Chapter 22. Batch Receiving

Prism 1.14.7 User's Guide Chapter 22. Batch Receiving PDF

Prism 2.3 User's Guide Chapter 22. Batch Receiving PDF

About Batch Receiving
Batch receiving enables retailers to:

• Easily generate and update multiple from vouchers from ASNs
• Receive packages against an ASN
• Mark vouchers for update when all assigned packages have been scanned
• Optionally prevent updating until all packages are received

Batch Receiving is especially useful when large shipments are sent using multiple trucks or on multiple pallets. Each shipping package number identifies a carton, pallet or crate associated with the shipment. The retailer can scan packages as they arrive. Prism will automatically mark documents to receive the units into inventory.
Basic Steps for Batch Receiving

1. Create a purchase order to order the items. Allocate item quantities to individual stores as needed. Generate one or more ASN Vouchers from the PO (or create new ASNs that reference the PO).
2. At the Ship To stores, add shipping package numbers to individual ASNs.
3. When the merchandise arrives, go into Batch Receiving and scan the package numbers (or enter the numbers) for the individual pallets or cartons as they are received.
4. When all assigned package numbers for an ASN have been scanned, the ASN is marked. Only marked ASNs are included during the update.
5. Click Received Marked to auto-generate receiving vouchers from the marked ASNs.

Single Package Number on Multiple ASNs
A single package number can be referenced on multiple ASNs. For example, suppose a retailer has ordered two shipments and the vendor has sent two ASNs. One order was very large and the other small. The shipping containers won't hold all the merchandise in a single carton for ASN 1; therefore, the vendor has packaged the merchandise for ASN 1 into three separate cartons: 123, 456 and 789. For ASN 2, the vendor could put the merchandise into one of the existing cartons to reduce shipping costs. That Package No (123) now exists on both SN 1 and ASN 2.

Permissions related to Batch Receiving
You will need standard permissions for ASNs, purchase orders and vouchers. In addition, there are a few special permissions that are related to the Shipping Packages feature.

Node Preferences - Purchasing - Vouchers
Require all specified packages for receiving: This preference, if enabled, requires that all packages associated with an ASN be marked as Received before the ASN can be marked. Users are not able to mark an ASN that has packages yet to be received. When the user clicks on the check mark, nothing happens. Note: Users who belong to a group with the "Vouchers - Allow Missing Packages" permission can mark ASNs.  
Step 1. Create a Purchase Order and allocate items
Batch Receiving is typically used in a centralized environment in which an employee at the backoffice creates a purchase order to order merchandise from a vendor.
At the HQ or other backoffice location, create a purchase order that lists the items being ordered.
Click the Show Allocations button and then scroll down to the grid where you can enter an Order Quantity for individual stores.
When you finish listing the items and allocating quantities to stores, save the PO.

Step 2. Generate ASN Vouchers from the PO (or reference PO on new ASN
When the vendor ships the merchandise, generate an ASN from the purchase order (or create a new ASN that references the PO). Depending on how the PO items are allocated, there may be a single ASN or multiple ASNs associated with a single purchase order. When generating ASNs from a purchase order, select the stores for which ASNs will be generated. 
On the PO, click Options > Generate ASN Voucher.
If items were allocated to multiple stores, on the next screen, select the stores for which ASNs will be generated. Use the Select All button to select all stores, or click the left-most column for individual stores. Click OK to start the ASN generation process. A dialog informs you how many ASNs were generated. 

Step 3. Add Package Numbers to ASN
Batch Receiving typically involves the use of shipping package numbers, but it is not mandatory. Shipping package numbers identify the pallets or cartons of merchandise. When the merchandise is received (e.g., at the loading dock), an employee can scan the shipping package number barcode. Scanning the package number automatically mark the number as "Received." (Note: In Prism 2.1.2 and after, package numbers can be a maximum of 25 characters. Prior to Prism 2.1.2, shipping package numbers could be a maximum of 20 characters.)

Search for an ASN
Use ASN Lookup to search for the ASN(s) that were generated from the PO.
Select an ASN and click the View button. The ASN is displayed.
At the bottom of the ASN voucher is an Options button. Click the Options button and select Shipping Packages.

A screen is displayed for adding/removing Shipping Packages.

Enter the number in the text field and click the Plus sign.  The number is added to the list. Enter additional Shipping Packages in the same manner.
When finished, click the Close button at the bottom of the screen.

Step 4. Scan Package Numbers in Batch Receiving
When the merchandise arrives, navigate to Store Operations - Receiving - Batch Receiving.
When a user first accesses Batch Receiving, there is an ASN Search button on the bottom menu.

When you access Batch Receiving, there may be a large number of ASN vouchers. You can filter the list to find the specific ASN(s) you need.
Click the ASN Search button. In the Filters area, select a filter element from the Search By drop-down. Enter the desired filter criteria, select an operator (e.g. "Contains" or "Equals") and click Search.
A list of matching records is displayed. For each ASN listed, you can see the total number of packages and the number of packages received.

Select the desired ASN and then click Scan Packages.
A text field for scanning or searching for packages is available on the top right part of the screen.
Scan each package number. (If you type the number, click Search or press Enter.)
As each Shipping Package number is scanned, the interface is updated to show a list of Received Packages in the top pane. When all expected packages for an ASN have been received, the ASN is automatically marked. The Received Count and Expected Count columns enable you to track how many more packages remain to be scanned for an ASN.
When all shipping packages for all ASNs have been scanned, click Receive Marked.
By default, you don't have to mark shipping packages as received; however, if the "Require all specified packages for receiving" preference is selected, you are required to receive all of an ASN's shipping package numbers before you can mark the ASN for a batch update.

Batch Receiving Workflow
Step 1. Create a Purchase Order and allocate items
Create a purchase order that lists the items being ordered.
Click the Show Allocations button and then scroll down to the grid where you can enter an Order Quantity for individual stores.
When you finish listing the items and allocating quantities to stores, save the PO.

Step 2. Generate ASN Vouchers from the PO
Generate an ASN from the purchase order (or create a new ASN that references the PO). There may be one ASN or multiple ASNs associated with a single purchase order. When generating ASNs from a purchase order, you can select the stores for which ASNs will be generated.
Display the PO and then click Options > Generate ASN Voucher. (Note: Alternatively, you can create a new ASN and enter the PO Number on the ASN.)
If items were allocated to multiple stores, on the next screen, select the stores for which ASNs will be generated. Click OK to start the ASN generation process.
A modal informs the user how many ASNs were generated. Close the modal.

Step 3. Add Package Numbers to ASN
At the store where the merchandise will be received, navigate to Store Operations > Receiving > ASN Lookup. Enter filter criteria and search for the desired ASN.
Select the ASN and click the OK button.
The ASN is displayed.
At the bottom of the ASN voucher is an Options button. Click the Options button and select Shipping Packages from the Voucher Options menu.
A screen is displayed for adding/removing Shipping Packages.
 Enter the number in the text field and click the Plus sign. The number is added to the list.
 Enter additional Shipping Packages in the same manner.
When you are finished adding numbers, click the Close button at the bottom of the screen.

Step 4. Scan Package Numbers in Batch Receiving
Navigate to Store Operations > Receiving > Batch Receiving
Click the ASN Search button to search for and select the desired ASN.
In the Filters area, select a filter element from the Search By drop-down. Enter the desired filter criteria, select an operator (e.g. "Contains" or "Equals") and click Search.
A list of matching records is displayed.  The Total Packages column displays the number of shipping packages associated with each ASN.
Click the Scan Packages button to see a list of packages received and ASN's which have been marked as ready to receive
The interface shows a list of Received Packages in the top pane and Marked ASNs in the bottom pane. The Received Count and Expected Count columns enable you to track how many more packages remain to be scanned for an ASN.
A text field for scanning or searching for packages is in the top right of the screen. Place the focus in the Scan Packages text box and scan (or type) the number. Click Search or press . If the package number is found, it is automatically marked as a Received package for that ASN. When you scan the final package for an ASN, the ASN is automatically marked and added to the lower pane (Marked ASN pane).
If the "Require all specified packages for receiving" preference is selected, you are required to receive all an ASN's shipping package numbers before you can mark the ASN for a batch update.

Step 5. Update Marked Vouchers
When you have finished marking ASNs, click the Received Marked button on the bottom pane. For each marked ASN listed, a receiving voucher is generated and updated. You can see these auto-generated vouchers in the Vouchers area.
Note: The preference setting "Copy received quantity from original quantity on ASN Voucher" (Admin Console > Node Preferences > Purchasing > Vouchers) by default is selected, so the value in the Orig Qty field on the ASN will be copied to the Rcvd Qty field on the vouchers. If the preference is disabled, the ASN Orig Qty is not used to populate the Voucher Rcvd Qty.

Unmark an ASN
You can select an ASN and unmark it. If you do, it will not unmark associated packages. Unmarking an ASN does not return the packages. This is intended, so that if the ASN needs to go in a different batch, it can be unmarked from the batch. In this case even though you unmarked the ASN, the package was still scanned and received. Once an ASN has been manually unmarked, you must: 1) go back to ASN search to mark it again, or 2) remove all scanned packages and rescan them for the system to auto-mark.
To unmark an ASN, select the ASN in the bottom pane and click the Unmark ASN button.

Working with Package Numbers (Add/Unmark/Remove Package Numbers)
To access the list of shipping package numbers for an ASN to add/unmark/remove numbers, users can:

• Click the Total Packages link in ASN Lookup
• Click the Total Package link in the Marked ASN list in Batch Receiving
• Display the original ASN and click Options > Shipping Packages

Add a Shipping Package Number
In the text box at the top of the Shipping Packages modal, scan (or type) the package number and click the plus sign icon. Close the Shipping Packages modal. When adding a package number, when the dialog is closed the ASN will be removed from the marked pane, as it has not been completely received.
Unmark a Shipping Package Number
Clear the Received checkbox for the desired number. When unmarking a package number, when the dialog is closed the ASN will be removed from the marked pane, as it has not been completely received.
When you clear the Received checkbox for a package number, the number remains associated with the voucher.
Remove a Shipping Package Number
In the list of package numbers ,click the Delete button for the desired number. When a user clicks the Delete button, the Shipping Package number is no longer associated with the ASN.

Return a Shipping Package
In Batch Receiving, when a user scans a package number, the number is added to the list of Received Packages. The "Return" column for each received package has a link that when clicked will remove the package from the list of received packages. The purpose of this feature is to remove a number that was typed incorrectly or that needs to be removed for some other reason.
Sample Batch Receiving showing the Return link for a received package number:

Grid Formats
Marked ASN columns
The following table lists the columns available to be added in the marked ASNs grid (lower pane). You can add/remove and change position of columns in Admin Console > Node Preferences > Grid Formats (select Voucher/ASN Lookup from the dropdown).