Keep cases and individual items straight in stock imports

A useful starting point

Stock automation needs explicit pack sizes. A purchase of three cases cannot be treated as three individual items unless that is how your stock records work. Keep the supplier unit, internal unit and verified conversion factor in separate fields.

A worked example

In a hypothetical example, three cases containing 12 bottles each produce 36 bottles. Store the original quantity as well as the converted amount. If a supplier changes to ten-bottle cases, create a new dated conversion rather than rewriting past receipts.

Implementation and review

Use a staging import with sample rows before changing stock. Power Query can infer column types, so check that product codes keep their leading zeros and quantities remain numeric. Staff confirm packaging from supplier evidence. Test mixed pack sizes, returns and an unknown conversion that must stop for review.

Import tools can infer data types; review the detected types before accepting a migration. Microsoft: Power Query imports

Measure the improvement

Measure correction time and unexplained stock adjustments before and after the pilot. Count verification work in the assisted process. Fewer discrepancies create value, but do not assume every discrepancy was a cash loss. Include the cost of keeping conversion records current.

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This guide applies across Canada. We provide remote AI consulting for businesses in Abbotsford; it does not describe a local client or a staffed office.

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