To assist in the physical inventory count of your store. we have developed a simple barcode scanning application which we call the Scan App. This Windows-based application can be downloaded using the link below:
This application will allow you to conduct a physical inventory count at your store and overwrite existing open stock levels in MicroBiz with the results of your physical inventory.
Limitations
1) The Scan App is a Microsoft Windows-based application that will need to be downloaded on a laptop or Windows-based tablet that will connect with the bar code scanner being used to scan the barcodes of you items.
2) This app will not work on a Android or Apple-based smart phone or or tablet. It only works on Windows-based devices.
3) We recommend using this application with less than 15K SKUs/products. If you have over 15K SKUs/items, we recommend that you filter the Inventory by Item report by category, brand or vendor to generate a report that does not exceed the item count.
GETTING STARTED
To compare the count scanned at you store to expected stock levels in MicroBiz Cloud, please follow the steps below.
Step One - Download product name/IDs and and current stock levels from MicroBiz Cloud
1) Go to Reports>Inventory reports>Item by Inventory Reports
2) If you have multiple stores, be sure to select the store from the dropdown filter of the location that will be conducting the count.
3) If you are scanning matrix/configurable items, go to header of the report and change the Visibility field to 'SKU'. Then run a report by pressing the orange 'Run Report' button at the top right to refresh the data. Then use the gear icon at the top right to select Manage Table Columns to open the form that will allow you to add additional fields to the report. Then select all of the SKU level product ID fields that will be scanned or entered for the matrix/child SKUs (such as UPC, Alt SKU, Item No or Vendor Product ID). These are found on the Alt ID tab in the product record.
4) If you have over 15K record lines, we recommend To reduce the size of the export and upload, we suggest changing the Open Stock field in the header to 'In Stock'. This will cause the report to show only in stock Products and Matrix SKUs.
5) After you have set the filters and table columns, press the orange 'Run Report' button to generate the report.
6) Once the report has been generated, press the 'Export' icon at the top right to export the report to a CSV file.
Step Two - Initial Settings in Scan App
1) When you open the Scan App, go to the Set Up tab at the top.
2) Here you will enter the following fields:
Store Name: This is used in the name of the file exported to help keep track of versions.
Store Number/Name: This is used to populate the Store Name column in the Data Export File. It is important that this be either the two digit store number from MicroBiz>Settings>Store (such as 01) or the store short name from this page (such as MAIN).
Start Date: This is used in the name of the file exported to help keep track of versions.
Step Three - Upload Product and Open Stock Levels
1) Using the gray 'Upload Stock Data' button on the Set Up tab to upload the Inventory by Item report that you downloaded from MicroBiz Cloud. This will upload the relevant product information from the Inventory by Item report, including product name, SKU and other IDs and expected open stock.
2) To delete data and start over, press the blue Delete Data button.
Step Four - Count Physical Stock on Hand
1) Navigate to the Count tab and start entering counted items into the Scan App. You can do this by scamming a bar code (easiest) or by entering the ID manually into the left search box. The counted item will appear on the grid below, one line per scan.
2) To remove a line, select the check box to the left of the line and then press the 'Remove Line' button.
3) If you would like to be prompted with a pop-up to enter multiple units of the item with one scan, press the 'Prompt for Quantity' check box. This will allow you to scan and item and then enter the count of all items on hand.
4) If you would like to filter by an item name or SKU, use the search box to the right.
5) If you see any items that need adjustment, you can edit the values in the Count column.
Step Five - Review Count
1) An aggregated count per product or matrix SKU is available on the Consolidated tab. This will allow you to compare the Physical Count to the Expected Open Stock (exported from MicroBiz) and view the Variance.
2) You can use column filters to sort the columns, or the search box at the top right to filter for an item or SKU.
3) The screen will default to show only item with expected stock or a count. If you would like to view all products, including items with no open stock. select the 'Display All' checkbox.
Step Six - Export Count for Import into MicroBiz
1) Once you have reviewed your count, you are ready to generate an export file that can be imported into MicroBiz and an Inventory Update.
2) Go to the Export tab and press the Export to CSV button to import your file into MicroBiz.
3) You will need import this inventory count file into MicroBiz as an Inventory Update. This will overwrite the existing open stock levels in MicroBiz with the new count values in this file.
4) There is no way to reverse an Inventory Adjustment in MicroBiz once updated.
5) Any stock activity in MicroBiz between the time that the Inventory by Item report was generated and downloaded from MicroBiz and the time that the new Inventory Count levels were re-imported uploaded to MicroBiz as an Inventory Update will be lost. This includes all impact on stock levels from any sales, customer orders or vendor shipments. You will need to make manual adjustments for any activity impacting stock levels during the count period.
Step Seven - Import Count CSV File into MicroBiz as an Inventory Update
Once you have downloaded the import file from the Scan App, go to the following article and follow the steps to import this file as an Inventory Update. If you are importing your count for the first time, please contact support at cloudsupport@microbiz.com and we will review the file and help you with the first import.
View Import Stock Update Article
Common Issues
Export File Does Not Include SKU Level Info on Matrix Items - You must make the matrix SKU-level item visible in the Inventory by Items report and then add the optional columns with the SKU level IDs. Please see Step Two (2) above.
I Get Error Messages when Importing Data - Make sure that the Store field on the Set Up tab includes either the store number in two digits (i.e. 01 or 02) or the Store Short Name. This information can be found in your MicroBiz subscription (Settings>Store). Also, do not open and resave in Excel - as this could change the formatting of the values in the Sore column. Finally, do not change any columns or column heading in the export template.
File Import Does Not Work - Be sure to use the Update Stock Balance feature (Settings>Product File Imports)