This article shows you how to post material consumption on a released production order in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. You post consumption from the production journal, which records both consumption and output for the order.
Before you post, use the shortage list to check how many items you can actually produce with the components currently on inventory. The shortage list compares the component demand on the production order with your quantity on hand and shows the quantity on hand after production.
If you are short on a component, you can only produce the quantity your inventory allows. In the example, a shortage of five back hubs means you can produce 20 items instead of the planned 25.
When you post consumption in the production journal, delete the output lines if you only want to post material consumption. Adjust the quantities to match what you actually produce. After posting, the production journal shows the remaining quantity you still need to post.
Checking what you can produce with a shortage list
Start in Business Central by searching for your released production orders and opening the one for the item you want to produce. In this example, the item is number 1210.
Before posting anything, it is worth checking what you can actually pick and produce. From the Process tab, print a shortage list. The shortage list uses the component demand on the production order and compares it with what is actually in inventory, so you can see how much you can produce.
The shortage list gives you three useful figures for each component:
- The quantity you need to produce the item
- Your quantity on hand
- Your quantity on hand after production
In this case, the production order is set up to produce 25 items, but the inventory is short by five pieces of the back hub component. That means you can only produce 20 items right now. The shortage list also shows the total needed quantity if you were to produce all the other production orders that draw on the same components.
Posting material consumption in the production journal
Once you decide to produce 20 items, pick the components for 20 and produce them. To post the consumption, go to the production order lines and open the production journal. The production journal is where you post both consumption and output, but this article focuses on consumption only.
Delete the output lines first, since they are not relevant when you only want to post material consumption. Then adjust the quantities to match what you are actually producing. If a component uses 50 per piece and you are producing 20, set the quantity to 20 times 50 to correct it. Enter the actual quantities you are posting.
You can post consumption in more than one go if you want, but in this example everything goes in a single posting. From the Process tab, select Post. This withdraws the components from inventory and assigns them to the production order.
Checking the remaining quantity to post
If you open the production journal again after posting, it displays the remaining quantity you still need to post. In this example, that remaining quantity equals the five pieces you were short on, which lines up with the shortage you saw earlier.
Q&A
How do I check how many items I can produce before posting consumption?
Open the released production order and print a shortage list from the Process tab. It compares the component demand on the order with your quantity on hand and shows the quantity on hand after production, so you can see how many items your current inventory allows you to produce.
Where do I post material consumption on a production order in Business Central?
You post material consumption in the production journal, which you open from the production order lines. The production journal records both consumption and output, so delete the output lines if you only want to post consumption.
What happens if I am short on a component?
You can only produce the quantity your inventory supports. If you are short by five pieces of a component needed to make 25 items, you can produce 20 instead. The shortage list shows you exactly how much you can produce.
How do I see how much consumption is still left to post?
Open the production journal again after posting. It displays the remaining quantity you still need to post, which corresponds to the components you were short on or have not yet posted.