Picking

• The Picking module allows items to be picked from inventory in preparation for shipping.
• To see the pick for an order, click Picking in the Flow bar at the top of the order.
  
• To find the items needed for the order, click the FINISH button in the action bar and select a location with available inventory.
• To modify a single item, click the More button on the right side of the line item and select Start , Commit , Finish , Hold , or Void .

Saved views

The picks that are listed in the Picking module will change depending on the selection in the Saved Views dropdown menu on the top-right of the window. There are two options:

• All Open View (Default) - Picks with every status, except for Finished, will appear.
• All View - Picks with every status will appear.

To create a new saved view, click the Advanced Search button on the top-left of the interface and select at least one search parameter. Click the blue SEARCH button on the bottom-right of the popup. Then click the Save View button under the Search bar. Enter a name for it, and save it.

Once you have done that, the new option will appear in the Saved Views dropdown menu under the first two options. You can repeat these steps to add as many as you like.

Main section

The first time you go to the Picking module, it will likely be empty. But as you generate sales orders and Credit Return purchase orders, this module’s main section will begin to fill up with orders to pick.

A sales order appears in the Picking module when you click the ISSUE button in the Sales Orders module. And a certain type of purchase order appears in the Picking module when you click the ISSUE button in the Purchase Orders module. There is no way to create a pick within the Picking module itself.

You will see the following headers in this section:

• Select All - This allows you to select or unselect all picks listed on the page.
• Pick - The pick number, which corresponds to the sales order number in the Sales Orders module or the purchase order number in the Purchase Orders module.
• Status - The condition of a pick. There are four statuses a pick can have:
  • OPEN - Picking has not started yet.
  • COMMITTED - Units are no longer available for use in other picks.
  • PARTIALLY PICKED - Units are committed, and at least one has been picked, but not all.
  • FINISHED - All units in the order are picked and ready to be shipped.
• Customer - The name of the customer on a sales order or purchase order.
• Location - Where items for an order are being picked from.
• Date Created - The month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY) a pick was created.
• Date Last Modified - The month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY) a pick was most recently updated and saved by a user.
• Date Scheduled - The month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY) a pick is scheduled to be completed by.
• Priority - A pick’s level of importance or urgency. There are five priority levels a pick can have:
  • Highest
  • High
  • Normal
  • Low
  • Lowest

Action bar in the main section

When you click the checkbox on the left of a pick, you will see the following options appear in the action bar at the top of the main Picking module page:

• PRINT PICK TICKETS - This allows you to print pick tickets for all selected picks. To be specific, this prints the Pick report, which we discuss in depth later in this article. You can modify this report to include a variety of information beyond what is there by default, so you may want to open the pick and adjust the report settings before clicking the PRINT PICK TICKETS button. You will need to save a Preset and set it as the Default in order to see everything in it when you click the PRINT PICK TICKETS button.
• VOID - This returns all selected picks to their original status of OPEN.
• More - This button is always on the top-right of the module, whether or not you have selected a pick. It enables you to create/modify custom fields and change dates.

More button in the main section

There are two things you can do with the More button in the main section of the Picking module:

• Custom Fields
• Change Dates

You will find explanations of everything contained in these options below.

Custom fields

Clicking the Custom Fields option will bring up a wizard that allows you to add, edit, and delete custom fields on the General tab of a pick. The list will be blank at first, of course.

To add a new custom field, click ADD FIELD on the top-right. Then enter a name and type for it. Your type options are:

• Number - A textbox that only allows numeric characters to be typed into it.
• Text - A textbox that allows alphanumeric characters to be entered.
• Date - A field for adding dates in the following format: MM/DD/YYYY. A calendar option lets users select dates from a calendar if they prefer not to type them by hand.
• Checkbox - A small box that can be checked or unchecked to indicate yes or no, respectively.
• Single Choice - A dropdown menu of text options. If selected, this will ask you to enter at least one row to appear in the dropdown menu. Users can only select one of the options available.
• Multiple Choice - A dropdown menu of text options. If selected, this will ask you to enter at least one row to appear in the dropdown menu. Users can select one or more of the options available.
• URL - A textbox that lets you add a website address in relation to a pick or any of the items in it.

When creating or editing a custom field, click the Required checkbox to make it a required field. Otherwise, it will be optional. Then click ADD to save it, or click CANCEL or the X on the top-right to get rid of it. If you’re editing an existing custom field, clicking CANCEL or the X won’t delete it but will simply return it to its original state. You can also click the Required toggle switch next to a custom field in the main wizard to turn that function on or off.

To delete a custom field, click the More button to the right of it in the Custom Fields wizard. Then select Delete from the dropdown menu. You can also select Edit or Duplicate from that menu.

To change the order of custom fields, click ORDER FIELDS to the left of ADD FIELD. Then select one of the custom fields and click the up or down arrow on the right to move it. You can do this to each custom field until they’re all in the order you want them to be in.

Only the first three custom fields will show up automatically in the General tab of a pick. Any others can be viewed after clicking the SHOW MORE button. Bear this in mind when creating and ordering them. Click the SAVE ORDER button to apply your changes to the wizard, and then click the SAVE button to apply those changes to the Picking module.

Change dates

When you click Change Dates under the More button, you will find you have three options for the Date column:

• Date Created - A permanent marker that denotes the month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY) an order was first saved.
• Date Last Modified - A changeable marker that denotes the most recent month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY) an order was updated and saved by a user.
• Date Scheduled - The month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY) an order is scheduled to be fulfilled by. This is currently not working, but we will get it fixed soon.

You can select whichever one will best help you organize the picks in the Picking module.

How to pick items

To pick items in an order, click the order you wish to pick for in the main section of the Picking module. This will open up that pick. Unlike many other modules, there is only one tab in this module: General.

In the action bar of a pick that has enough available units to fulfill it, you will find the following buttons:

• START - This begins the picking process for all items in the pick. It changes each item’s status from AVAILABLE to STARTED.
• COMMIT - This opens the Commit wizard for all items in the pick.
• FINISH - This opens the Finish wizard to finish picking all items in the pick.
• SAVE - This saves your changes, and it closes the pick and returns you to the main section of the Picking module.
• More - This gives you the option to open the Pick report and make adjustments to it. We will talk more about that report later.
• X - This closes the pick and returns you to the main section of the Picking module. If you have unsaved changes, it will prompt you to either save or discard them.

As you begin to cycle through the picking process, these buttons will begin to disappear, and they will be replaced by the following button:

• VOID - This undoes all your changes to items and returns the pick to its original status of OPEN.

Note that if a pick has an item that is short, the START button won’t appear. You can still commit items, but you won’t be able to finish the pick. You will need to go to the Inventory module and add inventory there, or go to the Purchase Orders module and order more units to have a sufficient quantity available for the pick.

General tab

You will find the following textboxes and dropdown menus in the General tab of a pick:

• Customer - The name of the customer on the order. You can’t change the customer from here. You can only do that within the module the order was created in. You can quickly go there by clicking the option to the left of Picking in the Flow bar atop the Picking module.
• Priority - A dropdown menu that lets you assign a level of importance or urgency to the order. It will be automatically populated with your default priority. You can change the default priority in the Company section of the Settings module. As noted above, your options are Lowest, Low, Normal, High, or Highest.
• Scheduled - A textbox that contains the month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY) the order is scheduled to be fulfilled by. This can’t be changed from here. If you try to change it and click SAVE, you will find that the Scheduled date remains unchanged.
• Location - A dropdown menu that lets you select a Parent Location from the Locations module where items will be shipped from. In addition, you can create a new location by typing text into the textbox and clicking the option that appears under it. You will need to fill out the New Location wizard that pops up.
• Assigned User - A dropdown menu that lets you select the user responsible for the pick. You can’t create a new user from here, only from the Users module.
• Notes - A textbox you can use to add information or instructions about the pick. The character limit is 255.
• Custom Fields - If you have created any custom fields, they will appear below the main group of textboxes atop the pick. Up to three custom fields will appear automatically. If you have more than that, you can click the SHOW MORE button to display all of them. The order they appear in will depend on what you set in the Custom Fields wizard of the Picking module. To hide the extra custom fields, click HIDE FIELDS, and then only the first three will be visible again. You can change the information in these custom fields at any point until the pick is finished.

Items section

If you want to pick each item in the order individually, go down to the Items section of the General tab. There you will find the following column headers containing information about each item in the order:

• Item - The name, description, and image (if available) of the item being picked.
• Status - The pick condition of the item. There are six statuses an item can have:
  • AVAILABLE - There is sufficient quantity in stock to pick the item.
  • SHORT - There is insufficient quantity in stock to pick the item.
  • STARTED - The picking process has begun for the item.
  • COMMITTED - Units have been reserved to fulfill the item.
  • FINISHED - The item has been picked.
  • HOLD - The picking process is temporarily halted on the item.
• Quantity - The number of units being picked, and the available quantity in all locations.
• Pick Origin - The location the item is being picked from, and the available quantity there. Note that if an item has not been set up in the Inventory module with quantity in stock at a particular location, this field will be blank.
• Pick Destination - The location the picked item is being sent to for packing and shipping. Note that if an item has not been set up in the Inventory module with quantity in stock at a particular location, this field will be blank.
• Slot - The slot number of the order. When grouping picks, each order will automatically be assigned a slot to keep the items organized by order on the picking cart.
• Tracking - Clicking this icon brings up the item’s Committed Quantity and tracking criteria, such as Lot Number, Expiration Date, and/or Serial Number. This icon will be dark gray if the item has tracking criteria assigned in the Items module. Otherwise, it will remain a light shade of gray. It will not appear at all if the item has not been set up in the Inventory module.
• Note - Hovering over this icon allows you to read the note attached to the item, as it was filled out in the Item wizard, which we’ll discuss in the next section below. This icon will be blue if the item has a note. Otherwise, it will remain a light shade of gray.
• More - Clicking this enables you to change the status of the line item with the following buttons:
  • Start - Begin picking the line item, and change its status to Started.
  • Commit - Open the Commit wizard for the line item.
  • Finish - Open the Finish wizard to finish picking the line item.
  • Hold - Temporarily halt the picking process on the line item.
  • Resume - Change the line item’s status from Hold to Available.
  • Void - Return the line item to its original pick status.

Item wizard

To change the information on an item in the Items section of a pick, click anywhere on its line. This will bring up the Item wizard. If the item has been set up in the Inventory module, it will have the following fields you can modify:

• Pick Origin - A dropdown menu that allows you to select the location the item is being picked from. It shows the quantity at each location.
• Slot - A textbox showing the slot number for the pick’s order. Enter a designation for items in the pick to be grouped under.
• Quantity - The number of units being picked.
• Quantity at Loc. - The number of units at the Pick Origin.
• Pick Destination - A dropdown menu that allows you to select the location the picked item is being sent to for packing and shipping. It shows the quantity at each location.
• Quantity at Des. - The number of units at the Pick Destination.
• Notes - A textbox that lets you add information or instructions about the item being picked. The character limit is 255.

If an item has not been set up in the Inventory module with quantity at a location, this wizard will only contain the following textboxes:

• Quantity - The number of units being picked. This is unchangeable.
• Slot - A textbox showing the slot number for the pick’s order. Enter a designation for items in the order to be grouped under.
• Notes - A textbox that lets you add information or instructions about the item being picked. The character limit is 255.

Commit wizard

Clicking the COMMIT button next to a line item on a pick will bring up the Commit wizard. The tracking criteria at the bottom will change depending on what you set up for the item in the Items module. We will list all three options at the bottom of these bullet points. The Commit wizard has the following fields to view and/or modify:

• Pick Quantity - The number of units to be picked for the order.
• Pick Origin - A dropdown menu that allows you to select the location the item is being picked from. It shows the quantity at each location.
• Quantity At Loc. - The number of units at the Pick Origin.
• Notes - A textbox that lets you add information or instructions about the item being picked. There is no character limit.
• Tracking - If the item has tracking associated with it, it will appear in the Tracking section at the bottom of the wizard.
• Search - A textbox that lets you enter text to search for a substitute item. If you set up at least one substitute item in the Items module, you will be able to find it here and use it instead of the item that is listed on the order.
• On Hand - The number of units available for picking.
• Quantity To Commit - The number of units to commit to the order and make unavailable for all other orders. If you enter a number lower than the full number required for the order, it will generate another line item with the remaining quantity to pick.
• Lot Number - The lot number associated with the units being committed.
• Expiration Date - The expiration date associated with the units being committed.
• Serial Number - The serial number of each unit being committed.

If an item has not been set up in the Inventory module with quantity at a location, this wizard will only contain the following textboxes:

• Pick Quantity - The number of units to be picked for the order.
• Quantity - The number of units to commit to the order and make unavailable for all other orders. If you enter a number lower than the full number required for the order, it will generate another line item with the remaining quantity to pick.
• Notes - A textbox that lets you add information or instructions about the item being picked. There is no character limit.

Once you have entered the appropriate information into the fields above, you can click one of the two blue buttons at the bottom of the wizard:

• AUTO SELECT AND COMMIT - This automatically selects the total number of units necessary to fulfill the order.
• COMMIT - As noted above, if your Quantity To Commit number is lower than the Pick Quantity, a new line item will be created for you to commit more units until you have enough to fulfill the order.

Keep in mind that there is another (potentially faster) way to commit all items in a pick. Clicking the COMMIT button in the action bar at the top of the pick opens a Commit wizard that contains all items in the pick, not just a specific line item. You can complete all of the fields listed above in that wizard.

One difference is that you don’t have to fill out the Quantity to Commit textbox. The blue button on the bottom-right of the wizard will already have the full number filled out. The other difference is that this wizard includes a Summary step at the end where you can review all of the items and units you plan on committing.

Finish wizard

Clicking the FINISH button next to a line item on a pick will do different things based on what you have done to that line item up to that point. If you previously clicked the COMMIT button and committed the appropriate number of units to fulfill the order, clicking the FINISH button will simply change the status of the line item to FINISHED.

On the other hand, if you have not committed any items, and the line item’s status is either AVAILABLE or STARTED, then clicking FINISH will open the Finish wizard, which is very similar to the Commit wizard. The only difference is that this wizard not only commits the items but finishes the pick and opens the path to the Shipping module in the Flow bar on the top-left of the Picking module.

The tracking criteria at the bottom of the Finish wizard will change depending on what you set up for the item in the Items module. We will list all three options at the bottom of these bullet points, even though they may not necessarily appear in the item you are working on. The Commit wizard has the following fields to view and/or modify:

• Pick Quantity - The number of units to be picked for the order.
• Pick Origin - A dropdown menu that allows you to select the location the item is being picked from. It shows the quantity at each location.
• Quantity At Loc. - The number of units at the Pick Origin.
• Notes - A textbox that lets you add information or instructions about the item being picked. There is no character limit.
• Tracking - If the item has tracking associated with it, it will appear in the Tracking section at the bottom of the wizard.
• Search - A textbox that lets you enter text to search for a substitute item. If you set up at least one substitute item in the Items module, you will be able to find it here and use it instead of the item that is listed on the order.
• On Hand - The number of units available for picking.
• Quantity To Commit - The number of units to commit to the order and make unavailable for all other orders. If you enter a number lower than the full number required for the order, it will generate another line item with the remaining quantity to pick.
• Lot Number - The lot number associated with the units being committed.
• Expiration Date - The expiration date associated with the units being committed.
• Serial Number - The serial number of each unit being committed.

If an item has not been set up in the Inventory module with quantity at a location, this wizard will only contain the following textboxes:

• Pick Quantity - The number of units to be picked for the order.
• Quantity - The number of units to commit to the order and make unavailable for all other orders. If you enter a number lower than the full number required for the order, it will generate another line item with the remaining quantity to pick.
• Notes - A textbox that lets you add information or instructions about the item being picked. There is no character limit.

Once you have entered the appropriate information into the fields above, you can click one of the two blue buttons at the bottom of the wizard:

• AUTO SELECT AND FINISH - This automatically selects the total number of units necessary to fulfill the order.
• FINISH - As noted above, if your Quantity To Commit number is lower than the Pick Quantity, a new line item will be created for you to commit more units until you have enough to fulfill the order.

Keep in mind that there is another (potentially faster) way to commit all items in a pick. Clicking the FINISH button in the action bar at the top of the pick opens a Finish wizard that contains all items in the pick, not just a specific line item. You can complete all of the fields listed above in that wizard.

One difference is that you don’t have to fill out the Quantity to Commit textbox. The blue button on the bottom-right of the wizard will already have the full number filled out. The other difference is that this wizard includes a Summary step at the end where you can review all of the items and units you plan on committing and finishing.

How to quickly go to the Shipping module

After you click the FINISH button and finish at least one item in a pick, you will notice that the Shipping part of the Flow bar tool on the top-left of the window lights up. Clicking it will take you directly to the Shipping module where you can pack and ship units. If you have any unsaved changes, you will receive a prompt asking if you want to save before leaving the Picking module.

This is a smooth way to move through the fulfillment process. Once an order is ready for shipping, you can click that button to go right there. You can return to the pick in the Picking module by clicking Picking in the Flow bar. Whether the pick is for a sales order or purchase order, it will link back to the applicable module on the left of Picking in the Flow bar.

One thing to keep in mind is that when you return to the Picking module via the Flow bar, you will technically be in a search. So if you close the pick, you will only see that one listed on the main Picking module page. To get out of the search and list all of your picks, click the Show All Picks button on the top-left under the search bar.

Pick report

To view and modify the Pick report, click the More button in the action bar of a pick and select Show Report. This report can also be printed from the main Picking module page by clicking the checkbox next to a pick and clicking PRINT PICK TICKET in the action bar. This report initially has only one of the Optional checkboxes checked (Show Item), but if you were to unselect it, the report would have the following sections/columns by default:

• Priority - A pick’s level of importance or urgency. There are five priority levels a pick can have:
  • Highest
  • High
  • Normal
  • Low
  • Lowest
• Status - The condition of a pick. There are four statuses a pick can have:
  • OPEN - Picking has not started yet.
  • COMMITTED - Units are no longer available for use in other picks.
  • PARTIALLY PICKED - Units are committed, and at least one has been picked, but not all.
  • FINISHED - All units in the order are picked and ready to be packed and shipped.
• Scheduled - The month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY) a pick is scheduled to be completed by.
• Type - The purpose of the pick. There is currently a single type: Pick. In the future, there will likely be more, such as Putaway and Move.
• Parent Location - The Parent Location where the items are currently found.
• Carrier - The name of the shipper who will transport the items to their destination.
• Quantity - The number of units being picked.
• Location Path - The specific Child Location (under the Parent Location) where the items are currently found.

If you’ve set a logo and main contact phone in the Company section of the Settings module, they will appear on the top left of the report. The month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY) the report was generated on are on the bottom-left. The page number appears on the bottom-right.

To the right of the report, you will find a number of options to customize the information contained in the report.

Required and optional

The Required section has a single dropdown menu: Pick Number. This allows you to generate a Pick report for any pick you have created, even if it’s different than the one you’re currently looking at in the Picking module.

The Optional section is below the Required section. It includes the following options to modify the report:

• Show SO - A checkbox that adds an Order section above the Item-related columns. This section contains the order number the pick is associated with. Since picks are usually generated from sales orders, the option is called Show SO. But it could equally apply to purchase orders, as well.
• Show SKU - A checkbox that adds a column in between Item and Quantity showing the stock-keeping unit of the item(s) in the pick.
• Show Description - A checkbox that adds a column in between SKU and Quantity showing the description of the item found in the Items module.
• Show Customer Name - A checkbox that adds a Customer section under the Order section showing the name of the customer on the order.
• Show Item - A checkbox that is automatically checked by default. It adds an Item column to the left of Quantity, identifying each item in the pick.
• Show items in Sales Order UOM - A checkbox that ensures that items’ units of measure on the sales order are displayed rather than what they may have been changed to elsewhere.
• Show Items in Stock - A checkbox that removes any items that haven’t yet been committed or finished in the pick.
• Show Item Status - A checkbox that adds a Status column to the right of Location showing each item’s pick status: Available, Committed, Finished, or Hold.
• Show Inventory Status - A checkbox that adds an Inventory Status column to the right of the Status column showing whether or not there is sufficient inventory in stock to fully pick an item. The inventory status can be In stock or Short.
• Show Address - A checkbox that adds the Ship To address from the order under the Order number. This doesn’t work unless you also click the Show SO checkbox.
• Show Barcode - A checkbox that places a barcode at the top of the item, which can be scanned to pull the pick ticket up on a mobile device. It also adds the order number above the barcode.
• Show Country - A checkbox that adds the country under the Ship To address. This doesn’t work unless you also click both the Show SO and Show Address checkboxes.
• Show Tracking - A checkbox that adds a Tracking column to the right of Inventory Status showing what tracking criteria has been assigned to each item.

You can click the Select All Optional checkbox to check all of the checkboxes in the Optional section. That will do everything listed above in the Optional section.

The Pick report doesn’t have the option to add custom fields. Nor does it have the ability to create different themes and layouts, like you can in the Sales Order report. However, you can create a new preset by clicking the CREATE NEW PRESET button when you have selected all of the information you want the report to include.

Create a new preset

To apply your changes and see what they will look like in the report, click the GENERATE REPORT button on the bottom-right.

To save a revised report’s settings for easy access in the future, click the CREATE NEW PRESET button on the top-right of the wizard. A popup will appear asking for just one thing: Preset Name. Add any name you like. For example, it can be the name of some of the settings the report includes. Then click the SAVE button. You can either do this before you begin making changes to the report, or you can do it at the end. If you want to make additional changes to the report, click the UPDATE button. The CREATE NEW PRESET button changes to UPDATE when you’re in a report preset.

Additional presets

To create another report preset, first click the X to the right of the dropdown menu containing the name of the current preset. Then you can go through the same steps above to create a new preset.

The first report preset you create will automatically be the default. Once it’s saved, there will be a Default checkbox option above the UPDATE button.

If this isn’t the first time you’ve opened this wizard, and you previously created at least one preset, you will see the default report preset first thing. And you will be able to see all of the report presets you have saved listed in the dropdown menu on the top-right.

To set a new default report preset, click the Default checkbox in it and click the UPDATE button. If you uncheck the Default checkbox on the default report preset and click the UPDATE button, you’ll receive an error message. That’s because there usually has to be a default. However, if you delete the default report preset, there won’t be a default report, and it will show the original default options when you click the Show Report or PRINT PICK TICKETS buttons. That is, until you pick a report preset as the default or create a new one.

To delete a report preset, first click the trashcan icon next to the UPDATE button. Then click the red DELETE button in the message that pops up.

Once you save a preset as the Default and then leave and return to the Picking module, that preset will show up when you click the PRINT PICK TICKETS button at the top of the main Picking module page or the Show Report option in an individual pick.

Pick report options

The following buttons are at the top of the Pick report to allow you to make adjustments and send the report to other people. Tooltips appear when you mouse over these buttons for a couple seconds. They succinctly explain what each one does.

• Zoom Out - This makes the text in the report appear smaller.
• Reset - This restores the report to its original size.
• Zoom In - This makes the text in the report appear larger.
• Next Page - If a report has multiple pages, this button enables you to move to the next page.
• Previous Page - If a report has multiple pages, this button enables you to move to the previous page.
• Download XLSX File - This enables you to download the report into an XLSX file, which you can open in Excel.
• Download PDF - This enables you to download a report into a PDF, which you can open with Adobe Acrobat.
• Print Report - This enables you to print a hard copy of a report.
• E-mail Report - This enables you to email a report to as many recipients as you like. It opens a popup where you can add email addresses in the To, Cc, and Bcc textboxes. Then you can add a subject and message. Click the SEND button to send the email with the report as a PDF attachment. If the recipient doesn’t receive the email, they will need to check their junk folder and add fishbowl@fishbowlonline.com to their address book so that future emails aren’t marked as spam.
• Expand - This expands the report to the full size of your browser window. When you click this button, it changes to a Contract button, which you can click to return the report to its previous smaller size.