In many cases, the traceability to a vendor related material is not done with Batch or serial references, but basically by using other Vendor references for traceability:
- Purchase order number
- Delivery note number (Receipt ID in Dynamics)
- Shipment ID
- Invoice number
- Vendor package ID / Handling unit ID / Container- ID
- Obviously, an important reference to track is the delivery date.
If no batch or serial number is defined or tracked, those references are the preferred references to track back to the Vendor traceability. The Vendor might also provide additional tracking references in an ASN or in an As-build-BOM Report that are NOT used as inventory dimensions in Dynamics, but should be registered in the Tracking solution.
It should be possible to:
- Export of additional purchase references to the traceability solution
- View and analyze traceability based on those document / reference types
- Import additional references to the traceability model that are NOT registered in Dynamics directly.
Comments
Hi Conrad,Just to confirm my understanding: you're saying that accurate track and trace at the batch or serial number level is not strictly required to support traceability. Instead, traceability need to be achieved at a broader level—such as vendor account or lot consumption—without needing to map down to the specific physical object via batch or serial numbers and quantity.
Category: Traceability
Thank you for your reply, the expectation is that those can be used as alternative keys - but obviously you need to think of that the reference cannot just go to the batch level as one vendor can ship material from the same vendor batch in multiple shipments or handling units. So some of those references go to smaller level of detail.Currently in Dynamics, there is no need to implement Batch or serial tracking to be able to provide a traceabiltiy, as the traceability is tracked on the lot and lot consumption of the production. If the traceability is limited to products that have either batch or serial dimension, a lot of customers will need to modify their product data models - or will not be able to use the traceability app, as they do not have batch or serial enablement for all products (especially in discrete manufacturing, tracking serial or batch dimension throughout all BOM levels is more the exception than the rule.)
Category: Traceability
Hi Conrad,Thank you for highlighting the importance of vendor-related references in traceability.We’re currently designing a more flexible model that allows users to track additional contextual information—such as purchase order number, delivery note (Receipt ID), shipment ID, invoice number, and vendor package/container IDs—under the tracked object key (Batch/Serial). These references will be stored as part of the data collection and will support backward search capabilities.However, it’s important to note that these references are not considered primary keys for the tracked object. This is because they are not consistently used across all SCM modules such as manufacturing, sales, and service processes.We’ve selected Batch and Serial number as the core traceability keys because:They are typically printed and physically attached to products, serving as the bridge between the digital and physical worlds.They are consistently used across the entire SCM lifecycle—from procurement and inventory to manufacturing, sales, and distribution.To better understand your scenario:Are you proposing the introduction of a new traceability key specifically for the purchase process, or is the expectation that these additional references should be used as traceability anchors across all SCM modules?Looking forward to your clarification so we can evaluate how best to align the Traceability model with your requirements.Best regards,Ban
Category: Traceability