Strict Quarantine Posting

Strict quarantine posting refers to a condition in which item lots must be released before they can be used in sales and production activities. Because lots can only be released if they have passed their assigned quality control tests, strict quarantine posting effectively ensures that only items which have successfully completed quality control testing are available for use.

Quarantine Periods

Typically when a new item lot record is created, Dynamics NAV assigns the posting date from the relevant transaction as the lot's release date. This process changes if a quarantine period has been defined for the item.

A quarantine period represents the standard amount of time from an item's receipt into inventory to its availability for sale or consumption in a production order. This is typically to allow for an item to undergo quality testing to make certain that it is acceptable for sale to a customer or use in production.

A quarantine period is calculated for an item lot by applying a defined quarantine calculation formula to the posting date that is used when the lot is received. For example, if an item has a quarantine calculation formula of 3D, the program interprets this as 3 days. When a lot of that item is posted on 07/15, the program calculates an expected release date of 07/18.

This expected release date is calculated in lieu of a release date; item lots with a defined quarantine period are not assigned a release date when they enter inventory. Release dates are assigned to these lots when quality control activities have been successfully completed.

Strict Quarantine Posting

Strict quarantine posting is defined at the item tracking code level; the decision to utilize strict quarantine posting for a particular item tracking code record applies to all items to which the item tracking code is assigned.

The strict quarantine posting functionality utilizes lot status codes. A lot status code is set up to allow for processing in different types of activities. Lot status codes can be assigned to lot records. The configuration of an assigned lot status code will determine whether or not the item lot can be used on a given transaction.

It is possible to define a number of different default lot status codes in the Inventory Setup window. One of these default codes is for strict quarantine posting. This code is set up to prohibit the user from posting an item lot on a sales or consumption line. Other types of activities, such as transfers and inventory adjustments, are permitted under this code.

Whenever a new lot record is created for an item that is set up for strict quarantine posting (that is, it has a defined quarantine period and its assigned item tracking code has strict quarantine posting enabled), the default lot status code is automatically assigned to the lot. This prevents the lot from being posted on certain transactions until it is tested. When quality testing has been completed and results are being entered for the item lot, the user can assign a lot status code with expanded posting permissions to the lot record as it is being released.

An Alternative to Strict Quarantine Posting

The advantage of strict quarantine posting is that it prevents you from using item lots that have not undergone required quality control testing. In some cases, a company's environment may not lend itself to the strict quarantine posting process. This can be particularly apparent when different parts of a business process occur immediately one after the other. For example, a company manufactures an item, tests it, then ships it to customers. With strict quarantine posting in place, the user will be unable to post the shipment until all the quality control information has been recorded and completed within the program. If the user who is tasked with recording quality control results into the program falls behind, the user who enters shipping information will also be unable to perform his duties.

It is for this reason that strict quarantine posting is optional. If this feature has the potential to create impediments to your data entry operations, it does not have to be active. It is also possible to use strict quarantine posting with selected items, as it is assigned to individual item tracking code records. It is important to note, however, that opting to not use strict quarantine posting will allow the user to assign and post item lots whose pending quality control activities have not been completed. In such environments, quality control results are recorded strictly for informational purposes.