Tracking Types

Every warehouse item has a tracking type. It decides how much the app knows about each unit, and how much your team must enter at every receipt, pick, and count.

You set the tracking type when you enroll an item in a warehouse. You cannot change it afterwards. See Warehouse Items.

The four types

BULK

The app counts units, and nothing else. A bin holds a number.

Receive by quantity. Pick by quantity.
No lot, no serial number, no tag.
The fastest type to work with, and the only type the one-step Direct Receive action supports.

Choose it for packaging, raw material, stationery, and any part where one unit is as good as the next.

LOT

Units are grouped into lots, and the app counts each lot on its own. One bin can hold two lots of the same item, as two separate records.

The lot is chosen on the receive page of a delivery, not on the order line.
A lot can carry a manufacturing date and an expiration date.
When you pick, the source bin you choose decides the lot.
Direct Dispatch supports lot stock as well as bulk stock.

Choose it for food, chemicals, and any item where a recall or an expiry date must reach a batch.

SERIAL

Each unit carries its own serial number, and the app tracks each unit.

Type or scan one serial number per unit on receipt.
Picks, transfers, and counts move named units, not a number.
A serial number is unique across the whole system.

Choose it for machines, tools, and high-value equipment.

RFID

The same as SERIAL, except the identifier is an RFID tag (an EPC code) that a reader scans.

A reader adds units. You can also type an EPC by hand, which is what you do when no reader is at the workstation.
A tag is unique across the whole system.
A stock count of RFID stock scans the bin and classifies each read: matched, missing, wrong location, or unregistered.

Choose it when your units carry tags and your team has readers. Select the reader in Settings.

What each type costs your team

	BULK	LOT	SERIAL	RFID
Entry on receipt	quantity	quantity	one code per unit	one scan per unit
Knows which unit is where	no	by lot	yes	yes
Expiry and recall	no	yes	per unit	per unit
One-step direct receipt	yes	no	no	no
One-step direct dispatch	yes	yes	no	no

Choosing

Your item	Type
Stationery, packaging, raw material	BULK
Food, chemicals, anything with an expiry date	LOT
Electronics, machinery, tools	SERIAL
Tagged apparel, tagged assets	RFID

A stronger type costs your team time at every step. Choose the weakest type that answers the questions you must answer.