ERPInventoryManagement
Management of Inventory Master Data
Storages management
Location is a central entity in Inventory Management and represents Storages; it is a place where goods and materials are stored (kept). A location can be either a physical or imaginary object. The location as a physical object is a building or a room inside some building. An imaginary location can be a place that we just call ‘input into storage’ or can be a project which has temporary taken some goods and will return them after the project completion.
As illustrated in Figure 1, a main menu (left side-bar) offers “New Location” and “Search Location” actions. As said, the “Location” is a general concept for storages. (Storage is a location.)
By executing the “New Location”, the system shows a graphical UI form for entering a new storage/location. For each storage/location a user can configure and specify items that can be kept in a storage/location, minimal and maximal item stock quantities. For each item inside a storage/location user can define a measurement unit for stock level management and reporting.
By executing the “Search Location” the system will open a graphical UI form for searching for and filtering the existing storages by different criteria e.g. by storage name, by storage description, by address, etc.
Storage UI - entering new, editing, deleting and viewing the storages, defining the sublocation inside the storages
Figure 1 Storage UI - entering new, editing, deleting and viewing the storages, defining the sub-location inside the storages
Description of user form fields
Field | Description | Editable by user |
---|---|---|
ID | Unique identifier. Assigned by the system | No |
Status | Status of a location/storage can be Active or Inactive. When Inactive, a location/storage is deactivated and no inventory transactions are allowed in it. | Only by actions Active/Deactivate |
Name | A unique name of a location/storage | Yes |
Building | A physical location/storage can be located in a building, and if relevant that can recorded by populating this field. | Yes, by autocomplete and list of values. |
Parent location | A location/storage can have its sub-location. E.g. a location/storage can have some shelves or other kind of positions inside it. User defines the shelves as locations on its own, and links them to a location/storage, by populating this field. | Yes, by autocomplete and list of values. |
Description | Free-form text to put additional descriptions/notes. | Yes |
Sublocations.Name | A name of sublocation. | Example |
Sublocations.Notes | Free-form text note of sublocation. | No |
Sublocations.Description | Free-form text description of sublocation. | No |
Sublocations.Status | Status of a sublocation. | No |
Storage configuration (min/max quantities of products, positions inside storages)
Figure 2 Storage UI – Tab product configuration
By using Storage “Product configuration”, a user can define what products/items can be located in a storage, their min and max quantities thresholds, a measurement unit in which the items are tracked inside the storage, a position (i.e. sublocation) of items. To assign items to a storage, there is an “Add items” action. There is also an action to delete the configuration.
Description of user form fields
Field | Description | Editable by user |
---|---|---|
ID | Unique identifier - Populated by the system after “Add items” is executed. | No |
Item Name | A name of item. Populated by the system after “Add items” is executed. | No |
Item Code Name | A code of item. Populated by the system after “Add items” is executed. | No |
Minimum quantity | A min item quantity threshold. When the min quantity is reached, system will alert the users. | Yes |
Maximum quantity | A max item quantity that is allowed to be in the storage. When the max quantity is reached, system will alert the users in order to prevent additional purchases. | Yes |
Position | A position of an item inside the storage. E.g. a shelf or some bin, or some other kind of position as defined by users. | Yes, by autocomplete and list of values |
Storages- Item Movements and Stock Levels view
This tab shows a log of items quantity changes for the storage; all movements such as receipts, deliveries, and internal transfers cause inventory status change (changes of stock levels). User cannot edit the data shown in this data table, only to review them, print out.
Figure 3 Storage UI – Tab Item Movements / Stock Levels overview
Description of user form fields
Field | Description | Editable by user |
---|---|---|
Latest | Indicates if the stock level is the latest (i.e., is it the current stock level) or a historical one. | No |
ID | Unique identifier of inventory status change. | No |
Item Name and Item Code | Name and code of item inside the storage. | No |
Quantity | Number (quantity) of items inside the storage. | No |
Total received | Total quantity received into a storage since ever up to the date of a transaction that caused the inventory status change. | No |
Total delivered | Total quantity delivered from storage since ever up to the date of a transaction that caused the inventory status change | No |
Transaction date | Date of transaction that caused the inventory status change. | No |
Date executed | Date when transaction caused the inventory status change was executed. | No |
Actions | A link to the item codebook for more details. | No |
Storage – Tab Status
Status Tab purpose is to show changes of statuses of the selected entity (workflow execution history and pending actions in a workflow).
Figure 4 Storage UI – Tab Status
Description of user form fields
Field | Description | Editable by user |
---|---|---|
Status | Status short name. | No |
Date/Time | Date and time of status changed. | No |
User | User who triggered status change. | No |
Description | Description of status change. | No |
Storage UI - Actions
Action Name | Description |
---|---|
New | To add new storage/location |
Edit | To edit existing storage/location |
Delete | To delete the storage/location |
View | To search and view storages/locations |
Save | To save changes |
Cancel | To cancel the edits |
Printing | Print out and export to Excel, PDF stock level and item movements. |
Activate/Deactivate | To change a storage/location status form Active to Inactive and vice-versa. |
Buildings Management
Building is an entity closely related to the concept of locations/storages in the Inventory Management; it is a physical object (building) where goods are kept.
As illustrated in Figure below, a main menu (left side-bar) offers “New Building” and “Search Building” actions. By executing the “New Building”, the system shows a graphical UI form for entering a new building. By executing the “Search building” the system will open a graphical UI form for searching for and filtering the existing buildings by building properties e.g. by building name, by building description, or by an address.
Figure below illustrates a graphical UI for entering new, editing, deleting and viewing the buildings. The Tab “Location” show all the storages/locations inside the building.
Figure 5 Building UI – entering new, editing, deleting and viewing the buildings
Description of user form fields
Field | Description | Editable by user |
---|---|---|
ID | Unique identifier. Assigned by the system | No |
Status | Status of a building can be Active or Inactive. When Inactive, a building is deactivated and no longer can be user to define storage inside it | Only by actions Active/Deactivate |
Name | A unique name of a building. | Yes |
Address | Address where building is. | Yes |
Description | Free-form text to put additional descriptions/notes. | Yes |
Locations.Name | A name of location inside the building. | No |
Locations.Notes | Free-form text note of a location inside the building. | No |
Locations.Description | Free-form text description of a location inside the building. | No |
Locations.Status | Status of a location inside the building.(To indicate whether a storage is still active or is it deactivated.) | No |
Tab “Status log” has the same purpose and look as described before for “Status log” of the Location application. Actions:
Action Name | Description |
---|---|
New | To add new building. |
Edit | To edit existing building. |
Delete | To delete the building. |
View | To search and view building. |
Save | To save changes |
Cancel | To cancel the edits |
Documents | To attach documents e.g. some PDF/Word/Jpeg files |
Printing | Print out and export to Excel, PDF storages inside building. |
Activate/Deactivate | To change the status form Active to Inactive and vice-versa. |
Items Management
Item (product/good/material) is an another central entity in the Inventory Management module. By using an application shown in Figure 6 Item UI – entering new, editing, deleting and viewing the items, a user can enter new items into database, edit existing items, and view inventory status for items including the complete history of inventory transactions for all items.
Figure below illustrates an UI for recording and managing the basic properties of items. Besides the fields for capturing the basic properties of items, the UI has data tables “Inventory Status“ and “Movement History“ for viewing related inventory management information.
Item Inventory Status
Shows the available quantities and locations of a selected item.
Figure 6 Item Inventory Status
Description of user form fields
Field | Description | Editable by user |
---|---|---|
Latest | Indicates if inventory status for the selected item is a latest (current stock level) or historical one. | No |
ID | Unique identifier of inventory status change for the selected item. | No |
Item Name and Item Code | Name and code of item. | No |
Quantity | Number of items available, for the selected item | No |
Total received | Total quantity of the selected items received into a storage indicated in the ‘location’ field, since ever up to the date of a transaction indicated in “transaction date”. | No |
Total delivered | Total quantity of the selected items delivered from a storage indicated in the ‘location’ field, since ever up to the date of a transaction indicated in “transaction date”. | No |
Location | Storage where the item is placed (kept). | No |
Transaction date | Date of transaction. | No |
Date executed | Date when transactionwas executed. | No |
Item Movements History
This tab shows movements (transactions) for a selected item. User can search/filter the data table by the all the fields shown. User can export the data table into Excel or PDF.
Figure 7 Item - Tab Movements History
Description of user form fields
Field | Description | Editable by user |
---|---|---|
Transaction type | A type of the transaction (Receipt, Delivery To Project Note, etc.). | No |
ID | Transaction identifier. | No |
From location | Storage from where the item is moved. | No |
To Location | Storage to where the item is moved. | No |
Quantity | Quantity moved. | No |
Employee received / from emp. | Person who received items, in a case of incoming quantities. For example, in a case of receipts of ordered goods here will be a name of person who received the goods into a storage. | No |
Employee taken / to emp. | Person who has taken the item, in a case of releasing/delivering the items from a storage. | No
For example, the goods or materials can be issued to the projects. A person that takes the materials on behalf of project will sign the transaction and this person name will show up in. || No |
Date | Date/time of the transaction. | No |
Units of Measurement (UOM) Management
Unit of Measurement is an application for defining the measurement units such as kilograms, pieces or packages.
As illustrated in Figures below, a main menu (left side-bar) offers “New unit of measure” and “Search unit of measure” actions.
By executing “New unit of measure”, the system shows a graphical UI form for entering a new unit of measurement. By executing “Search unit of measure” the system will open a graphical UI form for searching for and filtering the existing unit of measurements by their properties such as name, status, etc.
Figure below shows the Unit of Measurement UI – adding new, editing, deleting, and reviewing UOM.
Figure 8 Unit of Measurement UI – adding new, editing, deleting, and reviewing UOM
Description of user form fields