Inventory
Inventory tells you three things about every product:
- What you have: how many units are physically on the shelf.
- Where it is: in which warehouse, and in which location inside it.
- What's already promised: how much is held for customers, and so can't be sold again.
Every change to stock is recorded and kept forever, so you can always see how a number got to where it is.
How to use this guide
Every task page has the same pattern:
- Where (the menu button) and Who can do it (the permission);
- numbered steps that use the exact button and field names on screen;
- a field table with an example for each field;
- a "what you'll see" result, and the messages the system may show, with what they mean and what to do.
All examples use one invented company, described below, so you can follow the same stock from page to page.
The example used in this guide
Bright Home Supplies sells clothing and kitchenware. It has two warehouses. Green boxes are each warehouse's default location, where sales orders reserve and dispatch stock:
| Product | Variants | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton T-shirt | Blue / Large, Red / Medium | piece |
| Ceramic Mug | Standard (its one variant) | piece |
| Person | Role in the examples |
|---|---|
| Sana | Warehouse manager: sets up warehouses, approves adjustments, posts stock counts |
| Ali | Storekeeper: adds stock, moves stock, counts shelves |
| Omar | Salesperson: checks what's available before promising it to a customer |
The three numbers you'll see everywhere
For every product, in every location, Inventory keeps three numbers:
| Number | Meaning | Example: Blue / Large T-shirts on A-01-01 |
|---|---|---|
| On Hand | What's physically there. If you counted the shelf, this is what you'd find. | 100 |
| Reserved | How many of those are already promised, for example to confirmed sales orders. They are still on the shelf. | 30 |
| Available | What you can still sell, move or promise. Available = On Hand − Reserved. | 70 |
Which number should I look at?
- Selling or promising? Look at Available.
- Counting the shelf? Compare with On Hand.
- Moving or reserving stock? The system only lets you use Available.
The Inventory pages
Open Inventory from the Dashboard. These buttons appear under the top bar; you only see the ones your role allows.
| Button | What it's for | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory Balance | See stock levels; Add Stock and Remove Stock. Inventory opens here. | Check stock, Add, Remove |
| Stock counts | Count the shelves and correct the system | Count stock |
| Warehouses | Create and edit warehouses | Set up a warehouse |
| Stock Movement | The history of every stock change | Stock history |
| Stock Transfer Lines | The history of stock moved between locations | Stock history |
| Stock Adjustments | Increase or decrease stock with a reason (damaged, lost, found …) | Adjust stock |
| Reserve Stock | Hold stock for a customer or order | Reserve and release |
| Release Stock Reservation | Give held stock back | Reserve and release |
| Stock Transfer | Move stock to another location or warehouse | Move stock |
| Location | Create and edit locations inside warehouses | Set up locations |
Screenshot coming soon: The Inventory module with its page buttons
Which page do I use?
| Situation | Use | Not |
|---|---|---|
| First time loading what's already on the shelves | Add stock, type Opening stock | |
| A supplier delivery against a purchase order | Post the goods receipt in Purchasing; stock is added for you | Add stock (it would count twice) |
| A customer brings goods back | Add stock, type Customer return | |
| Sending goods back to a supplier | Remove stock, type Supplier return | |
| Goods broken, lost, expired or found | Adjust stock with the reason | Remove stock (the reason gets lost) |
| Moving goods to another shelf or warehouse | Move stock | Remove + Add (breaks the history) |
| Holding goods for a customer who hasn't ordered yet | Reserve stock | |
| A confirmed sales order | Nothing: confirming the order reserves the stock for you | Reserve stock (it would reserve twice) |
| Checking the whole warehouse against the system | Count stock | Lots of single adjustments |
| "Why is this number wrong?" | Stock history |
Where to start
Setting up for the first time? Work through these in order:
- Check you have the right access
- Set up a warehouse
- Set up locations inside it
- Ask your administrator to mark one location per warehouse as the default location (why)
- Add your opening stock
- Check the stock levels
Here for day-to-day work? Start with Check your stock levels.
Learning? Try the worked example, and keep Messages and FAQ to hand.