In this article, we'll guide you step by step through the inventory count process. The inventory count with Pickware consists of 4 steps:

You can record the counts either in the Pickware Admin or using the WMS App, where counting via the WMS App offers the advantage that you can scan storage bin or product labels directly. If, for example, you carry out your inventory count in the warehouse using pen and paper, it makes sense to enter the values directly into your Pickware Admin afterwards. All other steps take place in the Pickware Admin.

Which processes are safe to run in parallel with an ongoing inventory count?

What should you avoid?

In the Pickware Admin, under Lagerhaltung (Warehouse Management) → Inventur (Inventory Count), click Inventur starten (Start Inventory Count) to begin a new inventory count process. Select the desired warehouse and optionally give it a name. The numbering is assigned automatically.

Open the WMS App and navigate to the Inventur (Inventory Count) menu item. If no inventory count has yet been created in the Pickware Admin for the selected warehouse, a corresponding message appears indicating that an inventory count process must be started first.

For the inventory count, you have two different modes available: counting by storage bin ("Select storage bin") and counting in the warehouse (unknown storage bin).

Here you can record products per storage bin by first scanning the storage bin label or selecting a storage bin from the list. You can then scan the products at the selected storage bin or search for them using the keyboard and enter the respective quantity.

Please note: If you record more than one count for the same product-storage bin combination in this mode, the previously recorded value gets overwritten. This means that if, for example, you record 3 units in a first count and later want to record another 2 units of the same product, you need to record 5 units. If you only record 2, only 2 units would appear for the product in the summary at the end of the inventory count.

When counting by storage bin, items that aren't actively counted are also considered as counted. Items that are at the storage bin but aren't recorded are included in the inventory count with a stock of 0. Be sure to keep this in mind before you complete your inventory count.

If you don't use labeled storage bins or want to count products without a fixed storage bin, use this option instead. Here too, you can scan products or enter them manually. The counts are then recorded under the storage bin Unknown.

Please note: If you record multiple counts for the same product in this mode, they get added together at the end. This means that if, for example, you record 3 units in a first count and later record another 2 units of the same product, a total of 5 units of the product are counted for this inventory count.

To complete the inventory count, switch back to the Pickware Admin under Lagerhaltung (Warehouse Management) → Inventur (Inventory Count).

In your Pickware Admin, you'll find the Gezählt (Counted) and Ungezählt (Not Counted) tabs for the respective inventory count. To record counts, switch to the Ungezählt (Not Counted) tab.

By clicking on the respective filter icon, you can display all products at a specific storage bin (1) as well as all storage bins where a product is stored (2).

On the right, you'll find additional filter options (3), for example, if you want to filter your products by category, manufacturer, or tags used. There you can also specify whether stock at the unknown storage bin should be displayed in the list.

In each row, you have a blue button with an arrow available (1). This lets you directly transfer the respective value from the Erwartet (Expected) column into the Gezählt (Counted) column. If you counted a different value, instead double-click into the Gezählt (Counted) column and enter it.

Using the upper blue arrow (2), you can record counts according to the expected values for all entries on this page simultaneously. Depending on the Einträge pro Seite (Entries per page) setting at the bottom right of the screen, you can record up to 500 counts at once this way.

To apply recorded counts, select the corresponding rows using the checkbox on the left. Note that all counts for a storage bin are always selected together. Your selection is retained even if you switch pages using the navigation at the bottom, so entries from other pages can also be marked for application. Then click Alle ausgewählten Zählungen übernehmen (Apply All Selected Counts).

You can also apply a single count using the context menu. Here too, all other counts for this storage bin are applied along with it.

If you want to apply entries for which no count has yet been recorded, a corresponding message appears indicating that these will be applied with a value of 0 in that case.

In the Gezählt (Counted) tab, you'll see all recorded counts by product and storage bin. Just like in the Ungezählt (Not Counted) tab, you can filter here using the filter icons for a specific storage bin or product. The respective value in the Differenz (Difference) column gets booked as stock when the inventory count is completed.

For each list entry, you can adjust the count by double-clicking into the Gezählt (Counted) column and overwriting the value. Additionally, you can use the context menu to delete the count for this storage bin (Ganze Zählung löschen (Delete Entire Count)) as well as delete counts at the unknown storage bin per product (Einzelne Produktzählung löschen (Delete Individual Product Count)).

If, for example, products were overlooked during counting, you can add them afterwards by selecting Produkt zu Zählung hinzufügen (Add Product to Count) from the context menu for the respective storage bin. In the window that follows, you can then enter the product to be added and its quantity.

The filter menu on the right offers additional options besides the filter options you're already familiar with from the Ungezählt (Not Counted) tab. For example, you can specify a percentage range for the difference between the expected and counted value, in case you want to recount products with a particularly high percentage difference.

Differenz (gesamt) (Difference (Total)), unlike Differenz (Difference), doesn't refer to the stock of a product at a specific storage bin, but to the global stock of a product. This way, in the event of discrepancies, you can check whether the global stock still matches the expected value. In the list settings, you can accordingly display the columns Erwartet (gesamt) (Expected (Total)), Gezählt (gesamt) (Counted (Total)), and Differenz (gesamt) (Difference (Total)).

As long as the inventory count hasn't been completed yet, the counts can be changed or the entire inventory count process can be deleted. The stock changes resulting from the differences are only booked once the inventory count has been completed. To book the inventory count, click Inventur beenden (End Inventory Count) in the Gezählt (Counted) tab.

If there are still uncounted products when ending the inventory count, a corresponding notice appears.

In an inventory count, when counting by storage bin, items that aren't actively counted are also considered as counted.
Items that are at the storage bin but aren't recorded get included in the inventory count with a stock of 0 when the count is saved.
So make sure that either all items at a storage bin are fully counted, or that a stock of 0 is correct for unrecorded items, before you complete the count.

While the stock changes are being processed, the inventory count has the status Bestand buchen (Booking Stock). If you click on the corresponding entry in the inventory count overview, you can track the progress. Once finished, the status changes to Abgeschlossen (Completed). In the Gezählt (Counted) tab, completed inventory counts can be exported as a CSV file.