Business Central Warehouse Documents: A Simple Guide
1. Inbound Warehouse Process
Purchase Order
The process normally begins with a purchase order. It records the products ordered from a supplier, together with quantities, costs and expected delivery dates.
Warehouse Receipt
When the goods arrive, a warehouse receipt is created to record the items being received. When appropriate, several purchase orders can be combined into a single warehouse receipt.
Warehouse Put-away
After the goods are received, the warehouse put-away document tells warehouse staff where each item should be stored. Business Central can suggest suitable bins based on the location and bin setup.
Storage Bin
Once the put-away is registered, the inventory becomes available in its assigned storage bins. Users can then see exactly where stock is held within the warehouse.
2. Internal Warehouse Movements
Movement Worksheet
The movement worksheet is used to plan stock movements within a warehouse. It is particularly useful for reorganising inventory, replenishing picking areas or moving stock into more suitable bins.
Warehouse Movement
A warehouse movement provides instructions for moving items from one bin to another within the same location. Registering the movement updates the quantities held in each bin.
Internal Put-away
An internal put-away can be used when inventory already exists at a location but still needs to be placed into warehouse bins. This is useful when stock enters the warehouse outside the standard purchase receipt process.
Internal Pick
An internal pick allows warehouse staff to collect inventory for an internal purpose rather than a customer shipment. Examples include production, testing or internal consumption.
Transfer Order
A transfer order manages the movement of inventory between two Business Central locations. It records the transfer-from location, transfer-to location and the items being moved.
Transfer Shipment
The transfer shipment confirms that the inventory has left the source location. The items are then recorded as being in transit until they arrive at the destination.
Transfer Receipt
The transfer receipt confirms that the stock has arrived at the destination location. Depending on the warehouse setup, the received items may then require a warehouse put-away.
3. Outbound Warehouse Process
Sales Order
The outbound process usually starts with a sales order. It records what the customer has ordered, where the goods should be delivered and the agreed pricing.
Warehouse Shipment
The warehouse shipment brings together the items that need to be dispatched. Depending on the operation, it can contain lines from one sales order or several sales orders.
Warehouse Pick
The warehouse pick tells staff which items to collect and which bins to take them from. Registering the pick confirms that the goods have been moved to the shipping area.
Posted Warehouse Shipment
Once the goods leave the warehouse, the shipment is posted. Business Central updates the related inventory and order records and creates a posted warehouse shipment for future reference.
A Typical Business Central Warehouse Flow
The standard warehouse process can be summarised as follows:
- Inbound:
Purchase Order → Warehouse Receipt → Warehouse Put-away - Internal movement:
Movement Worksheet → Warehouse Movement - Between locations:
Transfer Order → Transfer Shipment → Transfer Receipt - Outbound:
Sales Order → Warehouse Shipment → Warehouse Pick → Posted Warehouse Shipment
Choosing the Right Warehouse Setup
Not every business needs to use every warehouse document. A smaller warehouse may receive and ship goods directly from purchase and sales orders. A larger operation may use warehouse receipts, put-aways, picks, shipments and bin-directed movements to maintain tighter control.
The right setup should reflect how the warehouse operates in practice. Adding more documents does not automatically improve the process. Each document should provide a clear operational benefit and make the work easier to manage.