Setting serial numbers in code

Masks cover most serial formats, but not all. A mask’s date characters use the date the serial is generated. If the business wants the serial to carry a date from the job or the order, such as the month the unit is due, or some other value from the data, a BPM can adjust each new serial as it is assigned.

Try a mask first (see Serial number masks and prefixes). Reach for code only when the value can’t come from the mask.

What it does

When a user assigns serial numbers to a job in Serial Number Assignment, the directive appends a two-character code to each new serial: a letter for the month (A = January … L = December) and the last digit of the year, both taken from the job’s required due date. A serial generated as SN000451 for a job due in March 2026 is saved as SN000451C6.

Where it runs

Method directive, Pre-Processing, on Erp.BO.SerialNoAssign.SetSerialNoAssign.

Pre-processing lets you change the serial numbers in the incoming tableset before Epicor validates and saves them. The tableset carries:

• SerialNoAssign: the header, including JobNumber.
• SelectedSerialNumbers: the serials being assigned. New ones have RowMod of "A".

Example

var newSerials = ds.SelectedSerialNumbers
    .Where(r => r.RowMod == "A")
    .ToList();

if (!newSerials.Any())
    return;

string jobNum = ds.SerialNoAssign.Select(r => r.JobNumber).FirstOrDefault();
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(jobNum))
    return;

DateTime? dueDate = Db.JobHead
    .Where(j => j.Company == Session.CompanyID && j.JobNum == jobNum)
    .Select(j => j.ReqDueDate)
    .FirstOrDefault();

if (dueDate == null)
    return;

char monthCode = (char)('A' + dueDate.Value.Month - 1);
int yearDigit = dueDate.Value.Year % 10;
string suffix = $"{monthCode}{yearDigit}";

foreach (var sn in newSerials)
{
    sn.SerialNumber = sn.SerialNumber + suffix;
    sn.RawSerialNum = sn.SerialNumber;
}

How it works

• Only rows with RowMod == "A" are changed, so serials that were already assigned aren’t touched when the user saves again. See The BPM tableset: ds, tt and RowMod.
• The job is read with a single-value LINQ query. If the job or its due date is missing, the directive exits and the serials are saved as generated rather than failing the save.
• SerialNumber and RawSerialNum are both set, and to the same final value. Build the new number once and copy it, rather than appending the suffix to each field separately, or one of them ends up with the suffix twice.

Variations

• Date from the sales order. For make-to-order jobs, follow the job’s demand link (JobProd) to the order line and use its request date instead.
• Fixed codes. Prepend a site code or a CAGE code stored in a UD field on company or site configuration.
• Values from UD fields. Append a model year or configuration code held in a UD field on the order line or part.

Things to watch

• Validation masks. If the part also has a validation mask, the changed number must still pass it.
• Uniqueness. Appending the same suffix to already unique sequence numbers keeps them unique. Replacing part of the number doesn’t, so test that case before going live.
• Other entry points. Serials created elsewhere (at receipt, or at labor on a serial-required operation) don’t go through this method. Trace each screen your process uses (see Find the method a screen calls) and decide whether they need the same rule.
• Keep it in one place. If several directives need the same format, put the logic in an Epicor Function and call it from each one.

Related

• Query the database with LINQ
• Serial number masks and prefixes