Stockrooms

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 9 minutes to read

    • Stockrooms are places to which assets are assigned.

    When stock is low on a particular asset, stock rules can either notify an asset manager or automatically transfer inventory from one stockroom to another.

    Stockrooms are separate, standalone entities in the Asset Management application.

    Create a stockroom

    You can create a stockroom.

    Before you begin

    Role required: inventory_admin

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Inventory > Stock > Stockrooms and create a new record (see table for field descriptions).
      Fields Description
      Name Display name and identifier of the stockroom.
      Assignment group Group that primarily uses the stockroom.
      External Whether this stockroom is managed internally (check box is cleared) or is managed externally by a third party (check box is selected).
      Location Physical location of the stockroom.
      Type Type of stockroom, such as Field Agent or On site.
      Manager Person in charge of the stockroom. Receives restocking notifications and requests for the stockroom's stock rules.
    2. Click Submit.

    Delete a stockroom with assets

    You can delete a stockroom. If the stock room has assets, you must remove the assets from the stockroom first.

    Before you begin

    Role required: inventory_admin

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Asset > All Assets.
    2. Personalize the list to add the Stockroom column.
    3. Filter the list to show only the assets in the stockroom that you want to delete.
    4. Change or remove the stockroom for all of the asset records.
    5. After removing assets from the stockroom you want to delete, continue with the instructions for deleting a stockroom with no assets.

    Delete a stockroom with no assets

    You can delete a stockroom that has no assets.

    Before you begin

    Incomplete transfer orders must be deleted before you delete the stockroom.

    Role required: inventory_admin

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Inventory > Stock > Stockrooms.
    2. Select the check box beside the stockroom name.
    3. In the Actions list, select Delete.
      Note:
      Transfer order history is deleted when you delete the stockroom.

    Stockroom types

    Stockroom types are categories of stockrooms.

    The stockroom type has two significant characteristics.
    • Priority: Order of stockrooms the parts should be sourced from. For example, if a personal stockroom (priority 2) contains the required part, the personal stockroom receives priority over the Central Stockroom (priority 7) because the part in the personal stockroom doesn’t require delivery.
    • Shipment Required: Informs the system if a transfer order must be created when the part is sourced from a stockroom of the given type. For example, a part in a personal stockroom doesn’t require shipment, so no transfer order is needed.
    Table 1. Stockroom types defined in the base system
    Value Name Priority Shipment Required Description Comment
    on_site On Site 1 False Stockroom at the customer site. Close to the users and doesn’t require shipping.
    field_agent Field Agent 2 False Virtual, personal stockroom linked with a field service agent (FSA) directly, used for delivery. Used to indicate to the system that the part has been delivered and is with the FSA.
    fsl FSL 4 True Forward Shipping Location. Small stockrooms where the parts can typically be shipped via overnight delivery.
    pudo PUDO 5 True Pick Up/Drop out location. This type is sometimes called a by-box. Can be a postal box that can receive new and returned parts that are often near major customer sites.
    stockroom Warehouse 6 True A regional stockroom.
    central_stockroom Central Warehouse 7 True A central stockroom, usually a large facility from which most parts are shipped.

    Create a new stockroom type

    If you need stockroom types that are not included in the base system, you can create a custom stockroom type.

    Before you begin

    Role required: inventory_admin

    About this task

    Check the priority level of the stockroom types provided in the base instance to ensure that you assign the correct priority level to any new stockroom types you create. You can also modify the stockroom types included in the base system.

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Inventory > Stock > Stockroom Types and create a new record (see table for field descriptions).
      Field Description
      Name Display name of the stockroom type.
      Description General information about the stockroom type.
      External stockroom Whether stockrooms of this type are managed internally (check box cleared) or managed externally by a third party (check box selected).
      Priority Level of precedence for this type of stockroom.
      Shipment required Option that determines if stockrooms of this type require shipment by default.
      Value Internal identifier of the stockroom type.
    2. Click Submit.

    Stock rules

    Stock rules are defined criteria stating that when the inventory of a particular asset in a particular stockroom reaches a specified threshold, a certain number should either be transferred from another stockroom or ordered from a vendor.

    For example, a specific model of computer keyboard reaches an inventory of 10 in a particular stockroom and, because a stock rule is in place, a transfer order is automatically created to transfer 50 from a different stockroom. Because there can be multiple assets of a model within a stockroom, stock rules enable you to check all assets fitting the criteria and view a total count.

    There are two restocking options:

    • Email notifications can be sent to the stockroom manager (specified in the Manager field on the stockroom record) through the Asset Restocking email action when the inventory of a particular asset in the stockroom reaches a specified threshold. You can customize this email notification by updating the details in the following tabs:
      • When to send: Set the conditions under which the email should be triggered.
      • Who will receive: Specify the recipients of the email.
      • What it will contain: Define the content and information included in the email.
      A task is automatically created for the stockroom manager or, if Procurement is active, a purchase order and a purchase order line item are created.
    • A transfer order can be generated automatically to restock the item from another stockroom.

    Stock Rule Runner job

    The Stock Rule Runner job runs everyday to check if the inventory in the stockroom has reached the threshold set by the stock rule. The job then triggers tasks or workflows to restock the inventory. This job creates tasks for stockroom managers and also sends email notifications to them.
    Important:
    If restocking is in progress, the system doesn’t create duplicate email messages or duplicate transfer orders. It's important to act on it promptly.

    By default, the glide.sc.checkout.twostep system property that's set to false, results in the automatic submission of requests when items are added to the Service Catalog cart. Also, with this setting of the system property, the Stock Rule Runner job triggers the creation of tasks, purchase orders, transfer orders, and Service Catalog requests.

    If the value of the glide.sc.checkout.twostep system property is set to true, then the CartJS API adds items to the cart but the requests aren't submitted automatically. Instead, the request submission requires additional actions to be performed, affecting the automatic flow of the Stock Rule Runner job.

    The pending_delivery is used to indicate whether a stock rule is awaiting fulfillment or delivery. The pending_delivery can be set to any of the following values:

    • When this flag is set to true, the stock rule is in progress, and the system doesn't generate duplicate tasks or orders for the same item.
    • When this flag is set to false, the system reprocesses the stock rule and triggers the creation of tasks and orders again.
    Note:
    Make sure that the pending_delivery flag is updated to false when a stock rule has been processed, enabling the Stock Rule Runner job to run without redundancy.

    Based on the Stock rule type and the plugin activated on your ServiceNow instance, the Stock Rule Runner job creates purchase orders, transfer orders, Service Catalog requests, or tasks.

    Important:

    If the Procurement plugin and the Hardware Asset Management application aren't activated, the Stock Rule Runner job creates a task instead of a purchase order or a Service Catalog request. This task prompts the stockroom manager to take the necessary actions to replenish the inventory.

    Table 2. Stock Rule Runner job behavior
    Stock rule type Orders/Requests created
    Stockroom A transfer order is created automatically when the inventory in a stockroom reaches the threshold set by the stock rule.

    The transfer order is created to transfer stock from another stockroom to replenish the inventory.

    Note:
    If a transfer order is already in progress, then additional transfer orders aren't created.
    Vendor When the Procurement plugin (com.snc.procurement) is activated, a purchase order and corresponding purchase order line items are created.

    Purchase orders and purchase order line items are created when the inventory in a stockroom reaches the defined threshold and needs replenishment directly from the vendor.

    Note:
    You must have a procurement_user role to access the purchase order and purchase order line item.
    Vendor or Service Catalog When the Hardware Asset Management application is installed and the stock rule is set to Vendor or Service Catalog, then note the following points:
    • The Stock Rule Runner job submits a Service Catalog request instead of creating a purchase order.
    • The Service Catalog request is automatically submitted for stock replenishment through the Service Catalog. The items are added to the Service Catalog cart for the Stockroom manager to review and approve.
    • The pending_delivery flag is used to track the status of the Service Catalog requests. This flag guarantees that the Service Catalog requests are processed correctly, avoiding duplicate actions.

    Create a stock rule

    You can create a stock rule to control what happens when the inventory of a particular asset in a particular stockroom reaches a specified threshold.

    Before you begin

    Role required: inventory_admin

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Inventory > Stock > Stock Rules and create a new record (see table for field descriptions).
      Field Description
      Model Product model to which the rule applies.
      Threshold Quantity that the stock must reach to trigger restocking. For example, enter a threshold of 10 for a laptop computer that should be restocked when inventory drops below 10 in the specified stockroom.
      Note:
      If a stock rule is created for a hardware or software model reaches the threshold limit, a notification is sent to the stockroom manager and a stock order request is automatically created.
      Restocking option Location where additional supplies should come from.

      If Procurement isn’t active, then restocking option is Stockroom only. Otherwise, select one of the following:

      • Stockroom: Creates a transfer order to obtain the asset from another stockroom.
      • Vendor: Sends an email to the stockroom manager to order from a vendor. In addition to the email notification, a purchase order and purchase order line item are created.
      Important:
      Once a transfer order, purchase order, or purchase order line item is created, it's important to act on it promptly. Any email notifications or reminders won't be sent for these actions.
      Active Option for enabling the stock rule for restocking automatically.
      Stockroom Current physical location of the asset.
      Order size Minimum order quantity for stockroom transfers or vendor purchases. ServiceNow calculates the smallest multiple of the order size needed to restock the item above the threshold.

      For example, there are 3 laptops in stock with a threshold of 10 and the Stockroom option selected. If the order size is set to 4, the system creates a transfer order for 8 laptops to exceed the threshold and satisfy the rule (3 in stock + 8 ordered = 11). When restocking from a vendor, ServiceNow sends an email to the stockroom manager showing the total number of items to order, as multiples of the order size.
    2. Select Submit.