Packages / Carriers: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central extension#
Overview#
According to DIN 30781, a carrier is a means to combine items into a unit load. Mainly, it is any piece of equipment, such as a pallet, with which goods can be moved from one place to another at higher speeds and with greater efficiency than if each item were transported on its own. With the Carrier Management extension, you can set up the carriers that you’re typically working with and follow their path through the system with ease. Built on the package tracking capabilities provided with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central1, this extension is a fully integrated alternative to functions such as identifying items by their serial or lot numbers.
Note
You can work with carriers as part of the Dispatch functionality without having to use the standard feature for tracking packages.
Inventory Setup#
To set up the feature:
- Choose the Search icon, enter Inventory Setup, and then choose the related link.
- Fill in the fields as described in the following tables.
Package Management#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable Carriers | Turn on this toggle if you want to work with carriers. The Package Caption field (see Dimensions) is then filled in with the word ‘Carrier’ while the Carrier Management FastTab appears on the page. Afterward, the following toggles are also turned on automatically for item tracking codes that are used to track packages: • Carrier Info. Inbound Must Exist • Carrier Info. Outbound Must Exist |
Carrier Management#
Note
This FastTab only appears if the Enable Carriers toggle is turned on (see Package Management).
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Dispatch Integration | Turn on this toggle if you want the carriers on warehouse, inventory, or posted documents that are retrieved for a dispatch order to be filled in on the relevant dispatch lines. Note Carriers can be used in dispatch without turning on this toggle. |
Dimensions#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Package Caption | Fill in this field with the word ‘Carrier’ to replace the standard Package caption. When you turn on the Enable Carriers toggle, the field is filled in automatically. Note The caption always remains in the language it which it was entered. This means that after a change in system language, the text in this field needs to be adjusted manually. |
Item tracking#
Note
As mentioned in the overview, this app extension is based on standard item tracking functionality.
To see what items are in or on certain carriers and in which quantity:
- Choose the Search icon, enter Item Tracking Codes, and then choose the relevant link.
- Select a code that will be assigned to items transported by carrier.
- Turn on the following toggles on the Package Tracking FastTab:
• [Carrier caption] Specific Tracking
• [Carrier caption] Info. Inbound Must Exist
• [Carrier caption] Warehouse Tracking
• [Carrier caption] Info. Outbound Must Exist
Item tracking lines#
To make use of the new tracking feature, you also need to fill in the following fields on the standard Item Tracking Lines page.
Header#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Default Carrier Code | Specifies the carrier code that will be copied to all lines when you run the Assign Package No. function. |
Lines#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Carrier Code | Indicates the code that should be assigned to the carrier (package) number on the line. You can use the code from the header for this. When you post to the page, the code is then copied to the related Carrier No. (Package No.) Information Card. |
Carrier No. (Package No.) Information Card#
A Carrier No. (Package No.) Information Card links a package number created in the standard app to a carrier set up in KUMAVISION base (BOOSTER).
With carrier management turned on in Inventory Setup, a card is (in contrast to standard functionality) automatically created when you post a transaction that includes the carrier.
The fields added to the card for the purpose of handling carriers are described in the following tables.
General#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Carrier Code | Specifies the code that was entered for the carrier (package) number on the relevant item tracking line prior to posting. |
Dimensions#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Length | Specifies the length of the carrier. The value in this field is copied from base data but can be changed manually, if necessary. |
| Width | Specifies the width of the carrier. The value in this field is copied from base data but can be changed manually, if necessary. |
| Height | Specifies the height of the carrier. The value in this field is copied from base data but can be changed manually, if necessary. |
| Weight | Specifies the weight of the carrier. The value in this field is copied from base data but can be changed manually, if necessary. |
| Net Weight (Item) | Specifies the net weight based on the entered item quantity. |
| Gross Weight (Item) | Specifies the gross weight based on the entered item quantity. |
You can also run a ribbon function to print labels from the data entered on the card.
Note
The caption change from ‘Package’ to ‘Carrier’ doesn’t affect all parts of the program in the same way.
If you want to use the general search function to see the carrier number information cards available and open a card from there, the search term that you need to enter is Package No. Information List, not Carrier No. Information List. When the page opens, the caption then changes to Carrier No. Information List.
Put-away templates#
During standard put-away, the system distributes the quantities combined into one unit load (as a set of packages) onto multiple bins.
A field has therefore been added to the Put-Away Templates page so that you can now specify whether the system should only suggest bins that can take up the entire quantity assigned to a carrier (package).
Lines#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| No Carrier Qty. Split | With the toggle turned on, the system suggests only bins that can take up the entire quantity specified for a carrier (package). |
Note
When you’re working with packages in the standard app, the quantity that is assigned to a carrier (via a package number) might end up in more than one bin. The extension gives users a choice in this case, to retain a certain degree of flexibility as required of all Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central1 solutions.
Extended Package No. Info#
This list shows you the following carrier information:
- Item No.
- Variant Code
- Lot No.
- Serial No.
- Expired Inventory
- Inventory
You can open the list by using the general search function. You can also use a ribbon function to print labels from the data entered on it.