Management types
The Management Type of a product (on its Advance Information tab) decides whether its stock is a plain quantity, or is also tracked by serial number or by batch. Choose it before the product's first transaction: it can't be changed freely once the product has been used (see Changing the management type).
Whether a product is made of other products is a separate choice: see Product grouping types.
| Type | Stock is tracked as | On incoming transactions you… | On outgoing transactions you… | Typical products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | A quantity | enter the quantity | enter the quantity | Most goods: groceries, hardware |
| Serial Number | A quantity, plus one serial number per unit, each with its own status | enter a serial number for each unit | choose which serial numbers leave | Phones, appliances, motorcycles |
| Serial Number - No Tracking | A quantity; serial numbers are only recorded on outgoing transactions | enter the quantity only | type the serial numbers | Items whose serial is written on the invoice for warranty, without stock control per unit |
| Batch | A quantity per batch (lot), each with expiry and other dates | create the batches and their quantities | choose which batches the quantity comes from | Medicines, food, cosmetics |
Serial numbers and batches are entered in the S.N. / Batch column of a transaction's product line. Click it to open the entry window.
Normal
Stock is only a number. A purchase inbound of 100 adds 100, a POS sale of 3 takes away 3. Use it for everything that doesn't need serials or expiry dates.
Serial Number
Every unit has its own serial number (for example a phone's IMEI), and CIRMS knows where each one is. A serial number's status is Available (in stock at a branch and location), On Transit (sent to another branch or back to the supplier and not yet received) or Not Available (sold or otherwise gone). You can only send out serial numbers that are available at the branch and location of the transaction, and a return must use a serial number that was actually sold.
Sample transactions (a phone shop):
- Purchase Inbound of 3 × Phone X 128 GB at the main branch. In S.N. you enter three IMEIs, and optionally their Manufacturer Warranty Start and Manufacturer Warranty End. After approval, stock is 3 and the three serials are Available.
- Stock Delivery Outbound of 1 unit to branch B: you pick one IMEI from the list of available serials. It becomes On Transit.
- Stock Delivery Inbound at branch B: the IMEI becomes Available at branch B.
- POS sale or Sales Outbound at branch B: the cashier scans or picks the IMEI. It becomes Not Available, and the sale records which customer got it.
- The customer returns it: a Sales Return Inbound with that IMEI makes it Available again.
To trace one unit, use the Product Serial Transaction Report. The serials now in stock are on the Serial Number tab of the Product Summary.
Serial Number - No Tracking
Incoming transactions (such as a Purchase Inbound) only need the quantity. Serial numbers are typed on outgoing transaction lines and saved with them (and printed where the printout shows them), but CIRMS doesn't keep stock per serial: it doesn't check that a serial came in before it goes out, and its status stays No Tracking.
Sample transaction: an appliance dealer sells 2 electric fans on a Sales Outbound and types the two serial numbers from the boxes, so they appear on the delivery receipt for warranty claims. The fans were received without serial numbers, and CIRMS doesn't ask which fans are in stock.
Use Serial Number instead if you need to know which unit is where.
Batch
Stock is split into batches (lots). Each batch has a name, a quantity and optional Expiration Date, Manufacturing Date, Admission Date, warranty dates and Remarks. On incoming transactions you create the batches (Batch Assigning); on outgoing transactions you choose the batches the quantity comes from (Batch Number Selection, which shows each batch's Remaining Qty and Expiration Date). Your administrator can make CIRMS pick batches automatically, first in first out or last in first out, when none are chosen.
Sample transactions (a pharmacy):
- Purchase Inbound of 80 boxes of Paracetamol 500 mg: batch L2401, 50 boxes, expiring 2026-12-31, and batch L2402, 30 boxes, expiring 2027-03-31. Stock is 80.
- Sales Outbound of 60 boxes: you choose 50 from L2401 (the one expiring first) and 10 from L2402. Stock is 20, all in L2402.
- Near expiry, the Product Batch and Expiration Tracking Report lists L2402 so you can sell it first or return it.
Each batch's history is in the Product Batch Tracking Report, and the remaining quantity per batch is on the Batch tab of the Product Summary.
Changing the management type
- Once a product has been used in a transaction, you can't change its type (Cannot change Management Type because product is already used.), except between Normal and Batch.
- Normal → Batch is refused if the product has negative stock in any location (Cannot change Management Type to Batch. Product has negative inventory in one or more locations.).
- Batch → Normal asks for your password: Changing the management type from Batch Management to Normal Management will permanently erase all existing batch information, including batch names, batch quantities, batch expiration dates, and other batch-related data. Only the current inventory quantity will be retained. If you later change the management type back to Batch Management, the deleted batch information cannot be recovered.