Skip to main content

Serial Number Tracking

Serial Number Tracking

Serial number tracking gives every physical unit of an item its own identity. From the moment a unit arrives to the moment it ships, Xagle knows exactly which serial numbers are on your shelf, which ones went to which customer, and which ones were used inside a kit — all in one place, without spreadsheets on the side.

Serial number tracking is available on the Pro plan.

Why use it?
  • Answer "which unit did this customer receive?" in seconds — packing slips list the exact serials in each shipment.
  • Handle warranty claims and recalls with confidence: every serial keeps its full movement history.
  • Keep counts honest. A serialized item's quantity on hand always matches its in-stock serial numbers — one serial per unit, enforced everywhere stock moves.
Requirements
  • The item must track inventory (Stockable = Yes).
  • Kit items that explode on invoice cannot be serialized. Pre-built kits can — see "Kits and serial numbers" below.
  • Serialized items use whole-number quantities for receiving, shipping, and building.
Turning it on

Open the item, go to the Settings tab, and set Serialized to Yes.

  • If the item has no stock on hand, just save — serial capture starts with your next receipt.
  • If the item already has stock, Xagle opens a short wizard asking for exactly one serial number per unit on hand. Type or paste them (one per line), or generate them automatically from the item's serial format. The setting only saves once every unit is accounted for, so your counts stay accurate from day one.

Turning serialization off is always allowed and keeps the full serial history for reference.

Serial formats (automatic numbering)

If you'd rather generate serial numbers than type them, every serialized item carries its own Serial Format on the Settings tab, along with a pad width, pad character, and the next counter value. Each item numbers independently — one item can produce XN0001, XN0002… while another produces YT0001, YT0002… The default format {NUMBER} simply counts 00001, 00002…

Anything you type in the format is kept as-is (prefixes, dashes), and tokens fill in the rest: {NUMBER} for the counter (or {HEX}, {B36}, {B32}, {ALPHA} for hexadecimal, alphanumeric, easy-to-read alphanumeric, and letters-only counters), date tokens {YYYY} {YY} {MM} {MON} {DD} {DOY} {WW} {D} {DAY}, {SKU} for the item SKU, and {CHECK} to append a check character that catches typos when a serial is entered later. A format like {SKU}-{NUMBER} produces serials such as PUMP-0001, PUMP-0002, and a live preview under the field shows the next serial as you type. Anywhere Xagle asks for new serials — the enable wizard and kit builds — you'll find a generate option that uses the item's format.

Serial numbers are unique across your whole account: no two units, even of different items, can share a serial. That means a serial always identifies exactly one physical unit.

Day to day
  • Receiving on a purchase order: serialized lines show a serial number box in the receiving window with a live "entered of needed" counter. Enter one serial per unit received; the receipt won't post until they match.
  • Shipping: the shipment window pre-fills each serialized line with the oldest in-stock serials (first in, first out). Adjust the list if different physical units are going in the box, then ship as usual.
  • Scrapping a unit: the Serials tab has a Scrap action (reason + note) that removes the unit from stock but keeps its full history — the serial number stays reserved. Administrators can restore a scrapped unit. When lowering a count in Adjust Quantity you choose between a count correction (serial records deleted) and a scrap (history kept).
  • Customer returns: mark a shipped serial Returned — it waits (no stock change) until you Restock it (quantity +1) or Scrap it. Filter the Serials tab by Returned Pending to see the queue.
  • Warehouse transfers: transfers of serialized items name the units moving (oldest from the source warehouse pre-filled), and each serial's warehouse follows the stock.
  • Correcting mistakes: deleting a receipt or a shipment puts the serial bookkeeping back the way it was. A receipt can't be reversed once one of its serials has already shipped — Xagle tells you which serial is in the way.
Kits and serial numbers

Building a pre-built kit captures serials in both directions: you name which component serials get consumed into the build (pre-filled oldest-first), and if the kit itself is serialized, each finished unit gets its own serial — typed in or generated from the kit's serial format.

Builds also record genealogy: each finished kit serial remembers exactly which component serials went into it, and every component serial knows which kit consumed it — both directions are shown in the serial history window, so a component recall finds the affected finished kits in seconds.

Administrators can also un-build a kit from the Kit Components tab. Un-building removes the finished units, restores the consumed component serials to stock, and returns the component quantities — useful when a build was recorded by mistake or kits need to be broken back down.

Finding a serial
  • Each serialized item has a Serial Numbers tab listing every serial with its status (In Stock, Shipped, Consumed, and so on) and a per-serial history of every movement.
  • Serial Search in the sidebar (under Items) searches every serial across your whole catalog — paste a serial from a customer email and jump straight to its item and history.
Good to know
  • Serial numbers are unique across your whole account — no two units, even of different items, ever share a serial.
  • Manual entry works too: the Adjust Quantity and Receive Inventory windows ask for one serial per unit when the item is serialized — type them, or generate from the item’s serial format. Lowering a count asks which in-stock serials to remove. Cycle counts remain quantity-only and are blocked for serialized items.
  • Warehouse transfers work normally for serialized items.
  • Downgrading from the Pro plan is blocked while items have serialization enabled; turn it off on those items first (history is kept).
Get started

Pick one high-value item, set Serialized to Yes on its Settings tab, and receive your next purchase order with serials. From there, every shipment and packing slip does the tracking for you.

Back to top