Naming Series
Naming Series allows you to assign prefixes to masters and transactions, enabling ERPNext to automatically generate unique document IDs.
Each naming series consists of a prefix followed by an automatically incrementing number. For example, a naming series with the prefix INV12#### generates document numbers such as INV120001, INV120002, and so on.
You can maintain multiple naming series for the same transaction. For example, Sales Invoices can use naming formats such as:
- ACC-SINV-.YYYY.-
- SINV12####
- SALESINV-00####
How to Access Naming Series
Go to:
Home > Settings > Naming Series
1. Configure Naming Series for Documents
- Select the transaction or document for which you want to configure the naming series.
- Edit the available naming series by entering unique prefixes.The first naming series in the list becomes the default series. Each additional naming series must be entered on a new line.
- Enable User must always select if users should manually choose a naming series while creating documents.When enabled, no default naming series will be selected automatically.
- To change the starting sequence for a naming series, enter the series name and the desired starting number in the Update Series section.
- Click Update to save the changes.
After adding a new Naming Series, go to Settings > Reload to make the new series available in the document.
2. Financial Year in Naming Series
Naming Series can automatically include the current financial year.
By default, using YYYY inserts the current calendar year.
To use the Fiscal Year instead, specify FY in the naming pattern. For example:
ACC-SINV-.FY.-
ERPNext automatically replaces FY with the current Fiscal Year.
Alternatively, you can manually specify the fiscal year in the naming series.
ACC-SINV-.19-20.-
Many organizations create separate naming series for each financial year to simplify record management.
3. Update an Existing Naming Series
You can change the current sequence number of an existing naming series whenever required.
- Select the naming series prefix in the Update Series section.
- The current sequence number is displayed automatically.
- Enter the new sequence number.
- Click Update Series Number.
For example, if the current Sales Order sequence is 16 and you want future documents to begin from 50, update the sequence accordingly.
You can maintain separate naming series for different customer types, business units, or retail outlets.
4. Use Field Values in Naming Series
Naming Series can dynamically include values from document fields, making document numbers more meaningful.
For example, if suppliers have a custom field called Vendor ID, the naming series can incorporate that value.
Example naming pattern:
PO-.YY.MM.-.vendor_id.-.####
Generated document number:
PO-1503-WN-00001
In this example, WN is the value stored in the Vendor ID field.
