Inventory counting in Business Central lets you count what is physically on the shelf without being locked to what the system expects. When you scan a bin and find an item the system did not register, you simply count it and the journal adds the line for you. This makes the count reflect reality rather than the other way around.
The journal you use depends on your location setup. On a standard location, you count in the physical inventory journal. On an advanced warehouse location, you count in the warehouse physical inventory journal.
You can post the count directly from the journal once you have run through the lines.
Choosing the right journal based on your location setup
Inventory counting applies to a physical inventory journal if you work on a location that is not an advanced warehouse location. If you work on an advanced warehouse location, the count applies to the warehouse physical inventory journal instead.
Preparing the inventory journal before counting
In real life you do not strictly need to fill in the journal before you start, but the normal approach is to prepare it first. Before counting, you enter a journal and run Calculate Inventory. You can also reset the physical inventory at this point. Once that is done, you are ready to start the count.
For example, you might want to count on bin code 12.03 and 12.01. Be aware that 12.01 may not be in the journal at this stage. That is fine, because the count process can add it for you.
Counting items with the warehouse mobile flow
You run the count from the mobile flow on a scanner. You select Inventory Counting, choose the journal you want to use, and start with your first bin.
When you scan a bin, you count whatever is actually there. On the first bin you might find item number 1900, even though the system did not expect anything in that bin and you as a warehouse employee did not know either. You scan it, and the system tells you the calculated quantity is zero. If you physically count two, you enter two. You can keep counting in the same bin if there is more.
You then move to the next bin that contains items, for example bin number 12.03. You scan the first item number and enter the quantity. The system may suggest a quantity, such as one, but you enter what you actually see.
Counting what you see, not what the system expects
The key principle is that you are not guided by the inventory journal during the count. As a warehouse employee, you count what is physically in front of you. If an item shows only two units on the shelf even though the system thinks there should be four, you count two. The journal is corrected to match reality.
When you are done with a bin, you select No to indicate there is nothing more to count there.
Reviewing and posting the count in the journal
Back in the journal, refresh your sorting order to see the result. The count adds a line on bin number 12.01 with a quantity of two, even though that bin was not in the journal before, and it counts the other lines as well.
You run through the lines, and when you are done, you post it. Normally you post the count directly from the journal.
Q&A
Which journal does inventory counting use?
It depends on your location. On a standard location that is not an advanced warehouse location, counting applies to the physical inventory journal. On an advanced warehouse location, it applies to the warehouse physical inventory journal.
Do I need to prepare the journal before counting?
Strictly, no. But the normal approach is to enter a journal first, run Calculate Inventory, and optionally reset the physical inventory before you start counting.
What happens if I count an item in a bin that is not in the journal?
The count adds the line for you. For example, counting two units in bin 12.01 adds a new line on that bin with a quantity of two, even though it was not in the journal beforehand.
Should I count what the system expects or what is physically there?
You count what is physically there. The mobile flow does not guide you by the inventory journal, so if the system expects four units but you see two, you enter two.
How do I post the count?
After running through the lines in the journal, you post it directly from the journal.