To block and unblock

You can block inbound movement, outbound movement, transfer (receipt, issue), or assembly of items at various inventory levels:

At each of these levels, you can impose a blocking for one or more transactions. You can also (un)block inventory at these levels for all transactions at once.

To block or unblock zones and locations

You can (un)block all transactions on zones and locations using the Warehouse - Blocked Zones/Locations (whwmd6110m000) session. In this session, you can (partly) (un)block the warehouse inventory. Only locations of types Bulk or Pick can be blocked using this session.

Use the Warehouse - (Un)Blocked Locations by Transaction (whwmd6111m000) session to block or unblock specific transactions in an entire location or a part of a location. Use the Warehouse - (Un)Blocked Zones by Transaction (whwmd6112m000) to (un)block transactions at zone level.

Use the Global (Un)Block Zones/Locations (whwmd6210m000) session to (un)block a range of zones or locations at once for a specific transaction type.

To block or unblock lots

Use the Item - Blocked Lots (whwmd6120m000) session to (un)block lots for all transactions.

You must use the Warehouse - Item - (Un)Blocked Lots by Transaction (whwmd6121m000) session to (un)block transaction types for lots.

You can (un)block a range of lots by transaction using the Global (Un)Block Lots (whwmd6220m000) session.

To block or unblock stockpoints

Use the Warehouse - Location - Item - Blocked Stock Points (whwmd6130m000) session to (partially) (un)block stockpoints for all transactions.

To (un)block specific serialized items in case of a partial blocked stockpoint, use the Blocked Stock Points Serial Distribution (whwmd6135m000) session.

You can use the Item - (Un)Blocked Stock Points by Transaction (whwmd6131m000) session to (un)block transaction types for stockpoints.

You can (un)block a range of stockpoints by transaction by using the Global (Un)Block Stock Points (whwmd6230m000) session. Only locations of types Bulk or Pick can be blocked by using these sessions.

Tip

To block goods that are at a receiving location or reject location (neither of which supports stockpoints), in the Warehouse - Location (whwmd3100s000) session, on the Transactions tab, select the Blocked check box next to the appropriate transaction type.

To block or unblock serialized items by transaction

Use the Stock Point - (Un)Block Serials by Transaction (whwmd6136m000) session to (un)block transaction types for serialized items.

Consequences of blocking inventory

If you block inventory of an item for specific transactions, the item’s inventory on hold is not increased; the inventory is just blocked for inbound, outbound, assembly, or transshipment.

Blocking inventory for all transactions will raise the quantity of inventory on hold and decrease the quantity of inventory available.

If you block:

  • A stockpoint, LN also blocks the serial numbers of that stockpoint.
  • A lot, LN also blocks the stockpoint for that lot.
  • A location, LN also blocks the stockpoints in that location.
  • A zone, LN also blocks the locations in that zone.
Usage of blockings in LN

You can use blockings by warehouse, zone, location, lot, and stockpoint when you perform any of the following:

  • Register the receipt of items
  • Control the inbound movement of items
  • Control the outbound movement of items
  • Enter inventory transactions
  • Create cycle-count orders
  • Create inspection orders
Note

You can also block inventory as a result of the following:

  • Storage inspection orders
    You can block inventory if the items have not yet passed inspection.
  • Cycle-count orders
    You can block inventory if the items are included in a cycle count order. When you process a counting list, the inventory blocked for cycle counting is automatically unblocked.
Note

When LN prints cycle-counting lists, the inventory lines printed on the counting list are automatically blocked, to prevent changes to quantities during cycle counting. When counting lists are processed, the inventory lines are automatically unblocked

Inventory blocking including or excluding EP

When Enterprise Planning checks the available inventory during an order planning run, for example, Enterprise Planning may or may not want to know whether this inventory is blocked.

For example, if a particular lot is blocked because you want to perform a quick inspection on the packing materials and you expect to lift the blocking in a short while, it is not relevant to let Enterprise Planning in on this. If, on the other hand, you expect the lot to be withdrawn from inventory, Enterprise Planning must be informed that this lot does not belong to the available inventory.

In the first case, you must select a reason code of reason type Inventory Blocking excluding EP. Enterprise Planning will ignore this type of blocking and regard the blocked inventory as available inventory. In the latter case, you must select a reason code of reason type Inventory Blocking including EP.

Note

For items that do not have Order System Planned, or are used as supplying items or BOM material for items planned by Enterprise Planning, you can use reason codes of either reason type.