Reports

Inventory Pro provides a comprehensive reporting system that transforms your inventory data into actionable business intelligence. With over 200 built-in reports across 17 categories, you can analyze stock levels, track order fulfillment, monitor purchasing activity, and audit system usage-all from a unified interface designed for quick access and customization.

The Report Search interface serves as your central hub for accessing all reports, discovering commonly-used reports, and managing your customized report configurations.

Getting Started with Reports

New to Inventory Pro reporting? This section walks you through common scenarios and helps you find the information you need quickly.

Your First Report: Current Inventory Levels

The most common first report is checking what’s currently in stock. Here’s how:

1. Click Reports in the main navigation menu
2. In the Type dropdown, select Inventory
3. In the search box, type “stock level” or “on hand”
4. Select Stock Level Summary (Report 5) from the list
5. Click Run to generate the report
6. Review results showing all items with current quantities

Understanding the Results:

• On Hand: Total quantity physically in warehouse
• Available: Quantity not committed to orders (On Hand minus allocated)
• Allocated: Quantity reserved for pending shipping orders
• On Order: Quantity expected from pending purchase orders

Common Report Scenarios

“How much of item X do we have?”

1. Reports → Type: Inventory → Search “stock level”
2. Run Stock Level Summary (Report 5)
3. Use filter at top to search by Item ID
4. Review On Hand and Available columns

“What did we ship last month?”

1. Reports → Type: Shipping → Search “history”
2. Run Shipping Order History (Report 101)
3. Set date range filter to last month
4. Review order totals and line item details

“What’s on backorder?”

1. Reports → Type: Shipping → Search “backorder”
2. Run Backorder Report (Report 112)
3. Review items with unfulfilled quantities
4. Use customer filter to focus on specific accounts

“What have we purchased from a vendor?”

1. Reports → Type: Purchasing → Search “history”
2. Run Purchase Order History (Report 201)
3. Use vendor filter to select specific supplier
4. Set date range for period of interest

“Which items need to be reordered?”

1. Reports → Type: Inventory → Search “reorder”
2. Run Reorder Report (Report 8)
3. Review items below minimum stock levels
4. Use the report to create purchase orders

Understanding Report Numbers

Reports display key business data. Here’s what the numbers typically mean:

Valuation Metrics:

• Average Cost: Running average of purchase costs
• Last Cost: Most recent purchase price
• Extended Value: Quantity × unit cost = total investment

Troubleshooting Report Issues

Empty Results (No Data)

• Check Filters: Date range may be too narrow or status filter excluding records
• Verify Permissions: You may not have access to all warehouses or data
• Confirm Data Exists: The data you’re looking for may not have been entered yet
• Try Broader Criteria: Remove filters one at a time to identify the limiting factor

Slow Report Performance

• Narrow Date Range: Large date ranges process more data
• Use Filters: Apply warehouse, category, or status filters to reduce scope
• Avoid Peak Hours: Run large reports during off-peak times if possible
• Export for Analysis: Generate once, then analyze exported data in Excel

Unexpected Numbers

• Check Date Range: Results may include or exclude periods you expected
• Verify Warehouse Selection: Multi-warehouse systems may default to specific warehouse
• Review Status Filters: Some reports exclude canceled or closed records by default
• Compare to Other Reports: Cross-reference with related reports to identify discrepancies

Report Won’t Run

• Check Permissions: Some reports require specific security access
• Try a Different Browser: Clear cache or try another browser
• Contact Support: Some reports may be disabled by administrator

Understanding the Reporting System

Inventory Pro’s reporting system is built around three core principles:

1. Discovery: Find the right report through category browsing, search, or usage patterns
2. Flexibility: Customize any report by selecting columns, applying filters, and choosing output formats
3. Reusability: Save customized reports for one-click access to your most important data views

Reports provide read-only views of your data with powerful filtering, sorting, and export capabilities. Use them for daily operations, trend analysis, compliance audits, and strategic decision-making.

Report Search Interface

The Report Search page organizes all available reports and provides multiple ways to locate the information you need.

Search and Filter

The search box filters reports by name or column content in real-time. As you type, the report list narrows to show only matching reports. This is especially useful when you know what data you need but aren’t sure which category contains it.

The Type dropdown organizes reports into 17 categories aligned with major system functions. Selecting a category filters the list to show only reports in that area.

Popular Tab

The Popular tab displays the 15 most-frequently used reports across all users in the last 90 days. This helps new users discover which reports their colleagues rely on most and provides quick access to commonly-needed business intelligence.

Recent Tab

The Recent tab shows your personal 15 most recently accessed reports, making it easy to return to reports you use regularly without searching.

Column Preview

When you select a report from the list, the Columns section displays all available data fields in that report. Use this preview to confirm a report contains the information you need before running it.

Custom Report Indicator

Reports you’ve customized (modified columns, filters, or sort order) display a Custom indicator. This helps you identify your personalized report configurations at a glance.

Report Categories

Inventory Pro organizes reports into 17 functional categories. Each category focuses on a specific area of inventory management and operations:

Running a Report

1. Navigate to Reports menu to open Report Search
2. Use the Type dropdown to select a category, or use the search box to filter by keywords
3. Select a report from the list
4. Review the Columns preview to confirm the report contains the data you need
5. Click Run to generate the report with default settings
6. Use filter controls at the top of the report to narrow results by date, status, location, or other criteria
7. Click Export to download results as CSV or Excel for further analysis

Most reports default to current or recent data. Use the date range and status filters to expand or narrow the scope.

Customizing Reports

All reports can be customized to match your specific workflow and information needs:

To customize a report:

1. Run the base report
2. Click Customize in the report toolbar
3. Select columns, apply filters, set sort order
4. Click Save to store your custom configuration
5. Your customized version appears in Report Search with a Custom indicator

Customizations are saved per user, so each team member can configure reports to match their responsibilities without affecting others.

Creating New Reports

For advanced reporting needs beyond the built-in report library, use the Schema Reports to understand the database structure and available data elements:

• Data Element Dictionary: Lists all available fields with descriptions and data types
• Table Relationships: Shows how different data entities connect
• Field Usage Reports: Identifies which screens and transactions use specific data

Most custom reporting requirements can be met by:

1. Identifying the needed data fields using Schema Reports
2. Finding an existing report in the appropriate category that includes related data
3. Customizing that report to show only the fields you need

For truly unique requirements beyond customization capabilities, contact your system administrator about creating organization-specific custom reports.

Export and Analysis

Reports can be exported to CSV or Excel format for:

• Spreadsheet Analysis: Pivot tables, charts, and calculations
• Data Sharing: Email or file sharing with stakeholders
• Archival: Maintaining historical snapshots of operational data
• Integration: Importing into other business systems

Exports include all visible columns with current filter and sort settings applied.

Related Topics

• Report Customization Guide
• Data Dictionary
• User Permissions