Stock takes (inventory counts) allow you to verify that the actual inventory in your warehouse matches what the system expects. Beam supports scanning-based stock takes with real-time progress tracking, making it easy to identify discrepancies quickly.
Creating a Stock Take
To start a new stock take:
- Navigate to the Stock Takes page.
- Click the add button (+).
- Enter a description for the stock take (for example, "Q1 2026 Full Count" or "Warehouse A Spot Check").
- Click Save to create the stock take.
The stock take starts with status Open and is ready to begin.
Stock Take statuses
Stock takes progress through the following statuses:
Open → In Progress → Done
| Status | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Open | The stock take has been created and is ready to begin. | Click Start to begin scanning. |
| In Progress | Scanning is actively underway. Items are being counted. | Continue scanning items. |
| Done | The stock take is complete and results are finalized. | Click Finish to finalize. |
Performing a Stock Take
Once a stock take is created, follow these steps to perform the count:
- Open the stock take and click Start to change the status to In Progress.
- Begin scanning items using an RFID reader (for bulk EPC tag scanning) or a barcode scanner (for individual items). The scan counter shows how many items you have scanned so far.
- As you scan, the stock take page updates in real time. Each row shows an item or group of items with expected and actual amounts.
- Continue scanning until you have covered all the items or areas included in the stock take.
- Review the results to identify any discrepancies between expected and actual counts.
Real-time updates
As you scan, each stock take row updates to show:
- Expected amount What the system thinks should be there based on your inventory records.
- Actual amount What you have actually scanned or counted.
- Progress percentage How closely the actual count matches the expected count.
- Color-coded indicator A visual indicator showing the match level at a glance.
Progress color coding
The progress indicator uses colors to quickly show the status of each item in the stock take:
| Color | Match Level | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 100% | Perfect match actual equals expected |
| Yellow | 80% 99% | Close match small discrepancy that may need review |
| Orange | 30% 79% | Significant discrepancy items may be misplaced |
| Red | Below 30% | Major discrepancy items may be missing |
Grouping and reviewing results
Stock take results can be organized and reviewed in several ways:
- Group by item name See results grouped by individual items.
- Group by category or subcategory Get a higher-level view of results by item classification.
- Group by other fields Use any configured field for grouping, depending on what makes sense for your count.
- Drill into details Click on any item to see detailed scan data and location-level breakdowns.
Use these grouping options to identify patterns in discrepancies. For example, if an entire category shows low match rates, there may be a systemic issue with how those items are stored or tracked.
Completing and exporting
When you have finished scanning and reviewing results:
- Review all results and identify any discrepancies that need investigation.
- When you are satisfied with the count, click Finish to change the status to Done.
- The stock take results are saved as a permanent record.
- Export the results for further analysis or record-keeping.