1. Business Use Case Examples

In industries such as chemicals, biology, and food, national regulations often mandate batch tracking—for example, GMP and GSP explicitly require enterprises to implement it. Additionally, for items with a Shelf Life, batch management is typically used for precise control.

2. Detailed Introduction to Batch Management

2.1 Enabling Batch Management

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• Batch management is an industry-specific plugin for the Inventory module and is disabled by default. CRM administrators must enable it via the Inventory Management page. The path is: CRM Management > Business Rule Management > Inventory Management > Plugin Management > Industry Plugins.

• Both the full version (Type A) and the integrated version (Type B) of Inventory support enabling the Batch & Serial Number Management plugin.

• Once enabled, the system initializes the batch object.

• This action is irreversible—the plugin cannot be disabled after activation.

• Enabling the plugin does not automatically apply batch management to all Products. Users must manually enable batch management for specific Products based on business needs.

2.2 Batch Operations

2.2.1 Creating a Batch

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• Manual Creation: Navigate to the Batch list page.

• Import: Refer to Import Documentation.

• Batch Number: The primary Attribute of a batch is its unique batch number, which cannot be duplicated.

• Associated Product: When creating a batch, you must link it to a specific Product. The Product must be “Active” and have batch management enabled.

• Approval Workflow: You can set up an approval workflow in Approval Process Management. Batch creation can automatically trigger and execute this workflow. Learn more at Approval Workflow Management.

• Notes: A batch can be referenced by related objects regardless of its approval status. Once approved, a batch cannot be modified or withdrawn and supports printing.

2.2.2 Batch Inventory

• For Products with batch management enabled, you must select the corresponding batch during Inbound Order processing. If it’s the first inbound for the batch, the system automatically generates batch inventory records and updates the quantity.

• On the batch list page, you can view the total inventory of a batch across all Warehouses. Clicking a batch reveals detailed inventory records.

2.2.3 Batch Product Inbound

• For Products with batch management enabled, you must specify the batch during inbound. After confirming the Inbound Order, the system updates both batch inventory and general inventory quantities.

2.2.4 Batch Product Outbound

• For Products with batch management enabled, you must select the batch during outbound operations (e.g., shipping, transfers). The system validates whether the batch has sufficient inventory before processing.

• After confirmation, the system deducts the corresponding batch and general inventory quantities.

2.3 Unique Business Attributes of Batches

• Unlike serial numbers, a single batch can contain multiple units. Inbound increases the batch inventory count, while outbound reduces it.

• The Batch Inventory object displays detailed stock information for each batch. Batch inventory only tracks actual quantities—no frozen or available quantities.

• You can set production dates, expiration dates, and near-expiry alert thresholds for each batch. Enabling alerts triggers notifications when items approach expiration.

• During outbound, you can check expiration dates to avoid shipping expired products.

2.4 Special Considerations

• To enable batch management for a Product, ensure it has no existing inventory records. If inbound operations have already created inventory, batch management cannot be activated.

• For Products with existing inventory, contact ShareCRM Support to initiate a special request process. This may involve inventory data initialization or deletion before enabling batch management.