A stock count is a guided physical count of one location or the whole inventory, followed by one correction posting. You choose what to count, the counters...
Stock counts
A stock count is a guided physical count of one location or the whole inventory, followed by one correction posting. You choose what to count, the counters type or scan what is on the shelf, and when you finish, the book stock of every counted item is set to what was counted, in one go. Every correction is written to the inventory ledger as a Counted line with the difference, linked to the count, so you can see later what was corrected, by whom and when. Use it for cycle counts (one rack or folder at a time, little and often) as well as for a full year-end count.
Where to find it: Workspace → Logistics → Inventory → Stock counts. It only appears when the Inventory module is switched on in Warehouse settings.
Who can use it
What you want to do
Permission needed
See the counts and open a count page
Any Warehouse permission
Start a count, record counted quantities, finish a count, give counts to a person or cancel them
Stock counts (part of Gate in and out, move units, fill and empty tanks)
A role can be given Stock counts on its own, for example for temporary counters who may count but not move stock.
Where it sits in the operation
A count has three moments. When it starts, the App takes a snapshot: each item in the chosen folder (with all folders inside it) becomes a count line with its book quantity at that moment as the Expected quantity. While counting, every counted quantity is saved on its line straight away. When you finish, each counted line is compared with the item's book stock at that moment, and where they differ a Counted line sets the stock to the counted quantity.
There is no stock freeze: picking, receiving and moving stay possible while a count is open. That is why the posting compares with the stock at the moment you finish, not with the snapshot (see Figure 3).
Figure 1 Start snapshots the expected quantities, counting fills the lines, and finishing posts one Counted ledger line per item that really differs from book stock.
What you see
New stock count sits at the top right. The list shows every count, newest first.
Column
What it shows
Count
The count's name. Click it to open the count page.
Folder
The folder being counted (as a full path), or Everything.
Counted
Lines counted out of all lines, for example 18 / 40.
Assigned to
Who should count.
Due
When it should be finished.
Status
Counting, Finished or Cancelled.
Several counts at once. Select rows to get the selection menu: Give them to one person, or Cancel them (open ones). Only open counts change; a finished count keeps its history.
Start a count
Click New stock count.
Choose What to count: Everything, or one folder. All folders inside it are included.
Optional: a Name. Empty gives "Count" and today's date.
Optional: Assigned to and Due.
Blind count is ticked by default: counters do not see how many there should be. Counts are more honest this way.
Click Start the count. You see for example "Count started with 40 items." and the count page opens.
At that moment the App notes, for every item in scope, how many there should be (the expected quantity). Items added to the folder later are not part of this count.
Count on the count page
The page lists every item of the count, grouped by folder, with its folder path and SKU. At the top right you see how many lines are counted out of all lines.
For each item, type what you see and press Enter. The line is saved at once (also when you simply leave the field) and the cursor jumps to the next item. A saved count survives a dropped connection.
Zero is a valid count: type 0 for an empty location.
In an open blind count the expected quantity and the difference are hidden. In a normal count each line shows the expected quantity, and lines already counted show the difference against it (red when short, orange when more) when the page is opened or reloaded.
To count with a phone camera or a barcode scanner, click Count by scanning. The Scan page opens in counting mode ("Counting: scan an item, type how many, press Enter."): scan a label or barcode, type how many, and save.
Several people can count the same count at the same time, each on their own device.
Finish the count
Click Finish and correct the stock.
Confirm "Set the stock of every counted item to what was counted?"
You see for example "Count finished: 6 items corrected." Items you did not count are left alone. Items whose count matches the current stock are not changed and get no ledger line.
A finished count shows "This count is finished; the stock was set to what was counted." and, now also for blind counts, the expected quantity and the difference on every counted line.
Figure 2 A count is open (Counting) until it is finished, which posts the corrections, or cancelled, which posts nothing. Neither end state can be reopened.
Variance: expected, counted and what is posted
The difference shown on the count page is counted − expected (the snapshot at the start). The correction posted when you finish is counted − book stock at that moment. When nothing moves during the count the two are the same. When stock moves while the count is open, they differ, and the ledger line is the one that is true.
Figure 3 The page compares with the snapshot; the posting compares with book stock when you finish. Movements during the count are therefore not booked twice.
The opposite case needs care: if the pick of 5 had happened after the counter counted 38 on the shelf, the book stock would be 35 at the finish and the posting would set it to 38 (+3), although the shelf now holds 33. The count is taken as what was on the shelf, so goods moved in or out of the counted location after a line was counted must be accounted for by the counter. Keep the location quiet while counting, and finish the same day.
Controls and exceptions
Empty scope. A folder with no items: "There is nothing to count there."
Closed counts are read-only. Recording or finishing a finished or cancelled count: "This count is already finished."
Quantities. An empty or negative number: "Type a quantity above zero." Zero itself is a valid count.
Scope. Scanning an item that is not part of this count: "This item is not part of this count." Count it in a separate count, or add it with Update quantity.
Last entry wins. Each line holds one counted quantity. A second entry for the same item replaces the first, it is not added to it. When the same item sits in two places of the counted folder under one item record, add the quantities up before typing, or split the stock into one item per folder first.
Posted once. Each correction carries a key made of the count and the item, so it can never be posted twice for the same count, even if the finish is sent again.
Audit trail. Each count line keeps who counted it and when. Each correction is a Counted ledger line with the reason "count", linked to the count, under the name of the user who finished it.
Recount before finishing. In a normal (not blind) count, reload the page to see the differences of the counted lines, and recount the large ones before you finish. A finished count cannot be reopened; a wrong posting is fixed with a new count or with Corrected on the item.
For the manager
Cycle counting: count one folder at a time, little and often, rather than everything once a year. Count fast movers and high-value items more often (ABC): build folders so that each count covers one walkable area.
Inventory accuracy: after a finished count, the share of counted lines that needed no correction (lines counted minus items corrected, divided by lines counted) is your location accuracy. The message "Count finished: 6 items corrected." gives you the number of corrected items.
Shrinkage:Reports → Transactions lists every Counted line with its change and value; Item flow shows increases and decreases per item over a period.
Discipline: keep counts blind; give each count to one person with a due date; watch the list for counts still in Counting after their due date, and cancel abandoned ones.
AI Reports: corrections appear in "Inventory movements (Warehouse)" with kind count, so quantities and values corrected can be reported per month next to the rest of the business.
Glossary
Cycle count
Counting a part of the inventory (one location or folder) on a regular schedule, instead of everything at once.
Blind count
A count in which the counter does not see the expected quantity.
Expected
The book quantity of an item when the count started.
Counted
The quantity a counter found on the shelf. Also the name of the ledger line that posts a correction.
Variance
The difference between counted and expected, shown per line on the count page.
Correction
The ledger change posted at the finish: counted minus book stock at that moment.
Book stock
The quantity the system holds for an item.
Stock freeze
Blocking movements while counting. The App does not freeze stock; keep the location quiet yourself.
Inventory accuracy
The share of counted lines whose book stock was already right.
Shrinkage
Stock lost to damage, theft or unrecorded use, visible as negative corrections.
