Using dedicated number groups

You can use dedicated number groups to generate unique numbers for orders and documents for specific use. The series numbers that LN generates in number groups dedicated to the same type of use, are unique. To ensure that the numbers are unique, LN checks that the series codes that you define in the number groups cannot result in duplicate numbers.

You can dedicate number group to these purposes:

Freight/Warehouse
Invoicing
Production
Service
Not Applicable

You can assign the number groups to various purposes in the corresponding sessions. For example, in the Sales Order Parameters (tdsls0100s400) session, you can select the number group for sales orders and sales schedules. In the Sales Offices (tdsls0512m000) session, you can then select a series of that number group for the sales orders generated by a specific sales office.

First free number:

LN numbers the orders, documents, or other records sequentially by using the first free number in the series. You specify the starting number of each series in the First Free Numbers (tcmcs0150m000) session.

Order numbers:

The resulting number consists of the series code followed by the first free number. The number must consist of 9 characters. LN adds leading zeroes to the first free number to make up the required number of digits.

Example

The series code is NR08. The first free number is 100. Documents in this series get the numbers:

NR0800100
NR0800101
NR0800102

First free numbers cache:

To improve the performance of sessions in which new order numbers are assigned, you can define a cache size for a series. The cache size is the number of new series numbers that LN generates and puts in the user's cache. The users do not have to wait while LN generates and checks the next series numbers.

If you use the first free numbers cache, the order numbers can be non sequential; the numbers that are still in the user's cache are lost when you log off.

If you do not want to use the first free numbers cache, you must set the cache size to zero.

Example

You set the cache size to four. The first time a user creates a new order, LN generates four new series numbers and puts them in the user's cache. The user must wait while this happens. The first number is used for the new order. LN retrieves the numbers for the next three orders that the user creates from the user's cache. If the user creates a fifth order, LN generates another four numbers, puts them in the user's cache, and so on.

If the user creates six orders and then logs off, the last two series numbers that LN generated for the user are not used.

To use identical numbers for related records:

Define a number group for each type of record, by using the Number Groups (tcmcs0151m000) session.
Define identical series codes in the number groups, by using the First Free Numbers (tcmcs0150m000) session.
Define the same first free numbers in the identical series, by using the First Free Numbers (tcmcs0150m000) session.
Assign the number groups to the two types of records, by using the appropriate session.
Select the identical series for the records.

LN generates identical codes when you create the different types of records that you want to link. You can use this, for example, to use identical codes for related orders or contracts in different companies.

Examples of dedicated number groups:

Example

You define number groups with the following details:

Number Group	Series Length	Dedicated for
SF1	2	Production
SF2	2	Production
SF5	3	Production
IN9	2	Invoicing

If the SF1 number group contains a series KJ, you cannot insert the same series code ( KJ) into the SF2 number group.

If the SF1 number group contains a series AA, you cannot insert the series codes AA1, AA5, or AA9 into the SF5 number group, because this can result in the same numbers as those generated in the SF2 number group.

If the SF5 number group contains a series DF2, you cannot insert a series DF into the SF1 or SF2 number groups, because they can result in the same numbers as those generated in the number group SF5, if very high numbers are generated (such as DF2255734, DF2766438, and so on).

Regardless of the series defined in number groups SF1, SF2, and SF3, you can insert any series in the IN9 number group, because IN9 is dedicated to another type of use.