Inventory Transactions

Inventory Transactions are comprehensive records of all changes to inventory quantities within the system. They provide a complete audit trail of inventory movements, adjustments, and transfers, enabling accurate tracking, reporting, and analysis of inventory operations.

Each inventory transaction captures the state before and after a stock change, recording crucial details about what materials were affected, where they were located, who made the changes, and why the changes occurred.

Inventory Transactions serve several critical functions:

1. Audit Trail: Maintain a complete history of all inventory changes for compliance and accountability
2. Stock Tracking: Record precise quantity changes for accurate inventory valuation
3. Movement Tracing: Track how materials move between locations
4. Operational Insights: Provide data for analyzing inventory operations and usage patterns
5. Error Resolution: Help identify and resolve discrepancies in inventory counts
6. Compliance: Support regulatory requirements for traceability and record-keeping

The system recognizes three primary types of inventory stock adjustments:

1. Add: Increases the quantity of inventory (positive change)
2. Remove: Decreases the quantity of inventory (negative change)
3. Count: Updates inventory to a specific counted value (may be positive or negative change)

Each inventory transaction contains the following key information:

• Inventory ID: The specific inventory record being modified
• Material ID: The material affected by the transaction
• Vendor Material ID: The vendor-specific material identifier
• Source Location: Where the material originated from
• Destination Location: Where the material is being moved to
• Quantity Before: The quantity of the material before the transaction
• Quantity After: The quantity of the material after the transaction
• Quantity Change: The net change in quantity (can be positive or negative)

• Batch Number: For batch-tracked materials
• Serial Number: For serialized materials
• Parent Transaction: Reference to a preceding transaction (creating a chain of events)
• Notes: Additional information about the transaction
• Timestamps: When the transaction started and ended
• User Information: Who created, updated, or deleted the transaction

• Referenceable Type: The type of object that triggered the transaction (e.g., Inventory, TransferOrderItem)
• Referenceable ID: The ID of the specific object that triggered the transaction

Inventory transactions are automatically created whenever:

1. Stock is Added: New inventory is received, or existing inventory is increased
2. Stock is Removed: Inventory is consumed, sold, or otherwise decreased
3. Inventory is Counted: Physical counts update the system quantities
4. Material is Transferred: Materials move from one location to another
5. Inventory is Created: New inventory records are established

When stock is added to an inventory:

1. The system calculates the new quantity by adding the input quantity to the current inventory quantity
2. The inventory record is updated with the new quantity
3. A new inventory transaction is created with:
   • Quantity before = Previous quantity
   • Quantity after = New quantity
   • Quantity change = Added amount
   • Reference details capturing why the stock was added

When stock is removed from an inventory:

1. The system calculates the new quantity by subtracting the input quantity from the current inventory quantity
2. The inventory record is updated with the new quantity
3. A new inventory transaction is created with:
   • Quantity before = Previous quantity
   • Quantity after = New quantity
   • Quantity change = Removed amount (as a negative value)
   • Reference details capturing why the stock was removed

When inventory is counted:

1. The system calculates the difference between the counted quantity and the current system quantity
2. The inventory record is updated with the counted quantity
3. The last_count_at timestamp is updated to the current time
4. A new inventory transaction is created with:
   • Quantity before = Previous quantity
   • Quantity after = Counted quantity
   • Quantity change = Difference between counted and previous quantity
   • Reference details capturing the count operation

When materials are transferred between locations (using Transfer Orders):

1. Picking: Stock is removed from the source location

   • Creates a transaction with negative quantity change at the source
   • Links the transaction to the transfer order item

2. Placing: Stock is added to the destination location

   • Creates a transaction with positive quantity change at the destination
   • Links the transaction to the transfer order item

3. Cancelling: If a transfer is cancelled

   • Stock is returned to the source (if picked)
   • Stock is removed from the destination (if placed)
   • Appropriate transactions are created to reflect these changes

Inventory transactions maintain a parent-child relationship through the parent_transaction_id field:

1. Each new transaction references the most recent previous transaction for that inventory
2. This creates a complete chain of events for each inventory item
3. The chain can be followed to trace the complete history of an inventory from creation to current state

The system provides a dedicated interface for viewing inventory transactions, with powerful filtering and sorting capabilities:

• Inventory ID: View transactions for specific inventory records
• Material ID: Filter by material type
• Vendor Material ID: Filter by vendor-specific material
• Source/Destination Location: View transactions involving specific locations
• Date Range: Filter transactions by when they occurred
• User: View transactions performed by specific users
• Quantity Change: Filter by the magnitude or direction of change

Transactions can be sorted by:

• Date (newest or oldest first)
• Quantity change (largest or smallest first)
• Location
• Material

Inventory Transactions interact with several other components in the system:

1. Inventory Records: Each transaction is linked to a specific inventory record
2. Materials: Transactions track which materials are being adjusted
3. Locations: Transactions record where materials are moving from and to
4. Batch Numbers: For batch-tracked materials, transactions maintain batch traceability
5. Serial Numbers: For serialized items, transactions track individual serial numbers
6. User Management: Transactions record who performed each action
7. Transfer Orders: Inventory movements via transfer orders generate corresponding transactions

Inventory Transactions data can be used for various reports and analyses:

1. Stock Movement Reports: Trace how materials move through your facilities
2. Consumption Analysis: Understand usage patterns for materials
3. Discrepancy Reports: Identify and investigate unexpected stock changes
4. Stock Adjustment History: Review all manual adjustments to inventory
5. User Activity Reports: See which users are performing inventory operations
6. Location Activity: Monitor which locations have the most inventory movement

Inventory transaction data can be exported for further analysis or record-keeping:

1. The system provides a dedicated InventoryTransactionExporter service
2. Exports can be filtered using the same criteria as the transaction list view
3. Exported data includes all transaction details in a structured format
4. Export jobs are processed asynchronously to handle large transaction volumes

1. Use Notes Field: Always provide clear explanations in the notes field for manual adjustments
2. Regular Auditing: Periodically review transaction history to verify accuracy
3. Establish Procedures: Create standardized procedures for when and how to perform inventory adjustments
4. User Training: Ensure users understand how their actions create transaction records
5. Performance Monitoring: For high-volume environments, monitor transaction creation for any performance impact

Inventory Transactions provide a robust foundation for inventory management, offering complete visibility and traceability for all inventory movements and changes within your organization.