Policy Reference - Index

This folder lists every setting that changes what the warehouse system does. For each setting it says where to find it on the screen, what it is called in the database, what it does, which code reads it, and what happens to documents and stock when you change it.

Use it in two ways:

• "What does this setting do?" Go to the file of the policy family (table 1).
• "Why did the system do this?" Follow the flow in section 2. It names the policy that decides at each stage, from receiving to packing.

All statements come from the code and the database migrations of this repository. Paths such as wms-inbound/src/... are under crates/libs/.

1. The policy families

Family	One line	File
Receipt policy	How strict receiving is: LPN needed, SKU not on the ASN, over and short receipts, pack multiples, dates.	40-receipt-policy-settings.md
Receiving rules around the policy	Supervisor rights and grants, closing with a discrepancy, damage, returns, blind receipts, auto holds.	40-receipt-policy-settings.md sections 5 to 8
Owner configuration	Per-owner defaults: policies, locations, units, damage actions, LPN rules, label printing.	41-owner-settings-and-policy-resolution.md
Policy resolution	For every policy: SKU, then owner, then what is left. One table.	41-owner-settings-and-policy-resolution.md Part A
SKU-level settings	The columns on the SKU that pick a policy or override a rule.	34-sku-level-settings.md
System settings	Warehouse-wide keys: close with discrepancy, audit, move rules, time-outs, tasks, label renderer.	42-system-settings.md
Dashboard settings	The Control Center rail, thresholds, demo figures, expiry horizon.	42-system-settings.md section 5
Printing and labels	Printer assignment order, renderer address, auto-print.	42-system-settings.md section 6
Hold codes	What a hold forbids: putting, taking, or both; strict or confirmable.	43-reason-codes-and-holds.md section 2
Reason lists	Adjustment, shortage, quantity-adjust, damage reasons.	43-reason-codes-and-holds.md sections 3 to 6
Returns	Return conditions and where each goes.	43-reason-codes-and-holds.md section 7 and file 40 section 8.2
Handling unit types	Boxes, totes, carts: what each flag changes.	43-reason-codes-and-holds.md section 8
Putaway	Policy, steps, conditions, zones, locations.	00-putaway-overview.md, 01-putaway-policy-steps-and-criteria.md, 02-putaway-zone-settings.md, 03-location-settings.md
Allocation	Which stock an order line reserves, in which order.	10-allocation-overview.md, 11-allocation-policy-steps-and-criteria.md
Waves	Which orders go together and when they are released.	12-wave-overview.md, 13-wave-policy-settings.md
Picking	Picking policy, work areas, equipment, operator rights, pick-short reasons, counts.	20-picking-overview.md, 21-picking-policy-settings.md, 22-work-areas-equipment-and-permissions.md, 23-pick-short-reasons.md, 24-inventory-count-policy.md
Cartonization	Which boxes to use and how to pack the picks into them.	30-cartonization-overview.md, 31-cartonization-policy-settings.md
Lot policy	Lot dates, attributes, when a new lot is made.	32-lot-policy-and-attributes.md
Serial rules	Serial tracking per SKU.	33-serial-configuration.md
Replenishment	Placeholder only. No engine exists.	35-replenishment-status.md

2. What decides what: from receipt to shipment

Each row is a stage. "Decided by" is the setting or policy that changes the result. "Looked up from" says where the server finds it.

#	Stage	What happens	Decided by	Looked up from	Files
1	Receive	The operator receives goods against an ASN, blind, or as a return. The server accepts, asks a question, or refuses.	Receipt policy; owner flags; SKU hold, shelf-life and temperature fields; lot policy; serial rules; hold codes on the destination	SKU receipt_policy_id (the owner default is never reached today)	40, 32, 33, 34, 43
2	Close the receipt	The receipt closes, or a discrepancy needs a supervisor.	system setting ALLOW_CLOSE_WITH_DISCREPANCY; supervisor right receipt.override_close_discrepancy	system setting	40 section 7, 42
3	Putaway	The system suggests a location for the LPN.	Putaway policy (steps, conditions); zone and location settings; owner reservation time	SKU putaway_policy_id, then owner default	00 to 03, 41
4	Stock becomes available	Holds, lot dates and location status decide if stock can be reserved.	Hold codes (taking direction); location status	hold code table	43
5	Allocation	An order line reserves stock.	Allocation policy	SKU allocation_policy_id, then owner default, when the order line is created; then frozen on the line	10, 11, 41
6	Wave	Orders are grouped and released.	Wave policy	chosen by the user or the schedule	12, 13
7	Picking	Tasks are given to operators; the picker confirms or shorts.	Picking policy; work area; equipment profile; pick-short reasons; task system settings	work area and equipment, then work area default, then DISCRETE	20 to 24, 42
8	Cartonization	Picks are planned into boxes.	Cartonization policy; pack hierarchy flags; handling unit types	SKU cartonization_policy_id, then owner default; none means no plan	30, 31, 43 section 8
9	Packing and shipping label	The packer closes a carton; the shipping label prints.	the carton plan; the work area's pack station; printer assignment; label renderer	pack station of the work area; printer: zone, user, owner, warehouse	22, 42 section 6

Packing and shipping have no policy of their own. They follow the carton plan, the pack station of the work area and the printing rules.

Two things run across all stages:

• Holds (file 43) are checked at receive, putaway, move, allocation and picking.
• Supervisor rights (file 40 section 5) are needed for quantity overrides and for closing a receipt with a discrepancy.

3. How to read a setting entry

Every setting, field, key or code value is described with the same items. An item that does not apply is left out. If a setting is stored but nothing reads it, the entry says Stored only. It has no effect today.

Item	What it tells you
UI label	The exact English label on the screen and the menu path, for example Sidebar > Policy > Receipt Policy, tab General, field Receipt Without LPN. For settings without a screen: API only and the method name (for example update_owner_config).
Column / key	The database table and column, or the system_settings key.
Type and range	The data type, the allowed values, minimum and maximum, and whether it can be empty.
Default	The default in the database schema, and the value in the seed data (the rows a new database is created with).
Meaning	What the setting is for, in plain words.
Affects	The process, screen or message the setting changes, and the source file and line where the code reads it (path:line).
Message	The exact text the user sees when the setting makes the system refuse or ask. <x> is a value filled in at run time.
Example	A number or a short scenario.
Interactions	Which other setting or level wins when two disagree.
When empty	What happens when the value is empty or the row does not exist.
When you change it	What happens to documents and stock that already exist. In most cases: nothing is rewritten, and the next command uses the new value.

Terms:

• Stored only means: the value is saved and shown, but a search over the whole code base finds no code that uses it to decide anything.
• Confirmable (or overridable) means the operator can answer "yes, go on". A confirmable refusal is a question. A final refusal cannot be answered.
• Capability means a permission of type api in the role table, for example receipt.override_qty_shortage.
• Cascade of policies means: the first level that has a value wins. The levels are written left to right.

4. Counts

File	Settings documented	Of them stored only
40	26 receipt policy columns, plus the receiving rules around them	15
41	42 owner settings, plus 23 lookup chains (10 policy chains, 13 other chains)	20
42	20 system settings keys, 4 dashboard board settings (rail, demo, plan, horizon), 4 threshold fields, 6 printing items, 7 constants	4 zone printer fields; 5 printer configuration fields
43	16 hold codes with 8 fields each, 11 adjustment reasons, 5 shortage reasons, 5 quantity-adjust reasons, 18 damage reasons, 4 severities, 3 damage actions of the screen (7 in the database), 3 dispositions, 4 return conditions, 17 handling unit type fields	rank, shippable, return_inspection, tare_weight, tracking, lot_hold_code, target_disposition, return_reason_code

5. Known problems found while writing this reference

The full list with file and line is at the end of each file. The most important ones:

1. The owner default receipt policy is never used. sku.receipt_policy_id cannot be empty (file 40 section 1.1, file 41 A.2).
2. Availability ignores Enforce and Overridable of a hold code (file 43 note A).
3. 15 of 26 receipt policy columns and 20 of 42 owner settings do nothing.
4. Four owner damage actions are accepted but do nothing (file 40 section 8.1).
5. return_reason_code is required by the return commands and thrown away (file 43 section 7.2).
6. Time-out keys accepted 0, which means "wait for ever". Fixed (P-13, commit 420b6746a): a lock time-out of 0 or less is read as 5000 ms (file 42 section 1.1).

See also the shorter guides one level up: ../05-inbound-setup.md, ../06-outbound-setup.md, ../07-printing-and-labels.md, ../04-owners-sku-uom-pack-hierarchy.md.