Understanding Availability Sessions
An availability session is a snapshot of inventory counts at a specific point in time. Sessions allow you to:- Record inventory counts without immediately affecting available inventory
- Stage upcoming inventory before making it available for orders
- Track historical inventory levels through closed sessions
- Maintain an audit trail of inventory changes
Session Types
Live Session
The Live Session represents your current, active inventory:- One live session at a time: Only one session can be live
- Available for orders: Items in the live session can be allocated to orders
- Real-time availability: What customers can order right now
- Can be closed: When you’re ready to promote the staged session
Staged Session
The Staged Session is your next inventory count being prepared:- Preparation area: Record upcoming inventory before making it live
- Not available for orders: Items in staged session can’t be ordered yet
- Can be edited: Adjust counts before promoting to live
- Becomes live: When you close the current live session, staged becomes the new live
You can only have one live session and one staged session at a time. This prevents confusion about what inventory is actually available.
Closed Sessions
Closed Sessions are historical inventory records:- Past snapshots: Previous live sessions that have been closed
- Read-only: Cannot be edited once closed
- Audit trail: Track how inventory changed over time
- Historical reporting: Analyze inventory trends
Availability Workflow
Typical Session Lifecycle
Starting a New Availability Session
To create a new staged session:- Navigate to Product → Availability
- Click Start New Session (if no staged session exists)
- The system creates a new empty staged session
- You can now begin recording counts
Recording Counts
There are two types of count operations: Add Count - Recording availability counts- Record new inventory counts for item/location/grade combinations
- Typical for new plantings, deliveries, or initial counts
- Record adjustments with a direction (increase or decrease) and reason
- Typical for physical count corrections, losses, or adjustments
Recording Inventory Counts
Information Required for Each Count
When recording a count, you’ll need:- Item: Which item you’re counting
- Location: Which warehouse location has the inventory
- Grade: Quality grade of the inventory (e.g., Grade 1, Grade 2)
- Quantity: How many units
- Comment: Why you’re recording this count (optional but recommended)
- Recorded By: Your email/username (automatically set)
- Recorded At: Date and time of the count (automatically set)
Count Recording Best Practices
Recording Counts Effectively
- Always include comments explaining the count
- Be consistent with location and grade assignments
- Record counts promptly after physical counting
- Double-check quantities before saving
- Review the availability log to verify counts were recorded
Managing Availability Sessions
Viewing Session Status
To see your current sessions:- Navigate to Product → Availability
- You’ll see tabs or sections for:
- Live - Currently active inventory
- Staged - Next inventory being prepared
- Closed - Historical sessions
Making a Staged Session Live
When you’re ready to make your staged inventory active:- Verify all counts in the staged session are correct
- Click Make Live or Close Live Session
- The system will:
- Close the current live session (moves to Closed)
- Promote the staged session to become the new live session
- Create a new empty staged session for your next counts
Closing a Session
Closing a session moves it to historical records:- Only the live session can be closed
- Closing live automatically promotes staged to live
- Closed sessions become read-only
- Creates an audit trail of inventory changes
Availability by Location and Grade
Location-Based Inventory
Each count is tied to a specific warehouse location:- Track inventory across multiple warehouses
- See which locations have which items
- Allocate orders from specific locations
- Optimize fulfillment by location proximity
Grade-Based Quality Tracking
Grades represent quality levels of inventory and can be used to:- Differentiate quality levels
- Track quality issues separately
- Allocate inventory based on grade
Availability Views and Reporting
Current Availability View
The current (live) availability view shows:- All items with available inventory
- Quantities by location and grade
- Available vs. reserved quantities
- Quick adjustment actions
Availability Detail
For each item, you can view:- Total available across all locations
- Breakdown by location and grade
- Reserved quantities (allocated to orders)
- Availability history and changes
Availability Log
The availability log tracks:- All count additions and adjustments
- Who made each change
- When changes were made
- Comments explaining changes
- Complete audit trail
The availability log is essential for troubleshooting inventory discrepancies and understanding how counts have changed over time.
Count Adjustments and Corrections
When to Adjust Counts
Adjust counts when:- Physical count doesn’t match system count
- Inventory was damaged or lost
- Items were moved between locations
- Quality grade needs to be changed
- Mistakes need to be corrected
Making Adjustments
To adjust an existing count:- Navigate to the staged session
- Find the item/location/grade combination
- Click Adjust Count
- Enter the new quantity (not the change, but the new total)
- Add a comment explaining the adjustment
- Save the adjustment
Adjustment Best Practices
Count Adjustment Guidelines
- Always include detailed comments on adjustments
- Perform physical counts before adjusting
- Investigate significant discrepancies
- Document reasons for losses or damages
- Review adjustments with team regularly
Integration with Orders
Availability and Order Allocation
The availability system is designed to work with order management:- Items in the live availability session are available for orders
- Availability data is used during order creation and fulfillment
Troubleshooting
Can’t Record Counts
If you’re unable to record counts:- Verify a staged session exists (create one if needed)
- Check that you have permission to record counts
- Ensure the item exists in the system
- Try refreshing the page
- Contact your administrator
Counts Not Showing in Live
If counts don’t appear in live inventory:- Check if you recorded counts in the staged session (not live)
- Verify you haven’t made the staged session live yet
- Ensure the session promotion completed successfully
- Check the availability log for the item
Inventory Discrepancies
If system counts don’t match physical inventory:- Review the availability log for recent changes
- Check for unrecorded adjustments or losses
- Verify counts weren’t recorded in wrong location/grade
- Perform a physical count and adjust accordingly
- Investigate if orders were fulfilled but not updated
Session Won’t Close
If you can’t close the live session:- Verify you have a staged session ready to promote
- Check for any open transactions or locks
- Ensure you have proper permissions
- Try refreshing and attempting again
Best Practices
Regular Session Cycles
Establish a regular schedule for session updates:- Daily: For high-volume, fast-moving operations
- Weekly: For moderate inventory turnover
- Monthly: For stable, predictable inventory
Physical Counts
Perform regular physical counts:- Count high-value items more frequently
- Cycle count (count sections on rotation)
- Full physical inventory periodically
- Investigate any significant discrepancies immediately
Team Coordination
Coordinate availability management across your team:- Designate who records counts
- Establish consistent location and grade usage
- Communicate before making sessions live
- Review availability log regularly
- Train new staff on proper count recording
Next Steps
- Manage Items - Set up your item catalog
- Create Categories - Organize items by category
- Allocate Inventory - Assign inventory to orders
- View Locations - Manage warehouse locations