[IMP] inventory: update differences doc

closes odoo/documentation#7216

X-original-commit: 81d201efc4
Signed-off-by: Zachary Straub (zst) <zst@odoo.com>
Signed-off-by: Brandon Seltenrich (brse) <brse@odoo.com>
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Brandon Seltenrich (BRSE) 2023-08-14 15:25:31 -04:00 committed by Sam Lieber (sali)
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What's the difference between lots and serial numbers?
======================================================
==========================================
Difference between lots and serial numbers
==========================================
Introduction
============
*Lots* and *serial numbers* are the two ways to identify and track products in Odoo. While there are
similarities between the two traceability methods, there are also notable differences that affect
receipts, deliveries, and inventory reports.
In Odoo, lots and serial numbers have similarities in their functional
system but are different in their behavior. They are both managed within
the **Inventory**, **Purchases** and **Sales** app.
A *lot* usually indicates a specific batch of an item that was received, is currently stored, or was
shipped from a warehouse. However, it can also pertain to a batch of products manufactured in-house,
as well.
**Lots** correspond to a certain number of products you received and store
altogether in one single pack.
**Serial numbers** are identification numbers given to one product in
particular, to allow to track the history of the item from reception to
delivery and after-sales.
When to use
-----------
**Lots** are interesting for products you receive in great quantity and for
which a lot number can help in reportings, quality controls, or any
other info. Lots will help identify a number of pieces having for
instance a production fault. It can be useful for a batch production of
clothes or food.
**Serial numbers** are interesting for items that could require after-sales
service, such as smartphones, laptops, fridges, and any electronic
devices. You could use the manufacturer's serial number or your own,
depending on the way you manage these products
When not to use
---------------
Storing consumable products such as kitchen roll, toilet paper, pens and
paper blocks in lots would make no sense at all, as there are very few
chances that you can return them for production fault.
On the other hand, giving a serial number to every product is a
time-consuming task that will have a purpose only in the case of items
that have a warranty and/or after-sales services. Putting a serial
number on bread, for instance, makes no sense at all.
A *serial number* is a unique identifier assigned incrementally (or sequentially) to an item or
product, used to distinguish it from other items or products.
.. seealso::
* :doc:`serial_numbers`
* :doc:`lots`
- :doc:`lots`
- :doc:`serial_numbers`
Enable lots & serial numbers
============================
To track products using lots and serial numbers, the *Lots & Serial Numbers* feature must be
enabled.
To do that, go to the :menuselection:`Inventory app --> Configuration --> Settings`, scroll down to
the :guilabel:`Traceability` section, and click the box next to :guilabel:`Lots & Serial Numbers`.
Then, click the :guilabel:`Save` button to save changes.
.. image:: differences/differences-enabled-setting.png
:align: center
:alt: Enabled lots and serial numbers feature in inventory settings.
When to use lots
================
Lots are useful for products that are manufactured or received in large quantities, such as clothes
or food. Lots and can be used to trace a product back to a group, which is especially useful when
managing product recalls or expiration dates.
.. example::
.. image:: differences/differences-lot.png
:align: center
:alt: Created lot with quantity of products in it.
Manufacturers assign lot numbers to groups of products that have common properties; this can lead to
multiple goods sharing the same lot number. This helps identify a number of products in a single
group, and allows for end-to-end traceability of these products through each step in their life
cycles.
When to use serial numbers
==========================
The goal of assigning serial numbers to individual products is to make sure every item's history is
identifiable when it travels through the supply chain. This can be especially useful for
manufacturers that provide after-sales services related to products they sell and deliver.
.. example::
.. image:: differences/differences-serial-numbers.png
:align: center
:alt: List of serial numbers for product.
Serial numbers can contain many different types of characters: numbers, letters, typographical
symbols, or a mixture of all three types.
Traceability
============
Manufacturers and companies can refer to traceability reports to see the entire life cycle of a
product. These reports include vital information, like where it came from (and when), where it was
stored, and to whom it was sent.
To see the full traceability of a product, or group products by lots and/or serial numbers, go to
:menuselection:`Inventory app --> Products --> Lots/Serial Numbers`. Doing so reveals the
:guilabel:`Lots/Serial Numbers` dashboard.
From here, products with lots or serial numbers assigned to them are listed by default. They can
also be expanded to show what lots or serial numbers have been specifically assigned to them.
To group by lots or serial numbers, first remove any default filters from the search bar in the
upper-right corner. Then, click :guilabel:`Group By`, and select :guilabel:`Add Custom Group`, which
reveals a mini drop-down menu. From this mini drop-down menu, select :guilabel:`Lot/Serial Number`,
and click :guilabel:`Apply`.
Doing so reveals all existing lots and serial numbers, and each can be expanded to show all product
quantities with that assigned number. For unique serial numbers that are *not* reused, there should
*only* be one product per serial number.
.. image:: differences/differences-tracking.png
:align: center
:alt: Reporting page with drop-down lists of lots and serial numbers.
.. tip::
For additional information regarding an individual lot number or serial number, click the line
item for the lot or serial number to reveal that specific number's :guilabel:`Lot` or
:guilabel:`Serial Number` form. From this form, click the :guilabel:`Location` and
:guilabel:`Traceability` smart buttons to see all stock on-hand using that serial number. Any
operations made using that lot or serial number can be found here, as well.