When a quality issue appears, the first question is always the same: which batches are affected and where did they go? For pharmaceutical, life sciences and medical device businesses, answering that quickly and accurately is essential. This article explains how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central records traceability as part of everyday work.
What batch traceability means
Batch traceability links every lot of finished product to the materials used to make it, and to every customer who received it. Backward tracing finds the source of a problem. Forward tracing finds everyone who needs to be contacted. Both rely on lot numbers being captured at every step.
Capturing lot numbers from receipt to despatch
In Business Central, item tracking can be switched on for any item that needs it. Lot or serial numbers are recorded on goods receipt, consumed against production orders, assigned to output and recorded again on shipment. Because this happens in the normal transactions, traceability does not depend on separate logs.
Quarantine and release
Incoming material can be received into a quarantine location or blocked at lot level until quality has approved it. Blocked lots cannot be picked, consumed or shipped, which keeps unapproved stock out of production and away from customers.
Expiry and retest dates
Expiration dates can be held against each lot, and picking can follow first-expiry-first-out rules. This reduces write-offs and helps prevent short-dated stock reaching customers.
Running a trace
The Item Tracing page lets users follow a lot or serial number forwards or backwards through every related transaction. Starting from a single supplier lot, you can see which production orders used it, which finished lots were made and which customers received them.
Preparing for a recall
- Make sure item tracking is enabled for every item that needs it.
- Use quarantine locations or lot blocking for material awaiting release.
- Run regular mock recalls and record how long they take.
- Keep customer contact details current so notifications can go out quickly.
- Use Power BI reports to monitor stock by lot, location and expiry.
Extending for regulated requirements
Business Central provides the core traceability, audit trail and controls. Industry extensions from Microsoft partners can add further features for regulated manufacturing, and standard APIs connect laboratory and quality systems so test results feed into stock status.
Want to see traceability in action?
Our team can walk you through how traceability would work with your products and processes. Get in touch to arrange a conversation.
Speak to our Dynamics 365 team.