A receiving scan can identify what entered the warehouse without proving where it was stored. Putaway is the next controlled relationship: the worker must move the intended load, confirm the directed destination, preserve the relevant quantity and stock status, and complete the corresponding warehouse task. If any one of those elements changes, a correct barcode read can still create the wrong inventory record.
This guide is for warehouse operators, WMS integrators and handheld buyers. It uses an explicitly constructed example, not a customer deployment or an AIDC GO device test. The handheld-terminal category, warehousing and logistics page and Integration Support are commercial starting points; the putaway rules themselves belong to the selected WMS configuration.
Keep receipt, work creation and physical putaway separate
Receiving records that goods arrived against an inbound record. It can also create putaway work, but that work is a new instruction rather than proof that the goods already reached storage. A warehouse application may identify the load with a license plate, pallet ID, tote ID or another project-defined handling-unit key. The same application may direct a location based on item, status, capacity, zone or disposition rules.
Microsoft's current Warehouse Management mobile-device configuration distinguishes receiving processes that create putaway work for another worker from combined “receiving and put away” processes performed by one worker. It also allows configured confirmation of product, location or quantity for selected work types. These are Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management examples, not universal behavior of every WMS or scanner.
Define the event boundary before testing. Received can mean the inbound quantity was registered. Put work created can mean a destination was calculated. Load picked for putaway can mean the worker took custody of the handling unit. Put confirmed can mean the WMS accepted the destination transaction. Physical placement, system confirmation and inventory availability are related, but they are not interchangeable.
Identify the handling unit before accepting the destination
A location barcode alone does not say which load was placed there. Start the task from an assigned work ID or scan the intended handling unit. Show the worker enough evidence to distinguish similar loads: item or load description, quantity and unit, batch or serial requirement when applicable, current inventory status, and the directed destination.
If the warehouse uses a license plate, preserve its complete value. Do not replace it with the first item barcode found on the pallet. One license plate can represent several lines, and the same item can exist on different license plates with different status or destination. The pallet-receiving guide covers the earlier match between a logistics unit and the inbound record. Putaway begins after that identity and receipt state are known.
The source scan should answer “which load am I moving?” The destination scan should answer “which physical location am I confirming?” The application must compare both with the active work. A scanner that returns both strings correctly does not provide that comparison unless the application has the corresponding rule enabled.
Walk through an editorial two-load example
Assume receipt produced two WMS work records for the same item VALVE-20. This is a teaching scenario; the identifiers and rules are invented for explanation.
| Work | Handling unit | Quantity and status | Directed location | Required result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Work: PUT-4107 |
Handling unit: LP-RCV-2841 |
Quantity and status: 24 EA, available |
Directed location: A-03-02 |
Required result: Store and confirm the full available load |
Work: PUT-4108 |
Handling unit: LP-RCV-2842 |
Quantity and status: 4 EA, quality hold |
Directed location: QC-01 |
Required result: Keep the held load outside available picking stock |
The worker opens PUT-4107 and scans LP-RCV-2841. The application displays 24 EA, status Available, and destination A-03-02. At the rack, the worker scans A-03-02; the application matches it to the active work, records the put, and closes the task only after the transaction is accepted.
Now change one fact at a time. Scanning LP-RCV-2842 is a wrong-load exception even though the item is still VALVE-20. Scanning QC-01 while working on PUT-4107 is a wrong-location exception. Placing 20 units while confirming 24 is a quantity exception unless the configured process supports and records a partial put. Moving the held load to A-03-02 is a status-control exception even if the location has spare capacity.
This example shows why item identity is insufficient. The business match is work + handling unit + quantity/unit + status + destination, not merely “barcode decoded.”
Let location rules propose; make the workflow verify
Location selection can depend on configuration that is not visible in the barcode. Microsoft's location-directive documentation describes rules used for incoming putaway, replenishment and other work. It also documents disposition-driven routing and configuration that can locate a whole license plate or item-by-item. Treat that as a named software example and verify the actual WMS version and setup.
The handheld should display the directed location and require the project-defined confirmation. If workers may override the destination, define who is authorized, which reason is captured, and whether the system recalculates capacity or status constraints. An override is not a silent text edit. It changes the warehouse record and should leave an auditable exception.
For clustered work, keep the cluster, each license plate and each destination distinct. Microsoft's putaway-cluster example shows a product-specific flow where put instructions identify a cluster, location, items, quantity and received license plates. It should not be generalized into an AIDC GO feature or a promise that every application supports grouped putaway.
Handle exceptions without manufacturing a successful put
If the directed slot is blocked, full, damaged or otherwise unusable, do not scan a nearby location simply to finish the task. Keep the active load identified and invoke the configured exception or override process. The application may request another location, route work to a supervisor, or leave the task open; the correct branch depends on the project.
If a load is damaged during movement, preserve its original receipt and putaway history. A status change or quarantine move is a separate business action. If only part of the load can be stored, record the actual quantity and any newly created handling unit instead of reusing the original full-quantity confirmation.
If the network drops after submission, the client may not know whether the server accepted the transaction. Do not create a second put simply because the confirmation screen did not return. Query the work or transaction identity first. The offline transaction guide covers that recovery boundary, while the quantity-and-unit guide covers count and unit validation.
Test the record chain, not just the scan screen
Build acceptance evidence from a controlled set of work. For each task, keep the source work ID, handling-unit scan, displayed item and quantity, inventory status, directed location, scanned location, submit result and resulting on-hand record. Repeat with a wrong handling unit, wrong destination, partial quantity and unavailable location.
The final check is bidirectional. From the location record, confirm that the expected handling unit and status are present. From the handling-unit record, confirm its location and remaining open work. A green screen is not enough if the inventory record was posted to another unit, location or status.
Evaluate the handheld in the actual movement cycle: label distance and angle, one-handed scanning, rack-location label placement, screen readability, network transitions and the ability to recover the active task. The picking-verification guide addresses outbound source-item-target matching; it should not be reused as evidence that inbound putaway rules are configured.
Bring sample location labels, handling-unit labels, WMS screenshots, expected exception records and the selected device configuration to procurement. Use Contact AIDC GO to review the hardware and integration boundary. No WMS putaway, location-capacity or inventory-status function is implied for a handheld without the configured application.