Order Staging

Purpose of this document

This document will illustrate how to use the Agency Order/ Pick staging functionality in Ceres. Once an Agency order has been picked, food banks need to keep track of the number of pallets and where the product is staged, by agency by order. Staging helps to find the Shipping Pallets and ensure that no pallets are missed during truck loading.

Ceres Object release 6.00.00 is required for the functionality described in this document.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Overview
• Staging Areas Setup
• Linking and Updating Staging Areas
  • Shipping Tag
  • Shipment Report
  • Printing or Previewing the Report

Overview

The staging functionality in Ceres was enhanced to support multiple workflow models by tracking as much information as possible within Ceres.

The staging enhancements are based on Inventory Picks (Ship Option 2) and include:

1. Default Staging Area – Standard pre-defined staging areas that can be linked to an Agency, Zones and FBC Storage Requirement. The default staging areas flow when the Inventory Pick is generated based on the “Create Pick By” field on the Location Card

2. Staging Areas – Free form staging areas that can be entered manually on the Inventory Pick. This field will default from the Default Staging Area field but can be overridden.

3. Shipping Pallet Tags – Tag that can be printed and placed on the agency pallets that are staged.

4. Shipment Report – Report that lists the Agency Orders that have been shipped but not invoiced.

Staging Areas Setup

1. The setup of default Staging Areas starts with defining Agency Pallet Staging Areas.

2. Staging Areas can be accessed by selecting “Search” from the Dynamics 365 Business Central Banner and entering “Staging Areas” in “Tell me what you want to do” then selecting “Staging Areas” from the results in the Go to Pages and Tasks section OR by selecting the “Staging Areas” menu action (if present) from your Role Center home page.

3. To create a new Staging Area, select New.

4. Then update the fields as needed.

Location Code: Select the Location you are creating a new staging area for.

Code: A unique identifier for the new staging area.

Description: A brief description of the staging area.

Linking and Updating Staging Areas

1. A Staging Area can be linked to an Agency, Zone or FBC Storage Requirement.
2. Linking a Staging Area to an Agency.

1. Select the Agency and then open the Card.
2. Open the Shipping FastTab.
3. Select or input a value in the Staging Area field.

3. Linking a Staging Area to a Zone.

1. Select the Location and then open the Card.
2. Select Zones.
3. Select or input a value in the Staging Area field.

4. Linking a Staging Area to a FBC Storage Requirement.

1. Select or input a value in the Staging Area field.

5. The Staging Area linked to an Agency, Zone or FBC Storage Requirement flows to the Default Staging Area field on the Inventory based on the “Create Pick by” field on the Location Card when the picks are generated. The “Create Pick by” options are:

Blank: The Staging Area field will flow from the Agency to the Agency Order and from the Agency Order to the Default Staging Area field on the Inventory Pick.

Zone: The Staging Area field will flow from Zone to the Default Staging Area field on the Inventory Pick.

FBC Storage Requirement: The Staging Area field will flow from the FBC Storage Requirement to the Default Staging Area field on the Inventory Pick.

6. It’s assumed that the value that flows to the Default Staging Area field on the Inventory Pick is a standard pre-defined staging area where the product is staged until it is loaded on the truck or is picked up by the Agency. Thus, the Default Staging Area field is un-editable on the Inventory Pick.

7. The Staging Areas field on the Inventory Pick defaults based on the Default Staging Area field but can be overridden. The Staging Areas field is free form filed where generic text can be inputted to indicate where the product is staged, such as: back east wall; center aisle.

8. When the Inventory Pick is posted, the Default Staging Area and Staging Areas fields flow to the Posted Inventory Pick. This way Shipping Tags can be printed from the Inventory Pick and the Posted Inventory Pick.

Shipping Tag

There are a few options for Shipping Pallet Tag reports available, with slightly different sizes and configurations. They contain most or all these fields. Your Ceres VAR can assist you in setting up the proper report to print from the Inventory Pick page.

1. A Shipping Tag can be printed and placed on the product or pallet that is being staged to identify who it is for and where is located. 
2. The Shipping Tag can be printed from an Inventory Pick or from a Posted Inventory Pick.

3. The fields that print on the Shipping Tag are as follows:

Shpt. No.: Inventory Pick No.

Order No.: Agency Order No. or Source No.

Parent Agency No.: Parent No. associated with the Agency on the Inventory Pick. This field does not display on the Inventory Pick Header.

Agency No. and Name: Agency No and Name on the Inventory Pick Header.

Text below the Agency No and Name: Shipment Method Code Description. Deliver in the example below.

Date: Shipment Date.

Default Staging Area: Does not print since the Staging Areas field defaults based on this field.

Staging Areas: Prints based on whatever value is in this field.

Picked By: User Id.

Pallet Count: Must be filled in before the Shipping Tag will print. Multiple Shipping Tags will print based on the value in the Pallet Count field. On each tag the number of pallets will dynamically print as Pallet 1 of XX. For example, if a pallet count of 2 is entered then 2 Shipping Tags will print. The first tag will print Pallet 1 of 2, and the second tag will print Pallet 2 of 2.

4. If a pick document was posted with a Pallet Count of 0, the Pallet Count on the posted pick document must be updated first before a Shipping Tag can be printed. Posted Invt. Picks can be accessed by selecting “Search” from the Dynamics 365 Business Central Banner and entering “Posted Invt. Pick” in “Tell me what you want to do” then selecting “Posted Invt. Pick” from the results in the Go to Pages and Tasks section OR by selecting the “Posted Invt. Pick” menu action (if present) from your Role Center home page.

5. To update the Pallet Count on the Posted Inventory Pick. Find the Posted Inventory Pick you want to update from the List. From the Posted Invt. Pick Card select Actions à Functions à Update Pallet Count. In the New Pallet Count field input the number of pallets. Click the OK button to update the Posted Inventory Pick.

6. Once the Pallet Count field has been updated on the Posted Inventory Pick, the Shipping Tag can be printed.

Shipment Report

1. A Shipment Report was created that is based on the Sales Shipment Header and includes Agency Orders that have been shipped (Pick Posted) but not yet invoiced. These orders are considered staged.

2. Shipment Report can be accessed by selecting “Search” from the Dynamics 365 Business Central Banner and entering “Shipment Report” in “Tell me what you want to do” then selecting “Shipment Report” from the results in the Go to Reports and Analysis section OR by selecting the “Shipment Report” menu action (if present) from your Role Center home page.

3. The Shipment Report Page will display where users can set filter criteria based on how they want to run the report, such as Shipment Date, Shipment Method, Batch Name, Order Handling Group Codes, etc.

Printing or Previewing the Report

The report can be printed or previewed by clicking on the Print or Preview button.