Expiration Date Management Feature Guide
Overview
Dakota validates expiration dates at receiving to ensure products have enough shelf life for distribution and end-user consumption. Customer-specific rules prevent short-dated product from entering inventory without approval.
Key Benefits:
- Prevent short-dated product acceptance
- Enforce customer-specific date rules
- Support FEFO (First Expired, First Out) rotation
- Maintain food safety compliance
How It Works
Date Types
Dakota tracks three date types:
| Date Type | Field | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Expiration Date | EXPDAT | When product expires |
| Manufacturing Date | EXMFGD | When product was made |
| Receive Date | RCVDAT | When product was received |
Shelf Life Calculation
The system calculates days remaining:
Distributor Days = Expiration Date - Today
End-User Days = Expiration Date - (Today + Transit Time)
Example:
- Today: January 13, 2026
- Expiration: April 15, 2026
- Distributor Days: 92 days
- End-User Days: 85 days (assuming 7-day transit)
Validation Rules
Each customer has date requirements:
| Rule | Field | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Distributor Days | EXDDAY | Minimum days for warehouse acceptance |
| End-User Days | EXUDAY | Minimum days for customer delivery |
| Warning Threshold | EXWARN | Days that trigger yellow warning |
| Alert Threshold | EXALRT | Days that trigger red alert |
Configuration Options
Customer-Level Settings
| Setting | Description | Typical Value |
|---|---|---|
| EXDDAY | Distributor day requirement | 90 days |
| EXUDAY | End-user day requirement | 45 days |
| EXWARN | Warning threshold | 30 days before limit |
| EXALRT | Alert threshold | 45 days before limit |
| EXOVRD | Override permission required | Y |
Item-Level Settings
Items can have specific rules that override customer defaults:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| ITMEXD | Item-specific distributor days |
| ITMEXU | Item-specific end-user days |
| ITMMSL | Maximum shelf life (from mfg date) |
Visual Indicators
Screen Colors
| Color | Meaning | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Date OK | None |
| Yellow | Warning zone | Review, may accept |
| Red | Alert zone | Manager override required |
Warning Calculation
Yellow: Distributor Days < (EXDDAY + EXWARN)
Red: Distributor Days < (EXDDAY + EXALRT)
Example:
- EXDDAY = 90, EXWARN = 30, EXALRT = 45
- Yellow when: < 120 days (90 + 30)
- Red when: < 135 days (90 + 45)
Use Cases
Case 1: Good Date
Scenario: Receive product with 95 days remaining. Customer requires 90.
Result: Green - Accept without override.
Case 2: Warning Zone
Scenario: Receive product with 110 days remaining. Customer requires 90 + 30 warning.
Result: Yellow warning. Can accept or get override.
Case 3: Alert Zone
Scenario: Receive product with 80 days remaining. Customer requires 90.
Result: Red alert. Must get manager override (F20) or reject.
Case 4: Manager Override
Steps:
- See red warning
- Press F20
- Enter manager code
- System logs override with timestamp
- Continue receiving
FEFO Allocation
When orders are allocated, Dakota uses FEFO:
- Find all LPs with requested item
- Sort by expiration date (oldest first)
- Allocate from oldest qualifying inventory
- Skip inventory that doesn't meet customer's end-user days
Example:
- Order requires 45 end-user days
- LP-001 expires in 30 days - SKIP
- LP-002 expires in 60 days - ALLOCATE
- LP-003 expires in 90 days - ALLOCATE (if needed)
Reports
Expiration Reports
| Report | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Expiring Inventory | Items expiring within N days |
| Short-Dated Receipts | Receipts with overrides |
| FEFO Compliance | Allocation vs. expiration order |
| Customer Date Rules | Configuration by customer |
Alert Notifications
System can notify when:
- Inventory approaching expiration
- High volume of overrides
- Customer receiving short-dated product
Validation and Error Handling
Common Errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Date required | Expiration not entered | Enter date |
| Date in past | Expiration already passed | Reject item |
| Insufficient days | Below customer requirement | Override or reject |
| Invalid format | Wrong date format | Use MMDDYY |
Related Features
- Lot Tracking: Lot and expiration often captured together
- Catch Weight: Date validation applies to CW items
- License Plates: Expiration stored with LP
- Receiving Workflows: All workflows validate dates
- Allocation: FEFO uses expiration dates
Document Information
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.0.0 |
| Module | Receiving |
| Feature | Expiration Dates |
| Last Updated | 2026-01-13 |
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