Set up document numbering series in SamBooks
8 min read
Create, edit and archive the numbering series for issued documents from the Company settings page: name, prefix, scope and default series.
What it's for
A numbering series is a self-contained progressive counter: the documents that belong to it get their own count, separate from every other series. This guide covers how to configure numbering series from their dedicated page — create a new one, edit it, decide which one is the default, archive it. If instead you want to understand when and how a number actually gets assigned to an invoice (why a newly created invoice has no number yet, what changes between Draft and Ready), that behavior is covered in the dedicated invoice numbering guide, linked at the bottom of this page.
Before you start
Managing numbering series requires the Manager role: it's a company setting, and — unlike day-to-day accounting operations — it can't be delegated to the Administrative role.
Step by step
1. Open Company settings → Numbering series
From the Settings menu, open the Company section and pick the "Numbering series" card ("Numbering series for issued documents: progressive number unique per series."). You land on the "Numbering series" page, subtitled "Numbering series for issued documents. The progressive number is unique per series and year; the prefix identifies the series in the document number."
2. Read the list
Every company starts with at least one series, "General", with no prefix. In the list, each row shows the series name, a badge for its scope (Sales or Self-invoices), the "Default" badge if it's the series used by default, the "Disabled" badge if it can no longer be selected for new documents, and below the name either the prefix ("Prefix {prefix}") or the label "No prefix (plain number)".
3. Create a new series
Click "New series" at the top right. The "New series" dialog opens ("Define the name and prefix of the numbering series.") with these fields:
- "Name" (required) — e.g. "General", "Italy sales". Leaving it empty shows the warning "Name is required".
- "Prefix (optional)" — a letter or short code (up to 8 characters, automatically uppercased) included in the transmitted document number, e.g. "1/A". The hint on the page spells it out: "Letter/prefix included in the document number (e.g. 1/A). Empty = plain number."
- "Scope" — choose between "Sales" (for sales invoices and delivery notes) and "Self-invoices" (for reverse-charge self-invoices). This field is only chosen at creation time: once the series is saved, its scope can no longer be changed from the form, and it shows up as a read-only badge in edit mode.
- "Active" — whether it's available for new documents (on by default).
- "Default" — whether this should be the series used when none other is chosen (off by default for a new series).
Click "Save": you get the confirmation "Series created" and the new series appears in the list.
4. Edit an existing series
From the row, click the pencil icon, "Edit". You can change the name, the prefix, and whether it's active or the default one; the scope, as noted, stays fixed and appears as a non-editable badge. If you're editing the series that is already the default, the "Active" and "Default" toggles are disabled: you can't deactivate it or remove the default flag directly from here, because there must always be an active default series available for new documents. See the next step to change it.
5. Change the default series
To move the default flag to another series, open that series for editing and turn on the "Default" toggle: saving automatically moves the flag, removing it from whichever series had it before. No separate step on the old default series is needed.
6. Archive a series
Click the trash icon, "Archive", on the row you want. A confirmation appears: "Archive this series?" with the text "«{name}» will no longer be selectable for new documents. It stays referenced by documents already issued on this series." Confirming removes the series from the choices available for new documents but keeps it linked to the documents already issued on it. The default series can't be archived: the button is disabled with the hint "The default series cannot be archived" — you need to make another series the default first.
The uniqueness rules
When you save a series, SamBooks checks three things, all among the company's live (non-archived) series:
- The name can't be duplicated.
- The prefix, if you set one, can't be duplicated.
- Only one series without a prefix can exist per company: if you try to create a second one leaving the Prefix field empty, saving is blocked. The reason is technical and serious: two prefix-less series would both transmit the same "bare" number with no suffix to tell them apart, producing duplicate document numbers toward the Italian tax authority's exchange system (SdI).
In all three cases the message you see is "Name or prefix already in use"; if you left the prefix empty and the conflict is the third case, assign a prefix to tell the new series apart from the "General" one that already exists.
What you can't do today
Two real limits, worth knowing before you rely on numbering series for important documents:
- An archived series can't be reactivated: today there's no button or command — not even by asking Sam — that brings it back active. If you archived one by mistake, you can still create a new series with the same name and the same prefix — the uniqueness rules only apply among live series, so the archived one's name and prefix are free again. Be aware, though: the new series is a different object, with its own count starting from zero, not a continuation of the archived one.
- A series doesn't produce a separate VAT register: if you create a series with "Self-invoices" scope expecting a separate VAT register for those operations too, that's not the case — today self-invoices flow into the general sales VAT register together with everything else, regardless of which series they're numbered on.
Ask Sam
You can ask Sam to create, edit, archive or list numbering series, and to give you a preview of a series' next number — same logic as the form, same result. On one point Sam is more flexible than the web page: it can change the scope of an existing series, something the form shows as read-only after creation. If you need that, you can ask for it directly in chat.
If something's not working
- "Name is required": you clicked Save with the Name field empty.
- "Name or prefix already in use": another live series already has that name, that prefix, or — if you left the prefix empty — the company's "no prefix" series already exists (see above). Change the name or assign a prefix.
- I can't archive the default series: that's correct, it's not allowed. Make another series the default, then archive the one you want to remove.
- I archived a series by mistake: it can't be recovered as such, but you can recreate one with the same name and prefix (numbering will restart from zero, independent of the old one).
- My invoice still doesn't show a number even after choosing the series: that's normal — the series determines which count the invoice will be numbered on, but the actual number is only assigned when it's transmitted to SdI. See the dedicated invoice numbering guide.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a second numbering series for invoices? From Company settings → Numbering series, click "New series", give it a name and — if you want a second series besides the existing prefix-less one — assign a prefix too.
What are numbering series? They're self-contained numbering sequences: each series has its own progressive count, separate from the others, per company and per year.
How do I put prefix A in the invoice number? In the series' "Prefix (optional)" field, type "A": from then on documents issued on that series will carry the suffix, e.g. "12/A".
I want to number the invoices of one store location separately: how do I do it? Create a new series with "Sales" scope, a name that identifies it and its own prefix, then select it when creating that location's invoices.
Why can't I archive the default series? Because there must always be an active default series available for new documents. Make another series the default, then archive the old one.
I archived a series by mistake, how do I get it back? There's no reactivation feature. You can create a new series with the same name and prefix, but it starts a fresh count.
It says "Name or prefix already in use", but I don't see anything duplicated: if you left the prefix empty, the conflict is almost always with the prefix-less "General" series every company already has: assign a prefix to the new series.
What's the Self-invoices scope of a series for? It tells apart the series that number reverse-charge self-invoices from those for regular sales invoices. It doesn't, however, create a separate VAT register for those operations.
How do I change the default series? Open for editing the series you want to make the default and turn on the "Default" toggle: saving moves it automatically, removing the flag from the previous one.
Does a series produce a separate VAT register? No: today all operations, including self-invoices on a dedicated series, flow into the same general sales VAT register.