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Levels of warehouse control, from light to strict
Costing: the choice you cannot casually undo
Each item carries a costing method, and Business Central will not let you change it once the item has ledger entries. FIFO suits most distributors; Average smooths out volatile purchase prices; Standard is common for manufacturers who want fixed costs and variance reporting; Specific follows a serial number for high-value goods.
Cost in Business Central is adjusted after the fact. When a purchase invoice arrives at a different price from the receipt, or an item charge for freight is assigned, the Adjust Cost - Item Entries job pushes that change through to every sale that consumed the stock. If that job is not scheduled, margins on sales look wrong and inventory value drifts from the G/L.
We also decide with you whether expected cost posting is on. It posts received-not-invoiced value to interim accounts, which some controllers want and others find noisy.
Features worth knowing before go-live
Item tracking
Item tracking codes decide whether an item needs a lot, serial or package number on inbound, outbound or both, and whether expiration dates are enforced.
- ✓Lot and serial numbers
- ✓Expiration dates
- ✓Item tracing forwards and back
- ✓Warranty dates
Replenishment
Reordering policies on the item or stockkeeping unit drive the requisition worksheet, which proposes purchase orders or transfers.
- ✓Fixed reorder quantity
- ✓Maximum quantity
- ✓Lot-for-lot
- ✓Safety stock and lead times
Locations and transfers
Transfer orders move stock between warehouses with an in-transit location, so goods on the truck still show as yours.
- ✓Multiple locations
- ✓In-transit codes
- ✓Stockkeeping units per location
- ✓Item variants for size or color
Physical inventory
Physical inventory orders and recordings support full counts, while counting periods on items drive cycle counts by class.
- ✓Count sheets and recordings
- ✓Cycle count frequency
- ✓Adjustments posted with reason codes
- ✓Bin-level counts
Where inventory projects usually go wrong
- ✓Switching on directed put-away and pick for a small team that then spends its day confirming documents instead of moving boxes.
- ✓Loading opening stock without lot or serial numbers and then turning on tracking, which leaves unexplained balances.
- ✓Leaving the cost adjustment job unscheduled, so inventory valuation and the balance sheet disagree at month-end.
- ✓Creating a new item for every size and color instead of using variants, which bloats the item list and breaks reporting.
- ✓Assuming the handheld scanning experience comes out of the box. Business Central works on a phone or tablet browser, but most barcode-heavy warehouses add an AppSource scanning app.
Our route from spreadsheet stock to posted entries
- 1
Walk the floor
We follow goods from the receiving door to the shipping door, on a video call if needed, and note who touches what and where paper is used today.
- 2
Pick the control level
Based on volume and team size, we recommend one of the warehouse levels per location. Different locations can run different levels.
- 3
Clean the item master
Units of measure, variants, tracking codes, costing methods and reorder policies are agreed and loaded before any stock quantity.
- 4
Count and load
Opening balances come from a fresh count, posted through an item journal with bins and lots so the first day starts accurate.
- 5
Practice real days
Your team receives, picks, ships and counts in a sandbox using real orders before the switch.
Inventory and warehouse questions
Do we need Premium for warehouse management?
No. Locations, bins, item tracking, warehouse receipts and shipments, and directed put-away and pick are all part of Essentials. Premium adds manufacturing and service management, not extra warehouse features. If you only assemble kits, assembly orders are in Essentials too.
Can Business Central handle barcode scanning?
Business Central runs in a mobile browser and in the mobile app, and item references can hold barcodes. For high-volume scanning with rugged handhelds, most companies add a specialist scanning app from AppSource. We help you compare a few options against your own process rather than pushing one.
How does it handle stock in several warehouses?
Each warehouse is a location with its own settings, and stock moves between them on transfer orders. Stockkeeping units let the same item have different reorder points, vendors or costs per location. Availability pages show quantities by location, including stock in transit.
Which costing method should we choose?
It depends on your products and your accountant's view, but FIFO is the usual choice for distribution and Standard for many manufacturers. The method cannot be changed once an item has transactions, so we settle it in writing before loading data. For items where each unit is unique and valuable, Specific costing with serial numbers is available.
Can we start simple and add bins later?
Yes, and that is often wise. Bins can be introduced per location once people are comfortable, though stock must be moved into bins with a journal when you switch. Stepping up to warehouse receipts or directed pick later is also possible, but plan it for a quiet period.
Talk to us about your project.
Tell us what you run today and what has to change. A senior consultant replies with a written next step.