Count Inventory

Overview:

Most COGS-Well customers get started by using COGS-Well to count the quantity and value of their inventory on hand. Counts are normally done at the end of each accounting period and can optionally be done more frequently. Most COGS-Well customers count their food, nonalcohol, and alcohol items.

The Count Inventory feature is for recording or reviewing inventory counts. Counts can be recorded on a Count Worksheet and then entered, or, if a mobile device is utilized (a tablet is recommended), they can be recorded and entered simultaneously.

Count Entry can be accessed via the Main Navigation Menu by selecting Inventory>Entry>Count Inventory, or via the Process Menu by selecting Count>Count Inventory:

Things to know!

It is very important to understand the Save, Save & Process, and Exit buttons at the bottom of the count entry grid. Please review the section at the bottom of this article that explains these buttons in detail.
There is a Count Inventory Video if you prefer to watch a video.
Inventory counts can be recorded on a Count Worksheet and then entered, or they can be entered and recorded simultaneously by using a tablet.
Inventory Items that are flagged with a Status of "Count Never" (such as cleaning supplies) will not show up on a Count Worksheet or Count Entry display unless their status is changed to "Active".
Inventory, Combined, and Recipe Items that have been flagged to be counted will be displayed.
An Inventory Item will display or list the ("Vendor Name") in parenthesis that it was last received from after the Item Name. A Combined Item will display or list the term ("Combined Item") in parenthesis after the Item Name. A Recipe Item will display or list the term ("Recipe item) in parenthesis after the Item Name.
For count entry, items can be displayed by their Inventory Category assignment in alphabetical order or by their Storage Location assignments.
Multiple Users can enter counts for the same inventory count date, at the same time. Please see the rules that should be followed by clicking this link to Multiple Counts.
Counts can be "Closed" by a User with access to the "Close Inventory" feature. Closed means they can no longer be modified.
The dollar value of Inventory Counts is reported via the Extension Report.
Inventory usage is reported via the Actual Usage Report.
It is important to enter a zero ("0") count for the pack quantity of an item when it is out of stock. This will eliminate the item from showing up on future count entries or worksheet lists until the item is received again on a future invoice. Following this practice will keep your count worksheet and count entry display clean with "active" items only.
COGS-Well provides multiple valuations and costing methods such as Effective or Weighted Average Cost. For more information please click this link for Valuation Methods - FAQs.
If a user is logged into a site, then the count entry will be applied to the site they are logged in to. If a User is logged into a Company, and the Company has multiple Sites, the User can select the site to apply the count to via the entry criteria.
A "Column Selector" feature for the count entry display enables you to select or deselect what columns are included on the display. This can be very helpful for optimizing real estate when entering counts on a mobile tablet. The column selector is reviewed below.

Count Inventory:

To add, review, edit, or delete Inventory Counts, navigate to Inventory>Entry>Count Inventory via the Main Menu, or Count>Inventory Counts via the Process Menu. Upon selection, an Inventory Count Find Grid will display a listing of all of your previous Inventory Count transactions:

Find Grid Definitions:

+ Add, Export, and Search Options:

The blue "+ Add" button is used to add a new transaction.
The "XLSX" button will export the information on the grid to a spreadsheet.
The search option can find any part of a word or date on the grid. When you start typing your search criteria, the search will be initiated.

Edit/Delete: Click the button to the right of the row that you wish to edit or delete.

# of Transactions that Display: If you use the "Close Inventory" feature, and your Company Settings are not configured to hide Count transactions after a Count is Closed, you will see transactions before the most current count.

Site Name Column: Lists the Site for which the Count Inventory transaction is. You can type a Site Name under the column header to filter for that Site.

Count Date Column: The date the Count was recorded for. You can use the calendar under the column header to filter for a specific date.

Item Group Column: The Item Group will display "Valuation Count" if all of the inventory items were counted (typically an end-of-period count). It will display the Inventory Group Name (such as "Key Items") if the count was for a specific group of items. If the name is in red with "(Closed)" displayed then the count has been closed. A closed count cannot be edited or deleted.

Created Column: The date the Count was recorded (which may not match the Count Date). You can use the calendar under the column header to filter for a specific date.

Last Updated and Updated By Columns: These columns display when the count was last updated and saved and the User it was Updated By. These columns can be filtered to find specific information.

Special Find Grid Search, Filter, and Sort Tools:

Magnifying Glass Icon: The magnifying glass at the top of each column in the above grid has a search function that enables you to search within that field. If you hover your mouse over the magnifying class you will see options to use to refine your search.
Magnifying Glass and Calendar Icon: If a column has a magnifying glass and a calendar at the top of the column, the calendar can be used to select a date, and if you hover over the magnifying glass after you select a date, you will have options to refine the filter (such as equal to or greater than the selected date).

The Find Grid includes more tools to help you find, filter, or sort the information on the grid according to your requirements. Some of these tools are intuitive, but other helpful tools can easily be overlooked. Please click this link for more information on Find Grid Tools - FAQs.

Add or Edit Counts:

After you select to add or edit an Inventory Count a screen like the one below will display. Please note that you cannot change the Site, Group, Storage Location, or Item Sequence for a Count that you are editing:

Add or Edit Counts - Criteria Tab

Site: If you have multiple Sites, and if you are logged in at your Company level, use the drop-down to select the Site that you are entering the Count.

Count Date: Enter or edit the date (use calendar search) that the count was taken.

Inventory Item Group: Leave this field blank if you intend to count all your items. Please click this link if you would like to learn more about using Inventory Groups. Please note that if this field shows as a required field, it was configured as required in your Company Settings.

Count by Inventory Category: If you do not select to count "By Storage Location" (defined immediately below), items will display for count entry by Inventory Category, alphabetically.

By Storage Location: A check mark indicates this option has been selected. To use this option, you must first set up Storage Locations and Assign Items to Storage Locations.

By Item Sequence Order: Items will display in the sequence order they were assigned to a Storage Location (if you select to count by storage location), or the sequence assigned to a Group (if you select to count by Group), if you add a checkmark to this box.

Next or Close: The next button will advance you to the Entry tab. The close button will close this transaction.

Entry Tab:

Once your Criteria are selected, to add or edit a Count, click on the "Next Button" or the "Entry" tab and a count entry grid similar to below will display. If you are using a tablet to enter inventory counts, please also see this link for entering counts using a tablet.

All Items meeting the Criteria will be displayed in the entry grid. If you are entering a new Count, the count quantities will be blank. If you are editing a Count, you will see the previous entries.

Column Search: Each column in the above display has a search function indicated by the magnifying glass that enables you to search within that field. As you type in a description, the search will automatically launch.

Storage Location Search: If you selected to enter by Storage Location on the Criteria tab, you can use the location drop-down to find and display the items specific to a storage location.

Storage Location or Inventory Category: If you selected to enter by Storage Location on the Criteria Tab then the Storage Location name displays above the Items in the location at the top left. The arrow to the left of the name will collapse all the items in that location. If you did not select to enter by Storage Location then the Inventory Category name displays above the Items.

Items: The Items will display in alphabetical order unless you select the criteria to enter by Storage Location Item Sequence. Inventory Items will include the vendor name and vendor product code in parentheses after the item name. A Recipe Item flagged for counting will say "Recipe Item" in parentheses. A Combined Item flagged for counting will say "Combined Item" in parentheses.

Last Received: This is the date that the Item was last received on an invoice.

Pack Cost: This is the cost for a Pack based on when the Item was last received.

Pack Quantity: The count for the Item should be based on the Pack Size description.

Unit Cost: This is the cost for a Count Unit based on when the Item was last received.

Unit Quantity: The count for the Item, is based on the Count Unit description.

Pack and Count Unit Combinations: You can make a count entry for an Item using both Pack Quantity and Count Unit Quantity. In the example below, the Veggie Burger comes in a Pack of 48 patties and it has a count unit of a patty. If you had 60 patties you could enter 1 pack and 12 patties. Or you could enter 1.25 packs. Or you could enter 60 patties.

Total: This column displays the dollar value of the count that you have entered for an Item based on the cost when the Item was last received. If you have selected to value your inventory using Weighted Average Costing, it will be utilized when you print an Inventory Extension or Usage Report.

Out of Stock - Zero Count Entry: If an item is out of stock and there is no count for this item, then you should enter a zero ("0") count for the pack size quantity for this item. By entering a zero you are making the item inactive and it will not show up the next time you run a count worksheet or enter counts unless you receive the item on a new invoice. This is an important feature as it will keep your inventory list clean. For more information please click this link and view the "Count When" definition: Inventory Item Setup.

Special Buttons: The buttons at the top of the count entry grid provide additional features as described below:

Add an item to the Count Entry grid. If you click this button, the items in this lookup are items that are inactive or new items that have been set up since the count entry was started, or Items that were not included in the Item Group that was selected.

This button will let you add an Item to the Storage Location that is being displayed. This feature is only available when you select Count by Storage Location. When you click this button a search window will display all active items and you can select the item.

Remove an Item from a Storage Location. This will remove the item that is highlighted on the display from the Storage Location being displayed. This feature is only available when you select Count by Storage Location.

Collapse all the Inventory Categories or Storage Locations to navigate to a specific Category or Storage Location. When you click this button, it will display all the storage locations or categories, with no individual items. It is handy for moving from one location or category to another.

Reverses the above Collapse feature.

Fills a zero count into any item that does not have a Pack or Counting Unit count entry. This is an easy way to flag uncounted items as out of stock so they don't show up on the count worksheet or count entry grid unless they are received on a future invoice.

Copies an inventory item count for a category of items from a previous count into the current count. This button will not show if you have not enabled this feature in your company settings. If you have a certain category of items (such as dried goods) where the count or value does not change significantly from period to period, then use this button.

This button will filter out all of the items that do not have a count entry for either the Packs or the Count Units (Items with blank entries will not display). This is a way to only view or edit counts for Items that were counted.

Column Chooser:

The button directly to the right of the Mobile Mode button is a “Column Selector”. This button allows you to choose what columns to display so that you can eliminate columns to increase the amount of real estate for displaying the Item Name, Pack Size, Unit Name, etc. In the example below, the Column Chooser has been touched:

In the above example, we have disabled the columns for Last Received and Total to provide more room for the other column displays. The x button is touched to remove the Column Chooser.

Calculator:

Enter Counts Supports Basic Math: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division can now be done when your cursor is inside a Pack or Unit quantity entry field on the inventory count entry feature. Addition uses the + key, subtraction uses the - key, multiplication uses the * key, and division uses the / key.

For example, If the pack size for lemons is 60 Count, and you count 18 lemons, and you want to enter a quantity in the Pack Quantity column, you can enter 18/60 in the Pack Quantity field and press the enter, tab, or arrow key and the quantity will calculate .30.

+ Key to Enter Multiple Recorded Counts: Sometimes a person recording a count on the Count Worksheet writes down a count for an Item in the margin of the Worksheet. This can happen when the worksheet is printed by Category and an item is stored in more than one location. Or, it can happen if an item is not assigned to all of the Storage Locations it is in.

For this situation, you can now enter the counts as they are recorded on the worksheet such as 2+6+3+10. When you move the cursor out of the field it will calculate 21. Please see

Multiple Users - Same Inventory Count Date:

COGS-Well allows multiple Users to edit the same Inventory Count, but the following rules must be followed:

1. An initial Inventory Count for the date must exist. This will create a Count that can now be Edited.

2. Each User should work in separate Inventory Categories, Groups, or Storage Locations. If multiple users are entering counts for the same inventory category or storage location, they may overwrite entries.

Save, Save & Process, and Exit

It is very important to understand the Save Counts, Save & Process Counts, and Exit buttons at the bottom of the count entry grid. Please review this section carefully:

Save Counts: The Save Counts button will save the counts you have entered. The counts are saved to a temporary table in the database and will not process to the table in the database that is used for reporting. This button should be used if you want to save your counts as you go, or if you need to save a count entry that you have not yet fully completed.

If you are entering a count on a mobile device it is always a good idea to periodically click the save button. Or, if you have areas that may not have good wifi, it is always good to save from time to time.

Save & Process Counts: The Save & Process Counts button will both save and process the counts that have been entered. When you select to process a count it means you are done making changes and you are ready for your entries to process to the table that is used for reporting. Processing takes longer than saving because valuation calculations will be performed.

Users should know that reports such as an Inventory Extension Report will not show an updated valuation until a new count has been processed.

When the Save and Process Counts button is selected, Users will see a message their count is being processed. When the process is completed, they will see the message below:

Exit: If you Save before you Exit, and don't make any subsequent changes or additions, the Exit Button will exit back to the count entry grid. If you have any entries that have not been saved then you will be prompted whether you want to save the changes.

Don't Close your Browser Before Exiting a Count Entry: Please note that a User should never close their browser until after they have exited the count entry screen.