<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Session ID="/baanerp/tc/mcs/tcmcs0150m000" xml:lang="en">
   <Header>
      <Title>First Free Numbers (tcmcs0150m000)</Title>
   </Header>
   <HelpTopic>
      <AimSection>
         <Paragraph>Use this session to maintain the <Link href="/baanerp/tc/glossary/glossary#Series_tc" role="glossary">series</Link> defined for the <Link href="/baanerp/tc/glossary/glossary#NumberGroup_tc" role="glossary">Number Group</Link> shown
		  at the top of the session.</Paragraph>
      </AimSection>
      <GeneralSection>
         <Paragraph>Use the <GUIRef href="" role="menu">Group</GUIRef> menu or the Group buttons to list the
		  series of another number group. Choose <HTML:IMG xmlns:HTML="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" height="13" width="11"
                      SRC="../../wh/images/add_new_record_icon.gif"
                      alt="[...]"/> on
		  the <GUIRef href="" role="menu">Group</GUIRef> menu to enter the
		  series of a new number group.</Paragraph>
         <Paragraph>You can add and remove series, specify the starting number,
		  and block a series for use. You cannot change a series code.</Paragraph>
         <Note>
            <SectionTitle>Note</SectionTitle>
            <Paragraph>If a series is used, you cannot delete it. A series is used
			 if it is defined for a type of record, regardless wether a number is actually
			 generated. For example, if, in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/fm/foc/fmfoc0100m000" role="session">Freight Order Control Parameters (fmfoc0100m000)</GUIRef> session, series SLS is defined as
			 the series for freight orders originating from sales orders, series SLS is
			 used, even if no freight order has yet been generated for this
			 series.</Paragraph>
            <Paragraph>If you have started this session by zooming, you can only
			 find and select a record.</Paragraph>
         </Note>
      </GeneralSection>
      <GeneralSection>
         <SectionTitle>Performance aspects</SectionTitle>
         <Paragraph>The settings in this session could affect system performance and database growth. For more information, refer to <Link href="/baanerp/performance/tc/P000001_first_free_numbers" role="manual">First free numbers</Link>.</Paragraph>
      </GeneralSection>
      <RelatedTopics>
         <SectionTitle>Related topics</SectionTitle>
         <RelTopic>
            <Link href="/baanerp/tc/onlinemanual/000004" role="manual">To use number groups and series</Link>
         </RelTopic>
      </RelatedTopics>
   </HelpTopic>
   <Fields>
      <FieldHelp ID="tcmcs050.nrgr">
         <Header>
            <Title>Number Group</Title>
         </Header>
         <FuncDesc>A group of first free number series that you can assign to a
		specific use.</FuncDesc>
         <SimpleSection>
            <List>
               <ListIntro>For example, you can assign a number group to:</ListIntro>
               <ListItem>Business partner codes</ListItem>
               <ListItem>Purchase contracts</ListItem>
               <ListItem>Sales orders</ListItem>
               <ListItem>Production orders</ListItem>
               <ListItem>Service orders</ListItem>
               <ListItem>Warehousing orders</ListItem>
               <ListItem>Freight orders</ListItem>
            </List>
         </SimpleSection>
         <SimpleSection>
            <Paragraph>Within a number group you can define multiple series. Each
		  series is identified by the series code. The series numbers that LN generates consist of
		  the series code followed by the first free number in the series. Series codes
		  of the same number group have the same length.</Paragraph>
         </SimpleSection>
         <RelatedTopics>
            <SectionTitle>Related topics</SectionTitle>
            <RelTopic>
               <Link href="/baanerp/tc/onlinemanual/000004" role="manual">To use number groups and series</Link>
            </RelTopic>
         </RelatedTopics>
      </FieldHelp>
      <FieldHelp ID="tcmcs050.seri">
         <Header>
            <Title>Series</Title>
         </Header>
         <FuncDesc>The series code.</FuncDesc>
         <AllowedValues>
            <SectionTitle>Allowed values</SectionTitle>
            <Paragraph>The series code must have the same number of characters as
			 defined for this number group's series length in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tc/mcs/tcmcs0151m000" role="session">Number Groups (tcmcs0151m000)</GUIRef> session.</Paragraph>
         </AllowedValues>
         <SimpleSection>
            <Paragraph>If the number group is dedicated to a specific use, the
			 series code must be unique in the number groups dedicated to the same type of
			 use.</Paragraph>
         </SimpleSection>
         <Note>
            <SectionTitle>Note</SectionTitle>
            <Paragraph>After saving the current session's data, you cannot change
			 the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tc/mcs/tcmcs0150m000#tcmcs050.seri" role="manual">Series</GUIRef> field.</Paragraph>
         </Note>
         <RelatedTopics>
            <SectionTitle>Related topics</SectionTitle>
            <RelTopic>
               <Link href="/baanerp/tc/onlinemanual/000004" role="manual">To use number groups and series</Link>
            </RelTopic>
         </RelatedTopics>
      </FieldHelp>
      <FieldHelp ID="tcmcs050.ffno">
         <Header>
            <Title>First Free Number</Title>
         </Header>
         <FuncDesc>To improve the performance of sessions in which new order
		  numbers are assigned, you can define a cache size for a series. The cache size
		  is the number of new series numbers that LN generates at once. If
		  there are series numbers in cache, users do not have to wait while LN generates and checks
		  the next series numbers.</FuncDesc>
         <AllowedValues>
            <SectionTitle>Allowed values</SectionTitle>
            <List>
               <ListItemHead>Cache size = 0</ListItemHead>
               <ListItem>
                  <Paragraph>No caching is applied. If you request a new number, the
				  number is only committed after the transaction to which the number applies is
				  completed.</Paragraph>
                  <Paragraph>Disadvantage: The number series is locked during the
				  transaction. Other users cannot request a new number from the same series until
				  the transaction is completed.</Paragraph>
                  <Paragraph>Advantage: No numbering gaps.</Paragraph>
                  <Paragraph>Use a cache size of 0 if number gaps are not allowed.
				  Preferably, request a new number close to the end of a transation to reduce
				  locking time. In high volume implementations, a cache size of 0 may cause
				  performance and locking issues.</Paragraph>
               </ListItem>
               <ListItemHead>Cache size = 1</ListItemHead>
               <ListItem>
                  <Paragraph>If you request a new number, the number is committed
				  immediately, even if the transaction to which the number applies is not yet
				  completed.</Paragraph>
                  <Paragraph>Disadvantage: Numbering gaps may occur if a transaction
				  is not finished.</Paragraph>
                  <Paragraph>Advantage: The number series is locked for only a short
				  time, which improves performance.</Paragraph>
                  <Paragraph>A cache size of 1 is the default value for number
				  series. In this way, performance and locking issues in high volume
				  implementations are avoided as much as possible.</Paragraph>
               </ListItem>
               <ListItemHead>Cache size &gt; 1</ListItemHead>
               <ListItem>
                  <Paragraph>The value of the cache size indicates how many new
				  numbers are requested at once. The numbers are committed immediately, even if
				  transactions are not yet completed.</Paragraph>
                  <Paragraph>Disadvantage: Large numbering gaps may occur if more
				  than one transaction is unfinished.</Paragraph>
                  <Paragraph>Advantage: The number series is locked for only a short
				  time. Furthermore, for all numbers that are requested, the number series needs
				  to be updated only once, which improves performance.</Paragraph>
                  <Paragraph>A cache size larger than 1 is only recommended if a
				  cache size of 1 does not solve locking issues sufficiently.</Paragraph>
               </ListItem>
            </List>
         </AllowedValues>
         <Note>
            <SectionTitle>Note</SectionTitle>
            <Paragraph>If the series is already in use, you cannot change the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tc/mcs/tcmcs0150m000#tcmcs050.ffno" role="manual">First Free Number</GUIRef> field to a lower value.</Paragraph>
         </Note>
         <RelatedTopics>
            <SectionTitle>Related topics</SectionTitle>
            <RelTopic>
               <Link href="/baanerp/tc/onlinemanual/000004" role="manual">To use number groups and series</Link>
            </RelTopic>
         </RelatedTopics>
      </FieldHelp>
      <FieldHelp ID="tcmcs050.ffst">
         <Header>
            <Title>First Free Number Cache Size</Title>
         </Header>
         <FuncDesc>To improve the performance of sessions in which new order
		  numbers are assigned, you can define a cache size for a series. The cache size
		  is the number of new series numbers that LN generates and puts in
		  the user's cache. The users do not have to wait while LN generates and checks
		  the next series numbers.</FuncDesc>
         <SimpleSection>
            <Paragraph>If you use the first free numbers cache, the order numbers
			 can be nonsequential; the numbers that are still in the user's cache are lost
			 when the user logs off.</Paragraph>
            <Paragraph>If you do not want to use the first free numbers cache, you
			 must set the cache size to zero.</Paragraph>
         </SimpleSection>
      </FieldHelp>
      <FieldHelp ID="tcmcs050.blck">
         <Header>
            <Title>Series Blocked for Input</Title>
         </Header>
         <FuncDesc>If this check box is selected, you cannot use the
		  series. If you block a series, you must select another series for the type of
		  orders or other elements to which the series is assigned.</FuncDesc>
         <Note>
            <SectionTitle>Note</SectionTitle>
            <Paragraph>You can clear the check box to resume using a series.</Paragraph>
         </Note>
      </FieldHelp>
   </Fields>
</Session>