ANS-0331 · INVENTORY & ITEM MANAGEMENT
How to Track Serial Numbers Only at Sale in NetSuite (Outbound Serials)
For businesses requiring serial number tracking exclusively for outbound sales, NetSuite's native serialized item feature may not be suitable, necessitating alternative custom field solutions.
Short answer
NetSuite's native Serialized Item feature is designed for end-to-end tracking, making it unsuitable if serial numbers are not desired on the purchase side. A custom field on sales transactions can serve as a viable alternative for outbound serial number tracking. Searching may be complex for multiple serials per line, but 'Long Text' fields offer significantly higher character limits.
Scenario
Organizations often require tracking of serial numbers exclusively for items sold, without the need to manage these serials during the purchase or inbound inventory process. This scenario arises when the primary concern is to record specific serials only at the point of sale for customer service, warranty, or compliance purposes, rather than full lifecycle inventory management.
Solution
If serial number tracking is not desired on the purchase side, NetSuite's native Serialized Item feature is not applicable.An effective approach involves implementing a custom field on sales transactions to capture outbound serial numbers. This custom field should be configured as a 'Long Text' type to accommodate potentially long lists of serial numbers, as 'Long Text' fields now offer significantly higher character limits (up to 1,000,000 characters in the UI).It is important to note that performing searches on this custom field may present challenges, particularly when a single transaction line includes multiple serial numbers within the same field.
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