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Stock Transfer, Inventory & Bins

These four modules cover the bin/WMS functions of the Warehouse Client: stock transfer, inventory count, bin put-away and bin replenishment. They work with bins and pick the appropriate Business Central posting mechanism automatically from the location configuration – the user does not have to worry about it.

Depends on the location configuration

For each location the client detects whether it is a basic warehouse (bins without directed put-away and pick) or directed put-away and pick (full BC WMS) and posts accordingly. Bin replenishment only exists with directed put-away and pick.

Scanning with a hardware scanner

The modules route scans into the right field themselves: as long as no item is loaded, a scan is the item. After that, the next scan fills the Ziel-Lagerplatz (target bin) – in stock transfer Platz ↔ Platz and in bin put-away Ad-hoc; in stock transfer, lot and serial number follow where needed. When counting serial-tracked items, every scan is a serial number. Posting always waits for the tap on the button.

Stock Transfer

Move stock from one bin or location to another.

Workflow:

  1. Open Umlagerung and choose the mode at the top: Platz ↔ Platz (bin to bin, within one location) or Lager ↔ Lager (location to location). The Quelllager (source location) is preset to the terminal's location.
  2. Scan the item – the app shows the stock per bin.
  3. Choose source and target:
  4. Platz ↔ Platz: pick the Quell-Lagerplatz (source bin) from the list and scan or enter the Ziel-Lagerplatz (target bin). The app checks that the target bin exists in the location.
  5. Lager ↔ Lager: choose the Ziellager (target location; must differ from the source).
  6. Enter the Menge (quantity) in the base unit of measure. For lot-, serial- or expiration-tracked items, also capture Charge (lot), Seriennummer (serial number) or MHD (expiration date) – they are carried along in both modes (in Lager ↔ Lager on the transfer order line). A serial number is always moved with a quantity of 1.
  7. Tap Umlagern (transfer).

Posting mechanism:

Mode Basic warehouse Directed put-away and pick
Platz ↔ Platz Reclassification (Item Reclass. Journal) Bin reclassification (Whse. Reclassification Journal)
Lager ↔ Lager Transfer order – with the in-transit location from the transfer route, otherwise as a direct transfer same as left

Lager ↔ Lager with warehouse documents

If neither location requires warehouse documents, the transfer order is posted immediately. Otherwise it is created and released and handled in the warehouse with the standard warehouse process. The app reports the two cases differently:

Case App message
posted immediately „Umlagerung gebucht" (transfer posted) – result Umlagerungsauftrag … gebucht
only created and released „Umlagerungsauftrag angelegt" (transfer order created) – result … angelegt und freigegeben – Versand/Eingang erfolgt im Lager (shipment/receipt happen in the warehouse)

Inventory Count

Count stock and post the difference as a physical-inventory difference – for physical inventory and for cycle counting. At the top you choose between Ad-hoc-Zählung (ad-hoc count) and Zählliste (count list).

Ad-hoc count – one place, right away

  1. Open Inventur, pick the Lager (location) and – where bins are mandatory – the Lagerplatz (bin).
  2. Scan the item. The app shows the expected quantity (except with blind count).
  3. Enter the Gezählte Menge (counted quantity) in the base unit of measure; for lot/expiration items also capture lot and expiration date.
  4. Zählung buchen (post count) – the difference (counted − expected) is posted.

Count list – the due item, completely

  1. Switch to Zählliste and tap Zählliste laden (load count list).
  2. Pick an item. The app lists every location and bin the item is held in and shows the progress "x / y Plätze gezählt" (places counted).
  3. Enter the counted quantity per place.
  4. Zählung buchen – all rows together under one document number: either the whole count is posted or no row at all. Only then does the item count as counted and leave the list.

Empty is not zero

Rows left empty are not posted – that place was not visited. An entered 0 is posted: it states "nothing here any more".

Adding a place

If the item sits somewhere Business Central knows nothing about, pick the location and bin at the top and tap Lagerort/Lagerplatz oben wählen und hinzufügen (add the location/bin chosen above). For the same reason items without stock are on the list: they may well be standing on the shelf.

Serial-tracked items

Here the numbers are the count, not the quantity. The quantity is the cross-check – it has to match the number of scans, otherwise Zählung buchen stays disabled. That is what catches a missed number before anything is posted. While you are capturing serial numbers, every scan counts as a serial number.

One bin:

  1. Pick the location (and bin), scan the item.
  2. Enter the Gezählte Menge – as many pieces as you found there.
  3. Scan exactly that many serial numbers (or type one and tap Erfassen – capture); the progress line shows "3 / 3 Seriennummern – vollständig" (complete).
  4. Zählung buchen.

Several bins or locations – in one pass:

  1. Pick the location and bin of the first place, scan the item.
  2. Scan the numbers of that place. Each number shows where it was captured.
  3. Switch to the next bin (or location) at the top and carry on scanning. Numbers already captured keep their place.
  4. Only once every place is captured: enter the total quantity across all places.
  5. Zählung buchen – each place is counted with its numbers.

Only the counted place is evaluated

A number you do not scan at a place is written off at that place only. Bins you did not touch in this pass stay untouched. Scanning a number that Business Central holds in another bin moves it to where you scanned it – the item ledger entry and its cost survive.

The place is empty: if nothing of the item is left at a bin, there is nothing to scan. Select the place at the top and tap Platz ist leer (kein Bestand) (place is empty, no stock) – it appears as a row of its own in the list. On posting, whatever Business Central still holds there is written off. This is also how you report a serial number that has disappeared.

Scanned by mistake? The ✖ next to the number (or next to the empty-place row) removes the entry from the list.

All or nothing

Before posting, Business Central checks every place on the count sheet. If one place does not fit, nothing is posted and the message names the place. Correct it and post again.

What to prepare in Business Central

For the ad-hoc count: nothing.

For the count list (cycle counting) – a physical inventory journal or order is not needed:

  1. Create a Physical Inventory Counting Period (search → Phys. Invt. Counting Periods), e.g. 12 counts per year.
  2. On the item card set the Phys Invt Counting Period Code and answer "Do you want to update the next counting period …?" with Yes. Only then does BC calculate Next Counting Start Date and Next Counting End Date.

An item is due once its counting window has opened and it has not been counted since. An overdue item stays on the list until somebody counts it. After posting, its counting period moves on – even when every quantity matched.

Blind count

When Blind Count is active (global or per terminal), the app shows "Blindzählung – Sollmenge ausgeblendet" (expected quantity hidden) instead of the expected quantity. This improves counting discipline because the counter cannot "count up" to the target.

Cycle counting

Items with a counting period appear as due counting tasks; the tile counter shows their number. This lets you count continuously instead of only at a cut-off date.

Posting mechanism: basic warehouse → Phys. Inventory Journal, posted directly to the item ledger; directed put-away and pick → Whse. Phys. Inventory Journal at bin level, then the item ledger is synchronized via Calculate Whse. Adjustment.

Bin Put-away

Put goods away into bins – at the top you choose between Einlagerbelege (put-away documents) and Ad-hoc.

Einlagerbelege (by document):

  1. Open Einlagerung WMS – the app lists the open put-away documents at the location (Inventory Put-away in a basic warehouse, Warehouse Put-away with Take/Place under directed put-away and pick). 🔄 Aktualisieren reloads.
  2. Select a document and work through the lines shown (action, item, bin, quantity).
  3. ✔ Einlagerung buchen (post put-away) – the outstanding quantities are filled in automatically and the document is posted or registered. ✖ Freigeben (release) returns the document without posting.

Ad-hoc:

  1. Choose the Lager (location) and scan the item.
  2. Choose the Quell-Lagerplatz (source bin, e.g. the receiving bin) – it is required.
  3. Scan or enter the Ziel-Lagerplatz (target bin) and enter the Menge (quantity).
  4. Einlagern (put away) – the posting uses the same bin mechanism as stock transfer Platz ↔ Platz.

Bin Replenishment

Refill pick bins from bulk storage – only in warehouses with directed put-away and pick.

Workflow:

  1. Open Nachschub and choose the Lager (location).
  2. Nachschub berechnen (calculate replenishment) – the client runs Calculate Bin Replenishment on a movement worksheet (refilling higher-ranking pick bins from lower-ranking bulk bins per bin ranking and min/max bin content) and creates the warehouse movements.
  3. Select an open movement and work through its Take/Place lines.
  4. ✔ Bewegung buchen (post movement) – the movement is registered. ✖ Freigeben (release) returns the movement without posting.

The badge shows the number of open movements at the location.

Next steps