Stock
What It Is
Stock describes the physical units of a product SKU held at warehouse locations and their availability for buyers. The record distinguishes goods on hand from units already reserved, allocated, quarantined or damaged. It also retains backorders for demand that existing stock cannot yet satisfy. Staff need these distinctions to answer whether goods can be sold, where they can be picked and why apparently present units are unavailable.
Movements and allocations provide the explanation behind balances. A movement records a physical change such as receipt, shipment or correction. An allocation identifies a unit held or committed for a buyer and follows it through later handling. The database uses these ledgers to maintain balances instead of treating an edited stock number as sufficient evidence. Product configuration supplies the tracking and shortage policy; stock records describe the quantities at actual locations.
What It Is Not
The merchandise product and its variants belong to the catalog and describe what is sold. Stock describes quantities of those products in places. Cost layers and valuation supply monetary accounting for the goods and currently have a separately registered owner. A shipment organizes outward handling, while a count records observations of the shelf. None of these replaces the immutable movement record that explains a balance change.
How It Is Used
Administrators organize warehouses and locations, and warehouse staff record incoming goods, corrections and transfers through authorized operations. Selling reads availability and creates holds or commitments. Arriving stock can satisfy waiting backorders before it becomes available to another buyer. Departure and return disposition contribute their own movements. Staff compare shelf observations through counts and investigate findings raised by the floor or nightly checks. Reconciliation reports most discrepancies rather than silently replacing their balances.
Its Facets
Warehouse. Warehouse sites carry address and allocation-priority information. Understanding warehouse in the stock workflow.
Location. A location identifies a bin or designated receiving, restricted or damaged-goods area within a warehouse. Understanding location in the stock workflow.
Stock item and balances. A location item records on-hand, held, allocated, restricted, backordered and available quantities for its SKU. Understanding stock item and balances in the stock workflow.
Movement. An immutable physical ledger records receipts, corrections, restrictions, shipment, restock, transfer and count effects. Understanding movement in the stock workflow.
Allocation. Individual buyer allocations progress through hold, commitment, picking, shipment, release or backorder. Understanding allocation in the stock workflow.
Transfer. Linked outgoing and incoming entries move available stock and its cost between locations. Understanding transfer in the stock workflow.
Count. A retained shelf observation supplies corrections when the count completes. Understanding count in the stock workflow.
Stock finding and reorder point. Reconciliation and warehouse findings describe discrepancies and shortages using replenishment thresholds. Understanding stock finding and reorder point in the stock workflow.
How It Relates
The catalog supplies product and SKU information. Orders and checkouts supply the buyer references behind allocations. Obligations authorize physical delivery and shipments record departure. Return disposition determines which incoming goods become stock again. The costing boundary remains a Product decision because physical operations and monetary relief are closely connected while registered separately.
What It Could Become
The product should provide warehouse staff with stock history, count and findings screens. It should also make incomplete nightly scans visible so staff can judge the reach of reconciliation. Before design begins, Product should settle costing ownership and the place where stock and shipping problems appear for investigation.