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Dynamics 365 Community / Forums / Small and medium business | Business Central, N... / Barcode Scanning
Small and medium business | Business Central, N...
Answered

Barcode Scanning

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Posted on by RR-07061806-0 1,074
Good day,
 
I'm looking at using the above for our annual stock count. We are not using any third-party software I'm hoping to be able to scan the barcodes where it can read the item number. I will be using the Physical Inventory Journal.
 
I'm working in test currently, the attachment shows where I would have mapped the barcode to the item number, but when scanned there is an error message 'there are no items with reference '6942629212706'.
 
It seems I'm missing something; can someone indicate it this is even possible without the use of third-party software?
 
Thanks
 
Regards
Rosemary
Barcode.PNG
Categories:
Dynamics 365 Business Central
I have the same question (0)
  • Suggested answer
    Teagen Boll Profile Picture
    Teagen Boll 3,642 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at
    For the standard BC barcodes you will need to use the GTIN field on the Item card, not the Item References. I believe you can use the item reference but this would need to be a customization.
     
    BC's barcoding is a bit limited so I recommend you use a free app such as Insight Works' app called WMS Express you can use other references without much effort.
     
    Best,
    Teagen Boll
    Social: LinkedIn
  • RR-07061806-0 Profile Picture
    RR-07061806-0 1,074 on at
    Good afternoon,
     
    Thank you for your response, the issue with that is the search feature on limited. We have locations with 2000 plus items, so it was a challenge. We were using it alongside the BC mobile app.
     
    Thanks
     
    Regards
    Rosemary
  • Suggested answer
    YUN ZHU Profile Picture
    YUN ZHU 102,811 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at
    As of now, the standard supports only the following functions; some simple customization may be required.
     
    Thanks
    ZHU
  • Verified answer
    TarikJerkovic Profile Picture
    TarikJerkovic 354 on at

    Hi Rosemary @RR-07061806-0,

    Yes, this is possible using the standard Business Central mobile application, but the item reference in your screenshot appears to be set up incorrectly.For a barcode item reference, the setup should be:


    • Reference Type: Bar Code

    • Reference Type No.: blank

    • Reference No.: 6942629212706

    • Unit of Measure: EA, if applicable

    •  

    The item number MER362306 does not need to be entered in the Reference No. field because the item reference is already being created from that item’s card.

    In your current setup, the scanned barcode 6942629212706 is stored in Reference Type No., while Business Central searches for the scanned value in Reference No.. Because Reference No. currently contains MER362306, Business Central returns the message that no item exists with reference 6942629212706.

    Afterr changing the setup, calculate the Physical Inventory Journal and scan the barcode into the Item Reference No. field. Business Central should then identify the corresponding item. The standard mobile application supports barcode scanning in the Item Journal Line’s Item Reference No. field.

    One limitation to be aware of is that standard Business Central uses the scan to identify the item only. Scanning the same barcode repeatedly does not automatically increase Qty. (Phys. Inventory) by one. The user must enter the total physically counted quantity manually.

    A process where every scan increases the counted quantity, for example 1 → 2 → 3, requires a small AL extension or a third-party warehouse scanning solution.

     

    I hope this helps.

    Kind regards

    Tarik Jerković

  • Suggested answer
    OussamaSabbouh Profile Picture
    OussamaSabbouh 18,829 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at
    Hello Rosemary,
    Yes, this is possible in standard Business Central without a third-party solution. Your barcode setup as an Item Reference looks correct, but in the Physical Inventory Journal you must scan or enter the barcode into the Item Reference No. field, not the Item No. field; you may need to add Item Reference No. to the journal lines through personalization. Business Central then resolves the reference and populates the related item, variant, and unit of measure. Microsoft confirms that barcode item references are supported on Item Journal Lines, which includes physical inventory journal lines, and also on Physical Inventory Order Lines. If the same error remains, verify that the scanned value exactly matches the Reference No., including any leading/trailing characters added by the scanner, and test by manually entering 6942629212706 in the Item Reference No. field.
     
    Regards,
    Oussama Sabbouh
  • TarikJerkovic Profile Picture
    TarikJerkovic 354 on at
    @OussamaSabbouh A small correction: the barcode setup in the screenshot is not correct. The barcode 6942629212706 was entered in Reference Type No., but it should be entered in Reference No. like you said.
  • Gerardo Rentería García Profile Picture
    Gerardo Rentería Ga... 27,611 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at
  • Suggested answer
    Grigorios Mavrogeorgis Profile Picture
    Grigorios Mavrogeorgis 3,116 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

    Hi Rosemary, which field are you scanning into? Item references only resolve where BC has an Item Reference No. field on the line, and that's mainly sales and purchase documents. On the item journal side it depends on your version — personalize the journal and see if Item Reference No. is even in the field list. If it's not there, scanning into Item No. will never find the barcode, and that's exactly the message you get.

    If the field is there and it still fails, scan into Notepad first and look hard at what the scanner really sends. A trailing character or a leading zero is enough to break the match and you won't see it on the screen.

    One more, you said test environment — make sure the reference row lives in the same company you're counting in, references are per company.

    Glad to help - follow up if anything is unclear.   

    ►  If this solved it, marking it verified helps others too.       

    Regards,
    Grigorios Mavrogeorgis
    Business Central Consultant & AL Developer

    Work: Gmsoft Limited
    Blog:  insidebusinesscentral
    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gregorymavrogeorgis

     

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