>Hi all
>
>I have generally handle inventory systems so I am generally aware of the basic theories. Now I have to plan for a Inventory database for a Pharma company and the items have the following specs.:
>
>- Each item has it own stock (obviously :)). For eg. Liters
>- Each item has it's stock distributed in various packing sizes. For eg. in bottles of 50ml, 100ml and 500ml
>- Each item has the above stock further distributed into Batch Numbers
>
>Making them create as a new item (new internal unique id) for each and every packing size may raise complaints and asking anything similar for Batch Number and I am sure to loose the contract.

You have one item, or one item per size - that's up to the end user, but you need to know in advance. However, item is not your inventory unit - item+batch is (but check whether different packagings have different barcodes... that may be a problem if they don't). Then like Srdan said, you receive a batch - it has the item, size/packaging, batch nr, quantity, source (supplier), date, expiration etc. Some of the properties of the item that would ordinarily belong to the item may actually belong to the batch - you may have to figure some of the details for yourself.

Last time I did a pharmacy (wholesale) warehousing, there were several steps in any movement of the goods, because of the nature of the goods. IIRC, between a pharmacy shop's order and putting a box on the truck there were some six or seven forms - checking availability, stock levels (we aren't giving 50% of our stock of any item to anyone - if it's scarce, it'll be rationed or simply kept for emergencies only), expiry dates, packaging being intact, that there is no special transportation needed etc etc. Half of it is to make sure that the goods are good, the other half is that nobody stole/confused/mishandled/misread/mistook/misleft/missisjones anything.