How stock is kept
Each item has one or more lots. A lot has a lot number, an expiry date if it has one, and a supplier. Each lot has a balance in each location where it is kept, such as a freezer or a shelf.
Every change to stock is recorded as an entry in the item's History: received, used, moved, adjusted, disposed of, or reversed. An entry is never edited or deleted. To undo a mistake, you reverse the entry, which records a new entry that puts the stock back.
Amounts are exact, with up to six decimal places. Using 0.1 mL and then 0.2 mL takes exactly 0.3 mL. Stock never goes below zero: if two people use the last of a lot at the same moment, one of them is told there is not enough.
Add an item
- In a research lab workspace, open Inventory and choose Add item.
- Enter the name, the unit it is counted in (such as mL, box, or each), and where it is kept. You can also enter the amount you have now, its lot number, and its expiry date.
- Save. The amount you entered becomes the item's first lot and its opening entry.
To bring in a list, use the import and upload a CSV file. Load sample rows shows the columns it reads. Each row with an amount becomes an item with one lot.
Receive, use, and move stock
Open the item. Lots and locations lists each lot, where it is, and how much is there. The buttons on each row act on that lot in that place.
| Action | What it records | Who can do it |
|---|---|---|
| Receive | New stock: the amount, the lot number and expiry date (a new lot, or more of one you have), the supplier, and where it goes. | Members, managers, admins, and owners |
| Use | Stock taken out for work. When you do not choose a lot, the lot that expires first is used first, and an amount larger than one lot is taken from the next. | Members, managers, admins, and owners |
| Move | Part or all of a lot moved to another location. Both places change together. | Members, managers, admins, and owners |
| Dispose | Stock thrown away or no longer usable, with a reason. | Members, managers, admins, and owners |
| Count or adjust | Either I counted what is there, which records the difference from the record, or Add or remove an amount, with a reason. A count that matches the record changes nothing. | Managers, admins, and owners |
| Reverse | Undoes one entry in the history, with a reason. Each entry can be reversed once, and only if the stock it would put back or take away is still there. | Managers, admins, and owners |
Viewers can see stock but not change it.
An item can have Other units, such as a box of 50. Enter the unit and how many of the item's own unit it holds; you can then receive or use stock in either unit, and it is recorded in the item's own unit.
Locations
Locations form a tree: a room holds freezers, a freezer holds racks. A location cannot be placed inside itself or inside anything it holds.
A location that still holds stock cannot be archived. Move or use the stock first.
Printed location labels open the location's page when scanned, after the person signs in. A label from another workspace does not open anything.