Item Tracking in BC exists to answer one question the client will eventually ask under pressure: “Where did this specific item come from, and where did it go?”
That question shows up as:
- A regulator asking for a recall trace
- A customer complaint about a defective unit
- An auditor checking expiry compliance
- A warranty claim needing the exact unit history
Out of the box, BC gives you two tracking mechanisms — Lot No. and Serial No. — configured at the item card level via the Item Tracking Code. They’re not mutually exclusive; BC 28.0 (like prior versions) supports combining both on the same item when the business genuinely needs unit-level and batch-level visibility.
Lot Nos.: Batch-Level Traceability
A Lot No. groups a quantity of items produced or received together as one traceable batch. You’re not tracking each individual unit — you’re tracking the group it belongs to.
Where I configure this:
- Item Tracking Code with Lot Specific Tracking enabled
- Lot Nos. assigned at purchase receipt, production output, or via Lot No. Information Card for manual assignment
- Optional: Expiration Date Formula for perishable/shelf-life items, tied to Warehouse/Inventory setup for FEFO (First-Expired-First-Out) picking
Serial Nos.: Unit-Level Traceability
A Serial No. tracks a single, individual unit through its entire lifecycle — one number, one physical item, full history from receipt to sale to service.
Where I configure this:
- Item Tracking Code with SN Specific Tracking enabled
- Assignment at receipt (vendor-supplied serials) or at production/packing (auto-generated internal serials)
- Warranty and Service Management integration — this is where Serial Nos. earn their keep, since BC’s Service module relies entirely on serial-level history for service items
Lot Nos. vs Serial Nos.: Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Lot No. | Serial No. |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking granularity | Batch/group of items | Individual unit |
| Typical quantity per number | Many units share one lot | Exactly one unit per number |
| Best fit | Bulk, perishable, chemical, formulated goods | High-value, discrete, serviceable goods |
| Recall scope | Entire batch pulled | Single unit identified |
| Expiration date support | Yes, natively | Not typically applicable |
| Service Management integration | Limited | Core dependency |
| Reporting overhead | Lower (fewer numbers to manage) | Higher (one record per unit) |
| Common industries | Food & Beverage, Pharma, Chemicals | Electronics, Machinery, Automotive, Medical Devices |
Configuration Checklist I Run With Every Client
- Does the item need batch-level or unit-level traceability — or both?
- Is expiration/shelf-life relevant? (Lot only)
- Will Service Management be used? (Serial strongly recommended)
- Should tracking apply across Purchase, Sales, Transfer, and Production simultaneously?
- Manual or automatic number assignment — and who owns the numbering scheme (client’s existing ERP/MES vs BC-generated)?
- Do we need FEFO/FIFO enforcement in warehouse picks?
- Reporting: does the client need Item Tracing (forward/backward trace) reports for compliance or recall scenarios?
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