solution:** Enter one serial per opening quantity unit.

### Serial Number Quantity Mismatch for Item (Inventory Adjustment, no line)

- **Type:** Error
- **Action:** Approve, Save And Approve
- **When:** On Inventory Adjustment approve, serial count and adjustment quantity differ; some paths omit the line number.
- **Example message:** *Serial Number Quantity Mismatch for  Item <b>Widget ( ItemId 1160 ) </b>*
- **Outcome:** Not approved.
- **Solution:** Match serial count to More or Less quantity on the line.

### SerialNumber not found (select / issue)

- **Type:** Error
- **Action:** Save, Save And Approve
- **When:** Shared select validation looks up serial names (or a serial range) for the item and one or more names are missing or cancelled. Used on Sale Invoice, Delivery Note, Debit Note, Inventory Transfer, WIP Transfer, Inventory Adjustment (loss), Inventory Conversion, Inventory Revaluation, Production Voucher, Issue for Production, Receipt from Production, Receipt Note (select path), Consumable Issue, Credit Note (non-referenceless).
- **Example message:** *SerialNumber <b>SN-999</b> in line 2 not found*
- **Outcome:** Not saved.
- **Solution:** Choose serials that exist for the item and are available, or correct the starting/ending range.

### SerialNumber already exist (add / create)

- **Type:** Error
- **Action:** Approve, Save And Approve
- **When:** Shared add validation creates serials on approve and finds the name already recorded for the item. On Purchase Invoice and Receipt Note, the same message is raised when that serial is still in stock (reuse is allowed only when the serial is out of stock). Other add documents (Opening Inventory, Inventory Adjustment gain, Production Voucher, Credit Note referenceless, Inventory Conversion) reject any existing name.
- **Example message:** *SerialNumber <b>SN-001</b> in line 2 already exist*
- **Outcome:** Not approved. New serials are not created.
- **Solution:** Use a unique serial name. On Purchase Invoice or Receipt Note, reuse only a serial that is currently out of stock for that item.

### Invalid Number of Serial Numbers

- **Type:** Error
- **Action:** Approve, Save And Approve
- **When:** Production Voucher, Inventory Conversion, or Receipt from Subcontracting stock posting finds a serial count that fails the line quantity check (separate from the “Quantity Mismatch for Item” wording).
- **Example message:** *Invalid Number of Serial Numbers*
- **Outcome:** Not approved.
- **Solution:** Align the number of serials with the line quantity, then approve.

</section>