Documentation/ Checking the line items/ The item codes
The item codes
A line can carry several codes, and they get muddled easily because they are all "the item code". They are different things: one the supplier sets, one your ERP sets and one the system sets.
Document › items tab › Code, ERP and Registration no. columns
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The codes at a glance
| Code | Who sets it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Code | The supplier, on their document | Finding the item in the supplier's own catalogue. It is read off the paper. |
| ERP reference code | Your ERP | So the line lands in the ERP against the right item. |
| Registration no. | The system | Identifying the line internally. Not editable. |
| Order no. | The supplier or you | Tying the line to the purchase order it belongs to. |
| Commodity code | The customs document | Tariff classification. Customs documents only. |
The supplier's code
The Code column holds the reference the supplier prints next to the item description on their document. It is read off the paper: it is not checked against any list, and it can be empty if the supplier does not print one.
It is useful two ways. It helps you find the item in the supplier's catalogue when the description is vague, and it works as a way of recognising things: when the same item always arrives with the same supplier code, tying it to the ERP item becomes settled.
Do not correct it to look like your own code. It should say what the document says; your own code has its own place, which is next.
The ERP reference code
This is the code the item exists under in your management system. You see it in the ERP column as a badge: with a value when the line has an item assigned, and with a dash when it does not. It is the fastest way to see at a glance which lines are ready to send and which are not.
You set it from the item assignment dialog, by choosing the item from the catalogue. Pick it and the reference code appears by itself.
With SAP the reference code cannot be typed in: it is read only and it fills in when you choose the item from the catalogue. That is deliberate, an invented code makes the send fail, and it is why the item search does not take free text on those accounts either.
A line with no reference code does not stop you saving the document, but on most destinations it does stop the document being sent to the ERP.
The registration number
The Registration no. column is a reference the system puts on the line. It is read only and shows a dash while the line does not have one.
There is nothing to manage. It is there for support: it is what identifies one particular line beyond doubt when you report a problem with it.
It is not ticked by default in the column selector; turn it on if you need it.
The order number
The Order no. column holds the reference of the purchase order the line belongs to. It can be read off the document, where the supplier prints it on the line, or typed in.
It is free text and it is not checked against the orders held in the application. Its job is traceability: it lets you work out which order produced each line you received.
Commodity code and country of origin
On customs documents the Code column changes its label and becomes the commodity code: the tariff classification of the goods, not a trade reference. Beside it sits Country of origin, which on that document type is always shown, whatever the column selector says.
Both are free text. The application does not check that the code exists in the tariff nomenclature: it records what is on the customs document.
Vehicle
The Vehicle column identifies the vehicle behind the line. It appears on transport invoices and on accounts with agricultural management, where splitting by vehicle is part of the data.
It is free text, with no format forced on you. It is used to split costs by vehicle and to cross the haulier's invoicing against the journeys actually made.
The additional information shortcut
On some set-ups each line offers a second button that opens a cut-down additional information dialog: it shows the item description, which you cannot change, and lets you edit only the reference code.
It is a shortcut for the one case of fixing a reference code that is already set, without going through the full assignment dialog. It saves only that line.
Things that come up
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The ERP badge shows a dash on every line | The document has no items assigned. | Assign the item line by line from the assignment dialog. |
| The reference code will not let you type | The account works against SAP: the field is read only by design. | Pick the item in the catalogue search; the code fills itself in. |
| The supplier code comes through empty | The document does not print it on the line. | Not a fault. The ERP assignment goes on the description instead. |
| The wrong item was assigned | Catalogue items with similar descriptions. | Go back to the assignment dialog and pick the right one. The reference code is replaced. |
| The ERP refuses the line even though there is a code | The item exists but is missing the nominal account or the batch that document type insists on. | Go over what that document type requires before sending again. |