Quick abstract

As many of you may know, with the latest release of Dynamics Ax 2009, the new Quality Management System (QMS) module is available within the Inventory Management Area, formerly the Fullscope TQM (Total Quality Management) solution, which was acquired and evolves in the new module.

As some of you may know, the upgrade scripts from previous TQM solutions have been provided a couple of months after the official release. Considering the fact that the previous TQM solution was a part of the BUS layer, but not a SYS layer, the upgrade scripts weren’t included in the Dynamics Ax 2009 SP1 and they were only available as hot fix 955735 (since September 2008). You can request the hot fix from here

Why do I need to continue reading this post?

This post is about the TQM->QMS upgrade and there are at least three good reasons why we would recommend partners and Dynamics Ax professional to read it. The post will include information about:

·         the upgrade strategy from the BUS to the SYS layer between versions

·         pre-upgrade data requirements that any partner should be aware of in advance

·         how to adjust an upgrade process with a minimum of effort to support existing customizations

 Let’s get started.

Prepare your data before upgrade

TQM evolves in the QMS module and as a result of the transformation the data model has been adjusted to follow the latest Dynamics Ax data model and code best practices. For instance, the text fields to keep comments for particular orders have been converted to standard document handling functionality; a new transaction type (InventTransType::QualityOrder) to mark related transactions on InventTrans table has been introduced for quality orders; QMS inventory transactions are treated by the system in a consistent way (an example would be that now there is no need for special fields like QmmScrap on InventTrans to specify scrap).

The extended data type (EDT) size truncation issue affecting primary keys

The standard extended data types have been applied to the amount of fields and this transformation results in adjustment/truncation of some fields in the new tables. For instance, QmmTestGroup.QmmTestGroupCode EDT (string size 20) evolves in InventTestGroup.InventTestGroupId EDT(string size 10). It may result in an index duplication violation error during the upgrade process in case you have an existing number sequence which is not unique within a size of ten digits for the QmmTestGroup.QmmTestGroupCode field.

Possible workaround

Before you upgrade, we recommend that you change QmmTestGroup.QmmTestGroupCode values of more than 10 characters to a maximum length of 10. To do this:

1.      Right-click the field “Test group”

2.      Select Record info

3.      Click the Rename button

4.      Expand the field length to 10.

You can find the full list of truncated fields in the corresponding KB article for hot fix 955735.

Upgrade strategy

In releases prior to Dynamics Ax 2009 the TQM code base took place in the BUS layer, but in the latest release it was “moved” to the SYS layer. The main problem is that “old” TQM application objects are on the BUS layer, but the “new” QMS application objects are on the SYS layer. This situation is not typical for the product. Usually the upgrade scripts upgrade the previous SYS layer to the current SYS layer. However, this is not the case with the QMS upgrade.

The strategy for upgrading the Dynamics Ax 4.* BUS layer to the Dynamics Ax2009 SYS layer uses an “ID based mapping” approach, which allows to:

·         Consume any “old” TQM application object (QMM* tables) in the database from the “new” Dynamics Ax2009 SYS layer.

·         Associate “new“ application objects (so called DEL_ placeholder tables) with “old” qmm* tables which contain “old” data, that must be upgraded.

·         Create the usual x++ upgrade scripts, which can be accessed from the Upgrade Cockpit (new upgrade jobs marked as “QMS”).

Let’s go thought each step of proposed upgrade process

·         First of all, we need to remove the old axBUS.aod file from the AOS directory.

o   At this point of time there is no access to “old” qmm* tables from the application, but data are still “physically” persistent in the database. Let’s consider table one of those TQM tables in the database – QmmMyTable, as the example.

·         The second step is to import all application placeholder objects (one of them will be called DEL_ QmmMyTable) that have the same IDs as the previous qmm* tables (same table and field IDs).

o   All placeholder application objects will be mapped by the system to the “old” database tables, so by using the DEL_ QmmMyTable table from the x++ code this object gets associated to the old QmmMyTable table. Now we can write the regular x++ upgrade scripts.

·         The third step is to import x++ upgrade scripts (ReleaseUpdateDB41_QMS class) and recompile the ReleaseUpdate* classes hierarchy, so that the framework becomes aware of any new upgrade script classes.

·         Finally we can follow the normal upgrade path by running the upgrade jobs from the Upgrade Cockpit!

What should I do if there are partner customizations in the TQM solution and if the ID values of the placeholder tables of the hotfix don’t match my implementation?

The answer is simple – make sure that the placeholder tables match your original qmm* tables. One way of doing  this is to export the project, which contains all qmm* tables in the order of any new proposed placeholder tables (placeHolders.xpo) and use any applicable merge tool (WinDiff) to apply the correct table/field IDs for the placeholder tables. For example, in the original TQM solution the table ID value for QmmMyTable is equal to 100, but say, that in a partner customization, the value is changed to 101. The DEL_ QmmMyTable placeholder table will then have a table ID value that equals 100, and the partner has to change the placeholder table ID value prior to the upgrade in order to make the  placeholder table map to the correct source table.

Conclusions

The TQM->QMS upgrade process is quite different from the usual upgrade process in Ax, but at the same time it is designed to require minimal customer interaction and enables transparent mechanisms to consider existing customization and to make the whole process as smooth as possible. We would love to hear about your experiences. Have a nice upgrade! 

Ievgenii Korovin, Inventory Management, Microsoft Dynamics AX.  

The output order [Inventory management > Inquiries > Output orders] is created when the reference order is released (Posting of the picking list), or when a manual output is requested from the issue reference line.

The output order holds information about the status of the outbound process and it is linked to the detailed information of the issue reference line.

…

inventTrans.TransChildType  = InventTransChildType::WMSOrder;

inventTrans.TransChildRefId = wmsOrder.OrderId;

Shipment

The shipment status is based on the lowest denominator of the shipment lines’ status. A shipment can be in one of the following statuses:

Status	Description
Registered	The shipment has been created but not yet reserved or, if just one shipment line exists, without being part of a route.
Reserved	The shipment has been reserved and picking routes and/or pallet transports have been generated, but they have not yet been released for picking.
Activated	Both picking routes and pallet transports have been released, but not all of them have been completed. Note that picking can start even when all items for the shipment cannot be reserved.
Picked	At least one line of the shipment line is still at the picked stage.
Staged	At least one line of the shipment line is still at the staged stage.
Loaded	At least one line of the shipment line is still at the loaded stage.
Sent	The shipment has been sent and the shipment has been fully expedited.
Canceled	The shipment has been canceled.

Shipment template

A Shipment template available from Inventory management > Setup > Distribution > Shipment templates, is used as the basis of a shipment.

A shipment template is required only if features such as automatic shipment creation, automatic creation of output orders, or creation of shipments via a wizard are applied, otherwise a shipment can be created manually. When a shipment template is applied, output orders can automatically be assigned to a shipment – and then a shipment need not be created manually.

Picking

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 supports three outbound picking processes:

·         Consolidated picking

·         Order picking

·         Inventory transaction picking (for example, Accounts receivable > Common Forms > Sales Order Details (Lines) > Inventory > Pick)

The order picking and consolidated picking processes use the same framework, called output orders, but the consolidated picking method has much more functionality and it requires a license to Advanced Warehouse Management.

If consolidated picking is not applied, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 automatically creates a shipment and a picking route when, for example, a picking list is posted from the Sales orders form.

We do not recommend using inventory transaction picking in combination with one of the other picking methods since inventory transaction picking does not update output order related information.

The following example illustrates the possibilities of controlling the outbound warehouse management processes utilizing output orders in Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Consolidated picking implies that multiple orders can be combined into one picking list. The orders can potentially be of different types, for example sales orders or transfer orders.

Consolidated picking uses advanced shipment functionality such as reservation via shipment, activate picking, activate pallet transport, and guided picking routes.

For flexibility of use, the consolidated picking method can be set up in a hierarchy of levels:

-          Inventory model group

-          Warehouses

-          Warehouse items

-          Picking list posting

Unpick and cancelation of pick

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 inventory can be unpicked and returned to a different inventory dimension as, for example, a location and/or pallet. The inventory transactions are returned to the original status after an unpick operation has been performed. The reference to the output order still exists, and the picking line can be updated to Picked again right after unpicking. When a picking line is canceled, the output order reference is moved to the issue reference line and the output order, therefore, needs to be released again from the issue order. Alternatively, the reference line or the “deliver remainder” quantity on the issue reference line can be canceled.

The unpicking and cancelation methods can be found on the picking list registration [Inventory management > Periodic > Picking list registration], lines – Functions. All the picking lines can also be canceled in one operation via Functions on the picking route header.

 

 Note that after the unpick action it is still possible to pick the same inventory again and again. Since the historical information is not stored in the system, the final inventory transactions are marked against the latest selected picking route, and the original reference using inventory transactions (TransChildType, TransChildTypeRef) is not valid anymore which means that these fields are empty on related inventory transactions. This aspect should be considered by every partner, who is planning to customize functionality in this area.

Data model

Please look at the following data model which represents the relationships between all entities in the scope of this blog post.

  

Per Lykke Lynnerup & Ievgenii Korovin, Inventory Management, Microsoft Dynamics AX. 

Introduction

This article describes the setup process of the outbound flow for external shipment in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009. The process itself has already been described here, so the focus of this article is the settings and adjustments that can be made to the system to enable a typical business scenario within world class warehouses.

With this setup the following can be accomplished:

1) Use of locations within warehouses.

2) Inventory items are set up to use warehouse management including the consolidated picking method.

3) Output orders are automatically added to a shipment that is not yet activated or a new shipment is automatically created.

4) The shipment reservation runs automatically when the delivery date is [Today – 1 day].

5) The reservation sequence use multiple warehouses within a site and both batch picking routes and output pallet transports are used.

6) After having been picked, items are delivered to the shipment staging area and the staging can be completed. A shipment cannot be sent until all the shipment lines have been loaded.

7) When the goods have been shipped, the physical update is automatically carried through based on the shipment lines.

Why should I continue reading this post?

From this post you can get a clear picture of the main steps that need to be accomplished to set up basic outbound flows in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009.

Set up warehouses

Start by creating a site [Inventory management > Setup > Inventory breakdown > Sites].

In this example, two warehouses are created and associated with the site [Inventory management > Setup > Inventory breakdown > Warehouses].

When using warehouse management in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 you can set up the warehouse layout. In general, two main strategies can be applied for the warehouse layout.

- Picking locations below bulk locations on the same rack

- Picking locations and bulk locations on isolated racks

In Warehouse 22 in this example, the picking locations and the bulk locations are on the same rack and in Warehouse 23, the picking locations are in an isolated area.

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, a location can be specified by: Warehouse, Aisle, Rack, Shelf and Bin.

When using the Location wizard [Inventory management > Setup > Inventory breakdown > Warehouses > Functions -> Location Wizard], you must specify the format of the locations for the warehouse at the Location tab.

The Location and the Update store areas wizards make it possible to automatically create and update the warehouse layout. You can, however, also create and update the layout manually by using the entry forms in the Inventory breakdown folder.

In general, both inbound and outbound layout must be set up. The store zones make it possible to group store areas in order to, for example, ensure that items that need to be stored in a cooling area are guided to a cooling area location.

The area on top will be filled first when using random storage and directed put-away with an input pallet transport.

In this example, the bulk locations hold full pallets and both warehouses use random storage. The layout for Warehouse 23 is best suited for inventory that can be controlled with picking locations that have a smaller capacity than the bulk locations. In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, the item picking location must be specified on the warehouse item.

Set up items for warehouse management

When using warehouse management in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, items must be set up to enable the warehouse management processes.

Min. output pallet quantity

In this example, output pallet transport from bulk locations is used. To control when a pallet transport is created, the Min. output pallet quantity field on the Setup tab in the Item Details form is set to 24. This means that a pallet transport can be created as long as the pallet quantity is equal to or higher than 24.

Inventory model group

In this example, all items that hold inventory are associated with an inventory model group that uses the consolidated picking method.

Inventory dimension group

Items are set up with an inventory dimension group with active inventory dimensions for site, warehouse, location and pallet. Site is specified as a primary stocking location to ensure that the optimal warehouse within the site is reserved through the shipment reservation. Only items with the Location dimension selected can use an optimized picking route where an operator is guided between the different locations in the warehouse. When a shipment reservation is run, items that do not have the Location dimension selected are added to a new, not-optimized, picking route.

Warehouse item

The warehouse item specify different setting for an item related to a warehouse and you enter information about the item picking location and the store zones related to directed put-away in the Warehouse items form [Inventory management > Common Forms > Item Details > Setup > Warehouse items].

If you specify a value in the Required minimum field, a refill transport is generated from a bulk location based on the quantity in the Max. storage capacity field. Use the Automatic activation check box for individual picking areas to control if the refill transport should be activated automatically. The Mode of handling parameter can be used if both online terminal and paper picking is used within the same warehouse in different picking areas.

Shipment template (automatically add output orders)

A shipment template [Inventory management > Setup > Distribution > Shipment templates] can be created to automatically assign output orders to a shipment.

The shipment type in this example can only contain sales orders related to site 2 and only sales order lines that are going to be shipped with UPS can be part of this shipment.

The default shipping location is from Warehouse 22, but inventory from Warehouse 23 can also be used. For both warehouses a full picking logic is used with picking routes and output pallet transports including refill from bulk to picking locations.

Clear the Reservation required check box to allow activation of the shipment even though not all inventory is physically on-hand.

The priority indicates that based on this shipment template the program starts searching for matching output orders to be added automatically to a shipment.

Shipment reservation in batch

Set up running of shipment reservation in batch under [Inventory management > Periodic > Shipment update > Shipment reservation].

In this case the shipment reservation must be run when a shipment line is going to be delivered tomorrow. To add this query statement, use the LessThanDate(2) method which will return [< “Today+2 days”].

Shipment reservation sequence

The shipment reservation sequence defines how and where the shipment reservation process reserves. You set up shipment reservation processes under [Inventory management > Setup > Distribution > Shipment reservation sequence].

The shipment reservation process contains different layers: Reservation sequence -> Reservation combinations -> Reservation methods.

In this example, the reservation sequence at first tries to reserve inventory from Warehouse 23 and if this warehouse does not have enough physical inventory, Warehouse 22 is the next.

The reservation combination must be enabled for pallet transports and picking route logic.

Outbound rules

To control the process after picking, an outbound rule must be used and associated with the shipment. In this case, the picked inventory must be delivered to the shipment staging area and it must be loaded before the shipment can be sent.

Physical update of the shipment in batch

Set up running of shipment reservation in batch under [Inventory management > Periodic > Shipment update > Physical shipment update]. In this example, the related sales order inventory transactions will be deducted when the shipment is sent.

Per Lykke Lynnerup & Ievgenii Korovin, Inventory Management, Microsoft Dynamics Ax. 

Overview

The purpose of this post is to present the major changes and new functionality that was introduced for sales and transfer order picking in AX 2009.

The aim and the idea behind these changes is to move towards a single system for picking that can be shared in order to simplify and unify future extensions.

The post contains information about:

• User Interface changes
• Changes to tables and classes
• Upgrade scripts
• New functionality for order picking
• New enhancements for advanced WMS outbound processes

Differences in terminology

Picking registration, as known in AX 4.0, is referred to as order picking. Picking with output orders and advanced WMS, as applied in AX 2009, is referred to as consolidated picking.

Differences from a UI perspective

The parameter Set inventory transactions to picked in AX 4.0 is now obsolete, and it has been replaced by the Picking route status parameter.

The following conversion rules apply:

When you post a picking list, and the picking route status is Active, the reference for inventory transactions is set to Output order instead of Invent-picking list registration:

When you click Posting/Picking list registration from a sales order or a transfer order, a new registration form opens:

The Picking list registration form is used to register what was picked and it is quite similar to the picking registration form in AX 4.0. You can either update the entire picking route or update individual lines, and you can view and pick both consolidated lines and order picking lines in this form.

Additional functionality available from this form:

• Barcode identification
• Split of picking lines
• Unpick of picking lines with the option to put items on another location
• Cancellation of picking lines

A new inventory parameter, End output inventory order, is introduced:

The End output inventory order parameter controls whether or not the reference between an output order and inventory transactions is removed when you delete or decrease the quantity of a picking registration line.

If the End output inventory order parameter is selected, the behavior is similar to the behavior in AX 4.0, and that is to say that after posting, the inventory transactions do not reference an output order.

It the End output inventory order parameter is not selected, the reference between the output order and inventory transactions is not removed and a new picking route can be created from the Open output orders form.

When the picking list is posted, the status of the picking lines and the inventory transactions changes.

In AX 2009, there are no separate tables to store picking list journal and picking list registration data.

Differences from a code perspective

In AX 2009, picking is handled using the WMS module and several classes and tables prefixed with WMS are used. This means that several tables are controlled by the LogisticsAdvanced configuration key rather than by the WMSAdvanced configuration key as in AX 4.0.

The figure below shows how the tables in AX 4.0 map to the tables used in AX 2009:

Changes to classes

In AX 4.0, several classes were used when posting a picking list for transfer orders or sales orders. These classes are not directly replaced by new classes.

The picking route is updated by calling the updateRoute method on the WMSPickingRoute table.

The WMSOrderTransType class hierarchy is used for the actual pick of the line. A new class, WMSOrderTransType_Output_OrderPick, has been added, and this class is dedicated to order picking.

Upgrade scripts

The upgrade of the picking list data is handled by the createWMSPickingData script in the ReleaseUpdateDB41_Invent class.

Only active picking lists for registration that are not yet picked are updated into the new tables.

New functionality in the advanced WMS module in AX 2009

This post covers the changes to the order picking functionality.

However, several enhancements were made to the Advanced WMS functionality in AX 2009 enabling you to, for example:

• Use shipment template priority for automatic addition of output orders
• Add shipment lines in an active shipment process
• Include service items and items without locations to a shipment
• Partially activate a shipment picking process for inventory on hand
• Rerun shipment reservation
• Run shipment reservation and physical shipment updates in batch
• Control shipment reservation rules
• Use outbound rules to control the process
• Use new picking forms to unpick operations
• Cancel picking routes and individual lines
• Use minimum quantity on bulk pallet before creating a pallet transport
• Refill with less than a full pallet from bulk locations
• Use new refill pallet triggers and automatically activate refill of pallet transports
• Use a paper based picking list enhanced with barcode identification and sorting based on optimal route
• Deliver picked items to staging/production
• Pack items for loading and subsequently load items

Hopefully we would cover more on this exiting functionality in our next posts. Keep watching.

Per Lykke Lynnerup & Lennart Conrad, Inventory Management, Microsoft Dynamics Ax. 

Introduction

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, the Arrival overview form is introduced to improve the overview of items expected to arrive as incoming goods. The new feature provides an overview of all expected incoming items and arrivals can be initialized based on the overview. The focus of this blog post is the functionality of the Arrival overview form and the receiving process. For more detailed descriptions, please refer to the Trade and Logistics I in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 and the online Help.

Business scenario

Consider the following scenario to learn how the feature can support the tasks of the inbound processes.

Assume that Sammy, a receiving clerk, wants to know what is expected to be received on the same day.

In the Arrival overview form, Sammy can get an overview of the current tasks and a rough estimate of quantities, volume, weight, different order types, and so on.

Subsequently, assume that a delivery arrives at one of the inbound docks and Sammy receives a list of the delivery.

In the Arrival overview form, Sammy can do the following:

• Identify the matching receipt order and register the receipt as In progress. The lines required for a registration are generated automatically, and the receipt can be monitored even though the transactions have not yet been posted as Arrived.
• Access the appropriate arrival journal reference, that is, the Item arrival journal or the Production input journal, and identify journals that are ready for a packing slip update.

Facts on the Arrival overview form

The Arrival overview form is located under Inventory management > Periodic > Arrival overview.

In the form you can view a list of expected orders to be received. The overview is divided into header and lines. The header information is grouped by the order type, expected receipt date, and delivery destination.

When a header line is selected for arrival, all the detail lines that are related to this specific receipt reference are selected for arrival in the line details part of the form. When all lines have been posted as item arrivals or are in a later state, this information is not displayed.

Arrival overview – Setup

The Arrival overview form provides an overview of items that are expected to arrive and the date they are expected to arrive. The settings in this form can be saved for individual users and for individual computers so that users can have their personal settings on computers in the inbound area. One user can maintain multiple sets of personal settings.

Setup scenario

Sammy wants to set up a new computer at a location which is going to be used to receive finished goods coming from production at Site “1” . On the Setup tab, Sammy selects the following settings:

• Under Site, a site in the Restrict to site field to limit the view in the overview area.
• In the Transaction types shown group, the Production orders check box.
• In the Journal group, a receiving warehouse, a location, and a journal name (item arrival/production input).
• In the Miscellaneous group, the Update on startup check box to have the view updated automatically on startup and the Update on range change check box to have the view updated automatically when changing range values.
• In the overview area under Range, information about a day interval and the warehouses to include in the overview.

Sammy saves the setup under the name “Prod. Input” by clicking Modify> Save as on the Setup tab.

Prerequisites for arrival journals

On the Setup tab, specify the appropriate information under Journal:

• A journal name must be specified to create a journal.
• If Site, Warehouse, and Location are specified, these values are applied on the journal lines. If no values are entered here, the values from the dimension specified on the inventory transactions are used.

Arrival overview – Start arrival

Receive items from one or more expected receipt orders.

Items received from one expected receipt order

Sammy selects a line under Receipts and clicks Start arrival. All related lines within the specified range and with a quantity to register are automatically selected. An item arrival journal is generated with a match between the expected receipt order and the journal. All lines are created with an automatic initialization of quantity.

Items received from more than one expected receipt order

Sammy multi-selects lines under Receipts and clicks Start arrival. An item arrival journal is generated with a match between all the expected receipt orders and the journal. All lines are created on one item arrival journal header with an automatic initialization of quantity.

Arrival overview – View information

Get an overview of expected receipts within a date interval.

Sammy opens the Arrival overview form, enters the following information under Range, and clicks Update to update the view:

- Days back: (Blank)

- Days forward: 0

- Warehouses: GW, MW

- Show lines: All

Sammy can view the following information

• All related receipt orders for an infinite number of days back from the system date including the system date (the InventTrans.StatusDate interval) and receipts to warehouses GW and MW regardless of status.
• Detailed line information for more than one order. Sammy can multi-select header lines in the overview to view the corresponding line detail information for all selected header lines.
• Information about a specific purchase order. Sammy can enter a reference Number in the Vendor reference field, to only display information related to the specific reference number in the overview.
• An overview of the registration tasks that are due for all the order lines where an item arrival journal has been created but not yet posted. To view this information, Sammy can select In progress in the Show lines field.

Arrival overview – Update journals

To register one or more order lines due to be processed, Sammy can select the lines in the overview grid or in the line grid and click Journals -> Show arrivals from receipts. The item arrival headers that match the lines are shown.

To packing slip update registered items, Sammy can access the item arrival journal headers that are ready for update from Journals -> Packing slip ready journals. All the header lines that are ready for packing slip update within the specified Warehouse range (not day-interval related) are shown.

Start an arrival registration

By multi-selecting lines in the Arrival overview form Sammy can start an arrival of more than one receipt reference. When he selects a line from the receipts overview, the corresponding line details are selected. If a quantity for registration exists, the Start arrival button is available. Sammy can use two different methods to start the arrival registration:

1) Activate the Vendor reference field in the Arrival overview form and scan a reference number from a vendor such as a packing slip barcode. Then click Update to update the overview and the details part of the form to only show the corresponding search criteria records.

2) Manually select or deselect records for arrival registration in the overview or the details part of the Arrival overview form.

When Sammy clicks the Start arrival button, the selected records are automatically created in an item arrival journal, including line information with all possible unique field information assigned.

Update arrival information, and post a packing slip

When all goods have been registered, the warehouse manager or the purchasing manager can update the received items with a packing slip to add the physical cost. To update arrival information and post a packing slip, follow these steps:

1. Click Inventory management> Periodic> Arrival overview to open the Arrival overview form.

2. Click Journals> Packing slip ready journals to display a list of the journals that are ready for packing slip update.

3. Select the journals that must be updated, and then click Functions> Packing slip to open the Posting form.

4. Enter the packing slip number, if it is not already available on the journal, and then click OK to post the packing slip.

Summary

The Arrival overview form can help the warehouse manager and warehouse workers achieve an overview of expected work to be done as part of an inbound process. The form can also be used to start the item arrival process to make sure that items are tracked at the first entry into the warehouse.

By Ievgenii Korovin, Per Lykke Lynnerup & Bibi Christensen, Inventory Management, Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Operational Sites in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009

As companies grow and operations are distributed across multiple geographic locations, there is a growing desire for shared business processes alongside processes that are tailored to the needs of specific parts of the business.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 introduced multisite hierarchy and supporting features which enable customers to create multiple logistic entities, such as operational sites, associated with a single legal entity

The multisite functionality was added as optional functionality which could be used for customers that run Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 with the Logistics license key activated.

Operational sites can be defined as follows:

“The term site refers to a location at which a company has setup operations. As such, a site is a grouping of resources and warehouses that are operationally interrelated. A site may be spread across multiple physical addresses, e.g. in the same city, if the associated resources and warehouse are operationally closely connected, and if it is considered one physical location.”

From this perspective, an operational site can be considered the geographical location where items are stocked in warehouses associated with the site. In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, the warehouse always associated to a particular site when the multisite functionality is enabled.

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, the calculation of cost for stocked items can be done separately per site, just as it can be done per warehouse, and most other inventory dimensions. The costing information (inventory value) is linked to the operational site implementation via the inventory transaction engines and the Inventory transactions records carry both physical and financial information.

In case the business has a requirement to calculate costs and run Inventory closing per different warehouses the recommendation is to assign different sites to each warehouse to complete a separate calculation of the inventory value for each warehouse.

In case business has a requirement to calculate cost based on all existing inventory transactions across all warehouses, the system can be set up with a single site. This site must contain all warehouses even if the warehouses reside at the different geographical locations from operational perspective.

The multisite activation feature was introduced in order to enable existing customers to gradually adopt the new multisite functionality and upgrade their existing transactional data one company at a time. Once the multisite functionality is activated, the new Inventory site dimension becomes active and mandatory and all inventory transactions are populated with an operational site value. The following document contains a detailed description of the multisite activation feature: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper: Multisite Activation

The “Multisite Active” parameter is part of the Inventory parameters in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 and it is used to identify whether the multisite functionality has been activated within a given legal entity

Since the release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, Microsoft has encouraged customers to activate and use the advanced multisite functionality.

Operational Sites in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 it has been decided to enable the multisite functionality for all Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 users.

It was primarily to simplify the functionality in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. The previous versions of Dynamics AX provide the customer an ability to store items in unknown (blank) warehouses. Going forward, we want our customers to be more explicit about the modeling of their sites and warehouses and be explicit about where they stock their items.

Numerous incentives have led to this strategic decision and we would like to bring some of them to your attention.

Lower TCO for partner and customer customization

Today, our partners and customers need to develop and test dual code paths for configurations with and without multisite activated as part of their vertical and horizontal solutions. This carries additional cost and risk – particularly since the Microsoft Dynamics AX application continues to grow in size and scope. Also, the variability of product configurations to be upgraded is limited.

Operational sites are integral parts of the Organizational Model

Operational sites are integral parts of the Organizational Model that is introduced in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and the Organizational Model features are most relevant if the multisite functionality is activated. With the continued uptake of the Organizational Model across the application, and the SCM features in particular, the concept of operational sites will be required. We might consider enabling more advanced scenarios where multiple legal entities can share the same operation site.

Summary

We are happy to offer more out-of-the-box functionality to our customers, while at the same time making a strategic investment in the foundation logic and functionality of our core application. The objective of this approach is to pave the way for strong and advanced functionality in the next versions of Microsoft Dynamics AX. This means that:

• All new Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 users will automatically benefit from the multisite functionality!
• Existing Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 customers must activate the multisite functionality before upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics Ax 2012. This is done with the Multisite Activation Wizard that shipped with Microsoft Dynamics 2009.
• Customers upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 will experience that the multisite functionality is activated during the upgrade.
• Going forward, all customizations and partner solutions can safely take a dependency on site being enabled and active as the core inventory dimensions.
  • The Multisite Active parameter is removed from the Inventory parameters.
  • The inventory Site dimension is always active as part of the shared storage dimension group.
  • The Logistics license key has been merged with the Trade license key, which is a part of the basic Microsoft Dynamics AX offering.

Ievgenii Korovin and Dynamics Ax SCM Team

Disclaimer

All the information about AX 2012 posted here is a pre-release. Any feature is a subject to be changed before the release without notice.
This disclaimer is applicable to all posts about AX 2012 in this blog.

With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 new capabilities of selling and procuring products, decoupled from inventory control, have been introduced. The purpose of this post is to describe the difference between stocked and non-stocked products of type service and to provide general recommendation about this subject.

Item definitions in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 and earlier

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 offered the options to define different types of items. The table below illustrates these options:

Service items

Whereas the item types Item and BOM share to a very high degree the same characteristics, the item type service is different.

Services are by definition consumed at the moment they are produced and can therefore not be stocked nor “owned” unlike items.

An example of a service is

The Contoso Company (consumer) has a fleet of company cars. Once a year, the company car must undergo service inspection at a local car shop (producer). The employee will take the company car and “purchase” (consumes) the service at the car shop.

The example illustrates the normal practice for service items. A business has certain services (items of type service) in their inventory, which they would like to, in the above scenario, purchase. The financial value of the service would be posted directly to expense accounts rather than inventory accounts.

In order to support the scenario in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 the reference data for such a service item would have to be defined specially for these items.

In the inventory model group, negative physical and financial inventory must be allowed for service items. Furthermore, all ledger integration options, particularly the Post financial inventory must be left blank. This will ensure that, in the example of purchasing the car service, an expense account will be used for receipt transactions.

From an inventory costing perspective, the system does expect service item transactions to be adjusted. Therefore the service items transactions will be excluded during the inventory recalculation process. During the inventory closing run, the service items will be settled according to the special “service item settlement” principle, which will close service item transactions without making any adjustments, therefore will be no additional posting created.

If for some reason whatsoever a service item was to be promoted to become a standard item to be purchased, the system offered the option to change the item type from service to item. This change would have a series of ripple effects, since the core definition of what functions was allowed performed with the previous service item has been changed.

Order management and inventory control management

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 order management and inventory control management were tightly coupled. This resulted in alternate solutions when trying to decouple them.

In the case of procurement, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 introduced the purchase requisition function with its concept of non-catalog. The non-catalog concept required a dummy item of type service. This catalog item would be the only item that could be expensed directly without effecting inventory or cost accounting.

To be able to support non-stocked trade for the sales side, you would instead of defining dummy service items, use the free text invoice function next to the sales order function.

Product definitions in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 introduces the concept of shared products. Core product definitions containing key product attributes are defined and controlled without an organizational context. A new product process allows you to release the core product definitions to all or parts of an organization, and finalization of the product data setup is done at the individual organizational level.

The item type in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 has been promoted into the product type in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012. With the new concept the core product types have been revised and so some extend altered. See the table below for reference.

Service products

Defining products of type service in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is fairly simple. Apart from selecting the correct product type, one essential component to remember is to associate the released product in a legal entity with an item model group, where the policy Stocked product is left blank.

This policy is new, and it ensures that products of type service will be expensed and not stocked in inventory.

The following recommendations apply:

As the above matrix illustrates, if a product of type service is to be used both as a standard product offering and included in a BOM cost calculation (for a subcontracting scenario for example), it will require two unique product IDs.

From a master planning and subcontracting perspective, the below constraints dictate that non-stocked service products cannot participate in subcontracting scenarios:

· From Master planning perspective, the non-stocked service product cannot be part of a bill of material. Demand from a higher level bill of material item cannot create drive demand towards a non-stocked product

· From product costing perspective, the non-stocked service product cannot be part of a bill of material and cannot contribute to the direct cost of a finished goods

For a service item to support subcontracting and be included in master planning, the service item has to be setup as stocked.

Regardless of the policy setting in the associated item model group for a product of type service, the inventory storage dimension group will still have to be specified on the product setup. However, only storage dimension site is mandatory for a source document line for a non-stocked service.

Order management and inventory control management

Looking at the service item example from in the beginning of this document, the most noticeable change in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is the ability to decouple order management and inventory control management.

Although products of type service can either be not stocked or stocked (in subcontracting scenarios), the purchase requisition in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 no longer requires dummy service items to include in catalogs, because of the new stocked product policy.

The policy now supports to be able to both procure and sell all kinds of products in a consolidated manner, which means on a single order.

Please note that system supports the conversion between stocked and non-stocked services.

Summary

With Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 new capabilities of selling and procuring, decoupled from inventory control, have been introduced. This non-stocked trade is being supported by a new policy called stocked product on the item model group.

By applying the policy, products of type service can be expensed directly without any use of inventory control processes.

By Mai-Britt Winther and Ievgenii Korovin

Disclaimer

All the information about AX 2012 posted here is a pre-release. Any feature is a subject to be changed before the release without notice.
This disclaimer is applicable to all posts about AX 2012 in this blog.

Some of the new functionality that is created in the Dynamics AX development cycle brings about so much feedback from customers and partners that we decide to back port the features to previous versions of Dynamics AX products. The back ported features become available as part of hot fixes or service packs to previous versions of Dynamics AX.

Today, we would like to bring your attention to the great SCM features that were developed as part of the Dynamics AX 2012 release cycle and which are already included in Dynamics AX 2009 Service Pack 1 (Hotfix rollup 5 for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 Service Pack 1)

Close non-financial transfers

This feature significantly improves performance for the inventory closing and inventory recalculation processes. The essence of the feature is the fact that inventory transactions which represent the physical transfers are disregarded during cost calculation. For example, inventory transactions might indicate a physical item movement between different warehouses or warehouse locations. However, from a costing perspective, the movement does not contribute to the final item cost. 

With the new approach, the cost calculation process becomes significantly faster and more accurate. Please refer to the following white paper to learn more about the feature. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper: Close Non-Financial Transfers

Inventory Reconciliation and Reporting

The Inventory value report framework allows you to report and reconcile Inventory and WIP values on one report. The new report framework replace six individual reports and manual adjustments, which were required in previous versions of Dynamcs AX to achieve the same result.

Also, the Potential conflicts report can be used to report transactions that violate rules as defined by parameter settings in various modules. This report significantly reduces the time spent on identifying the causes of discrepancies between Inventory and General ledger values. Please refer to the following white paper to learn more about the feature. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 White Paper: Inventory Reconciliation and Reporting

Disclaimer

All the information about AX 2012 posted here is a pre-release. Any feature is a subject to be changed before the release without notice.
This disclaimer is applicable to all posts about AX 2012 in this blog.

AX2012 Purchasing with: Advanced warehouse management and quarantine management.

If it’s ever been an issue for you that no items in Contoso CEU are set up with both advanced warehouse management and quarantine management this information might be useful to you.

Here you get a cheat sheet that you can use to set up Contoso CEU in order to handle an advanced warehouse procedure like the following in AX2012.

Go to Inventory and warehouse management/Setup/Inventory breakdown/Warehouses

• ·       Select warehouse 28.
• ·       Click Inquiries/Inventory aisles.
• ·       Select Aisle 01, and click Inventory location.
• ·       Click New.
• ·      
• ·       Save to create the location.

The above setup indicates that we do not control each location within the quarantine area separately; we just see the entire quarantine area as one location.

Close the form and go to Product information management/Released products and select item 1601

Navigate to the action pane tab Manage Inventory and click Warehouse items

• ·       Click New and add warehouse items for warehouse 28:
• ·      

Save and close

From the detailed item form open the item model group FRP_Pick.

• ·      
• ·       Select the Quarantine management check box and close the form.

This way you enable quarantine management for the item arrival journal lines. You can also set this parameter for individual item arrival journal lines

Now item 1601 is set up with advanced warehouse management and quarantine order, so try the procedure:

Go to Procurement and sourcing/Purchase orders/All purchase orders

• ·       Create a new purchase order for vendor 1001. Accept the default values.
• ·       Create a purchase order line for item 1601.
• ·       Change the quantity to 24 and click No in the dialog box.
• ·      
• ·       Confirm the purchase order

Close all forms.

Go to Inventory and warehouse management/Periodic/Arrival overview

• ·       Find the purchase order and click Start arrival
• ·       Open the item arrival journal and add a pallet ID.
  • o   You can use the function “Pallet ID”
• ·       The check box “Pallet transport “= selected
• ·       The check box “Check pick location” = cleared
• ·       The  check box “Check bulk location” = selected
• ·       The check box “Quarantine management” = selected

Post the journal and close all forms.

The pallet and the item are now recorded in the inbound location and a pallet transport to the quarantine warehouse is ordered.

Go to Inventory and warehouse management/Common/Pallet transport

• ·       Start the pallet transport
• ·       Complete the pallet transport

The pallet and the item are now recorded in the quarantine warehouse and the quarantine order is created.

Close all forms.

Go to Inventory and warehouse management/Periodic/Quarantine order

• ·       Find the quarantine order
• ·       Click Report as finished.
• ·      
• ·       Click OK

The quarantine order is reported as finished and an item arrival journal is created.

Open the item arrival journal that was created.

Click Post

A pallet transport to the warehouse is ordered.

Close all forms.

Go to Inventory and warehouse management/Common/Pallet transport

• ·       Start the pallet transport
• ·       Complete the pallet transport

Close all forms.

Now the flow is completed.

Posted on behalf of Lars Frandsen.

Introduction

Many distribution centers are seeing order profiles trending toward smaller orders with fewer lines, and lower quantities per work line. This leads to distribution centers being tasked with the piece pick process, which is also known as broken case or less-than-case picking.

The piece picking process is one of the most complex and labor-intensive processes for picking orders. To reduce travel time in the warehouse, multiple orders can be grouped into small batches.

Usually the picker will use a multi-tiered picking cart, and maintain a separate tote or carton on the cart for each container on a sales order.

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, cluster picking functionality supported the piece picking operations described above.

To support a piece picking operation zone in the warehouse, the work order needs to match the content of a tote or carton

This blog describes how to utilize the containerization wave method to calculate the type of container that will be needed, the items and quantities that go into each container, and the number of containers needed for each sales order. This blog will also outline the process of combining the containers with work breaks to create picking work for each tote or carton on the cart, and then group the work into pick clusters.

Note:

Different piece picking methods can be selected to reduce the cost of each type of picking operation. This blog does not provide an exhaustive list of piece picking methods. They can be found by searching the Internet for piece picking methods.

Depending on the source, you will find that the terms cluster picking, batch picking, multi-order picking, and cart picking are used interchangeably.

This blog uses the definition of cluster picking that can be found in this publicly available white paper, on this website, and in this compendium.

Suggested reading

A blog post on containerization has been created, it is expected to be familiar with the area:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/dynamicsaxscm/archive/2014/07/26/introduction-to-containerization-automated-packing-process-in-microsoft-dynamics-ax-2012-r3.aspx

Other details about the topics that are covered in this post can be found by using the following links:

Set up containerization [AX 2012]
Read: http://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/dn553190.aspx

Create a wave template [AX 2012]
Read: http://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/dn553177.aspx

Set up cluster picking [AX 2012]
Read: http://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/dn553213.aspx

Create a work template [AX 2012]
Read: http://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/dn553184.aspx

Set up filters and filter groups [AX 2012]
Read: http://technet.microsoft.com/EN-US/library/dn553176.aspx

Scenario overview

Contoso DC distributes goods directly to a chain of retail stores. The retail stores must order full cases.

However, Contoso DC also manages the fulfillment of orders received from the chain's Internet shop. The typical customer in the Internet shop is a consumer, and the order profile is typically a sales order with a few lines and less-than-case quantities. Therefore, Contoso DC has dedicated an area of the warehouse to the picking and packing of these orders. The cluster picking method is used in this area.

Contoso DC sells electronic parts, including computer parts that are easily damaged. Computer parts need to be picked with care into separate boxes.

At the same time, Contoso also sells other products that are packed into standard cardboard boxes.

Setup

Before starting the scenario, make sure that you have a warehouse that is set up to use Warehouse management processes, and all related setups are in place so that a sales order can be released to warehouse and work can be created. Entities such as a wave template, work template, mobile device menu structure, and so on, will be updated in this scenario.

The setups for this scenario include the following:

1. Set up filter codes
2. Set up a set of items, including physical dimensions
3. Set up a container layout and container build structure
4. Set up a wave template and a work templates
5. Set up a cluster profile for the mobile device

We will complete these steps, and then test that we can create a sales order and that work is created as expected (step 1 through 4). Then we'll create cluster picking structure using the mobile device and to complete scenario (step 5 and 6).

Step 1: Setup Filter Codes

To open the Filters form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Setup> Filters> Filters.

Items must specify physical dimension as well as filter codes. Add two codes to the Code1 filter field, as shown in the following illustration.

Note: Remember to set up a filter wildcard in Warehouse management> Setup> Warehouse management parameters before attempting to set up filter codes on products.

Filter codes for products are set up under Product information management> Common> Released product> Warehouse management FastTab.

Step 2: Set up a set of items, including physical dimensions

We then find or create products accordingly. You will start from the Released products list page. To open the list page, use the following path: Product information management> Common> Released products.

We will need to configure three products for the scenario, as described in below table. You can use existing products or create new products as appropriate.

The filter codes for the products are set on the Warehouse Management FastTab.

The physical dimensions button to open the dialog is located on the Manage Inventory tab.

Finally, add on-hand quantities of these items in your warehouse.

Moving on to set up the boxes to pack goods in, the packing container will use following settings.

Step 3: Set up the container layout and container build structure

All of the boxes used in this example have the same size and weight properties. We define one type of container to represent this.

The tare weight of the container is 1, and it can hold a maximum weight of 21. Note that when entering data on the form the "Containerization maximum volume" field is not auto-populated. For this example we'll enter the maximum value of 21 (LxWxH). To open the Container type form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Setup> Containers> Container type.

Containers are logically grouped into container groups. We'll need one container group for this example. A piece pick container can only be filled to 50%. Transportation is hard on the items, and they want to make sure they have plenty room for bubble wrap and other forms of protective packaging.

To open the Container groups form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Setup> Containers> Container groups.

Enter the values as shown in the illustration above, and then click Close to close the form.

Container build templates are used as rules for the containerization process when creating work. For example, they're used as inventory mixing rules and other packing strategies. To open the Container build templates form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Setup> Containers> Container build templates.

Again, we need only one template for this scenario. The setups are the same for all items.

Note the Wave step code (1). This is a crucial value for linking this template to the wave template that we use to create work.

Sorting on this form is used to group the sales lines before applying the settings on the container build template. The temporary work transactions are correctly grouped when the wave is processed, which is the key to success when working with containers.

For this simple example, we will first sort the temporary work transactions using the field Code 1 in the warehouse item table, the field Shipment ID on the temporary work transaction, and then by Location. The sorting controls the optimal creation of containers.

In the Container build template form, click Edit query. Configure the query as shown in the illustration below. Do not change the default values on the Range tab.

We can now specify how we want the containers to break. Because we need to place the sensitive items in separate containers, we need to break by Filter Code.

In the Container build template form, click Mixing Logic Breaks to open the and create a new break by assigning filter Code 1, as shown in the illustrations below.

Close the dialog boxes and the form. We have now completed our setups for containers.

Step 4: Setup wave and work templates

To invoke the wave containerization logic you need to add the containerization method to the wave template. This is where the Wave step code (1) assigned to the Container build template above is put to use. Select the shipping wave template for your warehouse, and update it as shown below. To open the Wave template form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Setup> Waves> Wave templates.

Now we can update the work template. As with the container build template, we will group and break the work that is created so that each contanier is linked to one work order header. In other words, we must break work into each seperate container.

First, find the work template that you use for sales orders in your warehouse. To open the Work templates form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Setup> Work> Work templates.

Click Edit query and create sorting by Container ID, as shown in the illustration below. Do not change the default values on the Range tab.

After the sort order is defined and the query is saved, the Work Breaks button is available on the Work template form.

Set up the grouping as shown in the illustration above. Make sure to select the Group by this field check box.

Step 5: Setup cluster profile for the Mobile Device

We're almost there! We now only need to configure a menu item for the mobile device so that we can use the device for cluster picking processes in our warehouse. To open the Cluster profiles form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Setup> Mobile device> Cluster profiles.

First we'll create a cluster picking profile using the values shown in the illustration below. You can define sorting for the cluster profile by clicking Set up cluster.

Close the Cluster sorting and Cluster profiles forms.

This cluster profile must be associated with a mobile device menu item that is configured to use existing work. To open the Mobile device menu items form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Setup> Mobile Device> Mobile Device Menu Items.

Create a menu item for Cluster Picking. Use the cluster profile that we just created, and the remaining settings as shown in the illustration below.

Finally, we need to add this menu item to the main menu for the mobile device. This will enable the warehouse worker to perform cluster picking. To open the Mobile device menu form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Setup> Mobile Device> Mobile Device Menu.

Execute the scenario

Now we can test the setup and execute the scenario. The sequence is as follows:

1. Create a sales order and release to warehouse to create work.
2. Verify the created work and containers.
3. Build a cluster picking structure by using a mobile device.
4. Verify the cluster picking structure and view the status of work.
5. Execute picking work.
6. Repeat step 4, and validate that the work is complete.

After step 6 has completed, the cartons are ready to be shipped.

First, create a sales order with three lines, as shown in the following table.

Reserve and release the order to the warehouse. Here's a tip. If you set the reservation to 'Automatic' on the Accounts receivable parameters form, you don't have to reserve each of the lines manually. This will save some time when you test your setup.

So what should happen? Our containers can hold physical dimensions 10 and weight 10, so we expect the breaks to split this into four containers.

Let's verify that work and containers are created accordingly. First, open the Shipment details for the sales order. This can be done from any of the order lines, as shown in the illustration below.

The container structure is displayed on the Transportation tab.

We expect to have one work header for each container. You can view this on the Shipments form by clicking Work details on the Shipments tab.

Note: Because each item is stored in a different location, the last container must be picked from two locations. We want to optimize the picking process to avoid returning to the same location twice. In this case, we might have to revisit the location of product HDMI Cable 12', depending on how the work gets directed to the warehouse worker. To optimize this, we will use the Cluster picking feature.

Now we are ready to continue the next steps of the scenario. First we build the cluster picking structure (a set of boxes to pick to) and assign the work orders for each. Because you are trying this out in a test environment, you will have access to the work IDs directly in the rich client. You can copy the field value of the work ID and paste it into the mobile device.

Typically, the warehouse worker will not have access to the rich client. Instead, he or she will be using a handheld scanner to create the cluster picking structure. This can be done by scanning from a printed report, for instance the Work report.

Printing this report can be done via a batch job, so that all open piece picking work is available in the morning to start executing. Also, each of these reports can then be attached to or placed in the corresponding box and follow the goods throughout the remaining processes. To open the Work form, use the following path: Warehouse management> Reports> Work.

To print the relevant work on one page per container, use the Work report and set up the query to print only work that has not been started (work status: Open).

The report includes one page for each work order header.

With the work ID available, we can start building the clusters and performing the work. Open the mobile device and go to the menu item Cluster Picking. The steps in the cluster picking process are as follows:

1. Build the cluster structure.

1. Complete picking of all items.
2. Complete put work of all clusters in one action, and complete the work.

To build the clusters you enter or scan the work ID for each box. In our case we have four containers and work IDs.

Click Done after assigning all positions.

At this point the cluster picking structure is created and can be viewed by using the following path: Warehouse Management> Inquiries> Work clusters.

On the mobile device, the next screens will ask you to pick the items. Notice that the picking is done by location and not by work ID. In this simple example, we have sorted the locations by their ID in ascending order. This is highly customizable. Also notice that at some point we will be asked to pick all 7 of the HDMI 12' Cables and then sort them into two containers.

As the warehouse worker puts the items on the cluster pick cart, the positions must be validated to ensure that the correct quantities go into the correct box (this was enabled when configuring the cluster profile).

Notice that all picking work for this specific item is completed while the warehouse worker is physically at the location. The positions are in this case are equivalent to boxes that we pick items into. We confirm that five items go into Position 3 and 2 go into Position 5.

When we complete the rest of the picks, we will end up on the final put screen, where we are instructed to put all items at the Baydoor location.

After clicking OK, a message confirms that picking is completed for the cluster.

If you open the Work clusters form again you will see that it is empty. This is because all work has been completed. Click Show closed work to see the work we have completed.

THE END

Authors:

Lars Frandsen, Senior software engineer

Karina Normann Jakobsen, Senior program manager