Serial / IMEI Trace

Two-point check-in: record serials at receipt and delivery, zero overhead in between

The Problem

Odoo native serial tracking forces 1 serial = 1 lot = 1 qty. Receiving 3,000 phones means creating 3,000 lots — each carried through every stock operation (transfers, counts, valuations), adding massive overhead to your entire warehouse workflow.

The alternative — one lot with qty 3,000 — loses individual unit tracking entirely. You should not have to choose between operational efficiency and unit-level traceability.

The Solution: Two-Point Check-In

Record serial numbers only at two checkpoints — receipt and delivery — with zero tracking overhead in between. No lot-per-unit. No workflow disruption. A lightweight registry stores one record per serial code, globally unique, with current status and full PO-to-SO traceability.

Everything in between is completely free. Internal transfers, inventory adjustments, stock counts, warehouse replenishment, manufacturing orders, inter-warehouse moves, valuations — all operate at the lot or product level as usual, with no per-serial overhead. The serial registry is a pure data layer that does not interfere with any standard Odoo operation.

Step 1 — Record Serials on Receipt

Click "Record Serials" on any receipt picking. Paste serial codes directly or upload a CSV / Excel file. Product, lot, and package are assigned automatically. Each serial is created in the registry with status "In Stock".

Step 2 — Record Serials on Delivery

Click "Record Serials" on any delivery order. Three input methods are available, each suited to a different business scenario:

All three methods validate against the registry: serials must exist and be marked "In Stock" (when Strict Registry Mode is enabled). Status changes to "Out" upon import. Conflict detection prevents shipping a serial that is already marked Out.

Global Serial Registry

One record per serial, globally unique. See current status (In Stock / Out), linked Purchase Order, Sales Order, lot, package, receipt date, and delivery date — all in one view. Filter by status, product, lot, PO, or SO. Group by month for reporting.

Read-only by design. The registry form only allows editing the serial code itself (to fix a typo). All other fields — status, PO, SO, picking links, dates, lot, package — are read-only, written exclusively by the import wizard from a picking context. To correct data, use Clear Serials on the picking to remove associations, then re-record. This ensures every change is made in a clear operational context rather than by editing raw data.

Two Operating Modes

Configurable in Inventory Settings under Traceability. Choose the mode that fits your business:

How It Works

Import Wizard Features

• Paste or upload — paste serial codes from any source, or upload CSV / Excel files
• Multi-sheet Excel — sheet picker for files with multiple worksheets
• Direct scan mode — paste codes, auto-matched against existing registry
• Batch mode (outgoing) — select product, filter by lot / PO / receipt date / package, load matching in-stock serials
• Conflict detection — cannot import a serial already marked Out (incoming) or already marked In Stock (outgoing, if already on the picking)
• Quantity validation — imported serial count checked against picking line demand
• Clear Serials — one-click reset removes all serial associations from a picking

Registry Fields

Audit History

A minimal history table records every in/out event per serial. Each entry stores: serial, picking, direction (in/out), done date, and product. This provides a complete audit trail for returns and multi-cycle scenarios (received → delivered → returned → re-delivered) while keeping storage to a minimum.

Performance and Storage

Direct ORM batch writes. No intermediate sync layer. No mail.thread. No _log_access. 3,000 serials imported end-to-end in under 0.3 seconds.

Key Features

• Global registry — one record per code, database-level UNIQUE constraint
• Two-point check-in — record at receipt and delivery only, zero overhead in between
• Bulk import — paste text, CSV, or multi-sheet Excel with thousands of codes
• Dual import mode — direct scan or batch mode with product/lot/PO/package filters
• Two operating modes — Strict Registry (receipt + delivery) or Flexible Mode (delivery-only, auto-create unknown serials)
• Full traceability — each serial links back to supplier PO and forward to customer SO
• Return support — customer and supplier returns tracked automatically by picking type
• Read-only registry — form fields locked except serial code; all data written from picking context only
• Clear and redo — one-click reset of all serials on a picking; the standard way to correct data
• Cancel hook — picking cancellation clears serial associations automatically
• Conflict detection — cannot ship a serial already marked Out
• Audit history — minimal 5-field event log for compliance and return tracking
• No lot dependency — works with or without native Odoo lot tracking

Technical Notes

• Does not create lots, stock moves, or accounting entries — pure data layer.
• Does not require native lot/serial tracking on products.
• No mail.thread, no _log_access — zero message and audit overhead.
• Dependencies: sale_stock, purchase_stock (native Odoo only).
• Compatible with Odoo 19.0 Community and Enterprise.

License and Support

Licensed under OPL-1 (Odoo Proprietary License v1). Maintained by SuiteState (ElectroState FZCO). For questions, bug reports, or feature requests, visit suitestate.com or contact hello@suitestate.com.