How to Balance Unit Inventory
Balancing Units
To balance your units, use the Unit Inventory Transaction report, located in the Reports> Units Inventory> "Unit Inventory Transaction"
Initially use the following parameters:
- Start Date> blank (Note - . If you use the "Unit Inventory Transaction (New)" report, you cannot leave the start date blank. In that case, choose a date that predates your go live date.)
- End Date> Today (but you CAN back date it)
- Stock Number> blank
- GL Account Number> I picked a unit inventory account, one at a time (that is, generated the report for EACH unit inventory account)
- Show Summary> Checked
- Show Zero Balance Units> Unchecked
Then compared the final value of each report against your trial balance, with today's date (again, if you back dated the units report, you would back date this report to the same date) and it matched 100%.
If they don’t match, proceed to the troubleshooting section below.
Troubleshooting:
- Ensure that the postings within one unit went in (and out, if applicable) to the same GL account.
A unit can have several sources of postings:
- Unit Invoice
- Internal Service Orders
- Cost Adjustments
- Deal Postings
Each one of these affecting the unit needs to flow in and out of the SAME unit inventory GL account number.
How can you tell if it has?
Run the Unit Inventory Transaction Details report with the following parameters:
- Start Date> blank
- End Date> whatever date you are balancing to
- Stock Number> blank
- GL Account Number> blank
- Show Summary> Checked
- Show Zero Balance Units> Unchecked
The report is programmed to show a unit multiple times if split between GL account numbers. If you see the same stock number listed more than once, it isn’t because you have duplicate stock numbers. It is because one or more of the above mentioned posting sources have split between GL account numbers.
What do you do about it?
Note: the stock number and send an email or call support, citing the stock number and that the unit inventory postings are misaligned.
When any instances of split postings have been resolved, attempt to run the reports against your GL again, as outlined in the beginning of this document under the heading “Balancing Units”, to see if this has solved the problem. If not, proceed to step #2.
- Check to see that there are no units on the list that have actually been sold on a posted deal (where the deal was already posted by the date you are balancing to). If a unit has come in to inventory and subsequently been sold via a posted deal, then theoretically it should not show on the report since the value in the GL should be zero.
How can you tell if you have any units with a value in the GL that should be zero?
Run the Unit Inventory Transaction Details report with the following parameters (same as in step #1 of troubleshooting):
- Start Date> blank
- End Date> whatever date you are balancing to
- Stock Number> blank
- GL Account Number> blank
- Show Summary> Checked
- Show Zero Balance Units> Unchecked
The report is programmed to show a # sign and then the deal number after the stock number if the unit is on a deal. It will show this #deal num even if the deal is in sold status, and not posted. It will also show the #deal num if the unit was on a deal and subsequently cancelled. What you will want to do is investigate, by inputting the deal number into the Unit Sales screen to identify any POSTED (as of the date you are balancing to) deals that are showing on the Unit Inventory Transaction Details report.
What do you do about it?
If you have any units showing up on the Unit Inventory Transaction Details report which are on posted deals, you will want to regenerate the report with the following parameters to identify the problem:
- Start Date> blank
- End Date> whatever date you are balancing to
- Stock Number> input the stock number you are investigating
- GL Account Number> blank
- Show Summary> Unchecked
- Show Zero Balance Units> Unchecked
You will now see the details and be able to identify what went wrong. How to fix it is based on the issue and you will learn with experience what to do. At this point call/email support with the stock number and a message saying that it is still showing on the Unit Inventory Transaction report even though it is on a posted deal.
- Verify that the units showing in inventory really should be showing.
How is this done?
This can be done a number of ways. Some people know what is inventory and can tell by looking at the list which ones shouldn’t be showing.
Some people compare the list to the Unit Inventory screen from the Unit Sales module and see which ones are different. If you use this method, please be aware of the following:
- Delivered Units will NOT show on the unit inventory screen but will show on the Unit Inventory Transaction Screen because the deal hasn’t yet been posted.
- Consignment Units WILL show on the inventory screen but will NOT show on the Unit Inventory Transaction Screen because there is not necessarily value in the GL related to it (unless there have been service orders done against it internally).
- The Unit Inventory screen is as of today and thus, if you have back dated the report, will not be valid whatsoever in comparing to the report.
- The unit inventory screen can show a unit; whereas, the Unit Inventory Transaction report may not if the Unit has been stocked in, yet the AP invoice deriving from the unit has not yet been posted, and there have not yet been any internal service orders done against it.
- There may be other examples that are not covered here. Remember that the Unit Inventory Transaction report’s purpose is to show the activity involved with the Unit Inventory GL accounts.
Some people will do a physical audit of their units and compare it to the report.
What do you do about it?
If you have a unit showing on the Unit Inventory Transaction detail report which you no longer have in your possession, you must take steps to find out what happened to that unit. Once you know what happened to it, phone/email support for further detailed instructions.
Warning: The Unit Inventory Transaction detail report is ONLY valuable if you do NOT do journal entries against your unit inventory GL accounts. This report cannot see them. The way you would affect the unit inventory GL accounts would be through one of the following sources:
- Unit Invoice
- Internal Service Orders
- Cost Adjustments
- Deal Postings
The bottom line in balancing your Unit Inventory is if you do your homework to discover the problem, we can help you find the solution.
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