The Register Finished Quantity function in Business Central lets you post output on a production order with just three steps: enter the production order number, enter the quantity, and register. You do not have to open the production journal.
When you register finished quantity, Business Central creates a capacity ledger entry for the last operation in the routing and the corresponding item ledger entry for the output. The result is identical to posting through the production journal.
If you register an output quantity without entering time, the capacity ledger entry shows a quantity (time) of zero and the output quantity you entered. This is the expected and correct behaviour.
Checking entries before posting output
Before registering any finished quantity, it is worth confirming that nothing has been posted yet on the production order. Open the production order, for example order number 149, and look at both the item ledger entries and the capacity ledger entries. If both are empty, you know you are starting from a clean slate. These are the standard entries of Business Central, so nothing special is required to view them.
How to register finished quantity
To register finished quantity, select the production order number. Business Central automatically finds the item number from the production order. You then state the output quantity, for instance two units finished.
You can adjust the routing status filter if you want to. By default the function applies to the last operation in the routing, for example operation number 55. In most cases you can leave this as it is and go straight to registering the data. Once you do, Business Central confirms with a “registration done” message.
What the function posts in the ledger entries
After registration, the item ledger entries show one output line with the quantity you entered (in this example, quantity two) against your resource number. On the capacity side, Business Central creates a capacity ledger entry with the output quantity for the last operation in the routing.
When you scroll right on the capacity ledger entry, you see that the quantity (which equals time) is zero and the output quantity is two. This is the correct entry, exactly as if you had opened the production journal and posted the registration manually.
Why this matters
Register Finished Quantity is a faster way to post output when you do not need to capture consumption or time in detail. You skip the production journal entirely and reduce the registration to three actions: enter the production order number, enter the quantity, and you are done. The posting result is the same as the journal method, so you get correct capacity and item ledger entries without the extra steps.
Q&A
What does the Register Finished Quantity function do in Business Central?
It posts output on a production order using three steps: enter the production order number, enter the output quantity, and register. It creates a capacity ledger entry for the last operation in the routing and the matching item ledger entry, without opening the production journal.
Which operation does Register Finished Quantity post output to?
By default it applies to the last operation in the routing, for example operation number 55. You can change the routing status filter if you need a different operation.
Why does the capacity ledger entry show a quantity of zero?
The quantity field equals time. If you register only an output quantity without entering any time, the capacity ledger entry correctly shows a time of zero and the output quantity you entered.
Is the result different from posting through the production journal?
No. The item ledger entry and capacity ledger entry created by Register Finished Quantity are the same as if you had entered the registration in the production journal.
How can I confirm nothing has been posted on a production order yet?
Open the production order and view both the item ledger entries and the capacity ledger entries. If both are empty, no output has been posted.