Business Central uses different journals for inventory and warehouse management, and which one you use depends on the setup of your location card. The basic distinction is between the standard inventory journals and the warehouse journals that apply when you turn on the WMS functionality with directed put-away and pick.
The item journal and the item revaluation journal work across all four combinations of checkmarks on the location card. The item reclassification journal and the physical inventory journal work with simple, basic, and advanced functionality, but not with WMS.
When you enable directed put-away and pick, you use the warehouse item journal, the warehouse item reclassification journal, and the warehouse physical inventory journal instead. After posting in these warehouse journals, you must synchronize the entries to the item ledger entry through the item journal.
Journals in the basic functionality
Two journals belong to the basic functionality because they are used for all four combinations of checkmarks on the location card.
- The item journal is for making positive and negative adjustments to inventory, at least from a warehouse perspective.
- The item revaluation journal is for adjusting the cost of items in stock.
Inventory journals for simple, basic, and advanced functionality
The next set of journals applies to the simple, basic, and advanced functionality, but not to the WMS functionality.
- The item reclassification journal lets you move items in the inventory or reclassify things like serial numbers, lot numbers, or even item numbers.
- The physical inventory journal is used for counting. You can use it when you work with bins as well, also on the basic functionality.
Neither of these two journals applies when you use the WMS functionality.
Warehouse journals for WMS with directed put-away and pick
When you set the checkmark for directed put-away and pick on the location card, you switch to a separate set of warehouse journals.
- The warehouse item reclassification journal handles reclassification.
- The warehouse item journal handles positive and negative adjustments.
- The warehouse physical inventory journal counts items in the inventory.
Synchronizing warehouse journals to the item ledger entry
All three warehouse journals relate to the item journal. After you post in the warehouse journals, you need to synchronize up to the item ledger entry using the item journal.
For the warehouse item reclassification journal, whether you need to synchronize depends on what you are actually changing. If you change lot numbers, you need to synchronize. If you change bin codes, no synchronization is necessary, because there is no bin code on the item ledger entry.
Q&A
Which journals work for all location card setups in Business Central?
The item journal and the item revaluation journal work across all four combinations of checkmarks on the location card. The item journal handles positive and negative inventory adjustments, and the item revaluation journal adjusts the cost of items in stock.
Which inventory journals do not work with WMS functionality?
The item reclassification journal and the physical inventory journal apply to the simple, basic, and advanced functionality, but not to the WMS functionality with directed put-away and pick.
Which journals do you use when directed put-away and pick is enabled?
You use the warehouse item reclassification journal for reclassification, the warehouse item journal for positive and negative adjustments, and the warehouse physical inventory journal for counting items.
Do you need to synchronize after posting in the warehouse journals?
Yes. After posting in the warehouse journals, you must synchronize up to the item ledger entry using the item journal. For the warehouse item reclassification journal, synchronization depends on what you change. Lot number changes require synchronization, but bin code changes do not, because there is no bin code on the item ledger entry.