Admin or power user · Yellow Dog Inventory 2026
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
Auto Number controls how Yellow Dog Inventory generates SKUs for inventory items and document numbers for purchasing and inventory documents. A consistent, well-structured numbering scheme keeps items easy to identify, supports reliable reporting and purchasing, and—because item SKUs flow to your point of sale—keeps the POS in sync with Yellow Dog.
Auto Number for inventory items is almost always configured during implementation. Because changes to item SKUs can have serious downstream effects, it is treated as an administrative setting rather than a day-to-day one.
REQUIREMENTS
Auto Number is found under System Setup > Autonumber. Access is typically limited to administrator users.
• Access: Administrator-level permission to System Setup.
• When to configure: Inventory item numbering is normally set during implementation and left in place.
HOW IT WORKS
Auto Number defines a numbering format for each item type and document type in Yellow Dog Inventory. Each format is built from a list of sections (such as Department, Category, Vendor, or Increment). For every section you choose whether to Use it, how many digits it contributes (Length), and, where applicable, a fixed Value.
The order of the sections in the list determines the order in which they appear in the generated number. Use the up and down arrows on the right of the screen to reorder sections.
How item SKUs are generated
When a user creates a new inventory item, they select the Level and Vendor. Yellow Dog then reads the Auto Number setup and assembles the SKU from the enabled sections, pulling values from those selections—for example, the Department, Category, and SubCat segments come from the item's Level, and the Vendor segment comes from the assigned vendor.
Note: If the Store section is enabled in the Auto Number setup, the user must also select a store when creating a new item, in addition to the Level and Vendor. |
How document numbers are generated
Each document type has its own Auto Number format. When a document is created, Yellow Dog assembles its number from the enabled sections for that document type. A common use is a hard-coded prefix—for example, setting the Value of the Hard Code section to REQ so every Request number begins with REQ.
The Use, Length, and Value columns
Each section row is configured with three settings:
• Use: Turns the section on or off as part of the generated number.
• Length: Sets how many digits the section contributes.
• Value: Holds a fixed value to embed in the number, used with the Hard Code section (for example, a REQ prefix on Requests).
KEY FEATURES
Inventory item SKUs can be built from any combination of the following sections:
• Hard Code: A fixed value applied to every generated number.
• Department / Category / SubCat: Segments drawn from the item's Level structure.
• Manual Entry: A portion of the number entered by the user at creation.
• Store: A segment drawn from the selected store.
• Vendor: A segment drawn from the assigned vendor.
• UPCChecksum: A calculated check digit for UPC-style numbering.
• Increment: A sequential value that increases with each new item.
Documents that support Auto Number
In addition to inventory items, Auto Number can generate numbers for the following document types:
• Inventory Item
• Physical Inventory
• Request
• Purchase Order
• Receipt
• Transfer
• Invoice
• Return To Vendor
• Vendor
• Replenishment Worksheet
• Purchase Order Worksheet
• Transfer Worksheet
• Production Worksheet
• Order Desk Worksheet
BEST PRACTICES
Changing item Auto Number
Caution: Contact Yellow Dog Support before changing the Auto Number setup for inventory items. Changes to item SKUs can have serious downstream effects, including on your point of sale. Confirm the impact with Support before making any change. |
Changing document Auto Number
Changing the Auto Number format for documents does not carry the same downstream risk as item SKUs, so these formats can be adjusted more freely as your numbering needs change.
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Last reviewed: June 2026 · Applies to: Yellow Dog Inventory 2026