Imagine a supplier in Gaziosmanpaşa whose catalogue lists a component as PL-042. A buyer copies PL042 from an old invoice and sees an empty results page. Run the test with a few intentionally different entries so the catalogue team can decide which inputs can be resolved automatically and which need a human check.
Build a small set of known results
Create sample entries for PL-042 and PL-42. Make them visibly different parts. Add one former reference that the catalogue manager has verified and one unknown reference. Record the expected result for each input, including the text copied from an invoice.
Check the punctuation and zero separately
Search for PL-042, PL042 and PL-42. Allow the dash to be ignored only if the catalogue search can still distinguish the first two inputs from the separate part PL-42. Keep the leading zero whenever it identifies a different item. If two items remain possible, show the identifiers beside the names so the buyer can compare them.
Give the buyer a route out of an empty result
Keep the typed reference visible at the top of the page. Offer a link to browse the relevant catalogue section or ask the parts team, with the typed number already carried into the request. Share a replacement reference only when someone has confirmed that relationship. Mark discontinued items clearly before presenting the next step.
Repeat the test from an old document and a phone
Copy the number from the invoice and send the search link to another device. Check that the reference and the result stay consistent. Repeat in both languages with the same part numbers, then record any search that sends a buyer to a different item.
Checklist before publishing
- Exact part numbers return the intended item
- Leading zeros remain meaningful
- Empty results preserve the typed reference
- Replacements come from a verified catalogue record