A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) in Oracle refers to a unique identifier for products within Oracle's various business applications, enabling seamless product identification, tracking, and management across the supply chain. A GTIN is a unique number assigned to a product within the EAN/UCC framework for standard product identification. This widely recognized standard ensures that each distinct product, whether it's a physical item or different packaging configurations for an item, has a universally recognized numerical code.
In Oracle systems, particularly within supply chain management (SCM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and retail solutions, GTINs are critical for maintaining accurate inventory, streamlining order processing, facilitating international trade, and enhancing data exchange with partners.
The Role of GTIN in Oracle Systems
Oracle applications leverage GTINs to establish a single source of truth for product information, which is vital for operations ranging from procurement and manufacturing to sales and distribution.
Core Functionality and Benefits
- Standardized Product Identification: GTINs provide a global standard for identifying products, eliminating ambiguity and ensuring consistency across different systems and trading partners.
- Inventory Management: Oracle systems use GTINs to accurately track inventory levels, manage stock locations, and reconcile discrepancies, leading to optimized stock holding and reduced waste.
- Order Processing: GTINs simplify the creation and fulfillment of sales and purchase orders, ensuring that the correct products are ordered, shipped, and received.
- Supply Chain Visibility: By integrating GTINs, Oracle solutions offer enhanced visibility into the movement of goods throughout the supply chain, from raw materials to finished products delivered to the customer.
- E-commerce and Retail: For businesses operating in e-commerce or retail, GTINs are essential for listing products online, managing point-of-sale (POS) transactions, and complying with marketplace requirements.
- Global Trade Compliance: GTINs facilitate compliance with international trade regulations by providing universally recognized product identifiers for customs declarations and documentation.
- Data Exchange: They enable efficient data exchange with suppliers, distributors, retailers, and logistics providers, supporting Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and other B2B communication protocols.
GTIN Types and Their Application
GTINs encompass several widely used barcode symbologies, all built on the GS1 (Global Standards 1) system. Oracle systems are designed to support these various formats.
| GTIN Type | Description | Common Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| GTIN-12 | 12-digit number (UPC-A) primarily used in North America. | Retail products, grocery items. |
| GTIN-13 | 13-digit number (EAN-13) widely used globally outside North America. | Retail products, consumer goods. |
| GTIN-14 | 14-digit number (ITF-14, GS1-128) for trade items or inner packs. | Shipping containers, pallets, multi-unit packages. |
| GTIN-8 | 8-digit number (EAN-8) for small products where space is limited. | Small consumer items, impulse buys. |
For more information on GTIN standards, refer to the GS1 official website.
Managing GTINs in Oracle Applications
Oracle applications like Oracle Fusion Cloud SCM, Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS), and Oracle Retail provide robust functionalities for managing GTINs.
Key Areas of GTIN Management:
- Item Master Data: GTINs are typically stored as attributes of an item in the item master. This ensures that each product record includes its unique identifier.
- Example in Oracle SCM Cloud: When defining an item in Product Information Management (PIM), users can specify one or more GTINs for different packaging levels (e.g., unit GTIN, case GTIN).
- Receiving and Shipping: GTINs are used to identify products during inbound receiving and outbound shipping processes, ensuring accuracy and speeding up logistics.
- Practical Insight: Handheld scanners in warehouses can scan a product's barcode (which encodes the GTIN) to automatically update inventory in Oracle WMS (Warehouse Management System).
- Sales Orders and Invoices: GTINs can be included on sales orders, purchase orders, and invoices, providing a clear reference for the specific product being transacted.
- Trading Partner Integration: Oracle facilitates the exchange of GTINs with trading partners through integration tools, supporting B2B processes like vendor-managed inventory (VMI) and collaborative planning.
- Product Hierarchies: GTINs can be linked to product hierarchies, allowing for comprehensive reporting and analysis across different product groupings and categories.
By effectively utilizing GTINs within its comprehensive suite of applications, Oracle empowers businesses to achieve greater operational efficiency, data accuracy, and global interoperability.
