Maybe you guys can help me out on this, but I can’t seem to find any information on whether BC includes the capability of scanning barcodes with a barcode reader within the different worksheets. I know there are a lot of WMS add-ons that can add this feature, but I want to know if BC can do it internally. I also realize that the mobile app adds some scanning capability, but I would like the ability to also use hardware scanners.
My Use Cases:
Scanning in inventory into receiving
Scanning inventory into the correct bins
Picking inventory using barcodes on racking and products
If we have to implement a WMS that’s not a big deal, but I want to make sure I’m not missing something.
If you think of a scan as a really fast keyboard entry, it means you just need to be on the correct field for the data to populate in the right spot. This is of course assuming your scan is of a 1D barcode or a 2D single value barcode.
The advantage to the extensions is you don’t have to be on a field, their page is expecting scans in a specific order. For example, in Picking, Scan the Bin, then Scan the Item. Where if you’re using the BC app, scanning the Item while on the Quantity field will cause an error.
While you could create pages and code to facilitate the scanning process, the question is can you do it for less than the current Extensions and will it match all of their capability? Probably not.
I also wouldn’t lump WMS and handheld scanner extensions into the same category. The use of handheld scanners is possible even in very simple warehouse scenarios. Your business processes determine the level of Warehousing required; the scanners simply carry out the defined WMS process in BC.
Not sure if that helps, but hopefully gives you something to think about. I would definitely encourage you to reach out to your Business Central partner to get their input on how to handle your warehousing needs and process.