Key concepts
The terms below appear across every inventory screen. Reading this page first will make the rest of these guides go quickly.
Part, revision and stock
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Part | An item you buy or make, identified by a manufacturer part number and a CPN. |
| Revision | One version of that part. Stock is held against a revision, not the part as a whole. |
| Stock | How many units of a revision you hold. |
A part with three revisions has three separate stock figures. The part details dialog shows one at a time and lets you switch with the revision picker.
Locations
A location is a place stock physically sits. Locations have a type, and the type decides what fields describe a place of that kind. A shelf might be described by aisle, bay and level; a bin by a single code.
Two special quantities go with locations:
- Assigned stock has been placed somewhere
- Unassigned stock is held but not yet placed
Lots and serial numbers
Two ways of tracking units more finely than a single number. Both are optional, and a part can use either, both or neither.
| Tracks | Use it when | |
|---|---|---|
| Lot | A batch received together | You need to trace a whole batch, for recalls or shelf life |
| Serial number | One individual unit | Each unit has to be identified separately |
A part set up for serial numbers is described as serialised. Screens that move stock ask you to pick the exact serial numbers being moved.
Moves
Every change to stock is a move, and each one is recorded:
| Move | What it does |
|---|---|
| Assign | Places unassigned stock into a location |
| Relocate | Moves stock from one location to another |
| Scrap | Writes stock off by sending it to a scrap location |
| Borrow | Takes stock out for a build or a test |
| Release | Returns borrowed stock |
| Cycle count | Corrects the recorded quantity to match a physical count |
Transaction types and reason codes
Behind those moves, Partix records a transaction type and a reason code, which is what makes the history readable months later.
Note
These are currently set up by Partix for your company rather than edited by you. A screen for managing them is planned.
CPN
The company part number, your own identifier for a part. Inventory shows it alongside the manufacturer part number, and it is the number the BOM refers to.