Key Concepts

A major key to understanding how bulk picking works is the relationship between a bulk pick number, bulk pick details, temporary sequence IDs during order line selection, load IDs, and pre-shipper IDs.

Bulk pick details form a link between a warehouse transaction and one or more detail allocations. Bulk pick details are generated when you approve the order selection. The system generates a single bulk pick number to contain all bulk pick details that result from a single approval.

All order lines with the same load ID are combined, if possible, in the same warehouse transaction. The load ID is automatically generated when you select the order line for inclusion in a bulk pick. Multiple bulk pick details can still result from a single load ID.

If different item numbers are grouped within one load ID, they generate separate warehouse pick transactions. The way transactions are created for multiple order lines for the same item number that are grouped within one load ID depends on the issue method:

• DISCRETE: Generates a separate transaction for each order line.

• ADDRESS: Generates a separate transaction per ship-to address.

• BULK: Generates a single transaction for the entire load ID. This assumes that the entire requirement can be satisfied from a single location. If it cannot, then the requirement is satisfied according to the picking algorithms and rules.

• ORDTYPE: Generates a separate transaction per order type, grouping all the sales orders, work orders, and distribution orders together.

• MEMO: Does not generate transactions. Use this issue method for sales order lines with memo items. Memo items do not update inventory.

When you select order lines, rather than generating all load IDs at the start, order lines are grouped by temporary sequence ID. This lets you group order lines together without having to assign them load IDs. When you accept the selections and groupings, the load IDs are generated, assigning one per temporary sequence ID.

Pre-shipper IDs are not generated until you approve the order. One pre‑shipper ID is assigned for each combination of any or all of the following:

The pre-shipper IDs that are then associated with each order line are only effective and converted to shipper IDs when the transfer of picked inventory reaches a step in an internal routing with the Create Shippers field set to Yes.