In Katana, you can bulk-update serial numbers for completed manufacturing orders (MOs) using a spreadsheet import. This is particularly useful if you have serial number information maintained outside of Katana, such as in a spreadsheet or another system.
Prerequisites
Plan requirement: Ensure you're on a Standard plan or higher to access serial number tracking features. You can upgrade from the Subscription page in Katana or by enabling a Standard plan feature.
Serial number tracking: Serial number tracking must be enabled for the products associated with the MOs you intend to update.
Steps to import serial numbers
Download the import template:
Navigate to Settings → Data import.
Under Update manufacturing orders with serial numbers, click Download data.
Understand the template structure:
The downloaded file will list completed MOs that:
Have items with serial numbers already assigned.
Have items with serial number tracking enabled but no serial numbers specified (these will have empty Serial number fields).
Populate the template:
Each row corresponds to a single unit in an MO. For example, an MO with a quantity of 30 will have 30 rows.
Required Fields:
Katana ID: Unique identifier for each MO. This field is used to match serial numbers to existing MOs in Katana. If this field is empty or doesn't match an existing MO, the row will be skipped.
Serial number: Enter the serial number for each unit. Ensure each serial number is unique for the item variant. If the Serial number field is empty, the row will be skipped during import.
Reference Fields (not updated during import):
MO #: The MO number.
Variant code: The SKU of the item variant.
Import the Completed Template:
Return to Settings screen → Data import.
Under Update manufacturing orders with serial numbers, click Upload data.
Select and upload your completed spreadsheet.
Review Import Results:
Katana will validate the file to ensure it meets import requirements.
If successful, Katana will indicate how many rows were imported.
Once completed, the MOs will be updated with the provided serial numbers.
Important notes
Each serial number must be unique for its item variant. If a duplicate serial number is detected, the row will be skipped.
If multiple rows for an item variant have the same serial number, only the last row will be imported.
Ensure that the Katana ID field is correctly populated to match existing MOs; otherwise, those rows will be skipped.
The MO # and Variant code fields are for reference only and will not be updated during the import process.
You can also bulk update serial numbers on received purchase orders using the Update purchase orders with serial numbers template.
Your feedback is invaluable. Let us know your thoughts on this article or anything in Katana you'd like to see improved: [email protected]