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Editing and Deleting Inventory Items

Learn how to update inventory items and manage stock adjustments.

✏️ Editing Inventory Items​

Accessing Inventory Edit​

  1. Go to Inventory page
  2. Find the inventory item in the list
  3. Click Edit button (pencil icon)
  4. Or click Actions (⋮) → Edit
  5. Inventory item form opens with current data

Inventory List

Editable Fields​

You can edit inventory item information:

Product Details:

  • Product selection (can change to different product)
  • Product name (read-only, from product master)
  • Unit of Measurement (from product)

Stock Information:

  • Current Stock Quantity (view only - use adjustments to change)
  • Location/Warehouse
  • Bin/Rack Location
  • Lot Number / Batch Number

Thresholds:

  • Low Stock Alert Level
  • Reorder Point
  • Reorder Quantity
  • Maximum Stock Level

Tracking:

  • Serial Numbers (for serialized items)
  • Expiry Date (for perishable items)
  • Manufacturing Date

Status:

  • Active/Inactive
  • Notes

Edit Restrictions​

Stock Quantity Cannot Be Directly Edited
  • Current stock cannot be edited directly in inventory item
  • Use Stock Adjustments to increase/decrease stock
  • This maintains proper audit trail

What You Can Edit: ✅ Location and bin information
✅ Reorder levels and thresholds
✅ Serial numbers and tracking info
✅ Active/Inactive status
✅ Notes

What You CANNOT Edit: ❌ Current stock quantity (use adjustments instead)
❌ Product history in invoices
❌ Past stock movement records

Changing Stock Quantity​

To change stock quantity:

  1. Do NOT edit inventory item directly
  2. Go to Inventory → Adjustments
  3. Create a new adjustment:
    • Increase Stock - For purchases, returns, corrections
    • Decrease Stock - For damage, theft, corrections
  4. Enter reason and quantity
  5. Save adjustment
  6. Stock updated automatically

See Stock Adjustments for complete guide.

🗑️ Deleting Inventory Items​

When You Can Delete​

✅ Can Delete:

  • Inventory items never used in invoices
  • Inventory items with zero stock and no history
  • Test inventory items
  • Duplicate entries

❌ Cannot Delete:

  • Items with current stock > 0
  • Items used in finalized/paid invoices
  • Items with adjustment history
  • Items with transaction history

Delete Process​

For eligible inventory items:

  1. Go to Inventory page
  2. Find the item to delete
  3. Ensure stock is zero
  4. Click Actions (⋮) → Delete
  5. Confirm deletion
  6. Item permanently removed

Inventory List

What Gets Deleted​

When you delete an inventory item:

Deleted:

  • Inventory tracking record
  • Location information
  • Reorder settings
  • Notes and tags

NOT Deleted:

  • Product master data (remains in Products)
  • Invoice references (preserved on invoices)
  • Stock adjustment history (if any - blocks deletion)
  • Transaction records (blocks deletion)

Cascade Effects​

Deleting Inventory Item:

  • Does NOT delete the product
  • Only removes inventory tracking
  • Product still exists in Products list
  • Can re-enable inventory tracking later

If Item Has Stock:

  • Cannot delete until stock is zero
  • Must adjust stock to zero first
  • Or perform a stock write-off

If Item Has History:

  • Cannot delete if adjustments exist
  • Cannot delete if used in invoices
  • Mark as Inactive instead

Alternative to Deletion​

Marking as Inactive​

Better alternative to deletion:

  1. Edit the inventory item
  2. Toggle Active Status to Inactive
  3. Item hidden from:
    • Active inventory lists
    • Stock adjustment screens
    • Low stock alerts
  4. Still visible in:
    • Historical reports
    • Past invoices
  5. Can reactivate anytime

Benefits:

  • Preserves all history
  • Maintains audit trail
  • Can restore if needed
  • Compliant with accounting standards

Zero Out Stock​

For discontinued items:

  1. Perform stock adjustment to bring stock to zero
  2. Document reason (discontinued, obsolete, etc.)
  3. Mark item as Inactive
  4. Keep for historical reference

Stock Adjustments vs. Item Deletion​

Stock Adjustments​

Use adjustments to:

  • Increase stock (purchases, corrections)
  • Decrease stock (damage, theft, loss)
  • Correct counting errors
  • Write off obsolete stock

Process:

  1. Go to Inventory → Adjustments
  2. Select New Adjustment
  3. Choose product
  4. Enter quantity change
  5. Enter reason
  6. Save adjustment

See Stock Adjustments for details.

Item Deletion​

Use deletion to:

  • Remove inventory tracking for a product
  • Clean up test data
  • Remove duplicate entries
  • Stop tracking a product

Not Used For:

  • Reducing stock to zero (use adjustment instead)
  • Removing from invoices (cannot do this)
  • Correcting stock errors (use adjustment instead)

Common Scenarios​

Scenario 1: Stop Tracking a Product​

Problem: Product no longer needs inventory tracking.

Solution:

  1. Adjust stock to zero (if any stock exists)
  2. Document reason in adjustment
  3. Delete the inventory item
  4. Product still exists in Products, just not tracked for inventory

Scenario 2: Duplicate Inventory Item​

Problem: Same product tracked twice in inventory.

Solution:

  1. Identify which record is correct
  2. Check which has transaction history
  3. If duplicate has NO history: Delete it
  4. If both have history:
    • Consolidate stock using adjustments
    • Mark duplicate as inactive
    • Add note: "Duplicate of [Product Name]"

Scenario 3: Wrong Product Linked​

Problem: Inventory item linked to wrong product.

Solution:

  1. If no history: Delete inventory item, recreate with correct product
  2. If has history:
    • Cannot easily change product linkage
    • Mark as inactive
    • Create new inventory item with correct product
    • Add notes to both explaining the issue

Scenario 4: Obsolete Inventory​

Problem: Product obsolete, need to write off stock.

Solution:

  1. Create stock adjustment: "Write-off - Obsolete"
  2. Reduce stock to zero
  3. Mark inventory item as Inactive
  4. Keep for audit/historical records
  5. Do NOT delete (preserves history)

Scenario 5: Test Inventory Data​

Problem: Test inventory items created during setup.

Solution:

  1. Ensure items have zero stock
  2. Ensure no adjustment history
  3. Delete the inventory items
  4. Products can remain in Products list or be deleted separately

Editing Stock Locations​

Changing Warehouse​

To move inventory to different location:

Option 1: Edit Location

  1. Edit inventory item
  2. Change Location/Warehouse field
  3. Save changes
  4. Stock now tracked in new location

Option 2: Transfer (if feature available)

  1. Create stock transfer
  2. From: Current location
  3. To: New location
  4. Quantity: Amount to transfer
  5. Complete transfer
  6. Stock updated in both locations

Multi-Location Tracking​

If system supports multiple locations:

  • Each location has separate inventory item
  • Product can have inventory in multiple warehouses
  • Total stock = sum of all locations
  • Edit each location separately

Reorder Levels​

Editing Thresholds​

Keep inventory properly stocked:

Low Stock Alert Level:

  • System alerts when stock falls below this level
  • Edit based on consumption rate
  • Receive email/notification when low

Reorder Point:

  • When to place new order
  • Usually slightly higher than low stock level
  • Account for lead time

Reorder Quantity:

  • How much to order when reordering
  • Based on supplier minimums, usage rate
  • Economic order quantity

Maximum Stock:

  • Upper limit to avoid overstocking
  • Based on storage capacity, shelf life

Updating Settings​

  1. Edit inventory item
  2. Adjust threshold values
  3. Save changes
  4. System uses new thresholds immediately

Serial Number Tracking​

For Serialized Items​

Items like electronics, equipment:

Adding Serial Numbers:

  1. Edit inventory item
  2. Go to Serial Numbers section
  3. Add serial numbers (comma-separated or one per line)
  4. System tracks each serial individually
  5. When sold, specific serial marked as sold

Editing Serial Numbers:

  • Can add new serials
  • Cannot delete serials used in invoices
  • Can mark serials as damaged/returned

Deleting Item with Serials:

  • Cannot delete if serials exist
  • Must clear all serials first (if no sales)
  • Or mark item as inactive (if serials sold)

Batch/Lot Number Tracking​

For Batched Items​

Items like food, chemicals:

Editing Batch Info:

  1. Edit inventory item
  2. Update Lot/Batch Number
  3. Update Manufacturing Date
  4. Update Expiry Date
  5. Save changes

Multiple Batches:

  • If system supports, track multiple batches per product
  • Each batch has own expiry, quantity
  • Edit each batch separately
  • FIFO/FEFO rules may apply

Deleting Item with Batches:

  • Cannot delete if batches have history
  • Must deplete or write off all batches
  • Mark as inactive instead

Data Integrity​

Before deleting inventory item:

Stock Adjustments:

  • Any adjustments prevent deletion
  • Must have zero history to delete

Invoices:

  • Product on finalized invoices prevents deletion
  • Inventory tracking preserved on invoices

Reports:

  • Inventory reports reference the item
  • Deletion creates gaps in historical data

Alerts:

  • Low stock alerts based on item
  • Deletion removes from monitoring

Audit Trail​

Inventory changes are logged:

Edit Log Includes:

  • Who edited (user name)
  • When edited (date and time)
  • What changed (field names and values)
  • Old and new values

Example:

Inventory Item Updated
Date: Nov 20, 2024 4:00 PM
User: Admin User
Product: Wireless Mouse (SKU: WM-001)
Changes:
  - Reorder Point: 20 → 30
  - Low Stock Alert: 10 → 15
  - Location: Warehouse A → Warehouse B

Deletion Log:

Inventory Item Deleted
Date: Nov 20, 2024 4:15 PM
User: Admin User
Product: Test Product (SKU: TEST-001)
Stock at Deletion: 0
Reason: Test data cleanup

Bulk Operations​

Bulk Edit Inventory​

Update multiple items:

  1. Go to Inventory page
  2. Select items using checkboxes
  3. Click Bulk Actions → Edit Selected
  4. Change common fields:
    • Location
    • Reorder settings
    • Active/Inactive status
  5. Click Apply to All

Bulk Adjustments​

Adjust stock for multiple items:

  1. Go to Inventory → Adjustments
  2. Select Bulk Adjustment
  3. Choose multiple products
  4. Enter quantities for each
  5. Enter common reason
  6. Save bulk adjustment
  7. All stocks updated at once

Bulk Activate/Deactivate​

Quick status changes:

  1. Select inventory items
  2. Click Bulk Actions → Activate or Deactivate
  3. All selected items updated

Best Practices​

Before Editing​

  1. Verify item - Ensure editing correct product
  2. Check stock - Review current stock levels
  3. Document changes - Note why you're editing
  4. Use adjustments - Never edit stock quantity directly

Before Deleting​

  1. Verify zero stock - Ensure no stock exists
  2. Check history - Ensure no adjustments or invoices
  3. Export data - Save info if needed for records
  4. Use inactive - Safer than deletion

Inventory Maintenance​

Regular tasks:

  1. Daily: Monitor low stock alerts
  2. Weekly: Review reorder points
  3. Monthly: Perform stock takes, verify counts
  4. Quarterly: Clean up inactive items
  5. Annually: Review and archive obsolete items

Permissions​

Who Can Edit/Delete​

Admin Users:

  • Edit all inventory items
  • Delete items (if eligible)
  • Bulk operations
  • Stock adjustments

Inventory Managers:

  • Edit inventory items
  • Stock adjustments
  • Cannot delete items with history

Regular Users:

  • View inventory
  • Limited edit access
  • Cannot perform adjustments

Read-Only Users:

  • View only
  • No edit or delete permissions

Troubleshooting​

Cannot Edit Inventory Item​

Problem: Edit button grayed out.

Solutions:

  1. Check permissions
  2. Verify item not locked by another user
  3. Refresh the page
  4. Contact administrator

Cannot Delete Inventory Item​

Problem: Delete option fails or unavailable.

Reasons:

  • Item has stock > 0
  • Item has adjustment history
  • Item used in invoices
  • Insufficient permissions

Solution:

  1. Adjust stock to zero first
  2. Or mark as Inactive instead of deleting

Stock Not Updating​

Problem: Edited item but stock didn't change.

Explanation:

  • Stock quantity cannot be edited directly
  • Must use Stock Adjustments to change quantity
  • This is by design for audit purposes

Solution: Use Inventory → Adjustments to change stock.

Changes Not Saving​

Problem: Edits not persisting.

Solutions:

  1. Check for validation errors
  2. Ensure required fields filled
  3. Verify numbers are valid
  4. Check permissions
  5. Refresh and try again

Next Steps​

Important: Never edit stock quantities directly. Always use Stock Adjustments to increase or decrease inventory. This maintains a proper audit trail and ensures compliance with accounting standards.