Serial Number Prefix

Specify the prefix to display in front of each serial number. This prefix has three levels of defaults:

  • Specify a S/N prefix in the Inventory Parameters form to use as the system-level default.
  • Override the prefix for a specific item on the Items or Multi-Site Items form.
  • Override either of these default prefixes with another prefix for a specific transaction in forms where you assign new serial numbers.

If you use the S/N Definition button on the Inventory Parameters, Items or Multi-Site Items form to define the prefix, the S/N Prefix field displays the result, including placeholders.

If you use the S/N Definition button to define "intelligent" prefix segments, the default serial numbers can include information such as the job or receipt transaction date or the transaction reference.

These placeholders, which start with an ampersand (&), are replaced with current data when the serial number is created.

A prefix can consist of numeric and non-numeric (letters and symbols) characters. However, we recommend that you use a hyphen (-) at the end of the prefix to ensure that the system increments serial numbers correctly.

Adding a prefix does not affect any existing lot numbers for the item.

If the Expand S/N field in the Inventory Parameters form is selected, the system can automatically generate a range of serial numbers. If you specify a prefix, serial number generation begins with the next available number with that prefix. If you do not use a prefix, the system looks for the largest existing serial number and adds 1 to it. The total serial number length (prefix plus number) is 30 characters if Expand S/N is selected. Otherwise, the total length can be anywhere from 1 to 30 characters.

Note: The Serial and Lot Prefix field on the Inventory Controls tab is the default only for new items being added.
Note: This prefix is not used when assigning prefixes to items that have the Lot or Serial Prefix blank.

For example, if you do not enter a value in the S/N Prefix field, the default serial numbers used at this site are 1, 2, etc. if the Expand S/N field is not selected or 000000001, 0000000002, etc. if the Expand S/N field is selected. If you specify SN- in the S/N Prefix field, the default serial numbers used at this site are SN-0000...0001 and SN-0000...0002, etc. if you selected the Expand S/N field, and SN-1, SN-2, etc. if you did not select Expand S/N.