Manufacturer's Barcode: How to Bind Upon Arrival to Avoid Creating Duplicates

To link a manufacturer’s barcode during goods receipt and avoid creating duplicates (that is, cards for the same product with different barcodes or names), in the Torgsoft program you need to follow a specific sequence of actions depending on the situation.

Here is a detailed instruction based on the program documentation:

1. If the product is received for the first time (New product)

If the product is not yet in the database, you link the manufacturer’s barcode directly when creating the product card:

1. Open the form Document — Goods Receipt.

2. Create the document header (select the supplier, date, etc.).

3. Place the cursor in the Barcode field (top left corner) and scan the barcode from the product packaging with a scanner.

4. Since the barcode is new, the program will open a new product card or report that the product was not found, depending on the settings.

5. Fill in the name, product type, price, and click Save. Now this barcode is firmly linked to this product.

2. If the product is already in the database, but it has a new/different barcode

This is the most common cause of duplicates. If you scan a product and the program opens an empty card as if it were a new product, but you know that this product already exists in your database, for example under a different code or without a code, do not create a new card.

How to act so as not to create a duplicate:

1. In the receipt form, click the Select product from warehouse button (F11) or Select from the full product list.

2. Find the required product by name or article number.

3. Click the Edit button (or F3) to open the card of this existing product.

4. In the product card, there is a barcode field and control buttons for it (top right):

•    If the old barcode is not needed: just scan the new manufacturer’s barcode into the barcode field. The program will ask you to confirm the replacement.

•    If both barcodes are needed (for example, different batches or colors of the same product): click the «Add manufacturer barcode to product» button (an icon with a barcode and a plus sign). This allows one product to have several barcodes at the same time, avoiding the creation of extra cards.

5. Click Save and add the product to the document.

3. Duplicate protection settings

To make the program warn you when you try to create a product with a barcode that already exists in the database, check the settings:

1. Go to Merchandise Management — Product Type — Product Type Card.

2. Find the setting «Behavior when a duplicate barcode is detected» (or the uniqueness check).

3. Set the value to «Ask» or «Forbid».

•    If «Ask» is selected, when you try to save a card with an existing barcode, the program will offer options: forbid, allow, or merge products.

•    The «Merge products» function is useful if you have already created a duplicate by mistake: it will transfer the stock balance to one card, delete the duplicate, and add its barcode as an additional barcode to the main product.

4. Working with equivalents and changed codes

Sometimes manufacturers change barcodes for identical products.

• Use the «Replace manufacturer barcode with registration of the old barcode» function in the product card. This will allow you to keep the history while accounting for the product under the new code without creating a new item.

Summary. To avoid duplicates, never fill in a new product card if the product already exists in the directory. Instead, find the existing product in the list and add the new barcode to its card as an additional or main barcode.